Zhi Xuan

Procrastination is not an answer, and being an ostrich is even worse, you have to face what you have to face.

After calming down, Zhi Xuan picked up the bamboo slips again and read them from the beginning to the end. Although there was nothing wrong with the lines, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong.

When considering every move of a political figure, one must not just look at the surface. This is the lesson he learned from Nishi Yuanhou.

On the surface, Zhao Hao has no malice towards him, but is there really no other intention behind this?

Zhi Xuan pondered for a long time, but because he didn't know much about Bei'an Kingdom, he couldn't figure out why.But Zhao Hao sent the letter, out of etiquette, the two had to meet anyway.

After figuring it out, Zhi Xuan wrote a reply letter without saying anything else, only agreeing to meet, hoping to set the date after the autumn harvest.

The two have special identities and both have border guard duties. They must follow etiquette when traveling and meeting, and there must be no negligence. After all, it is related to the face of the two countries.In addition, Zhi Xuan needs to set aside time to try to inquire about the news of Bei'an Kingdom.Maybe we can deduce the real reason for Zhao Hao's move.

After writing the reply letter, Zhi Xuan put down the knife and pen to confirm that there was no problem before ordering someone to summon the government order.

"My lord, you want to send people to Bei'an country?" Hearing Zhi Xuan's request, the magistrate couldn't help but be surprised.

Zhixuan didn't intend to hide from the other party, he explained the cause and effect of the incident, and also informed part of the content of Zhao Hao's letter.

The magistrate was stunned on the spot, and after a long time said: "So the young master gave the divine bird pendant to young master Hao? The identity is also a good match."

Zhi Xuan: "..." Is this the point? !

Seeing that Zhixuan's expression was not right, the government order reacted quickly, made a confession, took Zhixuan's reply letter with both hands, and prepared to go down to select people and go to Bei'an country as soon as possible.

After the government order left, Zhi Xuan picked up the bamboo slips again, but he was upset and couldn't read a word for a long time.I really don't have the mind to deal with government affairs, so I simply went out of the city to inspect the fief, as a way to let myself relax.

In view of Zhixuan's status, even if the car is light and simple, there must be twenty soldiers guarding it.Due to the hot weather, the soldiers were not allowed to wear full armor and did not hold a halberd. They only wore a breastplate over a sackcloth coat and hung a long sword around their waists.

The guardrails of the ox carts were removed, and the animal skins in the carriages were replaced with straw mats.The guards are removed from the compartment to facilitate ventilation, and only the umbrella cover is set up above the head for sunshade.

There are wooden boxes nailed to the corners of the car, and clay pots for water and cakes are placed in the boxes, which are convenient for taking on the road.

Everything was ready, Zhi Xuan boarded the bullock cart, the driver waved the reins, and the bull stepped forward, crossing the long street scorched by the sun.

The hot wind blows, and the dirt road raises dust.

There are few pedestrians on both sides of the street. Firstly, the weather is too hot, so few old people and children go out; secondly, Zhixuan is doing a lot of construction in the territory, and many Chinese and ordinary people go to the construction site and forest farm. The place where the family moved to work did not plan to move back to the city until the project was completed.

There are ditches dug on both sides of the dirt road, which is fashionable in winter, but in midsummer, the smell is really unpleasant.The remaining stagnant water breeds mosquitoes and flies, and the sanitation situation is also very worrying.

The team passed a half-dry ditch with dead rats floating in it, and a swarm of flies buzzing over it.

Zhi Xuan frowned, but the soldiers were used to it.

Not to mention Zhi County, even the Western Capital City, it is inevitable that they will encounter similar situations.There are slaves who clean the square where the clan lives, and the residences of the people and common people are not so particular.The situation is even worse in the places where slaves gather. If someone gets sick, the whole workshop will be closed.

Zhixuan learned from history books that since the first Marquis of Xiyuan ruled the country, the western capital had been moved twice, not because of the war, but because the conditions in the city were no longer suitable for living and had to be moved.

According to the government decree, the situation in Zhi County has been considered good. There are many small countries without drainage ditches in the cities. Since the founding of the country, the country has been relocated several times.

Similar situations have existed since ancient times, and the capital city of Zhongdu has a history of migration.

In view of this, when Zhixuan decided to build a new city, he planned it well. The necessary facilities must be there, which cannot be compared with later generations, nor can it be like today, where the sewage flows in the summer and the whole city is smelly. The smell hangs over.

