Chapter 78, the county government gathers

Two days later, the ancestral family invited the rich gentry and three elders from all over the county to gather in the county government to formally present the relevant arrangements for theft this year.

In the past two days, the gentry everywhere have been quite concerned about the amount of money and food donated to prepare for thieves this year. Although they seem to support it, in fact, they are more or less a wait-and-see attitude.

This gathering of the county government is largely to inform the powerful people of the county.

Zu Zhao was still busy writing a notice to recruit volunteers early in the morning and did not go to the county government with his grandfather and other elders. It was not until noon that I transcribed more than 30 notices and went to the backyard to check the preparation of armor equipment, and then rushed to the county government in the city to learn about the results of the talks.

I didn't know that as soon as I arrived at the door of the county hall, I heard a fierce quarrel inside.

Zu Zhao entered halfway, so he could not swagger into the main door and could only go around to the side door. There was a servant of the county government waiting at the side door. After seeing him appear, he hurried to greet him. He stopped, motioned for exemption, and then asked, "Why is the hall so quarreling?"

The servant sighed, shook his head and said, "The eldest son didn't know anything. Originally, his father-in-law spoke kind words and spoke very well, but Master Zhao in Nancheng suddenly stood up for accusations and said some unpleasant words. We have just quarreled for a long time, and now we are still quarreling.

There are still several large families in this county. In addition to the Beiguoting ancestral family and the Anyangting Zhang family, there is also a Zhao family in Nancheng. The surname Zhao was originally a big surname in the north, and the Zhao family in Nancheng is also the oldest family in the county. Unfortunately, it has lasted for more than 100 years. Among them, many changes have been encountered, and the family power is also intermittent, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Until today, the Zhao family has fallen, and the branches and veins are scattered and un united. Not to mention that it is not as magnificent as the operation of the ancestral family, I'm afraid it can't catch up with half of the Anyangting Zhang family.

However, the Zhao family has not had any contact with the ancestral family. Not only that, but strictly speaking, there are still some contradictions.

The Zhao family is a local ancient family, which is not only very repulsive to other foreign surnames, especially now that the family is flourishing like the ancestral family, but also has a meaning that it can't eat grapes and say that grapes are sour. Therefore, in previous years, whenever it comes to the handover between the ancestral family and the Zhao family, the ancestral and Zhao families will inevitably have many conflicts.

For good, as long as there is no handover between the two families, it is not a big deal, and no one will take the initiative to find fault with each other. Therefore, in the past few years, there have been almost no major conflicts, and the two families have not violated the river. Today, in order to prepare for the preparation for theft, we met again. I thought that the Zhao family did not make much trouble last year, but this year also passed, but I never thought that the Zhao family really found a fault.

Zuzuo was calm and continued to ask, "What on earth is going on?"

The servant replied, "Master Zhao first accused Master Chen of doing something different from his father-in-law and deliberately collecting more money and grain donations than in previous years. In fact, he can't use so much money and grain to donate at all, and the surplus will be sold in private and take the opportunity to seek personal gain. Alas, how can my lord, the king of a county, do such a thing?

As a servant of Chen Prefecture, of course, will favor Chen Xianjun. But after saying this, he felt something was wrong. After all, the eldest son of the ancestral family was still standing in front of him, so he quickly added, "Of course, Mr. Zu will not disdain to do such a thing. With the prestige of the ancestor, there is no need to..."

Zu Zhao couldn't care about the flattery of his servants and interrupted impatiently, "In addition, what else did the Zhao family say?"

The servant looked embarrassed and did not dare to neglect it. He quickly continued to say, "Later... Later, the donation of money and grain seemed to have finally passed, but Master Zhao then complained that he should not have privately cast armor, and also said that it was a big deal. If it was not done well, it would be a big crime. Master Zhao also said, er, he didn't dare to learn his words to the prince.

Zuzu Zhao's face was gloomy and asked in a low voice, "You don't care about me."

The servant had no choice but to lower his voice and whisper, "Master Zhao said that your father cast armor in public and private, which is to plot a rebellion."

Zu Zhao "hummed" coldly. If others heard this, they would definitely feel nervous. No matter whether the rebellion is true or not, such a truth alone is enough to make people afraid. But he didn't care about the quarrels of the Zhao family at all. With his understanding of the Zhao family, he was born out of nothing, lest things would be big.

Immediately, he restrained his face and said quietly, "What is Chen Xianjun's position with others?"

The servant said again, "My master is very embarrassed and has been defending his father. The old men of the Zhang family and the old people of the Wang family did not express their obvious position, but only then, several young people of the Zhang family still refuted Master Zhao's words. Others are almost watching the dispute between the father-in-law and Master Zhao. On the contrary, Lieutenant Wen County still supports your grandfather!"

Zu Zhao pondered a little. Since his grandfather and Chen Xianjun have made the county government clear, coupled with the great movement of Lingzhi County before, I believe that the major families in the county are more or less aware of it. Most importantly, as long as Chen County Jun agrees to this matter, there will never be any so-called truth.

