Fu Xiaoguan helped the old farmer stand up and said with a smile, "Actually, I know that what you said doesn't mean much, because the farming technology is too backward. But don't worry, old man, everything will be fine."

The old farmer laughed bitterly, thinking to himself, I heard that taxes are going to increase by another 20%. How can life get better?

Fu Xiaoguan said goodbye to the old man, and the group returned to the camp. Fu Xiaoguan then asked Qin Wenzhe, "Which jurisdiction does this place belong to?"

"Jiangnan East Road, Shengzhou, Lingshui County is under the jurisdiction of the county."

"Hmm..." Fu Xiaoguan nodded thoughtfully.

"Can you farm?" Shangguan Miao asked curiously.

"Of course, my family is a large landowner in Linjiang. If you don't know how to farm, you will be cheated by the tenants."

The students suddenly realized what was happening, but Fu Xiaoguan then said, "Actually, the same principle applies to everything. If you become officials in the future, if you don't understand the humanities and geography of the areas you govern, and don't know the advantages and disadvantages of the areas you govern, you will be deceived by the officials below you. Therefore, officials should not just sit in the office every day. Instead, they should go out into the countryside and work in the fields. Only then can they understand the suffering of the people, understand the strategies of governance, and know what resources they have at their disposal."

"As an official, you must benefit the people. Remember, raising taxes is the most foolish and incompetent way for an official to act. What you need to do is utilize local resources and promote business prosperity. Only a vibrant economy can alleviate the suffering of the people and relieve the worries of the nation."

The students thought about it carefully for a moment and agreed with it. They looked at Fu Xiaoguan and felt that this guy was becoming more and more sophisticated.

…

…

February 25, the ninth year of the Xuanli calendar.

It has been fifteen days since the convoy left Jinling.

The further south we go, the more spring feels like. The sun has been shining brightly in the past two or three days, and the fields and mountains are covered with green grass and wild flowers are blooming.

During the journey, whenever he took a break, Fu Xiaoguan would intentionally or unintentionally instill in these students the importance of economy to a country, and especially put forward the new argument that all other things are inferior except for studying.

"Your understanding of this statement is ambiguous. I'm not criticizing the words of the sage. The sage's words were not wrong in themselves. It's the interpretation of these words by later generations that is wrong."

Under the puzzled eyes of Qin Wenzhe and other students, Fu Xiaoguan slowly explained what he believed to be the true meaning of this sentence.

"First, reading opens our wisdom and broadens our horizons. It is the foundation of human progress. Without books, without people reading, we would still be stuck in the age of eating raw meat and drinking blood. As humanity progressed through civilization, we invented writing, and with it, books, which recorded the wisdom of the ancients. Through these books, we inherited civilization, such as fire, farming, weaving, iron smelting, and so on. As a result, society has developed to its present state. Now, think about this: does the advancement of society rely solely on the officials of a country?"

"I won't answer this question for you for now. Leave it to you to figure it out on your own while you're on your way. Once you get to Wu Dynasty, you need to write me an answer."

This speech naturally caused all the students to reflect, and they realized that officials played a very small role in the progress of society.

So what is the real source of social progress and national prosperity?

Fu Xiaoguan threw a proposition at them and left them alone. At this moment, he was sitting in Su Jue's carriage.

There were three people in the carriage, and the other one was a middle-aged man dressed like a traveling merchant. Fu Xiaoguan had never seen him before, and Su Jue had not introduced him to him.

"This is information about Yu Chunqiu, the general of the Southern Frontier Army."

Fu Xiaoguan took it and looked at it carefully, his brows gradually furrowed. He lifted the curtains. It was still two hundred miles away from the border town, but it had already started to rain.

At this moment, the convoy is traveling on the Cangxi Plain. Tonight, the convoy will be stationed at the Cangxi Post Station - this place is right under the nose of the southern border troops, and the convoy will arrive at the border town tomorrow night.

This information reads:

"Prince De's fiefdom is Shengzhou Yulin Commandery. He has three sons and two daughters. His crown prince, Yu Chunqiu, was appointed General of the Southern Frontier Army on the eighth day of the eighth month of the third year of the Xuanli reign."

"Yu Chunqiu is currently thirty-six years old. Between the fortieth and forty-fifth years of the Taihe reign, he studied at the Jixia Academy's Martial Arts School, becoming proficient in the eighteen martial arts, particularly skilled in strategizing and deploying troops. From the forty-sixth year of the Taihe reign to the third year of the Xuanli reign, Yu Chunqiu traveled extensively, visiting military strategists from various countries and serving for three years in the northern frontier army as a chief of staff."

"His wife, Peng Yuyan, was the granddaughter of Duke Dingguo Peng Tu. She was plain in appearance, but rumor had it she was extremely intelligent and had learned Duke Peng's military tactics. She was skilled in combat, wielding a forged iron mace weighing thirty-three pounds and eight ounces."

"Yu Chunqiu had two sons and one daughter. His eldest son, Yu Xiping, was ordered to live permanently in Jinling in July of the third year of the Xuanli reign. He was extremely low-key, rarely leaving his residence, and was not known to have interacted with the high-ranking officials of Jinling."

Fu Xiaoguan put the information into his sleeve pocket and then said to the middle-aged man beside Su Jue, "I'll have to ask you to take the trouble to help me check the border town."

The middle-aged man clasped his fists and left. Su Jue straightened his hat and asked, "Do you think there's something wrong with Yu Chunqiu?"

Fu Xiaoguan raised the corner of his mouth and said, "He is fine. I think he will meet the general tonight."

"He will come to visit you at the post station?"

"No..." Fu Xiaoguan shook his head. "If I don't receive his note within half an hour after we arrive at Cangxi Post Station, I will also give him one."

"Why?"

"I'm very interested in his wife."

…

Southern border army camp.

The camp stretches for dozens of miles and has no end in sight. Deep in the camp there is a conspicuous mansion, which is the general's mansion.

At this moment, in the martial arts training ground of the General's Mansion, a middle-aged woman in tight clothes was waving a five-foot-long iron mace.

The silver light flickered, and the true face of the mace was almost invisible.

The spring rain is boundless, but it just can't drift into the silver circle of the mace.

Afterwards, a middle-aged man dressed in tight clothes and holding a big sword rushed into the martial arts field. The sword was domineering and awe-inspiring, and it seemed as if it could swallow mountains and rivers with one slash.

The woman yelled, "Come on, you thief! Take this from me!"

Then a silver light was seen flowing, and she swung the mace in her hand to meet the knife. With a "clang" sound, the knife was swung away by a huge force. Her body jumped from the ground, and the mace, carrying the spring rain, smashed down on the man's head.

The man also shouted: "You little girl, take my sword!"

The two men fought with swords and sticks for dozens of rounds until a peach blossom fell from the tree in the corner and they stopped.

"My wife is amazing!"

"My husband, thank you for letting me!"

The two returned to their room, where a maid brought them hot tea and towels. "General, Madam, Lord Xuan just came and said... The Ninth Princess and her entourage had not stayed in Cangtong. According to the time, they should rest at Cangxi Inn tonight."