Zhou Ping came to the Prefecture Mufu, but did not see Liu Bei.
The Lord took Guan Yu and Zhang Fei out to inspect the fields.
Zhou Ping took Zhang Wu out of Xiapi and walked more than twenty miles south to the farmland.
There are Sishui, Yishui, Shushui and other rivers in Xiapi. The water system is crisscrossed and is very suitable for farming.
In addition to flat land, the most important thing for farming is water.
But rivers alone are not enough. Canals must be dug to store water. Then there are many small canals so that water can flow to every field.
Xiapi was massacred by Cao Cao before. The people were greatly reduced and the fields were abandoned. Now it is a good time to start farming.
At this time, the people were digging canals. Zhou Ping searched all the way, but could not find Liu Bei.
However, I heard a lot of talking on the road.
"In my old age, this is the first time that we see our envoy from Xuzhou come to work with us."
"Yes, Commander Liu is kind and righteous and loves the people. He wants us people to have enough to eat!"
"I heard that Ambassador Liu was in Yuzhou. When there was great hunger last year, Ambassador Liu took out military rations and distributed them to the people in Yuzhou, saving many people. It is a blessing for us Xuzhou people to have such an ambassador come to Xuzhou.
!”
"Who says it's not the case? The Wen'an plow is so easy to use, and the commander also asked us to exchange plows for plows. We can directly exchange the straight-column plow for the curved-column Wen'an plow without charging a single penny!"
"Hey, it would be great if your Majesty could reduce our gifts!"
"It's a good idea, but it doesn't mean that you don't want to reduce it. Now that you are still using troops, if you reduce the tax, what will you use to support the army?"
"That's right, our Xuzhou is stable, but there are still many people in the world who are suffering from disasters and starving. Liu Shijun wants everyone in the world to live in peace and stability like us Xuzhou people!"
"This person is just incomparable. Not to mention Cao Cao who killed everyone on sight. I heard that Yuan Shu in Huainan not only collected more land taxes, but also collected more gifts. Many people in Jiujiang heard that we in Xuzhou were working on farming.
, all came to our Xuzhou."
"..."
Zhou Ping stopped his horse and listened quietly. Later, the people who were talking while working saw him and stopped talking.
"Excuse me, where is Mr. Liu?"
Zhou Ping asked the people with a smile on his face.
There are so many people here that it would be difficult to find Liu Bei on your own without asking.
One of the common people pointed far ahead, but another bolder man stared at Zhou Ping and asked, "Who are you? What do you want to see Mr. Liu?"
They saw Zhou Ping's luxurious clothes and a wine gourd hanging around his waist. Especially when he was followed by a guard carrying a bow and arrow, they wondered why they were looking for Liu Shijun.
"Thank you, I'm Zhou Ping."
Zhou Ping replied with a smile, and then led Zhang Wu to urge his horse forward.
"Zhou Ping, isn't he Zhou Wen'an?"
When Zhou Ping walked away, the people working at work started talking again.
"Yes, he is Zhou Wen'an, so wasn't it him who changed Wen Anli?"
"At first glance, he doesn't look like someone who knows how to farm. Will he change the plow?"
"People should not be judged by their appearance. I heard that Liu Shijun was able to defeat Yuan Shu and Lu Bu because of Zhou Wen'an's plan. He is now the military strategist and is highly valued by the commander!"
"..."
When Zhou Ping saw Liu Bei, he was all dirty, with a lot of mud on his gorgeous clothes and face. He was carrying soil with Chen Dao, while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were digging soil in the ditch.
The people next to them were talking and laughing, with smiles on their faces and full of enthusiasm. It seemed that the people working with them were not the envoys and generals, but the brothers next door.
"My lord, my lord."
Zhou Ping quickly dismounted, shouted and walked over, carrying the soil with Liu Bei, and asked Chen to carry it with Zhang Wu.
"Sir, why are you here too?"
Liu Bei was quite surprised by Zhou Ping's appearance.
"My lord is here to inspect the fields, why don't you ask me to come with you?"
"Is there something urgent that brings you here?"
"I have something to do, but it's not urgent. We'll talk about it later."
Zhou Ping and Liu Bei carried the soil together, and soon felt tired. He had never done any hard work in his previous life, and he had never done any heavy work in this time.
Looking at Liu Bei's expression, he seemed to be very tired, but he had no intention of stopping yet.
Helpless, Zhou Ping had no choice but to endure it until small blisters appeared on his palms. He couldn't bear it any longer, and then he said to Liu Bei: "Master, let's take a rest."
"Okay, take a rest."
Liu Bei seemed to be unable to bear it any longer. The two of them walked to the side and sat directly on the grass, breathing heavily.
Zhou Ping raised his hands and looked at two small blisters on each hand.
Liu Bei next to him also raised his hands, and there were three big blisters on each palm.
