Chapter 168 I am really busy, I am not lying to you
After hearing the numbers Zhao Xing said, Ling Yuan calmed down.

Because it's simply impossible.

The figure given by Zhao Xing not only exceeded the standards of Yuncheng over the years, but also exceeded the regulations of the county.

A good cook cannot cook without rice. If you can't do it, you can't kill yourself.

Zhao Xing continued, "Based on the real situation in Yuncheng, I know this number to embarrass you."

"But, the past was the past, and this is now."

"I can guarantee that Tiangong Workshop will distribute sufficient materials in the future. This is the imperial court's major policy. Anyone who dares to block it is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

"In addition, there will be some staffing changes. In the past, coming here was equivalent to being exiled. But now it is different. Ambitious people will rush to come here to serve as officials!"

"If you are unable to complete my request even with sufficient materials and manpower, then it will not be enough to just dismiss you from office."

Zhao Xing stood up and slowly walked down the steps from the main seat: "This is all I have to say. You gentlemen, please go ahead and do what you need to do. There is no need to see me off any further."

The officials present looked thoughtful. Ling Yuan pondered for a moment, then immediately trotted out to catch up with Zhao Xing.

Even if my superior doesn't allow me to send it, I can't really not send it.

What's more, he has something to say.

"Lord Ling, didn't I say that you are not allowed to send it off?" Although Zhao Xing said this, he stopped.

"Sir, if the materials and manpower are available, I will do what you require even if I have to throw myself into the furnace! In addition to meeting the needs of the Ministry of Agriculture for war preparations, we can even add a batch of equipment to the Ministry of Agriculture's inner storehouse!"

"Oh?" Zhao Xing raised his eyebrows. Ling Yuan was quite smart. He figured it out so quickly. "Weren't you in a dilemma just now?"

Ling Yuan whispered, "Sir, I have something to report to you."

"speak."

Ling Yuan said: "Although Yuncheng has been in war for many years, as you said, it has not been harassed by barbarians on a large scale in the past ten years."

"Since the seventh year of Jingxin, although officials have been frequently transferred and many people have tried every means to leave, the various departments of Tiangongfang have been nearly fully staffed most of the time, and materials have been distributed in full."

"only……"

"Just what?"

Ling Yuan gritted his teeth and said, "Only the materials that can reach Yuncheng have averaged only one-third in the past 10 years!"

"There should be forty-nine people coming to see you today, but only fourteen of them, including me, are here. Because Yuncheng has other official duties, they were sent to the Fengming Mountains to mine, and I can't transfer them."

"I understand." Zhao Xing waved his hand. "I'll give you seven days to check the accounts in the warehouse. I won't force you to check the accounts before your term of office, but check the accounts within your term of office carefully."

"You should know which people can use it and which people can't. Immediately build equipment according to the military regulations. Not only for farming, but also for defending the city and attacking the enemy. Use as much material as you have and start working first. Submit the accounts to me in seven days."

Ling Yuan promised: "Yes, I will do it even if it costs my life! I am afraid that the lives of me and other brothers are not enough."

Zhao Xing smiled, but Ling Yuan was still afraid and wanted to get some honest advice from him.

He boarded the Swordfish flying boat and entered the small material storage on the boat.

Ling Yuan didn't understand, but seeing that the flying boat hadn't taken off yet, he just waited quietly.

A quarter of an hour later, seven straw men came down.

Then, a steady stream of straw men jumped off the flying boat.

Soon, fifty straw men were standing around Ling Yuan.

"Is this... the straw man method?"

Ling Yuan was shocked.

Because what Zhao Xing used were all good materials, at least they were cut from third-level plants, and some parts were even fourth-level.

Zhao Xing jumped down again and nodded towards Long Xiao.

The latter understood immediately.

Putting his hands behind the straw man, Long Xiao would stay for at least half an incense stick of time every time he passed a straw man.

Twenty days have passed since I met Long Xiao in Huailiuyuan.

Along the way, Zhao Xing had been using Long Xiao to train the guardian straw man, and now it had reached the intermediate seventh level.

"These are the flying guardian straw figures I created."

"The two methods are combined into one, and the materials are excellent. Combined with the sword cultivation method of the brave lieutenant Long Xiao, and with the protection of the straw man, no one below the seventh rank can hurt you."

