Chen Chuan fell silent. Truthfully, he was a bit tempted. There was an iron mine here. Occupying it meant they could continuously replenish their military supplies.

Chen Wu snorted coldly. “Do you dare occupy it? How long could you hold it after occupying it?”

“One month or two months?” he said. “Zhao Hanzhang’s provisions and fodder are delivered once a month, and later the time might be compressed even more. Can the seeds just planted in the fields be harvested? “

“Without grain, everything is useless. Even with grain, from Luoyang to Gucheng is overnight travel. We only have five thousand troops. How many troops does she have?”

“Do you think we can hold Gucheng?”

“There are quite a few people in this world as clear-headed as me, but there are few with her broad-mindedness and trust. Even for the sake of her trust, we cannot do something that breaks faith and betrays righteousness.” He sighed deeply. “This is exactly where her brilliance lies.”

Chen Wu would not betray Zhao Hanzhang, at least not this year.

Outside Luoyang city, there had been some changes. It was no longer a desolate, lifeless expanse.

On one side of the official road, someone was cracking a whip to drive oxen to plow the field. The previously wild-grass-covered field had become predominantly brown-yellow, with the soil underneath turned up to bury the green grass.

On the nearby slope, there were also quite a few people wielding hoes and laboring. There were quite a lot of them—almost every field had people.

Zhao Hanzhang reined in her horse and had Zeng Yue lead the troops ahead while she and Fu Tinghan dismounted and walked toward the fields.

Ting He and Fu An quickly dismounted and followed.

Old Man Chen scattered beans along the earth ridge. His little grandson walked behind barefoot, using his feet to sweep soil over to bury them, some deeper, some shallower.

Old Man Chen saw this and scolded him while pulling him forward, hanging the basket of beans on him and muttering, “I tell you to scatter the bean seeds, but you just stuff them in your mouth. I tell you to cover them with soil, but you can’t do it. These are this year’s rations. If we don’t plant them well, we’ll have nothing to eat.”

Old Man Chen lightly patted his hand several times, admonishing him, “Don’t steal and eat the bean seeds. Just follow what I taught you and scatter the seeds, understand? Not too many, not too few.”

The little grandson obediently agreed, grabbed a handful of beans, and carefully scattered them in the furrow.

Old Man Chen looked at the density and was barely satisfied. He followed behind covering them with soil, occasionally lifting his head to glance at him, making sure he wasn’t stealing any before relaxing.

Zhao Hanzhang stepped down into the field. Seeing an uncovered soybean, she picked it up to examine it. The grain was plump and looked quite good.

She smiled, tossed the bean down, and smoothly covered it with soil.

Zhao Hanzhang looked at Old Man Chen and his grandson with their backs to them, gradually walking away, then went to the field ridge to watch people plow.

The soil in the field was somewhat moist but had no water. Luoyang had experienced drought these past two years. Apart from areas near rivers that could retain water for paddy fields, most other fields were dry most of the time.

Old Man Jin, who was driving the ox in circles, also saw Zhao Hanzhang and the others. Earlier when the troops passed by, they had all seen them too.

He glanced at their horses and the ten-odd soldiers remaining there not far behind them, and called out loudly, “Are you two officials?”

Though one was a woman and one a man, several of the officials responsible for settling them in Luoyang these past days had been women.

They had also learned that the new Yuzhou Inspector and Duke of Runan was a woman—the previously very famous Zhao Hanzhang.

Perhaps because she was a woman, she had quite a few women serving as officials under her command.

In this chaotic era where leaders changed one after another, the common people adapted well.

Even if someone told them tomorrow that a pig had become emperor, they wouldn’t find it strange and would quickly accept it.

Zhao Hanzhang didn’t deny it but nodded with a smile, asking, “Venerable sir, what are you planting in this field?”

“Millet.”

“Millet is good. Aren’t you planting wheat?”

“Wheat has already been planted,” Old Man Jin raised his hand and pointed to a large patch of field in the distance. “Look, that’s what’s planted there.”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded with satisfaction and asked, “How many people are in your household, venerable sir, and how many mu are you planting this year?”

“My household has four people—just me and the old woman with two grandsons,” he said. “We’re planting five mu of wheat, five mu of millet, and five mu of beans.”

Zhao Hanzhang asked, “How many mu were allocated to your household?”

“Forty mu.” Old Man Jin said, “The old woman and I each got twenty mu.”

But actually they couldn’t finish planting it all. First, they lacked the labor, and second, time didn’t allow it.

They hadn’t finished planting, but Zhao Hanzhang wasn’t regretful. She smiled and said, “This is also good. Whether millet or wheat, both need fertilizer. After the autumn harvest ends, you can rotate crops and let the land rest and recover.”

Old Man Jin listened and, knowing she understood farming, immediately became happy. “Exactly! The village head told us the same thing and had us plant beans in the fields, saying beans nourish the soil. But we’re so busy—how can we plant beans just to nourish the land? So we’re only planting a few mu.”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded in agreement.

Fu Tinghan, however, curiously pointed to the slope above. “Since you have fields to plant beans, why is he planting soybeans on that hillside?”

