The season has entered the winter, the weather is getting colder day by day, but the construction of water conservancy facilities in Wuling County is in full swing, a diversion canal, a drainage ditch has been dug out, and in the next year's wet season, these ditches will send water to the fields that lack water, drain away the water in the low fields, and I don't know how much land will be turned into fertile land because of irrigation.

Han Ji also successfully imitated practical tools such as overturning cars and thirsty blacks, which stood on the side of rivers and ditches one by one, and when irrigation was needed, they could transport water to high places, and they didn't know how much manpower and material resources could be saved.

Guoyuan played a great role in this upsurge of water conservancy construction, he was proficient in arithmetic, farming, and was able to design the most suitable ditches, and his on-site command and organization skills were also very strong, which always kept the farmers' enthusiasm for work very good. Of course, building water conservancy facilities is also good for these farmers, which is one of the reasons why they work so hard.

After a few days of depression, Wang Rong's mood seemed to recover, and he often came to the construction site of water conservancy, and every time he came, he would participate in the labor for a while, and the vitality of Wuling County made him feel extremely relaxed, and he seemed to have forgotten the reality that the Han Empire was already crumbling.

But there are always things that will inexorably pull you back to the harsh reality.

In December, Xianbei made a big move on the border of Kou, Youzhou and Bingzhou all had Xianbei cavalry into the Kou, although the state and county tried their best to resist, but Xianbei was powerful, and the people of Qianshou were killed and plundered countless, and the people were devastated.

Xianbei was originally just a loose nomadic people, and later a strong leader Tan Shihuai unified, the Xianbei people into a relatively close tribal alliance, and even won many wars against the Xiongnu, and the Xianbei people became the most powerful nation in Mobei.

Later, the Xianbei tribe took advantage of the rampant plague of the Han Dynasty and the continuous civil strife, and when they were at their weakest, they repeatedly took countless people from the Han Dynasty and plundered countless people, and the Xianbei tribe became stronger and stronger.

Fortunately, five years ago, Tanshi Huai relapsed and died from old wounds in the years of war, and the Xianbei tribe lost such a strong leader, and fell back into division, and their power was greatly reduced, and they could not enter the army on a large scale for several years.

But this year, the vitality of the Xianbei tribe has recovered, and this year's winter is particularly cold, so the Xianbei tribe has entangled the cavalry again and entered the Han Dynasty.

This time, it was mainly the eastern Xianbei and the central Xianbei who entered the Han Dynasty, and the Xianbei lords such as Mijia, Que Ji, Huaitou, Suli, Ke Ji, and Que Ju each led tens of thousands of cavalry, looting goods everywhere, and plundering the people, all kinds of evil, and the people of Youzhou and Bingzhou suffered great disasters.

When Wang Rong heard the news, his mood suddenly became bad again, once upon a time, how could the big man who beat the alien wolf bèi rat run outside the Saiwai was weak like this?

In this Xianbei entry, perhaps the only bright spot is Youzhou Zhonglang General Gongsun Zhan, who led his soldiers and horses and killed hundreds of Xianbei cavalry, but he had too few soldiers and horses under his command, and he couldn't turn the overall situation around.

When the generals in the Jingzhou army heard the news, they all gritted their teeth and hated it, but who has not heard of the deeds of the champion Hou Huo who is sick? Who doesn't regard Feng Wolf Juxu and Le Shi Yanran as their greatest ambition? Now that the alien race is wreaking havoc in the territory of the Han Dynasty, they are powerless, which is a great shame for the soldiers.

Even Huang Zhong, who has always been calm, has always had a gloomy face.

However, this news also brought some positive effects, that is, the soldiers trained harder.

On this day, Wang Heng went to Huang Zhong's house to visit Huang Xu, and Huang Xu also asked, "Brother Shuping, have the Xianbei people come in again?" ”

Wang Heng touched Huang Xu's head and said, "Yes! ”

Huang Xu said: "Aren't Xianbei people bad? ”

Wang Heng pondered, are Xianbei people bad? How can this question be answered?