So, he didn't continue to ask any more questions and immediately stepped into the lobby through the side door.

In the hall, all the large families in the county and the three virtuous elders attended each other, and the quarrel did not end because of the appearance of Zu Zhao.

Z Zhao saw his grandfather and Zuju sitting on the upper right with several elders in the family, and the people of the Zhao family were on the right side in the middle. The Zhang family, the Wang family and other gentry are listed on the left. Chen Xianjun sat directly above with a group of subordinate officials of the county government and the three old sages of the county. Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu did not come, but Zhang Qi were present. He nodded slightly to Zu Zhao.

At this time, a young man of the Zhao family was arguing with Zu Zhao's third uncle Zu Tian, and his words were very fierce.

When Zu Zhao passed by the hall, he saluted Chen County Jun and the three old virtuous people in this county. Chen County Jun was looking sad and nodded back. When he came to his grandfather, he saw that his grandfather was also blushing. It could be seen that he was not angry. Since his grandfather was from military service, his temper was of course not ordinary and strong, and he could not tolerate the unprovoked humiliation of the Zhao family. When he saluted his grandfather, he didn't care about greeting him.

"I have been stealing every year for more than ten years, but I have never heard of such a big deal as today. Can you know if there is anything else in it under the guise of an accident in the county? Now I'm still casting armor privately. Can't my northern men deal with bandits and bandits without these armor? The young man of the Zhao family is fierce. He has said such words earlier. At present, he is nothing more than repeatedly grasping this mouth and not let go.

"How can you know how many people there are? Have you ever been to Lingzhi County to fight for thieves? Have you ever been to the county to witness the chaos that day and night? With more or less donations, there will always be an account record. You said that there are tricks in it, and you only need to check the accounts to make it clear. Years of thieves, all of you here have donated. Sometimes there is a lack of time, and the rules and regulations are clear. Why don't you say that there have been a bad pool that you have done in the past? The third uncle Zu Tian argued rationally. He carried his hands on his back and was solemn, but he showed some momentum.

"As mentioned, I haven't been on a business trip at this age, so why can't I follow the past? Why so much tossing? The white book sent by the county government to each family actually asked for 500 stones of grain and more than 10,000 yuan, which is four times as much as last year. The young man of the Zhao family said critically.

When the third uncle heard the other party repeatedly pestering these words, he was angry and anxious. He only felt that if he was blindly pestering this matter, he would be endless.

At this moment, Zu Zhao suddenly stood up and came to the third uncle and whispered, "The third uncle does not need to pay attention to this person, so let me talk to the elders."

The third uncle couldn't help frowning. Even if Zu Zhao is the eldest son and eldest son of the Zu family, after all, he is still young. This opportunity does not allow a young boy to speak. However, before he could persuade him, Zu Zhao had walked to the center of the lobby first, and he could only look back anxiously at Zu Ju and others. Although Zu Ju was a little surprised, he could still keep calm. He would like to see what his grandson could say.

Zuo Zhao bowed slightly to the Zhao family, but there was not much expression on his face. He looked around the whole audience and the whole audience also focused on him. Everyone was more or less surprised.

"My grandfather has made it very clear what should be said. This theft is not the same as in the past, and it is an extraordinary means at an extraordinary time. The contribution of money is within the protection of the people of our country, so why do we have to make it so complicated and entangled? If the predecessors of the Zhao family think that the ancestral family is greedy for a few small profits, there is no need to donate a penny this year. At worst, our ancestral family will produce two pieces of materials. Anyway, Zhao's home is in the south of the city and is not in the north. If the Hu people invade, as long as we can stick to it, the Zhao family can be safe. Even if we lose, the Zhao family can still escape in advance. Zu Zhao's face was expressionless, but his voice did not hide his ridiculing.

As soon as he said this, he immediately put the Zhao family in a position of injustice. The reason for saying this is that the Zhao family usually boasts that it is the oldest family in the local area, because he will first break through the other party's sense of superiority. Next, since the Zhao family questioned that there were too many stolen money and food donations this year, they simply released harsh words and completely put an end to the truth.

"Yellow mouth vertical, what did you say?" An elder of the Zhao family got up on the spot, frowned angrily, and pointed to Zu Zhao and scolded.

"Huh, is there no one to bully my Zhao family? Do you want a little bit of cheapness?" The young man of the Zhao family shouted before.

"Okay, since your predecessors said that you don't care about this little cheapness, will our ancestors care about it? My ancestors don't care about two more donations, so why do they have to care about it? As for private casting weapons, this is even more nonsense. It's better to let Chen Xianjun make a conclusion on this matter. The county treasury has been in disrepair all year round and the military equipment is insufficient. How can it be continued? Now it was an eventful autumn. Chen County Jun Mingjian entrusted our ancestral home village to recruit craftsmen to cast armor to fill the arsenal. If the seniors must suspect that there is something wrong with my ancestral family, then the matter entrusted by the county government to cast armor will be transferred to the Zhao family, can it?

