Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 344 This realm of vibrant life and flourishing diversity

"Don't panic."

Wen He leaned out of the carriage, patted Qi San on the shoulder, and spoke calmly.

This area is close to Chang'an City and near the official road, so very few bandits or brigands dare to venture out.

Moreover, he was accompanied by twenty Xuanjia Guards. With such a force, even if someone were foolish enough to block his way, they wouldn't dare to do so.

Upon hearing this, the Xuanjia Guards around them also suppressed their murderous aura, but still maintained a vigilant posture.

Wen He took out binoculars from his sleeve and carefully examined the figure in front of him.

Among the group, one figure dressed in a gray cloth top was particularly familiar; it was A-Dong, who had come ahead to scout the area.

"It's Adong. He must be the one who brought the farm people to pick us up."

Wen He put down his binoculars and gave instructions to the Xuanjia Guard beside him.

"Send someone to call him over and ask him what's going on."

A guard in black armor spurred his horse forward in response, and soon returned with A-Dong and a burly middle-aged man.

As soon as the two arrived at the carriage, they immediately bowed in greeting.

Ah Dong lowered her head and said respectfully, "This servant greets the young master."

The middle-aged man clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, speaking in a loud voice: "This humble man, Feng Dahu, pays his respects to the young master!"

Wen He looked at Feng Dahu and felt that he looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

Seeing the hesitation in his eyes, Feng Dahu quickly smiled and explained, "Young master, please forgive me. I am the manager of your farm. Last autumn, I led the farmers to Chang'an to deliver grain to you, but you were too busy to pay your respects in person."

Wen He then nodded in realization.

No wonder he looked familiar. Last autumn, the farm did deliver a batch of grain. He was busy dealing with the glass workshop at the time and only had Zhou Fu handle the delivery. He didn't see the person who delivered the grain.

"So it's Manager Feng. Thank you for your hard work."

He said in a gentle tone.

Feng Dahu's smile became even more naive, his dark face full of unease: "It's no trouble at all. It's my honor to be able to work for you, young master. Today I heard that you were bringing grain seeds, so I and A Dong brought the villagers to meet you, so that we can plant the seeds as soon as possible."

At this moment, Li Chengqian also crawled out of the carriage, poked his head out to look at Feng Dahu, and said to Wen He with a smile, "Sir, this man looks quite honest."

Wen He chuckled inwardly.

This kid hasn't seen many people, and he's judging good or bad based on their appearance. He's too naive.

Feng Dahu didn't recognize Li Chengqian and assumed he was a nobleman from Wen He's side. He quickly bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Thank you for your kind words."

Wen He didn't say anything more, but pointed to the crowd not far away and asked, "Are those people farmers from the farm?"

Following his fingertip, one could see dozens of people standing by the roadside, most of them wearing tattered clothes covered in patches, with sallow complexions and thin figures. Many of them were barefoot, their toes red from the cold dirt road.

Wen He's heart sank suddenly.

He had heard people say that the common people in the Tang Dynasty were very poor, and some families only had one pair of trousers and one pair of shoes, which were worn by whoever went out.

He waived the rent interest for the farm owners, thinking their lives would be better, but they never expected to be in such dire straits.

The farmers on the farm are different from the villagers of Gejiazhuang.

The people of Gejiazhuang were free citizens. They were either descendants of soldiers who were allocated land, or the land was allocated by the imperial court according to population, and the land belonged to them.

The farm's farmers were mostly people who had previously sold themselves into slavery. They not only had no land ownership, but their personal freedom was also in his hands. Their lives, honor, and disgrace depended entirely on his word.

Looking at the group of emaciated, ragged people in front of her, Wen He suddenly felt a sense of absurdity.

I've somehow become Huang Shiren (a notorious landlord in Chinese folklore).

Feng Dahu seemed oblivious to Wen He's emotional change and continued to explain, "Young Master, they are all farmers from the farm. They heard that you brought new grain seeds and they all want to see them as soon as possible. They also hope for a good harvest this year so that their families can have more full meals."

Wen He took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions in her heart, and said to Feng Dahu and A Dong, "Don't let everyone stand by the roadside. It's still cold. Take us to the farm's warehouse first to unload the seeds. We'll talk to you about the trial planting after we're settled."

