Originally thought this year would be a difficult year, but it was much smoother than expected. The severe drought did not damage the root of Yangzhou, and the rebel Shi Le, who was entrenched in Yu and Yan, was beheaded again. The emperor's position is becoming more and more stable, and the commercial tax for connecting airlines has been charged a lot. Seeing that the first day of the year was approaching, Sima Rui also let go of his worries and smiled a little more on his face.
"I don't know if Bingzhou will present a congratulatory gift this year." Sima Rui smiled and said to Wang Dao, "The fat powder and flower essence presented last year are really easy to use, and even the princess is looking forward to it."
Now there are many Bingzhou goods sellers on the market in Jianye, but the price is really high. Some of them could not even flow into the market, and were directly captured by Gaomen. Although Sima Rui is expensive as a Taifu, his net worth is not comparable to Jiang Zuo's clan reading. If he can continue to receive worship from Bingzhou, it will be better.
Unexpectedly, Director Wang's face became solemn when he heard this: "Now that the drought in Jiangdong has eased, how can the king not think about the suffering of the people and indulge in pleasures instead?"
Hearing this, Sima Rui was startled, and quickly said: "What Maohong said is that he was rash."
In the past year or so, thanks to Wang Dao's internal control and Wang Dun's external control, the situation in Yangzhou has gradually stabilized. There are still many things in the court and the public, and they have to rely on the Wang clan of Langya, so he naturally has to obey Wang Dao's advice humbly.
Seeing Sima Rui's blunt apology, Director Wang's expression softened a little: "The value of the gift is not important, it only depends on Mr. Liang's attitude. However, no matter how precious the gift is, it will not be worth the tax. When the famine years pass, try to collect three more gifts. State land, control salt and iron."
There was a severe drought this year, and Bingzhou reported to the court early to ask for relief. Where is the surplus money and food in Yangzhou? But tax deductions are still available. I heard that Bingzhou is carrying out construction projects, I am afraid it is also to consume the influx of refugees as much as possible. He was able to keep Si and Ji An stable during a severe drought, and even killed Shi Le and recaptured Hedong. Such a feat, even Director Wang thought he could not do it.
However, the more capable Liang Feng was, the greater the threat to the court. How could Xiao En and Xiaohui be compared to threats, so Wang Dao naturally wanted to persuade him.
Sima Rui nodded again and again. But in the bottom of my heart, there is some disbelief. The imperial court threw the entire northern land to Liang Feng, asking for money but no money, but no food, not to mention sending troops to support him. The situation in Bingzhou is so difficult, how can there be surplus grain to be turned over? It is better to count on Wang Dun, who went north, to stabilize Yuzhou.
Of course, it would be even better if Bingzhou and the pseudo-Han were both defeated, and Master Wang went north.
After all, it is still necessary to slowly figure it out. Sima Rui took the trouble of the Beidi to the bottom of his heart, and discussed with Wang Dao about setting up the prefectures for overseas Chinese and settling the northerners.
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When he woke up, Liang Feng felt extremely cold, and the silk quilt on his body couldn't resist the chill. Has it cooled down again? He rubbed his eyes and wanted to roll over and sleep for a while, but Yiyan said, "It's snowing."
What? Liang Feng turned over with a bang, and walked quickly to the window. I saw a vast expanse of white outside, the ground was covered with more than an inch of snow, and there were still snowflakes in the sky. It was really snowing!
"Ruixue is a good year!" Liang Feng couldn't help but be overjoyed. This winter, the three states have generally carried out deep ploughing, and winter wheat has also been planted. This snow is more precious than any treasure.
A fox fur cloak was draped over his shoulders, and Yi Yan wrapped his hands tightly around the person: "My lord has worked hard for a year, and God has mercy on him."
"It's good to have snow, but you can't let it go. You have to do a good job of preventing insects..."
Halfway through speaking, he suddenly stopped. These can wait until the office to say. Relaxing his shoulders, Liang Feng leaned against Yi Yan's arms. The warm fur and the same warm body temperature drove the cold away from the body.
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Day after day, the harsh winter gradually receded. Spring is coming.
"I'm back, I'm back at last!" Leaning on the door and overlooking, a woman with a weathered face in a jingchai skirt called out loudly.
This voice caused the whole family to squeeze in front of the door. Not far away, a man in a sackcloth jacket quickly walked towards him. Although his body was completely covered in dust and half of his jacket was torn apart, the man's face was full of joy.
"Are you here?!" Before the man entered the room, the woman rushed up and grabbed his sleeve.
"Come on! Thanks to Lu Er and the others for their help!" The man laughed and took out a cloth bag from his arms. The woman screamed and wanted to snatch it, but he flashed, "This time, it's going to be placed in the field!"
"Silkworms will hatch next month, so naturally they are raising silkworms!"
Seeing the two arguing, the old man standing next to them interrupted them: "Don't argue, don't argue. It's good to divide such a big package into two halves."
