Chapter 183
Chapter 183
Chao Shan is a miner in Shixing County, 45 years old this year. He has been working in the mines with his parents since he was 12 or 13 years old.
At the beginning, he was not used to it because the mine was very dark and deep, and it seemed like monsters might appear at any time.
But he had to go down to the mine.
Because only by working in the mines can you have food to eat and pay back your debts.
This is how the people in Shixing County live.
Some people also say that they can actually farm.
But there is no good land in Shixing County, and the crops grown there are not good enough. The people of Shixing County are destined to be miners.
He had been mining for ten years, got married and had children, and got used to this kind of life.
He even made preparations to wait until his son was fourteen or fifteen before going down to the mines again, because mining was too tiring.
His parents died when they were in their forties, and he didn't want the same thing to happen to his children.
But the worst happened.
Even the entire Shixing County did not expect this to happen.
There was severe water seepage underneath the mine, so the mine was abandoned.
Chao Shan knew the situation was that even if they dug up water, there would be more water if they dug deeper.
Once this happens, the mine will be abandoned.
What he didn't expect was that over the past five years, almost all the mines in Shixing County had encountered the same problem.
Groups of people came over, saying that the mines were close to each other, the groundwater was basically in the same location, and the mines were mined at about the same time, so in less than eight years, all the mines in Shixing County were finished.
This is true. The same problem occurred at Yongxing Mine, the largest mine in Shixing County.
From that time on, the people of Shixing County were finished.
It's all over.
The income from farming was not enough to eat, and the mines were abandoned. Even the children could only pick up fallen coal to exchange for silver.
Chao Shan’s family was also finished. The children no longer had to suffer in the mines, but even eating became a big problem.
He could only go to work in Suzhou City. Although he was willing to work hard, could persevere, and had the strength, the job was not stable after all.
So he thought, since he was so strong, he might as well go and pull some goods.
It was also a coincidence that the original owner of the mine had switched to the freight business for several years. Chao Shan thought that since he knew them, he might as well just go to their place.
Chao Shan was already 35 years old that year. He was a down-to-earth and silent person, and thought that his old master would take care of him.
Unexpectedly, the old boss thought that these miners were unlucky. After recruiting them, he either beat or scolded them, and paid them less than others.
Because the old master said it privately.
The mine was abandoned because these miners were incompetent.
Chao Shan had been mining for more than ten years, and this was the first time he had been accused of this kind. He was so angry that he almost hit someone.
However, before he could take action, he was stopped by a man named Ma Laosan.
This Ma Lao San was a big and strong man with a fierce look in his eyes. He asked him if he wanted to do something big.
What's big?
Internal and external cooperation.
Steal the goods from this bastard’s family!
Chao Shan was frightened at first and was unwilling to do it.
But after the mine owner changed to freight transportation, he still treated them very badly, beating and scolding them, and not giving them food.
There are some actions that Chao Shan doesn't want to talk about.
So when Ma Lao San came to him for the fourth time, Chao Shan gritted his teeth and said, "Let's do it."
At that time, Chao Shan was thirty-six years old. He was beaten bloody by the master's servants and was recuperating at home.
After following Ma Laosan, Chao Shan realized that there were quite a few "sand bandits" in Shixing County. They all had no money to eat, so they followed the robbers.
Their place is remote, and the locals are very familiar with the local roads. When they get anxious because of being chased, they just change their clothes and become good local citizens.
Chao Shan also saw a man whose daughter was kidnapped by a family. He was working outside at the time, and it was the girl's mother who tried her best to protect her.
But his wife and daughter were sold.
When he came back, the family had already broken up. That night he set fire to the man's entire family and then disappeared.
In fact, this was not the first time Chao Shan had seen this man. After that incident, Chao Shan had seen him buying steamed buns in the county, but he pretended not to see him.
One is that they don’t dare to offend this person, and the other is that they feel that the family really deserves to die.
It turned out that he was a sand bandit.
Chao Shan could understand why such people became bandits.
Ma Laosan has quite a few such people under his command, some of whom are about to commit crimes or can no longer make a living.
There are many people like Chao Shan, who look like bandits when wearing masks but become good citizens when changing into other clothes.
But speaking of it, people who live near the trade routes mostly don't join organizations like the Sand Bandit Gang.
They were close to the trade routes and their lives were better.
In other words, these 16 or 17 extremely poor counties temporarily became bandits.
Maybe everyone knows each other.
But usually no word is mentioned.
Ma Laosan is not wanted by everyone, so he must be screened.
It's just that this person's relatives were not selected well, and two young and inexperienced people were allowed in.
