Chapter 894 Visit
Chapter 894 Visit
The transaction between Yu Hua and Yang Bao lasted until mid-February.
At this time, the three families of Shaofu, Sinongsi and Taipusi gathered again in Loufan.
The Minister of Agriculture Yin Xian was so annoyed that he had to keep taking things out. He had previously handed over the gardens and the Treasury, and now he wanted some livestock.
Shaofu Supervisor Yu Hua didn't care. The government had just received a large amount of income, so it was no big deal to transfer the pasture and livestock.
The current Minister of the Imperial Household is Xun Yi, but he does not smile much because he is not very interested in "mundane affairs".
It's not that he doesn't have the ability, he just hates being entangled in worldly affairs. If he has this time, he might as well drink and have fun, or read and practice calligraphy at home.
Therefore, he felt that he was living a miserable life every day. He just had to obey his father's orders and handle official duties for the sake of the family, even though many people praised him for being smart and capable.
Today he appointed Le Kuan (former governor of Shangluo), Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household Department, to handle the handover affairs.
This was an area he was familiar with, as he had managed a ranch in Guangchengze before. The Taipu Temple was headed by the Taipu Qing, with the Shaoqing as his deputy. However, there was more than one Shaoqing, and Le Kuan was in charge of the pastoral supervision.
Among all the pastoral supervisors in the world, there are only two that are of high quality, namely Guangcheng Supervisory Office and Loufan Supervisory Office.
Guangchengze Ranch has been established for many years and currently has nearly 1,000 stallions, 30,000 mares, and more than 20,000 other stallions of various colors (all castrated).
This ranch is more for breeding than breeding horses.
So they only kept a thousand useful stallions, and all the other stallions were castrated and either sent to the battlefield for consumption, sent to local counties, or simply sold.
But breeding requires a bit of luck.
So far, only one kind of draft horse with relatively strong strength has been developed. Its disadvantage is that it eats a lot - actually, it is not a disadvantage, because people with great strength should eat a lot.
This time, tens of thousands of horses were obtained from Dai State. King Liang ordered that Xianbei and Buyeo horses be collected and sent to Guangchengze for breeding. Xiongnu horses could be sold in batches and exchanged for some food, which would be stored in the palace in preparation for war.
In addition, cattle, sheep and other livestock were also taken over by the two major pastoral supervisors of the Imperial Household Department. After deducting the parts that had been rewarded or eaten, there were still more than 300,000, which might not be enough to accommodate them.
Therefore, the Imperial Household Department sent people to the northwest of Shilou County in early February to investigate and prepare to set up a new pasture station, called "Longquan Station," on the site of Liu Han's ranch on the banks of Longquan River.
The Animal Husbandry Supervision Department is also a lucrative department.
Even if you don't steal and sell livestock, just selling cow and sheep dung can bring in a considerable income.
As for horse manure, no one wants it for now, unless it is the feces from horses that eat Xianbei mountain ice grass, which can serve as fertilizer for the fields. Ice grass mainly grows in colder grasslands, such as Heilongjiang and Jilin. It is named because of the layer of ice fog on its surface. It is an excellent forage grass. In modern society, it has become part of the dining table and people have started to eat it.
The three main officers took their seats, while the assistant officers were busy running around, leading a group of lower-level officials to count the numbers and register them.
"Over there..." Le Kuan walked on the hillside on the remaining snow, pointing to a valley to the south and asked.
Zhou Mo looked up and said, "That is Princess Xiangcheng's pasture, not an official pasture."
"I see." Le Kuan nodded and said, "I heard that the princess also has a ranch in Runan. Does Zhou Sicheng know about it?"
"I know." Zhou Mo said, "Her family only has these two ranches."
"How many Queen Hui did she have?"
"Five." Zhou Mo said with a wry smile, "Guangchengze, Luoyang, Bianliang, Julu, and Taiyuan are the five major ranches. The horses are not as many as those of the official ranches, but the cattle and sheep are far more than that."
“If this is taken over by Taipu Temple…” Le Kuan said, stroking his chin.
Zhou Mo glanced at him and said, "Don't think that. Although the Shaofu is transferring cattle and sheep now, who knows if he will open a ranch in the future?"
To put it bluntly, the Shaofu is an institution that raises money for the emperor. Not all of the income from its various industries goes into the national treasury, and the distribution is relatively clear.
Will Yang Xianrong's five ranches really be given to the court? It is more likely that they will be incorporated into the Shaofu in the future and exist as the private property of King Liang.
As for the two ranches of Princess Xiangcheng Sima Xiuwei, they could probably be handled normally.
"Huh? The princess is actually in the ranch." Zhou Mo looked carefully to the south. A quiet courtyard appeared in front of him amidst the green trees and red flowers. Hundreds of people held high their guards of honor and escorted the princess and her daughter out of the courtyard.
The most amazing thing was that Zhou Mo saw Tong Qianjin, the deputy commander of Prince Liang’s personal army.
He was standing on a mountain road not far away with hundreds of soldiers, seemingly ready to escort the princess and her daughter away.
"The king...the princess' daughter is fourteen years old this year, right?" Le Kuan came over and asked.
Zhou Mo shook his head and Le Kuan said nothing more.
Some things are complicated, and it's best for outsiders not to get involved.
Do you know the surname of the daughter of Princess Xiangcheng? Wang Taiwei wanted to recognize this niece, and the princess herself was willing, but the king of Liang was not willing. Why? Think about it carefully.
Instead of digging into the matter, it is better to pretend to be ignorant. Then, if you have a young and talented person in your family, find a way to marry this "Wang Huiwan" to your wife. You will surely be promoted to a high position in the future and you will be stunned.
That’s all I have to say. Those who understand will understand.
