Facing the wooden lattice window, Zhou Fu looked out, his gloomy eyes and tight lips revealing a bit of the gloom in his heart.

After being defeated by Sima Rui, he ran back to Ancheng.

No one made trouble for him. It seemed that Sima Rui knew when to stop and did not pursue him fiercely. After all, the Ancheng Zhou family had many people working in the shogunate.

But Zhou Fu didn't want to be an official anymore.

Disheartened, he just wanted to rest in his hometown and end his remaining days.

However, the character of some people destined his fate. Even if he retired at home, Zhou Fu was still worried about state affairs and tried every means to inquire about the situation in Luoyang.

After understanding them one by one, he sighed and lamented privately that the Jin Dynasty was about to end.

This realization made him extremely angry, which then gave him a sense of powerlessness, and his health became increasingly worse.

There was a burst of laughter from downstairs.

Zhou Fu became even more upset and left the window and came to the bookshelf.

Today, Shi Pei Kang, the shogunate chief of Xuchang, came to visit and borrowed a large number of books.

No, it should be that An Cheng Zhou donated almost all the books in his collection - of course they were copied versions, but they still cost a lot of money.

Zhou Fu picked up a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand: "Miscellaneous Notes of Shangshu".

This was written by Zhou Fang of the Zhou family in Ruyang in the later Han Dynasty. It has been passed down from generation to generation in the "Guwenshangshu" and has been studied deeply.

"Shang Shu Miscellanies" has a total of thirty-two chapters, about 400,000 words. An Cheng Zhou copied a copy and kept it in the mansion.

To be honest, this kind of book may not be easy to find even in Runan, and even the Yingchuan gentry may not have it. Even if it does exist, it is incomplete.

After gently putting down the scroll, he picked up other books——

Yuan Jing of Ruyang studied "Mencius' Book of Changes" intensively and wrote "Nanji" with 300,000 words.

"Old Biography of Chen Liuqi" written by Yuan Tang of Ruyang.

"Dissent on the Five Classics" and "Shuowen Jiezi" written by Xu Shen of Zhaoling are fourteen chapters.

Xu Jun of Zhaoling was proficient in the "Book of Changes" and authored six books including "Yixinlin".

Nan Dun should be the author of "Preface to the Book of Han", "Hanyu", and "Hanshi".

Ying Shao wrote "Lü Zhang Ju", "Stories of Han Official Etiquette", "Zhu Ren Ji", "Customs and Customs", etc.

…

He read them one by one.

After reading it, he stroked it gently again, as if he was looking at his own child.

You can imagine how reluctant you are to hand over a copy of these books.

He even didn't know what Shao Xun, a warrior, meant by sending people to copy books.

Every month, dozens of martial arts students who are not yet young come over, taking precious white paper and yellow paper to copy and verify each other. They seem to be very serious.

Zhou Fu didn't like the books he regarded as treasures to be spread out.

After he became famous at a young age, he moved around the palaces, competing for people, and repeatedly held literary posts.

This position mainly teaches classics, history, allusions, and writes articles for the emperor. When writing articles, you must use allusions, otherwise the writing will not be outstanding enough, so people who are not well-read cannot fill this position.

Literature is also a close subject of the king, so you can imagine how much benefit it can gain.

There are not many people who can compete with him for the position of royal literature. The secret is that his family has an extremely rich collection of books.

How can these things be spread easily? Don’t be joking!

But he seemed powerless to stop it.

He is not the only one who has the final say in the Zhou family. Many people have acquiesced in this matter due to pressure, so there is nothing they can do.

"Haha, Mr. Chen fought so hard in this battle that the Huns were frightened by the news. How brave! Drink this cup to the full." Another voice came from downstairs, accompanied by a slightly flattering laughter.

"Except for Yanzhou, there are many people growing winter wheat in the two states of Si and Henan this year. Why? The Huns were too frightened to invade south, so this is a good thing." An old voice came out immediately.

Obviously, this was Pei Kang. After he finished speaking, there were several echoes. They were the entourage brought by Pei Kang, including Zhou Mo, the commander of Yangdi.

Alas! Zhou Fu sighed again.

He knew that his nephew's future had been delayed by him. He had been going around in circles in Yangdi's order and failed to get promoted. The reason was that he had threatened to send 30,000 elite troops north to Luoyang to welcome the emperor and move his capital to Shouchun.

"Winter wheat is really a good policy."

"It is indeed a virtuous policy, but unfortunately the farmers are ignorant and not many people are willing to do this."

"In fact, there are more than before. There were three years of severe drought and four years of locust plagues. Without winter wheat, I don't know how many more people would have died in Henan."

"More than 200,000 people in Runan thank Mr. Chen for his great kindness."

"For this virtuous government, drink this cup to the full."

"Drink this cup to the full."

The banquet was full of laughter and laughter, and it was very lively.

