Although Luocheng is called a city, in fact, except for a few barracks in front and a few shops facing the street, the rest of the area is very empty. The North City area is particularly deserted, with a row of huts, a vegetable field, and a small mountain not far away.
compost pile.
An old man in short clothes, carrying a dung bucket, scooped out the golden juice with a dung ladle from behind the hut, filled two buckets, put it on his shoulders, and staggered along the path in the middle of the vegetable field to the retting site.
Pour it down in the pile, and then mix the chopped weeds with soil and manure juice. In summer, the temperature is high, and it only takes one or two months for the retting to mature. The other side of the manure pile faces the north gate.
The husband would use a small truck to load the conditioned manure from there and transport it to the fields.
Tunfu is also a soldier, but is not responsible for combat tasks. He is only responsible for farming. He is no different from ordinary farmers. The only difference is that farmers farm land for their own families, but the fields they farm are state-owned. Their living conditions are worse than those of ordinary farmers or even tenants.
It's worse, so it's no wonder that the villagers had no intention of opening up wasteland for farming, and fled with their families whenever they had the chance.
Xia Xun stopped at a distance and looked at the old man in charge of fertilization. Although he had never met him before, he knew that the man in front of him must be Wanshiyu, the prefect of Fuzhou. A scholar who had once been a prefect, was now reduced to this
Such a situation, it would be false to say that it did not have any impact on his spirit. Wan Zhifu mechanically carried the manure, like a walking corpse, and did not even notice a person standing not far away, quietly sizing him up.
After a while, Xia Xun raised his hand to stop the guards from following him, and walked towards the Wanshi Realm alone.
Wan Shiyu finally noticed someone next to him. He looked at Xia Xun with a dazed look in his eyes, but did not ask any questions.
Next to the vegetable field, an old farmer carrying a load of dung and a young man in a long-sleeved and wide robe faced each other. After a long while, Xia Xun asked: "I called you to work in the shogunate, why did you refuse to come?"
Only then did Wan Shiyu realize that the man in front of him was Duke Fu. He looked at the man who had changed his life's destiny with some surprise, and said forcefully: "I am stupid and incompetent. If I serve for the ministry, I am afraid that national affairs will be ruined, so I don't
Dare to agree."
Xia Xun smiled and said, "Oh? Could it be that being a fat old man is the right thing for you to do now?"
Wanshiyu raised his head and said solemnly: "I am very happy with this."
Xia Xun said: "Is your family happy with it too?"
Wan Shiyu's cheek twitched and said nothing.
Xia Xun pressed the lapel of his robe, sat down on the ridge of the field, and said in a homely manner: "I know very well the reason why Mr. Futai banished him to Liaodong. The governor is also very clear about your desire to protect the people of Fuzhou. In fact,
, what I did was the same as yours. When I was suppressing the Japanese, I imposed some cruel laws and punishments, but the purpose was also to make the people along the coast live a better life.
Do you know what the situation is like along the coast today? Japanese pirates have become a thing of the past. The Sino-Japanese trade has benefited all the coastal people. Now that the Japanese have tasted the benefits, the bandits have been suppressed even more vigorously. The lives of the coastal people have not only returned to normal, but are also better than before.
It was better in the past. Chen Zuyi, the big thief on the southeastern coast, is now mostly in Nanyang and does not dare to invade our coastal areas of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and Zhejiang."
Xia Xun said unceremoniously: "Facts have proved that my governor's strategy is correct, but your opinion is not wise! Furthermore, this is just a difference in political opinions between you and me. It was not this governor who demoted you to defend Liaodong.
There is no reason for you to resent me for this! I have decided to appoint you now because I value your virtue and talent. The person you want to serve is not the governor, but the imperial court.
As heaven moves forward, a gentleman strives for self-improvement! Now you have an excellent opportunity in front of you, which can benefit the people of Liaodong and display your lifelong ambitions. However, you refuse to accept it because of your unfounded resentment towards the governor. Is it wise to do all this?
Magistrate, I can still manage Liaodong well without you. I want to use you because I value your talents and hope you can help me. But without me, your only result is to guard Liaodong forever and be a civilian.
!”
Xia Xun stood up, patted the dust behind his buttocks, looked to the northwest, and said: "Going from here is the grassland. There are many wolf packs on the grassland. Each wolf pack has a leader, and only the leader has a leader."
The right to reproduce offspring, when it loses its position as leader, it means it loses the right to pass on its bloodline."
Xia Xun turned to the Wanshi Domain again and said in a deep voice: "The world of humans is not as cruel as the world of wolves, but it also has many similarities. You can choose to be a farmer happily. Now Liaodong has just emerged.
, it is normal for a family to have ups and downs during a period of revitalization. If you lose this opportunity, your poems and rituals will be passed down from generation to generation to this day. In the future, in Liaodong, future generations will be subordinates!"
Xia Xun took a deep look at the Wanshi Territory and said: "Perhaps, in a certain generation, your Wan family will have an outstanding descendant who can revitalize the family, but that is just a possibility. The person who defeated the Wan family is you Wanshi
Yu Yu, your wrong choice will make you sorry for your ancestors and your descendants. Do you still feel proud? Do you still feel that your integrity is enough to shine through the spring and autumn? In the future, who will remember you!"