"The ranch is going to send a large number of horses to the north this year, right?" Le Kuan turned around, didn't look at him any more, and changed the subject.
"Maybe not much." Zhou Mo said, "The king may reward the tribes with silk and order them to bring more horses to the battle."
"Is silk useful?"
"It's good to have a reward. I can always exchange something with the merchants."
"Indeed. In other words, Shengle will definitely be destroyed this year?"
"It's inevitable."
The two of them left quickly, one in front and one behind.
******
Surveying land, adding household registration, clarifying the tax system, institutional reform...
One thing after another was delivered to Shao Xun's desk.
He read it carefully, and the Prime Minister's Office gave comments, which were written by Yu Chen himself. Alas, my father-in-law is too hardworking! He still has to handle official business when he is sick. You make me look like a scumbag.
At the end of February, after tilling the land and raising silkworms, Shao Xun and Yu Wenjun and their wife came to the Prime Minister's residence together.
Compared to last year's Jinyang Forum, Yu Chen was thinner, with high and prominent cheekbones, looking very scary.
His old wife, Guanqiu, was wiping away tears, and Yu Wenjun was also crying.
Yu Chen sighed and said to his wife, "Old man, I am not dead yet."
Guanqiu glared at him, then wiped her tears after a moment, but stopped crying.
"Your Majesty." It was the end of February, and Yu Chen was still wearing a thick fur coat, as if he was cold to the bone. He said, "We must be cautious when we march north this year."
"Be cautious and prudent." Shao Xun nodded.
He knew that Yu Chen hadn't said something.
If you win, your prestige will increase and you can do more things.
If you lose, your prestige will be damaged. Although you won't have to give in, you can only be quiet and calm.
What if it's all in vain? That's better.
Because this result can be whitewashed, such as the army is so powerful that the enemy is terrified and flees, etc. Then a few prisoners can be brought back and paraded in public, and people who don't know the truth will think it is a real victory.
This result cannot be disproven, because after such an experience, Suotou did not dare to cross the border for a short period of time, which just confirmed the claim of a great victory.
At this point in the battle, Shao Xun knew very well what to do.
His main purpose is to gain prestige, and his secondary purpose is to eliminate Suotou. Therefore, he must use the strength of a lion fighting a rabbit, mobilize all his elite troops, and at the same time act prudently, not be greedy for merit and act rashly, minimize flaws, and give the enemy no chances.
In addition, more energy should be focused on politics when fighting this kind of war.
If the politics is right, the military will be easy.
In detail, it is a bit like the split of the Turkic people during the Sui and Tang dynasties. After the Central Plains army attacked, the chieftains of the Hu people gathered to help them deal with another group of Hu chieftains. After all, Tuoba Shiyijian had a strong claim, and his legitimacy was stronger than Tuoba Yihuai. He only suffered a disadvantage in age, otherwise Yihuai would have no chance.
The situation Helan Aitou is facing is difficult, that is for sure.
Until the last moment, he didn't even dare to withdraw from Beidu Shengle, because once he left, it would be hard to say which side his subordinates would join.
This is why politics always takes precedence over the military.
The situation faced by a regime with an unstable foundation is so dangerous.
"Your Majesty is used to fighting, I am relieved." Yu Chen smiled with relief and said, "I will hold on to Pingyang. I will wait until Your Majesty returns victorious."
Yu Wenjun burst into tears and said, "Grandpa!"
Shao Xun patted her hand and sighed, "Your father-in-law worked hard for me. I will always remember this kindness."
Yu Chen also sighed, full of regret.
The room fell silent for a moment, leaving only intermittent sobbing and the melancholy that seemed to solidify into substance.
"Your Majesty's ambition is rare in ancient times." After a long while, Yu Chen said again: "This road is full of thorns and it is not easy to walk. If it can be accomplished, it may open up a new path for the world. The old methods are really useless."
"What the old lady said is absolutely right." Shao Xun said, "But I will go all the way on this road even if I die."
Yu Chen sighed with an ambiguous tone, which seemed to be praise, worry, and even a little bewilderment.
No one can see through the fog of history, not even the top trendsetters of this era.
"Does the father-in-law have anything to tell you?" Shao Xun suddenly asked.
After going to war, it is not certain when you can come back. Maybe this visit today will be the last time we see each other in this life.
Yu Chen seemed to be in a trance. After hearing Shao Xun's call, he rolled his eyes and looked at his daughter.
Shao Xun understood, and then he held Yu Wenjun's hand tightly, saying: "Don't worry, old man. Wenjun is sincere to me. She will definitely be my queen in the future, and she will be the mother of the country. I will never let you down."
Yu Chen stammered, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.
There are some things he understands better than anyone else.
Being able to make such a promise shows that he is very nostalgic.
With this promise, his grandson suddenly has a huge advantage over others, and this is actually the innate advantage of the eldest son.
"Yuan Gui didn't make much progress in Xuzhou." Yu Chen added, "In fact, he has become much calmer in recent years. I have seen it all. But he is not yet qualified to be a senior official in the court. Your Majesty, you——"
"Yuan Gui and I have known each other for twenty years." Shao Xun said softly, "Over the past twenty years, he may have a hot temper and lack of ability, but he has always worked hard for me and has never had second thoughts. I will appoint him according to his ability to fulfill our twenty years of friendship."
Yu Chen smiled bitterly, but there was a hint of relief in his eyes.
He thought about the choice he had faced.
On the one hand, he used his connections to get the position of governor of Kuaiji in Jiangdong, and then he gave up everything and moved south.
On the one hand, he refused to give up his farmland, manors and ancestral gardens in Yingchuan and took up the post of governor of Ji County.
After much hesitation, I finally decided to stay.
Perhaps this was the best decision he made in his life because he met the right person.
He really didn't have too many regrets, just a little bit of reluctance.
(End of this chapter)