The bullock cart continued to drive, and when it reached the city gate, the soldiers on duty quickly cheered up and watched Zhi Xuan's car drive away, then their shoulders slumped and they became listless.

The weather was so hot that even standing in the shade could not dispel the unbearable sweltering heat.Fortunately, there is a lot of clean water stored in the city head, it is really unbearably hot, taking a ladle and pouring it on the head can always relieve a little.

After leaving the city gate, you can see straw huts built by common people and slaves everywhere.Most of them are empty, and the owners are working on construction sites and forest farms.A small number of smoke came out, and the elderly and children who stayed behind guarded the pots and stoves, poured boiling water into jars, and let them cool in the corner of the room, so that the working people could come back to drink.

Passing through a large grass shed, the green farmland comes into view.

The crops in the fields are already bulging, and they will turn yellow when harvested in autumn.

Zhi Xuan asked the driver to slow down, and called a few ordinary people who were squatting by the field to ask about the situation this summer.

When several people were brought in front of Zhi Xuan, they were all very nervous and somewhat at a loss.Finally, an elderly man spoke, saying that it is hot this year, but fortunately there is no shortage of water, and the yield per mu should be the same as in previous years, with a little more corn and wheat.

Hearing the old man's words, Zhi Xuan calculated in his heart and got the number, he couldn't help frowning.

Judging from the yield of Zhidi in previous years, this year, one mu of land can harvest at most about 160 to [-] catties.These grains are far from enough to feed the current population of Zhidi.It is imperative to open up wasteland, and we must also pay close attention to improving farm tools and cultivating grain seeds.

The common people who have rewarded the answer, drive on.

Zhixuan originally wanted to go to the construction site, but changed his mind halfway, and ordered the team to change direction and go to the medicine field of Sang doctor and witch doctor.

Not long after arriving in the fief, Zhixuan fulfilled his promise and set aside a piece of land for the two to grow medicinal materials, and gave each of them five medicinal servants.

In order to plant and cultivate herbs, the two forgot to sleep and eat, and even built a hut by the side of the field, rarely returning to the city.

Zhixuan came suddenly, the two of them did not expect it, and at the moment they were in the field facing the sun and inserting wooden poles to make it easier for the medicinal vines to climb.

Several medicine servants followed the two, carrying wooden barrels in their hands. There were both clear water and turbid liquid with a pungent smell in the barrel, mainly the blood of beasts mixed with chopped internal organs.

A medicine servant was guarding the field, chasing away the birds looking for food. When he saw Zhixuan driving, he immediately ran towards the field.

"Young master is here!"

Doctor Sang and the witch doctor looked up, quickened their movements, and inserted the last wooden pole. After telling the medicine servant, they walked back and forth to the edge of the field, and scooped water from the wooden bucket to wash off the mud on their calves and feet. .

"I've met you, Young Master." The two straightened their robes and put on their shoes before going forward to salute.

Zhi Xuan asked the two to get up, then got off the bullock cart, stood at the head of the field, and looked at the four medicine fields separated by wooden fences.

Doctor Sang introduced to Zhixuan that two of them were planted with garlic and ginger according to Zhixuan's request, and most of them had survived.The remaining two pieces were the herbs that he and the witch doctor searched for and collected after a lot of effort.

"Please look, my lord, this kind of medicinal vines also attracts bee swarms."

Zhi Xuan followed Doctor Sang's instructions, and as expected, there was a honeycomb the size of a watermelon hanging beside a large plant with small flowers.From time to time, bees flew in and out, and occasionally a few butterflies passed by, obviously attracted by the nectar.

Zhi Xuan couldn't recognize the type of vine, but he saw a few familiar berries beside the vine. The green berries were less than the size of soybeans, hanging together in clusters, and they would not ripen until the end of summer.

While the two were talking, the witch doctor returned to the hut where he lived, took out a wooden tube as thick as a baby's wrist, and presented it to Zhi Xuan.

"My lord, this is the honey I got some time ago."

The lid of the wooden barrel was opened, and the sweet smell flowed out instantly.This kind of sweetness is very special, Zhi Xuan smelled it for the first time.

"Different flowers lead to different honeys, and the fragrances are naturally different."

In order to collect medicine, the two old people often have to go to the deep mountains and old forests. Not only can they deal with fierce beasts and poisonous snakes, they also know a lot about bee colonies.Especially the witch doctor, after voluntarily leaving the monarch's mansion, in order to avoid the limelight, for a period of time he devoted himself to cutting honey for a living.It was also during that time that he successfully mastered the method of appeasing bee colonies and learned more about honey.

