Chapter 955 Liangzi

Chapter 955 Liangzi

Chapter 955 Liangzi
On the last day before the New Year, Yu Liang hurried back to Luoyang after a long absence.

When he was several miles east of Pan Garden, he saw a village that had "come alive" and asked Wen Qiao who had come to greet him.

Only then did he realize that the villagers were actually the inhabitants of the Wubao who had been forcibly released.

It's funny to say that in the past, King Liang surveyed the land in twenty counties and many people went outside Liang to buy properties. Some people actually set their eyes on Luoyang.

Luoyang is a fertile land!
Luoyang’s ponds, pools and canals are well-developed!
One acre of land in Luoyang is equivalent to three acres of farmland!
Why is no one interested? I won't hold back.

However, there is a reason why land in Luoyang is so cheap.

The smart ones sold their property and used the money to buy property elsewhere. Some brave and careful people even went to Nanyang to buy land and managed it for several years, barely managing to survive. Now they are waiting for the unification of the north and the south, and then sending their second and third sons to Jingzhou to open up the country.

The person who took over did live a comfortable life for a few years, but is now dumbfounded.

King Liang returned east with the supreme prestige of defeating the Huns, and was about to abdicate in Luoyang. Do you think he had no arrangements for the land of Luoyang?
The Heilongjiang Right Battalion was brought back by the Central Commander Mi Huang, and the first thing they did was to clean up the forts and manors in the counties of Henan County.

Accompanying them were soldiers from the Right Cavalry Guard, various Hu soldiers, and the men from the fortresses who were subdued by the imperial court.

The overall process was unremarkable and the fighting was not intense. It only lasted two or three times and was basically over.

After the Wubao Manor was cleared, the thirteen counties of Henan County recorded about 55,000 households and more than 250,000 people.

There are quite a lot of people, but most of them have moved here in the past few months. Only a part of them have done the autumn sowing, and the rest have not had time to start production, so they cannot be counted as effective population.

What Yu Liang saw to the east of Pan Garden were the men from the fortress who had been recently released. They each received some food and some farming tools, and several families even shared an ox to feed. They would probably be able to survive the winter and start spring sowing in February.

Yu Liang even stopped to take a look.

Even though Chinese New Year is coming tomorrow, these former residents of the fort are still picking up dead branches and leaves, piling them in the irrigation canal, lighting them on fire to heat them up, and then clearing the silt, really not wasting a moment.

"Your Majesty will definitely make Luoyang the capital." Yu Liang said with emotion.

"Yuan Gui, you have made progress." Wen Qiao said with a smile.

Yu Liang had been a governor for several years, and his authority was growing. However, facing Wen Qiao, a friend whom he had always admired, he could not lose his temper, so he said helplessly: "I am not going to Xuzhou to have a leisurely party. Zu Shizhi is really a scoundrel, harassing the counties every few days. The most ruthless time was when he almost burned down the king's residence in the East China Sea."

Qiandi is a thatched house.

Just kidding. In fact, after Shao Xun became rich, his family built a new brick house next to the original site, and someone also maintained and repaired the old thatched house.

But that time was really exaggerated. Zu Ti fought all the way to 20 miles south of Qu County and almost burned down Shao's hometown.

The war situation was complicated at that time, and the two sides were in a stalemate. Li Zhong disagreed with sending troops to rescue Qu County. His implication was that the Shao family's old house would burn down, and the only thing to do was to win the current battle.

At that time, Master Yu Liang lost his temper and almost tricked Li Chong into the camp and killed him, but he finally stopped.

On a rainy night, he personally led a group of troops and rushed to Qu County breathlessly.

Fortunately, the rain was getting heavier and heavier, and neither side could fight, so they finally stopped fighting.

"How is Zu Shizhi?" Wen Qiao asked.

"I heard he's going to die soon." Yu Liang smiled from the bottom of his heart and said, "Once he dies, Zu Shi Shao wants to lead his army, but I don't think it's that simple. If the Jianye court interferes recklessly, there will be chaos."

Wen Qiao looked Yu Liang up and down again and said with a smile, "Yuan Gui, you have made progress."

Yu Liang smiled and said, "I will need you to help me in the future."

"Have you forgotten that I am the son-in-law of the Wang family?" Wen Qiao asked.

"Why not? When I become the prime minister in the future, you will be the minister of the Chancellery. If you and I join forces, we will have everything in the world under our control." Yu Liang said.

Wen Qiao looked around and whispered, "Yuan Gui, it's okay for you and me to speak wildly here, but you have to restrain yourself. There are some things you can't say carelessly, or you'll have no chance if you say them."

