Du Ye arrived outside the Xu Village and looked a little surprised from afar. One had to know that Du Ye had walked through many villages and seen many places before coming to Jiangyin County. However, none of them were as beautiful as the Xu Village.
The Xu Village in front of him was well-planned. Every house was built with bricks and tiles, which were then smeared with cement. Even the roads in the village were paved with cement. There were also many fruit trees in the village, and there were many ponds.
The whole village had small bridges and flowing water. The scenery was very good.
A village like this was like a paradise.
Du Ye took a deep breath and quickly recovered. The reason why he was surprised was because compared to other villages in Jiangnan, the Xu Family Village was unique and had a very different style. However, this region was actually only so-so. Compared to the big cities, it was still far from enough.
Du Ye entered the Xu Village with a follower.
He directly asked about the location of the Xu Clan's patriarch.
The Xu Clan's patriarch was called Xu Yinhe.
He was in his early sixties.
The Xu Clan where Xu Yinhe lived was at the center of the village. This location had a mountain forest behind it and ponds in front of it. It was an excellent location.
Du Ye asked all the way until he arrived at Xu Yinhe's residence and knocked on the door.
Knock! Knock!
Someone knocked on the door.
Following the sound of knocking on the door, the doorkeeper of the residence opened the door not long after. Looking at the short but neatly dressed Du Ye, the doorkeeper asked, "What's the matter?"
Du Ye handed over the visiting card and said, "Please inform Duke Xu that Jiangyin County Magistrate Du Ye has come to visit."
The gatekeeper knew Du Ye.
After all, Du Ye had just taken office and was still young, so the news had already spread. The gatekeeper didn't dare to delay and immediately led Du Ye into the hall to wait. He arranged for someone to serve tea and then quickly went to the backyard to inform.
Not long after, Xu Yinhe arrived.
Xu Yinhe was in his early sixties, but he was hale and hearty and didn't look old at all. He wore a sky-blue robe and his hair was neatly combed. As soon as he entered the hall and saw Du Ye, Xu Yinhe said, "I'm Xu Yinhe. Greetings to County Magistrate Du. Now that County Magistrate Du has taken office, you've come to visit the Xu Clan in person. I'm really in awe. My Xu Clan is honored! "
Du Ye smiled and said, "General Xu is too polite."
Xu Yinhe gestured for Du Ye to take a seat. Then, he sat down beside Du Ye. Du Ye was the lord of a county. Although Xu Yinhe was the local tyrant, he still kept a low profile. He didn't put on airs and didn't sit on the main seat. Instead, he sat opposite Du Ye to show his respect.
Xu Yinhe took the opportunity to ask, "County Magistrate Du, what brings you here today?"
Du Ye smiled and said, "General Xu's Xu family has been in Jiangyin County for over a hundred years."
"Yes!"
When Xu Yinhe saw that Du Ye wasn't in a hurry to speak, he also wasn't in a hurry for the time being. Xu Yinhe faintly smiled and said, "My Xu Family's ancestors migrated to the Xu Village more than a hundred years ago. At that time, the Xu Family was just an ordinary family. However, the ancestors attached great importance to the education of their children and allowed them to study. Thus, the foundation of the Xu family was established. To this day, our Xu family has always placed great importance on education, because this is the foundation of our Xu family. "
Du Ye said, "The Xu Family is a scholarly family. It's indeed admirable."
Xu Yinhe said, "County Magistrate Du praises us too much."
At this moment, Xu Yinhe had a rough impression of Du Ye in his heart. Although Du Ye was young, his speech and mannerisms weren't simple. He was neither servile nor overbearing. Moreover, he was neither too fast nor too slow when doing things. At a glance, one could tell that he was a person with his own thoughts and opinions.
This person wasn't simple!
Xu Yinhe made this judgment in his heart.
Especially since Du Ye was only an eleven or twelve year old child, yet he became the lord of a county. Such an arrangement clearly showed the power behind Du Ye. Therefore, Xu Yinhe was naturally respectful to Du Ye.
