after being kidnapped by the general

After Guo Mao came to Ji County, he adapted to the official duties of the Zhengshitang as quickly as possible, and had a good relationship with his colleagues.

He also quickly showed his talent.In a short period of time, the team that Cai Ji did not take with him when he fled was persuaded into Yuanli's command.

The team members that Cai Ji did not take away were naturally abandoned by Cai Ji, and they were not paid much attention by Cai Ji on weekdays.Among these people, those who were unwilling to follow Yuanli left on their own.

Most of the counselors and retainers follow the trend, adhering to the idea of ​​choosing a good tree to live in. They readily became counselors and retainers in Yuanli, and continued to handle the government affairs of Guangyang County that Cai Ji had previously handled.

With these people, the burden of the Zhengshitang can be regarded as part of it.

In addition to conscription, Yuanli is also recruiting craftsmen.

He let out the words, all craftsmen accepted, not sticking to one pattern.Not only craftsmen and blacksmiths, but also craftsmen with skills in farming, mulberry and cloth water conservancy are also expropriated without restriction.

As long as the ability is good enough, anyone can get preferential treatment from him.

There were not enough craftsmen, and all the craftsmen with good identities who could be found were sent by Yuanli to the Artifacts Department to mass-produce the three-bow bed crossbow and the small crossbow called "God Bow".The few blacksmiths who were left were also appointed by Yuanli to make military equipment, as well as stirrups and horseshoes.

Yuanli had always wanted to make horseshoes, but because there was too little iron, he gave priority to making stirrups.Now that there is more iron, it is natural to equip war horses with artifacts such as horseshoes.

Chu Hechao was also very busy, busy strengthening the defenses of Youzhou and the frontier, investigating the details of Youzhou, and warning the Karasuma people and the Hu people who moved into Youzhou, etc.

They are all secretly preparing to deal with the great changes after the death of Emperor Jianyuan.

Yuanli also took time out to look at the cattle, sheep and pigs that were ready to be taken out to graze.

The cattle and sheep rushed to the grassland to graze, and the pigs directly surrounded a hill to let them find food by themselves.

In winter, more than 3000 pregnant sows gave birth to more than 830 piglets, and a total of [-] piglets survived to spring, and [-]% of them were sows.

The male piglets had been eunuched as early as February, and now they are only three months old. They are all fat and healthy. When they run, their fat wobbles. She is more docile, with less fishy smell on her body, and her meat grows faster, and the food she eats can quickly be turned into fat.

Yuan Li looked around and was quite satisfied. He took fifty pigs away, and that night, he killed ten of them, and made a whole pig feast, rewarding his subordinates to drink and eat meat with the generals.

One is to reward everyone for their hard work, especially the officials of the Political Affairs Hall and Artifacts Department, as well as Guo Lin and the three who followed him.The second is that they simply want to pay homage to their five viscera temples before the news of Emperor Jianyuan's death. After all, after the death of Emperor Jianyuan, all people have to mourn for three months, and they are not allowed to feast, marry, or eat meat.

Before going vegetarian for three months, you must eat enough meat and meat.

After learning that there was no need to be busy in the afternoon and they could go to a feast of whole pigs, Liu Jixin, Zhan Shaoning and others were almost moved to tears.

It was rare for them to put down their official duties and return to the mansion early to take a bath and rest. In the evening, they changed their clothes and drove to the manor in Yuanli.

The colleagues talked and laughed and greeted each other.

Wang Er, who was training the soldiers, also dragged Guan Zhihuai here. Guan Zhihuai was serious and displeased, but he still nodded slightly to Yang Zhongfa and the others.

Cui Yan, who seldom came out these days, looked at the beautiful scenery of lush trees, singing birds and fragrant flowers in the manor.

"Wait," Guo Mao walked over quickly from behind, and saluted the three of them with a smile on his face, "Is your Excellency Mr. Cui Yancui? I have admired you for a long time, not only can I go with you?"

Cui Yan saw his bold and unrestrained behavior, so he readily agreed, "Of course, my dear friend."

The willow branches swayed gently, and the breeze blew past. When the setting sun dyed the western half of the sky red, everyone slowly returned to their seats and sat down.

Today is just a celebration, not about official business.Yuanli didn't say any nonsense, and let people serve the roast pig first.

Half of the people here are not short of a bite of pork.But when the roast pigs were distributed to their tables piece by piece, everyone smelled the aroma, but couldn't help talking and feeling hungry.

When they took a closer look, they saw that the pig had been roasted so that its skin was golden and shiny, and it was crispy when touched.

Hey, is this really pork?

Zhan Shaoning has eaten many delicacies. Of course he has eaten pork, but he doesn't like pork because pork is too fishy. He prefers venison and beef.

He just came to join in the fun for this whole pig feast, and just happened to be taking a break from his busy schedule.But he didn't expect that the roast pork in front of him would arouse his greed. Zhan Shaoning picked up a piece of meat and put it in front of his eyes for a while before putting it in his mouth.

As soon as the tip of his tongue touched the smell of roasted pig, Zhan Shaoning's eyes lit up.The pork in the mouth does not have the slightest smell of mutton, and it is extremely delicious and tender. It is fragrant and hot when bitten into it. It is so delicious that you want to swallow your tongue in one bite.

