Chapter 354 Coronation

February 21st of the second year of Gaia, the first day of the new year.

The north wind was tight overnight.

The hustle and bustle of New Year's Eve is in the past, and the new year is coming.

The thin morning mist, wrinkled by the north wind, billows up and down like smoke. Shanhai City, which has slept all night, is shrouded in morning mist, like a veil woven of clouds and mist, like a fairyland.

The commercial avenue in the center, against the background of the smoke, looks like a market in the sky.

With the sound of cock crowing, Shanhai City began to wake up.

The gates of the city were opened, and merchants who stayed overnight outside the city began to line up to enter the city. Among the merchants, there were scattered civilians, all of whom came to the market.

The central commercial street and the commercial district on one side were the first to wake up.

The guys in the store, under the command of the owner or the shopkeeper, are in good spirits, remove the door panels of the store, clean the floor, organize the shelves, and prepare to welcome the first batch of customers in the new year.

From the first day of the Lunar New Year to the Lantern Festival, Shanhai City will hold a half-month Mazu Temple Fair. Countless gentry and common people from Quanzhou will come to Shanhai City again to participate in this grand event.

Not only that, people from various prefectures and counties under Lianzhou County will also rush to Shanhai City one after another, either to visit relatives and friends, or to buy various commodities.

The Mazu Temple Fair is no longer limited to offering sacrifices to Mazu, but has become a comprehensive grand gathering. It is an annual time for ordinary people in Lianzhou County to "go to the market and have fun together".

Along the inner city river and the central commercial street, it has become the most lively place in the city.

The flow of people is like weaving, shoulder to shoulder, heavy traffic, unprecedented grand occasion.

The cries of vendors, the greetings of acquaintances, the occasional quarrel, the frolic of urchins, the whispers of little ladies... all the voices gather together to form a picture of the world of mortals.

Shanhai City gradually took on the appearance of a giant city.

***********

For Ouyang Shuo, the morning schedule was completely occupied by sacrificial activities.

Early in the morning, with Zisu's help, Ouyang Shuo put on the princely attire bestowed by the imperial court, that is, the crown.

As the saying goes, people rely on clothes and horses rely on saddles.

Ouyang Shuo's demeanor changed with the addition of the crown, and he really had the air of a prince. Coupled with the blessing of the dragon and phoenix auspicious pendant, the golden seal of the unicorn, and the prestige of the "Emperor's Way" derived from the "Huangdi Neijing".

Ouyang Shuo's majesty rose in a straight line, and the quantitative change finally led to a qualitative change. To use a common word to describe it, it is an aura of domineering, awe-inspiring, and mortals can't see it.

The majesty of the monarch, turned into substance, makes people fear.

Wherever Ouyang Shuo passed by, all the members of the Hou Mansion bowed their heads and saluted with respectful expressions.

If it is said that the leaders' awe of Ouyang Shuo before was from Gaia's intentional guidance; then now, they are from the bottom of their hearts, and they are full of awe of Ouyang Shuo, the lord.

Among the temples in Shanhai City, the Yellow Emperor's Temple, Confucian Temple, Martial Temple and Mazu Temple required Ouyang Shuo to personally participate in the sacrifice. For temples such as the Town God's Temple and the Earth Temple, the Shanhai Mansion performed sacrifices on its behalf.

As the place of the main sacrifice, the Yellow Emperor's Temple is the top priority of the sacrificial activities. Ouyang Shuo specially invited Jiang Shang, who is highly respected, to serve as the sacrificial wine and preside over this huge sacrificial activity.

All civil servants and military generals with a certain status in the territory will participate in this sacrificial ceremony.

Early in the morning, all the ministers lined up and waited in the square in front of the Yellow Emperor's Temple.

Civil servants are on the left, generals are on the right.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Ouyang Shuo showed up on time.

The accompanying guards shouted loudly: "Your Majesty is here!"

"Meet the king!"

In an instant, all the officials knelt down to welcome him.

Surrounded by his personal guards, Ouyang Shuo passed through the crowd of civil and military officials.

Arriving at the temporary high platform, Ouyang Shuo turned around slowly, facing all the civil and military officials, "Excuse me, gentlemen!"

"Thank you Junhou!"

Baiguan got up and saw Junhou on the high platform, his eyes froze.

The prince who is crowned with a crown is dignified, not angry and majestic.

