Chapter 1038: Here they come, all here

Chapter 1038: Here they come, all here

Chapter 1038: Here they come, all here
The name Su Yu comes from the weary bird returning to its nest.

Overall, this palace hidden among the mountains and forests has a quiet environment and beautiful scenery. It is a good place to cultivate one's temperament.

From the moment the emperor issued the edict, 60,000 able-bodied men were conscripted from the five counties of Xiangcheng, Yingchuan, Henan, Runan and Nanyang.

Some people began to repair the road, not just the Su Yu Palace, but all the potholes on the post road from Liang County to Guangcheng Palace and then to Su Yu Palace were filled.

Some people were harvesting hay, clearing away the wood, and transporting provisions, completely filling up the hay barns, woodsheds, and mansions.

Some people also cleaned houses that were not often occupied and repaired the doors, windows, roofs and other parts.

Finally, taking advantage of the winter dry season, the slightly dilapidated ponds and dams of Guangchengze were maintained, the river channels and irrigation canals were thoroughly dredged, and even a small section was newly excavated to cope with the growing population year by year.

Sixty thousand able-bodied men left around the fifteenth day of the winter month, followed by 4,800 soldiers from the Right Flying Dragon Guard who came from Hebei and four battalions of the Yellow Head Army, totaling ten thousand people, who came from Pingyang, Hedong and Hongnong. These people stationed near Guangchengze, garrisoning in layers starting from thirty miles outside and setting up checkpoints for inspection.

After several days of busy work, the entire Guangcheng Garden finally calmed down on the eve of the arrival of the Holy Chariot.

On the sixteenth day of the winter month, Hua Heng, the former governor of Chen County and current junior minister of the Ministry of Rites, arrived at the Bixiao Hall of the Suyu Palace and summoned scholars and merchants from various counties.

There is actually a certain degree of overlap among the groups of scholars and businessmen.

The big families have clear division of labor. Some people serve as officials to provide protection, some study to make a name for themselves, some manage manors to maintain the family foundation, and some train farmhands as military preparations.

In manors close to big cities or more prosperous areas, if there is a certain amount of surplus grain, cloth, fruits and vegetables, livestock, or cash crops such as trees that cannot be used, they will find ways to sell them, and there are dedicated people in the family who are responsible for these.

Hua Yingzhi of Pingyuan Hua family is such a person.

My great-grandfather Hua Yi was the Minister of the Chancellery and the Grand Master of the Three Departments in the Jin Dynasty. He has passed away.

My grandfather is Hua Heng, the commander of the imperial family in Jin, governor of Chen County in Liang, and junior minister of the Ministry of Rites.

My father, Hua Jun, originally managed the family business. After the founding of the country, he went to Jiyin County, which was separated by a river, to serve as a county magistrate.

Hua Yingzhi should have entered officialdom, and his family had connections, but now the situation has changed, and he has to prepare to go south to Jiangdong.

Sitting next to him was a young man named Hu Muxiu.

Hua Heng's eyes passed from his grandson Hua Yingzhi to Hu Wuxiu, and he forced a smile and said, "Zhi Zhou, I was worried that you would not come because the journey was too long. Very good, the emperor asked about you when he passed by the inn yesterday."

Hu Wuxiu was flattered when he heard this, and he immediately stood up and saluted, saying, "I am deeply honored to have the emperor's attention."

Seeing him like this, Hua Heng smiled and said, "You are not like your father and grandfather at all."

Well, of course not, after all, they are not biological children.

Back then, Hu Wu Fuzhi couldn't control his mouth. He loved to drink and kept drinking, and eventually he ruined his health.

His son Hu Wuqianzhi was an even worse alcoholic and died before he was thirty, not even a few years longer than his father.

Both father and son died from alcoholism, which is a pity.

Hu Wu Fuzhi originally had a great opportunity.

The current emperor admires his literary talent very much, often uses him as a secretary, and invites him to be a close minister. What can we do?

Hu Wuqianzhi married the daughter of Wang of Langya, but had no offspring, so he adopted his clan member Hu Wuxiu as his heir.

This person is completely different from the father and son Hu Wu Fuzhi and Hu Wu Qianzhi, but because of his fortune, he can still receive the emperor's attention.

