After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

Chapter 1289: Chapter 1256: Stubbornness

It was the tenth day of the second month; all the snow in the fields had melted. Although the air was still chill, tender sprouts and wild grass had already appeared in the wild, and the wheat in the fields had turned green again.

Walking along the ridges between the fields, when the wind blew head-on, it was still cool, yet one could feel its softness and warmth; it was different from the biting north wind.

With the sun shining down, after walking a while on the ridge, the chill was slowly driven away, and the whole body began to feel warm and cozy.

With this wind blowing, Tao Wu couldn’t help feeling better; he really couldn’t imagine that in such fine weather there would be the torrential rains Guo Pu had spoken of, rains that would even turn into a disaster seldom seen in decades.

His trust in Guo Pu could not help but waver. "Tell me, is Guo Pu really that accurate? Will there be torrential rains in spring? And he even said it would last until the turn of spring and summer—does that mean it’ll pour for two whole months?"

Walking along the uneven ridges, Xiahou Ren, not watching his step, trod into a pit and said angrily, "Who knows? That Guo Pu is also a man who clings to life and fears death. What he says is not necessarily all true. Back then, when he was caught by Wang Dun, they didn’t even need to use torture; he just straight out said King Langya had the Mandate of Heaven, then turned around and ran to Luoyang to seek refuge with the Great General."

So do you think Guo Pu actually calculated that Zhao Hanzhang is the one truly favored by Heaven?

The question turned a circle on the tip of his tongue, but Tao Wu did not voice it; he silently swallowed it back down.

Xiahou Ren tacitly skipped over this topic as well and continued speaking about natural disasters. "The north has little rain and vast lands. In spring, when it rains, the Yellow River is just at the end of its dry season, and Minister Fu has dredged it once more. Even if there’s a flood, is it really so serious that we must proclaim it to the realm already at this time? The disaster caused by panicked people and rising grain prices might be worse than the flood itself."

"The harm of man-made calamity has never been less than that of natural disaster."

What they feared was that Zhao Hanzhang’s misjudgment would cause a catastrophe even greater than the damage brought by the natural disaster itself.

The village chief stopped and looked back; seeing the two of them lagging far behind again, he couldn’t help urging them, "You two lads, do hurry up a bit. The sun’s almost at its zenith. We still have to visit two villages today."

Tao Wu couldn’t hold back; he quickened his steps and then asked, "Elder, you’re not from Luoyang, are you?"

"No. What, you look down on people from other places?" The village chief said, "My ancestral home is Ba Shu, but I’ve now settled in Luoyang."

Tao Wu hastily explained that he did not mean to look down on the village chief, he was simply curious. It was just that, when the man spoke, he had to listen very hard to understand him.

The village chief muttered as he walked ahead, "I was personally picked up on the road by the Great General, and this village chief post was appointed by the Great General himself. I’ve received so many young fellows who came to learn, and you two are the slowest..."

At this point, the village chief couldn’t help stopping again to look back at them, and commented, "And the oldest."

Xiahou Ren and Tao Wu: ...

The two immediately understood. Tao Wu, looking thoughtful, asked, "Village chief, do students often come to learn from you?"

"Oh, plenty, more than plenty. Especially those students from the Imperial College—every month some come over."

Xiahou Ren said, "Village chief, we’re not students, we’re officials."

"I’ve seen quite a few officials too. Those from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry often come to our countryside," the village chief was not the least bit cowed. He commented, "My three favorite officials are the Great General, Minister Fu, and Doctor Shen."

Xiahou Ren said, "Shen Ruhui?"

"Yes, that Doctor Shen. It’s a pity he hasn’t been here for a long time."

Xiahou Ren said, "He went to manage the Yellow River; he only returned to the capital not long ago."

The village chief gave a sigh. "Ah, so the Yellow River is going to flood, is it? Tell me, which great river ever floods in spring? Everyone needs water for farming. By rights it shouldn’t be flooding."

Tao Wu’s spirits lifted; he asked, "Village chief, you also think there won’t be heavy rains this year?"

