I have a fortune book

Chapter 143

In the next three days, it was Zhou Bai's Jinshi celebration, and the surrounding area of ​​the ancestral land was very lively, with gongs and drums clamoring.

There was an endless stream of distinguished guests from all over the place, and the gift-giving convoy lined up in front of the Jinshi Memorial Archway. Those who didn't know it thought that the bustling market in a certain big city was jam-packed.

During this period, Zhou Bai occasionally showed up to receive guests, such as powerful representatives from states and counties who came from afar, and many patriarchs from Pingcang came in person. These are all the help he can win, and etiquette and respect cannot be lost.

Elder Shi Yu even brought the family's legitimate sons to the banquet, and asked the next-generation heads of the two county noble families to salute Zhou Bai in front of everyone.

Not only did they no longer secretly mention the matter of marriage, but they also made the historian Yu's family consider themselves inferior to the Zhou family in the future.

This was the first time after Zhou Bai returned to his hometown that a family at the county level had made such a statement, and it was only short of publicly acknowledging the dominant position of the Zhou family.

The guests present were all shocked. Could it be that Shi Yu and his elder brother had inside information, otherwise why would they stand in line?

The Zhao family is not a good quarrel, and the new county magistrate squeezed out Ji Hongzhe for airborne, let alone an easy mess.

Before Zhou Bai came back, it was only a few small actions that pushed the sphere of influence of the Cangshan Alliance back to the north of the county.

However, the prestige and contacts of the two elders, Shi Yu, have attracted the small families in the south of the county to further lower their attitudes, and some have even contacted the deacons of the Qunshitang to learn about the alliance.

Even in the perception of many people, heaven and man will not intervene in too many mundane affairs.

But with the fame and status here, it is only natural that the Tianren family is not satisfied with the foundation and influence limited to a few townships.

The other two county patriarchs, Patriarch Chen and Patriarch Qian, were in doubt. Shi Yuer was always confused, and he really judged that the Zhou family would expand wantonly and must gain the supremacy.

They dragged the old man around and tried to get some news, so as not to be caught off guard.

I don't know when the balance of power in Pingcang County has been broken. Although the Zhao family was the strongest at first, there is a limit to that kind of strength, and no one at the county level can say how much ahead.

But now the Zhao family has an unknown background, and has reached a political alliance with the new county magistrate, as if they are the overlord of Pingcang, forcing other families to shrink and avoid.

What's even more outrageous is that even though the Zhao family is so strong, the Zhou family is not weak in the slightest.

All this is because of one person, Zhou Bai.

As the editor of Hanlin and Captain Yunqi, he has an official position; as the master of power, he is the patriarch of the Zhou clan and the leader of the Cangshan League...

"Mr. Yu, Mr. Shouheng, the magistrate of the county, is coming in menacingly. You are so confident that the Zhou family can handle it?"

"That's right, the seventh-rank official in Zhou Bai has no real power. If we really want to fight him, we may have no way to deal with him, but we can deal with the Zhou family without any problem."

"Which family's buttocks are not clean, and the Zhou family's occupation of the grassland trade routes cannot withstand investigation."

But no matter how Chen and Qian tried, the other two old foxes who had become elites did not reveal their words at all.

How can the old fox say that he can't tell them that he is also betting.

Seeing that the family is in decline, if you don't take a risk in the troubled times, you may really become an unfilial descendant.

They are not bad, they are officials of the sixth rank, even if their family status falls, they can still be blessed by the official spirit and become ancestor spirits.

But the other ancestors couldn't do it. Once the county tycoons fell to the ranks of the townspeople, the spiritual realm would shrink and the unqualified ones would be driven away, and they could only be reduced to lonely ghosts in the end.

This kind of ghost, even the underworld would not accept it.

The competition for survival between families is both realistic and cruel. It was true for Hu Jiang last night, and it is also true for Shi Yu and his elders today.

How many counties of aristocratic families have been reduced to poor families, and then disappeared, and they will not splash any waves in the long river of history.

Only countries and dynasties that stand up to the pillars of heaven can be passed down by the heavenly court and leave a trace.

Shi Yu is betting that the future development of the Zhou family will be limitless, and that he will be able to take care of the two families. The current obstacles in Pingcang County are only temporary.

Previously, Zhou Bo was too demanding and didn't seize the opportunity when he solved the Yuan Dynasty. Now he must take the chariot before the Zhou family has taken off.

The second elder didn't see too many things planned by Zhou Bai, but it was only on the surface, relying on his life-long honed eyesight, he decided to take a gamble.

For example, before the arrival of various natural disasters, the Zhou family’s farmland has expanded to the largest in the county, and there is grain for wine, which means that there is absolutely no shortage of food; And the Zhou family has a "strong army" of village patrols.

They who have been in charge of the six departments in the center, how can they not see Daxu's current situation.