"Hey! Good!"

Feng Dahu quickly agreed, turned around and shouted to the villagers. The crowd immediately became lively and took the initiative to step forward to help unload the grain seeds.

As the farmers carried their grain sacks toward the farm warehouse, Wen He deliberately waved to Feng Dahu so he could stay.

He looked at the barefoot farmers carrying grain in the distance, dressed in thin clothes, his brows furrowed, and his tone was somewhat puzzled: "I remember that last year we waived the interest on your seed loans and reduced the rent to one-twelfth. You should have enough grain stored up, so why are the people in the village still living like this?"

Feng Dahu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved his hand, his face full of gratitude: "Tough? Not at all! Young master, you don't know, before, when we farmed for other landlords, we had to pay half the rent, and the seeds were charged exorbitant interest. After a year of hard work, we couldn't even get enough bran to eat. Since we came to your farm, the rent has been reduced, and the interest has been waived. Last year, after paying the taxes and rent, everyone had stored grain in their jars. On New Year's Day, Steward Zhou even brought meat, and the children ate their fill!"

He deliberately raised his voice, as if afraid the farmers in the distance wouldn't hear him. Sure enough, the farmers who were carrying grain stopped and agreed.

"Yes, young man! You are a living bodhisattva! In the past, my child could only wrap himself in a tattered straw mat in winter, but this year we have grain and can even burn charcoal to keep warm!"

"After last autumn harvest, my family stored two shi (a unit of dry measure) of wheat, something we wouldn't have dared to dream of before!"

"If you hadn't waived the interest on the seeds, I wouldn't have had any money to buy medicine for my wife this year!"

Amidst the chorus of gratitude from the crowd, Wen He didn't feel relieved.

He had calculated that the rent of one-twelfth of the land, plus the surplus grain after tax exemption, was enough for the farmers to have enough to eat and wear, and even enough to exchange for some cloth to improve their clothing.

But the people in front of us were still wearing patched old clothes, and many of them were barefoot, clearly indicating that they had not exchanged their surplus grain for daily necessities.

"Since you have stored grain, why not exchange it for some cloth?"

Wen He pointed to a farmer's arm that was sticking out from under his tattered clothes.

"Although it's spring now, it's still cold in the mornings and evenings, so we can't keep wearing our old clothes all the time."

Feng Dahu's smile faded slightly, and he scratched his head awkwardly, as if he had something difficult to say.

A middle-aged farmer carrying a grain sack saw this, put down his sack, stepped forward, and explained honestly, "Young man, it's not that we don't want to exchange, it's just that we're really afraid of hunger. In the past, when there were famines, the tree bark was eaten off, and many people starved to death on the road. Now that we have grain stored up, we feel at ease. Even if there is another famine, we can live a few more days."

Wen He looked at them and knew what was going on.

Actually, there were some things they didn't say.

That is because they simply couldn't store any food before.

The harvest of the whole year is only enough to feed people for half a year.

As soon as he finished speaking, another farmer nodded in agreement: "Besides, cloth is not cheap. A bolt of coarse cloth costs two hundred coins, which is enough to buy half a bushel of grain. We can't bear to spend that much. We can make do with what we have, and we don't want to waste food."

"Didn't Mr. Ke have the workshop make wool yarn? Wool yarn is cheap, why not use it to make clothes?"

Li Chengqian walked over from beside the carriage and asked in confusion.

He remembered Wen He saying that wool yarn was cheaper than linen and warmer, and he thought that farmers would use it.

Upon hearing this, the farmer shook his head with a wry smile: "Wool yarn is cheap, but it's hard to buy! We farmers have never been to Chang'an City more than a few times in our lives. It takes half a day to walk from here to the city and back. We might also encounter soldiers checking us along the way. Even if we get to the city, we can't find a place to buy it, and even if we do, we might not be able to buy it anymore."

Wen He's heart sank suddenly.

He was so busy dealing with the gentry and setting up workshops that he forgot about the plight of these lower-class farmers.

He's actually starting to think, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"

When he and Li Chengqian traveled, they either rode in a carriage or on horseback.

It only takes about an hour to get from Chang'an to Gejiazhuang.

But it wasn't that easy for these farmers.

