"Not going."
"Aren't you going?"
Du Heng listened to the concise and concise words, and felt that it seemed reasonable despite his surprise.
He looked at the person who was stepping on the stool and was wiping his knife, and he couldn't help frowning.
"General Weiping's favor is rare. If you go to stockpile land and get promoted by a general, you can have a good chance of becoming a hundred households in the future.
" Imperial examinations generally have gone through hundreds of years, and the rules and regulations are very clear, and it is easier to get an official position from the martial arts." "
Furthermore, the new emperor emphasizes martial arts, and the generals will have the opportunity to show their strengths in the future."
Du Heng analyzed one by one Tell Yi Yan, I'm afraid this kid is too young and impulsive, and he doesn't know how to seize the opportunity when it is in front of him.
Yi Yan put down the knife: "The general led the troops to suppress the bandits, and the villain is grateful for his kindness, but the villain is used to being free." The
bandits in Qiuyang County have been wiped out, and his hanging heart has completely returned to his stomach. Farmers in the village can also live a good life.
Du Heng looked at Yi Yan, knowing that he also had his own thoughts, and sat down on one side when he heard the words, and asked: "Since the big stone in your heart has fallen, what are your plans in the future, do you want to go back to your hometown or what?" Yi Yan looked at Du Heng
. One glance: "The villain is here."
Du Heng understood what he meant, and sighed helplessly: "I'll bring the words to the left and right, and you can think about it carefully, and I will make a decision at that time according to your wishes."
Yi Yan nodded.
Du Heng was about to send someone to turn over this year's grain production and taxes to the government, but before he set off, he received an official letter from his superiors.
The hoarding troops stationed in Qiuyang County must ask for food and grass. The imperial court has to distribute grain and grass to support these hoarding soldiers. Tossing back and forth wastes manpower and material resources.
In the end, Du Heng only had to send someone to hand over the books and taxes, which was a lot easier.
Du Heng sent the amount of food and grass stipulated by the court to the camp, and let Yi Yan escort him back to Feng Wanhe along the way.
"According to your fist and kick skills, you can hone in the camp for a while, and then you will build up some military merits, and you will be promoted to a thousand households in the future. Wouldn't it be better to lead a thousand soldiers at hand than you to be a housekeeper?"
When Feng Wanhe heard what Yi Yan meant, he was quite incredulous.
"The villain is a hunter, and I never thought about being a thousand households."
Feng Wanhe said: "You foolish boy, if you become a thousand households, get the imperial salary, marry three wives and four concubines, and have a bunch of sons to continue the incense of the Yi family, Others dare not think about the good things of Guangzong Yaozu, but you have this opportunity." "
The master only has one husband, and the backyard is harmonious, which is very good. The villain never thought of marrying so many wives and concubines, but Xia Qiuyang The extermination of the county bandits has honored the ancestors."
"..."
Feng Wanhe was afraid that this country boy was short-sighted, and he only picked the good things that the common people thought were good for his guidance, and he didn't say anything like serving the court or defending the territory. Come.
I didn't expect this kid to be so reckless!
Feng Wanhe couldn't help but look back at Du Heng who was not far away, and he shrugged helplessly.
"Since you are his old employer, you should persuade him well. How can an official hide his talent?"
Feng Wanhe said to Du Heng, poking his neck, "If you become a thousand households in the future, won't you also be honored?
" I also want to take advantage of this, but I did not listen to my persuasion, so I can't put a knife on someone's neck."
Feng Wanhe tightened his lips, knowing that he didn't want to persuade him.
It was useless to press the cow's head without drinking water, so Feng Wanhe had to watch helplessly as Yi Yan followed Du Heng back.
I also don't know what kind of ecstasy soup Du Heng fed, so don't give people such a bright future.
Feng Wanhe felt a pity in his heart, and also felt that he was a little embarrassed in front of Du Heng, so he could only shake his head and say that the kid was too short-sighted in a small place.
