RPAGF Chapter 7191 Knowing everything
Chapter 7191 Knowing everything
Chapter 7191 Knowing everything
Listening to the group's cacophony of descriptions, Chen Xi finally asked the question, "When you talk about your wives like this, have you ever thought about why your wives would say these things?"
"What else could it be? Of course, it's because they were indeed living quite well back then," Zhang Liang said quite frankly. "Just like Ke Ke said, his wife actually didn't eat refined rice much back then, even though she came from a wealthy family. That was the situation back then, completely incomparable to now. But if you think about it carefully, Ke Ke, what did you eat back then?"
"We eat soybeans when there are soybeans, we eat coarse grains when there are coarse grains, and sometimes we have to eat things like elm seeds. We just eat whatever we have. But to be honest, my family's situation was okay except for the last stage. At least we had food to eat," Zheng Ke said honestly. His family used to be considered quite well-off, at least they had something edible to eat.
“I’ve eaten tree bark and grass roots,” Zhang Liang said with a hint of bitterness. “My brother gave me boiled foxtail grass seeds to eat, which kept me alive, while he himself ate dirt and died.”
“We’ve all been through this, even with distant relatives, but at least with our fellow villagers and friends,” Zhang Chen said with a sigh after hearing Zhang Liang’s words. “Back then, I don’t know what happened, but there seemed to be no fish in the river, and we couldn’t catch or fish them out. It was completely different from now.”
"I've eaten those very finely smeared flatbreads, they tasted alright, I guess." After the topic of eating dirt came up, Ding Mian, a northerner with a wealth of experience in this area, began to explain how to eat dirt effectively without starving, and said that he had a lot of experience in this regard.
"Can we not talk about eating dirt? Even talking about eating grass seeds wouldn't make me feel this bad. Eating dirt always reminds me of my fellow villagers who died so tragically." Huang Zhong looked distressed. "Can we talk about something happier?"
"There's no way around it. When I thought about why my wife brought this up, I realized the difference. We can't forget that when we were eating grass and dirt, we were eating grains just because we're doing better now than before," Zhang Liang said rationally, spreading his hands.
“Indeed, I think about it sometimes and it seems a bit too much, especially during the Spring Festival. I can sit on the kang and serve myself a table full of meat and vegetables and a basket of steamed buns. To be honest, it’s really outrageous.” Li Zhe also chimed in with a bit of speechlessness, “Damn, when I was fleeing famine, I ate whatever was available. Never mind, I won’t say what I ate.”
A group of men glanced sideways at Li Zhe. They all knew what was going on. They were all fleeing famine, and when there was nothing to eat, they resorted to cannibalism, even eating excrement. This was the only option they had.
"Anyway, I don't react to my wife's nagging. Let people say what they want. After all, Xiu Niang gave me two sons and a daughter, and she took care of me when I was disabled, never abandoning me. I think, let people say what they want. Anyway, I'll arrange things for her according to her family's wishes later." Zhang Liang said nonchalantly. He really thought so, and he really did it.
Of course, there is another very important point: Zhang Liang's wife's family could never compete with Zhang Liang. After all, Zhang Liang belonged to the group that followed Liu Bei a long time ago. He did not marry into the Northern Frontier group, but rather married a concubine's daughter from a prominent family in Xuzhou after the pacification of Qingzhou.
So even before and during the Northern Frontier period, Zhang Liang's wife's family couldn't compete with him. By the time of the Ganges, Zhang Liang had almost wiped out his wife's family. As for now, there's nothing to see anymore.
“I usually do the same. I’ll just say a few words if she wants to. I’m pretty magnanimous in this regard.” Tang Tang chimed in, agreeing with the statement. “We didn’t lose out. She just said a few words. In front of others, we’re true to our word. Why bother with a few words? Right?”
Tang Tang's words were echoed by almost all the officers present. They had indeed experienced the initial discomfort of their wives marrying into the family, as well as the occasional condescending orders from their wives. But overall, these daughters of noble families were indeed well-educated. At the very least, they clearly knew when to uphold their husbands' dignity, and most importantly, who was the pillar of the family. They could talk about it, but they still had to distinguish who was in charge.
"Actually, there's no need to think so much. After all, it was indeed a case of marrying into a higher social class at the beginning, so it's normal for her not to be used to it at first. She'll get used to it after a while," Zhang Yong said nonchalantly. "Just spend more time together, everyone here is reasonable."
Listening to the veterans' descriptions, Chen Xi gained a general understanding of the current situation. It was clear that these veterans had become the backbone of their families. Even if their wives were more intelligent, these veterans could make decisions on any major issues with a single word.
Chen Xi thought this was a good idea. Women's emotional thinking can easily lead to big problems in certain situations, and if women's thinking were completely rational, then they wouldn't be women anymore.
Therefore, from a certain perspective, expecting women to be completely rational is unrealistic.
"It seems you've completely mastered how to get along properly," Chen Xi said with a smile. "But have you considered what to do with your child in the future?"
Upon hearing this, the group of veterans looked bewildered. In the end, it was Qu Gong who spoke first, "I guess if I were to find a wife for my son in the future, I would probably find one through my friends. It's not that I can't get in touch with those aristocratic families, but it just feels a bit out of place."
