When Zhou Huai'an returned to his residence in Jiangling City with some kind of cheerful thoughts, he was awakened by the welcoming sound of a warbler and a soft whisper from the inner door.

"The Governor is well."

But he hasn't been back for a while, and there are many new faces in the back house; Looking at the past, these women in emerald clothes and pink skirts poured into a piece, and I am afraid that there are not as many as dozens of people.

With the movements of their worship in unison, the skirts and water sleeves that flew up, and the countless pink arms and shoulders were like flowers, and even the air seemed to be diffused with some kind of ubiquitous smell of fat powder, fragrant sweat and hormones.

And Cao Hongyao, who is like the stars holding the moon in the center, wearing a pomegranate halo yellow Luo skirt and water-colored silk, is also a person who is more than a flower and stepped forward and solemnly saluted:

"Congratulations to Zhou Lang for his great cause. Luo Jiangdong's poetry is famous, and his concubine body has long been famous. ”

Seeing this smiling little face, Zhou Huai'an's inexplicable thoughts and troubles will slowly calm down, and only a certain kind of warmth and silent peace of mind and steadfastness remain.

"It should be the same joy and congratulations. After all, it's you and me. ”

Zhou Huai'an hugged him in his arms and rubbed his forehead affectionately.

Of course, if you appreciate his writing and writings, you will have a lot of time to consult in the future. In addition, I also plan to arrange for a group of teachers headed by him to teach a few small ones in the family to increase knowledge and literary rhyme. ”

"Zhou Lang is really thoughtful,"

The red medicine with a blushing face couldn't help but say.

"By the way, there are so many more people in the family."

Zhou Huai'an stopped her and continued to go inside, and asked casually.

"That's what I told Lang Jun last time, the concubine body selected some of the people sent by her mother to walk in the family. Zhou Langke felt that something was wrong. ”

Cao Hongyao in his arms looked at Zhou Huai'an's face with some caution and said.

"No, if you think it's useful. Of course, there is still some attention in the private room. ”

Zhou Huai'an didn't think so, stroked her satin-like hair and smiled.

"It's just, my mother asked again, asked. Ask the concubine, have you ever been pregnant... Finish.. Also,Let someone send something.。。 ”

Hong Yao'er's little face flushed to the base of her ears again, and she said in a delicate voice as thin as a mosquito.

"Actually, Yao'er, for the sake of your body and heirs, you still have to wait until the right age to do the thing that works together with Fei, the gift of Dunlun and Zhou Gong."

Looking at her slightly resentful and gentle, expectant eyes, Zhou Huai'an said softly and apologetically.

"I don't want you to take the big risk of having a hard baby too soon; Even if you leave behind the regretful rest of your life, the root of the disease that is difficult to break is not good... ”

"Since the concubine can't serve Zhou Lang well for a while, I also ask Zhou Lang to take in more beautiful women in the house, so as to choose the heirs of Guang."

Cao Hongyao heard this, both joy and nostalgia, and said in a cut voice.

"What's wrong with you, Yao'er."

Zhou Huai'an was not surprised, and stopped in the corridor to look at her.

"No. It's nothing.,It's all said in the book sent by my mother.。。 As a model of women in all dynasties, shouldn't it be so... ”

She lowered her head in a panic, but a few thin books slipped in her arms.

"Actually, the medicine I like and admire. It's not like that."

After picking up these "Female Commandments", "Women's Rules" and "Women's Training", Zhou Huai'an looked down at the red medicine that bowed his head and twisted his fingers in a hanging bun seriously:

"She is neither the virtuous eldest grandson Wuji, nor the talented Ban Jieyu, nor the bumpy and sad Cai Wenji. It's the red medicine that doesn't pretend to have a true temperament.。。 There is no need to give in and change yourself for the sake of this example of the ancestors. ”

"Now what I am doing is really changing the world, taking an unprecedented road to overcoming obstacles, and you don't need to rigidly copy the strength of these ancients to force yourself. Everything just needs to follow the trend and start from the heart. ”

"Zhou Lang is really too good to the concubine, too lenient, and the slaves don't know what to do."

Cao Hongyao was watery in his eyes, and reflexively pressed against Zhou Huai'an's chest and said.

- I'm the dividing line -

In the frosty and snowy Yuncheng, the cage fire is blazing and reflecting the four walls of the festival hall hall.

After the Tianping Army stayed, Cao Xiang worked hard to deal with the piles of official documents in front of him, and it had been more than a month since Wei Bo's army withdrew from the siege. However, after the enemy retreated, the situation and predicament he had to face did not improve or even deteriorated.

Although there is no shortage of materials and supplies, the contradictions and problems that have been forcibly covered up by external threats have erupted all at once. In just one month, he had dealt with seven riots in the army, and personally executed dozens of soldiers and officers who had committed various taboos and violations.

However, in the meantime. There were even people who came to him to plead and persuade him that there was no need to be so harsh and demanding anything for the old soldiers and soldiers who had meritorious service in defending the city; A small number of ordinary people in the city died when they died, and only these soldiers under the government were the foundation to resist foreign humiliation and stand for a long time.

