Chapter 56
For example, wheat seems to be more suitable this year. The price of things processed by the mill is very low now, and the flour mixed with some bran actually tastes quite good. Of course, no one will add other things to it now.
The foods Wen Yi once created have now become more widespread, with even more innovations. These include, but are not limited to, steamed buns in various shapes, with seasonal vegetables or dried mushrooms added, and even buns made by baking the dough in a container and then pouring soup into it before cooking.
Wen Yi had tried it before. Although the soup inside tasted a bit bland, the burnt aroma of the outer layer completely covered up this shortcoming.
There are also stalls selling various kinds of cakes, with a stove underneath. Crushed millet cakes are also very popular and are considered one of the cheap snacks.
However, this company mainly accepts orders from caravans, making cakes for them to use as dry food during their journey and charging a certain fee.
Wen Yi will also bring a lot of dry food this time, but they are all made uniformly by the workshop to supply the equipment for the march, so she doesn't have to worry about that.
In Pingyi, taxes were calculated on a per-item basis, meaning that taxes were registered upon entering and exiting the city. Transactions within and outside the city did not require multiple payments. Therefore, many people preferred to stay in the city for extended periods, trying to sell or exchange everything they could.
Aside from the houses initially allocated to Yao Wenjun's subordinates, all buildings in Pingyi were, in principle, owned by the city government. Wen Yi and his men had no plans to sell them, distributing some to scholars and military commanders who had come to seek refuge there, reserving some for workshops and public buildings like clinics, and renting out the rest.
Near the city gate, there's a small shop selling thick noodles, with the option of adding various condiments for a fee. Many vendors and those with plenty of money passing by are drawn to the aroma and sit down to enjoy a bowl of noodles topped with egg or minced meat.
I heard there were many similar vendors in other cities, but the workshops weren't as comprehensive as the ones in Pingyi, so the prices were naturally much higher. Actually, those small items and utensils were also available in other cities, but the prices were kept down here, and the vendors were buying low and selling high. Plus, Pingyi was relatively safer than other places, with few robbers, so they naturally liked to take orders from here.
Yes, I don’t know when it started, but caravans or groups of individual traders also started this kind of business. Many people who just moved would entrust similar things to trustworthy people to make purchases on their behalf.
The efficiency of the city's operations was not low, and most of the things were prepared in a few days. Wen Yi did not delay any longer and chose a sunny day to set off on the journey south.
Wen Yi was quite familiar with this route, having walked it once before during the locust plague. Although it wasn't the season for lush vegetation yet, there was already a lot of greenery, much better than last time, and everyone was in a good mood.
"Let's take a short break in front." Wen Yi said to the soldiers around him.
There was a relatively clear stream in front of them, but of course it could not be drunk directly. Wen Yi brought filtering equipment with him, so it would be fine to boil the water and drink it later.
Although there are water bags or other containers, if we have to carry water, the team will have to be expanded several times.
Besides, they still have to wash up.
The team chose a relatively flat place to set up camp, brought down the stove, coal and wood, started to make a fire to boil water and heat up the food at the same time.
Wen Yi also took down a small stove from his carriage, which was always burning. He spread the fire to the soldiers around him, added some new charcoal, and put the slightly cold sandwiches on it to bake.
This was something Song Jinsai brought over before leaving. Today's meal in the front hall is this kind of pancake with vegetables and meat. The pancake crust becomes crispy again after baking, and with some pickles, the meal is pretty good.
After eating, I washed my hands, waited for the boiled water to cool down, poured it into the water bag, and then set off again.
The group had to reach the nearest city before dark. If they camped outside, they would easily encounter wild animals. Even if there were wooden boards or straw to block the cold and damp air from the ground, they would still feel uncomfortable when they woke up in the morning. Therefore, they would not choose to rest in the wild if they could reach the city.
"Set off--"
Wen Yi changed horses and came out to get some fresh air. He could see the messenger waving a flag and running around in a circle, and finally returning to him.
In winter, not many people walked along this road. The occasional traces that could be seen were probably left by passing caravans or messengers delivering messages. We did encounter some people with luggage on their backs. The soldiers ahead checked and found that these people had documents with seals and identity documents, and that they were going to visit relatives.
"Sir, their destination seems to be Xinyi."
The soldier who delivered the message lowered his voice. Wen Yi shook his head, indicating that there was no need to interfere, and the team continued to move forward along the predetermined route.
Because the documents had been sent in advance, the city was already prepared to welcome Wen Yi and his party.
The situation here was much better than when Wen Yi last passed by. Because it was further south, spring plowing had already begun, and they were currently using plows to cultivate the land and bury any weeds that had emerged.
Wen Yi checked and found that the various affairs here were handled quite well, and there was even someone who kept records and summaries of various neighborhood conflicts. After asking, he found that this person's teacher was probably the prototype of the later Legalists. Wen Yi did not interfere. This person was considered to be engaged in the city, and some things still needed time to test.
