Gao Shun looked at Zhang Chen, his eyes filled with surprise.
Could it be that from the beginning, all of this was within his calculations? Did he befriend Qu Yi just to find a strong ally to rely on at a crucial moment? Qu Yi valued loyalty and cared about those eight hundred First to Ascend, and all of this was also perfectly grasped by Zhang Chen.
Who in this world could match this level of calculation?
With aspirations for the world and stratagems in his belly, this young man is bound to achieve great things in the future!
While Gao Shun was still in shock, Zhang Chen said, "Xiaofu, I know your ambitions are grand, and you are dedicated to serving the country and achieving merit. Staying with me is merely a temporary measure. Now I am in a precarious situation; this matter has nothing to do with you. If you wish to leave, I will absolutely not blame you."
"Gongzi!" Gao Shun's eyes lifted, and he immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Having received the kindness of Gongzi's shelter, which I have yet to repay, how could Shun possibly leave?"
Zhang Chen said indifferently, "But what I am about to do is extremely dangerous. It requires people who are absolutely loyal to me. Can I trust you?"
These few simple words were powerful and resonant.
Upon hearing this, Gao Shun's body trembled, and he quickly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "From today onwards, Shun will follow Lord. The green mountains and pines are my witness; I will never betray!"
With this call of "Lord", it meant that Gao Shun had truly pledged his allegiance!
And Gao Shun possessed the trait 【Loyalty Unmatched】; once he recognized a Lord, it would be for his entire life, never betraying!
Zhang Chen finally had a truly trusted general!
Thinking of this, Zhang Chen was instantly overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to help Gao Shun up.
"With the help of Brother Gao, how can I fail to achieve my great undertaking!"
Gao Shun also said, "Lord, time is of the essence. The three strategies Lord just mentioned should be implemented as soon as possible."
Zhang Chen nodded and said, "That's right. I have already instructed Wu Bo to handle the matter of opening the granary and distributing grain. As for forming a county militia, recruiting soldiers is not difficult; the difficulty lies in the general who will command them..."
Gao Shun said, "Lord, do not worry. Shun is well-versed in military texts and has his own method of training soldiers. If Lord does not abandon me, Shun is willing to take on this important responsibility!"
Hehe! I was waiting for you to say that!
Zhang Chen couldn't help but bloom with joy in his heart.
The Trapped Camp! Known as the strongest infantry in the history of the Three Kingdoms, wherever they attacked, nothing was not broken!
In this life, will they belong to me?
With the "Trap Camp", plus Qu Yi's eight hundred First to Ascend, let alone three thousand, I wouldn't fear even thirty thousand troops!
Thinking of this, Zhang Chen immediately said, "This is exactly what I wanted! Gao Shun, heed my command. I hereby appoint you as the County Commandant of Guangping County, in charge of all the yamen runners, and fully responsible for the recruitment of county soldiers. The situation is urgent now, so I can only give you one month. Within this month, you must do your utmost to train an elite army for me!"
"Lord, rest assured. Although one month is difficult to train elites, it is more than enough to deal with the county garrison!"
After Gao Shun finished speaking, he clasped his fists and immediately took his leave.
Unknowingly, it was already afternoon. Ping'er came to the County Government and reported to Zhang Chen that the porridge distribution for the day had finished and that the common people were all grateful for Lord's benevolence.
Zhang Chen nodded with satisfaction, then told Ping'er to return to the mansion first and give some reward money to the servants who were responsible for distributing the porridge today.
After Ping'er left, Zhang Chen began to ponder in secret.
Distributing porridge can only save the people temporarily; ultimately, it cannot fundamentally solve the people's plight.
Before, he was just a merchant, so naturally, he could only do this. But now, he is the Lord of this county, and he should fundamentally resolve the hardship of the people's livelihood.
To pacify the people, the first thing to do is naturally to ensure they have enough to eat.
Zhang Chen suddenly thought of something and immediately ordered someone to bring the county gazetteer and the map of Guangping County.
It was better not to look, but upon looking, Zhang Chen was immediately greatly shocked.
Since the outbreak of the "Yellow Turban Rebellion" last year, many villages around Guangping County were severely damaged by the ravages of war. The current area under the jurisdiction of Guangping County is only one-third of its original size, with most farmland abandoned, villages dilapidated, and people displaced.