“That’s Old Man Chen. He’s stubborn, insisting that after summer this year Luoyang will have abundant rain, so soybeans planted in fields won’t be good. That’s why he wants to plant them on dry land. Don’t underestimate that plot on the hillside—the soil is loose and brown, perfect for growing beans.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked thoughtful. “Will Luoyang have abundant rain this year?”

“Who knows? He says there’ll be a lot; I think there won’t be much. From last year until now, Luoyang hasn’t had many rainfalls total,” Old Man Jin removed the plow and let the ox rest and graze nearby, then leaned against the field ridge to chat with them. “Just had two light drizzles a while back. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even want to plant wheat—better to plant millet and beans since they’re more drought-resistant.”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and nodded, encouraging him, “Work hard, venerable sir. From the looks of it, this year should bring a good harvest.”

“Let’s hope so. But this year life is better,” he smiled. “The court provided relief grain, and those soldiers helped make compost. General Zhao is kind-hearted, and the new county magistrate is capable. Life has some hope now.”

Only then did he think to ask, “I’ve never seen you two in Luoyang. Um…” He looked at Fu Tinghan. “This young master looks somewhat familiar, but I haven’t seen the young lady. What positions are you coming to Luoyang to take?”

Before Zhao Hanzhang could answer, a young man came running from not far away, loudly calling, “Old Man Jin, the time is up! This ox is my family’s turn now.”

Upon hearing this voice, Old Man Jin instinctively ran toward the ox, grabbing the rope. “What do you mean time’s up? Today, the whole day belongs to my family.”

“It’s sunset now.”

“Tomorrow morning is when it’s your family’s turn. Come to my house tomorrow morning to get it. I still need to let the ox graze.”

“That won’t do. I’ll graze it myself. I don’t need your help.” The two went back and forth tugging at the rope.

The rope was quite long. The ox wasn’t disturbed at all and continued to lower its head and graze, completely ignoring these two humans fighting over it.

The young man couldn’t use much force and couldn’t out-argue the old man, so he huffily turned to look at Zhao Hanzhang and the others.

Zhao Hanzhang and the group had been watching with great interest. Seeing him look over, they patted their bottoms to leave. But the young man’s eyes suddenly widened. He ran over and dropped to his knees with a thud. “General, Young Master, have you come to mediate for me?”

Zhao Hanzhang’s body stiffened. She quickly helped him up. “This… hasn’t reached the point of mediation, has it?”

“It has, it has,” the young man said. “Look, the sunset has already come out, yet he still won’t give me the ox. What if he works until deep into the night? Won’t the ox be exhausted tomorrow?”

Old Man Jin was so angry his beard bristled. “You’re talking nonsense! This ox is our village’s treasure. How could I mistreat it? Look—it’s grazing, isn’t it? I think you’re eager to get the ox now so you can plow through the night. Tomorrow the ox will still be yours to use all day. You’ll gain a whole night for free. You’re the one who would mistreat the ox.”

Zhao Hanzhang quickly stopped the arguing pair and mediated, “I think the venerable sir isn’t that kind of person. How about this—let him graze the ox here. When night falls, send the ox to the village head’s house. You can fetch it from the village head’s house tomorrow. How does that sound?”

Old Man Jin immediately said, “That’s a good idea. Let’s follow the young lady’s suggestion.”

After saying this, he suddenly reacted and turned to look at the young man. “What did you just call her?”

The young man looked at him disdainfully. “This is General Zhao. This one is Young Master Fu, our General’s betrothed. Back then, we were all settled by the Young Master. Only you newcomers weren’t.”

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at him and asked the old man with a smile, “The venerable sir arrived in Luoyang later? Where did you come from?”

The old man said, “We came with Official Fan and General Beigong. Originally we fled Luoyang following the Prince of Donghai, but halfway we encountered Shi Lei’s army and fell into chaos. Speaking of it, it was the General who saved us. But at the time, we were far away and I couldn’t see the General clearly. Seeing you today, I must kneel in thanks.”

As he spoke, he knelt down to kowtow.

Zhao Hanzhang quickly supported him. “Venerable sir, you’re too kind. At my age, how can I accept your kneeling? Please rise quickly.”

She said to the young man, “Young man, you’re young and should show some respect to your elders. Why do you mock and ridicule the venerable sir?”

She looked him up and down. “With your build, it would be a waste not to join the military. Why don’t you join my army and let me teach you how to respect the elderly and care for the young?”

The young man’s face turned pale with fright. He quickly waved his hands and stammered, “I, I have a weak constitution, not really suitable for being a soldier. Fine, fine—let him use this ox first. I’ll fetch it tomorrow.”

With that, he turned and ran.

Zhao Hanzhang shook her head and sat on the grass by the field to chat with the old man. “Venerable sir, were you resentful when they forced you back to Luoyang from outside?”

Old Man Jin’s turbid gaze fell on Zhao Hanzhang’s face. Rarely, his eyes showed some tears. “Not resentful. Our family has neither wealth nor power. Going out means wandering everywhere. If we’re fortunate enough to find a place to settle, that’s good. If not, we’re just prolonging our suffering for a few more days.”

