Shatilie talked eloquently and portrayed himself as a prairie hero with both wisdom and courage. Touman Shanyu was also extremely satisfied and believed that with this son here, it would be a matter of time for the Huns to take over the Central Plains.

At the same time, Li Shui asked Wujiao to call a merchant.

This man's name was Wu Tong, and he traveled between the Central Plains and the Xiongnu all year round, selling goods.

What he sells is either Xiongnu treasures or Central Plains treasures. Therefore, he has connections with the nobles of both places.

Li Shui said to Wu Tong: "After you arrive at the court of Shan Yu, go to see King Shatilie of Zuo Xian. Tell him that you owe me thousands of good horses and countless cattle and sheep, and it is time to pay them back."

Wu Tong was startled and said: "Sir, those Huns are extremely cruel. If I say that, wouldn't it mean that I would... die in the north?"

Li Shui said: "Don't worry, just say that you are Huaiguzi's envoy, and Sha Tilie will not dare to do anything to you."

Wu Tong was extremely doubtful about this and thought: "A few days ago, Sha Tilie came to Xianyang, and Huai Guzi repeatedly embarrassed him. This matter has spread throughout Guanzhong. I think Sha Tilie must have been very fond of Huai Guzi at this time.

He is so filled with hatred that if he sees his envoy, he will probably be torn into pieces."

Wu Tong suddenly fell to his knees and cried bitterly: "I don't know where I offended the villain. If you want to kill the villain, just kill him here. There is no need to go all the way to the Huns to kill him."

Already."

Li Shui had a headache and said, "If you can accomplish this, I will consider doing business with you."

When Wu Tong heard this, he suddenly stopped crying and asked in disbelief: "Selling...things from the immortal world?"

Li Shui hummed.

Wu Tong was immediately overjoyed. He clapped his chest and said, "Don't worry, sir. These are thousands of good horses and countless cattle and sheep. I will definitely help you get them back."

Li Shui was a little speechless: Businessmen value profits, I have learned a lot today.

After sending Wu Tong away, Li Shui was going to have dinner, take a bath, and get some sleep so that he could go to court in high spirits tomorrow and accept the reward.

Unexpectedly, during the meal, Cang Fu suddenly trotted in and said in a low voice: "Sir, the farmers are asking to see you."

Li Shui asked in confusion: "Farmers? Aren't those people afraid of me and hating me? They feel that I have dragged them into a losing bet. Usually when they see me, I am obedient, but I curse behind my back. Now

Why did you come to see me?"

Cano shook his head: "I don't even know."

Li Wen waved his hand: "Call in."

Fifty farmers filed in, all knelt down and said, "Sir, we are here to announce the good news."

Li Wen asked in confusion: "What kind of good news? Have you harvested corn?"

The farmers were stunned, and it took them a while before they could say with a smile: "There's no harvest yet. It's just... there was a heavy storm yesterday, which was a disaster for the corn. But today I went to the fields to see it.

, only 20% of the grain seedlings were lost."

Li Wen was shocked: "Loss of 20%? That's a heavy loss."

The farmers were confused again: "Is this irony?"

You must know that if you sow corn, you will not be able to harvest as much as you sow. Floods, droughts, insect infestations... every disaster is enough to reduce the corn yield by half, or even more.

If there are three or four natural disasters in a given year, there will be a famine.

Yesterday there was heavy rain and then strong wind. Such weather was extremely unfavorable to the crops. Farmers thought that it would be good to have only 30% of the crops left in the field.

Who would have thought that when I looked in the field today, I saw that only 20% had fallen. And these 20% were only fallen. They were not uprooted and died quickly like in previous years. If you take care of them carefully, they can produce fruit again.

.

These farmers were surprised and happy, so they hurriedly came to report the good news to Li Shui. Who knew that Li Shui actually felt that the loss was only 20%, but the loss was still a bit too much.

In fact, it is not Li Shui’s fault. The crops of later generations have been scientifically bred. Most of them are resistant to lodging, pests and diseases, and floods and droughts. It is simply a fantasy to lose 20% of crops in a heavy storm.

However, Li Shui quickly came to his senses, coughed dryly, and encouraged the farmers: "Keep farming, be more attentive. If you get rewards later, you will have your share."

The farmers all thanked them and left one after another. These people had been cultivating the land all their lives, and they had vaguely felt that it was Li Shui's special farming method that preserved these seedlings.

Planting the seedlings in the ditch will naturally protect them from wind. As the seedlings grow, the soil is continuously cultivated, so the roots are deeply rooted and will not be washed away even if it rains heavily.

These farmers had some hope at first, but then they thought about it. This method of farming can only plant half of the land. Even if the seedlings can be windproof and waterproof, what's the use?

For a while, everyone became dejected again.

Li Shui didn't know the farmers' struggles. After dinner, he fell asleep carelessly.

…………

The next day, in front of the Yizheng Hall.

The courtiers came early and were waiting under the eaves.

