Chapter 787 Reconstruction

Chapter 787 Reconstruction

Chapter 787 Reconstruction (Part )

After the cock crowed three times, Wang Shen left Yunlong Gate with dozens of carriages, and went out from Jianchun Gate again, turning south. After traveling seven or eight miles, he stopped outside a village.

He stared at it for a long time, then wiped his tears with his sleeve.

Once upon a time, these villages belonged to him.

The manor that has been converted into an armory, fighting arena and orchard was also his former manor.

Alas! After half a lifetime of taking bribes, I had accumulated this little fortune, and suddenly it was taken away.

It would be a lie to say that I don’t feel heartbroken, but what’s the point of feeling heartbroken?

Ling Xiu, Guo Yi and others who complained were killed.

Of the five eunuchs who once controlled the Ningshuo Palace, only he and Xuan Huai were still alive.

He was responsible for purchasing, while Xuanhuai was responsible for cleaning, and they had a low status.

Even the newcomers who were captured and sent to the palace to serve as eunuchs because they could not survive or were defeated in battle did not seem to respect them very much. Alas.

Nearly a hundred members of the Wang clan were dispersed to various counties in Pingyang, where they were given land and houses and lived on their own, just like farmers.

Wang Shen felt hatred in his heart, but was also very frightened. He now had only one obsession, which was to find an opportunity to start over.

If he could fool Liu Cong back then, he can definitely fool Shao Xun now. The chance still exists.

"My Lord!" When several farmers who were weeding in the fields saw this, they all fell to the ground in worship.

"Don't call me 'Lord'. I am no longer your master." Wang Shen sighed and waved his hand for them to get up.

The farmer stood up quickly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Indeed, they were already registered citizens and no longer anyone's farmhands. Their prostration just now was only a habit they had developed over many years.

Furthermore, when the prince was the owner of the manor, he was actually quite good compared to other fort commanders and manor owners.

The grain collection was light, the number of men contributed was small, and life was comfortable. Now that they had become self-employed farmers, their burden suddenly became heavier - every two households who were not members of the Yellow Head Army contributed one man to help transport grain and grass to Lishi, which was hard work.

While Wang Shen was talking to someone, his subordinates had already started to enter the village to buy all kinds of supplies, mainly fresh fruits and vegetables.

Although Lao Wang is not highly respected by his subordinates, he still has certain power. This kind of purchase is not a semi-robbery transaction like "half a piece of red gauze and a yard of silk, tied to an ox head as charcoal", and the price offered is still relatively acceptable.

After the farmers' fruits, vegetables, poultry, eggs and the like were loaded onto the truck, they were not given any deceptive coins, but instead the "Yongjia Tong Bao" minted by the newly opened furnace in Dongyuan County.

Ultimately, Wang Shen still wanted to take care of his old friends and let them remember his kindness. Maybe it would come in handy someday in the future.

While Wang Shen was shopping, another convoy arrived from the south. Upon inquiry, it turned out to be a team going to the countryside to collect grain.

When the convoy passed by, Wang Shen took a look and was suddenly speechless.

Some carts were loaded with newly harvested wheat, others with last year's millet and various grains. The looting was so thorough that the people probably had little food left.

Considering that Pingyang ordered the people to reduce silkworm breeding and collect mulberries as food a few months ago, I'm afraid he had thought of this day a long time ago.

This is a repeat of the past deeds of Cao Cao and Yuan Shao!

In this world, even people like Wang Shen who have enough food to eat feel miserable, let alone ordinary people who have to face tax collectors?
Cao Cao has only been dead for a hundred years, and everyone knows more or less what kind of person he was.

King Liang must not degenerate into a cruel person like Cao Mengde.

"Oh oh..." A guard came back with a few chickens, waking Wang Shen from his reverie.

Wang Shen stepped aside a few steps and stood in the middle of the road.

Not long after, another group of people came from the north.

Carrying a flag and wearing a yellow scarf, he was followed by several horse-drawn carriages and donkey carts.

Wang Shen thought to himself that this should be a group of people. If nothing unexpected happened, they were most likely the Yellow Head Army living in the nearby villages.

Sure enough, every time they passed a village, some people left the team.

When they were several dozen steps away, the man carrying the flag also left.

They went straight to the manor, unloaded the drums, horns, armor, and baggage from the convoy, checked them one by one and stored them in the warehouse. The soldiers were allowed to take their personal weapons home.

There were also soldiers returning from the village where Wang Shen lived, but from what they said, it seemed that one of them died and not all of them came back.

The house where the dead person died is at the entrance of the village.

The woman was holding two children and was pregnant with another. She listened silently to her comrades' narration. They said that they had marched north with Xia Ba and Xue's troops from Hedong, but were repelled by Xianbei cavalry and lost several hundred people, one of whom was from this village.

There was no expression on the woman's face, as if the last bit of her radiance had been worn away by this heavy world, leaving only numbness.

Two husbands died in war within two years. What do you want her to say?

Fortunately, my comrades are quite loyal. They said that they were all people who survived the Hebei flood together, so they have a special bond with each other and will help if there are any difficulties in the future.

When she heard these words, a hint of life appeared on the woman's face, as if she had finally come back to life. She covered her face and cried non-stop.

I'm pregnant and have two young children at home. It would be really difficult without help. The Silver Spear and other troops have pensions, but it's hard to say whether the Yellow Head Army has any.

"Let's go, we can't collect much more." Wang Shen sighed and said when he saw that the palace servants and guards coming and going still couldn't fill the car.

Everyone obeyed the order and drove away.

Wang Shen took a last look at the village he once owned. After the Yellow-Headed Army soldiers returned, the village finally became a little lively.

