In late summer and early autumn, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and the temperature is very pleasant. The Asu River winds and flows, and the banks of the Jiahe River are full of tart trees (apple trees). Now at this time, the fruits on the trees are slightly red, red and green hanging on the branches, which is very pleasing.

Xu Jin and Huang Dacan walked side by side along the river bank. The personal soldiers were divided into two groups, one of which opened the way in the front and the other to guard the back. A large number of rangers were arranged to roam around and reconnaissance on the outside.

Although Turpan and Yarkand have been included in the Ming Dynasty territory in recent years, armed or robbers and horse bandits in various places have been wiped out by the Ming army, and the people here have gradually accepted the reality of being ruled by the Ming Dynasty.

However, the most difficult thing in this world is the hearts of the people, and the most difficult thing to tame is the hearts of the people. So it is not surprising that one or two extremists suddenly ran out to assassinate. There have been several such incidents before, so every time Xu Jin went out of the city to inspect, Zhao Datou, who was in charge of security, did not dare to be a groom at all.

The early morning sun shone on his body, warm and warm. Xu Jin used his horse whip to dial the dewdrops on the weeds beside the trail while walking.

At this time, Huang Dacan raised his horse whip and pointed to the fruity apple trees, and said happily: "Brother Ziqian, these stews can be picked in one or two months, and this year's harvest is a foregone conclusion."

Xu Jin smiled and said, "Yes, this year is indeed a good year. The wheat harvests in various places are also good. The harvest of melons, dates, grapes and pears is also good. Unfortunately, transportation is inconvenient. Otherwise, you can sell it directly to the wealthy land in Jiangnan and you will definitely be able to sell it at a good price. This is a considerable income, but unfortunately..."

Huang Dacan looked at Xu Jin in a strange way and said, "Although all businessmen are not rich, Brother Ziqian has attached too much importance to merchants. The foundation of the country is agriculture and serenity. The most important thing is to produce more food to make the people eat and wear well. As for whether they can get money, it is actually not important."

Xu Jin smiled unanimously and did not have an in-depth discussion with Huang Dacan on this issue. After all, the education that Huang Dacan received since childhood was inferior. Only by studying well, the class ideas of scholars, farmers, industry and commerce have become deeply rooted in his cognition. If you discuss capital accumulation, industrialization, market economy and other aspects with him, you can only make it boring for yourself.

Moreover, the Turuban and Yarkand areas are indeed very poor, and although the land is vast, they are very barren. The people here are half-grazing and half-agricultural, and their grain output is pitifully small. If there is a large territory, they can only support less than one million people. At this time, the focus of the rule should indeed focus on grain production.

Since last year's Mid-Autumn Festival, after completely conquering Turpan and Yarkand, Xu Jin has focused on two aspects in addition to military deployments:

The first aspect is the issue of education. First, use sharp means to abolish a certain local extreme religion, and then set up a wide range of library schools to teach Confucian culture and promote Chinese.

The second aspect is the problem of grain cultivation. In order to resume post-war production and increase local grain output, Xu Jin also specially introduced crops such as corn, sweet potatoes and potatoes from the country, which had a very good effect. This year's military output can solve half of its supply, and some of the staple food must still be transported from within the pass.

At this time, Xu Jin and Huang Dacan walked near a wheat field. Looking up, they saw the waves of wheat rising and falling, and they could not see the end at first sight. The spring wheat in the northern border usually harvests in the seventh and eighth lunar month, while the southern border is earlier and can be harvested in June and July. It is now June of the lunar month, and the wheat in the Asu area has begun to harvest, and farmers are seen harvesting in the fields in the distance.

Huang Dacan stroked the short beard under his jaw and said, "The soil by the river is relatively fertile and irrigation is convenient, so the wheat grows very well here. Brother Ziqian, look, the wheat grains are full."

Xu Jin bent down and touched the wheat ears, nodded and said, "It's indeed good. By the way, Brother Shaoyun, I plan to try introducing rice from the south next year."

Huang Dacan frowned and said, "Rice is the most inseparable from water. Most of these places are deserts, and the most lacking is water. There are not many places suitable for planting rice in the three major propaganda governments, so it is probably not suitable for promotion. Moreover, the people here do not eat rice, so it is better to have more wheat."

"The people here don't eat because they don't have to eat. Let's try planting 50 acres first to see how the effect is. If it is feasible, then promote it." Xu Jin said with a smile. He did not tell Huang Dacan that in the later Xinjiang region, rice was one of the three major grain crops, and the high-quality rice in the Asu region is even more famous nationwide.

"Okay, since Brother Ziqian thinks it is feasible, then try it!" Huang Dacan nodded helplessly. It would be fine to try planting it. He just felt a little sorry for the fifty acres of land. If the grains were not harvested in the end, it would be too wasteful.

Xu Jin looked up at the sun in the sky and said, "It's getting late. Let's go back to the city. I still have a lot of official duties to deal with."

So, the two turned around and walked back to the place where the horse was tied. Huang Dacan suddenly woke up something and asked, "By the way, Brother Ziqian reported that he had waived the local people's taxes for two years last year. We did not collect taxes last year, and we confiscated this year. Will we collect them next year?"

"Care it, of course I will." Xu Jin raised his sword-brow and said, "Does Brother Shaoyun think it shouldn't?"

Huang Dacan shook his head and said, "Of course not. In fact, in my opinion, it should be settled this year."

"Oh? How do you say this?" Xu Jinqi said.

Huang Dacan raised his eyebrows and said, "Other barbarians are afraid of power but not virtue. The Western Regions are located outside the pass, and the people are rough in customs. The people still do not accept the king's transformation. They only respect force, and the means of gentleness are not very good, and they may even be regarded as weak. Therefore, Ziqian wants to win people's hearts with tax-free means, but they are afraid that they will backfire."

Xu Jin couldn't help but be surprised. He thought Huang Dacan would say some clichés about "light taxes and low labor service", but he didn't expect that it would be rare to say such an opinion. It seems that honest people are not only honest, but also very pragmatic, so he smiled and said, "Brother Shaoyun is right. The reason why I asked for a letter to waive the locals for two years of taxes was certainly a must for the people, but it was mainly a necessary means to resume production after the war. If you beat them up, you must give me a sweet date."

Huang Dacan couldn't help but tease: "Brother Ziqian's stick is really big, and he destroyed the country."

Xu Jin shrugged and smiled, "This is the first move by Turpan and Yarkand. The Ming Dynasty is just a counterattack. If you want to blame me, I blame me for being careless and exerting too much force."

Huang Dacan said seriously: "It's not like he has to use too much force. Isn't this a hit to Persia yet?"

Xu Jin couldn't help laughing, but he didn't expect that honest people also had a humorous side.

The two of them got on the horse while talking and laughing. They were about to return to the city, but they saw a horse galloping from a distance, and it seemed that they were the Hou cavalry responsible for the message.

"Report to the commander, the emperor has issued an order and the imperial envoy has arrived in the city." Houqi set his horse, jumped down, and stepped on one knee to report loudly.
Chapter completed!