When Li An captured this group of golden-haired monkeys, he had already ordered the soldiers to pick various wild fruits nearby to feed them. At this time, most of the monkeys and wild fruits had been transported away. Li An didn't prepare much special food for the two golden-haired monkeys. Therefore, Li An could only take out some of his favorite fruits for the two monkeys to eat. After all, there were only two of them, so their appetite was limited.
Min Mountain was very long. After a night, Ang Lee was still within the range of Min Mountain. He could see mountains on both sides, and occasionally came across some villages and towns. However, they were not very large, and the population did not exceed ten thousand. They were all in the hundreds or thousands. The population of Central Sichuan was not very large. A normal small village would have a population of a few hundred or a few thousand, or even less than a hundred. Even a county would rarely have a population of more than ten thousand.
It was the beginning of spring. In the vicinity of Chang 'an, the weather was still very cold. However, in Central Sichuan, the weather was much warmer. Even if one did not wear cotton-padded clothes, one would not feel cold. This was especially true for people from the north. In Central Sichuan, the weather was very warm.
As the weather warmed up, animals like flowers, birds, fish, and insects naturally became more active. The fish in the water would occasionally leap out of the water, and flocks of birds would often fly overhead. The forests on both sides of the Wenshui were verdant. Some were pine trees that were originally evergreen, while others were deciduous. At this moment, they had already sprouted, and the ground was covered in a faint layer of green. One could clearly sense the aura of spring.
"The wind in Central Sichuan is very gentle. It feels very comfortable when it blows on people's faces!"
Ang Lee said.
"The girls in Central Sichuan are also very gentle. I heard that they are very fresh, much gentler than those girls in the capital. Hahaha!"
After saying that, Chen Long laughed loudly.
Ang Lee nodded approvingly. "You're right. The girls in Central Sichuan are indeed beautiful and gentle. However, only a capable Langjun can win them over!"
As he spoke, Li An thought of the East Woman Kingdom's watchtower. It was very interesting. As long as one climbed up, they would have a chance. If one's body wasn't strong enough, they wouldn't be able to climb up at all. Only those with strong bodies could climb up. This kind of rule was full of wildness and was very interesting. It was the favorite of hot-blooded men.
"Assistant Minister Li has been to Central Sichuan before, so he must have experienced many things! Tell me about it! "
Chen Long asked curiously.
This guy seemed to be quite interested in many things that Ang Lee had experienced. After all, the things that Ang Lee had experienced were quite interesting and enviable.
"Alright, then I'll tell you the story of the watchtower!"
Ang Lee was also in high spirits early in the morning. In any case, he had nothing to do, so it was quite interesting to brag when he had nothing to do.
At the lower reaches of Wenshui, a large group of commoners were making a ruckus. Under the leadership of the elders of their clan, these people were obstructing the normal construction of the Imperial Court. Their reason for doing so was very simple. The road that the Imperial Court wanted to build passed through their ancestral tombs. This would greatly damage the feng shui of their ancestral tombs and would be detrimental to them and their descendants. Thus, they naturally had to obstruct the construction.
However, the construction of roads was the Imperial Court's hundred-year plan. If everyone used various reasons to obstruct the Imperial Court's construction, the Imperial Court's roads would not be able to be built. And without suitable roads, the economy would not be able to develop properly.
"What are you all making a ruckus about? The Imperial Court wants to build a railway from here. Once the railway is completed, the commoners in the vicinity will all benefit greatly. Even if you go to the capital, you can reach it in two or three days. This is a great thing. Why can't you all understand?"
A county officer stood in the crowd and comforted them.
"County Officer, we are not unreasonable people. We don't oppose the construction of roads, but they can't pass through our ancestral tombs! Can't they just take a slight detour? Even if they pass through the paddy fields, we don't have any objections. At worst, we'll just lose a few thousand catties of grain. But how can the ancestral tombs be so carelessly touched? "
"That's right. If we flattened your ancestral tombs, would you be willing? Our Zhao clan isn't made up of commoners. Our ancestors also had scholarly achievements, and some of them were even Prime Ministers. "
"County Officer, I think it's fine to take a slight detour. They don't have to pass through our ancestral tombs."
