Ma Tian walked towards Li Ming holding two bowls.
Li Ming didn't bother to get up and just stretched out his hand to ask for it.
However, Martin took his hand back and looked at Li Ming, who looked like a wanderer:
"Have you washed your hands?"
Li Ming smacked his lips and gestured to the saponin powder not far away:
"If you eat without washing your hands, am I waiting to have my work points deducted?"
Last year, the Liangzhou White Disaster almost caused a refugee wave in Liangzhou.
Fortunately, Feng Langjun's golden name is strong enough. In addition, Governor Feng's management in Longyou in the early years allowed him to make do with everything.
Therefore, he could barely lead the people of Liangzhou through this difficulty.
Now, in the early years, although Cao Cao sent Xia Houyuan to pacify Liangzhou, local rebellions in Liangzhou have never stopped over the years.
The consequence of long-term unrest is that a large amount of land has been abandoned.
In addition, most of the Qiang and Hu people in Liangzhou are half-cultivators and half-grazers. If they don’t farm, they can still survive if they have enough cattle and sheep.
As a result, even during the short period of stability in Liangzhou, the recovery rate of farming was far slower than that in the Central Plains.
Until Feng Langjun came from the south.
He brought a new concept that the Han Dynasty regarded Han and foreigners as the same, and also brought the advanced farming methods of Shu.
He is a good person in the eyes of the barbarians.
The Han and Hu people who could not survive the white disaster began to build water conservancy projects and reclaim wasteland under his leadership.
When the new chief of the Liangzhou Governor's Office, Shi Liao Hua, arrived, he also brought a batch of grain.
Finally, the problem of food shortage in the governor's mansion was completely alleviated.
The remaining shortage can be solved by Dongfeng Express slowly transporting grain from Shu.
Coupled with the market-regulating role of the Nanxiang Exchange and the grain obtained by Feng Governor in Liangzhou, it was enough to support the governor's office to carry out work-for-relief projects calmly.
The fields that were opened up were divided equally between the Han people and the Hu people, which was very fair.
Really fair.
Because of the PY transaction between Governor Feng and the Liangzhou family, a large number of herdsmen were needed in the pastures and a large number of handymen were needed in the workshops.
Han people are naturally more attached to the land.
The Hu people are more likely to deal with livestock.
The government's implicit regulation can make Hu people more inclined to enter pastures and workshops.
The first step for scholars like Martin and Li Ming who came to Liangzhou to take the exam was to participate in this work-for-relief program.
The infrastructure projects of Liangzhou Governor's Office are different from the traditional corvee organized by the government.
The civilians are just like the army, with ten people forming an army, fifty people forming a team, and a hundred people forming a camp.
What Ma Tian and Li Ming have to do is to lead the peasants assigned to them and complete the tasks assigned to them by their superiors to build canals or open up wasteland on time.
Of course, becoming a foreman after taking a test was a huge change in status, and many scholars reacted strongly.
But with Zhang Xiaosi in the Governor's Mansion, he was naturally well prepared.
With Feng's current status as governor, coupled with Feng Langjun's unique skill of "eloquent words and seduction", he is not afraid of quarreling with literati.
The sentence "Establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the living and the people, carry on the unique knowledge for the saints, and create peace for all generations" is enough to make all the scholars in the world shut up obediently.
However, "How can you govern the world if you can't govern a canal with a hundred men?"
Since you have the ability, prove it!
It’s not like I won’t give you a chance to prove it.
The exam is your chance to prove that you can be a herder.
As long as you can complete the tasks assigned by the governor's office, someone will automatically record your work points.
If you accumulate enough work points within three months, you will be able to pass the first stage of the exam.
It means that you already have the most basic herder skills.
Of course, if you perform well and save enough work points in advance, you can pass the exams in the first three months in advance.
But it's not an easy thing.
Because a scholar must lead at least a hundred men, he must not only know how to coordinate the distribution, but also how to organize manpower.
At the same time, scholars must constantly sum up experience and complete tasks as quickly as possible.
