In the first year of Emperor Xin's reign, he was awakened by the Jingzhe.
The heavy snowfall lasted for more than five months since last year's white dew. It delayed the winter planting time of wheat and also delayed the spring planting time.
Fortunately, starting in March, the ice and snow melted, and it was finally time for spring plowing and planting.
The weather is still a bit cold, but Mengchang has already started sowing wheat with his slaves and farmers who have been raising them all winter.
Barley is cold-resistant and has higher yields. However, shelling is currently troublesome, and there is no flour grinding technology at all. It will get stuck in the throat after being cooked. Except for slaves and lower-level people, common people do not like to eat this stuff.
Throughout the winter, Mengchang, who was idle in the camp, besides practicing military formations with his soldiers and newly recruited soldiers, was pounding drummers and pushing pebble millstones. He had seen this thing in the countryside when he was a child. Later, after the popularity of flour mills, , stone grinding is less common.
For today's people, whether the wheat flour is ground and dried, whether mixed with dough and steamed into steamed buns, or fried directly in a pottery cauldron and brewed with boiling water, the taste is quite surprising to today's people.
At that time, when General Meng of Chongcheng announced that he would have a banquet for the wise and noble people in the city, they thought he was eating dog meat that made them vomit.
As a result, each person had a fist-sized steamed bun in front of the table, and a bowl of honey-milk wheat flour tea that had been stirred into a paste. The soft and glutinous texture and the aroma of wheat-flavored honey tea made these people eye-opening, and they all stood up and asked what this was.
After learning that these foods were the wheat they usually despised, these gourmets were completely convinced by General Meng. He was worthy of being a nobleman from a big city. He was well-informed and could cook even humble wheat into such delicious food. food.
This is also the reason why Mengchang was able to get the support of the major nobles in the city for spring plowing. There was not enough folk grain, so they could use the remaining wheat seeds at home to support the city's spring plowing, which was crucial for the post-disaster reconstruction of the entire city.
Withdrawing his thoughts, Mengchang dug out a large piece of land in the long field with his tillage alone, and then asked the farmer behind him to sow the seeds.
It wasn't that he didn't want to improve farm tools. He had never been exposed to farm work in his previous life. He didn't even know what a plow looked like, so he couldn't make one out of nothing.
He felt ashamed every time he thought of the senior travelers who made glass, sugar, soap, and refined salt after traveling through time.
There are also some powerful people who can rub gunpowder with their hands to make cannons. In this era, they are much more useful than themselves. You don't care about gods and monsters, Dongfeng Express will send them directly to their hometown.
Why fight the Shang-Zhou War? If the goal is lower than unifying the world, you can't afford this good skill. He is transferred to a gunnery division to teach these people who don't wear underpants what civilization is.
At this time, I was still quite hot from doing farm work, but I didn't dare to take off my shirt and open my arms to work.
The soldiers are not afraid of the wind and cold, but the slaves and farmers who have just recovered their health will not be able to survive. When the cold wind blows, a large number of them will die from the wind and cold.
While Meng Chang was putting down his farm tools and wiping his sweat with a linen cloth, a group of aristocratic women came over from the wheat field carrying clay pots.
"General, this is the honey water I brewed. It is the sweetest. Try a little to replenish your strength."
"General, try mine. This is an oil soup made from fine oil flowers. It also contains ginseng, wolfberry, tiger penis, and epimedium..."
With a smile on his face, Meng Chang asked about the aroma of the oil and was about to drink it up in one gulp when he heard the scary names of the medicinal materials and was so frightened that he almost dropped the clay pot to the ground.
"Sledgehammer, sledgehammer!"
"Hey, it's here, taste it."
Zhao Bing, who was busy working, heard the call and responded immediately.
"This can of broth is for you to drink. This is good stuff. Tiger whip, ginseng, wolfberry and deer antler soup. Take it to replenish it."
Zhao Bing's eyes lit up, is this such a good thing?
Afraid that Meng Chang would regret it, he picked up the clay pot, finished it in one gulp, and exhaled a long stream of hot breath while looking at the dim eyes of the girl next to him.
"Ah! It's great." Zhao Bing looked at the girls with satisfaction, muttering to himself that Meng Chang didn't know the good stuff.
Look at this girl from the Liu family, with a slim waist and a willow body. If she were married to a school captain in Chongcheng, there is also the daughter from the Zhang family, with a strong back, a strong waist and a big butt. She looks like she has a good body to give birth to a son.
This guy is really ignorant, and General Deng is not here, so why did he sneak in a few bites?
Which man these days wouldn't be given a wife and daughter to borrow seeds when he went to the mountains and countryside?
Their ideas are stupid, but they are very practical. The seeds left by nobles or powerful men must be the best.
Moreover, if you can conceive the son of a noble person, this child will be superior to the people from all over the country when he grows up. How many families want such a cuckold can only dream of it.
Meng Chang, a young upstart with a handsome appearance and a bloodline that could be passed on to the next generation, would be the reason why all the nobles would shamelessly send their daughters over to borrow seeds.
Otherwise, in normal times, other than those of the Marquis level, these nobles might not be interested in being borrowed by anyone else.
Meng Chang took a few sips of the water he brought with him, feeling a little disdainful. It wasn't that he was being pretentious. After all, a man doesn't have a lower body.
But he wasn't prepared to take them away. He couldn't do anything irresponsible and run away after sowing the seeds.
That was his child, leaving behind an unknown bloodline and working as a stud everywhere. This went against the values deep in his soul.
