"The soil here is loose, Li Lang, be careful and proceed slowly."
On the rugged mountain road, Zhu Ziyong walked in front and led the way. Li Tai, holding a bamboo stick, followed carefully behind.
"There are sixty-eight hectares of gardening here, half of it is on the slopes and half of the land. There are 26 hectares of fertile land on the flat land and 13 hectares of dry land on the slopes. There are 832 mulberry trees and 300 peach, plum, apricot and jujube fruit trees..."
While walking, Zhu Ziyong explained the details of the manor's industry to Li Tai. Some specific figures came out of his mouth, which showed that he was really concerned about the management of the manor.
Li Tai stood on a high place, looked around, and said, "Isn't the garden area larger than the garden area? I heard that the officials in Daxingtai are fierce in governance..."
"It's true that there are more, but the strict supervision of Daxingtai mainly depends on people and things, and the reward of the land is tolerant. After all, only those who cultivate will have wealth. The people are willing to expand the land and cultivate diligently, which is also a good thing that benefits the family and the country."
Zhu Ziyong is worthy of being a man who has traveled far and wide and seen the world. In one sentence, he elevated the occupation of farmland to the perspective of justice.
It seems that this issue is also a normal state of affairs in the world. Yuwentai may not be aware of it, but for some reasons he has not paid attention to it yet.
After all, the local powerful people in Guanzhong have their own industries, and the ones who really get a lot of land grants are the Beizhen warriors and Neifu Xinke. If you treat these people too harshly, it will not be conducive to unification and win-win.
This should be regarded as a contradiction in the development and growth of the Western Wei Dynasty, which was strictly governed by officials but was handled vaguely.
"May I ask Master Zhu, why is the soil here so gray and white, so different from other places?"
When yesterday evening arrived, Li Tai noticed that the soil on these slopes was mostly gray-white. Now that he was climbing up, he could see it more clearly.
The soil here is indeed white, with a very grainy texture when you twist it with your fingers, but the soil is fine and smooth, somewhat similar to the clay that Yang Heili found on the slopes of Shangyuan.
However, the slopes of Shangyuan are often dotted with lumps, unlike here where almost the entire slope is covered with such soil. In fact, the white water flowing here is of pure white quality, which is probably why the river got its name.
"The soil here is a treasure, and the finished products of pottery are quite good. The fine powder is sifted and mixed with water to cure diarrhea. In times of famine, bran and bran are mixed into cakes to satisfy hunger..."
When Zhu Ziyong heard Li Tai's question, he stopped, pointed at the soil on the slope and explained with a smile.
When Li Tai heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up. It can cure diarrhea and can also be used to satisfy hunger. Isn't this Guanyin soil?
Guanyin clay, also known as kaolin clay, contains a certain amount of montmorillonite. In later generations, montmorillonite powder was one of the commonly used drugs for treating diarrhea.
Eating Guanyin soil can indeed make you feel full, but if you eat too much, you will die. In addition to satisfying hunger in times of famine, this kind of soil is the best quality clay.
In addition to the conventional use of firing ceramics, clay also has an important role, that is, as a filler for papermaking.
Gaps between paper fibers are unavoidable. Applying high-quality kaolin slurry with water on the surface of the paper can not only increase the delicate, smooth and flexible texture of the paper, but also increase the brightness and ink absorbency of the paper.
Xuancheng, which was famous for papermaking in later generations, and Jingdezhen, which is famous for porcelain, are geographically very close. One of the reasons is that the area is rich in high-quality kaolin.
There are abundant reserves of kaolin here. If you look around at the soil slope at Li Tai's feet, you will see that the nearby hills and high hills are full of this soil color, which may be dark or light in color.
"There is such good land near the manor, what kind of pottery can be done in the manor?"
Li Tai observed the environment and then asked again.
After Zhu Ziyong heard this, he pointed to the mouth of a valley on the west side of Poling, where white water flows, and said with a smile: "There are two kilns there. Dozens of villagers are dispatched to smelt utensils here during the off-season, and Dazu uses them at home."
.There are also graphite deposits in the upper reaches of Baishui, which can replace firewood..."
When Li Tai heard this, he became even more excited. There are mounds of high-quality kaolin clay and coal resources nearby. Such a superior resource environment cannot be perfect!
"Uncle has asked me to manage my business. Don't be careless about it. Go and take a look ahead!"
Li Tai was very excited at this moment. He walked down the slope first and walked upward along the Baishui River. He didn't feel tired even after walking for more than ten miles.
Baishui originates from the remaining veins of Ziwu Ridge and flows east-west into Luoshui River. The area it flows through is already located on the outer edge of the northern part of the Guanzhong Plain. In addition to the river mouth where it flows into Luoshui River, there are also some flat fields. Going up to the left and right are mostly plateaus and hills.
