Chapter 129: Difficulties in Cezhou

On this day, Du Jingyi hadn't closed his eyes for a single moment since he went out early in the morning.

She is not Shang Ji, who spends every day in high-intensity military training, so today's pace is basically equivalent to relaxation.

Therefore, after returning to the place she was familiar with, Du Jingyi didn't care about anything else. She walked forward, lifted up her skirt, and leaned against the brocade pillow on the kang.

Then he breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's better to go home and feel comfortable."

Hearing this, Shang Ji couldn't help but laugh.

"But when I saw you at the Du family, weren't you very happy?"

"The general only knows one side of the story, not the other."

"I'd like to hear more about it."

Seeing that he was seriously seeking advice, Du Jingyi felt that his current posture was a bit excessive, so he coughed twice, stood at attention, and then spoke.

"Although I'm married, I'm still the daughter of the Du family. My parents have always been worried about me. In the past, they were afraid that I would be bullied in the Duke's Mansion. Now, they have to worry about whether I will offend the noble and bring disaster upon myself."

"In such a tense situation, I will naturally do my best to make them happy and let them feel at ease. Otherwise, worrying about this matter every day will hurt your health, right?"

"But it's easy to smile, but it's hard to smile sincerely every time. So I'm not tired physically, but I'm tired in my heart."

Her words, one by one, hit Shang Ji's heart.

I have seen how smart and witty she is, but it is rare for her to be so emotionally expressive.

For a moment, Shang Ji felt sorry for his wife, so he stepped forward, hugged her in his arms, and spoke soothingly.

"In the future, you don't have to be happy in front of me. You can show me your joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. If I do something wrong, just point it out. I'm not one of those sour scholars who quibble over words. It's okay to throw cold water on me."

His words successfully made Du Jingyi laugh.

"General, are you telling me that I can teach my husband boldly in the future?"

"Yeah, that's understandable."

"Oh? You really won't turn against me?"

"Won't."

Shang Ji's answer was quite decisive, but Du Jingyi thought about it carefully and realized that it was indeed true.

Although he was a ruthless and strict general outside, he had never even spoken loudly to her in the mansion.

Even when the two met for the first time, he was able to control his temper.

So, thinking of this, Du Jingyi felt sweet in his heart.

She raised her hands and hugged his waist, buried her head deeply in his arms, and then said "hmm", full of sweetness.

After a long while, Shang Ji straightened Du Jingyi's body and then spoke seriously.

"Madam, please sit up straight. I have something to ask you."

Du Jingyi raised his eyebrows, seeming a little bit unbelievable.

"Please advise? General, please feel free to tell me. I will tell you everything I know."

"Just now I heard you and my father-in-law talking about the disaster that may have hit the crops in the northern border. I want to ask, do you have a way to solve the disaster?"

"A disaster for the whole land?"

Shang Ji nodded, and Du Jingyi was silent for a while before asking.

"General, are you talking about Cezhou?"

"Well, I have been in Cezhou for many years. I followed my grandfather in the military and later I settled there. So I have seen many people in Cezhou who had no food to eat the next year because of the damage to their crops in winter."

"We have opened warehouses to provide disaster relief, but this is not a long-term solution. So if you can find a way to solve this problem for them, the people of Cezhou will be able to live a more stable life."

Hearing Shang Ji say this, Du Jingyi also spoke quite seriously.

"My previous method was only able to protect the Du family's business. It was a small fight and not worth mentioning. But if I want to help the people of Cezhou, I'm afraid it will be difficult."

"However, General, please give me some time. I will think about it carefully. If you have someone who knows more about the people's livelihood in Cezhou, can you lend me a few days so that I can get some information?"

She did not agree directly because she did not think she had the ability to truly solve the problem of the state.

But if you put more thought into it, you will always see some results.

Even if it can only reduce the losses, it will benefit one party, so she is willing to give it a try.

Shang Ji felt relieved when he heard her straightforward answer, but he still spoke with relief.

"Madam, just do your best. If it doesn't work out, don't blame yourself too much. Cezhou's predicament has not happened overnight. It is too close to the Great Jin and the surrounding foreign states. There is always the possibility of war breaking out, so it is so difficult to succeed."

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

Hearing this, Du Jingyi nodded. A fleeting thought flashed through his mind, but it was not mature enough, so he did not intend to say more at the moment.

"General, rest assured. I know the seriousness of this matter."

"Um."

Shang Ji didn't expect that he could produce a "military advisor" just by eating.

But since it has been finalized, he will not delay.

The next day, Luo Yuan was asked to find Ni Yang, the lieutenant general of the Huben Army. Compared with Luo Yuan and Liu Xun, he did not look as strong.

But you can tell at a glance that he is a steady person. He is holding a thick booklet in his hand, but it is hard to tell what it contains.

"I, General Ni Yang, greet the general and the young lady."

"Get up."

"yes."

Shang Ji hurriedly introduced him to Du Jingyi.

"Ni Yang is one of the twelve deputy generals of the Huben Army. In addition to leading troops to fight, he also has another job, which is to be responsible for the pay and food of the Huben Army. Therefore, he is the one who interacts with the people of Cezhou the most."

"You can ask him any questions you have. I can't say it's 100%, but 80% to 90% of the time it should be no problem."

After hearing this, Ni Yang also nodded.

Although he didn't quite understand why the general wanted him to report military affairs to the young lady, he would obey the general's orders.

"Young Madam, just speak up. I will tell you everything I know."

"You are too polite, Lieutenant General Ni. I will not waste words. Do you have a list of crops grown by the people of Cezhou? How many people in the state rely on the fields for their livelihood? Also, what crops are most affected by disasters every year, or what the disaster situation is like. Tell me as much as you know."

When Ni Yang heard these questions, his expression became more serious than before.

He obviously didn't expect the young lady to ask this question, but he didn't mean to look down on the women in the back house, so he thought about it for a moment and then spoke.

"Cezhou is vast and sparsely populated, and most of it is desert. There are not many fields that can be used for farming, and most of the crops grown are those that require less water and are more heat-resistant, mainly wheat and cotton."

"And as far as I know, the people of Cezhou do not have any outstanding farmers, and they don't have any good way to grow crops on weekdays. Therefore, as long as there is a natural disaster, the harvest will definitely be poor. In a famine year, there may be no harvest at all, and in a better year, it will be just so-so."

(End of this chapter)