Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 55: The County Government Takes Action, A Grand gesture (Two-in-one chapter, please continue reading)

"My lord, given the current situation, I'm afraid A-Yuan will be unable to arrange a marriage with the Wu family, won't he?"

Bai Jing arrived in the courtyard and looked at Xu Chuan, who was sitting cross-legged on a futon, practicing breathing exercises, with a worried expression.

"It's indeed not suitable, so let's get married next year."

Xu Chuan pondered for a moment, then said again, "Have Shi Tou go to the Wu family in the county town to show my sincerity."

"Well, let's leave it at that." Bai Jing seemed unwilling and added, "What a mess God has made. Our engagement banquet is over just like that. I hope A Yuan won't mind."

"Don't you, as his mother, know his character well?" Xu Chuan smiled faintly. "The drought is severe now, and people are dying in more than a dozen nearby counties. In such circumstances, aren't you afraid of being gossiped about behind your back?"

“What you said makes sense, my husband.” Bai Jing thought about it carefully. If the Xu family still held a grand celebration under such harsh conditions, it would probably attract countless people to flock to Dongxi.

"I'll go and inform Stone right away."

Bai Jing went to Nanshan Academy and informed them of the matter.

Xu Mingwei didn't hesitate for long and set off for the county town a moment later.

Not far from the county town, there is a refugee settlement, and a river is nearby. However, the river has dried up in many places, and the water sources that can be found are becoming increasingly scarce.

As Xu Mingwei passed by, he saw a hunched old farmer scraping elm bark, and an old woman with a face like chicken skin carrying a basket, searching for edible wild vegetables.

Everywhere you look, people are haggard, like walking corpses.

Fortunately, the hottest days are over.

It is now October, a season of desolation for all things.

Although there are fewer and fewer edible things in the wild, at least you don't have to stand under the scorching sun and never know when you will be sunburned and become a skeleton by the roadside, forgotten and ignored.

It is truly rare for a family like the Xu's to specifically cultivate fruit trees and vegetables that can grow in both autumn and winter.

Qingjiang County is now under martial law, prohibiting large influxes of migrants.

Therefore, the identity verification is very strict.

"who?"

"The Xu family, Xu Mingwei."

"So it's Young Master Xu, please come in."

After he identified himself, the constables at the city gate naturally dared not stop him anymore.

Upon arriving at the Wu family home, he made it clear that the engagement was canceled, and the Wu family agreed without saying anything further.

Although the Wu family was unaware of the Xu family's situation, they had already suffered considerable losses and had no intention of holding an engagement banquet.

If the drought continues into next year, their wedding will likely be postponed or even canceled altogether.

Having received permission from the Wu family, Xu Mingwei set off to return to Dongxi.

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Seven or eight days later.

Yuehu County, the prefectural governor's residence.

The prefect, the assistant prefect, the commandant, the chief clerk, the chief clerk, and other officials all gathered here.

"It seems that the major county towns are really about to collapse. They are all rushing to us. Tell us, how do we solve this problem?"

An elderly man with graying temples, well past sixty, spoke softly.

His eyes were clear and bright, and he was full of energy, without any of the dullness that one would expect at his age, simply because he was a grandmaster martial artist.

Moreover, he came from the Chang family and held a high position within the family.

For a grandmaster, life expectancy is 120 years, and this is the peak of his life.

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

Prefect Chang turned to look at a young and strong man, who was none other than Yang Zhao.

“Commander Yang, among us, you are the most skilled in governance. Your plan for managing the displaced people proposed many years ago has been effective. Why don’t you tell us about it first?”

Yang Zhao nodded slightly and said, "Drought is a natural phenomenon, beyond human control."

"We should seek help from the imperial court and send celestial officials to the many disaster-stricken areas to bring down timely rain."

"In addition, I submitted a memorial proposing to add the position of celestial official in each county town. If a celestial official were to cast a spell to bring rain at the beginning of the drought, at least the common people would not suffer from a complete loss of harvest, become refugees, or even starve to death on the roadside."

"In addition, the position of Immortal Official can also supervise the military officials in various counties to ensure that government orders are effectively implemented."

The county clerk raised an eyebrow, then frowned slightly and said, "Wouldn't that be exactly the same as the county's system structure?"

“There is still a difference,” Yang Zhao said eloquently. “For example, during this severe drought, the people of Yuehu County were devastated, but the imperial edict to conscript soldiers was issued not long ago.”

In the past, counties would send large numbers of commoners to the army, while wealthy merchant families would buy their way out of the conscription quota with silver.

"But now, with such a great disaster, almost every village is nearly empty. How can we possibly gather enough people together?"

"The purpose of adding celestial officials is to ensure the smooth implementation of government orders when necessary. If we were to arbitrarily pull people into the battlefield and cause the war to fail, we would probably be held accountable."

Yang Zhao's descriptions and thoughts are very detailed and comprehensive, which is refreshing and thought-provoking.

"I agree with Commandant Yang's proposal."

The prefectural magistrate spoke calmly; he was Yang Zhao's uncle and naturally supported his own family.

