Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chapter 163 Matters of Farming, The End of the Mangshan Chapter (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

As the sun rose higher, more and more people lined up at the pavilion.

It wasn't that everyone wanted to rent Zhao Xian's land, but rather that spending half a day there could earn them a few talisman coins, which wasn't a bad deal.

Zhao Xian also noticed this, but did not send anyone to stop him.

In the dead of winter, and since we're all fellow villagers, who would endure the cold wind to wait here if it weren't for the food in our mouths?

In the crowd, a short, thin man wrapped in a tattered cotton-padded coat stood at the back of the line, eagerly waiting.

Suddenly, a panting sound came from behind, and the short, thin man immediately turned around to look.

Several more burly men appeared behind them.

"Zhang Jiulang, what brings you here?"

The short, thin man immediately looked at one of them and asked with a smile.

"Last year, you spent several months in Lord Bingcao's demon-hunting team, earning quite a few spirit stones, and even bought cattle and land!"

"Why are you braving the cold wind to queue here today?"

Upon hearing the short, thin man's question, the burly man immediately gave an awkward smile but said nothing more.

"Kuro, you regret it now, don't you!"

"If you stayed with the demon-hunting team for a few more months, you might even get fifty acres of land!"

Hearing the voice behind him, a man in front turned around and looked at the person, making a joke.

"Chen Dao from Chunping Village couldn't even get enough to eat last spring, but by the end of the year he had fifty mu of land, oxen, and hired laborers, and he even brought back a plump woman!"

"That woman, tsk tsk tsk!"

"white!"

"Back in our village, they bragged about it quite a bit!"

Someone else chimed in, their face filled with envy.

Women from wealthy families are rarely seen on ordinary days.

"My second son's cultivation is a bit lacking; he hasn't even become a third-rate martial artist yet. I wonder if he'll be valued by Lord Zhao."

'

Just as the Taoist priests at Shanghuting were discussing the matter, something unexpected happened on Zhao Xian's side as well.

"Old Mu, what brings you here?"

Seeing Mu Chun walking quickly towards him, followed by a familiar-looking white-haired old man, Zhao Xian immediately stepped forward and greeted him with a smile.

"This humble old man greets Sir Sergeant Bing!"

When the white-haired old man saw Zhao Xian welcoming him, he immediately looked trembling with fear and took a few quick steps, about to kneel down!

"Haha! We're old acquaintances, no need for such formalities!"

Upon seeing this, Zhao Xian immediately laughed loudly and reached out to help the white-haired old man up.

Mu Chun was Zhao Xian's personal attendant, so Zhao Xian naturally had to give him face and wouldn't allow his father to actually kneel down!

Seeing that Zhao Xian, even after becoming a high-ranking official, remained so approachable, the white-haired old man was naturally very excited.

"Elder Mu, what brings you to see me?"

Zhao Xian looked at the white-haired old man with a slight smile, but his gaze fell on Mu Chun beside him.

"Master, it's about planning the ranch!"

Mu Chun immediately stepped forward and replied respectfully.

"My father was a soldier in the army and later served in the county army, where he was in charge of raising horses."

"When Mu Chun returned home this time, he mentioned the ranch to my father during a casual conversation, which is why my father requested to come and pay his respects to the head of the family!"

After hearing Mu Chun's explanation, Zhao Xian understood that the old man Mu must have different opinions on preparing for the ranch.

"Elder Mu, please come with me over here for a chat!"

Zhao Xian immediately replied without hesitation.

A moment later, the three of them arrived at a field ridge, where it was quite quiet.

"Elder Mu, preparing for the ranch is of paramount importance in the construction of my manor. Is there anything wrong with this move?"

With no one around, Zhao Xian went straight to the point and asked.

"Sir, building a ranch is certainly not a bad thing, but raising dozens of horses right off the bat seems a bit too hasty to this old man!"

At this point, Old Man Mu looked at Zhao Xian, as if to see Zhao Xian's expression upon hearing this.

"Old Mu, although my family is a farming family, we have never raised horses before, and we don't know much about horse breeding!"

"Just say what you want to say!"

Zhao Xian nodded, a gentle smile on his face, and encouraged the old man in front of him.

"Then the old man will speak frankly!"

Upon hearing Zhao Xian's words, Old Man Mu immediately took a deep breath, a serious expression appearing on his face: "A horse needs five or six catties of concentrated beans and millet every day, plus more than ten catties of hay. If you want the horse to not lose weight, you also have to feed it some chickens. The cost is really not low!"

"Besides that, a ranch needs more than just grooms and herdsmen; it also needs veterinarians, and so on!"

