281-290

Chapter 281

Lin Zhen said to the deputy captain: "Captain, did you bring those villagers back?"

The deputy captain, who just felt that he had missed a good opportunity, nodded: "Their village is not far from Luoran County, and the snow disaster is serious. If they are not brought to the county, no one will be alive in half a month."

"How many of the surrounding villages has the captain been to?"

The deputy captain still thought that this man was good-looking and courageous. Other girls and boys trembled like sparrows in front of him, but he could still speak fluently.

"Go three, there are still people, except for being hungry and cold, everything is fine."

Lin Zhen heard that there were people in the village, unlike the small village that was all buried under the snow, and said: "Can you trouble the people under the captain to go to the village to tell the people that there is food in the county town, and they can come here to get some."

"It's already here, it's a waste to pile it here."

The deputy captain looked at Lin Zhen, and when he thought that he already had someone he liked, he patted his chest. It was still a pity, such a pity, such a husband he liked very much.

Ahem, how about poaching?

The deputy captain agreed readily, "It's a convenient thing. When I get back, I'll ask someone to notify the people in the village, and also notify the village I'm about to visit."

"Can the food in your hands last?"

"Don't worry, captain. I've brought a lot, and the relief food from the provincial government will arrive in a few days. These grains of mine are just to make their life easier before the relief food arrives." "It

's good for you if you succeed," the deputy captain looked at Lin Zhen who had arranged things, "Then I'll go first. See you later, captain."

"Slow down

, captain." "Oh, you don't have to see me off. I have big steps and can take two steps. You can't keep up."

"..." Lin Zhen looked at the moving iron tower and asked the clerk, "This captain from Lizhou..."

The clerk smiled, "Captain is straightforward, very straightforward."

"Yes, he is quite straightforward." Lin Zhen echoed, and then he and the clerk looked at each other, there was an inexplicable atmosphere.

Lin Zhen turned and walked into the house, asking the clerk, "Have you eaten yet, sir? If not, let's have some. I just cooked some sorghum porridge and heated up a can of meat."

The clerk went to the deputy captain to report as soon as he arrived, so of course he hadn't

eaten. If he had done so before, he would definitely not have agreed to Lin Zhen's words, fearing that Lin Zhen would gossip about him. But compared to the deputy captain, he felt that it was not a big deal for him to get some food from Lin Zhen. "I haven't eaten yet. Sorry to bother you, Boss Lin. I'll just eat here."

Lin Zhen looked at Tian standing outside the door, knowing that he didn't want to cause any rumors between the two of them, nodded, went to the house to take out another clean bowl, poured a full bowl of sorghum porridge into it, put half a can of pork head on it, and handed it to the clerk.

"Thank you, Boss Lin." It was really great to be able to eat a hot meal in this weather. The clerk took the bowl to the house that his subordinates had cleaned up, ready to give the bowl back to Lin Zhen after he finished eating.

The soldiers sent by the deputy captain braved the heavy snow and arrived at the village they had searched before. "Is anyone there? Is anyone there?"

The soldiers patted the first simple door of the village. The people in the house carefully looked outside through the cracks in the window and found that it was the Lizhou soldiers who came yesterday. They quickly opened the door and said, "Sir, come in and sit down. I didn't know you were here..."

Luoran is rich in a dye called Luoran, which can dye a very bright blue. Except for farm work, almost everyone here makes a living by Luoran.

But last year, Cheluo State was rampant, and this year the snow came early, so the harvest was really bad, and every household didn't have much food.

If these soldiers still have to collect food to fill their food fodder, they really don't know how to survive.

The soldier looked at the couple who were wearing ragged, unknown animal skins and said, "The superiors have ordered that a kind-hearted person has transported some food to Luoran County. Villagers can go and get some food. It will be distributed according to the population, 15 kilograms for adults and 8 kilograms for children."

The couple, who were chilled by the cold wind, stared at the sergeant blankly, thinking they had heard it wrong.

There was actually food to be collected in Luoran County, and it was transported by a kind-hearted person.

If it wasn't the sergeant who said this, they wouldn't believe a word.

The sergeant, who could barely write a few words, took out a book and shook his stiff hands. "Call everyone in your family out. I will count how many people there are. When we arrive in Luoran County, I will distribute food to you according to this book."

"Yes, yes," the couple believed it about half a point, and called the children and the elderly in the family out, "Xiao Zhou and Xiao Zheng, come out quickly and write down your names for the soldiers."

The children and their grandparents who were hidden in the house by the couple came out.

The sergeant counted and found that there were four adults and three children, including the couple.

The oldest child was only seven or eight years old, and the youngest was two years old.

After writing down the names, the sergeant said, "We also need to inform other people in your village. It's snowing heavily now, and the roads are not easy to walk on. It's best to travel with people in the village."

"Sergeant," the man looked at him eagerly as he wrote down his family's name on the paper, "Really, is there any food to take?"

"Yes, it was just brought in yesterday. With so many people in your family, you can get about 100 kilograms. It's easier to carry some with a backpack."

"Thank you, sergeant, thank you, sergeant." The man was overjoyed to get a positive answer several times.

The sergeant still had to inform other families, but he left without talking to them and knocked on the door of the next family.

"Sergeant, what's the matter?"

The two sergeants counted the population of this family according to the previous process and continued to the next family.

The two families lived close to each other. Seeing the soldiers knocking on the door of the next family, the family whose name had just been registered ran to the first family at the entrance of the village: "Guan Er, Guan Er, did those soldiers also go to your house and ask you to go to the county town to get food?!"

"Yes, are you going?"

"Yes, of course not. These soldiers don't look like they are lying. My family really has no food. The little food left is only enough for two or three days. The children are so hungry that they can't even open their eyes." Even if they were lying, they could only believe it once.

"Then we will wait until the other family members have their names recorded by the soldiers and then leave." In

the cold weather, more and more people walked out of the house, and they all said that the soldiers asked them to go to the county town to get food.

The couple who were asked first each had a backpack. As they walked out, they said to the elderly in the family: "Dad, Mom, you two old people stay at home to look after the children. We will go and come back with the food."

No matter men, women, old or young, they were all thin, and they became even thinner in winter, which looked a bit scary.

But the people in the village were used to it. In order to save food in winter, they only ate coarse grain porridge every three to five days. They put a bowl of rice in a large pot of water and drank enough water.

When the neighbors who were waiting for the couple outside saw them coming out, they hurriedly walked with them to the team in the village. There were more than 20 households in their village. Each family sent two or three people, and the more than four people went to Luoran County to carry food.

The eldest son of the village chief carried a backpack and walked in front. "Let's go to Luoran County."

The two sergeants who were responsible for counting the village did not expect them to go so quickly, so they went back with them.

The snow was just below the thighs of people, and a hole would be created if they stepped on it. The people walking in front had to work the hardest, stepping one step at a time to make a path. The people behind were more relaxed, walking on the shallower snow that had been stepped on.

So the villagers and the two soldiers took turns, taking turns every half an hour.

Finally, three hours later, they arrived at Luoran County.

The villagers rarely came to Luoran County except to buy salt and some necessities. When they saw the patrolling soldiers in the county, they subconsciously lowered their heads and dared not look at them any more.

Lin Zhen borrowed the subordinates of the petty officials who had nothing to do after delivering the grain and grass, and asked them to help him maintain order and distribute the grain to the villagers.

He also stood in front of an opened bag of grain, holding a large bowl for scooping grain in his hand, and a man next to him held a scale.

Soon, the villagers who were arranged in the order on the registration list came forward, and Lin Zhen heard the name of this person: "Guan Dayong?"

"Yes, I am Guan Dayong, and this is my wife."

Lin Zhen asked the sergeant holding the list: "How many people are there in Guan Dayong's family?"

"Four adults and three children." The sergeant said loudly.

Lin Zhen nodded, and said to Guan Dayong, who was a little at a loss and his eyes fell on the bag of grain: "Open your bag."

"Thank you, husband, thank you, husband." Guan Dayong didn't feel real until he saw the grain. His hands were shaking.

He took out the sack that had been patched many times in his backpack, and his wife standing next to him also quickly opened the bag.

Lin Zhen scooped food into it one bowl after another. Four adults weighed 60 kilograms, three children weighed 24 kilograms, and a total of 84 kilograms.

Before they came, Lin Zhen used a scale to weigh the approximate weight of a bowl of grain. After estimating that it was about right, he asked the person next to him to hook the bag and weigh it: "More or less?"

"Not more or less, just right." The sergeant who weighed the grain said.

He put down the sack of grain and took it aside: "Your grain has been weighed and can be taken away."

Guan Dayong hurriedly took his wife to take the grain aside, and then thought of the slippery road in the snow, so they divided it into two bags, Guan Dayong carried more and his wife carried less.

As soon as they left, the second family on the registration list arrived.

Seeing that their neighbor Guan Dayong's family really got the grain, the three people from Niu Zhong's family couldn't help but tiptoe to watch from behind. When it was their turn, they were so excited that their faces turned red.

"Niu Zhong?"

Lin Zhen asked, "Eleven people in the family?"

"Yes, sir."

The sergeant who weighed the things for Lin Zhen said, "Boss Lin is not a sir, he is the kind-hearted person who brought the grain to Luo Ran this time. These grains are not cheap anywhere."

The people who had just packed the grain, were about to get the grain, and were in the queue, all looked at Lin Zhen when they heard the words.

Lin Zhen quickly weighed the grain to Niu Zhongjia, "I don't know when it will snow today, take the grain and go home quickly."

"Thank you, husband."

"My husband has done a great deed."

"My husband, every New Year and festival in the future, my family will ask our ancestors for a long life for you." "

..."

One by one, the villagers got the grain for their family members, 15 catties for adults and 8 catties for children, not much, but it was also an income, at least for the time being, they could not stare at the bottom of the grain and feel anxious and helpless.

Lin Zhen scooped bowl after bowl of grain, and the soldiers next to him weighed bag after bag. The clerks and military officers who stood in front of the grain bags like them were also busy, watching the sky dyed with night, but the team was getting longer and longer.

Going to notify the soldiers everywhere, they were slowly rushing back, and they couldn't wait, and more and more villagers followed to Luoran County.

Seeing that it was about to get dark, Lin Zhen rubbed his wrists and palms and said to the soldiers, "Tell them that this is the end of today, and we will start again at dawn tomorrow. Don't worry, there is still plenty of food."

After standing for most of the day, Lin Zhen's feet were sore. He walked to the clerk in the voice of the people who were a little panicked and worried that they would not get food, but was quickly calmed down by the soldiers, and said, "Ask the people below to get some food and cook a few pots of porridge to distribute to the people who come to get food. The weather is too cold. They will easily freeze if they don't have something to eat, and they are wearing thin clothes."

"Okay."

Chapter 282

There were many people who came to collect food, and many of them even had different accents. The people below followed Lin Zhen's instructions, opened two bags of sorghum rice, found a few iron pots and pottery pots that were well taken care of by the original owner in the house that no longer had an owner, and made a fire to cook porridge.

Several people who transported food went to call those people who had not received food because they came late and had to wait until the next day to receive food: "Boss Lin asked us to cook porridge, you all go and have a bowl, there are not many bowls, wash them after eating, and leave them for others to use."

These people were called by the soldiers to the empty house, and squatted by the fire while they lit a fire. They were very satisfied with being able to receive food, and they were ready to carry the food back tomorrow and cook some porridge with their families.

Listening to the words of the grain transporter, they all waved their hands: "We have already received the grain from Mr. Lin, so we won't go to drink the porridge."

"Boss Lin has instructed us to cook the two large bags of grain. One bowl for each person. There is no more. There must be people coming to get the grain in the back. We should leave some for them."

"Come quickly, it's in the yard where the fire is burning in front."

The people looked at each other, stood up from the ground, and walked out one by one.

Soon, the people in the front arrived at the yard where the porridge was cooked. Lin Zhen saw that those men were not good at cooking, so he asked them to boil water and light the fire, and he did it himself.

He kept stirring with a big spoon in his hand. If the porridge sticks to the pot, it will be bad, and it will have a burnt smell and taste very strong.

Seeing that it was almost cooked, Lin Zhen poured salt into it, put two canned meat boxes in the pot, and added some oil and water.

"Okay, give them bowls, and those who have finished eating should wash their bowls and pass them to others."

"I think you all heard what Boss Lin said. Line up first, wash your bowl after you finish your bowl, and then pass it to the next person." "Those who

don't line up and disrupt the order should all go to the back and don't block others."

The smell of the food alone is enough to make people excited, not to mention that canned meat is added to it. Many people who haven't eaten meat for a long time have almost forgotten what meat tastes like, and they just think this smell is particularly tempting.

The queue was quickly formed, and the first person to arrive got the bowl first, and then the person transporting the food served a bowl of porridge that was almost full.

The porridge was not too thin, and you could vaguely smell the unique salty fragrance of salt and oil stewed together.

The man and woman holding the porridge didn't even care whether it was hot or not, and took a sip.

"Hmm..." The hot porridge went into his mouth, and his tongue, which had been bland for a long time, tasted good. While chewing, the person eating the porridge said to the family members who came to collect food, "Meat, it seems to be meat."

"I ate it too, it's really meat."

"The last time I ate meat was when I was a child. The old hen raised by my family was killed by a stone blown by the wind..."

Lin Zhen really had no strength at this time. He took a bowl and sat in the corner with the porridge, blowing it while drinking.

Maybe he was hungry. The tasteless sorghum rice porridge on weekdays was not bad. It had a special taste.

In the dim light of the firewood, he washed the bowl in the hot water that he had specially boiled, put it in the place where the bowl was specially placed, and strolled back to his place.

He thought he was so tired that he would fall asleep if he fell down, but he rolled over twice and was still tired and awake.

After a long time, he thought vaguely that he didn't know where Gu Lin was and whether he was in danger.

The next day, Lin Zhen and the clerks got up early and continued to distribute food to the people.

