Chapter 245 Can't Leave
Chapter 245 Can't Leave
At noon, the sun is shining brightly.
Mi Huang walked on the cracked ground, moving forward with difficulty.
This place used to be a swamp, but now it has completely dried up. Even the mud on the bottom has been hardened by the sun, and it feels soft when you step on it. There is no need to worry about sinking.
The thirsty earth, withered crops, and wailing people are probably the typical scenes in the Central Plains today.
After passing through the swamp area, Mi Huang landed on a flat road.
The road is not long, but very wide.
The road surface is even paved with some gravel and bricks and tiles, probably what is left after mining stones and burning bricks and tiles.
On the other side of the road is a large area of reeds.
The lush greenery dancing in the wind and the wild ducks flying around are no longer there. All that is left are the short, shriveled, or even dead reeds swaying lifelessly in the wind.
Mi Huang walked along the road and even saw several dead animals lying on the ground. They seemed to have just died and someone was cutting them up.
There was a pond a little further away, perhaps because there was still some water left, and wild beasts came in droves.
Some people are organizing hunts and have reaped a lot of rewards, but this seems to be just another way of draining the pond to catch the most fish.
When you reach the end of the road, a huge pond comes into view.
The water level in the pond has dropped significantly, I wonder if it is only a quarter of what it was at its peak.
Inside and outside the pond, a large group of people were busy. Judging from their appearance, they were probably taking advantage of the drought to dredge the pond, widen it, and deepen it so that it could store more water in the future.
Mi Huang asked the guide and learned that this was the second largest pond in Guangchengze, named "Cai Guan Pond", second only to "Shao Gong Pond".
After widening and deepening, a manor will be built nearby and handed over to the troops moving south to cultivate.
Mi Huang nodded slightly after hearing this.
Even during years of severe drought, they never lost heart and kept preparing for the next year. Their willpower is truly amazing.
After passing Caiguanbi, we passed a dried-up swamp, two struggling orchards and a large forest of bamboo, and the view suddenly opened up.
"What a magnificent wheat harvest scene." Mi waved his hands to set up the pergola and looked towards the south.
The golden wheat fields stretch as far as the eye can see.
The fields were crowded with people.
Some people were harvesting wheat, some were bundling it, some were transporting it, and some were picking up the wheat ears left in the fields.
In the open space beside the wheat field, some people were threshing wheat, some were winnowing wheat, and some were spreading wheat to dry...
From beginning to end, no one was idle.
Mi Huang couldn't help but walk down.
No one paid attention to him. Everyone was concentrating on the work at hand, with serious and even pious expressions on their faces.
In a year of great disaster, who can be disrespectful to food?
Mi Huang quickly found Shao Xun.
He was wearing a straw hat and was harvesting wheat, sweating profusely.
The sun was very strong at that time, and Shao Xun's neck and the back of his hands, which were not completely covered, were covered with red marks. However, he did not care and continued to chat and laugh with others while harvesting wheat.
Who are the people around him?
The Secretary Mao Bang, the Assistant Ministers Chen Yougen and Liu Anzhi, the Academic Officer Yu Liang, the Guard Officer Tang Jian and the Chief Pastor Wu Qian - the Chief Pastor is also known as the "Stable Chief", who is in charge of livestock and horse husbandry and is a ninth-rank official.
Half of the officials of the Duke of Luyang gathered here to harvest wheat together with the clerks, soldiers, and garrison troops, which shows how much importance Shao Xun attached to it.
When Mi Huang saw this, he just sighed.
The Duke of Luyang County worked tirelessly in the fields himself, and even if others were unwilling, they had to bite the bullet and work with him.
When he thought of the swordplay in the capital, his brows furrowed even deeper.
The prime minister was fighting with the emperor for power, while the aides were fighting for women and wealth, completely ignoring other things. It would have been fine if there was no comparison, but looking at the lively scene in front of him, Mi Huang didn't know what to say.
This military and political group that Shao Xun put together does have the feel of a rising sun. The people are united, they know how to farm and fight, and their leader is very talented and clear-headed. It is hard to say how far they will go in the future, but they look very good.
"Mr. Mi, please wait a moment." After hearing the report from his personal soldiers, Shao Xun waved his sickle in the field and shouted loudly.
"Please do as you please, young master." Mi Huang replied.
He saw it clearly just now. Shao Xun's face was a little tanned, but it had a rosy glow, and he spoke with full energy. He was completely different from many of the scholars in the capital who indulged in drinking.
