spend time

Jiang Shaohua sighed silently, and he and Song Yuan looked at each other in silence.

After a while, Jiang Shaohua finally pulled himself together and said, "The imperial court has already sent reinforcements to Sizhou. Once the reinforcements arrive, the war will improve significantly."

Song Yuan whispered, "It's a pity that the reinforcements will not leave until after the New Year. I just hope they can get to Sizhou as soon as possible."

The general Song who led the reinforcements was Song Yuan's uncle. Although the uncle and nephew had disputes, at this critical moment, Song Yuan had no other thoughts and only hoped that General Song would lead his troops to Sizhou as soon as possible.

This is a true loyal minister and general.

Jiang Shaohua said: "Have someone keep a close eye on the capital and report immediately if there is any news."

Song Yuan bowed in response.

In the next few days, news came from the capital from time to time.

Princess Baohua has been bedridden and has been recuperating in her palace.

Empress Dowager Li made a few negative comments in front of others, and was rebuked by Empress Dowager Zheng. The relationship between the two palaces became tense, with far-reaching consequences. In addition to the Prime Minister's party and the Empress Dowager's party, another Li family emerged in the court. At present, the Li family is the weakest, but the Li family is the emperor's maternal family, and the Minister of Rites Li Shangshu is the emperor's maternal grandfather. Once Prime Minister Wang falls, Li Shangshu will also have the strength and qualifications to compete for the prime minister.

Emperor Taihe was worried about the border wars and the complicated personnel affairs in the court and harem. His body, which had just recovered, was weakening again and he almost fainted during a small court meeting. He had to rest in the Showa Hall.

No one could suppress Prime Minister Wang and Duke Anguo. The two of them almost fell out in the court and targeted each other in everything. The two factions of officials fought fiercely, and the government affairs, which had been running smoothly, became procrastinated and unsmooth.

Under such circumstances, the fact that Empress Dowager Zheng selected the empress and four concubines for the emperor was not a big deal.

The future queen is the legitimate daughter of Zheng, and the cousin of Zheng Chen. The four concubines are also from famous families, namely the noble daughters of Li and Ji, and two from military families, one is the daughter of Zuo, and the other is from the Bao family.

This selection took into account both civil officials and military generals in the court, and balanced several aristocratic families. Only the Wang family was excluded.

The wedding of the emperor was scheduled for June, and one month after the empress entered the palace, the four concubines would enter the palace one after another. The Ministry of Rites was extremely busy in handling the emperor's wedding and the four concubines' entry into the palace.

……

It was already the end of February, the time for spring ploughing.

Jiang Shaohua lived in the guard camp for more than a month, and finally set out to inspect the counties. This has been a routine for several years, so there is no need to elaborate on it one by one.

It is worth mentioning that the refugees who poured into Nanyang County were all properly settled. Nanyang County's powerful military force gave the people a full sense of security. There were no excessive taxes, no corrupt officials, and the government was in good order and the people were harmonious. The refugees who moved in from the north quickly integrated into their new lives like drops of water flowing into a river.

Jiang Shaohua was in a state of confusion, but after inspecting Li County, his mood suddenly improved greatly: "How many people are there in Li County now?"

Magistrate Cai calculated in his mind and answered, "My lord, more than a thousand refugees have arrived since the New Year. Now there are 6,235 households and 28,670 people in the household register of Li County."

The number is more than three times that of the past. In addition to the continuous influx of refugees, the local people have been well fed and well-off in the past few years, and the number of newborns has more than doubled compared to before. Jiang Shaohua laughed: "You remember it clearly."

Magistrate Cai smiled and said, "I personally record and manage the household registration of refugees, and we have to re-count them every month. This is the latest data. By next month, there may be more."

After the Royal Guard Battalion recruits refugees from various northern states and counties, they will first be sent back to Nanyang County. The final county where they will be settled will be decided by Chen Changshi and Feng Changshi.

Li County has many mountains and forests, and there is even more wasteland to be reclaimed. Magistrate Cai is a hardworking old ox. The two chiefs Chen and Feng are inevitably biased, and the refugees are all sent to Li County first.

Population and land are the greatest wealth. With people, wasteland can be reclaimed and crops can be grown. With land to settle down, the hearts of refugees can quickly settle down. Li County, which was originally barren, has been rejuvenated by the continuous influx of refugees in recent years.

County Magistrate Cai took Jiang Shaohua to see the newly reclaimed wasteland. Not long after the grain seeds were planted, a few green shoots emerged. Then he went to the pepper field where he had been planting for two years.

"This pepper is really a good thing." Magistrate Cai laughed softly, "Although it is troublesome to grow and hard to pick, the price is very high. Selling it to the south can make a lot of money. Now the people of our Li County are not poor at all, and even the county government is much richer."

It was indeed a pleasant thing to be with Magistrate Cai. Jiang Shaohua had been smiling all day: "Since the county government has money, it should be repaired and tidied up."

The Li County government office was old and dilapidated. Magistrate Cai had the money but had no intention of repairing the government office. He smiled and said, "There is a war going on in Sizhou now. Although it is far from our Nanyang County, I still plan to build the city wall higher."

For the common people, tall and solid city walls are the most reliable. Living in a county town surrounded by city walls gives people a special sense of security.

Of the fourteen counties in Nanyang, Ye County is the richest, and even Bowang County and Biyang County are much richer than Li County. However, the people from other places with some wealth are willing to settle in Li County because Li County has the largest gate and the highest wall.

This is also the wisdom of County Magistrate Cai. He has been repairing the city wall for several years since he took office, and has built it up to its current appearance bit by bit.

Jiang Shaohua looked at Magistrate Cai with approval: "You have done a great job, much better than I expected."

County Magistrate Cai laughed, and his dry face relaxed. "Back then, the princess promoted me to be the magistrate of Li County. I thought that I must govern Li County well and never let the princess down. Now I can be considered a qualified magistrate."

Jiang Shaohua was amused: "You are the number one county magistrate in Nanyang County. Looking at the entire Daliang, no county magistrate is better than you. It is not an exaggeration to say that you are the number one county magistrate in Daliang. It is really humble and low-key to say so."

County Magistrate Cai's face turned red due to the praise, and he kept bowing and saying he didn't dare.

Chen Jinyu on the side said with a smile: "Every time the princess comes to Li County, she is in a very good mood. It can be seen that Magistrate Cai is very dedicated in his work, which is very much in line with the princess's wishes. Magistrate Cai can accept the princess' praise calmly. There are no outsiders here. Even if there are outsiders, looking at the current situation of Li County, they will also sincerely admire Magistrate Cai's ability."

Because Magistrate Cai was so capable, Jiang Shaohua liked to come to Li County the most whenever he inspected the counties.

As they were talking and laughing, a fast horse galloped over. A personal guard jumped off the horse, and Qin Hu took the bamboo tube and presented it to him.

Jiang Shaohua read the letter in the bamboo tube, and his relaxed brows knitted again. (End of this chapter)