The Later Three Kingdoms: Slaying Deng Ai, and Reviving the Han Dynasty

July has arrived.

Yesterday's rain washed away the sweltering heat of the past few days, bringing a refreshing coolness.

Wangzhuang in the North.

Riverside in the north.

The brothers Wang Shan and Wang Shi, men from the northern region of Wangmeng, slowly rowed their famous fishing boat to shore.

The fishing boat was small and somewhat new. Inside the tank were many large, lively fish. Next to it lay fishing nets, still bearing fish scales.

As Wang Shan rowed, a satisfied smile spread across his face as he watched the large fish in the tank. Looking up at the distant palace, his eyes were filled with deep gratitude.

They were originally half-mountain dwellers, so their parents named them Shan (Mountain) and Shi (Stone). Later, they became the Menghu (Household of the Imperial Estate).

Later, she became Moeto, the King of the North.

At the beginning of the year, rumors circulated in the village that the King of the North was going to split up the Meng households and sell off some of them.

He was terrified at the time, but there was nothing he could do.

That's just how the world is.

The estate has only so much land, but the population grows year by year. Rumor has it that the King of the North is greedy and stingy. Selling off excess people to reduce expenses is only natural.

The outcome was completely different from what they had imagined. That day, the elders pleaded together, and the King of the North agreed not to sell them.

Not only that.

The Northern King also added many industries.

Many elderly women skilled in weaving Shu brocade came to the village to teach women their craft.

The King of the North funded the purchase of a loom for every household.

The steward of the estate then purchased silkworm silk and distributed it to each household. Once the Shu brocade was woven, it was collected and sold by the estate.

Now, the sound of weaving can be heard from every household in the village.

This not only reduced redundant population but also increased the income of each household.

Not only that.

The manager also invited experienced fishermen to teach some of the villagers fishing techniques. For example, the brothers got the job because their home was by the water.

Although the brothers were half mountain dwellers and had no connection with water in the first half of their lives, they were willing to learn.

The foreman also provided fishing boats and equipment. After they learned how to fish, they went out to the river to fish every day. Now they have become genuine fishermen.

The fish caught were sold to the royal palace in exchange for money and grain as payment.

Besides these, there are many other things.

In short, the Northern King neither dismantled nor sold off the Meng households, nor did he let them go hungry. On the contrary, he made every household wealthy.

They now eat fish and meat at every meal, and while they used to be reluctant to buy cloth to make clothes, they now wear new clothes. They used to be afraid to eat too much salt, but now they dare to add more.

I used to worry that I had too many children to raise and even considered cruelly drowning them. Now I'm not afraid anymore.

before......

Furthermore, the Han Dynasty had its own unique national circumstances.

Nowadays, whether it's farmers cultivating their own land or households belonging to wealthy families, the standard of living is mostly lower than that of Wangzhuang in the north.

As far as he knew, many wealthy families wanted to abandon their original masters and seek refuge in Wangzhuang.

Many self-cultivating farmers, unable to bear the corvée labor, land taxes, and military service, planned to offer their land to the King of the North.

This made him very proud and even more grateful to Liu Chen.

"Your Majesty is truly a wise and virtuous king."

Wang Shan felt a surge of emotion and gave a heartfelt compliment.

"Brother is right. King is truly a wise king." Wang Shi, standing at the bow of the ship, nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

"Hahahaha." Wang Shan laughed heartily.

The fishing boat has docked.

The two brothers packed up, one carrying fishing nets and other tools, the other carrying a bamboo basket of their catch, and headed home together.

Fish that have been brought ashore are very likely to die and cannot stay there for long.

The two brothers arrived home, interacted with their children first, and then spoke a few words with their parents.

Their wives were weaving inside the house, and the sound of the loom made them happy.

They left their homes, carrying their catch of fish, and headed to the palace.

Next to the palace were two thatched huts, where a steward was in charge of buying the fishermen's catch.

Although they were ordinary households, the manager dared not make things difficult for or exploit them.

One of the managers was crippled for exploiting the villagers.

The king does not tolerate wicked and treacherous officials.

The process was very relaxed and pleasant. The Wang brothers sold their catch and turned to go home.

Wang Shan paused, turned around, bowed to the palace, and then left.

Wang Shi followed suit.

When the time came, the manager closed the shop. He handed over some of the best fish to the eunuch to supply the king with his food.

Most of the catch was transported to the nearby military camp.

The cook was already waiting outside the gate. Upon seeing the bountiful catch, he immediately greeted them with a beaming smile. He even feigned humility, complaining that he was late.

The manager chuckled and cursed.

After receiving the catch, the cooks immediately went to the special cooking shed to begin cleaning the fish.

After taking office, Zhang Sheng began recruiting soldiers in Chengdu. He recruited five or six hundred men, who were called a battalion.

The organization consisted of squad leaders, platoon leaders, lieutenants, and officers. The officer in charge of five hundred men led a battalion and was considered a mid- to high-ranking officer.

The generals set up camps, and each military commander's territory was separated, with each guarding their own side of the area to prevent interference and defeat in the event of a surprise attack.

Although the fishermen brought a lot of fish every day, it was still too little compared to the number of five or six hundred soldiers.

Fortunately, the king slaughtered a pig every day to feed the soldiers.

Add it all up and there's quite a bit of profit to be made.

These days, times are tough. Ordinary farming families can only afford to eat meat a few times a year. But soldiers can eat it every day.

Because of the good food in the military camp, many people are envious and want to join the army.

It would be great to serve as a soldier for a feudal lord; you wouldn't have to fight on the front lines, and the food would be good.

Unfortunately, the king only had five or six hundred soldiers under his command.

People outside can't get in even if they want to.

Sometimes the cooks and soldiers would wonder, isn't the king stingy and greedy? Why is he treating his soldiers so well?

Later, a story circulated that the king was afraid of death, so although he was stingy and often wore old clothes himself, he treated his soldiers very well.

Whatever the reason, the soldiers were grateful to the king and satisfied with their current life, which included food, training, and rewards.

The cooks happily slaughtered fish and pigs.

She was busy cooking millet porridge, having a great time.

Inside the drill ground.

Today is training day. Zhang Sheng, clad in fine armor and wearing a helmet, stands on the reviewing stand with his hand on his sword hilt, supervising the drills of his troops.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

The soldiers are now practicing with spears.

One hundred of them were clad in fine armor, while the others wore leather armor.

The infantry was trained in a year. The hundred elite armored soldiers were his own troops, and they had been trained for a year.

For others, six months.

In the past six months, the soldiers have been doing three things.

Eating, resting, training.

When selecting soldiers, he chose men with large frames and potential. After this period of training, the soldiers seemed to have inflated like balloons, becoming even stronger and more powerful.

He was good at using spears, swords, and bows.

In another six months, I will be a regular soldier.

Once you've been on the battlefield and seen blood, you're just an ordinary elite soldier.

After dozens of battles, large and small, they became the elite of the world.