The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

"Okay, then you decide for yourself. You are older and more knowledgeable than us. You should know the limits yourself," Zhang Laoer advised earnestly.

"Yeah, I understand," Zhang Pingan nodded.

After they finished their meal, they distributed the remaining food to other people working in the fields.

Zhang Laoer worked with Erlangzi for the longest time, so he got a bigger share.

When Erlangzi saw it, he was stunned at first, and then he carefully pushed the food in the bowl aside and did not touch it.

He muttered, "Too much, too much!"

Zhang Laoer smiled and said, "Take it back and feed it to the kids."

Erlangzi nodded without answering, but he knew in his heart that Zhang Laoer was a good person.

Guantian is a rare piece of good farmland in the suburbs of the county town. Compared with other places, it is relatively fertile and there are many people busy here, but the harvest every year is not satisfactory.

Although part of the reason was that Yu County Magistrate made false reports, more of it was because the person in charge at the time was not attentive and lazy and did not manage it well.

Food is the foundation of a country and the cornerstone of economic development. Zhang Pingan has thought that as long as he stays in Ci County for one day, he will not interrupt the work of this experimental field. This is something that requires long-term persistence and effort.

After returning to the county government office, I happened to meet Green Bean Eyes drinking tea, looking very leisurely.

Zhang Pingan was truly envious and jealous: "In ancient times, Tao Yuanming picked chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely saw the southern mountains. I think you are no less impressive!"

Green Bean Eyes crossed his legs and chuckled: "I can't compare with Master Tao, I'm not at that level yet!"

"Tell me, why are you waiting here for me? What do you want to say?" Zhang Pingan was calm.

Upon hearing this, Green Bean Eyes put away his playful smile and said seriously, "Originally, Brother Hua and I were invited by you to come here to help you. Now the situation in Ci County has almost stabilized. I have learned a lot from following you during this period of time. I originally planned to return to Lin'an in half a month, but now, I have some new ideas."

"So you are not planning to return to Lin'an now. Tell me what you think," Zhang Ping'an made a listening gesture.

Green Bean Eyes put down his teacup and pondered, "Aren't you going to send people to Xiangshan next month to help your fourth uncle go out to sea to suppress pirates? If these pirates can be wiped out in one go, I plan to stay in Ci County and do maritime business."

"Why did you suddenly come up with this idea? You should understand that even if the pirates are wiped out, the risks of maritime trade are still very high. Tsunamis, storms, and ship crew management are no joke. Once you go to the open sea, no one knows what will happen at sea," Zhang Pingan was a little surprised.

Green Bean Eyes gave a bitter smile and sighed, "But if I go back to Lin'an, I can only be a rich idler. Even if my family gives me money to find a job, I won't be able to find anything decent. Although our family is very rich, we have a lot of legitimate sons and illegitimate sons, about a hundred people. There are more than a dozen close uncles and aunts, and they are all healthy. They fight every day and look like black chicken eyes. I don't know when it will be my turn to take charge. I have been thinking carefully these days and I might as well try my luck here."

He paused here and added, "The most important thing is that the crossbows and fire egg guns developed by your sixth brother-in-law make me feel very safe. With good weapons, it shouldn't be difficult to train a team of merchant ship guards of our own."

"So, are you planning to bring someone you trust from Lin'an to Ci County?"

Green Bean Eyes nodded. "Well, I'm going to select fifty of my trusted servants and have them come to Ci County, so I have to let you know about this! Don't worry, brothers will settle accounts clearly. Let's follow the rules. From now on, I'll give you 30% of the profits from the merchant ship!"

"There's no rush for profit sharing. As for what to buy and sell specifically, we can't just act on impulse," Zhang Ping'an said solemnly. Acting on impulse is like gambling with your life.

"My family has been royal merchants for generations, so we do have ways to do it. Several of my uncles are also engaged in maritime trade, but they mainly go to Goryeo. The things they export are nothing more than silk, porcelain, tea, paper, lacquerware, etc. These are light in size and high in value. They are widely loved by the nobles of small countries overseas. On their return trips, they can bring back sugar, spices, and gold from the local area.

Now because of the confrontation between the North and the South, they have not gone out to sea for a long time in order to be safe, but I think high risk means high returns.

"If we go north, we can go to Silla, Baekje, and Goryeo. If we go east, we can go to Japan. If we go south, there are even more countries, such as Pagan, Tangming, Zhenla, Johor, Java, and Luzon. If we follow this route, as long as nothing goes wrong at sea, this is a business that is guaranteed to make money," said the man with green eyes slowly.

"If you've decided to do this, as a friend and brother, I will definitely support you," Zhang Pingan replied after listening, "but I don't want that much money."

"Huh?" Green Bean Eyes was puzzled.

"As for profit sharing, 10% is enough, but you have to help me keep an eye out for high-yield crops in the local area. If there are any, please bring me some seeds," said Zhang Pingan.

After that, he talked about his own thoughts: "The court has ordered that the salt fields increase production by 30%. It is obvious that there will be a war. At the very least, the south must be unified first. Lord Zhou has built so many large ships. There is more than one shipyard along the coast. All added up, this is a very formidable fleet. This is in preparation for the Northern Expedition to recover lost territory.

Since ancient times, wars have not only pitted the military strength of both sides, but also the financial and material resources of the country. Wars burn money, and solving the problem of food and fodder will definitely be a major problem. I also hope to relieve the court of as much worry as possible in advance and achieve unification as soon as possible! This way, the people can live a peaceful life sooner!

"Okay, I promise you," the man with green eyes said with a solemn bow.

"It will take you a while to go out to sea, so make thorough preparations in advance. If you need any help, just tell me," said Zhang Ping'an.

"Don't worry, I'll just ask you if there's anything," said Green Eyes, and he felt relieved again after saying this.

After Green Bean Eyes left, Zhang Ping'an ordered someone to call Director Mai of the Inspection Office over. This man used to be the second in command of the Inspection Office. After County Magistrate Yu's family fell, Zhang Ping'an promoted him to the top position.

"Your humble servant greets Lord Zhang," Director Mai said with a bow.

"Mr. Mai, please sit down," Zhang Ping'an said, waving his hand.

"Thank you, sir!" Director Mai bowed in return, lifted the hem of his clothes and sat down with his back straight. It was obvious that he was a martial artist.

"How do you feel about the Inspection Office recently?" Zhang Pingan exchanged a few pleasantries first.

"My Lord, everything is fine."

“What is the current situation of maritime smuggling?”

"Your Excellency, perhaps the Yu family incident has caused too much trouble. Those smugglers have been quiet recently. We haven't encountered any big fish, only small shrimps. They have been detained and fined according to the law," Director Mai replied sternly.

"As far as I know, many of your subordinates have inherited the positions of their fathers. They are not only good at swimming, but also very good at water combat," Zhang Pingan asked in a different direction.

Director Mai was a little unsure what Zhang Pingan meant by this question. After thinking it over, he said modestly, "Not bad!"

"Master Mai, there is no need to be modest. Almost everyone in our coastal areas can swim, but there are only a handful of people who can both swim and fight on the water," Zhang Pingan sighed, waving his hand.

Listening to the words, Director Mai stood up and bowed, saying, "I wonder what your Excellency's instructions are?"

"I plan to form a navy team of about 300 people in our county, and you will be responsible for its training and management," said Zhang Pingan.