Before the Han Dynasty Prime Minister's southern expedition, the most Nanzhong area that the Han Dynasty could control was Zhuti County and the area east of Pingyi County in Zoke County.
After the Southern Expedition, the Han Dynasty directly controlled the area as far as Wei County in Jianning County (that is, Qujing in later generations).
Xinghanhui's development in recent years has basically been in the north of Wei County.
It was only in the past two years that it began to gradually penetrate into the three southernmost counties of Xinggu, Yunnan, and Yongchang.
The most obvious feature is the plantations of the Xinghan Hui, which are not only sugar cane plantations, but also tea gardens, and even a small number of tung tree gardens, which have appeared in Dianchi Lake and Longdong County, the county seat of Yunnan County (later known as
Yao An).
Moreover, along the route from Wei County to Dianchi Lake and then to Nongdong County, the number of horse teams from the Xinghan Hui gradually increased.
In particular, the tea garden in Dianchi Lake is a key support project of the Xinghan Hui.
There is no other reason. The tea from Dianchi Lake has long been famous in Shu.
Some people even say that Dianchi Lake is the best tea in Nanzhong and was once used as a tribute.
I don’t know if it is true, but as far as Feng Yong knows, the tea from Dianchi Lake in Yunnan is indeed quite famous in later generations.
Therefore, the Xinghan Hui specially provided money and food, asked the governor's office of Nijiang to come forward, and summoned the local Yi people to renovate the road from Wei County to Dianchi Lake.
For the Yi people in Nanzhong, such things as corvee were not unheard of in the past.
In addition to the government, there are also local wealthy families who force local barbarians to work for them. This was a common thing in the past.
Even if there is a heavy corvee, you have to turn in a lot of specialties every year. If you can't pay, you have to sell your children and sell yourself.
The government and wealthy families have been oppressing the barbarians in southern China for a long time.
After the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty erected a stone monument in Wei County, it is not that there were no corvees in the government, but compared with before, they were extremely light.
Then, after serving the government service, everyone was preparing to go home, and then the government suddenly said that if they continued to work, not only would they be provided with food and shelter, but they would also receive grain and cloth!
Such a great thing...
Of course it’s impossible for everyone to believe it!
But soon someone brought out a large amount of woolen cloth, millet and other things and placed them in front of everyone.
Now some people began to be dubious.
You can only receive food and cloth after working for a month, which is definitely risky.
What are the risks?
Of course, there is the risk of working for a month in vain.
But if you work for one day, you can eat for free. This can be verified immediately.
Anyway, one more day and one less day will basically not cause much loss to the individual.
So some people tried to work one more day and actually got a job from the government.
Not a loss!
Then on the third day, there was actually meat and vegetables, and there was an extra soft steamed salted fish in each person's bowl!
Now everyone's enthusiasm increased greatly.
Salted fish is naturally a specialty of Yuexi.
The good foundation laid by King Feng Gui in Yuexun back then has finally paid off handsomely.
Rice flower fish is made into fish sauce and has become famous in Jincheng.
The silk produced in Yuexun has become the top product of Shu.
The reason lies in the mulberry trees and silkworm seeds.
Carefully selected high-quality mulberry tree varieties are planted around the fish pond.
As for the cultivation of silkworm seeds, Yuexun has been at the forefront of the Han Dynasty.
In comparison, salted fish is the most inconspicuous product.
To do hard work, in addition to having enough food, you also need a lot of oil and salt, and preferably meat and vegetables.
It's just that there is definitely no meat and vegetables now, but if you can eat enough every day, you can also eat a fragrant salted fish every three days, which is enough for the Yi people to be ecstatic.
After another month of waiting, the government actually distributed food, and the entire construction site immediately burst into cheers.
In fact, there was not much food, only a little bit, which could not even be converted into cloth.
But the people in the government said that as long as they are willing to continue working, they can save it until next month and collect it together.
With the previous Lixin, although most of the Yi people couldn't wait to get their hands on the grain, there were also a small number of people who were willing to continue saving until next month.
The next thing will be much easier to handle.
The Yi people all said that as long as I had enough food and cloth, I could work till I died suddenly without any complaints.
Nine-nine-six?
How can people be so lazy?!
After the official road from Wei County to Dianchi Lake was repaired, some Yi people even got food stamps or cloth stamps, and then went to Wei County to exchange for grain and cloth.
Just this one thing, the prestige of the Han government has begun to be re-established in the southernmost part of Nanzhong.
Although the Xinghan Society spent a lot of money and food on this matter, it seemed like it was a fool's errand.
But no one complained, and they even complained that the road construction was too slow.
Because compared with the terrifying profits of tea in Longyou and Liangzhou, these money and grains are nothing!
Everyone in the meeting was anxious to enclose land around Dian Lake and open tea gardens.
Because my brother said that there are two places in Nanzhong that are most suitable for growing tea.
One is Dianchi Lake and the other is Erhai Lake.
