Chapter 74
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
The dry grasses of the barren plains had long since been put to the torch. Several oxen dragged heavy metal plows across the fields. Several women trailed behind them, sweat dripping down their foreheads as they tilled the earth, guided the plows, and swished their whips. It was nearly the twelfth month already. Normally, this was the slack season, but they had no time to rest.
Ten days ago, a bunch of Xiongnu had attacked their master’s estate and stolen all their money and winter grain. Without a village they could rely on for support, the surviving serfs and sharecroppers had no choice but to take what remained of their meager possessions and flee. It wasn’t easy, fleeing famine in the winter. Even though there weren’t so many bandits anymore, cold and hunger were the most persistent enemy of all. No one knew if they’d be able to safely find a new master to serve. But after only five kilometers worth of travel, they’d heard news that Gaodu was taking in refugees!
Most of them were tempted upon learning that it was Gaodu’s garrison that had exterminated the rebels. Nothing was more reassuring these days than a dependable city. Not to mention that the magistrate of Gaodu had already proclaimed that everyone who came to repair their walls would be fed, assigned land to cultivate, and given sprouts to plant come spring!
That was one of those rare, decent officials!!
Without exception, everyone who learned of the information headed to Gaodu. Most of the men chose to fix the walls, while the women and elderly arduously plowed lifeless fields in the bitter cold.
The dry, frozen ground was difficult to plow in the winter, but the county had lent them oxen and plows. They were even building chain pumps nearby. All the signs indicated that this place was shaping up into a new village. The only thing they had to concern themselves with was farming and planting, surviving off the dirt beneath their feet.
“Hope” was an unimaginable force. It defeated the cold, defeated the hardship, defeated everything that stopped them from moving forward. Gaodu’s new policies were the thing that gave them hope.
That was why they were still toiling in the soil even though they were exhausted, though they were tired, though they were sallow and emaciated. They had to turn over the fields, water them, and fertilize them. They even had to dig canals. They were making preparations for a bountiful harvest. One good harvest and they would be able to survive here!
After tilling her plot of land for over an hour, Mrs. Sun finally stopped. Before worrying over herself, she hurriedly unhitched the plow from the ox and lead it away to eat and rest. That ox belonged to the county – she couldn’t afford to let anything happen to it!
She meticulously examined both ox and plow, then heaved a sigh of relief and wiped her face with her sleeve. Then she picked up a bucket and started splashing fertilizer on the farmland. In the middle of her work, a small figure suddenly ran up to her from behind.
“Ma! Ma! People from the Liang Estate came!” the child hollered. The women nearby stopped and looked over.
Mrs. Sun hurriedly put down her bucket and went over, “Did they go into town? Did they say if they’re gonna bring anyone back with ‘em?”
“P, P veccb,” atf mtliv qjcafv, “Dea atfs ygbeuta wfja! Ktfgf’r ubccj yf ugbecv wfja lc atf qbgglvuf atlr joafgcbbc!”
“Yt ws!” Zgr. Vec ujatfgfv eq tfg rxlgar klatbea oegatfg jvb jcv gjc bnfg ab atf bz.
Vtf tjv ab ifjv atf bz yjmx delmxis. Ktfs bcis gjgfis ujnf bea wfja qbgglvuf; ktb xcfk tbk ibcu rtf’v tjnf ab kjla lo rtf wlrrfv atlr mtjcmf!
Being able to come to Gaodu was a blessing already; yet one would learn, after staying here for a couple of days, that there was a place nearby that people yearned to go to even more. That place was the Liang Estate!
That “bodhisattva,” Master Liang, lived close by. Rumor had it that because the rebels offended the bodhisattva, they’d been struck by lightning and defeated by Gaodu’s garrison. Anyone who was skilled in any sort of handicraft, or was strong and hale, could bring their families to the Liang Estate – it’d be the best thing that ever happened to them in their last eight lifetimes! Too bad though, that getting into the Liang Estate wasn’t that easy. That’s why the refugees outside Gaodu hoped every day for people from the Liang Estate to come and choose people.
But even if they weren’t chosen, they still received a few amenities. For example, the meat porridge that came once every few days. Apparently, it was horsemeat, which could bolster one’s health. Eating the meat porridge could keep one from falling ill all winter! Plus, the meat had been cured. There wasn’t anything more enjoyable in the winter than a nice steaming bowl of savory porridge!