Soon, Lin Zhen and the clerks were busy until noon. Just when he asked them to stop and take a breath, a sound of horse hooves came from afar. In the blink of an eye, dozens of people on horseback came from the south of Luoran County. The people on horseback held a strange-looking weapon in their hands, which was longer than a sword.

And they were more or less leading one or two horses, and the horses were covered with leather armor. Behind the horses were many old and young people who looked embarrassed.

Lin Zhen raised his head when he heard the sound and looked at the cloak draped over the figure in front, who walked out of the crowd.

The man riding on the particularly tall horse turned over and dismounted, and stood in front of Lin Zhen: "Uncle Lin."

"Are you hurt?" Lin Zhen looked at the spot on his chest and reached out to touch it.

Gu Lin's voice was a little hoarse: "Nothing, just a little scrape, Uncle Lin, why are you here?"

"I originally wanted to ask the grain delivery officer to bring some canned meat and dried meat for you. The grain delivery officer said it was okay to follow, so he brought some grain to Luo Ran."

"Since yesterday, I have asked the villagers from the surrounding villages to collect grain. I just sat down to rest."

Lin Zhen was a little worried about his injuries, and turned to the clerk and said, "Send someone to my position to watch."

"Yes." The clerk also saw Gu Lin coming back. A few days ago, he heard about Gu Lin's deeds from the soldiers who came back. Because it was too exaggerated, he didn't dare to believe it. At this moment, he couldn't help looking at Gu Lin, wanting to see if Master Gu had three heads and six arms.

Lin Zhen called Gu Lin back to the room where he lived, pressed him on the chair, first untied the outer cloak, and then untied the upper body clothes.

Suddenly, Lin Zhen remembered this day, and went back to the fire pit to light the fire, and then returned to Gu Lin after the fire was big, and untied his clothes.

Gu Lin knew that he was worried about being cold, so he was obedient and only looked up at him when Lin Zhen undressed him.

Lin Zhen used much less force when he touched the bleeding wound, and only felt relieved when he lifted his clothes and saw the conical wound that was not deep. "Is this wound caused by the weapon you brought?" "

Yes, the weapons used by the Che Luo people are different from the past. They are especially good at fighting on horseback, and their lethality is amazing."

Lin Zhen glanced at the weapon Gu Lin brought in and frowned slightly. "This shape makes it difficult to suture the wound, and it will cause heavy bleeding. Even if they are not killed in one blow, it is difficult to save them."

"Are almost all of them equipped with such weapons?"

"Yes." Gu Lin nodded.

Then he said, "The Che Luo country has been in frequent movements last year and this year, and with the appearance of such a sharp weapon, I am afraid that there will be a war with Dayu in the next few years."

Lin Zhen, who had only experienced drought, looked at him and said, "What is the probability?"

"Seventy percent."

Lin Zhen believed Gu Lin. He said seventy percent, which meant that there would almost certainly be a war.

Gu Lin was not as frugal with words as he was in front of other people, and analyzed the key points for him.

The amount of iron needed to cast such a weapon in Che Luo State was extremely large, and such a weapon was naturally made for fighting on horseback, which means that Che Luo State had this idea a few years ago. Perhaps it not only strictly controlled the iron products in its own country, but also secretly purchased a lot from other places, such as Dayu and neighboring countries.

This is why even the soldiers who harassed Dayu's border were equipped with such weapons, and what if 1,000, 10,000, or 50,000 Che Luo people were equipped with the same weapons.

Lin Zhen said: "After returning to the prefecture, I will contact those merchants and ask them if they have any business with Che Luo State, or maybe find out relevant news to confirm whether there has been an abnormal amount of iron flowing into Che Luo State in recent years." "

You should also write a memorial to the court about this matter. Lizhou is too close to Che Luo State. Once there is a war, this place will be the first to be hit. You are now the governor of Lizhou. Whether you advance or retreat, it will not be good."

Lin Zhen knew that Gu Lin was a martial arts expert and had strategy, but he still couldn't help worrying.

Gu Lin hugged his waist, baring one shoulder, and buried his head in his chest: "I know."

Lin Zhen touched his head: "It is still unknown when Che Luoguo will be unable to resist its wolfish ambitions. Maybe one year, maybe two years, or maybe three to five years. We can't sit and wait for death. Now Lizhou is under your control. Only if we have food and talents in our hands, we will not panic."

In the face of the general trend, Lin Zhen had nothing to say, but he felt more and more urgent in his heart. He felt that there were too few things in his hands, so few that the little satisfaction in his heart was wiped out.

Not enough, not enough.

These things are definitely not enough.

Lin Zhen crossed out a lot of the plans in his mind and added a lot. The current population of Lizhou is still too small. Large tracts of land are not cultivated, and there are not enough people to do a lot of work.

Food is the foundation. Smooth transportation can quickly provide supplies for the people in front. There is also coal that has just been excavated, which can be used in iron smelting...

When Lin Zhen sorted out the things in his mind, he lowered his head and saw that Gu Lin, who was hugging his waist, actually closed his eyes, and his slow breathing seemed to be asleep.

Lin Zhen stretched out his hand to pull up his clothes and led him to the bed. As soon as he got close to the bed, Gu Lin's eyes opened.

"You sleep for a while. I'll go check on the people you brought back and settle them down as soon as possible."

"Yes." Gu Lin lay flat on the bed, and put his hands on his lower abdomen in a very proper manner.

Lin Zhen added a few thicker pieces of firewood to the fire to ensure that the fire would not go out for a while, and left after the window was not closed tightly.

The small Luoran County is now not only home to the thousand soldiers led by the deputy captain, but also to the people who came to collect food. Now there are also the old and young who were obviously in trouble brought back by Gu Lin and his men. For a while, it was a bit crowded.

Lin Zhen had already asked the clerk to take people to the place where they were collecting food. Now he saw the deputy captain leading people to take those old and young to the other side. He walked up and said, "Master Qianzong, there are empty houses everywhere in the county now. Tell them to go get some food first and settle down here first."

The deputy captain just heard his subordinates say that Master Gu was back. When he thought that Master Gu was Lin Fulang's nephew, he felt a little subtle in his heart, wondering whether he should make a breakthrough from Master Gu first.

But before they saw the person, they saw Lin Fulang first.

He nodded, his voice as loud as thunder, and said to the old and young: "You people in front heard it, pass the message back, this is Lin Fulang, you follow him to get the food, and then settle down in the county town for a few days, waiting for the state government to send a new county magistrate."

In fact, the county magistrate is not a county magistrate, these people probably don't even know the last name of the previous county magistrate, but when they heard that there was food to be collected, they all looked at Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen pointed to the queue and said: "Everyone go there first, when it's your turn, someone will naturally distribute food to you. Adults each get 15 catties, and children each get 8 catties, so it's best for you to stand together as a family so that you can get the food together." The queue was

a bit long, almost extending to this side. The old and young brought by Gu Lin and his men saw those villagers who were wearing coarse and tattered clothes like them, and they felt a little relieved and moved to the back of the queue.

Lin Zhen walked to the front and greeted the people distributing food: "You guys watch carefully, those who are not registered on the list are the people brought back by Lord Gu, and they will be given the same food."

"Okay, Boss Lin."

"Boss Lin, the looting by the Che Luo Kingdom should be over this time, right?"

Lin Zhen shook his head: "We will have to wait until Lord Gu wakes up, or ask the soldiers who came back with him."

"Alas, I don't know when our Lizhou will be truly peaceful. The court doesn't care, as if it has forgotten about Lizhou. It doesn't send troops to garrison it, nor does it allocate any money or food. We only rely on people like us. If we really encounter an invasion by the Che Luo Kingdom, how can we resist it?"

Lin Zhen glanced at the man transporting the grain. The man who transported the grain said, "Alas, Boss Lin, after seeing so many of these people who are having a hard time surviving, I feel something is not right in my heart. You said, if that time really comes, we may not be even as good as these people. At least they still have people like you, Boss Lin, here to distribute food to them, but we don't have that time."

Lin Zhen didn't say anything, but just looked at the Luoran County that had been slaughtered by the Che Luo people and then filled up with some of their population.

☆ 284. Chapter 283

Chapter 283

Almost all the people in the surrounding villages of Luo Ran have been notified, and with the people brought back by Gu Lin, the food brought by Lin Zhen has been drastically reduced.

At night, the empty houses that had lost their original owners were lit up, and the smell of fireworks and subtle sounds made Luo Ran County no longer dead silent.

Gu Lin woke up, boiled water to wash up, and took Lin Zhen to Luo Ran County Office, where the deputy captain lived.

The guarding sergeant saw Gu Lin coming and hurriedly took him and Lin Zhen in. The deputy captain was eating with a bowl in his hand. When he heard that they were coming, he put down the bowl and wiped his mouth, and asked the subordinates around him: "How is it, there is no oil on your mouth, does it look neat?"

"..." The deputy captain had a loud voice and had mentioned to his subordinates that he was interested in Mr. Gu's uncle, Mr. Lin, and wanted to live with him.

Seeing that he, who was always unkempt, actually paid attention to his appearance, he couldn't help but be speechless, "Sir, you are still as wise and brave as before."

"Really?" The deputy captain touched his face and strode out. He first glanced at Lin Zhen and then at Gu Lin.

The two were both officials of the fifth rank, but because Dayu valued civil officials over military officials, military officials were half a head shorter than civil officials.

Not to mention that the deputy captain also heard what the soldiers who came back said, and knew that Gu Lin had superb martial arts and archery skills.

He couldn't help but wonder who was better between him and Gu Lin.

Gu Lin's dark eyes fluctuated slightly when he looked at Lin Zhen, and the look he gave him was also different from the beginning. He rarely took the initiative to greet the deputy captain: "Captain Pei."

"Sir Gu," Captain Pei said, "it was my duty to expel the bandits, but now Sir Gu is worried about it."

"By the way, Sir Gu, the bandits from Che Luo Kingdom have been harassing the border of Lizhou since October this year. I'm afraid they will be more rampant in the next two or three months."

Gu Lin said, "This official and the deputy captain will stay in Luo Ran for the time being, and gather the county magistrates and inspectors of the surrounding counties here to discuss strategies to fight against Che Luo Kingdom."

In previous years, the deputy captain also led troops to send troops, but on the one hand, there was a shortage of food and grass, and they could not stop the enemy at the border for a long time. On the other hand, the bandits from Che Luo Kingdom were all cavalry, and it was difficult to pursue them, so most of them ended in nothing.

The deputy captain explained the difficulties to Gu Lin, and Gu Lin said: "Even if there are difficulties, we cannot let the people of Che Luo Kingdom come and go freely in my Dayu territory."

The deputy captain was stunned for a moment, and a little pride rose in his heart: "Since you have this intention, we will follow you naturally."

The deputy captain felt that Lord Gu was worthy of being Lin Fulang's nephew. He was very capable at a young age. His good impression of Gu Lin was like a pile of fire that was constantly added with wood, and it burned more and more vigorously.

Then the loud voice could not be held back, and looked at Gu Lin: "Lord Gu, your uncle said before that he already had someone he liked. Do you know that person?"

"That's it, I admire your uncle very much. Your uncle is so brave that he can follow the grain transport team to Luo Ran, and he doesn't tremble when talking to me. He is kind-hearted and distributes grain to so many people."

"I have lived for so many years, and I have never seen such a good person."

Lin Zhen was sitting next to Gu Lin, and almost made the same move as the clerk, turning around and pretending not to see or hear.

Good fellow, this captain is really stupid, asking this question in front of Gu Lin, a jealous guy!

Gu Lin's expression was still as solemn as before, but he looked different. He looked at the deputy captain, "My uncle told you that he has someone he likes."

"Yes, but think about it, sir, Mr. Lin has come to Luo Ran, but his beloved is not in a hurry and doesn't follow him. It's obvious that he is not a good match. I'm afraid that Mr. Lin will suffer in the future."

"Then has my uncle told the captain what his beloved believes in and what his name is?"

"No, Mr. Lin didn't tell me."

Gu Lin looked at him: "The person I like is surnamed Lin, named Zhen, Lin Zhen from Lizhou Lin's Trading Company."

Lin Zhen slapped himself on the forehead. That's it, the lid of this jealous guy has flown off, and he doesn't beat around the bush at all.

The deputy captain looked at Lin Zhen and Gu Lin, and the words were a little hot and he couldn't say them.

"Hey!" The deputy captain slapped his thigh, "I'm sorry, Lord Gu, I really didn't know that Mr. Lin and you were a couple. If I had known, I wouldn't have said what I said just now. I'm not that kind of person!"

Then he turned to Lin Zhen and said, "Mr. Lin, forget what I said the day before yesterday. We are still good brothers!"

"..." Confirmed, this is really a fool.

Gu's solemn expression also became a little more normal.

The deputy captain said to Gu Lin, "Sir, the matter between you and Mr. Lin is a little difficult to handle."

"It will be easy."

"Then I wish you and Mr. Lin a happy marriage," the deputy captain touched his head, "Hey, I have a little boy at home, he's only four years old, how about arranging a baby marriage first, I see the looks of you and Mr. Lin, if you have a boy in the future it will definitely be very nice..."

"Captain, you chat with Sir Gu first, I'll go out and see how they are distributing the grain." Lin Zhen felt that if he stayed any longer, he would probably have to hear about how the children of the two families grew up, got married and had children, and how they raised their grandchildren, leaving Gu Lin to cope with it all alone.

Lin Zhen walked slowly in Luoran County. The snow was not heavy at the moment, it just fell on his head and shoulders sporadically, and fell away with a pat.

The old and young who were brought back by Gu Lin settled down in the county town. They were poking the thick snow off the roof. When they saw Lin Zhen walking towards them, they stopped what they were doing and greeted him: "Mr. Lin, come and sit down. I'll boil some hot water for you."

"No need for hot water. This house is okay. There aren't many leaks."

"It's pretty good. Better than my previous house. All the household items are complete."

