On the first day of February in the third year of Yifeng, the Hexi army on the expedition to the Persian Gulf set out from Lanzhou. The chief general Lin Chengbin, the deputy generals Li He, and Xiao Sanlang, with a total of more than 21,000 troops, were all riding. They traveled very fast, and they arrived on the ninth day of February.
Having left Yumen Pass, they were marching along the southern Silk Road towards Tochara (today's Afghanistan).
As soon as the army came out, Li Xian's job of overseeing the dispatching of the expedition naturally came to an end. As for what the subsequent war will be like, it is no longer something that Li Xian can control. It's not that Li Xian doesn't want to pay attention, but
It's impossible to pay attention to it. After all, the communication of these years is really
It was too backward. Even with messenger pigeons, flying eagles and other means of communication, it was far from real-time communication. Under such circumstances, Li Xian could only believe in Lin Chengbin's ability and entrust the entire war to him.
However, he focused all his energy on the important matter of spring plowing.
Food is the most important thing for the people. This is an irrefutable truth. No matter which dynasty, food is always one of the most basic factors restricting national power. As for spring plowing, there is no need to say more. The sentence "The plan for a year lies in spring" can be easily said.
Explaining the importance of spring plowing well, Li Xian, in the name of overseas grain promotion, had already firmly controlled all the affairs related to farming in his hands, and the relevant arrangements for spring plowing
Naturally, this has become the focus of Li Xian's current work. Not to mention anything else, just dealing with the news reported from various states every day requires Li Xian to spend a lot of time and energy. Even with Di Renjie and Zhang Jianzhi,
With the help of a group of smart and capable subordinates, Li Xian was also busy and dizzy. He had to get up before dawn and had no rest late at night. Even though Li Xian had a strong body, he felt a little overwhelmed.
Physical and mental exhaustion is a trivial matter, but what really troubles Li Xian is the stubbornness of traditional forces. It's okay in the northern states. After all, they have the foundation from last year. There is no big obstacle to the promotion of grain seeds, and their acceptance is extremely high.
High, most states and counties have completed
It has become a corresponding promotion task. The planting area of introduced sweet potatoes, corn and other plants has made a huge leap compared with last year, and has gradually replaced traditional plants with low yields such as millet (millet) and hemp, especially plum.
Guanzhong, which shows great importance
In the region, the planting area of overseas grain varieties has completely overwhelmed traditional plants. However, in the southern states, the promotion of overseas grain varieties is somewhat unsatisfactory. Not only are there resistance/resistance among the people, but also at the level of state governors.
Officials also complained a lot.
I'm afraid that Li Xian issued a series of orders and sent many special envoys to inspect various states, but the effect was still not good. It was not until Li Xian made a special order at the expense of fiscal and tax subsidies that the situation improved slightly. Is it just an effect? There are still some personal problems.
Not satisfactory.
Are you frustrated? A little bit, but not much, because Li Xian has already expected that the promotion of new things will never go smoothly, but he doesn’t care too much. After all, there is a long way to go, and many people who have introduced overseas grain varieties have tried it.
When the sweet spot comes, things must happen
There will be a turn for the better. Li Xian firmly believes in this, so he is not in a hurry. The focus of his current work is still on the Guanzhong area, not because it is right under his nose and easy to control.
reason, but there is another reason.
Li Xian clearly remembered that in his previous life, there would be a long-lasting severe drought in Guanzhong next year. If there was insufficient preparation, the losses would be quite terrible. If nothing else, the number of people who died in this famine in his previous life would be huge.
As many as two hundred thousand
Everyone, on the road from Chang'an to Luoyang, the refugees lying on the ground are piled up end to end. The scene can be said to be terrible. Li Xian does not want to see such a tragic situation happen, although he cannot announce the coming spring like a magic stick.
A severe drought, but preparations are made in secret
It is inevitable that the promotion of overseas improved seeds is one of the most important components of Li Xian's overall plan, and it cannot be overemphasized. Therefore, whether it is the construction of water conservancy projects during the slack season last winter or the overseas grain planting this spring.
Promotion, Li Xiandu
From planning the number of acres of fertile land to planting to the specific planting details, Li Xian focused on tracking everything. He even made relevant plans in advance for the storage of grain after the harvest. It can be said that everything is meticulous.
Everything has been considered.
Things in the world are always so wonderful. The more you want to do something well, the easier it is for things to go wrong. When something goes wrong, it's often a big deal. This spring plowing is no exception. No, it's a big deal.
In the morning, not long after Li Xian had arrived in the study, he was reviewing the notes as usual. Gao Miao had already hurried in from outside, came closer, and lowered his voice to report: "Your Highness, Mr. Zhuang is here.
"
"Oh? Announce it."
Zhuang Yong's identity is relatively sensitive and he has no official presence. In the past, Li Xian rarely summoned him directly. Even when he had to, he mostly acted in secret. When he heard that Zhuang Yong had arrived at such a time, Li Xian couldn't help but frown.
The ground wrinkled, but he didn't say anything more, he just gave a faint order.
"promise!"
Since Li Xian had given the order, Gao Miao did not dare to neglect it. He hurriedly agreed and hurriedly exited the study. After a while, Zhuang Yong, who was wearing a green robe, had already turned around from behind the screen.
come out.
"See Your Highness."