After a long time, he said to Huang Xu: "Xianbei people and even all people can't simply distinguish between good and bad, Xianbei people also have good people, and there are bad people among Han people, if we go to Xianbei people as guests, they may be very enthusiastic about us and will become friends with you, but the next time we meet on the battlefield, even if he recognizes you, he will not show the slightest mercy to his subordinates, he will not hesitate to wave the knife in their hands at you." ”

Huang Xu was a little confused: "Why is this?" ”

Wang Heng said: "Xianbei, Xiongnu, Wuhuan these nomads, all live in the far north, from spring to autumn, they can live in water and grass, they are herds of cattle and sheep, life is not worrying, but whenever it is winter, the weather is cold, snow, the grass is covered with snow, cattle and sheep have no grass to eat, a large number of starvation to death, nomads can not live, they have to come to us to loot." ”

Huang Xu showed a look of resentment on his face: "They came to rob us if they couldn't survive, then our things were robbed, won't they not survive?" ”

Wang Heng nodded and said, "Yes, that's it, this is a game of life and death." If the nomads want not to starve, they have to come and rob us, and if we want not to starve to death, we have to resist them, not to be robbed by them. It doesn't matter if they are good or bad, we have to work hard to eliminate them so that we can live. ”

Huang Zhong listened to the conversation between the two beside him, and he also bowed slightly, he usually told Huang Xu about the hatefulness of nomads such as Xianbei and Xiongnu, and about the majesty and glory of famous generals such as Huo Quzhi and Dou Xian, such as Feng Wolf Juxu and Le Shi Yanran, but he didn't tell it as thoroughly as Wang Heng at all.

For example, Huang Xu asked him whether the Xianbei people were good or bad, he couldn't answer, he knew that the Xianbei people couldn't all be bad people, he couldn't have a conscience, but let him say that there were good people in the Xianbei people, and he didn't want to, and he couldn't answer why there were good people in the Xianbei people who also came to rob the Han people.

But now Wang Heng has answered this question very well, the war with the nomads is a game of life and death, and it has nothing to do with good or bad, just to survive.

Huang Xu's face showed an unbearable look: "Then do we have to kill all the Xianbei people?" ”

Wang Heng shook his head and said, "No, it can't be." Even if we kill all the Xianbei people, there will also be other nomads on the grassland who will rise up and enter the Central Plains. Of course, we have to beat them down first, and then talk about things that let them live, such as letting them move into the Central Plains and integrate into the Han people, isn't this also a way to live? ”

Huang Xu nodded.

Wang Heng sighed: "Maybe one day in the future, we can live in peace with the nomads, right?" But in our generation it is impossible to do it, what we have to do is to scare the nomads and subdue them! ”

Huang Xu nodded and said: "Brother Shuping, I understand, when I grow up, I must be like the champion Hou and seal the wolf!" ”

Wang Heng said: "Okay, then in a few days, your body will be better, you will practice martial arts well, practice martial arts well, and the eldest brother will definitely give you the opportunity to seal the wolf in the future." ”

In another ten days, Huang Xu will be taking medicine for a year, two days ago Zhang Ji also came to help Huang Xu take the pulse, he said that Huang Xu's body has been much better, compared with ordinary children, the qi and blood are more vigorous, and when the one-year medication period expires, the root of his disease will be completely broken, and there will be no more troubles.

In the past few months, Huang Xu has also been active every day, and Huang Zhong has massaged him and taught him some basic methods to boil his body, so Huang Xu's body is getting stronger and stronger, and his muscles and bones are also stronger.

As the days passed, Huang Xu's medicine was finally finished, and that night, he and Wang Heng followed Huang Zhong to start practicing martial arts.

Huang Xu looked very excited, after all, a year ago, he was just a sick child, and it was difficult to even get out of bed and move, but now he can practice martial arts, what a miracle!

Huang Zhong is also very excited today, since Zhang Ji's master Zhang Bozu diagnosed Huang Xu, he thought that Huang Xu's illness would be difficult to cure in his life, but after he was desperate, Wang Heng reached out and helped him cure Huang Xu.

Looking at his lively son in front of him, he was deeply grateful to Wang Heng from the bottom of his heart.

However, Huang Zhong did not show his excitement, he calmly asked Wang Heng to stand on the pile, and after Wang Heng entered the realm of forgetting things and me, he began to teach Huang Xu to stand on the pile.

