Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 41 The King of Feng'an
The people of Feng'anzhuang live on this land.

Many of them never left a place more than ten miles from their home in their entire lives.

Under such isolation, their knowledge and experience were extremely limited.

Therefore, in their eyes, a Feng'an Manor Lord is "the heavens".

"Tian" was sitting in a pear wood armchair, with someone holding a parasol for him behind him.

Master Zhang held a cup of tea in his hand, taking sips every now and then to moisten his throat.

The weather in late March and early April in a place like Longshang is naturally not comparable to that in Jiangnan.

In the second month of spring in Jiangnan, the spring flowers are already ablaze with color, but here, even now, the grass and trees are only just beginning to sprout green.

Sitting here, with the gentle spring breeze blowing, I'm not feeling too sad, it's just that the sunlight is a bit strong.

The head of the manor, Lai Gulu, cautiously approached Zhang Yunyi and whispered, "Master, we used to be under Second Master's command."

Now that our estate has been assigned to the eldest son's family, will they treat us like their own sons?

Now that this second steward of the eldest branch has come down to inspect, I'm afraid he's not here with good intentions.

Zhang Yunyi smiled faintly: "So?"

Lai Gulu panicked: "Master, he's clearly here to mess with us!"

Zhang Yunyi wasn't flustered at all; he had already taken care of everyone, from top to bottom.

With just Yang Can, that junior advisor with no real connections?
However, he couldn't very well tell his subordinates, who regarded him as their savior, about how he was bowing and scraping and currying favor with everyone.

"Pfft!" Master Zhang casually spat out a tea leaf. "What's the panic? A new emperor brings a new court; isn't that inevitable?"

Lai Gulu hesitated and said, "But, Master, does that mean we... are just going to sit here and wait to die?"

Seeing that everyone else was also looking at him expectantly, Zhang Yunyi didn't want them to panic too much and lose their composure.

After a moment's thought, he said, "It is the season for spring plowing. What will happen if this second deacon pushes us too hard?"

Leaving aside what will happen to our Feng'an Village, the other five major villages are all watching now. Will any of them be able to focus on spring planting then?

If all six farms suffer a poor harvest this autumn…

Zhang Yunyi raised his eyelids and glanced at Lai Gulu, then lightly swept his gaze over the stewards, his expression exuding an indescribable composure.

"What is the main thing about the valve? It is to make them submit, to make them obedient, and to ensure that these industries pass through smoothly."

What does our young mistress want? She wants a bountiful harvest, she wants the capital that will allow her to gain a foothold in the eldest branch of the family.

"As long as we satisfy the higher-ups on these two points, what else do you have to worry about?"

Although Zhang Yunyi's words were only brief, Lai Gulu and the others suddenly understood.

Yes, we have tens of thousands of acres of farmland under our control.

This is our bargaining chip, this is our source of confidence.

If this Deacon Yang pushes too far, we can easily sabotage the harvest of these tens of thousands of acres of land with just a little manipulation.

If we were to be even more ruthless and try to eliminate all the crops, that wouldn't be impossible.

By then, we will certainly be finished, but how will your eldest son compensate for such a huge loss?

If tens of thousands of acres of land fail to yield a harvest, thousands of mouths on that land will be waiting to be fed. Can your Changfang branch bear this responsibility?

More importantly, the estate had just been handed over to the eldest son's family when this happened. At that time, the second master would have ample reason to challenge the clan leader.

Moreover, this only refers to Feng'an Village.

If the first farm to be inspected is treated so harshly, what will the other farms and ranches think?
If something happens to all those farms...

Thinking of this, all the managers showed relaxed smiles.

Zhang Yunyi handed the teacup to the side, and a servant in blue immediately stepped forward, took it with both hands, and then stepped aside.

Zhang Yunyi leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and said slowly, "However, this is ultimately a lose-lose situation, which we don't want to see, and the eldest branch of the family doesn't want to see either."

So don't overthink it. Just maintain proper courtesy towards this new Second Deacon.

Field supervisors, granary supervisors, canal chiefs, mill chiefs, and others all agreed.

The manor lord was their god, and since the manor lord was so calm, they felt at ease as well.

Finally, at the end of that flat, fertile field, more than ten fine horses appeared.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Yunyi immediately went from sitting to standing.

The people holding umbrellas, serving tea, and moving chairs immediately removed all the equipment.

Zhang Yunyi stepped onto the main road to greet them. It hadn't rained for the past two days, so the ground was somewhat dry.

In the distance, a line of horses galloped swiftly, their hooves kicking up a cloud of dust as they trod the road.

“Zhang Yunyi, the head of Feng’an Manor, along with all the managers of the manor, greeted the second steward of the eldest branch, Mr. Li, and Miss Qingmei. The three of you must be tired from your journey.”

Zhang Yunyi not only recognized Accountant Li, but he had also paid his respects to the temple master, and he also recognized Yang Can and Qingmei.

However, Qingmei felt a little uncomfortable when she heard the order in which he addressed her.

When did Li Damu get ahead of me in line?
This young lady is the deputy second deacon... Pshaw! This young lady is the internal deacon and external deputy, external deputy and internal deacon, okay?

Yang Can leaped off his horse without disturbing the dust, displaying remarkable agility.

"Haha, Master Zhang, we meet again."

Yang Can stepped forward with a beaming smile, saying, "It's the season for spring plowing. I hope my visit won't disturb the farm's work."

