Chapter 123
Chapter 122
August, the 40th year of Huayuan.
Every village in Ning'an Prefecture is discussing this year's bumper harvest.
In my spare time, I also have to deal with merchants who come to buy duck eggs and paddy ducks.
Plus, he made some money from side jobs, so he had a lot more money in his pocket.
But what everyone wants to buy most is still a cow, a working ox.
Many local decorations are in the shape of bull horns.
This is the custom of the Laman people in Ning'an Prefecture and is also the worship of the local people.
This also shows the importance of oxen in the local area.
So as soon as there is a chance, everyone will definitely want to buy cattle.
Ning'an Prefecture has a population of more than 200,000 people and more than 38,000 households. Which family wouldn't want to buy a cow? Or even two?
Therefore, the six new farm owners who moved here are asked every day: "When can I buy cattle?"
“It’s not built yet.”
“Can we make a reservation first?”
These farm owners were grinning so hard that they couldn't stop.
That's awesome.
rest assured.
As soon as the last bit of sewage channel was completed, their cows pulled it over immediately!
Speaking of T, rubber can actually be used in sewage disposal, and it was the Ning'an Prefecture government that took the initiative to bring it up.
They say that the waste from cattle and sheep cannot be thrown around randomly, and must be cleaned up properly so as not to pollute the environment, etc.
While talking about this, he also took out rubber and gave it to them to use on the pipes. It actually worked to seal out odors.
This thing is really useful.
I didn’t expect that I could learn new things just by building a farm.
Anyway, they will be able to complete the construction here by the end of August. Then they will bring their own cattle here, sell a batch, and then breed them locally.
Looking at the situation in Ning'an Prefecture, even if one does not sell cattle but only rents them, one can still make a fortune.
I heard that other cattle dealers have already seen the situation and are preparing to come and sell their cattle.
The six of them must make a quick buck before other cattle dealers arrive!
These cattle dealers were also busy. While building farms, they were also learning how Ning'an Prefecture raised rice, ducks and fish, such as how to level the land and how to dig ditches.
The locals are not stingy either.
Anyway, there are a lot of people asking.
Who made Ning'an Prefecture have such a bumper harvest?
Anyone who has some ideas will definitely take the opportunity to ask.
Such a harmonious atmosphere in Ning'an Prefecture will still end in Zhennan Pass.
When other vendors from Dianzhou Prefecture came over, they would silently say, "Zhennan Pass, Zhennan Pass, should be called the Gate of Hell, the Gate of Wealth."
"One is to encounter a difficult little devil, and the other is to lose a lot of money."
"Finally? Finally we have reached the Kindness Land."
Some people even complained that this was no different from Tang Monk's journey to the West, where one had to go through 81 difficulties before finally obtaining the true scriptures in Ning'an Prefecture.
Some people with discerning eyes also said that sooner or later, there would be trouble between Zhennan Pass and Ning'an Prefecture.
The main trouble was in Zhennan Pass.
Some people even said that the rubber business was getting bigger and bigger, and the cloth business was also very good.
These two items cannot be stopped because of the support from outside nobles.
Even General Zhennan can't do anything about it.
What if these two items don't prevent other things from happening?
Just as everyone guessed, General Zhennan still took action.
This time he was stopping a plowing ox.
At the end of August, the local autumn harvest was almost over, and they had some spare money in their hands, so they were ready to buy oxen.
As for the six farms that moved to Ning'an Prefecture, everyone was prepared to sell their oxen.
Everything seemed to be going so smoothly.
Until the cattle and sheep are driven to the gate of wealth.
The soldiers guarding the city said directly: "The cattle and sheep are military supplies! You are transporting them out in large quantities! What do you want to do?!"
ah?
What?
The farmers who herd cattle and sheep are confused.
They are not sending them to Jingguo.
It was sent to Ning'an Prefecture.
Ning'an Prefecture is also part of the Tianqi Kingdom.
After everyone explained, the soldiers still said, "Who knows whether what you said is true or not."
"Ning'an Prefecture is so close to Jing State. If it was shipped out, would anyone know?!"
"You can always find a pretext to accuse someone of something!"
"Don't leave! Take the things away from me!"
The merchants passing by looked at each other in bewilderment.
They knew that this day would come!
Zhennan Pass has been coveting Ning'an Prefecture's money for more than a day or two!
Now we have come to this point!
But isn’t it a bit too much to say this?
Directly accuse him of treason? !
But it seems that there is nothing wrong with this statement.
Cattle and sheep are indeed military supplies.
The merchants at Zhennan Pass were in a panic.
Fortunately, only the cattle and sheep were confiscated, and nothing else was confiscated.
