Hanhou

When Wei Taishou returned to Yunzhong City, he not only took away the wild horses in the livestock farm, but also took away a three-legged columbine.

Wei Yue's two family boys stayed at the livestock farm. Besides being in charge of security work with Qing Zhuang, they also taught Gongsun Ao, Wei Qing and others how to ride and shoot according to Zhao Jia's request.

Both Xiong Bo and Huber are excellent at archery and superb at riding, but they are more inclined to individual bravery.

Wei Shan and Wei Shan are called family boys, but they have been in the army all year round. Before Wei Yue, they had followed Wei Shang to the battlefield.Having experienced several wars, under the influence of his ears and eyes, he can't lead the army, but he can tell the general history of the war.

Gongsun Ao prefers to learn from Xiong Bo, and he trains his arm strength when he has the opportunity, the goal is to draw a strong bow; Wei Qing often follows Wei Shan, listening to him talk about the beacon fires in border counties, the scheduling of parts, and the coordination of cavalry and cavalry, and he can always hear them Fascinated.

Knowing the learning status of several people, Zhao Jia promised Wei Qing that as long as he could recognize a thousand characters, he would give him a copy of the military book.

The effect is immediate.

Stimulated by the art of war, Wei Qing's literacy speed increased exponentially, leaving Gongsun Ao and others far behind.When taking care of the foal, I don't forget to carry a thin wooden stick for writing, which puts pressure on other teenagers and boys.

Pressure quickly turned into motivation. Even Gongsun Ao, who suffers from headaches when writing, would use his free time to gesture on the ground.Lu Xin and the other five stayed with him, and gradually learned a lot of characters.

To Zhao Jia's surprise, Wei Qing was not counted. Among the remaining teenagers and boys, Alu was the fastest learner.This little wolf cub-like boy is smarter than anyone imagined.

By the end of March, most of the fields in Bian County had been plowed and sown.

Relying on cattle plowing, new plows and composting methods posted by Guansi, experienced farmers are saying that as long as the weather is good and the weather is good, natural disasters are avoided, this year must be a good year.

Before Wei Yue set off for Yuanyang City, he drew a picture of the saddle and stirrup and presented it to Wei Shang face to face.

After a brief surprise, Wei Shang immediately realized the importance of this kind of harness, immediately put away the drawings, and told Wei Yue that he must not tell outsiders, let alone privately, if he has not heard of him when he is going to Yuanyang City. build.

"I will write a memorial and send it to Chang'an. Before the emperor's will, this matter must be kept secret."

Having been stationed in the frontier for more than ten years, Wei Shang knows more about the limitations of the frontier army than anyone else.With the saddle and stirrup, tactics can change.Even if the riding skills are not as good as the Huns, after the arrows are shot out, they can still hold weapons against the Huns.

As long as the imperial court orders large-scale equipment of this kind of harness and trains elite cavalry as soon as possible, Wei Shang will be able to lead troops out of the fortress to face Xu Bushi head-on in five years.

For this old opponent, not only Wei Shang, but everyone in Yunzhong County has the same idea: we must get rid of it and then hurry up!

On the day Wei Yue set off, Wei Shang's memorial was delivered to Chang'an.

Because the stirrups and saddles were too important, the columbine cart brought back from the livestock farm was forgotten by Wei Taishou.When I think about it, spring plowing is coming to an end.

Thinking of all the things that happened in recent months, and thinking of Zhao Jia's request not to get credit, Wei Shang stopped writing, pondered for a long time, and put away the written bamboo slips again.As for the columbine car, it has not been promoted in Yunzhong County, so we can wait for the next year to talk about it.

What happened in Yunzhong City will not affect Zhao Jia for the time being.

After entering April, he traveled between the livestock farm and the village every day, and occasionally went to the military market, so he was very busy.

According to the agreement with Wei Qing'e, Wei Xia and Wei Qiu were sent to the livestock farm to study with Mrs. Sun.Wei Qing'e was bored at home, and every time he came to the livestock farm, he had to take Zhao Jia for a run.Even though nine out of ten times she was left behind, the girl still enjoyed it.

The wheat that was exchanged for horses was brought in, and it was quickly ground into flour.

Three new stone mills were added to the livestock farm, and the smallest diameter was over one meter.

According to Zhao Jia's cognition, such a stone mill needs animal power to pull it, and I don't want to be turned over by reality again.Not to mention Qing Zhuang and servant farming, Lu Xin and Gongsun Ao can easily push the millstone, plus A Lu and A Man, in just one afternoon, the wheat sent by the prefect's mansion was reduced by one-fifth, and all of them were Grind it into flour and send it to the warehouse.