Upon hearing this, Yu Liang bowed and said, "Thank goodness Taizhen reminded me."

Wen Qiao was somewhat helpless and said, "I shouldn't have asked you for money back then. I owe you so many favors."

Yu Liang took his hand and laughed, "How can the friendship between you and me be measured by money? Come on, follow me to Pan Garden to meet my brother-in-law."

Wen Qiao rolled his eyes at him and said, "I came to meet you on the orders of King Liang."

"Oh? The king likes you? What position does he promise you?" Yu Liang asked.

"A life-threatening job." Wen Qiao said, "The governor of Qinzhou."

"It's a remote place." Yu Liang shook his head and said, "Why not wait a little longer and become the governor of Yangzhou or Jiangzhou after conquering Jiangdong?"

Unexpectedly, Wen Qiao did not think so. He only heard him say: "It would be better to be the governor of Qinzhou. I am nearly 40 years old and my health is getting worse. The south of the Yangtze River is low and humid. If I go there and get sick, I may not survive. Maybe I can live a few more years if I stay in the north."

Yu Liang was stunned, but he had to admit that it made sense.

He had been in Xuzhou for many years, fighting back and forth with Zu Ti, and there were also moments of glory. Once, a detachment of the army made a detour and went deep into Huainan. It was autumn rainy and they unfortunately encountered an epidemic. In the end, they had to withdraw their troops in a hurry, and sixteen or seventeen of the more than four thousand soldiers who went out to fight died.

Huainan is in such a state, what will it be like for northerners to go to Jiangnan? Not necessarily, but the possibility of something happening is very high.

"That's true, but it's not easy to work under Jin Zheng." Yu Liang and Wen Qiao walked forward arm in arm, saying as they walked, "When the king lived in Xuchang and Bianliang, this man was extremely domineering and difficult to deal with."

"Let's talk about it after we get there." Wen Qiao didn't care.

Jin Zheng is domineering, so just coax him a little.

He didn't rely on Jin Zheng to get promoted, so why did he care? Instead of trying to figure out Jin Zheng, he should try to figure out Yao Laoqiang and others.

"Did your family bring you back from Xuzhou?"

“I will be back after the New Year.”

"Where's Li Zhong?"

"He is the governor and the commander-in-chief. He has a single word on all military and civilian affairs in Xuzhou. The king is going to use him, and I think he knows it. Before leaving, he has been storing up supplies, training soldiers, and building ships. In the future, he will be the commander-in-chief of the expedition against Wu."

"What a pity. Yuan Gui, you should have stayed. You were the commander-in-chief during the expedition against Wu. You should listen to Li Zhong in everything. You will definitely gain something from this journey."

"At this time, why are you still talking about this..."

The two figures gradually went away and soon arrived at Pan Garden.

******
Many people came to Pan Garden, most of them were relatives or in-laws of the Shao family, such as——

Guerrilla general Shao Shen, assassin of traitors Shao Fan, Taiyuan prefect Shao Guang, Jiuyuan magistrate Shao Jie, general's chief clerk Yuan Neng (brother-in-law), Xihe prefect Tian Mao (nephew-in-law), Heiliang right camp commander Zhao Wei (cousin-in-law), etc.

The lineup is a bit thin, with only a few clan members and relatives from my uncle's side.

However, the third generation is gradually growing up, and Shao Xun is also observing to see if there are any promising talents.

After Yu Liang and Wen Qiao were let in through the pass, they greeted everyone.

Wen Qiao stayed in the front yard, while Yu Liang was led directly to the backyard. "Yuan Gui." Shao Xun was sitting in the yard, holding two babies in his arms, and two other children at his feet, each holding one thigh, looking very funny.

A little further away, Wang's eldest daughter Fu Bao slapped Hu Tou on the ear and neck.

The burly Tiger Head didn't dare to say anything and walked away in shame.

The eldest son Shao Zhang and the second son Shao Gui seemed to be close brothers. In a corner of the courtyard, they consulted each other on how to do their jobs.

The king's third son, Shao Xu, was gentle and refined, and was the first to come forward and pay his respects.

Yu Liang returned the salute and then saluted Shao Xun.

Shao Xun handed the child to the wet nurse.

Both of them are girls. The former was born in the twelfth month of the year before last, born to Yin, and the latter was born in the eighth month of this year, born to Jing.

In May, Guanqiu gave birth to a son, but the son died in July.

"Yuan Gui, go to Pingyang after the New Year and serve the Prime Minister." Shao Xun said.

"Yes." Yu Liang's face darkened and he replied.

Shao Xun looked at his expression and nodded secretly.