However, Hu Muxiu was of average talent and did not know how to manage his reputation. He started to manage the business at home at an early age and actually gave up the idea of ​​a career in officialdom.

pity!

Next to Hu Wuxiu was Puyang Cheng Gong Yao.

In the Former Jin Dynasty, there was Cheng Gongsui, who was appreciated by Zhang Hua and ranked as a doctor of the Imperial College; there was also Cheng Gongjian, who served as the Prince's Secretary and Palace Attendant, and later fled to Gou Xi, and both died; there was also Cheng Gongzhong who was Guannei Marquis, Cheng Gongbao who was Jia Nanfeng's private minister and Yellow Gate Attendant General, and Cheng Gongchong who was the Grand Herald, etc.

In this dynasty, Duke Cheng Duan was the Chief Architect.

This Cheng Gong Yao was the grandson of Cheng Gong Duan, and he also stayed at home and managed the business.

Hua Heng looked at them one by one, spoke a few words to each of them, got a feel for the situation, and left after a long time.

As soon as he left, the scene was quiet for a while, and then became lively.

The people who come to Bixiao Palace are generally young, with the oldest being no more than 30 years old. Most of them manage businesses in the clan and do not enter the officialdom. They do not have so many concerns and speak more casually.

"There are also some people living in the two villages of Caiguan at the foot of the mountain." Someone said, "Most of them are from Yong, Qin, Bing and Liang."

"Not only that. There are also noble tribes of the Hu people. I've never heard of the Zheju clan."

"Who are those people in Yongjia Cangcheng?"

"My followers are all stationed in Yongjia Cangcheng. Don't you know?"

"I see. Alas, there is not even anyone to serve me. Why don't I live in Yongjia Cangcheng as well?"

"How many people want to come to the Bixiao Palace but don't have the chance..."

Amid the noise, Hua Yingzhi quietly came over and said, "Zhi Zhou, are you ready for a quiet talk in a few days?"

"I don't know what the emperor wants to talk about yet."

"Didn't we say, 'The four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans are the foundation of the country'?" Hua Yingzhi said.

Hu Wuxiu was silent after hearing this.

This is a quote from Guanzi. I heard that the princes had to read Guanzi, Salt and Iron Theory, and Shangjunshu, which gives us a glimpse into the education of the Shao family. In this sentence, scholars and farmers are actually just passing mentions. What really needs to be mentioned is industry and commerce, right?
Now the north is peaceful, the land is vast and the population is sparse. As long as there are no continuous wars and no horrific natural disasters like those during the Yongjia and Shengui years, there is still enough food. The emperor is also in the north to survey the land, so it is conceivable that people in business will have greater opportunities.

In fact, this matter has also been discussed among the clan.

The land in Taishan County has not been measured yet, but it is a matter of time. After the dissolution of the manor, taking the Huwu family as an example, it is good enough to keep a few hundred farmhands, and most of them are concentrated in the main branch. No one has a clue how the side branches will live.

Either rebel and force the emperor to make concessions, or go south to Jiangdong and open up a new estate. There is no third way.

But land reclamation is not a matter of one day or one night, and it may even result in losses - if you lead hundreds of farmhands south, an epidemic may kill half of them, and the manor cannot be developed.

If, while developing the new land, you can also do some business that can quickly pay back the investment - or even just pay back part of the investment - perhaps the whole process will be easier.

Furthermore, a large number of slaves were now sent to Bianliang to be sold. If one could become rich through business, he would have money to buy more slaves, which would be beneficial to the cause of land reclamation.

From this perspective, the emperor was actually clearing obstacles for the northern nobles to move south, providing convenience and alleviating their resistance to land measurement.

"Who will host the discussion?" Hu Wuxiu suddenly asked.

Qingtan is not a discussion or questioning, but a gathering for casual conversation. Sometimes even scholars and ladies are invited. The format is relatively relaxed and casual. Various kinds of tea, wine and food will be prepared, and there may even be singing and dancing to liven up the atmosphere. However, there is still a basic host or presiding officer.

They will guide the topic, maintain order, and prevent the conversation from going off topic or saying anything taboo.

Hu Wuxiu just wanted to know who this person was.

"Prime Minister Wang Yifu." Hua Yingzhi said.

Hu Wuxiu was stunned for a moment.

This is not just an ordinary idle talk, but has some connotations of national affairs, which is what is meant by "discussing national affairs together".