This move made the farmers look terrified.
The people of Ning'an Prefecture who were waiting to buy cattle were indeed angry.
Before, people didn’t have a deep impression of materials like rubber and cloth.
But this is a cow!
They finally saved enough money and wanted to raise an ox for working.
What's the result? !
And he was detained?!
I felt that I was being targeted by Zhennan Pass before, and it’s even more so now!
The harmonious atmosphere in Ning'an Prefecture was broken. People felt extremely uncomfortable when they thought about their oxen being confiscated.
Several breeders were even more worried and hurried to the government office to wait for news.
What is going on?
I thought the cattle business was going smoothly.
Everyone is waiting to make money!
Who would have thought this would happen.
The faces of the people at the yamen were equally serious.
Over the past year or so, the Ning'an Prefecture government has been doing smoothly.
Even if the rubber was seized, it would not be a problem as it gave them time to stock up.
When rubber trade was reopened, life became even better.
Now the rice-duck-fish farming method has also been imitated by many places.
Only this happened.
Draft ox.
Forget about the other things.
The oxen are really anxious.
Even if the rubber is buckled now.
To be honest, it's not them who are anxious, but the outside merchants.
But working cattle are different.
This thing is indeed needed locally.
With this news, Liu Tongzhi hurried to the prefectural government.
Looking at Lord Ji's expression, it was obvious that he already knew about this.
Lord Liu shut up silently.
I have known Ji Zhizhou for a year, and it's rare to see him so unhappy.
In the prefecture.
Ji Yuan was still wearing the light crimson official uniform, and the gold ornaments around his waist seemed particularly shining, even a little dazzling, just like his current expression.
It has come to this.
Seize his oxen.
The local people are about to till the land and prepare for next year's planting, but now they are doing this.
"The other party did this because they knew it would not affect other cargo traders."
"It's us and the farmers who are worried."
The previous rubber involved too much.
The involvement of oxen is smaller.
Furthermore, the other party also made up a reason that he thought was very clever.
They were afraid that they would sell strategic materials such as cattle and sheep to the neighboring Jing State.
Jingguo had a question mark after hearing this.
Given how much the Laman people love oxen for work, and we don’t even have enough oxen at home, why should we sell them to them?
This is complete nonsense.
Liu Tong knew: "Sir, what should we do?"
What should I do?
Ji Yuan calculated the time and said slowly: "Wait."
No, just waiting won’t do.
And also add fuel to the fire.
Ji Yuan said: "Send the document to the government office of Wuxin Prefecture in Dianzhou Prefecture."
"Let's file a complaint first."
Complain?
The rubber incident was such a big deal before.
Ning'an Prefecture has not issued any documents.
After all, this impeachment would mean a complete break with Zhennan Pass.
"If this really happens, do we have a chance of winning?"
"Or are you going to pull the rubber into the water? If you don't let us pass, we won't sell it to you!"
Ji Yuan looked at Liu Tongzhi, then at the other officials, and said with a smile: "Is the method of making rubber really completely airtight?"
Not really.
And many people have already guessed the step of foaming the glue.
It's just that no one knows how to synthesize rubber yet.
Ji Yuan said: "You can't learn from Zhennan Pass."
If a one-size-fits-all approach is really adopted, the crazy merchants will most likely learn how to make rubber themselves.
It is possible to do it by spending money or having people do research on it.
As long as the technology is there, it will not be airtight.
By then, Ning'an Prefecture had lost the support of the people and also lost business.
Why bother?
So when the incident at Zhennan Pass happened, Ji Yuan had people appease the rubber merchants and cloth merchants, and promised: "As long as there is no trouble over there, these two transactions will continue as usual. Ning'an Prefecture will not do such things to coerce people."
Ji Zhuangyuan's promise is worth a thousand gold, he said this.
The merchants who came and went were indeed relieved.
I was originally worried that the withholding of cattle would affect other businesses.
Look at Ning'an Prefecture, look at Ji Zhuangyuan.
Why are people so different?
Yes, people are afraid of comparison.
The government office in Ning'an Prefecture also said, "One matter is another matter."
"The people of Zhennan Pass are very friendly with most of the soldiers."
What about the subtext?
Who is not good?
People's hearts have always been leaning towards Ning'an Prefecture, and now they are even more biased.
This bias will play a big role in the future.
And now, the conflict between Ning'an Prefecture and Zhennan Pass has officially been exposed.
No one expected that Ning Anzhou's approach would be to file a complaint.
Report to the provincial capital and deputy provincial capital.
Please give your opinion, both prefects.
ah?
this.
Is this appropriate?
Don’t they know about the recent events between Ning’an Prefecture and Zhennan Pass?
