The devil is coming

Chapter 608
There are currently two places in Fengxin City, which are the most heavily defended and have the highest status.
One place is the small courtyard where King Jingnan currently lives.
One place is the temporary residence of Lord Pingxi.
At this time,
Mr. Zheng was sitting in the signing room of his residence, separated by a curtain, giving final instructions to these storytellers.
Such a thing as reputation,
The more the merrier;
Marquis Zheng is not afraid of too much, and he doesn’t have so many taboos;
He does not have the mentality of fearing that his achievements will overwhelm his master;
He couldn't do the act of deliberately desecrating himself.
Now that we have climbed up to the present, it is just a matter of soldiers coming to block the water and the earth. In the past, we occasionally kowtowed and said a few nice words, which was for the sake of living. Now that we are all feudal lords, we cannot go back as long as we live.
A small part of this group of storytellers were selected from the refugees. Some of them did not make a living as storytellers before, but as gentlemen.
But it doesn't matter, as long as you talk nicely.
Most of the rest are from Yingdu.
In any era, those who can still make money without relying on the umbilical cord of blood must be smart.
The owners of tea houses and restaurants naturally know whose stories are the most popular among tea patrons in recent years, and they can also see whose stories are more suitable to accompany their guests' wine;
Therefore, for many storytellers who were originally stationed in the store, their employers paid for their travel expenses and allowed them to cross Wangjiang and come to Shandong.
I thought that just taking a look at the Marquis Ceremony would be a great satisfaction. Anyway, I would be able to boast about it after I go back. At that time, I can hang a sign at the door of the teahouse or restaurant or let people say that I am my husband. I just came back from the Marquis Ceremony, and I also brought back first-hand information.
But who would have expected that things would turn out unexpectedly and smoothly, so smoothly that even they themselves felt a little unbelievable.
They were found one by one, gathered together, and sent to this temporary Pingxihou Mansion.
then,
All of them were kneeling on the mats in rows and rows, each with a cup of tea, a plate of snacks, and a pen, ink, paper and inkstone.
Seven or eight clerks stood in front, holding books in their hands, and began to read the "life story" of Lord Zheng.
In the beginning,
These professional, amateur and new storytellers are still a little confused.
But soon,
They realized something,
Started to write and record vigorously.
In this day and age, anyone who knows how to talk and make a living in the world is not smart.
Moreover, most of these people are literate.
The storyteller cannot read, how can he read the book?
Mr. Baishi is illiterate, how can he help people write elegiac couplets?
What no one knows is,
behind a curtain,
Lord Zheng was sitting on the Grand Master's chair, drinking tea.
Public opinion propaganda port,
It is a place that Mr. Zheng attaches great importance to.
In fact, even if there is no actual benefit, it is very satisfying to let your story be spread.
This alone is in line with the fundamentals of the Demon King's code of conduct.
Not to mention, you can also perfect and enrich your character among the people.
Zhenbei Hou Mansion has a century-old heritage.
Even if Li Liangting sits there and doesn't move, he can still rest on his laurels.
The Pingxi Marquis Mansion has just been established. As the first generation of Marquis, Marquis Zheng really has a lot to do.
The documents narrated all the achievements of Pingxihou in the past few years from his meritorious service in the civilian camp to becoming a marquis.
Although, these deeds have long been no secret among the people.
Especially for these storytellers, the most popular thing in teahouses and restaurants in recent years is the story of Lord Zheng.
But after everyone gathered here, sat down, and was indoctrinated again from beginning to end,
Even though most of them have turned gray,
But it is inevitable to feel excited.
No rendering, no adding, no exaggerating,
State it exactly as it is,
It's already more like a story than a story.
After the clerks finished speaking,
The storytellers below began to whisper to each other, exchange ideas, and borrow notes from each other. After all, some people write fast and some write slowly, so it is inevitable that there will be omissions.
This missing thing is a day's reward, so we must not leave it behind.
At this time,
Behind the curtain, Mr. Zheng put down the teacup.
coughed.
For a moment, the storytellers immediately fell silent. They had long known that there was someone behind the curtain, presumably someone in charge of the affairs in the Hou Mansion.
