kingnovel Chapter 657 Full of Love
Chapter 657 Full of Love
Cai Yong was already 37 years old at this time, and Cai Zhaoji, who was beside him, looked only about years old. In other words, Cai Yong had such a daughter at the age of , which was definitely considered a late-born daughter in that era.
"I have long heard that Master Cai is well-read, proficient in music, and has created his own Feibai style. I am not talented, but I have also studied calligraphy and music a little. If I have free time, I hope to learn more from Master Cai."
"You are too kind, Governor Lu. Calligraphy and music are minor arts. Governor Lu governs a region so that the people can live and work in peace and contentment, have no worries about food and clothing, and have the elders have something to rely on and the young have something to learn. This is the major art. I want to enter the Xiangping School to see what the children are learning. Is that possible?"
"Of course. But I am very busy with official duties and have many things to deal with, so it is inconvenient for me to accompany Mr. Cai. If Mr. Cai is willing, I can send someone to take you there."
"In that case, thank you very much."
The education system in Liaodong is practical. It does not teach the Four Books and Five Classics or extracting sentences from books. Instead, it teaches people to read and write, natural sciences, and life principles from the basics to the advanced.
Cai Yong visited schools in cities along the way, but was turned away every time. He only occasionally heard some young children reciting the Thousand Character Classic, which he found quite novel.
Now that he had met Lu Cheng in person, Cai Yong naturally wanted to obtain permission to enter the school and take a closer look.
Lu Cheng immediately asked someone to call Tian Yu over and casually instructed him, "Guorang, go and accompany Master Cai to the school. If Master Cai has any questions, you should do your best to answer them."
"Yes, my lord."
Afterwards, Lu Cheng stood up to see her off. Seeing that Cai Zhaoji was carrying a long bag on her back, he asked casually, "Mr. Cai, is that the legendary Jiaowei Qin that your daughter is carrying?"
Cai Yong nodded: "That's right."
"I must see it sometime."
As soon as Lu Cheng sent Cai Yong and his daughter away, Xu Hu led his men to report: "My lord, news has just been sent back from Quju City that a caravan from Goguryeo secretly bought 30 kilograms of corn seeds and 50 sweet potato seedlings from a commoner at a high price.
Currently, this caravan is under our surveillance. Should we capture it and bring charges against Goguryeo?"
Hearing this, Lu Cheng thought for a moment, then smiled and shook his head: "No hurry, no need to catch them. Send someone to secretly watch them, and have the spies in Goguryeo pay special attention to see where these Goguryeo people are going to plant these seeds."
"Yes!"
After previous seed cultivation, high-yield crops such as corn, sweet potatoes, and potatoes have now been widely planted throughout Liaodong. Even some vegetables and other cash crops such as peppers, peanuts, and beets have been planted in special areas.
Liaodong occupies such a large area, it is unlikely to ensure that the news about high-yield grains will not be leaked.
In fact, last year some forces sent spies to infiltrate the caravans in an attempt to steal grain seeds from Liaodong.
It was just that last year the planting areas for various crops were relatively concentrated, soldiers took turns patrolling and guarding, and there were strict inspections at all borders, which prevented the spies from succeeding.
By this year, the seeds have been distributed to thousands of households in Liaodong, and the planting areas are spread all over the place. Of course, it is impossible to prevent it.
If some food is hidden in different places, it will be difficult to check.
"My Lord, how should we deal with the farmer who secretly resold the seeds?"
"Just punish severely according to the law."
"My subordinate understands."
"Also, gather all the recent intelligence on Goguryeo. Have the spies there get as much information as possible about the deployment of troops in various cities of Goguryeo."
"Yes!"
The country of Goguryeo was different from nomadic peoples such as Buyeo and Xianbei. It was an agricultural nation, similar to the Central Plains dynasty.
In fact, Goguryeo and Buyeo belong to the same clan and origin. It was Buyeo people Jumong who founded Goguryeo. In 14 AD, this group of people occupied Goguryeo County in Xuantu County and changed their name to Goguryeo people.