Zu Zhao is not slow, but he speaks very powerfully. He said it very thoughtfully. Since it is a felony for the other party to bite privately and cast armor, he will treat him in his own way. The matter of biting and casting armor is promised by the county government, which is just right.

"Huangkouruzi, is this the place for you to talk?" Zhao Wei, the master of the Zhao family, was furious and shot the case.

"Although he was young, he also killed Hu thieves, and led his children and the righteous men of Anyangting Zhang's family to Lingzhi County to break the thief bandits. It is incumbent on theft to prepare for this robbery. Is it difficult for the seniors of the Zhao family to let the boy not speak? Zu Zhao said rudely to the Zhao family.

"You..." Zhao Wei's face turned purple with anger.

"My grandson is not talented. This year, he was recommended by the county and rushed to the county government to participate in the inspection. This time, the children of my ancestral family are all led by my grandson. Why, your Zhao family is not willing to pay for food or contribute. Do you still want to dictate here? Behind him, Zu Zhao raised his sword and said something very sharply, which was also a relief from his hatred and suddenly felt happy. At this time, it is natural to support the grandson.

"You, you, okay, since you said it, my Zhao family will have nothing to do this year." Zhao Wei was so angry that he said something very well.

Zi Zhao smiled secretly, and he just hoped that the other party would say this. To be honest, in the whole Xu Wu County, the ancestral family is really one of the best. If you really need to pay for more money and food, it is not difficult at all. His purpose is to hope that the other gentry present will shift their attention from the matter of "more money and food" and "private casting armor" to "all this is just a obstruction of the Zhao family and selfishness".

He took a look at the faces of other rich gentry present. Anyangting's Zhang's family naturally turned more or less towards the ancestral family. At this time, it all showed a contempt for the Zhao family. Chen Xianjun had an agreement with the ancestral family earlier. Of course, the county government should take the lead of the ancestral family, and now it is also very suitable to give the Zhao family the same face. . As for the other gentry, they had already let it go. When they saw who had the upper hand in the end, they would follow whom. At this time, it was already clear, and it was inevitable to follow the trend.

In the hall, many people began to steal private discussions, especially the ancestors, looking left and right to stir up the flames.

The situation suddenly became clear, and more and more people began to whisper, thinking that the Zhao family deliberately did not want to make this donation. Most of the other gentry care about their face. Since the Zhao family does not donate and they donate, their face has naturally improved, all by stepping on the steps of the Zhao family to improve their glory.

The Zhao family was all angry, but everyone said that the situation had been settled and there was no way to refute it.

After a while, Chen Xianjun relaxed from his previous grim face and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, everyone, as Mr. Zu said, what should be said has been made clear, but do you have any other questions? This year's preparation for thieves is really not the same as in the past, and the county can only prepare for the worst. There is no other meaning in front of you this gathering. The whole county has benefited from theft, which is also the strength of the whole county. If there is no other question, please raise the affairs as soon as possible according to the prior notice.

Zuju was the first to echo: "My ancestral family has nothing to say. We must go all out to support the call of the county government."

Other people have also made statements one after another. Up to now, people have followed, and there is nothing to delay.

As for the too many materials that need to be donated this year, it doesn't mean that who really wants **, it can naturally come out. If it is really useful, it is not in vain to have a sense of wisdom and reputation; even if it is not, it is also to give face to the ancestors and Chen County. Everyone finally figured out this account in their hearts. With the family situation of their ancestors, they don't care about this little sweetness at all. Why do they have to be too suspicious?

Seeing the general trend, Zhao Wei had no choice but to speak too old before, so he had to brace his face to the end. He suddenly stood up, stared at Zu Zhao angrily, and shook his hand towards the gate.

The other members of the Zhao family present today don't know how to express their position. Even if they want to return, they have no chance to go with the patriarch one by one.

Chen Xianjun also planned to ask what the attitude of the Zhao family was, but the Wenxian lieutenant next to him pulled Chen Xianjun for a moment, and finally he could only watch the Zhao family leave. After Chen Xianjun sat down, he thought that the Zhao family naturally did not give face, so there was no need to force anything else. If the Zhao family really had the idea, they could secretly send the amount of donations needed to the county government, and there could be more or less a step down for each other.

At this time, Zu Ju said again, "In this way, we must cooperate with the surname of Xu Wuxian Wang. From today, I hope that you can actively assist in preparing for this theft and invite your children to participate in the response. Before the first month, there must be a decent team and style. I, Xu Wu County, have made every intention to protect my family.

The rest of the gentry got up one after another and agreed to come down one after another.

When the county government gathers, the whole county has a unified idea.

As long as these big families can respond positively, not to mention that money and food have been guaranteed, even more than half of the people are strong enough. There are also three or five hundred people per household or one person. Coupled with the collection in other towns, the recruitment of 800 is just around the corner.

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[I have read all the messages from readers, and I will definitely speed up the pace. I hope all readers can insist on supporting it. Please collect, red tickets, and monthly tickets. Thank you very much.]

[I will leave for Beijing in four days. My hometown is too cold and I can't move my hands and feet, so my thoughts are also a little slow. I hope all readers can forgive me!]