Fan Zhongyan in the audience felt a burst of emotion. He is a veteran of the territory, and he has witnessed the growth trajectory of the monarch along the way. A year has passed, and the young man who was still immature at the time has completed his transformation and has truly become the co-owner of Lianzhou.

In Fan Zhongyan's heart, there was only relief.

A more mature and powerful monarch obviously meets the expectations of all parties.

Even Jiang Shang, who was standing on the side, looked at Ouyang Shuo on the high platform with emotion. The growth rate of this young prince was completely beyond his imagination.

Jiang Shang wondered if he was really old.

Zhao Kuo in the audience also had a complicated expression. He has accepted Junhou's appointment, and is about to take up the post of deputy director and director of operations of the Military Affairs Administration, becoming the second-ranked giant of the Military Affairs Administration.

Its status is even higher than that of Chief of Combat Readiness Director Ge Hongliang.

For the first time, Zhao Kuo is full of confidence in the future.

Father, just watch, the boy will make a career in Shanhai City and complete his transformation.

Zhao Kuo thought silently in his heart.

For a while, all the officials in the audience had different thoughts.

At this moment, a system notification sound came from Ouyang Shuo's ear.

"System prompt: Congratulations to the player Qiyue Wuyi. After tempering, he finally developed the magnanimity of the princes and oppressed the world. Affected by this, the loyalty of all talents in the territory will be increased by 10 points."

Ouyang Shuo looked at the civil and military officials below, but his heart was peaceful.

He just hopes that this is a fresh start.

***********

Next, there is a huge sacrificial activity.

All the way down the sacrifice, it was almost noon.

Take a break at noon, and in the afternoon, Ouyang Shuo will meet two more important guests.

The first group was the patriarchs of the various tribes of the Shanman.

There are a total of 24 Shanman tribes living in Lianzhou, with a total population of 70,000 to 80,000. Tribes, large and small, scattered in the vast land of Lianzhou, are an important part of the people of Lianzhou.

Just after the new year, the patriarchs of all ethnic groups came to meet the princes with gifts.

The meeting place was arranged in the main hall, accompanied by Fan Zhongyan, the Director of Administration.

The patriarchs came all the way to Shanhai City, of course not just to give gifts.

They have other demands.

Except for the first batch of Shanman settlements in the eastern suburbs, when the other Shanman tribes moved to the Lianzhou Basin, they had already missed the second season of rice planting last year.

Food shortage is a common problem for all ethnic groups.

Previously, Ouyang Shuo had promised to lend food to various ethnic groups from the granary of the territory to help them tide over the difficulties. After the first season of rice is harvested next year, the tribes will return the grain to the granary.

Therefore, since years ago, the mountain tribes, under the guidance of the local agriculture department, have reclaimed farmland, built water conservancy projects, and prepared in advance for the next year's cultivation.

Along the Friendship River and the Yushui River, there is abundant water and fertile soil. Almost all the wasteland along the river has been reclaimed as farmland. In just one winter, Lianzhou County added millions of acres of fertile land.

Because of the rapid increase in population, the battle of Lianzhou alone increased the population by 50,000 to 60,000. Not to mention, after taking over the grassland, there are still a large number of herdsmen waiting for the territory to support them.

Wasn't the reason for the grassland coalition forces to attack Shanhai City to be the lack of food in the grassland?

Now that the grassland has been taken down, the burden must naturally be carried by the Marquis of Lianzhou.

The territory is also short of food. The Finance Department purchases a large amount of food through major chambers of commerce every month.

Later, the Ministry of Finance simply allowed major chambers of commerce to directly open rice shops to sell rice to the common people. In this way, it saves the Finance Department from going through the middle.

Some chambers of commerce even went deep into the grasslands to do business with cartloads of rice.

The merchants exchanged rice for furs and livestock in the hands of the nomads.

For this reason, the Department of Commerce had to urgently formulate a series of policies to restrict the commercial activities of the chamber of commerce.

If there is no restriction on the chamber of commerce, who knows what shocking things these chambers of commerce will do due to the nature of businessmen who are profit-seeking and driven by profit.

Because of the food, Ouyang Shuo specially summoned Sun Yannong, the Director of Agriculture.

He gave Sun Yannong a death order, and the Department of Agriculture must ensure that in the second half of Gaia's second year, the territory can achieve self-sufficiency in food, and there is no need to purchase food from the market to fill holes.