Mrs. Sun wasn’t the only one hurriedly putting away her farming tools, all the women around her were doing the same, rushing towards the makeshift village.
※
“Is the hayfeed delivered?” Guo Jiao asked, setting down his brush.
“It’s been delivered. According to the senior official, the Duke of Dongying is still in Luoyang. The conferment has been temporarily delayed, and fifty stones of wheat have been shipped here first. It’s all been placed in the county bureau’s warehouse,” the petty official answered.
The Taihang Pass was especially narrow. It wasn’t possible to store too many provisions on-site, so Wu Ling usually stored a portion of it in Gaodu City. Usually, though, it went into the granary next to the armory. This was the first time it’d been stuffed directly into the county bureau’s coffers.
Seemed like Wu Ling was making good on his word. Guo Jiao nodded in satisfaction, “The reward is probably not stale grain this time. May as well start putting it to use. Make sure the porridge isn’t too thin. People need to eat more in the winter to keep up their endurance. We can give the laborers repairing the wall some dry rice and pickled vegetables.”
The petty official nodded, unsurprised; Gaodu had already taken in nearly two hundred refugees as of late. He dithered, then said, “The Liang Estate sent meat porridge over again. Isn’t that going to keep stirring up the refugees?”
Guo Jiao knew, of course, that he was buying the people’s hearts. But he was in no position to question the Liang Estate – simply because Liang Zixi’s “work relief” policy was too ingenious! The laborers repairing the wall were easier to use than the people reporting for corvée. They clearly ate the same amount, yet they worked twice as hard and thanked him for his generosity. Fixing walls in winter wasn’t an easy job, yet their expenses were only half of what they’d been expecting. With the newly cultivated fields on top of that, Gaodu’s tax revenue next year was going to be tremendous.
“Haha, don’t worry about it. Zixi’s just showing his goodwill,” Guo Jiao chuckled. The Liang Estate had captured so many horses they’d given him nearly twenty-five kilos of horsemeat. He could save a lot of foodstuff with the meat the Liang Estate sent, wasn’t that great?
The petty official dared not say more and took his leave.
Guo Jiao picked up his brush again and continued examining the document on his desk. This was another favor Liang Feng had entrusted to him: sifting through the refugees that came to Gaodu. If there were any craftsmen, or people with particular skills, he’d send them to the estate. Guo Jiao didn’t mind, though. The more they relied on him, the more it demonstrated their closeness with him.
Liang Feng wasn’t one of those rich wastrels; he was someone capable of governance and rule. When his meteoric rise came around, he might very well quit being a magistrate and become his subordinate official instead. Suppressing his little ambitions, Guo Jiao continued poring over documents.
※
“Master, we brought thirty people back this time. There’s two woodworkers, one stonemason, and the rest are healthy laborers as well as their families. I think we can take in another one or two hundred before it starts to snow,” ah-Liang reported excitedly.
Now that the Liang Estate was accepting serf households and sharecroppers, they were finally shaping up into proper nobility. They weren’t just taking whoever came to their door now; rather, the refugees first went to Gaodu, then the capable or strong were picked out and sent to the estate. Ah-Liang was overjoyed at the change. The estate of a fifth-order marquess wasn’t a place that refugees could simply come to as they pleased.
Liang Feng could tell what his steward was thinking. There hadn’t been any choice before, but now with an entire county acting as a buffer, the refugee problem wasn’t so urgent anymore. That they had higher quality entrants was secondary to the fact that this kind of arrangement would induce gratitude and loyalty in those who met the requirements to be taken in by the Liang Estate. Having a sense of belonging would naturally improve their cohesion. This was two birds with one stone.
“Are there many refugees entering from Taihang Pass at the moment?” Liang Feng asked.
“Not that many. It’s too cold. No one’s fleeing unless they’ve got absolutely no other choice,” ah-Liang answered.
“Hmm, arrange for a group of people to scout out the situation in Luoyang. Have them infiltrate the city and save Doctor Jiang the moment the battle ends. If he tells his superiors about the news of his grandfather’s passing, he should be able to resign and return.” That was the best method Liang Feng could come up with. Luoyang wasn’t a good place to be; it was best to bring Jiang Da back.
