It's drizzling, and there are many roads.
Pieces of flat fields were spread out on the hillside, and in the gentle drizzle, many farmers were working on them. A stream cascades down from the top of the mountain. The water is getting longer due to the rain, and it makes a gurgling sound. On both sides of the stream are square paddy fields. Farmers wearing coir raincoats and bamboo hats use poles to carry crops in the greenhouse. Good rice seedlings, step into the paddy field with bare feet, and insert clusters of rice seedlings into the water and soil.
There are more people on the dry fields, and the light rain during spring plowing is a good time that has never been seen in recent years. Only when seeds are planted in moist land can they germinate and grow better. Almost all the laborers go to the fields to cultivate.
The school also had a farm holiday. The young children took off their school gowns and put on ordinary farm clothes. A rope made of fine cowhide was passed through the nose ring on the cow's nose. The child held it firmly in his hand and gently shook it. Pull, and the cow will obediently follow. The adult behind the Zhenguan plow will correct his posture, and straight ridges will be plowed in the field. The women followed at the end, planting the seeds carefully in the ground, covering them with a layer of soil, and waiting for the seeds to take root and sprout...
When Fang Jun came to the mountainside, he saw such a colorful picture of a prosperous age.
Why are you working so hard and sleeping so hard at night? It’s not just to continue the era of comfort and prosperity before us for a long time.
What is a prosperous age?
In Fang Jun's opinion, this standard is actually very simple. It is nothing more than having a pension for the elderly, education for the young, medical treatment for the sick, and income from work...
Not far ahead, a group of people gathered in the fields. From time to time, someone looked at Fang Jun and the knights with glaring eyes. Only when they saw Fang Jun's appearance clearly did they look away and no longer pay attention.
Fang Jun felt strange in his heart, this is our homeland, where did such a group of people come from?
He dismounted and walked over, took a look into the crowd, and hurriedly turned back and ran away...
"Fang Er, is this a ferocious beast that you are trying to avoid?"
His Majesty Li Er, dressed in a raincoat and bamboo hat, stood on the ground with his hands behind his hands. The hem of his clothes was stained with mud and water. He didn't look like the most powerful person in the world at all. Instead, he looked like a rich man who cared about the output of the fields... He just looked at Fang Jun who was looking around. , very bad.
Fang Jun grinned and said quickly: "Your Majesty has misunderstood Wei Chen. When Wei Chen saw that Your Majesty paid a private visit in disguise and went deep into the fields to care about the people's livelihood, he was truly a holy master that had never been seen in the ages. But this is a rural place after all. I'm afraid Something unexpected happened to the white dragon fish, so I hurried back to organize people to come and escort him..."
"Haha, a sycophant is a sycophant. He speaks flattery when he opens and shuts his mouth. He is so thick-skinned." A dry and thin old man next to His Majesty Li Er sneered and spoke sarcastically, but it was not that old guy Wei Zheng...
This old guy rested at home for some time. His energy was probably replenished and he was in good spirits. However, the dense age spots on his face became more and more obvious, and his body gradually became stooped, and he no longer had the strong and upright spirit of the past.
But this mouth is still like a poisonous snake...
Fang Jun's eyelids twitched, and he said calmly: "The Master said: If you receive a favor from someone, you should repay it with a spring. The Master also said: Eaters have short mouths, and takers have short hands... Zheng Guogong is probably old and has forgotten it. It’s okay to give me a generous gift of longevity wood that day. Although I don’t expect repayment for my kindness, you can’t feed white rice to white-eyed wolves, right? Later, I will arrange for the servants to go to your mansion to carry the longevity wood back. I hope Zheng Guogong Don’t be surprised.”
Wei Zheng laughed angrily and pointed at Fang Jun with his teeth almost broken: "Okay, okay, I have been honest all my life and have never accepted anything from you. When I was about to die, I took away a coffin board from you and you kept it in your mouth all day long. This caused No guarantee for the late festival! Come on, go to my house and take the coffin board away, and see how you slander me in the future."
Fang Jun reminded: "You asked for it from me, not from me..."
"Get out!"
Wei Zheng scolded angrily, turned his head and ignored him, and pulled an old farmer to ask about seeds and farming.
His Majesty Li Er snorted: "You don't respect your elders, you are arrogant! Is this how your father educated you?"
