I embezzled 100,000 taels at the beginning, and the empress begged me to be more greedy

Chen Qingyun stood outside Anding County, his face as calm as a lake, but the eunuch and Qiuyue beside him were terrified.

The last time the empress showed this expression, the land of Kyoto was filled with blood.

That was the beginning of her iron-blooded tactics, the Empty Seal Case!

From the central government to local governments, nearly a hundred officials and their nine clans were implicated in the turmoil, which affected tens of thousands of people.

There were more than 2,000 beheadings alone, and the rest were all exiled or sent to military service. The bloody and cruel level shocked the whole country!

This time Chen Qingyun showed this expression again, and I wonder how bloody the storm will be.

In fact, she was really thinking about how many people she wanted to kill this time.

The reason was that there was a recruitment point at the gate of Anding County!

There was an endless stream of young and strong men vying to join the army. Seeing this scene, Chen Qingyun should have been moved by the people's will.

But the problem is that Jiang Zuo is just a county magistrate, and there are no troops stationed in Anding County. Why does he dare to recruit soldiers?

Gathering refugees and building roads, including conscripting soldiers now, all require money. Where does the money come from?

It is most likely smuggling. Even if Jiang Zuo is not smuggling, he just has a way of making money.

But what do you want to do by winning the hearts of the people, making money, and recruiting soldiers on a large scale?

Is there any other possibility besides rebellion?

Chen Qingyun had already sentenced Jiang Zuo to death in his heart!

Just when she was about to send someone to mobilize troops, she heard a loud shout.

"Everyone, look at me. I have something to announce!"

Chen Qingyun looked in the direction of the voice and saw a handsome young man wearing the robe of a seventh-rank civil servant. It was Jiang Zuo.

He held a loud speaker in his hand and shouted to the people.

"We have enough troops, let's all go back!"

Everyone was immediately disappointed, and many of them begged for another chance.

Chen Qingyun was somewhat surprised. How could a rebellion be considered a failure because there were too many people? Moreover, it was good enough that they were not conscripted into the army. Why did he want to join the army on his own initiative?

People will die in war. It is normal for one or two people who are not afraid of death to want to gain military merit, but it is strange that so many people want to join the army.

It can be seen from the fact that Jiangzuo allowed refugees to work in exchange for relief that Anding County was far from being where people were starving to death. So why did so many people want to join the army?

Is it worth risking your life for those few copper coins of military pay?

She took the initiative to grab a disappointed strong man not far away.

"Why do you want to be a soldier so much? People will die in war. Aren't you afraid of death?"

The strong man was originally a little unhappy and annoyed because he didn't get selected. But when he saw such a beautiful woman, his unhappiness disappeared immediately.

But he didn't dare to say anything rude, after all, the guards behind Chen Qingyun had drawn their swords.

The strong man answered honestly: "Because if you join the army, you can get food, and you can get money for killing barbarians. You can get ten taels of silver for killing a barbarian! And two acres of land!"

In ancient times, five taels of silver were enough for a family of four to eat and wear for a year.

Ten taels of silver for two acres of land is a huge sum of money!

Chen Qingyun was still a little puzzled: "Is it worth risking your life for that little bit of money?"

Even if there is a lot of money, people prefer to live a stable life. If a strong man in the family dies, there will be no hope for the family.

The sturdy man's face suddenly fell. If the guards hadn't been eyeing him covetously, he would have given a large sum of money to this young lady who was talking without any hesitation.

He sneered stiffly, "This noble man is not from the border, so he doesn't know the sufferings of our people in the border areas. Have your parents ever been killed by barbarians?"

The strong man pointed at Anding County and said, "If the county magistrate had the ability, he would lead us to fight the barbarians and make them dare not bully us. Five years ago, when the county magistrate was not here, do you know what kind of life we ​​lived?"

"Anding County has no army, only a few yamen runners who bully men and women. When they see the barbarians coming, they run faster than anyone else!"

"Every time the barbarians came south, Anding County was robbed. Our wives and children were bullied, and strong men were taken back as slaves. The barbarians would kill people if they disagreed with them. My parents died in their hands!"

"Everyone in this city has a blood feud with the barbarians!"

"Now the county magistrate is very capable and will take us to kill barbarians at any time and give us money. Do you think I should go? Is it worth it? Haha!"

Chen Qingyun fell silent, not knowing what to say for a moment, and let the strong man leave.

She understood why these people all wanted to be soldiers. No one could be a coward and ignore the deep hatred. Countless people in later generations were looking forward to the day when the king's army would conquer Tokyo. Don't forget to tell your father about it during the family sacrifice!

But there is still a problem now. If the people want to join the army to kill the barbarians, then what is the purpose of Jiangzuo recruiting soldiers?

Want to rebel?

Chen Qingyun calmed down and thought about it, feeling that this was unlikely.

How many soldiers can Anding County have with such a small population? A few thousand troops would be enough to support the sky. Even if there were 10,000, a cavalry unit randomly drawn from the border would be able to crush this small army like a dead tree or rotten wood.

If there is a rebellion on the border, it is obviously impossible for these soldiers to defect to the barbarians. Wouldn't that be a lie?

In this place, with this little strength, rebel? Have you thought it through or have you had enough of living?

Chen Qingyun planned to re-evaluate the situation. She really wanted to recruit talented people.

From the strong man's words, we know that Jiang Zuo is capable of leading troops, otherwise he would not be able to defeat the grassland people who dare not go south.

An official who can implement work-for-relief and lead troops, such a versatile person in both civil and military affairs is in great demand for Chen Qingyun.

She killed officials very efficiently. It was also a fact that there were vacancies in the court and the aristocratic families were disunited. She urgently needed talents to enrich her team.

Otherwise, for such rebellious behavior, Chen Qingyun would have directly dispatched troops to attack Jiangzuo, so why would he ask questions?

No matter when, talent is the most expensive thing.

At this moment, Jiang Zuo also took the initiative to walk over.

He had just seen this outstanding beauty, and judging by her attire and her guards, she was at least the daughter of a wealthy family.

No matter what this rich young lady is here for, Jiang Zuo has to come and talk about it.

The main reason is that Jiang Zuo came to Anding County five years ago. At that time, Chen Qingyun was still a princess and was accumulating strength in a low-key manner. The two of them never met each other at all.

Jiang Zuo took the initiative to greet him and said, "My dear gentleman, you have come from afar to be my guest. How about I give you a welcome and a treat?"

Chen Qingyun narrowed his eyes and nodded slowly.

She wanted to test whether this guy was worthy of her use.

Recruiting soldiers and horses is a taboo. With this handle in hand, they can kill him at any time. But if Jiang Zuo is really capable and has no rebellious intentions, he may spare her life.

The group entered the city, and Chen Qingyun was broadened to new horizons along the way. The city was extremely prosperous, and everyone had a smile on their face, unlike the numbness in other county towns.

Moreover, the prosperity here is the only one Chen Qingyun has ever seen in his life, almost comparable to the capital!

This made Chen Qingyun more certain that Jiang Zuo was a capable man, which gradually made her let go of her murderous intent.

But when the two of them sat down and looked at the food on the table, Chen Qingyun suddenly became murderous.

I was wrong. This dog official Jiang Zuo deserves to be killed!