These houses, like the one Lin Zhen lived in, maintained the same state as when the original owner was killed by the Che Luo people, as if the owner had only been out for a moment and would be back soon.

Lin Zhen said, "I just heard the adults say that they will stay in Luo Ran for a while, and wait until the looting of Che Luo Kingdom this year is over before leaving."

"It must be what Lord Gu said!" said the man who was poking the snow, "Lord Gu is incredible. He looks young, but he is very powerful. If he hadn't arrived in time with his men, our village would have been killed by the people of Che Luo." "

Alas, I don't know when these unscrupulous people of Che Luo will be driven away completely."

Lin Zhen didn't know this question and didn't answer it.

He remembered what Gu Lin told him that Dayu and Che Luo Kingdom would have a war sooner or later. Compared with that, the harassment and looting at this time was just a slightly steamy mountain breeze before the storm.

Lin Zhen said goodbye to this man, and continued to distribute food with the clerks by pulling up his sleeves. He scooped bowls of food into his pockets and gave them to the people around him to weigh.

Suddenly, Gu Lin appeared beside him, "Uncle Lin, tomorrow you will follow the grain transporters back to the prefecture."

"I have already written the memorial and asked someone to send it to the capital."

"Okay, you must be careful here. I know you are good at martial arts and have extraordinary strategies, but yourself is the most important thing. You must not overdo it."

Gu Lin nodded: "I know, I won't do anything that I am not sure of. As long as Uncle Lin is in the prefecture, I will be fine."

As the prefect in charge of the politics of a state, Gu Lin has a lot of things to do. Just after he finished talking to Lin Zhen, someone came to report that the county magistrate of Xiashan County, which is next to Luoran County, and the inspector heard that he was here and came to see him in person.

Gu Lin whispered to Lin Zhen: "I'll go over first, just in time to discuss with them how to expel the thieves from Cheluo State."

"Okay." Lin Zhen held the bowl in his hand, turned around and looked at his leaving figure. Looking at the food that was almost distributed, he was full of energy.

There were things to do in the cold weather. He would work hard when he returned to the state capital.

The next day, Lin Zhen got up early and kissed Gu Lin's chin and forehead. He was dizzy and panting because of his kiss.

He touched Gu Lin's hair: "I'm leaving."

"Yeah."

He said yeah, but his hand holding his waist did not let go. His occasional temper made Lin Zhen feel that this was right and in line with his age.

Lin Zhen lowered his head and kissed him on the face: "I'll wait for you in the state capital."

"Okay." Gu Lin blinked, and his hand finally loosened. He did not continue to lie on the bed. He took Lin Zhen's coat that was draped on the chair and put it on Lin Zhen. He was almost seventeen years old and had completely grown into an adult's skeleton. He was a head taller than Lin Zhen and stronger than Lin Zhen. Lin Zhen looked even more slender when he stood in front of him.

He put Lin Zhen's arms into his sleeves like he was dressing a porcelain doll, then buttoned up the slanting collar, then squatted down to put on Lin Zhen's knee-high boots.

Being teased by Lin Zhen frequently, the kid finally got rid of his blushing face a little, and even after being kissed by him for so long, he didn't show any signs.

When his shoulders felt heavy, Lin Zhen tied the laces of his cloak himself and put on his hat: "I'm leaving. You can distribute those canned meat and dried meat to the soldiers. I still have a lot. I'll send you some more in a few days."

The weather was good today, and it didn't snow, but the sky was gathering dark clouds, as if they would fall on people's heads in the next moment.

Lin Zhen walked out of the house accompanied by Gu Lin, rode on the horse skillfully, looked back at Gu Lin, squeezed the horse's belly, and walked back with the clerk who transported the grain.

The way back was the same as the way here, with deep and thick snow and knife-like wind. The lower half of the face had to be covered with cotton cloth, otherwise the teeth would be blown sore.

When they finally stepped onto the cement road only more than 20 miles away from the capital of Lizhou, they all couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"This cement road is still easier to walk on. The roads we walked on before, oh my god, don't even mention it!" To be honest, although the clerk knew the road, it was covered with snow everywhere. Lizhou was flat and there were no conspicuous landmarks. The chance of taking the wrong road was too high. He was nervous every time he went there and back.

"Boss Lin, where is this road going to?" he asked Lin Zhen.

The cotton cloth that Lin Zhen covered the lower half of his face was covered with a layer of broken ice. His voice was muffled through the cotton cloth: "First connect the counties and the capital, and then connect the villages."

Chapter 284

"This is a big project." The clerk said,

"Once the road is built, it will be much more convenient for people and vehicles, and transporting things will be twice as easy." Lin Zhen paused and said, "There is a saying in my hometown that if you want to be rich, build roads first. It's not that Lizhou doesn't have good things. Fur, medicinal materials, nuts, all of them are of good quality. It's just that it's too difficult to transport them out, which hinders everyone's way to get rich."

"Once the road is built, not only can the people take things out to sell, but merchants can also come in to buy things. There will be a lot of business going back and forth."

The clerk just thought that in the future, there will be cement roads everywhere, which is so beautiful.

He smiled and said, "With Boss Lin, I'm looking forward to it. If it goes on like this, it won't be us in Lizhou who envy other places, but other places will envy us in Lizhou."

"There is still a long way to go, and things have just begun. There is still a lot to do." The cement road is the best signpost. The grain transport team, which was originally slow, suddenly sped up.

Lin Zhen and his team quickly entered the state capital.

In Kyoto, one of the two memorials written by Gu Lin was delivered to the palace gate via the post station. The eunuch who was responsible for receiving memorials from local officials carefully checked it and found no dangerous objects that could threaten the emperor. According to the rules, it was carried to the palace where the emperor handled government affairs.

The emperor reviewed this memorial on the third day after it arrived. Since the content of the memorial submitted by Gu Lin during the autumn harvest satisfied him, the emperor was quite patient with this memorial.

But after reading it, he held the red pen and annotated it indifferently.

It is not a new thing for the border of Lizhou to be robbed. There are seven or eight times every year. After more than ten or twenty years, people have long been accustomed to it.

Only Gu Lin, a new official who has just taken over Lizhou, would be frightened. After a few more years in office, it would be nothing strange.

As long as Gu Lin stabilizes the situation in Lizhou as it is now, the emperor will be satisfied.

The eunuch quickly put the reviewed memorial aside and stepped aside.

The emperor picked up the next memorial, his brows furrowed all of a sudden, and with a "bang", he threw the memorial to the ground: "You are all troublesome. Today you report me, tomorrow I report you, and I won't stop until I kill one of you!"

"Call Prince Rong and Prince Xuan!"

He was furious, and the eunuchs serving him inside and outside knelt on the ground. The eunuch who had served him for many years gave a look to the people below, asking them to call Prince Rong and Prince Xuan immediately, and then brought the emperor a cup of tea at just the right temperature.

The current emperor Qin Zhong frowned at the eunuchs who had served him for many years: "Isn't the quarrel in the middle of the year enough? They used to be smart and well-behaved, but how come they only grow older and don't grow smarter, and learn the vicious methods of women."

The eunuch looked at his nose and his heart, and said in a soft voice: "Your Majesty, calm down."

"How can I calm down?"

Prince Rong and Prince Xuan arrived, and before they entered the palace, they were scolded by Qin Zhong: "Kneel down."

The two princes who were calling the wind and rain outside, lifted their robes and knelt outside the palace. The spies hidden in the palace quickly sent this news to several places. The

unfavored eleventh prince Qin Ziwen left the palace to build a mansion after he was fifteen years old, but he was not named a prince, but had the title of King Heng and worked in the Ministry of Households.

In the eyes of everyone, he was not a contender for that position at all. Since his mother died and the Wei family broke up with him, he lost this qualification.

The most popular ones now are Prince Rong, Prince Xuan, and Prince Xian. The princes below either cling to the thighs of these three people, or are not blocking anyone's way and not getting involved in this muddy water.

Only their father, who was considered wise in his early years but became more eccentric and irritable after being ill twice, still wants to put the words of brotherly love and respect on them.

Ridiculous.

This good father, I am afraid he has forgotten how he got the throne.

No, he should not have forgotten, but he is getting older and older and is afraid of these young and strong sons, afraid that one day...

Because he brought evidence back from Xuzhou, causing a bloody storm in the court, Qin Ziwen was ordered by Qin Zhongyi to recuperate in the palace in the name of recuperating from his injuries, and even his position as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was erased and given to another person.

So Qin Ziwen has been idle at home for half a year, raising fish every day, planting flowers, and occasionally playing chess with a few dandy boys.

The person who served him came in and whispered in his ear: "Your Highness, the Emperor has punished Prince Rong and Prince Xuan to kneel at the entrance of the palace."

Qin Ziwen knew without asking why. These two powerful contenders for the throne have been disliking each other and making trouble for a long time, but now the Emperor doesn't want to see it anymore, so they should be punished to kneel.

The person who served him said again: "A letter has been sent from Lizhou, Your Highness, please read it."

Hearing that it was a letter from Lizhou, Qin Ziwen straightened up, took the letter, and read the contents after soaking it in a special potion.

"Chero Kingdom..."

Qin Ziwen frowned. The letter actually said that Cheero Kingdom had long had the ambition to invade Dayu, and from all indications, the time for them to take action is not too far away. In three to five years, seven to eight years, there will definitely be a war.

Seeing Qin Ziwen's frown, the waiter said, "Prince, is there any bad news?"

He was a person Qin Ziwen trusted very much, so he handed the letter to him. After reading it, the man said, "This... this is unlikely, right?"

"Dayu has been in conflict with us for more than a year or two. It is really difficult to convince others with just one robbery."

Qin Ziwen actually knew that the person who served him was reasonable, but Gu Lin gave him a very special feeling. He didn't think Gu Lin would joke about such a thing.

He pointed to the weapon described by Gu Lin above that was extremely suitable for horse fighting, "No matter what, this matter must be paid attention to, and the news should also be passed on to the soldiers hidden in Lizhou so that they can be prepared."

Seeing the muddy water in the court, the people below naturally have many ways to save their lives. On the surface, everyone only has the pitiful number of troops that the prince can equip, but secretly...

Qin Ziwen doesn't believe that the huge amount of silver extracted from the Xuzhou Salt Road is not used to support the army.

It was not easy for his small group of people to come, and they dared not show up. Hiding in Lizhou was the best place he could think of at this stage.

With Gu Lin's cover, ordinary people would not notice that place.

Lin Zhen's return to the state capital soon became known to many people. The managers of Lin's gouache shop, soap shop, perfumed soap shop, vanishing cream shop, pig farm, slaughterhouse, and Changping Street shop, as well as the director of the cement factory, all came to the state government to report recent events.

These people were selected by Lin Zhen, with good talents and temperaments. On weekdays, they would report directly to him, and then Lin Zhen would instruct Niu Da to coordinate.

Lin Zhen sat in the first seat, looking at the married men, and said, "It's cold now, and it's difficult to mine limestone for the cement factory. Let's put it aside for now, but next year when the weather is a little warmer, the cement factory will recruit twice as many workers again, and divide them into day and night shifts like the gouache factory, and produce more cement as soon as possible." The person

who managed the cement factory was a man in his forties who had done business in the state capital, but was cheated by a friend and almost lost his family.

When he first came into Lin Zhen's sight, he was doing the work of digging limestone among the workers recruited by Lin Zhen. Lin Zhen found that the workers below were very convinced of him, and the work of his team was always completed the fastest and best.

After observing for a period of time and letting the yamen runners investigate his background, Lin Zhen directly appointed him as the director of the cement factory. He lived up to Lin Zhen's trust and managed the cement factory very well.

He was very happy when he heard Lin Zhen say that he would recruit workers again to increase production.

After cement was used in the state capital, the effect could be seen by anyone with eyes. Many merchants who came to the state capital to do business were very interested and almost surrounded him.

As long as their cement factory was willing to sell it, they would definitely make a fortune.

"Boss, this way the output of cement will be large, and the road paving workers will not be able to consume it all. Do you want to sell some?"

Lin Zhen shook his head: "For the time being, we will not open this hole. Our Lin's Company is still focusing on the rouge and powder business."

Cement is very useful. It is used in construction and is not comparable to current materials. Lin Zhen doesn't know where those merchants will sell the cement. If it flows into the hands of Che Luoguo and they use it for other purposes, providing them with some means that Lin Zhen didn't expect, it would make him want to vomit blood.

After talking to the director of the cement factory, Lin Zhen turned to the gouache workshop, soap workshop, perfumed soap workshop and vanishing cream workshop: "After you go back, you can start posting recruitment notices and tell the workers that the workshop will recruit again. This time, the recruitment is no longer limited to men and women between the ages of fifteen and forty. People over fifty and in good health will also be recruited."

"Boss, men and women over fifty will have to work slower, will it be a hindrance?"

"Next year, new farming policies will be implemented everywhere. We can recruit people, but we can't delay next year's farming. It's a hard truth that everyone needs not only money but also food."

"Understood, we'll start working on this when we go back."

Lin Zhen looked at the pig farm and the slaughterhouse: "It's cold in winter, so be careful not to let the pigs get sick. There are thousands of pigs in the pig farm now. Once they get sick, it's easy to form a large number of sick pigs, which will be very troublesome to treat."

"And you must strictly control the slaughterhouse. Do not mix abnormal pork with good meat. Bury it deep immediately."

"Keep making canned food and dried meat, and report the shipment volume directly to me."

"Yes."

As for the shop, there are two people in charge now, one is Chunniang, and the other is Xiaoxi. Chunniang's makeup skills have reached a superb stage, and Xiaoxi is in charge of the front. Her courage and eloquence are so great that many people can't catch up.

After discussing the matter, Lin Zhen said to them: "Stay here for a meal, it's rare for us to get together."

These managers all agreed happily. They were very happy to be close to Lin Zhen.

Chapter 285

Lin Zhen called Lulu: "Go and ask someone to bring the coal stove to the main hall, and then ask someone to cut some mutton and pork, and prepare some radish slices, cabbage leaves and other green leafy vegetables, we will eat hot pot."

