It's autumn again,
Autumn is the harvest season of the year. The princes who were no longer bound by the emperor seemed to feel that it was time to harvest. They took off the titles that had been on their heads for many years and began to establish themselves as kings.
First, Hua Yuzhi of Qi proclaimed himself King of Jiaodong.
Neighboring Luzon was unwilling to fall behind, so he immediately proclaimed himself King of Changshan.
After that, the King of Chu proclaimed himself King An of Chu, and the rulers of Wei, Song and Lu also called themselves kings in various ways.
Even Han Quanlin, who had been defeated repeatedly in Hanyang by Jin's general Mo Qiaosheng and had been besieged in the capital Nanzheng for several months, named himself the King of Han in an attempt to satisfy his desire to be a king before his complete defeat.
Only the State of Jin, which has been in the limelight in the past two years, has been slow and has not made any moves.
At this time, the capital of Jin State was Bianjing. Xiao Jin, the internal envoy of Zhili, walked five miles outside the city before he found his master at the edge of a farmland.
Cheng Qianye, Marquis of Jinyue, and Cui Youyu, Grand Chancellor, were squatting side by side on the ridge of a field, looking at the soil that had become fertile due to irrigation from the newly built water conservancy project.
Standing in a row behind the two of them were Cheng Feng, Xia Fei and a group of guards.
They looked helplessly at their noble lord, who was accompanying that madman Cui and playing in the mud, with his hands covered in mud.
Cui Youyu, who usually kept silent in the court, was now squatting beside his lord and boasting: "We have now diverted the Ji River to irrigate the Bianzhou area. By using the river water for irrigation and flushing, the land near Bianjing that contained too much salt and alkali has become fertile farmland. According to what I have learned, the per-acre yield of the people this year has increased a lot compared to previous years."
Cheng Qianye touched his chin with his muddy hands: "But I heard that the Jiaodong area is planting winter wheat, now Zimeihe, Lai Zimeimai, and can harvest twice a year. However, a lot of our land still needs to be left fallow in rotation, so our 200 mu of land cannot even match their 100 mu of land. We are at a disadvantage."
Cui Youyu is very professional in water conservancy construction, but knows nothing about farming. He was stunned by the question.
Xiao Jin stepped forward and bowed: "My lord, you asked me to find you. Tomorrow is your establishment ceremony. Why are you still here?"
Cheng Qianye stood up and washed his hands in the basin that Biyun and Xiaoqiu brought to him. "Isn't it just a change of title? Just go through the formalities tomorrow. It doesn't mean that you will really become the ruler of the world just by calling yourself a king."
Although she said this, she still pulled her clothes and followed Xiao Jin back.
"Master Xiao, do you know the question I just asked? Why can't our country have two crops a year?"
Xiao Jin said embarrassedly: "I am ashamed. Although I am the internal envoy of Zhili, I am in charge of the grain rent, salt and iron money of the whole country for my lord. But I am not proficient in farming."
Cheng Qianye waved his hand: "How can I blame you? You come from a noble family and followed me into the army. How could you possibly know anything about farming? The post of Zhili Neishi is to manage the national finances, which is very important. You have a serious personality and I trust you very much. You are the most suitable person for this position."
Xiao Jin was very touched. He said, "Due to the different soils, only wheat and beans are suitable for growing in the Jiangcheng area in the north of Jin. In Bianjing, it is suitable for growing millet, sorghum, wheat and barley, which is much better. I heard that only in Song and Wei, and in the territory of Jiaodong King Hua Yuzhi, because of the fertile soil and developed agriculture, the skill of growing two crops a year is popularized."
Cheng Qianye muttered to himself, "I just asked a few old farmers. The soil in Bianjing is indeed much more fertile. The reason why we can't grow wheat and wheat is probably because we haven't organized people to systematically promote agricultural technology. How many years will it take for farmers to learn it spontaneously?"
Xiao Jin was somewhat surprised. At a time when all the countries were eager to expand their territories and prepare for war, he did not expect that his lord would focus a lot of attention on agricultural production.
To be honest, because he was born into a military family, he inevitably neglected the lives of the lower-class people.
But Princess Chiba, who was supposed to be kept in the deep palace and never had to do housework, paid great attention to improving the livelihood of the lower classes when she first took the position of lord.
She built water conservancy projects to increase farmers' income. She proposed a system of changing military service so that new soldiers could receive certain training before they officially joined the war, in order to reduce the number of new soldiers dying on the battlefield. She even fought for the opportunity for slaves to regain their freedom and established a system of conferring titles based on military merit to boost morale.
At the same time, during this period, the State of Jin had strict laws and a systematic official assessment system, which made the people living in the State of Jin feel more and more at ease.
Now the whole country is promoting county schools and holding examinations to select talents.
Now she began to think about popularizing agricultural knowledge.
Maybe Princess Chiba is really a born king.
Xiao Jin watched her grow step by step from her initial fearful and passive avoidance to the mature, steady, far-sighted and wise ruler she is today.
This is it. We in Jin State will never find a wiser monarch.
Even though she is a woman, I, Xiao Jin, am willing to follow her until death.
Xiao Jin thought in his heart.
Perhaps, I have the honor to witness with my own eyes the rise of our Great Jin and its domination of the world.
Along with the joy of the harvest, the people of Jin heard the news that their lord was crowned king.
In this year, Cheng Qianyu, the king of Jin, became the first king of Jin, and the reign was named Tianqi.
