Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 118 The Envoy to the Xiongnu (4k words available for further reading)

The bronze goose-fish lamp in front of the hall flickered with flames, casting Zhang Xian's shadow on the screen. The newly changed straw curtains of the maids still carried a fresh fragrance, but they were rattled by the cold wind blowing through the hall.

It was normal for the mansion to open its windows for ventilation every day, but today the wind was a bit strong, so the maid guarding the main hall closed the doors and windows after glancing at the master of the house who was deep in thought.

Zhang Xian's knuckles tapped rhythmically on the table, producing a dull thud.

'Let's do it this way. Leave only a spot for the variant of each herb, saving space to grow cotton.'

"Being located near Wufeng Mountain, the county has ample medicinal herb resources. Combined with a year's worth of reserves, the county's stock of medicinal herbs is sufficient; we can simply purchase more in the future."

'However, ginseng needs to be continuously cultivated; otherwise, finding a ginseng that's been growing for many years is extremely unpredictable.'

The sound of fingers tapping mingled with the approaching dusk.

A maidservant approached and whispered in the mansion: "Master, Manager Wang of Lusi Cloth Shop requests an audience."

The words woke Zhang Xian, who was already somewhat sleepy.

"Oh, someone invited him. Bring him in."

"Yes."

The maid responded in a sweet voice.

Before long, he led Manager Wang into the main hall.

"This humble citizen, Wang Kui, pays his respects to the County Magistrate. It is truly an honor to be invited by you."

Manager Wang greeted him with great humility.

Zhang Xian waved his hand: "No need for formalities, Xiao Huan, bring some honey water."

"Yes, Master."

"Manager Wang, please have a seat."

Zhang Xian smiled broadly; he had a fairly good impression of the small merchant who had appeared in front of him twice.

Wang Kui bowed respectfully, straightened his clothes, and then knelt on the straw mat.

"I wonder what orders the magistrate has summoned me for?"

Wang Kui probed, and the man was not stupid; he naturally understood that inviting him to the mansion could not be just a simple meeting.

Therefore, he should ask the county magistrate first, rather than waiting for the county magistrate to ask him.

"Haha, Manager Wang, you certainly speak your mind. I've heard that you were just a servant twenty years ago, but now you've amassed a considerable fortune. You are truly a talented person."

"So I'd like to ask, Manager Wang, would you be willing to take this a step further?"

Zhang Xian looked over and saw that Wang Kui was sweating profusely. He realized that his words, though seemingly directed at ordinary people, sounded like a threat to hand over their family property.

He then added, "Manager Wang has many years of experience in commerce and is skilled in cloth washing. If Manager Wang is willing, I think this county could grant you the status of a clerk, making you a government-merchant under this county."

"What does Manager Wang think?"

With these additional words, Wang Kui's face instantly went from tense to excited!

Even though they were minor officials, they still crossed a chasm that ordinary people could not overcome even after several generations of hard work.

There was no need for hesitation; he immediately rose from his seat and kowtowed, saying, "This humble subject is willing!"

"Haha, good. Tomorrow the county will allocate some manpower to you. All you have to do is take them all over Bingzhou. The cloth shop business will still be yours, no need to close it down."

"promise!"

Overwhelmed with excitement, Wang Kui was almost groaning aloud.

It's no wonder he's like this; such a change in social class is what ordinary people like him with a little money dream of most.

If he could, he would now call Shangshou "godfather" without any hesitation, even though Shangshou County Duke is almost twenty years younger than him.

cupped hands, bowed, kowtowed

Zhang Xian originally wanted to invite him to stay for dinner, but seeing his behavior, he waved him away.

He had actually been thinking about forming a caravan in Taoyuan, but at that time there were too few people and Taoyuan simply couldn't spare the energy to do it, so it was put on hold.

Now that he possesses a county with over 30,000 residents, he has revived this previously shelved idea.

Originally, he planned to send people to explore the trade route from scratch and suffer some losses to make it work, but he never expected that after his triumphant return, there would be a person named Manager Wang.

He had experience in trade and made a good impression on me, so I decided to let him guide me for the time being. With his experience and my own status, it wouldn't be difficult to establish trade routes in Bingzhou.

Moreover, Manager Wang is also a cloth merchant. If cotton and cloth production increases in the future, it might become another money-making tool for him.

Back in Luoyang, cotton cloth was quite expensive; only high-ranking officials and nobles could afford it.

He had taken a short nap in the afternoon and was no longer feeling tired, so he went to his workshop in the house and began to hone his craftsmanship.

Now that the Luchi water forging workshop has been newly built and the steel frying furnace is nearing completion, Luchi will soon be able to get on track for steel production.

He continued to keep things the same in Tieguan Town, and the annual tax of 30,000 catties of pig iron still had to be handed over; there was no escaping it.

Fortunately, Tieguan Town is now fully under our control, and the old scenario where only 30,000 out of 100,000 catties of produce were delivered to the county government will no longer occur.

No, it's still 30,000 that's deposited into the treasury, since it has to be handed over to the central government.