"Lord, your hands..." Zhou Ping said urgently.
"No problem, no problem."
Liu Bei quickly put down his hands and said with a wry smile.
"My lord, I heard that many people from Huainan came to Xuzhou." Zhou Ping asked.
Liu Bei's face showed joy: "Yes, it's not just the people in Huainan. Now Jiangdong is in war. Many people who originally fled to Jiangdong from Xuzhou have also returned. There are also many people in Jiangdong. I heard that we are recruiting people to work in the fields.
They all came across the river and wanted to be farmers!"
"This is a good thing. The people know that the state is safe and well governed. We in Xuzhou have a lot of land but few people. If more people from other states come to come, we can set up more farms. This will not only provide peace of mind to the people, but also allow us to accumulate food, killing two birds with one stone."
"Hahaha... This is your credit! If you hadn't defeated Yuan Shu and Lu Bu, Xuzhou would still not be stable at this time! You also have a plan to farm the land, otherwise you won't be able to attract people from other states to join us."
Zhou Ping said humbly: "How dare you take credit? This is due to my lord's love for the people. Chen Gongtai was originally talented, but unfortunately he was too radical. He aimed to destroy Cao Cao. He was eager to destroy Cao Cao and ignored the general trend of the world. Zhuge Zhizhong's younger brother
Although Zhuge Kongming is young, he is very talented. My lord can pay more attention to him and let him serve when he is older. He will definitely be in my arms in the future."
"When it comes to knowing people, there is no one who has no fault in the world. Since he is recommended by him, I think Kong Ming must have real talent, so how about I call him a government official?"
Zhou Ping shook his head slightly: "No, Kong Ming is not a government official. My lord can let him train with the army. With his talent, he may become a general in the future."
Liu Bei had never seen Zhou Ping praise a person so highly. It seemed that this Zhuge Kongming was no ordinary talent.
"In that case, let him accompany the army and serve as an official for me first."
"Sir, do you still have wine in your gourd?"
Zhang Fei stood in the ditch and shouted.
Zhou Ping came out today and had been carrying soil with Liu Bei. Before he could take a sip, the gourd was still full of wine.
"Ziwei, come and bring the wine to General Yide."
Zhou Ping called Zhang Wu and asked him to bring the wine gourd to Zhang Fei who was digging soil in the ditch.
"Hahaha...Sir, next time I come to dig ditches, I will definitely call you here."
Zhang Fei took the wine gourd and shouted with a loud laugh.
But after just a few sips, he drank all the wine in the gourd. He was not happy at all. He raised the wine gourd and shouted to Zhou Ping: "Sir, your gourd is too small, why don't you make a bigger one?"
.”
After Zhang Wu gave the wine gourd to Zhang Fei, he stood there and waited for him to finish drinking, then came back with the wine gourd and handed it back to Zhou Ping.
Zhou Ping no longer answered Zhang Fei's words, but turned to Liu Bei and said: "My lord, Liu Yangzhou has retreated to Yuzhang. As far as I know, Taishi Ci, a native of Donglai in the same state, is gathering troops in Danyang. He calls himself the governor of Danyang and the son of Taishi.
Yi had previously gone to the plains to ask for help from the lord for Kong Beihai, so the lord should know this person."
"Of course I know that when Ziyi was an official in Donglai, he went to Luoyang for the county to rob and destroy the state seal. Later, he broke through the encirclement on his own for Kong Beihai and came to ask for my help. This person is very righteous!"
Liu Bei was quite emotional in his words, and seemed to admire Taishi Ci.
"My lord, I want to go to Danyang in person to look for Ziyi and persuade him to lead the crowd to help my lord capture Jiujiang. In the future, he may be able to be used by my lord."
Liu Bei said happily: "If this can be done, it will be great."
At this time, some people brought water for Liu Bei to drink. Zhou Ping couldn't talk anymore, so he could only wait to talk slowly when he went back.
After resting for a while, Liu Bei and Zhou Ping continued to lift soil, and did not return to Xiapi City until the sun was setting.
Although Liu Bei came out this time as a show, showing off is better than not showing off at all. It is impossible for a dignified state shepherd to come to lift soil every day.
As long as the people can see you up close and work together, you are close to the people and you will win the hearts of the people.
Liu Bei's reputation of being close to the people will spread far and wide. In fact, Liu Bei is indeed close to the people and loves the people.
Many things are done for the sake of the people, but now we still need to use troops, and some things have to be done, including land taxes, and it is impossible to reduce or reduce them.
In addition, the interests of local powerful families must also be taken into consideration. Farming actually affects the interests of powerful families. For example, many ordinary people would rather be farmers than rent renters who are dependent on powerful families.
However, this had little impact. The farmers were mainly refugees from other states and local landless people, and no powerful family members stood up to oppose it.