"Even if it's a seventh-grade, ordinary martial artist who has practiced evil spirits, as long as he has not surpassed his realm, he will die if he is stabbed by the sword energy."

Zhao Xing's flying technique is perfect, and the power of the guardian straw man depends mainly on the realm of the practitioner. After the seventh turn, Zhao Xing can barely preserve the two sword energies of Long and Xiao.

Who is Long Xiao? He is one of the best among warriors! He is also a rare swordsman among warriors. He obtained the incomplete swordsmanship from the ancient tomb, and gradually perfected it by himself. Later, it became the famous "Shenxiao Swordsmanship", which is the top-level martial arts that warriors want to learn at all costs.

Zhao Xing used the fourth-level material draftsman, and after practicing to the seventh level, he could only store two 'Genjin Sword Qi' of Long Xiao!
Combined with Flying Straw Man, it can fight and run.

"What, even a seventh-rank demon refiner has to die?" Ling Yuan's eyes were filled with shock.

This was beyond his understanding. After all, he had no idea how far those geniuses could go.

Storing sword energy inside the straw man was already an eye-opener. After all, he had never even heard of a guardian straw man.

Shouldn't the Straw Man Technique only be able to drive away birds and beasts? Now this Guardian Straw Man actually claims to be able to kill ordinary seventh-grade beasts?

But when one look at the appearance of Zhao Xing and Long Xiao, it doesn't look like they are faking it at all.

Because after Long Xiao used his sword energy to inflict damage on fifty straw men, he was obviously much weaker.

"No big deal. Are these enough? If not, Lord Zhao and I will give you a few more!" Long Xiao laughed loudly, but his hands behind his back were shaking.

"That's enough." Ling Yuan bowed quickly and said, "I will definitely live up to your trust!"

"Let's go." After Zhao Xing gave the order to the flying guardian straw man, he drove away in the flying boat.

The intermediate straw man technique, especially the guardian straw man technique, is not like the elementary straw man technique. It has no distance limit and can be used even in the 'offline state'.

The guardian straw figurine that Lao Chen gave him could last forever and follow him to the countryside, and was even left to Gui Niang for her use.

Of course, the distance was too far, so Zhao Xing's brain-computer couldn't sense the situation of the guardian grass man. He had to get within a certain distance to know whether it was destroyed or still existed.

"Damn, I'm so tired." Long Xiao quickly took out a few fruits from a bamboo box to replenish his energy. "You guys are trying to show off your skills in front of others, but it's really hard for me. You raised fifty guardian grass figures in one breath, and you almost drained me dry!"

Zhao Xing looked at Long Xiao's shaking hands and couldn't help but laugh: "Who was it that just said, do you want a few more?"

After eating a few fruits, Long Xiao sighed with satisfaction and sat down next to the box: "You've already said this, so can I say something else?"

"Even if you have to be squeezed dry, you have to do it."

"Damn it, you are even more cruel than Lao Chen. At least he treats me as a human being, but you are just treating me, a brave captain, like a beast of burden."

Long Xiao cursed.

I thought I would feel more relaxed if I left Lao Chen and became Zhao Xing's bodyguard.

I cried so hard, I couldn't feel relieved at all. "Calm down, I think you are so wise and brave, you can handle it. Old Chen also said that this is also a kind of training for you."

"Humph, of course I am wise and brave." Long Xiao said proudly, "Do you think anyone can be called brave?"

"As for training, well, I guess so... it's just a little bit hard." Long Xiao sighed. Why is there no way in the world that is not tiring and can quickly become stronger?

"You should take some time to recover, as we have to go to the county government office tomorrow." Zhao Xing said.

"What are you going to the county government for?" Long Xiao asked.

"He has no other way to transfer people from Ling Yuan, the chief of Tiangong Workshop. The only ones who can do that are the magistrate and lieutenant of Yuncheng County. However, here the magistrate also serves as the lieutenant."

"Ling Yuan didn't say it clearly, but his meaning was very clear. It was the Yuncheng County Magistrate who transferred the people from Tiangong Workshop to do private work. Moreover, all materials entering and leaving Yuncheng had to be reviewed and signed by the county magistrate. It is very likely that he withheld some of the materials."