"Okay." Lulu was very happy when he came back, and went to do things with a smile on her face.

Chunniang and Xiaoxi were a boy and a girl, and they were not so taboo. They walked up to Lin Zhen and asked: "Boss, what is hot pot?"

"It's eaten while rinsing, hot and delicious." After the weather got cold, Lin Zhen liked this kind of food. He was too busy to make it, so he directly handed the hot pot recipe to the husband in the kitchen. He just told him when he wanted to eat it.

"How are Maizi and the others doing in the store now?" Lin Zhen had a good memory and remembered several boys and girls who had helped in the store before. Some of them stayed in the store after working in the store that time, and their wages were also based on the basic salary plus commission. When it was good, it was more than half more than in the water powder shop.

Xiaoxi and Maizi were in the same group at the Flour Shop. Xiaoxi said cheerfully, "They are all doing well now. They are paid well in the shop and their families value them."

"That's good."

As they were talking, the person Lulu had asked to carry the coal stove had come in. This thing was called a coal stove, but the square surface on the top was covered with a layer of glaze, which looked smooth and flat. It was also connected to the stove below.

Lin Zhen came back yesterday. The coal stove had been burning all night. After the smoke pipe was removed, some coal smoke rushed out, and the smell was a bit pungent.

But the managers all felt the heat from the coal stove and were very curious about this smokeless thing.

Chunniang was now much more cheerful. She tilted her head and asked Lin Zhen, "Boss, what is this coal stove? Why is it so warm without any smoke?"

"Is it burning charcoal?"

"No, it's burning coal."

"It's just that some news came out before that something called coal found elsewhere was actually used for burning fire."

"Coal is much more convenient than firewood. Put some in tonight, and there will be fire tomorrow morning. Add some more coal and you can cook and boil water, and it won't smoke people." The servant quickly fixed the coal stove, and the smoke pipe extended to the outside. Lin Zhen used an iron hook to open the lid on it and asked Chunniang and Xiaoxi to look inside. "But when using coal, remember not to close the doors and windows, and extend the smoke pipe outside the house. When it burns, it will emit coal gas, which will make people feel uncomfortable and even kill people."

In the coal stove, the coal was burning vigorously, with red and blue flames jumping, and the heat made people's faces hot.

Not only Chunniang and Xiaoxi, but others were also very interested in this thing, looking at the coal stove, the smoke pipe, and the burning coal inside.

The director of the cement factory immediately showed great interest. He looked at the coal stove and asked Lin Zhen, "Boss, are these coal stoves and coal blocks also our business?"

"No, they are from the government. If you want to buy coal stoves and coal blocks, you have to wait for the second batch. This batch is for trial use to see if there are any problems when using them."

"This thing is so good, clean and convenient. My family will definitely buy one when it comes out." Manager Xing of the pig farm said.

"Boss, the hot pot is ready, we can start eating." Lu Lu walked in, followed by servants carrying a large pot of hot pot base, and servants carrying mutton, pork, and various vegetables.

Lin Zhen called out to the people around him, "Sit down around the coal stove. We can barely squeeze in and have a good time."

Everyone knew that Lin Zhen was not a person who put on airs, so naturally he would not put on airs in front of him. He took his own bowl and scooped his own rice, sitting a little crowded next to the coal stove.

The overbearing smell of the hot pot made people swallow their saliva. Lin Zhen poured a plate of meat into

the pot: "This meat has been processed, it is easy to cook, and it can be eaten after two dips." He picked up a piece of meat and put it in the bowl, and took a bite. "It tastes very good."

The others followed his example, and after the color of the meat changed, they scooped it into the bowl and took a bite.

Chunniang and Xiaoxi, who were sitting next to Lin Zhen, were surprised.

The taste was really strong!

Salty, spicy, a little stimulating and tempting, they couldn't help but eat one chopstick after another, and finished a bowl of rice unknowingly.

After eating a hot pot, the stewards with bulging stomachs were about to leave. Chunniang and Xiaoxi said to Lin Zhen intimately: "Boss, there are always new things here. We don't want to leave after we come."

Lin Zhen said: "As long as I am here, you can all come. It's not so restrained."

"Okay, boss, let's go."

Lin Zhen nodded, watching their figures disappear in the yard. After they all left, he asked the servants to clean up the mess and carry the coal stove back to his yard.

The next day, the news that several workshops of Lin's Trading Company were recruiting people spread. This time, not only those aged 15 to 40 were recruited, but also those over 50.

Who didn't have parents, grandparents, and grandparents at home? When they heard the good news, they hurried back to tell their relatives and friends.

For a while, even though it was snowing, the prefecture was very lively.

Half a month later, Lin Zhen followed the grain transport official to Luo Ran again. This time, they transported not only grain for the soldiers, but also relief grain to be sent to Luo Ran according to the arrangement of the government.

Not only Luo Ran, but also other counties, and they had teams assigned to them.

It was just because the grain transport official was going to Luo Ran, so Luo Ran's relief grain was transported together with the grain.

The clerk walked back and forth with Lin Zhen and thought he was familiar with Lin Zhen. Seeing him carrying large and small bags, he asked casually: "Boss Lin, what are you taking? If it's not easy to carry, put it on the carriage."

Lin Zhen patted the bulging bag: "Clothes for Lord Gu. Lord Gu was wearing the same clothes when he left. I'm afraid he can't wear them anymore."

"Boss Lin, you are thoughtful. We only have one thing in our minds, which is filling our stomachs."

Lin Zhen pinched the horse's belly and let the horse walk forward a few steps: "Now the snow is heavier, and the road is more difficult to walk. I'm afraid it will take seven or eight days to get to Luo Ran. It will take more than half a month to go back and forth."

"That's right." The clerk looked at the snowflakes in the sky worriedly. After just a while, the bamboo hat on his head felt a little heavy. When he took it off, he saw that it was piled up with a layer as thick as a thumb.

The clerk shook the snowflakes on the bamboo hat and looked at Lin Zhen, who had covered the lower half of his face tightly like the last time, and quickly covered his own face.

"Let's go!"

The cold weather made the long journey even longer. It was already the ninth day when they arrived at Luoran. Lin Zhen's hat, scarf, cloak, and even the boots to the knees were all covered with a layer of crushed ice.

If it weren't for the fur coat inside, it would have been soaked.

Lin Zhen looked at the Luoran County that appeared in his sight and couldn't help but feel happy: "We are finally here."

"Go into the county and rest up quickly. Find some frostbite medicine for those who are frostbitten."

"Oh my God." The voice of the clerk came from behind the scarf. He was trembling a little and didn't want to say anything. He waved weakly, asking the people behind him to follow.

When they arrived at Luoran County, they found that there were a few more people here, and there were patrolling soldiers on the streets.

A soldier recognized them and came over with one hand hanging: "It's a good thing you're here. If you didn't come, we wouldn't have food to cook."

The clerk said: "We were delayed on the way. The snow was too heavy. We took the wrong road once and almost couldn't come."

"By the way, where is Lord Gu?"

"He is in the county government. Recently, the thieves from Che Luo country have been coming to the border like flies every day. Lord Gu took his brothers to stop a group of thieves the day before yesterday and was injured."

"Master Gu is injured?!" Lin Zhen frowned while riding on a horse.

The sergeant thought he was transporting grain with them, and said, "He has some injuries in his waist, abdomen and shoulders. The doctor has examined him and told him to stay in bed for half a month."

Lin Zhen could not stand here any longer, and drove his horse to the county government office.

The sergeant hurriedly shouted, "You can't ride a horse on the street!"

The clerk grabbed him and said, "That's Boss Lin, Master Gu's uncle."

"That's Boss Lin who brought us canned meat and jerky!" The sergeant's eyes lit up, and he swallowed a mouthful of saliva with a gulp.

Canned meat and jerky, especially canned meat, have become the most rare thing among their group of soldiers. They are heated up together with the iron box, with soup and meat. The tasteless sorghum rice and buckwheat rice is immediately delicious. The taste is amazing.

It's a pity that it's gone.

The sergeant tiptoed to look at the grain-carrying carriage and patted the clerk's chest: "Did Boss Lin bring anything this time?"

The clerk chuckled, thinking that he had brought so much grain for nothing, so he was thinking about Boss Lin's canned meat and jerky.

He said, "Yes."

The sergeant rubbed his hands happily: "Oh, this, this is a good time to eat some meat."

"You wish, you have to report to Lord Gu first, how to distribute it is Lord Gu's business."

The sergeant nodded, "That's for sure, that's for sure."

On the other side, Lin Zhen rode his horse to the outside of the county government office. The two sergeants guarding the gate saw someone riding a horse here and drew their knives: "Who is it?"

Lin Zhen stepped on the stirrups to get off the horse, untied the scarf with his leather-covered hands: "I am Lin Zhen, Lord Gu's uncle, and I came with the grain-carrying team."

"Canned meat!" One of the gatekeepers stared at Lin Zhen with sparkling eyes.

Another person hurriedly said, "Boss Lin, come with me. Lord Gu is discussing with several inspectors about the strategy to deal with the bandits from Che Luo State. It should be ready soon."

There was a wing room next to the main hall. The sergeant took Lin Zhen to the wing room and asked him to wait there while he went to report to Gu Lin first.

Lin Zhen nodded, took off the bamboo hat on his head, shook off the snow, stood by the wall, untied the frozen scarf and cloak, and put them on the chair.

He was about to take off the ice-covered, cold and hard boots on his feet when Gu Lin walked in. In Gu Lin's eyes, Lin Zhen was beautiful at any time, just like this moment.

Lin Zhen's hair was a little messy because of the bamboo hat, his face was frozen red, and his body looked bloated because of the heavy leather coat, but Gu Lin still thought he was handsome.

He walked over, squatted on one knee, and untied the straps on Lin Zhen's boots, just like the last time Lin Zhen left.

Chapter 286

"I'll do it myself. I heard from the sergeant that your waist, abdomen and shoulders are injured. How serious are the injuries? What does the doctor say?"

Lin Zhen said as he bent down and tried to untie the boot straps himself.

Gu Lin looked at him straight, still not putting down the work in his hands. Seeing him like this, Lin Zhen could only straighten up and watch him take off his shoes.

The boots were very thick, made of a large piece of fur, with the leather on the outside and the fur on the inside. They were very warm to wear.

But there was no change of clothes on the road, and after being covered for so many days, the smell was a bit indescribable.

Lin Zhen touched his nose, moved his toes, and laughed: "I feel dirty myself, how about covering your nose?"

Gu Lin put his feet on the chair, got up and poured a basin of hot water for him to soak in: "Not dirty, with such heavy snow, Uncle Lin should stay in the prefecture."

"I have nothing to do, I thought of sending you some clothes to change, and brought dozens of boxes of canned meat and dried meat."

"You haven't answered my question yet, how is your injury, is it serious, do you need to find a doctor in the prefecture to see it?"

His feet were soaked in the warm water, and his eyebrows and eyes were relaxed.

Gu Lin was wearing a gray narrow-sleeved robe, which should have been made by the local people with cloth. He raised his hand to untie the belt, lifted several layers of clothes, and pulled his hand to his waist and abdomen, which were still tied with cloth.

His waist was narrow, but there was a thin layer of muscle, which made people know how much strength it contained at a glance.

Lin Zhen took a look at the place where he was wrapped in cloth and obviously wrapped in medicine, and his cold palm was ironed by his body temperature.

Lin Zhen really believed it this time and took his hand back: "Have the lootings from Che Luo Kingdom increased these days?"

"Well, after a few encounters, they seemed to have the intention to spy and sent more people."

Lin Zhen looked at him: "Then do you have enough manpower?"

"Including the troops under Luo Ran and the inspectors of the surrounding counties, there is no need to increase troops for the time being."

Lin Zhen relaxed, took his feet out of the basin, wiped them clean and rolled them onto the chair. The soldier who had just brought him in brought in a basin of burning wood, which was not cold next to the fire.

He leaned back in the chair and patted the chair next to him: "The canned meat and dried meat I brought last time should have been eaten. On the way here just now, several soldiers mentioned canned meat. It seems that they all like it very much."

In addition to the few boxes that Lin Zhen opened on the road and in Luo Ran's county town, there are still 22 boxes left of the 30 boxes of canned meat. They are distributed to the army to be put into cooking as a garnish, or added to water to make soup.

But that was meat. The soldiers' rations did not include meat. In addition, Lizhou was poor, so it was considered good to taste meat once every six months.

Gu Lin ate with the soldiers and knew how much they loved canned meat. Whoever got a bigger piece of meat would be envied by others.

He said, "It's rare to see meat in the army, so they naturally like it."

"This time I brought another fifty boxes, enough for you to have a few meals. I asked them to make the jerky smaller so that it is easier to chew."

Gu Lin stood in front of him, and his injuries were not serious. Lin Zhen remembered that the canned meat and jerky he brought were still together with the rations. Without his permission, the petty officials would not move. There were

also clothes and socks for Gu Lin tied to the horse's back, which served as his backrest on the road.

He asked Gu Lin to find him a pair of ordinary fur shoes, and stood up: "I brought you some clothes to change, shall we go get them together?"

"Yes." Gu Lin was happy that he could come, and even in front of the soldiers, he had a smile that was not easy to be noticed.

The two walked out side by side and asked the sergeant at the gate: "Brother, where is the horse I rode?"

The sergeant saw Gu Lin who accompanied Lin Zhen personally, and he bowed to Gu Lin with his fists clasped, and then said to Lin Zhen: "Boss Lin, the horse has been taken to the backyard of the county government office. I will take you there."

"Thank you."

"Boss Lin is too polite. I don't deserve it." Among the more than a thousand people, who has not eaten canned meat? They all remember that bite.

The people in the county government knew that the horse belonged to Lin Zhen, so they took off the things on it and put them away, and treated him with delicious food and drinks.

