"Yuan Yunzhong!" Old Zhao stared at Yuan Yunzhong’s eyes, which were bloodshot.
"It seems you recognize me." Yuan Yunzhong said slowly as he drew his bowstring again.
"Go!" Old Zhao shouted to his nephew, but a few moments later, fell from the sky again like a bird with broken wings.
Yuan Yunzhong handed his bow to a guard standing by and said coldly, "Make sure you find out, where are all the others?"
He had always had a good memory.
This Old Zhao must be the steward of the Zhao Family Village that he and Song Jiyun stumbled upon when they were lost.
The Zhao family village had no shortage of people.
Old Zhao was involved in rebellion and treason, surely those he kept close were his confidants.
When Lord Bai and Lord Xiang learned that Yuan Yunzhong had personally captured the rebel leader, they were so surprised that they gasped.
"Has anything been found out through examination?" Lord Xiang asked the colonel who brought the news.
The colonel saluted and respectfully said, "No. Lord Yuan handed the prisoner over to Lord Chen, whose ancestors served in the Imperial Guard, and he is sure not to fail Lord Yuan’s trust."
Lord Xiang sighed in relief and consulted with Lord Bai, "Should we perhaps write a memorial to the Imperial Cabinet? Quelling the refugee uprising is indeed a matter worth celebrating."
It could also make people believe Yuan Yunzhong had been right all along.
Lord Bai stroked his chin’s beard, spoke sarcastically, "It’s about time we submitted a report to the Imperial Cabinet. Lord Yuan, brave and wise, quelled the refugee turmoil. Also, it’s a good time to ask the cabinet elders how to handle these fifty thousand refugees. Their daily needs for food and sanitation aren’t trivial. We surely can’t just keep them in Shijingshan, can we?"
Because they did not know how to handle these issues, although most officials in the court thought that appeasement was necessary, they couldn’t outright oppose the Ministry of War.
Discussions in the court often devolved into whoever raised an issue being responsible for solving it.
Unable to resolve the issue of the fifty thousand refugees, they naturally could not oppose the decisions of the Ministry of War.
Lord Xiang frowned, feeling that, at this point, Lord Bai still being concerned about the gains and losses of the Ministry of War looked unseemly. His tone involuntarily turned colder, "Since Lord Bai has other plans, I will not invite him to submit the memorial with me."
However, Lord Bai’s rank was higher than his, and if he and Yuan Yunzhong were up to something, it would be difficult for him to handle.
He bluntly said, "Then you rest; I will go see Lord Yuan. Sun Yan didn’t expect us to bring troops to suppress the refugee rebellion and tried to apply a scorched earth tactic, even burning all the stored grain with the monks of Bixia Temple. Only a fraction of Bixia Temple is left, I’m afraid I also need to notify the Monastic Affairs Bureau. I’m not very familiar with that Bureau, nor am I sure if Lord Yuan is."
As he spoke, he walked out, hurriedly leaving the council hall. Once he was out of Lord Bai’s sight, he called to a passing colonel, "Where is Lord Yuan?"
The colonel saluted and pointed to a nearby pavilion, "Lord Yuan is discussing matters there with Lord Shi and Lord Sun."
Lord Xiang grunted affirmatively and headed to the pavilion.
Before he let the colonel announce him, he heard Sun Yan saying, "Near the Imperial Capital, it’s hard to find a spot in Chengde Prefecture, Zhengding Prefecture, or Baoding Prefecture, not to mention Changping or Miyun. It’s simply impossible to settle so many refugees near the Capital City."
Lord Xiang shook his head inwardly.
Sun Yan was a capable man, but ultimately his experience was limited; he could at most serve as the Commander of the Wanping Guard.
"Lord Yuan!" he said with a smile as he pushed open the door.
Lord Shi and Sun Yan immediately stood up to salute.
Yuan Yunzhong courteously invited him to sit down.
Without being polite, Lord Xiang said, "Lord Yuan, have you considered enrolling these people into military households to serve in the Nine Borders?"
Yuan Yunzhong’s eyes flickered slightly and he said, "Lord Xiang, please proceed."