The first year of Tianqi.
The first national examination was held in Bian Jing, the capital of Jin State. Because it was the first time, the number of participants was small, less than two hundred people.
The examiners divided the scores into three grades: upper, middle and lower, and then presented the list and test papers to Cheng Qianye.
Cheng Qianye was leaning on a recliner in the Jianzhang Palace where Concubine Xu and Cheng Peng lived. She leisurely drank the tea prepared by Concubine Xu while casually flipping through the test papers of the A-grade candidates.
A student named Dong Bowen caught her eye.
In the test paper, he used ten questions to propose solutions, including the rational use of land and encouraging farmers to farm, which was exactly what Cheng Qianye wanted.
In particular, he was originally from Dingtao, Song State. He introduced in great detail the specific reasons why Song State's agriculture was advanced throughout the test paper. He even proposed to order grassroots officials to tour the counties, teach skills, and order farmers to work hard.
"Okay, what a talented person. I must meet him some other day." Cheng Qianye slapped his thigh, picked up the Mi Yunlong on the small table beside him and took a sip.
Concubine Xu was a woman who knew how to take care of others. She always burned a light-smelling calendula incense in her place, and the tea she picked up would always be of the right temperature and taste just right.
The house is always warm, neither too cold nor too hot.
The seat where Cheng Qianye sat was softly cushioned, and there must be her favorite snacks at hand. There was nothing that did not suit her taste.
Cheng Qianye began to like coming to her place often to experience the feeling of being a king and being well taken care of by his concubine.
What's more rare is that it is very quiet here. Unless she summons Concubine Xu, she usually doesn't disturb her when it's not necessary.
But today is a little strange, there always seems to be someone around me,
Cheng Qianye looked up and saw a palace maid with a beautiful face and delicate figure kneeling beside her, looking at her lovingly.
Seeing Cheng Qianye looking at her, she smiled shyly, stretched out her creamy hands, and gently massaged her calves.
Her massage technique was excellent, but her eyes made Cheng Qianye feel a little overwhelmed.
Cheng Qianye tapped the table with his fingers: "Xia Fei."
Xia Fei walked in from outside.
"What's going on?" Cheng Qianye glanced at the palace maid.
The beauty's face turned pale.
Xia Fei led the person out.
Concubine Xu then entered the room and apologized: "I failed to discipline the servants and disturbed my husband. It is my fault."
"I know you've always been gentle and generous." Cheng Qianye pulled her to sit next to him, "But look at our current situation. You can't be generous anymore. You better be strong and help me keep these unwanted peach blossoms out. Don't let them bother me again."
Concubine Xu lowered her neck and whispered softly, "This maid is a trusted person of the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother's intention is to bring one or two concubines of lower status to your side. Even if they are just in name only and have no substance, they will look better."
Cheng Qianye snorted softly. She understood what her mother meant, but she didn't want some young women to ruin their lives in vain.
"Okay, mother, I'll go and tell you. You are mine, just listen to me." Cheng Qianye looked into Concubine Xu's eyes, "Don't pay attention to those criticisms, I'll always be there for you."
Concubine Xu stood up and knelt down to salute: "Yes, I will do as my husband says."
Cheng Qianye smiled and shook his head. He suddenly understood the thoughts of the ancient emperors. It was really comfortable to have such a charming, gentle and considerate woman around you, trying to figure out your thoughts and obeying your words.
In Nanzheng, the capital of Hanzhong, Han Quanlin nervously watched the envoys returning from the enemy camp.
"How, how is it? Did he collect them all?"
"Congratulations, my lord. I accept them all. I accept all the gifts my lord has sent me." The envoy wiped the sweat from his forehead. He was terrified when his lord asked him to go to the enemy camp to meet the dreaded General Mo Qiaosheng.
"Mo Qiaosheng was very happy to receive the generous gift from the lord. He promised that as long as the lord opened the city and surrendered, he would not harm the lives of the soldiers and civilians in Nanzheng City."
"That's good, that's good." Han Quanlin's heart, which had been tormented for several days, finally calmed down a little.
"My lord, don't worry too much. I have inquired about it. This Mo Qiaosheng is not as cruel as the legend says. When he conquers cities, he basically never kills the surrendered." The envoy comforted Han Quanlin, "Gan Yanshou, who guards Qi County, was originally a minister of our country. After surrendering to Mo Qiaosheng, Mo Qiaosheng not only did not vent his anger on him, but also recommended him to be the governor of Zhengzhou."
Han Quanlin breathed a sigh of relief and sat limply on the throne.
Moqiaosheng!
He gnashed his teeth and thought, this lowly slave, who was just a dog kneeling in front of me and allowing me to humiliate him, has now forced me into such a situation.
Han Quanlin's skinny face was covered with wrinkles. He clenched his hands tightly and cursed, "But it doesn't matter. He just cut off my troops and trapped me in Nanzheng for a while. As long as I get through this difficult time, I still have a chance to make a comeback."
"Mo Qiaosheng, don't be too proud of yourself, my lowly slave. If one day you fall into my hands, I will make you regret ever having been born."
The envoy looked at his lord with a ferocious face sitting on the throne and sighed deeply in his heart.
It's time to surrender, but the lord is still thinking about something unrealistic. If the lord hadn't been so lustful that he tried to insult such a powerful general, how could Hanyang's century-old ancestral foundation be destroyed in an instant