The Daily Life of a Rich Peasant's Boy in the Imperial Examination

Chapter 1339: Yuanlu County is so mountainous

After checking the rice experimental field base, Sun Shan continued walking out of the city.

The route of this inspection is completely opposite to that of the first inspection.

One headed east and the other headed west, and finally they turned into Big Bird Village.

Sun Dali was not happy that his master was heading towards the border between Yuanlu County and Mayang County, which was surrounded by mountains and shrouded in clouds and mist, and the most vigilant people were the Miao people.

Sun Dali had been stationed at the guano fertilizer workshop there before, and felt that the people were mixed, so he didn't want Sun Shan to put himself in danger.

Sun Dali suggested, "Master, we should not go through the Wuling Mountain border. The road is difficult to walk on and there are many people. We will definitely attract attention if we go there."

Sun Shan shook his head and said, "It's a clear and bright place, in broad daylight, nothing will happen."

Then he continued, "As the governor of Yuanlu County, I must have measured every inch of Yuanlu's land. If I don't go and see, how can I know how the people there are living? Don't worry, there are a lot of people arranged this time, so nothing will happen."

This time, he not only brought the Sun family guards, but also the native Xiao Wuzi.

First of all, although I can speak Yuanlu dialect, it is still not the original one, so I have to find a local guide.

Secondly, if a conflict occurs, there will be a local person present, so we have to consider everything carefully.

Sun Shan can't just rely on his official position to do things, he has to be more down-to-earth.

As a result, Xiao Wuzi caught Sun Shan's eye and became the first close bodyguard of Sun Zhixian in the yamen.

Xiao Wuzi said cheerfully, "Uncle Dali, the master is right. Don't worry too much. Our Yuanlu County is still very peaceful. I have only seen a few fights where people died."

It would have been better if he didn't say it. Once he said it, not only Sun Dali was worried, but Gui Ge'er and his guards were also worried.

Sun Shan said calmly, "We have more men, so we can definitely win a fight. If we can't, we'll just run away. When we get back to the yamen, we'll gather our men and horses, grab our weapons, and go fight. A wise man never suffers a loss in front of him. Your master has always understood that it is wise to know when to seize opportunities."

Sun Shan was so insistent that Sun Dali could not convince him no matter how much he tried, so he had to order his younger brothers to keep a close eye on Sun Shan for twelve hours a day.

The group walked and stopped as they went, and since they didn't have to rush, it wasn't too tiring.

Sun Shan discreetly examined Master Zhang's lame leg and asked with concern, "Master, are you feeling well enough?"

Master Zhang responded: "Master, I'm fine."

Then he sighed, "Master, Yuanlu County is so mountainous. Alas, there is so little arable land. No wonder the people's lives are not good and we collect so little grain tax."

There are more mountains than plains, and with wealthy families like County Magistrate Wang evading taxes and no industrial or commercial tax revenue to supplement the funds, the Yuanlu government's treasury has always been empty.

Because of lack of money, we are constrained in doing things and cannot move forward.

Master Zhang now finally understood why Sun Shan was vigorously developing guano fertilizer.

Under the condition of a certain amount of land, if we vigorously increase production, the tax revenue of the government will increase. Once the tax revenue increases, more things can be done and there will be fewer constraints and entanglements.

When Master Zhang came and saw the vast mountains, he felt that the place was very remote.

This time when I followed Sun Shan on his trip, I found that Yuanlu was more mountainous and remote than I had imagined.

Only the area around Yuanlu County is relatively flat and has a larger population.

Sun Shan said bitterly, "I came out this time to find some flat land to reclaim. If there is no flat land, I will see if the mountain land can be used for cultivation."

Then he added, "Or maybe we can see if there are any local specialties. We live by the water, we live by the mountains. Like the Wuqiang stream fish, let's see what Yuanlu can produce."

Zhang Shiye's eyes sparkled, and he said admiringly, "Master, you're absolutely right. We need to find some Yuanlu specialty products. If we don't sell them in Guangnan, they'll be great in Huguang."

Sun Shan looked at Master Zhang with admiration.

Talking to cultured people is exciting and you can understand them immediately.

It seems that people still need to read more books, and these books should be read from an early age so that they can resonate better.

People like Gui Ge'er, Sun Dali, and Sun Dingnan are not from formal professional training, so it is sometimes difficult to talk to them.

Gui Ge'er had no idea that his brother Shan despised him for being uneducated. He looked at the sky and said, "Brother Shan, it's getting dark. We need to find a place to stay for the night."

Sun Shan nodded: "Okay, let's stop here today."

So the group settled in an unknown village.

When the village chief saw Sun Shan, his eyes widened and he shouted excitedly, "Master Sun, is that you, Master Sun?"

Sun Shan did not deny: "It is me."

The village chief was even more excited after getting the confirmation.

At first, I thought my eyes were becoming blurry again. But it seemed his eyes were still as sharp as they were in his youth. From a distance, I could see the short, thin, and frail Magistrate Sun.

He recognized Lord Sun after only seeing him once at the county government office.

Humph, the villagers called him old and confused behind his back.

Bah, you are the one who is senile, your whole family is senile!

The unknown village chief of the unknown village quickly came over and asked nervously and concernedly, "Sir, what are you doing in the village? Has anyone in our village committed a crime?"

What were such a large group of people doing in the village? Were they trying to apprehend some heinous criminal?

Thinking of this, the village chief's mouth trembled and he was extremely scared.

Sun Shan sensed the village chief's nervousness and reassured him, "Don't worry, I just happened to be passing by and was looking for a place to stay."

Sun Shan looked at the village and found it was quite big, so he chose it to live in.

This place is only a day's journey from the county town, so it's not a remote place.

There are scattered blue brick and tile houses dotted around the village, further proving that life here is not too bad.

Sun Shan wasn't sure where this place was, and he couldn't find any village sign.

So he asked, "Village Chief, where have you seen me? Where is this place?"

The village chief heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that Sun Shan was not there to arrest any criminals.

Then he said, "Sir, we have met at the county office. This place is called Shenxi Village."

Pointing to a small stream not far away, he said, "There is a small river here. Most of the people in our village are surnamed Shen, so it is called Shenxi Village."

Sun Shan understood and said with a smile, "Village Chief Shen, can you arrange a place for us to stay?"

Then he said, "If there is an ancestral hall, we will live there instead of staying in the villagers' homes."

I looked at the sky and it was cloudless, which meant it was good weather. As long as we took measures to prevent insects and mosquitoes, there was no need to worry about rain.

Village Chief Shen was unwilling to agree and said anxiously: "Sir, the ancestral hall is too simple. Why don't you stay at my house? I have room."

Sun Shan waved his hand and insisted, "Just live in the ancestral hall. We don't want to live separately."

Sun Dali heard "not separated".

I immediately understood what the master meant.

It turns out he was afraid of being assassinated after they separated. Yes, separation is not good. Living together means that if there is a criminal, he can protect the master from the knife.

So the Sun family guards strongly requested to live in the ancestral hall. The village chief had no choice but to lead Sun Shan and his party to the ancestral hall.