Yan Xiwen looked at the gradually filling granary, and a stone in his heart finally fell.
If there is a problem with food in this county, it will be a huge problem.
The county government's grain reserves are strategic reserves. In times of peace and prosperity, they don't actually play a big role, because most of the grain circulating in the market comes from grain merchants, and the grain reserves of the county government are mostly sold in season and then incorporated into new grain.
But Yan Xiwen knew that if a war broke out, the imperial court might order the transfer of grain. If the grain was transferred to Yao County and you had no grain, it would be a huge sin.
It seems that the world is at peace now, but when it comes to war, no one can predict the outcome.
Gu Wen, the advisor he had brought with him from the capital, breathed a sigh of relief. He whispered to Yan Xiwen, "Young Master, that official, Fu, invited you to the Western Hills, saying he'll be doing you a great service... Are you going or not?"
"Go, I want to see what this guy can do for me."
"Then I'll go and prepare the car right away?"
"Well, wait, bring the paperweight from my house. I owe him a favor for this food issue."
Gu Wen was slightly stunned, thinking that the black jade Ruyi paperweight was the young master's favorite thing... It seems that the grudge between the young master and Fu Xiaoguan is not as irreconcilable as the legend says.
The next afternoon, Yan Xiwen came to the West Mountain Villa again. Fu Xiaoguan exchanged a few words with him and then took him to the foot of Dai Mountain.
"Look, didn't you tell me last time you came that bandits had arrived in Jiangbei? Coincidentally, the first group of bandits was exactly what I was planning, so I wiped them all out. Of course, this credit is useless to me, but after thinking about it, I think it might be of some use to you. Take a look first."
Yan Xiwen looked at the hundreds of chopped-to-pieces corpses in the huge pit in front of him, and suddenly took a deep breath and held his breath.
He had never seen such a disgusting and tragic scene before. His heart was suddenly churning and he ran to the side and vomited violently.
Gu Wen had never seen such a situation before, but he was older after all, so he managed to keep his composure and support Yan Xiwen. He was already thinking that if this matter really happened to the young master, he would have to write a good story about it.
After a long while, Yan Xiwen finally caught his breath. He patted his chest and pointed at Fu Xiaoguan, "You don't have any good intentions!"
Fu Xiaoguan shrugged innocently. "You're really wronging me. I'm asking you, is this a great achievement? Do you want it or not?"
Yan Xiwen, with his keen political sense, understood the significance of this and nodded. "Yes, of course not. I came all this way here, am I going to go back empty-handed?"
"Alright, alright, now that we're here, there's no need to rush. Stay at the West Hill Villa tonight, and I'll give you a reward in the evening."
Yan Xiwen straightened up, frowning slightly, and asked, "What? Are there more bandits?"
"Well, let's go back and talk about it."
The three of them returned to the West Hill Villa and sat in the backyard. Yan Xiwen drank three cups of tea in a row before he felt a little better.
"The three hundred bandit corpses you saw just now were the subordinates of the Yellow River bandit Gong Shenzhang, who fled to Pingling and became a bandit. This guy has eight great Vajras under his command, and these three hundred bandits were brought by the great Vajra, Song Dabao. Unfortunately, it was dark and Song Dabao lost an arm and ran away. However, I still have a big fish in my hand. It belongs to Liu Sanbian, an aide to Gong Shenzhang. I will give it to you tomorrow."
Yan Xiwen kept looking at Fu Xiaoguan. This guy actually spoke so calmly, as if he had done something insignificant.
That's a real bandit!
How many guards does he have?
Just relying on these guards, he killed three hundred bandits and crippled the great god King Kong?
This was something Yan Xiwen found hard to believe. Although he had never led an army, he was well aware of the fighting power of the servants and guards.
So he asked, "Did you borrow soldiers from the state?"
"I really don't have that. If I borrowed soldiers from the state government, I wouldn't dare give you the credit."
Yan Xiwen thought about it and realized that this was the truth. These were not ordinary bandits, but subordinates of Gong Shenchang who had settled in Pingling. This made the situation different.
Gong Shenchang's name was recorded in the court, and the northern border army also sent troops to Pingling Mountain to encircle and suppress the rebellion, but this guy was cunning, and the troops sent out all returned empty-handed.
If this memorial stated that he had joined forces with Fu Xiaoguan to wipe out the 300 bandits from Pingling who had fled to Yao County, seriously injured Song Dabao, the great king Kong under Gong Shenzhang, and captured alive Liu Sanbian, Gong Shenzhang's aide... then he would have definitely achieved his first great achievement in Yao County, without the need for his family's operations. His Majesty would certainly be happy, and the Ministry of Personnel's evaluation would be an excellent one no matter what.
Why did Fu Xiaoguan give me such a good thing?
Yan Xiwen didn't seem dizzy, so he asked, "I don't care how you did it. I just want to ask you one question: what are the conditions for giving me this credit?"
See, it's easy to talk to smart people.
"Although we're not teacher and student in name only, we are in reality. Since you're meeting me and you're performing the disciple ritual, I think you're my disciple. So... who else can I give this credit to if not my own disciple?"
"Get lost!" Yan Xiwen was most frustrated by this little thing. Fu Xiaoguan had to bring it up on purpose, and he immediately became furious.
Fu Xiaoguan laughed heartily, his mood extremely cheerful. "Look at you, you cultivate your character, but getting angry easily is not the essence of a gentleman. Well, this is it, I will probably stay in Shangjing for quite a while next year, and you know I have offended many people, both openly and secretly. To be honest, I don't even know if I have offended your Yan family. This credit goes to you, firstly, it means that I really have no hostility towards your Yan family, and secondly... your Yan family has three prime ministers. If I want to gain a foothold in Shangjing, I have to find a strong enough thigh to hold on to."
This reason was perfect enough. Yan Xiwen was silent for a few breaths and understood Fu Xiaoguan's thoughts.
This kid is quite a smart guy. It's not simple for him to have such calculations at such a young age. As for whether there is a rift between Fu Xiaoguan and his family, he doesn't know, but if this guy is really willing to stand on the side of the Yan family, at least there is no harm.
"Okay, I understand now. What do you mean by having another contribution tonight?"
"There are two gangs of bandits coming here. Tonight's gang is led by the 500 men of the Poison-Repelling King Kong, the second subordinate of Captain Gong. Tomorrow morning, I will take you to collect the bodies. This time, I guarantee that the Poison-Repelling King Kong won't be able to escape."
Yan Xiwen still didn't understand Fu Xiaoguan's confidence. He was about to ask, but Fu Xiaoguan leaned over, looked at him mysteriously, and asked, "I feel that our place is not safe. Is there any way to set up a guard team of two to three thousand people?"
Yan Xiwen frowned, "There's only one way. Apply to the imperial court for local militia training. If I have this military merit... I can give it a try. But, what exactly do you want to do?"
Fu Xiaoguan sat up straight, his face full of innocence. "My entire fortune is here. This guy killed so many people, Gong Shenchang. Do you think he will let it go?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
