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

"Wait until your three-year term is over, and then see if you can go back and take a look. You are not ordinary soldiers, so it is still very possible," the bald old man comforted.

"Yes, as the saying goes, one joins the army at the age of fifteen and returns home at the age of eighty. Those of us with ranks are much better off than ordinary soldiers," Zou Ping also spoke to comfort them.

Who doesn’t miss home? But there is no way.

By March, the land around the county town and nearby areas had been almost completely plowed.

Zhang Ping'an led the people under him to start sowing according to the season.

There was also frequent good news from the front line.

The soldiers and the people were happy about this situation from the bottom of their hearts.

I don’t know how some people in Lin’an feel.

The court later learned that Lord Zhou had won the battle and recovered most of the stolen food and supplies.

However, it is difficult to transport the food and supplies that have already been transported to the north back.

I had no choice but to suffer this loss.

There was no big response to the good news from the front line, as the merits and demerits offset each other.

In fact, the main reason was the inconvenience of communication between the north and the south. Lord Zhou had enough time difference to find excuses to shirk responsibility. In addition, the ruler of the Southern Dynasty was weak and the ministers were strong, and several regent ministers had their own little thoughts.

This maintained the surface peace.

Zhang Ping'an saw clearly that sooner or later this layer of window paper would be broken.

Lin Junhui has been exchanging letters with Zhang Pingan.

However, the letter sent this time did not mention his attitude towards the matter, but instead talked about several major events that had occurred in Fu County recently.

It also has something to do with Liu Shuisheng.

It turned out that he used Liu Shuisheng's knowledge of the waters near the East China Sea to secretly cut off the food supply route north of Jiaozhou.

As a result, food supply in areas north of Jiaozhou becomes a problem, which will greatly weaken the combat effectiveness of the rebels and Tatars in various parts of the northeast.

Zhang Ping'an couldn't help but frown after seeing this.

Liu Sanlang picked up the letter and read it. He had grown a lot now. After reading it, he analyzed: "If this food supply route is cut off, the Tatars and those rebels will definitely not have enough food to eat. It's okay in the short term, but in the long run, I'm afraid they will invade the south!"

"If you can see the problem, how could Junhui not know it? I just don't know what he is up to," Zhang Pingan was puzzled.

Even if we want to cut off the food supply, now is not the best time.

According to Lin Junhui's usual practice, he shouldn't be so anxious.

The old bald man frowned and thought, "Could it be that the people behind him are planning something?"

"Although his father-in-law is the prefect of Lin'an, he is not actually one of the top forces in Lin'an. Junhui is meticulous and decisive, so it's probably not that simple," Zhang Pingan shook his head.

He ordered: "Old Baldy, train more spies and spread them out in all directions, farther away, so that we can know in time if anything happens."

"I understand. Don't worry. I will keep my eyes and ears open!" The bald old man nodded.

I thought to myself, it seems that Lin Junhui is trying to muddy the waters! Let's wait and see!

After finishing his business, Zhang Ping'an thought of his sixth brother-in-law again, so he said to them: "After the spring sowing is over, I will go to inspect the various counties under me. It will be a good opportunity for me to go to Yangzhou to see my sixth brother-in-law. He hasn't written to me for a long time, and I am a little worried about him."

Ever since the Huaiyang Pass was attacked by the enemy at the beginning of the year, and firearms were used.

The guards at the firearms workshop in Yangzhou began to tighten.

Not only were new guards patrolling and on alert, but the people inside were no longer allowed to live alone outside. Instead, they had to eat and live inside the firearms workshop and were not allowed to have contact with outsiders easily.

Yu Shiqi is the leader after all and is considered an important technical craftsman.

In order to save face for General Luo, he could only hurriedly write a simple letter of safety and send it to Zhang Pingan, briefly explaining the situation and telling Zhang Pingan not to worry.

No more letters came after that.

A few months passed and Zhang Ping'an was still worried. The spring sowing was over and it was an opportunity.

I wonder if I can meet him when I go to Yangzhou.