Shi Weizhong and Shi Weiyang, together with Ma Laosan's relatives, went on a robbery spree and unexpectedly robbed the new prefect!
This is the biggest crisis facing their Sand Bandit Gang.
What a coincidence.
Shi Weizhong and Shi Weiyang were also discovered.
Who made the new prefect come to Shixing County and help Shixing County restart the mine?
This is certainly a good thing.
It would be bad if we catch these two people.
In fact, during those days, Ma Laosan and that group of desperate criminals were ready to run away at any time. If their family members had not been there, they would have disappeared long ago.
But when the news came out, the two men seemed to be very determined and did not identify the other bandits, let alone mention much else.
The new governor also handled the situation with caution and did not even tell anyone about it.
Although we later learned that it was not Shi Weizhong and Shi Weiyang who refused to say anything, but the new prefect who did not ask any questions.
In other words, the new prefect already knew that the sand bandits were in Shixing County and even roaming around in Suzhou.
But he didn't care.
Even if it's wrong, I still care.
Vicious tube.
Ordinary people didn't say much.
But how to say it.
These "sand bandits" in Shixing County have also retired from the underworld.
Why?
The mines in Shixing County have been restarted, and everyone has a chance to make a living. Who would still do such risky things?
Anyway, Chao Shan is not doing it anymore.
The Sha bandit brothers also expressed their understanding.
I thought only people in Shixing County were so lucky.
Who knows that everyone has the opportunity to retire.
Because Lord Ji was leading their seventeen counties to make money, from mines to rubber, and later on building cement plants and recruiting cement workers.
Try to choose people from these 17 counties.
The nine counties along the trade route had relatively better lives, so we gave them the opportunity.
Others may not be able to see it.
But people in these poor places can feel it.
In fact, the nine counties had no complaints because as the amount of goods increased, they earned more money.
After a year or two, fewer and fewer people had nothing better to do than to become bandits, and the most vicious bandits were caught.
There was war in the northwest, and people from the Miners Association and the Rubber Association conducted a comprehensive search. Ma Laosan and his men had no way to go, so they had to flee.
Who knew that they would encounter barbarians on the way and the two sides started fighting.
Ma Laosan and a few others who had deep blood feuds with each other were able to perform meritorious deeds inexplicably?
Can you even change your identity?
Chao Shan felt that the story was tortuous and bizarre.
But if you look closely, the bandits who stayed behind do have their own difficulties.
Lord Ji, do you know all this?
He knew everything, but he didn't take any tough measures to suppress the bandits.
It means giving them jobs and a way to make a living.
But the most satisfying thing was the old owners, who switched from mineral trading to freight, and then to rubber.
The first two made money, but I heard that the last one lost everything.
By the time they wanted to return to the Freight Chamber of Commerce, the people in the Chamber of Commerce had changed.
Chao Shan knew that countless people were grateful to Ji Zhizhou from the bottom of their hearts, so when Ji Zhizhou left, everyone came forward to see him off.
Ma Laosan also came, and many brothers also came.
By the way, he also learned to read and write in the Miners’ Association, and knew what it meant to speak up for the people and what it meant to be selfless.
I'm talking about Lord Ji.
But Lord Ji still had to leave. Fortunately, he forced the Wanmin Umbrella left by his fellow miners into his hands.
Even though Lord Ji already has a lot, they still have to give.
I heard that this thing seems to be counted as the adults’ political achievement?
They hope that Lord Ji can rise to a high position and become the highest official in the world.
Ji Yuan can't leave until noon.
He was followed by a dozen followers and six strong horses.
These horses are also the best on the grassland. Ji Yuan took advantage of the barbarians' surrender to buy a few of them. Among these six horses, except for one he rode himself, the rest were given to Wu Renhao and the Cheng family.
The attendants brought with them most of the written materials, which would be delivered to Dr. Yin's home in Jianmeng Mansion.
Some are factory data backups, and some are steam engine backups.
These things need to be spread so that more places can learn them.
However, Ji Yuan would not take a detour to build the Meng Mansion. Most likely, it was sent there by his subordinates.
Because he was going directly to Dianzhou Prefecture.
It’s a journey of six thousand miles, so we must ride fast.
Fortunately, he has walked these roads more than once, and with experience, everything will become simple.
But the same thing applies.
Life without railways is really sad.
It is really difficult to enter Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou.
What should I do if I always feel like I’m not working hard enough?
The documents that Ji Yuan asked someone to bring out finally arrived in Dr. Yin's hands in August.
Dr. Yin was shocked by the valuable information.
