The autumn harvest of Jiangxia in the 15th year of Jian'an is still going on according to the usual practice.
Fortunately, God has been kind in the past two years, with good weather and no serious natural disasters. The entire land of Jingzhou has had a good harvest, including Nanjun.
After the autumn harvest, things were divided into two steps.
Some people, led by Mi Zhu Jian Yong, began to prepare for Liu Bei's wedding, while others, led by Zhang Xi Zhuge Liang, continued to focus on the tax collection work after the autumn harvest.
Both sides were actually very busy. Zhang Xi spent several days staying in the government office, checking with Zhuge Liang the tax collection documents sent by each county, and calculating the money and food expenses from the next spring till next year.
But no matter how you calculate it, money and food are not enough.
The original idea of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang was to expand the army to at least 50,000 soldiers and stockpile grain and grass in each county for more than half a year to meet unexpected needs.
But if we keep hoarding like this, even if everything goes well in the past two years, people may be faced with a shortage of food by the turn of spring and summer next year. If local officials don't handle it well, there may be a wave of refugees.
In troubled times, the taxes of farmers alone cannot support a warlord's ambition to expand territory.
What's more, the war has been going on for more than 20 years now, and the population has dropped sharply. Some of them died due to the troubled times, but most of them were hidden by aristocratic families. These people must spit out their hidden secrets, even if Even Cao Cao didn't have much confidence.
Liu Bei's foundation is still too weak. He has only occupied half of the state for less than two years. Even if he has a way, he cannot do many things immediately. He can only do it slowly and slowly.
But at least Liu Bei was ambitious. Although he said "we'll discuss it later," he started making some preparations for money and food from now on.
If he later has the strength and time to do these things, but fails to prepare enough money and food, then Liu Bei will really die unjustly.
But when Liu Bei said this, the steward had one more thing on his mind.
Thanks to Zhuge Liang, most people really can't arrange things so thoroughly.
However, Zhang Xi still persuaded Zhuge Liang not to do everything by himself, as he would be too tired.
Then Zhuge Liang said that what Zhang Xi said made sense, so he would leave it to Zhang Xi to take charge of transforming swamps into fertile land.
Of course, it is not required to do it immediately, just write down a practical plan, nor is it required that Zhang Xi hand it in immediately. Zhang Xi has enough time to think about it and improve it. At least before next spring plowing, the lord will not consider this. thing.
Zhang Xi regretted at that time why he was talking so much.
Zhuge Liang is not facing a "life and death crisis" now. With so many helpers around him, this guy will not shoulder everything.
Zhang Xi has traveled through time for five years and has known Zhuge Liang for almost four years. Now he knows the face of this "prime minister" quite well.
Zhuge Liang is not a person who likes to hold on to power. In fact, while sharing the pressure with Liu Bei, he also pays attention to letting his colleagues share the pressure with him.
Zhang Xi went back and thought about it carefully. In history, when Liu Bei was full of talents, Zhuge Liang's presence was not high, and he didn't feel like he was doing much. He was either guarding the rear or on the way to guard the rear.
This is really not a matter of Liu Bei not valuing Zhuge Liang. The people he keeps as housekeepers are the ones he trusts the most.
And when did Zhuge Liang really become tired? !
After the Battle of Yiling.
There was no way, in the "autumn of crisis", Liu Bei's entrepreneurial veterans were almost withered. Pang Tong, Fazheng, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong and others had all died. The two battles of Jingzhou and Yiling were almost lost again. Of the Mesozoic generals and elite soldiers of Liu Bei's group, only Zhao Yun and Wei Yan are still there. If he doesn't cheer up, Ji Han will be really in danger.
It's not that Zhuge Liang only wants to seize power, but that in that situation, he doesn't trust anyone he leaves it to.
But now Zhang Xi feels that this dead fish head might still be thinking about asking Pang Tong to do more things.
Well, it can't be said that what Zhang Xi said was unreasonable, but Zhuge Liang really had no intention of letting Pang Tong do more government work.
