The peaceful small mountain village was awakened by the sound of neat footsteps.
The crowing of cocks and the barking of dogs kept ringing out, and the villagers were also awakened by the movement outside.
It was harvest time, and they had been busy all day yesterday.
As soon as it gets light in the morning, we need to cut the wheat.
The wheat fields are mowing until dark and the wheat fields cannot be seen, and even young and experienced hands can only harvest more than an acre of land.
Wheat fields must be harvested in a short time, and wheat is more delicate than rice.
Rice grows in a humid environment and is less afraid of light rain when mature.
Rice is afraid of heavy rain and hail, which will knock the rice grains off the ears.
During the wheat harvest, even light rain will not do.
After it gets wet, it will easily germinate or become moldy, and an acre of land will be completely harvested.
The best way is to harvest the wheat fields directly when the wheat is mature and the weather is good.
"Everyone, old and young, is getting up. The army is helping us collect grain."
The village chief kept beating the gong and went from door to door to announce the event.
After notifying each household, he went to see the military commander.
Company Commander Shi Dajian patiently communicated with the village chief.
"We came as a whole company to help your village harvest wheat.
We give priority to harvesting the wheat fields of military families. After the military families harvest, we will help other villagers."
The village chief said happily: "This is what it should be. You are soldiers. You give priority to helping military families harvest wheat. No one can find fault with it."
Shi Dajian led his soldiers and began to help the villagers harvest wheat.
The tools in their hands are much better than those of the villagers.
The sickles they use are produced by steel plants using the latest quenching technology.
It is sharper and more wear-resistant than ordinary sickles.
The soldiers are still young and strong. The soldiers brought this time can do farm work and harvest wheat much faster than the villagers.
This is a model village for joining the army. There are very few young people in the small mountain village, and most of them are uncles in their forties.
They have been oppressed by the gentry all year round, and some have gray hair and wrinkles and age spots on their faces.
At first, I was worried that the wheat would not be harvested quickly.
The villagers watched the army harvest wheat very quickly.
The villagers tied the cut wheat into bundles.
Prepare to be transported to the grain drying field for drying.
Looking at the bundles of wheat and yellow ears of wheat, every villager smiled happily.
…
Han Cuibai, the mayor of Yimen Township, pulled a large cart with a black donkey, and there was a weird machine on the cart.
As soon as the donkey cart entered Linhe Village, many villagers gathered around it.
"Here comes Mayor Han, and he comes with a threshing machine.
Finally we don’t have to thresh the wheat ears ourselves.”
"Folks, your grain output has been reported to the township.
Have you made any major mistakes in converting bad farmland into good farmland?
If something like this happens, tell me immediately.
Wait until the tax police from the tax bureau arrive at the grain warehouse of the rural grain storage bureau.
When you go to pay taxes and take out land loans, if they find out that you made a mistake, it will be too late."
Han Cuibai once again reminded the villagers that if they were found to have evaded the tax when they actually paid the land tax, the punishment would be very severe.
He is also afraid that the village chief will deceive his superiors and conceal his subordinates. Now he has received excellent results in every performance assessment.
He is at the critical moment of being promoted to the county magistrate. If he survives the autumn harvest smoothly, he can be promoted to the county magistrate of a wealthy county.
If a problem arises, the only option is to go to remote and poor counties.
However, his official career cannot be affected by major cases occurring under his administration.
"Head Han, the village chief is very responsible.
Our children are now literate, and they can understand the announcements from the Governor's Office.
Anyone who wants to fool us will have a hard time."
Han Cuibai listened to the villagers' words and was still trembling when he was working.
Many children in the village are literate, and the government requires that all policies be publicized for a long time.
It will be very difficult for officials to fool the villagers in the future.
It is even more impossible to change the notice, some reporters are like vultures.
That kind of promiscuous woman is extremely well-informed. Many officials who changed the notices were exposed by reporters, and they were all taken away by the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
Han Cuibai took the thresher to the village drying field.
The wheat and sweet potatoes in Linhe Village have been harvested.
They have an army stationed in Yimen Township.
When Han Cuibai heard that the army was helping with the harvest, he went crazy with joy.
I didn't expect such a good thing to happen. I had been worried that there weren't enough young people in the village.
Harvesting cannot be completed and some crops will rot in the ground.
Six or seven villagers gathered around the thresher and worked together to lift the thresher from the donkey cart.
“It’s the dry season now, and we don’t have windmills here.
The threshing machine can only be operated by hand, so everyone helps the military personnel to thresh the grain first.
