Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 27: Even if I am a ninth-rank official, I am willing to die for my country

The next morning, Zhang Luo, who was determined to become the orphan of the Zhang family, paid his respects to Lady Yan and told her that he was going out of the city to build a monument for his deceased mother and would need to be away from home for a few days. Then he took Yingniang and her daughter and left the Zhang family mansion and went to the farm outside the city.

Yingniang had been so shocked and frightened last night that she barely slept the entire night. She was still a bit dazed in the morning, and when she left Zhang's house and looked back at the mansion, she felt a sense of loss. "After leaving this time, will you never come back?"

Ah Ying was more independent-minded than her mother. Upon hearing this, she smiled and said, "What are you worried about, mother? In the past, I was worried that Ah Lang wouldn't be able to establish himself as the head of the household and that I would disappoint you. But now Ah Lang is talented and capable, and he's decisive and resolute. Even if he leaves the Zhang family, no matter where he goes, we don't have to be afraid!"

This actually made Yingniang's expression brighten a little. After suppressing her hesitation, she chuckled and said, "There's really no need to worry. Ah Lang has made up his mind. No matter where we go, it's a matter of life and death!"

"Don't worry, Auntie. I told you before that from now on, there will be only happiness and no worries!"

Zhang Luo also said with a smile. Yingniang nodded vigorously after hearing this, and her eyes became more determined. If she was just relieved that Alang had become sensible before, after seeing the ticket worth 1,500 coins yesterday, she really believed that Alang had such ability!

In the morning, they arrived at the farm. Most of the farmers were busy working the fields. Zhang Luo had transferred several farmhands from the farm during this period. Although he had given them generous subsidies to relieve them of their worries, they still couldn't bear to see the fields fallow and rushed to cultivate them once they had some free time.

"Ding Cang, you don't need to keep a close eye on the farm for the time being. First, rent a house in a remote village nearby and store some food and clothing there. If there are any items on the farm that cannot be kept, distribute them to the farmers and let them use them."

After settling down at the manor, Zhang Luo gave Ding Cang his instructions. He could leave immediately, but the manor was destined to remain. Although it was an inheritance from his mother, it was, after all, land held by someone outside his family, and had been preserved thanks to connections with the Zhang family.

Next, the Zhang family suffered political turmoil. Even if the farm could be preserved, the Zhang family might directly annex the farm into their own family because of his private escape. After all, there was a mistress named Zheng in the house who had been secretly eyeing the farm.

This is certainly a pity, but Zhang Luo is not as penniless as before. He has enough funds to start over, so there is no need to be too attached to these old things.

As for the farmhands and tenants, they were not Zhang Luo's slaves to begin with. In the future, whether the government or the Zhang family took over the farm, someone would be needed to farm the farm. In order to ensure the harvest of the farm, they would most likely continue to be employed.

Several of the farmhands who had been chosen to help look after the money and goods were willing to stay with him, and Zhang Luo was happy to accept their offer. He had enough food and clothing for several people, so having loyal and obedient servants was a plus.

"Don't worry, Alang. I will take care of it."

Ding Cang had been managing this farm for more than ten years, and he was a little reluctant to leave, but since Alang had already made the decision, he could only nod in agreement.

"Don't be too sad. When your situation stabilizes in the future, I'll give you a larger estate to manage!"

Zhang Luo patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Push the stone carvers a little harder and try to finish the work before Buddha's birthday. We can hold a fasting ceremony when the stone is erected."

He himself did not believe in Buddhism, but his mother, influenced by the Wu Zhou regime, was quite a believer in Buddhism, and holding a fasting ceremony was considered a way to appease the spirits of the ancestors.

It was already April, and Zhang Luo had no idea when the Zhang family crisis would erupt. To be on the safe side, Yingniang and her daughter decided to stay at the farm and not return to the city. As for Zhang Luo, thanks to his imperial mount, gifted by his aunt, Consort Wu Huifei, he could travel easily.

After a brief explanation at the farm, Zhang Luo rode his horse straight to Zhou Liang's home in Gande Township. When he arrived, Zhou Liang happened to be at home. He looked darker and thinner than before, and his face was full of fatigue.

"Is Henan Prefecture so busy? Recorder Zhou should make sure to rest!"

Zhang Luo looked at Zhou Liang who came out to greet him and couldn't help but give him some advice.

"There are quite a few things to do, but they are complicated and useless. Besides being exhausted, they only add to my depression."

Zhou Liang sighed after hearing this, and his eyes showed fatigue and a bit of depression.

Thanks to her recent good recuperation, Madam Zhou's health had improved and she was able to walk. She was supported by her son as she stood in the courtyard to greet Zhang Luo. After listening to their conversation, she said to Zhang Luo, "Sir, please try to persuade this fool. So many ministers in the court have difficulty handling things, so what can a ninth-rank recorder do?"

"If something can be done, it is our duty; if it is difficult, we should do it within our ability. Can I hear what Zhou Lushi is worried about?"

After entering the room and sitting down, Zhang Luo looked at Zhou Liang and asked with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Liang pulled out several large scrolls of documents and placed them on the desk. He then spoke to Zhang Luo in a deep voice, "My dear, you should know that I recently inspected the river, canals, dams, and dikes in Luonan. The situation was shocking. Luonan's rivers and fields have been largely usurped. The powerful have encroached on farmland and exploited the water, while the common people and small households often have no private property. This spring, the ditches burst their banks because of privately built dams and dikes, leading to siltation. The situation hasn't subsided, but has worsened. It's early summer, and there's still no rain. Drought is already showing signs, and the powerful are scrambling to build dams. Once the summer rains arrive, Luonan will surely become a vast ocean..."

Luonan has suffered from serious land annexation, and its water resources are also controlled by powerful people. They increase water storage efforts when there is no rain in spring and summer, and even cause mountain torrents.

