The common people were amazed when they learned that the two high-ranking officials in front of them were actually a couple, and they had just gotten married. They also heard that they had just gotten married a few days ago, so they came to see how they were doing. They were even more surprised and kept talking.
Good words, warm and simple, warm and sincere.
The couple kept thanking each other and came out of the village with full blessings. Zhang Ximeng and Jiang Nan walked for almost ten miles.
A young man with a dark face ran out from the side path. He was wearing rags with several patches on them and a pair of straw sandals under his feet. There was sweat on his forehead, but he was holding a delicate flower basket in his hand.
The flower basket is woven with pure white reeds. There are more than ten kinds of bright flowers and several kinds of herbs in the flower basket.
"My lord, my lord!"
He shouted loudly, rushed to Zhang Ximeng, and raised his hands high.
"Fourth Grandpa asked me to send it to you. He said that our village wishes you a long life and that your wife will have a son soon."
Zhang Ximeng was slightly surprised, but he reached out to take it, touched it in his arms, and looked at it carefully. The basket was woven with care, and the flowers and plants were all bright and lively.
He took the largest red flower and put it on Jiang Nan's head. Then he took another vanilla and put it in his arms. He smiled and said, "Look, do we look like the people in Qu Yuan's Nine Songs?"
?”
Jiang Nan's flushed face became even brighter, but she said: "I've chased you so far and given you this gift. You should give me a gift in return."
Zhang Ximeng hurriedly touched his arms, but there were no decent gifts. There was only a pack of mung bean cakes sent from Zhu Yuanzhang, which was originally used by the couple to satisfy their hunger.
Zhang Ximeng handed it to the young man, "Take it back, remember not to walk on the mountain road, be careful of falling. I will come back when you have a good harvest."
The young man took it, saluted seriously, then turned around and ran back towards the village.
Zhang Ximeng held a flower basket in his arms and happily set off on the road back to Kaifeng.
The lady followed beside her and suddenly smiled and said: "Mr. sir, how does this flower basket compare to the gold medal of the Auxiliary Guoyuan Master? I think you seem to be more happy!"
Zhang Ximeng sighed: "It's different. We share weal and woe with His Majesty. Including those civil and military officials, we have been friends for many years. They either sincerely thank me, or respect me, respect me...what actions do you have?"
, it is reasonable and not unexpected. Only the common people, out of pure hearts, feel our kindness and repay it with sincerity. This is also a tribute to us when we assist the country in governing the country and have achievements.
The recognition of what you have done, the joy in it, is another level."
Jiang Nan smiled slightly and looked at the fields on both sides, feeling relaxed and happy. What her husband said coincided with what she thought.
"This is also the reason why I talked to you about those things on the wedding night, and now I come out to check the situation. Serving as an official will benefit the whole party. In fact, the happiness and satisfaction you can get when you are a truly good official are something that outsiders cannot understand."
Zhang Ximeng smiled happily and said: "What Madam said is reasonable. Xiaosheng will listen to your instructions...but please don't forget your home for the sake of your country. Everyone is looking forward to us having a baby soon!"
Jiang Nan smiled and said: "I think your husband is just confused. Let's work for a few more days and arrange everything so that we can have peace of mind and raise the baby, don't you think?"
He nodded hurriedly and said: "Madam is right, how about this? Let's all work harder, day and night, all working overtime. You have to let my family flourish!"
In an instant, Jiang Nan's neck turned red. He was so full that he could no longer explain the truth and could only let out a soft hum.
The workaholic finally bowed his head. Zhang Ximeng laughed happily, stretched out his legs and kicked Jiang Nan's little donkey wildly.
"Since you agreed, hurry up and don't waste time!"
Jiang Nan was startled and couldn't help but said angrily: "Do you still look like a member of the imperial court? See if I don't deal with you!"
The couple drove the donkey to run wildly, and the guards behind them chased them from a distance. They only felt an unreasonable sour smell filling their hearts. They ate dumplings at night, so there was no need to be jealous.
…
In fact, it's not surprising that Jiang Nan thought so. The great victory in the Central Plains and the wedding of Prime Minister Zhang, two happy events, could not dilute the cruel reality that the Central Plains was in decline and unsustainable.
Even Zhang Ximeng's wedding was used to build momentum for bond sales, which shows the urgency involved.
Not only Zhang Ximeng and his wife, Zhu Yuanzhang, Ying Tian, hundreds of thousands of Ming troops, and more than 20 million Ming people were all burdened with heavy pressure.
This year, more than half of the summer tax was shipped to the Central Plains and Shandong.
If this continues, in less than a year and a half, Southeast will be unable to bear it, and Li Shanchang is already complaining endlessly.
But some things just can't be rushed, and people don't change their minds so easily.
Zhang Ximeng received blessings from the villagers, holding a flower basket in his arms, filled with joy.
But at the same time, he also felt the big guy's stubbornness.
The villagers would rather work hard to win rewards and get cattle for farming than take out loans.
At present, the imperial court is holding a large amount of national debt and is not short of money.
Although cattle farming tools are scarce, there are still ways to do it.
