The name of the village is Chenjia Village.

When Deng She first gained the capital, he also went to the countryside to see the white arowana, and the first village to see was this Chenjia village. He still remembers that the village was not large, and there were many villagers, and it was estimated that there were at least seven or eight hundred people at that time. The surname in the village is Chen, so it is named Chenjia Village.

At this time, when everyone entered the village, they were full of desolation, many village houses had collapsed, and the ground was uneven and overgrown with weeds. Walking along the dirt road in the village, I walked for a while, and there was no one to see. Quietly, as if no one was there. There were only three or two trees, shivering in the cold wind.

Deng She frowned and said, "What about the people in the village? Where did it go? With a bad thought, he thought with a heavy heart, "Didn't the whole village be destroyed in the war?" ”

Sure enough, Yan Zhixi replied: "When Chahan came, this village was the closest to the camp of the Yuan army. Most of the people in the village were taken captive by the Yuan army, some died in the siege, and some were taken to Jinji. A few days ago, on the orders of the lord, each county and local government made a household registration statistics. Chen remembered that the heaviest loss was this Chenjia Village, which originally had more than 800 mouths, but now there are only more than 200 left. Most of them are still old, weak, women and children. ”

He took two petty officials with him, turned his head, and gave two orders.

The two men galloped away and went their separate ways into the village. After a long time, and it seemed very soon, they came back separately. Dismounted, knelt down and said, "The little people have seen all over the village, but there is no one. However, at the head of the village, I saw that there seemed to be people in the fields in the distance, and it was expected that the villagers had gone down to the fields and were working. ”

And they all went to see Dunsher and waited for him to make up his mind.

Dunshe stood tall on his horse and stopped in the desolate village. The north wind blew the hem of his garment, rolled his cloak, and the icy chill penetrated his body. The reins are cold, the saddle is cold. The dirt road in the village stretches forward, and there is not even a good house to be seen, either it collapses, or it is a humble house.

What the two little officials said was not right, there was not no one in the village, only a "squeak" sound was heard, and a thatched hut opened the door on the side.

When Deng She was busy looking, what he saw was a child of four or five years old. He was short and thin, his face was dark, and although it was a cold winter, he only wore a coat, which was very long, and dragged it to the ground. Barefoot, wearing a pair of straw sandals. He didn't know if he had just woken up, and while going out, with the naked eye, he suddenly saw Deng She and the others, and was startled, turned around and wanted to run into the house, but because he was too scared, he was blocked by the threshold, and suddenly fell to the ground.

Before he could get up, the two little officials had already rushed to the front, grabbed his hand, and said, "Don't be afraid, this is an official from the city, come to your village to have a look." ”

The child struggled desperately, couldn't break free, fell to the ground, didn't care about the mess, kicked and bounced, grinned, and cried, crying and shouting: "Grandpa! Grandfather! "The screams were extremely harsh. Alarmed many crows perched on the dead vines of old trees, and they spread their wings and flew one after another.

The two little officials were a little embarrassed and coaxed: "Don't scream! Don't scream! It's not a grandfather, it's a big official. They thought the child had misunderstood and was begging for mercy, so they called them "Grandpa." Unbeknownst to him, in the midst of the child's crying, he heard someone coughing, and the old man walked out of the door.

I don't know how old the old man is, he has a cane made of thick branches, his body is clumsy, his gray hair is unkempt, his face is full of wrinkles, his eyes are almost slit, he staggered a few steps, held on to the door, and gasped slightly.

His old eyes were dizzy, so he maintained this posture and stood for a while before he seemed to see Deng She and the others clearly. No better than a child, after all, he is old, he has some knowledge, and he knows at a glance that this must be a big official who came out of the city, and he lost his crutches in a hurry, and wanted to bow down, but because of old age and frailty, he had no strength, and his thin arms like hemp poles could not support him, and the whole person fell to the ground.

Dunsher deflected his legs, jumped off his horse, strode over, and steadily lifted him up. When I looked closely, I saw that the old man's hair, eyebrows, and beard were all sparse, and his eyes were cloudy. Maybe it was because of the panic, or maybe it was too cold, and I felt him shivering. The old man opened his shriveled lips, perhaps trying to say something, but I don't know if it was because he had no strength, and I didn't know if it was because he was too old to speak, but he only heard a few muttering mutters.