Moreover, he also found out at the time that this was obviously not the understanding of a certain person or some people, but the general view that existed among the remnants of these soldiers and officials of the Tianping Army, in a sense, that the law did not hold the people accountable. So in the follow-up and in-depth processing of some things, even he inevitably became constrained.

Among them, when dealing with a treasury officer who stole and sold the army, this accumulated dissatisfaction and backlash made him have to compromise; and gave up the means of killing a hundred people, but confiscated his net worth as compensation. Then let him die violently in prison, and that's it.

From this, he also experienced a kind of trembling called walking on thin ice, or the chills of danger walking on the edge of a cliff. Because in the face of a certain common position, the old Cao clan he relied on, the old soldiers of the back house, and the newcomers who were able to contribute to it, all used some kind of inaction to show their attitude.

At that time, Cao Xiang was also deeply worried and secretly doubted, if it weren't for the threat of Wei Bojun from the outside, so that Yunzhou City still needed him as an appealing leader to maintain the situation, maybe it would be the common scene of soldiers and commanders in the feudal town.

He finally understood that the biggest enemies he had to face in his plans and plans to improve people's livelihood were undoubtedly those generals who controlled traditional rules and interests under the old Tianping military system. It is also the largest group that he needs to rely on and rely on at the moment.

In other words, he can stubbornly eradicate any obstacles and obstructions that jump out, but he can't eradicate or move the alliance formed by generations of in-laws and interests behind these jumping clowns.

Therefore, Cao Xiang could only suppress the resentment and surging anger in his heart, and afterwards convened a banquet to appease those who should have been punished and paid the price, and even took out valuable treasures from the treasury to win over and divide them in the name of reward.

At least until the new tooth soldiers were formed based on the team he brought back, he didn't even dare to sleep too deeply; I don't dare to get close to women. And under the futon there are swords and armor to remind yourself of the basic truth of being prepared for danger in times of peace.

All this reminded him of the last time he visited and consulted Li Zhuan, the former Guiguan Jing envoy who was writing books and essays in the big training center, when he was parting in the south. After all, this is also the highest-ranking former court member among the thieves.

"Xuan'an, don't you think that since the rise of the Taiping Army, it has always been light on rewarding goods and goods, and attaching importance to physical welfare, which has always had deep meaning and connotation?"

It seems that Li Zhuo, who is already quite open-minded and tolerant, shook his fan and sighed:

"Since the Qianyuan Dynasty, the world has gradually deteriorated, and why has the feudal towns been self-reliant and replaced?。。 The old man Rongma also served as the commander of several towns in his early years, and now he has the opportunity to sit quietly and reflect on one or two, which can be regarded as somewhat clear. ”

"It is nothing more than the gradual decay of the state system, and the superiors are in charge of the immediate authority and peace, and the reciprocal abuse of the subordinates; The same is true of the imperial court, and the same is true of the marshals. It is the generation of martial artists who have controlled the opportunity for generations, and it is more and more difficult to fill; The reverence for the dynasty and the system is becoming more and more lost. ”

"It is because every time a commander takes office, he must first reward him with wealth and goods, or slaughter dissidents with military mutiny, so that he will be stable for a while. And the soldiers in the town are more and more arrogant and arrogant, and if they are slightly dissatisfied with the number of rewards, they will coerce, bully, expel the marshal, and even drive the ambition to replace and stand on their own. ”

"Such a accumulation of disadvantages is getting worse and the necessary wealth is exhausted under the rule, but the court and the commander indulge the desires of the soldiers are endless, and the people's power and material resources under the rule are finally exhausted.

"It is a hundred years since the dynasty of the country, although there are capable people with lofty ideals who have come out to save it, but they have never been able to do it; But now I have seen in the Taiping Army the root cause and turning point for ending these rebellions. ”

"Isn't it true that these divisions and rations of the land and the like, and the material welfare of oneself and one's family, are not the basis for the long-term maintenance and benevolence of oneself and one's family, compared to those who are easily distributed and squandered at every turn."

"Once we get used to bearing and relying on the benefits of these small streams of water in the army, how many soldiers will easily give up these benefits and expectations that can be used for the sake of temporary wealth."

"After a long time, even a few of the generals with other intentions may not be able to get enough benefits and goods, or rely on personal means to pull away many people."

Therefore, the old man thought that this Metropolitan Governor would not only lead the army to govern the government, but also be a generation of people who deeply understood the desires of the people; I'm afraid it's not the story of Taizong's Dingding's soldiers that reappeared, and it brought forth the new. ”

Cao Xiang was thinking about all the things he had seen and heard in the past, when suddenly the thick curtain was lifted, and a chilling chill suddenly poured in.

"There's news from the south."

A pale man covered in snow was ushered in and whispered.

"You said they couldn't directly support them for the time being, but they pointed me to a potential foreign aid nearby."

Then Cao Xiang asked rhetorically with a somewhat uncertain expression.