In the early morning mist, the high-pitched cock crow sounded.
The person on the bed mumbled a few words in a daze, turned over, and continued to sleep.
The other person gradually woke up, yawned, and quietly savored the tranquility of the morning.
There was the creaking sound of the firewood door being pushed open.
A woman got up, opened the chicken coop, and called for the chickens to come and eat.
A group of chickens rushed out, occasionally accompanied by the sound of flapping wings and cooing as they competed for food.
The big yellow dog lay under the fence, barked twice, and soon began to whimper in pain and stopped barking.
There was an uninterrupted "crackling" sound in the kitchen separated by a wall, and the smoke flew up the chimney. When it rose to the treetops, it was blown by the wind and came in through the gap in the window.
The old man sleeping inside sat up, sniffed it gently, and said with a smile: "There is porridge to eat."
The man outside was still lying dead. After being woken up by the old man, he even murmured dissatisfaction and reached out to touch his forehead and temples. There was a hint of pain between his eyebrows. It looked like he was suffering from a hangover and a headache.
.
The old man stood up by himself, put on his clothes, opened the door of the main room, and looked outside.
The courtyard was buzzing with chickens and dogs, and it was extremely noisy.
When the farmers and soldiers saw it, they all saluted and then continued to do the things at hand.
The old man walked out of the courtyard gate and walked under the willow tree beside the road. He looked at the calm river and admired the green flowers and plants. After a long time, he sighed with satisfaction: "It would be great if I could live in seclusion here."
Wild fun.”
"Ji Gong is wrong." Another man staggered out of the fence gate, looked around, and said: "Look at these farmhouses, they have to leave home with hoeing before daylight, and return at dusk. This
I can't bear all the physical exertion."
"Young, you are still young." Ji Zhan said with a smile: "When you reach my age, your mood and thoughts will be different. Plant garden vegetables in the spring, melons and beans in the summer, cut cattails in the autumn, and eat turnips in the winter. This way
Are you having a bad time?"
"Not good." Xie Kun shook his head simply.
Not far away, a woman carrying a bamboo basket appeared. She was a little darker, but her chest was bulging, and she had a big, fertile butt. Xie Kun couldn't help but his eyes lit up and he whistled.
"Hiss--" It didn't work, it was a bit leaky.
Ji Zhan laughed loudly.
Xie Kun was a little embarrassed, but that was all. When facing women, he was particularly thick-skinned. With his family status and outstanding talents, he often made women stunned and took a lot of advantage.
Less cheaper.
"Youyu, what do you think of this place?" Ji Zhan asked.
Xie Kun put away his sultry expression and took a closer look.
By this time, the mist had dissipated, so he simply walked around the yard and said, "The land is vast and flat, with many ponds, which is beneficial for farmland irrigation."
"Looking at the japonica rice from a distance, it looks like it's growing very well. It's obviously been carefully taken care of."
"Every house has a pond in front of the house and a river behind the house. There are mulberry trees beside the pond, and taro plants are planted in the water. There are also fish in the pond, and they are very fat when caught in winter."
"There are cattails and reeds by the river. They can be cut down to make mats."
"There is a bamboo forest behind the house, where you can harvest bamboo shoots and make bamboo utensils."
"Rivers extend in all directions. Ji Gong, please see, the river behind the village is connected to the rivers to the west and east of the village. It may not be able to carry large boats, but we can build some small boats to carry grain, meat, fruits, vegetables, equipment and armor. Isn't it better than an ox cart?"
"There are mountains a hundred miles away to the west. There are mountain products in the mountains, and tea can also be grown."
"Ji Gong, I look around and see that this is a treasure."
After hearing this, Ji Zhan nodded slightly, then sighed and said, "It's a pity that there is no one."
Since the beginning of the Eight Kings Rebellion, people from the north have been moving southward. In total, there have been more than 300,000 people in ten years.
These people brought knowledge, technology, and culture to the South, which was of great significance.
But there is still a shortage of people.
If there were sufficient manpower, Jiangnan could develop more land, produce more money, grain, livestock, and armor, build more warships and vehicles, and train more land and sea soldiers.
Of course, Jiangnan's bigger problem than the lack of people is its lack of ambition and its preference to settle in a corner.
It's okay to be partial to one corner, and Ji Zhan doesn't think it's a big problem. But the prerequisite for partial security is that you have enough ability to hinder the enemy and can protect the land south of the Yangtze River.
King Langya has been going south for many years. After many years of management, and with the support of Nandu scholars and relatively enlightened southern wealthy families like them, he has basically established a firm foothold.
Even the Jiangdong natives who were dissatisfied with King Langya would not openly oppose it now - except for a rebellion that broke out at the end of last year, it has been stable for many years.
To put it bluntly, even the Soochow Hui and Jiangdong still need a leader. This leader can be a member of the Sun clan or a descendant of the Sima clan, it doesn't matter, as long as it can ensure the interests of their local people.
There are definitely conflicts, but with the active mediation and cover-up by Director Wang and others, they are generally within a controllable range.