"Old man, I'm from the city to see you. What about the people in your village? It's all on the ground, aren't they? Are you two grandchildren left? ”

The old man muttered a few more times, but Deng She still couldn't understand anything, so he greeted Yan Zhixi and asked, "What is the old man talking about?" ”

Yan Zhixi leaned over and listened carefully. After all, he has lived in Yidu for many years, usually comes to Yaxing, and often goes to the countryside, and knows more about the local language. Please have mercy on the officials and spare her life. He also said that there were only two grandchildren left in his family. Ask the official for mercy and leave a blood for his family. ”

Deng She looked at the child again, thinking it was a boy, but it turned out to be a little girl, and motioned for Yan Zhixi to support the old man and come to her. Because she saw her grandfather come out, the little girl had already stopped crying. Deng She squatted down and asked, "What's your name?" ”

The little girl refused to speak, her eyes dripping, and she went straight to the mounts of the others. Zhao Guo has been in the army for many years, and he has developed a habit early on, no matter where he goes, he must carry water and dry food with him. He took two pieces of bread out of the blanket and handed them to Dunshe. Deng She took it, put it in the little girl's hand, and said with a smile: "Do you want to eat?" Here you go. The little girl grabbed the cake tightly, timidly, and nodded.

Zhao Guo asked: "I want to eat, I want to eat, we still have it here." Whatever the official asks, you answer, okay? The little girl nodded, and Deng She asked again, "What's your name?" ”

"Brother Xi."

"What about the adults in your family? Is it only your grandfather? Where's your dad? ”

"Dad and Uncle were taken away by the pigtailed Tartar. He said that he would come back after the battle, but he hasn't seen him back yet. The aunts in the village said that maybe they were dead. ”

"Where's your mother?"

"My mother was also taken away by the Tartars. And my brother, when my mother was taken away by the Tartars, my brother was unwilling. ”

"And then?"

"Killed by the Tartars." The little girl pointed to the outside of the village, "It was also hung on the tree at the head of the village by the tartars." Originally, I buried it, but grandpa couldn't dig it. The aunts in the village did not dare to help. A few days ago, the Tartars were all gone, and they had just been buried. There was only one mat at home, and the grandfather said that his brother was gone, and he couldn't let him walk naked, so he gave the mat to his brother. Master, you have a cake, can you give Brother Xi another mat? Grandpa always coughs at night, and Brother Xi is so uncomfortable listening to it. It was too cold in the haystack. ”

Deng She nodded to Zhao Guo, Zhao Guo walked into the hut, came out again, and said, "What, nothing." Only, just a pile of grass. ”

Yan Zhixi said: "When Chahan besieged the city, because the weather was too cold, the Yuan army wanted to keep warm, so in the surrounding villages, many people's beds, tables and chairs were robbed by them. A while ago, when I conducted an investigation, the doors and windows of many people's homes were demolished by the Yuan army. As he spoke, he ordered the hut.

Only then did Deng She realize that the door of the thatched hut where the grandparents lived was obviously new. It's not so much a gate as a wooden fence.

Yan Zhixi added: "Not only were the people's things looted by the Yuan army. On the way we came, the trees on the side of the road were also cut down, and they were all made by the Yuan army. After a pause, he added, "Cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, chickens and ducks have also been robbed a lot." "The Yuan army is everywhere, and it is really a chicken and a dog that does not stay. No wonder when he entered the village, not only did he not see anyone, but he didn't even see a single domestic animal or poultry.

Deng She tugged on her sleeve, wiped the dirt off the little girl's face little by little, patted her little hands full of chilblains, and said warmly: "I am in the city, and I have heard that His Royal Highness King Yan has passed down an edict that if the people lack food and clothing at home, the yamen of the county governments will give relief as soon as possible." And they will give you not only mats, but also bread, and bread, and furniture, and beds. ”

"Really?"

"Really."

"What about Brother Xi's father, uncle, mother and brother? Will the master return it to Brother Xi? ”

Brother Xi's words were unscrupulous, and Deng She's heart was sour when he heard it. He hadn't felt like this in a long time, and he didn't know how to answer for a while. Yan Zhixi hurriedly smiled: "Children are not sensible and talk nonsense. His Royal Highness's decree to relieve the people, the villain also heard about it, and heard that the local government offices had already begun to carry it out. It's just that the damage is too great, and there are too many supplies missing, so it is difficult to raise them all in a hurry. In just these few days, it will probably be able to be issued uniformly. ......, official, should we go down to the field and have a look? ”

He is the prefect of Yidu, and this Chenjia Village is within his jurisdiction, and when Brother Xi said that, he was afraid that Deng She would be dissatisfied, so he interjected and explained two sentences euphemistically.

