Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 264 Plowing and Farming

"Look, the newly appointed governor is plowing the fields!"

Ordinary people cannot distinguish between a governor appointed by the rebel army, such as Zhu Wen, and a governor appointed by the imperial court.

In remote places like Fengzhou, it happened several times that a local tyrant would raise an army to expel the original governor and then seek the governorship from the imperial court; or a governor would suddenly rebel and refuse to pay taxes to the imperial court, only to reconcile with the court a few months later and call on everyone to continue to respect the court.

The imperial court would never send a large army to attack such a remote place with little to no profit.

"Are you really taking this as a performance?" a sharp-faced man wearing a blue soft turban sneered in a low voice, but he was also afraid that Zhu Wen would hear him: "Can he keep plowing forever?"

The white-haired old man with a cane behind him slowly stroked his beard and said, "I have lived for more than eighty years and I have indeed heard that there are officials in the north of the Five Ridges who go down to the fields to make a show of it. But none of the governors I have ever served, whether they were sent from above or came from local powerful families, were willing to do such a show."

Upon hearing this, the sharp-faced man was immediately speechless.

Even if it's just an act, how many officials are willing to put on an act?
Anyway, this didn't exist in this state before.

The newly arrived governor didn't even need oxen for plowing; he pulled the plow with his bare arms, sweating profusely and covered in red welts from the plowing. He certainly made a good show of it.

"A weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—what good intentions could it possibly have?" The pointy-faced man thought for a long time before saying sarcastically, "He's been toiling away here for days just to sell the wheat seeds he brought?"

Zhu Wen brought a batch of wheat seeds, but he would not give them to the people for free, because things that are obtained without cost will not be cherished.

If the common people want something, they must exchange it for money, silk, or rice.

These words immediately stirred up a group of people, who said, "That's right! They say they've exempted us from miscellaneous taxes, but aren't they still trying to profit by bringing in wheat? Officials have two mouths; how can we trust what they say?"

Just as the group was about to take over the conversation, a young maid suddenly spoke up: "Luo Xiushi, if you're so disgusted, why did you still buy a batch of seeds yourself? You said you had a lot of land and needed more seeds, but when that talented female official in charge of the household told you the number of acres of land you owned, you still looked unhappy."

Luo Xiushi, with his pointed face, felt utterly ashamed and wished he could dig a hole and disappear.

For a man, being good-looking is a reason why women from eight to eighty years old can like him.

As long as Zhu Wen showed his face, countless women would speak up for him.

Ordinary farmers, bent over and drenched in sweat, plow the fields, their bodies reeking of sweat. But when Governor Zhu did this, women saw him as exceptionally masculine.

Let alone plowing the fields, even picking his nose, a handsome man is dashing and elegant in a woman's eyes. Conversely, an extremely ugly man, even dressed in flowing robes, adorned with expensive sachets, exuding fragrance, and playing the famous zither "Guangling San," will still evoke nausea.

Moreover, the truth is indeed on Zhu Wen's side.

He set the price of wheat at a level that was unavailable in ordinary places. Even if he only bought it and resold it, he could still make a small profit.

The amount of wheat seeds that can be obtained by spending money is strictly linked to the acreage of one's own land, and one is not allowed to buy more than that.

As Zhu Wen listened to the noisy conversation of these people and felt the long-lost joy of farming, he felt exceptionally calm and his emotions remained undisturbed.

The fields are scattered like a chessboard among wildflowers and weeds. As far as the eye can see, terraced fields rise in layers like waves along the mountain ridges, resembling the spine of a dragon.

This was something he hated doing most when he was a child.

Early in the morning, yawning, they would head to the fields to work, hoeing, plowing, sowing, cultivating seedlings, and weeding. They would fetch water from the stream to irrigate the fields, trudging through the muddy ground, carrying a load of manure from their homes through the village to the edge of the fields.

In March, barefoot in the paddy fields, sharp stones pierced the soles of their feet, leaving large holes that exposed flesh and blood. They couldn't stop planting rice; they could only endure the excruciating pain as mud seeped into the holes. The wounds slowly festered, oozed pus, then new flesh grew back, and the wounds closed up again.

These days, one after another, month after month, seem endless, all for the sake of earning enough to eat each day.

It was precisely because he didn't want to live like that anymore that Zhu Wen sought out a way to learn martial arts and became a wandering knight-errant.