"If they want to flatten our ancestral tombs, they'll have to step over our corpses and use our ancestral tombs to build the road. We definitely won't agree."
The crowd of commoners roared in righteous indignation.
This situation put the county officer in a difficult position. If it were just three or five commoners making a ruckus, he would have already given the order to arrest them. However, the commoners in three large villages added up to more than a thousand people. They were all holding farming tools in their hands, while the county officer only brought 30 bailiffs. Although they all had weapons at their waists, they were obviously at a disadvantage in the face of more than a thousand commoners. If they really dared to make a move, they might even lose their lives here.
Therefore, he could only helplessly choose to persuade them. He tried to explain and make the commoners accept the idea of using their ancestral tombs to build a road. However, this trick obviously didn't work. These commoners were very stubborn. No matter how the county officer persuaded them, these stubborn commoners remained unmoved. They even openly threatened the county officer and acted like unruly commoners.
Looking at the thousands of commoners holding farming tools, the county officer seemed rather helpless. Wenchuan was just a small county, and his salary wasn't much. However, arresting bandits and quelling disturbances were all part of his job. If he didn't handle it well and something happened, he would have to bear a lot of responsibility.
His salary wasn't high, and he had to do a lot of miscellaneous work. He also had to bear a lot of responsibility. This was the county officer, a position that made people suffer and suffer. It was also a secular official, a position that ordinary people couldn't fulfill. For example, literary officials like Old Du would never take on such a position. They would rather let their friends help them financially and not be able to support themselves and their families for the rest of their lives than do such work.
The county officer brought more than 30 people here to solve the problem. However, the situation at the scene was in danger of getting out of control. He didn't dare to force too much. However, if he just went back with his tail between his legs, it would mean that he didn't complete the task. He would also be scolded badly and even beaten with a plank.
If excessive coercion caused trouble, the county officer would have to bear the responsibility. If he didn't complete the task, he would also have to bear the responsibility. If he didn't pay attention and lost his life, it would be very bad. In short, it seemed that no matter what he did, he would face a lot of risks. Persuading the commoners to be obedient was naturally the best way. However, the commoners weren't so easy to persuade. If it could be easily persuaded with a few words, then the position of county officer would be too easy.
It was because all kinds of grass-roots jobs were very difficult to do that arrogant and cultured people like Du Fu would rather die than do these official positions. Even if they were to beg for food for their whole life, they wouldn't stoop to these positions.
"County Officer, what should we do? These unruly commoners can't be persuaded. I'm afraid we'll be beaten again when we go back. "
A yamen runner said very painfully.
The county officer sighed and said, "Sigh, what can we do? Being an unlucky county officer is like being bullied. I'm really being bullied from both sides!"
Now, these commoners were blocking the ancestral grave and would rather die than move the grave. The situation seemed to be in a stalemate and there was no good way to solve this problem.
The county officer had also proposed many times to the higher-ups to move the railway slightly and not pass through the ancestral grave. However, his superiors were only in charge of implementation and didn't have the power to change the direction of the railway at will. Therefore, every time, the county officer was rejected. As the most basic executive, the county officer could only take the lead to deal with this matter. He couldn't persuade the higher-ups, so he could only come to persuade the commoners. However, the commoners weren't to be trifled with either and weren't so easy to persuade.
Since he couldn't convince either side, the county magistrate had no other choice. He was prepared to go back and take a beating. He wanted to throw this hot potato to his superior. At most, everyone would die together. It was better than being beaten to death by the commoners.
"I'll say it one last time. This is the imperial court's order. You must think carefully about the consequences of going against the imperial court. Let's go."
The county officer gave a final warning and then left the ancestral grave with more than thirty of his men.
After driving away the county officer, more than a thousand commoners were still angry. This was their ancestral grave, the place where their ancestors slept. These people from the imperial court actually suggested that they take the initiative to move the ancestral grave. This was simply a slap in their face. They didn't give them any face at all. It was very rude.