In Zhuge Liang's view, Pang Tong should be Liu Bei's "mastermind" now, but it was a bit too unfair for him to do government affairs.
On the other hand, Zhang Xi and Xu Shu are now on Zhuge Liang's "blacklist".
Both of them are versatile, but Zhuge Liang felt that Liu Bei was wasting his talent if Jiangxia and Youjiangkou were not so important.
Now, Xu Shu can't arrange it yet, but on Zhang Xi's side, Zhuge Liang did not hesitate to increase Zhang Xi's workload, and did not spare this guy just because he was newlywed.
Zhang Xi's depressed one. Now he is really more and more curious about Huang Yueying's appearance.
No, your daughter-in-law is ugly, so I can understand why you are hiding in the county office and not coming home. But my daughter-in-law is a beautiful woman, forget it, forget about it, let’s get to work.
After working hard until three days before Liu Bei's wedding, Zhang Xi was released to the mansion by Zhuge Liang.
For the lord's wedding, the whole Xiakou was decorated with joy. Liu Bei also ordered all officials, big and small, to take a three-day holiday to enjoy themselves with the people.
In Xiakou City, some food was placed in front of the houses of Liu Bei's subordinates, in order to comply with the Lord's request to "have fun with the people."
Zhangxi Mansion is naturally no exception.
Although we are almost out of money, we can still afford a few barrels of rice, some vegetables, and some water and wine. Being able to eat these is considered a treat only for the Chinese New Year for the people of this era.
Naturally, Xiao Qibao was responsible for looking after the stall at the door of his house, while Zhang Xi, under Sun Shangxiang's instructions, put on his dress and went to Liu Bei's mansion to attend the wedding banquet.
Sun Shangxiang is also going.
But originally, Sun Shangxiang shouldn't have gone.
But who made this master the eldest lady of Jiangdong, and...
"Trainer and I have known each other since childhood. We studied together and practiced martial arts together. We are good sisters. How can we not congratulate each other on this wedding?!"
Okay, my wife is still best friends with the lord’s wife, wait a minute? !
"Madam, you said the mistress's maiden name is Lianshi?! Bu Lianshi?!" Zhang Xi asked with his eyes widened and his mouth wide.
Sun Shangxiang was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly warned, "Husband, be careful what you say. You must not tell anyone about your maiden name, lest you break the etiquette."
What Sun Shangxiang was worried about was that he accidentally said Mrs. Wei's maiden name. The maiden name was very important to the wealthy families and only the husband himself could know it.
One of the "six rites" is "asking for names."
Sun Shangxiang naturally knew how the Jianghuai family represented the Bu family, so he accidentally let it slip. Naturally, he asked his husband not to tell it, so as not to embarrass the Bu family.
But Zhang Xi doesn't care about this at all. What he cares about is that if Liu Bei marries Bu Lianshi, then who is the Bu daughter Sun Quan marries? !
This isn't right, it's a mess, okay?
Zhang Xi's stupid look made Sun Shangxiang depressed for a while, and she quickly pushed her husband.
It's not that he's jealous, it's just that if Zhang Xi is always dazed like this from time to time, if someone sees him, he will think that there is something wrong with his brain.
It didn't matter before, but not now. This fool is her husband.
Outside, Sun Shangxiang still pays great attention to protecting her husband's face.
Zhang Xi also knew that he was a little too shocked just now and quickly recovered his senses, and set off with Sun Shangxiang to attend Liu Bei's wedding.
Although I don’t know if Sun Quan took the wrong medicine, but his wife can be Sun Shangxiang, why can’t the lord’s wife be a foot trainer? !
Moreover, Bu Lianshi is a good person. He is considered a virtuous empress with a good reputation in history. Such a person will at least not set up an army to commit lawlessness, nor will he think about kidnapping Adou to Jiangdong. Well, I can’t think about it anymore. I feel sorry if I think about it again. My wife.
This is a good thing, since it is Sun Shiwan who suffers anyway, and Zhang Xi doesn't care how Sun Shiwan feels.
(End of chapter)
