In the late summer and early autumn of the fifth year of Yongchang, the sun rose high in the sky. In the fields, there were busy figures bending over. The farmers got up before dawn to work in the fields. The wheat in the fields had heavy ears, and it would be harvested soon. A few years ago, this place was all barren land. It was empty and boundless at a glance. No one cultivated the barren land. The court issued several policies to develop the north in response to the situation in the north. Zhao Xianzhi received the imperial order to go to the north to help the people open up wasteland and cultivate the land.

The north is full of black soil. The land here is fertile, but there are few rivers and scarce water resources. In addition, due to the climate, the temperature difference between day and night is large, and the sunshine time is short, so it is difficult for the crops to grow. In winter, blizzards raged, and people's lives were difficult. That year, there were natural disasters and man-made disasters, and the invasion of Zinu made people live in dire straits. That year, countless people died under the swords of Zinu, and many families left the Northland with their children, resulting in more land being abandoned and uncultivated.

The court issued a policy: "Give the land to the landless." As long as the land is opened up by the people, it can be owned by the people and exempted from taxes for three years. Encouraged by this policy, many people returned to the Northland, and some people also went to the Northland. The emperor even directly sent troops to open up wasteland, opened up thousands of acres of land, and planted a large area of ​​grain.

After a few years, the originally barren Northland has changed a lot and is full of vitality.

Zhao Zhizhi, dressed in coarse cloth, walked on the path in the field. He had been here for several years and had developed the habit of visiting the fields every day. If there was any problem in the fields, he would try to get someone to solve it. In the past few years since he came to Beibi, Zhao Zhizhi's appearance had changed a lot. His originally fair skin had become rough after being exposed to the wind and sun, and he had lost his original weak scholar look. There was a touch of determination between his eyebrows, and there was always a smile on the corners of his mouth. He would chat with anyone he met on the road and was concerned about how the people were really living.

I think there will be a good harvest this year. "Bending down, Prophet Zhao took the wheat ear in his hand and looked at it, with a smile on his face.

Don't worry, my lord. The harvest of grain this year will definitely be better than in previous years." A strong man followed beside Lord Zhao. He was a little close to Prophet Zhao, which was definitely not the distance a subordinate should keep from his lord. But looking at the natural way the two people get along, it seems that they have long been accustomed to this.

The man was very tall, with deep facial features and a pair of bright eyes. He stared at his Lord Zhao. Zhao Yuan found that his Lord Zhao was handsome no matter how he looked at him. Zhao Yuan, tone it down! "Noticing the other person's gaze on him, Zhao the Prophet glared at him and told him to hold back a little. He looked like he was going to eat him even though they were still outside. Thinking of how shameless he was yesterday, his waist still hurt!

Even after being glared at, Hanzi smiled. Obviously, he knew that his Lord Zhao's waist was not in good condition. If they were not outside, he would have wanted to reach out and give him a massage. However, he knew that if he dared to reach out his hand, he would not be able to get into bed when he turned around. So he had to give up on this matter. He was thinking about going back to cook something for his Lord Zhao to nourish him.

The relationship between the two people is self-evident. Two years ago, the court revoked the decree that officials were not allowed to marry. As long as it does not affect their duties, the brother also allows the brothers who are officials to be like ordinary people. Ordinary people get married and have children, and even the birth of a child has a three-month holiday. Zhao Yuan wanted to marry his Lord Zhao, but his Lord Zhao obviously didn't want to consider these things yet, so he could only sigh, but he also knew that he couldn't push him too hard. The two of them were superiors and subordinates on the surface, but behind closed doors, they were concerned about providing more food so that more people could eat. In their hearts, they had never thought about getting married and having children with this man who liked him. 'It's their business. In the three years since he came to Beibi, Prophet Zhao had been working diligently, and every day he was thinking about how to open up more land. But Prophet Zhao was not unaware of this man's feelings for him, and seeing this man's playful look, he couldn't get angry, so he retracted his gaze from him and said, "Let's go to the front and take a look. "

Behind him were two guards who were responsible for protecting the safety of Lord Zhao.

When Zhao Xianzhi came here, he had offended many aristocratic families. As the saying goes, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. After all, these people are the local tyrants. He came here holding the sword bestowed by the emperor. As long as anyone hindered his development of the north, he would kill them first and then report to the emperor, and even the emperor would not say a word against him. After he reorganized them and killed the chicken to scare the monkey, even those who were ready to make trouble in their hearts calmed down and stayed obediently with him.

The people's lives are getting better now. In the past, they were The people of Beibi only know how to be hungry, not how to have enough food and clothing. Whenever there is a natural disaster or man-made disaster, countless people starve to death. In the past, the imperial court would go to Beibi to provide disaster relief every year. It is unknown how much of the money for disaster relief was swallowed up by corrupt officials, and very little of it actually reached the hands of the people. In the first year of coming to Beibi, Zhao the Prophet chopped off a large number of corrupt officials, and the people cheered for this. He also pulled up a group of local talents and wise men to help him better manage Beibi. When he met the people on the way to do things for the people, they would stuff him with a few corns that they had just picked from the ground.

There is still work to be done in the fields, Lord Zhao, I will go and get busy... The man stuffed with corn walked away in three or two steps, as if someone was chasing him. Prophet Zhao, who was standing behind him, was holding a few corns just picked from the field. When he saw the man walking away, he smiled and looked down at the corn in his hand. He peeled off the outer skin, revealing full kernels inside. He picked one and put it in his mouth. It was very sweet. "He said.

