Chinese New Year

Chapter 1494 Southern Affairs (Part 1)

As the new grain was being stored, laughter and cheerful chatter filled the air under the old locust tree at the village entrance.

Across the river, the grass market had already opened, with men and women gathered together, creating a bustling and lively atmosphere.

A group of long-haired knights led their horses by and watched the whole thing with curiosity.

Onions, chives, sunflowers, beans, straw sandals, raincoats, baskets, winnowing baskets, and all sorts of other goods were available—the selection was truly abundant.

You have to understand, this is a rural market, and hardly anyone even knows the name of the place, yet it has so many goods for sale, almost like the markets in Nan'an County.

Yao Chang, who was leading the team, was also surprised.

This is the first rural market we've encountered on our journey. The sheer variety of goods makes one wonder just how prosperous the markets of Jianye must have been.

Just then, a convoy approached from the front, and the small vendors and farmers in the market immediately began to complain.

"These scoundrels, all they know is how to steal our livelihood, it's really going too far," one vendor said, his voice not too loud, which quickly resonated with others.

"Nobody in Jiangnan eats salted cheese. I'm afraid even if it turns to ashes, nobody will buy it," another vendor said.

“Many northerners have come here in the last two years,” a middle-aged man sighed and said.

Several chickens lay at his feet, their legs tangled together, flapping their wings incessantly, feathers flying everywhere, and chicken droppings scattered all over the ground.

"A lot of northerners have indeed come." Someone chimed in, and everyone fell silent, their brows furrowing.

I wouldn't say I hate them. But those people are certainly ugly. Small families are alright, but powerful clans are arrogant and domineering. They'll fight tooth and nail for water and land, and you can't win a lawsuit against them. The reason is simple: they have connections.

Previously, Tang Jian unconditionally favored the northerners, and Zhang Shuo was no better. Under the pretext of reorganizing military affairs, he executed countless local tyrants in Yangzhou and went on a killing spree in Huainan, causing widespread fear.

Ultimately, it wasn't the ordinary people who suffered; it was just that, out of a sense of shared fate as fellow Wu people, they felt a sense of sympathy for each other's plight.

If you don't hate them, look at what they've done, and the waves of migrants still heading south. Their descendants' livelihoods will likely be much more difficult, and they'll have to clear land.

In short, their arrival was not a good thing and was quite offensive.

But they couldn't die, and even the army that was assembled to march south was mostly composed of people from Jingzhou. Tell me, what kind of situation is this?

"Last year's wheat is easy to sell..." Just as the vendors were lamenting, the newly arrived truckload had already set up their stall and started hawking their wares.

"The newly made salted cheese is more than the household needs, so we're selling it. Two coins for one piece, it's very cheap..."

"Come and see the pruned firewood..."

After the first person finished speaking, the next person shouted, "If anyone wants to work, come quickly, up to fifty people."

"It is only natural for laborers to be self-sufficient. Digging ditches can be done by simply sending people."

"Is there anyone who knows carpentry...?"

The convoy members spoke loudly, and although their accents were strange, they were still understandable, attracting many people to come over and ask questions.

As Yao Chang led his horse past, he thought to himself that this must be some manor selling off things they couldn't use anymore.

This kind of thing is very common, both in the north and the south. Because they are in a hurry to get rid of their stock, the prices are quite good, which often attracts many buyers. But for local farmers who bring their own chickens, ducks, fruits and vegetables to sell, it may not be a good thing.

If you want to sell your grains, poultry, fruits and vegetables, it's impossible not to lower the price, otherwise you'll lose money.

Farmers usually have a reason for saving up their produce to sell; they generally want to supplement their income, such as by buying new farm tools or ironware. But with this mess, well, let's not even talk about it anymore!

The horse snorted. Yao Chang withdrew his gaze and glanced at the ranks again.

More than a hundred Qiang cavalrymen from Nan'an, their hair disheveled, stared intently at the dazzling array of goods, completely absorbed in their work.

Yao Chang frowned, summoned several of his close followers, and ordered them to go down and restrain the troops to prevent any looting or plundering.

He's only fifteen years old and isn't particularly valued at home. He mustn't mess up this hard-won opportunity to gain experience! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance; once it's gone, it's gone forever.

The restraints imposed by the attendants were effective; the knights averted their gazes and continued on their way.

They walked until nightfall and finally arrived at Stone City. After a few days of rest, they would join the third group heading south to Guangzhou.

Yao Chang was somewhat surprised when he heard this, and said, "Two groups of people have already left?"

"Is that a lie?" The canal transport official in the staff of the newly appointed Governor of Yangzhou, Jin Zhun, glanced at him sideways and said, "More than 10,000 people have already crossed the river."

"Cross over to Guangzhou?" Yao Chang was secretly annoyed that this minor official dared to give him such a hard time, but he still asked in a friendly tone.

"If not Guangzhou, then where?" the minor official asked discontentedly. "What's wrong with your horses? Didn't you put manure bags in them?"

After saying that, he pointed to a puddle of horse manure on the ground and said angrily, "Clean it up yourselves. If the soldiers see this, you're finished."

Yao Chang's anger was building up, and his eyes narrowed.

Unexpectedly, the junior official was very tough. Seeing this, he sneered, "What? Are you going to cause trouble? Think about who the commander-in-chief is."

