Shi Kefa never said anything. In fact, it was useless for him to say something. The soldiers in front of him were very rough and stubborn. The scholars had a lot of reason when they met soldiers. If you want to reason with them, it would be better to play the piano against a cow! Why are all Zhang Zhun's subordinates like this? But these young men were actually dealt with the Tartars. To put it, it was incredible.

The mountain road was getting narrower and narrower, with weeds taller than people on both sides. The mountain wind blew, and the weeds swayed, as if someone was pulling the weeds. Zhou Ming's heart was raised to his throat, fearing that a thief would suddenly come out. However, the soldiers of the Tiger Army in front and behind didn't care at all. They just walked silently, without saying anything, and without any extra moves.

Shi Kefa noticed a detail, that is, when they walk, they lined up in a straight line as much as possible. Their waists were straight and their equipment was attached to a unified way. What's even more amazing is that their steps were almost the same, and no one would make mistakes. Even if someone occasionally made mistakes, they would adjust them soon. It was obvious that this was a subconscious behavior and did not need to go through the brain at all.

His heart couldn't help but become bitter. Just one detail can tell how strict the training and discipline of the Hu Ben Army were. The simpler the movement, the more years of training it takes to achieve such a consistent pace. Even the very elite Ming army could not do this, let alone the ordinary Ming army. No wonder the combat power of the Hu Ben Army was so strong, no wonder they could defeat the extremely cruel Tartars.

Strangely, although the mountains and forests on both sides were very dense, it seemed that thieves would pop up at any time. However, they never saw the sound of thieves. In the end, Zhou Ming had changed from fear to expectation. He wanted to see the appearance of the horse thief so that the Hu Benjun could slap himself in the face. However, he was disappointed, and along the way, there was no trace of a thief.

Along the way, they met several business trips. In the past, when the business trips were coming and going, there must be a large number of bodyguards passing through the border, otherwise they would definitely be robbed or even killed by thieves. However, the business trips they encountered were more than a dozen people, and the most were more than twenty people. They walked here with various goods, with a swagger, with a very relaxed expression, and were not afraid of the thieves at all.

As we walked, the scenery suddenly became cheerful, and a brand new town appeared in front of him. The reason why it was brand new was that most of the houses here had not been completed yet. Most of the land had obvious traces of being reorganized. The town was full of busy people, and there was a lively construction scene.

Wang Erwan, who led the team, shouted: "Junan County is here!"

Shi Kefa looked up at the front of him and couldn't help but wonder. Is this... the original Crossroad Town? I only saw people coming and going here, everyone was busy. There were many people building houses, and I could see the brick kilns constantly smoking. They should be burning bricks. Some people were raising stones. No matter from any perspective, it didn't look like a small town.

Wang Erwan sent someone to report to his superiors. Soon, someone appeared in front of Shi Kefa. This was a very powerful officer of the Tiger Ben Army, about twenty years old, with a cold face. He came to Shi Kefa and said loudly: "Who is Lord Shi from the capital?"

Shi Kefa felt that the other party seemed familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere. But he quickly realized that he had never seen him before. The reason why he was familiar was because the Hu Ben Army uniforms made young people wear them. Especially those who do not deal with the Hu Ben Army often easily confused different officers. He pondered and said, "I am Shi Kefa, you are..."

The officer of the Hu Ben Army stood attentively, raised his hand to salute, and said seriously: "I am Wu Qingliang, the commander of the Gangbain of the Hu Ben Army, and was ordered to station in Junan County."

Shi Kefazhu said, "It turns out it was Commander Wu, so polite."

Wu Qingliang knew that Shi Kefa had been to Laizhou Prefecture and took away a large number of Tartar heads, and his relationship with Zhang Zhun was a bit special. He heard that Shi Kefa went to Zhang Zhun again this time, so he knew that it was mostly related to the Hu Ben Army's occupation of Andongwei. Maybe he was here to raise troops to punish him. However, since the Hu Ben Army occupied Andongwei, he was not afraid of the imperial court's establishment. He pretended not to know Shi Kefa's purpose and said casually: "How could Lord Shi come to Junan County?"

Shi Kefa said calmly: "I went to Fushan City to work, passed by here, and came over to take a look. Commander Wu, I want to walk around the streets, I don't know if it is allowed?"

