Only when you are drunk do you know how strong the wine is.
Guo Zongyi woke up from a hangover. As soon as he arrived at Chenshi, he packed up and went to the other courtyard to greet Guo Rong and Fu.
After the family had the imperial meal, they went into the palace to bow to Guo Wei, and then Guo Rong proposed to go to the Forbidden Army Camp and the refugee city under construction.
Guo Zongyi readily agreed, knowing very well that if he showed any signs of neglect, Guo Rong's palms as big as cattail leaf fans would be slapped down.
The father and son ordered dozens of guards, one man and one horse, and set off toward the Forbidden Army camp in the south of the city.
There are no regulations prohibiting riding in Kaifeng City. As Guo Zongyi galloped his horse, he was wondering whether to build a horse track in the future specifically for cars and horses to separate people and horses. In this way, the two would not interfere with each other and pave the way.
The maintenance cost of brick streets and alleys can also be reduced a lot.
After a while, Guo Zongyi and others arrived at the north gate of the Forbidden Army's front camp.
The soldiers garrisoning in front of the gate all knew Guo Zongyi, and they were anxious to move away and resist their horses, but Guo Zongyi dismounted.
"Aye, the Forbidden Camp is no better than Kaifeng City. There are fewer roads and more people, and the people are densely packed. It's better to walk."
After Guo Rong heard this, he dismounted happily and followed his son into the camp on foot.
The main road of the forbidden camp is four feet wide, with row houses on both sides. In front of the houses, clothes and linens are hung out to dry, large and small, inside and outside, colorful and fluttering in the wind.
Groups of playful children gathered at the door of the house, some sitting on the threshold, high-fiving and singing songs, or waving sticks, chasing and playing.
I don't know who shouted, "Your Highness is here."
The children around him stopped playing, cheered and gathered around him. They shouted "Hello, Your Highness" in unison, and they all looked at him eagerly.
Guo Zongyi was well prepared. He laughed and ordered two guards carrying large bundles to come forward. They opened it and found that it was full of caramel. Each of them had a small handful and distributed it one by one.
The children who got the snacks were even more excited. They gathered around Guo Zongyi and sang a nursery rhyme praising him. I don’t know who arranged this song. The words were full of flattery. Guo Zongyi was very unhappy. He once ordered Xue Juzheng to abolish it, but Xue Juzheng did not.
Thinking that this was caused by the attack on morality and the people's will, it was an elegant matter and there was no need to intervene. Guo Zongyi stopped, but he was still a little worried.
Hearing this nursery rhyme again now, in front of Guo Rong, made him feel anxious and uneasy.
However, Guo Rong didn't care, and only said with a relieved smile: "My son is very famous among these refugees. I want to supervise the refugees and do a good job. Everyone agrees. It's not easy."
Guo Zongyi was relieved and decided to go back and ask Xue Juzheng to abolish this nursery rhyme. At that moment, he said awkwardly: "I just set the direction and made it detailed and concrete. It all depends on the efforts of the officials in the West Hall and Xue Juzheng's hard work."
"Xue Juzheng? Who is he?"
"I was originally promoted to an official position in the Third Division. I was a Jinshi during the Qingtai period. I was asked to take charge of the resettlement of the displaced people."
"In that case, he is also a capable minister." Guo Rong nodded.
"It is the weapon of the prime minister!" Guo Zongyi did not hesitate to speak kindly, which made Guo Rong look askance.
"Where is he? Let me take my father to see him."
Guo Zongyi's words aroused his interest. In his impression, his son was now modest and cautious, but he praised the official named Xue very much, which made him curious.
"He is in the handsome hall. You can see him later."
Guo Rong didn't say much at the moment. He followed his son to observe in the forbidden camp. When he arrived at a school, he heard the sound of reading, and he was surprised and said: "You also set up a school?"
"Exactly, most of the children in the camp were left unsupervised and gathered together to cause trouble every day, so they set up several private schools for enlightenment. Unfortunately, very few came to school." Guo Zongyi said with shame. The West Hall currently does not have the financial resources to support compulsory education. Schools
Although they don't charge money, they have to bring their own pens, inks, paper, and inkstones for teachers. Most of the refugees are still struggling to have enough food and clothing, so they don't have any extra money for their children to study.
Guo Rong saw that he looked ashamed, and saw that the huge school was sparse, with only a dozen children holding papers and reading, so he comforted him and said: "It doesn't matter, after two years, the people will have more money, and they will have some hope for success."
The parents of Qiqi send their children to study. By then, I'm afraid your few school buildings won't be enough."
"I hope so."
While talking, the two walked to a newly built courtyard.
