Han Dang is stronger

Chapter 548 The Finale Han Dang Is Stronger
Time flies like an arrow, and in a blink of an eye, 12 years have passed, and it is winter 12 years after the decisive battle between the Han and Hungarian forces.

Bamboo craftsman Liu Ji devoured the sliced ​​noodles, eating them deliciously, sweetly and quickly, without even noticing that the juice had stained his gray beard.Five years ago, when Liu Ji ate sliced ​​noodles for the first time, he ate like this, and it was still the same five years later. The appearance of pancakes and steamed buns more than ten years ago made Liu Ji decisively abandon the small rice that he had eaten for more than 30 years and changed it to The main food is wheat noodles with higher yield per mu. After tasting the delicious sliced ​​noodles five years ago, Liu Ji has become a loyal fan of sliced ​​noodles.

"My darling, look at how you eat. People who don't know think I haven't cooked for you for three days." His wife, whose hair was also gray, came to Liu Ji, complaining angrily, and wiped it off with a handkerchief. The juice on Liu Ji's beard, and asked again: "How is today's noodles? I put sesame oil from the Western Regions, but I don't know if you are used to eating it, so I only put a little."

"It smells better than lard." Liu Ji answered vaguely while chewing the noodles, and said, "Next time you make sliced ​​noodles, you can put more."

"That's good." The wife showed a gratified smile and said, "Since you like this taste, I will try to buy some sesame paste in the future and make sesame paste sliced ​​noodles for you to try. I heard from the chief that His Majesty sent someone in Chang'an. The vegetable market teaches people to make sesame paste, which is more fragrant than sesame oil, and many merchants in Chang'an City are selling it."

Some greedy Liu Ji nodded, and said casually: "From now on, every [-]th day of the new year, as long as you are free, you can also go to Caishikou in the city to learn those new things. Zhang Blacksmith's daughter-in-law learned how to use iron pots there. Stir-fried vegetables, now his family eats stir-fried vegetables every day, I want to try it too."

"Understood, you old slander." The wife laughed and cursed, and then said: "Go to the city today to sell goods and come back early. Tonight I will make dumplings for you, stuffed with cabbage."

The greedy Liu Ji nodded happily, quickly turned upside down the noodles in the bowl, and was about to go out as soon as he wiped his mouth to pick up the load. His wife quickly chased after him, stuffed a cloth bag into Liu Ji, and said: " Steamed buns, here for lunch, if business is good, buy a bowl of broth to go with it, don’t just chew it dry just to save money.”

"After noon (lunch)? Do you treat me as the Marquis of Guannei, eating three meals a day?"

Liu Ji was a bit reluctant to take the steamed buns, but his wife insisted on stuffing the steamed buns to him, saying: "Take it and eat it, the imperial court has already issued an edict to abolish the ancient ritual that ordinary people can only eat two meals a day. As long as the families of these Guizhou heads can get by, they don’t care how many meals they eat a day. This year, the world is ripe, and the food is so cheap that the imperial court has to buy it at a high price. Our family’s bamboo ware business is also good, and you have more than 50 people. Eat as much as you can, don't starve yourself to death."

Unable to resist his wife's kindness, Liu Ji finally took the steamed buns and put them away, then picked up a load full of bamboo utensils and went out. After walking for twenty miles, he entered Chang'an City. After delivering the goods to the door, I took the remaining baskets, dustpans and other things to the West Market, looking for a suitable stall to sell the goods.

The founding emperor of the Han Dynasty changed the beginning of the year to the first day of the first lunar month after he ascended the throne. The end of December was approaching the end of the new year. It took me a long time to find a place in the corner to put down the bamboo ware for sale, but it was okay, because the business was booming at the end of the year, Liu Ji's business was quite good, and I sold the bamboo ware for seven or eighty-eight dollars just before noon , The purse containing the copper coins gradually became heavier.

Nothing makes a craftsman happier than a good business, and because after the imperial court abolished the annoying rule of pricing coupons, Liu Ji also sold the bamboo ware for a good price. In his heart, Liu Ji couldn't help remembering that his wife was going out. When Liu Ji was told, he ran to a nearby shop to buy a bowl of mutton soup, and brought it back to the stall to have steamed buns for lunch, but when Liu Ji was eating dry steamed buns, someone next to him suddenly said, "Old man, why don't you Why don’t you try breaking the steamed buns and soaking them in mutton soup? It tastes better this way.”

