lady, please calm down

Chapter 348: There is no way forward without friends

"The farmers in Fucheng are even more poor than the people in Tongshan. Tongshan is located in Huaibei, with Tongbai Mountain to the west and Huai River to the south. There are rivers crisscrossing it. Although there are occasional disasters and famines, going down the river to fish and going up the mountain to pick fruits will never lead to poverty. Too many people starve to death. But in several counties in Henan, the plains thousands of miles away may make people happy, but when there is drought or flood, there will be no harvest, and there are many rumors of whole families starving to death every year."

Outside Beiwan Village, Chen Chu and Cai Si were sitting on a small mound, and the latter spoke eloquently.

Just now, Chen Chu originally planned to go deep into the people and chat with the villagers in person, but he was dressed in extraordinary clothes and accompanied by his entourage. As soon as he appeared, the intimate scene where everyone and Cai Si were laughing and mingling just now disappeared immediately.

The common people bowed slightly and lowered their heads as a habit. They didn't even dare to breathe, let alone speak.

Under such circumstances, it was natural that he could not hear their true thoughts, so Chen Chu retreated and asked Cai Si.

After listening to what he said in detail, Chen Chu nodded and said, "Looking at Huai Xu, what's the solution to this predicament?"

"Hey, brother-in-law, take a test on me?" Cai Si said this, but without any stage fright, he immediately expressed some of his thoughts, "Brother-in-law has won fertile land for the people, and they are naturally very happy. But the people here have accumulated a lot of money. They have been poor for a long time and are extremely short of production tools. Without government support, they may not be able to cultivate these twenty acres."

"Oh? Go on."

"Brother-in-law, if we follow the extensive farming method that local farmers used to do, scattering seeds casually, and the harvest depends on the weather, you can naturally plant twenty acres per hectare. But in this case, the crop yield will not increase, the farmers will still be in trouble, and the government will also be in trouble. Can’t collect taxes.”

"What do you think Huai Xu should do?"

"Promote fine farming using the Huaibei method! The most important part of fine farming is irrigation. I have investigated the surrounding areas a few days ago. Take Wuyi, Fucheng and Dongguang counties as an example. There is no shortage of rivers in the region. According to local elders, the Beiliu River, Yongliu River, and Sizang River in the three counties were all large rivers with abundant water flow a century ago. However, after wars and government inaction, the rivers gradually became blocked and even nearly stopped flowing. .
For example, Beiwan Village is only six miles away from the Boundary River. If we can organize people to work for relief this winter and divert the water from the Boundary River into agricultural canals, within three years, dozens of villages near Beiwan will become the northern land of Jiangnan! "

"Speak out if you have any other ideas."

Chen Chu encouraged.

Cai Si, who has the unique edge of a young man, is not yet at the age where he is accustomed to hiding his clumsiness. He was not happy with his thoughts and immediately said: "Everything is difficult at the beginning. I just said that farmers lack production tools. If you don't want to delay next spring's plowing, , Reclaiming farmland this winter is a big project for every family. For example, Zhang’s sister-in-law and Widow Wei in Beiwan Village, it would be very difficult to complete the task of cultivating [-] acres of farmland without outside help.”

Cai Si is about the same age as the imperial student who caused trouble a few days ago, but Chen Chu believes that Cai Si, who has had a year of experience as a grassroots official, has already prepared a solution since he raised the problem.

"Yi Huaixu, how should we solve it?"

Cai Si was waiting for Chen Chu's words, and immediately replied: "Fucheng is located at the junction of Qi and Jin, and the price of cattle and horses in the North is only [-]% of Caizhou. My brother-in-law might as well take advantage of this opportunity to purchase a batch of age-appropriate horses, and eliminate the old and weak animals. Come down and stay here for plowing.”

Huaibei does not produce cattle and horses, and large livestock are mostly trafficked from the north. Fucheng is located at the junction of the two countries, so it is naturally much cheaper to purchase them here. By then, the new livestock will return with the army, which also saves freight.

It's really good to use this to update and optimize the livestock.