This one is not the only one who knows how to punch and kick. If he misses this one, there will be the next one. He will not be called a general and chase after a hunter. Now he can be regarded as a corporal.
After the autumn harvest was over, the county government had a lot of idle time, and Du Heng had nothing else to do except resolve two cases during the day.
It's just that the gangsters were troublesome, after Feng Wanhe threw them over, Yi Yan didn't want to go there, and he didn't destroy his previous words before taking the gangsters to the camp for custody.
Du Heng had no choice but to arrange for the torture room to be interrogated and taught.
There were a lot of people, and the trial was trivial. It is no wonder that Feng Wanhe drove people directly to the county yamen south prison and locked them up, not even taking credit.
Soon into the end of October, Feng Wanhe's family members arrived in Qiuyang County. On that day, Du Heng was going to settle the case in the yamen, so Qin Xiaoman was the one to take care of them.
In fact, Qin Xiaoman was responsible for arranging housing and other matters. He often walked with the officials and family members of the county, and liked to listen to the chatter of the neighbors. He knew more about the houses and alleys in the county than he did.
After inquiring about a few good houses and letting Feng Wanhe decide by himself, things went well.
It was a windy night in Lindong. After taking a bath, Du Heng lay down on the bed lazily, opened a book, and waited for Qin Xiaoman, who was still combing his hair in front of the dressing table, to come to bed: "How is the Feng family?"
"He's very talkative, much gentler than General Feng. This time there are General Feng's wife and two younger ones."
Du Heng opened his mouth and asked, "How old are you?
" One of them seems to be in his twenties."
Du Heng raised his head from the book when he heard the words: "So old? I see that General Feng is only under forty, so it's too early for him to get married and have children."
Qin Xiaoman rolled his eyes, sat down by the bed and took out Du Heng's book: "You are in a daze. Most of the ranks of military officers come from fighting on the battlefield. General Feng is not a hereditary general. Young Most of the time when he was buried in the battlefield, his child is still old, and the young one is only three or four years old."
Du Heng said in a daze, "I thought you said that the young one was a child."
Qin Xiaoman crawled to the ground silently. bed.
Seeing this, Du Heng closed the book, and looked sideways at Qin Xiaoman who lifted the quilt and got into the bed: "Why don't you talk?"
Qin Xiaoman looked at the top of the tent: "There are also people who say they want to send someone home."
"That's different Hearing this,
Qin Xiaoman turned his head to look at Du Heng: "You really don't want it?"
Du Heng put his face on his face and reached out to poke Qin Xiaoman's cheek: "What am I going to do?"
Qin Xiaoman bit Biting his lips and moving his eyes, although he often joked with Du Heng that he would also bring two young ones to the house, in fact, what he said was just a joke.
He grew up from a village household when he was young, and the conditions of the people in the village were limited, and most of the men found it difficult to marry a relative, let alone have a concubine.
Only the landlords and squires who have built their houses frequently have concubines, but such people are rare in the village, and many villagers still think that a husband is a wife and husband subconsciously.
Later, their family's family status gradually increased, and after arriving in the county, they also began to meet families with three wives and four concubines, but most of them were wealthy merchants or officials, and there was a big gap between them. Really think about those places.
But after arriving in Qiuyang County, Du Heng became one of the officials, and the seventh-rank county magistrate was already a great official in the local area.
Seeing Du Heng's suave manner, the officials were never surprised when they heard that Qin Xiaoman was the only one with a connecting room, and there were people expressing their desire to send someone to serve him, both openly and secretly.
Hearing this kind of words too much, after all, there is something indescribable in my heart.
Seeing Du Heng's answer, he suddenly felt a little beautiful in his heart, an indescribable beauty.
The corners of his mouth also curled up.
"Then I'll take it as what you mean, and I'm not allowed to regret it in the future."
