Chapter 172 173 A Place Where Birds Don’t Poop

Zhou Jia flipped through the files brought by Shen Zhong and saw that before the Qingchuan disaster, there were only more than 500 households in the county, with a total population of less than 30,000. There was only one person in the entire county, a man named Tu Chengdong who was in his forties. The scholar is currently serving as a magistrate in the county government and has four government servants. Three years ago, the former county magistrate was blackmailed and blackmailed by Qinglong Village just two months after he arrived in Qingchuan County. He was so frightened that he abandoned his official position and fled.

In the Daqingshan Mountains to the north of the county, there is a bandit den called Qinglong Village. Currently, there are about 200 bandits. On Dalou Mountain to the east of the county, there is a bandit den called Hutou Village. Currently, there are about 200 bandits. There are three to four hundred bandits. In a county with a population of about five hundred households, there are two mountain bandit dens with hundreds of bandits. Zhou Jia frowned when he saw it. Is such a county still a county? Thirty thousand is still the pre-disaster population. Based on this calculation, it would be a blessing to have half of the population left after the disaster! I'm afraid the rest are still old, weak, sick and disabled!

Zhou Jia sighed, rubbed the center of his brows, and thought to himself; now he can only take one step at a time.

Li Yu heard Zhou Jia sigh, turned around and glanced at the file in Zhou Jia's hand, and said, "Xiao Xi, how is the situation? Isn't it very optimistic?"

"It's not just pessimistic, it's too bad. Look," Zhou Jia pointed at the file and said with a wry smile: "There were only about 500 households before the disaster... I'm worried that when we arrive in Qingchuan, I'm afraid there are more bandits than the people. When I think about it, I can only go to Qingzhou to see if Shen Wu has returned, and ask him to help eliminate the bandits and let the people feel at ease first."

Li Yu read the file and frowned: "Is it still considered a county town? I think it's just a place where birds don't poop. What did all the previous officials do for food? A good county town is managed like this."

Seeing Li Yu's angry look, Zhou Jia smiled and consoled him: "It's really like a place where birds don't poop. Fortunately, before departure, Shen Zhong brought good news, saying that His Majesty will issue an order to exempt Qingchuan With five years of taxation, as long as the bandits are wiped out and the people are freed from the bandits' intrusion, the population will increase."

"You and Mr. Qian will work out measures to benefit the people and publicize them in places where there are victims of the disaster along the road to see if they can attract the victims to Qingchuan." Li Yu lazily leaned against Zhou Jia and squinted his eyes, "There are three more It’s only a month’s journey! Along the way, you and Master Qian can slowly come up with countermeasures and make adjustments according to the situation when you get to Qingchuan.”

Zhou Jia asked Li Yu to lie down and said softly: "Okay, it's better to get some sleep while the road is still smooth, otherwise it will be difficult to sleep when the road gets bumpy."

Li Yu was lying in Zhou Jia's arms, squinting and saying, "Okay, don't look at it either. Reading in the car hurts your eyes."

"Yeah!" Zhou Jia agreed with a smile and watched Li Yu sleep peacefully.

Qian Liang was sitting in the car, leaning against the carriage and squinting, watching Yang Wei holding a booklet and mumbling something. Qian Liang thought: Why don't the servants and maids of the adults go to the car behind to wait on them this week to watch their master? Why is the servant's house different from other people's homes?

Qian Liang saw Yang Wei put down the book and asked with a smile: "Your name is Awei, right? What are you reading?"

Yang Wei looked at Qian Liang and responded respectfully: "Mr. Hui Qian, it's a word I just learned. My name is Yang Wei, and my young master gave me the name. Isn't it majestic?"

Qian Liang felt a little amused when he saw Yang Wei trying to open his eyes to look at him. He touched his head and said with a smile: "Weifeng, Yang Wei, are you a son of your young master's family?"

Yang Wei looked at Qian Liang in confusion and said, "What is a family child?"

"Your parents are also servants of your young master's family. When they gave birth to you, you are the son of the family."

After hearing this, Yang Wei shook his head and said: "My parents were gone when they were fleeing the famine. A Lei, Er Ya, Uncle Zhao, and I have never been bought by anyone in Yahang. At that time, my wife was not there yet." I got married to the young master, and the young master and his wife came to Yahang to buy someone. Seeing how pitiful we were, they bought us. The wife said that as long as we keep our jobs, we will have enough food and clothing, and no one will beat or scold us for no reason."

After hearing this, Qian Liang thought to himself: Keeping one's duty seems to be a very low requirement, but how many people can do it?

"If someone does something unruly, how will your young master and wife punish him?"

"Restless? How could it be?" Yang Wei frowned and thought for a moment, "Our wife told us the house rules the day we arrived home. She said she didn't like beatings and scolding. Once someone is restless and violates the house rules, Sold directly. My wife also asked us what we do at home and what we are good at. After asking clearly, we were assigned to work. We are in the village, everyone has his own thing to do, and there are three meals a day for everyone to eat. If you don't have to worry about clothes, if you are sick, you can go to the doctor and your life will be better than when you are at home, so why are you still restless?"

Qian Liang nodded and said, "That's right! We don't have to worry about food and clothing, and we will treat you when you are sick. Why should you be restless? It's just that people's hearts are really that simple!"

In Osmanthus Alley, Tongzhou, Li Qing said to Jixiang with excitement, "Brother Jixiang, does Shopkeeper Chu really say that my sister has been granted the title of First-Class Protector of the Country?"

Ji Xiang also looked excited, "Yes, the letter from the young master and his wife came from the inn. It's not as fast as Shopkeeper Chu and others. It may take some time to receive it. Shopkeeper Chu asked me to give the letter to the banker to take away, so I will I gave the letter to Shopkeeper Chu and took it to Kyoto."

Li Qing said in a low voice: "I finally lived up to the teachings of my sister and brother-in-law and got the title of scholar, but compared to my brother-in-law, I am still far behind."

Ji Xiang comforted him with a smile: "Ah Qing, you studied late, and it is already good to get second place. We will set off back to the village now. The village must have received the news. It is the busy farming season, so you can go back." Help Uncle Zhou take care of the spring sowing in the village."

Li Qing nodded and said: "Okay, brother Jixiang, let's set off now!"

Time flies, Li Yu and his party have been traveling for two months from the season when the mountain flowers are blooming to the scorching sun in the summer.

The group of people arrived at Qitong County exhausted. After resting in the city for a day, they set off towards Qingzhou.

At noon that day, after resting for half an hour on the road, after setting off for a while, the convoy entered a dense forest. Li Yu, who was hanging behind the convoy, discovered that as soon as Ruyi and the others entered the forest, there were frightened birds flying in the forest ahead. ,

Li Yu said to Zhou Jia: "Xiao Xi, there may be an ambush in front of you. Inform Xu Chun and ask him to notify those in front. Ruyi and others should be careful."

Zhou Jia got out of the carriage and told Xu Chun, who was driving the car, the news. Xu Chun told Xu Dong who was in front of him.

Tiezhu passed the news to Ruyi, who told Xiaoyu in the car: "Xiaoyu, there may be robbers in front of you, don't sit on it, lie down in the car."

Xiaoyu quickly sat down on the floor of the carriage and responded loudly: "I know, be careful."

"I know." Ruyi observed the surroundings vigilantly and took precautions.