Return of the Swallow

When the people heard this, some young and strong minds came to life. Rebuilding a home after a disaster is a long process. If you stay at home, when will you be able to return to your former self-sufficient days?

They are all men in their prime. In today's famine, it is simply "one person has enough to eat and the whole family is hungry." They have lost count of how long it has been since they had a full meal. They followed the prince to fight the Tatars and were able to eat. , maybe you can also make a contribution and give your family a chance to turn over, why not?

Those who lost their relatives due to famine and "one person has enough to eat and the whole family is not hungry" are even more hopeful to follow Pang Xiao and stay here. Farming for the rest of their lives can be regarded as a stable life. However, there is no telling when natural and man-made disasters will come, so it is better to follow the prince. Have a blast. The prince is a kind man and will not use their lives to take credit for his own achievements. Following such a person has a high chance of winning and safety is guaranteed.

Many men immediately signed up with Pang Xiao, hoping to join the army.

There are also some who have family members, and they go back to discuss with their families with worries.

Qin Yining could clearly hear what was said outside through a layer of tent, and couldn't help but smile. It seems that doing good things for others is still beneficial. I don’t know when, the good things done before will have a good impact.

If there are people who join the army now, they are those who sincerely follow Pang Xiao. Such people are better than those who come reluctantly. Moreover, when the armaments and food supplies are insufficient and the war is tense, the battle is all about numbers.

While Pang Xiao and Qin Yining were resting outside the city, besides many people in Jiuhe County who wanted to follow Pang Xiao, a rumor spread like wildfire.

"What? Your Majesty wants to punish us?"

In the main hall of Xie's family room, Mr. Xie gathered together the elders and middle-aged men of his clan and announced the "inside information" he had just obtained.

Several people were already stunned with fear. Some of the more impatient ones shouted loudly: "Why, why should we be punished? What did we do wrong?"

Mr. Xie frowned, shook his head and said, "What did you do wrong? The Holy One wants to settle the matter. Who can question it? Who can ask why? The Holy One previously asked for grain, but we did not respond. Instead, we sold the grain to Prince Zhongshun. Now Zhongshun The prince's disaster relief work went well, but the Holy One could not afford to feed the army, so the Tatars marched in. You think that as long as the Holy One breathes this breath, he can avoid settling accounts with all the people who sold food to Prince Zhongshun at high prices. ?"

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Even though their families are well-off, they are ordinary ordinary people. How can they guess their intentions? But if you stand in that perspective, when a foreign enemy invades, the imperial court must feed the fighting tigers and soldiers and "conquer" grain and grass.

But he couldn't get it despite staring. The reason was that these merchants sold the grain to a person he had always been afraid of.

If it were them, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to wait to pick off these people's heads!

"What can we do!"

"Yes, what can we do! Since these words have reached our ears, it must be that the Holy Emperor is really angry, and he must have punished some people nearby. We cannot afford the Emperor's wrath!"

Everyone was gloomy and gloomy.

Some people even stood up and complained: "I told you not to sell the grain at the beginning, just give it to the army directly. In such a big famine, so many people starved to death, but we are holding on to the grain and selling it at a high price. Isn't this a difficult situation for the country?" ! See what happens, just follow what I say, and trouble will come soon!"

"What's the use of talking about this now! How can we avoid the wrath of the Holy Emperor now! We have sold the food to Prince Zhongshun, we can't get the food back!"

The one with a brighter mind immediately thought of a way: "It's impossible to get the food back, the food has already been eaten. But we can give the money back!"

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Mr. Xie said: "This is reasonable. If we are not selling grain, but funding Prince Zhongshun's disaster relief, we are a family of benevolence and righteousness. No matter how angry the Holy Spirit is, he will not be able to deal with us like this. This money is hot to the touch, and we cannot keep it."

They sold so much grain and got a lot of money. At this moment, when the money was taken out, everyone was a little resistant, but when they thought that their entire clan might be destroyed under the emperor's wrath, the money was nothing.

Thinking of this, everyone got together to discuss, and finally decided that Mr. Xie would take the food and money to meet Pang Xiao outside the city in person.

Here at Pang Xiao, Huzi and others who had gone to the city to spread the news had returned. After hearing about the situation in the city, Pang Xiao ordered Huzi to arrange people to continue the arrangement according to the address of the large household that had sold their grain in the account book.

Early the next morning, Qin Yining woke up in Pang Xiao's arms. As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard footsteps outside the tent.

Qin Yining suddenly woke up and looked up at Pang Xiao.

Pang Xiao smiled and said, "Are you awake?"

"Yes." Qin Yining nodded, half-propelled his body, his long silky hair spread behind him, and looked outside doubtfully, "Is someone coming outside?"

"Perhaps someone from the Xie family is here." Pang Xiao sat up and put his cloak on Qin Yining's shoulders, "They came early in the morning before dawn."