Huang Xu's talent is also very good, and he quickly entered the realm of forgetting things and me, which made Huang Zhong very pleased.

And Huang Xu's sense of anger was five days later, although it was not as good as Wang Heng's three days, but he was also a genius in the history of this martial arts.

Huang Zhong was very excited, their martial arts, because it is not easy to choose apprentices, and they can't be passed on to people with bad conduct, so the number of heirs has not been much, and he has two heirs with such outstanding talents at once, which is really an eye-opener.

**********

Tiangong is very beautiful, on Chinese New Year's Eve, Hanshou snowed, and it fell very much, which is rare in Wuling, goose feather snow fluttered for a day, the mountain, the top of the tree, the roof of the house are all covered with a layer of snow, it looks like everywhere is white.

If it was in previous years, such heavy snow would make some poor people have a hard time, but this year Wuling County has done a good job in poverty alleviation, and has given clothes and food to the poor people, so that they can spend this winter, and this year the entire Wuling is a bumper harvest, and the government has exempted many taxes in various ways, so the rest of the people are not bad, and many people have bought wine and meat, ready to have a hearty New Year's Day.

On this day, Wang Heng braved the heavy snow to go to the Hanshou Academy in the north of the city, he went to invite Zheng Xuan to go to the Assassin's Mansion tomorrow to spend Zhengdan, and he was accompanied by Deng Zhan, Yao Gang and others, Deng Zhan's widowed mother was Hanshou who came with Deng Zhan, and now there is also a small courtyard in the Assassin's Mansion, where the mother and son live together, which makes Deng Zhan have no worries.

Coming to Hanshou Academy, although it is almost the New Year's Day, there are still a lot of people, some students in Wuling County and Jingzhou have gone home for the festival, but some students who are far away from home and older are still staying in the academy and spending New Year's Day here.

The number of these students is more than 1,000 people, usually under the leadership of Zheng Xuan, they grow some vegetables on the mountains inside and outside the academy, feed some pigs, these days they have killed a few pigs, meat and vegetables are still relatively rich, and the Thorn Shifu also sent people to send enough rice grain, vegetables, and fresh fish, so that the academy can also have a hearty New Year's Day.

Wang Heng greeted the busy students all the way, and after a while, he came to Zheng Xuan's courtyard.

Zheng Xuan's family is also full of joy, and it will be the New Year's Day soon, who can not be happy? And last New Year's Day, Zheng Xuan's family lived in Gaomi's hometown, although a few disciples also sent some money, food and materials, but they still lived a miserable life, how can it be compared with this year's good days?

Seeing Wang Heng coming, Zheng Xuan's son Zheng Yi said happily: "Brother Shuping is here!" ”

Wang Heng nodded and said, "Brother Yien!" ”

Then Wang Heng saluted his master Zheng Xuan and his wife Song, Zheng Xuan looked at the snowflakes fluttering in the sky, and said happily: "Shuping, this snow is falling well!" ”

In Gaomi, the snow in winter is very heavy, and Zheng Xuan came to Hanshou, everything else is fine, but it doesn't snow for a long time after winter, which makes him a little unaccustomed, and today's snow really makes him very happy.

Wang Heng nodded and said, "Yes, Master, Ruixue Zhaofeng Nian!" ”

Zheng Xuan said: "Well, this sentence Ruixue Zhaofeng Year is good, next year must be another bumper harvest year!" ”

The phrase Ruixue Zhaofeng Year has not yet become popular in this era, but Zheng Xuan has been cultivating for many years, and of course he can find that as long as the snow falls heavily in the first year, he can often harvest in the second year, so when he heard Wang Heng's words, he felt the same way.

Wang Heng asked Zheng Xuan if all kinds of supplies were enough, and then said to Zheng Xuan: "Teacher, father and mother, please come over tomorrow to celebrate New Year's Day together." ”

Zheng Xuan nodded and agreed without thinking, he and Wang Heng were in-laws and close friends, and now Wang Heng is his proud disciple, the Wang family invited him to Zhengdan, of course he agreed.