The fate of the country, which was still decades old, is being consumed and wiped out by waves of natural disasters. The redundant officials and bureaucrats in the late dynasty are simply not enough to rejuvenate.

The green forest rebellion in Dongtai, and the court's inability to put it down, are kicking off the prelude to troubled times.

The core of what is needed for a foothold in troubled times is to have food and people, and a strong army and horses. It just so happens that the Zhou family has all of them.

Whether it was Zhou Bai's deliberate plan, or he just wanted to protect the family's self-preservation, they couldn't see the boat ahead, they were set.

That night, after all the guests left, the personal letters from Shi Hongmao and Yu Chang were delivered to Zhou Bai's desk.

In their letter, they directly expressed their intention to join the Cangshan Alliance with their blacksmith shops and mine silver shares, and also hoped to reach a closer alliance with the Zhou family while maintaining the independent inheritance of the family in the future.

At the end of the letter, Shi Hongmao also reminded Zhou Bai that they can announce their joining the alliance now to build momentum.

It is also possible to make a sudden statement when the Zhou and Zhao families are facing each other, and attack the rear of the Zhao family's forces. After all, the main industries of the Shi and Yu families are in the county seat and the south of the county.

Zhou Bai smiled after watching "Voting Honesty". To be honest, he didn't expect these two old foxes to be so decisive.

It just seemed like a test was set for him?

"What do you think, sir?" Zhou Bai handed the letter to Chen Zhongbang, and asked after he read it.

"My lord, after all, it is a family that has been a sixth-rank Beijing official. It is inevitable that I am a little bit unwilling to be reduced to a subordinate." Chen Zhongbang also smiled and replied.

Then he took out two old and yellowed manuscripts, which were the previous works of Shi Hongmao and Yu Chang. Compared with the handwriting of the two letters now, it was obviously not a personal letter.

"It looks decisive, but it's still old and soulless." Zhou Bai glanced at the handwriting and commented like this.

Chen Zhongbang saluted and gave his suggestion: "Iron ore and blacksmiths are the resources you have been looking for, so the lord still has to accept their refuge, it just depends on when you choose them to seek refuge."

There are various indications that, behind the decisiveness of the elders Shi Yu, there is still room for sway.

"The two old foxes seem to have two choices that I like, but the price they have to pay is different. Since they still have to carry it, let them bleed."

"Reply to the two families, let them choose the time to take refuge, and temporarily show the posture of falling out." Zhou Bai ignited the so-called trustworthiness of the vote, and asked Chen Zhongbang to arrange the next matters.

After hearing Zhou Bai's plan, Chen Zhongbang thought for a while and felt that this was also feasible. The Zhou family could fight against the Zhao family. In the end, the interests of the Shi Yu family would not be up to them.

The next day, after the scene of Shi Yu bowing his head to the Zhou family was spread, there was another news that the messengers from Shi Yu's family came to the door and left angrily, suspected of being dissatisfied with the conditions.

Hearing that the two parties did not reach an agreement on the terms of cooperation, Qian and Chen were relieved. They were really anxious these days.

They have been inquiring about the next expansion plan of the Zhou family, and when they will face off with the Zhao family, they will be able to grasp the situation.

The actions of Shi Yu's family also annoyed the Zhao family's senior management, and they immediately consulted with the new county magistrate Shou Heng.

It is still the Zhao family's property outside the city, Yuquan Mountain Villa, where you can soak in hot springs to keep out the cold in the cold winter months. Now in this midsummer season, because of the existence of ice cellars, it has become a summer resort again.

The ice mirror is filled with ice cubes and placed in the center, and the servants use cattail fans to fan the cold air, making the temperature in the hall cool and suitable within a short while.

However, the few people enjoying the cooling of the ice mirror couldn't calm down, their bodies were extremely hot, and they blindly urged the servants to fan the cold wind over.

Zhao Chun had no descendants, but his younger brother Zhao Xian had three sons, so Zhao Xian recently took over part of the Zhao family's power.

It was Zhao Xian who dealt with other families in the county, so he became more and more impatient.

He took a deep breath, looked at the few people in the hall, and said angrily first: "These two old things, Shi Hongmao and Yu Chang, don't know what's good and what's wrong. They said they wanted to stay neutral, but now they're actually contacting the Zhou family, hmph! "

"Well, after all, it is a Beijing official who becomes an official. Even if the descendants are incompetent, they still have the right to choose to enjoy the shade of the big tree." The master next to Shou Heng sighed in a low voice.

Zhao Xian still said disdainfully: "Bah, the Zhou family is considered a big tree, if it wasn't for that night..."

These words made Master and Shou Heng frown, how can such secret things be kept on the lips.

"Shut up, dare to say anything?!" Zhao Chun quickly stopped Zhao Xian after hearing this.

