City

The next morning, the brigade of men started to set off again. After a night of rest, everyone gradually recovered their vitality. The people's vigilance towards the soldiers of the Tianqi Camp gradually disappeared. Everyone began to talk and laugh, and some naughty children even crawled on the soldiers' horses.

This is a multi-ethnic team, with Han people accounting for about half, and the rest are Qiang people, Tuyuhun people, Turks, Uighurs, Dangxiang people, and even many Tubo people. However, judging from their appearance, they can no longer tell the difference between each ethnic group. They are all poor, with red faces and shy smiles.

The team was a little disorganized, and Zhang Huan did not interfere. What he needed most now was the hearts of the people in Hexi. He wanted the people of Wuwei County to know that Zhang Huan was a person who cherished the people and would not be worse than Xin Yunjing.

Next to him, a simple carriage was walking swaying. Pei Ying was lying at the window, looking at her beloved man with affection. Last night, she had just become a wife and tasted the most wonderful taste of life. Although there was no matchmaker's words, she had already regarded last night as her bridal chamber.

'Is this guy his own husband? He looks so dark, um! He doesn't have to clean his beard."

"Ying'er, what are you thinking?" Zhang Huan approached the carriage and chuckled in a low voice: "Are you thinking about how to decorate our home?"

"Bah!" Pei Ying's face rose a blush. She said angrily: "I'm wondering if your food and grass are enough for winter. There are so many people. Judging from their appearance, there are not much food left."

Speaking of this, she suddenly laughed and said, "Do you think Lu Sigong really exchanged 1,500 stones of grain for his soldiers?"

"Of course he won't."

Zhang Huan also smiled slightly and said, "Not only does he not know how to eat me, he will also want to claim to the court that I was greedy for me and made a rash progress, but was ambushed by the Tubo people and wiped out the entire army."

"Let me guess what he will do?" Pei Ying suddenly became interested.

"Tell me?"

Pei Ying lowered her head and thought for a while and said, "I think he shouldn't be so reckless. He will definitely find a way to test your food situation first, and it will be in these few days."

Zhang Huan laughed loudly, and he raised his thumbs up and praised: "It turns out that smart, I can really be called Zhuge, a girl."

Pei Ying was embarrassed by him, and she waved her hand quickly and said, "You are humble, you are laughed at by others! I will never ask you about military and political affairs again in the future."

"Then what are you doing?" Zhang Huan approached the window and laughed ambiguously, "Why would you give me a son and specialize in taking care of my husband and educating me."

"You'll talk nonsense!" Pei Ying was both ashamed and anxious. She pulled the curtain of the car and ignored the prodigal son. After a while, she opened a crack again, but saw that he was no longer there. She felt a sense of loss in her heart. From a distance, she suddenly heard Zhang Huan's voice: "Mr. Li, I want to buy two maids to serve my wife. I wonder if there is one in Tianbao County?"

"It's not easy for the governor to want two maids. I remember that the wife of the county magistrate Wang happened to sell all the slaves back to Chang'an. I'll go and ask for you now."

Pei Ying sighed softly. She leaned against the window, staring at the white clouds floating by in the sky, and suddenly felt that she was the happiest woman in the world.

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Two days later, the large group of people finally arrived in Tianbao County. A dark city appeared at the end of the sky in the distance. This was an extremely beautiful paradise, an endless field, a large area of ​​dense forest, rivers meandering, and the ice surface was particularly bright in the warm sunlight. To the south of the county town were towering snow-capped mountains. White clouds floated halfway through the snow-capped mountains. The snow peaks seemed to be a blue gem, shining with dazzling light in the sun.

At this time, everyone cheered, the men laughed loudly, the women and children jumped out of the carriage, they spread their arms affectionately, and stumbled towards their homes.

However, the cavalry team did not enter the city, but found a large open space near the city wall and began to set up camp. Under the guidance of County Chief Li, Zhang Huan led Pei Ying and more than a dozen personal soldiers to Tianbao County.

The county town is very small, and it is a small county town that can walk around with a cup of tea. It has only two streets, interlaced with crosses, one called North Street and the other called East Street. Most of the houses are in the shape of a spire, mainly built with stones, densely packed one after another, covering the thick snow, which looks particularly tidy and quiet.

County Magistrate Li has changed his official uniform. He wore a soft-wrapped Tang scarf on his head, a pleated trousers inside, a light blue collar and narrow sleeves embroidered bird robe, tied with a green leather belt, a short knife on it, and black leather boots on it. Although it was a bit worn, it was a standard Tang Dynasty official uniform. However, it was very friendly to see Tang Dynasty officials in a small county in the desert.