They are all places with mountains, lakes and mist.
Currently, the Han family that owns the tea plantation is the elder brother, Zhao Erlang, Li Yi and other core members of the association.
The only exception is the sixth room of the Li family.
Fortunately, Sister-in-law Mu is here, and the sixth room of the Li family is not considered an outsider, so the tea seedlings are still completely under the control of the Xinghan Hui.
But it will take at least three years after tea seedlings are planted before tea leaves can be harvested.
It's been three years. Who knows how long my brother can stay in the position of Colonel Protecting Qiang?
Therefore, it is understandable that Xinghan would be anxious to repair the official road from Wei County to Dianchi Lake and focus on the tea garden project of Dianchi Lake.
When the news of Feng Yong's appointment as the governor of Liangzhou first came out, why did the Xinghan Association not even sell wine to the north, but use it to celebrate?
Because this means that the Xinghan Society will have a great advantage in the transactions in Liangzhou and even the Western Regions in the near future.
And the tea trees planted two years ago are just in time to catch up with this wave of dividends, which is really exciting.
Just sell a few jars of wine, just to be happy!
However, in this world, if there is joy, there will naturally be sorrow.
While the Xinghan Hui was preparing to reap another wave of big dividends, Liu Zhou's rebellion in Yunnan County seemed so inappropriate.
Capital is afraid of instability.
But not far to the west of Dianchi Lake is Yunnan County. What do you mean, if Liu Zhou isn't causing trouble for others?
More importantly, Erhai Lake is located in Yunnan County.
After the Xinghan Hui encircled the mountains in Dianchi Lake, they used the old method of providing money and food. The government came forward, invited people from the Nanxiang engineering team, and then called in barbarians to rebuild the official road from Dianchi Lake to Juyuze.
Although this time, the Yi people responded more actively than last time, but the amount of work was also much larger.
Because although the official road from Wei County to Dianchi Lake is damaged, intermittent main roads can still be found.
From Dianchi Lake to Longdong, the situation is similar.
But from Nongdong to Liyuze, it is like paving a new road.
A large project volume means that the construction time will be long and money and food will be spent a lot.
The only thing that makes people happy is that the horse team under the name of Huawan has already set foot on a trail. There is no need to conduct additional exploration and construction can be carried out directly along this horse trail.
Therefore, the official road from Dianchi Lake to Nongdong is barely passable this year, but if you want to go to Yuyu Ze again, you really have no energy left.
We can only wait until we reap the dividends from Dianchi Lake tea before we start work again.
After all, supporting Long You's brother at all times is the most important thing for the Xinghan Society.
The Xinghan Society can wait, but some people can't wait.
People who can't wait are called Huawan.
Because her horse team transports goods from Shu to Shan, Panyue and other places, only two or three times a year.
And Yunnan County is a place that must be passed through.
If Liu Zhou goes into trouble, Yunnan County will be blocked. How can you keep her from being anxious?
"Ma Youchang, come out!"
In the county lane of Yunnan County, the door of a small courtyard was pushed open.
Standing in a gust of wind with a flower wand, she rushed into the small courtyard, with her hands on her small waist, like a landowner collecting debts: "If you don't come out, believe it or not, I will have your house smashed down today?"
But I saw that she was wearing leather shoes made of cowhide, with a row of small holes thoughtfully drilled on both sides of the upper to prevent the inside of the boots from getting too stuffy.
A hand-width cowhide strap was tied around the waist, outlining a slim waist.
Narrow clothes with tight sleeves for easy movement are the daily styles that originated in Nanxiang and are becoming popular in the Han Dynasty.
It's just that her whole body is mainly in black and blue, her sleeves are slightly shorter, and she wears bright silver bracelets on her exposed wrists, which are different from those popular styles.
At first glance, you can tell that it was customized from Nanxiang.
"Hua Niangzi, Hua Niangzi, our husband is really not at home..."
The concierge, who was following me at a trot, bowed repeatedly and said, "I hope Lady Hua will forgive me!"
"Every time I come, he's not at home!" Hua Wan said, "How can there be such a coincidence in the world? It's obvious that he is hiding and not daring to see me!"
At this time, I saw another woman running out of the courtyard, bowing to the flower garden and saluting:
"Hua Niang, Alang is really not here this time. He went out early."
Although this woman spoke Chinese, her intonation was not accurate. She was wearing Hanfu, but with her appearance, she was clearly a Yi girl.
She was one of the Yi women who served Ma Di.
How can Huawan believe it easily?
"Where did he go?"
"I went to the county government to discuss the matter with the officials. If Lady Hua is really in a hurry, why not go to the county government to find her."
When Huawan heard this, she choked immediately.
No matter how much Ma Su was valued by the eunuch, he was still a prisoner who was exiled to Yunnan, and he was beaten by that person.
As for Huawan herself, over the years, she has been able to build such a large cavalry team. Many people say that there is someone above her, and he is also the man who cannot be mentioned.