“Actually, dying a few days later or a few days earlier doesn’t make much difference. If both end in death, dying on home soil is better.” Old Man Jin said, “After returning to the capital, the General treated us very well. Official Fan also arranged everything properly for us. It’s better than wandering outside.”

Zhao Hanzhang sighed upon hearing this.

Seeing worry on her face, Old Man Jin asked, “Are some among those who returned resentful toward the General?”

Zhao Hanzhang tacitly confirmed.

Old Man Jin then consoled her, “In this world, there’s no single matter that can satisfy everyone under heaven. Don’t blame them either.”

He said, “They’re different from us. We are lowly people—we can go anywhere as long as we can stay alive, which is already heaven’s blessing. They are noble people. Fleeing Luoyang was to seek better prospects. The General cut off their futures, so naturally they have some resentment.”

He smiled. “But I think this resentment is only temporary. The General is the finest official I’ve seen in these twenty years. When one encounters a good official, resentment can eventually dissipate.”

Zhao Hanzhang became thoughtful. Cut off their futures?

Then she would give them another kind of future.

Speaking of exchanging hearts would inevitably sound hypocritical. Better to discuss it in terms of gains and losses.

Zhao Hanzhang had a sudden realization and smiled at Old Man Jin. “Thank you, venerable sir. I understand now.”

She glanced at the orange sun wobbling at the mountain peak and smiled. “It’s getting late. Venerable sir, you should head home soon too.”

Old Man Jin looked at the ox still immersed in grazing and shook his head. “I’ll wait a bit longer. It’s still eating grass.”

Zhao Hanzhang then stood up. On the hillside, the old man was still leading his grandson in planting beans. Only the last two rows remained. He was reluctant to leave it for the next day.

He glanced indifferently at Zhao Hanzhang and the others, not knowing who they were and not caring what they said. He lowered his head and continued burying the beans.

Zhao Hanzhang looked at the sky and felt there was still time, so she rolled up her sleeves. “Come on, everyone help out. Let’s finish planting these two rows of beans.”

Zhao Hanzhang went to ask the old man for bean seeds.

Old Man Chen looked at her in astonishment.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled sweetly. “Venerable sir, we have many people. We’ll finish very quickly.”

Old Man Chen hesitated, then still grabbed several handfuls of seeds and gave them to her.

Zhao Hanzhang lifted her robe to hold them, then went directly to scatter the seeds.

Fu Tinghan also lifted his robe to receive several handfuls of seeds, then followed her in another direction. The guards stepped forward to help cover the seeds with soil.

Old Man Chen stood to the side, worriedly instructing, “Don’t scatter the seeds too thinly or too thickly. The soil should be a bit thinner, or they won’t sprout…”

Amidst his murmuring, in just over a quarter-hour, under the sunset’s afterglow, Zhao Hanzhang and the others finished planting this plot of land.

Only then did the old man show a smile. He thought to ask Zhao Hanzhang their names. “Are the young lady and young master officials coming to Luoyang? I wonder what positions you’ll take?”

Zhao Hanzhang carefully poured the remaining seeds into the child’s basket and smiled. “Minor officials, minor officials—nothing worth mentioning.”

In just these few exchanges, the last trace of sunset at the horizon disappeared. The sky darkened, and everyone could barely make out each other’s faces.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled. “Venerable sir, hurry home. When it gets too dark, the road won’t be easy to walk.”

Old Man Chen’s attitude had improved considerably. He nodded. “Yes, yes.”

Zhao Hanzhang patted her hands clean and mounted her horse to leave.

Old Man Chen slowly gathered his things and, holding his little grandson’s hand, headed home.

Old Man Jin wasn’t grazing the ox anymore. Carrying his plow on his back and leading the ox, he followed behind with uneven steps. The two hadn’t really spoken at first.

They weren’t familiar—they had just been squeezed together on the refugee road. When brought back, because their villages were far from Luoyang, Official Fan thought there was no need to scatter people so widely, so she organized them into one ward and allocated them houses in an empty village not far from Luoyang city.

Unfortunately, both families’ houses were in the same place, and their allocated fields were also nearby. Moreover, both lacked able-bodied men, so they had grown accustomed to sticking together. This way, when one person was bullied, the other could speak up to help.

After walking for a while, Old Man Chen turned back to glance at Old Man Jin and asked, “That Jia family’s young fellow didn’t make a move, did he?”

“No. With an official present, he wouldn’t dare.”

Old Man Chen muttered, “I wonder if he’ll come to our homes to cause trouble. Perhaps we should tell the village head in advance.”

Old Man Jin shook his head. “No need. The General personally spoke up. Even if you gave him ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare.”

Old Man Chen’s steps faltered slightly. “Who?”

“The one who just helped you plant beans—that’s General Zhao.”

“Is that Zhao Hanzhang from Xiping?”

“That’s her. She’s returned to Luoyang.”

Old Man Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Old Man Jin couldn’t help but smile broadly. In the dark night, the two couldn’t see each other’s eyes, but they could hear his hearty laughter. “How about that? Feel at ease now? The General has returned.”

—