Chapter 413: Anger and Perfunctory Responsibilities

Chapter 413: Anger and Perfunctory Responsibilities

Chapter 413: Anger and Perfunctory Responsibilities

An hour later, the Yiliang County Office was busier than ever.
I don't know how many officials came in and out, walking with the wind.

The small square next to the county government office was filled with food and fodder, as well as carts that arrived one after another.

In order to provide relief to the disaster victims this time, Luo Yuan has already issued an order.

All vehicles in the county were mobilized, including ox carts, donkey carts, mule carts, and anything that could move.

They even took away two lame horses from the butcher shop that were about to be slaughtered.

He thought very simply that although the lame horse walked slowly,

But it is a good thing to show loyalty, and it can be used to prove that Yiling County has done its best!
When the time comes, the governor and Duke Cao and others will be very happy when they see it!

But soon, more and more food began to gather.
But the number of mule carts and donkey carts is decreasing.

Moreover, the conscripted civilians and the doctors' cooks were nowhere to be seen.

This made Luo Yuan frown, his heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition came to his mind.

He looked forward and called over the master who was giving orders.

When the lawyer saw this, he ordered the clerk next to him to take over his job. He hurried over with the fat on his face shaking and sweat on his forehead.

"Mingsir, what's the matter?"

"Where's the car?" Seeing him like this, Luo Yuan shook his head and didn't say anything harsh.

"what?"

The master was startled and turned to look.

The east side of the square was already filled with sacks of grain, and several yamen runners were waiting.
The west side should have been where carriages and horses were arranged.

But at this moment, apart from the dozen or so donkey carts being loaded,
There were less than ten carts left, two of which were driven by lame horses.

This shocked him so much that he quickly said:
"Mingsir, they were still here just now? Could it be that they were carrying food and leaving?"

"Bullshit, I was just in front of the county government office and not a single car passed by!"

Luo Yuan cursed loudly and took a deep breath.

He knew clearly at this moment that something went wrong!!

The master also panicked at this moment, he looked up at the time,

The sun is about to set, and the troops from Beijing will surely arrive soon.
We had originally planned to use 100 vehicles to carry out the three trips, but now we don’t even have 20 vehicles left. How can that be possible?

"Ming Gong, don't worry, I will go find it right away.
Don't worry, I have already told the officials about this, and nothing will go wrong."

Luo Yuan's eyebrows were throbbing wildly, veins on his skinny arms were exposed, and he cursed:

"No shit, something has gone wrong.

An hour has almost passed, the food has been moved out, but the truck has not arrived yet!

Could it be that four-legged animals walk slower than two-legged humans?"

Until this moment, the master no longer had any hope in his heart, his face was filled with anger, and he gnashed his teeth:

"Mingsir, you are so bold!"

Some officials around noticed the strangeness of the two and cast their eyes over.

Luo Yuan also noticed this.
For some reason, he always felt that there was a hint of sarcasm in the eyes of the officials around him.

Especially those officials who were carrying grain, why were they moving so slowly?
A great anger enveloped him.
The old and turbid eyes were instantly filled with bloodshot, and wrinkles appeared on his face, like mountains and rivers wriggling.

He already knew who was behind this; it must be the local gentry.

Thinking of the scene just now in the government office,
Luo Yuan's body shook slightly, and his blood rushed up, making him unable to stand steadily.

"Ming Gong!"

Seeing this, the master beside him hurried forward to help him, lowered his head and looked around obscurely.
During this time, he saw more than one person with the corners of their mouths raised, as if they were smiling.

The lawyer shuddered and quickly retracted his eyes. He was afraid of seeing more people showing the same expression.

"Ming Gong, why don't you agree to them first?

We two outsiders cannot defeat them, and a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake."

Luo Yuan's face flushed at first, but soon turned pale and bloodless:
"No! It doesn't matter if the carriages and horses haven't arrived yet, let's find someone first.
Call the cook and the doctor, they can ride away on horseback!"