Those men had fair skin, some were very handsome, their fingers were whiter and tenderer than women's.
He Sui, the Shangshu Lang who was just killed, was the grandson of He Zeng, a founding hero.
He was a man of extravagance, spending ten thousand dollars on food every day, and he still complained that there was nothing worth eating.
He Shao, the son of He Zeng, spent 20,000 coins a day on food.
The brothers He Sui, He Ji and He Xian went even further and became even more extravagant than their grandfather.
After He Sui's death, most of his family property was lost, although the prime minister did not order a confiscation of his property.
What a world this is.
The group of people at the top are only interested in romance, while the people at the bottom are shedding blood and tears, and the two sides are separated. The only people who connect the two sides are either a few people in the upper class who understand the people's feelings, or a few people in the lower class who have risen to the upper class, but these two types of people are very rare.
Shao Xun belonged to the latter. He took a group of subordinates to work in the fields. He did not necessarily want to torture them, but probably wanted them to learn more about farming and understand the difficulties of farmers.
Some people don't care about the life or death of the peasants at all and exploit them to death.
Some people really don't know what kind of life the farmer leads, and they exploit him to no avail.
Shao Xun probably wanted to save the latter group of people.
The kid from Yu Chen's family was originally a very handsome young man, but now he is tanned very dark. He must have been tortured badly by Shao Xun, right?
Mi Huang walked around casually and continued to watch.
At the foot of the mountain not far away, someone was grinding a stone plate, probably to make a stone mill to grind wheat.
During severe droughts, many water mills are unusable, and animal-powered millstones are the best choice.
This thing is not uncommon in the manors of the nobles, otherwise they would not be able to eat noodles such as Hu Bing, Zheng Bing, and Tang Bing. It is relatively rare among the common people because they are generally used to growing millet.
Unconsciously, agricultural production habits in some areas of Sizhou began to change.
Some people are trying to change the world and benefit the people. How great!
Several carriages came along the paved road.
A woman wearing a veil got off the carriage, holding a food box in her hand.
Behind her were more than a dozen guards and servants, who took out food boxes from the carriage and waited for instructions.
A "ding" sound was heard, which was actually the sound of a gong signaling the army to retreat.
Shao Xun stood up, patted his waist slightly, and walked over chatting and laughing with his subordinates.
The soldiers and garrison troops also finished their work and went to the other side to line up for corn rice, pickles, and fish soup. It was time to eat.
During the busy farming season, three meals a day is very good.
Mi Huang greeted Shao Xun and others one by one and exchanged greetings.
Shao Xun apologized, came to the elm tree on the side of the road, and asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"
The woman lifted the veil under her hat brim and it turned out to be Princess Lu of Fanyang.
When I saw Shao Xun's surprised and genuine expression, I felt warm in my heart and thought to myself, "Is he so happy that I'm here to deliver a meal?" Thinking about it, I was actually a little overjoyed.
"My dear, you have worked hard to harvest wheat. I have cooked some meals at home, but I don't know whether you like them or not." Mrs. Lu said with her face raised.
"I like everything Xun Niang makes." Shao Xun chuckled and took Lu's hand to get into the carriage.
Mi Huang took a glance and didn't look at it any more.
It turned out to be the Princess of Fanyang, why not...her?
"Mi Zihui came to see my husband. Is he going to the war again?" There was a small table in the carriage. Mrs. Lu asked while fiddling with the plates.
"Maybe, but I can't leave now." Shao Xun took the steamed bun, took a bite, it tasted good, and then took two more big bites.
Seeing that Shao Xun liked the food she cooked very much, Mrs. Lu couldn't help feeling happy. But then she thought that the man in front of her was going to the war, and she felt lost. She had just found someone to rely on, but now he had to go to the battlefield and fight for his life again.
Shao Xun continued to eat without asking why Lu brought him food - this was the first time.
In the end, Mrs. Lu couldn't help herself and lowered her head and said, "The three brothers and sisters of the Jing family from Uncle Wang Guo have come to Guangchengze."
Shao Xun nodded, not really concerned, but praised: "Xun Niang's cooking skills are so good, I will try more in the future."
Lu smiled, and finally loosened her hand that had been pinching the hem of her skirt.
"Liu Qingsun sent people to pursue Jing, but I saw them and scolded them back." Lu said again.
Shao Xun was surprised.