Although the county magistrate of the imperial court was chased away, some of the respected elders fell into a state of worry. When the county magistrate left, he had already said very clearly that the imperial court wanted to build a strategic passage. How could they, mere commoners, stop it?
Of course, they also knew the benefits of the railway passing through their doorstep and didn't oppose it. However, they felt that the railway shouldn't pass through their ancestral grave. It should be slightly offset, even if it was a hundred steps away. They could tolerate it if it passed through their fields.
"Village elder, will these bailiffs come over at night and dig up our ancestral grave? We have to be prepared in advance. Station some people here at the ancestral grave. If anyone comes to cause trouble, we'll drive them away. "
A young and strong man said.
"What should we do? If the imperial court is determined to build the road, I'm afraid that we can't stop them. But this is our ancestral grave! Our ancestors have been sleeping here for a long time. How can they just move it away? "
A white-haired elder said very worriedly.
"Yes! We won today, but if the imperial court is determined to build the road, it's not something we can stop. This time, the county officer only brought thirty men. What if there are three hundred or three thousand next time? Is there anything we can do to stop them? "
Another black-haired old man said worriedly.
"So what? Are they going to kill us all? We, the people of Zhao Village, aren't bullies. It's absolutely impossible for us to move our ancestral grave. We won't move it even if we die. "
A middle-aged man said.
"Going against the imperial court won't end well. It's better to sit down and have a good discussion. The county officer didn't say anything just now. He's just carrying out the imperial court's order and has no right to change the route. But the higher-ranking officials definitely have the right to change the route."
"That's true. If we insist on not giving up our ancestral grave, the people from the imperial court will come. They can have a good talk with them and ask them to build the road a little further. It's fine as long as they don't disturb our ancestral grave. We don't want to move the grave."
"No matter what, we have to stay here tonight with fifty men. We can't let anyone secretly flatten our ancestral grave."
"I'm willing to stay."
A group of villagers began to discuss.
The county officer of Wenchuan County kept stopping along the way. He was really reluctant to return to the county town. He even had the thought of leaving from time to time. As long as he left this damned place, he wouldn't have to suffer such cowardice anymore. But his parents and wife were still in the county town. If he just ran away, his parents and wife would be in trouble. At least, there would be no one to support them.
Therefore, even if he wanted to escape, the county officer could only think about it occasionally. In the end, he still had to return to the county town and receive the punishment he deserved. Escaping was absolutely impossible.
However, it was good that he could get back later. The later he got back, the more it would prove that he had spent a long time persuading them and that he had done his best. As for the failure of the matter in the end, it wasn't entirely his fault. It was these unruly people who were too difficult to deal with. There was nothing he could do.
"What's wrong with these yamen runners? Why are they walking so slowly? They don't even ride horses. They all look like frosted eggplants."
Ang Lee stood on the deck and used his binoculars to see the Wenchuan county officer and thirty-some yamen runners in the distance. He was rather curious.
Because these yamen runners were in front of Ang Lee, they didn't notice the relatively large fleet behind them. Even if they did, it wouldn't have mattered. Merchant ships often came and went on this Wenchuan River, so they were used to it and didn't find it strange.
"That's right! Assistant Minister Li, these guys seem to have encountered some difficulty. They're too listless! "
Chen Long also picked up his binoculars and looked at the group of yamen runners in front of him, curiously replying.
Ang Lee carefully observed for a few moments, then said, "I saw clearly that the leader is a county officer. In Wenchuan County, that's not a small official. It seems like they've really encountered some thorny problem that can make the county officer so worried. It seems like it's not a small problem!"
"Assistant Minister Li, then do we need to ask?"
Chen Long asked.
Ang Lee thought for a moment, then said, "The railroad to Yi Province seems to pass through here. This is also the purpose of this official's journey south. It's better to ask. Perhaps these yamen runners are worried about the railroad?"
"That's impossible! What does the road construction have to do with these yamen runners? They don't care about the road construction! "
Chen Long said with a frown.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "That's not necessarily true. The county officer is in charge of everything. What if someone doesn't allow the road construction? This is also under the county officer's jurisdiction. "
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