After that, whoever owns the grain will be responsible for shaking the thresher."
After Han Cuibai finished speaking, he stood on the right side of the thresher. There was a very large handle here.
He shook the handle to drive the main shaft of the threshing machine through the gear.
The thresher began to rotate slowly.
"Put the wheat ears into the thresher and you pull the wheat stalks.
Be careful not to put your hands into the thresher.
The iron hooks on it will knock your fingers off."
Han Cuibai was just trying to scare the villagers. The most he could do with his hand was to make a big gash on his finger.
The villagers looked at the threshing machine and saw that all the wheat grains were knocked out after just a few turns.
It flows directly into the sacks along the sieve that swings left and right in the threshing machine.
The villagers looked at the speed of the thresher and were shocked.
"This is too fast. I need to beat a day's supply. This thresher can complete it in just one stick of incense."
"Headmaster Han is dying. He obviously can't move the machine. Let's go and replace him."
Han Cuibai was replaced by the villagers. He rubbed his sore arms and asked the surrounding villagers.
"If you plant sweet potato fields, you should come over and help us. We are all from the same village, so we can tell them clearly.
The yield of sweet potatoes is very high, I didn’t lie to you.”
Blacksmith Wang said happily: "Chief Han, you are such a good man.
My sweet potatoes can produce 15 shi per acre. I have never seen a food crop that can produce so much per acre.
I cooked some sweet potatoes yesterday, which made my stomach feel uncomfortable. I lay on the kang and groaned.
This stuff is so delicious. It’s great that the yield of such delicious sweet potatoes can be so high.
Mayor Han told us that sweet potatoes have high water content and are not easy to store.
I followed Mayor Han’s suggestion and cut the sweet potatoes into slices and made them into dried sweet potatoes outside.”
"Old man Wang is too busy, always tinkering with his blacksmith shop.
Without taking good care of his sweet potato field, my sweet potato yield can reach 18 shi per mu.
I hope the price of sweet potatoes will be higher this year, so that I can pay off my debt to the village and make new clothes for my son."
Blacksmith Wang immediately retorted: "The tools I made for cutting sweet potatoes have been patented.
I sold this patent for five hundred taels of silver coins.
After I pay the tax, I will leave the village. I have already bought a house in Baoji County, and I will become a city dweller from now on."
When the surrounding villagers heard this, they were very envious.
Blacksmith Wang studied that simple small disc knife that cuts sweet potatoes faster, but it can be sold so expensively.
…
Su He took all the civil and military officials to the largest farm near Hanzhong City.
The rice harvest is here today, but there is not a single person carrying a sickle.
Su Wuniu directed people to unload a strange machine from the car.
He said excitedly: "Let me show everyone how powerful the animal-drawn harvester is."
Su He told him about the prototype of this animal-powered harvester.
But this machine was made by him using machine tools, part by part.
During the autumn harvest, more than 100 machines had been built, and users in various places reported that the machines often broke down.
When starting to harvest an acre or two of land, an animal-powered harvester is very useful.
This is also the reason why they didn't find the problem before.
After being used for a period of time, the animal-driven harvester will no longer be able to be used.
The machinery factory received a large number of returns, if it were not for the reputation of threshing machines and rice mills.
The signboard of the machinery factory immediately stinks.
Su Wuniu never gave up. He led a group of craftsmen to finally overcome the problems encountered by the animal-powered harvester one by one.
They have solved the problem of animal-driven harvesters and the autumn harvest has been completed in most places.
This is the only farm left where the rice has not yet been harvested.
Su He didn't expect that he asked Uncle Wuniu to bring out the animal-powered harvester in his memory.
It's just that the animals towed by the prototype were replaced by cows instead of horses.
The steel used in the machine and the machining accuracy of the machine tools are not good either.
The animal-powered harvester simply became a decoration in this autumn harvest.
Fortunately, Uncle Niu kept up the good work and led the craftsmen to make the parts by hand.
At the end of the autumn harvest, come up with the improved model.
Su Wuniu personally went to the fields to drive the cattle.
In just a short time, one acre of rice was harvested.
Wang Zhongce looked at this scene and said in shock: "This kind of animal-powered harvester can harvest rice too fast.
In this way, as long as there are large livestock and a household uses an animal-powered harvester, he can manage one hundred acres of land."
Su He looked at the harvester. There were still many problems with this machine.
Especially if the steel technology is not good enough, the service life of the cutting tools is very short.
But it has already begun to show the power of machinery.
"This is the power of industrialization, as long as machines continue to advance.