It's a terrible thing to think about. If he hadn't dragged his sixth brother-in-law into the business of manufacturing firearms, his sixth brother-in-law would probably still be working well in the Lin'an Ministry of Industry. Although it might be dull, at least it would be stable.

I don’t know whether this situation is good or bad!

Liu Sanlang didn't think too much about it. He immediately said, "I'll go with you."

"Well, bring some food and daily necessities for Sixth Brother-in-law when the time comes." Zhang Ping'an nodded in agreement.

…………

Time flies, and soon it is April.

All the crops that should be planted in the fields have been planted, and all that is left is to take good care of them.

Looking at the endless farmland, Zhang Ping'an, Lao Tu and others could even imagine the golden waves of rice during the harvest.

If the weather this year is as good as last year, the grain output this year will be at least 60% more than last year.

Not only could the people and soldiers eat their fill, they also had plenty of surplus food.

The area near Ze County is now very peaceful, and there are no more reports of banditry.

After the Qingming Festival, Zhang Ping'an took his well-fed brother-in-law and others to patrol along the way south.

The situation in each county along the way was similar, and the fertile fields on both sides of the official road were well cultivated.

The people in the fields no longer had the indifference and numbness on their faces. Their expressions became much calmer and they didn't have too many greasy expressions.

Zhang Ping'an nodded secretly in his heart, feeling somewhat satisfied.

Even after eating his fill, he said, "Life is so much better now than before!"

"Yes," Zhang Pingan said with emotion.

Then he asked Chi Bao: "Let me ask you, if Ezhou Prefecture is as stable as here, would you be willing to return to Ezhou Prefecture to live again?"

"Return to Ezhou Prefecture?" Chibao was surprised. He had never thought about this question because he knew it was impossible now.

However, when Zhang Ping'an asked, he actually thought about it seriously before replying, "If Ezhou Prefecture can really be as stable as the area around Ze County in the future, I'm afraid the villagers will still be willing to return. After all, it's their ancestral land and their roots are there."

After he finished speaking, he smiled again and continued, "As for me, I will follow you all my life. Wherever you go, I will go. It was you who saved our entire village. As the opera says, a drop of water should be repaid with a spring. I don't have any great abilities, but following you can broaden my horizons. That's great!"

"You, you are becoming more and more eloquent, much better than before!" Zhang Pingan said with a smile when he heard it.

"Hehe!" After eating, he just laughed foolishly without making any explanation.

When they arrived in Chang County, many of the locals were men who had come from Ze County before. When they saw Zhang Pingan, they all recognized him and hurriedly bowed and greeted him.

Zhang Ping'an said a few words of concern, and then he felt relieved after seeing that everyone was living well in Chang County.

The magistrate of Chang County wanted to show his hospitality by inviting everyone to dinner, but Zhang Ping'an politely declined.

"While it's still early, I'd better continue on my journey. It's a good time to rest in Yangzhou," Zhang Ping'an explained.

Since this was the reason, the magistrate of Chang County could not force them to stay any longer and watched them leave.

"Mr. Zhang is a very friendly official and doesn't put on airs," the legal advisor next to him couldn't help but say.

"There is nothing going on now, so he is friendly. Once something happens, you will see whether he will still be friendly. How many people who can hold high positions are simple?" The magistrate of Chang County shook his head.

"Yes, with the support of such a good Yue family as the Qian family, he will be promoted to a high position in the future. He is already a fifth-rank official at such a young age. His future is promising. It will not hurt you to establish a good relationship with him, sir. Maybe he will support you in the future."

The legal advisor has his own little thoughts. When the county magistrate is promoted, his position will naturally rise as well. It makes people look forward to it just thinking about it.

Upon hearing this, the Chang County Magistrate glanced at his advisor and said, "How can it be that simple? Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The Qian family is a double-edged sword. If he hadn't understood this, why would Lord Zhang, who was escorting grain at the beginning of the year, have personally gone to Huaiyang Pass? You're really overthinking it!"

After saying this, the magistrate of Chang County returned to the county government office with his hands behind his back.

I was also thinking about whether I should make preparations for both scenarios.

The treasure cannot be placed on one person.

In this situation, who can predict what will happen in the future?