I know it very well.
He can even be seen in some businesses.
There are also some who are well-informed and know the court's intentions better.
In short, Ji Yuan's memorial was actually accepted.
The prefect of Dianzhou Prefecture even clapped his hands in admiration, reading Ji Yuan's article with great appreciation.
What can I say? The writing style is worthy of the top scholar, and the article is worthy of the top scholar. The literary style is so graceful and it is really likable.
Even let everyone pass it around.
How to say it.
This article explains the matter clearly and plainly, with facts, evidence, and even emotion.
Start with how to treat the people, talk about how to do public affairs, and then talk about the words and deeds of the saints.
In a word.
Good article.
Good war of words.
Among the impeachment articles in the Hanlin Academy, it is considered to be excellent.
"I haven't seen you for over a year, and Jiyuan's articles have improved."
The man who was speaking had a serious expression on his face. He stroked his white beard and could not help but read the article in his hand again.
He wasn't reading an impeachment article; he was clearly appreciating the writing style.
The prefect of Dianzhou Prefecture sat in the lower seat and asked respectfully, "Sir Xu, do you know Ji Zhuangyuan?"
After saying this, he felt that he had said too much. The Lord Xu in front of him was the Chief Censor of the Hanlin Academy and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, a third-rank official in the capital.
The top scholar at that time worked in the Hanlin Academy, so it was not an exaggeration to say that the two of them were colleagues.
The prefect of Dianzhou was upset.
He hadn't seen the high-ranking official from the capital for a long time, so he had lost his mind.
To be honest, he also felt uncomfortable.
Although it is the prefecture of a province, the Dianzhou Prefecture is gradually declining, and instead the Wuxin Prefecture seems to be the real provincial capital.
Let’s not talk about these complaints, the prefect of Dianzhou Prefecture was still respectful.
The Beijing official called Lord Xu was the official sent by the court to inspect.
His original official position was not low, and now he was handling a special matter and came with an imperial edict, so his status was even more honorable.
After all, he represents the emperor.
From the time the emperor became furious in May to the time he secretly sent people over, the journey took four months. They changed from carriage to boat, and then to carriage again, which was much faster than usual.
Therefore, when Lord Xu arrived, he did not investigate immediately, but took a rest.
He is 62 years old this year and really can't afford to be bothered.
Lord Xu was still serious, but he didn't care that the prefect of Dianzhou Prefecture seemed to have said nonsense, and instead said: "We knew each other in the same era, but not in the Hanlin Academy."
Not the Hanlin Academy?
Is there a personal relationship?
Lord Xu smiled slightly, "At that time, he was still studying at the Jianmeng Mansion School, and he was not even twelve yet."
Lord Xu did not tell the details, only saying that they knew each other at that time.
He did know him.
At that time, he thought Ji Yuan was a fake child prodigy, so he wanted to test him.
Needless to say at the end.
Ji Yuan is truly a child prodigy.
From winning three top honors in a row to now governing Ning'an Prefecture in an orderly manner.
All of this explains the matter.
This Lord Xu was the examiner who served as the supervisor of the Jianmeng Mansion back then.
At that time, he admired Ji Yuan very much.
Afterwards, Ji Yuan went to the capital, and the two of them had a good personal relationship.
Something happened at Zhennan Pass this year.
He was sent by the emperor to investigate the situation in Zhennan Pass.
"Although we have some personal relationships, we must handle the matter impartially." Lord Xu said bluntly, "No matter who is at fault, they will be severely punished."
This, this goes without saying.
It must be the fault of General Zhennan at Zhennan Pass.
As long as you are not blind, you can see the other person's little thoughts.
I'm just jealous because I see Ning Anzhou making money.
But General Zhennan of Zhennan Pass has been here for many years and is actually not very active.
Especially the 30,000 soldiers under his command, even those brought by his uncle.
I don’t know how brave those soldiers and generals were back then.
The peace and stability of Dianzhou Prefecture today were not all won back then.
Even though the Jing Kingdom has developed well in recent years, they still dare not approach them. Isn't it because the soldiers of Zhennan Pass completely defeated them back then?
So no matter from which perspective you look at it, General Zhennan does have the confidence.
To put it bluntly.
Ji Yuan is right.
General Zhennan really did have military merits.
Comparing the two, it seems that Inspector General Xu feels that side is more active.
In fact, the most appropriate method is for Ning'an Prefecture to cooperate with Zhennan Pass so that everyone can make money together.
That’s 30,000 soldiers.
Can the imperial court take action?
Yes, you can.
But the loss will certainly not be small.
Only move General Zhennan?
