Hanhou

Time flies, and it is April in a blink of an eye.

In Mengxia season, the grains and wheat in the fields are green and green. Looking from a distance, the rice paddies are connected, forming a green carpet.

Farmers in Yunzhong County carried farm tools and walked among the fields, occasionally stopping on the ground, looking at the clear blue sky, there was no joy on their faces, but they sighed constantly, and their anxiety was palpable.

Since the beginning of April, the weather has been unusually hot, there has not been a drop of rain in the county, and the streams have dried up one after another.

There are two small rivers flowing in Shaling County, so there will be no shortage of water to irrigate the fields.

However, there are too many people using water, the water level of the river continues to drop, the water flow becomes thinner, and the river course is exposed.The village elders and Li Tian went to the river to see it, and they both had worried expressions on their faces.If it does not rain again, the river may be dry by May.At that time, the millet and wheat will all die in the field, and the harvest will be lost this year.

Spring plowing, summer planting and autumn harvest, only by ensuring food production can the frontier people have enough food and the frontier army can ensure sufficient combat effectiveness.It's a pity that the weather is not beautiful, and there will be a severe drought in summer.

In Zhao's livestock farm, five or six young and strong men surrounded the well, pressing down the iron handle in turn, watching the well water flow out of the nozzle, filling half of the wooden barrel, and couldn't help but let out a burst of wonder.

Zhao Jia bit a grass stalk and gave a thumbs up to the craftsmen.

Several craftsmen just smiled honestly, including Zhao Jia who invited blacksmiths from the city, none of them wanted to take credit for it, and they all said that they might not be able to make such a rare object without Mr. Zhao Langjun's advice.

"With this object, there is no need to worry about the depth of the well, and the boy can draw water."

After the young and mature, the women took turns to try, followed by the teenagers and children.A few mischievous village boys even leaned on the crank handle, laughing while pressing it. It seemed that they were clearly taking water fetching as a game.

"Lang Jun, Lu Lao can see the eyes of the water, and he said that there is a deep well in the upper reaches of the stream."

The weather was too hot, so Xiong Bo simply took off his coat.

Bronze-colored skin, an inverted triangle figure, and a body of strong muscles, strong but not bulky.Zhao Jia glanced at it twice, and then at himself, feeling extremely envious.

"Let the matter be arranged by Lu Lao." Zhao Jia chewed the grass stalk twice, and there was a hint of sweetness in the astringent taste.Along with wild berries, the sweet grass stalks are a favorite snack among children.

"With the water-drawing utensils, Ah Qing and I can deliver water. Let Ji Bao lead people to irrigate the fields, and Ji Xiong and Lu Lao go to dig wells."

After the manpower was properly arranged, Zhao Jia went to the cement cellar and the brick kiln respectively.A few days ago, Wei Yue sent half a truckload of gypsum and another batch of cement, enough for the livestock farm to use.

Wei Taishou ordered the construction of a fortress. The border residents were busy with spring plowing and summer planting, so they could not recruit conscripts on a large scale. Watchtowers were built, and house walls were built with cement and blue bricks. In less than two months, some fortresses could be put into use.

The progress of this project not only amazed the whole county, but also reassured the surrendered Hu people.After the Han soldiers entered the fortress, the leaders, priests, and even ordinary herdsmen had no other ideas, and they clung to the thighs of the Han Dynasty with all their hearts.

The effect is so remarkable, in addition to the strength shown by Bian Jun and the fierce deterrence of Yun Zhongqi, Zhou Jue Cao's contribution is also not small.

Taking advantage of his free time, Zhou Juecao met several leaders and priests respectively, and had a heart-to-heart talk.The content of the conversation was only known to the parties involved and the bigwigs of Yunzhong County. The result of the conversation was that the leader of the Qiang tribe patted his chest and expressed his firm support for the leaders of the Han Dynasty. The enemy is the headquarters of the Huns, so they can still fight to the death.

"The nature of wolves is intimidated by power." Zhou Juecao rode on a horse and said to Wei Yue who walked out of the camp and was about to go to the grassland again, "Third Young Master, don't be kind. Divide and rule, killing is more effective than caressing."

Zhou Juecao's words were very straightforward, and they coincided with Wei Yue's plan.

The two newly surrendered Qiang tribes did not have the treatment of their predecessors, not to mention being knighted by the court, and even the pastures for grazing are smaller.