"That’s not certain," the village chief said. "I’m a man from Ba Shu and have only been in Luoyang for three years, but I feel the winter snows have been less. I asked a few local elders; they all said there’ll be more rain this spring and summer, and that we should plant more beans, less rice and wheat."

Xiahou Ren and Tao Wu exchanged a glance and asked, "The court has given the same suggestion. The villagers don’t comply?"

The village chief said, "How can sorghum compare in taste to rice and wheat flour? And the yield of millet is too low. The elders say there’ll be rain, but what they say isn’t always right either, so not many listen."

"Besides, wheat and rice both need water too. Spring rain is a good thing." The village chief sighed and said, "Back in autumn and winter, I advised everyone to plant less wheat, but look—these vast stretches of wheat have been planted all the same."

Xiahou Ren asked, "So no one reduced their planting?"

"If there are people who don’t listen, naturally there are those who do. There are still quite a few households that planted less wheat. Today we’re here precisely to persuade those who are less obedient," the village chief said. "The winter wheat’s already been sown. I think it’s not a bad thing that it’s in the ground anyway. The land granted by the court has to be kept in cultivation; it’s enough for planting. So long as you plant less rice next and more sorghum and millet, it’ll be fine."

But they had no intention of listening to the village chief.

"Sorghum doesn’t fetch a good price, and it doesn’t taste good. These past few days, wheat and rice in the city have both gone up in price. I see the weather’s perfectly fine. I went to look in the fields—wheat has already greened up and is growing splendidly."

"That’s right. I’ve asked around; those grand noble families are all planting wheat and rice too. If you don’t let us plant them, all that money will end up in their hands."

"Is this about making money?" The village chief stamped his foot. "This is about saving lives. The Great General has said there will be a natural disaster. If you plant rice, later it’ll all be washed away by the water."

Xiahou Ren and Tao Wu also tried to persuade them. "The grain prices in the city are soaring precisely because a natural disaster is coming. Telling you to plant sorghum and millet is also for disaster prevention. Sorghum and millet both tolerate waterlogging; they might survive a flood."

The villagers were quick to go along. "Fine, we’ll listen to you. We’ll plant sorghum."

Xiahou Ren and Tao Wu relaxed, thinking their task was done, but the village chief didn’t move; he still looked very displeased. "How many mu will you plant?"

"We’ll each plant two mu of various kinds; that’s enough to eat."

"Enough to eat, my ass." The village chief asked, "You only eat and don’t pay? If the wheat and rice all fail, what will you use to pay your taxes?"

"That wheat won’t fail. I’ve been to the fields; it’s growing very well. In another two months we’ll be able to harvest." As the villager spoke, his temper flared; he pointed up at the bright blue sky and asked, "Does this look like it’s going to rain? We’ve already ploughed the fields, and have started storing water and ploughing the paddies to raise rice seedlings."

"Luoyang is not like Ba Shu; there’s little rain here. In the three years we’ve been here, how many times has it rained in spring?" the villager said. "Even if it doubles, we’re not afraid—that’d be perfect, saves us from having to irrigate when we transplant seedlings."

"Some elders of Luoyang have read the signs in the sky; they say this year will indeed be rainy."

"Then how come, with that great drought and locust plague the year before last, they didn’t see it coming?" the villager demanded. "At the time, when we asked, they said the winds and rains would be favorable. In the end, half the rice we planted turned out empty-shelled."

Xiahou Ren said in a deep voice, "The Great General and Guo Shenxian have also said that this spring will be rainy."

The villager fell silent; he squatted on the ground for a long time without speaking. At last he said, "Fine, I’ll plant three more mu of sorghum and three more mu of millet, but I’m still going to plant rice."

"All right, all right, we’re not stopping you from planting it," the village chief said. "Just plant a bit less, so as not to waste the seed."

He added, "Apply more of the compost to the sorghum and millet."

The villagers agreed aloud, but had no intention of doing so.

Stubborn people— even if the sky has already collapsed over their heads, they will still firmly believe that the sky will not fall.