Fang Jun bared his teeth and looked at His Majesty Li Er: "Your Majesty, it is clear that it is not the humble minister who does not respect the elders, but the fact that Zheng Guogong is old and disrespectful... The humble minister eats the emperor's salary, but he still knows about loyalty to the emperor. Zheng Guogong is so big. Despite his age, he still glared at the younger generation. This was not the same attitude when he asked Wei Chen for the coffin board..."
"Get out!" His Majesty Li Er was also angry. Can you be more tolerant?
"Here!"
Fang Jun turned around and left.
"Come back!" His Majesty Li Er shouted.
Fang Jun was helpless: "What else does your Majesty have to say?"
His Majesty Li Er held a few cotton seeds in his hand, looked up at the busy farmland, and asked: "The land here is fertile. It is the best farmland. If you plant rice, you will have a good harvest. Why are you planting all cotton?" "
The soil was soaked by rain and had a faint earthy smell. When you hold it with your hand, it becomes a loose ball, slightly shiny. Although His Majesty Li Er comes from a wealthy family, he has always paid attention to farming. In the past, when Empress Changsun was alive, the couple would go to the fields every spring plowing and personally work with plows to set an example for the world. So he could see that this field was very fertile, but he couldn't figure out why Fang Jun gave up rice and chose to plant cotton brought back from the Western Regions...
Cotton is indeed a good thing for keeping warm, but compared to the food that can fill the stomach, its importance is definitely not the same, right?
Fang Jun pondered for a moment, organizing his words in his mind.
After a long while, he said: "Have your Majesty ever thought about how to manage Goguryeo in the future after pacifying it? In other words, millions of soldiers of the Tang Dynasty fought bloody battles to destroy Goguryeo, just to add another piece of land to the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and to use millions of soldiers to destroy it. Will your blood dye His Majesty’s magnificent and everlasting hegemony red?”
His Majesty Li Er's face suddenly darkened and he looked uncertain.
After capturing Goguryeo... who cares what happens next? What I want is to destroy Goguryeo's grand hegemony, what I want is to make the Tang Dynasty's territory as bright as ever, what I want is to catch up with Qin Shihuang and become the emperor of the ages!
As for how to govern Goguryeo after capturing it, His Majesty Li Er has never even thought about it!
"You finally said something humane. It's not bad. It's not just flattery. It's a bit like a critic."
Wei Zhengwen on the side heard the conversation between the two and interjected.
Wei Zheng has always been the backbone of the DPRK who firmly opposed the conquest of Goguryeo. In his opinion, Goguryeo is a bitter cold land with barren land and sparse population. The food is as tasteless as chicken ribs. How can it taste at all? For a mere Goguryeo, it was necessary to recruit millions of troops and spend countless money and food. It was really not cost-effective.
His Majesty Li Er said nothing and stared at Fang Jun.
Didn't you agree to be a sycophant? Where are you?
Fang Jun rolled his eyes at Wei Zheng, raised his hands and said to His Majesty Li Er: "Your Majesty has lofty aspirations and a world-wide mind, and I admire him very much. But has your Majesty ever thought about it, if Goguryeo fails to be conquered and gains are lost again, what will happen after a thousand years?" , what will the history books say about His Majesty?"
His Majesty Li Er looked gloomy, and he couldn't help but want to kick someone...
Wei Zheng cheered up and said in time: "Your Majesty, Fang's words are right! The conquest of Goguryeo is indeed a great achievement for a long time, but the land is bitter and cold, and it is useless. Countless money and food are wasted and countless soldiers are lost just for the sake of Your Majesty. I am afraid that the disparaging voices in the history books will be endless for your title. A thousand years from now, future generations will regard it as your Majesty's biggest mistake! Your Majesty, please think twice about the conquest of Goguryeo..."
His Majesty Li Er gritted his teeth and did not even look at Wei Zheng. He just stared at Fang Jun with a fierce look in his eyes.
Boy!
You actually came here to tear me down? The conquest of Goguryeo is inevitable, don’t you know it in your heart? Hurry up and think of a way to get me back, if not, hum...
Fang Jun was sweating on his forehead. His Majesty Li Er glared at him, so he glared at Wei Zheng...
Old man, just ask about farming techniques honestly, why are you always talking to me?
Annoying or not...
"What Duke Zheng said is wrong! His Majesty intends to conquer Goguryeo for the sake of the foundation of the Tang Dynasty for generations to come. How can it be that he ignores the interests of the empire for his own selfish desires? Duke Zheng can't see His Majesty's good intentions. Instead, he is making lies here. Those short-sighted people who mislead the public and slander His Majesty deserve to be killed!"