This kind of differential treatment is destined to make it impossible for each other to twist together.If they want to get better pastures, and want to be as fat and rich as the other three Qiang tribes, they must show their value.

Human hearts are not enough.

After getting rid of the pursuit of the headquarters, the pursuit of the two Qiang tribes is no longer simply to save their lives, but to go to a higher level.

The warriors of the Qiang tribe who had gone to ride the camp in the clouds before, when they returned to the tribe, saw the leader and the priest, and said directly that if they wanted to win a place under the rule of Wei Taishou, they had to fight against another branch of the Yeli clan. Similarly, don't be shy, hug Han Qi's horse leg, sharpen his head to fight for the position of the auxiliary soldier.

Neither the leader nor the priest had any objection to this.On the contrary, the three Qiang tribes who surrendered at the front breathed out their nostrils, patted the short knives exchanged for the heads of the Huns, and tore the wheat cakes and lamb legs with big mouths, laughing at the wishful thinking of these latecomers.

If it wasn't for Wei Yue's words first, they would all want to take up the knife and teach these two Qiang tribes the rules.In their minds, they only thought that the other party wanted to shake their own position, but they completely forgot that before that, they were planning to attract newcomers to strengthen themselves.

Riding out of the camp in the clouds, the desolate horn sounded with the wind.

Knowing that Wei Yue was going north again, Hushi City was full of noise.The surrendered Qiang people were eager to go out with the army, impatient to bargain with the Wuhuan people, snatched the salt bag that the other party was weighing, wrapped it in animal skins, waved their hands, and shouted "the market is gone".

After saying that, he ignored the stunned Wuhuan, grabbed the animal skin bag and ran back to the tent, threw the things to the younger son, grabbed the bow, arrow and dagger, led the eldest son onto the horse, joined other Qiang people, and galloped out of the camp. Go straight to ride in the clouds.

Most Hu merchants are used to this kind of scene, but those who are newcomers don't know why.I only found out after asking others that these Qiang people who returned to the Han Dynasty were too busy fighting to do business.

"I didn't see other tribes like this when I was in the north." A Di person muttered.

"How can it be the same?" A Wuhuan man with a deep outline and a big beard sneered, "Following the Xiongnu headquarters, it is good if the spoils are not taken away. Like the Han family, the regulations are set in advance, and it is yours." Yours, you can exchange for more good things by cutting off the heads of the Huns."

The Di people just smiled and didn't answer.

After all, they still have to survive on the grasslands, no more than these Wuhuan people who have already half surrendered to the Han Dynasty.

The Wuhuan man didn't continue talking, and turned to walk towards the city flag.

He has gained a lot from this trip, and the horses he brought have all been sold out, and it is time to call up the manpower to prepare for the northward journey.

King Zuoxian's actions could not be concealed, more and more caravans heard the news, no matter Hu merchants or Han merchants, they subconsciously avoided Yu Shan's territory.The caravan did not arrive for a month, and the looted goods would eventually run out one day. They could not go to Youxian King's territory to rob. Going south was probably not worth the loss, so Yu Dan had to start to restrain himself.

It's a pity that the rumors have already spread, and it is by no means so easy to see the shadow of the caravan again.For this reason, voices of dissatisfaction appeared one after another under Zuo Xianwang's command, and Yu Dan killed a group of people before the voices were suppressed.

As far as common sense is concerned, such frequent killings are bound to cause problems.The paradox is that, frightened by Yu Shan's iron blood, his headquarters and other departments have quieted down, and there is no more provocative behavior.

At this moment, a caravan from the south entered King Zuoxian's pasture, led by Wuhuan people, and there were several Xianbei and Dingling merchants in the team.

Yu Dan also knew that he could not continue to act recklessly, so he strictly restrained the cavalry under his command. Instead of looting, he provided some protection for the caravan, in exchange for a lot of much-needed salt and food.

The caravan traveled around the territory of King Zuo Xian, and stayed in the grassland of King You Xian for a few days, and then went south with the traded cattle, sheep and horses, and returned to Yunzhong County.

The team was stationed in Hu City, and the businessman leading the team secretly entered Cloud City, and reported all the news they found during the trip, without missing a single bit.Being affirmed by Zhou Jue Cao, the excitement was uncontrollable, and the sense of satisfaction was almost overwhelming.

As far as the facts are concerned, even if Zhou Jue Cao asked them to assassinate the military minister Shan Yu, these few would not hesitate at all.