Zhao Xian has recently received the support of many elders in the family, and his right to speak has greatly increased, but facing his elder brother who has been gaining power for a long time, he still dare not rashly contradict him, so he can only stay silent and stop talking.

Shou Heng's resentment can still be turned around. According to his judgment, this master is probably sent by the sixth prince, and he is very knowledgeable after several contacts.

Zhao Chun would not express his guesses, and still respectfully said to Shou Heng: "Honorable County, it is a foregone conclusion that the princes in the imperial court will be entrusted to the states. Now that one is in urgent need of a lot of money and resources, do you think?"

"Well, that person has already sent a letter, asking me to open up the grassland trade route before the end of the year. This is a deadly order."

"So with the Zhou family and the tribes in the north of the county, it's time to tear up your face and use all kinds of methods." Shou Heng frowned and said while knocking on the tea table.

Zhao Chun's expression moved, and there was a bit of joy between his brows: "Okay, then please cover up a lot later, there will inevitably be some places that require force."

The biggest suspect in Zhao Liangji's death was Zhou Bai, a white-haired man giving a black-haired man, and he always remembered this pain.

"The generals of Kukou Pass have already mastered most of them, and the county lieutenant will only stay out of the matter, so you can do whatever you want."

……

Just when the storm was about to come in Pingcang County, the real heavy rain seemed to come to an end.

Without warning, the sun continued to shine for three consecutive days, and so did the news from other large states.

Except for the coastal generation, which is still rainy and rainy, most areas have begun to return to normal weather.

At this time, it happened to be the last time to rush to harvest the wheat, so after Zhou Bai held a clan meeting in the Qunshi Hall, he ignored the sorting out by the inner palace, and first ordered everyone to go down to harvest.

The old farms of the Zhou family did not use chemical fertilizers on a large scale, so a small number of fertilizer farms can only make up for other omissions in the old farms.

As for the [-] mu of new fields, only [-] mu are planted with wheat, and the yield of this part has increased by more than [-]%.

After the wheat enters the granary, the total output can only increase by [-]% compared with last year.

On August 25th, Zhou Bai officially held a plenary meeting of the inner government. There were no more than [-] persons in charge of bureaus, departments, workshops, etc. on the civilian side, and on the Zhuang Ding side, there were ten people above the head of the capital.

There were more than thirty people, and the meeting hall of the Inner Palace had just been packed to the brim.

Zhou Baiduan sat at the head and looked down at his "Civil and Military Officials". Although it was a grass-roots team, it was considered to be full of talents.

Well, it can only be described as complete, not full.

The court hall is full of blue and purple, while his place is full of red and white.

On the general side, apart from Zhou Yuan, who was born in red and yellow, and Gao Hu, who was a star general with red life who could grow, the others were all white lives, and at most one of them had Qu Zhi's original life showing a bit of red.

Why did Zhou Bai desperately want to poach veterans and veterans, even dare to poach the corners of the Yinjiao Army in the state, they are unqualified middle-level generals.

The clerical side is a little better. The lower ranking workshop leaders, agricultural bureaus, and managers of Xintian Manor, etc., are basically white people, but there are three red and white clerks among them.

Those who are ranked in the middle will not have a pure white life, and the worst ones will also appear in red, and they will at least be able to accept the appointment of county-level officials in the future.

The top ones are a few scholars, all of whom are lucky, and can be temporarily relied on for reuse.

And there is only one person who can really follow Zhou Bai all the time, Chen Zhongbang, the head of the Yingtian Hall.

At the beginning, there was only a trace of green and yellow, but now with the support of Zhou Bai's luck, the Lehu shackles on his body are gone, all the yellow in the blue and yellow has faded, and he has become a tall and straight green life.

Seeing this, Zhou Bai also sighed, if he hadn't acted first and formed a master-minister relationship while he was still restrained, maybe for a long time, it would have been a pattern of masters, weak ministers and strong ministers.

However, at this time, Zhou Bai passed the imperial examinations at all levels and changed his order. He is now a serious Huang Ming, and it is not a problem to establish a county dynasty.

Talents are scarce, grassroots team, but there is no shortage of major civil and military personnel, and it can also form a pattern of mutual assistance between monarch and minister.

The atmosphere is delicate, and the rich luck of the "lord" and the luck of the "minister" are blended and supported, and the luck of everyone in the hall is showing an upward trend.

Not only foreign luck, but also life is also subtly changing.

Chen Zhongbang's dark life is now completely bright, which shows this point.

When the system is established in the future, Zhou Bai doesn't mind wasting some of his fame and fortune to support these primitive basic team members.

In this way, the success rate of changing his life is higher, and he can go further with him.

After observing the breath, Zhou Bai saw that everyone was waiting solemnly, without further delay, he said softly to Chen Zhongbang: "Sir, let's start."

(End of this chapter)