This horse has been with Lin Zhen for a while. When the weather was not so cold, Lin Zhen rode it to the cement factory, pig farm and other places, and developed feelings for it.

Seeing Lin Zhen, the horse pawed its hooves and flapped its ears happily.

Lin Zhen rubbed its head, looked at the warm water and hay placed in front of it, and took the package handed over by the sergeant.

"You stay here well, we will go back in a few days." Lin Zhen patted it, waited for it to rub his hands, took the package and went back to the house with Gu Lin.

"I asked the shop in the city to make it according to your size, three sets of inner clothes, three sets of outer clothes, and a cloak, socks, and shoes."

"Luo Ran is far away from the prefecture, so I asked someone to make more for easy replacement and washing."

The fabrics and furs were all selected by Lin Zhen. They were all stain-resistant colors and high quality. The owner of the ready-made clothing shop waited for several days to make them. The stitches were fine and the materials were solid.

Lin Zhen opened a black robe. The outer layer of the robe was made of cotton cloth, and the

inner layer was made of fur. The collar and cuffs were sewn with gray fur, which looked very thick: "Try this one." Gu Lin stood in front of him, took off his gray robe, and changed into the new clothes he brought.

Gu Lin was most suitable for black. He looked so handsome in this fur-collared and cuffed robe that Lin Zhen couldn't help but look at him several times.

In the end, he even kissed him on the mouth: "It's so good-looking."

After being praised and kissed by him, Gu Lin's smile became more obvious. He put his arms around his waist and licked his mouth, and he let go of him until Lin Zhen's face turned red.

Lin Zhen didn't want to be dragged over again, so he stepped back and wiped the water stains on his mouth: "Just wear this outfit, call a few people to come with me to carry the canned meat and dried meat. If you don't have any urgent military information to deal with tonight, why not give the soldiers below a snack."

In the snow and ice, he didn't know whether he would live or die in the next second. Lin Zhen had respect for these soldiers.

Gu Lin looked at him, nodded, and called the soldiers outside in a louder voice: "Call a few people and follow me to move the canned meat and dried meat brought by Boss Lin. Also, pass the order down that this officer and the deputy commander will come to the army tonight to celebrate with everyone the several victories we have achieved in recent days."

When the sergeant heard that Lin Zhen brought canned meat and dried meat, he couldn't help showing joy on his face. When he heard Gu Lin said that he would celebrate with the soldiers tonight, he was even happier.

During these days, Gu Lin completely made all the soldiers surrender. Almost everyone understood that if it were not for Gu Lin's endless strategies and martial arts that were almost inhumane, they would not have been able to stop so many bandits from the Che Luo Kingdom and save several counties on the border from calamity.

But in the past few days, Lord Gu never said he wanted to celebrate.

Could it be that Lord Gu also likes to eat canned meat, and he only feels interested when Boss Lin delivers the canned meat?

The soldier felt that he knew the most fundamental reason. He thought that Lord Gu had the same expression when he ate delicious or unpalatable food. It turned out that he also had his own preferences.

He walked out quickly and called his brothers: "Come here, there is something good for you to do!"

The soldiers who stayed in the county government office all had ranks, including the centurions under the thousand households, the general flags, and the leaders of the small flags. On weekdays, they all ate from the same pot and slept on the same bed. More than a dozen people could be called over at a time.

The sergeant said, "Just now Lord Gu called me in and told me something great!"

"What good news?"

"Are we going to beat up the bandits from Che Luo again? Hey, we used to avoid them, but now we're taking up knives to beat them. Where the hell did Lord Gu get that brain and that skill? How could he predict everything and kill people like chopping melons and vegetables?" The sergeant

clapped his hands, "We're not going to kill the beasts from Che Luo. It's Boss Lin who's here."

When he mentioned Boss Lin, the people below jumped up at once: "Canned meat!!!"

The sergeant quickly grabbed the group of people who were craving for meat: "Lord Gu asked a few people to follow and move the canned meat, and asked someone else to go and say hello to the army. We're going to celebrate our victory tonight, and Lord Gu, the deputy captain, will go and have fun with everyone."

"Oh oh oh oh oh!!!"

"Finally we can relax a little. I'll go move the canned meat!"

"You wish. None of us big brothers have said anything yet. Why are you in such a hurry? I'll go move the canned meat!"

"Hey, you're just moving knowledge, it's not for you to eat, why are you so anxious?"

"I'm happy to!"

Seeing that they were all judging people by their stuff, the sergeant quickly stopped them and assigned them to the right people: "You guys, follow me to see Lord Gu."

The people who were called raised their chins to the others, puffed out their chests like roosters that won a fight, and followed the sergeant.

As soon as they entered the backyard of the county government, they saw Gu Lin, who was wearing a black fur-edged robe, and Lin Zhen, who was wearing a water-colored cloak, walking towards them. Lin Zhen was talking, and Gu Lin was listening, his expression was a little different from what they usually saw.

Several people were stunned for a moment, then stepped aside and saluted: "Greetings, Master Gu."

Gu Lin gestured to Lin Zhen. Lin Zhen looked at the seven or eight soldiers of different ages and said, "We brought a total of fifty boxes of canned meat and fifty boxes of dried meat. Together with the transported food and grass, are we going to move them directly to the place where you cook in your barracks?"

"Yes," everyone grinned when they heard that there were fifty boxes, "Put them with the cooks, and apply for them from the higher-ups when it's time to cook."

"Okay, then move them to the cooks."

Lin Zhen and Gu Lin walked in front, followed by the soldiers who helped move things. A dozen people walked towards the grain transport convoy.

The clerk who transported the grain was waiting outside the county government office to report to Gu Lin the food and grass this time, as well as the amount of relief grain. When he saw Gu Lin and Lin Zhen coming out with their men, he saluted quickly: "Greetings, Master."

"Hello, Boss Lin."

Chapter 287

Gu Lin asked him to talk while walking.

The clerk knew that they were going to move canned meat and dried meat, and said, "What a coincidence. The people from the grain transport team are moving grain to the army. How about moving it together?"

"No, no, we will move it, so we won't bother them!" The sergeant who followed Gu Lin and Lin Zhen to move the canned meat said with a very firm attitude, fearing that the people from the grain transport team would take their work.

The clerk was stunned by their appearance for a moment, and didn't understand what these sergeants with some positions were doing. He

nodded in accordance with their meaning, and then reported to Gu Lin the amount of grain and grass this time, and how much relief grain was brought.

Grain and grass are used by the army stationed here, and relief grain must be notified to the various villages of Luo Ran to collect it, just like what Lin Zhen did last time, distributing grain according to the population of each household, fair and just.

They still have the list that Lin Zhen asked people to count last time, which saves a lot of effort. Just ask someone to notify the village.

The grain transport team stopped in Luoran County. The tired horses had been pulled into the stables by the soldiers. Only the carts of grain were still piled there.

In just a short while, a layer of snow had fallen on the carts, and the bags underneath were almost invisible.

Lin Zhen pointed to the last few carts and said, "The canned meat and dried meat are at the back. Just untie the ropes and you can move them."

The people in the grain transport team were moving the grain to the storage area. In such a cold day, their heads were steaming.

Looking at the soldiers running towards the carts loaded with canned meat and dried meat, the clerk finally understood why they didn't let the grain transport team move them. It turned out that they were protecting the food and satisfying their desire to eat.

Not to mention, the canned meat in Boss Lin's slaughterhouse tasted really good. It was fat but not greasy, and the soup was tasty. It was delicious when poured over rice.

But it's no wonder. It's because Boss Lin opened that pig farm and slaughterhouse that the price of red meat in the state capital has dropped by almost half. Every day, people go to the stalls that specialize in selling meat in the slaughterhouse to buy red meat, pig's trotters, etc.

I heard from some people working in the slaughterhouse that the pig farm run by Boss Lin is clean and tidy. The pigs raised are fatter than those of ordinary people, and they are raised a few months earlier. The meat is all good meat.

In other words, the soap shop only wants white meat, and the demand is still large. These high-quality red meats are all bought up by the people in Lin's business.

Everyone in the grain transport team has eaten canned meat. When they saw the canned meat boxes lifted off the carriage by the sergeants, they were greedy. The sergeants seemed to smell the aroma of canned meat through the boxes, and their noses were almost pressed against the boxes.

Lin Zhen wanted to laugh when he saw it.

Grain, canned meat, and dried meat were quickly put in their respective places. Not long after, night fell. There were also patrolling sergeants in Luoran County where sergeants were stationed, and torches illuminated everywhere.

Because they were notified during the day to celebrate tonight, the place where the soldiers lived was already lively. There were several huge fires, and the men sitting around the fires ranged from fifty to teenagers, with all ages.

This was the first time Lin Zhen saw so many soldiers, and it was a little different from what he imagined.

The robes they wore were uniform gray clothes, with short brown clothes on the top and pants on the bottom. The material was ordinary and didn't look thick.

So they must have put on several clothes, which looked bloated, but not very warm. They would still feel cold sitting by the fire.

Not to mention the shoes on their feet, which were not the kind of fur boots that reached the knees that I wore, but reached the calves. They were obviously worn for a long time, and some of them had holes, which were patched up with fabric cut from other places.

These were Dayu's soldiers, who blocked the people of Cheluo State in Luoran in the ice and snow.

Before Gu Lin told him that the food and wages of the soldiers in Lizhou had not been paid for three years, he had never felt it so directly, and he knew how dazzling it was when he saw it with his own eyes.

Dayu had been at peace for too long, so long that the people sitting on the top forgot what these soldiers who were responsible for defending the country should get and what they would lose.

"Meetings, Lord Gu."

"Meetings, Deputy Captain."

Not all of them were stationed here. Some followed Gu Lin's instructions and went to the county. There were only more than 600 people here. Some died in the battle, were seriously injured, and could not come.

So many voices gathered together, like a hot sword, piercing straight into people's hearts, making people's hearts boil.

"No need to be polite, get up." Lin Zhen stood aside, watching Gu Lin raise his hand, and the soldiers who knelt on one knee with fists clasped stood up in unison, "Thank you, Lord."

From their words and actions, Lin Zhen could feel their respect for Gu Lin, and Gu Lin became their backbone.

Gu Lin was not a talkative person. He said a few words casually, and then asked the cooks to bring the food that had been cooked since the afternoon. The soldiers came forward to get the food according to their flags.

Gu Lin handed him a bowl of sorghum rice and buckwheat noodles topped with canned cabbage stewed with meat and fried shredded radish: "Uncle Lin, try it."

The bowl was not small, and the rice and vegetables were almost flush with the edge of the bowl. Although there was not much oil and water, it smelled good.

Lin Zhen took the rice and sat on the ground like Gu Lin. This was where the soldiers were stationed. The snow was swept every day, so it was quite dry and not cold to sit on.

The bowl of rice in the hands of the deputy captain who came with him was much higher than Lin Zhen's. He looked at Gu Lin and Lin Zhen and said, "You two are quite interesting, Uncle Lin?"

"Master Gu, you are too capable. You can even ask Mr. Lin to be with you."

"Teach me some experience quickly. Those girls and boys trembled when they saw me. I am not born with three heads and six arms."

Gu Lin came back with his own meal. Like everyone else, it was canned cabbage stewed with meat and fried shredded radish. The soup soaked the sorghum rice and buckwheat rice below, which did not look good.

He put a piece of meat canned food, which was obviously left for him by the cook, into Lin Zhen's bowl, and looked at the deputy captain who was as strong as an iron tower and had a beard on purpose: "The captain is not majestic enough."

"Puff." Lin Zhen, who knew he was playing tricks, almost couldn't hold back.

The deputy captain's body and beard, with a fist as big as a casserole, would scare ordinary girls and boys. They would carry him like a chicken.

But after spending a day or two with him, you will find that this deputy captain is actually a bit silly and open-minded. He can't hide anything. Whoever marries him must be a good choice. At least he won't make you guess what he's thinking. Before you figure it out, he can't help but reveal everything.

Lin Zhen ate the piece of pork head meat that Gu Lin had picked up, and looked at the deputy captain who nodded seriously. He actually believed what Gu Lin said, and turned his head to look at Gu Lin: "If the deputy captain can't find a wife in the future, this pot will be on you."

But Lin Zhen also understood that it seemed that the deputy captain and Gu Lin got along well, and Gu Lin would communicate with him.

The soldiers below ate the canned meat and cabbage. Occasionally, someone got a piece of chopped and slightly larger pork head meat, and showed it off to the people next to him, and then ate it in one mouthful. It was so delicious!

I don't know who sang the folk song that almost everyone in Lizhou knew. The soldiers couldn't help but knock on the bowls to sing the tune. It was vigorous and gentle, praising the poor land of Lizhou.

Lin Zhen held the bowl and chopsticks, looking at the soldiers singing the folk song, and slowly couldn't help but close this simple but beautiful tune.

After celebrating with everyone, Lin Zhen and Gu Lin returned to the county government together.

When we first came out of that place, the snow was not that heavy, but in the blink of an eye it became dense and heavy, making it impossible to open our eyes.

Gu Lin pulled him to hide in the empty house next to him, touched his cold hand, hugged him in his arms, and put his hand on his chest.

Snowflakes were falling softly, and were illuminated by the torches in the distance, like a pure white dance between heaven and earth.

Lin Zhen's hand was warmed by his chest, and his head rested on his shoulder.

Gu Lin's voice sounded: "Uncle Lin, what were you thinking about just now?"

"Thinking about you and those soldiers."

"You wrote to the court but there has been no news, and no action..."

"Uncle Lin is worried that the court will not take my memorial seriously and let it go? Then Lizhou, as the first barrier between Cheluo State and Dayu, will be in dire straits."

"Yes." Lin Zhen was indeed worried about this. Once the war started, it would not only affect one family, but tens of millions of families in a state and tens of millions of people in Dayu.

He would be worried about the turbulent situation, but he was more worried about Gu Lin.

He looked up and looked at Gu Lin in the darkness, "The population of Lizhou is still too small. What I want to do requires more people. Gu Lin, can you give an order--" "

For me, there is no "no" from Uncle Lin, only "yes."