Chen Chu thought about it for a moment, then smiled and said, "We have eliminated some of the rogue horses in the army, but there are only a few hundred horses at most, and they are not enough for these counties, right?"

Cai Si, who had already made a plan, said: "After the battle is over, our military consortium from Huaibei will have to go back. It's an empty trip, why not also sell some cattle and horses back to Huaibei to sell in Fucheng, Wuyi and other counties?" With the money, before they return to Huaibei, we can purchase services and borrow their cattle and horses to complete the work of plowing the land before spring plowing in several counties."

The most tiring part of farming is the work of plowing the ground. If there are no cattle and horses, strong men are required to put the plow on their shoulders like pulling fibers. This work is very tiring and the efficiency is extremely slow.

But it's different with livestock.

Chen Chu finally understood. Cai Si first plotted against the soldiers in the army, and then plotted against the Huaibei consortium. In short, he wanted to use the lowest cost to complete the work of plowing the land before spring plowing.

Chen Chu couldn't help laughing, pointing at Cai Si and saying: "You kid, you take advantage of everyone! Just like your sister."

Cai Si grinned, but said: "It's not the fault of the poor government offices in several counties in Fucheng. Since my brother-in-law has entrusted me with the errand of field reform, I must find a way to do the job well."

"Well, I promised you to eliminate the horses and horses in the army, and I can also allocate the money for renting the horses and cattle from the Huaibei Consortium to you."

Before Chen Chu finished speaking, Cai Si showed a bright smile. Unexpectedly, Chen Chu continued: "Don't laugh yet, but whether the Huaibei Consortium will buy cattle and horses before returning, I won't tell them for you. About this matter, You need to communicate with them yourself.”

I thought Cai Si would sue, but if Chen Chu opened his mouth, the Huaibei consortium would buy a batch regardless of whether they used the money from selling cattle and horses.

No, Cai Si thought for a moment and said, "Okay! I'll tell them myself!"

Seeing that he was so concerned about the Fucheng field reform, Chen Chu patted Cai Si on the shoulder and encouraged him: "Huai Xu, it's good to have such energy!"

"Hehe. My brother-in-law has entrusted me with an important task. I must do it well and not embarrass my sister."

"Okay! It's worth your sister's recommendation. You do research in advance and you can go to the front line personally."

"Brother-in-law, have you forgotten? You taught me this!"

"When did I teach?"

"Back then, when Ximen Chong, Chen Yingjun and I were working as substitute teachers at Lanxiang Academy in Luliuwei, Sister Yunong, er, Sister-in-law Chen brought a copy of the "Luliuwei Investigation Report" to the school. It was a small one In Luliuwei, my brother-in-law used nearly [-] words to record the population, climate, droughts and floods over the years, harvests, and hydrology. At that time, the few of us were shocked when we read it, but we also felt that it was not necessary.

It wasn't until I started working in recent years that I realized that my brother-in-law's method was a big mistake!A place cannot be governed by the books of sages alone. What my brother-in-law said is absolutely right: without investigation, there is no right to speak! "

When Chen Chu heard this, he couldn't help but feel slightly lost. Cai Si, Ximen Chong, and Chen Yingjun were all scholars, but they all witnessed the step-by-step development of Huaibei.

The results before our eyes are better than any eloquence.

As a result, 'pragmatism' has almost become a quality they all share. To put it simply, don't tell me any damn truths, it is true to make the people rich!
Although he had never revealed it in front of others, Chen Chu did feel a sense of loss due to not being understood during the turmoil in Tokyo in September.

But Cai Si, who was still looking immature in front of him, made Chen Chusheng feel that "there is no way forward without friends."

This way is not alone!

At the time of application, Chen Chu stood up and looked around at the farmers gathered in the fertile fields waiting to be allocated their fields. He suddenly said to Cai Si, "Huai Xu, is your Majesty willing to let you travel far?"

"what?"

"I mean, if you were left in Fucheng as the magistrate of a county, would my aunt be reluctant to leave you in this cold place?"

"Ah! Brother-in-law, me? Be the county magistrate?" Upon hearing this, Cai Si grinned from the corner of his mouth to his ears, but he still said modestly and without sincerity: "I am young, I am afraid that I will miss the big event of my brother-in-law!"