Wang Wan suddenly said with a smile: "As for the countermeasures to stabilize the world, you all presented them to the emperor yesterday. I was busy in the palace until midnight. Together with Your Majesty, I divided your countermeasures into four grades: A, B, C and D. Each grade

The rankings have been sorted again.”

"A is the top, D is the bottom. I'm afraid your Majesty will announce the results during the court meeting in a while. Because of this policy discussion, you may get a small promotion. Naturally, you may also be demoted."

Everyone asked: "Excuse me, at what time can I be promoted? At what time can I be demoted?"

Wang Wan said: "Of course it's A-level promotions. The higher the ranking, the more people are promoted. D-level promotions. The lower the ranking, the more people are demoted. As for B and C, if they're just average, it's no problem."

Someone bowed and said, "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, can you tell me who we are waiting for is Class A and who is Class D?"

Wang Wan twisted his beard and smiled: "This should be announced by His Majesty himself."

Wang Li suddenly said with a smile: "There is still some time before the court meeting. It's boring to wait, so why not win some lottery prizes. Everyone, why not bet on who is the last one between Huaiguzi and Li Xin? I'll go first.

Ten thousand dollars, bet Huai Guzi to be the last one."

Some courtiers who were good friends with Wang Li joined in one after another, laughing and joking. Some were betting on Li Xin, and some were betting on locust millet.

Anyway, they are betting on the last one. No matter who they choose, they are mocking these two people.

When it was getting busy, there was a young eunuch next to him, who whispered: "General Wang, can your slaves participate?"

Wang Li looked up and said with a smile, "It's Ji Ming. Of course I can participate."

After being beaten several hundred times, Ji Ming's body just recovered a little and he could barely walk.

He also saw that he and Huaiguzi had enmity. If he didn't find a backer, Huaiguzi might not be able to deal with him. And the backer he chose was Wang Li.

Participating in Wang Li's gambling game today is a gesture of goodwill to him. As long as Wang Li accepts it, he can join his family. I am a person close to the emperor, so I think Wang Li is willing to make friends with him.

Sure enough, Wang Li agreed to Ji Ming's participation in the gambling game.

Ji Ming said with a flattering look on his face: "I bet you ten thousand dollars that Huaiguzi will be the last."

Wang Li laughed loudly: "Ji Ming is spending all his wealth to be optimistic about Huaiguzi."

Everyone laughed.

At this time, Li Shui and Li Xin happened to rush over.

Seeing this scene, Li Xin flew into a rage and was about to hit someone with his fist. Li Shui patted him on the shoulder and said, "Be patient and don't be impatient. A gentleman should speak but do not use his hands."

While saying this, Li Shui raised his hand and slapped Ji Ming on the face.

Ji Ming was beaten so hard that he screamed and fell to the ground. Everyone was in a daze when Li Shui slapped Wang Li in the face again.

Before Wang Li could speak, Li Shui shouted loudly: "Qin's laws are strict and gambling is prohibited. If you gather to gamble in front of the palace gate, your crime will be increased."

Wang Li suddenly turned pale.

What just happened was said to be gambling, but it was actually teasing Huaiguzi and Li Xin. But if someone explained it to someone, it was indeed gambling. After all, everyone had put money into betting. There is really no way to argue with this.

This thing is different from gambling on life. Gambling on life is a battle of spirits between generals, and it can be regarded as stimulating blood and fighting spirit.

As for gambling, any ordinary citizen can participate, and success or failure depends entirely on God's will. If it is not prohibited, it will not only waste time and delay the farming season, but also breed greed. Some people will even take risks and cause trouble if they lose the bet.

Therefore, the laws of Qin punished gambling extremely severely.

Wang Li touched his face and felt that the slap he received today was in vain and he might not be able to get it back.

Who knew that Li Shui had no intention of letting him go just like that.

Li Shui walked up to Li Si with a smile and said: "Your Excellency is the Tingwei, in charge of the prison. May I ask, how should these people be punished if they know the law and break the law?"

Li Si was a little helpless and thought to himself: "Are you born in the year of a fly? You bite every chance you find. Is gambling by nobles considered gambling? Isn't it normal to win some lottery prizes in the mansion during the holidays and have some fun?"

However, there is no way to explain this kind of unspoken rule to Li Shui. Rules that can be said on the spot are not unspoken rules.

Li Si had no choice but to wave his hand and said: "Everyone gathered to gamble, and the evidence of the crime is conclusive. However, the intention is to have fun, not just gambling. I will forgive you as appropriate, and each person will be punished with thirty canes."

Wang Li and others rushed to get the stick.

They know Huaiguzi very well. This guy likes to use the topic to his advantage. He must finish beating the stick as soon as possible and characterize his behavior.

Otherwise, Huai Guzi's rude words would turn him into a rebel again inexplicably.

Ji Ming lay on the ground, feeling the severe pain in his butt. He couldn't help but sigh: "Am I under witchcraft? Why am I so unlucky?"

The sergeant in charge of the execution had entertained Ji Ming countless times. As he did so, he became emotionally attached.

The sergeant said: "My butt is already a bit rotten, please be gentler."
Chapter completed!