Yao Chang's expression hardened, and he calmed down.

The commander-in-chief was naturally the crown prince, who was currently surveying land in the Nanyang and Xiangyang area. If he caused trouble here, it would surely reach the crown prince's ears, which would be troublesome. Forget about merit, it would be a blessing if he could avoid being held responsible. So he put on a smiling face and said, "My lord, please rest assured, I will have someone clean it up right away."

Well, don't blame the minor official for this; the key point is that Yao Chang wasn't an official at all, nor was he wearing official robes. He and his hundred or so men were, in theory, "local militia," even though they were very experienced in battle.

Seeing that he had given in, the junior official nodded and said, "The soldiers from Guangzhou may already be heading to Jiaozhi. If you drag your feet and head south too late, you will be the ones who suffer."

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and left.

Yao Chang cursed inwardly, "How dare such a petty official be so arrogant? Do you even know who I am?"

At this moment, he was secretly annoyed. He was determined to get an official position after the southern campaign ended, otherwise he would be looked down upon wherever he went.

Linyi, Linyi, I hope you can hold on a little longer and not be defeated so easily.

After cleaning up the horse manure, Yao Chang sent someone to collect rice and flour, and then set up a pot to cook.

The Stone City was utterly tranquil at night, with fishing boats dotting the river, drifting aimlessly. Occasionally, one or two boats would dock, carrying weary travelers.

They carried large and small bags and were in a hurry. Yao Chang didn't even need to ask; just by looking at them, he could tell they were northerners who had migrated south to settle down.

The Crown Prince's constant land acquisition forced too many people to flee to distant lands. Although Danyang was already somewhat overcrowded, it remained the top destination for many northerners migrating south.

Of course, they might regret it after arriving and then continue to migrate to other places, but that's a matter for later.

******
On September 20th, the last fleet departed Stone City amidst the clear tolling of bells, sailing down the river to the sea.

Jin Zhun personally came to the Jiangpu Wharf to see him off, and then remained silent.

In fact, despite the busy shipping traffic, many soldiers were traveling by land, and it was unknown whether they had reached Guangzhou.

But it doesn’t matter.

He had thought he would be the commander-in-chief of the southern expedition—that is, the deputy commander-in-chief, the de facto commander—but the emperor favored Sun He, the governor of Jiaozhou.

If that's the case, then let it go. Just do your own job and don't worry about too much.

He had recently learned about the situation in the Kingdom of Linyi.

Despite their numerical superiority, they were not particularly capable in battle. Their chances of victory against the Jiaozhou local troops were slim, with Linyi at best holding a slight advantage.

The main force of the southern expedition was the hereditary soldiers of Jingzhou.

Originally founded by Liu Hong, and succeeded by Tao Kan and Zhuge Hui, the army reached its peak with 50,000 men, and was rumored to be quite powerful. Jin Zhun didn't believe it at first, but after inspecting the troops twice after arriving here, he, who came from a training background (a position that had been taken over by Shao Shen, the Prince of Julu), could tell at a glance that these troops were all of good quality. No wonder Tao Shiheng was confident in fighting against the royal army of Liang back then.

Even if such an army were to surrender and lose its former fighting strength, wouldn't it be a piece of cake to deal with the small Lin Yi Kingdom?

Jin Zhun has even turned his attention to local governance and the management of his family business.

Yangzhou is in real chaos right now. Too many people have come. No one has rebelled, but local security has deteriorated drastically. As the governor, he has an obligation to assist the prefect in dealing with these matters.

Furthermore, because a large number of naval and land troops had been transferred away, he had to guard against the resurgence of the Celestial Masters sect and their renewed rebellion, even though they had already been severely punished many times.

As for the family—he has already decided to move some of his descendants from the old house in Jiexiu.

I used to underestimate Yangzhou. Although it's a humid and hot place, it's truly rich in resources. As long as you acquire a good piece of land and manage it diligently, you can quickly accumulate a great deal of wealth.

Don't you see, even the Prince of Yan, who was far away in Liaodong, and the wealthy merchant Mi family came to Jianye to do business?

The Jin family's wealth was still too little.

While the current emperor is on the throne, we may still be able to maintain our wealth and status. But once the current emperor is gone and the crown prince ascends the throne, we will most likely decline.

As the emperor grows older and his strength declines, he stopped leading his personal guards on horseback and shooting when he held a military exercise at the Western Garden in Luoyang last year. It is a question of how much longer he can live.

time is limited.

The emperor sent him to Yangzhou to oversee the situation for a reason. Some things are better left unsaid; it's best to keep them to yourself.

Jin Zhun stood with his hands behind his back in the river breeze, his pale beard swaying in the wind.

On the river, hundreds of boats raced forward, undeterred by any obstacle.

On the banks of the river, people gathered to watch, creating a lively scene.

This world has already established its own rules, and whether it's war, governance, or anything else, it doesn't require much interference from outsiders.

It operates on its own and has a strong internal force that propels it forward.

Of course, there are also problems.

With the Yangtze River as the dividing line, the endogenous forces on the north and south sides are completely different. What will happen in the future, nobody knows.

But human power has its limits. If the emperor has to do everything, what will become of his descendants?
Jin Zhun left Jiangpu, preparing to return to write a memorial to the throne.

(End of this chapter)