Although the chief official of a county is not of high rank, he is of great significance.

At present, among the second generation in Huaibei, only Cai Yun, the grandson of Cai's eldest son, has ever served as a county official.

Among the others, even the most talented Chen Yingjun only served as a county official, as did Ximen Chong and Xu Zhiyuan.

It's just because they are too young, and there are senior officials above them, so they have restrictions to avoid doing wrong things.

Cai Si had just turned 20, and he just thought about how great it would be if he became a county magistrate and met Ximen Chong and Xu Zhiyuan.

But you should be humble when you should be humble.
Chen Chu smiled at him and said, "Are you afraid? Just do it boldly, brother-in-law will support you."

"Haha, if my brother-in-law says this, then I've really done this to the county magistrate!"

On the same day, when we returned to Fucheng, it was already dusk.

In the open space to the east of the city, there is a large stage.

The opera has not yet started, but the stage is already filled with people holding futons and carrying mats.

Liu E and others' slander against the King of Chu's army was too terrifying. When the King of Chu's army just captured Fucheng, the people all over the city were horrified.

At that time, the people only heard that gongs and drums were being beaten all day long in the east of the city, but no one dared to go out to check.

It was not until two days later that someone boldly went out and followed the sound to the east of the city when they saw that the army had done no harm to the people.

Unexpectedly, I found that a big opera was being performed here, but the people did not dare to go out, and the audience was pitifully small.

It is said that the first old woman who came here to watch a play met a pretty young lady. Seeing that there was finally an audience, the young lady burst into tears with excitement in her eyes. She helped the old lady herself and explained the opera and sang for her. What is.
Then, the news gradually spread, and everyone gradually became bolder.

Under the stage in the east part of the city, there was only one old woman at the beginning, but now it is packed with people every time before singing starts.

Strange to say, the area around Fucheng was still noisy last month, but now it has become very lively.

The people's fear of the King of Chu's army was diminishing day by day. Since there were so many people gathered under the stage, there were soldiers patrolling to maintain order.

Although the common people would involuntarily lower their voices every time a sergeant passed by, they were no longer like at the beginning, when they saw the sergeant and fled in all directions.

Today’s show is about the white-haired girl.

The theater troupe from Huaibei mainly performs three plays in Fucheng, "The White-Haired Girl", "The Rooster Crows in the Midnight" and "Huaibei Ping Chaos".
The first two plays often resulted in low-pitched whimpering, because most of them had experienced everything in the play.

But "Huaibei Ping Chaos" is the most passionate!

The story is based on the King of Chu Huaibei's Ping of Thieves. The actor who played the King of Chu was tall and straight, with a face as beautiful as a crown jewel. Within a few days after arriving in Fucheng, there were scandals with several young ladies.

The lyrics of this play were written by Ayu and Yunong, and the actor was personally selected by Ayu.

At first, the troupe leader Liu Lingtong recommended more than ten apprentices, but none of them could pass Ayu's interview.

Until Liu Changqing, who was with Ayu in Caizhou on the [-]th day to talk about working together, gave Liu Lingtong an idea, "Choose someone who looks close to his employer!"

This time, it really passed.

When Chen Chu passed by the stage, he stopped to watch it for a while, then rode into the city.

On weekdays, he mostly lives in the military camp outside the city, but Ayu lives in the city with the propaganda staff.

The two of them are busy with their own affairs and rarely see each other even if they are close to each other.

When Chen Chu came to Ayu's temporary residence, he met Zhuan Yun in the courtyard.

Zhuan Yun was overjoyed, then stepped forward to salute, and whispered: "Your Majesty, my wife is losing her temper in the house."

"Oh?"

Chen Chu was slightly surprised and stood in the courtyard and listened for a while.

inside the house.

Ayu sat on the chair with a cold face. In front of her, Liu Lingtong, the leader of the Liu family opera troupe, and Jiang Youmei, who played the King of Chu in "Huaibei Ping Chaos", stood respectfully.

After looking at the two of them lightly, Ayu reprimanded in a low voice: "Leader Liu, do you think that since you are from Concubine Cai's family, I won't dare to punish you?"