If you want to have children, you should only have your own children, and have children with your own women. Living in the wilderness is a last resort, and turning to civilization is the final pride and bottom line.
Seeing that it was getting late, Meng Chang called to the people who were working to prepare to return to the city, and then packed up his things.
"Sledgehammer, how is the recruit training going?"
"Harm, what else can be done? The 800 armored soldiers who have been recruited, the 700 armored soldiers from Tianlao and the priests, these people are not bad, and they can barely wear armor to go out."
"Those slaves you raise are just an army of servants. Don't expect too much talent."
"Speaking of this, I just want to tell you, my brothers have followed you through life and death, and even in heavy snow, they have to go out and kill ring dogs to find meat for these people. We, the good family, can only tolerate it, so how can you give it back to the slaves?" Want to eat meat? Mengchang, I tell you, don’t mess around, at least not now, you can’t suppress these people yet.”
Zhao Bing was the only one in the entire Ji City who could talk to him like this, and everyone else would be more or less respectful and able to joke with him.
The higher you stand, the fewer true friends you have. Zhao Bing is one and Bian Ji is half. Speaking of that boy, he has been addicted to "seeding" these days and can't extricate himself. He feels like he is going to be useless.
"Okay, okay, I know it in my heart. It won't happen again in the future. In this snowy weather, there is no oil or water. I don't know how many slaves will die. No one will dump the manure by then. Clean the ditch and use the sledgehammer yourself?" "
"After this hurdle, you can do whatever you want. I'm not the son of a slave. You're worried about nothing."
Zhao Bing breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. Just don't mess around. He treats these slaves preferentially every day and keeps the sons of slaves around for training. The whole Ji City is very resentful. Even the Chongcheng brothers in the headquarters are a little dissatisfied.
What are they going through life and death for? Isn’t it just about being a master? This group of people are slaves. They enjoy the same treatment as everyone else without any merit. The soldiers can still suppress their resentment. If the brothers have resentment in their hearts, the team will be distracted.
"I am concerned about those three thousand good family members. Are they qualified enough to be ordinary soldiers?"
"With me, Zhao Bing, don't worry. Although they are not strong enough, they are all qualified warriors. They just need to see blood and develop their skills on the battlefield."
"That's good. Say hello to the brothers and let Xin Ping get ready. We will leave after the spring plowing. Hou Chang will lead 500 armor, 1,000 soldiers, and 2,000 servants to defend the city. We should go and make a fuss. It’s making trouble.”
"Okay, it's up to you."
Mengchang brought the red rabbit, got on his horse, and led the large army back to the city.
It was the south gate where he entered the city that day. Wu Cheng stood respectfully at the gate, bowing to greet the general from a distance.
Seeing this scene, Meng Chang felt a little funny in his heart. This man is a talent, but he is a bit of a philistine. If he stays in Gucheng, I am afraid that the honest and humble Hou Chang will not be able to suppress him. He will go with him when the time comes, and he will be a military aide. Just excellent.
"Where's Bian Ji?"
When Wu Cheng heard the question, he looked back and was a little confused. He was still here just now.
The soldier next to him immediately said: "Just now, several noble ladies from the Zhang family, Wu family, and Liu family returned to the city. General Bian Ji followed these noble ladies back."
"…………"
If this boy really died on a woman's bed, Meng Chang really didn't know how to explain it to his father, Bian Jinlong.
"Sledgehammer, I leave this matter to you. Don't be soft-hearted. If you don't care about me anymore, he will have to breathe heavily after the army has just walked two miles."
Zhao Bing was also helpless. The young man couldn't control it. He didn't know how to control it when he first tasted it. After all, he was young.
"Sir, we have informed all the merchant families in the city that when the general goes on an expedition, the merchants will help transport supplies, and all goods collected and sold will be traded at market prices."
Mengchang nodded in agreement and listened to Wu Cheng's report while riding his horse.
When the people passing by him saw Meng Chang, they would bow down respectfully to pay their respects.
Three months is not enough to completely restore this wounded city to life, but the vitality visible to the naked eye has slowly become apparent.
Vendors hawking on the streets, restaurants bustling with customers, and urchins jumping around in the city embellish the feeling of spring after the cold winter.
Mengchang's hard work in raising people by killing ring dogs all the way and taking people into the mountains for hunting was not in vain.
This is just one city, and there are more than seventy cities behind it. I have to climb over them one by one to save these simple "ancient" people.
Along the way to the city lord's palace, I heard the shouts of killing in the camp, saw the fireworks in the market, and ate the red dates and millet dumplings presented by the restaurant owner.
The smiles from the hearts of these people are the best reward for him.
While the department was moving forward, Meng Chang suddenly dismounted and walked to the roadside.
A bright yellow winter jasmine kept swaying in the wind.
The general dismounted and wanted to pick flowers, but he was afraid that the branches would break when the Spring Festival Gala came.
Smiling indifferently, forget it. If you break this flower, who can you give it to?
The good mood along the way seemed to be getting lonely, and he simply stopped riding. Meng Chang just walked slowly, with Chitu following behind obediently.
"General Zhao, General Meng, what's going on?"
Zhao Bing scratched his head, thought for a while, and replied seriously: "Don't come forward to scold me. You, General Meng, are thinking of a beautiful woman."
"family?"
"We also miss our family. We have been away for a year and haven't returned home yet. I don't know if it will be too late for spring plowing this year. I don't know if the meat gold sent out before the beginning of winter has been delivered to my father by the merchants."
Hey, they are all a bunch of idiots. Is Naiwen talking about his family? Nai Weng said...
Forget it, Nai Weng also misses his son a little.