Liu Ji raised his head strangely, and saw a very handsome man who was talking to him next to him, wearing a clean and simple Confucian robe, with a friendly smile on his face, Liu Ji asked strangely: "Sir, are you Are you talking to me, little old man?"

The handsome man nodded and said with a smile: "Old man, it tastes better if you break up the steamed buns and put them in mutton soup. Try it."

"Can you eat like this?" Liu Ji asked curiously.

"It's called mutton steamed buns, and it's a way to eat it from the palace." The handsome man replied with a smile.

Seeing that the handsome man was serious and curious, Liu Ji really put down the bowl, smashed the steamed buns and soaked them to eat, not to mention the result, after the dry and hard steamed buns absorbed the delicious mutton soup, it really It became much more delicious, Liu Ji smiled and praised repeatedly, but the handsome man may have been tired from walking, and he stood by the side to appreciate the sweetness of Liu Ji's first taste of mutton steamed buns.

"It's delicious, it's really delicious, thank you sir for your advice, thank you sir for your advice." Liu Ji nodded happily, stood up again and gave up the ponytail he brought, and said to the handsome man: "Mr. Come down and rest for a while."

"How can this be done?" The handsome man said modestly: "Old man, you are old, how can I ask you to give me a seat?"

"It's all right, sir, please sit down, the little old man is in good shape." Liu Ji insisted on inviting the handsome man to sit down, and said: "The little old man just ate something, and he wants to stand for an activity."

The handsome man was indeed a bit tired from shopping, and after a few words of concession, he sat down at Liu Ji's invitation and asked curiously: "Old man, do you get used to this kind of Maza handed down from the imperial court to the people?" Habit?"

"I'm used to it, it's much more comfortable than sitting on my knees." Liu Ji replied honestly with a smile.

The handsome man nodded with great satisfaction, and asked again: "What's the old man's name?"

"The head of Guizhou in the countryside, what kind of noble surname do you dare to take?" Liu Ji said modestly, "My name is Liu Ji, sir, you can call me by my name directly."

"Liu Ji?" The handsome man's expression suddenly became extremely surprised, and he said in amazement: "What a coincidence, old man, you are also called Liu Ji?"

"Yes, the little old man is called Liu Ji." Liu Ji nodded, and asked curiously: "Why, sir, from your tone, you know other people named Liu Ji."

"It's not just acquaintance?" The handsome man smiled very complicatedly, and seemed to sigh quietly, as if recalling something from the past.After shaking his head, the handsome man smiled at Liu Ji again: "Old man, since you are also called Liu Ji, can I ask you a few words, what do you think of the current emperor?"

"How is your Majesty the current emperor?" Liu Ji was taken aback by the handsome man's question, and then said: "Of course, my little old man, I have lived for more than 50 years, and I have experienced three emperors, including the current emperor." most."

"What's so good about it?" the handsome man asked.

"It's good for us in Qianshou." Liu Ji replied immediately: "The tax is low and the corvee is small. Even if the corvee is imposed, it is good for us to repair the water conservancy. Since the Xiongnu were beaten away 12 years ago, there has been no war. , Let us Guizhou heads live a peaceful life, compared with the previous two emperors who built palaces at both ends of the three days, our current emperor does not know how much better it is."

"Also, His Majesty the current emperor taught us a lot of good things." Liu Ji added: "Let's not talk about the plow. Since our Majesty taught us the new plow in the head of Guizhou, there have been eight or nine plows in Guanzhong in the past ten years. Every year is full of crops, and every mu of land is harvested at least half an hour more grain. Now even a little old man like me dares to eat three meals a day. I heard that Gaoling used our Majesty's own hands this year. For the new wheat seeds planted, one mu of land will harvest almost one more grain, which is equivalent to using one mu of land as two mu of land. Sir, if all the fields in the world can harvest grain like this, we in Guizhou can still eat it all No?"

The handsome man smiled reassuringly, and corrected him: "Old man, not only one mu of land is used as two mu of land, but after using the field substitution method, the field on the Gaoling side is now equivalent to one mu of land being used as four mu of land."

