A carriage moved slowly in the snow.
Fu Xiaoguan stretched lazily in the carriage and looked at Bai Yulian. "I'm a third-rate master now. Wouldn't it be boring for you to run around in the fields with me all day instead of following the troops to the deserted country?"
Bai Yulian took a sip from the wine gourd and handed it to Fu Xiaoguan, "Boring!"
"Why are you following me if you're bored? Aren't you worried that Chen Po will lead the team into a head-on battle with the barbarians?"
"My sister-in-law entrusted your safety to me. What can I do? Your death this time has left all three of them desperate. If it happens again... How the hell am I going to explain it to them?"
Fu Xiaoguan took a sip of wine and said with a cheerful smile: "Don't worry, Gong Shenchang was just captured. There is not even a single bandit left in Pingling Quyi now."
Bai Yulian didn't bother to pay attention to him and looked at the snow dancing outside the window.
The snow was getting heavier and heavier. The distant mountains were already white, and the snow was beginning to pile up nearby.
"You said... that we should prioritize commercial development in these two hard-pressed areas. I do have a question: for the people in these two areas, which is more important, money or life?"
"Are you stupid? Having money but no life is useless. Having life but no money is the same as how miserable they are now."
"Then why not prioritize agricultural development? Didn't you say the sweet potatoes in Xishan could yield 5,000 kilograms per mu? Let them plant them first. If you rush to build those workshops first, won't they starve to death?"
Yan Beixi and Qin Huizhi debated this issue for an hour in the court of the Yu Dynasty that day. However, in this carriage, Fu Xiaoguan only said two words to Bai Yulian:
"Money can buy food. As soon as the construction starts, they'll see the money. But farming is not an option. Sweet potatoes have to be planted in April, and the harvest doesn't come until October, which is almost now. How do they survive for nearly a year?"
"That's one reason. Secondly, the so-called simultaneous advancement of commerce and agriculture doesn't mean abandoning agriculture. In my opinion, agriculture should come after commerce. In other words, for the farmers here, making money takes precedence over farming."
"Silver is a good thing. It shines and is filled with hope. As long as there is hope, people will have expectations for the future, feel that they have a direction to move forward, and have the courage to live no matter how hard or difficult the situation."
"Xiaobai, everything will be fine only when these farmers' pockets are full. This will take about... three years."
Bai Yulian listened carefully. He was a soldier and didn't know much about these things.
In his understanding, farmers naturally take care of the crops in the fields, and he has no idea what this has to do with business.
After listening to Fu Xiaoguan's words, I vaguely understood that farmers would only be able to consume after their wallets were full. Once they consumed, it would promote the circulation of goods and, in turn, promote the prosperity of business.
“So, commerce and agriculture are one?”
"That's not entirely true. It should be said that they complement each other. Merchants need food, and farmers need daily necessities. Each takes what it needs, and that's what trade is."
"As long as a person is normal, he or she has several levels of needs."
"Today, the farmers in Yongning Prefecture are at the lowest level of needs, which is to have enough food and clothing, and a humble home to shelter from the wind and rain. These are physiological needs."
"Once their physiological needs are met, which can be understood as solving the problems of food, clothing, and shelter, their needs will rise to the next level: the need for security. This can be understood as the need for a stable income, protection, and freedom from fear and anxiety - in other words, they want a stable life with food and clothing."
"So we need to provide them with stable jobs, so they can earn a stable income, and we also need to provide them with sweet potato seeds so that their farm output can guarantee their survival."
"This is what I need to do right now. In fact, it's not just these two places. The Western Wasteland of the Yu Dynasty, and even many barren lands of the Yu Dynasty, are all issues that need to be resolved urgently."
Bai Yulian's handsome face was filled with admiration. He kept looking at Fu Xiaoguan and listening to him tell him things that he had never heard of or thought about before - in Bai Yulian's view, these things were major issues concerning the country and the people's livelihood.
Such a big thing was explained through Fu Xiaoguan's easy-to-understand words. He understood the truth and knew why this small landlord had been running around in this bitter and cold place all these days.
He really wanted to save these people!
"Since you have such thoughts, wouldn't it be easier for you to realize your ambitions if you became the emperor of the Wu Dynasty?"
Fu Xiaoguan laughed heartily. "That's different, Xiaobai, look, in this Yu Dynasty, I saved the people from disaster with my own strength. Isn't that a great thing?"
This is indeed a great thing, Bai Yulian nodded.
"But in the Wu Dynasty, the emperor only needed to issue a few orders, and a group of people would carry them out. The emperor sat in the Golden Throne Hall all day. How could he be as carefree as you and I are now in the snow? It's different. Let me tell you, this is what I pursue at my level now."
"The highest pursuit—the need for self-realization! I want to see just how far I can go, whether I can actually bring about change in this world... Don't look at me like that. I'm a little proud. Can't you just let me show off a little?"
You are so arrogant, you are so shameless!
Bai Yulian grabbed the wine gourd and took a big gulp, "No, I think you are running away--"
He stared at Fu Xiaoguan and said seriously, "You were born and raised in the Yu Dynasty. In your mind, you belong to the Yu Dynasty and are the eldest young master of the Fu family. But this change of identity came too suddenly, and you resisted it, so you ran away and threw the burden to Wu Linger."
"We are brothers. I don't care what your identity is. I just want to tell you that a man doesn't just live for himself. Especially a man with great abilities like you. You are now living for the people of Pingling and Quyi. Why can't you live for the people of Wu Dynasty?"
"I'm not advising you to betray your country, but I'm saying... when you hold the most important treasures of your country, you will surely write the most magnificent chapter in this world!"
Fu Xiaoguan fell silent.
Bai Yulian's heartfelt words were actually correct. As an outsider soul, he was already familiar with the Yu Dynasty and chose a way to protect himself, feeling that he would be safer in a place he was familiar with.
As for being the emperor of the Wu Dynasty, he had thought about it carefully in Jinghu Villa, but when he had the opportunity to give up his responsibilities, he still chose to do so.
"Let's talk about it in a few years. Let's deal with the current problem first."
"What the hell?"
"Go see Zhang Wenhan, the magistrate of Pingling County."
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