In the 3866th year of the Xia calendar

, it took only half a year from spring to winter. Half a year was enough for Fengzhou to undergo earth-shaking changes. Before the beginning of winter a year ago, Tian Xiong and others were still worried about what to do in the winter in Qiyun Mountain.

This winter, Tian Xiong and others were already high-ranking officials of the Zhenguo Army. Even in the entire Chen State, they were fourth-rank generals, and they were definitely officials.

However, in Lin Jiang's study, many new faces appeared in the high-ranking officials. Most of them were nobles who had fled from the north. They received a good education. Once they entered the officialdom, they were really not comparable to Tian Xiong and other half-baked people. They stood out in a short time.

Lin Jiang was not stingy in promoting them. Those who could do things were promoted five or six levels in half a year. Especially those talents from small families were quite involuntarily and were extremely active because Lin Jiang opened a promotion channel for them.

A high-ranking official was reporting to Lin Jiang about the affairs of Fengzhou, such as how many soldiers and horses had been trained, how many talents had been cultivated, how much grain there was in the treasury, and so on.

Lin Jiang now has a lot of food. Fengzhou is called Fengzhou because it is rich in products and is a famous grain producing area in the State of Chen. This year, Lin Jiang ordered that no grain could be sold outside. All grain was held by Lin Jiang.

"Sir, we have no shortage of food now, enough for the war in the spring of next year, but we don't have enough money. The treasury is almost empty,"

the man finally said to Lin Jiang. This year, Lin Jiang has made drastic reforms in Fengzhou, launching dozens of projects, large-scale conscription, exemption of various taxes, strict investigation of corruption, and high salaries to maintain integrity.

Each of these projects requires a lot of funds, and the source of funds naturally comes from the gifts of the masters. Hundreds of nobles, big and small, have given gifts, but the gifts can only be given once, and those noble masters have now become paupers.

"Can you hold out until spring?"

"If we don't make any efforts in the winter, we should be able to."

"Then let's not make any efforts. Let's conserve our energy. Of course, the soldiers still need to be trained. Don't waste time in the winter. Train them to death. The elite soldiers need to become super elite soldiers, and the ordinary soldiers need to become elite soldiers. Even those peasant soldiers in the countryside need to be trained. There are also training classes for officials. Keep going. One hundred thousand people are far from enough. We are not fighting for just one state. If the situation is better, we can take over Taizhou and Yangzhou."

Lin Jiang said. Fengzhou has six counties, twenty-three prefectures, and more than one hundred and forty counties. No matter how many people are trained, it will not be enough.

"Yes, then do as you say, sir."

The others had no objection. They all knew Lin Jiang's temper and knew that it would be difficult for people to change Lin Jiang's decisions unless they were really well-founded.

"I'll leave the affairs of Fengzhou to you. You know my character. If you don't let me down, I won't let you down either. I'm never stingy with high positions and generous salaries. Work hard, gentlemen." "

Yes, sir."

"This winter, I won't be in charge of anything. You can decide for yourselves if there is anything. I will teach students in Fengzhou City. All martial artists above the innate level can come to me when they are free."

Lin Jiang said. The only shortcoming of Fengzhou now is that there are too few martial arts masters. Not to mention that there is only one martial arts saint, Lin Jiang, there are innate martial artists, martial arts masters, and martial arts grand masters. After many talents have joined, the total number is only a hundred. This force is too weak for a state. Some top families have more than this person, such as Wang Lun, who was killed by Lin Jiang before.

So Lin Jiang also has to work hard to make up for this shortcoming. His current focus is to cultivate martial arts talents. There were many martial arts geniuses among the 5,000 young soldiers last winter, and many more were discovered this year. Lin Jiang tried his best to give them elixirs, and with his careful teaching, if there is enough time, at least a few martial arts saints can be cultivated among these people.

······ A middle-aged man

from Qishan Prefecture

walked into a village carrying a load and holding a rattle. The sound of the rattle soon attracted a large number of children. The man stopped and opened the load. Inside were some small things like needles and thread. The most expensive were two pieces of cloth and a bag of salt.

The children bought snacks and toys, and the adults who came bought needles and thread. The load of things was sold out in a flash.

The middle-aged man found a kind-looking woman and said he was thirsty and wanted to drink water. The woman agreed, took him home, and poured him a bowl of water. The middle-aged man looked

at the woman's yard. There was firewood taller than a person in the corner, and there were a few roosters on the side. A big yellow dog was lying on the ground with its tongue sticking out.