"In my humble opinion, you should start by raising a dozen or so mares, plus a few foals. As for the stallion, just pick a good one and buy one for breeding!"

"Furthermore, cattle, donkeys, and sheep can also be raised."

"All told, at least 800 mu of land should be used as pasture, and 200 mu should be used to grow beans and millet!"

"We need to allocate several dozen more acres to build stables, cattle sheds, and so on."

"As for the talisman money, it'll cost at least 250,000 coins!"

After saying this, the old man Mu's face became serious, and Mu Chun, who was listening from the side, was dumbfounded!

I never imagined there would be so many miscellaneous tasks involved!

"Mu Chun, it seems that you're finding it somewhat beyond your capabilities to set up the ranch!"

After pondering for a while, Zhao Xian looked at the anxious father and son beside him and said with a smile.

"Elder Mu, could you take charge of setting up this ranch, with Mu Chun assisting you?"

"I am deeply grateful for your high regard, sir. I am willing to serve you!"

Upon hearing this, the old shepherd solemnly responded.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand talismans is a bit too much. I'll offer one hundred thousand talismans first. Is that alright?"

Zhao Xian looked at Old Man Mu and said with a smile.

"Of course! A ranch isn't built in a day!"

"It will take at least six months!"

"good!"

"Then I'll leave it to Elder Mu!"

"The ranch covers 1,000 mu of land, but only a little over 1,000 mu are available for rent!"

After a moment's hesitation, Zhao Xian immediately looked at Mu Chun and instructed, "Go quickly and tell Village Chief Zhao not to recruit too many Daoist people!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Chun turned around and hurried away into the distance.

Zhao Xian and Old Man Mu followed slowly behind.

When Zhao Xian returned to the recruitment site, he saw several familiar figures following behind Zhao Zheng.

"Greetings, Lord Zhao!"

Upon seeing Zhao Xian, the men immediately bowed and respectfully greeted him.

"Jiulang, what brings you all here? Is something wrong at home?"

Upon seeing these people, Zhao Xian immediately stepped forward and greeted them warmly.

"Thanks to Mr. Zhao's care, everything at home is fine!"

Upon hearing this, the burly man named Zhang Jiulang immediately replied respectfully.

"So what are you doing here~"

Since there was nothing going on at home, why was he here? Zhao Xian also showed a hint of doubt on his face at the right time.

"We would like to ask Lord Zhao to accept these children!"

Zhang Jiulang, who was in the lead, showed a solemn expression, pulled a boy behind him, and said respectfully.

"Serving under Lord Zhao as a servant is far better than staying home and farming!"

"This~"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian fell silent.

It wasn't that Zhao Xian thought the children in front of him were a burden.

Rather, it's because Zhao Xian can no longer afford to support servants!

The mere presence of Zhao Hong and his three companions was already a considerable burden for Zhao Xian.

"My lord, now that I have your permission, I will begin preparations for the ranch!"

"These young men seem quite clever. Why don't they serve as servants under my command? They can take care of the horses on weekdays, and in their spare time, I, being somewhat skilled in martial arts, can easily teach them!"

Seeing Zhao Xian's predicament, the old man Mu immediately stepped forward and chuckled.

Upon hearing that Old Man Mu had come to the rescue, Zhao Xian immediately smiled and looked at Zhang Jiulang and the others.

Seeing this, Zhang Jiulang and the others were also somewhat troubled.

They had hoped their child would serve as a servant under Zhao Xian, but now he was to tend to the horses, which was hard for them to accept.

Zhao Xian didn't say anything more, after all, he simply couldn't afford to raise them!

"What are you standing there for!"

"Hurry up and thank Sergeant!"

Seeing this, Zhao Zheng, being a kind and honest man, naturally knew that Zhao Xian was already dissatisfied, so he immediately spoke up to defuse the situation.

"When Lord Bingcao recruits attendants again in the future, wouldn't these young men, who know how to ride, be excellent candidates?"

Upon hearing Zhao Zheng's words, Zhang Jiulang and the others suddenly realized their mistake and quickly bowed to express their gratitude.

The boys, however, showed no dissatisfaction.

After all, staying at home also involves farming, cutting grass, and feeding livestock.

"Very well, since Elder Mu has this intention, then accept them all!"

"We should take care of the horses on weekdays and teach these children martial arts in our spare time; we can't neglect them!"

"However, these four aren't many. Elder Mu, why don't you select a few more?"

Zhao Zheng's words also enlightened Zhao Xian, who realized that these young men were the future cavalrymen under his command.

"I will obey Lord Zhao's command!"

Upon hearing this, everyone bowed respectfully.

Around noon, Zhao Zhong finally recruited enough followers for Zhao Xian.

