Chapter 416 An Old Friend From the East Wants to Meet

A letter of good news written by Wu Yi himself was placed on the courier's chest, and the brocade bag carefully sealed by Wu Yi was also carried on the courier's back with a tight knot.

The speed of the pony is not very fast, but running with its calves is just right for the mountain trails in Nanzhong.

Accompanied by more than a dozen guards, the group galloped across the land of Nanzhong on ponies.

They were all Wu Yi's personal soldiers. They followed their generals and Duke Xuande to send troops to seize Nanzhong. They also witnessed with their own eyes that Nanzhong had grown from a chaotic hilltop to now listening to Chengdu's orders.

Now, on the way back, we can run as we please without having to worry about being ambushed by the natives and common people in South China. This alone is comforting enough.

General Wu Yi was able to live up to Duke Xuande's trust and pacify the entire Nanzhong, but at this time, he seemed serious because of a small brocade bag. It was impossible not to be curious in his heart.

But as Wu Yi's subordinates, they understood that they did not need to worry about these things. They only needed to complete what the general said and hand over the object to Zhang Song, the prefect of Chengdu.

Although Shu Ma is short, its endurance is actually more outstanding. After running around non-stop for more than ten days, after passing Zhu Ti and passing through Nanguang, the group finally left Nanzhong and could rest in Bo Dao County. A rest.

This is the last stop entering Nanzhong and the first stop for Nanzhong people after leaving the mountains.

Standing here and looking north, although you can't see Chengdu, you can see the rolling river to the north and the dense forest-like sugar cane growing on the fertile land to the east of the river.

In the meantime, a knight remembered the sweet taste, couldn't help but licked it and muttered:

"Why does this sugar cane field seem to have doubled in size..."

The Bodao defender who led them turned back and said with a smile:

"Your Majesty has good eyesight. Last year, the governor of Jiangyang issued an order, and the people followed it to reclaim wasteland and grow sugar cane to make a living."

The messengers remained silent, but their eyes were full of curiosity. Those who had asked before simply continued the conversation:

"But I remember that the population of Bodao is not large. How can we cultivate so many sugar cane fields? And growing sugar cane is quite painful, but no one disobeys the order?"

"Ha, your Majesty is really good at joking." The defender turned around and said with a smile:

“No matter how hard it is to grow sugar cane, it’s not as hard as going hungry.”

This actually made the knight blush a little. Wu Yi was one of the richest people in Chengdu. As personal guards, they had not known how to be hungry for a long time.

"Besides, even if it's a bit bitter, aren't all the barbarians living in the south of our Bo Road?"

The knight raised his eyebrows, hesitated a little and said:

"Capturing slaves is against the prohibition of Duke Xuande..."

The defender waved his hand and interrupted the knight's tangled words:

"What did your Majesty say?"

"Now we Bo Tao people can make money by growing sugar cane. These barbarians were subdued by Xuande Gong. Now they have become Han people and they need money to live their lives."

"Then come over and work for us to grow sugar cane. Why don't you do it?"

This is true, the knight nodded in his heart and agreed.

They fought all the way through Nanzhong, so they could see clearly.

Although there are rare and rare things in Nanzhong, such as gold, silver, lacquerware, jade and other stones, these are basically exclusive to the chief surnames, and the lives of ordinary natives are far worse than those of beggars in Chengdu.

After all, there is no fertile land in the south, and everyone depends on the leader for survival, and the production of goods is crude. Even the art of making pottery is very crude, let alone the use of iron tools. The only one that can be praised is the homespun cloth, and the rest are not as good as others.

From this point of view, being employed to grow sugar cane can make you rich and you can buy all kinds of things, which can be regarded as a way for the natives of South China to make a living.

After resting for a day at Bo Road, the group of knights continued their journey north the next day.

After listening to the garrison's introduction yesterday, I paid careful attention today, and sure enough I could see many native people in the sugar cane fields by the river. Together with the people around them, they carefully cultivated the soil, irrigated the sugar cane, and broke the leaves.