"Then why don't you go out and meet?" Qin Yining tightened his collar, "What if they are impatient?"

"No, since they are here, they really believe that the Holy One will liquidate them. Compared with money, the life of the whole family is more important right now." A big hand stroked Qin Yining's cheek, "You have to treat yourself Have confidence, when will the strategy you come up with not work?”

Qin Yining laughed out loud at his teasing, shook his head and said: "You know how to coax me. I feel like my brain is not working well these days. When Brother Huaizhao and Brother Han were children, I didn't think they would become so stupid. . Sometimes I’m afraid of giving you the wrong move.”

Pang Xiao laughed loudly, touched Qin Yining's fair face again, and said with a smile: "If you are willing to be a little stupider, maybe other women in the world will feel better, at least they will not feel inferior."

"Funny words." Qin Yining scolded lightly.

Pang Xiao smiled and asked Bingtang and Jiyun to serve Qin Yining as he got up and went outside.

The old lady of the Xie family came with food before dawn. He never thought that Pang Xiao would immediately agree to see him, but since it was for the survival of the whole family, he had to show his sincerity and never let the prince feel the slightest displeasure.

Finally, when the sky turned dark, the people in the other tents in the camp were moving around, but the prince was not seen coming out. Mr. Xie became a little anxious.

The prince must have known that he was coming with people but avoided seeing them. Could it be that the Holy One had given the prince an imperial edict and was determined to kill them?

The more Mr. Xie thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

Just when he was extremely nervous, someone finally came to send a message, "Thank you, old lady. Your Majesty has invited me."

Old Master Xie breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his expression and went to the tent where Pang Xiao was. When they met, he was no longer as fussy as when Pang Xiao came to buy food last time. He bowed respectfully and said, "Common people see you, the prince."

"Thank you, old gentleman," Pang Xiao said with a smile, "I wonder if the old gentleman comes here this time, what can I learn from you?"

"I don't dare to take it, I don't take it." Mr. Xie remembered the arrogance in his words last time. He almost regretted it, and his posture became more humble and respectful. "I heard that the prince led his army to Beijing to serve the king, so I specially prepared some food and silver. , Please be sure to be your subordinate, Your Majesty."

"Oh?" Pang Xiao raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean, Mr. Xie?"

Mr. Xie said righteously: "As a citizen of the Zhou Dynasty, we are facing a national crisis, so we should do our best. Your Majesty, please don't dislike me."

As he spoke, he took out a stack of banknotes from his arms and presented them with both hands, even his fingers were trembling.

Pang Xiao took the bank note with a solemn expression and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Xie is really kind-hearted and cares about the country and the people. I really admire him. The Xie family is really a benevolent family!"

Mr. Xie repeatedly said, "I don't dare to take it", and then said: "Your Majesty, the mountains are high and the road is far away from the capital. Please be careful, Your Majesty. You are the God of War of the Zhou Dynasty. If you fall sick from exhaustion, how can you resist the Tatars? "

Such a compliment was very superficial. Pang Xiao smiled and chatted with Mr. Xie for a few words. He seemed to say unintentionally: "If Mr. Xie is such a good person who cares about the people, his country, and his country, I will definitely report it to His Majesty. It might as well be rewarded in the future. ”

Mr. Xie was overjoyed in his heart, but his face remained as usual. He did not dare to let Pang Xiao see his pride and excitement. He only said: "This is what I should do."

Mr. Xie left a few carts of food and grass and left with his servants.

Pang Xiao returned to Qin Yining, counted the banknotes, and said with a smile: "I remember what was written on the palm of my hand. These are exactly the ones he took us in. Sister Yi, you are really a female Zhuge! Things really went according to your expectations. As they say, these people are here to 'pay back the money' in order to save their families."

"But spreading rumors and causing trouble is not very bright after all."

Pang Xiao said with a smile: "You will do anything to achieve your goals. These people who are struggling to make a fortune for the country have harmed many people before, but now they can be regarded as small punishments and big warnings. Besides, I think you have understood the Holy Spirit's heart very thoroughly. With me, Knowing the Holy One, with his vengeful and jealous temperament, he will definitely sort out those people who sold us their money but refused to donate it to him in the future. If you let people say this outside, you can say that it is exactly what he wants. .”

Qin Yining nodded slowly, patted his cheek and said, "You are right, this is a time when life and death are at stake, and it is not the time for women to be kind."

Pang Xiao felt that Qin Yining had become sentimental and sensitive again since she became pregnant. He hugged her and shook her, "Your method is excellent. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know how to feed a hundred thousand people." With the treasures they returned, I can buy food. Only when the Pingnan army is full can they defeat the Tatars. Only when the Tatars are driven away can the people live a stable life. So what you did is not wrong. You can help most people.”

Qin Yining leaned into Pang Xiao's arms and sighed, nodding gently.