“Understood!”
Orders received, ah-Liang departed as Yiyan strode in.
“My lord, the sentries outside the gatehouse have reported seeing a group of people pass by on horseback. They didn’t approach. I sent a few scouts to tail them and found out that they wandered about the nearby villages for about half a day before returning west. Their motive is unclear…”
“On horseback? How many were there?” Liang Feng was instantly on alert. The Liang Estate hadn’t recovered its losses from the recent battle. He didn’t want any mountain bandits to set their sights on him.
“Four people. They didn’t have any luggage on them. Plus, their horsemanship was extremely experienced and their horses were fine steeds. They seem more like Xiongnu than mountain bandits,” Yiyan replied.
“The Xiongnu are spying on the Liang Estate?” Liang Feng frowned. What did this mean? Had one of the Xiongnu detected that the Liang Estate was hiding its strength?
He gave it a moment of thought, then said, “Keep a close guard on the gatehouse. Don’t let any unknown persons in or out. It doesn’t matter who they are, they’ll have a hard time finding any concrete information about the estate. Make sure the villages nearby mind their words and be wary of any strangers.”
Wu Ling could take all the credit, he really didn’t want to stand out. But he had to prepare for the possibility that someone might covertly take action against him. Sima Teng was still in Luoyang, but his return to Bing Province would surely cause a considerable ruckus. Oh, how long would it be until the battle of Luoyang came to a close….
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
The dry grasses of the barren plains had long since been put to the torch. Several oxen dragged heavy metal plows across the fields. Several women trailed behind them, sweat dripping down their foreheads as they tilled the earth, guided the plows, and swished their whips. It was nearly the twelfth month already. Normally, this was the slack season, but they had no time to rest.
Ten days ago, a bunch of Xiongnu had attacked their master’s estate and stolen all their money and winter grain. Without a village they could rely on for support, the surviving serfs and sharecroppers had no choice but to take what remained of their meager possessions and flee. It wasn’t easy, fleeing famine in the winter. Even though there weren’t so many bandits anymore, cold and hunger were the most persistent enemy of all. No one knew if they’d be able to safely find a new master to serve. But after only five kilometers worth of travel, they’d heard news that Gaodu was taking in refugees!
Most of them were tempted upon learning that it was Gaodu’s garrison that had exterminated the rebels. Nothing was more reassuring these days than a dependable city. Not to mention that the magistrate of Gaodu had already proclaimed that everyone who came to repair their walls would be fed, assigned land to cultivate, and given sprouts to plant come spring!
That was one of those rare, decent officials!!
Without exception, everyone who learned of the information headed to Gaodu. Most of the men chose to fix the walls, while the women and elderly arduously plowed lifeless fields in the bitter cold.
The dry, frozen ground was difficult to plow in the winter, but the county had lent them oxen and plows. They were even building chain pumps nearby. All the signs indicated that this place was shaping up into a new village. The only thing they had to concern themselves with was farming and planting, surviving off the dirt beneath their feet.
“Hope” was an unimaginable force. It defeated the cold, defeated the hardship, defeated everything that stopped them from moving forward. Gaodu’s new policies were the thing that gave them hope.
That was why they were still toiling in the soil even though they were exhausted, though they were tired, though they were sallow and emaciated. They had to turn over the fields, water them, and fertilize them. They even had to dig canals. They were making preparations for a bountiful harvest. One good harvest and they would be able to survive here!
After tilling her plot of land for over an hour, Mrs. Sun finally stopped. Before worrying over herself, she hurriedly unhitched the plow from the ox and lead it away to eat and rest. That ox belonged to the county – she couldn’t afford to let anything happen to it!
She meticulously examined both ox and plow, then heaved a sigh of relief and wiped her face with her sleeve. Then she picked up a bucket and started splashing fertilizer on the farmland. In the middle of her work, a small figure suddenly ran up to her from behind.
“Ma! Ma! People from the Liang Estate came!” the child hollered. The women nearby stopped and looked over.
Mrs. Sun hurriedly put down her bucket and went over, “Did they go into town? Did they say if they’re gonna bring anyone back with ‘em?”