Zhan Shaoning picked up another chopstick and ate his stomach. When he looked up, the people around him no longer cared about joking and making trouble, and were all buried in eating the barbecue.

Cui Yan was also sweating profusely from eating. He drank a glass of wine after swallowing the meat in his mouth, exhaled freely, and sighed to Yuan Dan next to him: "Wen Han, I don't know if it's my illusion, how could I Do you think the pork in the adults’ house is much tastier than the pork I used to eat?"

Yuan Dan was not surprised, and ate it glisteningly, "Le Jun liked to cook these things since he was a child. The pigs he raised have never had much smell, and they are the best and strongest pigs in Ruyang County. We were in Ruyang earlier. This is the kind of pig that the county eats, and other pigs don't have this taste."

Cui Yan seemed to understand, but he was not interested in exploring this, so he squinted his eyes comfortably and made a toast to Yuan Dan.

Yuanlou on the other side also heard their conversation, and interjected: "Mr. Cui, I heard Mr. Le said that you have been living in seclusion at the foot of the mountain before, and lived a carefree life, drinking tea and appreciating the rain. Can you adapt to the busyness of the month?"

Cui Yan nodded cheerfully, "I can adapt, I can adapt."

He looked at the people at the banquet or toasted and drank together, or those who sang and danced, and wanted to sing along in his heart.But he was shy and embarrassed to do this, so he took a sip of his wine and said leisurely: "The busyness before can make this short time more precious and happy. You see, my lords, if they are free every day , can I still be as happy as I am now? My past life was indeed comfortable, but in comparison, I still like my current life more, and I even feel that I am not busy enough."

Unit: "...?"

He stared at Cui Yan dumbfounded, and dropped his chopsticks on the table.

Hearing these words, Yuanlou couldn't help being respectful, he raised his hand to toast Cui Yan, and because of these words, he began to feel guilty that he was glad to be able to avoid government affairs, "Compared with Mr. Cui, I am still too lazy to work hard .”

The more Yuan Lou thought about it, the more ashamed he became, and he wished he could go and confess to Yuan Li now.Le Jun trusted him before entrusting him with the heavy responsibility, how could he be afraid of so many official duties?

He was so joyful and hasty when he left the Zhengshitang, if Yuanli found out, wouldn't he be extremely disappointed.

Yuan Dan wanted to ask if Cui Yan was drunk and started talking nonsense, so he watched Yuan Lou agree but felt guilty.

Isn't that right?

The corner of Yuan Dan's mouth twitched.

He looked at the subordinates of the general opposite.

The two adults, Yang Zhongfa and He Lang, drink and play every day. They either stay at home with their wife and children, or go fishing in the spring.Compared with the general's subordinates, each of them can be said to wake up earlier than chickens and sleep later than dogs.

Is this still called idleness?

Then he almost didn't recognize the words "lazy and lazy".

Yuan Dan hesitated to speak, and said implicitly: "Brother, Mr. Cui, don't you think the days are already too busy?"

Yuan Lou straightened his expression, and said righteously: "Wen Han, why do you think so? We are busy because of Le Jun's trust in you and me. When we came to Youzhou, you and I were determined to help Letting you off your worries, Mr. Le wants to make a career out of it. Why are you and I starting to be lazy after only five months here?"

Yuan Dan, who has lost a lot of weight in the past two months, was reprimanded by Yuan Lou, and began to wonder if he was too lazy.Thinking of his previous determination, he gradually felt ashamed, bowed his head and admitted his mistake, "Brother, I know I was wrong. Starting tomorrow, I will work harder."

Yuan Lou nodded in relief, "We are not doing well enough, and we still have to learn a lot from Mr. Cui."

After the two brothers repented, they toasted Cui Yan again with sincerity.

The atmosphere at the banquet was so good that even Guan Zhihuai drank a few jugs of wine with a few colleagues, pulled off his belt, and put on a smile on his face.

He Lang asked: "Master Guan, how do you feel after you have been busy in the military camp for a few days? How is Master Yuan's military training method different from the method in our military camp?"

As soon as these words came out, Guan Zhihuai frowned again, and said in a deep voice: "His method is better than ours."

"Really?" Yang Zhongfa was surprised, and then amused, "Then you have to keep these methods in your mind, and use this method to train our soldiers when you return to northern Xinjiang."

Guan Zhihuai's heart became heavier, he stared at Yang Zhongfa with sharp eyes, "Don't you realize the seriousness of this?"

He lowered his voice and expressed his worries about Yuanli in a few words.

Yang Zhongfa's reaction was flat, and he sighed, "Old Guan, I advise you not to think too much."

Guan Zhihuai frowned even deeper, "How can I not think too much!"

"It's useless to think about it," Yang Zhongfa said, "The general and Mr. Yuan are as close as a family. If you continue like this, you will only anger the general."

Guan Zhihuai's anger flared up all of a sudden, and he suppressed it forcibly. He snorted coldly, "Yang Zhongfa, I think you are blinded by the momentary stability!"