Also know how to resolve disputes.
After all, the common people are not robots without emotions, and they are a mixture of Han and Hu. It is inevitable that there will be some conflicts in daily life.
How many years has the Nanxiang Engineering Team been working?
How many people can do how much earth work? Is there anyone in the world who knows better than them?
Tasks assigned on a per-capita basis are all given on a whim.
If you want to fool yourself, it will definitely not be possible.
If you work in shifts, you can barely complete it at best.
Only those who are at least somewhat capable are likely to stand out.
If that's all, that's it. In the first stage of Liangzhou's exams, there is actually such an operation as deducting work points.
Such as open defecation, not washing hands before eating and many other rules.
Not only did the scholars have to take the lead in obeying it, but they also had to make sure that the people they led also obeyed it.
"I never thought about it before, but just leading hundreds of people is so difficult."
Li Ming took the black bean soup handed over by Ma Tian, took a sip, and then said something with emotion.
Although he was complaining a little, his tone was obviously a little proud.
A lot has changed since the beginning.
the reason is simple.
Such a strict and thorough examination can only show that the Liangzhou Governor's Office was well prepared.
In other words, taking exams and selecting talents is far more serious than imagined.
It turned out that some people in Shu who were worried that this move was to appease the Liangzhou aristocratic family secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
As for Martin and Li Ming, because of their outstanding performance, they already have more than 300 civilians under their command, and they are almost certain to pass the first stage of the exam.
As long as they submit an acceptable argument, they will be promoted.
"Who doesn't know how complicated the affairs of the world are if they don't work hard? How can anyone not know how to govern the world by talking about it?"
Ma Tian also sat down next to Li Ming, holding a bowl and spoke with great emotion.
After drinking a bowl of black bean soup, the heat in his body seemed to lessen a bit. Li Ming asked:
"I heard that in the past two days, in order to rush the work, some people asked the peasants to work in the scorching sun at noon, which caused several people to get sick. What happened in the end?"
Martin is far better at dealing with others than Li Ming, and can often get information that others don't know from some channels.
I only heard him reply:
"It is said that the qualification to manage civilian husbands has been suspended. How to deal with it in the end depends on the news from the governor's office."
Martin said, shaking his head:
"When the Han Dynasty first returned to Liangzhou, they had to pay attention to winning people's hearts. In my opinion, this is the purpose of building water conservancy and reclaiming wasteland."
"If this matter spreads and is taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives, it will not harm the reputation of the governor's office. Therefore, in my opinion, the governor's office should handle this matter carefully."
Every day at noon, civilians are allowed to rest for an hour. This is a rule set by the governor's office.
Because the common people only have two meals a day, morning and evening, the most they can do at noon is drink some black bean soup to relieve the heat.
But what they do is heavy physical work, so naturally they can't be forced too much.
The two were chatting, and a burst of cheers came from not far away.
Then the sound of Yiyi's singing came faintly:
"I've got my first hair on my forehead, so I'll just break the flowers and play in front of the door..."
Li Ming sighed and asked Martin:
"Tell me, how would Governor Feng feel if he heard that his poems had been changed like this?"
Ma Tian didn't take it seriously and laughed:
"The Governor Feng may not be aware of this matter. Since no one is stopping it, it means the superiors tacitly approve it."
As he said that, he winked and said, "When it's too hot to rest, let the civilians listen to these songs. It can also boost their morale."
Li Ming smiled bitterly.
As a scholar, it is extremely frustrating to hear that a famous poem has been altered into a mess by an actor and then sung to the common people.
However, the civilian husbands below do not have much entertainment activities on weekdays. After a long time, it becomes a bit too depressing.
Then the actors from the construction site appeared.
Either rapping or storytelling.
The words are messy and the singing is even messier.
But those people like to listen to this tune.
Whenever it's lunch break, there is no need to arrange it, they will automatically take their seats and wait for the actor to appear.
To Li Ming's ears, that was terrible.