Zhou Fu was too lazy to listen anymore. After sitting back at the desk, he planned to write a letter to Boren.

Shan Jian, the governor of Jingzhou, had died of illness. Wang Cheng, the governor of Jingzhou, was panic-stricken because it was difficult to quell Du Tao's rebellion that spread to Jingzhou, and even resigned from his post without consulting Wang Yifu.

Before the imperial court, Xun Song of the Central Guard—yes, the Xun Jingyou who was defeated in Xin'an—was the governor, and Zhou Yi and Zhou Boren were the governor.

Boren is a member of King Langya.

Zhou Fu had a big feud with King Langya and did not want to help him, but he looked forward to Boren taking the next step. After all, the Ancheng Zhou family now urgently needs a pillar to protect the family from wind and rain, and Boren finally

Couldn't be more suitable.

But what should I write in this letter? Zhou Fu thought about it for a long time before writing.

He first wrote about the situation at home, and then talked about the news he had heard recently.

Not long ago, several major events happened.

One is that Jinyang was recaptured by Tuoba Yilu.

This man is indeed capable. He sent his son Tuoba Liuxiu as the vanguard, with tens of thousands of soldiers. He led 200,000 soldiers to follow him, which can be said to be an overwhelming force.

This number is a bit exaggerated. Tuoba Xianbei has no infantry, almost all cavalry. There are more than 200,000 cavalry, which is just a bluff, but the total number should not be less than 50,000.

There are really many barbarians on the grassland.

Liu Kun took the soldiers and horses he had recruited in Changshan, plus gathered the broken troops, with a total of thousands of people as guides, and followed the army to attack Jinyang.

The Huns encountered the same predicament as the Jin people: they had no food and could not hold on.

So they fought in the field and were defeated.

Then they drove the people of Jinyang to retreat. This was undoubtedly a foolish move, and they were soon overtaken by Tuoba Yilu and defeated again.

Liu Feng, the governor of Bingzhou, was captured, and Liu Can, the king of Hanoi, rushed back, losing more than 8,000 Hu and Jin soldiers and horses.

After Liu Kun regained Jinyang, the situation became even more critical, because he acquired an empty city and was forced to move to Yangqu, north of Jinyang. After Tuoba Xianbei caught up with the Huns, he rescued many Jinyang people, but obviously

It was impossible to return it to Liu Kun, but took it away as a reward.

Tuoba Yilu also left some troops to help Liu Kun defend, and sent more than a thousand cattle, horses and sheep each, and hundreds of carts of supplies, before returning.

He did not continue to advance into the hinterland of the Huns because of lack of food and grass. At the same time, he suffered heavy casualties in the battle with the Huns' cavalry and was unable to fight anymore, so he withdrew.

But no matter what, it is always a good thing to regain Jinyang, but I don't know how long it can last.

The second thing is Guanzhong.

Lu Shuihu, who had reported his father's hatred, succeeded as leader Peng Tianhu and attacked Chang'an. Both sides lined up in the field, and Jia Tsai was defeated and killed.

Liu Han appointed Peng Tianhu as the governor of Liangzhou, which was also the position his father once held.

Liang Zong, Liang Su, Suo Wei and others refused to save him, but attacked Feng Yi.

As for Chang'an, no one is interested anymore.

Like Jinyang, Liu Yao had already returned to Pingyang with 80,000 Chang'an ladies when he retreated. There was no one in the city and there was no money. Peng Tianhu was disappointed and went home directly.

The third thing is related to Wang Jun.

Last year, he fought two battles with Tuoba Xianbei. Not only was he defeated, but he also lost many troops to his two sons-in-law. This year, he attacked Shile again and repulsed the remaining troops.

There's not much to say about this matter.

When writing this, Zhou Fu thought of Shao Xun.

The root cause of Duanbu Xianbei's decline came from this man. They would still have to face the attacks of Tuoba Xianbei and Murong Xianbei on the grassland, and they probably wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

Once Duanbu Xianbei declines, Wang Jun will have no chance of surviving.

Speaking of Shao Xun, Zhou Fu remembered something, so he continued to write.

Shao Xun went south from Xiangcheng to Xiping, summoned more than ten major surnames in Runan and sent hundreds of blacksmiths to restore the once-destroyed Iron City...

****

"Iron weapons are the dead soldiers of farmers. When the dead soldiers use them, Qiu Hu will be destroyed. When Qiu Hu is destroyed, the fields will be opened up. When the fields are opened up, the grain will be ripe..." Outside the Yetie City in the suburbs of Xiping County, Shao Xun held a newly made iron weapon in his hand.

He picked up the sickle and said with a smile: "If a farmer has this thing, the grain will be easily harvested and the warehouse will be full of millet and wheat."

The craftsmen listened and laughed a few times.