Yang Zhongfa wasn't angry, he swung his wine glass and looked far away, remembering the scene where Yuanli predicted heavy rain.

Even though it has been more than a month, every time he thinks of this matter, he is still afraid and frightened, and goose bumps can get all over his body in an instant.

Guan Zhihuai didn't understand.

He didn't understand what kind of mood, what kind of shock they were, and what kind of worship and admiration was deeply hidden in their hearts when they saw the ghosts and gods in Yuanli with their own eyes.

"One month ago, in mid-April, there was a heavy rain in Youzhou that lasted for three months," Yang Zhongfa said softly, "When the rain fell, I was with the general. It is rumored that it was Yuanda who prayed for Youzhou. The rain is coming, yes or no."

Guan Zhihuai said with a cold face: "Guan doesn't believe that there are people in the world who can pray for rain."

Yang Zhongfa didn't seem to hear it, and continued: "A quarter of an hour before the rain fell, Mr. Yuan had a premonition that there would be rain coming. He told us that there would be heavy rain falling from the sky in a quarter of an hour. I didn't believe it like you at that time. Then, it rained heavily.”

Guan Zhihuai showed a surprised expression for the first time, and he subconsciously said: "This is absolutely impossible!"

Yang Zhongfa said: "At that time, several Lord Karasuma were there, and there was even a flash of lightning that passed over Dadan's head. Guan Zhihuai, I didn't lie a single word of what I said, just ask He Lang and Wang Er, go Ask our soldiers, you have to believe it if you don’t believe it!”

Guan Zhihuai stared blankly at the stern expression on his face, and suddenly lost his voice.

Yang Zhongfa eased his expression, patted him on the shoulder, and turned to drink with He Lang again.

A few roasted pigs were just appetizers. After everyone was half full, Yuan Li smiled mysteriously and said: "There will be cooking later, everyone should save their stomachs."

"Stir-fry?" Everyone asked in confusion, "What kind of dish is stir-fry?"

"Could it be the dishes of Youzhou?"

"I'm from Youzhou, but I've never heard of 'cooking' in Youzhou."

Chu Hechao tasted the taste of cooking a few days ago.The so-called stir-fried dishes are dishes made in iron pots.For the first time, Chu Hechao knew that iron could not only be used as a weapon, but also be used for cooking.The meals made are unique, and the taste is unforgettable after eating.

He sipped the wine contentedly, listening to the doubts and curiosity of others, his smile deepened.

Yang Zhongfa said loudly: "Master Yuan, don't tempt us, what is this 'cooked dish'?"

Yuan Li didn't delay on purpose, and ordered someone to bring up the dishes.

There are two iron pots in the kitchen. After the iron pots can be used for cooking, there are more dishes to cook.After he instructed the cook to make a small stir-fried pork and braised pork, the cook realized how to use the iron pot.

Because there is no rock sugar now, sucrose has not been made.The sugar in the dishes is replaced with sweet grass or honey. Because of the lack of ingredients, the taste is naturally not as good as later generations.But for the people of the Northern Zhou Dynasty who are used to steaming and grilling in crockpots, these stir-fried dishes are an eye-opener, which surprises and delights them.

Everyone buried their heads in eating these dishes fried in iron pots. After serving them with rice, they only felt the aroma was attractive. Those who could not eat had to add a bowl of rice, not to mention the generals who already had a big appetite.

While Yang Zhongfa was devouring the food, he said to Chu Hechao heartbroken, "If my family didn't have a daughter of the right age, I would have taken Mr. Yuan away to be my son-in-law."

Chu Hechao sneered, "You don't even have to think about it."

He was about to drink another glass of wine to get rid of his anger, when Lin Tian who was beside Yuanli came over and whispered in his ear: "General, my lord tells you to drink less wine."

Chu Hechao raised his eyebrows and looked towards Yuanli.Yuan Li was looking at him, frowning and pursing his mouth, looking unhappy.

"You don't even care how many glasses of wine I drink?" Chu Hechao read a sentence on the tip of his tongue, snorted, put down the glass, and said lazily, "Okay, got it, you can go back."

Lin Tian saluted and retreated quietly.

Yang Zhongfa didn't hear what they were talking about, and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Chu Hechao said vaguely, "Your sister-in-law won't let me drink too much."

Yang Zhongfa used to be called Yuanli's little sister-in-law, and he didn't think there was anything wrong, but he was shocked, "My little sister-in-law still cares about this."

The corner of Chu Hechao's mouth curled up, "Yes."

Yang Zhongfa was annoyed by his wife's control over drinking a few drinks, he felt sorry for him, "Does the general listen?"

"Listen," Chu Hechao tapped his fingers on the table, smiling meaningfully, "If you don't listen, can I still have these things to eat?"

Yang Zhongfa suddenly realized: "It's true."

Everyone enjoyed this whole pig feast, and afterward, Yuanli gave everyone present a piglet.

Ten days later, businessmen from Xuzhou and Yangzhou set foot on the land of Ji County.

They came here for the soap, and not only brought a lot of money, but also something that Ouyang Ting specially sent to Yuanli—five carts of southern sugar cane.