Chapter 478: A county in Jiangdu can produce an elite army of hundreds of thousands
Chapter 478
The number of people who came to our Jiangdu County from the north one after another has reached one hundred thousand.
Not to mention that the prisoners of war in the previous towns of regret and Zixin were able to live and work in peace and contentment in Jiangdu.
It was also a call for friends. Compared with the Sui Dynasty, people were displaced due to war and war.
The population of Jiangdu County and even the Jiangnan area has not decreased but increased.
After Qin Qiong, Changsun Wuji, Fang and Du discussed it, they decided to absorb these people and established a new town east of the canal and east of Gaoyou City.
Two thousand families were also transferred from Huishou Town and Zixin Town to adopt the model of bringing in the new with the old.
Reclaim wasteland there and build new homes.
At this time, from the south, Gao Shilian obtained a large amount of rice seeds in the Champa Kingdom south of Cochin.
We also spent money to invite some old farmers who were originally Han people but had been living in Champa for a long time to grow this kind of rice.
When Qin Qiong and others first heard that Gao Shilian had sent rice seeds from the south, they did not take it seriously.
But it wasn't until Changsun Wuji took out Gao Shilian's detailed description of the Champa rice that was sent along with the rice seeds and the old farmers.
Both Qin Qiong, Du and Fang were completely shocked. It is resistant to drought and barrenness, and it only takes more than fifty days from planting to maturity.
Is this really rice? The yield of rice per mu can reach three to four hundred kilograms?
It takes more than fifty days to get one season. With the climate in the south of the Yangtze River, it is not a problem to plant two seasons.
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"After planting two seasons, if you plant wheat again and harvest three crops a year, it will be fine."
Yang Qian, who had just returned to Jiangdu, seemed very proud at the moment. After all, Yang Guang's historical path had been determined, and Li Yuan was still just the governor of Xingyang.
Li Shimin was still jumping up and down in front of him. At this moment, Yang Qian felt that he had become a changer in this historical time and space.
Hearing Yang Qian's words, Du Ruhui twitched his fingers, his eyes turning red.
"If we look at the farming time limit, three crops is really possible. Two crops of rice can yield nearly seven dan of grain per acre, and with the addition of wheat, one acre can yield nearly two dan of grain."
Fang Qiao, who is proficient in farming, slowly shook his head. "But if you plant like this, it will damage the soil too much."
"Xiaguan believes that after two crops of rice are planted, the land will be idle and its fertility restored. This is a long-term solution."
"Well, there is no problem with these. The other thing is that since it is the deep winter, let the old farmers who came with the rice seeds tell us about their experiences."
"It would be best if it could be compiled into a pamphlet. When the time comes, it can be handed over to our literate people in the town so that they can spread the word."
"What do you mean by the prefect, that these three new towns will all grow Champa rice?"
"Yes, it can only be like this. After all, we can't interfere with other people's crops."
"Only for these newly arrived people, their fields still belong to the imperial court."
"So, we let them plant it, and even if it doesn't produce results, Jiangdu County will still ensure that they have enough food and clothing."
"When they really achieve results, I believe that with the government's publicity, we will get twice the result with half the effort."
After Yang Qian said this, his eyes fell on Fang Qiao and Du Ruhui.
"Don't worry, Prefect. In fact, my subordinates were still worried before that the newly cultivated land was not fertile enough. It will take more than a few years to cultivate it into fertile land."
"Now that we have this Champa rice, it's really timely help. It's time to give it a try."
As for the third new town, Yang Qian decided to name it Dongfang Town after thinking for a long time. This frustrating and vulgar name once again encountered opposition from some of his subordinates.
However, Yang Qian's authority still gave him the upper hand. When the people of Dongfang Town heard that the government allowed them to cultivate new fields, the government provided rice seeds, grain, farming tools and other supplies.
The newly cultivated fields will become private property after ten years of cultivation, so people are naturally very enthusiastic about it.
And with the return of 20,000 Jiangdu troops, Yang Qian was not satisfied with just taking care of the banditry in the twelve counties of Jiangnan Road.
From time to time, troops would be sent across Huaibei to help the counties in the Huaibei region exterminate the bandits. The conditions for sending troops were very simple.
The captured prisoners of war belong to Jiangdu County.
The number of Jiangdu's army has always been limited to 80,000, but nearly 50,000 reserves have been trained.
In other words, if a large-scale war breaks out, Jiangdu County will be able to deploy hundreds of thousands of elite troops.
In this era, it is absolutely unimaginable for one county to raise so many soldiers and horses.
This made Yang Qian feel lucky that he was in a prosperous place like Jiangdu, a land of fish and rice.
Among the first batch of Jiangdu troops, some have retired due to injuries or other reasons.
However, they only left the army, not the government. They became servants or grassroots cadres in Jiangdu counties.
He led the young and strong prisoners of war who had been trained hard and became honest to do many great things that were beneficial to society and the people.
For example, it can be used to help people cultivate more fields, or it can be used to repair roads.
Or maybe it's building a house. In short, as long as you work honestly, your food and clothing will be indispensable.
In the spring of the 10th year of Daye, just when the rice seeds in Champa were sown in the fields, Yang Qian also received the news.
Yang Guang returned to Dongdu, and the fate of Yu Wenhuaji and Yuwen Zhiji, who had not been dealt with for a long time, finally changed.
Under Princess Nanyang's plea, Yang Guang finally demoted the two men into slaves and gave them Yu Wenshu.
Such a move really caused an uproar across the country, but Yang Qian ignored it and just continued to thrive in the south of the Yangtze River, watching Dongdu and the whole world with cold eyes.
After Yang Guang returned to the Eastern Capital this time, he did not fulfill his promise to the world, ordering soldiers and horses from all counties to ask for help, and he would give generous rewards.
Once again, he disappointed the soldiers and civilians of the world. However, he became more disappointed and gradually turned into indifferent.
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In the hot summer, the cicadas were noisy like crazy. Yang Qian, dressed in light casual clothes, rushed to Dongfang Town, east of Gaoyou. It was still hot summer.
But at this time, the people were working hard to harvest rice in the fields, facing the hot sunshine.
Not only Yang Qian came, but almost all the civil and military personnel from Jiangdu County and counties rushed to Dongfang Town to enjoy this rare wonderland.
Sowing has just begun in spring, and this is the hot summer. Harvesting has already begun before the autumn harvest. Such a quick harvest really blinded the eyes of the civil and military officials in Jiangdu County.
Not only the common people, but also a large number of young and strong laborers are joining in the harvest.
“From the end of autumn to the beginning of spring, a total of one million acres of paddy fields were cultivated in this area.
Fortunately, my uncle was very generous and sent several shipments of rice seeds, otherwise, I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to plant enough of the million acres of paddy fields.”