Hearing that Zheng Xuan agreed, Wang Heng was also very happy, Zheng Xuan was his most respected elder and teacher, and it was really a very warm thing to be able to spend the New Year's Day together.

Wang Heng said: "Teacher, then you wait at home tomorrow, and I will send a carriage to pick you up." ”

Zheng Xuan nodded and said, "Shuping, I went to the market for a walk in the past few days, and you and your father have done a good job." ”

Wang Heng hurriedly humbled himself and said: "It's all the credit of my father, and the disciple didn't do anything." ”

Zheng Xuan shook his head and said, "Don't be too humble, what you do is in the eyes of the teacher." ”

Zheng Xuan paused, and then said in a gloomy tone: "After this New Year's Day, the teacher is already over sixty years old. In the past ten years, almost the entire Han Dynasty has been miserable, full of devastation, and it is heartbreaking! ”

Speaking of this, Zheng Xuan's tone became more and more low, almost speechless, and after the situation calmed down, Zheng Xuan continued: "Before coming to Wuling, I didn't know if it was right to come here, but on the first day I came to Wuling, you took action for Weishi and beat Cao Ze, which made me feel that I had come to the right place." It's been almost a year since you came to Wuling, you are extremely talented, kind-hearted, respectful of teachers, and you are indeed a rare good disciple. ”

This time, Wang Heng didn't speak, just listened carefully to Zheng Xuan's words.

"Over the past year, I have witnessed that the lives of the people of Qianshou in Wuling County are getting better and better, Hanshou City is getting cleaner and cleaner, and when winter comes, I don't see a starvation on the streets of Hanshou, and those poor people can have enough food and clothing, which is really something I have not seen in other places. Make a life for the people, and you did it! ”

Hearing this, Wang Heng couldn't sit still, and he said to Zheng Xuan: "Teacher, now we have only benefited Wuling County, and we can't afford to make a life for the people." ”

Zheng Xuan shook his head and said: "Mencius has clouds, if you are poor, you will be good to yourself, and if you are good, you will be good to the world." Xunzi has clouds, does not accumulate steps, does not accumulate thousands of miles, does not accumulate small streams, and does not become rivers and seas. I'm glad you've got to this point. How many famous scholars and great Confucians, how many high-ranking officials and princes, even a county is not well governed. ”

Speaking of this, Zheng Xuan stared at Wang Heng's eyes and said, "Shuping, as a teacher, I hope you will be able to reach and benefit the world in the future!" ”

Wang Heng was shocked, Zheng Xuan's words contained such profound expectations for him!

Of course, Wang Heng will not misunderstand Zheng Xuan's sentence as now Zheng Xuan is going to support him to usurp the Han and stand on his own, Zheng Xuan's meaning is, of course, that he hopes that Wang Heng can establish a greater career, worship the prime minister, and prosper the Han, which is already a very high expectation for a teenager.

Wang Heng bowed down and said: "Teacher, disciples should do their best!" ”

Zheng Xuanxuan smiled with relief, and he remembered something again and said: "Shuping, I heard that Cai Bojiao is now avoiding trouble in Wudi, and I have written to him and asked him to come to Hanshou and preside over Hanshou Academy with me." Cai Bojiao has a rich collection of books, many of which are unique books, and I used to borrow them from his house when I used to study abroad. If he is willing to come to Hanshou, you can print all his books so that they don't fall apart. ”

Cai Bojiao is the famous contemporary Confucian Cai Yong, who is also the father of Cai Yan and Cai Wenji. He once served as a court speaker, participated in the compilation of the "Dongguan Han Dynasty", presided over the engraving of the Xiping Stone Scripture, and later offended the powerful because of his outspokenness, and was degraded by the Han Emperor Liu Hong to Shuofang, and was chased and killed, in desperation, he had to go to the land of Wuhui in the south of the Yangtze River to escape the pursuit, and now it has been nearly ten years.

Cai Yong was a good book collector in his life, it is said that he had a collection of tens of thousands of books, but unfortunately after the war was in chaos, most of them were scattered, if he could come to Hanshou and publish his collection, it would really be a great fortune.

In addition, Wang Heng also has vague expectations for Cai Yong's daughter Cai Yan, but this is not enough for outsiders.