“P, P veccb,” atf mtliv qjcafv, “Dea atfs ygbeuta wfja! Ktfgf’r ubccj yf ugbecv wfja lc atf qbgglvuf atlr joafgcbbc!”
“Yt ws!” Zgr. Vec ujatfgfv eq tfg rxlgar klatbea oegatfg jvb jcv gjc bnfg ab atf bz.
Vtf tjv ab ifjv atf bz yjmx delmxis. Ktfs bcis gjgfis ujnf bea wfja qbgglvuf; ktb xcfk tbk ibcu rtf’v tjnf ab kjla lo rtf wlrrfv atlr mtjcmf!
Being able to come to Gaodu was a blessing already; yet one would learn, after staying here for a couple of days, that there was a place nearby that people yearned to go to even more. That place was the Liang Estate!
That “bodhisattva,” Master Liang, lived close by. Rumor had it that because the rebels offended the bodhisattva, they’d been struck by lightning and defeated by Gaodu’s garrison. Anyone who was skilled in any sort of handicraft, or was strong and hale, could bring their families to the Liang Estate – it’d be the best thing that ever happened to them in their last eight lifetimes! Too bad though, that getting into the Liang Estate wasn’t that easy. That’s why the refugees outside Gaodu hoped every day for people from the Liang Estate to come and choose people.
But even if they weren’t chosen, they still received a few amenities. For example, the meat porridge that came once every few days. Apparently, it was horsemeat, which could bolster one’s health. Eating the meat porridge could keep one from falling ill all winter! Plus, the meat had been cured. There wasn’t anything more enjoyable in the winter than a nice steaming bowl of savory porridge!
Mrs. Sun wasn’t the only one hurriedly putting away her farming tools, all the women around her were doing the same, rushing towards the makeshift village.
※
“Is the hayfeed delivered?” Guo Jiao asked, setting down his brush.
“It’s been delivered. According to the senior official, the Duke of Dongying is still in Luoyang. The conferment has been temporarily delayed, and fifty stones of wheat have been shipped here first. It’s all been placed in the county bureau’s warehouse,” the petty official answered.
The Taihang Pass was especially narrow. It wasn’t possible to store too many provisions on-site, so Wu Ling usually stored a portion of it in Gaodu City. Usually, though, it went into the granary next to the armory. This was the first time it’d been stuffed directly into the county bureau’s coffers.
Seemed like Wu Ling was making good on his word. Guo Jiao nodded in satisfaction, “The reward is probably not stale grain this time. May as well start putting it to use. Make sure the porridge isn’t too thin. People need to eat more in the winter to keep up their endurance. We can give the laborers repairing the wall some dry rice and pickled vegetables.”
The petty official nodded, unsurprised; Gaodu had already taken in nearly two hundred refugees as of late. He dithered, then said, “The Liang Estate sent meat porridge over again. Isn’t that going to keep stirring up the refugees?”
Guo Jiao knew, of course, that he was buying the people’s hearts. But he was in no position to question the Liang Estate – simply because Liang Zixi’s “work relief” policy was too ingenious! The laborers repairing the wall were easier to use than the people reporting for corvée. They clearly ate the same amount, yet they worked twice as hard and thanked him for his generosity. Fixing walls in winter wasn’t an easy job, yet their expenses were only half of what they’d been expecting. With the newly cultivated fields on top of that, Gaodu’s tax revenue next year was going to be tremendous.
“Haha, don’t worry about it. Zixi’s just showing his goodwill,” Guo Jiao chuckled. The Liang Estate had captured so many horses they’d given him nearly twenty-five kilos of horsemeat. He could save a lot of foodstuff with the meat the Liang Estate sent, wasn’t that great?
The petty official dared not say more and took his leave.
Guo Jiao picked up his brush again and continued examining the document on his desk. This was another favor Liang Feng had entrusted to him: sifting through the refugees that came to Gaodu. If there were any craftsmen, or people with particular skills, he’d send them to the estate. Guo Jiao didn’t mind, though. The more they relied on him, the more it demonstrated their closeness with him.