Wu Qingliang smiled and said, "What are you talking about by Lord Shi? We stand up straight and sit upright, what are we afraid of? Please!"

After saying that, he made way.

Shi Kefa thanked him with a little thanks and walked forward.

Zhou Ming thought that the Hu Ben Army would definitely send someone to follow them and monitor their movements along the way. Unexpectedly, the Hu Ben Army ignored them. Behind them, there were no other Hu Ben Army soldiers following them. Wu Qingliang was busy with his own affairs, so Zhou Ming felt relieved.

"People from the court!"

"Look! People from the court!"

"Look, everyone! People from the court appeared here!"

Suddenly, Zhou Ming heard someone shouting. He quickly turned around and found that it was the craftsmen who were building a house next to him shouting at them in groups of three or three. Zhou Ming was immediately happy. The craftsmen shouted so loudly that it seemed that they had welcomed the king's army for a long time. Shi Kefa also smiled and his mood finally improved a little. It seemed that the people of Qingzhou Prefecture were relatively lightly poisoned by Zhang Zhun, but their hearts were still towards the court.

"Pooh!"

"Pooh!"

"Pooh!"

At this moment, many craftsmen suddenly spit hard at them, with hatred on their faces.

Shi Kefa and Zhou Ming suddenly looked dull.

Spit?

What does this mean?

Suddenly, a craftsman shouted: "The lackey of the imperial court! Get out of Junan County!"

It would be fine if he didn't call him, but when he shouted, the craftsmen around him shouted: "The lackey of the imperial court! Get out of Junan County! Get out of Junan County!"

It's okay that a group of craftsmen here screamed, but when the craftsmen next to him heard it, they shouted angrily: "The lackeys of the imperial court! Get out of Junan County! Get out of Junan County!"

Amid the shouts, more and more craftsmen participated, and their voices were rising and falling, deafening, resounding through the sky. Shi Kefa and Zhou Ming's expressions suddenly changed. Especially Shi Kefa, his face turned a little ashen. He never expected that these craftsmen would hate themselves and the court so much.

With excitement from the crowd, craftsmen tried to rush out from the side and beat Shi Kefa and others. Most of these craftsmen came from Andongwei. In the garrison, craftsmen had the worst days. Their monthly food was the least and the land was the least. Their main income was to work. If there was no work to work, they would starve to death anytime and anywhere. But the garrison was a waste and had no work to do. Without work, there would be no income. Without income, they would have to starve to death.

Fortunately, after the Huben Army arrived, the status of craftsmen was greatly improved. In the area controlled by the Huben Army, there were a large number of work that needed to be participated by craftsmen. Not only did the craftsmen have work to do, the wages were relatively generous, and the lives improved the fastest. Therefore, they were the most sensitive to the court. When the people from the court appeared, the craftsmen couldn't help but be excited. Who would like to go back to live the hard days of the past?

The Caodets beside Zhou Ming and the followers around Shi Kefa were all confiscated, with only bare hands. Facing these crazy craftsmen, how could they be their opponents? Fortunately, Wu Qingliang came from the side, frowned, waved at the craftsmen, and the craftsmen left in disappointment. However, everyone could see that they were unwilling to leave like this.

A craftsman took two steps and suddenly turned around and asked, "Commander Wu, why did the dog officials of the court appear here? Isn't the superior going to hand over Junan County to the court again?"

When other craftsmen heard this question, they stopped and were obviously very concerned about this issue. If they moved to Junan County and the Hu Ben Army returned Junan County to the court, they would move again. They would never accept the rule of the court.

Wu Qingliang said affirmatively: "There is nothing, they just passed by here and took a look. I am here, what are you worried about? The Governor wants you to move here and sell you to the court?"

The craftsmen were guaranteed and then they dispersed.

Wu Qingliang glanced at Shi Kefa, Zhou Ming and others, and said nothing, turned around and left.

Zhou Ming looked around, anxious and angry, and whispered: "Sir Shi, I think there are some evil things here..."

Shi Kefa's face was silent and his expression was very complicated.

It is not evil here, and he can still see whether he is confident. It is really different to say that these craftsmen were organized by the Hu Ben Army to act. It seems that the people from the court are indeed not very popular here. Perhaps, there are indeed reasons for the propaganda, incitement and instigation of the Hu Ben Army. However, in recent years, the court has become increasingly unpopular, which is an indisputable fact. Especially the continuous increase in salary has ruined the last bit of the people's hearts.