"That was my oversight." Wen He stroked her chin, her heart filled with self-reproach.

Previously, he was focused on dealing with aristocratic families and scheming in the power struggles at court, but he neglected the farmers at the bottom of the social ladder.

He shook his head self-deprecatingly, thinking to himself, 'I still haven't considered things thoroughly enough. All I can think about is dealing with those people. Sigh.'

He used to think that he was quite considerate of the people's suffering, and that by exempting tenant rent interest and reducing the rent ratio, he could be considered a "good official".

But seeing the farmers barefoot and in tattered clothes today, he couldn't help but laugh at himself.

It turns out I'm no different from those high-ranking officials.

Seeing Wen He's serious expression, Feng Dahu assumed he was upset about the farmers' plight. He quickly stepped forward, awkwardly rubbing his hands together, and explained, "Young master, don't take it to heart. We're actually doing quite well. We have food to eat and land to cultivate. Life is much more comfortable than before... much more comfortable than before."

He lowered his voice when he said the second half of the sentence, and his eyes swept around warily.

Wen He knew that this farm used to be a royal property, and the farmers had been palace slaves. There were some things they dared not say openly about their former masters.

He didn't point it out, but simply responded with a faint "hmm," and turned his gaze back towards the warehouse.

After the farmers carried the last bag of seeds into the warehouse, Wen He turned to Feng Dahu and asked, "Is there anyone patrolling the farm on a regular basis? Especially around the warehouse?"

"There are some!"

Feng Dahu nodded quickly.

"It's all done by the men from the village in shifts, and they'll walk around the warehouse and fields a few times at night."

Wen He recalled the farmer she had just met.

They were all emaciated and didn't even have a complete set of clothes. With such physiques, they probably couldn't even stop a petty thief stealing grain, let alone deal with bad guys.

He couldn't help but shake his head; he was still shaken by the last time the wool workshop was burned down.

Even with a hundred riders guarding it, it could still be captured. If wool hadn't been so fire-retardant, the losses would have been even greater.

The warehouse is currently filled with grain seeds for spring planting. If it is set on fire again, more than half of the seeds will be reduced to ashes. Not only will the trial planting plan fall through, but we will also be unable to explain ourselves to Li Shimin.

After a moment's thought, Wen He turned to the commander of the Xuanjia Guard behind him and said, "Leave ten men to guard the area around the warehouse, in shifts day and night. In particular, keep a close watch on any open flames and do not allow anyone to approach the warehouse to start a fire."

The commander quickly bowed and replied, "Your subordinate obeys!"

Feng Dahu, who was listening from the side, was both surprised and delighted.

The Xuanjia Guards are His Majesty's personal troops, yet the young master was willing to leave them behind to guard the grain seeds, which shows how much he values ​​the farm.

He quickly stepped forward to express his gratitude: "Thank you for your consideration, young sir. With the officers of the Xuanjia Guard here, we no longer need to worry about the grain seeds being damaged!"

Wen He waved his hand and then instructed Feng Dahu: "Tomorrow, have all the farmers in the village who want to plant crops gather in front of the warehouse. I will have someone deliver the newly made farm tools and distribute them. Spring plowing must be done on time, so don't delay the sowing."

"Hey! Good!"

Feng Dahu responded repeatedly, his smile growing even more honest. "Don't worry, young master, I'll go door-to-door tonight to inform everyone, and I guarantee that not a single one will be missing tomorrow!" After making the arrangements, Wen He led Li Chengqian and the remaining Xuanjia Guards onto the carriage.

Feng Dahu and the remaining villagers stood by the roadside until the carriage disappeared at the end of the dirt road, then bowed and retreated back to the farm.

The atmosphere was somewhat quiet on the carriage ride back.

Li Chengqian looked at Wen He beside him, who was frowning and seemed to have something on his mind. He wanted to ask him several times, but he swallowed the words back and only dared to steal a glance at him out of the corner of his eye.

Wen He naturally noticed the boy's little actions and helplessly curled the corners of her mouth: "Just say what you have to say. A grown man acting all coy is like a little girl."

Li Chengqian's face flushed slightly when his thoughts were exposed. He awkwardly clutched the hem of his clothes and hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to ask, "Sir, were the farmers in the farm living a very hard life?"