"I am the prefect of Lizhou, and Uncle Lin is the one who holds the sword of the prefect of Lizhou. Wherever your heart desires, the sword will point."

"..." Lin really knew that Gu Lin was not lying. This child has always been very independent. He seemed to have exiled himself to this place, and because of so many years of emotions, he was lucky enough to become the place he wanted to live.

Lin Zhen felt heavy and incomparable because of this emotion. He was hugged in Gu Lin's arms, and he raised his head and said to him: "Let's issue the next decree to attract people from other places to live here with more generous conditions."

"We can promise them wasteland, no taxes for five years, and provide them with job opportunities so that they can get wages."

"Although these conditions cannot attract people with relatively stable lives, they will be discouraged by the weather in Lizhou because it is difficult to leave their hometowns, but there are still those who are struggling to make ends meet. As long as the publicity is good and there is a guarantee of reaching Lizhou, many people should be attracted."

"Lizhou needs more food, more convenient cement roads, and more assets to resist foreign enemies."

"Gu Lin, I know that my strength is limited, but I want to try. I think I can help you a little."

Chapter 288

Lin Zhen's voice rose slightly at the end, a unique tone that Gu Lin was familiar with.

He listened quietly, feeling the warmth growing in the area where he was close to Lin Zhen, picked Lin Zhen up, wrapped him in his cloak, and then put the hood of Lin Zhen's cloak on him.

The pure white fur was light and soft, gathered around his cheeks and neck, making his originally small face look even smaller, and his white skin was conspicuous enough in the dark.

Gu Lin carried him out like this: "According to Uncle Lin, I will write a letter tomorrow, stamp it with my private seal, and you take it back to Guan Peng, who will issue this decree."

The snow in the sky showed no sign of stopping, and it was getting heavier. Gu Lin was afraid that he would not be able to walk in a while, so he took the tightly wrapped Lin Zhen to the county government office, took Lin Zhen directly to the side room in the backyard, and went back to the main house.

The next day, when Lin Zhen woke up, he thought the snow outside would be as thick as a person, but unexpectedly, it was not.

"Did the snow last night last long?" he asked the husband who was probably in his forties and was sent by Gu Lin to serve him.

The husband put his hands in front of him with some restraint, as if he was afraid to say something to Lin Zhen: "Mr. Lin, the snow stopped not long after you fell asleep yesterday."

"So that's the case, that's good, it won't delay the journey back to the prefecture." Lin Zhen was a little sleepy on the way back to the county government office by Gu Lin yesterday. He was a little confused about how he fell asleep on the bed, let alone the question of whether the snow would stop.

He got up from the bed, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and changed his clothes. Just as he was about to leave the room, Gu Lin arrived first: "Uncle Lin, I'll take you out for a walk."

"Well, then I'll go riding first." Lin Zhen had come to Luo Ran twice, but he really didn't take a closer look. He agreed to Gu Lin and walked towards the stable in the backyard.

The docile chestnut horse selected by Gu Lin turned its head when it heard the noise, its long eyelashes moved, and its ears twitched cutely.

"Let's go, Hongzao. Let's go for a walk." He grabbed a handful of hay and fed it to its mouth. When it finished eating, Lin Zhen stepped on the stirrups and climbed on it. He pulled the reins and let it walk to the back door of the county government office according to his own traction. There, Gu Lin was already waiting for him on a black horse.

"Why is your horse so tall?" Lin Zhen felt that Hongzao was a little afraid of Gu Lin's horse, so he slowed down a little and touched its neck soothingly.

Gu Lin said, "It was seized from a leader of the Che Luo Kingdom. It should be a horse breed from outside the territory. It has a larger skeleton and is very fast, but its endurance is not as good as Dayu's horse, so it is not suitable for long-distance raids."

Speaking of horses, Lin Zhen thought of the famous Ferghana horse. The Ferghana horse has a thin head, a high neck, long limbs, fine hair and thin skin. When running, its steps are light. It is not only powerful and fast, but also has strong endurance. It is a famous horse with high prices not only in ancient times, but also in modern times.

He couldn't help thinking that it would be nice if he could get one for Gu Lin.

When he got back to the prefecture, he would ask several familiar merchants to keep an eye out for it and buy a good one.

The tall black horse was pulled by the reins

by Gu Lin, and turned its face to the side obediently. Hong Zao relaxed a little, wagging his ears and walking beside Gu Lin with Lin Zhen. Lin Zhen looked at the endless snowfield and urged Hong Zao to walk forward slowly: "Over there is the Che Luo Kingdom."

"Not only the Che Luo Kingdom, but also several small countries that depend on the Che Luo Kingdom. Among the people harassing the border this time, there are their shadows." Gu Lin changed into a new indigo robe that was almost black today, with an iron gray cloak. The leather boots on his feet wrapped around his agile calves, and a leather holster for a short blade was tied to his leg. He only needed to pull open the buckle on it to pull out the short blade.

The snow was a bit thick, and Hong Zao had a bit of effort to run. The movement of the horse's hoof lifting made Lin Zhen feel a bit bumpy.

Gu Lin reined in the horse, "Uncle Lin, you and I will ride together. Let's go to the Luoran River ahead."

Lin Zhen looked at the black horse, which was tall and could run even with thick snow, and stretched out his hand to Gu Lin.

Gu Lin instantly took him from Hongzao's back and put him in front of him, face to face.

Lin Zhen, who thought it was a routine action, was a little uncomfortable with this sudden face-to-face action and moved back.

The next second, the black horse trotted forward, and Lin Zhen on the horse's back slid towards Gu Lin due to inertia because he had no stirrups to step on.

"Gu Lin." Lin Zhen knew that the horse was trotting because of his pulling, so he gritted his teeth and called his name.

Gu Lin's eyebrows flew up, holding the reins with one hand and holding him with the other: "Go——"

The black horse was good at short-distance sprinting, and it instantly shot forward like a black arrow. The cold wind blew from behind, blowing the fluff of the hood that Gu Lin had put on his head at some point, but it was not very cold.

The two bodies were completely pressed together. When he looked up, he saw Gu Lin's face facing the wind. He was full of youthful vigor and unruly handsomeness. His long hair was blown behind him like a dragon and snake, making him look like a god descending from heaven.

Hongzao didn't seem to understand why his master suddenly rode on the black horse, and he chased after them with his hooves spread out.

But he was not as fast as the black horse, and his legs were not as long as the black horse. He was like a jujube paste, rolling in the white glutinous rice dumpling dough.

"Whew!" The running black horse was suddenly reined in, neighing and raising its front hooves, and then stomping heavily on the snow.

Gu Lin let it lead the two of them to walk forward slowly for two steps, pointing to the Luoran River in front of them: "This is the Luoran River, which is also a place where Luoran dye is produced in abundance. Every spring and summer, the people of Luoran will go to the bank of the Luoran River to cut this grass, make Luoran dye, and sell it to merchants who come here."

Lin Zhen knew Luoran dye, a kind of dye that can dye a gorgeous blue and is quite precious, but those who are impressed by this blue should not know that the so-called Luoran dye actually comes from such a remote and poor place.

The Luoran River is very wide, and there is a thick layer of ice on the river surface. The snow falls on it and becomes part of the ice.

Lin Zhen looked at the vast and magnificent white sky and the earth, took a deep breath, and said to Gu Lin: "It's nice here."

Gu Lin's hand that was not holding the reins was still around his waist. He looked at him, lowered his head and kissed his face surrounded by the hood, then his forehead, the tip of his nose, his lips, and his chin.

After a circle, it returned to his lips.

He was no longer the novice who still needed Lin Zhen to teach him. He licked Lin Zhen's lips with his head, bit Lin Zhen's plump lips with his teeth, and then broke into Lin Zhen's mouth when he opened his mouth because of the slight pain.

Lin Zhen frowned slightly and pulled his head back a little. Gu Lin's big hands supported the back of his head, leaving him no way to avoid it.

"Hmm..." His lips were released, but his eyebrows were baptized by Gu Lin, who licked his entire face.

This was Gu Lin's unique way of kissing, and he would not stop until his breath was contaminated on every inch of Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen didn't know when he lay on the horse's back. His lower back was supported by his hands to prevent him from being hit by the front of the saddle.

Lin Zhen looked at Gu Lin a little breathless and kicked him: "Look at myself, do I look good like this? My face is all sticky."

Gu Lin leaned down, and his thumb, which was wearing a ring to prevent excessive pulling of the string and hurting the skin, rubbed his lips, no, rubbed them, and looked at his lips which were still covered with his saliva, and licked his lower lips with the tip of his tongue: "Zhenzhen looks the best like this now."

Lin Zhen blushed.

He knew that this brat was evil. He looked good like this. If he did that to him in the future, would he think he looked even better then?

"!!!" Realizing what he was thinking, Lin Zhen quickly shook his head, but he forgot that he didn't need to speak, Gu Lin could tell what he was thinking from his face.

When he grabbed the saddle and wanted to get up, Gu Lin leaned down, held his face with one hand, and put it into his mouth.

"Whew——" Hongzao, who had fallen behind, caught up. Gu Lin looked at the trembling eyelashes, flushed cheeks, and saliva flowing from the corners of his mouth under him, pulled off the object from his waist, and threw it at Hongzao.

Hongzao was hit by the object and turned his ears stupidly. After being hit by another object, he turned around obediently and snorted in grievance.

The black horse under them, after being looked at by Gu Lin, dutifully poked its mouth into the snow, one hole, two holes...

Gu Lin kissed Lin Zhen's neck, and kissed his earlobe with a mole so shallow that it was almost invisible.

...

This is the second time.

Lin Zhen squatted in the snow, wiping the fishy smell with snow, but no matter how he wiped, the smell was still very strong, and there was no sign of elimination.

He looked at Gu Lin, who was obviously in a good mood after being released, and rolled a snowball and threw it on his leg: "Next time you don't come out for so long, you can do it yourself." After

being hit on the leg by the snowball, Gu Lin came over and grabbed his hand and looked at it, looking at him with dark eyes: "No."

"I want Zhenzhen's hand, it's comfortable."

"..." You feel comfortable, but my hand is uncomfortable, so sour that you can squeeze out sour soup.

Gu Lin looked at the sky where dark clouds began to gather, and said: "It's going to snow, let's go back."

Lin Zhen stood up, rode on the aggrieved red dates for a while, and returned to Luoran County Office.

After staying in Luoran County for five days, on the afternoon of the sixth day, Lin Zhen and the clerk set out on the road back to the prefecture, carrying the handwritten letter written by Gu Lin to Tongzhi Guan Peng.

Guan Peng read the letter twice, as it was related to the decree of the prefecture. Gu Lin's handwriting was difficult to imitate, and it was also stamped with a private seal, so it could not be faked.

Guan Peng also thought the content was very good.

"Boss Lin, does Lord Gu have any other instructions?" Guan Peng was completely relieved about Gu Lin, and was impressed by his talent. Gu Lin was now in Luoran with the deputy captain, and he and Gao Tong were responsible for all the affairs in the prefecture government, so he was inevitably a little worried.

Chapter 289

Lin Zhen shook his head: "Recently, the bandits from Che Luo have frequently harassed the border. Lord Gu and the deputy captain have joined hands to resist the enemy and cannot get away for a while, so all matters in the prefecture are handled by Lord Tongzhi."

"Guan Mou is ashamed that he cannot help Lord Gu share his worries."

Guan Peng knew that the border was suffering from the looting of Che Luo, and asked Lin Zhen: "Boss Lin, how is the situation at the border?"

Lin Zhen told him not to worry: "Although the bandits from Che Luo are constantly harassing, there have been no major casualties under the resistance of Lord Gu and the deputy captain."

"To be honest with Lord Tongzhi, the decree written in Lord Gu's letter to attract people to Lizhou to open up wasteland and live is a major dilemma of Lizhou that I have realized when recruiting workers in recent months."

"The population of Lizhou is too small. Whether it is reclaiming wasteland to plant food, or the coal mines that will soon be mined by a large number of people, or even recruiting people to work, there is a shortage of people. If we can attract a group of people to settle in Lizhou, large tracts of wasteland will be reclaimed, and a lot of work will be done, the output of Lizhou will definitely be improved."

The first time Guan Peng met him, he talked about the Lizhou bonds in a leisurely manner, with reason and evidence, humor and wit, which made people have to believe.

And this year's new grain was harvested, many people who bought Lizhou bonds received their interest and principal as promised, and tasted the sweetness. As soon as it was over, someone asked when the rational bonds would be issued again, and they wanted to buy again.

So Guan Peng was convinced by his words, and Guan Peng did not think that Gu Lin would be a person who could be swayed by other people's opinions. If this decree was not beneficial to Lizhou, he would definitely not let himself do it.

Guan Peng did not think much and said, "I will give orders as soon as possible, but how to let the people in other places know about this decree is also a problem."

Lin Zhen had thought about it a long time ago and said, "Master Tongzhi, I have some ideas here."

"Now there are many merchants in and outside the prefectures of Lizhou. We can send some people with smooth tongues to follow these merchants to various states to promote this decree."

"Of course, they cannot be people from the government. It is best to have people in the city who are very satisfied with the current situation of our prefecture. They are the actual beneficiaries, more sincere than us, and can get along with the people below." Only by truly empathizing can you move people. Under the new policy of farming and the enthusiastic atmosphere of recruiting workers in the prefecture almost every once in a while, the people around the prefecture have lived a lot better. Not only do they have food at home, but they also have money in their pockets. They live a life they dared not imagine before.

Pick some of these people and train them, and they will be very good propagandists.

No one understands what the hungry and cold people need more than them.

When Guan Peng heard this, he thought it was a good idea, and it also avoided the confrontation between the state governments.

If one state went to another state to publicize its new policies, wouldn't it be a slap in the face of the local officials? Lin Zhen's idea was just right, and the people below spoke up to avoid this trouble.