After Du Ye said a few words, he changed the topic and said, "General Xu has always been in Jiangyin County. Compared to the past few years, you must have a good understanding of the county's climate and weather."
Xu Yinhe said, "The current Jiangyin County is indeed quite good. The people of the entire county are simple and honest, especially in the past few years when the weather was good. Therefore, the people's lives are quite good. "
Du Ye took the opportunity to say, "The past few years were indeed quite good. But this year, the situation has changed. This year's situation is completely different from the past. I don't know if General Xu has noticed that there hasn't been much rain this year and it has been dry all along. "
Xu Yinhe said, "That's indeed the case. Thinking about it carefully, there was little rain in June and July this year, and it's still very little in August. I reckon that this year's harvest will be much worse. "
Du Ye said with a straight face, "The harvest is one thing. However, there's another effect, and that is the drought followed by the flood. I've visited many places in Jiangyin County and asked experienced farmers. Everyone's inference is that this year's drought followed by the flood, followed by a majestic heavy rain. Because the river dikes have been in disrepair for a long time, the river channel is full of silt and the riverbed is very shallow. Once there's a torrential downpour, Jiangyin County may even be submerged. "
Xu Yinhe nodded and said, "Since County Magistrate Du has visited many places and asked so many people, then the conclusion you've reached is naturally not bad. County Magistrate Du, did you come here today to ask this old man to donate money and food? "
"Yes!"
Du Ye nodded and replied.
Xu Yinhe said, "County Magistrate Du, can you give me a reason for donating money and food?"
Even if Du Ye had a background, he was still a dragon crossing the river in Jiangyin County, not a local snake. In such a place, it was useless even if Du Ye was powerful. Xu Yinhe wasn't a short-sighted person. He knew that Du Ye's words were reasonable, but he still needed a reason.
He wanted to weigh Du Ye's weight.
He wanted to see if Du Ye was worth investing in.
Du Ye faintly smiled and unhurriedly said, "First, as far as I know, the Xu Family has more than just this small Xu Village in Jiangyin County. Even now, Xia Xia has nationalized all the land. However, the Xu Family has also rented many fields for farming and planting on a large scale. "
"Second, the Xu Family is now in charge of many industries in Jiangyin County, including cement, river sand, and many other businesses. It can be said that they are extremely wealthy."
"Third, many of the Xu Family's members hold positions in the local government."
"These three points are the Xu Family's strong points. However, once there is a downpour, the rivers in Jiangyin County won't be able to withstand it and will directly collapse. As a result, the river will overflow and flood countless fields. "
Du Ye spoke frankly and with assurance, appearing extremely calm. He continued, "If countless fields are flooded, the Xu Family's contracted fields will suffer a great disaster. This is extremely disadvantageous for the Xu Family."
"Because of the disaster, the Xu Family's factories won't be able to operate in time. Every day we delay will have an impact on the people and even more on the factory. "
"Therefore, the Xu Family will also be affected when the people suffer."
"Helping the people is helping the Xu Family."
Du Ye said, "As long as the people survive this disaster, the villagers will definitely be grateful to the Xu Family. Moreover, the Xu Family's industries won't be affected. Countless people will be loyal to the Xu Family. This imperceptibly established prestige and image is extremely helpful to the Xu Family. "
Xu Yinhe was surprised when he heard this.
Not simple!
This Du Ye was indeed not simple!
His persuasion was all about punishing the Xu Family and putting the Xu Family's interests first. It was precisely this that was more persuasive and made Xu Yinhe believe Du Ye's words.
Xu Yinhe said in a deep voice, "County Magistrate Du, just say it. How much money and food do you need?"
Of course, if it involved the Xu Family's interests, he could also do Du Ye a favor and establish a connection with Xu Yinhe. That was excellent.
Moreover, the Xu Family wouldn't suffer a loss this time.
It would make a good impression on the Xu Family.
Du Ye also breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Xu Yinhe's words. It was finally done. He was worried that Xu Yinhe wouldn't listen to him. Now that he had persuaded Xu Yinhe, he felt more confident.
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