Wei Qing'e intends to go north with the caravan, but unfortunately Zhao Jia has been busy all the time, with constant work on the fields and livestock farms, and he may not be free after the autumn harvest, and the itinerary has to be postponed.

After careful consideration, Wei Qing'e handed over the land to Zhao Jia, and began to help Lu Lao organize people to search for water eyes near the village.At the same time, he discussed with Zhao Jia to take part of the livestock farm's production to the Hu Market for trading, so as to get acquainted with the merchants of various ministries and understand the customs of each ministries.During the process, I accidentally discovered that Wei Qiu is very talented in languages. No matter what language it is, he can roughly understand the meaning after listening to it a few times, and then repeat it.

Zhao Jia was surprised, thinking about his future plans, he specially invited Wei Qiu to come to the livestock farm to teach juveniles and children Huyu.You don't need to be familiar with it, just understand the meaning.

The battlefield between the Han army and the Xiongnu must be on the grasslands. If you can understand the language of the other side and get rid of the customs of the enemy, you can gain a certain advantage even if you get twice the result with half the effort.

"Don't worry, Ah Duo, leave this to me." Wei Qing'er's eyes were bright, and his slightly ordinary face was full of energy because of those bright eyes, making people unable to look away.

After sending Wei Qingmo away, Zhao Jia buried his head in the field again, getting busier day by day.

The tools for drawing water had already been brought into the city, and Wei Taishou personally sent people to bring craftsmen familiar with the process into the city, preparing to dig wells in various counties before May to prevent the river from drying up.

The Liannu had been made, and it was reported to Chang'an together with the cement, but there was no news about Zhao Jia's reward, and I don't know what the emperor planned.

Zhao Jia didn't care either.Not to mention the long conversation with Wei Yue, but based on his own knowledge, if he wants to achieve what he wants, military exploits are the way to advance.

After alleviating the water shortage problem, Zhao Jia fulfilled his promise and asked Wei Yue to help him find a few strong bows and give them to Wei Qing, Ah Zhi, and Ah Mai who were able to draw the horn bows.Agu and the others are weaker in strength, and they don't want to be left behind by their companions, so they can only practice hard every day.

Now, not to mention the strength of the bow, but just the accuracy of the arrow, the teenagers and children have steadily caught up with Zhao Jia.Especially Zhao Puonu and Wei Qing, after the third son of Wei personally took the school examination, it was not because of their age that he wanted to bring them into the army immediately.

Towards the beginning of May, the drought became more and more obvious.

Compared with Shaling County, which dug wells earlier, many counties such as Yangshou, which were a step behind, had a large number of dead millet seedlings, not to mention Dingxiang County, where the drought was more severe.

There was an old man standing by the field, looking at the surviving millet, his face became more and more sad day by day.

After a severe drought, there will be a plague of locusts.

With the help of the cement offered by Zhao Jia, Yunzhong County built the fortress in an astonishing time, making the Huns looking south fearful.But God is ruthless and insists on not giving the common people a way to live.

The drought is getting worse, and the locust plague is approaching again. The people in the border county, who have lived a stable life for a year, will be on the verge of extinction again.

Zhao Jia went to the fields every day to inspect the fields. Knowing the seriousness of the situation, he discussed with Uncle Xiong to give up part of the corn and wheat, and focus on a few hectares of fields that were growing well.

"Digging ditches, laying boards of hay on top of the ditches, and diverting water into the fields."

The river flowing through Shaling County is only wrist-thick, and the water is almost dry in the downstream.Zhao Jia knew that there was a shortage of water in the county, but he would not open up the livestock farms to let people get water.

Sheng Mien fights Mi Chou.

Previously, Lu Lao was asked to lead people to dig wells, and some villages farther away greeted them with smiles at first, but after Lu Lao found out the water hole, they turned their faces on the spot and drove away the well diggers.When people left, he turned around and dug the well by himself, and sent people to guard the well, strictly forbidding people from other villages to fetch water.

Zhao Jia was not angry when he heard the news.

The blisters on my feet were all stepped on by myself. Since I made a decision, I should bear any consequences.

Sure enough, it didn't take long to hear that there were conflicts between the village and the neighboring villages, and then internal rifts occurred, and even people were killed.The official temple investigated, and more than ten people were convicted and punished as Cheng Dan, and all of them were sent to build the fortress wall.