I think in a few hundred years, only a few people will be able to plant 10,000 acres of land."
Civil and military officials believe that this situation is completely impossible.
Not to mention hundreds of years, even a thousand years later, this situation will not happen.
Su He looked at Li Zhisheng, the Minister of Household Affairs next to him, and asked:
"Li Shangshu, how is the progress of the autumn harvest work in various places?
Compared with previous years, the grain output is about the same."
Li Zhisheng, the Minister of Household Affairs, was in charge of the autumn harvest during this period.
He puffed up his chest and replied with joy: "Commander Su, we have a great harvest this time.
Farmers were allocated land and their enthusiasm for farming increased.
If the land is short of water, I would rather fetch water from the river three miles away than let the paddy fields dry up.
Coupled with the construction of water conservancy projects, the land has sufficient water for irrigation, and the yield has increased greatly.
Overall, the wheat and rice production in Hanzhong Prefecture has increased by about 20% compared to last year under the Ming Dynasty.
There is a severe drought in Baoji County. Even with large-scale canal construction, grain output is reduced by 30% compared with normal years.
Sweet potato is really a strange crop. Even if it is grown in mountainous areas, its yield is only 15 tons, which is really amazing.
Now the tax bureau has settled in the grain storage bureau in batches, and reporters from the Metropolitan Procuratorate and Hanzhong Newspaper are also inspecting various places.
We will ensure that the process of paying land taxes for the common people and the tax collection by officials will be open and transparent, and there will never be big fights in and small fights out."
After Li Zhisheng's introduction, he asked Su He:
"Commander Su, when I was discussing the issue with Gao Xuanming, director of the Grain Reserves Bureau, I heard Director Gao say that Commander Su only allows the Grain Reserves Bureau to collect grain from the people.
There is also the issue of grain prices. Is the price paid to farmers for purchasing grain too high?
Grain also has transportation costs and processing costs. With such a high purchase price, there is not much profit from processing grain."
Su He's attitude did not waver and he explained his point of view.
"That's right, private merchants are not allowed to collect grain directly from the people, they can only buy grain from the Grain Reserve Bureau.
All grains from farmers need to be sold to the Grain Reserve Bureau, and the grain price is fixed by the Government Office.
We must learn from some mistakes made by the Ming Dynasty.
The gentry purchased grain from farmers at low prices during the autumn harvest.
Even if it is a good year, the grain in the hands of farmers cannot be sold at a high price.
This is the reason why the farmers received three to five buckets more than they received and could not have enough to eat.
Our grain storage bureau is now directly connected with farmers, and grain prices are the same throughout the year.
Regardless of whether it is a disaster year or a good year, before each autumn harvest, the Grain Reserve Bureau will adjust the purchase price, and this price is fixed for one year.
This year’s grain purchase price.
Wheat and rice: 2 taels of silver coins per 100 catties.
Sweet potatoes: 500 copper coins per 100 catties.
The grain selling price recommended by the governor's office.
Flour or rice: 3 taels of silver coins per 100 catties.
Sweet potatoes: 800 copper coins for 100 catties.
The difference in price is the profit for the merchant.
Merchants can only sell grain at a price lower than the price we set.
If merchants remove the cost of processing, they won't make much money.
Food needs to be taken care of by the government and must not become a hugely profitable industry.
Although grain processing has low profits, it is a bulk commodity and its profits are very high on a scale.
We mainly crack down on some hoarding businesses, and food must not become a huge profit commodity."
Wang Zhongce immediately agreed: “This policy of setting a minimum price is very good.
Our purchase price is much higher than the price that the gentry paid for grain during the Ming Dynasty.
It also sets the highest grain selling price.
People who do not grow food can also buy food at affordable prices.
The Grain Purchasing Bureau's unified harvesting of grains can also prevent businessmen from manipulating grain prices.
In this way, both farmers and ordinary people make money, but only the rentier class in the middle loses.
Reducing the circulation links of food can keep food prices stable.
As long as food prices are stable, things will be as stable as Mount Tai under the rule of the Tongtongfu.
If the people have enough to eat, they will never cause trouble."
…
As an official sent by the General Administration of Grain Reserves, Shi Xi is responsible for inspecting the procurement and storage conditions of each township grain reserve bureau.
He also has a secret mission.
Coming to Qingshi Township today also means that Qingshi Township will start collecting land taxes soon.
The tax bureau is understaffed and now they are responsible for all tax collection operations.
The field tax can only be collected in batches. Fortunately, the grain can be stored well.