However, they really never thought that the world-famous Marquis Pingxi was actually sitting there and listening to the review and narration of his own life experience with them.
joke,
Will Mr. Pingxi be so boring?
but,
Lord Zheng really knows how to do it.
The "capital" was transferred to Fengxin City, and there were so many things to do. The demon kings were all assigned tasks. On the contrary, Zheng Fan, the master, could only watch the demon kings busy there, and he had no specific business to take over;
So, I found it myself and came over to watch.
"Everyone."
Lord Zheng spoke.
The storytellers immediately listened in silence.
"My lord has fought for the country, performed meritorious service to the country, and been virtuous to the people. The reason why I have called you here is not to sing praises to my lord;
It's because the story of my Marquis is often told among the people. This person follows what he says. It is inevitable that there will be mistakes and fallacies. In order not to damage the wisdom of our Marquis, I have summoned you all.
I hope that in the future, you will be cautious and careful in your work, so that you can live up to the tea and snacks in Houfu today. "
Many storytellers stood up immediately and bowed down:
"I'll wait to understand."
"I'll wait to understand."
Zheng Fan nodded and continued:
"This storytelling is your expert business. You know more than me, but I have a suggestion here. If it is useful, just listen to it. If it is not, just listen to it for fun.
That is,
When telling a story, you can tell it in two days instead of telling it in one day..."
At this time,
An impatient young storyteller spoke up:
"Honorable Sir, how can we tell the story of this day in two days?"
Other colleagues around him looked at him with envy.
This skill of admiration,
They were one step behind!
After all, when everyone comes on stage now, they all have apprentices, and the apprentices do all the work of admiration. They are unfamiliar, very unfamiliar.
behind the curtain,
Lord Zheng took another sip of tea.
He said calmly:
"This is easy to do. Add something into it. Of course, you can't mix it randomly or make it up. The butcher has already figured this out. We can also learn how to add water to the pork. It's called watering."
"Dare I ask you, noble man..."
"May I ask your noble lord how to pour water?"
Now, I have a lot of compliments, and they are all professional.
“At the beginning of each story, we first talk about the political situation of each country, the four swordsmen, and the customs and customs of each country;
Then introduce the story,
After eliciting the story,
Let’s look back at the past stories again, talk about the life of Mr. Hou, that is, the past, and talk about the scenery at that time.
Leave a piece at the end,
Control the heat well,
Tell this story again, of course, remember to leave it in suspense. "
For a time,
Full house:
"I see."
"Been taught a lesson."
"The enlightenment."
"It's deafening."
Mr. Zheng just smiled and didn't really think he had any abilities. Limited by the speed and scope of information dissemination in this era, if these storytellers didn't know the above tricks, they would have been emptied out long ago. What to exchange for food?
get up,
Lord Zheng walked out of the back door.
This mansion is not big. The new mansion is under planning, and the entire Fengxin City needs a new round of construction.
So to speak,
After the battle against Chu,
Marquis Zheng dug many ancestral graves of nobles in the Chu Kingdom, and he had too much hard goods such as gold, silver, and jewelry.
It is impossible to issue silver directly;
Therefore, according to the blind man's planning and assumption, he plans to launch large-scale infrastructure construction and provide relief through work.
such,
The newly arrived refugees also have money in their hands.
There is such a huge demand market,
Merchants will naturally come here in pursuit of profits;
It can also stimulate local prosperity.
Marquis Zheng actually has no interest in gold and silver treasures. He is not a lizard dragon and likes to use gold coins to build nests.
To a certain extent, the reason why the living standards of the soldiers and civilians in Xueguan were so high was precisely because the superstructure with Marquis Zheng as its core had very low demand for wealth and a desire to preserve it.
I will come back after all my gold is gone.
What can I not get if I have soldiers and food?
Didn’t the princess also grab it?
Whenever you are interested in it in the future, the Queen Mother can snatch it back.
In this era, buying land for children and grandchildren, saving family property, and burying treasures are the mainstream.
It can only be said that Lord Zheng and the Demon Kings did not think so far back at all. Even the "hundred-year palace" mentioned in Emperor Yan's imperial edict did not affect Lord Zheng that much.
Otherwise, everyone always talks about finding a place to open an inn.