After this incident, Mr. Lu went out less, not because outsiders begged to come to his door, and he would never take people out of the village again.

By mid-June, there was a light rain in Bian County.Before everyone was happy, the rain clouds quickly dispersed, and the earth was dried out again, without any moisture.

Due to the timely stop loss, the four hectares of millet and wheat are growing well, and the ears of grain are hung with slurry, and the stalks are gradually bent.

Teenagers and children made webs out of wooden strips and coarse cloth. A Gu was ingenious and used wooden strips to circle arcs and stick spider webs on them. They were specially used to drive and catch birds and small animals, and the effect was quite good.

As July approached, Uncle Xiong and Uncle Hu cheered up and led people to patrol the fields day and night without daring to slack off.They even set up straw huts at the head of the fields, and slept beside the fields at night, regardless of the mosquito bites.

Such vigilance is not without merit.

In addition to the small animals stealing food, they also caught several thieves and wild men who wanted to steal the grain.

Unlike Uncle Xiong who was holding the severed millet and was full of anger, Zhao Jia's first reaction was surprise.Are these people going to escape?If not, Wei Taishou sent people to sieve in the county before, how could there be fish that escaped the net?

At this point, no matter how they escaped arrest, this time they were sent to the county town, and they would definitely not be able to escape again.

After this lesson, Zhao Jia did not dare to be negligent in the slightest, stepped up inspections of the fields, and tried to eliminate all hidden dangers.

However, God is ruthless and has no intention of pity the common people.

It was August, and the grain and wheat would not be harvested in time, and migratory locusts came overwhelmingly.

Nowadays, there is no rule that locusts cannot be killed, and even if there were, the border residents would not care.I can't live anymore, and I still care about "locusts" and "emperors", isn't it ridiculous?

Wei Taishou ordered, and the official temple quickly posted a notice, and all the soldiers were sent to the fields to exterminate the locusts.

Smoked and burned, and fanned with wooden boards and coarse cloth, everyone tried their best and tried their best, but they still couldn't stop the locusts.

Zhao Jia lit a fire on the field himself, and had to hold the wooden basin on his head to avoid being injured.Anything that catches locusts and fry them has become a joke at this moment.

The migratory locusts are coming fiercely, and when they hit people, they will inevitably leave a bruise.Having personally experienced it, Zhao Jiacai deeply understands that in the face of such a large-scale locust plague, there is really nothing that can be done under the current conditions.

At this time, Zhao Jia's rewards were sent from Chang'an. Except for the expected silk and copper coins, Emperor Jing did not raise his title, but directly awarded him a Langguan.

Logically, Zhao Jia is not yet old enough to be requisitioned by the court.However, Emperor Jing himself made the decree, and only gave it to Lang Guan, and did not directly confer real positions. The courtiers knew the interest, and no one voiced any objection.

Zhao Jia should have been happy to accept the decree.

As an alternate civil servant of the imperial court, he can join the army ahead of schedule, and with a noble duke, the starting point must not be low.With a bit of activity, it won't be a problem to bring Ji Bao, Zhao Xin and others into the army.

Thinking of this year's harvest, Zhao Jia couldn't be happier anyway.

The drought is not limited to border counties, and the locusts don't just eat food.The border county suffered a disaster, but the grassland may not be spared.Without grass, cattle and sheep will starve to death in large numbers, what will happen to the Huns?

Thinking of this, Zhao Jia's heart sank.

He seemed to be able to hear the horns of the Huns going south and see the blades of the bandits.

The disaster in Bian County was serious, and Chang'an received an emergency report. Emperor Jing issued an order to provide disaster relief, transport grain to Bian County, and strictly forbid alcohol and wine merchants to buy and sell.If it is found that someone is brewing wine with grain, they will be punished according to law.

The court was full of chills, and the nobleman Jiadi in the south of the city rarely heard the sound of singing, dancing and feasting.

Princess Yangxin married into the Marquis of Pingyang, and instead of leaving Beijing as usual, she got permission from the emperor to stay in Chang'an City.

The Hou Mansion is no different than the palace, and Yang Xin is no longer restricted by the king and queen.Having been in contact with Tian Fu a lot, she knew what she should do, followed the original plan, and began to collect beauties, looking for an opportunity to send them to Liu Che.

But all house children with good looks and soft figures will be picked out and taught by comedians.During the process, Mrs. Wei's second and third daughters, and Wei Qing's two sisters were among them.