After drinking the water, the middle-aged man did not leave immediately, but started chatting with the woman, and deliberately said that the village was quite wealthy, and his things were sold out in a flash.

This was like opening a conversation box, and the woman told the man incessantly that the government seemed to have changed this year. The summer and autumn taxes were three or four times less than last year, and the officials did not dare to mess around when collecting taxes. They only had to carry as much grain as they could, unlike before, when they would say that 100 kilograms of grain was 60 kilograms.

Moreover, the corvée labor was much lighter than last year, and the government even prepared meals for the corvée laborers for the first time, so they didn't have to bring their own food. This was something they had never thought of.

"Brother, when you come again in the second half of the month, bring more salt and cloth, and if you have sugar, bring some too. This year, the officials are kind-hearted, and every household in our village has surplus food. I guarantee you will get rich then."

After chatting for half an hour, the man was ready to leave. Before leaving, the woman asked the man to bring more things next time. After a year of recuperation, their family assets were a little thicker, and they could buy more things in winter.

The man agreed with a smile and left quickly with his burden on his shoulders. He came all the way to the capital of Qishan Prefecture and entered an inn. In the inn, he met several people dressed similarly to him. They looked at each other and then returned to their room.

After dark, the man walked into a room with some food, and there were already four people waiting inside.

"Thank you, brother."

"Brothers, have a safe journey."

"Fortunately, the general who guards the country has trained his troops in actual combat. In half a year, he has swept the bandits and robbers in the entire Fengzhou seven or eight times. Now, who dares to rob the road? If there is really one, those defenders and peasant soldiers will probably not be able to sleep at night

." One person laughed. Lin Jiang trained his troops in actual combat and swept away the bandits and robbers. During this period, countless defenders and peasant soldiers were promoted. If there are bandits now, in their eyes, it is called military merit. I guess they will be too happy to sleep at night.

"This Mr. Wolong is indeed a talent for the country. At the beginning, he said that whoever gets Wolong will get the world. Now I don't know if these emperors and warlords in the south regret it so much that they slap their thighs."

The man said with a smile. Mr. Wolong wanted to join the various families at the beginning, but it was a pity that some people couldn't grasp the opportunity.

"Don't joke, brothers, the five of us represent the five top noble families of Chen State. Whether to bet on Wolong or not, it's time to make a decision."

The man nodded and then said seriously.

The identities of the five of them are not simple. The families behind them are the top aristocratic families in the State of Chen. Their family origins can even be traced back to the Wei Dynasty, and their inheritance is longer than that of the State of Chen.

"My Yingzhou Xie family has decided to bet on it."

"Brother Xie has decided. This general who guards the country has great ambitions, but he has the idea of ​​changing the world. Has the Xie family really decided?" "

It has been decided. Before I was three years old, I lived in the northern capital of the State of Chen and didn't know what a prosperous age was. In the following 25 years, I saw the miserable scene of the world, like hell. This month, I traveled to Qishan Prefecture , and I

realized that there is a prosperous age in the world. The Xie family is about to wither. It's time to make a decision." Xie Yunfeng sighed. He has traveled to many places, but when he arrived in Fengzhou and Qishan Prefecture, he realized that there can be a prosperous age in the world, officials can be honest, there can be no robbers in the wild, and the people can be rich.

Many people in the Xie family have died in the north with the emperor of the State of Chen. The remaining Xie family should plan for themselves.

“Brother Xie, what you said is right. Fifty-seven members of my Yuan family who were born in the Yuan Dynasty have died in the national crisis. It is time for the remaining members to survive on their own. Like brother Xie, I am betting on Mr. Wolong.”

“The Yuan family of Jizhou is so courageous, and my Huan family of Peizhou is not willing to be left behind.”

“The Wang family of Yuanzhou is also betting with my brothers.”

“Brother Wang, the Wang family of Zhongzhou is your fellow clan, aren’t you jealous?”

“The Wang family of Zhongzhou separated from us hundreds of years ago. Besides, the Xiao family of Fengzhou was also exterminated. Didn’t you, the Xiao family of Qingzhou, also think about revenge?”

“Haha, the Xiao family of Fengzhou has nothing to do with us in Qingzhou. Not all people with the surname Chen are royal family.”

"Okay, stop joking. I think the general will use troops after the spring. Let's go and join him before he takes action. This will be like helping someone in need. If it's just icing on the cake, that would be meaningless,"

said Xie Yunfeng. The five top families of the State of Chen joining Fengzhou will surely help the general to build a career.