Zhuang Yong has always been a calm and calm person, but at this time, there is a hint of anxiety on his face. Fortunately, the city is still deep, and he has not lost his composure to the point where he has even forgotten the etiquette. This time he saw that he was sitting upright.
Li Xian, who was behind the copywriting, hurried forward and paid homage without hesitation.
"No need, all of you, please retreat!"
Although there was just a hint of impatience on Zhuang Yong's face, Li Xian could see it at a glance. He knew that something big must have happened. His heart sank involuntarily, but he didn't rush to ask questions.
With a calm wave of his hand, all the eunuchs accompanying him retreated, leaving only Zhang Jian alone.
"Your Highness, something big has happened. Wang Simiao, the governor of Xiangzhou, came to impeach His Highness. He said that dozens of families under his rule died due to eating food from overseas. He questioned Your Highness for blindly promoting poisonous food without careful investigation, which is unethical.
Big mistake. In addition, Han Wang Li Yuanjia, the governor of Luzhou (today's Shangdang area), complained in this book that Wang Fangming, the special envoy for promoting improved seeds, was disturbing the people and forcing others to plant overseas grain seeds, which resulted in the death of hundreds of people.
There are several people with this surname, and their crimes are unforgivable. Furthermore, Liu Wu, the governor of Tongzhou (now Dali County, Weinan City), Huang Guogong Li Zhuan, the governor of Tongzhou (son of King Li Yuanjia of Han Dynasty), and Liu Wu, the governor of Caizhou (now Runan County, Henan Province)
reach
Each of them wrote a letter to impeach the Spring Plowing Special Envoy for being arrogant and causing trouble to the people. Now that this chapter has been submitted to the Daming Palace, my subordinates were not informed of this news in advance. This is a serious crime of dereliction of duty, and I ask Your Highness to punish him."
The situation was urgent. Even though Zhuang Yongsheng was calm by nature, at this moment, he couldn't help but become a little confused. The servants had just retreated. Before Li Xian could ask questions, he had already hurriedly told all the information he knew.
They all spoke out.
"Um?"
Upon hearing what Zhuang Yong said, Li Xian couldn't help but be stunned, and a chill suddenly surged out of his heart. It was for no other reason than that among the above-mentioned states, Liu Wu, the governor of Tongzhou, and Liu Daming, the governor of Caizhou, both
He was a member of Empress Wu's party, and Han Wang Li Yuanjia and his son had always been on good terms with Li Zhen.
Wang Simiao, the governor of Xiangzhou, was one of Li Zhen's confidants. The fact that such a group of governors signed up for the book obviously meant only one thing, that is, Empress Wu and the King of Yue were already connected, and their goal was very clear, which was to fight against each other.
Li Xian is coming with him, and he's coming with such force, I'm afraid he won't be able to pass this level easily!
"Mr. Zhuang, is the news accurate?"
Zhang Jianzhi was obviously startled by this oncoming attack, his face instantly darkened, and he hurriedly asked a question.
"In reply to Mr. Zhang, the news came from the Daming Palace. It should be true. Early this morning, several memorials arrived almost immediately. According to time, they should have been presented to the empress by now."
Seeing that a wise man like Zhang Jianzhi also lost his sense of normalcy, Zhuang Yong's already worried heart inevitably became a little heavier, but he did not dare to show it and could only respond respectfully.
"It's been such a troubled time, this time..."
Zhang Jianzhi is a wise man after all. Although he was startled by this oncoming incident, he soon calmed down. He frowned slightly and stroked the long beard on his chest. He thought deeply about planning something about this, but his words were just
As he started to speak, he was interrupted by Gao Miao who hurriedly broke into the room.
"Your Highness, Eunuch Cheng, the eunuch in charge of etiquette, has arrived and said that the empress has a message to give to Your Highness."
Gao Miao didn't notice that the atmosphere in the room was wrong. He hurriedly got in front of Li Xian and hurriedly reported the matter.
Haha, it came so fast. This old thief woman is so cruel. She even dares to make a fuss about spring plowing. She deserves to be damned!
There is no need to guess, Li Xian also knows the purpose of Cheng Denggao's visit. It is nothing more than to convey that Empress Wu urgently summons Li Xian to the palace. This is to catch Li Xian off guard while Li Xian's footing is not stable. He just knows it, and Li Xian really knows it.
Instead of running away, he could only suppress the anger and impatience in his heart, waved his hand and said: "You go and deal with it first, I will be here soon."
"promise!"
When he saw Li Xian's unhappy face, Gao Miao noticed that something was wrong with the atmosphere in the room. He was inevitably suspicious, but he didn't dare to ask more questions. He quickly agreed and hurried out of the study.
, I went to deal with Cheng Denggao without mentioning it.
"Sir, the two thieves have joined forces this time, and the power may be unstoppable. I wonder what you can teach me, sir?"
Now the situation is not good. Although Li Xian is always quick-witted, he has come up with several coping methods in a short time, but they are not absolutely sure. He has to leave the problem to Zhang Jianzhi who is immersed in thinking.
.
"One word - drag!"
Zhang Jianzhi did not rush to answer Li Xian's question, but calmly pondered for a while before giving the answer with glaring eyes.
"drag?"
Li Xian couldn't help being stunned when he heard the words, and then he began to think thoughtfully, with a faint gleam in his eyes...
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