Liang Feng wasn’t one of those rich wastrels; he was someone capable of governance and rule. When his meteoric rise came around, he might very well quit being a magistrate and become his subordinate official instead. Suppressing his little ambitions, Guo Jiao continued poring over documents.
※
“Master, we brought thirty people back this time. There’s two woodworkers, one stonemason, and the rest are healthy laborers as well as their families. I think we can take in another one or two hundred before it starts to snow,” ah-Liang reported excitedly.
Now that the Liang Estate was accepting serf households and sharecroppers, they were finally shaping up into proper nobility. They weren’t just taking whoever came to their door now; rather, the refugees first went to Gaodu, then the capable or strong were picked out and sent to the estate. Ah-Liang was overjoyed at the change. The estate of a fifth-order marquess wasn’t a place that refugees could simply come to as they pleased.
Liang Feng could tell what his steward was thinking. There hadn’t been any choice before, but now with an entire county acting as a buffer, the refugee problem wasn’t so urgent anymore. That they had higher quality entrants was secondary to the fact that this kind of arrangement would induce gratitude and loyalty in those who met the requirements to be taken in by the Liang Estate. Having a sense of belonging would naturally improve their cohesion. This was two birds with one stone.
“Are there many refugees entering from Taihang Pass at the moment?” Liang Feng asked.
“Not that many. It’s too cold. No one’s fleeing unless they’ve got absolutely no other choice,” ah-Liang answered.
“Hmm, arrange for a group of people to scout out the situation in Luoyang. Have them infiltrate the city and save Doctor Jiang the moment the battle ends. If he tells his superiors about the news of his grandfather’s passing, he should be able to resign and return.” That was the best method Liang Feng could come up with. Luoyang wasn’t a good place to be; it was best to bring Jiang Da back.
“Understood!”
Orders received, ah-Liang departed as Yiyan strode in.
“My lord, the sentries outside the gatehouse have reported seeing a group of people pass by on horseback. They didn’t approach. I sent a few scouts to tail them and found out that they wandered about the nearby villages for about half a day before returning west. Their motive is unclear…”
“On horseback? How many were there?” Liang Feng was instantly on alert. The Liang Estate hadn’t recovered its losses from the recent battle. He didn’t want any mountain bandits to set their sights on him.
“Four people. They didn’t have any luggage on them. Plus, their horsemanship was extremely experienced and their horses were fine steeds. They seem more like Xiongnu than mountain bandits,” Yiyan replied.
“The Xiongnu are spying on the Liang Estate?” Liang Feng frowned. What did this mean? Had one of the Xiongnu detected that the Liang Estate was hiding its strength?
He gave it a moment of thought, then said, “Keep a close guard on the gatehouse. Don’t let any unknown persons in or out. It doesn’t matter who they are, they’ll have a hard time finding any concrete information about the estate. Make sure the villages nearby mind their words and be wary of any strangers.”
Wu Ling could take all the credit, he really didn’t want to stand out. But he had to prepare for the possibility that someone might covertly take action against him. Sima Teng was still in Luoyang, but his return to Bing Province would surely cause a considerable ruckus. Oh, how long would it be until the battle of Luoyang came to a close….