This is basically the mentality of sitting on a boat and drinking wine while watching the flood.
"My lord, our guest has been waiting for a long time."
Zheng Fan nodded, indicating that he understood.
The guest has come, and the guest has been waiting for a long time. Lord Zheng already knew it, but he still listened to his story there.
open the door,
Enter the study room,
Jing Renli immediately stood up from his chair.
He knelt down and saluted Zheng Fan:
"I am here to meet you, my consort."
Zheng Fan said "hmm", walked behind the desk and sat down.
I habitually reached out and opened a small lid on the table to throw a sweet date into my mouth.
hesitated,
Still covered it again.
Jing Renli stood up and said to Zheng Fan:
"Prince-in-law, my king heard that you were granted a title in Yan State, and he was very happy for you. This time, the minister even brought some congratulatory gifts."
"Ha ha."
Zheng Fan smiled.
this thing,
Interesting indeed.
He was granted the title of Marquis of Pingxi in Yan State, but the regent of Chu State also rewarded him.
"Rewards or whatever, it doesn't matter, we are a family after all." Mr. Zheng said in a pleasant tone.
"What you said, consort, is what you said."
Zheng Fan tapped his fingers on the desk a few times and said, "This family does not talk about the two families. Talking about money will hurt our feelings."
"Yes, yes, yes."
"Then since we are a family, it doesn't matter if we just have a meal together, right? I've never heard of any decent family's poor relatives not even giving up a bowl of rice when they come to visit, right?"
"Forehead………"
"Tell my uncle that I'm short of food. I just need this food. Can he help me a little? I'm grateful for his kindness."
"This………"
Jing Renli raised his head and looked at the "Prince Consort".
But he saw the prince-in-law looking very serious.
For a time,
Jing Renli was in a daze,
Who is the winner?
"Prince-in-law, here, our Chu country has no food. It's you who brought the troops and horses..."
Originally, if the front line had been at Zhennanguan, it would have been very difficult for the Chu State to supply food and grass, but in fact there was no big problem. With a squeeze, the front line could still be satisfied.
If the war had stopped there,
If the Chu State squeezes even more, they can definitely provide some food in order to befriend this "Prince-in-Law".
After all, with the size of Chu State, the land of Eastern Jin is far inferior.
But the problem is that the war is not only at Zhennanguan. In fact, Zhennanguan is the place where the war is the least affected. Even when they finally exited the Zhennanguan front line, the Yan and Chu armies were not there at all. Real sieges and defenses broke out there.
The Yan army's hundreds of thousands of cavalry entered the territory of Chu State, but they did not bring any food or grass. They burned, killed, and looted all the way, eating and taking, and burning them if they could not carry them.
Therefore, after the Yan army retreated, the northern border of Chu State was almost in a mess, not to mention that the capital of Ying was also destroyed in the fire.
If we really want to talk about food shortage,
Chu State is now even more lacking than Yan State.
However, you have to look at both sides of everything.
Yan State and Jin State, two countries located in the north, may encounter great natural disasters in the past two years. To be precise, they have already begun to suffer disasters this year, and because of continuous wars, their family funds have long been emptied. Now, everyone is already waiting, what are you waiting for?
Waiting for civil unrest, waiting to suppress bandits, or waiting for appeasement.
As for Chu State, if the regent is given a stable period of time to recover and recuperate, it will be difficult this year, but after next year, it will be able to breathe.
It is impossible to recover, but at least it is a trend upward from the lowest point.
"No food?"
"My Prince Consort, it's absolutely true. This winter, I don't know how many people in Chu will freeze to death and starve to death."
"Tsk."
Mr. Zheng held his forehead helplessly.
With emotion:
"That's so pitiful. The people are so innocent."
"..." Jing Renli.
If this was not Fengxin City,
If it weren’t for the fact that there were soldiers from the Yan Kingdom nearby,
Jing Renli really wanted to point at the person in front of him and yell:
“Then who’s to blame!!!”
Mr. Zheng Hou took a deep breath and raised his head;
In fact, the previous words were not meant to ridicule or deliberately ridicule Jing Renli.
Because despite what the blind man said, there will not be widespread starvation in eastern Shanxi this winter.