He had served in the Ministry of Revenue for a long time and was very familiar with the collection of taxes in the world. Emperor Chongzhen's several consecutive increases of wages were actually a behavior of drinking poison to quench thirst. According to relevant laws, the land of gentry does not need to pay taxes. In other words, only the land of ordinary people must pay taxes. Liao people, suppression of wages, and training of wages are actually targeted at ordinary ordinary people.

However, by the Chongzhen period, there were still a few ordinary people who had their own fields? Even if they had their own fields, in order to avoid high taxes, they would rather sell the fields to gentry, or be named in the name of gentry. Or they would simply throw the fields away and then flee. The result of this was naturally that the court's taxes were less and less. The more times the salary was added, the less taxes were collected.

For example, the Liao pay was more than three million taels in the first year. By the second year, it was only more than one million taels. By the third year, it was only less than one million taels. The reason is very simple. The land owner who was assigned to the Liao pay was replaced. After being replaced with local gentry, the Liao pay could not be collected. Because gentry did not have to pay grain.

The same is true for the subsequent suppression and training of the salary. The more you add, the less you collect. The less you collect, the more you add. It has formed a vicious cycle. In the end, the money is not received, but the people's hearts are of course gone. How can a court without the people last? Shi Kefa dared not touch on this fatal problem at all, because this problem is really terrible.

Before Shi Kefa could speak, someone next to him said coldly: "Wow, Doctor Shi dares not say evil. Do you dare to say evil here, but who are you?"

Zhou Ming and Shi Kefa were both slightly shocked. Who is this person's hostility in his speech? What kind of big figure is there in the Hu Ben Army in Junan County?

But he saw a young man coming out on the corner of the street, both in his twenties, unclothed and energetic, with five or six people following him. He glanced at Shi Kefa and Zhou Ming, and said in a cold tone: "Dr. Shi, I didn't expect us to meet here. Last time I parted in Laizhou City, I thought it would take a long time to see Doctor Shi, but I didn't expect that in less than three months, Doctor Shi appeared again."

Shi Kefa was slightly stunned, then reacted and said with a smile: "Oh, you are Liu Hang."

This young man was Liu Hang. As the captain of the firefighting team, Zhang Zhun liked to place him in the most needed places. For example, he was the leader in various reforms and constructions in Junan County and was very busy at the moment. He heard that Shi Kefa came to Junan County, but he had no time to see him. However, by chance, the two met on the street and heard Zhou Ming's words.

Liu Hang is quite straightforward and cannot stand others saying bad things about the Hu Benjun behind his back. He immediately couldn't help but answer the conversation. Liu Hang really had no good feelings for Shi Kefa. In his opinion, Shi Kefa was a loyal lackey in the court. Even if he had some talent, it was not worth mentioning. Liu Hang never thought that Zhang Zhun's attitude towards Shi Kefa was completely unnecessary. He stared at Zhou Ming and said coldly: "Shi Langzhong has a good memory, I am Liu Hang."

Shi Kefa had met Liu Hang. When he came to read the edict last time, Liu Hang was welcomed by him in Laizhou City. However, the two met politely and had no close friends. When they were escorting the head of the Tatars, Liu Hang had already gone to other places to put out the fire and did not meet. At that time, Shi Kefa could feel Liu Hang's strong hostility towards him.

In fact, in Zhang Zhun's team, Liu Hang's thoughts were the most radical. Liu Hang had no favoritism for the current court. He really wanted to overthrow the current court and re-establish Datong society. Therefore, no matter what advantages Shi Kefa had, as long as he was from the court, Liu Hang regarded him as an enemy. Of course, there was no need to be polite to the enemy.

Shi Kefa said slowly: "I didn't expect to meet Zihao here, it's really a fate."

Liu Hang said lukewarmly: "Did Langzhong pass by here accidentally, or did he come here specifically to take a look?"

Shi Kefa did not answer the question and said slowly: "What are Zihao doing here?"

Liu Hang did not hide it, pointed around and said coldly: "The Shi Langzhong asked for it knowingly."

Shi Kefa looked around and said calmly: "Is this your credit?"

Liu Hang straightened his waist and said modestly: "No, it's everyone's credit."