The dry grasses of the barren plains had long since been put to the torch. Several oxen dragged heavy metal plows across the fields. Several women trailed behind them, sweat dripping down their foreheads as they tilled the earth, guided the plows, and swished their whips. It was nearly the twelfth month already. Normally, this was the slack season, but they had no time to rest.Ten days ago, a bunch of Xiongnu had attacked their master's estate and stolen all their money and winter grain. Without a village they could rely on for support, the surviving serfs and sharecroppers had no choice but to take what remained of their meager possessions and flee. It wasn't easy, fleeing famine in the winter. Even though there weren't so many bandits anymore, cold and hunger were the most persistent enemy of all. No one knew if they'd be able to safely find a new master to serve. But after only five kilometers worth of travel, they'd heard news that Gaodu was taking in refugees!Most of them were tempted upon learning that it was Gaodu's garrison that had exterminated the rebels. Nothing was more reassuring these days than a dependable city. Not to mention that the magistrate of Gaodu had already proclaimed that everyone who came to repair their walls would be fed, assigned land to cultivate, and given sprouts to plant come spring!That was one of those rare, decent officials!!Without exception, everyone who learned of the information headed to Gaodu. Most of the men chose to fix the walls, while the women and elderly arduously plowed lifeless fields in the bitter cold.The dry, frozen ground was difficult to plow in the winter, but the county had lent them oxen and plows. They were even building chain pumps nearby. All the signs indicated that this place was shaping up into a new village. The only thing they had to concern themselves with was farming and planting, surviving off the dirt beneath their feet.Hope was an unimaginable force. It defeated the cold, defeated the hardship, defeated everything that stopped them from moving forward. Gaodu's new policies were the thing that gave them hope.That was why they were still toiling in the soil even though they were exhausted, though they were tired, though they were sallow and emaciated. They had to turn over the fields, water them, and fertilize them. They even had to dig canals. They were making preparations for a bountiful harvest. One good harvest and they would be able to survive here!After tilling her plot of land for over an hour, Mrs. Sun finally stopped. Before worrying over herself, she hurriedly unhitched the plow from the ox and lead it away to eat and rest. That ox belonged to the county she couldn't afford to let anything happen to it!She meticulously examined both ox and plow, then heaved a sigh of relief and wiped her face with her sleeve. Then she picked up a bucket and started splashing fertilizer on the farmland. In the middle of her work, a small figure suddenly ran up to her from behind.Ma! Ma! People from the Liang Estate came! the child hollered. The women nearby stopped and looked over.Mrs. Sun hurriedly put down her bucket and went over, Did they go into town? Did they say if they're gonna bring anyone back with em?P, P veccb, atf mtliv qjcafv, Dea atfs ygbeuta wfja! Ktfgf'r ubccj yf ugbecv wfja lc atf qbgglvuf atlr joafgcbbc!Yt ws! Zgr. Vec ujatfgfv eq tfg rxlgar klatbea oegatfg jvb jcv gjc bnfg ab atf bz.Vtf tjv ab ifjv atf bz yjmx delmxis. Ktfs bcis gjgfis ujnf bea wfja qbgglvuf; ktb xcfk tbk ibcu rtf'v tjnf ab kjla lo rtf wlrrfv atlr mtjcmf!Being able to come to Gaodu was a blessing already; yet one would learn, after staying here for a couple of days, that there was a place nearby that people yearned to go to even more. That place was the Liang Estate!That bodhisattva, Master Liang, lived close by. Rumor had it that because the rebels offended the bodhisattva, they'd been struck by lightning and defeated by Gaodu's garrison. Anyone who was skilled in any sort of handicraft, or was strong and hale, could bring their families to the Liang Estate it'd be the best thing that ever happened to them in their last eight lifetimes! Too bad though, that getting into the Liang Estate wasn't that easy. That's why the refugees outside Gaodu hoped every day for people from the Liang Estate to come and choose people.But even if they weren't chosen, they still received a few amenities. For example, the meat porridge that came once every few days. Apparently, it was horsemeat, which could bolster one's health. Eating the meat porridge could keep one from falling ill all winter! Plus, the meat had been cured. There wasn't anything more enjoyable in the winter than a nice steaming bowl of savory porridge!Mrs. Sun wasn't the only one hurriedly putting away her farming tools, all the women around her were doing the same, rushing towards the makeshift village.Is the hayfeed delivered? Guo Jiao asked, setting down his brush.It's been delivered. According to the senior official, the Duke of Dongying is still in Luoyang. The conferment has been temporarily delayed, and fifty stones of wheat have been shipped here first. It's all been placed in the county bureau's warehouse, the petty official answered.The Taihang Pass was especially narrow. It wasn't possible to store too many provisions on-site, so Wu Ling usually stored a portion of it in Gaodu City. Usually, though, it went into the granary next to the armory. This was the first time it'd been stuffed directly into the county