"Ah Xian, as you instructed, these are all the second sons of the family or poor men who have no land to rely on."

"A total of sixty-five people have signed contracts, leasing twenty mu of land with a land tax of 50%!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Fifth Uncle!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately expressed his gratitude to Zhao Zhong.

"We're all family, why are you speaking like a stranger!"

Zhao Zhong waved his hand dismissively.

"Look at these talisman coins left~"

Zhao Zhong kicked the bamboo basket under his feet, and the talisman coins inside rustled!

Zhao Xian didn't even glance at the bamboo basket, and immediately said with a smile, "Fifth Uncle, please go to the trouble again and exchange it all for meat, so that everyone in the clan, young and old, can have a share!"

"OK!"

Zhao Zhong immediately responded.

"More than half of the people who signed the contract are from Chunping Village, and the rest are from Fanrong Village, Changgong Village, and Dawang Village."

""

"I understand, Fifth Uncle!"

Zhao Xian nodded as well.

Zhao Zhong meant that Zhao Xian should be careful and not be deceived by these people!

"When spring arrives, my uncle Zhao Zhi will go to the western countryside to take care of the fields for me!"

Before Zhao Zhong could continue, Zhao Xian briefly revealed his arrangements.

"Ah Zhi has traveled all over the country and seen a lot; he'll definitely be able to keep these people in check!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhong also offered a word of praise.

"Ah Xian originally intended to ask Fifth Uncle to do this, but the clan still needs Fifth Uncle's care."

"Don't worry, Ah Xian. I know you're worried that the clan's children aren't learning martial arts and literacy properly. With me here, I'll keep a close eye on them!"

Zhao Zhong nodded and patted his chest to assure Zhao Xian.

"With Fifth Uncle here, Ah Xian can work as an official with peace of mind!"

In the afternoon, after having lunch at the pavilion, Zhao Xian mounted his horse and, with his followers and recruits, headed towards Xixiang.

The Taoist priests and many of their followers brought their families, totaling more than two hundred people, and the procession was over a hundred feet long.

It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that the group arrived near the Xixiang Pavilion.

Zhao Hong, Huang Zhong, and others, who had already arrived on horseback, had prepared porridge and rice for the Daoist people to eat.

A bonfire was lit, and the villagers sat around it to rest.

Zhao Xian and his group, however, had no rest and had to continue their night watch.

Over the next few days, Zhao Xian and his entourage personally took care of settling their followers and followers.

It's not yet spring, so there's plenty of time to build houses for these Taoist followers and their accomplices.

The nearby forests have already withered and turned yellow; burning them down would be perfect for clearing land.

As for which family these mountains and forests originally belonged to, no one came to ask Zhao Xian for the talisman money anyway.

Zhao Xian would not need to pay for the construction of the residence.

All you need to do is help your followers and recruit poor followers from the surrounding area to come and work for you!

As things gradually got back on track, the prominent families and wealthy households in the western countryside, seeing that Zhao Xian had some free time, began to invite him to banquets.

Zhao Xian, of course, accepted the offer without hesitation and gladly went!

The money for building the ranch and the monthly salaries of the demon-hunting team members all depend on these large families and wealthy households!

For the next two weeks, Zhao Xian spent almost every day at banquets, and Zhao Hong and the others also enjoyed a great feast.

Although these prominent families and wealthy households were somewhat dissatisfied with Zhao Xian's plan to build a manor here, they could only grit their teeth and accept it.

After all, the Wu family's residence is still sealed off!

During these days, Zhao Xian naturally stayed in the village house in Xixiang.

In early February, as the weather warmed up, Zhao Ji, Zhao Cheng, and others began instructing their servants to prepare for tilling the fields.

Zhao Ji, Zhao Cheng, and others each owned hundreds of acres of land, as well as oxen and laborers, so they naturally did not need to work themselves.

During this month, apart from occasionally inspecting the villages, Zhao Ji, Zhao Cheng, and others stayed in their own private quarters, living the life of comfortable wealthy men!

They were all close to Zhao Xian, so naturally, the houses and residences for them should be built first.

With a hundred or so people working together, the house, with its two rooms facing south, could be completed within five days.

The rest, naturally, involved tidying up and arranging the house.

With the addition of hundreds of hired laborers, within half a month, a dozen or so such houses had been erected on the edge of the mountains and forests.

However, nearly half of the Daoist people still did not have their own houses, so Zhao Xian simply let the Daoist people in the demon-hunting team stay in Xixiang for another month.

This is the first year, and these demon-hunting teams must also cultivate good relationships with their disciples!