Over the years, Jiangdong gradually formed a political situation with Sima Rui as the co-leader, scholars from the south, and Jiangdong's wealthy families trying to make peace.
Such a system is destined to be loose, inefficient, and at the same time partial to one corner.
As far as the wealthy families in Jiangdong are concerned, they hope that Sima Rui will break away from the Luoyang court and stop getting involved in the war in the north. Wouldn't it be better for everyone to live their own lives behind closed doors?
Strictly speaking, if you take out the Emperor's secret decree and appoint this person or that person, there are problems, but don't we all admit it? The most important thing in the world depends on harmony.
Wouldn't it be better to let Shao Xun and the Huns fight and fight each other until both sides lose? If the Luoyang court is gone, we support you to supervise the country and even go further. If the Luoyang court is still there, then maintain the status quo.
The Jin Dynasty has been played by the Xiongnu and Shao Xun and has no prestige. Why do you still linger on it? It is difficult to understand.
This is the mental state of Koto scholars - it may differ from person to person, after all, everyone's personality and values ​​are different, but the overall consciousness is like this.
Ji Zhan is very clear about this. He generally agrees with it, but there are differences on the details.
He believed that in order to maintain the situation in the south of the Yangtze River, the Huai River line was crucial - in fact, this was also the consensus and bottom line of the Soochow era. The competition between Wei and Wu in the Shouchun area was fierce.
Fortunately, his opinion was supported by the Nandu scholars headed by Wang Dao, so he quickly took office: "Commander of the Military Affairs in Yangzhou and Jiangbei", in charge of Shouchun, and governor of the defense in Yangzhou and Jiangbei.
This meeting will be on the way to take office.
"Commander, thank Sima, the porridge has been cooked." A soldier came over to remind him.
"Okay." Ji Zhan nodded, and returned to the private courtyard with Xie Kun to eat japonica rice porridge.
No one spoke during the meal, but everyone was silently thinking about their thoughts.
There were already soldiers and horses on the road outside the hospital starting to rush.
There are not many in number, just over ten thousand. Most of them are private soldiers of Jiangdong wealthy families, and a small number are refugees from the south and tribes of northern gentry.
As Shao Xun made rapid progress in Hebei, Jianye became nervous inside and outside, and began slow mobilization - if you were not nervous and took action at this time, you would be a fool.
The primary goal of mobilization is to stabilize the defense line along the Huai River, which is the lifeblood and top priority of Jiangnan.
Ji Zhan is responsible for the Shouchun front line.
"Youyu." After finishing the porridge, Ji Zhan stood up and said, "The Xie family is a famous family in Chen County. Is there any news?"
"Yes." Xie Kun said: "Ruyin, Chen County is extremely empty. If we use the navy warship to go up the water, we can go straight to Shao Xun's lair."
Ji Zhan waved his hand and said: "The king has not given permission to start the war without authorization, so we should wait."
"There is news from Pengcheng that an envoy from Shao Xun has arrived, requesting to prepare food, grass, medicine, and equipment. The army will arrive soon." Xie Kun said: "That's it. Is the king still hesitating?"
"It's easy to start a war, but it's not so easy to stop." Ji Zhan said: "After Shouchun, you should do your own thing first. Encourage farmers to teach crops, repair city defenses, train navy divisions, and reorganize the army. Do a good job.
These can remain unchanged and adapt to all changes.”
Xie Kun probably understood something.
In terms of their true nature, Jiangdong scholars are generally reluctant to conflict with Shao Xun, even if now is a good opportunity: with the navy heading north, there is no need to leave the river and go deep into the hinterland, directly destroying farmland and villages near the river.
That's it, and this is precisely the densely populated area where Shao Xun resettles refugees.
How confusing!
Xuzhou might start fighting one day, but Jianye was still looking forward and backward, which was really confusing.
"However." Ji Zhan added: "Sometimes if you want to achieve your goal, you may not necessarily need to take action directly."
"Ji Gong said..." Xie Kun seemed to have thought of something and asked subconsciously.
"Yeah." Ji Zhan nodded and said, "The boat master entered the Huai River, stationed at Yingkou, and practiced near the mouth of the vortex. What do you think will happen?"
"When the fleet commander arrives, Ruyin and Qiaopei will be shaken." Xie Kun said, "Shao Xun has worked so hard to build a police force in the rear and is under attack from both sides."
"This is the suffering of the Four War Lands in Henan." Ji Zhan said: "It is a fertile field thousands of miles away, with food and soldiers. If the four fortresses are still considered the country, then what's the point? How can all the good things be taken away by Shao Xun?"
"Let's go and get to Shouchun as soon as possible. I want to inspect the counties." Ji Zhan patted Xie Kun on the shoulder and said, "I don't know what's going on in the west."
"Du Tao was almost wiped out. Wang Chuzhong requested to attack Wancheng, but Jianye probably didn't agree..." The two people gradually moved away, and their voices gradually became less audible.
Chapter completed!