"Governor! Our biggest problem now is food. We originally had some mountain goods to store for the winter, but last month, several grain merchants came and said they could exchange rice, but they drove away the things and never came back."

"Did you send the things away if you haven't seen the rice?" Zhang Huan felt a little incredible. No matter how simple the people here are, they are food for winter!

County Magistrate Li sighed, and he said with a gloomy face: "It was mainly because of the former county magistrate who was the guarantor, so everyone believed it. As a result, he went to Wuwei County and there was no news again."

County Chief Li was worried that it was not because the people had no food, but if they really didn't work, they would kill horses and cattle, or they would go to the forest to dig some tree roots. Didn't that happen like this before? What he was worried about was that if this army of 3,000 people was to support it in Tianbao County, how could they afford it?

Zhang Huan seemed to know what he was thinking, patted his shoulder and smiled, "I won't do the thing about killing chickens and retrieving eggs, but you have to find a way to collect all the surplus grains from the people and implement the rationing system, so that young and strong men can have the strength to find food in the forest."

County Magistrate Li was relieved when he heard that he would not touch the people's food, but he asked himself to collect the remaining grain. No one was willing to be fooled. He said in embarrassment: "It's okay to organize men to find food in the forest, but it may be difficult to take out all the food."

"You have to think of a solution. I believe you have this ability. If you can accomplish this matter, I will appoint you as the magistrate of Tianbao County. I will report it to the court."

County Magistrate Li slowed down and he was a little moved. He was almost fifty years old and had been in the position of county magistrate for nearly ten years. He had no hope. If he could be the county magistrate, he would be satisfied in his life.

At this time, Pei Ying's carriage passed by him and said with a smile: "If you do a good job, you may be the governor of Wuwei County in a few years!"

"Governor?" County Magistrate Li was stunned. He didn't believe his ears. Did he hear it wrong? Li Panyu went to come from behind. He patted County Magistrate Li on the shoulder and said affectionately: "My surname is Li. For the sake of my family, I will tell you that our wife is the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister Pei. Since she promised you, there will be no problem."

"Pei Xiangguo." County Chief Li suddenly found that he was moving in time. His eyes became extremely bright, and his old fatigue disappeared. He chased after him with high spirits and shouted loudly: "Governor, I have a way to do it!"

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The county government is at the end of North Street, with an open space at the entrance. This is the square of Tianbao County. Many impatient people have just returned home and set up a stall to exchange for the excess things at home for some of the food they need urgently. On the steps, a large group of birds are looking for food. Although the food is in short supply, no one has any idea.

When County Magistrate Li saw that Pei Ying liked these birds quite a bit, he stepped forward and smiled charmingly: "In the eyes of locals, birds can fly over the snow-capped mountains and are the messengers of the goddess, so no one will touch them even if there is no food."

"Oh!" Pei Ying saw that many colorful birds had never seen before, so she liked them even more, so she took half a wheat cake from the carriage, broke them and sprinkled them. The birds all flew forward to peck at the food, not afraid of anything. There were even two yellow-mouthed and red-tailed birds flying to her hands to compete for food, which made Pei Ying giggle.

Zhang Huan had already walked up the steps. When he saw Pei Ying happy, he ignored her. He waved to County Magistrate Li and walked into the county government. The yamen was not big and it was very dilapidated inside. It was a brick and wood structure. The red face was gone. A big drum was hung on the left side of the inner door, with a big hole on it. I don’t know who picked up the drum hammer to make a fire stick. Zhang Huan hesitated and confirmed that the house would not collapse suddenly. Then he picked up the yamen. The light inside was dim and the ground was uneven.

The case was old and had a broken leg. He was pressed with a bamboo stick and placed two stones under it, as if an old man with three legs was on a crutch. The court was not in power, and the court had become a paradise for spiders, with spiders everywhere. In Zhang Huan's imagination, the government office should be majestic and solemn, with two rows of yamen runners standing with sticks, with a mirror hanging above and a seventh-rank county magistrate sitting below. The county office in front of him seemed to be an abandoned mountain temple with no incense.

"Who are you?" A woman appeared in the inner door. She was not very old, about twenty-five or six years old. She was pretty and had a faint temperament. She only had a very old clothes and had a garlic on her face. She could tell that she was also malnourished and was looking at Zhang Huan in confusion.

