Chapter 277 - 271: Waving The Big Flag
Zhao Hanzhang finished reading the letter, then reacted, "Uncle Ming, why didn’t you tell me such important information?"
Zhao Ming: "Would you dispatch troops?"
"Uh, no."
"Then isn’t that fine?" Zhao Ming said, "The only crucial information was that one, and you’re already doing what you should without needing a reminder, so what’s the point of reading the letter?"
Zhao Hanzhang found his reasoning quite sensible.
Zhao Ming asked, "The summer harvest is almost over; shouldn’t you be preparing for planting things like beans?"
He said, "Since this matter doesn’t concern us, you might as well just watch the excitement from the side, but you should focus more on the county affairs of Xiping and Shangcai, promoting agriculture and training soldiers. Don’t you have plenty to do?"
"How can it be unrelated? The state of the world affects everyone," Zhao Hanzhang said with a face full of worry, "I’m not worried about Prince East Sea and Gou Xi fighting; I’m afraid Liu Yuan will take advantage of the situation."
Zhao Ming fell silent, evidently worried about the same issue.
For people like them to foresee this problem, it’s as if the ministers in the court are blind, with only a few desperately trying to mediate the reconciliation between the two, while everyone else remains indifferent.
And Liu Yuan, watching from the sidelines, felt it was time to take advantage, so he ordered his son Liu Cong, his cherished generals Shi Le and Wang Mi, and others to march south.
The news hadn’t yet reached Yu State; Liu Kun’s people were risking everything to report to Luoyang, pleading for the Prince East Sea not to fight, not to fight.
Of course, Zhao Hanzhang was unaware of this at the time.
Even though she believed the state of the world was related to her, Zhao Ming didn’t think so and directly pushed her to the fields to promote agriculture.
Zhao Hanzhang squatted by the field with a big straw hat, sighed deeply, and then sighed again...
Chen San, who was passing by with a plow, stopped and hesitated before asking, "What is the lady worried about?"
Wu Erlang, a laborer plowing alongside Chen San, also perked up his ears to listen.
"No rain. It hasn’t rained for half a month since the summer harvest, right?" Zhao Hanzhang said, "The water in the ditches is about to run dry."
Chen San, however, was not very concerned and laughed, "The lady need not worry; the weather has been like this in recent years, alternating between drought and flood, but only minor disasters. The harvest this year is quite good; there’s plenty of wheat, and beans are drought-resistant; we just need a couple of rains after planting."
He was very optimistic, "Besides, we have the ditches."
How effective could these ditches be?
Although they dug ditches all winter, the county’s water conservation facilities remained poor, with low water storage and irrigation rates.
But with her tenants and laborers so confident, Zhao Hanzhang naturally wouldn’t dampen their spirits, so she also smiled broadly and nodded vigorously, "You’re right; we still have the ditches."
She glanced at the field they were plowing and pointed out, "Too shallow; it won’t suppress the weeds. You need to go a bit deeper."
Chen San and Wu Erlang glanced at the soil they had turned over, dejected, and nodded in response, then continued plowing.
Zhao Hanzhang squatted by the side watching, realizing that the matters with Prince East Sea and Gou Xi were too distant. The immediate task was to find ways to buy more oxen.
Relying on human power to pull plows was not only exhausting but also labor-intensive.
But there were only so many oxen in the world, and they couldn’t be conjured up at once. It seemed she still had to find ways to encourage raising calves.
Cattle farms...
Zhao Hanzhang considered going to the county outskirts to inspect the horse farm.
Zhao Hanzhang’s horse farm had grown considerably after half a year of management.
In the spring, Wei Matou had scattered many grass seeds, which grew quickly, and before the new year, not only had Ji Yuan sent many foals, but Zhao Ming had also helped purchase some.
Currently, there were three hundred and sixty-eight horses in the stud farm, making it quite large.
They could now form a cavalry of one hundred and fifty men.
Wei Matou was very proud, feeling he had reached the peak of his life, but was Zhao Hanzhang satisfied?
In comparison, the cavalry of the Xiongnu and the Xianbei numbered in the thousands; their few hundred horses were hardly worth bragging about.
But as important as training troops was, so was the livelihood of the people.
Zhao Hanzhang asked Wei Matou, "Do you know how to raise cattle?"
Wei Matou instinctively felt uneasy, and before he could answer, Zhao Hanzhang continued, "I want someone to learn cattle raising from you."
Wei Matou said, "County Lord, I’m a horse expert; I raise horses."
"How narrow-minded," Zhao Hanzhang replied, "One must have a long-term vision; cattle and horses aren’t that different—they’re both livestock, and many issues overlap."
Wei Matou opened his mouth, wanting to refuse outright, but Zhao Hanzhang said, "I’ve decided to establish a Ministry of Imperial Stables in the county, akin to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Household Department, as a permanent office in the county government. How would you like to be my Minister of Imperial Stables?"
Wei Matou’s face flushed with excitement and disbelief, "W-Would I have a rank?"
Zhao Hanzhang declared, "Ninth Grade!"
Wei Matou’s eyes brightened, and he agreed instantly, "Alright, I accept."
Zhao Hanzhang slapped her thigh, "Great! It’s settled then. As my Minister of Imperial Stables, you must train your subordinates well. You should comprehensively summarize skills for horse appraisal, care, and veterinary treatment, and train more people; later, I’ll have them raise cattle."
She was essentially asking him to teach others his core skills, but if he taught the apprentices well, what would happen if he, the master, ended up starving?
"Later on, I’ll find a few doctors for you to interact with."
Wei Matou pondered, "Interact with the doctors about what?"
"Discuss treating illnesses. Horses and cattle, just like humans, are prone to diseases when gathered in numbers. There are commonalities to explore; you can exchange insights."
The guard Wei Matou had just erected in his mind was dismantled, "D-Do human doctors want to exchange knowledge with us animal caregivers?"
Zhao Hanzhang replied, "I have money."
After a pause, she added, "I also have authority."
"I’ve decided to establish a Medical Institute in the county government. In the future, all departments can communicate with one another."
Wei Matou’s excitement quickly waned, and he couldn’t help but ask, "County Lord, you’re establishing this and that. Will the court agree?"
"They will surely agree," Zhao Hanzhang asserted, "Do you know who my great uncle is?"
"I know, he’s the Chief of Staff."
Zhao Hanzhang hadn’t expected him to know, which delighted her even more. She smiled, "Exactly, the Chief of Staff. He’s in charge of all the ministries, including the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Industry, beneath him. I’m just establishing a small department in our county; my dear great uncle would surely approve, right?"
Wei Matou thought she made sense. He wasn’t quite sure how high-ranking a Chief of Staff was, but someone who managed so many departments in front of the emperor had to be immensely powerful.
And Zhao Hanzhang was merely setting up a couple of small departments in a little county, adding a few tiny Ninth Grade officials. How could he not agree?
Thus, Wei Matou’s enthusiasm reignited. He contemplated for a moment, then nodded and accepted, "Alright, I’ll teach."
Zhao Hanzhang smiled, vigorously patted his shoulder, and said, "Old Wei, rest assured, as long as you don’t violate the laws of Xiping County, no matter how many talented apprentices you train, I won’t let you starve."
Wei Matou’s face darkened, "County Lord, I’m not worried about that." Even if he had such thoughts, he couldn’t let the lord know.