"No, no, the weather in Longshang is different from that in the Central Plains. Although it is already April, it is not the time to sow in Longshang yet." Zhang Yunyi also smiled and said, "Except for a few hundred acres of land planted with winter wheat that have just turned green, the rest of the fields are being plowed. What can be delayed?"

Zhang Yunyi said, stepping forward to grab Yang Can's arm and turning to the managers of the estate.

"Ever since our estate was transferred from Second Master's to the eldest son's family, the eldest son's family hasn't sent anyone over. Those of us doing the work below are all feeling uncertain."

Now that Deacon Yang has arrived, we have someone to rely on, and we're all overjoyed.

"Yes, yes!" the estate managers echoed in unison. Yang Can smiled, naturally not taking it seriously.

After exchanging a few polite words, Zhang Yunyi introduced the key personnel from both sides.

Yang Can said to Zhang Yunyi, "Thank you for your trouble, Master Zhang and everyone. I think we don't need to ride horses anymore. Let's walk into the manor together."

Zhang Yunyi readily agreed, and the group headed into the village.

Upon entering the estate, Yang Can began to observe carefully.

Although this village in Longshang is not as wealthy as the Central Plains, it is still quite large as an important estate of the Yu family.

The houses in the village are scattered at different heights, with large houses made of blue bricks and thatched mud houses interspersed among them.

Judging from the people's clothing, some were dressed decently, while others were dressed in worn-out clothes, but very few were emaciated.

The Northwest is a harsh and cold place, and life there is more difficult than in the Central Plains. People who can survive in such an environment are naturally not too sickly or weak.

People like that would have been eliminated by nature long ago.

Therefore, most of the villagers, especially the young and strong, have a fierce appearance.

Some were tall and robust, while others were lean and wiry.

These are all excellent strong laborers; if you put a knife in their hands, they would become excellent soldiers.

However, when they saw Zhang Yunyi with his humble smile, they all looked on with awe, obediently stepping back to the side of the road, bowing slightly, and only daring to raise their heads after Yang Can and his group had passed.

Just like Leopard Head Cheng Dakuan, with his fierce kung fu, he was enough to become a famous swordsman in Longshang, and a hero in the Central Plains.

Yet he willingly served the Yu family, feeling uneasy when he made mistakes, and unable to muster any will to resist when punished.

Just like the wolf pack to its alpha, except that the wolf alpha of this farm does not rely on its own physical strength, but on the power and wealth it controls.

As Yang Can casually looked around the manor, he asked, "Master Zhang, how many people live in our Feng'an Manor?"

Zhang Yunyi had done his homework beforehand, so he spoke fluently without hesitation.

“Steward Yang, our Feng’an Village currently has 9,400 mu of land and 273 households.”

The agricultural population totaled 1,478.

There were also 121 households of blacksmiths, weavers, and brewers, with a population of 530. These small shops and workshops served both domestic and international markets.

There were also 218 servants in the manor. Adding Zhang and the various stewards, the total number of people in the manor was 2,331.

Yang Can's eyes flashed, and he asked again, "If there is a war, how many soldiers can Feng'an Manor spare?"

The detachments were a combination of soldiers and farmers. They could be mobilized for combat during wartime and receive military training during the off-season, but they still engaged in agricultural production on a daily basis.

Zhang Yunyi said proudly, "To be honest, Steward Yang, the people of Longshang are known for their fierce and valiant nature, and men, women, and children can all serve as soldiers."

If we only count the regular troops, my Feng'an Village has three hundred regular troops.

If necessary, four hundred retainers could be assembled.

Lai Gulu added, "Steward Yang, the three hundred men our master mentioned are all men who can rival the elite troops of the Central Plains and the Northern and Southern Dynasties."

Yang Can nodded slightly upon hearing this.

A large estate can readily draw upon three or four hundred retainers, which is quite a lot.

The idea of ​​hundreds of thousands or even millions of soldiers is just an exaggeration in storytelling and folk tales.

When the Western Jin Dynasty destroyed Wu, the total number of soldiers on the front lines, both land and naval, was less than 100,000.

The total number of troops mobilized for the Battle of Fei River in the Eastern Jin Dynasty was less than 100,000.

During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, even small states like Xiliang had a maximum of only 20,000 soldiers.

The Yu family alone, by simply drawing upon all its retainers, could rival the small kingdom of Xiliang.

Most importantly, due to the harsh environment, martial arts have become a popular practice among the people of Longshang.

The villagers often hunted, and the village head would organize regular collective hunts to kill wild boars that damaged crops and wolves that harmed people.

Therefore, the individual soldier quality can be said to be extremely high. As a result, even if the number of people is small, this force should not be underestimated.

The two great empires in the Central Plains were naturally locked in a standoff with each other and had no time to attend to other matters.

However, they never plotted against the Eight Powers of Longshang, probably because they knew it was not an easy nut to crack.

The group continued on their way and gradually arrived at the center of the village.

A massive fortified village stands prominently here.

Feng'anzhuang and Feng'anbao are square fortified villages built with rammed earth and bricks.

The wall was at least two zhang high, with watchtowers at the four corners, and a moat surrounding it.

They drew water from the Long River, which flowed around the village and then into the distance.

This is the upper reaches of the Longhe River. The water source is not affected by the Loess Plateau, so the water quality is extremely clear and azure blue.

Yang Can was shocked; this was completely different from the villages and landlords' homes he remembered.

This... it's practically a castle!
(End of this chapter)