The office was already empty, leaving only the things behind. She hadn't seen this person mention it in the evening, so she figured that at least for now, this person had no intention of letting her know. Wen Yi simply ignored it, hoping this person would surprise them.
The rules initially set by Wen Yi, Yao Wenjun and others were mainly based on their own experiences, and there are still many details that need to be gradually supplemented in practice.
During this period they were also looking for relevant talents. After all, the business was getting bigger and bigger, and places like Pingyi in the rear were gradually getting away from the fighting. Everyone became peaceful and stable, and life became dull, so various frictions were inevitable.
Perhaps it was due to water canal problems on their own land, perhaps it was because some people were too noisy, or there were also disputes over transactions. Wen Yi did sort out some rules for these matters, but before that, he mainly focused on the battlefields on both sides. Most of the people in Pingyi came from the military, so overall it was relatively quiet compared to other places.
During the period before departure, this group of graduates from the academy who went to study in different places also discussed this issue. When Wen Yi was listening in, he found that this group of people discussed a lot of interesting things.
Many of them were things Wen Yi couldn't even think of, such as solving the dullness of life by creating pressure or entertainment without forcing any requirements.
Once there is not much pressure to survive and there is too much free time, it is easy to fall into emptiness or do things that harm the people around you.
The original storybooks or picture albums were brought out by this group for discussion, and they all thought that these things were good to some extent. Some people even suggested that these things could be combined to open a building or a place similar to a musician performance.
"That makes sense, but we're going to a newly established area, so the most important thing is to gain a firm foothold first. There's no rush for these things." One of the older people added, and the people around them who were chatting thought about it and nodded.
"That's right, that's right. I heard that there are many people trying to resist in those places. Everyone should be careful when going there."
"It seems the lords and generals have prepared a lot of self-defense items for us on this trip. If something goes wrong, it will be a disgrace to our group."
Although what he said was a bit harsh, the man's expression showed that he cared about the people around him. After a few guys around him hit him, he smiled and retorted a few words. Maybe this is how they get along with each other.
It sounds easy, but once we got there, all the thoughts of playing around were gone.
Although Nanxun also cleaned up the cities, he had no time to carry out infrastructure construction. Therefore, what Wen Yi and others saw were naturally the destroyed city walls, frightened residents, garbage and ruins.
Wen Yi sighed, but ultimately didn't say anything else. He only instructed the three people who stayed behind:
"I'll leave this to you."
These three people were originally in Xinyi. After working together for a period of time, they had some tacit understanding. However, dealing with those miscellaneous matters was different from reality after all, especially since Xinyi was originally a relatively prosperous city. Although it had also experienced the siege in the north, Yao Wenjun arrived in time and finally prevented the people in the city from suffering a similar experience to the old Pingyi.
Seeing the thin figures around them, who looked like they could be blown away by the wind, they fell silent. Finally, the one standing in the front nodded seriously, "Okay."
Wen Yi left behind a few soldiers who were assigned to guard the place, and led the rest of the group to continue on their journey.
The further south you go, the worse the situation becomes. Some cities are even mostly empty. The granaries in many cities are almost empty, and people in the city are currently relying on thin porridge to survive. There is no trace of wild vegetables outside the city.
These areas were hit by a locust plague last year. If Nanxun hadn't arrived, most people wouldn't have survived the winter. Nanxun had to rely on the warehouses of the wealthy and nobles who had fled the city to barely provide supplies. The rest of the construction would depend on this new group of people.
Most of the city residents were friendly towards Wen Yi and others, but there were still some malicious or greedy eyes.
Occasionally, you may feel that someone or something is watching you in the dark. You need to be patient and then completely eliminate these "shadows" when they are relaxed.
When Wen Yi arrived at the place where Nanxun was stationed, all he had left were a carriage and more than a hundred soldiers. Nanxun had also sent soldiers to support him in advance. There were still many remnants here, so it was not very safe.
"How was the trip?"
Nan Xun had been away for a long time, and perhaps his mind had become more open and he had figured out some things. His tone was much lighter than when he was in Pingyi.
"Not bad." Wen Yi nodded, "People have been deployed in those places ahead, and the people's hearts have been well won over." It was extremely rare that there was no overt opposition, especially now that Xi State still had the power to wait for an opportunity to act.
Nan Xun smiled, arranged accommodation for Wen Yi, and then had someone patrol the area.
During this period, many people wanted to sneak into the city during their shifts. The original gaps in the city wall had been repaired, but the wall was not originally built high, so they could still climb up using tools.
Many people were arrested today, and several traitors in the city were found and detained. When these people could no longer bear it, they would reveal the mastermind behind the scenes. Nan Xun did not have the leisure to interrogate them right now. He was exhausted just doing what needed to be done every day.
After a day's rest, Wen Yi also began to deal with the previously put aside matters in the city, including those who were imprisoned.
She didn't understand these things before, and was not good at them, but under the influence of Yao Wenjun, Song Jin and others, she always knew what methods were more likely to get what she wanted to know from people.
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