Guan Peng nodded: "I've kept this in mind. Thank you, Boss Lin, for your advice."

"You're welcome. I'll wait for your good news." With more and more industries and more and more complicated personnel organizations, Lin Zhen had been away from the state government for more than 20 days, and some things had piled up on his hands. He took a night off and started to deal with them.

The most common thing that was handed in was the willingness of many merchants to buy cement for paving the road. Not only did they say a lot of good things, but they also quoted the price readily.

These people were afraid that if they gave too low a price, Lin Zhen would sell it to others, and each one would offer a higher price than the other.

Lin Zhen was just about to sort these and take them to the other side when Lulu walked in: "Boss, Boss Yan has sent a note outside the government office and wants to see you."

Yan Canghai was Lin Zhen's first batch of serious big customers. Since the first cooperation, the subsequent purchase volume has been getting larger and larger, from Yurong Powder Flower Dew lipstick to soap and vanishing cream. He bought everything that Lin Zhen's workshop had.

Lin Zhen saw his smug look and knew that he must have made a lot of money. The relationship between the two has always been good.

He said: "Ask Boss Yan to come in and make a pot of tea by the way."

"Yes."

After a while, Yan Canghai came in with two servants. He was wearing fur clothes and a black cloak, and he was very imposing.

However, when he saw Lin Zhen standing in the house to greet him, he smiled: "Boss Lin, my luck is really bad. I just came to the state capital and heard that you went to Luo Ran. I had to wait for eleven or twelve days before I could see you."

"Brother Yan, sit down," Lin Zhen asked him to sit next to the coal stove, and picked up the teapot that was already placed next to the coal stove to keep the temperature, and poured a cup for Yan Canghai.

Yan Canghai was attracted by the coal stove that was emitting hot air but without smoke. He looked up and down and asked Lin Zhen: "What is this?"

"I have never seen such a strange stove. Is it burning charcoal?"

Lin Zhen knew that he was interested again when he saw his expression. Coal and coal stoves are the business of the government. After the trial period, they will be put into production. He doesn't mind getting involved.

"This is a new type of stove made by the government. It's called a coal stove. It's not only clean, but also warm when placed in the house without suffocating people."

As he said, he used an iron skewer with a hook to hook up the lid of the coal stove, and a golden coal fire with blue appeared: "It's not charcoal that is burning, but a new fuel that has just been discovered, coal."

"Just like the coal in the coal stove, it can still burn for more than half an hour, and then add some more coal to continue burning."

"At night, before people go to bed, they can also add more fine coal into the coal stove and open the lid below," Lin Zhen bent down and pulled out a plug on the official road that extended from the coal stove. "After opening it, air will flow in from below, and the coal will not burn so fast. Plug it in the morning the next day, and the coal fire will burn faster."

He just demonstrated it, and Yan Canghai could see how convenient this coal stove was. There was no smoke or wood ash from firewood, and there was no trouble of extinguishing it after each use and then igniting it again for the next use. Even he wanted to have one at home.

But he knew that the most important thing here was not only the coal stove, but also the fuel called coal blocks.

"Boss Lin, how much is this coal block?"

"It's a little more expensive than charcoal."

Yan Canghai nodded. This coal stove was a delicate object. Those who could afford it would not be short of the money to buy coal. There was a lot of profit in it.

He smiled and said to Lin Zhen, "Boss Lin and I are old acquaintances. Can I place an order with you first, Boss Lin, for 500 coal stoves and 20,000 kilograms of coal?"

Lin Zhen said, "You are worthy of being Brother Yan. You talk about big business as soon as you open your mouth. However, this business is not led by me. The government is fully responsible. I will pass a message to Brother Yan from the person in charge of this business. We will have to wait for a few days to know whether it will succeed or not."

"With your words, this matter is 80% successful," Yan Canghai changed the subject and asked about the purpose of his visit. "Boss Lin, actually I came here for cement this time. That thing is really amazing. Until now, I still can't understand why cement is no different from dust when it is dry, but it is comparable to stone after adding water and drying." Lin Zhen

knew that he came for cement, and took a sip of the teacup: "Brother Yan, we have room for discussion on other things, but I don't plan to sell cement at the moment."

"The current output is just enough for Lizhou. Except for the area of ​​more than 20 miles around the provincial capital and the road connecting to Dongyang County, other places have not been used yet and there is no extra."

Yan Canghai, a big merchant, was also a little anxious. Anyone who has seen a cement road would be amazed and admire it.

If it could be sold elsewhere, people would buy it even at a much higher price.

But the problem was that Lin Zhen didn't want to sell it.

Yan Canghai knew that Lin Zhen was not short of money and had a rich family. In a short period of time, he might have become richer than himself. It was impossible to impress him with money.

Yan Canghai asked unwillingly: "Boss Lin, is there really no room for maneuver?"

Lin Zhen shook his head: "At least not in the next three to five years."

Yan Canghai had no choice but to look at Lin Zhen: "I think I am not the only one who has this idea. I want to tie Boss Lin back and hide him somewhere. I can control your thoughts and get all your wealth easily."

Lin Zhen, who was sitting in the yamen, smiled: "Brother Yan, you should give up this idea. It's a bit dangerous."

Yan Canghai said: "Hahahaha, Boss Lin is afraid that I will be detained by the prefect?"

Lin Zhen didn't expect him to talk about Gu Lin directly, but thinking of him as an old fox who is used to seeing all kinds of people, it's not surprising that he can see some clues. He said without denying: "He won't detain you. It will be more efficient."

"?" Yan Canghai looked at him.

Lin Zhen said: "Brother Yan, what goods are you going to import this time?"

Seeing that he changed the subject, Yan Canghai tactfully told him about business matters.

...

Not long after, Yan Canghai, who had failed in his attempt to buy cement, left. Not long after he left, another person came to visit. He was also the big merchant who had bought Yurong Powder Flower Dew lipstick and other products. He also came for cement.

Lin Zhen repeated what he had said to Yan Canghai and sent him out. But before he sat down, another person came. The first thing he said was cement.

Seven or eight people came in one day, all for cement. Lin Zhen felt that he should put up a sign at the gate of the prefectural government.

Kong Zheng was from a village near the prefectural government. There were twelve people in his family. At this time of year in previous years, they were almost out of food. The family could only boil hot water to drink and fill their stomachs with water.

But this year was different. With the new policy of farming, the family opened up 13 acres of wasteland. One acre of land yielded more than 200 grains of grain. It was an unprecedented bumper harvest. There was so much grain that the house could hardly store it.

Even if the grain tax was paid and the money owed to the prefectural government for plows and seeds was settled this year, there would still be a lot of grain left.

Not to mention that he and his brothers were still working in Boss Lin's cement factory, and his husband was working in Boss Lin's soap factory. They had saved a lot of money without realizing it, and they were willing to go to Boss Lin's slaughterhouse every ten days or half a month to buy a few pounds of red meat to eat.

This day, Kong Zhengzheng and his family were sitting in front of the fire pit, and the family was talking happily when they heard the voice of the village chief: "Kong Zheng, is Kong Zheng here?"

It was the village chief's voice.

Kong Zheng hurriedly got up to open the door, but after opening the door, he found that there was an old man in official robes next to the village chief. He quickly bent down and invited him in: "Sir, come in and sit down."

The village chief said to the man in official robes: "Sir, this is Kong Zheng. She works in Boss Lin's cement factory on weekdays. Her husband also works in Boss Lin's soap factory. She is very eloquent and has a quick mind."

Kong Zheng thought he had done something wrong unintentionally, and was a little flustered when facing the official: "Village, village chief, I haven't done anything bad--"

The man in official robes waved his hand: "You haven't done anything bad, it's a good thing, I'll come in and tell you in detail."

When Kong Zheng's family saw the official come in, they hurriedly moved away from the fire pit.

The people from the prefecture government said, "It's like this. The government has just issued a new policy to attract people to settle in Lizhou. We need to find some people who are good at speaking and who really think the previous new policy is good and are very satisfied with our Lizhou now to go to other places to do publicity."

In other words, it is actually to go to other places to talk about how good Lizhou is, so as to persuade people to come to Lizhou.

Guan Peng told the people below about the method that Lin Zhen said, and then the people below found the right person. So, they found Kong Zheng through the village chief.

Kong Zheng didn't expect that such a thing would fall on him, "Master, but I can't read a single word, and I'm still working at Boss Lin's cement factory..."

He didn't want to lose this job. Who wouldn't want to work in Boss Lin's workshop now? He never owed wages and provided a meal. You can't find such a good thing with a lantern.

The man in the official robe said, "Don't worry, we will communicate with Mr. Lin and let the cement factory keep your name, and you can continue to work when you come back."

Kong Zheng was still a little confused. Although he thought he was good at speaking and boasted to his family and friends, why did this kind of work fall on him? Wouldn't it be better to find someone in the government?

As if seeing Kong Zheng's thoughts, the man in the official robe said, "Tomorrow you will go directly to the state government office. The senior officials will talk to you first, so that you know what you have to do and how to do it."

Kong Zheng's family and Kong Zheng still didn't want to go, but thinking that this was the state government office, they didn't say anything else.

The next day, Kong Zheng went to the state government early in the morning. Their village was not far from the state government office, only an hour and a half away, and now there was a cement road. When Kong Zheng arrived, he found that there were many people like him.

There were husbands from years ago, aunts, and men like him, adding up to hundreds of people.

Suddenly, someone came over. Two men in official robes shouted to the man in the middle: "Boss Lin, these are the people we found from the surrounding villages and the state capital."

Boss Lin!

That was the Boss Lin who gave them the work!

Many people working in the Lin's workshop looked at Lin Zhen, only to see that this man had an extremely good appearance, wearing a coat with pure white fur on the collar and cuffs, and a fur hat on his head.

Even with such bloated and thick clothes, he could still see his waistline. He was a god-like figure that they had never seen before.

Kong Zheng had only respect in his heart. The only two people he respected in his heart were Lord Gu who fed them and Boss Lin who made their wallets bulge. His heart, which had been a little up and down along the way, calmed down at once when he saw Lin Zhen.

Since Boss Lin was here, it meant that this matter was really not a lie.

Lin Zhen walked to Guan Peng, Gao Tong and Jiang Jing, looked at the hundreds of people standing in rows, and said, "Everyone knows why you are here, right?"

"Yes." Some people were workers in Lin's workshop. Seeing Lin Zhen, they were inevitably excited and said loudly.

Lin Zhen smiled and said, "Since everyone knows, I will make it short. This time, everyone will be paid silver when they go to the state government office. Each person will be paid three silver coins per month, and there will be some extra money for travel, food and accommodation. Your task is to spread the news that we welcome the people of Lizhou to settle here."

"Everyone is a smart person who was selected. You know how to say things so that people will like to hear more and believe more."

"But don't let people think you are human traffickers."

"Hahaha." Someone laughed below, and Guan Peng and others also laughed.

The way they went to other states to attract people is really a bit similar to human traffickers.

Then, Lin Zhen talked about the policies of Lizhou and asked the people below to remember.

The first is farming. All the people who come to Lizhou can enjoy the same farming policy as the original residents of Lizhou. They can buy plows and seeds on credit and pay them off in two years. Newly reclaimed wasteland does not need to pay taxes within five years.

The second is that Lin's business cooperates with Lizhou. For all the people who come to Lizhou to settle down, one person from each family can work in Lin's workshop.

And tell the people below to try to target those poor villages or families, and strive to maximize the effect.

And tell those who work in Lin's workshop below: "During your absence, Lin's workshop will not stop your wages, and will pay them as usual on a monthly basis."

Kong Zheng's heart almost stopped when he heard this. The cement factory of Lin's workshop earns 221 coins per month, plus the three coins of silver given by the government, which means more than five coins of silver per month, and extra silver for travel, food and accommodation. This job is done!

Kong Zheng listened attentively to what Boss Lin said. Boss Lin taught them how to chat with people, quietly reveal the policies of Lizhou, and arouse other people's interest...

Lin Zhen has already greeted the familiar merchants and asked them to take these people to other places and take care of them on the way.

And they were divided into groups, with 20 to 30 people in a group, to increase safety.

Two days later, those who came to the prefecture went back to pack up some things, and gradually followed the merchants who were leaving with goods and left the prefecture of Lizhou.

Now it was cold, and the river mouth of Dongyang County had been frozen. The merchants who came here all took the land route, which was much slower, but the risk was not too great.

Chapter 290

Lin Zhen, Guan Peng and others stood on the tower of Lizhou, looking at the people who were traveling with the merchants. "With these merchants taking care of them all the way, they should have no worries on the road. As for how many people they can attract to Lizhou, it all depends on their ability."

"It's a business without capital. The more people we attract, the better. Even if there are fewer, it doesn't matter." Guan Peng said.

Lin Zhen nodded: "That's exactly the case. I was just thinking, if the officials of other prefectures knew that we were recruiting people under their noses, how would they look at us."

Lin Zhen, Guan Peng, and Gao Tong touched their noses at the same time.

Judge Jiang Jing looked at the three of them like this, with his hands in the fur cover, and felt a little funny.

This is the fifteenth year since he came to Lizhou. Gu Lin is the third governor of Lizhou he has welcomed. At present, it seems that he is quite curious about Gu Lin, the governor of Lizhou. He hopes that this governor of Lizhou will stay longer and not toss himself away.

This was Kong Zheng's first time to travel far away, and he left Lizhou where he was born and raised, and went to another place. There were

29 other people traveling with him. As they got farther and farther away from Lizhou, they found that the snow was gradually thinning and there were fewer of them.

Soon, they changed their thick winter clothes and put on late autumn clothes.

Everyone looked at the place in front of them where there was no snow and even the sun was out, and felt extra novel.

"Is this place called Yongzhou?" One person looked at the not-so-bustling town and said.

Kong Zheng said: "Yes, the merchants who brought us here said that this is Yongzhou. There was a drought here just two years ago. I wonder if the people here have recovered."