Guo Rong lay on the fence and looked into the room. Seeing children of all sizes in the hall, he asked curiously: "Is this also a school?"
Guo Zongyi shook his head: "This is a Salesian Home. There are some orphans among the refugees who have no home. So I ordered people to build several Salesian Homes to support children under the age of fifteen."
Guo Rong was deeply moved when he heard this. He gently stroked his son's back and said with emotion: "My son is kind and kind. This is good governance and good governance. I will follow his example when I return to Chanzhou."
"Ayemu praises me. I am just doing my best. I only hope that the world will have someone to rely on when I grow old, and that I will have no support and a peaceful and prosperous age. I think this is nothing more than this."
Guo Rong nodded in agreement and patted Guo Zongyi's shoulder approvingly: "If there are any other new measures, please take my father to see them."
"No more." Guo Zongyi shook his head firmly.
Guo Rong took back his hand and said with a smile: "It's not bad to have these, it's not bad."
The two of them didn't go shopping anymore. Guo Zongyi led Guo Rong directly to see Xue Juzheng, who was discussing matters with several West Hall officials in the commander's hall.
Guo Zongyi raised his leg and was about to take a step forward, but was held back by Guo Rong: "There's no need to disturb them. I've seen it. It's good to know that there is this person."
After finishing speaking, Guo Rong stood there and listened for a while. They were all complicated and trivial civil affairs, but they were sorted out from scratch by the official named Xue Juzheng, who was experienced and skillful.
Only then did he believe what Guo Zongyi said, that this man was indeed the tool of the minister.
In addition to Xue Juzheng, who was sitting high on the throne, there was also a green-robed official below who caught Guo Rong's attention. He pointed at the man and asked, "Who is this? I noticed that he has a majestic appearance and a very quick mind."
Guo Zongyi went there and saw that he was referring to Pan Mei. He couldn't help but feel wary. After weighing it for a while, he still answered honestly: "My surname is Pan Mingmei, and I am a land manager in Kaifeng Prefecture."
Guo Rong understood, and scanned the officials in the hall carefully to make sure that no fish had slipped through the net. Then he turned and left, saying that he was going to visit the refugee city under construction.
The Refugee City was a bit far away. The group of people rode horses and ran and walked for a while.
In the forest where the site was selected, several high slopes have disappeared, leaving only large areas of exposed earthy yellow foundation scattered along the Baigou River.
On the construction site, there was smoke and dust, and there was a clanking sound, and densely packed civilian workers were busy working. This was their future home, and every brick and tile could be their future house that would protect them from wind and rain. They were doing their best.
This time, Guo Rong did not go deep into the construction site. He just rode his horse and walked around the edge like a horse.
Later, he asked Guo Zongyi: "I saw many soldiers wandering around the construction site and taking away a civilian from time to time. Why is this?"
"We are selecting new soldiers." Guo Zongyi said bluntly. The selection of soldiers began at the end of last month. To this day, after selecting and passing the school examination, they have only recruited a total of more than 3,000 young people.
The five thousand establishment was short of half, not to mention that among these people, there must be deserters, casualties, and dead soldiers.
Based on his selection and assessment criteria, he estimated that he would have to recruit eight thousand men, and perhaps five thousand elite soldiers would be able to be recruited in the end.
Guo Zongyi mentioned the establishment of the New Army in his letter. Guo Rong originally intended to object after reading the letter, but on second thought, Guo Wei agreed, so what's the use of his objection? It's better to let this kid try, maybe he can really practice it.
An army good at fighting has arrived.
Guo Rong nodded and asked again: "Why choose this way?"
"Seeing is believing. Only by observing them at work can we select soldiers who can endure hardship and are willing to obey orders."
Guo Rong was surprised, glanced at his son, and said with a smile: "It's quite new. How come I didn't realize that you have so many thoughts before?"
Guo Zongyi chuckled and joked: "Maybe he is a late bloomer."
Guo Rong raised his riding crop, tapped him on the back, and laughed and cursed: "How old are you?"
The two of them stayed at the Xincheng construction site until noon before returning home. Guo Rong did not go out again. After two days of loving each other, Guo Rong led the Fu family back to Chanzhou.
Guo Zongyi walked all the way outside the city and just said goodbye to his old father and young mother.
Before parting, Mrs. Fu gave him a self-knitted robe, which moved Guo Zongyi so much that he called her "aunt" eagerly.
Zhuma Gaopo, watching Guo Rong and his party leave, Guo Zongyi suddenly realized that Guo Rong could stay in Kaifeng for a few days. It seemed that this historical trajectory was quietly changing.