Many people like Zhu Wen, who changed their fate, deeply resented their past poverty. For example, someone who made a living by fishing and selling fish in his early years was mostly avoided by the city's residents, except for cats. After he became wealthy, he almost never ate fish and also disliked cats.

But Zhu Wen had also witnessed the horrific sight of people eating each other.

Farmers suffer the most, but most people in the world become farmers so that they can produce enough food to sustain society and prevent widespread starvation.

When Zhu Wen was reunited with the scent of the earth after a long separation, and felt the weariness seep into his bones, he felt a sense of nostalgia and became immersed in it. Zhu Wen certainly didn't need to sell wheat seeds to make money; he and his troops had already received generous rewards after their band of soldiers captured the wealthy city of Guangzhou.

If the people could get a small advantage by receiving wheat seeds, they would still honestly come out to receive them, no matter what.

The price can't be too high, not enough to attract the attention of powerful families, so they won't bother getting involved in this area.

Farmers who actually plant wheat will be able to harvest a crop next spring and enjoy the benefits of three harvests a year through rice-wheat rotation, which will inevitably arouse envy from others, and the crop rotation method can be promoted.

Of course, winter is a time for rest and a series of holidays, so it's not easy to work hard during the winter. A piece of land can be planted three times a year, and the soil fertility must be maintained. In addition to farming, a lot of effort must be put into composting and fermenting manure.

This kind of thing can't be forced. If people see the benefits, hardworking people will naturally join in.

Zhu Wen despised worldly affairs, but as an exceptionally intelligent person, he had a very clear understanding of human nature.

Zhu Wen simply wondered: could most of the calculations and scheming in human relationships create more wealth? Could they feed more people? Could they save farmers some energy and reduce their sweat while working?

No—the results are often the opposite.

A great deal of resources are wasted on interpersonal relationships and social niceties. People exhaust themselves, wasting their emotions, chasing after superficial and useless things.

No group is more adept at interpersonal relationships than the aristocratic clans, and they thrive in the Tang Dynasty's officialdom.

Everyone knows perfectly well what the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty is like: corrupt, corrupt, procrastinating, and inefficient.

The only way to solve this problem is to break free from its current rules, overturn the chessboard, and cut the Gordian knot.

Huang Chao held a view that Zhu Wen deeply resonated with: killing is a means, not an end. Killing cannot solve all problems, but it can solve many.

Zhu Wen's inner peace while working in the fields and his murderous intent towards the officials in the court were actually two sides of the same coin.

From the distant mountains, the sound of mountain songs drifted over; it was a poem called "Bamboo Branch Song".

"The stream is sealed by my maid, my love. Come and have some tea when you have time."

The walls are made of loess, the roof is thatched, and a Bauhinia tree blooms in front of the door.

The singing was clear and melodious, like a young lady professing her love to a young man. The lyrics, however, were subtle and elegant, without any hint of frivolity.

Lingnan was originally a wild and uncivilized place, and the local people had a crude and vulgar way of life and language.

However, through generations of pioneering efforts to develop the mountains and forests, and through the teachings of sages such as Zhang Jiuling and Han Yu, even remote counties now have people who are well-versed in poetry and literature, and the folk songs sung by the people often have a style that is appreciated by both the refined and the common.

This is the power of civilization diffusion.

The bloodline and civilization of the Chinese nation spread from the Central Plains to all directions, and refined the new things it came into contact with, forming cultural boundaries across the country that sought common ground while respecting differences.

This process was carried out with swords, plows, and poetry. And the pulse of Chinese civilization beats on like an everlasting song.

Zhu Wen didn't read many books; he only learned one or two of the Five Classics from his grandfather Zhu Cheng when he was alive.

But he suddenly understood the mindset of Zhuge Liang, the Crouching Dragon, when he was farming in the fields.

Zhu Wen then thought of Li Tiao, the warlord of Lingnan who had been killed not long ago.

Li Tiao was an enemy of the rebel army. Before his death, he spread rumors that Zhu Wen was the reincarnation of Li Jiancheng, thus sowing discord between Zhu Wen and Huang Chao.

When Li Tiao said he wanted to spread Chinese civilization to the other side of the ocean, his sincerity was genuine.

Talented people want to change the world, but their paths diverge, and their interests may even differ, often leading to a life-or-death struggle.

There's not much right or wrong to say here. If I can't convince you, I'll just eliminate you, that's all. Even Confucius executed Shaozhengmao, so how could Zhu Wen show womanly mercy to his enemy just because he had some ideals that transcended personal gain?

(End of this chapter)