Du Heng bent his eyes, leaned forward and pressed Qin Xiaoman's shoulder: "Didn't you say you wanted to find someone to serve you?" , I’ll beat your back and rub your feet to greet you, have you changed your mind now? Do you know that Master Du is also coveted?”
Qin Xiaoman pinched Du Heng’s arm.
"Hiss~"
"Didn't you want to rub my feet? Didn't someone else take this job away!"
Du Heng laughed, and lifted the quilt to wrap the two of them together: "I don't care In short, I belong to you alone, and others can't take it away."
The next day, taking advantage of his spare time, Du Heng went to the village with Qin Xiaoman in a bullock cart to inspect the farmland in depth.
Now that the county government team has been wiped out, and the bandits who disturbed the people have also been wiped out, it should be possible to clear up the farming and mulberry affairs in Qiuyang County.
With the development of farming and mulberry, the people's pockets are bulging, and the county government's accounts can also be improved. No matter how it develops, food and clothing are always the first line.
The two set off early, and the air in the early winter morning in Qiuyang County was still mild. The water droplets on the roadside were crystal clear, and the air was filled with the long-lost smell of earth and grass.
It had been a long time since they had driven an ox cart. Facing the refreshing morning breeze, both of them were in good spirits, and the sun had just risen when they arrived in the village.
The fields in the village are ruined in late autumn and winter. The rice fields and corn fields in the past are now only left with unploughed rice and jade roots.
Some farmers are carrying hoes and digging the roots to make firewood in winter.
The winter in Qiuyang County is not cold, and charcoal is not used much here. At this time, there are not many people going to the mountains to cut firewood and burn charcoal. Most of the farmers are buried in the ground to collect land.
There is not much charcoal used in winter, and the common people have less to make a living. Knowing that in the already depressed winter, there are even fewer subsidies.
Without much subsidy input, farmers can only plow the land as much as possible so that the crops will grow better next year, and they hope that the harvest will be one or two more.
Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman parked the ox cart on the main road of the village and walked through the countryside. They found that the farmers in Qiuyang County are very hardworking and cherish the land at hand.
"The temperature in Qiuyang County is high, and there is a lot of sandy land. In summer, we have to rush to divert water for irrigation. Sometimes there are fights between the two villages because of the water blockage in the upper reaches." Qin Xiaoman squeezed the dry soil that was dug out, and
he When buying vegetables on the street, I occasionally hear complaints from farmers in the village.
Du Heng responded: "I read the county annals, and the sky has been dry all the years. In summer, the villagers will divert water from the river for irrigation, and most of them are carrying water. It's fine if they are near the river. Villagers in the fields far away from the river just carry water in summer. This is a big project.”
This is still on the premise that there is water in the river, and in many cases, the upstream blocks the water for irrigation in the village, and the people downstream are not allowed to use it.
What's more, there is not much rainfall in winter and spring, and the rivers have little water, and the small rivers in the villages are directly cut off.
Du Heng felt that if he wanted to increase the harvest, he had to solve the problem of irrigation and capping. Otherwise, after the beginning of spring, it would be the time for crops to grow in Linxia, and the crops would suffer from drought.
There is a big river in Qiuyang County. The embankment is strengthened in winter to store water properly. In summer, the embankment is irrigated and the embankment is opened to clean up the canals.
Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman were planning the blueprints as they walked.
After the embankment of the Minyin River is built to store water, all townships will also build water conservancy and irrigation. Fields near the river can directly use bobbins, and paddy fields without lakes and ponds can use waterwheels.
He hastily wrote down the plan in the booklet, and then discussed with the people in the workshop after returning to the county government.
The two of them shuttled tirelessly between the fields. Seeing that the winter sun was in the sky, Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman prepared to turn back to the main road of the village, eat something before going to other villages.
"Where's the car?"
Qin Xiaoman walked to the front, looked at the empty village road, turned around and shouted to Du Heng, "Our car is gone!" "
Ah?"
