In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 889 The wider one's knowledge, the more admirable one becomes.

Seeing Zhang He's puzzled expression, the soldier explained with a smile, "There's a saying in our army that as long as Brother Zhang He comes, we'll get to eat meat!"

Now Zhang He understood. Ever since he got in touch with Yang Zheng, he had become one of the "designated meat suppliers" for the Yang family army. Every once in a while, he would personally lead a caravan to transport a large number of chickens and ducks to Liangzhou to sell to the Yang family army.

Therefore, every time Zhang He arrived in Liangzhou, it was the happiest time for the soldiers of the Yang family army, because with Zhang He there, they could eat meat.

It was precisely because of this that Zhang He's reputation spread throughout the Yang family army. Although most soldiers had never seen Zhang He, most knew of his existence and held a certain degree of goodwill towards him!

"I never expected that I, Zhang He, would have such a reputation!"

Zhang He scratched his head and laughed.

"Ha ha!"

The soldier laughed and shouted to several soldiers guarding the city not far away, "Look, this is the Zhang He brother you've been talking about while you're eating meat. Come and meet him!"

"Is it really Zhang He and his brother?"

"Haha! Brother Zhang He, you must give us a discount on chickens and ducks in the future, so we can eat more meat!"

"I always think about Brother Zhang He whenever I eat meat, and this time I finally met him!"

"..."

Several other soldiers jogged over and greeted Zhang He warmly. Some even offered to buy him drinks after their shift. Zhang He felt flattered by their enthusiasm.

"Brothers, you're too kind. I'm just doing some business to make a little money. Your kindness makes me feel quite uneasy!"

Zhang He spoke while dealing with the several enthusiastic soldiers.

"Brother Zhang, what you said is incorrect!"

One soldier shook his head and said, "Although you are a merchant, you are almost like a benefactor to our Yang family army and the people of Liangzhou! If it weren't for the down jackets and cheap meat you brought, we don't know how many more people in Liangzhou would have starved and frozen to death last winter!"

Upon hearing this, all the soldiers present nodded. Although Zhang He was just a merchant, his contributions to Liangzhou were considerable. Not to mention anything else, the down jackets that Zhang He transported to Yongliang County saved countless people in Yongliang County and the surrounding villages and towns, allowing them to safely get through the cold winter.

"Since this caravan belongs to you, Brother Zhang, there's no need to inspect it! We trust you!"

After thanking them for their cooperation, one of the soldiers said this.

The reason for the strict inspection of people and goods entering the city is simply to prevent people with ulterior motives from sneaking into the city and causing trouble.

Zhang He, who had a close and cooperative relationship with the Yang family army, was clearly not someone with ulterior motives, so there was no need to inspect his goods.

"Then thank you all very much, brothers!"

Zhang He was naturally overjoyed to be spared the hassle of inspection.

"You're too kind! Brother Zhang, please come in!"

Thus, Zhang He's caravan was able to enter the city smoothly, pass through the city gate, and stand on the main street of Lingshui County.

Lingshui County, which had just experienced war, was undoubtedly somewhat desolate. Standing under the city gate and looking around, the streets were sparsely populated, and most of the shops on both sides of the street were closed, with only a few shops still open for business.

Zhang He's gaze fell on the occasional people from Lingshui County passing by on the street, but he saw that most of these people were emaciated, completely different from the people he had seen in Taiping County and Chenjia Village.

Thanks to the presence of a good official like Xu Zhiwen, the people of Taiping County were able to live a relatively comfortable life. In addition, they benefited from the development of Chenjia Village. Although the people of Taiping County were not living in luxury, it was still easy for them to have enough to eat.

Nowadays, even in the villages outside Taiping County, it's rare to see people who are pale, thin, and malnourished.

As for Chenjia Village, it goes without saying that everyone in Chenjia Village is relatively wealthy. Nowadays, you can even see many fat people in Chenjia Village, and there is not a single malnourished person!

In contrast, in Lingshui County, most of the people on the street had sallow complexions and were thinner than the next. Clearly, their living standards were not good, or even very poor!

However, perhaps because Yang Zheng implemented the land redistribution policy, although these people were malnourished, they looked relatively relaxed, and many even had a smile on their faces.

"Brother Zhang, the people in Lingshui County are really thin!"

One of the men in the caravan said in a deep voice, seeing these people from Lingshui County reminded him of his own past.

Before joining Zhang He's caravan, he was just a farmer, working alongside his father from dawn till dusk, tending to the crops in the fields as if they were his ancestors.

However, most of the grain they painstakingly cultivated had to be handed over to the imperial court as grain tax, and the remaining grain was far from enough to feed his family. As a result, he and his family were always hungry, and each of them was thinner than the last, as if a gust of wind could blow them over.

His life only improved after joining Zhang He's caravan. Now, he is no longer the skinny boy who looked like a monkey, but a strong young man.

"Yes!"

Zhang He couldn't help but nod. The more places he traveled and the more he learned, the more he admired Chen Dao and Xu Zhiwen, who led the people of Taiping County to a better life.

Compared to people from other places, the people of Taiping County under Xu Zhiwen's rule, and the people of Chenjia Village under Chen Dao's rule, could be described as living in a paradise.

They didn't have to worry about not having enough to eat, they didn't have to suffer exploitation from landlords and corrupt officials, and they didn't have to endure the ravages of war...

"Only by witnessing this scene can one truly appreciate the greatness of Lord Xu and Mr. Chen!"

Zhang He's heartfelt words unsurprisingly received unanimous approval from everyone.

"Yes! If it weren't for Lord Xu and Mr. Chen, the people of Taiping County would probably not be much better off than the people of Lingshui County!"

"Officials like Lord Xu and Mr. Chen are simply bodhisattvas who descended to earth to save people from suffering. Without them, the people of Taiping County would never be living such a good life!"

"That's right! I used to not even have enough to eat, until Lord Xu and Mr. Chen came along, and then I was able to eat my fill and live a good life."

"The person I admire most in my life is Mr. Chen. I heard that Chenjia Village used to be a poor village where everyone was hungry. It was under Mr. Chen's leadership that they were able to live such a prosperous life today."

"Mr. Chen is truly the most amazing person in the world!"

"..."