Upon hearing this, most of the veterans present nodded in agreement. Their wives came from prominent families, so they were aware of certain traits of women from such families. They were indeed good people and well-educated, but given the choice and considering various factors, their own brothers' daughters were actually more suitable.
Whether it's the issue of social status or personality, they are clearly more suitable.
"Well, alright, I was just saying I was planning to do another round," Chen Xi said with a smile. The eyes of everyone present lit up. They didn't need them now, but they still needed their fellow villagers and their nephews and nieces. Compared to small landlords and rural women, women from aristocratic families had a clear advantage.
Given the current reality, small and medium-sized aristocratic families are bound to disintegrate. However, from a broader perspective, this is not actually a disintegration, but rather a more rapid expansion, a testament to diversifying their resources and pursuing comprehensive development.
However, for the direct descendants of aristocratic families, this was indeed a real and irreversible process of disintegration.
Therefore, it is only natural for Chen Xi to give more opportunities to the branches of aristocratic families during this process. After all, the foundation of veterans is indeed weak. To rise to prominence in one generation and surpass the accumulation of several or even more than ten generations of others sounds impressive, but it also means that their foundation is indeed weak in the short term. Under such circumstances, effectively absorbing the foundation of aristocratic families can more quickly and effectively consolidate the foundation of this group of people.
"There should be a notification after the New Year. Remember to invite those outstanding fellow villagers to participate. The requirements are similar to those of last year: no more than thirty-four years old, with sufficient merit, and unmarried. Hmm, you can prepare recommendation letters for your nephews and nieces. There will be some leniency regarding the merit requirement." Liu Bei said with a smile to everyone present. Chen Xi and Liu Bei had discussed this matter beforehand.
"What about veterans whose fathers died? Do they receive any preferential treatment?" Wang Gui smacked his lips twice. He was already in the bag and wasn't going to struggle anymore, so he dared to say some hurtful things in this kind of place.
“I have a list here.” Liu Bei pointed to his brain, which reassured the veterans present. “There’s no need to worry about this. Others may not remember it, but I, Liu Bei, am still alive. Those people will always be in my mind, and Zichuan’s money and provisions should continue to be paid out.”
"Don't worry, I won't change my promise." Chen Xi said seriously, his smile fading as he saw Liu Bei pointing at him again.
"Actually, some brothers in Eastern Europe also want to marry women from other places," Miao Ran, whose face was a little puffy, secretly said. Unlike the other unlucky children of the Yuan family, Miao Ran had the record of killing a Xiongnu single-handedly, so he had a table in Weiyang Palace. That's why he secretly spoke up at this time.
“Then you can participate. We recognize this merit.” Chen Xi said without hesitation. Disliking the Yuan family does not mean disliking every member of the Yuan family, much less disliking the people under the Yuan family’s rule. Locals still like to recruit elites like Miao Ran.
"Why do you look a little swollen?" Liu Bei looked Miao Ran up and down. Although this guy had a somewhat carefree and irresponsible demeanor, he still had the awareness of being a regular soldier of the Han Dynasty, and he performed quite well. Because the contrast was so outrageous, Liu Bei had a deep impression of Miao Ran.
"I got beaten up." Miao Ran was silent for a while, but finally decided that there was no need to lie to Liu Bei.
"Because she called out to Brother Xiao many times, and then Brother Xiao blocked the door and beat her up like this." Several veterans around her added that the fact that Empress Xiao was cuckolded could spread throughout the three great empires. Empress Xiao's own fighting strength probably only accounted for 5%. The remaining 95% was all due to Miao Ran's foul mouth.
After the martial arts demonstration in the small world, Empress Xiao learned the whole story and wished she could tear Miao Ran to pieces.
"Sigh." Liu Bei sighed helplessly, looked around, and found Empress Xiao was there.
"Empress Xiao, are you feeling any better now?" Liu Bei asked Empress Xiao, without specifying what aspect she was feeling. However, the men present all laughed heartily, as everyone now knew about Empress Xiao's condition.
"It's a little better than before. It would be even better if it weren't for Miao Ran's foul mouth." Empress Xiao had a dejected expression, as if life was not worth living, but Liu Bei could clearly feel that Empress Xiao's condition was much better than before. Putting aside everything else, her fighting power had at least returned to its peak, and her spirit was not so gloomy anymore.
"How about I have someone introduce you to someone?" Liu Bei asked Empress Xiao with a smile. Although Empress Xiao was only at the sixth level of refining, once her mentality recovered, reaching the seventh level was basically just a matter of time. She was still worth Liu Bei's help.
"It wouldn't be right for Empress Xiao to refuse the King of Jin's kind offer repeatedly, so thank you very much, King of Jin." Empress Xiao bowed and said the same thing again: she was still immersed in the past and couldn't get out of it. Even Liu Bei couldn't help her, but once she got out of it, those things in the past were just that. What does a great man have to worry about not having a wife!
“Actually, the Zhang family in Qinghe has someone of marriageable age. We’ll arrange for you to meet her then,” Chen Xi said with a smile. “You’re still young, and it wouldn’t be good to delay any longer.”