Whistling north, after passing Wuyang County, Chengdu is already in sight.

Deliberately going around to the east of the city and stepping onto the Wanli Bridge again to enter the city, the knights suddenly felt a little more at peace in their hearts: they were going home.

The rows of Sichuan embroidered houses along the river, the ever-burning sugar workshops in the south of the city, the debate over dyeing paper in the paper mills, and the endless stream of coal-carrying boats in the river, all of which make people wonder. The knights, who have been away from home for a year, feel particularly close to each other.

Some knights even saw acquaintances at a glance:

"Erlang of the Li family!"

After a brief exchange of greetings, the knight hurried towards the Chengdu government office and muttered briefly to his colleagues:

"The second son of the Li family is lucky. He married the little widow from Fan County, so he has no worries about food and clothing."

"I've heard of him. His whole family escaped from Moling with Duke Xuande a few years ago. His father was able to establish some friendship with the general."

"I also know about this matter. After all, I fled south from Yanzhou in my early years, and I am from the same hometown as the general."

"Is this family so famous for marrying a young widow with a lot of money?"

"That's not true, but he has a young lady who is said to be quite talented and has been praised by Zhuge Military Advisor."

"That's amazing, I don't know if there is a marriage..."

"Silence!" The leading knight turned his head and glared dissatisfied, reminding them that they had arrived at the government office.

After duly verifying their identity, they handed over the two items to Zhang Song, the prefect here, after showing the talisman. The group of knights finally breathed a sigh of relief and left one after another after receiving the approval.

Wu Yi's good news was easy to deal with. He would write an official document and post it outside to make people publicize it. At the same time, he would make another copy and send it to Chang'an to announce the good news to his lord. These were all routine procedures.

Zhang Song pinched his beard and looked at the cotton with interest again.

Is this what later generations said could be used in battle, resist severe cold and benefit the people?

The handling of this thing was still simple, and Kong Ming left enough arrangements when he left Chengdu.

In addition to opening up the Southwest Yi Road, paying a large sum of money to ask for cotton seeds, planting methods, and the other party's classics, it also included the rules of how to deal with these things.

Zhang Song had a good memory and remembered it after a brief recollection.

The seeds were divided into three parts, one was sent to Chang'an, one was sent to Jiangling, and one was left in Chengdu for trial planting.

And even the candidates for trial planting in Chengdu were decided early.

"Go and ask Zichu to come."

Liu Ba was the candidate designated by Kong Ming, and Zhang Song had no objection.

Now Zhang Song was in charge of Yizhou affairs and Xiao Taixue, and he had to take time to study mathematics with Liu Ba and write letters to communicate with Kong Ming.

Liu Ba was in charge of the official market and many workshops, and he also had to take time to go to Xiao Taixue to teach instead of Kong Ming.

And now the busy Zichu looks like he will have to worry about one more thing.

But... he should have no complaints about this, right? Zhang Song is sure.

...

In Tang Chang'an, Li Shimin was also busy, and he sighed again that the ten-day rest had nothing to do with him.

On the third day of the first lunar month, he watched the light curtain and talked to the champion Ma Zhou. In the evening, he summoned Hou Junji to the palace for dinner again. During the meal, he pulled and released Hou Junji again. In the evening, he had to briefly describe his experience with Guanyin Bi, and consolidate the relationship with several sons and daughters.

The next day, he was still waiting to see Yan Lide make a water pressure well for him, but another piece of news was delivered to him first.

This news was even delivered by Du Ruhui himself in the palace.

And this news was also very simple, and it can even be said that there were only a few words:

"The Japanese country has an envoy who wants to pay homage to the emperor in Chang'an."

The keyboard was completely ruined by the water. I will go and see if there is any remedy tomorrow. I am not used to the double-flying swallow keyboard I bought temporarily.