Seeing his father say that, it is not easy for the two of them to take it again. The old man smiled and said, "Open it up and see!"
The man then flattened his palms and carefully opened the square cloth. I saw a piece of mud standing upright inside, not very big, round, and the front end was stepped on by someone, and there were still shoe prints.
However, this piece of mud made the old man and the woman exclaim at the same time: "But the horns?"
"Exactly!" The man smiled wide-eyed, "I stole it from Liu Wu's feet, half a bull's horn!"
This "bull" naturally refers to the clay ox used for whipping spring, which was specially placed by the county magistrate in the south of the city to welcome the God of Mang. And the mud on the spring cattle is precious to farmers. Putting it in the field can help a good harvest, and covering the silkworm seeds can protect the spring silkworms. Which whip spring, isn't the struggle turned upside down
Being able to grab the horns is a great auspicious sign!
"Good! Good! Good!" After shouting three times, the old man's voice changed with joy. "This spring, we must farm and raise silkworms well, and live up to the blessings of gods and Buddhas!"
Yes, their family of five actually survived the calamity of the Great Famine! In the past, who would dare to think? With such gods and Buddhas there, we must work hard to cultivate and raise silkworms with diligence this year, and live up to the care of the Buddha!
From the northernmost Yanmen to the easternmost Leling, the three prefectures of Bing, Si, and Ji, all large and small counties, all began a year of farming with the sound of gongs and drums.
Ploughing, weeding, sowing, and even opening up deserted fields, everyone is very busy. And the size is so long, and there is no idle time. Assigned to them, there is the same heavy responsibility.
A loud gong sounded in the field, and a group of people rushed up immediately, using shovels, picks, and rakes, and after a while, they dug a large hole, revealing the white eggs inside.
This kind of thing, in the usual way, I am afraid that some people will hate it, and even can't bear to look at it. Today, however, the surrounding farmers all widened their eyes with surprises on their faces.
"Hurry up! Hurry up and pack it up!" Without the yamen's urging, someone started first and shoveled all the clods with worm eggs into the basket. I checked it carefully again and made sure that nothing was missed before I stopped.
Without resting, the people immediately rushed forward. Among this group of people, there are not many young and strong people, most of them are old people and children, turning the stones one by one to check the cracks in the soil. Once the eggs are found, they will swarm again.
From sunrise to noon, the team finally stopped. The yamen who led the team took out a cauldron and an incense table and placed them on the open space. Incense case lit, firewood burning. The official ordered people to pick out the eggs and pour them into the pot, then poured a bag of noodles and a pinch of salt, and stir-fry them together.
After a while, the strong aroma wafted out of the pot, causing the people around who had been working for a long time to drool.
Seeing that the frying was almost done, the official shouted, "Get the pot and serve!"
Immediately, someone placed the pot in front of the incense table. As the officiant, the official stood in front of the table and bowed deeply three times, and then recited the prayer aloud. This sentence is very simple, nothing more than welcoming the Yaksha God and giving him a full meal. After reciting the prayer, he took a few steps back and signaled that dinner could be served.
I have seen it many times before, and the group of farmers immediately formed a long queue and came to the incense table one by one. Some people took out wooden bowls, some held plates, and the yamen served them with a spoonful of rice. I saw that the fried noodles in the bowl were golden yellow, exuding a strange fragrance like the fragrance of meat and wheat. No one would waste such a good thing. After taking the fried noodles, everyone immediately devoured it.
This taste is simply stronger than the chicken pancakes I ate during the Chinese New Year!
A worthy offering to the Buddha! I am afraid that only the Buddha can turn that terrifying insect pest into a delicious meal!
From old to young, no one was willing to waste a little bit. Some people even took the water bladder they carried on their body, and even had to rinse the bowl twice, without letting go of the residue, and poured it all into their mouths.
This is just a worm's egg. If the locust grows and eats the grains and grass, wouldn't it be more delicious like a chicken becoming a hen? Many people think secretly in their hearts, and some are smart enough to memorize those few prayers early. If they find worm eggs at home, they will surely turn locusts into flesh and benefit their families!
In less than half an hour, a pot of noodles was cleaned up.
After having a full meal and resting for a while, the group beat gongs and drums again, looking for new pests.
In this year when everyone has no oil in their mouths and no meat all day long, there is nothing more tempting than eating. The locust eradication work in various counties and counties has been carried out vigorously and smoothly. However, with the blessing of the Buddha in the three states, they dared to move this calamity. The next state and county are not so lucky.
With the end of the spring cold, the little worm burrowed out of the soil, vibrated its wings, and rushed towards the newly-emerged fields.
The author has something to say: In the May of the fourth year of Yongjia’s reign, the great locust, from You, Bing, Si, Ji to Qin Yong, was exhausted.
This is another straw that broke the back of the Western Jin Dynasty in the original history.