Lord Xiang laughed and said, "The resettlement of these refugees, presents two major difficulties. First, the sheer number of people. Even for a top county like Jurong, there are only thirty thousand households. Suddenly adding fifty thousand people, even distributed among ten counties, I’m afraid there won’t be enough idle land for settlement. Over time, they might just end up as refugees again. Second, they are difficult to manage. Having been untaught for so long, if their livelihoods after resettlement are difficult, I fear they might commit petty thefts and harms to their neighbors."
"By enrolling them into military households to serve at the Nine Borders is different," Yuan Yunzhong contemplated, "For one, there are few people and much unclaimed land at the Nine Borders; these people can clear and cultivate it. Secondly, though there have been no wars at the Nine Borders in recent years, there’s a shortage of military households."
"Exactly!" Lord Xiang, smiling, walked to where the map hung and pointed at places like Xuanfu, Datong, and Taiyuan, saying, "Look, there’s plenty of land here."
Yuan Yunzhong nodded and said, "Let me think this over."
With so many people, even though settling them at the Nine Borders, a harsh and cold region, is not a simple matter.
Lord Xiang also knew that this was a significant matter, one that Yuan Yunzhong should discuss with Master Jinghu. He smoothly changed the subject, bringing up the matter of Bixia Temple.
The Monastic Affairs Bureau manages monk affairs, and since Bixia Temple was a registered monastery, burned down by the Inspection Division’s men, it certainly warranted notifying the Monastic Affairs Bureau and discussing compensation.
Yuan Yunzhong said, "I’ve already sent someone to the Monastic Affairs Bureau about this. Considering the urgency, they won’t blame Lord Sun."
Sun Yan, who hadn’t thought about this consequence when he burned down the temple, quickly stood up to thank Yuan Yunzhong.
Yuan Yunzhong waved his hand and said, "I recognize your subordinates from the Wanping Guard and the Shang Twelfth Armies, and can select anyone at will, let alone such a talent as yourself. Rest assured, I will definitely advocate for your merits."
Sun Yan and Lord Shi thanked him repeatedly.
Yuan Yunzhong’s personal guard requested an audience and said, "My lord, I took your handwritten letter to Langfang County, and the County Magistrate immediately agreed to lend grain upon seeing it. But when I went to the granary to collect the grain, they started making excuses, saying they could only lend us grain after receiving official documents from the Ministry of Revenue."
At this point, he lifted his head and carefully gauged Yuan Yunzhong’s expression. Seeing no obvious anger, he continued, "They said, personal relationships are relationships, but without official documentation, they can’t take responsibility if something goes wrong. I tried to see the County Magistrate again, but the porter said the County Magistrate had gone to the countryside to inspect the crops."
In other words, they initially agreed, but then quickly changed their minds.
Yuan Yunzhong frowned unhappily and asked, "What about the people sent to the Tongzhou granary?"
At Tongzhou Wharf, there are Canal Transport warehouses, where grain from the south is temporarily stored.
The guard hesitated and said, "They also said, they need official documents from the Ministry of Revenue before they can lend grain."
Yuan Yunzhong thought for a moment, then asked Lord Shi, "How much longer can our current supply of grain last?"
Lord Shi responded without hesitation, "It can last for three more days."
Yuan Yunzhong then summoned Xu Guangzeng and said, "I’ll write a petition; you take it directly to the Directorate of Imperial Ceremonies, and have Lord Qin deliver it to the Emperor."
Xu Guangzeng looked relieved to have found something to do, repeatedly answering, "Yes."
But Lord Shi and Sun Yan exchanged a surprised glance.
To be such a close official to the Emperor, to be able to do this.
Skipping even the Imperial Cabinet, directly seeking the Emperor’s approval on a petition.
This made them even more confident in working with Yuan Yunzhong.
What they did not expect was that Yuan Yunzhong ordered Lord Shi and Xu Guangzeng to return to the city together: "Lord Shi, you handle the matter; Xu Guangzeng, you just knock on the doors."
This was to use the clout of Duke of Ding’s Mansion to get things done.
Xu Guangzeng, eager to ingratiate himself with Yuan Yunzhong, naturally kept saying "Yes," repeatedly.
The two of them, carrying Yuan Yunzhong’s petition and escorted by a team of Colonels, returned to the city.
But two days had passed and they had not returned, nor had any official documents arrived from the Ministry of Revenue.
This was suspicious!
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