Chapter 1335: The Emperor of Tang’s Gift
Although the Tang army had not yet launched a direct attack on Wuzhong, the damage and adverse effects brought by the war to the Three Wus were becoming more and more serious.
After the unremitting development of the Southern Dynasties and the hard work of the people of the Three Wus throughout the year, the people's livelihood in Wuzhong has also been greatly developed, and it can be called a land of fish and rice with abundant products.
However, the development of the region cannot benefit every citizen of Wuzhong evenly, especially the biggest disadvantage of the Southern Dynasty compared with the Northern Dynasty, that is, there was no profound reform in the land system, and the land distribution system had great defects.
The Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties had a very distinctive era feature, that is, the northern scholars and people were sent to Jiangdong due to the migration of the clothing and the people to the south. These outsiders did not have land assets in Jiangdong themselves, and it was difficult for them to ask for land and houses, but they enjoyed certain privileges in politics, which led to a phenomenon of enclosing mountains and swamps, occupying a large amount of mountain and swamp land as private property, and prohibiting ordinary people from entering them to cultivate and make a living.
During the same period, the Northern Wei Dynasty implemented the equal-field system, which formulated a relatively fair policy for the distribution of land, so that the naturalized people could engage in farming and weaving to earn income.
Although the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Southern Dynasties had been pursuing the policy of land division, it was only a household registration policy, which incorporated the overseas residents into the counties where they lived, but there was no further land distribution policy. The overseas residents were naturalized but had no way to make a living, and the phenomenon of the upper class and the powerful enclosing the mountains and swamps became more and more serious.
The rich had farmland across states and counties, while the poor had no place to live. Many people in the Three Wus did not have permanent businesses and assets, and had to make a living by renting or working as servants.
In recent years, with the development of trade between the north and the south, the production scale of these powerful gardens in Wuzhong has been gradually declining, and a large number of idle laborers have been released to the countryside. These people themselves have no industry to make a living by themselves, so they can only wander around the countryside or beg for a living, or gather together to cause trouble.
Now the dark clouds of war loom over the Three Wus, and inevitably all industries are declining. In addition, a large number of young and strong men have been recruited to the Linchuan Palace in Changcheng County to prevent the enemy and prepare for war, while other places in the territory are rampant with bandits, and the women, children, the elderly and the weak families left in their respective villages not only have a harder life, but also their safety is not guaranteed.
As time goes by, not only are the people in the wilderness living in poverty, but even the lives of some powerful families are gradually becoming stretched, no longer as calm as in previous years.
Wuxing Wukang County is the hometown of Wuxing Shen's hometown, and Wuxing Shen is also the most powerful family in the entire Wuxing County. They are both talented in literature and martial arts, and there are many figures in the court and the opposition. For example, Shen Ke, the chief of Zhenzhou, who is now relied on by Linchuan Wang Chen Qian as an arm, is from Wuxing Shen. Chen Qian's wife, Princess Shen, is also from Wuxing Shen.
Wukang Xiaxi is an excellent water town with fertile land and smooth canals. There are many wealthy families and gardens here. Located in the middle reaches of Xiaxi, there is a manor with an excellent location and the largest area, which is hundreds of hectares. It is the property of Shen Yue, a senior official of the former Liang Dynasty and a famous writer and historian. Shen Yue has been dead for many years, and the current owner of the manor is Shen Yue's grandson Shen Zhong.
Shen Yue's family is known for its noble and upright character, but the village itself is also very powerful. There are two to three thousand clansmen and disciples living in Xiaxi alone. The scale of the manor is even larger than that of Wukang County.
In this vast manor, many waterfront fertile fields have been abandoned and have not been cultivated for several years, but they are still enclosed with fences, and people are arranged to patrol daily, and outsiders are not allowed to enter at will.
The building in the center of the manor is where Shen Zhong and his family live. The houses are lined up and look very prosperous, but the villagers walking among these buildings look pale and listless.
In the hall where guests are received in the manor, the host Shen Zhong is sitting in the hall and talking with the visiting guests, and sitting in the guest seat is Zhenzhou Chief Secretary Shen Ke.
"Zhong Weng lives frugally in the village, practices thrift, and has a noble character. He is really admirable!"
Although Shen Ke and Shen Zhong are from the same clan, their relationship and friendship are just ordinary. When he saw that Shen Zhong's robe was still patched and there was no colorful decoration in the hall, he first complimented him and then said, "I am ordered by King Linchuan to invite Zhong Weng to the king's residence to discuss important matters. Zhong Weng is the most important person in the village. If he is willing to help with important matters, the villagers will definitely be more willing to go and protect the hometown more confidently!"
Chen Qian is now making a big splash in the county, but not all villagers are united around him. There are still quite a few villagers who choose to stay in the village, and Shen Zhong is one of them.
During the Hou Jing Rebellion, Shen Zhong returned to his hometown to lead his former righteous troops and more than 5,000 villagers who came to rescue Jiankang, which shows that his hometown is strong. Last year, he was captured and sent to Chang'an from Jiangling. After living there for several years, he was able to return to his hometown. He was originally serving as the Minister of the Central Secretariat in the court, but when the first lord died and King Linchuan seized power, he was dismissed and sent back to his hometown.
Because of this old grudge with King Linchuan, and because Shen Zhong had different views from King Linchuan on some issues, he did not respond to his call, but chose to stay in his hometown. At this time, facing Shen Ke's invitation, he just waved his hand and said, "Now all the heroes in the village have gathered under King Linchuan. I am just a corrupt old man. Even if I go, I can't help. I'm really sorry for the king's invitation!"