"Madam Wang! This is our new governor Zhang in Wuwei County. Come and see you." County Magistrate Li hurriedly stepped forward and said in panic, fearing that this woman would not understand etiquette and offend Zhang Huan. He said to Zhang Huan again: "This is the wife of our former magistrate Wang."

Zhang Huan looked at her with a smile. According to common sense, the next scene should be that Mrs. Wang fell to her knees, then moved forward two steps, hugged her legs and cried sadly, "Please save my master!"

Unexpectedly, the woman seemed unmoved. She looked at Zhang Huan coldly and snorted: "Are you the Zhang Huan who kidnapped Cui Xiangguo's daughter?"

Zhang Huan was suddenly surprised. This matter has always been very secretive. How could her wife, a small county magistrate, know? She also uses a fluent Beijing accent. Is she also the daughter of an important official?

"Sister Yang San, is it you?" Pei Ying, who came in from behind, suddenly recognized her. She couldn't believe her eyes. Could this pale-faced woman in front of her besides the beautiful Yang Feiyu, who is famous for her piano music?

"You are!" The woman also recognized Pei Ying suddenly. A look of shame suddenly surged from her face. She turned around and ran to the inner courtyard. Pei Ying hesitated for a moment and chased after him, "Sister Three, wait a moment."

Zhang Huan failed to catch Pei Ying and urgently ordered Li Panyu to follow him. He understood at this time and couldn't help but sigh secretly. It seemed that he was an unfortunate woman who married the wrong man, but how could she know that she had kidnapped Cui Ning? This made him puzzled.

"Governor, it's this Mrs. Wang who wants to sell her maid to raise travel expenses. I didn't find her. It turns out that she is still in the county."

County Magistrate Li saw Zhang Huan staring at her back and suddenly whispered ambiguously: "This woman has a lot of skills in bed. If the governor is interested, I can arrange it."

Zhang Huan glanced at him and smiled and said, "If you want to be a county magistrate, go and handle the food matter! Report to me tonight."

County Magistrate Li agreed and walked out, but as soon as he reached the door, Zhang Huan stopped him again, "If anyone sells or collects grain to the county these days, I will notify me immediately!"

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At night, Zhang Huan returned to the county government office from the military camp. Although the front of the county government office was dilapidated, the back house was well cleaned. The courtyard wall was complete and the forest was dense. What's even better was that a pool of clear water was dug and two rockery were erected.

It seems that this county magistrate Wang is quite elegant, but unfortunately he came to the wrong place and was captured by the Tubo people. His life and death are unknown.

There were five or six houses in the yard, and the family of Wang County Magistrate and a few servants lived. Since Wang County Magistrate disappeared, Mrs. Wang sent away the two male servants, leaving only two maids to live with her. Several houses were empty, so Pei Ying lived in one of them, and the two were located at the edge of the two were lived by several personal soldiers who protected her.

The door was closed and Zhang Huan gently pushed open the door. Seeing Pei Ying sitting opposite Mrs. Wang, Pei Ying's eyes were red and there was a little tears. When she heard something behind her, Mrs. Wang turned around and saw that it was Zhang Huan coming in. She quickly got up and said goodbye to Pei Ying, and did not say hello to Zhang Huan, and hurried away with her head down.

The brazier was lit in the room, which was very warm. Pei Ying cleaned up for an afternoon. At first glance, she had a bit of the smell of a bridal chamber. The red quilt, the red sheets, and the red curtains were filled with joy. Even on the back of the curtains, there was a small double-happiness word hanging in a very hidden place. Zhang Huan was amused, but another warmth appeared. She had not even worshipped the world and had not drunk the wine, so she decided to become her own wife.

As soon as Zhang Huan entered the door, she suddenly found a little girl standing next to her, about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a dirty face, but her eyes were big and she looked quite clever. She probably was one of Mrs. Wang’s two maids. When she saw Zhang Huan looking at her, she hurried forward and bowed obediently, "Maid Xiaoqiu, see the master."

Zhang Huan took out a golden leaf from her bag and handed it to her and smiled: "This is a gift for meeting, go down!"

The little maid held the golden leaves in both hands. She hesitated for a moment and looked at Pei Ying. Seeing that she nodded to her, she bowed deeply, slowly retreated, and closed the door.

"Hey! This guy, he is over the wall and bribing me. What do you want to do?" Pei Ying put her waist on her waist and blocked Zhang Huan's way. Her posture was quite like a female robber who was blocking the road.
To be continued...