Let me try." Although Zhao Yuan didn't like someone stuffing food into his Lord Zhao's mouth, especially when that person was a Han Chinese, he knew that this was a sign that his Lord Zhao was loved by the people. It was better than the people running away and hiding when they saw him, so even though he was narrow-minded, he had to endure it. Prophet Zhao picked a corn and handed it over. Unexpectedly, the man ate it from his hand and smiled at him. His face suddenly turned red.

...This man!

Prophet Zhao only saw this thing called corn later. It can be eaten directly by boiling it, making soup or stir-frying it. It can also be ground into powder and made into pasta. There are hundreds of ways to eat it. It tastes good and can fill the stomach. Now, several acres of corn are planted in the north, and the area is getting larger year by year. The yield of one acre of corn is higher than that of wheat, which means that more people will not go hungry.

It is not that the grain in the north cannot grow, but that the crops planted in the past were wrong. In addition, it is indeed affected by the geographical climate here, so it is difficult for the crops to survive. He received a letter sent by the emperor at that time, and he was stunned. After reading the letter, Zhao Xianzhi believed that this could really be done. A waterway from Sishui to Beibidi was opened, and water was sent to the north through the official road, so the fields were no longer afraid of lack of water for irrigation, and the people's water use was also much more convenient. With the use of water and better seeds suitable for farming in the north, they no longer had to worry about the land in the north not being able to support crops. When the crops were grown, they found that the crops grown in the north were fuller in grain and tasted sweeter and more delicious than those grown elsewhere.

The grain grown in the north was shipped to various places. Those who had eaten the grain from the northern seven places said it was good. The price was even more expensive than elsewhere. Merchants who smelled the scent came here, bought the grain and sold it elsewhere. Because of the past trade of caravans, goods from other places were also transported to the north. As a result, many towns in the north have regained their former prosperity, the people have more income, and their lives have become better. Now, the north has a tendency to replace the hometown in the south and become the largest granary of Dayong. If the north can grow more and better food for Dayong, that would naturally be good. After inspecting outside for half a day, the sun outside was rising higher and higher. Prophet Zhao wanted to stay outside, but he was dragged back to the yamen.

On the way back, Master Zhao was stuffed with a basket of eggs by his grandmother who was waiting for him. He chased after her to return the eggs, but she ran faster than him and disappeared in the blink of an eye. No one knew where she went. Master Zhao had no choice but to let Zhao Yuan carry the basket of eggs back. Many of the vegetables and eggs in the kitchen were given to him by the people outside. When Master Zhao first came,

he would chase after the people who gave him gifts and run several streets to return the gifts. Later, those who gave him gifts also learned from him. They ran away as soon as they gave him gifts. These people were familiar with the terrain here and disappeared in the blink of an eye. They also covered each other. Don't think he didn't know that after he left, a group of people were laughing with their mouths covered.

In this regard, Zhao Xianzhi could only do more practical things for the people, so that the people's land could produce more food and live a better life. The government office was still the old one, but the old things inside were replaced with new ones, and the yard behind was cleaned and tidy. When he came to Beijun to serve as the county governor, Zhao Xianzhi still lived in the small yard behind the government office. His old servants stayed in the small yard in Fengdu to help him look after the house. He knew that the emperor would not let him stay in this place for the rest of his life, and would call him back to Fengdu sooner or later.

My lord, lunch is ready, come and eat. "Zhao Yuan was not only responsible for protecting their Lord Zhao, but also for preparing three meals a day for him and actively warming his Lord Zhao's bed at night. He cooked two of the corns that were just sent by someone, and left two for tomorrow. He knew that his Lord Zhao liked to eat fresh corn cobs that were just picked and steamed.

When Zhao Xianzhi heard that this person still called him Lord behind closed doors, he glared at him.

The lunch for the two was also very simple, a bowl of porridge and a plate of Wowotou, a small bowl of pickles, and the corn someone gave them were enough for the two of them.

Zhao Xianzhi liked the corn very much, it was fragrant and sweet, and the texture was good. He drank a bowl of porridge and half a wowotou, and ate a corn cob. As for the rest, the man opposite ate it all, and ate all the food on the table cleanly without wasting anything, which was just right for Zhao Yuan.

They had just finished lunch when they heard a sound outside.

"The imperial edict has arrived, please receive it. "

Zhao Xianzhi just thought of some things in Fengdu, but he didn't expect that the emperor's edict would come down, ordering him to return to Fengdu. When the grain in the fields began to be harvested that year, Zhao Xianzhi received the emperor's edict to return to Fengdu. He wanted to leave quietly, but the people didn't know where they got the news from, and they came to see him off, and they sent him off for three miles. "Go back, don't see me off anymore. "After opening the window, Prophet Zhao waved to the people behind him and asked them to go back. The people who followed him stopped.

When the people saw the carriage leaving, many of them covered their faces and cried.

Several masters followed behind the team, followed by the guards.

They looked at the Prophet Zhao's leaving caravan and couldn't believe that he left like this. Although they really wanted to send someone to kill the photographer who came to cause trouble for them at first, they later found out that this person was a real person. The man really came to do things for them. Although this man took away their land and the people who worked for them, they gradually found that their lives did not get worse because of this. On the contrary, they lived better than before. Those

who were smart and had some money in their hands no longer focused on the rent from the tenants, but started other things. The income was much better than living on just a little rent.

Did the prophet Zhao really leave like this? "Someone asked.

Yes, they are gone, is it still fake? "There was a sense of loss in his voice. In the past, Beibidi was a place where no one would shit. People who came here were all thinking about the money in their pockets. Only this prophet Zhao had never taken a copper plate from them and had done so many good things for them.

Alas, but this person left.