What is tied to the tree, but the tree is the only one below.
Qin Xiaoman hurriedly looked at the marks on the wheels, there were few bullock carts in the village, so the new marks were easy to spot, but it seemed that they had been carefully handled, and there was no sign to be found!
Du Heng and Qin Xiao were so angry that they had to go to the village to help.
Lizheng heard that the county magistrate's ox cart was lost on the main road of the village, he was so frightened that his legs went limp, and he hurriedly called the villagers to look for the ox cart.
At noon, the dry food on the ox cart was gone, and at Lizheng's invitation, Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman also had a light meal at Lizheng's home.
Li of Qianyou Village is a middle-aged man who has only been in office for two years, and his wife is still young, and she is very capable with an apron tied.
It took only half an hour to cook a few farm dishes. Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman hadn't eaten the dishes made by the villagers for a long time, and they were tired after surveying the fields in the morning, but the food was still delicious.
Lady Lizheng saw that the county magistrate didn't think the farmhouse's food and wine were light, and she was very happy in her heart, pouring Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman's self-brewed wine over and over again.
Du Heng didn't drink much, but Qin Xiaoman drank wine like water and ate a lot.
Seeing that the courtyard of the main family in the village is only thatched roof, compared with ordinary houses, there are only two more mud houses, and the conditions of the family are very difficult, Du Heng feels a little uncomfortable.
In the afternoon, around the middle of the day, Li Zheng, who was anxious and sweaty, retrieved the ox carts of Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman, and followed by a thin, wizened and somewhat out-of-shape man.
"Don't kneel down for your lord!"
Lizheng yelled, and the two villagers who held the perpetrator hurriedly pushed him down to kneel.
"Who are you, why are you stealing someone's car on the village road?"
The man didn't speak, but Li Zheng said: "My lord, this man is dumb."
He wiped the sweat on his forehead from running to find the ox cart, and didn't want the village to leave a bad impression in front of Du Heng. Explanation: "This man is a farm laborer under the Wei family. He mainly helps his master cultivate the land on the west side of the village. I'm afraid that at noon he saw no one in the field and happened to have cattle, so he became distracted." As he spoke, Li Zheng suddenly gave Du
Heng Kneeling down: "Your Excellency is the real parent official of Qiuyang County. He has only been in the county for half a year. He overthrew corrupt officials and sent troops to suppress bandits. This autumn harvest and payment of land taxes have never been difficult. Everyone remembers the magistrate's kindness. And when my lord came to the village and asked someone to steal the horses and chariots, the grassroots felt really guilty."
Li Zheng's eyes were red, and the surrounding farmers also looked ashamed.
Du Heng said: "What are you doing? Just find the ox cart. People's hearts are good and bad, and it's not your fault. The most important thing is to find out what's going on.
" The cattle are allowed to be slaughtered at will. Since this person is a hired farmer, where can such a large animal as cattle be raised if it is stolen? Isn’t he asking for trouble?” Qin
Xiaoman was puzzled: “Sooner or later, he will be prosecuted.”
Hearing the words, the mute who had been kneeling down quickly raised his head and waved his hands at Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman, pointing at the cow for a while, pointing at the west of the village for a while, and then made a very vulgar villager gesture.
In front of the magistrate, the women who watched the excitement all turned their faces away in embarrassment.
"Bold! You are so rude in front of adults!"
Du Heng frowned: "Does anyone know what he means?"
"My lord, he, he..." A young man raised his hand , speaking in a low voice, until he saw Du Heng's beckoning eyes, he dared to say loudly: "He means that the farmer in the west of the village has a cow of the owner on hand, and everyone has been wanting to breed the cow. Seeing the cow on the village road The ox happened to be a bull, so he pulled it, not trying to steal it."
"It's not difficult. Why don't you ask the owner of the bull to explain the reason? Isn't this what you should have done!" They are
all farmers, and their lives are not good. Everyone can understand each other, and someone whispered: "Most of the people who can use the carriages and horses are the nobles. Even if they ask for it, I'm afraid they won't agree to such a thing.