For this reason, the Finance Department has also specially prepared a financial allocation of 10,000 gold coins, which will be used for a series of measures such as building water conservancy, purchasing farm tools, cultivating cattle, and building waterwheels throughout the territory.

Ouyang Shuo didn't withhold a single gold coin from the fiscal revenue of the territory in January.

The patriarchs of the Shanman tribe eagerly rushed to the Hou's mansion to have an audience. Naturally, they hoped that the Department of Agriculture would give some preference to the Shanman Autonomous Land in terms of industrial support.

After all, compared to the refugees, it was the first time for Shanman to plant rice, and he was not acclimatized to the soil and water.

Ouyang Shuo responded positively to the demands of the patriarchs. He promised that the Department of Agriculture would give priority to meeting the needs of the Shanman Autonomous Region for the seeds, farm tools, and cattle needed for spring sowing.

The patriarchs were happy when they got the promise from the prince.

"Thank you sir!"

Ouyang Shuo nodded, but his expression remained calm, and he took advantage of this to make a "small request".

"Everyone! This Marquis has a proposal, and I ask you to think it over carefully after you go back."

"Your Majesty, please speak!"

As soon as they got the benefits, the patriarchs of all clans responded in a friendly manner.

There is a saying how to say the comer: short-handed.

"To be honest, if the tribes want to truly integrate into the Lianzhou system, they need to keep pace with the times. The tribal system has its advantages and historical reasons, and I will not comment on it. But when it comes to Lianzhou, it is It's getting more and more inappropriate." When Ouyang Shuo opened his mouth, he was shocked.

The patriarchs trembled in their hearts, are the princes going to take them under the knife?

Looking at the majestic and majestic monarch who is at the top, the patriarchs all have difficulty breathing.

Ouyang Shuo smiled slightly, as if he could see through the hearts of the patriarchs, and said, "You don't have to worry. The policy of self-government of the mountain barbarians is the original promise of the Marquis, and it will never be changed."

"Huh~~~"

The patriarchs let out a long sigh of relief.

As long as the mountain barbarian autonomy is still adhered to and this bottom line is not broken, there is still room for negotiation.

Ouyang Shuo naturally wouldn't be so reckless, he continued: "What I mean by this Marquis is to separate the patriarch from the village chief in the settlements, and not make the two into one."

Except for Gushan County, in all Shanman settlements, the head of the clan is the head of the village.

Fan Zhongyan once complained that Shanman's system is too easy to form a group.

Whether it is the tax officer of the Finance Department or the household registration officer of the household registration department, if they really want to find out the details of the Shanman settlements, they will encounter more or less obstacles.

Either conceal the population, or conceal the land area.

The root cause is that the mountain barbarian tribe has too strong a concept of race, and the interests of the tribe are often higher than the interests of the territory. And when the two are irreconcilable, contradictions arise.

Fan Zhongyan once suggested to Ouyang Shuo to carry out administrative reform in the Shanman settlements.

Ouyang Shuo has been shelving this proposal.

Ouyang Shuo knew very well what obstacles and difficulties he would encounter here.

Undoubtedly, he needs an opportunity.

Now is a good opportunity. The various tribes of the Shanman wanted territory, and with Ouyang Shuo's growing majesty, the chiefs of the tribes also felt fear in their hearts.

What's more, Ouyang Shuo agreed to their conditions first, and gave the patriarchs of each clan a step down. At the very least, the various ethnic groups were not forced to agree under the oppression of the Houfu.

At least, Junhou is still seeking their opinions.

And this is just a "small proposal".

Sure enough, after hearing Ouyang Shuo's proposal, the clan leaders fell silent for a while. They are all elites in the clan, so they can naturally hear the deep meaning in Junhou's words.

After a long time, a patriarch, as a representative, got up and replied: "For Junhou's proposal, we still need to go back to the Hui clan and ask the great wizard. I believe that Junhou will definitely give you a satisfactory answer."

Ouyang Shuo nodded: "That's it, Ben Hou can rest assured!"

Fan Zhongyan sat on the side, seeing the princes playing with the heads of various clans among the applause, his expression was inexplicable. The current monarch is not only majestic, but also able to play with various powers and tricks.

And this is also a compulsory course that needs to be mastered as a qualified superior.