"Wait until another medicine field blooms, and the honey will be sweeter."

The witch doctor said it calmly, but Zhi Xuan knew how much risk there was, and he admired the old man opposite him more and more.As he got to know the two better, he became more confident that the two could cultivate good grain seeds.

Thinking this way in his heart, Zhi Xuan told his plan face to face.

"I also ask the two of you to help."

Doctor Sang and witch doctor thought about it for a moment, although they had never done it before, it was not impossible to try it.

Seeing that the two agreed, Zhi Xuan immediately expressed his thoughts on improving tools and cultivating the land.He also said that he would gather experienced farmers after the autumn harvest and listen to suggestions from all parties to ensure that the land reclamation and farming can proceed smoothly next year.

Doctor Sang and witch doctor nodded frequently at first, thinking that it was feasible.When they heard Zhi Xuan's expected yield per mu, the two were taken aback at the same time.

How many?

Three hundred catties per mu?

Are they old and deaf?

"You heard me right, it's three hundred catties." Zhi Xuan thought he was quite conservative. If he was more aggressive, his goal would be even higher.

Doctor Sang and the witch doctor didn't talk for a long time, seeing that Zhi Xuan was not joking, he had to order the medicine servant to bring some edible fruits and a few bird eggs, and go to the nearby farmland in exchange for some crops.

The medicine servant led away, and soon returned with two bundles of crops.

Doctor Sang took out several ear-bearing crops and handed them to Zhi Xuan respectively, saying, "Your Highness, do you know all of them?"

Zhi Xuan shook his head honestly.

"My lord, you can tell that among the vassal states, only Nanyou has an output of [-] jin of rice per mu, and the rest of the countries have many kinds of millet, millet, wheat and beans, and none of them have this kind of output."

"Zhongducheng once purchased rice seeds from Nanyou Country, and other vassal states have followed suit, but they are rarely able to grow them alive. Even if they can survive, the output is far less than that of Nanyou Country."

The witch doctor wanted to tell Zhi Xuan that increasing food production is not an easy task. Even if there are good varieties, all aspects must be considered, and it cannot be completed overnight.

Zhi Xuan was splashed with cold water, and his feverish mind gradually calmed down.

Thinking carefully about what the witch doctor said, he did take it for granted.

Maybe it's the success of this period that made him a little bit flustered, or maybe it's the experience of later generations that made him unconsciously feel superior.The witch doctor's words were undoubtedly a slap in the face, allowing him to get his feet on the ground again, and understand that some things cannot be accomplished overnight, and it often takes years, decades, or even generations of hard work.

Thinking of this, Zhi Xuan took a deep breath, bent down and cupped his hands to the old man.

"Thank you, elder, for your guidance."

The witch doctor accepted this gift, and together with Doctor Sang taught Zhixuan how to identify the types of grain, and suggested to him to demarcate the land after the autumn harvest and prepare for land reclamation.

"It's true, as the young master said, if you can cultivate the land deeply and raise the fertilized fields, even if you don't have good seeds for the time being, you can also increase the yield per mu."

After listening to the words of the two old men, Zhi Xuan thought about it seriously and decided to change the plan after going back.

Towards evening, Zhi Xuan left the medicine field.It's too late to go to the construction site, so I can only arrange the itinerary until tomorrow.

According to the progress of the project, the second batch of row houses will also be completed, and some manpower can be allocated to dig drainage ditches and sewers.

Zhixuan couldn't do the specific planning by himself, so he could only leave it to a few doctors and craftsmen to brainstorm.

In addition to the sewer, an ice cellar will also be built in the new city.Store ice in winter and use it in summer.As for the water well, experienced people are needed to find it accurately, and it can be done after most of the project is completed.

Toilets are essential.

Zhixuan is fed up with the current sanitary situation and must change no matter what.Otherwise, not only would the smell be bad, but in case of infectious diseases, relocation would not be able to solve it.

As time passed, Zhixuan's city-building plan gradually improved.

When he stopped writing, he realized that it was already late at night, his wrist was so sore that he couldn't lift it up, and the bamboo slips around him had already piled up into a hill.

Stretching his waist, Zhi Xuan got up and went back to the bedroom, thinking about how to make arrangements for going to the construction site tomorrow, and fell asleep not long after.

At the same time, the courier who set off from Zhidi traveled all day and night, getting closer and closer to the Western Capital.The other team also made preparations, carrying Zhi Xuan's reply letter, and set off at dawn, heading for Bei'an country together with the knights sent by Zhao Hao.