Deng She sighed and said, "Erluer, the people's fat and the people's ointment." It has been nearly half a month since the end of the war, and Chenjia Village is only twenty or thirty miles away from Yidu, and the relief materials have not yet been distributed. A little further away? On one side is fine clothes and food, and on the other side is hunger and cold. The government is too slow! ”

There's a reason for that.

At the end of the year, it is the time to teach cattle and plant mulberry. Compared with things like beds, doors, tables and chairs, nongsang is the most important. The left and right divisions of the provinces have issued official documents specifically for this purpose, and the relief in various localities should be given priority to agriculture and mulberry, and other things should be second. Therefore, the rescue of people's daily necessities has been a little slower. However, Yan Zhixi did not dare to argue, only promised.

Deng She stood up and said: "Teach the local government officials to listen, from now on, all officials, etc., regardless of rank, one person is responsible for one village, and it will be implemented to the end." The government eats at noon every day, and those who eat it should share it with the people. Whatever the people ate, they ate too! ”

He suddenly remembered an allusion in later generations, explained to Yan Zhixi, and said: "After I go back, look for someone to paint a green vegetable, and write it below: 'The people must not have this color, and the scholars must not have this taste.'" 'Print more. To the magistrates of Shandong, no, to the magistrates of the entire Haidong, everyone sent a pair. and said that I gave it. After a moment of silence, he said, "That's it, you can find someone to do it." The two inscriptions were written by me. ”

"The people shall not have such a color, and the scholars shall not be without this taste."

This allusion comes from the famous Qing official Xu Jiujing in the Ming Dynasty. This person once made a county order in Jurong, Jiangnan, and when he was full, the people were reluctant to give up, and the father and son cried and said: "Gong Xing trained me!" He replied, "Only frugality and diligence and patience." These three words are therefore called "Xu Gong Sanzijing" by the local people. When he was an official, he once painted a vegetable in the lobby, and the inscription below was written "The people must not have this color, and the scholars must not have this taste" These two well-known official proverbs.

For the officials, for the benefit of the people. In fact, it is quite a tradition for officials to eat folk food in all dynasties, and some dynasties have also listed it as an explicit regulation. It's just that there is a difference between strict and lax enforcement. Therefore, although Yan Zhixi felt that those two sentences were very good, he did not think it was strange to Deng She's order for officials to eat people's meals, and respectfully obeyed the order.

The little girl Xi Ge held the cake, blinked at Deng She, put her fingers in her mouth and sucked.

Deng She said: "Look at these ancestors and grandchildren, the old and the young. There is no Ding Zhuang in the family, and there are no relatives. Although it can be relieved by the people, if it takes a long time, it will inevitably make people tired. How do you live? Haidong already has a system, and on the one hand, such a private family can be helped by the cooperative on a daily basis, and on the other hand, the local governor and patriarch can report to the yamen. According to the degree of difficulty, it is divided into many and so on. The yamen paid for the grain on a monthly basis and supported them.

"The sage cloud: 'The old and the old, the young and the young.' Yan Gong, you are a saint Miao descendant, and you should have a deeper understanding of this than me. These two matters will be entrusted to you in charge, and you will also be ordered to implement them as soon as possible in all parts of Shandong.

"Although the process of developing cooperatives has been interrupted because of the Tsakhan invaders, many localities have not yet completed the organization. However, the work of dividing the yamen in various localities can be carried out first. Give you ten days, and be sure to do it well before the year of Wu He. As you have said, let the people have a good year. ”

"Officials are kind-hearted and love the people like children." Yan Zhixi said hesitantly, "It's just that despite this virtue and politics, Shandong has experienced war and chaos, and the place has withered." Money is easy to say, but just food? The officials also know that the shortage of food is tight. The villain thinks that with the existing capacity of various places, he is afraid that it will not be enough to ....... ”

Before going to the countryside, he agreed with the ministers on the policy of borrowing grain. If there is a shortage of food in the place, how can Deng She not know?

He frowned and said, "Relief and maintenance are not extensive, but not done!" As far as Yidu is concerned, each village selects a person to be supported, and the whole government has only a few hundred people. Don't you have any food? If there is really none, reduce the official rations! Beginning in my house, you have taken the lead in shrinking. ”

Yan Zhixi understood what Deng She meant, the people had only experienced the war, and Haidong had just benefited from the capital, although there was a shortage of food, he couldn't help but do the measures to express his love for the people. He understood and said, "Yes." ”

"Let's go, let's go to the fields."