Not only does the tax bureau come to collect field taxes, but also the land loan payments are collected by the local township office, and they are all stored here at the Grain Reserve Bureau.
People only need to transport grain to the Grain Storage Bureau, instead of traveling to several places.
Shi Xi meets with Wang Shisan, the person in charge of the local granary.
"Don't pile up the harvested grain in the big granary. Put it all in sacks.
When I leave, I will transport all this food away."
Their Grain Storage Bureau established two very large grain depots in Hanzhong and Jinniuguan.
In addition to being used for local storage, most of the grain harvested this autumn was transferred to these two super-large grain depots.
The grain depot in Hanzhong has now begun to receive grain. It is completely open to the public and has been reported in newspapers.
The grain depot at Jinniuguan was built in secret from the beginning.
Only a few officials knew about this grain depot.
After many tests, Shi Xi was allowed to know this secret.
He had just been responsible for transferring grain from Baoji County, Fengxian County and other places to the Jinniuguan Grain Depot.
Shi Xi knew why the commander-in-chief kept it secret.
If you look at the map, you will know that of these two grain depots, one is on Jinniu Road and the other is close to Rice Warehouse Road.
In addition, during this period, the commander-in-chief frequently mobilized troops.
The war was about to begin, and he could already smell the smoke.
If the Ming Dynasty knew this secret, they could easily deduce that they were going to fight in Shu.
Qingshi Township is close to the border of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and the grain here does not need to be transferred to the Hanzhong Grain Depot.
The secret mission Shixi received was to transport grain and grass. After the war started, the grain here would be transported to Bazhou.
He explained everything and walked to the grain drying field outside the Grain Storage Bureau.
There are many tall scales here, which are hoisted on iron poles.
The large scale in the Grain Reserve Bureau has an iron hook hanging on one end, and a weighing weight inlaid on the scale beam on the other side.
Each steelyard can only weigh a fixed number of kilograms.
There are also normal scales nearby for weighing bulk grain.
The Grain Reserve Bureau did not use buckets to collect grain this time.
Container weighing is easy to falsify. There is not much difference in appearance between a large bucket and a small bucket, but there is a huge difference in the amount of grain harvested.
It is difficult to fake a scale, especially a scale that can only weigh a fixed number of pounds.
Fraud is also easy to spot.
There is very little space for officials to move their hands up and down, and it is easy for them to supervise the weighing process.
In the evening, Shixi met Zhou Qiniu, the head of the tax police, and Li Tianyang, the mayor of Qingshi Township, who had arrived.
They discussed the tax collection and sat down to have dinner together.
Shi Xi said happily:
"We worked together to complete the autumn harvest in Qingshi Township as quickly as possible.
It is the last township I am responsible for."
Li Tianyang toasted a glass of wine and said, "This is our local wine made from sweet potatoes.
This year is a good harvest year, and I have been waiting for you to come.
Many villagers wanted to sell grain, but I stopped them.
We're just waiting for the Grain Reserve Bureau's grain purchase price to be finalized.
I have inquired about the purchase prices in other regions, but without the official documents you brought, I have never been sure."
Li Tianyang was very worried. Their Qingshi Township was a mountainous area.
Previously in the Ming Dynasty, you had to pay more taxes and fees to others.
Even if you sell grain, you won’t be able to get a high price.
It is very difficult to transport the grain here to the outside world.
After hearing about the unified purchase price of grain, Li Tianyang was not sure whether Qingshi Township was suitable for them.
After Li Tianyang finished his meal, he sorted out the official documents sent by his superiors.
The tax police arrived in a post car and arrived with them, along with many official documents.
He saw the news of his promotion and the price of grain purchased locally by the Grain Reserve Bureau.
After getting the exact news, he convened a meeting of all village heads and issued orders to pay land taxes and land loans.
At the same time, tell them the price at which the Grain Reserve Bureau purchases grain.
…
Lijia Village, Qingshi Township, Nanzheng County.
Village chief Li Baoshan has been busy after holding a meeting in the village.
He urged every family to pack their food and go to the countryside to pay taxes together.
“Young and old men in the village, I don’t need to say much about paying taxes.
You also know that he is very important.
Everyone, please don't adulterate. The commander-in-chief only collects land tax.
There is no poll tax or miscellaneous apportionment.
We don’t need to sell grain for money, we can directly use grain to pay taxes.
The neighboring town pays taxes earlier than us, and some people resort to fraud and underreport the taxes they pay.
This man was immediately thrown into jail, and the tax he was supposed to pay was still a penny.
