Chapter 179 I only want porcelain and calligraphy and painting
Yun Jin felt somewhat unconvinced when he heard his son say this.

He asked Yunzhen, “Does your family have any antiques to pass down? You can’t be completely penniless with nothing left, right?”

Yun Zhen scratched his cheek, “Uh… the old ancestor had many descendants. Over the hundreds of years, the legitimate and illegitimate branches split up and migrated everywhere. The descendants of each branch got different things.”

“At least on my father’s side, there really isn’t any.”

The last two words were spoken softly, even weakly.

Yunzhen didn’t know how this branch of her family came to Ya City from the capital.

After a thousand years, both the successful and the unsuccessful have turned into a handful of earth.

She had carefully observed the connected time plane before.

The Yun family did not leave any ancestral inheritance, and Grandpa Yun and Father Yun had never boasted about any great achievements of their ancestors.

Obviously, the descendants of the Yun family who came to Ya City are very ordinary.

In the past three hundred years, there have only been a few scholars and juren, but there have been no more powerful officials or dignitaries.

Yun Jin felt distressed when he heard this, and took out the boxes of spoils he had collected.

“It’s okay! Those useless people failed to pass down the ancestral property, so the ancestors can give it to you!”

“Take these boxes. If they are not enough, I will give you a few more boxes after I defeat the Tartars!”

Yunzhen smiled, feeling a surge of warmth in his heart.

But she really wasn’t interested in exotic jewelry.

The things stolen from the Tatars were not of high value in terms of research or auction.

It would be better to let our ancestors keep it and exchange it for money, which would be the best use of it.

“Grandfather, these are not worth much in the future. If you can sell them, try to sell them within the next few years.”

“People in later generations actually prefer things passed down from Han culture, such as porcelain, calligraphy and painting, Tongbao coins from various dynasties, jewelry or ornaments made of jade, and even clothes worn by the emperor, etc.”

“Those with historical significance, exquisite craftsmanship, or valuable items used by the royal family are the most sought after by later generations.”

“If you return to the capital in the future, please buy me some beautiful porcelain and calligraphy and paintings.”

Yun Jin nodded suddenly understanding and responded readily with “OK”.

Looking down at the mess of jewelry and utensils in the box, she couldn’t help but show disgust.

“The Tartars are the Tartars. Even future generations will not like what they do.”

“Let’s sell them all when we get back to Beijing, so we don’t have to carry them around all day. They’re heavy and in the way.”

***
On the third day after the rice shop and grocery store opened, the prefectural government issued a notice.

It is said that a large number of craftsmen will be recruited to build the city wall, and some people will be needed to quarry stones, burn bricks and tamp earth.

There are not many people left in Yuzhou City, so there are no restrictions on recruitment. Anyone who has some strength and is willing to try can go to the government office to sign up.

Yunzhen provided them with the best rammed earth technology and was also responsible for delivering glutinous rice mortar.

The rammed earth technology used is still the same as that used in ancient times, but it is only a few hundred years more advanced than a thousand years ago.

Men, women, young and old, all came out to the city of Yuzhou.

Except for the sick, pregnant and young, all those who were able to work registered at the yamen.

For everyone, building the city wall can not only defend against the Tartars outside the Great Wall and ensure the safety of Yuzhou, but also exchange for silver or food to support the family. It is truly a good thing that has the best of both worlds.

Yunzhen had very limited money, and most of the time he had to use grain, vegetables and meat as wages.

Baskets of supplies were delivered to the prefect Luo Kangcheng, who then carefully distributed and distributed them according to different types of work and working hours.

The people of Yuzhou did not mind exchanging goods for money, and even thought it was better to give supplies.

Nowadays, it is difficult to buy food even if you have money, and the two shops in the city have imposed purchase restrictions.

They could take the materials earned from repairing the city wall back home to eat, or they could secretly take them to neighboring towns and sell them at a high price. Yun Zhen knew this very well, but he did not deliberately care about it.

As long as you don’t make any major mistakes, there’s no need to spend time trying to stop a small number of people who want to make some extra money.

These were originally distributed as wages, so it is not wrong for them to actually exchange them for money.

The defensive work was carried out in full swing.

Yuzhou City has regained its vitality after a long time.

The border guards and local people were busy building the city wall.

Although the drought has not yet passed, there are still powerful enemies outside the pass eyeing us covetously.

But as long as there is hope in life, people will be motivated.

The morale of the people in Yuzhou gradually recovered, and the aroma of food was always wafting from the border camp.

This is an extremely good condition, but it is an extremely abnormal situation in a famine year. How could the Tatars outside the Great Wall not notice it?

During the construction of the city wall, small-scale attacks occurred from time to time.

Yun Zhan led several elite teams and used guerrilla warfare to temporarily block the enemy outside Xiongwu Pass, either by active attack or passive counterattack.

The border defense walls were gradually taking shape, and the Tatars were also very anxious.

The spies sent out into the Tatar Khan’s tent brought back news that shocked them greatly.

“Yun Jin got a large amount of food and fodder from somewhere, and he made the border guards strong and powerful. Their condition is completely different from a month ago.”

“Another very strange thing is that the rain has returned to Yuzhou!”

“It rains every two or three days over there, but the surrounding towns are still dry. This is such a strange and bizarre thing—”

“Great Khan, do you think there is…some god protecting them?”

The Tatar Khan was so irritated by these words that he kicked the spy in anger.

“Bullshit! The people of Da Zhou are all a bunch of weaklings. How can they be qualified to be blessed by the gods?”

“I am the Lord of the Grassland recognized by the gods! Whether Yun Jin or the pariahs of the Great Zhou, they are just stepping stones for my grand ambitions!”

The middle-aged Khan, who just turned 40 this year, had a furious look on his face and paced back and forth in the tent, supporting his waist.

He asked the spy to repeat what he had learned, and after thinking for a long time, he finally figured out what was wrong.

“Ask the clerk to come over. I need to write a letter right away to ask Mr. Lu what’s going on!”

The arrival of food and fodder for the border troops was very strange.

The Tatar Khan knew that Yun Jin and Prime Minister Lu of the Great Zhou had always been at odds with each other.

Given the hostile relationship between the two, Prime Minister Lu would definitely have difficulty with the issue of food and fodder allocation.

The Great Zhou is currently in the midst of a famine. Even if the border defense troops are really equipped with food and fodder, it will be a barely sufficient amount that is scraped together and is far from enough to meet the needs of 50,000 soldiers.

But according to the reports from the spies, everyone in the border guarding army and even the people of Yuzhou who were responsible for building the city walls looked ruddy, healthy and strong, and did not look like victims suffering from famine at all.

The Tatar Khan couldn’t figure out the trick.

But he knew that Prime Minister Lu would definitely find a way to find out the secret.

The Tatar Khan has reached a deal with the powerful prime minister of the Great Zhou.

As long as he captured Yun Jin’s head on the battlefield of Yuzhou, Prime Minister Lu would give him a large sum of gold, silver and food.

The two of them had been working together happily, and not long ago the man named Lu secretly sent them some supplies.

The amount was not much, but he received the sincerity of this cooperation.

The Tatar Khan thought that the two of them had a tacit understanding, but how come Yun Jin also had food and grass when he turned around? !