Even worse, some of the villages that were destroyed back then have now been occupied by mountain bandits and rogues!
No wonder there are homeless refugees everywhere.
Thinking of this, Zhang Chen immediately summoned Zhang Fu.
A short while later, Zhang Fu arrived as ordered.
Zhang Chen pointed at the map, his expression serious, and said straightforwardly, "Zhang, Sir, just now I examined the county gazetteer and map and discovered that since the 'Yellow Turban Rebellion', many villages under the jurisdiction of Guangping County have been damaged, and the land is barren and abandoned, not being cultivated. How can this be good?"
Zhang Fu said, "Lord does not know, I had previously advised Zhao Xiong many times to spend some money to purchase rice seeds, farm tools, oxen, and other items, and organize all the refugees to reclaim wasteland and rebuild villages. This way, by the autumn harvest next year, Guangping County will surely have abundant grain and fodder, and the people will live in peace."
Zhang Chen nodded and said, "That is exactly what should be done."
Zhang Fu shook his head and sighed, "But that Zhao Xiong was stingy with wealth and refused to listen to my words. He even said that spending money on those refugees was a worthless and unwise act."
"How preposterous!" Zhang Chen couldn't help but slam the table, gritting his teeth and saying, "Such a corrupt official truly deserves death!"
Zhang Chen then said, "Sir's words are a good strategy for pacifying the people. Currently, the people's livelihood is in decline, with wails of sorrow everywhere. Opening the granary and distributing grain is only a temporary measure and cannot save the root cause. What Sir just said should be implemented early."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fu couldn't help but shed tears of gratitude, and quickly knelt down and kowtowed to Zhang Chen, saying, "This humble one kowtows to Lord on behalf of the people of the entire city!"
"Sir, there is no need for such courtesy. Relieving the suffering of the people is urgent and cannot be delayed. Please go and attend to it quickly."
Zhang Fu acknowledged the order, but then showed a difficult expression and said, "Lord, I estimated before that to resettle these refugees, purchase rice seeds, farm tools, plus oxen, the cost would probably be no less than over a hundred thousand coins. But now there is not a single coin left in the county treasury."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen couldn't help but frown secretly, "How could this be? How could such a large Guangping County be so depleted?"
Zhang Chen thought to himself, although natural disasters and military conflicts have been continuous, a dignified county shouldn't be without a single coin.
"This is all Zhao Xiong. Before, he created various pretexts to collect exorbitant taxes, but not a single coin entered the county treasury; it all went into his own pocket!"
That scoundrel! Zhang Chen couldn't help but curse inwardly.
No wonder corrupt officials are rampant and inevitably cause the court to become muddled. All the money went into their pockets, but the blame was placed on the court. One wonders how many more like Zhao Xiong there are in the various prefectures and counties!
"Hmph, it all went into his own pocket? I'll make him spit out everything he took in! Someone!" Zhang Chen said hatefully, then summoned a runner.
The runner responded and arrived. Zhang Chen said, "The former County Magistrate Zhao Xiong and County Commandant Guo Dayong were unrighteous officials, colluding with the likes of Huang Wenyi, harming the people. I, the County Magistrate, order you to immediately lead men to confiscate all the property of the three and turn it over to the county treasury!"
"Yes!"
The runner answered and immediately left as ordered.
Zhang Chen then said to Zhang Fu, "After the property of the three is confiscated, immediately purchase rice seeds and farm tools. This matter must be done quickly. Clear and Bright Festival has passed, and the spring plowing period is coming to an end. If the farming season is missed, the people will suffer for another year. In addition, issue a government decree stating that all taxes previously imposed by Zhao Xiong under various pretexts are to be completely abolished from today onwards."
"Lord is benevolent and righteous, this humble one is deeply impressed. With Lord here, the people of Guangping County can live!" Zhang Fu said, kneeling down. Zhang Chen quickly helped him up.
Zhang Fu took his leave, immediately drafted the government decree, and posted it to pacify the people.
For a time, the people of the entire county were all grateful for Zhang Chen's kindness. Within half a day, the streets and alleys were vying to spread the word of the young Lord Zhang's benevolence and his actions to pacify the people.