In view of their friendship with Lin Zhen, the merchants did not completely let go of them when they arrived in Yongzhou, but sent two people to lead the way for them, and told them to find him if they had any problems.

This made Kong Zheng and his companions feel relieved. After two days of wandering in a place called Ma'an County in Yongzhou, Kong Zheng, who was the most active, turned his head and said to his companions, "I have seen these two days that the people in Ma'an County are not living well. The streets are dead, there are few people working, and few people selling things. I am afraid we should go to a distant village to have a look."

Kong Zheng and his companions were not unfamiliar with such a county town. The former Lizhou Prefecture was also like this. The people selling things were dead, and the people on the road were also dead. It was the look of people who had no motivation.

In such a place, Kong Zheng felt that they could cut the Gordian knot quickly. He pretended to be the manager of recruiting workers, and others pretended to be workers recruited from other places and passed by Ma'an County.

At the same time, they released the news that they would continue to recruit workers, and tricked people on the road first. When these people arrived in Lizhou and found the good of Lizhou, were they afraid that they would not take their whole family to Lizhou?

As for the conditions of their prefecture, they were also tempted.

As soon as he said it, Kong Zheng took a few people and pretended to pass by, asking for water from a family not far from Ma'an County.

Yongzhou suffered a drought that was rare in a century two years ago. The people here are complex. Some are the original villagers who returned after the drought, and some are others who suffered the same disaster and stayed after hearing that Yongzhou was settling refugees.

But everyone's life is still not easy. Although the court exempted taxes for two years, where would the grain seeds come from, where would the hoes and sickles come from? If you encounter a cold and headache, there is nothing you can do except bear it.

The family that Kong Zheng and his team targeted was in the middle of several families, in a shaky thatched house. In front of the house, there happened to be a man in his thirties turning over the vegetable field.

Seeing them coming, he stood vigilantly with a hoe.

Kong Zheng, the temporary steward, stood in front and said to the man, "Brother, we are passing by from other places. Can we have a bowl of water to drink?"

"Not for free, give me three cents."

Kong Zheng was not a sucker. There was no drought now, and three cents was more than enough to buy a few bowls of water.

There were still people in the hut. The man whispered to them not to come out. He looked at Kong Zheng and his group and the three cents in his hand, and agreed, "Wait, I will go to the house to pour you water."

"Okay, thank you, brother, take the copper coins."

The man saw that they were polite and did not look like evil people. He walked over to take the copper coins, nodded and went to the house to pour water.

In the house, the man's wife and two children surrounded him, a little scared.

After experiencing drought and losing their loved ones, they were very wary of people. If it were not for the three cents, the man would not agree to give them water.

"Dad, who are those people? Why are they standing outside our house?"

The man handed the three coins in his hand to his wife, "They are passers-by, asking for a bowl of water."

"Are they bad people?"

"They don't look like them."

The man's wife held the three coins, feeling sympathetic.

She quietly looked out the window, and the two children, about twelve or thirteen years old, also looked at Kong Zheng and his friends.

Only to hear voices coming from outside: "When can we return to Lizhou? One day later means seven cents in wages. I'm so anxious!"

"Why are you anxious? Manager Kong is not anxious either. Manager Kong's wages are higher. If he hadn't come to pick us up, it would be so comfortable to eat that greasy meal in the factory every day."

Kong Zheng, who deliberately let them find a topic to talk about, missed the food in the cement factory sincerely when he heard it. He said with a bit of manager style: "The food in our factory is excellent. This," he gave a thumbs up, "every day there are three stir-fried dishes and a soup, and two meals of sorghum rice are enough. If you are still hungry after eating, you can go for more. Even the factory director eats the same as us."

The others also swallowed their saliva and pretended to be the one entering the factory for the first time and said: "Can newcomers like me eat meals? Do I have to pay for it?"

Kong Zheng said loudly: "Our boss said that this is called workers' meals. Anyone who works there can eat it, and there is no deduction in wages."

"We only have one meal here in the factory. The powder factory, soap factory, perfumed soap factory, and vanishing cream factory in the state capital can eat in the workshop in the afternoon when they work the night shift, and they can get an extra six coins, which is more than two hundred coins a month."

They deliberately raised their voices so that not only the people in the house but also the neighbors at home could hear them.

The two children who were peeking at them swallowed their saliva. Although it was only two months after the autumn harvest, the harvest was poor this year, and the family still had to tighten their belts and eat a thin meal a day. However, the two brothers heard from their father and mother that it was still not enough to eat until the next year's grain harvest, and they would go to cut wild vegetables tomorrow, with a bowl of grain and a pot of wild vegetables.

The two brothers stared at the manager who looked very stylish, and heard him say with a smile: "Hey, let me tell you, there are many people who want to join our factory. If it weren't for the fact that the factory has expanded and we need to recruit more people, and we can't use up all the local strong laborers, and we need to keep some people so as not to delay farming, why would we recruit people from outside?"

"There are many people who want to go to our factory for lunch, which must have meat."

The two brothers looked at each other, and the hands that were pulling at the doors and windows were more powerful than at the beginning.

There was nothing better than being able to eat, get money, and have meat.

The woman and the man also heard what Kong Zheng and his friends said. The couple looked at each other, and their hearts tightened for a moment, and they became wary of Kong Zheng and his friends.

Maybe these people were really just passing by, but it's not wrong to be more careful.

The man went out with two bowls of water. Kong Zheng took the bowl and gulped down a few gulps, urging the others: "Drink up and go. I still need to go see how the others are doing. I'm worried sick that we haven't recruited enough people this time."

"Manager Kong, don't worry.

If you can't recruit any more, there's nothing you can do." Kong Zheng nodded seriously, "That's right. If I hadn't worked there myself, I would have thought someone was lying if they told me that I could have food and money."

Kong Zheng glanced at the man's face and accidentally saw the two teenagers who were lying on the window and listening.

The two teenagers were afraid that he would miss something, so they put their hands next to their ears.

Kong Zheng's mind turned and he felt that this matter had a chance. He had planned to go to other villages if this method didn't work. Yongzhou was so big that he didn't believe that there would be no fish to take the bait.

After drinking the water, several people were about to leave. Seeing that the man did not talk to them, except Kong Zheng, the others were a little discouraged. When they walked out of the village, Kong Zheng said, "Walk slower."

"What's wrong?"

Kong Zheng said, "See if the two children from that family can catch up."

"If the children come, we can't take them away, otherwise we will be human traffickers."

Kong Zheng explained, "We want to send the children back and let that family believe that we are not bad people. As long as one person believes it, many people in this village will follow us."

Kong Zheng's family had lived the same life as the other people in the village. Faced with the temptation of being able to get wages and have a meal, not many people could resist the temptation.

After they left, some noises came from that family.

It was the couple's two sons who were talking to the man and the woman: "Dad, Mom, did you hear what those uncles said just now? They are hiring workers in Lizhou. They will get 221 coins a month, and they can also have a meal, which is enough!"

The man sat on a stool, braiding the straw he collected from the mountain into braids, preparing to make straw stools and take them to the county to sell.

The man said: "I heard it, they are doing their own work, it is none of our business."

"Dad, we can go with them to work. Our family does not have enough food this year. We will starve after the New Year. My brother and I are scared."

The man paused while braiding the straw, and still said: "Those people suddenly came to our village. Who knows who they are? Lizhou is so far away. What should we do if something happens on the way?"

The young man was anxious: "But our family is not originally from here. We also fled here. What difference does it make where we are?"

"Okay, go collect firewood with your brother, don't think about it." The man didn't want to say more, and drove his two sons to the mountain to work.

The two brothers obviously didn't understand why such a good thing should be pushed out, but they still obediently carried their backpacks to the mountain to collect firewood.

The woman looked at her husband weaving straw stools and her two sons going to the mountain to collect firewood, sighed and said nothing.

In the past, when the years were good, the straw stools her husband wove could still be sold, but now it's hard for everyone to fill their stomachs, who would buy this thing? There are already seven or eight straw stools in the house that have been woven but not sold.

But she knew that her husband was also holding on to a glimmer of hope, and he would be more panicked if he had nothing to do.

During the escape, all the elderly in the family died, and the couple's youngest daughter also starved to death. No one was more afraid of hunger than them.

The woman turned around, put on her basket, and went to the river to pick hemp willow leaves, ready to take them back and mix them with food.

There were many people who thought the same as her. There were seven or eight husbands and women standing under the hemp willow trees by the river.

One of them was her neighbor. When he saw her coming, he asked, "Who was that person standing outside your house just now, Yang Gui? He looked strong and healthy. I'm sure his family doesn't have to worry about food?"

"I heard them talking about working for more than 200 coins a month. Are you here to work for your Yang Gui?"

As soon as the woman spoke, all the women and husbands on the river bank looked at Yang Gui's wife.

Yang Gui's wife said, "A few passers-by came to ask for a few bowls of water. The child's father and I didn't hear it clearly. Those people left quickly."

Every household was having a hard time. If there was something good, they would want to find out and drink a bowl of soup. When they heard what Yang Gui's wife said, they all stopped talking.

Yang Gui's wife picked a full basket of hemp willow leaves and walked towards home with two or three neighbors.

As soon as they reached the door of their house, her husband Yang Gui came out and said, "Mother of the child, didn't Da Shuang and Er Shuang come to find you?!"

"No." Yang Gui's wife was full of confusion.

Yang Gui was anxious: "Oh no, something must have happened to Dashuang and Ershuang, maybe they were kidnapped by those people!"

Yang Gui's wife dropped the basket in her hand and hurriedly followed Yang Gui to the entrance of the village.

Although they were not old neighbors who had lived together for decades, the neighbors still followed to see if they could help.

Suddenly, when seven or eight people ran to the entrance of the village, they saw a few people who were asking for water and their two sons walking here. Yang Gui and his wife hurried over, pulled the children over, hid them behind them, and looked at Kong Zheng and others in surprise.

The two boys who ran to find Kong Zheng and his friends, but were persuaded by Kong Zheng to come back, quickly said to their parents: "Dad, Mom, it's none of Uncle Kong's business. I took my brother to find Uncle Kong and his friends to ask if they would still accept people to do the work. Uncle Kong said that you would worry about us, so he sent us back."

Kong Zheng smiled slightly and said: "Your two children are a bit brave. They dared to run with us at such a young age. Don't blame them, brother. They just want to share the worries for you and your sister-in-law."

After hearing what their son said, Yang Gui and his wife's expression eased. After hearing what Kong Zheng said, they felt a little embarrassed.

They had wrongly accused the wrong person.

Yang Gui looked at Kong Zheng and others who had gone and returned, and looked at the darkening sky, and said to Kong Zheng and others: "It's getting late, you can rest at my house for a night before going back to the county."

Kong Zheng looked at the people behind him and nodded: "Thank you, brother."

"We husband and wife should thank you, brothers. These two children have caused you trouble."

"It's not a big deal."

Kong Zheng followed Yang Gui's family back to the village. The neighbors who came with them to find the children saw that the children were safe and sound, and they breathed a sigh of relief for Yang Gui's family. Then they turned their eyes to Kong Zheng and others.

The mental outlook of a person who is well fed and one who is not is very different. Seeing the strong and healthy appearance of Kong Zheng and his companions, someone could not help asking, "Brothers, where are you from? Your accent is different from ours."

Kong Zheng smiled and said, "I'm from Lizhou. I went to other places to recruit workers. I happened to pass by Yongzhou. They are my workers."

"Lizhou? I heard

it's very far away." "I heard it snows there all year round and crops can't be grown."

Kong Zheng chuckled, "I, a native of Lizhou, have to set the record straight for our Lizhou. Our winter is indeed longer and the farming time starts in May, but the crops are ripe in August."

The villagers exclaimed, "Can the crops be ripe in such a short time?"

"Yes," Kong Zheng said firmly, "Our new governor is very capable. He has invented the method of composting and manure water. One acre of land used to produce only 80 kilograms of grain, but now it can produce more than 200 kilograms."

"The prefect's uncle is also a very capable man. He has set up many workshops. I am here to recruit workers for him."

This time, Yang Gui, his wife, and the neighbors in the village did not say anything to spoil the mood. If Kong Zheng and his friends were bad people, they could just kidnap the two children and sell them. Two teenagers of twelve or thirteen could also be sold for some money.

Yang Gui's eldest son patted his chest and said anxiously, "Uncle Kong, can I do this? I also want to go to work and earn money."

Kong Zheng touched his head and shook his head: "Our boss said that children under the age of fifteen are still growing and cannot do heavy work, otherwise they will not grow tall and have bad health. Only those over the age of fifteen are accepted."

"And teenagers can only go to the gouache workshop, soap workshop, perfumed soap workshop, and vanishing cream workshop. The work in these workshops can be done by girls and boys."

Yang Gui's wife paused: "Is there any work that girls and boys can do?"

Kong Zheng answered her: "Yes, one hundred and fifty coins a month, and if you work night shifts, you can get an extra six coins a day. In addition to the lunch, you also eat the afternoon meal in the workshop."

...

The next day, Kong Zheng and his friends were leaving the village. They did not sleep all night. The door of Yang Gui's house was knocked on again and again by the villagers, all of whom came to ask about this matter.

After a night of struggle and thinking, Yang Gui's family finally decided to go to Lizhou to find a way to make a living, and some of them had decided last night.

Kong Zheng made a simple registration for these people, and told them that he had not recruited all the workers yet, and he would continue to recruit. If they were interested in going to Lizhou, they could help him advertise and find more people for him. When they had enough people, they would set off immediately.

So in the next few days, all the surrounding villages knew that there was a manager from Lizhou who wanted to recruit workers, with a good salary and a meal.

Except for some people who really didn't want to move, many people wanted to go and take a look.

However, families like Yang Gui rarely went, and most of them sent one or two strong laborers to take a look and make a living outside.

After more than half a month, Kong Zheng set off on his return journey with more than 400 people.

In other places, there were many people like Kong Zheng who tried their best to bring people to Lizhou.