Hearing his voice getting weaker and weaker, the master almost cried and shook his head repeatedly:

"My Lord, they won't come.
There are two medical clinics in the county, both of which are from Wang Yuanwai's clan, and most of the doctors are his disciples.
How dare others come when he gives the order? "

Luo Yuan's beard trembled slightly, and he slowly raised his hand, trembling as he pointed towards the city.

"Cook."

At this moment, a slightly light voice came from the side, full of energy:
"I heard that the former Superintendent of Education, Mr. Xiang, celebrated his 60th birthday today.

The famous cooks and cooks in the city have all gone to farms outside the city, not inside the city."

Luo Yuan and his master looked in the direction of the sound.
A handsome middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing a green official robe, slowly walked in.

It was the county magistrate Xiang Danqing.

Luo Yuan's breathing became more and more rapid, and the master forced a smile:
"Sir Xiang, how could my father not know how old Mr. Xiang is?"

He smiled at Danqing and said calmly:
"My uncle had no intention of holding a grand ceremony.

But we young people wanted to show our filial piety, so we did it secretly, wanting to give uncle a surprise. "

"Besides." Xiang Danqing looked at the two of them meaningfully and chuckled:
"The people we went to today were all locals from Yiliang County, and they all spoke their local dialect.

If Lord Luo were to go there, it might be a little awkward to say this."

As he spoke, he waved his hands in an exaggerated manner, as if he was frightened:
"Don't blame me, Lord Luo. I speak without restraint and I don't mean to despise you as a foreigner."

It would have been better if he hadn't said this. The more he spoke, the more rapid Luo Yuan's breathing became.

The lawyer also quickly lowered his head to hide the aggrieved look in his eyes.

Suddenly, the master felt something fall down beside him.
When I looked closely, it turned out to be Ming Gong!
Magistrate Luo fell heavily to the ground, his face suddenly turned pale, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and blood foam was constantly spitting out with his breathing.

"Ming Gong!!!"

The master cried out in surprise and rushed forward.

On the side, Xiang Danqing stared at this scene in a daze, also a little flustered.

His eyes were no longer as carefree as before, and he didn't know where to put his hands.

The officials who seemed to be busy at first turned their heads around.
There was some surprise at this situation.

"Doctor, find a doctor!"

The master took out a handkerchief and kept wiping it on Luo Yuan's mouth. Soon his face became dirty and he looked quite embarrassed.

Until this time, Xiang Danqing also reacted and hurriedly shouted to the two officials beside him:
"Go, find a doctor!!"

He was a little flustered at the moment.

If a county magistrate died of anger, the governor would certainly not let it go.
If he were to investigate even a little bit, he would be in big trouble!
Just then, the sound of hurried horse hooves came from the end of the street.
The sound of "dong dong dong" continued, scaring away countless birds that were resting on the houses.

As soon as the voice came out, everyone looked over.

The same is true for Master.
Suddenly! He felt a pain in his arm.
Looking down, he saw that the county magistrate Luo Yuan, who was lying on the ground, had half opened his eyes.
His face was still sallow, but his brows were not as furrowed as before.

The master's pupils suddenly dilated, and he realized something in an instant, and quickly swallowed twice.

He looked around and saw that everyone was looking towards the end of the street.

Only then did he feel relieved and slowly lowered his head.

Soon he heard the county magistrate's weak voice, as soft as a mosquito's hum:

"Don't worry about me, don't complain, just act a little bit aggrieved."

The master suddenly pulled his head back, his eyes widened.

But I saw that the county magistrate had already closed his eyes.
The originally relaxed brows and wrinkles on the face gathered again.
It seems that there is more air coming in than going out.

This shocked the master secretly, and he exclaimed in his heart:
"When did you develop such a skill, sir?"

Just as he was wondering, a group of black-armored cavalry finally appeared at the end of the street.
The tall warhorse raised its neck and neighed.
The black-armored soldiers above them had sharp eyes, filled with a strong murderous look.

The leading general was extremely young, with cracked cheeks typical of a long-distance march, but one could still see that he had some fair skin.

Xu Zengshou saw the strange scene in the square from a distance and could feel the strange atmosphere.

It seemed that he was surprised that he had brought troops here, and even a little scared.