This man is the nephew of the previous General Zhennan, and he truly has a blessed ancestor.
Oh, these things are really a mess.
Now the matter of deducting cattle.
It was Ning Anzhou who gave in, and the matter was over for everyone.
After all.
Back then, the Laman people of Ning'an Prefecture did indeed owe a debt of gratitude to Zhennan Pass.
General Zhennan always felt that he was right because of this incident.
However, the prefect of Dianzhou did not dare to say this.
It still depends on what the court thinks.
See what Mr. Xu thinks.
Ji Yuan already knows the current situation.
If the old General Zhennan were here, Ji Yuan would really be willing to give him money.
But this person has been relying on the merits of his ancestors for too long, hasn't he?
But this is not a nice thing to say.
All in all, Ning'an Prefecture does owe Zhennan Pass.
The Laman people here were indeed protected by the Zhennan soldiers at that time.
Although fifty years have passed.
Ning'an Prefecture also sent a lot of rice and grain supplies over there.
But when the other party brought up the old matter again, they couldn't say that they had already repaid the favor.
Those favors can never be repaid.
It is for this reason that Ji Yuan is willing to make money with Zhennan Pass.
Even at the first word from General Zhennan, he led his troops there.
If he can get through, he can talk.
If the conditions were not too harsh, the other party would have asked for a huge sum of money.
Things wouldn't have come to the point they are today.
Forget it, these confusing accounts can’t be explained clearly.
Both places are now part of the Tianqi Kingdom and are so close to each other that it is no exaggeration to say that they are interdependent.
Let’s take a closer look at how to completely solve the current troubles.
Ji Yuan calculated the time and said, "The veterans who followed us to the battle should still be here, right?"
Counting this year, it has been exactly fifty years.
Most soldiers and generals are in their early twenties or early twenties.
If there are elderly people in their sixties or seventies, it is also normal.
Liu Tongzhi of Ning'an Prefecture knows something: "It seems that they are still there. Most of them are from Zhennan Pass and live in Zhennan Pass."
“How are they doing?”
How are you doing?
This actually asked Liu Tongzhi a question.
Liu Tongzhi is in his forties this year.
When he was born, Ning'an Prefecture had already become part of Tianqi State. He had not experienced the war of fifty years ago and was unfamiliar with it.
When asked suddenly, no one knew the answer.
"I am not very clear about these matters."
"But in the first dozen years after Ning'an Prefecture was incorporated into Tianqi State, Ning'an Prefecture sent a large amount of supplies to the soldiers at Zhennan Pass every year."
Although the life-saving grace is never too much.
But the transportation of these materials was indeed a two-way street among local people.
Ji Yuan sighed.
He was too anxious.
Although he knew that Ning'an Prefecture's rapid development would arouse jealousy, he still continued to promote it.
Now I understand what happened in and out.
Only then did I realize that the current situation in Ning'an Prefecture and Zhennan Pass cannot be solved with just a few words.
Decades ago, no matter what the battle of Zhennan Pass was about, people died for Ning'an Prefecture.
No wonder General Zhennan treats Ning'an Prefecture's things as his own.
It can also explain why the Tianqi court allowed the soldiers at Zhennan Pass to remain in place for so many years without being replaced.
These are the soldiers who expanded the territory of Tianqi Kingdom.
If it weren't for the fact that General Zhennan was so reckless and angered so many people because of the rubber issue, the emperor probably wouldn't have said anything.
Sure enough, there are always many reasons behind everything that seems unreasonable.
Of course.
Now fifty years have passed.
Ning'an Prefecture will have to start paying land taxes.
I think it's a matter of turning over a new leaf.
No matter what, it is absolutely unacceptable to cut off the supply of oxen that Ning'an Prefecture wants to buy and accuse them of collaborating with the enemy.
If Ning'an Prefecture wants to develop and needs oxen for farming, this issue must be resolved.
It ended in August of the 40th year of Huayuan.
The entire Dianzhou Prefecture knew about the dispute between Zhennan Pass and Ning'an Prefecture.
Under the pretext of buying and selling cattle and sheep, the two sides started a new round of tug-of-war.
Who can get more money?
It all depends on this time.
This time even the people of Ning'an Prefecture were involved.
They were really panicked.
They really want to buy cattle.
However, no one is quite clear about the attitude of the people in Zhennan Pass.
After all, when mentioning Zhennan Pass, the first thing that comes to mind is the soldiers and generals, but no one seems to know how the ordinary people there live.
At the same time, Lord Xu had a good rest, and his men went down one after another.
This matter must be resolved clearly.
Although the matter has been made public, we still need to investigate what is going on inside.
This might not be the case if it were another inspector.