"
Qin Xiaoman asked: "There are always people with livestock in the village, and moreover, there are cattle breeders. The job can be done for more than ten pennies. Why bother?"
Li Zheng came out and said something fair: " Farmers like grass farmers can still get the money for breeding animals, but it’s more difficult for farm laborers...they are more difficult.” Du Heng sighed, the
days of farm laborers Du Heng in the past He has seen it before, and there are also farm laborers from his family in Luoxia County. Of course, he knows that the life of farm laborers is more bleak than that of ordinary farmers.
The life of ordinary farmers in Qiuyang County is still struggling, let alone the lower-level farm laborers on this basis.
Besides, Jiang had previously revealed to him that the life of the farm laborers under the hands of the gentry in Qiuyang County was bleak, and it was easy to touch local snakes.
At that time, Du Heng's primary concern was the taxation of the autumn harvest, and he couldn't spare so many hands to manage the farm labor.
Knowing that these flat-headed farmers didn't dare to say anything, and even a dumb man couldn't ask questions, Du Heng said: "Today, the officials came to the village to inspect the county's terrain and farmland, and are going to manage water conservancy to irrigate the crops. I am signing up to participate in the construction, and I will take the official to the west of the village to see the farm laborer Nong Sang."
The farmer immediately understood what Du Heng meant, and if he found anything about the farm laborer, it should have been discovered by the county magistrate who went to the countryside to visit on his own. It doesn't matter.
Immediately, the mute kowtowed to Du Heng a few times, and hurriedly wanted to lead Du Heng to the west of the village.
Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman immediately went to the farmer's residence, and only when they stepped in did they realize that the real bleakness had not yet shown to the officials.
The land where the farm laborers live is far away from the village road and the official road. Because of the warm weather, almost all the farm laborers only wear a pair of worn and patched trousers, and there are no clothes or shoes at all.
In this way, it is even more intuitive to see the thin layer of skin of the farm laborer sticking to the bone. From a distance, it looks like a hungry ghost walking through the daytime. If someone who doesn't know why strays into this place, he will be scared out of his wits .
Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman frowned as they watched, no matter how bad the life of the farm laborers in their village was in the past, it would not have been as miserable as this. Even without asking, they could still guess what kind of situation they lived in.
The mute was directly taken away from the west of the village, and the farm laborers were also very anxious for fear of causing trouble. After all, he was not alone in breeding.
Seeing that the person came back, everyone wanted to ask about the situation, and the mute went ahead and waved anxiously together.
After all, they are people who meet each other day and night, and the farm laborer can probably understand the meaning of the mute. Knowing that he has pulled the county magistrate's cow, the farm laborer is so frightened that he almost pouted and quickly knelt down with him.
"Since the matter has been clearly understood, I don't blame you, but I came here to see your farming and mulberry situation."
Speaking of this, the farm laborer was shocked, but couldn't help feeling sad from it, and the weak-hearted wiped it out. From the eyes, it is not only the gratitude to the county magistrate who is busy with official duties but also misses the farmer, and it is also a sad life.
After some understanding, Du Heng realized that the farm laborers here actually have to hand over 80% of the grain to the owner after the harvest every year. They should bring gifts during the New Year and holidays.
During the time of farming and mulberry, the superiors would send stewards to supervise the farming of the hired farmers, beat and scolded the hired farmers at every turn, completely treating the hired farmers as livestock.
The 20% of the farm labor's annual grain production is not enough to feed the hunger, and they have to sell the money to buy poultry gifts and send them to the employer during the New Year and holidays, otherwise they will be humiliated, beaten and oppressed.
Du Heng couldn't help but be surprised that the amount of grain handed in by the farm laborers here is 20% higher than that in Luoxia County. According to such collections, how can the farm laborers survive?