Several teenagers shook their arms and sat back to back, gulping warm water.

Tired is indeed tired, but not to the point of being unbearable.In fact, what bothered them the most was not lack of strength, but dizziness when they kept turning in circles, and they felt like they were stepping on cotton.

Zhao Jia was dumbfounded, Sun Nai smiled and lifted the boys up, waited until the steamed cake came out of the pan, cut it horizontally, spread the sauce on it, filled it with roasted rabbit meat and pickled vegetables, and let the boys open their bellies and eat to their fullest.

This is a way of eating invented by Zhao Jia, and it soon spread among villages and livestock farms.

Nowadays, restaurants in Yunzhong City have similar steamed cakes, but unlike the dough cakes made by Mrs. Sun, most of them are dead noodles.

Because the border residents are accustomed to eating millet as their staple food, they don't grow much wheat, and meat and sauce are added to it, so the price of this kind of cake is a little high.Considering the price, the border residents would only buy it once in a while, but the Hu merchants who entered the city became big customers, especially the cakes with thick sauce, often buying a dozen or twenty pieces at a time.

Seeing the teenagers eating steamed cakes without looking up, Zhao Jia vaguely felt that he had forgotten something.

Leaning against the bay red horse, holding a grass stalk in his mouth, Zhao Jia crossed his arms and tapped his elbows with his fingers, once, twice, three times, his black eyes lit up, and the grass stalk was spit out to the ground immediately.

"Honey, take the mutton, green onions and leeks!"

Hearing Zhao Jia's excited voice, the women stopped what they were doing and looked over curiously.

"Why do you want these, Mr. Sun?" Mrs. Sun was digging the dough in the basin onto the chopping board, when she heard the sound, she raised her head with a puzzled expression on her face.

"steamed stuffed bun!"

Zhao Jia asked people to prepare mutton while talking, and told Mrs. Sun how to make the buns.After the latter listened, he continued to knead the dough in his hands, and called two strong women to chop up the shaved leg of lamb.

"Actually, beef tastes better." Looking at the minced meat in the pot, Zhao Jia muttered to himself.

Considering the importance of farm cattle, the idea of ​​eating beef buns can only be suppressed temporarily.I keep comforting myself that when there are more cows in the farm, I can always have a real treat.

It is worth mentioning that the bullocks bought from Wuhuan merchants have already been put on nose rings.The strong cows that were unruly and took people for a walk before, can now be pulled by a boy with a rope.

After the buns are wrapped, there is no special steamer, so we can only use the steamer drawer to temporarily make do with it.

Accompanied by the gurgling sound of the hot water under the cage, the heat was steaming, and the smell of wheat and meat wafted together, which soon attracted nearby teenagers and children, and even the artisans who made farm tools stopped their movements and involuntarily sucked their noses.

The sound of the water is getting louder and louder, the steamer is filled with hot air, and the white mist is like fog.

"Stay away from me, sir, it's hot." Mrs. Sun reminded me.

Only then did Zhao Jia react and took half a step back.Looking around, everyone was staring at the cage, their performance was not much better than him.

When Uncle Xiong and the young men returned, the first basket of buns had already been baked.

The chubby buns were squeezed together, constantly emitting heat.Since this is my first attempt, the buns are of different sizes, and the thickness of the dough is uneven. Some of them have been soaked in gravy, but the aroma is even more attractive.

"what is this?"

Qing Zhuang and the servants sent the cattle back to the pen, put down the farm tools, looked at the buns in the cage, and swallowed unconsciously.

Aunt Sun looked at Zhao Jia, who was picking up a mutton bun with long chopsticks, and said with a smile, "Buns, everyone have a taste."

"steamed stuffed bun?"

Uncle Xiong washed his hands in the bucket, shook off the water stains, and grabbed one with his hand, not afraid of being scalded, and bit off half of it in one bite.

"Hiss—good, the taste is very good!" Uncle Xiong finished the steamed stuffed bun in three or two bites while puffing, and wanted to reach for another one, but found that the cage was already empty.

"Sister, steam more!" Zhao Jia ate the whole bun, feeling very satisfied, "After steaming, leave half a steamed bun, and I'll send it to sister."

"promise!"

The women were busy for more than an hour, and the steamed buns were piled up into a hill, which still failed to fill everyone's stomachs.In the end, I steamed two more pots of millet rice, paired with sunflower seeds, and finally I was able to sit down and rest.

Zhao Jia will not be a good person, but he will not be so dark that he will not let the young and the servants eat enough.