Shao Xun walked into the iron city, which had half collapsed.

Xiping County hastily tidied up and cleaned up the ruins, and now it looks a little better.

Shao Xun watched as he walked.

Under the rubble, the things that had been cleaned up were listed in an open space.

Spears, knives, sharpeners, arrowheads, axes, swords, even iron furnaces, coffin nails, lamps, and all sorts of things.

He was very moved when he saw it.

Under the rule, there are only two relatively large-scale ironware manufacturing bases. One is Ruyangju, which is located on the southern edge of Guangcheng Ze. It has hundreds of blacksmiths and apprentices.

The other one is Xuchang, but to be honest, the scale is not as good as Ruyang Gathering, which Shao Xun built bit by bit, because the craftsmen here were once dominated by Wang Mi. Later, they recovered a little bit, but it was still short-lived and there was no improvement.

In addition, there is a large-scale iron smelting workshop in Nanyang, but after Liang Fen left Zhenwan City, it was difficult to obtain weapons.

This is an important reason why Shao Xun cannot do without the imperial court.

This time Wang Yan sent many craftsmen, including blacksmiths, all of them to Xuchang.

An important reason for this inspection of Xiping is to rebuild the iron smelting workshop here.

There is Iron Mountain in Xiping, which is an advantage that other places cannot match.

This Iron Mountain existed during the Warring States Period, and later passed through the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and did not completely disappear until the Middle Tang Dynasty - firstly because of wars, and secondly because iron materials were not easy to harvest.

However, in the 21st century, due to the advancement of mining technology, Wuyang Iron Mine has regained its vitality, and the country has also established a steel plant, which shows the resource endowment of this place.

From now on, he will build Xiping into the largest iron smelting base under his rule, or at least one of the bases.

The first task is actually to collect the wool of the aristocratic family and the imperial court, find a way to get more blacksmiths, and then let them bring apprentices to expand the scale of production.

Not only are weapons needed to be smelted, but agricultural tools are also indispensable.

"The owner of the house is called the princess. He is good at general affairs and is especially good at smelting. I wonder if it is possible to clean up this place for me?" Shao Xun asked, pointing to the iron smelting city covered with weeds.

The place where Iron City is located is called "Hotel".

It was originally an iron city in South Korea during the Warring States Period. Officials and craftsmen drank and had fun in their spare time, so it was named the hotel.

During the Yuanhe period of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty, the Huaixi rebel vassal was pacified, and the imperial court destroyed Yetie City to avoid future troubles.

The name of the "owner's book" is Fang Yang, who was once the chief bookkeeper of Sima Yong, the king of Hejian. After Yong's defeat, Fang Yang was introduced to Princess Xiangcheng's Mansion as an official, mainly responsible for managing the blacksmiths in the manor, and his level was quite high.

As for the Fang family, there are three branches: Qinghe, Jinan, and Henan, which are lower-class gentry with a small surname. Fang Yang is from Qinghe, and most of the three Fang families have crossed south to the east of the Yangtze River. There are not many people left. Fang Yang is considered

one.

Shao Xun will not completely trust him.

In fact, the iron smelting city will be managed by Yu Liang, who joined the army, and officials will be transferred from Ruyangju. Liang County Martial Arts School will also send a group of students to serve as grassroots managers to slowly put this large iron smelting base into operation.

"Ming Gong has an order, and you should obey it." Fang Yang bowed and responded.

"You can take up a position in the Xuchang shogunate." Shao Xun said: "After the Chinese New Year, I will send a group of soldiers over as appropriate to set up a field army in Xiping County to farm and graze livestock and fully supply grain and meat. Hotel Metallurgy

Iron City is a matter of great importance and should not be ignored. However, if it is done well, it will lead to a prosperous future."

Fang Yang felt hot in his heart after hearing this.

The status of the Fang clan in Qinghe was not high. If Sima Yong had not been the king of Hejian and controlled Yecheng, he would not have had the opportunity to enter the Yong mansion, become an official in Yecheng, and then follow the king of Hejian out of Guanzhong.

Speaking of which, their family is very similar to the Mi family in the East China Sea.

If Mi Huang and Mi Zihui were not from Donghai, given his family background, the chance of entering the Donghai Palace would not be great, and it would be even less likely that he would become the second richest family in Donghai by being promoted to two ranks in a row within ten years.

The Mi family can do this, and so can the Fang family, as long as they follow the right person.

"Do a good job." Shao Xun patted Fang Yang on the shoulder and said with a smile.

How to get rid of dependence on the court? Farming and military training are indispensable.

These things have to be done.

After the Battle of Jamati, his prestige reached a new height and his bargaining power was further enhanced.

At the same time, the situation in Henan has become increasingly stable, and some resources used for war can be appropriately reduced.

Hotel Iron City is just one of the "big projects" in the next few years.
Chapter completed!