He said so much that even Huawan himself almost believed it.
Anyway, Feng Zhuang always accepts the dividends sent to him, right?
So naturally she is not afraid of Ma Su.
But I almost believed it, which means that she still retains her sobriety after all:
It's one thing not to be afraid of Ma Su, but since you don't really have that man above you, at most you only have that man's concubine, how can you really dare not be afraid of the government?
After all, his parents are still enjoying their happiness in Jincheng and are unwilling to leave Jincheng!
Sheep quality and tiger skin, nothing more than that.
So when Huawan heard Ma Su's concubine say these words, she had no choice but to snort, turn around and leave.
The silver collar around his neck made a crisp and sweet jingling sound.
"Youchang, you can't do this. After all, that lady has helped us a lot. She has visited many villages in the past few months to express her righteousness."
"Otherwise, Liu Zhou would be able to threaten many tribes. Now that Liu Zhou has rebelled against her, you have made excuses not to see her. Aren't you afraid that she will go to Feng Junhou to file a complaint?"
In the Yunnan Prefect's Mansion, Prefect Lu Kai and Ma Su were sitting opposite each other playing chess. There was a teapot on the table. Compared with Hua Wan, who was frustrated and frustrated, the two of them were really leisurely and at ease.
"Huh, Ji Ping doesn't need to worry about this. Then Hua Niang and Feng Langjun know each other, so don't I have any friendship with Feng Langjun?"
Compared with a few years ago, Ma Su's face is much darker, but his demeanor is much calmer, his eyes are reserved and his expression is calm.
During the Southern Expedition, Lu Kai was rescued by Feng Yong, so he and Feng Yong also had a good relationship.
Everyone said that Ma Su was exiled to Yunnan after being beaten by Feng Langjun.
But no one knew that when Ma Di first came to Yunnan, he went to Yunnan Governor Lu Kai with a letter from Feng Junhou in his arms.
Over the years, although Ma Su had no official position, he was regarded by Lu Kai as his most important right-hand man.
As an aide, Ma Su's suggestions helped Lu Kai a lot.
Lu Kai always sighed that the characters that the Prime Minister had painstakingly cultivated were indeed extraordinary.
Ma Zhou had the intention to cause trouble, but Ma Su saw through it in advance.
When reporting to the Governor's Mansion, it was Ma Su's suggestion to ask Lady Hua to go and appease various tribes.
In order to maintain the smooth flow of business channels, Hua Niangzi readily agreed.
Unexpectedly, since Liu Zhou raised his troops to cause rebellion, Ma Di personally went to the Governor's Mansion to persuade Zhang Yi to let the soldiers from all over the country temporarily hold tight to the key points and stay put.
Hua Wan went to see Ma Su several times, just to find out when the Governor's Mansion would send troops to quell the chaos.
Because Zhang Yi asked Hua Wan to appease the Yi people, it was Ma Di's suggestion, and he didn't hide it from her in the first place.
A few days ago, Ma Su went to the Governor's Mansion, and she knew about it, so in her opinion, Ma Su must know something inside.
But how could Ma Su dare to see her at this time?
So I had to hide in the prefect's mansion to be quiet.
"Liu Zhou's rebellion is just in a corner of Yunnan. Although the road there is difficult, with the help of Lady Hua, there is no need to worry about not being able to find the way. There is no need to alert the court, the military strength of the Governor's Mansion is enough to destroy this beast."
"Why did Youchang ask people to stand still and let Liu Zhou continue to cause chaos? At that time, those Yi leaders who were watching would be ready to take action when they saw that the Governor's Mansion was unable to attack."
Lu Kai picked up the tea cup, took a sip and asked.
"It's best to move," Ma Su smiled confidently, "As of now, the Governor's Mansion has also completed the deployment of troops, so there is no harm in talking about the plan."
He raised his index finger and pointed at the world, "Ji Ping thought it was unintentional that the imperial court ordered Zhang Bogong to take over the position of Governor Li?"
When Lu Kai heard Ma Su's words, he immediately sat up straight and said, "Please teach me, please."
Lu Kai was originally from Yongchang County. Although the Lu family was well-known in the local area, they were still located on the border of the Han Dynasty.
In the eyes of the wealthy families in Shu County and other places, the Yongchang Zhang family is at best the level of wealthy locals.
Even Lu Kai himself, although he once went to Jincheng to meet the Holy Spirit, even though he is now a prefect, he still lacks knowledge in terms of court affairs.
Therefore, whenever I have the opportunity to learn knowledge in this area, I naturally want to ask for advice.
Ma Su chuckled and waved his hand, "I don't dare to teach you. I just want to talk about some things that happened when I was with the Prime Minister."
"You Chang, please speak."
"Ji Ping knows that when the late emperor first entered Shu, the prime minister and Fa Xiaozhi had a dispute over whether to be lenient or strict when governing Shu."