But Lord Xu has always been serious and if he wants to investigate, he will do it thoroughly.
People from the Era faction are also investigating.
But he was looking in another direction.
He wanted the soldiers from Zhennan Pass to be stationed in Ning'an Prefecture, so naturally he needed to know the situation of the soldiers there.
Ji Yuan had a premonition.
Fifty years have passed.
In other words, after thirty years, are the soldiers at Zhennan Pass still the same soldiers who fought bravely and expanded the territory?
Are they still the same group of people?
Is the atmosphere inside still the same as it was back then?
Previous eras were not curious.
But after knowing what happened back then, I still want to know.
Because, whether he is that team or not will determine his attitude in the future.
In Ji Yuan, he has already set the tone for who will benefit.
General Zhennan was greedy for money and lustful, and he put all the taxes that the passing caravans paid to the government into his own pocket.
The evidence is clear and there is no need to investigate further.
What he wanted to know was something deeper.
General Zhennan of Zhennan Pass thought he would gain certain benefits from the game.
Little did he know that someone was holding a shovel and waving it at his ancestral grave.
Perhaps, the protection given to him by his ancestors will soon be exposed.
When the Dianzhou government was paying attention to this matter.
Ji Yuan's memorial has spread to the entire Dianzhou Prefecture.
It was circulated among students throughout Dianzhou Prefecture.
This year's provincial examination has just ended, and students have always paid attention to various types of essays.
When Ji Zhuangyuan's memorial was announced, everyone would definitely rush to pass it around to read it.
After taking a look, the students from Dianzhou Prefecture fell silent.
They will never be able to write this article in their lifetime!
Some truly talented scholars even held their articles and wanted to cry: "This article, this talent, this idea, we can never learn it even if we spend our entire lives trying."
"No wonder he is number one, no wonder."
"The top scholar's essay is really scary."
"It would be great if this article was published before the exam so we can learn from it."
Learn something?
General Zhennan of Zhennan Pass is going crazy!
Many people say that Ji Yuan’s article will definitely be passed down forever and will be praised by scholars as the number one article today.
ah?
You've become famous.
What about me?
I am the villain in your article!
From a modern perspective, many people in later generations envy the names of people mentioned in famous articles and works. These people may not be outstanding themselves, but they become famous because they are written into articles and poems.
Let’s look at it now.
It would be fine if you were a good friend or family member of a famous person.
But I am the villain!
The better you write this article, the worse my reputation will be!
When you study this article in the future, you should also understand the cause and effect of this matter.
What about him?
He doesn't care about his reputation?!
"Someone! Someone, write it for me!"
"Write down for me how the soldiers at Zhennan Pass helped La Man!"
"It also needs to be spread around!"
"Let the world know that the people of Ning'an Prefecture are real ungrateful wolves!"
General Zhennan's men were silent.
It’s okay to write articles, but it’s hard to write such good articles.
They really can't do it.
Not all scholars are as talented as Ji Yuan!
Ji Yuan didn't know that his memorial would have such a great effect. What he held in his hand was the situation of the old generals of Zhennan Pass.
"Wang Wu, 72, has a disabled right leg, his wife has passed away, and his son does odd jobs."
"Zhang Zhu, 69, is bedridden and still has lingering fears about the battle."
"Ye Mei, seventy-seven, living with his seven-year-old granddaughter."
A long list came down.
They are all the current status of the veterans back then.
The imperial court clearly told them not to change their guard, and the local taxes were clearly given to the soldiers in Zhennan Pass, and Ning'an Prefecture had clearly given them a lot of rice, grain and timber before.
Why are their days still like this?
Ji Yuan's eyes were on another name.
This is because some people deceive their superiors and subordinates and enrich themselves.
This matter has continued to this day.
Someone is taking advantage of the war that happened fifty years ago to eat the flesh and blood of others.
The group of people who most deserved compensation did not receive it.
The person who should be thanked the most is now alone and helpless.
The General Zhennan had indeed had enough of living off his old capital.
Zhennanguanli at this time.
Lord Xu's face turned pale, and he said directly: "The evidence is irrefutable, and you still don't admit it?!"
"As a local general, you interfered in government affairs and emptied the entire government treasury!"
"Lai Kunshun, Lai Kunshun, your uncle shed blood and tears for Zhennan Pass! What are you doing? Speak!"
Lord Xu not only knew Ji Yuan, but also knew this General Zhennan.
He even had a good relationship with the former General Zhennan.
But he is impartial and doesn't care about anyone's face.
Lord Xu took a deep breath.
As he got older, he was a little out of breath and said directly: "General Zhennan, you still don't plead guilty?!"
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