If Yu Chen died, even if he didn't have to observe mourning for three years, Yu Liang would not be able to hold an official position for a period of time.

When Lu Zhi passed away, Shao Xun insisted on keeping Lu Chen by his side, which caused a lot of criticism and was not good for Lu Chen's own development.

Anyway, with him around, it will only take a word for Yu Liang to rise again in the future.

But if Yu Liang was dissatisfied with this, then there was something wrong with his character.

"Go see Wenjun, Liang Nu is with her." Shao Xun waved his hand and said.

"Yes." Yu Liang responded, and then was led into the garden by the servants.

Yu Wenjun was wearing a fox fur coat, she was in a bad mood and her eyes were slightly red.

The ten-year-old Liang Nu was standing by the side. When he saw Yu Liang, he immediately bowed and said, "Uncle."

"Brother." Yu Wenjun stood up and saluted.

"Sister, please sit down quickly." Yu Liang sighed and said.

"I will go back to Pingyang after the New Year to accompany my parents." Yu Liang said: "In the capital——"

At this point, she felt that it was not appropriate to say these things now, so she kept silent and said, "You are the queen, it is not appropriate for you to leave, just stay in Luoyang to accompany the king. He has been fighting in the south and the north for so many years, it is really hard, it is rare for him to have some free time."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at his nephew.

Although Liang Nu was only ten years old, he had a handsome face and looked a bit like his mother, but he was taller and stronger than his peers, which made him more like his father.

The more Yu Liang looked at it, the more satisfied he became.

Isn’t this nephew much better than Jin Dao, Huan Lang, Nian Liu and others?

What are you waiting for, my king? After you ascend the throne, you should appoint a crown prince.

On the way he heard that Nanyang Lekai frequently visited Wang's eldest son, Jin Dao, and was really arrogant.

I'll talk to Wen Taizhen in a couple of days to see if I can make Lekai suffer a serious setback.

"My uncle Ziju is in the capital. If you have time these days, you'd better go and visit him. I went to see him today and he looked emaciated. It seems he won't live long." Yu Wenjun lowered her head, her voice sounding a little sad.

Yu Liang also sighed when he heard this and said, "Don't worry, sister. I will go to visit you after the New Year."

Yu Wenjun nodded and stopped talking.

Yu Liang was a little anxious. He had a lot to say, but he felt that the timing was not right.

Alas! Women are just inexperienced and easily saddened by the passing of time.

If something big happens in the country in the future, he will have to shoulder the burden, and his sister will not be able to help.

"Liang Nu, I heard that you are doing well in your studies. I wonder if you have ever practiced martial arts?" Since his sister didn't say anything, Yu Liang looked at his nephew and asked.

"I've been practicing archery recently." Liang Nu replied briefly.

"My uncle also likes archery." Yu Liang immediately said, "If you don't understand, you can ask me."

"I learned archery from my father," said Liang Nu.

Yu Liang choked and laughed dryly, "Your Majesty is an expert in archery. When we first met, you outdid all the martial arts masters in my family."

"I have only learned the basics of my father's skills." Liang Nu looked at Yu Liang's hands curiously and found that there seemed to be no calluses on them from years of practicing archery. He immediately doubted the truthfulness of what his uncle said.

But he didn't say it out loud, he just kept it in his heart.

This uncle seems a little unreliable.

"Brother, you've been on a long journey, you haven't had your meal yet, right?" Yu Wenjun wiped his eyes and stood up to ask.

"Hey, that's fine." Yu Liang said, "When I was attacking Xuzhou, there were frequent battles and I often didn't have time to eat. I'm used to it."

Liang Nu listened silently.

Yesterday, his third uncle told him that his eldest uncle had set up two fine houses and three music bands for his adopted daughters in Xuzhou, and he often hosted banquets for guests, looking like a scholar.

But what he said now didn't sound false. So there was only one possibility: my uncle liked to enjoy himself when he was not fighting, and he could endure hardships when he was fighting.

Thinking of this, his impression of his uncle changed slightly.

"Liang Nu, go and review your lessons." Yu Wenjun patted her son's head lovingly and said, "Your second uncle will be here tonight."

"Yes." Liang Nu responded and turned to leave.

"Is Wen Taizhen here?" Yu Wenjun looked at Yu Liang and asked.

"Here it comes." Yu Liang was a little surprised.

"Taizhen has a lot of strategies and is a great patriot." Yu Wenjun looked down at the ground and said softly, "If you have time, take him to see Liang Nu."

"Uh--ok!" Yu Liang reacted and agreed immediately.

(End of this chapter)