Zhao Guo asked, "This, what about this old man and the little girl?" Do you want to ask them to lead the way? ”

Deng She raised his feet to leave, but when he heard the words, he stopped, turned his head to look at the old man and the little girl, and said, "Tian Ridge is just outside the village, and you still need to ask someone to lead the way?" The old people are old and have difficulty walking, so please let them stay. Ah Guo, remember to go back and get some bedding, pillows, beds and chairs, and bring them to the elderly. ”

A guard had already brought his mount in, and Dunshe turned over and got on his horse. The little girl Brother Xi was still young, and after talking to Deng She for a while, she felt that he was very kind, and the earlier fears had long since disappeared. The child was curious again, stood on the side of the horse, tilted his head, reached out and touched the horse's legs, and giggled: "Master, ride a big horse!" ”

I cried and laughed, but it was funny. It's just that everyone saw the withering situation in the village, saw the ruined houses and broken walls, and saw the girl's smiling face, but they were all saddened when they saw this scene. Yan Zhixi took the little girl aside, and Deng She beat the horse forward. The dirt road was rough, and the horses' hooves stepped on it, and it was very bumpy.

After a short time, he left the village and came to the edge of the field.

In the month of wax and the first month, although the fields are empty, it is not yet the season to plant crops. However, planting mulberry, planting hemp, marrying trees, geldings, transplanting fruit trees, etc., all have to be at this time. In addition, the farm work that farmers need to do is to repair farm tools, dig ditches, repair silkworm houses, weave silkworm foil, and so on. Speaking of which, there is still a lot that needs to be done.

In this Chenjia Village, since Ding Zhuang is lacking, more than ninety percent of the people who work in the fields are women. Everyone stood outside the horse field, watching from afar and near.

On the vast plains, fields are dotted. Along the topography, farmland can be high and low. In the high place, there is a ditch, and around the side of the field, there is a high ridge between the field and the ditch. And on the high ridges, there were rows of mulberries originally planted, but now only tree stumps remain.

In the low places, there are also reclaimed fields on the slopes of the hills. Now there is nothing in it, and when the season is right, these small plots of land can be used to grow vegetables, horses, wheat, beans, and so on. Except for the high and low places, most of the farmland is still on relatively flat ground.

There are also orchards, but most of the fruit trees inside, like the mulberries on the high ridges, are gone. Only a single section of the stump remains, which is vaguely reminiscent of the day of harvest of the fruit trees in the past.

There is no need for Yan Zhixi to explain again, Deng She can also think that these mulberries and fruit trees must have been cut down by the Yuan army for heating the fire.

There is a lot of farmland owned by Chenjia Village, and there is no edge in sight. At this time, the people who are working in the fields are sparse. Some of them noticed the arrival of Deng She and the others, dropped their tools, and looked at them blankly. Some have not yet noticed, just hooked their heads and bent over, working silently.

Yan Zhixi said: "Cows, mules and other things are not easy to prepare. Mulberry seedlings, fruit tree seedlings, etc., some prefectures and counties that were less affected by the war still have some saved.

"On the orders of the left and right departments of the provinces, in accordance with the principle of 'buying rich families and supporting poor families if the surplus support is insufficient', all localities have concentrated the surplus and distributed it in a unified manner. There are also those in Yidu counties. What they planted in the fields and orchards had just been transferred from the yamen. ”

"Grain is going to be planted in the spring, how is the grain preparation?"

"There is not enough food. The provincial left and right divisions have already asked the provincial left and right divisions for urgent help. Lord Naka-wu, the former provincial left and right Shiro, personally replied, saying that he would requisition some of them from North Korea and South Korea. Wechen heard that the Privy Council of the province had also made a special case and issued a military order to the Pyongyang Naval Division, and allocated a lot of ships for the use of the provincial left and right divisions. By the middle of next month at the latest, the first batch of grain seeds will be shipped to Shandong. In addition to grain, ploughing cattle, farm tools and other materials should also be able to support some. ”

"These are all important matters related to the national economy and people's livelihood. The people take food as the sky, and they should not be careless. Wu Henian will soon come to Yidu, and after you take over the left and right divisions, the first focus must be on this. You understand the situation in Shandong, what is lacking, what is given. The sooner you want to do it, the better. ”

Yan Zhixi took over from Wu Henian, although not as a langzhong, but as a second-level outsider. However, as soon as Wu Henian left, there would be no Lang Zhong in the left and right divisions of the same province, and the highest official position was a foreign officer. In other words, although Yan Zhixi's official position is low, he is worthy of the name. After listening to Deng She's instructions, he said: "Please rest assured, the lord will not dishonor the king's life." ”

——, as for why Deng She didn't let him be a langzhong, and only gave him the position of a foreigner for the time being, there were other considerations. First, Yan Zhixi had little qualifications, and suddenly gave him too high an official position, for fear that his subordinates on the left and right would not be convinced. Second, Deng She also had the idea of trying Yan Zhixi's ability first, and being able to cure the land of one province does not mean that he can also cure the civil affairs of the three provinces. See how he performs, and if he performs well, it's not too late to be promoted.