"Yes, it's very bitter."

Wen He's expression darkened, and he let out a long sigh. He had always considered himself not a sentimental person, much less a purely good one.

But seeing those farmers barefoot, dressed in tattered clothes, and emaciated, I still felt a lump in my throat, and it was very unpleasant.

"Then... what can we do to change their lives?"

Li Chengqian pressed on, his eyes full of seriousness.

He learned a lot of principles from Wen He, but for the first time he truly felt the "suffering of the people" and wanted to do something practical for the first time.

Wen He suddenly turned to look at Li Chengqian, her eyes full of surprise.

This sudden action startled Li Chengqian, who quickly asked, "Sir, did I say something wrong?"

"No, you're right."

Wen He suddenly laughed and shook her head self-deprecatingly.

“I never thought that one day you would wake me up. What’s the use of just frowning like this? We have to do something practical to truly improve their lives.”

Li Chengqian was completely confused and blinked, asking, "How do you want to change this, sir?"

Wen He smiled and raised an eyebrow mysteriously: "Let's start with 'encircling the cities from the countryside'."

"Huh?" Li Chengqian was completely dumbfounded.

"The countryside...encircling the cities? What does that mean?" He had never seen this phrase in books and was completely baffled.

Wen He didn't explain further, but patted his shoulder and said, "You'll know in a few days."

After saying that, he leaned against the car wall and began to make plans in his mind.

Now that we have identified the farmers' plight, we must address the root cause. We must not only ensure they have food to eat, but also enable them to exchange that food for necessities and even save money.

The next morning, Wen He led his team to the farm again.

This time, in addition to the newly made farm tools, the wagon was also loaded with several large carts of goods.

Bundles of coarse cloth, bags of brown sugar, spun wool yarn, and odds and ends such as needles, thread, and combs.

Feng Dahu had been waiting at the farm gate with the villagers for a long time. When he saw the things on the carriage, his eyes widened and he quickly stepped forward and asked, "Young master, are these things... meant for the villagers?"

He looked at the brand-new fabrics and the sweet brown sugar, and was filled with horror.

This young man is too generous! If these things were distributed, the farmers would be overjoyed!
Wen He scoffed and deliberately put on a stern face: "Give me a gift? Do you think I'm the kind of person who just gives things away casually?"

Feng Dahu was speechless for a moment, standing there not knowing how to respond.

Should a petty person say you're not a good person, or a good person?

If it's not a gift, then what's the point of bringing all this stuff here?
Surely it can't be that the young master wants to use it himself, right?

"These things are what I brought to the farm to sell."

Wen He explained.

"From now on, this business will be in your hands. If the villagers have any surplus grain, wool, or woven bamboo baskets or straw mats, they can bring them to exchange for these items or for money. Once the goods are sold out, you can go to the government office to ask Zhou Fu for them and keep good records."

Feng Dahu suddenly realized, and his eyes lit up instantly: "Young master means... that the farmers can use what they have to exchange for these things, so they don't have to go to Chang'an?"

“That’s right.” Wen He nodded.

“I’ve already spoken with Zhou Fu. The prices here are 20% lower than in Chang’an, and the exchange rate for grain is 10% higher than in grain shops. This is to make it more cost-effective and convenient for the farmers.”

"And the wool, the farmers can take it back and weave it into thread, then bring it back to pay back the money, they can do that..."

The villagers, who had overheard everything, immediately erupted in chatter, crowding around and asking, "Young master, is it really possible to exchange grain for cloth?"

"I have some bamboo baskets at home, can I exchange them for brown sugar?"

"I can knit."

"Alright, alright, everyone disperse!" Feng Dahu shouted at the villagers who had gathered around him, while also pushing the crowd aside.

"Look at you all, so unsophisticated! Don't scare the young master!" He spoke sternly, but couldn't hide the smile in his eyes.

Turning around, Feng Dahu's serious expression instantly transformed into a fawning smile. He rubbed his hands together and approached Wen He, cautiously confirming, "Young master, you just said... these things, and this exchange work, are you really entrusting them all to me?"

"of course."

Wen He spoke calmly, but her fingertips gently tapped the grain sack beside her.

"If you do a good job, I'll give you some extra profit every month."

His tone shifted abruptly, and his eyes suddenly sharpened.