But in the eyes of civilian husbands, it is something they have been longing for.
They are all vulgar and mud-legged people, even if they don't know a single word, who can understand those elegant songs?
Therefore, in rap and storytelling, the more straightforward the better, and the more cheesy the better.
It's just too vulgar, and sometimes it's a bit too much.
So when they heard that Xiao Longnu had been defiled by Cao, a man who specialized in making obscene sacrifices for a living, the civilians who were nervous and couldn't help themselves were immediately in an uproar.
But I saw a man stand up suddenly and cursed with anger on his face:
"Shu Zi Dare you!"
While cursing, he slammed the clod of soil in his hand towards the storyteller.
Unexpectedly, the storyteller was already prepared. He dwarfed his body and dived under the table with great agility.
The clod of soil flew back and fell directly into the crowd behind.
I don't know which unlucky guy I hit, I just heard a scream, and then another loud curse: "Idiot!"
The storyteller had already made him angry, but now everyone sitting in the shed became a little commotion.
"What are you doing?!"
But when I saw a few stewards standing guard at the door of the shed, they shouted, "You don't want to hear it, do you?"
The shed immediately became quiet.
"Where can I find such a living, with food, drink, shelter, and the ability to listen to books? What's the fuss about? If you don't want to listen, just go to work!"
The storyteller poked his head out from under the table, made sure it was safe, stood up again, and wiped away his cold sweat.
This was not the first time he had encountered this kind of situation.
The steward motioned for the storyteller to continue.
Then he sat down again and murmured:
"Why is it that Guo Jing can marry a fairy like Huang Rong, but when he comes to Yang Guo, it is all hardships..."
Another steward said: "That's right, Lan Ling Xiaoxiaosheng is not the son of a human being! If he stands in front of me now, I will give him a few big slaps!"
"That's right, not only do you have to smoke, but you also have to let him change it. If the changes are not satisfactory, then continue to smoke! Until you are satisfied!"
Several bosses in charge were slapping someone's big mouth obscenely while discussing how to modify it to satisfy them.
It wasn't until the sun outside turned a little and became cooler that he stood up and said hello:
"It's time, clean up quickly and get ready to work."
Everyone sighed together and got up reluctantly.
"Hurry up, hurry up, finish the work, there will be Xian'er Club coming during dinner time!"
Then there was another uproar.
Everyone's reaction was even more exciting than when Xiao Longnu was defiled by the obscene sacrifice.
"really?"
"Do you really want to come over?"
"What's the use of lying to you? They were at the construction site in the north a few days ago, and now it's our turn."
"Very good!"
"You know it's good, why don't you hurry up? The construction site work in the north is well done, and the Xian'er Club sang for five nights in a row. If we don't do well here, we can't even leave tonight."
"do not!"
"Work, work!"
Probably due to the influence of the Xinghan Society, a trend of opening societies has quietly emerged among the Han people.
Especially in Nanxiang, due to the increasing number of laborers, gangs with Zhongyi Temple as the center of their activities have naturally arisen.
This Xian'er Club may have a nice name, but in fact it is a rap group composed of several actors.
There are many rap groups at various infrastructure construction sites in Liangzhou, performing folk arts for civilians, and the Xianer Club is one of them.
There are two girls in this club. I heard they came from the Western Regions. They are really good-looking. Most importantly, they are good at belly dancing.
That small waist, tsk tsk!
Anyway, in the eyes of the common people, he looks like a fairy.
There must be some heels, otherwise such a beautiful and talented woman would have been hidden in the backyard by someone.
Legend, just legend, someone specially transported a group of girls who were good at dancing from the Western Regions, with the intention of giving them to Governor Feng.
Unexpectedly, Governor Feng was an upright man and did not like women, so he sent them to Nanxiang to learn singing and become actors.
This Xian'er Society is said to be related to that group of women.
I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s true that the people were very happy to see it.
After all, I used to face the earth with my back to the sky, and I would see yellow faces when I went home at night.