Chen Xi utterly despised the behavior of those old bastards, Jia Xu and Zhong Yao; they were pure beasts!
"After the grand court assembly, I will lead my men to the Ganges," Liu Bei said to his key men. Liu Bei was actually quite aware that some of the people in front of him had ulterior motives regarding the enfeoffment in the Ganges. However, since nothing had happened yet, even if he was aware of it, he didn't have a good way to deal with it. He could only use words to warn them in private.
"Going to the Ganges?" Wang Gui asked reflexively upon hearing this, but as soon as he asked the question, he noticed Liu Bei looking at him with a half-smile.
"What? Is there a problem?" Liu Bei asked Wang Gui with a smile.
Wang Gui chuckled twice, saying nothing, but glanced at several colleagues out of the corner of his eye—some were under Guan Yu's command, some under Zhang Fei's command, and some under Yu Jin's command.
As someone who had been involved in this matter and was only one step away from making a mistake, Wang Gui knew all too well what was going on. However, he couldn't report it, especially since he had received a notification from Xu Shu before actually doing it. He met Chen Xi in Chang'an, gained new opportunities, and then completely abandoned his original plan. He was even less able to report it.
Because if Wang Gui can turn back, others can too. If he were to betray his comrades who were just one step away from ruin just because he made a new choice, frankly, Wang Gui felt he didn't need to be such a beast.
After all, the incident hasn't happened yet, and there's still a chance to salvage it. If I were to actually say it, it would leave a bad impression on my comrades in Liu Bei and Chen Xi's minds, which would truly harm those teammates.
"Well, there's no problem. If Prince Jin goes in person, he'll definitely be victorious." Wang Gui chuckled twice, finally brushing it off with auspicious words.
"Well, I happen to be free and don't hold any official position. If Prince Jin goes to the Ganges, I'll go with him. I heard the Ganges is currently short of middle-level managers?" Zhang Yue said with a bit of naivety after Wang Gui gave him a few perfunctory replies. He wasn't very shrewd to begin with, so he had no idea what the consequences of saying this at this time would be.
“Hey, Brother Zhang, maybe we shouldn’t do this,” An Ling said, pulling on Zhang Yue. He was also at the sixth level and had even run away from Ganges. How could he not understand the situation in Ganges? Under these circumstances, Zhang Yue actually said that Ganges was currently short of middle-level officers. How would the officers and soldiers in Ganges feel about that?
To be honest, at this moment, any veteran with a brain would be looking around. After all, they knew a little about the situation on the Ganges. But the biggest problem now is that the elite troops in the rear, knowing that the older brothers at the front have problems, absolutely cannot mention going to the Ganges themselves, let alone filling in the gaps.
Perhaps some veterans stationed in the rear did indeed harbor the idea of going to the front lines to make a fortune, or even thought that since they were also under Liu Bei's command, why did the veterans on the front lines have such an opportunity, while they missed it because of a mere opportunity.
Whether the elite troops in the rear were hoping to obtain the Ganges fiefdom or genuinely wanted to solve the problem, neither could bring it up at this stage. The former worried about revealing their intentions, while the latter worried about their comrades at the front overthinking things.
Even mid-level officers like Jiang Guang, who didn't pay much attention to the Ganges, now know about the situation there, but they pretend they know nothing.
"You want to go?" Liu Bei asked Zhang Yue with a smile. If he didn't know Zhang Yue very well, he would inevitably be considering the two questions mentioned above.
“There’s nothing to do on home soil, and it’s not my turn to protect the Prince of Jin. Going to the front lines to protect the Prince of Jin is the best I can do for my thick-backed, broadsword,” Zhang Yue said matter-of-factly. His thinking was very simple.
"Alright then, I'll take you there then." Liu Bei didn't say much and readily agreed. He also felt that some veterans who returned home in glory should spend a few years playing in their hometowns, as it was a waste for them to stay there all the time.
"I want to go too." Immediately, people signed up, and even the veterans who were worried about their comrades on the front lines joined in—"With so many people going, one more won't make a difference, take me with you!"
“We don’t need that many men.” Liu Bei raised his hand and made a pressing motion, and the group of mid-level officers all fell silent.
“Prince Jin, if possible, you should wait two more years before going.” Anling confronted people’s hearts with mixed feelings. Anyway, he was young, and those old fogies would still give him some face because he was so young and had already reached the sixth level.
“I think Anling is right,” Wang Gui said with a dry laugh. Then Wang Xi, Jiang Dan, Bai Hao and other mid-level veterans on the Ganges River also echoed Wang Gui’s words.
It was obvious that most of the people present knew about the situation in the Ganges, but none of them dared to reveal everything clearly in front of Liu Bei and Chen Xi.
"What do you think?" Liu Bei asked, pointing in the direction of Nanxi and the others.
"We will protect Prince Jin with our lives," Nanxi said resolutely. He was also on the other side of the Ganges; how could he not know? He was a cunning and treacherous man who had moved among various races and ultimately stood with the victorious Han dynasty. He knew best what to do!
I'm sleepy, I have to go to work soon, I feel terrible.
(End of this chapter)