Lonely non-good minister

Chapter 315 Poverty and Suffering

She wanted to say something else, but looking at An Zhoushi's appearance, she held back her words and just nodded to show that she knew what he meant.

She didn't want to push people too hard, as that would be counterproductive.

After a night's rest, Song Yuan took An Zhoushi and set off together early the next morning. He didn't know how to ride a horse, and it was inconvenient for a carriage to travel in the countryside. Wei Yan specially prepared an ox cart for An Zhoushi.

According to Song Yuan's plan, they had to travel all the way west to Jiuquan, the westernmost point of the Wei Dynasty, and then turn north to the West Sea. The two places are too remote, and cotton is not grown here, but they belong to the northwest and belong to her. In the jurisdiction area, after she took office, the prefects of the two places did not show their faces, so she had to go and see.

The autumn wind was blowing, and the yellow sand was long. After walking for two days, Song Yuan gave up riding a horse and followed An Zhou to rest in an ox cart. She found a piece of cloth and covered her head tightly, only showing a pair of eyes to look ahead. Even so, you have to be careful of wind and sand at any time.

"Jiuquan is a good place." An Zhoushi leaned on the bullock cart, also covered tightly, holding a water bag in his arms.

Song Yuan said nothing. She didn't like the place with long yellow sand. The too desolate and desolate environment made her feel depressed. If she were a commoner who grew up here, she would have no hope.

After walking for a long time, they found a few houses in a small mountain depression. The sporadic greenery in the barrenness was particularly noticeable. Song Yuan didn't stop the car to take a closer look, but the people in the house came out when they heard the movement. Take a closer look.

Rough and tattered clothes, dry skin, sunken eye sockets, everything reveals poverty and misery, and Song Yuan can't tell whether the other party is a man or a woman if they are only a little far away.

"If the Huns invade the country, will this place be abandoned as a battlefield?" Song Yuan asked.

Wei Yan who was following him immediately said: "Yes, the front is open and not conducive to defense. The army is stationed at the back, and there are only a few thousand checkpoints at the front. If the Huns invade the country aggressively, they will not encounter strong resistance. Here It’s the battlefield, under these yellow sands, maybe even the bones can be dug up.”

"In this case, you shouldn't live in this place." Song Yuan sighed: "But if the Wei people don't stay here, the Xiongnu people will come. If they live in this place, their cattle and sheep will come here. Once they come here, in a few years they will say that this place belongs to their Huns.”

She looked into the distance, and saw a hunched and thin man walking by with a large bundle of firewood on his back. In front of him were four or five sheep. The man had seen them too, and he hadn't seen a stranger for a long time. Yes, stop at the spot and watch carefully.

After walking in the wilderness for a few days, they finally saw a town built with earthen walls. Wei Yan went forward to negotiate, and Song Yuan looked at the town in front of him carefully. It is a mixed building, and there are traces of repairs after the collapse in some places. Even so, an archery tower was built inside the wall. Two soldiers on the left and right stood on it, staring at their group.

The soldiers at the gate were also very vigilant, and they questioned Wei Yan very carefully. Because they were unfamiliar, they were not allowed to go in. Instead, they wanted to report first, so Wei Yan had to turn back and wait.

"The interrogation is so strict?" Song Yuan was very surprised. She can understand that the security in the northwest is stricter, but this is too strict.

Wei Yan said: "Although this town is dilapidated, it is a place to dispatch frontier sentries. Your Highness can regard it as a military camp mixed with the people."

"I see." Song Yuan got off the bullock cart and took the cloth off his head.

After waiting for a while, I saw the soldier walking out of the inside with a thin and faceless black and thin middle-aged man. The official uniform on his body was dusty and had lost its original color, and there were patches on his shoulders. A sour, hurry up to meet.

"Your Majesty Zhang He, the Governor of Jiuquan County, pays homage to Lord Inspector."

Song Yuan also clasped his fists together: "Master Zhang has worked hard. I have walked all the way, only to see desolation. It is difficult for people to live in such a place, and it is even more difficult for Master Zhang to be an official here for twenty years."

Zhang He looked at her, and for a moment he was clumsy and didn't know how to respond, so he could only ask her to go in first.

Song Yuan stopped taking the car, and followed Zhang He into it. The situation inside was not much better than outside. The huts were tall and short connected together, and there were sheep manure scattered on the narrow street, and occasionally dogs ran out. , standing not far away, staring at Song Yuan, there were ragged children squatting on the side of the road, looking ashamed and dirty.

There were not many people on the road, but they all looked haggard and gray-headed, and their faces were numb from suffering and poverty. They looked at Song Yuan and his party carefully, marveling at their elegant manners and beautiful clothes. Show a gleam of brilliance.

"My lord, please." Zhang Yun led Song Yuan into a small courtyard. The three thatched cottages are the Ming Hall of the Yamen in Jiuquan. The three county guards, the county guards, the county officials, and the prefects each occupy one to take care of their official duties, and the thatched cottages at the back are where they rest. .

Entering Zhang He's Mingtang, the small room was divided into two. One side was filled with bookshelves. The documents and files on the bookshelves were neatly placed. Seven or eight officials in the same shabby clothes were sorting documents around a large table. They came in and hurriedly stood up to greet him.

Zhang He set up a table on the other side, surrounded by piles of books and documents, Song Yuan barely found a place to sit down.

"Jiuquan is drought and is being harassed by foreign enemies. Farming can only be resigned to fate. For this reason, I have never been summoned to Zhangye to meet your lord, and I hope you will forgive me." Zhang He looked worried. He was not familiar with Song Yuan, and he was afraid that she might be Come to inquire about crimes.

Song Yuan hurriedly said: "I know the situation in Jiuquan, so how could I blame Mr. Zhang for such a trivial matter? I haven't seen too many villages along the way, and I occasionally met a few people who seemed to be very poor. In a place like this, it’s really hard work for you all.”

"As a subject, it is my duty to share the king's worries, and I dare not pretend to be hard work." Zhang Yun said with a face of sincerity, and asked in confusion after speaking: "My lord is in charge of civil affairs, and now the autumn harvest is coming, and it is time to be busy. , is there something important to come here?"

Song Yuan looked at all of them: "Yes, food shortages have been reported in various places now, but Jiuquan has not reported it, so let me take a look. Based on what I have seen along the way, your situation is so bad, why don't you report it? "

When this matter was mentioned, they were all silent. Zhang Xi was silent for a long time before saying: "It has been reported for many years without any results, so it has been a long time since I have reported."

"How much food do you need?" Song Yuan didn't ask the reason. Before she came here, the civil affairs in the northwest were the same as other places, and they all sent directly to Jingzhao. I'm afraid that the papers about food shortages would get stuck in the hands of officials in Situ's mansion. , if it is not reported to Situ at all, it will arrive, and the grain will be stripped and exploited layer by layer. How can there be any surplus food to be sent to Jiuquan?

(End of this chapter)