Chapter 466: The State's First Hope

Chapter 466: The State's First Hope

Today's Shangyuan is completely different from when Li Tai first settled there, and the population living in Shangyuan Village has also increased from more than 100 people at the beginning to more than 5,000 people living in Fuzhuang now. There are tens of thousands of people who have settled here for a long time.

The first reason for the growth of such a large population was the soldiers and prisoners Li Tai collected through various wars, including the Qiangliang bandits from various places in China, and the Jihu Dingkou captured by the states in northern Shaanxi. The second is that with the improvement of Shangyuan's industrial and commercial environment, there has been a natural influx of businessmen and tourists from other places.

There are very few people who have actually protected and expanded the army in the local area. This is of course because Li Tai understands well that rabbits do not eat grass beside their nests.

Shang was originally under the nose of the Huazhou Overlord. If he openly sheltered a large number of people and caused a large loss of registered households in the state and counties, he would naturally be openly provoking the official power here.

Although the Wuxiang county magistrate, including the prefecture and county chiefs, had a good relationship with him, if he relied on his friendship and violated other people's rights without any bottom line, such a friend would soon fall out.

However, it is now an open rule for military commanders to capture people through war and recruit them into the army. As long as they do not kill good people for meritorious deeds, or rob the households that the government is recruiting, it is not a taboo.

As for the influx of people from other states, they are not under the jurisdiction of the states and counties here. Although state and county officials also have political performance needs to incorporate refugees, this depends on the specific situation.

Huazhou has a large population and a small area, and there is not much wasteland that can be used to recruit refugees and grant land and households. These people were recruited by Li Tai to work in his workshop, which not only stabilized local security, but also allowed the government to obtain income from him. The government is also happy to see part of the tax revenue.

As for whether gathering tens of thousands of people in the countryside will arouse vigilance and expulsion from the Bafu, this is too much to worry about.

Although Shangyuan is not a large area, it is tens of miles in diameter from east to west, north to south, and is dotted with many wealthy manors and mansions. Tens of thousands of people are distributed here, and it is not like tens of thousands of armored men gather on a mountain all day long. In fact, it's not that noticeable.

What's more, Li Tai has many properties, and these people usually work in workshops or transport materials to various places. Even he himself has to read the manor's accounting books to understand the accurate situation, and it is even harder for outsiders to fully understand.

Having said that, with the growth of population, the living environment of Shangyuan has also undergone great changes. The original manor houses in front of the slope have long been insufficient for habitation, and the nearby oil workshops have also moved to other places for work. The former site It is used to expand the manor house.

Fortunately, the valley villa built by Li Tai specifically for He Basheng's recuperation has been preserved, and it has been expanded many times along the valley. The original villa was enclosed by a fence and served as Li Tai's residence when he returned home. As for the expanded areas, they will be used for living by Li Zhusheng and other core managers of the manor.

This mountain villa also carries many memories of Miaoyin. When I revisit my old place, many memories and images that have been accumulated in my mind soon become vivid again.

But after seeing those additional buildings beyond her memory, she felt a little unhappy. When she heard that this was due to the increase in population and lack of land on the plateau, the young lady generously pointed to the east of the valley and said : "There is still a lot of free land in Zhuangzi in the east of the plateau. People and people who cannot be accommodated here can be accommodated there."

Hearing what the young lady said, Li Tai remembered that he was not the only rich man in their family. The young lady's dowry was also very generous. The manor on the east side of Shangyuan is also one of his dowry properties.

Although the garden business is not better managed than Li Tai's, they are adjacent to each other and can complement each other nearby. Nearly half of the entire Shangyuan area has become their family's industry, so it is naturally much more convenient to adjust the personnel industry. .

Li Zhusheng and other elderly people in the household also beamed with joy when they heard that the young mistress was so generous and generous, and sighed that the couple could work together to build a family.

Li Tai sent his wife to the inner hall, leaving Li Zhusheng's wife and other female stewards of the village to accompany her, while he went to the outer hall to sit with the people and drink and talk.

As an old family member who has followed him all the way from Hebei, Li Zhusheng kept the family affairs in order even though Li Tai was away from home all year round.

Wu Jingyi, Party Chief Zhao and other leaders of the Qu League also followed Li Tai's instructions and plans, based themselves in the countryside, and actively developed Qu League affairs, which greatly expanded the personnel scale of the Qu League.

Li Tai's previous limited power made it difficult to give them more care in terms of status. Now that the government has opened, he gave them each a position in the government, which not only brought them closer to each other, but also allowed them to show off in the countryside.

Du Yun, the magistrate of Wuxiang County, was transferred to Zhiman before, and Zheng Man took up the post of county magistrate with the support of Li Tai. Today, he specially put aside all the county affairs and came to Shangyuan Manor to congratulate him, but after a few glasses of wine, After finishing his meal, he sighed with emotion about his own situation: "A certain incompetent official in this county, if I hadn't been lucky enough to meet my husband back then, how would I dare to look at the beauty of today..."

Next to him, Wu Jingyi saw that Zheng Man was a bit excited, so he raised his glass and said with a smile: "The words of the county magistrate are really too humble. God rewards hard work, and hard work will always be rewarded! If the county magistrate hadn't worked tirelessly to travel to the countryside, so that Lang Jun could If you settle in this town, you will be able to enjoy the harmony between people and land, and your hometown will be greatly improved!”