"Sir, don't tell me, the little old man really forgot the Daitian method." Liu Ji patted his forehead annoyed, and hurriedly said: "Yes, after using the Daitian method, our land in Guanzhong has long been one mu. The land was used as two acres of land."

The handsome man smiled again, and asked again: "Old man, what do you think of His Majesty's governance? That is, what are the decrees issued by His Majesty after he ascended the throne?"

"Okay, what's the point?" Liu Ji replied without even thinking about it: "After His Majesty ascended the throne, every decree promulgated is good for us. Many troublesome laws and corporal punishment have been abolished. If you break the law, you don’t have to worry about being cut off. The implicated company law is abolished, so that we no longer have to guard our neighbors like thieves. He brought us a lot of good things, today when I was having breakfast, I ate the sesame oil His Majesty sent someone to bring back from the barbarians, it was delicious."

"Our emperor is really a good emperor." Liu Ji said sincerely again: "It has only been more than ten years since he ascended the throne, and he has governed the world in an orderly manner. Everything is fine. I can live the rest of my life like this, little old man." Such a good day, this life is not in vain."

The handsome man smiled very relieved, and asked casually about the situation of Liu Ji's family. Liu Ji answered truthfully one by one, saying that his second son was unwilling to learn from him as a bamboo stick craftsman, so he went to the workshop run by the imperial court to learn how to burn. Glass is already a glassmaker who is about to graduate. His youngest son went to learn papermaking last year and was engaged to the daughter of a family who made typography. Learned to write dozens of characters.

I don't know why, when Liu Ji was talking about these things, the handsome man smiled very gratified and happy all the time, and then when he couldn't find anything to talk about, the handsome man got up to leave and took out a jade pendant Said: "Old man, it's rare that we are so destined. Since your youngest son is going to get married after the new year, this is my congratulatory gift. Please accept it."

"How can this be possible?" Liu Ji was taken aback, and hurriedly gave way: "Sir, the little old man has never met you before, for no reason, how could he accept such a valuable thing from you?"

"Old man, please take it." The handsome man insisted on stuffing the jade pendant into Liu Ji's hand, and said with a smile: "Let's not say that since we know each other, it is fate, just because of your name, old man, I should give you something .”

It was really hard to give in, Liu Ji could only accept the jade pendant that the handsome man insisted on giving him, and after thanking him a thousand times, Liu Ji remembered something and hurriedly asked: "Sir, I don't know you His surname is Gao, where does he live?"

"In Xiakangxiang, I live here in Chang'an City." The handsome man replied casually, then cupped his hands and said, "Old man, I'm leaving. Let's meet again if we have a destiny."

After saying that, the handsome man got up and left, but after walking a certain distance, the handsome man suddenly turned his head, first looked at Liu Ji who had the same name as his old friend, then looked up at the sky, and murmured: "Liu Ji, Have you seen it? This is the world that I rule, don’t worry, I will definitely make the people of the big man live and work in more peace and contentment, have a fuller stomach and sing songs, and will definitely make the big man richer, more prosperous, and stronger.”

It was also a coincidence that after the handsome man murmured these words, there was a lot of snow in the sky, and another auspicious snow fell, as if another Liu Ji had heard the handsome man's words and was answering him.

Ten years later, Emperor Xiang Kang of the Han Dynasty sent Ding Li, the younger brother of Ding Ji, and Feng Wen, the son of Feng Zhong, the famous generals of the Han court, to lead an army of [-] to attack the Huns in the north. Running away with his head in his arms, he was forced to move his family to the west. The second general Ding and Feng sealed him as a wolf and became the pillar of the Han court's new generation of famous generals.

Eighteen years later, on the pretext that the Loulan Kingdom colluded with the Yuezhi Kingdom to block trade routes, the Han court sent 18 troops out of Longxi to attack the Qilian Mountains, wiped out the seven Hexi countries including the Yuezhi Kingdom and the Loulan Kingdom, and seized the Hexi Corridor , the Western Regions were shaken, and they rushed to proclaim themselves as ministers, and offered to pay tribute to domestic rare treasures including sweaty and bloody BMWs. The Han court took the opportunity to establish the Western Regions Protectorate in the capital of Loulan, and set the nail for future military advances in the Western Regions.

The whole book is finished.

(End of this chapter)