Realizing Zhao Jia's kindness, everyone worked harder, and they could finish seven or eight days' work in five days.After the work in Tianzhong is finished, he will also offer to help repair the fence and drive away the wild animals, which really helps a lot.

Uncle Xiong discussed with Zhao Jia that these people should be hired next year.

"After the autumn harvest, you might as well buy more land. With new plows and oxen, no matter how many fields you have, you can open them up."

In the early Han Dynasty, the land was vast and sparsely populated, especially in border counties, and the imperial court had always encouraged land reclamation.

The livestock farm had no production before, and Zhao Jia didn't have much money left, so all the available resources were inherited from Zhao Gongcao.Now that there is a reward from the emperor, plus the surplus after the autumn harvest, after excluding all expenses, at least it can buy nearly a hundred acres of land.

"Even if it's a wasteland, it doesn't matter. Use the method of composting, plant a stubble of beans, and then plant millet in the next year. With the method of long farming mentioned by Mr. Lang, the harvest should not be bad."

"After the autumn harvest, the servant will lead people to build a few new circles, and the wooden house in the livestock farm will be expanded."

These are all useful suggestions, Zhao Jia went through them in his mind, and quickly made a final decision.

At the end of April, the grassland is covered with green, dotted with colorful wild flowers, attracting groups of gazelle, and occasionally two or three wild horses.

Because sheep often stay with wild horses, it adds a lot of difficulty to the frontier troops who set up horses.Fortunately, all the wild horses were dispatched by experts, but if any wild horse was found, it counted as one.

The field is full of vitality, no matter whether it is millet or wheat, it grows extraordinarily luxuriantly.Uncle Xiong and his servants stood guard at the edge of the field, looking at the millet and wheat in the field, they could almost expect the millet and wheat grains to hang together in clusters and bend the stalks.

"Uncle Xiong, can you talk to Mr. Lang, after the autumn harvest, will you give me some millet in addition to the wages?" asked a servant.

"He Zhong, Mr. Zhao Lang treated me generously, and asked me to come to work next year, how could he be so greedy." Another servant frowned.

"Working should be paid for. The millet in the field grows so well, it's all because of my efforts, so what if we need more food?" He Zhong said unconvinced.

"What are you talking about? You probably forgot that we survived because Mr. Zhao borrowed food!"

Most of them borrowed food from Zhao's family after the snow disaster, and paid off with labor this year.

Zhao Jia didn't have to pay wages, just provide a meal.As a result, not only the wages, but also enough to eat two meals a day, so not satisfied, but also want an extra grain, anyone who judges it will think it is too much.

Before the matter was revealed, several servants were moved even though they knew it was an act of greed.Hearing the elder's words, seeing Uncle Xiong's eyes, the thoughtful person's face was flushed, wishing he could find a crack in the ground and slip in.

Uncle Xiong stared at He Zhong without any expression on his face.He looked down at the other party until he let out a deep breath.

"If I had known this before, I shouldn't have thought of hiring you again, let alone tell my husband."

"Uncle Xiong, this matter..." The elder servant wanted to speak, but Uncle Xiong stopped him.

"There's no need to say anything, I'll clear things up today, and give me an explanation tomorrow."

After leaving these words, Uncle Xiong stood up and left with a few young men, not giving the servants a chance to intercede.

"He Zhong, after you go back today, don't come here again." The elder servant said.

"I, I... Uncle, please help me to plead, I was just confused for a while! I have a wife and children at home, so I can't lose this job!"

"It's useless." The eldest uncle shook his head and said in a deep voice, "You are too greedy and don't know how to be satisfied. I don't know what else you can do if you stay here. Everyone has wives and children, and Ah Tian has to support the four in his family. Old man, it's not easy, but who is as greedy as you?"

"They all want what I said!" He Zhong raised his voice and pointed at a few men in the crowd, "You, you, and you! We have discussed it, and we all want food!"

"Is it true?" The elder looked at the three pointed out.

"...Yes." The three men's faces were flushed, and after He Zhong smashed the pot and told the time, place and the conversations of several people, they couldn't deny it after all.

"Come on, let's go too," said the elder uncle.

"Uncle, we just think about it, really!" A man said anxiously.

"Don't worry, you didn't make it to He Zhong's step after all. I will plead with Uncle Xiong. If it really doesn't work, everyone will give you some of the wages when the wages are paid."

Once the matter was uncovered by He Zhong, it was impossible to cover it up.If you help these three people hide it, the rest of the servants will be implicated.

The three servants nodded in shame, and kept silent.

