Chapter 21: Arrival at the Fief

  After a detailed introduction, Du He told Wu Zhao about the benefits of partnership.

  It means that in Chang'an, dragons and snakes are mixed together, wanting to mix out a world of their own, but without the support of a strong background, it's absolutely impossible.

  He was the son of a prime minister and also one of Li Shimin's most admired new generation figures. The upper and lower classes in Chang'an would all give him face, with him as his backing, Wu Zhao could better play her own abilities.

  Wu Zhaoben was indeed a talented and unmatched person. After listening to Du He's explanation, he understood his idea and his mind began to turn. He had no foundation in Chang'an, but if he could get the support of the Du family, it would be very beneficial for his own development.

  It was this long journey to Luoyang that made Wu Zetian experience the coldness and warmth of human relationships, as well as the various phenomena of the world. Therefore, some stubborn decisions were made not to rely on others, but to rely solely on her own abilities to forge a path.

  Du He's support is vastly different from her original idea.

  After careful consideration, Wu Zhaoran resolutely declined Du He's invitation and solemnly said: "I have already received great kindness from the young master, I really don't want to owe anything more to the young master."

  "In that case, I won't force it!" Du He was no ordinary person, how could he not see through Wu Zha's insincere words.

  Wu Zha looked like a gentle woman, but she had a strong personality and was not inferior to men. She didn't want to rely on anyone and only wanted to rely on herself.

  Although it would be greatly beneficial for her, it's not what she wants.

  As for Wu Zhao's decision, it was actually within Du He's expectations.

  Wu Zetian was Wu Zetian; if she could change her mind so easily, then she wouldn't be herself.

  "I'll be back in Chang'an soon, if you need anything, come find me at the Du Manor!" Du He said a polite phrase, but deep down he understood that she had rejected him today and wouldn't come to him for help even if she encountered trouble in the future.

  It's just that Du He still thinks highly of this strong-willed little girl in front of him, without her own support, she may suffer some setbacks, but with her intelligence and talent, she can also make a name for herself.

  Wu Zhaohang was worried about his family and left first.

  Du He made some preparations and left Luoyang with Du Ziyin.

  Last night's murder case led to a curfew in Luoyang, with twice the number of catchers on the streets and guards at the city gates as usual.

  But all this has nothing to do with Du He, he has destroyed all the evidence, and after the investigation, Du He calmly left Luoyang.

  All the way south, after rushing for three days, Du He finally arrived at Du Ruhui's fief.

  As Du Ziying said, this is a rare piece of auspicious land, with fertile soil and simple folk customs. Along the way, one can see people working hard in the fields everywhere. What's more worth noting for Du He is that on the empty land between villages, many young men are playing polo on horseback.

  Most of them are fifteen or sixteen years old, and it is the age when boys are most active and playful. Among them, the youngest are eight or nine years old. In this way, without ten years, these people will become qualified cavalry candidates one by one.

  Outside the city of Ruzhou, the Du family had a separate courtyard.

  This is where Du He's mother or elder brother would come to inspect and manage the land every year, and it is also where Du He has settled down now.

  It is said that the second young master has arrived at each of the fiefdoms' manors, and the stewards have all come to pay their respects.

  Du He also fully demonstrated his master's demeanor, meeting and comforting him one by one, while helping his mother check the accounts and handle some trivial matters.

  Du He flipped through the accounts handed over by the village heads and accountants, made a rough calculation, and said: "Everyone, it seems that the harvests of these years are very unstable, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Especially this year and last year's difference is the most serious, I don't know what you all think about this?"

  Du He's words were like a cold wind that blew through the room, making everyone who heard them take an involuntary breath.

  These accounts they calculate almost every day, summarize every month, want to calculate clearly and understand, even these old hands can't do it without spending several hours.

  Ke Duhe merely flipped through it, spending no more than a few cups of tea's worth of effort, and without using paper or abacus, he detected the anomaly, leaving them all stunned.

  But little did they know, Du He had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, with an extremely high IQ. As for mental arithmetic calculations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, he was already beyond that level.

  What's more, Zhang Shi and Du Gou were good at managing the household, these accounts were clearly and neatly arranged, as long as they made some calculations, they could calculate the total income for a year, comparing the two, they naturally detected the problem.

  Of course, these studies are quite common in the 21st century, but in the Tang Dynasty, they were a remarkable feat.

  At first, the Zhuang family and the housekeepers had some disdain for Du He, who had never interfered with household affairs. But after hearing him speak like this, they all became cautious and respectful.

  People with this ability are respected wherever they go.

  Everyone's change, Du He saw it in his eyes, smiled and said: "Du He's words are not blaming you all, my father once said that most of you are brothers who follow him through life and death, absolutely trustworthy. The problem has arisen, so we should think of a way to solve it. What do you say?"

  The landlord and the manager nodded in agreement after hearing Du He's words.

  The oldest of the landlords on the right side said, "This has to start from the old master's fief. Five years ago, this piece of land was still a coveted treasure for everyone. It was all because of the You River that ran through it, almost crossing the entire fief. With the nourishment of the You River, we lived and worked happily on this land. But everything changed five years ago. That year, heavy rains caused a big flood, submerging three villages. The young master built new houses and established a new village in the upstream mountain area to prevent similar disasters from happening again. Since then, the You River has been very unstable, flooding almost every year. Whether the harvest is good or bad depends on the mood of the You River, and the income is extremely unstable. This year's weather is not good, so the harvest is extremely poor!"

  "Why not repair the embankment?" Du He understood that this flood was a natural disaster and no one could avoid it.

  The elder sighed: "Five years of cultivation, with no effect at all!"

  "It must be because the big brother flattened the mountain and destroyed the soil and water!" Du He thought of the key to the problem, pondered for a moment and said: "I have a solution. First, we can go to the nearby mountains and forests to transplant trees that are over 30 years old, plant them along the Ruhe River, especially in the upstream areas where more should be planted, and then build dams to ensure complete safety."

  "Can afforestation control water?" Many village heads and officials raised doubts about it.

  "It's definitely feasible." Du He was full of confidence about this.

  "Secondly, the banks of the Yu River should no longer be planted with rice. Rice is too fragile and prone to death. Why not plant pears instead? Pear trees are resistant to flooding, as long as they don't stay submerged for a long time, it's fine. And pears are also easy to sell, crunchy and juicy, sour and sweet, can be used in medicine, pear flowers can also be used to make wine, one tree with multiple uses, no need to worry about not making money."

  Du He smiled with narrowed eyes, and said to Li: "No other reason, from childhood to adulthood, the fruit he loves to eat most is pear. As soon as I think of trees that can prevent flooding, the first thing that comes to mind is planting a pear tree."

  Du He's words stirred up every household and steward.

  Du Ziying frowned and said: "But this pear tree grew big, it's not the work of one day."

  Du He also understood this, nodded and said: "Alright, from today on, both banks of the You River, if pear trees are planted, all rent and taxes will be exempted before harvest. What do you think?"

  Du He's move was entirely for the consideration of the people, and they could hardly refuse, so they all promised to follow suit.

  Du He then handled some trivial matters, always putting the lives of the people in the fiefdom first. This style of not seeking great returns was well received and recognized by the Zhuang family and the manager, who all praised Du He as a young man with achievements.

  Du He explained his intention to the Zhuang family and the housekeeper after handling all matters.

  The people in the territory were mostly Fu Bing, and when they heard that Du He wanted to recruit some close guards, they trained some young guards. These village heads and managers had a good impression of Du He, and now they all came forward voluntarily, repeatedly expressing their willingness to arrange the most brave warriors for him as his personal soldiers.

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