However, as the drought became more pronounced, instead of reflecting on their actions, they tightened their belts and built more dikes to block the waterways, significantly damaging Luonan's original canals and waterways. If summer brings rain instead of drought, Luonan's canals will completely lose their ability to divert and release floodwaters.

"How could the vast Henan Prefecture and its subordinate counties simply turn a blind eye to this dangerous situation and allow it to continue unchecked?"

Although this matter had no direct interest to Zhang Luo, he couldn't help but ask after listening to Zhou Liang's story.

Zhou Liang found a scroll of paper covered with writing and handed it to Zhang Luo. He sighed and said, "These are the families who built weirs, dams, and dams on important river channels. After reading this, my dear, you will understand why it is difficult to manage them."

Zhang Luo took the paper and took a look at it, his expression becoming serious. If Zhou Liang hadn't pointed out the meaning of the list, he would have thought it was a list of names for the imperial court. The list included everyone from princes and princesses to civil and military officials, and even the Zhang family and their in-laws were prominently listed.

Originally, Zhang Luo felt that Zhou Liang's words in front of him were a bit like pointing at a monk and calling him a bald donkey. After all, he also had a farm in Luonan.

But after reading the list, he realized that he had overestimated himself. Compared with the people on the list, he was just a small scum who was not even worthy of being on the list!

"The hidden farmland of these families may be overlooked, but if the dikes, dams, and pipes they privately built are not quickly removed, the Eastern Capital will be in danger! I have recently investigated and visited each of the dozens of dikes, dams, and pipes that must be removed along the canal. I will report this to the government tomorrow. I hope that while the sage is still in Luoyang, a swift solution can be achieved to protect the people of this area from disaster."

After hearing Zhou Liang say this, Zhang Luo finally understood why he had become so dark and thin. He had heard Zhou Liang talk about this before, but he didn't take it to heart. He never thought that Zhou Liang had actually traveled to every mountain and water in Luonan and recorded all the information.

Zhang Luo deeply admired Zhou Liang's efforts, but he wasn't optimistic about his idea. Thinking about the power of the people on the list was despairing. If Zhou Liang rashly wrote a letter to infringe on their interests, it would probably not solve the problem, but bring disaster upon himself.

But when he saw Zhou Liang's dark and thin face, Zhang Luo knew that he was very determined and could not be persuaded by just a few words. Perhaps when he was working hard to collect these materials, he already had the idea and awareness of sacrificing his life for it.

"A man's actions are all about having a clear conscience, not worrying about life or death. I deeply admire Zhou Lushi's sentiments. If you were a nobleman in the Southern Province, a censor at the Xiantai, and you were willing to die in remonstration, it would be enough to shock the world and bring glory to the world. But unfortunately, you are just a lowly official..."

After thinking about it, Zhang Luo looked at Zhou Liang and said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Liang's face suddenly changed, and a look of shame and anger appeared on his face. He stood up and said in a deep voice, "My dear, you have humbled yourself and made me happy. I even forgot that I am just a lowly official from the outside. But, although I am a lowly official of the ninth rank, I am willing to die for my country! The food I eat is all provided by the elders of the country. If you know that I am in danger and don't help me, what are you doing different from a beast?"

"Recorder Zhou has great ambitions, but you are only a ninth-rank official. Your death is not worth regretting. A tortoise shell burned to pieces can be used for divination, but fish scales turned to ash cannot be used to predict good or bad luck. This time, you are making a bold statement, but your words carry little weight. It is unlikely to be responded to, but disaster is inevitable. You will only fulfill the ambition of one person and hurt the hearts of two people in this household. It will not benefit anyone, and even less the cause."

Zhang Luo naturally did not mean to look down on Zhou Liang. He just didn't want him to make any unnecessary sacrifices. At the same time, he also respected his generosity, so he said, "Things need to be done step by step. Zhou Lushi, you may want to select the brief points first and then report them. If the envoy in the palace pays attention to it, you can report the details slowly.

If the judge in the palace is too lazy to even touch the smallest details, let alone the vital organs of the bones, heart, and lungs! If the judge can be concerned about the people's dangers and handle things from the simplest to the most advanced, even if he encounters obstacles later, his previous work will not be in vain. It is better than being trapped in a desperate struggle without achieving anything!

"My dear, what you said is the right plan! You only think about being generous and righteous, but you don't consider that even if you throw your life away, you will not be able to accomplish anything. Things must always start from small to big. A tiny creature a foot in the womb will not grow into a six-foot man in one meal!"

Mrs. Zhou next to them couldn't help but speak up. It was obvious that the couple had already had a dispute about this matter before Zhang Luo arrived.

Zhou Liang no longer looked generous, but rather ashamed. He said with some worry, "My dear, your kind words have taught me a lot. But I'm still a little worried. Since the beginning of summer, the weather has been unpredictable, and Luonan has accumulated a lot of problems. If we can't recruit workers in time, I'm afraid we will still be unavoidable..."

Zhang Luo couldn't help but sigh inwardly after hearing this. If he were the emperor, he would have to make Zhou Liang the governor of Henan.

He came here originally to ask Zhou Liang if he had any plans to leave together, just like his former boss Xu Shen who resigned from his post to avoid disaster, but looking at the current situation, the other party was completely focused on eliminating the hidden dangers in Luonan and did not have the same idea as Xu Shen at all.

Zhang Luo's mind was full of thoughts of self-preservation and not building dangerous walls, but that did not prevent him from admiring such people, so he no longer talked about his previous plan, but decided in his heart to leave more money for Zhou Liang's family when he left, at least to make their lives more comfortable, so that Zhou Liang could continue to speak for the people without any worries.

(End of this chapter)