Chinese New Year

Chapter 492 Opportunities for Advancement

Even though he was two or three rooms away, Shao Xun could still hear the loud crowing of a rooster.

This is the taste, farmhouse fun!
Last night Le Kai invited him to a banquet, during which he learned that the Le family also has a manor in Nieyang, Jiyang and Tongbai Mountain.

The manors of Nieyang and Jiyang have suffered from war to varying degrees and are currently being managed by his uncles.

The local manor in Yuyang was inherited by Le Kai, including the mansions in Yuyang County and Wan County, which also belonged to him.

The second younger brother, Le Zhao, had a private courtyard on the outskirts of Luoyang, and the Le family mansion in Luoyang city was also given to him.

The third brother's family is still in Yuyang, but he has already bought a house and land in Xincai and recruited farmhands.

Overall, Yuyang is still the Le family's old nest, and the largest share is inherited by Le Kai, after all, he is the eldest son.

Moreover, the Yuyang manor is really nice.

Shao Xun walked out of the room and saw swallows chirping under the eaves.

Yes, it’s March now, and the earliest batch of swallows have returned to their old nests.

The wall is a bit mottled and there are plants like ivy growing on it.

"Crash!" The window was pushed open.

Shao Xun walked over, and Lan Ji's beautiful face appeared in the window, hidden by vines and green leaves.

It’s a pity that I don’t have a camera, otherwise I would have captured this scene.

The woman who had married far away returned to the boudoir where she had lived in her girlhood. When she woke up in the morning, she leaned against the window with her chin in her hands, carefully sorting out everything in her memory.

"This courtyard has not changed." Lan Ji said softly.

"So you didn't give it to anyone else to live in?"

"My niece comes to stay here occasionally." Lan Ji heard the sound of the swallows, stuck her head out and looked up, saying happily, "The swallows have returned to their nests."

"Yes, you've returned home too." Shao Xun walked to the window, held her face, and smiled, "Are you happy?"

Le Lanji looked at him for a long time, and finally said "hmm".

No one could understand her happiness.

After breakfast, she put aside her usual dignified and graceful demeanor and, like a happy little skylark, took Shao Xun on a tour of the manor.

Shao Xun took the opportunity to observe.

There is a forest behind the manor, and many ponds have been dug, but it is not known whether they are natural or man-made.

There are mulberry trees planted every few steps along the pond.

The white-haired old woman guided the strong men and women to plant new mulberry seedlings.

The density is really high. There are several to dozens of mulberry trees everywhere, along the riverbanks, on the ridges of fields, on both sides of the canals, and other corners. Adding up, they are quite a lot.

Different from other families, the Le family mainly used these broken and scrap lands to plant mulberry trees.

It is not worthwhile to use these lands to grow crops, and it is too troublesome to grow vegetables, so they plant mulberry trees.

From this point of view, the silk production of the Le family was not very high, but they used large tracts of fertile land to grow flax, probably because this was the most in-demand cloth.

Outside the forest pond, Shao Xun was startled when he pushed open a wooden door.

The hay piled up in the warehouse was like a mountain, stretching endlessly into the distance.

How much hay is stored here?

"My family used to trade in livestock." Lan Ji came over, took Shao Xun's hand, and said, "Donkeys, mules, cattle and horses from Runan came here. After traveling hundreds of miles, they lost a lot of weight and became skinny. They didn't look good, so they had to be fattened up. My family teamed up with the Ying family of Nandun to sell the livestock to Xiangyang and Jiangxia, and split the profits in half. The Ying family's livestock were fattened here."

Shao Xun nodded and said, "I see."

But he thought that the Le family should still be doing this business, as the huge amount of hay stored was proof of it.

With the arrival of a large group of cavalry in the future, supplies will be secured. After all, the cost of feeding them with food all the time is too high.

In fact, this is the benefit of having a noble family support you.

War is a battle of logistics. You can get supplies easily wherever you go, and the advantage is huge.

Walking past the hay barn, you'll see endless fields.

Nanyang is a basin, relatively flat, with a complex water system. It was developed early and has a high grain output.

Spring sowing has long been completed, and the farmers are now dredging ditches so that crops can be irrigated during the critical growth period.

The ditches and even the reservoirs were dug by the Le family themselves, which means that they have replaced the functions of the grassroots government and have great appeal and crucial organizational skills in the countryside.

"These people can have three meals a day," Le Lanji explained softly, "but they have to work until night. The last meal is eaten on the ridge of the field with a sky full of stars."

"It's really not easy." Shao Xun sighed.

The owner of the manor is not doing charity. He gives you three meals a day and you have to work day and night. These people have obviously become accustomed to it and even think it is natural. After all, their ancestors have been doing this for generations.

A carriage passed by, loaded with various weapons.

Judging from the condition, it should have been repaired after being damaged.

Shao Xun followed the direction the carriage was going and saw more than a thousand people training not far away.

Before, Shao Xun believed that the Le family’s strength was greater than their fame, but now he is even more convinced of this judgment, because they actually have more than a thousand armored warriors, while it would be great for an ordinary noble family to have more than a hundred.

These thousand-odd men were not very tall, but strong and sturdy. They held halberds, which were heavier than spears, and practiced in a methodical manner.

Next to them, another two or three hundred people were sitting on the ground, adjusting their bows. Looking at the arrows stuck all over the straw men, it was clear that they had already practiced once.