"Oh! Madam Chen, what are you talking about? I don't dare to have such an idea! I will definitely discipline the bad guys when I get back!"

After saying this, Liu Lingtong, who was not tall, kicked Jiang Youmei in the leg and cursed: "Kowtow to Mrs. Chen and apologize!"

Jiang Youmei hurriedly fell to the ground, but Ayu said: "Make amends! What you ruined is the reputation of the prince! In the play, you play the role of the prince, even if you are off the show, you can't do anything wrong! You just came to Fucheng a few days ago After hooking up with those promiscuous women, how dare you pretend to be the prince in the future!"

The more Ayu talked, the more angry she became, and her face turned slightly red.

Jiang Youmei kept saying things wrong, but she felt a little aggrieved in her heart. She was an actor, but she was just playing the role of a prince, and Mrs. Chen was in charge of everything, and she was not allowed to play with the kiln sister.
Outside the house, Chen Chu couldn't help but feel ashamed after knowing the reason for Ayu's anger.

You see, the original owner has a reputation for being lecherous. Does acting like a sister count as experiencing life and better integrating into the character?

"Ahem~" Chen Chu coughed and walked in.

Ayu knew who was coming just by hearing the cough. Maybe she didn't want Chen Chu to see her unlovable side, so her cold and stern face instantly changed to a gentle look.
Master Liu Lingtong and his disciples were scolded for a short period of time.

After the two left, Ayu stood up to greet them, but Chen Chu noticed that her right foot was slightly sloping.

He couldn't help but said: "Ayu, what's wrong with your feet?"

"It's okay," Ayu responded casually.

But Zhuan Yun said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, my little wife has been running around with the propaganda team in recent days to promote His Majesty's new policy. Yesterday, we went all the way to Gonggao Town in Dongguang County! My little wife's feet were worn out by walking too much. Blood blisters! But still unwilling to rest, I ran for another day today and just came back!"

"Stop talking!"

Ayu scolded Zhuan Yun, but when she opened her mouth, Zhuan Yun, who had chosen the right time, had said all he had to say and had all the credit he deserved.

Master and servant cooperate in a tacit understanding.

Chen Chu could not help but be surprised to see that his daughter was so cunning. It was a 160-mile trip to Gonggao Town!

Going back and forth on the same day, I think I went out before dawn and came back after dark.

A closer look showed that Ayu had an obvious tired look on her face, and there were some mudgrass stems stained on the hem of her skirt.
It was completely different from her previous appearance of keeping her fingers clean.

"Zhuan Yun, go get a basin of hot water."

Chen Chu gave an order, and then asked Ayu to sit down by the bed. Ayu had already guessed what his uncle was going to do, but he only said: "It's not a problem, it's not a problem."

Seeing this, Chen Chu didn't hesitate, carried him back to the bed, grabbed his ankles with one hand, and took off his shoes and socks with the other.

Sure enough, there were blood blisters on the big toes and soles of Bai Yingying's little feet. They were worn out again, and blood was still oozing out of the wounds from time to time.

After a while, Zhuan Yun brought hot water.

Chen Chu dipped Ayu's feet into the hot water. Maybe it hurt. Ayu shuddered, but bit her lip and remained silent to avoid appearing squeamish.

After washing, Chen Chu put Ayu's feet on his knees, applied medicinal powder and said, "You are not the only one responsible for promoting the New Deal. Your feet are broken, don't you know how to rest? You are like a fool."

Although the words were clearly meant to be reprimanded, Ayu felt deeply distressed. She couldn't help but be distracted for a moment, and then she answered something strange: "Uncle, Sister Yunong told me before that you washed her feet."

"."

Chen Chu looked up and saw Ayu holding the edge of the bed with both hands and her eyes lowered, so he lowered his head again and said while helping Ayu bandage: "Yes. During the Chinese New Year, we will return to Caizhou together and I will go to your house to propose marriage."

After saying that, Chen Chu didn't wait for a long time to respond, but ripples suddenly appeared in the water basin below where he was bathing his feet. Chen Chu looked up in shock and saw Ayu smiling, as evidenced by the symmetrical dimples on both sides of her cheeks.