But the remaining 70,000 jin of profit went entirely into his own hands, instead of benefiting the big rat!
Salt and iron are essential to both the military and the people; we must not let even a single pound of these two supplies slip through our fingers!
The clanging of blacksmiths echoed through the mansion.

Zhang Xian built a blacksmith's forge in the back courtyard, the kind that's entirely handmade. The reason he did this was to improve his craftsmanship skill, achieving level 3 in the Soul of the Craftsman.

When you dedicate yourself to crafting an item, that item has a certain probability of receiving game trait bonuses (currently a 9% probability bonus, skill level increase).
He creates things every day just to trigger this skill.

The game feature bonuses sound incredibly powerful.

Homesteads, farmland, and animal husbandry—these two things provide game-specific bonuses, and the benefits they offer are self-evident.

Unfortunately, as the saying goes, a person only has 24 hours in a day. No matter how much time Zhang Xian squeezes in, it still takes him two or three days to complete each item.

It's been almost three or four months since I unlocked the Artisan's Soul skill, and I still haven't gotten any items with game-specific features.

He guessed that it might be related to his complete dedication; he spent too little time on crafting each day, which inadvertently reduced the probability of obtaining special items.

If that's the case, then let's put aside the construction work for now. Once things are settled and we have plenty of free time, we can carry out the construction in one go!

night.

Xi Zhong and Han Ji also returned to the mansion.

The three bachelors now live here.

After dinner, the group chatted for a while before going to bed.

The next day.

On a typical day of handling official business, Zhang Xian transferred six soldiers, some of whom were seriously injured in the recent battle, to work for Manager Wang.

Then they conscripted another hundred able-bodied men from the people of Lüchi, giving priority to men from good families.

Now, Zhang Xian no longer needs to solicit favors from powerful families to meet the required number of soldiers, as he did before.

This recruitment of 100 soldiers was completed in the countryside in less than an hour.

This greatly pleased Zhang Xian.

Another day,

Official duties remained busy. Today, Han Ji went to Heishuidu to oversee the final work on the water-powered steel frying furnace and also inspected the agricultural tool manufacturing at the water-powered forging workshop.

Upon returning to the county, he reported to Zhang Xian.

The water forging workshop in Lüchi County has 47 water forging hammers. The Hutuo River is a large river, and the location chosen by Han Ji is also a place with rapid currents. One waterwheel can drive six forging hammers at the same time. Under the management of the Tong brothers, the water forging workshop can now produce 300 to 400 agricultural tools per day. There are still 40 to 50 days until spring, which is enough time to forge agricultural tools to meet the needs of the entire county.

In addition to farm tools, Zhang Xian also commissioned the Tong brothers to forge a curved plow.

The soil in Taiyuan is mostly mature brown soil and sandy loam, which is the perfect soil for the curved plow, so Zhang Xian developed it.

With the advantages of improved curved plows, the speed of spring plowing next year will be much faster.

At the same time, the triangular plows that were commonly used in the mountainous areas of Lüqi County were not phased out. As the saying goes, every profession has its own specialty, and the same applies to plows. Curved plows are easy to use, but they are only good for suitable soil and terrain. For example, in the mountain fields near Wufeng Mountain, the original plows are still needed.

It can be said that Zhang Xian's entire winter in power was spent preparing for the spring of the following year. When Zhang Xian first arrived in Lüqi, the county annals recorded 13,000 mu of land. Later, after confiscating the property of the He and Xu families and coercing the local powerful families in Lüqi, he recovered 40,000 mu of land.

Compared to the population of 37,000 in Luqi County, each person has a little over one mu of farmland on average.

But this is not enough.

A total of 50,000 mu of farmland is definitely not enough. Luqi County covers an area of ​​600 square kilometers, of which 30% is mountainous land where Wufeng Mountain is located, 50% is plains, 8% is river system, 2% is official roads and military facilities, and 5% is residential area and uncultivable terrain.

Theoretically speaking, if Zhang Xian wanted to cultivate land on a large scale, the 50% plain terrain alone would be enough to cultivate 180,000 mu of land.

Therefore, next year we must follow the same approach as in Taoyuan: promptly cultivate the existing 50,000 mu of land and organize the reclamation of uncultivated wasteland.

Of the 37,000 people surveyed, the labor force accounted for more than 17,000, most of whom were unregistered households and slaves recovered from the He and Xu families.

With 17,000 able-bodied men, after deducting the time spent cultivating the existing fields, at least 40,000 mu of wasteland could be developed in the remaining time.

Now that he possesses the land of Lüchi, Zhang Xian is determined to first develop Lüchi County into a granary, and then plan to conquer other parts of Bingzhou.

Even if the yield per mu of the existing 50,000 mu of farmland is only about 2.5 shi, that would still be 8 million jin of grain. If distributed to 37,000 people, that would mean each person would have about 220 jin of grain.

It wasn't exactly wealthy, but it was enough for the people of the county to make a living.

But this only accounts for a yield of two and a half shi (a unit of dry measure). Don't forget that Zhang Xian's pumpkins can yield 3,300 jin (a unit of weight) per mu (a unit of area).