"Then so be it. For this conscription, every family and clan with more than two men must have one man enlist. There is no upper limit as long as they are willing."

"For each additional male member, the family can receive 20 dou of rice and 2 liang of silver as subsidies."

"We must gather the full number of people within three months."

"Registrar Han, you may immediately draft a document ordering the officials of each county to return to their respective county seats and complete the conscription within the specified time. As for the drought and water shortage, explain to them that the problem will be resolved once the celestial official arrives."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

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Half a month later.

One by one, celestial officials emerged from their respective Qi-cultivating families and headed to various counties of the Great Wei Dynasty.

Because there weren't enough people, they were recruiting Qi Refining cultivators from all over the place.

They were also ordered to conduct tests on children's aptitude for cultivating immortality in various counties in order to supplement the ranks of immortal officials.

In principle, each county should also have three celestial officials, but currently it is good enough to have one, so we can only recruit or train them locally later.

The celestial officials used magic or talismans to bring down water.

Areas without drought are quite relaxed, but the counties of Wolho County are busy.

Fortunately, it has eased the situation somewhat.

Upon hearing the news, the disaster victims returned to their respective villages.

However, the drought has ravaged the land for more than half a year, leaving countless dead people lying in the fields and every village empty.

Even if some refugees returned to their hometowns, the fewest were only seven or eight households gathered in the ruins, and the most were only twenty or thirty families living in the rubble. All that could be seen were overgrown weeds and sparse wisps of smoke.

What was once a land of mulberry and hemp fields is now a desolate wasteland inhabited by foxes and rabbits.

Dongxi Village, Xu Family.

Wenxin Courtyard, Study Room.

Xu Chuan's gaze was deep. When he saw Xu Mingyuan enter, he looked up at him.

"Father, you were looking for me?"

Xu Chuan smiled slightly and got straight to the point: "A Yuan, there are many unclaimed fields and forests now. You should allocate 100,000 taels of silver and, taking Dongxi Village as the center, go to various villages to purchase paddy fields, farmland, and forests. In this day and age, the government's offer for land purchases will certainly not be high. As long as there are people willing to sell their land, we will have them bought. We can also bring those farmers who sell their land under the Xu family's wing and have them manage the various fields for our Xu family."

"One hundred thousand taels?!"

Xu Mingyuan was taken aback by Xu Chuan's grand gesture, and his expression faltered slightly, but he was soon impressed by his boldness.

After all, he manages many of the Xu family's businesses, and no one is more familiar with the Xu family's foundation than him.

This already represents nearly a third of the Xu family's cash reserves.

“Father, although celestial officials have arrived, the drought is not over yet. Fields and forests are as cheap as dirt. With such a large investment, the area of ​​fields and forests that can be purchased is too vast. Can our Xu family afford it?”

Xu Chuan understood Xu Mingyuan's meaning; it wasn't that he was worried the Xu family couldn't afford it, but rather that it would be difficult to manage.

If we buy it but can't make the most of it, it's better to take it slow and steady, since the Xu family has already acquired a lot of land.

"That's why Father said that all the people who returned to their hometowns in the surrounding area would be brought under the Xu family's control, and together with this Dongxi, it would be transformed into the Xu family's private territory."

"And by the way, include the forests where the saltpeter mine is located as well."

"After a major disaster, the government will inevitably take measures such as disaster relief, and I imagine they would really like to see this money."

Xu Mingyuan had no more doubts. A sudden inspiration struck him, and he said, "We can sell some of the grain we got from the bandits, since grain prices are still high. We can use the rest to brew wine and so on."

"The major industries in the county also need to reopen, sell their accumulated goods, and recoup some money."

"Not bad." Xu Chuan looked at Xu Mingyuan approvingly. Seeing the light in his eyes, he knew that Xu Mingyuan must have many ways to make money.

“A-Yuan, you no longer need your father to constantly remind you.”

"What do you mean by that, Father?"

Xu Chuan looked out the window and saw the withered yellow leaves fluttering down in the autumn wind. After a moment, he said, "Next year, after you get married, your father plans to step down as the head of the family and let your eldest brother take over. You will be in full charge of the Xu family's finances."

"The head of the family is the authority of the family and also the deterrent force of our Xu family against external forces. One must focus on martial arts and cannot hold multiple positions."

Father once envisioned that in the future, your eldest brother's lineage would be the direct successor to the family head, your lineage would be in charge of finances, and the rest of the family would also contribute to the Xu family's prosperity.

However, things change, and even Father cannot predict everything. Perhaps six or seven generations later, your lineage or Charcoal Head's lineage will have a suitable person to take on the position of family head.

In short, the strongest warrior of the era, who intimidates other races, possesses excellent character and is skilled in management, is suitable to be the head of the family, while the most adept businessman is in charge of the family finances.

Xu Mingyuan seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.

His generation, including his siblings, all admired Xu Mingwei.

He was also the only homeowner they approved of.

“I deeply agree with Father’s idea. If a family wants to continue to rise, it must select and employ the virtuous and capable, and must not be bound by the so-called eldest son.”