Yin Mao, who was preparing for this year's provincial examination, wanted to see it very much, but was pushed aside by Dr. Yin: "Hurry up and prepare for the exam, it's only a few days away."
Yin Mao's articles have always been vague and never get to the point.
Fortunately, the experience of traveling far away this year has made him grow a lot.
Dr. Yin felt that Yin Mao had a great chance of passing this provincial examination.
However, Dr. Yin looked at his youngest daughter again and couldn't help but say, "It would be great if the Cheng family's girls' school could be run here."
But the girls' school over there can't be brought here, so I wonder if he can handle it here.
According to much of the information provided by the main era, these jobs can be done by both men and women.
If factories are opened in the future, they will probably need a lot of female workers.
Otherwise, try it?
The main thing is, if my son has a chance to pass the imperial examination, I also want to give my daughter a future.
He was not the only one who thought so.
Especially in the Jianmeng family where there is only one daughter, or in the family where the daughter is smarter and the son is mediocre and cannot inherit the family business.
In fact, everyone found Cheng Yisan’s news exciting.
As long as the business is in the hands of the family's descendants, most people don't care about gender.
Ji Yuan didn’t even know that the female worker in the document actually gave Dr. Yin a lot of inspiration.
He is now leading his men to Guanzhong.
Once you leave Guanzhong, it becomes very difficult to travel.
It's August now, so we should be arriving in Beijing soon, right?
Since it has been decided to attack the Hehui Kingdom and he was asked to supervise the war, the prince has been impatient for a long time.
Moreover, this matter has been delayed for a year or two and cannot be delayed any longer.
Otherwise the royal family will definitely have objections.
After all, it has been two years since the death of the late emperor.
Everyone knows that He Huiguo is fully responsible for this matter.
It even caused the prince of Hehui Kingdom to run away.
Two years is enough time to attack them. If we leave them alone, we will definitely be criticized.
In fact, it’s a bit late to deal with it now.
Ji Yuan probably knows the reason.
After the incident happened, the nearest city, Suixu, would definitely be asked to immediately investigate the situation in Hehui Kingdom.
The result of the investigation is that there is no guarantee of victory.
What Zhennan Pass looked like at that time, I’m afraid Suixu City was similar.
In the past two years, we should rest and recuperate and prepare for a war.
Otherwise, the emperor would not have dragged on for so long and continued to worry about the prince's safety.
If the prince had not rashly chopped off the head of Scholar Chu.
In fact, the emperor wouldn't even nod to let him come over.
This matter is a thorn in the hearts of court officials, and the prince must make great contributions.
But no matter what, this matter must have a result.
Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain the death of the late emperor and the prince's previous killing of the grand secretary.
Let’s not talk about that.
The prince must be the most anxious one. He prefers to be active and dislikes to be quiet, and he is even more eager to see the beautiful mountains and rivers of Tianqi Kingdom. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be there soon.
Ji Yuan and his party continued to move forward.
Fortunately, the people around me are in excellent physical condition, otherwise this trip would have been very difficult.
Ji Yuan originally didn't plan to bring any followers, but these were the brothers from the Wuying camp, and they said they must protect Lord Ji's safety.
Plus, he had a lot of stuff with him and really needed help.
The brothers in Wuying looked at Ji Yuan with excitement.
Whether it is Ji Yuan’s reputation or what he did in Suzhou, people can’t help but admire him.
Along the way, they even agreed to play football when they had time.
Ji Yuan was originally a member of the Cuju team.
They in the Northwest Military Camp love this too.
Ji Yuan smiled and said, "No need to wait until we are free. We can go and have a look when we get to Suixu City in Dianzhou Prefecture. As long as it is not a plateau area, we can play football."
OK!
That's great.
One of them, Liu Bao, chuckled: "In fact, being able to follow you out is what many people dream of."
Liu Bao had been with the team when they were planting rubber and building cement plants. Now he suddenly spoke out his true feelings, feeling quite embarrassed.
Ji Yuan felt funny and helpless.
Not really.
If one day they can repair this rugged mountain road, then we can praise him.
As they were talking, they had already arrived at an inn, where they had some hot soup and rice, as their group of more than a dozen people still had to continue their journey.
The weather in Dianzhou Prefecture is still very good in September and October.
The men coming from the northwest were a little uncomfortable.
Their group of people really caught people's attention.
Not only were there a lot of people, they were all young and middle-aged men, and also because they had several good horses traveling with them.
Who wouldn’t be attracted by this fine horse?
But as soon as everyone saw their luggage, they knew they would definitely not do business.