"However, let me make this clear from the start: from now on, someone from the manor will come to audit the accounts, and I will also send people to patrol the farm. If I find out that you have engaged in favoritism or embezzled the grain or money you exchanged, then you will spend the rest of your life in the prison of Chang'an County."

Wen He knows how to manage subordinates: first offer sweetness, then wield the stick.

Feng Dahu's face hardened, and he immediately knelt on one knee, speaking solemnly: "Young master, rest assured, I would never dare to have any selfish motives. If I have failed your trust, you don't even need to lift a finger; I will go to the county office to accept my punishment myself!"

Wen He nodded in satisfaction and reached out to help him up: "Get up, do a good job, you won't be shortchanged."

Not far away, in a seemingly ordinary blue cloth carriage, Li Shimin quietly lowered the curtain, his fingertips tracing the fabric texture on his knees, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips: "This brat, his methods of managing his subordinates are becoming more and more sophisticated."

Sitting to the side, Li Chengqian had beads of sweat on his forehead, his hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, his heart filled with nervousness.

This morning, Li Shimin suddenly arrived at the Eastern Palace. Fortunately, he had a habit of getting up early to read, so he did not show any fear.

But Li Shimin didn't say what he wanted to do. He only said he would take him out of the palace for a walk. As a result, he followed the teacher's caravan all the way to this farm in Gejiazhuang.

'What are you doing, Father, secretly following Master like this?'

Li Chengqian pondered this in his heart, but dared not ask it aloud.

Li Shimin seemed to sense his son's nervousness, glanced at him sideways but said nothing, only raising his hand to signal the coachman to drive the carriage to a shady spot not far away.

A moment later, the father and son changed into coarse cloth short clothes, put on straw hats, and mingled with the passersby, slowly walking towards the farm.

Most of the farmers in Gejiazhuang didn't recognize them, assuming they were just travelers visiting relatives nearby, and no one paid them much attention.

Li Shimin held Li Chengqian's hand and watched from afar as Wen He distributed farm tools to the villagers, while Feng Dahu loudly announced the rules of the village store.

He was also curious, having never heard of a so-called "convenience store".

However, he knew that this must be a novel name that Wen He brought from later generations.

"Your husband's method is indeed interesting."

Li Shimin said to Li Chengqian in a low voice.

“These farmers and villagers are far from Chang’an. If they want to buy even a needle or thread, they would probably have to hire a traveling peddler. But there are only so many peddlers, and most of them travel around and can’t stay in one place for too long.”

"Now that we have this so-called convenience store, it saves us a lot of trouble."

Li Chengqian nodded repeatedly, his admiration for Wen He growing even stronger: "This must be what you meant by 'surrounding the cities from the countryside.'"

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling that Wen He's words were not as simple as they seemed on the surface.

He turned around and looked.

Not far away, Wen He was squatting on the edge of the field, talking to a few old farmers, holding a seed of Huanwang grain in his hand and gesturing to indicate the depth of sowing.

The villagers nearby listened intently, nodding in agreement from time to time.

"He not only found ways for the farmers to make a living, but also personally asked them how to farm."

Li Shimin sighed softly.

"This child truly cares about the people."

He had previously worried that Wen He was young and impetuous and would only engage in wits and battles with the aristocratic families, but now it seems that the boy is indeed determined to get things done.

He has potential.

If he were a little more composed, it would be even better.

Li Chengqian felt very pleased, as if he had been praised. He whispered, "The master also said that once the grain seed trial is successful, more people in more places will be able to grow high-yield grain so that everyone can have enough to eat."

Li Shimin smiled and patted his head: "Alright, then let's wait and see if your husband can accomplish this great task. Let's go find him."

Upon hearing Li Shimin's words, Li Chengqian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then she nodded and followed his steps.

at the same time.

Wen He was still discussing the details of spring plowing with the old farmers, and the sunlight shone on everyone.

He stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and looked at the vast land before him.

He couldn't help but feel a surge of poetic inspiration.

"This vibrant state of life, where everything flourishes..."

"Young master, where is the young master!"

A sudden shout interrupted Wen He's thoughts.

He immediately frowned and turned around abruptly. The next moment, he was taken aback.

(End of this chapter)