However, his tone was still a little proud. In just one month, Liu Hang organized the people who moved to Junan County, opened up more than 200,000 mu of fields, and seized the time to sow winter wheat. If there were no accidents, by the end of the year, Junan County could reclaim about 200,000 mu of fields. In this way, the fields in Junan County could exceed 400,000 mu, which was equivalent to all the fields in Andongwei before.

In any aspect, this is a miracle. As long as the winter wheat is sown, the harvest of winter wheat is high, and calculated based on 300 kilograms per mu, Junan County will be able to harvest at least 60 million kilograms of grain next year. As long as you save a little, it can satisfy the consumption of 100,000 people per year. As the fields are constantly reclaimed, the amount of winter wheat is harvested. At the same time, there are also a large number of novel crops such as sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes. Although these are not staple food, they can also replace part of the food.

Now, Junan County has nearly 13,000 permanent residents. In Andongwei, more people are preparing to move here. By next year, the permanent population of Junan County should exceed 20,000. In less than half a year, Junan County will really have the prototype of a county. Junan County is surrounded by two provinces and three prefectures. Once it develops, it will be amazing.

Shi Kefa said slowly: "Wulian Mountain has thieves and poor land. I really admire Zihao for his achievements here. I have time in the future and I have to ask for advice in person."

Feeling Liu Hang's distance, Shi Kefa couldn't help but feel angry, so he claimed to have changed from "I" to "some". He even had a little bit of a serious intention with Liu Hang. If he simply developed the economy, Shi Kefa might not be worse than you Liu Hang. It was just that the court did not give me such an opportunity.

Liu Hang was stunned for a moment and then started to laugh.

Shi Kefa was a little unhappy and frowned and asked, "Why is Zihao laughing?"

Liu Hang said with a humility and arrogance: "Dragon Master Shi, you are behind in the news. The thieves in Wulian Mountain have basically been wiped out and it is impossible for them to continue to suffer from disaster."

Shi Kefa said in surprise: "All have been wiped out?"

Liu Hang said casually: "This, please tell you about Commander Wu."

After saying that, he asked someone to invite Wu Qingliang.

Wu Qingliang is nearby and will come soon.

Liu Hang said with a smile: "Old Wu, others don't believe in your results of bandit suppression. I suspect you are falsely reporting the results. It seems that you need to clarify."

Wu Qingliang said with neither humility nor arrogantness: "Mr. Shi, as long as the bandits in Wulian County are large, they have been wiped out. I can't guarantee whether there are three or two people who occasionally miss the net. However, all the gangs with more than five people have been destroyed by us."

Shi Kefa said with interest: "Can you tell me? How did you do it? As far as I know, the bandits in Wulian Mountain have been in trouble with An Dongwei for a long time."

The bandit suppression is not a military secret, and it doesn't matter if he tells Shi Kefa to know. Wu Qingliang then chose to tell Shi Kefa a general statement. He did not hide the squad strategy implemented by the Hu Ben Army, and the policy of suppressing bandits that never ended.

After hearing this, Shi Kefa suddenly said, "Since all the bandits in Wulian Mountain have been wiped out, why didn't your army withdraw?"

This is the showman.

Liu Hang said seriously: "Dragon Master Shi, I think Commander Wu is not qualified to answer you for this question. He is the order of the Governor's Office. If you want to ask, you can only go to the Governor's Office to ask about it. I think someone will give you a clear answer."

Shi Kefa had to look stern and said seriously: "Two, the imperial edict given to Zhang Zhun by the court is only responsible for the military affairs of Laizhou Prefecture and Dengzhou Prefecture. It is not your turn to station the Qingzhou Prefecture area? It is obviously a transcendence for your army to station here."

Liu Hang looked at Shi Kefa and said without any concealment: "Dr. Shi, are you here to cause trouble for us? Are you here to act as an army on behalf of the court to question the crime?"

Shi Kefa said seriously: "There is no two kings in the country, and no two kings in the people. How can your army not execute the emperor's edict? I want you to give a clear explanation."

Liu Hang nodded and said seriously: "Since that's the case, please go to the Grand Governor's Office in Fushan City. I think someone will give you a reasonable explanation there."

He deliberately took the word "big" very seriously, and his tone was even strange, with a very strong irony. As long as he was a human being, he could tell what was wrong.

Shi Kefa immediately realized it and frowned and asked, "Liu Hang, what do you mean?"
To be continued...