bureau's coffers.Seemed like Wu Ling was making good on his word. Guo Jiao nodded in satisfaction, The reward is probably not stale grain this time. May as well start putting it to use. Make sure the porridge isn't too thin. People need to eat more in the winter to keep up their endurance. We can give the laborers repairing the wall some dry rice and pickled vegetables.The petty official nodded, unsurprised; Gaodu had already taken in nearly two hundred refugees as of late. He dithered, then said, The Liang Estate sent meat porridge over again. Isn't that going to keep stirring up the refugees?Guo Jiao knew, of course, that he was buying the people's hearts. But he was in no position to question the Liang Estate simply because Liang Zixi's work relief policy was too ingenious! The laborers repairing the wall were easier to use than the people reporting for corve. They clearly ate the same amount, yet they worked twice as hard and thanked him for his generosity. Fixing walls in winter wasn't an easy job, yet their expenses were only half of what they'd been expecting. With the newly cultivated fields on top of that, Gaodu's tax revenue next year was going to be tremendous.Haha, don't worry about it. Zixi's just showing his goodwill, Guo Jiao chuckled. The Liang Estate had captured so many horses they'd given him nearly twenty-five kilos of horsemeat. He could save a lot of foodstuff with the meat the Liang Estate sent, wasn't that great?The petty official dared not say more and took his leave.Guo Jiao picked up his brush again and continued examining the document on his desk. This was another favor Liang Feng had entrusted to him: sifting through the refugees that came to Gaodu. If there were any craftsmen, or people with particular skills, he'd send them to the estate. Guo Jiao didn't mind, though. The more they relied on him, the more it demonstrated their closeness with him.Liang Feng wasn't one of those rich wastrels; he was someone capable of governance and rule. When his meteoric rise came around, he might very well quit being a magistrate and become his subordinate official instead. Suppressing his little ambitions, Guo Jiao continued poring over documents.Master, we brought thirty people back this time. There's two woodworkers, one stonemason, and the rest are healthy laborers as well as their families. I think we can take in another one or two hundred before it starts to snow, ah-Liang reported excitedly.Now that the Liang Estate was accepting serf households and sharecroppers, they were finally shaping up into proper nobility. They weren't just taking whoever came to their door now; rather, the refugees first went to Gaodu, then the capable or strong were picked out and sent to the estate. Ah-Liang was overjoyed at the change. The estate of a fifth-order marquess wasn't a place that refugees could simply come to as they pleased.Liang Feng could tell what his steward was thinking. There hadn't been any choice before, but now with an entire county acting as a buffer, the refugee problem wasn't so urgent anymore. That they had higher quality entrants was secondary to the fact that this kind of arrangement would induce gratitude and loyalty in those who met the requirements to be taken in by the Liang Estate. Having a sense of belonging would naturally improve their cohesion. This was two birds with one stone.Are there many refugees entering from Taihang Pass at the moment? Liang Feng asked.Not that many. It's too cold. No one's fleeing unless they've got absolutely no other choice, ah-Liang answered.Hmm, arrange for a group of people to scout out the situation in Luoyang. Have them infiltrate the city and save Doctor Jiang the moment the battle ends. If he tells his superiors about the news of his grandfather's passing, he should be able to resign and return. That was the best method Liang Feng could come up with. Luoyang wasn't a good place to be; it was best to bring Jiang Da back.Understood!Orders received, ah-Liang departed as Yiyan strode in.My lord, the sentries outside the gatehouse have reported seeing a group of people pass by on horseback. They didn't approach. I sent a few scouts to tail them and found out that they wandered about the nearby villages for about half a day before returning west. Their motive is unclearOn horseback? How many were there? Liang Feng was instantly on alert. The Liang Estate hadn't recovered its losses from the recent battle. He didn't want any mountain bandits to set their sights on him.Four people. They didn't have any luggage on them. Plus, their horsemanship was extremely experienced and their horses were fine steeds. They seem more like Xiongnu than mountain bandits, Yiyan replied.The Xiongnu are spying on the Liang Estate? Liang Feng frowned. What did this mean? Had one of the Xiongnu detected that the Liang Estate was hiding its strength?He gave it a moment of thought, then said, Keep a close guard on the gatehouse. Don't let any unknown persons in or out. It doesn't matter who they are, they'll have a hard time finding any concrete information about the estate. Make sure the villages nearby mind their words and be wary of any strangers.Wu Ling could take all the credit, he really didn't want to stand out. But he had to prepare for the possibility that someone might covertly take action against him. Sima Teng was still in Luoyang, but his return to Bing Province would surely cause a considerable ruckus. Oh, how long would it be until the battle of Luoyang came to a close.