Where has there ever been such entertainment?
Therefore, storytellers and rappers are really very encouraging to civilian workers, which greatly reduces the burden on the grassroots management staff at the construction site.
Because both Han Dynasties resolutely cracked down on obscene sacrifices.
Therefore, such actions can also make the general public understand the dangers of obscene sacrifices.
For example, Mr. Cao, who defiled Xiao Longnu, has been cursed by others all year round.
The first half of the 10th year of Jianxing was probably one of the few peaceful days in these years.
Ji Han and Cao Wei fought a big battle last year, and they both needed to take a good breather for two or three years before they could recover.
And there are also many things going on within the two countries.
For example, Ji Han needed to digest Liangzhou well, and at the same time mobilize a large amount of grain to be transported to Liangzhou.
As for Cao Wei, the most important thing now is to strengthen the defense of Guanzhong.
Maybe it's because Cao Rui has been having a really bad time these past few years.
Compared with Adou's wedding to the prince in Hanzhong, in February, Cao Rui's newly born daughter Cao Shu died.
Cao Rui did not have many children. Two of his sons died in infancy, and now there are only two daughters and one son left.
Now that another daughter had passed away, Cao Rui couldn't help but feel extremely sad, so he issued an edict to build a temple in Luoyang and bury her in Nanling.
Not only did he suspend court to attend the funeral in person, but he also asked the ministers of the court to go and mourn.
This made many courtiers very dissatisfied.
Because Cao Shu was still an infant, it was somewhat inappropriate to build a temple in Luoyang and be buried in Nanling.
But this is a royal matter, so it’s hard to say much about it.
But wearing plain clothes every day and crying every day is really too deceiving.
Chen Qun, the only auxiliary minister who stayed in Luoyang, could not help but remonstrated:
"When I died at the age of eight, the rituals were not prepared, and the month was not yet due? So I gave it as an adult gift, added it as a uniform, and then went back to visit the mausoleum and visit my ancestors in person. Since ancient times, there has been no such comparison."
Yang Fu, the Young Master, also advised: "When Emperor Wen and Empress Wuxuan passed away, your Majesty did not attend the funeral. Therefore, we attach great importance to the country, and we are not prepared for danger. Why should we carry an innocent child to the funeral?"
Remind Cao Rui, you didn't even go to the funeral when your adult and grandmother died. Now it's just a baby that died, and you have to lead the court to the funeral. Have you thought about the consequences?
It's a pity that Cao Rui couldn't listen.
Not only could he not listen to it, but he also felt that something bad happened to the Luoyang Palace, and it was thanks to Xuchang.
After Cao Shu's funeral, in April, Cao Rui led the Second Palace to visit Xuchang in a grand manner.
Unexpectedly, in May, the prince Cao Yin died again.
Cao Rui had three sons in total, namely Cao Jiong, Cao Mu, and Cao Yin.
Cao Jiong died in the fourth year of Jianxing, the year when Cao Rui first ascended the throne.
Cao Mu died in the seventh year of Jianxing, the year when Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor and the Shu-Wu alliance sued the world.
In the tenth year of Jianxing, the last prince, Cao Yin, failed to save his life.
So far, Cao Rui no longer has his own biological prince in his harem.
Logically speaking, in this era, early death is actually quite normal.
Moreover, Cao Rui was not yet 30 years old. He was still young and strong, so it would be very easy for him to become a prince again.
After all, Uncle Liu Huang could still give birth to Adou when he was forty-six years old!
But the strange thing is that a prince did appear in the palace soon, but he was not Cao Rui's biological son, but an adopted son.
In other words, Cao Rui seems to be pessimistic about whether he will be able to give birth to a son in the future.
Throughout the first half of the 10th year of Jianxing, Cao Wei's palace was shrouded in sadness.
It's just that human joys and sorrows are not the same.
While Cao Rui was grieving, Governor Feng, who was far away in Liangzhou, was in a state of tension and joy.
In July, the mistress of the Feng family was preparing to give birth again.
