Chapter 387

Xiao Baoshan said, "hum, it's the usual pedantic set!"

Ye Xiaoxian also sneered: "this set may be useful to other people, but it's useless to us. Baoshan, we're going to patrol everywhere today, aren't we?"

Xiao Baoshan said, "yes."

Then he asked the housekeeper to prepare the carriage and informed the Yao county Cheng to accompany him.

……

Yao county Cheng heard early in the morning that the four squires had sent things to Xiao Baoshan.

He had a master under his command. Yao county Cheng said to the master, "do you think Lord Xiao will unite with those families and receive benefits at that time, regardless of the people?"

The martial master thought for a moment and said, "that Xiao Hou is not an ordinary person. His subordinates observed him all day yesterday. They saw him sitting and standing. He spoke with dignity. He doesn't look like a person who would pollute with others. Besides, he is now Dingbei Hou sent by the Imperial court. He should disdain that little military food? He's not the former king of hell."

Yao county Cheng frowned and said, "Alas, from ancient times to the present, there seem to be few people who can resist temptation. Many people are honest at the beginning, but they don't decay slowly later? Unless everyone is Bao Qingtian."

The master asked, "the county magistrate is worried about the people. His subordinates can understand it, but let's observe it for a period of time. If Mr. Xiao doesn't join the four squires during this period, it means that he still has the people in his heart."

As soon as the master had finished his words, someone came in and informed him that master Xiao invited them to the house and would go around today.

After hearing this, Yao Xiancheng and his master looked at each other.

It seems that Lord Xiao has not colluded with the four squires for the time being.

They immediately prepared a carriage and went to xiaobaoshan's house.

……

Today, xiaobaoshan still carries leaves.

Today, they are going to inspect the land around Mobei. In addition to the county seat, several other places in Mobei are led by four squires, namely, suziling, yueyueyuegou, damanti and bamboo slope.

Although there are mountains and slopes, these are almost black land and very fertile, but there are sparse crops on the crops.

There are also people in the crops. Everyone is listless and works like a walking corpse.

Yao county Cheng told Xiao Baoshan, "this is master Wu's field. All the people who work on it are their tenants."

Xiao Baoshan asked Yao Xiancheng to call two people over for questioning.

They came here in a carriage. At first glance, the official was driving, so when Yao county Cheng shouted, two people came at once.

The two men had never seen the formation of these carriages at ordinary times, so they kowtowed as soon as they came up: "meet some officials."

Xiao Baoshan got out of the carriage and said to them, "stand up and talk."

Ye Xiaoxian also got out of the car and stood behind Xiaobao mountain.

The two tenants stood up and saw that xiaobaoshan was tall and mighty. They dared not look into xiaobaoshan's eyes.

Until Xiao Baoshan told them, "you don't have to be afraid. I'm new to Dingbei. Come and ask some questions."

The tenant dared not say no, but nodded obediently.

Xiao Baoshan asked, "how many years have you been farming here?"

One of them said, "I've been planting for several generations. Anyway, my grandparents have been farming here."

Xiao Baoshan asked again, "how much is the harvest from farming here? I mean what is distributed to you."

"At the end of this year, 50 kilograms of grain per head."

"50 Jin, enough to eat?" Xiao Baoshan asked.

"..." the man couldn't say anything.

Obviously not enough.

Those who do crop work like them need at least half a kilogram of rice a day and at least 120 kilogram of rice a year to eat enough. It takes more provinces to maintain this 50 kilogram of rice for a year.

Xiao Baoshan asked, "are others like you?"

"Yes... Yes."

"How many of you?" Xiao Baoshan asked.

"Last year there were more than 100 people, but this year there are many fewer. Some people ran away and some people went to the city to beg."

"Why do you beg in the city and don't want to farm here?" Xiao Baoshan asked.

"Because... I don't have enough food. I have to do so much work every day. Who wants to do it? Before long, I want to go to the city to beg."

"..." Xiao Baoshan's eyebrows twisted into a "Chuan" shape.

……

After going out from the shuttle ridge, they went to other plots of land in Xiaobao mountain.

The situation there is similar to that here. Farmers have no mind to farm. They can't go if they want to go. They can only live such a miserable life.

Walking down such a circle, it is approaching evening.

Xiao Baoshan didn't have a good face this day, and Yao county Cheng was always nervous.

However, he thought again, if xiaobaoshan is still happy all day, he would be afraid.

It was because he didn't have a good face that he felt angry in his heart.

The next day, Xiao Baoshan ordered people to boil the white rice sent by the Wu family into porridge and distribute it to beggars at the gate of the city. Each beggar can get half a bowl of porridge.

For a moment, the beggars in the city crowded to the gate of the city.

……

This matter attracted the attention of the four squires.

The four families soon met at Master Wu's house.

There was a look of fear between their eyebrows.

Master Wu said, "master Xiao Hou cooked the white rice I sent into porridge and gave it to the beggars. How can he not return now? Gather the people's hearts? Or please the beggars?"

Master Ji said, "he's so ridiculous that he doesn't let us squires win over. What beggars are he going to win over?"

"I heard that yesterday they led the county magistrate around our fields and asked the tenant farmers. I don't know what drum they are playing in their hearts?" Asked the rich master in the north of the city.

The horse family in the south of the city sneered: "no matter what they want to do, can they take back our land without our cooperation?"

"It's impossible? Our fields are hereditary. Unless the dynasty changes, or the Qingbei army invades here, he has no right to take our land back, unless... The emperor recalls it himself, but our mountains are high and the emperor is far away. The emperor won't take care of it?"

Master Wu said, "what do they want to do? Just call Yao county Cheng and ask him."

……

Although Yao Xiancheng is the largest parent official in Mobei, he has no real power at hand. His actions have always been manipulated by the four squires.

Now the four squires have come to call him, and he can only come reluctantly.

When you come over, you have to smile.

When the four squires saw him, they were obviously very dissatisfied. Master Wu first said, "Yao county magistrate, you're not in the Yamen recently. What are you doing with the Xiao Hou?"