But those almond-shaped eyes were filled with tears like broken beads.

The tears were clear, flowing down the beautiful face, swirling in the intoxicating dimples, and finally gathered on the delicate chin, teetering on the edge of collapse.

There are operas to listen to in the east of the city, and there are also great operas to be sung in the south.

The fifth day of November.

In the temporarily built prisoner of war camp in the south of Fucheng, more than 3000 prisoners of war from the Yongjing Army were detained.

In the battle on the [-]th of last month, the Yongjing Army was frightened by thunder and collapsed on the spot before the two sides engaged, so the damage was not serious.

When these people were first arrested, they were very frightened for a while.

It is said that all the generals including Xie Zaidao and others were executed. Can these big soldiers survive?

Unexpectedly, for more than ten days, in addition to eating and drinking, they also watched a big show, and they actually lived a leisurely life that was rare in recent years.

Of course, they thought it was delicious and delicious, but the soldiers of the Suppressing Huai Army who were responsible for guarding the prisoner-of-war camp dismissed the buns they ate that were mixed with coarse grains.

In addition, the dramas are also interesting to watch, such as "The Rooster Crows at Midnight" performed today.

In the play, a landowner named Zhou Papi, in order to make the long-term workers work more, would get into the chicken coop before dawn and imitate the crow of chickens.

The actor who plays Zhou Papi wears funny makeup and has a sarcastic look that is familiar to the audience.

Before joining the army, there were many people from tenant farmers, and their dependence on land meant that they were all used by the masters for free.

Even after joining the army, this phenomenon is also very common in the army.

Middle- and upper-class officers use them to build houses, harvest grain in summer and autumn, farm for their father-in-law, and vent their anger for their brother-in-law.

Zhang Wuluan, who was sitting below watching the show, didn't know what he thought of. As he was distracted, Lu Shou, his colleague next to him, nudged him with his elbow and whispered: "Wuchang Zhang, I saw the man walking on a slope under the stage." Are you ready?"

Zhang Wuluan came to his senses, raised his eyes, and said, "We are all prisoners now. We should no longer call ourselves Captain."

"Hey, from now on, my brother will call you boss."

After Lu Shou changed his name, he pointed at the sloping man and whispered: "Boss, you must have seen it. It is said that the play "The Chicken Crows in the Middle of the Night" was adapted from his true story."

"Oh?" Zhang Wuluan became a little interested and said subconsciously: "Is he that Zhou Peipei?"

Lu Shou shook his head mysteriously, "No. He is the tenant in the play. His leg was broken by Zhou Papi!"

"Tenant? Are you kidding me? Can a tenant be the leader of a battalion?"

"Why did I lie to the boss? I heard what the people who suppressed the Huai Army said with my own ears. By the way, after Zhou Yuhou broke his leg this week, the new boss helped him heal his leg, and also beat Zhou Papi's son's leg. It's broken, and it makes Zhou Yuhou angry!"

"Huh? His leg is broken and the new owner wants him? Why don't you avenge him? This owner is kind and righteous!"

"Hey, boss, guess who is Zhou Yuhou's new employer?"

Lu Shou showed off, but Zhang Wuluan was not in the mood to guess. He shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"Hehe, the boss can't even guess! Zhou Yuhou's new boss is the current King of Chu!"

"Oh? There are other things like this"

"Boss, let me tell you, King Chu was originally a junior official in Tongshan."

Lu Shou whispered about the origin of King Chu that he had heard. This time Zhang Wuluan listened attentively and uttered low praises from time to time.

Grassroots, what I love to hear most is the story of grassroots counterattack and rise.

Even though we know that this probability is only one in a million, we are still fascinated by it. Inspirational stories are narcotics that trap all living beings, and they are also the last light left in many people's hearts.
Night, late Xu.

After the drama ended, Lu Shou, Zhang Wuluan and others, led by the sergeant of the Huai Army, lined up neatly and returned to the temporary barracks to rest.

Once you enter the barracks, you have your own time.