Although the serfs were no different from the commoners, Zhao Ji and his group were not wealthy families and did not have any loyal servants. Therefore, managing the serfs for them naturally required him to do it personally.

Moreover, Zhao Xian also needed to settle down the followers he had recruited.

Since it was the first year, Zhao Xian had to provide all the farming tools, seeds, and even oxen needed for cultivation.

Ji's father, Zhao Zhi, arrived in Xixiang in the middle of the first month of the lunar calendar.

He also purchased most of the bricks, tiles, and timber used to build the house.

On the other side, at the ranch, the stables, cattle sheds, sheepfolds, the sheds for the shepherds, the veterinarian's residence, and the ranch manager's residence have all been completed.

Old Man Mu has also begun to prepare to buy horses. He plans to buy ten mares and one stallion, which will cost at least 100,000 taels of silver!

In the countryside, there are quite a few wealthy families who raise horses, and naturally, there are also quite a few who sell horses.

However, obtaining a strong and robust horse is extremely difficult.

Zhao Xian had no choice; he couldn't force these wealthy households and prominent families to buy and sell under duress.

They had no choice but to have Old Man Mu and Mu Chun choose some slightly better horses to use for the time being.

Old Man Mu was from Shahe Township, so naturally he bought his horse there first.

The Zhu family, a prominent family in Shahe Township, knowing that Zhao Xian wanted to buy horses to build a ranch, took the initiative to send three excellent mares, charging only half the market price in talisman money.

Now that Zhao Xian has become a high-ranking official, it is only natural for the Zhu family to want to befriend him!

Moreover, Zhao Xian had a good relationship with the Zhu family. The batch of spirit rice that the Zhu family lost was recovered by Zhao Xian after he wiped out the bandits.

It was because of this incident that Zhao Xian was valued by Liu Yuan, the Chief Clerk, who recommended him to the County Magistrate, thus enabling him to take up the position of Chief Clerk.

To express his gratitude to the Zhu family, Zhao Xian even made a special trip back to Shahe Township to visit them and offer his thanks.

Zhao Xian's visit further enhanced the Zhu family's prestige in the village.

In the past six months or so, due to the loss of the spiritual rice, the Zhu family's prestige in Shahe Township has indeed declined considerably.

Following the lead of the Zhu family, other prominent families in the surrounding villages also sold some mares, oxen, and other livestock to Zhao Xian, sometimes as a bargaining chip.

By mid-February, the ranch finally showed some signs of life.

From time to time, foals and calves can be seen running around in the fields, frolicking to their hearts' content.

Nowadays, apart from a veterinarian, the ranch has ten boys selected by the old shepherd, which is quite a lot.

Zhao Xian treated that veterinarian, a skilled individual, with great generosity.

They directly rented 20 acres of land to that veterinarian, with a land tax of only 30%.

They also receive a monthly stipend; the veterinarian receives two hundred coins a month, the same as the Daoist followers under his command.

Zhao Xian kept his word to the ten boys, and in addition to having Old Man Mu teach them martial arts, he also frequently sent Zhao Cheng to teach them martial arts.

Every time Zhao Cheng went there, he would also bring some spirit rice as Zhao Xian instructed, so that the boys could have a good meal!

As for why Zhao Cheng was sent, it was because Zhao Cheng was the leader of the knights under Zhao Xian.

Time passed slowly, and before we knew it, it was already the end of February.

At this time, it was the busy farming season, and the Taoist priests and followers under Zhao Xianmo were all busy in the fields.

Zhao Xian had no choice but to personally inspect the village with Zhao Hong and the other three.

His own fields and possessions were kept under the watchful eye of his uncle, Zhao Zhi.

On this day, Zhao Xian was inspecting the pavilion when he saw a figure running hurriedly along the field road not far away.

As the figure drew closer, Zhao Xian recognized the person as Qiu Dao from the Tingbu.

"Lord Zhao, a county official has arrived from the village, saying he has come on the orders of the county magistrate!"

The thief stepped forward and respectfully said.

"Thank you for informing me, Mr. Du!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian immediately bowed in thanks, then turned his horse around and galloped off towards the village!

"Mr. Du, thank you for your trouble!"

Zhao Hong took out a small string of talisman coins from his pocket, casually tossed them to the thief, and then followed Zhao Xian away.

In the blink of an eye, only Qiu Dao remained on the country road.

"Swift as the wind, Lord Zhao truly lives up to his name!"

Looking at the knight in the distance, Qiu Dao also showed a hint of envy!

About half an hour later, Zhao Xian and his party arrived at the Xixiang village.

Zhao Xian dismounted and strode towards the main hall in the front courtyard.

Upon entering the hall, one would see several officials wearing red turbans already waiting there.