But at this time when Ji Yuan and the others were having dinner, someone outside said, "Such a good horse! Where did the horse dealer come from?"
"A horse from the northwest, right?"
"Let me touch it."
"He still has a bad temper!"
"Don't come near."
The more Ji Yuan listened, the more familiar the voice sounded?
Ji Yuan looked up and saw someone who was very familiar.
The man also opened his eyes wide, couldn't help but stepped forward and shouted: "Master Ji!"
“You’re back!”
Wait a minute?
who?
Everyone in the entire post station looked over.
Did they hear it right?
Are you calling Lord Ji?
It seems that there is only one person in the entire Dianzhou Prefecture who can be called Lord Ji.
Ji Yuan thought, maybe he was not mistaken?
The person in front of him turned out to be Leader Dong.
Dong, the freight team leader of the Dong family, leads the team.
The first time he came to Dianzhou Prefecture, he brought Ji Yuan with him.
It is not surprising to encounter him. He has been taking this trade route all the time, so it is only a matter of time before he encounters him.
Leader Dong still spoke with a strong local accent, and Ji Yuan also changed his dialect.
But after a few words, the gazes from all around seemed to be substantial.
era?
Ji Zhizhou, Lord Ji?
Is it him?
Leader Dong also knew that he had done something wrong, but Ji Yuan didn't care and hurried away with his men.
After they left, the people in the post station were still looking outside.
"Young and handsome."
"The surname is Ji, so it must be Master Ji, right?"
"But isn't Lord Ji in Suzhou? How could he come to our place?"
"Right? But that person was Leader Dong, and the Lord Ji he called should only be Governor Ji."
"Is he here to get married? Isn't his fiancée here?"
"I don't think so, definitely not. He's too handsome."
While others were still discussing, the team led by Dong was in a daze.
I came here to have a meal and unexpectedly ran into Lord Ji Yuanji.
ah?
This is such good luck.
Those fine horses also belong to Lord Ji.
They actually had the chance to go to Wuxin Mansion together?
What an honor it is.
Ji Yuan also felt a lot more relaxed. The road to Dianzhou Prefecture was indeed difficult to travel, but this time with Dong leading the way, he felt a lot more relaxed.
Besides, we are almost reaching Wuxin Prefecture, so there is no need to rush.
It's a good opportunity to learn about the latest situation.
Leader Dong naturally knew everything, but before he spoke, he added, "Our young master is in Wuxin Mansion, and he always misses you."
The young master mentioned by Leader Dong.
Dong Kang?
"The young master's second term has ended. He returned early and is resting at home."
If a successor comes, they can indeed leave earlier, and it is common for them to take a break for half a year before taking back office.
There are still few people like Ji Yuan who are sought after before the end of their term.
Ji Yuan was still happy to hear someone familiar: "Okay, I will definitely stay in Wuxin Mansion, and we can have a small gathering then."
"It would be nice to live in Dong's house."
After saying that, Leader Dong patted his head and said, "I forgot, your fiancée's family is working as instructors in Wuxin Mansion."
This must be referring to Teacher Cheng.
Ji Yuan's face was filled with confusion: "Leader Dong, how did you know that?"
"Hey, everyone knows this."
Everyone talks about you two when they have nothing to do. One is Lord Ji, and the other is Cheng Xuezheng. The relationship between you must be very familiar to everyone.
Ji Yuan laughed softly, feeling a little embarrassed.
Returning to Dianzhou Prefecture, everything seemed familiar, yet also strange.
There is obviously more local trade, and people from the logging association can be seen everywhere, which is a new atmosphere.
November, the second year of Yongkang.
Finally arrived at Wuxin Prefecture.
Ji Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and took his men directly to find Instructor Cheng. There was no need to inform anyone. It wouldn't be considered an offense if he just went there directly, right?
We are all family anyway.
Sure enough, when Ji Yuan appeared at Teacher Cheng’s door, Teacher Cheng’s face was full of surprise.
"Ji Yuan! You are finally here!"
This surprised Ji Yuan a little.
How did Teacher Cheng know that I was coming?
Teacher Cheng also answered quickly, whispering: "The prince is already in the capital of Dianzhou Prefecture. He sent a message saying that you will come."
However, the news did not spread widely and only a few people knew about it.
The prince has indeed arrived.
Ji Yuan brought a lot of people with him, and Liu Bao and his people stayed in the inn, so Ji Yuan naturally stayed at Cheng Jiaoyu's house, which made it convenient for them to talk.
The two of them didn't even eat, and started sharing the news they knew.
For example, the Dianzhou Prefecture knew very little about the war in Northwest City.