"I don't know much about agriculture, but I read that the agricultural book says that there must be one person for 30 acres of land in spring and autumn. There are no Zhuang in Chenjia Village, the rest are some old and weak women and children, and there is a strange lack of cattle, and now the farming is not busy, planting mulberry trees, fruit seedlings or something, so-so is OK. When the spring is busy, the manpower will be insufficient, what are the plans of the prefectures and counties? Is there a charter to come out? ”

"Other prefectures and county ministers don't know that Yidu has a charter. Chenjia Village is too close to the battleground, so there is a shortage of strong men and cattle. At a distance, the damage will be lighter. When spring is busy, the government plans to gather the labor of each village and help each other, just like the example of requisitioning saplings and grain seeds. At the same time, we can also take this opportunity to improve the organization of cooperatives. ”

Deng She muttered and said: "There are many soldiers, and the war is endless. And why should our people suffer, the day is not safe! Ladies and gentlemen, what are we fighting for? ”

"Meng Yuan has no way, and the people are not happy. The lord rose up from time to time and fought in order to open up peace in the future generations. ”

Deng She bowed his head and said, "What Yan Gong said is good. When I was a child, I traveled with my father to the north and south of the Yellow River, and then joined the army to fight in Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi, and went far away. In the past ten years, what I have seen and seen, half of the northern country, there is almost no paradise. I still remember the flooding of the Yellow River that year, the flying locusts in Henan, the famine in Shaanxi, and the earthquake in Shandong a few years ago. The white bones are exposed in the wild, and there is no rooster crowing for thousands of miles. I don't mean that the tragic situation of the past has reappeared today! The Tartars, who are not of my race, abuse my fellow citizens. Treat me as a slave and drive me like a dog. The reason why the lord and Liu Taibao got into trouble was not what they wanted, and they had no choice but to hear it.

"The reason why I, my father, my uncle, my brother, my brother, Uncle Wen, Uncle Chen, Ah Guo, etc., are willing to advocate joining the army, forgetting life and death, fighting on the battlefield, and entering the outside world, for many years, risking arrows and stones, breaking through white blades, fighting bloodily, and refusing to rest. What is it that you do? The sin of Zhu Yuan, hang my people. So much for. ”

Everyone didn't understand Deng She's thoughts, and they didn't know why he suddenly sighed. Yan Zhixi said: "The lord is benevolent and loves the people, and he responds to the heavens. ”

Deng She's words changed sharply, and then he said: "You know the reason why I raised the army. I am worried, lest the people do not know it. Yan Gong, you wrote a letter for me to tell my father in Shandong, and you want to describe my feelings. To make it clear, my army is not for wealth, and it is not my wish to be a marquis.

"Drive out the Tartars, restore China, the people have a place to live, people have their land, the old have support, and the few have learning. For the sake of the saints, I will not let my famous religion fall; Open peace for all generations, and promote my Huaxia Tianwei. This is my wish. After it was written, it was posted in various places on the same day, and the people were announced. ”

Deng She has not been based in Shandong for a long time, and his foundation is unstable. If the strategy of sending envoys to borrow grain is not successful, it is foreseeable that the internal worries such as food shortage and embarrassment will surely become more and more serious. If we want to keep the people from chaos, we must do something to win over the hearts and minds of the people.

A piece of writing may not be of much effect, but if it is combined with his measures of going deep into the countryside, observing the people's feelings, and caring for the old and young, ordering officials to eat people's meals, and taking the lead in cutting the daily use of the palace, etc., it will still have some results. Moreover, he didn't ask others to write this document, but asked Yan Zhixi to write it. Yan Zhixi is the descendant of the saint, and it is passed down by the people, which is "dictated by King Yan and written by the descendants of Yanzi", so that with the brilliance of the saint, it should be better in terms of credibility and persuasiveness.

Yan Zhixi should not mention it.

Deng She looked at the people in the field, and since he went deep into the countryside, he had to ask for warmth, otherwise he would come in vain. The two grandparents and grandchildren, one old and one young, can't ask many things, and they can't ask clearly. He jumped off his horse again and said, "Guys, let's go and see in the field." And they all dismounted, and went with them.