Mrs. Lu couldn't help but raise her head and pretended to be nonchalant, "Liu Qingsun used to be the chief secretary of the Prince of Fanyang's Palace. He didn't dare to act rashly in front of me."
"Xun Niang is indeed a heroine." Shao Xun said seriously, and even put down the food utensils in his hands, bowed and saluted to express his admiration.
Mrs. Lu couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed with her hands covering her mouth.
She knew Shao Xun was just joking with her.
She had a lively personality and Concubine Pei often told her that she was thirty years old but had the mentality of a seventeen-year-old. Surprisingly, she found talking to Shao Xun very relaxing and cheerful.
After eating the steamed buns and a few side dishes, Shao Xun was already eight-tenths full.
Mrs. Lu quickly cleaned up the tableware, took out the teapot, scooped out the tea from it, and poured it into the tea bowl.
Shao Xun grabbed one of her hands, rubbed it gently, and sighed with satisfaction.
In his 37 years of life, King Fanyang probably only enjoyed this kind of service a few times, but Shao could enjoy it every day if he wanted.
After pouring the tea, Shao Xun pulled Lu into his arms and asked, "Have you made up your mind?"
This question was asked by Yang Xianrong to Shao Xun, and now he used it to ask Lu.
Lu didn't dare to look him in the eye and responded as softly as a mosquito.
"Okay then." After asking clearly, Shao Xun nodded and said, "Stay at Liuhuayuan tonight and make Shuiyin cakes for me to eat."
If Mrs. Lu didn't want to, he wouldn't bother to provoke her.
With his current status and position, he can play with too many women. To put it bluntly, if he went to sleep with Princess Sima Xiu of Xiangcheng tonight, as long as he didn't make it public and let everyone in Luoyang know about it, Wang Yan and Wang Dun would not openly turn against him.
Of course, if the woman did it willingly, there were additional benefits, such as unlocking more moves, which Shao Xun loved.
Just like when he got in a good mood and slapped Lan Ji's big white butt until it turned red, it would only cause her to get angry.
But if Lan Ji is already resistant to him, if you do this again, it would be a humiliation to her. If you are not careful, the beauty might not be able to get over it and do something to him.
Uh, Lan Ji seems to like being spanked by him now, which Shao Xun never expected...
"Sir, Captain Mi is here." Tang Jian reported in a low voice outside the car.
Shao Xun responded, pulled his hands out from Lu's crotch shirt, kissed her forehead, and got out of the car with a smug look on his face.
Well, I tactically adjusted the position of my trouser pleats first, then waited quietly for a while before I took a step forward.
Mrs. Lu's face turned redder and redder. She felt her head buzzing, her heart pounding, her chest hot, her legs twisting unconsciously, and her whole body sore and weak.
After a long time, the sound from outside the carriage came faintly.
"I would rather go north than to Hanoi." This was Shao Xun's voice.
"Then where do you want to go?" This was Mi Huang's voice.
Mrs. Lu listened quietly, feeling a little worried.
"I have a fort in Yiyang, which is a perfect place to station troops. If the elite troops are sent to Hanoi, who will guard Yiyang?"
"The Huns may not be interested in your fortress."
"Let someone else go to Hebei. Lord Mi might as well tell the Minister of Justice that if I station troops in Yiyang, I will definitely not let the Xiongnu pass easily from now on."
"Alas, only you dare to bargain with Situ."
"We haven't started the formal bargaining yet. Where are the money and food? Where are the equipment?"
"There really is no grain. During the drought, no one dared to touch the grain in the granary. Even if it's only a thousand hu, it can only be transferred with the consent of the Minister of War. I can give you some money. As for weapons, you can always find some by searching the armory. If you want new ones, you'll have to wait. In the past two years, the new weapons made by the Shaofu have been given priority to the Imperial Guards and the soldiers of Yu and Yan."
"Mr. Mi, please go back first. I will send troops when Situ agrees."
"Alas, you are not going to give Situ a way out."
"I've already given you a lot of face. According to my original idea, we shouldn't fight this year. Can't we just focus on disaster relief?"
The two people's voices gradually faded away.
Mrs. Lu also slowly came back to her senses.
I touched my face quietly and it was still hot.
She touched her chest again as if possessed by a ghost, as if she could still feel the strength of the man's rough palm.
"No!" Mrs. Lu suddenly reacted.
There are people living at home, so I can't do that tonight.
She lifted her skirt and hurriedly got out of the car, but she couldn't see Shao Xun and Mi Huang anymore. She was stunned.
(End of this chapter)