Wanshiyu's face turned pale, but he still sneered hard and said: "Master Butang has a sharp tongue. Do you think that by lowering your dignity and showing off, I, Wanshiyu, will be grateful and repay you?"
Xia Xun smiled leisurely and said: "Today, I am here to invite you. But don't expect me to invite you back to the shogunate. For Liaodong, it just needs a correct development path. If there is an outstanding
Officials may take fewer detours, but no one is indispensable, not me, and neither are you.
Therefore, you don’t need to regard yourself as an indispensable and important person. I will go back to the shogunate to wait for you, just until sunset today. If you come, you and I will put aside our past grievances and work together to do something for the people of Liaodong. If you don’t come, I won’t
The Governor will just choose someone wiser. Master Wan, now I am the only one who can call you Master Wan, right? Haha, I have said this, please think about it carefully and say goodbye!"
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
Just after noon, a rare scene occurred in Kaiyuan City.
An old man, his arms twisted by two women, pushed him into the city, and went straight to the seat of the Liaodong shogunate. Behind him were two young men, and two younger women, and two younger women.
One woman is holding a naughty boy in her hand, and the other is holding a nursing child in her arms. Behind them are a group of people watching the fun.
The old man shouted with a grimace: "Don't push me, okay? I'm going! I didn't say not to go! I really go! Are you still afraid that I will run away?"
"You old fool, God knows what are you planning? No, I won't trust you until I see you step into the Lord's house with my own eyes! You old man, you have not only harmed your family, but you have also harmed your son.
Descendants and grandchildren? The Lord of the Ministry is gracious and gave you this good opportunity, but you are just putting on airs..."
The old lady got more and more angry as she talked, slapped her head again, and said harshly: "I'm going to risk everything today. If you continue to persist, don't come into the house. Our whole family won't recognize you, this old thing!"
The old man said sadly: "Wow, madam, you are also from a noble family, why do you speak so vulgarly?"
The woman didn't give him face, so she slapped him on the neck again: "How can we, the ladies, be our food? You have hurt your whole family like this, what else do you want?"
This old man was the Magistrate of Wanshi, and Xia Xun's words really touched him. But although Xia Xun invited him, he also acted with dignity, which made Wanshiyu want to bow his head, but he couldn't let it go.
He had a fight and returned home hesitantly. He didn't want his family to have accepted Huang Zhen's preaching and instigation. He heard that the minister personally came to invite his father to serve as an official, and he could also arrange for his two sons to work in the palace.
, Wan Zhifu's family was overjoyed, and sent Huang Yushi off gratefully. They stretched their necks and waited for the master to bring back the good news. Unexpectedly, Wan Shiyu returned home, but still hesitated and refused to submit.
In fact, it's not that Lao Wan doesn't want to be an official, it's just that the younger generations are also watching. He usually teaches his son that he can't bend when he's powerful, and he can't be lascivious when he's rich. At this time, he's too embarrassed to show weakness. Anyway, it's far from sunset.
It's still very early, as long as the old wife tries to persuade me, I'll get off the road...
Although Wan Zhifu has good ideas, the family has become impatient. This may be the Wan family's last chance to change their destiny. If they give up, what will happen to the Wan family?
As a result, the furious old wife suddenly transformed into a tigress. With a wave of her arms, she led the whole family to rebel against the master. The old wife and concubine of Wan Zhifu, the two sisters worked together to win over the master, his son, and his wife.
Holding his grandson in his arms, and his granddaughter following closely behind to show support, this scene was more embarrassing in the eyes of others than him coming to serve himself.
Wan Zhifu wanted to cry but had no choice but to do nothing. When he arrived near the Liaodong Shogunate's Yamen, he saw the soldiers guarding the gate from a distance. Wan Zhifu broke away from his old wife's hands and said in a panic: "I'm going! I'm going now! Hurry!
Let go, are you afraid that your husband will be embarrassed?"
Only then did his old wife let go and stared at him eagerly: "Go quickly! You old man, if you don't accept the kindness of the Lord, you won't even come back home!"
Wan Shiyu straightened his clothes, looked at the eager eyes of his family, sighed, and rushed towards the shogunate's office.
Wan Shiyu arrived at the gate of the government office. As soon as he reported his identity and intention to the gatekeeper, he saw a few people hurriedly walking out of the government office. One of them he recognized, it was Yang Xu, the governor of Liaodong. As for the few beside him, they were both civilized and military.
But it was Huang Zhen, Zhang Xitong, Yi Shiha, Ding Yu, Zhang Jun and others. He had been guarding the gate of Luocheng, and these officials did not recognize any of them.
Seeing that the Governor seemed to be in a hurry, he hurried out of the mansion. Wan Shiyu was hesitating whether to step forward. Xia Xun had already seen him. When Wan Shiyu saw him, he stepped forward and said with cupped hands:
"Fuzhou Wanshiyu, I came here to serve the Ministry. I am willing to... serve the Ministry!"
Xia Xun laughed and said: "Okay! He is a cheerful man! Come on, bring Master Wan a horse! Come on, let's go to Hada City together and take care of some things!"