"How does it feel to govern a party?" Zhao Kuo and Li Mu walked side by side on the path outside Dai County.
Li Mu is more mature than before, his personality is much more restrained, and he has an air of elegance. If you don't know him, you will definitely think that he is a civil servant, but not that Li Mu is one of the few famous generals in the world.
Although the weather is gradually getting cooler in July, this is only relatively speaking. The sun is still shining brightly during the day at this time, and the leaves beside the road are hanging listlessly on the treetops.
On both sides are neat patches of farmland, with lush green crops swaying gently in the breeze, and figures wearing bamboo hats walking through the fields.
No matter what time of year, there is never a shortage of busy people in the farmland.
The mulberry trees at the head of the field are not thick, and they should not have been planted for a long time. There are houses scattered in a scattered pattern not far away. The houses are not gorgeous, but they are clean and tidy.
Occasionally, the barking of dogs comes from the village, which triggers a series of barking sounds. It seems that the barking team is holding a meeting.
The people of Zhao State have the custom of raising dogs. The Dai Ma, the Hu Dog, and the Kunlun Jade are known as the three treasures of the Zhao State. The Hu Dog can be ranked alongside the war horse and the Kunlun Jade, which shows its status.
In addition to herding and hunting, dogs can also play a certain role in the military.
Mozi once recorded in his book the method of using dogs to prevent the enemy from digging tunnels, which is to dig tunnels in the city and put a dog in each tunnel. The barking of the dog indicates that there is someone there.
In the distance, the green hills are undulating and lush. Groups of people dressed in coarse cloth are busy in the mountains. There are even more people than in the fields. There are many old people and children among them.
Daijun is where the Great Wall Army of the State of Zhao is stationed. Every day training consumes a large amount of arrow shafts.
The trees on the mountain are all excellent materials for making arrow shafts. There is no limit to the government's purchase of them. They can buy as much as they want. They pay the money and deliver the goods at the same time. There will never be any default.
Although the price is very cheap, in this era, it is rare to have such an income.
Therefore, countless people poured into the mountains to cut down branches and plan arrow shafts.
Thanks to the fact that there are trees everywhere over the years, they don’t grow much if they are cut down, so we don’t have to worry about damaging the environment.
"It's difficult. To govern, the world is peaceful, the people are stable, to follow the laws of heaven, to develop and grow. It's not easy to truly govern." Li Mu said with emotion.
It is easy to govern one party, but it is very difficult to truly govern it well.
The people in the three northern counties of the State of Zhao are fierce, martial, and competitive. They take it as their duty to help the weak and suppress the powerful.
When we were resisting the Huns, after everyone heard the news, without saying a word, they prepared their own dry food and rode to the front line on horseback.
Although they no longer need to pay as much as they do, the martial spirit is still intact. Almost all the young men here can fight on horseback, and even many young girls have good riding skills.
Many villages here have their own horse stables, and they travel on horseback, carrying knives and arrows at their waists.
In Zhao State, knives and arrows are not regulated weapons, but armor and crossbows. If you dare to hide one privately, it is a serious crime of beheading.
People in the Central Plains have a phobia of lack of force, and they all hope that the stronger the force, the better. Even if they are poor, they will borrow money to buy a weapon and hide it under the bed board in case of emergency.
Later, the weapons of the Zhao Kingdom changed. In addition to casting farm tools, many of the retired weapons were sold to the people.
Daijun has the earliest horse racing farm in Zhao State. It is the main source of cavalry in Zhao State, a bridgehead against the Donghu and Xiongnu, and a bridge connecting Handan and Hetao.
What the people of Daijun admire most are generals who can fight, especially young famous generals like Li Mu who destroyed the Huns' cavalry. As soon as they arrived in Daijun, they were welcomed by the people of the county.
In the past few years when Li Mu was the county governor, no matter whether it was Donghu in the north or Yan State in the west, let alone invading Zhao State, they did not even dare to approach the border, and they could hide as far as they could.
The people of Daijun felt a sense of pride in being Zhao people, and they also respected Li Mu more and more.
but……
The people of this generation do not engage in farming and mulberry...
Li Mu tried every means, even using his connections, to recruit several farm disciples from Handan, and ordered the forced reclamation of wasteland for farming, and set quotas for each township, but the effect was not very good.
The land and water support the people, and Daijun extends in all directions, reaching the grasslands in the north, the Central Plains in the south, the Hetao in the west, and the Yan Kingdom in the east. The special geographical environment causes wars here almost every year.
The enemy plunders and plunders, and one's own side clears the country.
The food that was sown was destroyed by one's own people or enemies before it could be harvested.
In addition, the people here are martial and loyal, and caravans traveling from north to south like to recruit guards here. Zhao State also recruits cavalry here every year, so that they can earn an income without farming.
As time goes by, no one will grow food.
It was not until recent years that Zhao State vigorously developed agriculture and reclaimed all the land that could be cultivated, that the situation improved.
"Actually, the fact that you can do this is beyond my expectation." Zhao Kuo said with a smile.
Before meeting Li Mu, Zhao Kuo had already inspected Dai County. Compared with the first time he came to Dai County, there had been great improvements, as evidenced by the neat farmland.
You must know that Zhao Kuo regards Li Mu as a general, or a commander-in-chief, rather than a civil servant who governs a side. The reason why Li Mu was placed in Dai County is that on the one hand, Northern Xinjiang needs an elite regiment to be in charge;
In order to deal with Yan State in the future.
Governance is secondary.
But Li Mu did a good job. He personally led the people of Daijun to reclaim fields and form caravans, and maximized the advantages of Daijun. Not only did he not cause public resentment, but he won the support of the people of Daijun.
Even those top civil servants who personally serve as county governors can only do this.
However, the separation of civil and military branches was not so obvious in this era. It was very common for civilian officials to do the work of military generals, and generals to do the work of civilian officials. For example, Wei Wuji was the best in the world in terms of internal affairs and leading troops in combat.
"Thanks to Jun Cheng's help, Jun Cheng taught Mu many principles during this period." Li Mu turned around and nodded to an old man behind him.
Zhao Kuo also knew this old man. He was once a retainer of Lord Xinling: Tang Ju.
Zhao Kuo was worried that Li Mu had just governed a party and had no experience, so he sent Tang Ju, an experienced man, to help Li Mu.
But this guy is a bead counter. If he dials it, it will move. If he doesn't dial it, he won't move.
"Sir, he is one of the most talented people in the world. You should ask for more advice and treat him as a teacher. Don't neglect him." Zhao Kuo said seriously.
"I will remember it," Li Mu said, cupping his hands.
"I don't dare, I don't dare. The governor of the county is like a heavenly man. How can I be so virtuous and capable as a minister? I dare to teach the governor." Tang Ju waved his hand quickly and said.
When Wei Wuji entered Zhao State, he originally wanted to stay in Wei State, but after thinking about it, the free meal ticket was gone. It would not be easy for him to stay alone in Wei State. After all, he was old and could no longer cultivate the land.
The family would become a burden to the children, so he followed Wei Wuji to the Kingdom of Zhao.
For him, it is enough to have a place to earn a living, and he does not have any delusions about being a high-ranking official and receiving a generous salary.