They hardly took a break.

After putting down their swords and guns, some people began to water the garden.

Someone started watering the bean fields that had just been planted for more than a month.

Someone took a sickle and started cutting the grass.

Some people went to chop wood.

Someone helped his wife weave rush mats.

Some people also plan to clean up a piece of marginal land that has been abandoned for a long time and grow some vegetables.

Since the Yellow Head Army soldiers were not subject to grain collection, these families had a relatively better life. But the battlefield was too cruel. It was hard to tell whether it was better to be a farmer who tightened his belt and lived a hard life or to face the enemy's overwhelming cavalry.

Maybe neither is good.

******
It was already afternoon when Wang Shen returned to Ningshuo Palace.

When he entered through the Qianghe Gate and saw Wang Yan sitting in the carriage bestowed upon him by the King of Liang, he respectfully gave way to him by the side of the road.

Wang Yan didn't notice him and just frowned.

After the carriage stopped, it was followed by a entourage, and walked to the side hall on the right side of Guangji Hall.

Yu Wenjun sat at the top, looking dignified and solemn, but her eyes were wandering and unfocused, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Wang Huifeng was writing and drawing on the side, and occasionally took out a copy to show Yu Wenjun.

Only at this time did Yu Wenjun become a little serious and discuss in a low voice with Wang Huifeng.

After Wang Yan came in, everyone stood up and greeted each other.

"Princess." After Wang Yan sat down, he organized his words and said, "It will take several years to restore Taiyuan to its former glory. There is not much grain and grass in Hedong, Pingyang, and Xihe. After all our efforts, we have only collected more than 1.9 million hu. If we want to settle in Taiyuan counties, I am afraid we cannot accommodate too many people. Moreover, the long-distance transportation will consume a lot of resources. We need to think twice about this matter."

Yu Wenjun suppressed the urge to ask Wang Huifeng for advice and asked, "May I ask the military commander, is it more expensive to transport grain and grass from Yuzhou to Jinyang or from Pingyang to Jinyang?"

"Almost the same." Wang Yan was silent for a moment and replied.

"Then transfer it." Yu Wenjun looked at Wang Yan and said calmly, "My husband, the king said that there may be disaster victims in Hebei, and some of them can be moved to Taiyuan for resettlement."

As she said this, she pinched the hem of her skirt tightly with both hands, almost making a knot.

"Okay." Wang Yan looked at Yu Wenjun with some surprise and nodded in agreement.

Yu Wenjun secretly breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Wang Huifeng out of the corner of her eye, and found that she was also looking at her.

"There is another matter." Wang Yan continued, "Taiyuan has few people, and the king has decided to merge the counties. Wu, Zhongdu, and Jingling counties will be merged into one county, called 'Pingyao County'. Yangqu, Langyu, and Yu counties will be merged into one county, called 'Yangqu County'. Pingtao County was destroyed by a flood last year and has been unable to recover. The elders requested that the county be moved to the Dagan City built by Liu Yuan and the tribal people be incorporated into the people. This requires a seal, Princess -"

Wang Yan said this as he handed over the official letter.

Yu Wenjun took it, read it carefully, picked up the pen and wrote in red: "It should be dealt with quickly."

The palace maid brought the seal, stamped it on the designated place, and handed it back to Wang Yan.

Wang Yan's eyes were somewhat complicated, and he secretly glared at Wang Huifeng.

Wang Huifeng lowered his head and pretended not to see it.

Her father was blaming her for teaching the princess how to do things, but she had her own ideas.

To be honest, if King Liang hadn't been staring at her and wanted her, she would rather stay by his side and give him advice. But there was no way. King Liang had a disease of a widower. If you want to realize some ideas, you have to pay something.

"Military Commander." Yu Wenjun glanced at Wang Huifeng subconsciously, and then said, "Your Majesty wants to set up two Longxiang Prefectures in Sanjiao and Shiling. When can it be done?"

Wang Yan pondered for a moment and said, "Princess, you don't know. There are nearly 10,000 households in the two Longxiang Prefectures. If we calculate that there are five people in each household, that's 48,000 people. Even if they feed on wild vegetables, fruits, and mulberries, it would take more than 2 million bushels of grain to feed them for a year."

"There may not be more than five people in a disaster victim household, and not all government soldiers have to bear the burden of family members," said Yu Wenjun.

Wang Yan frowned and had to admit: "Princess, what you said is right."

"In this case, perhaps only more than one million bushels of grain will be needed." Yu Wenjun said: "Sanjiao is in the north of Jinyang, and Shiling is in Yangqu. These are both strategic locations..."

As she said this, Yu Wenjun glanced at the map that Wang Huifeng pushed to her.

"There is still not enough food. Hebei also needs millions of bushels of disaster relief grain." Wang Yan reminded: "Henan is full of complaints. If we strip the beds and skins, I am afraid the people will be furious."

Yu Wenjun was stunned.

Wang Huifeng couldn't help but raise his head and look at his father.

Perhaps some Henan scholar came to my father to ask him to dissuade him from collecting grain for disaster relief. My father was not in a position to mention it in front of King Liang, but he came to bully the princess.

The father and daughter looked at each other quietly for a moment. Wang Yan was so angry that he thought that his daughter who was married off was a waste of money. In the end, he could only say angrily: "I will find a way to raise some money. The soldiers of the government can be filled by the victims of the disaster. It will kill two birds with one stone."

"Okay." Yu Wenjun said happily.

Wang Huifeng lowered his head again, looking at the official documents that seemed like he would never finish reading.

Wang Yan was a little sad and upset. After saying a few words casually, he left.

(End of this chapter)