Only He Zhong was still gnashing his teeth. Seeing that no one was willing to help him, he said angrily, "I just said a word, and I didn't do anything evil, so you want to drive me away? I have been working here for nearly three months. If you don’t give me millet, you will give me three thousand dollars! If you don’t give me wages, I will go to the official temple to sue! The official temple ignores it, and I will hang my family in front of his house!”

"Who said you won't be paid?"

While the servants were talking, Uncle Xiong went back and forth, accompanied by Zhao Jia who met halfway.

Zhao Jia sat on the horseback, looking down at He Zhong who was blushing.A year ago, he might have been disappointed or even angry, but after seeing Zhang Tong and others, He Zhong's behavior didn't arouse much emotion in him.

"Ji Bao."

"The servant is here."

"Go back to Uncle Hu and get three thousand coins."

"promise!"

Ji Bao rode away, and when he passed by He Zhong, he raised his whip suddenly, causing him to raise his arms to cover his head and face in fright.After a long time, the expected pain never appeared.He Zhong lowered his arms and found that Ji Bao had already gone far away.

"This elder," Zhao Jia looked at the eldest uncle, and said gently, "Uncle Xiong still needs to take care of the livestock farm, and the field affairs cannot be considered comprehensively. If the elder is willing, he can sign a long-term contract with me and work together with Uncle Xiong. Help me tend these fields."

"Xie Langjun, I am willing!"

After Ji Bao came back, in front of everyone, Zhao Jia threw the copper coin to He Zhong, then turned his horse's head around without looking at him again.

"Lang Jun, He Zhong borrowed grain last year, and his wife learned that he would come to work next year, and borrowed a lot of millet from the livestock farm. Now that he has left with his wages, it is time for someone to fetch the millet back. " Xiong Bo said.

"No need." Even if you don't come back after you go, is it hard to grab it?The world sympathizes with the weak, and if it is exaggerated, what is reasonable will become unreasonable.

"Lang Jun, this matter..."

"After we go back, let He Zhong's family move out of the village. Then tell He Lao that I will drive him away," Zhao Jia said.

Similar things kept happening, and Zhao Jia also began to reflect on himself, and then gradually understood that the more humble and gentle the attitude towards some people, the more he would be considered deceitful.Sometimes, being domineering is not a bad thing.As long as he doesn't do evil, who can blame him for anything?

In the martial arts big man, in the border county, which is always facing the threat of survival, he bears some bad names. In a sense, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

"It's so good." Xiong Bo breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhao Jia grabbed the reins, glanced at Uncle Xiong, and then at Ji Bao who had a face that should have been like this, laughed lowly, kicked the horse's belly with his heel, and galloped away.

Changan

Empress Dowager Dou finally dissipated, and the gate of Changle Palace was opened to Liu Xing again.

After this lesson, Liu Xing's attitude became much more restrained, and instead of mentioning Chen Jiao's being the princess, he told Empress Dowager Dou about the interesting things in Chang'an City. Six wins.

"The man who stopped Crazy Horse before?" Queen Mother Dou asked.

"Exactly."

"You mentioned him bravely several times, do you want to recommend him as an official?"

"I can't hide anything from my mother." Liu Xun laughed.

"Yes." Empress Dowager Dou closed her eyes, and when Liu Xun couldn't hold back her smile, she said, "Let him be a guard under Dou Fu."

Dou Fu is the younger brother of Empress Dowager Dou, and served as the guard of Changle, in charge of the Queen Mother's carriage and horses and the guards of Changle Palace.

Wei Shicheng is an official of Wei Wei, with a rank ratio of three hundred stones.Although it will be labeled as "Dou's family", for a Lang official with no family background, this starting point is definitely not low.Furthermore, Zhang Cigong was nominated by Princess Guantao to enter the court, even if he was not arranged in Changle Palace, he would still be inseparable from Dou's relatives.

"Thank you mom!"

The mother and daughter had another conversation, and Empress Dowager Dou seemed a little tired.Liu prostitute got up and resigned knowingly, and told Chen Jiao to stay with the queen mother, and said nothing else.

When Chen Jiao finished reading a piece of "Tao Te Ching", Empress Dowager Dou signaled her to stop, called the young mansion, and said in a deep voice, "Where did the eldest princess go?"

"Back to the queen mother, the eldest princess went to Weiyang Palace."

"Are you going to the Jiaofeng Palace?"

"Going back to the Queen Mother, I went to see Your Majesty."

"Weiyang Palace, Son of Heaven..." Empress Dowager Dou murmured in a low voice, her brows furrowed more and more tightly, and finally condensed into a word "Chuan".