Ji Yuan also has a relatively good grasp of the court's movements.
What Instructor Cheng was talking about was the prince's affairs.
I heard that the prince set out in April and arrived at the capital of Dianzhou Prefecture in early November.
It is now November 22nd, and the era is only a dozen days behind his.
The prince was in very good health and looked healthier than those around him, but he had been asking about the Jiyuan period and had even told the Wuxin Prefecture about it. As soon as the Jiyuan period arrived, he immediately went to the Dianzhou Prefecture.
"It seems I can't stay for too long." Ji Yuan sighed, "It's best to set off tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
Teacher Cheng nodded.
That's for sure.
The prince has asked in person, so I have to go.
However, Ji Yuan traveled through mountains and rivers just to supervise the battle for the prince, which was really hard.
Ji Yuan was fine, he lowered his head and smiled: "That's good, the war is over, it's a good time to take care of the most important thing in life."
Seeing Ji Yuan was quite embarrassed, Cheng Jiaoyu laughed: "Okay, okay, you kid, you have a good idea."
But if you think about it carefully, this is the most appropriate thing to do.
Originally, I thought that they could only get married after both of them returned to the capital.
Now it seems that it is best to hold it in Ning'an Prefecture.
Teacher Cheng was about to speak but stopped talking. Ji Yuan said, "It's okay. If Master Cheng is still in good health, then we can go back to Beijing together. If not, we can wait a little longer."
"Speaking of which, the Cheng family's house has been returned. I went there to help put up Spring Festival couplets when I was in Beijing last time for the New Year. Everything is fine and has not been damaged."
This surprised Teacher Cheng.
That house is also the old house of the Cheng family, it’s good as long as it is intact.
Teacher Cheng looked at Ji Yuan again, this time he stood up and bowed deeply. Ji Yuan hurried to stop him.
Teacher Cheng said, "You must accept this gift. You have helped the Cheng family clear their grievances and overturn the case. The Cheng family really doesn't know how to thank you."
Although I have thanked you many times in the letter.
But when we meet, I still have to thank him in person.
Now that I think about it, when Ji Yuan returned to Beijing to report on his work, he probably had already decided to overturn the Cheng family's verdict.
Otherwise, according to his personality, he would have told me about Shanshan in advance.
Although the affairs of the Cheng family were nothing in the capital that year, there were countless people who overturned their cases and countless people who fell into trouble.
But Master Cheng knew that this was not a coincidence, but Ji Yuan’s ability.
If it weren't for Ji Yuan, the Cheng family would have to bear this crime for the rest of their lives.
Although life in Dianzhou Prefecture is not bad, who would want to suffer injustice all the time?
When talking about this matter, the smile on Teacher Cheng’s face faded.
That incident had a huge impact on the Cheng family.
Ji Yuan comforted him: "It's all over."
That's true, it's all over.
The court is relatively stable now.
The biggest thing was probably some confusion in the Rubber Company and the development of the steam engine.
Another purpose is to avenge the late emperor.
Although Master Cheng did not care about the late emperor, even many people did not care about the late emperor.
In their eyes, that person died a little too late.
But this title must be brought out.
We must avenge the "late emperor".
Let He Huiguo know the seriousness of this matter.
Teacher Cheng brought up the matter again, his expression even more serious: "He must be beaten."
"After the late emperor passed away due to the elixir, all the small countries in the southwest were terrified and feared retaliation."
"But after two years of no action, they actually wanted to test it."
It's just like a tiger playing with a dog.
If a dog accidentally bites a tiger, it must be so scared that it will run away in all directions.
But when he came to his senses, he found that the tiger not only did not fight back, but also acted as if nothing had happened.
That's not right.
The dogs would then wonder if the tiger was too weak or dying, and whether they could take the prey from him.
What is the prey?
For example, Champa rice and rubber making methods.
"The prince of Hehui has played the emperor of Tianqi around, and there are no consequences yet. Many people are ready to plunder our southwestern border."
It is true.
And the other party's judgment was correct.
If you don't fight back immediately, there must be something fishy.
Such a great humiliation can be endured.
There must be something wrong.
Ji Yuan nodded.
This was also the reason why he handed over 300 compound bows to Jingcheng.
I guess the prince will definitely bring the compound bow with him, right?
The more I think about this matter, the more urgent it becomes.
"Tomorrow I will set off for the capital of Dianzhou Prefecture."
"We must not only win this battle, but also win it beautifully."
Otherwise, how can we deter these scoundrels?
If you don't fight back.
There was more than one dog biting the thing.
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