Long Xiao said: "It's really weird. Yuncheng, a county-level city, often has to go to war, but the position of county lieutenant is vacant, so the county magistrate has assumed the position of county lieutenant. I don't know how much this guy has been greedy for to feed the people above him, resulting in a situation where he is the only one in power."

Zhao Xing thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say since I haven't seen him yet. I'll go back to the Ministry of Agriculture first and then visit the Yuncheng County Magistrate tomorrow."

"The magistrate of Yuncheng County is named Shao Wanjie, and he is a top seventh rank official."

"He was originally a military lieutenant, and later became a civil county magistrate."

"He took office in Yuncheng twelve years ago. At that time, the position of county lieutenant was not vacant, and he was only a seventh-rank official."

"But later he was promoted every three years until he reached the seventh rank."

After returning, Zhao Xing first talked to Bao Wenshan.

As the saying goes, an old man in the family is like a treasure. Bao Wenshan has stayed in Yuncheng for more than a hundred years and knows Yuncheng like the back of his hand.

Hearing him introduce Shao Wanjie, Zhao Xing couldn't help but be curious: "With the situation in Yuncheng, how can he still be promoted all the way? He was promoted three levels in ten years and also served as a county lieutenant. This means he is heading for the sixth rank, which is quite rare. Did he make any great contribution to Yuncheng?"

Bao Wenshan sneered and said, "Contribution? He did make a lot of contributions, but these contributions were all made for the higher-ups."

"Shao Wanjie started making money as soon as he took office. Among the five departments of Yuncheng, except for the temple, there is nothing he doesn't get his hands on."

"Whether it's the quotas distributed by the higher-ups or the taxes paid by the lower-ups, they all have to go through his hands."

"At first it was just a little greed, but later it became a big greed, and it took up most of the money!"

"He also often uses personnel from various departments to do private work, using officials at all levels as his own soldiers!"

Zhao Xing flipped through the accounts that Zhang Zhong handed over and shook his head.

Among the shortfalls noted by Zhang Zhong, there were many accounts that were very wrong. On the previous page, they were paid in full, but on the next page, they became shortfalls.

what reason?
The land taxes paid by the Sino-Agricultural Supervisor must first be sent to the county government warehouse for storage, statistics, and review, and then transported to the provincial capital at the end of the year.

However, the warehouses in the county government suffered from fire, earthquakes and flooding every year.

Well, the terrain of Yuncheng is dangerous, so this can be explained. After all, this place can be breached from time to time, and a warehouse fire is not a big deal.

Then there is the transportation from Yuncheng to Fucheng, which is mostly done by river. Shao Wanjie sent people to transport by water every time, but there were always capsizes every year.

Don't ask, the answer is that a boat capsized on the Canglan River, and the loss of money and food was heavy. It was a natural disaster, not human fault.

That’s what they say, but natural disasters, shipwreck… isn’t this secretly putting the blame on the Sinongjian and Tiangongfang?
Therefore, Ling Yuan, the chief officer of Tiangongfang, should have been of the seventh rank, but under Shao Wanjie's manipulation, he was only of the eighth rank. The chief officer of Sinongjian had been of the eighth rank for several years as well.

Then didn’t the previous Du Shui Ling and Gongfang Si Zheng give any feedback?
Feedback is useless. Shao Wanjie has a strong background and there is a chain of interests behind him.

If you can’t solve the problem, can’t you solve the person who raised the problem?
So some were transferred away, and some were demoted, resulting in Shao Wanjie becoming the only one in power.

After he fed the people above him, he not only rose through the ranks, but also nominally assumed the position of county lieutenant, and actually controlled the four departments except the temple.

There wasn't much money to be made in Yuncheng, so this man started trying every possible way to make money elsewhere.

The reason why Ling Yuan's Tiangong Workshop is not fully staffed is because most of them were transferred to Fengming Mountains by this guy to explore for minerals.

So the question is, how strong is this person's background?
Bao Wenshan pondered and said, "I have heard this man brag before. He claims to be a disciple of King Liang. His direct superior is Liu Junliang, a fifth-rank official. Liu Junliang recommended him for many promotions."

"In addition, he was originally a member of the Black Dragon Guard, the private army of King Liang. It is said that he once served as deputy commander, but I don't know if it is true or not."