The head of the family holds supreme authority. If the person in charge is incompetent, makes various wrong decisions, and is stubborn, it may lead to a rapid decline in the family's strength.

As far as I know, many prominent families in Qingjiang declined in this way, eventually disappearing due to division and scattering.

Xu Chuan nodded slightly and said, "With your talent and intelligence, even without your elder brother, you could have been the head of the Xu family."

Xu Mingyuan waved his hands repeatedly, "In my mind, only the eldest brother is the best candidate in our generation. I believe that Tantou and Xueji think so too."

"Of course, if Father is willing to continue as the head of the family, we will all give him our full support. After all, Father, you are only in your early forties and have already reached the Innate Realm in martial arts. You are in your prime and should not retire so early."

This is also what puzzled Xu Mingyuan.

"Want to know? Then I'll tell you clearly today. A noble family's trump cards cannot all be revealed to the outside world."

Xu Mingyuan nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Xu Chuan smiled and continued, "In the eyes of the various families in Qingjiang, your eldest brother is a potential grandmaster, a renowned martial arts genius. He will surely be the one to inherit the Xu family in the future. Father's retirement is a matter of course in their eyes, and the families will not have the slightest doubt about it."

Xu Mingyuan seemed to be deep in thought, "Therefore, Father, your retirement will inevitably become an important trump card for the Xu family."

"Not only me, but also Charcoal Head, Snowy, and Cloud Slave, they will also grow into the trump cards of my Xu family under the light of you and Stone."

"After all, the two of you alone are enough to build a powerful family that will last for three or four generations."

At that moment, Xu Mingyuan finally realized the truth.

Xu Chuan did this to prepare for an unknown crisis.

His gaze had probably been fixed on the families of Qingjiang from a very early age, instead on the families of the county town, and even the rumored families of immortal cultivators.

“Father, there is so much I can learn from you, there’s no end to it.” Xu Mingyuan smiled bitterly. He truly felt that Xu Chuan’s vision and perspective were unmatched by anyone else.

"That's an exaggeration." Xu Chuan was quite pleased with the flattery.

"Alright, let's get back to the main topic. A-Yuan, remember that great disasters are also great opportunities. Now is the time for my Xu family to fight hard and reach new heights."

"As long as it's not illegal, go ahead and do it."

"I know, kid."

The next day.

Xu Mingyuan then led a number of servants to visit surrounding villages and measure the land.

A few days later, he went to the county government office to talk to Magistrate Wu about the matter.

When Magistrate Wu saw that the Xu family wanted to purchase such a vast area of ​​farmland and forest, and that it was all connected around Dongxi, he knew that their ambitions were not small.

However, the Xu family did not commit any illegal acts.

Moreover, the county government does indeed need such a large amount of silver reserves, whether for comforting disaster victims or for conscription subsidies.

He is still considering how to raise the funds.

The prefectural city will certainly not concern itself with these matters; the local government will have to handle them itself.

"Well, it seems that it will take the Xu family several years to digest such a large area of ​​farmland and forest."

After a moment's thought, Magistrate Wu agreed to the land and forest transaction with the Xu family.

After acquiring the fields and forests, Xu Mingyuan immediately ordered people to begin clearing them so that medicinal herbs, flowers, fruits, and vegetables could be planted after the drought.

the other side.

Xu Chuan instructed Xu Mingwei to gather manpower to dig a small lake near the rice paddies and farmland. If this was successful, the water source would be used exclusively for the Xu family's rice paddies and farmland.

Even if another drought were to occur, it could still last for a year.

This is a major project and requires a large workforce.

Those in the neighborhood who had no means of livelihood immediately chose to become temporary workers when they heard that the Xu family provided food and drink.

Thousands of strong men stood in formation like a wall, their shovels flying as the yellow earth obscured the sun.

The shouts echoed from the lakeside straight to the clouds, and the thousands of arms rose and fell like waves, the shovels breaking the ground like thunder from the deepest abyss.

In the blink of an eye, a deep ditch appeared, causing the old men watching from both banks to stroke their beards in amazement: "Truly, a thousand men digging the earth is like moving mountains! Such a spectacle is probably no different than when the Great Wei Dynasty dug the Grand Canal!"

In just seven or eight days, a quarter of the small lake had been excavated.

Xu Mingyuan's side was clearing the forests, and every day a large number of trees were felled and made into various kinds of furniture, which were sent to Qingjiang County for sale, or sold cheaply to some migrants returning to their hometowns.

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[Today's divination: Medium to good; celestial officials will arrive at Dongxi Village at Chen Shi (7-9 AM) to bring rain.]

Xu Chuan got up early to practice his skills, and when he saw the divination results, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

In recent days, there have been frequent reports of celestial officials using magic to bring forth sweet rain.

We have finally arrived at Dongxi Village.

　I've had a bad cold these past two days, with a sore throat and a foggy head. Please forgive me, fellow cultivators. There will be an extra chapter at 6 PM tonight. Don't forget, fellow cultivators. Please lend a hand in the PK these two days!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)