After hearing the words, everyone laughed and agreed, and raised their glasses to toast Zheng Man to thank him for bringing the sound of phoenixes to the countryside, which has brought great benefits to the countryside today.

The villagers are happy and satisfied with the current order of the countryside, but some are not satisfied with the present.

As the banquet progressed, Zhao Jingzhi, Yang Yu and other young people who had been left by Li Tai in the countryside to manage various industries came up to cheer each other up, saluted Li Tai expectantly and said, "Master Lang My meritorious service is greater and my reputation is higher, and my servants look up to Master Lang for his protection. However, when I was a young man, I was living in the countryside. I am really ashamed. I sincerely ask you to follow Master Lang and leave your hometown to work without hesitation!"

Seeing their sincere faces, Li Tai smiled and nodded. His official position was becoming more and more powerful. Of course, the more civil and military subordinates the better. Although he did not plan to visit indiscriminately, of course the people he cultivated in his family were Give them a chance to practice their performance.

Now his family's school has been open for several years, and the first batch of apprentices have been taught one after another. Although the family business affairs are tedious, they are not complicated. It is suitable for training the newbies. Those who have outstanding experience in family affairs will be selected to join the family. Gradually, Form a talent ladder appointment rule.

On this day, there was a feast and joy in the manor. A stage was set up for social operas on the plain, and running water tables were also spread out. It was also very lively. The villagers gathered here to sing and dance. It was even more joyful than the New Year.

The atmosphere in the countryside is always a little less intrigued than outside. Li Tai also let go of his self-restraint that night and drank as much as he wanted. In the end, he no longer knows how the banquet ended. He only saw it when he was half awake and half asleep at night. As soon as the lady went in and out of the curtain to fetch water and things, the restlessness in her heart gradually disappeared and turned into peace.

The next day Li Tai slept until three o'clock in the morning. After getting up and washing up, Zhang Shinu came to report Zhou Changming's visit.

After learning about it, Li Tai hurriedly ordered people to be invited into the hall, and he also moved to meet him. As soon as he entered the hall, Zhou Changming strode over, followed by a strong man in his thirties.

"I haven't seen you for a long time. My husband is even more elegant than before. I originally wanted to come to the hall yesterday to congratulate you, but I was afraid of disturbing the gathering of my husband and fellow villagers, so I came today."

Zhou Changming is now the official commander-in-chief of the Bafu Central Army. His rustic temperament in the past has gradually subsided, his figure has become more muscular, and his behavior is quite majestic. However, when facing Li Tai, he still shows a lot of respect and closeness.

Li Tai was also worried that Zhou Changming's official power might make the villagers cautious and uneasy, so he deliberately refused to let him come over yesterday. After meeting today, he walked up to him, raised his arm, punched him on the shoulder and said with a smile: "What's the difference between you and me?" Using these official clichés, if you have been in charge of the township group for a long time, the villagers will be afraid of you, so you were not allowed to come in yesterday, but today you are invited to have breakfast together. "

As he spoke, he turned to look at the person behind him. Zhou Changming quickly introduced him: "This General Guo was elected as the governor of the state last year. He was appointed to command the rural soldiers and he was a good colleague of mine, so I introduced him to Yu Lang. Jun."

"Guo Yan, the last general, has met Lord Xihe! Lord Xihe has a good reputation, and the last general has been famous for a long time. How can he dare to call him "Xiangwang" in front of him? It's just because he is appointed by his name in the mansion, so he calls him secretly, which makes him laugh before him. Please forgive me Lord Xihe."

Guo Yan hurriedly came forward and held his fists in greeting. His attitude was very respectful and he did not dare to look down on himself as the leader of the state.

Li Tai already looked familiar to Guo Yan. After he introduced himself, his eyes lit up and he immediately smiled and said, "Did General Guo serve in the Yu Department in the court as a Lang Guan?"

"Duke Xihe actually knows the last general?"

After hearing this, Guo Yan was also a little surprised and nodded repeatedly: "The last general's former position is indeed a doctor in the Ministry of Yu. He is an idle secretary and a simple person. He is beyond praise."

"General Guo's words are too modest. I also praised Daxingtai in the mansion that the Yubu Shanze Illustrations are complete and exquisite, and the official in charge is really talented."

The Yu Department was in charge of Shanze, Gardens and other matters, and Li Tai had previously made suggestions to the Taiwan government to raise money and supplies, and he also acted as one of the executors to buy and sell the resources of prefectures, counties, mountains and rivers. Naturally, it was inevitable to use the Yu Department's books and materials. , because the relevant information was complete and orderly, which saved a lot of time, so when I met Guo Yan, the former chief officer of the Yu Department, I had a good impression of him.

When Guo Yan heard Li Tai's praise for him, he immediately became happy. However, as soon as he entered the hall and sat down, he suddenly stood up, knelt directly in front of Li Tai's table and said quickly: "The last general is in charge of the state soldiers. He is a member of the foreign army. Although he claims to be a leader, he does not live up to his name. The number of soldiers in the camp is not enough yet. I sincerely ask Duke Xihe to pay attention and speak out! "