Zhao Xing was stunned: "King of Liang? Are you talking about King of Liang Ji Mingxian of Luliang Prefecture?"

Bowenshan nodded: "That's right."

"No wonder he is so arrogant." Zhao Xing suddenly realized, and the deeds of King Liang emerged in his mind.

Prince of Liang, Ji Mingxian, was a rare first-rank prince. He was the ninth son of Emperor Wen and the younger brother of Emperor Jing!

In the early days of the Reform Movement, the territory was expanded. Liang Wang Ji Mingxian served as the commander-in-chief of the three armies for a period of time at the end of the war, and later presided over the establishment of Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture.

He was deeply favored by Emperor Jing, and when the war was almost over, he let Ji Mingxian be the commander-in-chief of the three armies and presided over the establishment of Jiutian Yingyuan Prefecture. Wasn't this an act of picking peaches purely selfish?

However, this King of Liang, who had countless honors and appeared humble and gentle, actually had hidden ambitions. Yang An, Marquis of Shenwei, was the one who voted against King of Liang Ji Mingxian's succession to the position of commander-in-chief of the three armies.

Standing on the wrong side had serious consequences. Originally, Yang An was to be promoted to the first-class Marquis of Shenwei based on his merits, and the central government's commendation had been prepared. However, after King Liang took office, he found an opportunity to deliberately let the Shenwei Army make a mistake, and took the opportunity to demote Yang An to the third-class county marquis. The Shenwei Army was also disbanded, and its team was broken up, leaving only the title.

However, for some unknown reason, this King Liang, who had been blessed with countless honors and was deeply loved, joined forces with the southern barbarians and sectarian demons to rebel at the end of the Jingxinli period.

"It seems that Shao Wanjie has been promoted from a vassal to a regular official, but he cannot possibly become the leader of the Black Dragon Guard. At most, he is just a small soldier."

Bao Wenshan asked in surprise: "Why do you think so?"

Zhao Xing said: "The Black Dragon Guard is one of the three elite troops of King Liang. If Shao Wanjie is the commander and retires, there is no way he would only assign a seventh-rank civil official to go to a place like Yuncheng."

Bao Wenshan cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency still knows more."

Zhao Xing certainly knew a lot. In his previous life, he had served in King Liang's Black Dragon Guard and had even followed the King of Liang in a rebellion. At the time, he had no idea what was going on and thought that he was a wise leader. So he followed his brothers to join King Liang's team, hoping to overtake him and gain the credit of following the king.

I thought this was the "Prince of Yan", but when the fight really started, he turned out to be the "Emperor Jianwen". He was put down in two and a half years, and even the Fangwai Sect and the Nanman who helped him called him a loser.

Thinking about it afterwards, I realized that Emperor Jing was fishing, luring this young brother into taking the bait, but he never thought that it would backfire.

When he really caught something, Emperor Jing was very sad. Prince Liang's rebellion was also one of the important factors that led Emperor Jing to hastily end the Jingxin calendar and start concentrating on having children.

"What do you plan to do, sir? If Shao Wanjie doesn't leave, it would be like dancing with shackles for you to control the water," said Bao Wenshan.

"What to do? Report it, of course." Zhao Xing picked up the account book and walked out.

Shao Wanjie only has a white glove, which has nothing to do with King Liang. If it gets dirty, he can take it off at will, and others cannot report him. But it is different for Master Zhao.

He had originally been thinking of meeting with Shao Wanjie first, but now it seems that there is no need for this meeting.

Unexpectedly, just when Zhao Xing was about to write the letter, Shao Wanjie sent someone to the Sinongjian.

"The county magistrate was busy with official duties yesterday. After learning that Lord Zhao had taken office today, he immediately held a banquet at his house to welcome Lord Zhao." A middle-aged scholar handed over the banquet invitation.

"I am also busy with official duties. Please reply to Lord Shao that I really cannot go." Zhao Xing didn't even raise his head.

The middle-aged scholar said calmly, "Zhao Sinong has just taken office and may not even recognize all the people. How can he be so busy with official duties? My master is sincere."

After Zhao Xing finished writing the document, he blew on the ink and said sincerely, "I am really busy. I won't lie to you."

"Look, your master's sins are so numerous that I can't even write them all down in this memorial."

Middle-aged scholar: "..."

(End of this chapter)