"Zhong Weng is really too humble. Today, a powerful enemy has crossed the river and is about to invade our hometown. This is a major change that has not happened in hundreds of years. It is difficult for all our fellow villagers to stay away from it. Zhong Weng also experienced the disaster in Jiangling back then. He was even kidnapped and exiled for several years, and now he can bear to watch the people in his hometown suffer from this again? "
The Tang army has not been leading the attack, and the long and boring wait has also made the rural volunteers gathered in Changcheng County slack-minded and distracted. They need someone like Shen Zhong who has a high reputation in the countryside to call them back, so Shen Ke returns. He advised with sincerity.
However, Shen Zhong didn't take that trick. After hearing this, he shook his head and said: "Resisting the invasion of foreign enemies and preventing the native land from suffering is something that the favored King of Linchuan and Chang Shi and others should work hard to do." . All I can do is to restrain my disciples and make them abide by the law and be cautious. If they still can't avoid the consequences of being obsessed with the enemy, I can only blame myself for my own perverse destiny and dare not blame the King of Linchuan for his inability to defend the enemy. ”
Seeing his indifferent attitude, Shen Ke also felt helpless. Things were urgent now and it was not convenient for him to stay here for a long time, so he could only stand up and leave with anger and regret.
After seeing Shen Ke off, a servant came in to start preparing dinner. Shen Zhong quickly stood up and went to his warehouse. He ordered all the servants in the family to wait outside the warehouse, and he entered the warehouse in person, using Mu Dou weighed out the grains one by one, and then the servants carried them away for cooking. One meal cost more than ten dan.
This number seems to be a lot, but it is the overall consumption of two to three thousand people in the entire manor, evenly distributed to each person, even less than one liter. Even so, Shen Zhong was still heartbroken. Watching the servants pushing the grain away on carts, he suddenly remembered something and said loudly: "Wait a minute, I remember that a few of my sons left home early in the morning. I thought they couldn't make it home in time for dinner. How many buckets will be deducted!"
As he spoke, he quickly stepped forward and used a wooden bucket to measure out a few buckets of grain from the grain bag. He personally sent it back to the granary, and then locked the door of the granary with his own hands. The reason why he refused to agree to King Linchuan's gift was not only because of the old rift and his disdain for King Linchuan, but also because he wanted to take care of the family business.
It is true that the clouds of war have made life difficult for the people of Wuxiang, but the Shen family of Wuxing, especially the Shen Zhong family, do not belong to this category. His family had many properties, including several garden villas and twenty or thirty granaries for storing grain, enough to feed a family of thousands of people for two to three years and still have a surplus. The reason why he is so simple and even weighs the food he eats every day is simply due to stinginess.
"Nowadays, the world is changing. The emperor of Tang Dynasty has great talents and strategies, and he has more than half of the world. King Linchuan only controls a corner of Wuxiang, and his talents are not outstanding. It is impossible to be an enemy. However, the distance between the north and the south has been long. Even if they are unified by force, It is inevitable that there will be chaos, and we don’t know how long the world will be in chaos. The best way is to prepare for the shortage. There is no need to gather with the wandering countrymen at the gate of Linchuan to do something stupid like a mantis!"
During the evening meal, Shen Zhong looked at the children at home and said seriously.
He was not optimistic about the prospects of King Linchuan, but he also did not think that the Tang State could quickly calm down the disturbances in Jiangdong, because he had stayed in Guanzhong for several years. Although the Tang Dynasty had not yet been established at that time, a series of reforms in the government made him Feeling wary and conflicted in his heart, he also thought that the powerful people in Wu Township were unwilling to obey the Tang Dynasty's decrees.
The people of the various tribes held the soup with light soup and sipped it as if they were listening carefully to Shen Zhong's teachings. However, their minds were already wandering to where they would go to get some food at night to supplement their increasingly thin bodies.
Several of the disciples who had left home for work returned home in time for dinner, which put an end to Shen Zhong's plan to save a few buckets of food. He had not originally planned to provide extra meals for a few people. After all, cooking on the fire would not only waste food. , and wasting firewood, but the good news brought back by several people made him very happy, so he made an exception and asked the kitchen to prepare another meal and deliver it. Of course, he had to go to the granary to weigh it himself.
"Uncle, the investigation is clear! The Tang army is indeed searching for Kudama cloth, just on the west coast of Taihu Lake. It is said that there are several private strongholds of the King of Linchuan, where a lot of money is stored, and all of it has been obtained by the Tang army. The Tang army also started from Jian Kang Yun brought hundreds of millions of good money from the North and told the Japanese army that after entering Wuzhong, the people of Wuzhong can use the money to buy and sell in the military market! "
Several disciples sat down in a dusty state and reported the news they had found out to Shen Zhong with faces full of joy.
"The Tang army is really trying to cause discord. Now in Wuxiang, all the families of the people are in poverty in order to fight against the enemy. However, the King of Linchuan still hides a lot of wealth and it is obtained by thieves. How can people have no resentment?"
After hearing the words, Shen Zhong first sighed, and then said with emotion: "In ancient times, a thousand gold coins were traded for horses, but now in the Tang Dynasty, hundreds of millions of coins were traded for hemp. Although the situation is strange, it is the same. The King of Linchuan is afraid that he will be in chaos without a fight. You can rest early after dinner tonight, and leave home tomorrow morning to transport goods for sale. There are tens of thousands of pieces of kudzu cloth lying around at home. They are already waste, but now they can be exchanged for good money from Jiangbei. The Emperor of Tang Dynasty will give it to you, so grab it quickly. pickup!"