"The newly appointed Prefect of Xixiang, Zhu Shen, pays his respects to Lord Zhao!"

One of them immediately bowed respectfully to Zhao Xian.

"Congratulations to Mr. Zhu on his promotion to take charge of a township!"

Zhao Xian recognized Zhu Shen; it was he who had gone to Wohu Township last year to convey the county magistrate's order to appoint Zhao Xian as the assistant of Shahe Township.

"Zhao Junping's fame spread throughout the county for suppressing demons and bandits, and Zhu Shen held him in high esteem!"

Zhu Shen smiled slightly and replied respectfully.

"And this is~"

Zhao Xian then looked at the person next to Zhu Shen and asked with a smile.

"He Qing, the lowly clerk of Wohu Township, greets Lord Military Officer!"

The middle-aged official immediately bowed and replied respectfully.

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian was slightly taken aback. The man in front of him was the village head of Wohu Township, while Chen Yuancheng was far away in Wohu Township.

Upon thinking of this, Zhao Xian also revealed a smile.

"Chen Yuancheng, the former head of the Wohu Township, has been promoted to the position of County Bandit Supervisor!"

"Former Wohu Township Sergeant Xu Dekun has also been promoted to Northern Patrol Officer!"

Zhu Shen was originally a clerk, so he naturally knew about promotions and immediately said with a smile.

"That position as a western outpost?"

Zhao Xian nodded slightly, then asked curiously again.

Xu Dekun sought the position of the Western Tour Commander, but now he holds the position of the Northern Tour Commander. The former Northern Tour Commander, Wu De, was also captured by him. What goes around comes around, which is in accordance with the will of Heaven.

"No one is currently appointed as the western patrol officer!"

Before I left, Liu Gong, the clerk, specifically instructed me to tell Zhao Jun to take good care of the four western villages!

Zhu Shen immediately replied in a solemn voice.

"I will certainly live up to the expectations of the County Magistrate and Lord Liu!"

Zhao Xian also bowed respectfully towards the county town.

"This is Gao Yuan, the county official!"

Zhu Shen then introduced a young clerk beside him, saying with a smile.

"Lord Zhao, it's been several months since I last saw you, and you still look as dashing as ever!" The young clerk immediately bowed to Zhao Xian.

Zhao Xian naturally recognized the official in front of him; he was the one who had guided him when he met the county magistrate that day.

"Gao Jun is the same!"

Zhao Xian immediately smiled slightly and returned the greeting.

"The county magistrate sent me here because she has a reward to bestow upon Lord Zhao!"

Gao Yuan didn't waste any time and immediately looked at Zhao Xian, speaking solemnly.

"The county magistrate has decreed: Zhao Xian has rendered meritorious service in suppressing demons, bandits, and thieves, and is hereby rewarded with three low-grade fire-attribute magical artifacts!"

After saying this, Gao Yuan took out an exquisite wooden box, about a foot square, from behind his back and handed it to Zhao Xian.

"Zhao Xian thanks the county magistrate for the reward!"

Zhao Xian immediately bowed deeply to Gao Yuan!

"Lord Zhao, please rise quickly!"

Gao Yuan was a retainer of the county magistrate. Seeing Zhao Xian's respectful manner, Gao Yuan smiled and helped Zhao Xian up.

"This was obtained by the county magistrate during her bandit suppression!"

"Wu Deye is already prepared to be executed in the autumn!"

Finally, Gao Yuan whispered to Zhao Xian.

"Suppressing bandits?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xian was slightly taken aback, and then a flash of inspiration struck him.

Mangshan bandits!

Seeing the look of shock on Zhao Xian's face, Gao Yuan also gave a barely perceptible nod.

"Now that the reward has been delivered, I shall return to the county!"

"I won't keep you all company any longer!"

After exchanging a few words with everyone, Gao Yuan prepared to leave, and Zhao Xian, as always, stuffed ten low-grade spirit stones into his sleeve.

Having already experienced the first time at the county government office, Gao Yuan naturally didn't refuse the second time and gladly accepted.

After Gao Yuan, it was Liu Chen, the former governor of Xixiang. Now that Zhu Shen had taken office, it was time for him to leave!

Zhao Xian didn't have any particular feelings towards him. In the end, Liu Chen was just unlucky!

Before long, Gao Yuan and his group had left.

A moment later, He Qing, the newly appointed magistrate of Wohu Township, also left the Xixiang Township office to take up his post in Wohu Township.

"Mr. Zhu, it's almost the end of February. After staying here for two months, it's time for me to lead my people to the next village!"

"Then I wish you a safe journey, Mr. Zhao!"

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