Xu Shu was startled when he heard this. He had heard that there were thousands of enemies in Guanzhang and Zhangzhou. Why did this black man seem to be very concerned about farming?
"Dengjiazhuang is busy with the summer harvest. Third brother, why are you going to cause trouble? I told you to hold a banquet for Yuan Zhifeng and introduce him to everyone." Liu Bei said.
"I already know each other, so I'd better go to Dengjiazhuang to help with the work." Zhang Fei said.
"Third brother, follow your elder brother's arrangements." Guan Yu also said.
Xu Shu asked in confusion: "General Yide cares about farming, why should my lord stop him?"
After hearing this, Liu Bei shook his head and sighed: "He is not going to help with the harvest. He is clearly thinking about the harvest feast..."
Zhao Yun was standing there without a smile, but when he heard Liu Bei exposed Zhang Fei, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"Zilong, I think you didn't practice enough just now. How about we go out and compete with each other again?" Zhang Fei did not dare to attack Liu Bei, so he could only turn his head to vent to Zhao Yun.
When Liu Bei saw that Zhao Yun didn't answer, he thought that Xu Shu was very talented, and he didn't know what Lan Tian thought of him.
"Since third brother is going, let's go together. By the way, Yuan Zhi and Ziyu can get to know each other. Zilong, you go ahead and inform." Liu Bei stood up and said.
"only."
Zhao Yun clasped his fists and was about to leave, but Zhang Fei said first, "Brother, I'm going with Zilong."
Liu Bei raised his hand, and the two left happily.
Xu Shu is now the second monk and is confused. He thinks to himself, where is Dengjiazhuang? Why do the two generals seem so happy?
"Second brother, ask someone to prepare an extra horse, and I will take my wife with me." Liu Bei ordered again.
"I know, brother."
After Liu Bei finished explaining, he took Xu Shu's hand and said, "Can Yuan Zhi's reception banquet be arranged for you at a farmhouse?"
Xu Shu looked puzzled, then asked: "I see that when the Deng family village is mentioned, several generals look happy, and the lord is also beaming. Is there some mystery there?"
"Hahaha, I won't let Yuan Zhi down." Liu Bei said with a smile.
The two continued chatting for a while before going out. On the way, Gan Qian reminded: "Husband, should we buy some wine and meat to take with us?"
Liu Bei smiled and said: "Madam, you are too worried. Yide knows how to handle it."
The group of people came outside Dengjiazhuang. Xu Shu saw that nearly half of the millet seedlings in the field had been harvested, but they were all harvested neatly, looking very organized and disciplined.
"These fields are neat and uniform, as if someone deliberately made them like this. I have traveled all over the world in the past few years and have never seen anything like this. There are such people under my lord's rule, so we should make good use of them." Xu Shu sighed.
Liu Bei said with a smile: "Yuanzhi has seen the mystery now? Bei also thought that farming was quite simple at first. After getting to know Ziyu, he realized that there are many skills in it."
"Ziyu was mentioned in Xinye just now. Who is this?" Xu Shu asked curiously.
"That is my wife's brother, whose surname is Lan and whose name is Ziyu. He is currently the captain of Diannong and is in charge of nearly a thousand people in the fields." Liu Bei explained.
Xu Shu suddenly realized: "No wonder it's so neat and uniform, someone really did it on purpose..."
"Let's go to the village and I'll introduce you to him," Liu Bei said.
When everyone arrived at Dengjiazhuang, smoke was rising from every house, and the aroma of wine and meat was floating in the air. The harvest feast at the end of the season had begun.
After starting to practice farming, Lantian occupied the fertile land of Deng's village and recruited the tenant farmers on the farm to farm. Therefore, after the harvest, Lantian gave the Deng family a high compensation. The old owner Deng originally planned to reciprocate and wanted to host the Lantian family for a drink today. .
But Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun came to the village with wine and meat in the morning, saying that a man named Xu Shu had come to seek refuge, and they would come to the village with Liu Bei and others for a harvest feast later.