Hu Wuxiu cupped his hands to express his gratitude and said he would have to think about it carefully.

"I wonder if Your Majesty will attend the meeting?" Cheng Gongyao, who was listening attentively at the side, asked.

Hua Yingzhi glanced at him and said, "I will definitely come. But most likely it will be like the discussion in Jinyang, where I will attend the final meeting and make the final decision."

Cheng Gongyao understood.

He had never participated in the Jinyang Forum, but he had heard of it.

At that time, the current emperor, King Liang, allowed warriors to invade his homes and become a force that was difficult to ignore.

Daliang has been founded, and a lot of military men have been appointed as high-ranking generals in the court, which is the result. You know, in the past, even the generals of Anping and the four generals were mostly not military men, but children of aristocratic families, not to mention the governors and governors.

When historians of later dynasties compiled books, they would inevitably mention the Jinyang Discussions on Taoism.

Today we have the "Guangcheng Lun Dao" movement, but we don't know how far-reaching an impact it will have.

And in the Caiguan Manor mentioned by everyone in the Bixiao Palace, the noise seemed to be even louder.

Guanqiu Lu, a former official of the Jin Cao Department of the General's Office, walked among the people. Wherever he went, the chieftains of the Hu people kept greeting him.

Guanqiu Lu responded with a smile, stopping from time to time to talk with people.

He seemed to be able to speak a little Wuhuan, Xianbei and Xiongnu languages, so there were not too many obstacles in the conversation, which aroused waves of goodwill and made the atmosphere even more lively.

"Pu Gu, have you received this year's 'La Pei'?" Guanqiu Lu asked immediately when he saw Pu Gu, the nobleman of the Pu Ministry.

The so-called "Lapei" is actually the dividend from doing business. Because it is paid out on the La Day every year, it is called "Lapei".

It is not yet the La Festival this year, but the business has actually been concluded long ago. Guanqiu Lu asked people to calculate the dividends for the nobles of Dai State and distribute them one month in advance.

"There are quite a few this year." Pu Guting greeted him enthusiastically and laughed.

The gold chain around his neck became thicker and there were two of them. The gold earrings on his ears were also replaced, becoming bigger and heavier, so much so that Guanqiu Lu was worried that his ears might be torn, but he didn't seem to care. He just wanted to show off his style.

After looking through the account books, Guanqiu Lu distributed more than 4,000 pieces of silk and 1,500 strings of cash to Pugu, and also gave her some daily necessities that were common in the Central Plains but not on the grasslands, with a value of probably several hundred strings of cash.

There was no other way. Money and silk were not enough, and the merchants had a lot of grain in their hands and didn't know what to do with it. The reason was that officials and civilians in Luoyang, Bianliang, Yecheng and other places who bought grassland goods liked to use grain to buy things.

As grain is stored for every additional year, its price will drop a few cents. The same is true for silk. Neither is as good at preserving its value as copper coins.

Therefore, in the end, people were afraid to do some business for fear of losing money - money was a very important reason for the sluggish business in the dynasty.

"I have put a lot of effort into preparing the Lapei for you." Guanqiu Lu glanced at Pu Guting's gold chain and said, "Fortunately, the court sent out a batch of silk in September to buy the grain, otherwise I would be worried."

Pu Gu smiled and said, "Has that batch of grain been sent to Huainan?"

Guanqiu Lu was stunned and asked, "How do you know?"

"My family has sent out 2,000 cavalrymen, how could you not know?" Pu Gu heard, "They are probably fighting desperately in Huainan by now."

"If you take Jiangdong, you will have more Lapei." Guanqiu Lu said, "This expedition is worthwhile."

A Xianbei cavalryman was given two pieces of silk before departure, and rewards were given according to military merit after the battle, so it was not for nothing to drive them to fight. But then again, it was not all about money, otherwise, if Shan Xia and Shan Yanlin raised the price directly, wouldn't these Xianbei cavalrymen turn against their side on the spot?

"I didn't believe you before." Pu Gu laughed and said, "After a few years of Lapei, I believe it. Great Chanyu, please take Jiangdong as soon as possible. I want to see if Lapei can produce 10,000 horses."

Guanqiu Lu also laughed.

Money is a thing that can communicate with the gods and bring success in everything.

(End of this chapter)