dtnovels Chapter 190 is quite bad.
Chapter 190 is quite bad.
"However, such a small family can turn the area within a hundred miles into such a state, and the people do not even know to complain to the higher authorities. We still have a lot to do."
Chen Er's words gave Zhao Yun pause for thought. Indeed, he had never considered these things before, simply believing that the empire's predicament was due to too many corrupt officials, or even the corruption of imperial power, without ever considering the weakening effect of localism within the empire on national unity.
"He hadn't thought about what the people needed. This trip south had a huge impact on Zhao Yun. It was through these experiences that he gradually understood how great the reforms Chen Er was carrying out were."
"Chen Er even abandoned his long-held imperialist ideology and adopted a more democratic political philosophy, although Zhao Yun did not yet know what kind of political framework Chen Er wanted to build in the future."
"However, what he can see is the tangible changes in the lives of the people, as well as the recognition of the district he governs by the people and the district government he governs by Chen Er. According to Chen Er, at least this can be considered as breaking down localism and evolving into a holistic ideology."
"My lord, shall we head directly to Shouchun?"
Zhao Yun asked, and Chen Er nodded and said, "We'll go directly to Ailanthus altissima. Yangzhou has just been included in our district for rectification, and the policy is still being implemented. There won't be much change in the short term. Moreover, I have faith in Man Chong's abilities. We just need to observe the situation in the towns and cities we pass through along the way."
"Yes."
After leaving Xuzhou, the road south became much more difficult to travel. The official roads within Yangzhou were in much worse condition than those in Xuzhou, Qingzhou, and Jizhou.
Even when Chen Er was heading south, he could still see that the temporary passages opened up by the large organization during the suppression of the Yellow Turbans were still being used by the general public as main roads.
After passing through a bumpy section of road, Chen Er pointed to the area and said to Zhao Yun, "The most important thing for the development of a place is transportation. Zilong, look, the road conditions in Yangzhou are so bad."
I really don't know how Yuan Shu managed to govern Yangzhou back then. Even the temporary road that my large organization opened up when I suppressed the Yellow Turban Rebellion is still in use today, and according to my observation...
These roads are still used by the people as their main thoroughfares, but they have fallen into disrepair over the years. Originally intended as temporary access roads, they are now riddled with potholes.
Many horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts were unable to pass normally, and it was unknown what Yuan Shu and his officials had been doing all these years.
“Yuan Shu was a complete fool. He had a lot of advantageous resources but couldn’t win. It’s not unreasonable that he couldn’t even protect his own family business,” Zhao Yun said to Chen Er thoughtfully.
Chen Er took out the water bottle hanging on Ma'anshan Mountain, took a big gulp of water, and then said to Zhao Yun, "So we must thank Yuan Shu, if it weren't for an opponent like him."
"It's really hard to say who will win this great battle. After all, Yangzhou and Yuzhou have enormous war potential, and Yuan Shu could have unleashed a greater deterrent force, but he didn't."
"Because he was inherently limited by his own personality, and the entire force was also tied down because of him and did not achieve greater development."
"Sometimes it feels rather pointless to beat an opponent like that."
Chen Er said somewhat shamelessly, "You clearly took advantage of someone, but you still say they're wrong. You think it's outrageous that such a person doesn't get struck by lightning? But sometimes the world is just that strange. A troublemaker like Chen Er lives a more carefree life."
The journey was the most boring part, especially when riding a horse. Coupled with the bumpy road, Chen Er had a rather uncomfortable time. As March arrived, the rain gradually increased.
Just as they entered Yangzhou, Chen Er and his companions encountered a light rain. Although the rain was not heavy, it was persistent and made the already bad roads even muddy, slowing their progress even further. They had no choice but to stop in a village.
The South is a magical place. Although not every family is wealthy, most families, as long as they are not lazy, can at least make ends meet.
The small village where Chen Er and his group stayed was a typical southern village, quiet and undisturbed by anyone. There were only a little over a hundred households in the village, and the population of the entire village was less than the number of the dragon cavalry battalion following behind Chen Er.
The arrival of Chen Er and his group naturally broke the tranquility of the village, but it also brought some good fortune to the villagers. For the first time, this small village truly witnessed how strict the organization and discipline of the district it governed were.
"Fellow countrymen, we are an organization under the command of the King of Wei, heading south. We are passing through your esteemed place and would like to ask for lodging for a few days. We will leave once the rain has passed. If there is anything that bothers you during this time, please let us know immediately and we will correct it promptly."
Wang Hui walked up to the villagers and explained their arrival to them.
To Chen Er's surprise, even in such a small place, these ordinary people had heard of his name. An old man said, "So you are from a large organization under the King of Wei. It's alright. Few people have ever come to our little village. Your arrival has brought some life to our village. It doesn't matter if we are disturbing you or not."
"Fellow villager, our organization has been traveling for several days, and we're almost out of rations. I wonder if there are any wealthy villagers in the village who could sell us some grain or fodder? Pork would be even better," Wang Hui asked the villager.
"As for food supplies, our village has a relatively sufficient amount of grain. However, one family certainly cannot afford to support so many of you. It would be feasible to go to each household separately to buy supplies. As for pork, please forgive us, but it seems that no one in our village raises pigs."
“Village chief, doesn’t Li Laosan’s family raise sheep? I remember they have forty or fifty sheep. Why don’t we just have him sell them to the organization leader? It’s all meat anyway. We don’t have pork, but we can still eat mutton.”
"And eating mutton in this weather is just so refreshing."
A middle-aged villager standing nearby said to the old man, "It turns out that this old man is the village chief of this village." Wang Hui couldn't help but marvel at his luck; he had just randomly picked someone and he turned out to be the village chief. Local bullies are more important than outsiders these days.