A group of former Yongjing Army sergeants and low-level officers discussed the drama just now, and while they were talking, some people cursed the officers and gentry who had bullied them back then.

In this regard, everyone was extremely sympathetic, and for a while, everyone talked about the oppression and injustice they had suffered in recent years.

Zhang Wuluan put his hands behind his head and looked out the window at the thin moon. He couldn't help but think of his mother-in-law and three children at home.

He is a foreigner and is not welcomed in Beiwan Village.

Now that he is behind bars again, his family has lost its backbone. How will these mothers survive this winter?
After thinking about it, this northern man couldn't help but get wet in his eyes.

"Zhang Wuluan, Zhang Wuluan!"

Suddenly there was a shout at the door of the barracks. Zhang Wuluan quickly wiped away his tears, stood up and stood at attention, "Here we come!"

The person who came in was the commander of the Huai Army from a famous town, who was of the same rank as Zhang Wuluan.
But he was only eighteen or nineteen years old, and his clothes were distinctive, and he had a distinct manner when he sat, stood, and walked. He was very different from these loose prisoners.

It makes people feel ashamed involuntarily.

The team leader looked at Zhang Wuluan, took out a letter, and said: "Zhang Wuluan, a letter from home."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wuluan immediately ran over and subconsciously wiped his hands on his body before reluctantly accepting the letter.

Next to him, a group of people gathered around him, looking no less excited than Zhang Wuluan.

It’s been half a month, and finally one brother received a letter from home!
But after Zhang Wuluan opened the envelope with trembling hands, he was dumbfounded. He couldn't read!

Not only him, but all the thirty brothers in their barracks are illiterate.
The clever Lu Shou quickly stopped the commander of the Huai Suppression Army who had turned around and was about to leave, "Commander Wang, please read the letter for us."

As a direct descendant of the prince's direct line to the Huai Army, Commander Wang naturally looked down upon these defeated generals. After receiving the letter, he muttered, "There are dozens of people in the house, but not a single one is literate!"

"."

Lu Shou only smiled and did not refute, but in his opinion, it was normal for a rough military man to be illiterate!If there was money in the family when I was young and I gave it to Shu Xiu, who the hell would still be working as a killer!

Your Suppressing Huai Army, where almost all the army is literate, is a freak!

Commander Wang opened the letter, and the barracks suddenly became quiet. He only heard him say slowly: "Fifth brother, I am Chunni."

As soon as he spoke, there was a burst of laughter in the barracks.

Zhang Wuluan grinned awkwardly, "This bitch"

"Don't mess up!"

Wu-chang Wang scolded, and everyone gradually stopped laughing. Wu-chang Wang then continued to read: "Fifth brother, the letter was written for me by Brother Cai from Tian's reorganization. Everything is fine with my two girls and my son. Don't you want to Concerned. The land in our village was divided. The prince allotted twenty acres of land to our family. We also shared a draft horse for plowing with the four families of Widow Wei, Wen San, and Uncle Dashan.
Brother Cai also said that if we don’t have money to buy grain seeds for spring plowing, the prince will give us grain seeds. With seeds and horses, we will have food rations next year. I will not let the children go hungry.
I'm a woman, so I can't talk about the truth. Anyway, the King of Chu is here. He's not here to harm us, but to save us. You need to reform yourself inside. You must listen to the prince's words and you can't go against him anymore.
Fifth Brother often said that a person must know how to repay kindness. Now I don’t know how to repay the prince, so I offered him an immortality throne at home.

Fifth brother, the children all miss you, and I miss you too. When you come out, our family will live a good life."

After finishing the letter, there was silence in the barracks for a long time.

Lu Shou wanted to say something to liven up the atmosphere, so he imitated the tone in the letter and shouted, "Fifth brother, I miss you too."

But instead of getting the expected roar of laughter, Zhang Wuluan suddenly squatted on the ground, pulled his hair with both hands, and began to cry.

The man in his thirties cried like an unweaned baby.
Lu Shou originally wanted to persuade him, but he also started crying for some reason.

Afterwards, the entire barracks burst into tears.
　6600 big chapters, today counts as two updates!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)