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Goguryeo began to annex surrounding lands and continuously expanded its territory. It first occupied some hilly areas in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, and then expanded northward.
During the reign of Emperor He of the Han Dynasty, Goguryeo invaded Liaodong and attempted to occupy its territory. After being defeated by the Han army, it was incorporated into the jurisdiction of Xuantu County.
During the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, the Han army in Liaodong again clashed with Goguryeo and defeated it.
Despite repeated defeats, Goguryeo always wanted to break away from the control of the Han Dynasty and even invaded Han territory.
After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Han Dynasty gradually declined, and Goguryeo began to become dishonest again, developing secretly, recruiting soldiers and accumulating strength.
According to the original historical development, during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the long-term war in the Central Plains allowed Goguryeo to develop. After that, Goguryeo began to expand, moving southward into Korea and westward into Liaodong, and continued to expand.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Goguryeo reached its peak of power, completely occupying Liaodong and the Korean Peninsula, and its total population once reached 300 million.
Moreover, Goguryeo learned Central Plains culture and implemented Central Plains systems, and its political, economic, and technological levels were no worse than those of the Central Plains dynasty that had experienced years of chaos.
This was also one of the main reasons why the three emperors of the Sui and Tang dynasties spared no effort and launched repeated expeditions until the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, when Goguryeo was finally completely destroyed.
Just think about how powerful an agricultural dynasty would be if it existed and developed for 700 years.
Of course, Goguryeo at this time was far from as powerful as it was in later generations. In addition, it was beaten by the Han Dynasty more than ten years ago, and has not yet recovered much strength. It is not much stronger than the Buyeo Kingdom.
The reason why we didn't deal with Goguryeo last year was because we thought they were relatively honest.
Now that the other party has extended his hand towards me, it is equivalent to handing the knife to me, and I can just find an opportunity to strike.
Not long after, another servant from the mansion came to report: "My lord, there is a man outside the mansion who has come to seek refuge. He claims to be from Shanyang Changyi. His surname is Man, his name is Chong, and his courtesy name is Boning."
"Oh? Please come in quickly."
"Yes."
Soon, a man about eight feet tall, with a resolute face and a short beard strode over, led by guards.
"Shanyang Man Chong, meeting with the governor of Liaodong."
"Quickly, please don't be polite. I have heard for a long time that Man Boning is strict in enforcing the law, impartial and selfless, and is not afraid of the powerful. Lu also admires him very much."
"I don't deserve the prefect's praise. I heard that you are a powerful figure in Liaodong, sweeping across the northern desert, and are famous all over the world, so I came to seek refuge with you. I wonder if you dare to use me?"
"Why not? I am short of talents, especially legalists. I welcome Bo Ning. I heard that Bo Ning was once the acting magistrate of Gaoping County. How about this? You can work as a clerk in the government first and get familiar with the situation in Liaodong. Liaodong is different from other places. The government orders and laws have been changed. When you are familiar with all this, you can start as a county magistrate. How about it?"
"Man Chong will follow your orders."
This is the benefit of fame. Without fame, even if Lu Cheng wrote a letter and sent gifts, he might not be able to recruit many talents.
Once you have enough fame, there is no need to recruit them, and talented people will naturally come to you.
Man Chong was also a man of both courage and wisdom. He was appointed as the Supervisor of Posts at the age of 18, and later served as the acting magistrate of Gaoping County. Because the Supervisor of Posts was corrupt and interfered with the administration of officials, Man Chong sent people to arrest him and tortured him severely, resulting in the Supervisor of Posts being beaten to death. As a result, Man Chong resigned from his post and returned home.
According to the original history, it was not until the third year of Chuping (191 AD) that Man Chong was recruited by Cao Cao as an official. After that, he was promoted all the way from county magistrate, prefect, to grand marshal and general of the expedition to the east. He was not only able to govern an area, but also to lead troops in battle and defend a city. He was definitely a rare talent.