But the recipes of the people under his governance,
It will probably become:
Eat potatoes in the morning, potatoes at noon, and sweet potatoes in the evening;
have to,
It all tastes the same.
If it doesn't work, it would be better to buy some grain from the Chu State to improve the food. But the staple food always tastes the same, and it's still mushy. The quality of life is really worrying.
Even if you add some rice, you can at least make a spicy and sour potato rice bowl?
Well,
It seems to be still a staple food.
Jing Renli saw Lord Zheng frowning inexplicably.
I thought he was angry,
He is about to reveal his trump card,
Road:
"The Queen Mother loves the princess the most. She really doesn't want to see the princess suffer."
Lord Zheng suddenly raised his attention.
have to,
There are also meat scenes,
Lord Zheng immediately smiled and said:
"Yes, I will immediately arrange for the princess to return to her parents' home for a visit."
"..." Jing Renli.
If in the past, the princess went back to visit relatives, she would definitely not be able to come back, because it was a shame for the Chu people and a shame for the Qu family.
Now, Zheng Fan has made a marquis and a territory, and the Qu family has only half a life left. Chu people know how to do business. Is it more cost-effective to keep the princess at home or let the princess continue to be the wife of Ping Xihou?
"No, Prince Consort, what our King means is that we, Da Chu, have land in the south, and we can get food from the south."
Zheng Fan's eyes immediately darkened.
Telling the truth,
The country of Yan is still poor!
The geographical location is poor and the land is not fertile enough.
Look at Qian Guo. He was beaten four years ago, but he recovered in the second year and was able to rebuild the three-border defense line.
Look at the Chu State. Although there are still many forces from the Shanyue tribe in the southern border of the Chu State, they can still squeeze out a lot of things.
This is called a solid family foundation, and this is called strategic depth.
Dayan swallowed up the land of the Three Jins with a groan, without seeing its depth, nor its details. Because of the war, it was equivalent to carrying another suffering brother on its back.
"What do you want?"
Zheng Fan's voice turned cold.
Jing Renli hesitated for a moment.
Road:
"War horse."
The Chu people raised horses in the country, otherwise Liang Cheng would not have been able to snatch the horses from the Chu people and use them after burning Jingcheng.
But in fact, if you want to maintain a large and well-organized cavalry corps, the number of [-] or [-] horses can only be regarded as a sacrifice.
Moreover, the soil and water are different, and the cost of raising horses is also different. Even if the corrupt officials are eliminated, to be honest, it will be enough to save face.
twice,
Once in Yupan City,
The battle against Chu was once again,
The Chu people were bullied twice by the large-scale cavalry regiments of Yan State!
Therefore, the Chu people are now eager to build their own cavalry regiment.
The land of Sanjin is actually more suitable for raising horses. The knights of Sanjin used to have their family foundation here. Furthermore, the vast snowfield to the north of the Tianduan Mountains is rich in war horses.
But the problem is that Zhennan Pass, Xueguan Pass, and Jindong are all in the hands of Lord Zheng, which means that Lord Zheng has blocked the possibility of the Chu people to obtain war horses through external channels.
Seeing that Mr. Zheng’s expression was uncertain,
Jing Renli immediately added:
"Son-in-law, my king has said that the price of war horses can be converted into food, craftsmen, and anything else that you need and I have, based on the past prices."
In fact, when he received this task, Jing Renli once thought that his king was crazy.
Prince Consort, Prince Consort, do you really think that Ping Xihou of Dayan is your Prince Consort?
Calling him Prince Consort is nothing more than giving himself a layer of self-protection and beating himself up, and it also makes him feel less humiliated when he kneels down.
If someone is so frustrated and crazy, he will trade war horses with you?
But the king is determined,
Definitely allow yourself to talk.
Lord Zheng leaned back slightly.
Road:
"This prince is Dayan Zhongliang."
Jing Renli slumped down, looking very disappointed.
Zheng Fan frowned.
Reluctantly, he stretched out his hand to touch his eyebrows a few times.
Jing Renli is not Ji Laoliu,
Ji Laoliu knew the implication of this sentence.
as a last resort,
Lord Zheng sighed,
Added;
"You have to pay more."
(End of this chapter)