His heart was serious: "Who is your employer?"
Speaking of this, the farmer's excited voice suddenly weakened: "It's Wei Hongming, Wei Ju." Immediately
fearing that he would cause trouble, he immediately said: "My lord , most of the farm laborers in the county pay 70% to 80% of the grain production, not just the Wei family..."
Du Heng had some impressions of the Wei family. There was a scholar surnamed Wei who came to apply for the election as chief secretary. Brother also came to confess his crimes many times with gifts, which is what the farmhand said Wei Hongming.
That person was very polite at that time, and he scolded Wei Bai for a long time, and he had a good impression of him. Things were complicated in the county at the back, and nothing happened to the Wei family, so he didn't pay much attention to the Wei family.
Unexpectedly, behind the scenes, he would do such an act of treating the farm laborers so harshly. After thinking about it, Wei Bai was so arrogant and domineering. If he was a scholar with strict family education, he would definitely not have such a temper. Du Heng comforted the farm laborer: "I came to inspect this time, and I have a good
idea. I will find out at the time that the laws and regulations that the imperial court should have must be restored."
Du Heng kowtowed: "Thank you for your compassion!"
He went to the countryside to check the farmland, but he didn't want to find out something else.
The poverty of Qiuyang County is really not the result of a day, nor is it the result of one person.
After Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman visited the farm laborers, they got into the carriage again and prepared to go back. When they returned to the county government office, they had more work to do.
"You guys should go back earlier, don't send them off."
Du Heng looked at the villagers who were following him and followed the carriage to the entrance of the village.
"Your Majesty, please go slowly. The journey is safe."
Qin Xiaoman waved his hand with a smile: "It will only take a few hours to go back, so don't worry."
However, the villager still subconsciously followed a few steps, quite like Like a child who is reluctant to let an adult go.
Du Heng frowned: "But what else do you want to say?"
Seeing this, Li Zheng asked cautiously: "Is it true what your lord said about building water conservancy?"
Du Heng was slightly startled, presumably the farmer thought he just said It was just an excuse, and the immediate response was affirmative: "This is natural."
The farmers around holding their breaths and hearing Du Heng's accurate answer immediately showed joyful smiles.
They followed Du Heng all the way because they wanted to know this. They went to see the farm laborers just now. Du Heng looked solemn, and everyone didn't dare to mention water conservancy.
The peasants in the village are suffering from Xiagan, and they are always thinking about being able to repair the water canal, but whether it is to gather people's hearts or build funds, it is just how to do things with the strength of the peasants. For this reason, I don't know how many years I have been looking forward to the county government to repair the water conservancy. He came to irrigate and cover the crops, and now he heard that Du Heng had such a plan, how could he be unhappy.
When someone raised his hand and said, "My lord, the grass people are willing to go to build water conservancy even if they put down the farming and mulberry work at hand." Immediately,
someone followed suit: "My father is still thinking about this when he closes his eyes. Now the county finally It is to build water conservancy, and the whole family of the grass people will go."
The voices of the crowd were boiling.
Du Heng was relieved, and raised his hand to signal everyone to calm down: "I know that you are interested, and you should go to the Li Zheng Office to register first. Then the county government will make arrangements as soon as possible. When you are free, you can weed and strengthen the Jingcun River in advance. Fan."
"The river in the village is reinforced every year with hoeing, so don't worry, my lord."
Sitting on the bullock cart, Du Heng said, "The high temperature in the sky cannot be changed by manpower, but people have to live on. Since the weather cannot be changed, then So I had to start from the sidelines. The water conservancy project in the county must be done. As long as you are diligent, you will be able to complete it sooner and increase your income as soon as possible." Hearing this, the villagers were full of expectations, and hope was ignited in their eyes .
Qin Xiaoman drove Du Heng in the bullock cart for a long distance, and he could still hear the voices of farmers kneeling on the ground thanking the two of them behind him.