"When I was a child, I remember that they only trained once every ten days. This time when I saw my brother, I heard that they have changed it to once every five days." Le Lan Ji said again.

"Can we practice military formations?"

"Less practice."

"How often do you practice?"

Le Lanji glanced at Shao Xun with some concern.

"I want to make the Le family rich, what do you want?" Shao Xun whispered, "Stay still tonight, and let me punish you."

Le Lanji pinched him and said with a red face, "We practice military formations about once a month."

This is the fucking training method of the regular army!
Shao Xun was a little surprised. It seemed that the situation in Nanyang was really tense, and the Le family's resources began to shift towards their troops.

I wanted to take these 1,000 soldiers away, but what excuse should I give? After all, they were relatives, so I couldn't do anything too embarrassing.

However, recruiting the aristocratic family's troops as soldiers is not without hidden dangers. How did Zhang Fang die? Shao Xun knew it very well.

It would be best to let them serve as palace soldiers, which is the method with the least side effects.

As Shao Xun thought about this, he calmly accompanied the woman to tour the manor inside and outside - in fact, they didn't even finish the tour in a whole day.

In the evening when the south wind was blowing gently, Lan Ji went to accompany her mother again, while Shao Xun and Le Kai found a quiet place to drink tea and talk about business.

The blind and deaf old servant served them some snacks and then left.

Under the cluster of elms and willows, Shao Xun looked up at the faint starry sky and felt relaxed and happy.

Le Kai was expectant and a little excited, but he calmed down, sipped his tea, and then said, "The old servant who served me just now has been with my family for three generations. He usually grows melons and beans and looks after cattle and sheep. He is illiterate and has no idea about the outside world. He doesn't even know his own age. He only knows that every year when winter turns to spring and the mountains and rivers are beautiful, he grows another year older."

"It may be a blessing." Shao Xun said.

The kings of Luoyang were killing each other, and the natives and guests of Nanyang were fighting endlessly. Outside, there was a river of blood and corpses everywhere. The old man lived in a wooden house shaded by elms and willows. He got up in the morning to feed the pigs, then took the sheep to the riverside to graze, and weeded the fruit and vegetable fields on the slope.

In the evening, call the chickens back to the roost and drive the sheep back to the pen.

After dinner, I sat by the bridge and flowing water, listening to the chirping of insects and admiring the moonlight.

Although life is monotonous and simple, it is also a way of living.

Aren't those who have ambitions for the world, just to give people the opportunity to live like this?
Le Kai put down the tea bowl and said, "But his three sons have a strong desire to make progress. The eldest son is in charge of miscellaneous matters in the mansion, mainly ordering the craftsmen to make wheat vinegar, rice vinegar, lotus vinegar, and fermented black beans; the second son is in charge of dozens of fish ponds, and in autumn and winter, he leads people to the river to fish and dig mud; the third son is a member of my family's corps, he is good at martial arts, he once followed Yang Pengzu to fight in the war, and even killed a first-level bandit leader. They are no longer content with the past."

Shao Xun smiled lightly and said, "People always want to go higher. But if you go higher, is it possible to maintain the life you have now?"

“It can only get better.”

“Will they remember who gave them the good days?”

"Never forget."

Shao Xun nodded slightly.

Lekai was drinking his tea, but he felt nervous.

"Is anyone in Xiao Chang'an?" Shao Xun suddenly asked.

Lucky was about to say "someone", but stopped himself and said, "No one."

"Pack up, and all tribes will work together to build an earthen city." Shao Xun ordered: "Six silver spear troops will come to garrison next month."

"Okay." Lucky agreed without hesitation.

"Let the post of Internal History of Nanyang step down, and the Prefect of Hongnong, Yuan Yanhui, will take over." Shao Xun said, "You will be the Military Commander of the new Mianyang North Military Governor's Office."

"Thank you, Mr. Ming, for your support." Le Kai felt relieved and said gratefully.

"I can't come here often, so keep an eye on it for me. Shunyang, Nanyang, Xinye, Yiyang, and Suiguo, no one can be left behind." Shao Xun reminded him, "The Northern Expedition to the Xiongnu is of great importance, and the best soldiers and generals are all on both sides of the river. The tribes in Nanyang should work hard, and there will be benefits in the future."

Lucky almost wanted to ask what benefit his nephew...

But Shao Xun's words were vague and he was a little afraid to ask.

Never mind, there will be a chance, just take it one step at a time and see.

Mr. Chen was right about one thing, it is time to provide more for the soldiers. In a time of great strife, if we don't provide more soldiers to expand the army and fight more wars to train the soldiers, then we are leaving the money for others?

The military headquarters of the Mianyang North Shogunate has great potential.

"I will arrange a few more people. You should work together and don't argue." Shao Xun said again -

"Wei Fu, the great farmer of Nanyang State, is appointed as a military officer of the shogunate."

"The official in the palace, Wang Yin, is appointed as the supervisor of the record room."

"Shao Guang, the captain of the Duyang Tuntian Army, will also be in charge of the command."

"General Lou Bao is stationed in Luyang and is also the commander-in-chief of the camp army."

"Wang Hui, the owner of Jinmenwu, is appointed as the official."

"Wannian ordered Huangfu Chang to be the magistrate of Wan."

"That's all." Shao Xun ended the conversation and said, "Nanyang is Xuchang's back, so don't lose it."

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(End of this chapter)