As long as the people can change their minds and borrow appropriately, they can leverage the overall situation and take a crucial step.
Zhang Ximeng came back from Chenliu. After working overtime with his wife day and night, he took the time to meet Zhu Yuanzhang and told him what he had seen.
"Lord, the current problem seems to fall on the people. But why do the people believe us? Why take the risk and borrow money from the court? For thousands of years, we have suffered so much and been deceived so much.
, three feet of ice cannot be frozen in one day! Can it be resolved with just a few orders?"
Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, looked solemn, and nodded repeatedly, "Sir, what you said is absolutely true. We know it best in our hearts. But now we are stuck here. The Central Plains will not recover for a long time. Our army cannot call back. We have hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses."
, hundreds of thousands of prisoners, and millions of civilians, the vast Central Plains... are just at a stalemate."
Lao Zhu said helplessly: "If we continue, we may really have to move to a wealthy and powerful family. We will fight for this!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was full of murderous intent and looked like he was risking his life.
Things went back to the beginning, when Hu Weiyong proposed to kill the prisoners, Zhu Yuanzhang advocated relocation to Haoqiang, and Zhang Ximeng hoped to issue bonds... all three were to solve the dilemma.
Hu Weiyong's actions are harmful to nature, and Zhu Yuanzhang's ideas also have future consequences. Only Zhang Ximeng's idea sounds the most reliable, but it is really difficult to implement.
The money came, the plan was developed, and the people were organized according to the village community.
As a result, most people were unwilling to borrow money, and many people were wary of the Ming Dynasty.
Things are at the last step and just can't be done.
What should I do?
If you can't push it any further, you will have to go back to the old path.
"My lord, Duke Jia is busy, and so are his dozens of students. These people have gone deep into the village to control water and work with the people. Many of them have gained the trust of the people. Unfortunately, it is not enough. We
We need more people who can go into the countryside, get close to the people, reason with them, explain national policies, and persuade them to cooperate with the imperial government's major policies."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, "Sir, everything is right, but where can we find so many people now? Those scholars from Yingtian Imperial College? They are quite passionate and energetic. Do they know how to deal with the common people? Jimin Academy? Now
Are there students who haven’t graduated yet? Then there are Confucian scholars from all over the country, and they won’t even be able to do this job!”
Zhu Yuanzhang's tone was rapid-fire, and the smoldering anger in his heart was already quite alarming.
He wants to break the situation, want to go smoothly, and solve the problem, but where is the key to solving the problem?
"My lord, in fact, there is still a group of people who have certain qualities, understand the court's policies, are willing to obey the lord's orders, and are generally loyal and reliable. As of now, we can only release them to serve as village chiefs and presidents. According to the imperial court
It means implementing national policies and at the same time being able to mingle with the people!"
Zhu Yuanzhang was suddenly shocked. Is there really such a group of people?
There really are, but these people are all in the military.
It is these proud soldiers who started their careers with Lao Zhu in Huaixi!
Is it feasible to let them go to the countryside?
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment, and suddenly whispered: "Sir, how many people do you think we should send down?"
Zhang Ximeng said: "My lord, the Central Plains is now in decline. The population may only be a little over a million, but a village has only a few dozen people, and not many have more than a hundred people. At least 10,000 people must be dispatched. As for Shandong, all the people in Shandong were previously Maoists.
Your subordinates need to be replaced by our people, and there are so many prisoners, and there are also flood control matters... In order to appease the place, I am afraid that we will have to send 30,000 people down."
"Thirty thousand!"
Lao Zhu's face suddenly became solemn. In the Central Plains War, a total of 300,000 people were invested, which was equivalent to demobilizing one-tenth of the people. Moreover, they were not returning to their hometowns, but going to the Central Plains to help other people and restore people's livelihood.
Will these soldiers be willing?
Even if they were willing, would those generals with military power be willing to let their direct descendants go?
"Sir, you have created a big problem for us!" Lao Zhu said, rubbing his temples.
Zhang Ximeng was helpless, "My lord, I have always hoped that the generals in the army can sympathize with the country's hard work. They are not only heroes on the battlefield, but also help in governing the world and changing customs. But now, I don't know what everyone thinks. After all, I mentioned
When you go to the battlefield with a knife, you are killing the enemy. But if you choose a group of people to go down, you are cutting the knife on yourself and cutting the flesh from your body. It would be painful for anyone else."
Zhu Yuanzhang pondered again for a while, all kinds of things are stuck here. The soldiers have a certain level of education and can deal with the local area... To be blunt, those thorny heads who want to cause trouble have to think carefully before doing so.
.
They are the most suitable candidates, but even so, it is still as difficult as heaven to convince them and make the soldiers accept it happily and do it with sincerity.
After thinking for a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang whispered: "Pass the order and tell the generals that we will have a banquet for you all tonight."
Zhang Ximeng nodded and was about to go to inform, Lao Zhu said again: "Prepare a few boats and go to the Yellow River to catch some plump carp. Please ask the best chef in Kaifeng to cook it carefully for us."
Zhang Ximeng paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously, "I understand."