So Lantian could only reject Mr. Deng's invitation and quickly got into the kitchen and started working.
After discussing with Mr. Deng, Li Yang moved all the vegetables and meat prepared by himself to Lantian's kitchen, and invited his mother-in-law to come over and help.
When Liu Bei and others arrived, four or five large tables had been set up in the Deng family courtyard. Among them, the Deng family sat on two tables and chatted, and Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun sat on one table alone.
"It's so lively today." Liu Bei said to Deng Gong with a smile.
"General Liu..." everyone greeted.
When Zhao Yun saw Liu Bei arriving, he stood up in a flash. Zhang Fei waved and said: "Brother, second brother, come and sit quickly."
Liu Bei pulled Xu Shu to sit over and asked, "Where is Ziyu?"
"He's busy inside. What I'm waiting for is his craftsmanship." Zhang Fei said.
"Ziyu is still good at cooking?" Xu Shu asked doubtfully.
Zhang Fei snorted coldly after hearing this, and then drank alone. Liu Bei immediately explained: "Ziyu's skills as a cook are especially good in farming."
"Don't swallow your tongue for a while." Zhang Fei added.
"Third brother, don't be rude." Liu Bei frowned and scolded.
Zhang Fei saw that Liu Bei was really angry, so he didn't dare to taunt Xu Shu anymore. At this time, the aroma of the food had already wafted, and several aunts were bringing out large and small plates.
When the food was almost ready, Lantian changed his clothes and came out to meet everyone.
Under Liu Bei's introduction, the two of them greeted each other with courtesy, and Xu Shu and Lan Tian finally got to know each other.
Lan Tian was sizing up Xu Shu. This man was older than him and looked elegant in appearance. He didn't know how much worse he was than Zhuge Liang.
Xu Shu was also observing Lantian. From Xinye to Dengjiazhuang, everyone praised him whenever he mentioned it. Even warriors like Guan Zhang were convinced that this boy must be outstanding.
After the harvest feast started, everyone at the table was eating with smiles. After Xu Shu tasted the dishes, he felt that they were really delicious.
It was a simple farm banquet, and both the guests and the host were happy. Most of the men, women, and children were drunk, but Liu Bei, Lan Tian, and Xu Shu were still sober.
Taking advantage of Xu Shu's break, Liu Bei whispered in Lan Tian's ear: "Ziyu, do you think Yuan Zhi can be of great use?"
"I will go for a walk with him in the countryside later to get to know him better before I report back to my brother-in-law." Lantian said.
"That's very good. I think the harvest this season is good. I wonder how long it will last?" Liu Bei asked again.
Lantian replied: "Some fields use the seeds I improved, so the yield increases when the harvest is small. The tax collected this season can be used by the new field soldiers for the whole year."
"Ziyu, did you count the three thousand people who surrendered during the suppression of the rebellion in Anlu?" Liu Bei continued to ask.
"It's all taken into account, there is no problem." Lan Tianxin said that these are all conservative rough calculations. If I really want to calculate carefully, the number may be more than this.
"Ziyu is really my Xiao He..." Liu Bei said with great joy after hearing this.
Liu Bei's beaming look was happened to be seen by Xu Shu who had returned from urination, and his curiosity about Lantian increased again.
After the banquet, Zhang Fei and others were drunk, so they stayed in the village to sober up.
Lantian invited Xu Shu to take a walk in the countryside. At this time, the south wind blew the ears of millet and stirred up golden waves in the unharvested fields.
The conversation between the two in the countryside was more profound than that between Xu Shu and Liu Bei. They talked about using troops to govern the country and the economy and people's livelihood. Lan Tian basically talked about peace of mind, while Xu Shu talked about small details. As a result, both of them gained something from each other.
Walking through a field ridge, it feels like walking through a period of time and space, and both sides have a feeling of admiration.
Lan Tianxin said that Xu Yuanzhi's reputation is well-deserved. Anyway, he is definitely better at military management and administration than a layman like me. You can take the lead before Kong Ming comes out.