Xu Zengshou pulled the reins and slowly raised his hand.
The sound of horse hooves became slower and slower, and finally stopped on the bluestone road facing the square.

Nearly 500 cavalrymen blocked the place completely, making it airtight. Even from a distance, the officials could feel the fierce aura coming towards them.

Xu Zengshou looked at the green-robed official lying on the ground, and then looked at the green-robed official on the other side.

His eyes flashed, and he put away the words he had prepared before, and spoke instead:

"I am the deputy commander of Yingtian Guard, Xu Zengshou. Where is the magistrate of Yiliang County?"

When these words came out, many clerks and officials present were stunned.
Even the soldiers in the rear were stunned and looked strange.

After spending so many days together, they actually forgot that adults have such an identity.
This was the first time Xu Zengshou had introduced his family name so openly, and he felt a little reserved.

If possible, it is more comfortable to be a centurion in the army.

Xiang Danqing was startled, and hurried forward, bowing vigorously:
"Your humble servant Xiang Danqing, the magistrate of Yiliang County, has met General Xu.
The county magistrate was exhausted and angry, and he fell ill.
If the deputy general has any instructions, please feel free to tell him."

Xu Zengshou looked Xiang Danqing up and down. Although his face was young, he had fought for nearly two years and had a sense of authority.
He looked at the old man in green robe lying on the ground and asked:

"Is he the county magistrate?"

"That's right. Lord Luo has worked very hard to save the victims, but he is too old to be exhausted."

Xiang Danqing said this while thinking,

The commander of Yingtian Guard is so young. He must be a talented person and his family background must be extraordinary.

This was the first time Xu Zengshou encountered such a scene. After thinking for a while, he spoke in a deep voice:
"Thank you for your hard work, County Magistrate Luo. When the three officials come, I will recommend you for your achievements."

After finishing speaking, Xu Zengshou stared at Xiang Danqing:
"Now, please cooperate with your Excellency in transporting food, grass, medicines, and doctors to our army."

what?
Xiang Danqing suddenly raised his head, a hint of shock flashed in his eyes, followed by deep regret.

The county magistrate fell, and the one who took over the burden was none other than him, the county magistrate.

"This this."

Xiang Danqing hesitated and couldn't think of any reason to refuse.
"What? Not ready yet?"

Xu Zengshou tilted his head, looked at the bags of grain in the square, and questioned.

"No, no, no, I'm ready.

But there are no carts and horses to transport the grain. These are all we have.”

"what?"

Xu Zengshou frowned slightly:
"In such a large county like Yiling, there aren't even 50 donkey carts?"

The fierce aura almost crushed Xiang Danqing.

Especially the huge horse head that was getting closer and closer, so that he could already feel the hot air spewing out of it.

Xiang Danqing thought quickly in his mind, gritted his teeth, and
Now that things have come to this point, we can’t retreat!

Xiang Danqing's heart hardened, and he spoke in a deep voice:
"Reporting to the General, yes.
But now that spring has just begun, all the vehicles and horses are transporting young crops out of the county, so there is no time to spare.

Today, there are less than 20 cars available in the county."

"Less than twenty?"

Xu Zengshou's face was full of absurdity. If it was this number two years ago, he would have believed it without a doubt.

But after two years of fighting, I gained a lot of experience.
A defeated army had more than twenty food carts.

A healthy and prosperous county town has only twenty cars available?
absurd!

Xu Zengshou felt that the person in front of him was fooling a fool.

A trace of murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and his right hand unconsciously grasped the long sword at his waist.

Seeing him like this, the soldiers behind him also grasped their long swords.

His eyes became sharp and his aura rose little by little.

The atmosphere changed in an instant.

Xiang Danqing was naturally no fool, and with a flash of panic in his mind, he quickly spoke:
"General, please wait here for a moment.
I have sent people to look for the car outside the city, and it will be back soon."

Xu Zengshou's breath eased a little, he looked at him suspiciously, and took a deep breath:

"Please also tell your Excellency how long it will take."

"Half an hour!!"

"No, it will be dark by then. Half an hour."