Some people used local rice as good food, but the tax collectors found out.
This man was also taken away.
Don't be greedy for petty gains, this matter is investigated very strictly."
After Li Baoshan finished talking about paying taxes, he remembered that he had gone to the township for a meeting yesterday and the township had announced new policies.
"I have something to tell you. The government does not allow the private sale of grain.
All grain needs to be sold to the Grain Storage Bureau.
The purchase price of rice is 2 silver coins per 100 catties.
The purchase price of sweet potatoes is 500 copper coins per 100 kilograms.
This price will not change for a year and will only be adjusted after next autumn harvest.
Everyone keeps rations and grain seeds, and tries to sell other grains as early as possible.
Everyone is an old farmer, and they know that the more food they put, the lighter they are.
If you sell it early, you can sell a few more copper coins.
It just so happened that this time, I borrowed a mule cart from the village to transport the grain directly to the village."
Li Baoshan drove the cart and loaded grain from house to house.
He drove the mule cart in front, followed by dozens of mule carts.
The mule cart could not hold the entire village's grain, and many villagers followed behind, pushing grain in wheelbarrows.
They pushed the cart toward the countryside.
Li Baoshan has taken all his family's surplus grain to the countryside.
In addition to taxes and land loans, the rest is sold to the Grain Reserve Bureau.
He already has a plan to get silver coins from selling grain.
Li Baoshan plans to buy a cow in partnership with his brother. He will also borrow a few more acres of land next year. It will be more convenient to have his own cow.
He will also join a joint venture with his brother to buy a rice mill.
To eat rice in the village, we have to grind the rice ourselves, which is really tiring.
There is a rice mill in the village, so villagers do not need to go to the countryside.
There are only two rice mills in the township, which need to be used by the entire township.
Every time he goes to grind rice, he has to wait for a long time.
Li Baoshan feels that a business like rice milling is basically a guaranteed profit.
The mules were moving very slowly while pulling the heavy loads. It was already past afternoon before they arrived at the Township Grain Storage Bureau.
Li Baoshan saw the township head Li Tianyang, who was from his village.
His mother died when he was a child, and he grew up drinking dog milk.
Some people in the village have always called him a dog-raised person, but now they are prosperous.
"Uncle Baoshan is here, I will take you to hand over the food first."
Li Tianyang led the convoy from Lijiacun into the Grain Storage Bureau compound.
"Chief Li, don't you need to collect the land loan payment?"
Li Baoshan asked, nodding and bowing.
"This matter will be handed over to the deputy township chief. I will step down from the position of township chief."
The tall and thin man next to Li Baoshan said in a mocking tone: "You son of a bitch, you should have told me earlier! Did you commit some crime and let someone masturbate you?"
Boss Wang from the next village falsely reported his grain output and was immediately arrested.
I just felt like you were all in the same group, and now look how airy you are."
Li Baoshan straightened up.
"Li Caishan, what are you talking about here?
They've already been rubbed off, why are you adding salt to others' wounds?
My eldest nephew is also a literate person, so it is not difficult to find a job.
Now the eldest nephew has been raped and helps us pay the land tax.
People need to be conscientious."
Wang Shisan, the person in charge of the grain depot, came out to welcome him.
"Congratulations to Mayor Li, I heard that you have been promoted.
I want to go to the political school and take the county magistrate training course, and I can become a county magistrate after I graduate."
Li Tianyang replied politely:
"I have also just received a notice that Wang Shangshu and Commander Su of the Ministry of Civil Affairs appreciate me.
I just did some insignificant little things."
Li Caishan turned pale with fright.
"You, you are the county magistrate, how is this possible?
How can you be a county magistrate if you have no merit?"
Li Baoshan also apologized repeatedly: "We bumped into the big boss."
He said, pulling his younger brother to kneel down to Li Tianyang.
"Uncle Baoshan, it's okay.
Let's go pay the land tax quickly, don't waste time."
Li Baoshan followed Li Tianyang and took the villagers to hand over grain.
He found that the food delivery process went smoothly and the officials were easy to talk to.
The large scales used to weigh the grains were also very accurate, with no missing items.
He prepared ten extra bags of grain to deal with the harsh criticism of the officials, but it was completely useless.
Li Baoshan paid the land tax and land loan in one go.
Sell all your excess grain to the Grain Reserve Bureau.
To repay the loan from the village, Li Baoshan held eight Su Datou and some scattered copper coins in his hand.
For the first time, he felt that his life was on the right track.