If we increase the number of pumpkin fields and combine them with millet, sorghum, beans, and other grains, we won't have to worry about these 50,000 mu of land not being able to support more than 37,000 people.

The land developed subsequently will then be used solely for grain storage.

Therefore, reclaiming wasteland is imperative.

The entire county must prepare for next spring's planting season.

The county officials and clerks visited the countryside every day, talking about these things and mobilizing the enthusiasm of the people.

Time flies, and another half month has passed.

The biting wind of December whipped snowflakes against the city walls. The garrison soldiers at the south gate of Lüchi were stamping their feet to warm themselves when suddenly a plume of dust rose from the end of the road. Three mounted courier soldiers, their backs adorned with red flags, broke through the snow. The leader, holding aloft a gilded bronze box, roared:

"Urgent dispatch from 600 li—to Zhang County, Lüqi County!"

The garrison soldiers hurriedly blew their horns, the sound startling the crows under the eaves of the city tower. The city gate was quickly opened, and the courier horses rushed in, sweeping across the streets and causing the residents of the county to scramble for cover.

"Urgent dispatch from 600 li—to Zhang County, Lüqi County!"

"Urgent dispatch from 600 li—to Zhang County, Lüqi County!"

The urgent calls continued incessantly.

The charcoal brazier in the main hall of the county government office was burning brightly, and the yamen runners outside hurriedly stepped into the main hall and bowed to the ground!

"An urgent message, delivered from 600 li away, is on its way to the county government!"

Zhang Xian, who was handling official business, looked up and a smile appeared on his lips.

Han Ji, Xi Zhong, and Gu Yu's eyes trembled with shock.

"Open the gates of the county government office; do not obstruct the post horses!"

"promise!"

The yamen runners quickly got up and ordered the county yamen gates to be opened.

The moment the gate opened, three riders charged straight at them.

"Urgent dispatch from 600 li—to Zhang County, Lüqi County!"

Zhang Xian got up and walked away, and Han Ji and the other two also got up and followed closely behind.

"Zhang Xian, the magistrate of Lüqi County, is here to receive the imperial edict!"

Zhang Xian presented it with both hands, one holding the county magistrate's seal and the other the identity seal.

The three riders dismounted and, after verifying the identity stamps, respectfully handed over the gilded bronze box.

"Congratulations, Magistrate Zhang!"

"We will go first, and the rear guard will be carrying imperial edicts. It will take about ten days for them to arrive. County Magistrate Zhang should make proper preparations."

"Haha, thank you for your hard work. I understand. Men, take good care of these three courier brothers. Do not neglect them!"

"promise!"

"You have arrived."

Zhang Xian gave Han Ji a wink, and the latter understood, went into the back hall, and returned with his sleeves bulging.

"The three constables have worked hard. Here's a small token of my appreciation. Please take it and have some drinks."

Han Ji gave each of them 5 strings of cash, with each string worth 1,000 cash. This meant that the three riders earned 5,000 cash each for their one-way trip. The distance of over 600 li was roughly 10 cash per li.

The three riders couldn't stop smiling.

Zhang Xian politely bowed to them and returned to the main hall.

Han Ji and others were naturally included as well.

The four people sat around a table, all staring intently at the rather large gilded bronze box.

"My lord," Han Ji swallowed, his voice trembling slightly.

Zhang Xian's hands were also trembling slightly.

There was no way around it; this bronze box was no ordinary item. It was a design reserved for high-ranking officials.

"It's open!"

Zhang Xian opened the bronze box, inside which was a silk scroll, a ribbon, a bronze seal, and a bronze talisman that was only half intact.

The bronze seal glowed with a deep blue light in the firelight, and the purplish-blue silk ribbon was smooth and supple.

He unfolded the silk scroll, and the firelight illuminated the fresh cinnabar marks on it. Xi Zhong, with his sharp eyes, caught sight of the six characters "Envoy to the Xiongnu General" and slapped his hand on Han Ji's thigh.

"Holding the imperial staff."

"hiss"

Han Ji gasped, his voice trembling: "Our lord, whose rank is equivalent to two thousand piculs of grain, is only twenty-four years old!"

Gu Yu was even more speechless; after seeing the writing and marks on the silk scroll, she was completely dumbfounded.

To the Xiongnu General!

His rank was equivalent to that of a 2,000-stone official!
The attached Duliao Camp can command 5,000 soldiers.

He could mobilize cavalry from the five border prefectures, including Taiyuan and Yanmen.

Holding the power of the imperial censor, one can execute officials below the rank of two thousand piculs without prior approval!

With the authority to uphold the law and protect rights, one can verify the border administration documents of the Bingzhou Governor's Office!
They have the power to establish their own government and can appoint up to 120 staff members!
The Ten Attendants!!!
Easy to use!

　It's the last day of the month! Everyone, please vote! Chili is just a few dozen votes away from getting a thousand monthly votes. This is the first time I've done this in all my years of writing. Please, everyone!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)