Xu Zengshou spoke in a decisive voice, without giving him a chance to speak, and continued:
"Where are the doctors and the cooks?
The civilians will follow the grain carts, and the doctors, cooks, and soldiers from my army will deliver the grain ahead of time."

"This"

Xiang Danqing hesitated, looking embarrassed.

In desperation, he repeated the speech he had just made on his birthday.
At this point, Xu Zengshou finally understood that all the previous statements were just excuses!
With the victims piled up in front of them, everyone in the group was as anxious as ants on a hot pan, while those in the back were still blaming each other!

This made him feel angry for no reason!

Xu Zengshou's blade was three inches out of its sheath, and the sound of the fine iron rubbing against each other was particularly obvious in this silent atmosphere.
"I will ask you again, when will the food and men for disaster relief be ready?"

Xiang Danqing looked at the unsheathed long sword in front of him, his lips were dry, and he pursed his lips.

"I really have nothing to do, why would I bother with this kind of thing!!"

He looked at Xu Zengshou and stammered:
"Half an hour!!"

"Okay!" Xu Zengshou's voice suddenly rose:

"I will wait for you for half an hour."

As he spoke, Xu Zengshou took out a huge, brand new token from his pocket and placed it in front of him:
"Look carefully, this is the badge of the Duke of Wei. If you fail to do a good job in disaster relief, you will be thrown into prison!"

wow——

The scene was in uproar. It was Duke Cao before, but why is Duke Wei here again?
Xiang Danqing only felt that his calves were trembling.
He also read the court bulletin a few days ago, saying that Xu Huizu, Duke of Wei, had inherited the title.

The young man in front of me also has the surname Xu, so he couldn’t be from the same family.

Xiang Danqing's eyes went dark. The thing he regretted most in his life was coming here to show off his power!
Seeing that the young man was still staring at him, he bowed to Danqing repeatedly:

"Please rest assured, General Xu. I will prepare it right away!"

Xiang Danqing ran away in a hurry and walked hurriedly towards the yamen!
Not long after, he saw Mr. Chen and Mr. Liu drinking tea in the main hall.
"Something bad has happened. Something bad has happened. The Beijing army has arrived.

The one who came was a deputy commander, holding the badge of Duke of Wei! ! "

"what?"

Mr. Chen and Mr. Liu felt a pang in their hearts, and their happy mood disappeared in an instant.

"How did you know?" Mr. Chen asked hurriedly.

"I-I. Alas!"

Xiang Danqing stammered, sighed, and told him what had happened before.

Finally, Mr. Chen looked at Xiang Danqing in a daze, as if he was looking at a fool.
"What can I say about you? Why do you have to show off your power at this time when there are other times to do so?"

Mr. Chen's voice rose eight tones.

Xiang Danqing was as sad as if she had lost her parents: "I didn't know that Luo Yuan would suddenly get so angry.
Now that I have this mess in my hands, what should I do? "

"What to do? Keep going!"

Mr. Liu, who was standing by, suddenly jumped up and said in a loud voice:

"What's wrong with the Duke of Wei? The emperor is far away, and the Duke of Yingtian can't control the people of Yiliang!"

Mr. Chen on the side also gritted his teeth and spoke in a deep voice:
"Yes, Luo Yuan is very anxious now. It is unclear whether he can survive at his age.

We can't take on this mess, we can't do it, and we can't continue to drag it out.

When the time comes, everything will be blamed on Luo Yuan.

When the new county magistrate comes, we will be able to control him as we please. Whatever he says will be the final say!
Also, inform the villagers about this matter as soon as possible and ask them to come quickly."

Xiang Danqing's breathing became a little rapid, but he finally gave it his all.

"Okay, let's drag it on."

Time passed little by little, and half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Xu Zengshou in front of the square had a gloomy expression.
There were no carriages, no doctors, no cooks,
The only change in the field was that the clerks who had been working so slowly finally loaded the eighteen donkey carts and two lame horse carts.

Xu Zengshou stood up with a thud and cursed:
“What the hell!!”

"Someone, rush into the government office and catch that thing!"

(End of this chapter)