.
But the watershed is indeed rich in natural resources. In addition to kaolin suitable for making porcelain and papermaking, you will encounter many coal soil humus layers a short distance up. You can even see caves further down the hillside.
People digging pits to mine coal.
The only slight drawback is that the nearby traffic environment is really underdeveloped. Most of them are winding paths that have been trampled by the villagers over time, but there are no straight roads.
Although there is a river like Baishui, the river channel is shallow and wide, and the water flow is not abundant. There are many traces of river water erosion on both sides of the river beach. If it is full, it will overflow, and it can hardly carry boat transportation.
There are mostly block-shaped plateaus on the left and right sides of the river basin. During the busy farming season, villagers often dig canals along the river. As a result, the river downstream of Baishui becomes shallower and even frequently cuts off.
Li Tai originally wanted to continue upstream to check, but he saw that Zhu Ziyong and others who were traveling with him were out of breath, and he himself had gone out since dawn and had not taken a break to eat until now. He was also hungry, so he
He gestured to return without saying anything.
On the way back, he asked He Basheng curiously about the operating status of these industries.
When he was in Chaoyi before, he had a general understanding of He Basheng's business. There were more than 3,700 scholars, which seemed like a large number, but he also had many properties under his name, which was enough.
Nearly one thousand hectares of manor land.
Even though a considerable part of these manor lands are farmed for Daxingtai, the remaining amount is still considerable.
Li Tai's manor in Shangyuan was actually only more than thirty hectares, and more than half of it was hilly and mountainous. The size of the tribe was already as small as 600 people.
Although he is still operating in debt at the moment, Li Tai is also confident that by the spring of next year at the latest, his manor operation will be able to turn losses into profits. Not only will it be able to settle external accounts, but it will also produce considerable profits.
Even if He Basheng's property is discounted again and again, even if he only has 300 hectares of land that can be cultivated and weaved, he can still have enough food and clothing. And as a general in charge of the army, He Basheng will definitely have other incomes.
So Li Tai couldn't figure it out. He Basheng was not so poor that he couldn't take the blame, so why would he entrust him to help run the industry? Could it be that he thought he was handsome and considerate, so he wanted to hand over his power to Li Tailai to inherit?
"Well, in the final analysis, my lord is still too benevolent and compassionate..."
When Zhu Ziyong heard this, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh and began to talk about He Basheng's current dilemma in family management.
Although he has more than 3,700 people under his name, the actual labor force is far less than this number. Excluding the old, weak, sick, disabled, women and children, there are only less than a thousand real strong men, and these strong men cannot all be put into production.
At least nearly half of them require off-the-job training and follow-up operations.
In the previous battle of Mangshan, He Basheng led 600 private troops to participate in the battle. He Baxi and Zhu Meng, whom Li Tai had met at the Chaoyi Manor, were the two leading troops in the tent. As a result, only these 600 men were allowed to fight.
More than 200 people fled back in defeat, and many of them were disabled.
With more than 3,700 troops, they only need the most basic food and clothing. They also need to maintain the rations and armor staff consumption of at least 400 to 500 armored soldiers.
In addition, there are soldiers who are disabled and need long-term support. He Basheng was born in Beizhen and has been wandering all his life. Now, including himself, he is suffering from old illness. Those disabled, old and sick soldiers are the doctors.
Asking for medicine is another expense.
In addition, every time they go to war or travel to Taiwan, He Basheng and other Beizhen generals also need to make donations to maintain the military and country's expenditure. On the surface, the property they were given is quite generous, but after discounting it,
I don't really have much savings.
After saying this, Zhu Ziyong waved his hand and retreated to the few followers behind him, and whispered to Li Tai: "My lord's affectionate love for your husband is observed with my humble eyes, and I secretly believe that the love is true. Even if I am also living in Guanxi,
The nephew and nephew of my lord have never been so close to each other..."
After Li Tai heard this, he couldn't help but be stunned, while Zhu Ziyong continued to sigh: "At the beginning of the year, my lord suffered from a severe cold and illness, and he summoned the late Taifu Wuzhuang Gong to the capital to rest, and wanted to briefly explain what happened next. However, it is too late for both of them.
The delay in coming makes the master even more sad. He often sighs in the crowd, saying that when the time comes, he doesn't know who to entrust to the sick and injured old slaves..."
When Li Tai heard this, he realized that he was talking about He Buyue's sons.
It was related to other people's family affairs, so he didn't want to comment too much, so he just said in a low voice: "Teacher Heba died before he was born, and Daxingtai nested this old trend, and his career was successful. The two gentlemen did not want to rely on this old favor to show off.
Deeds should also be measured carefully."
Yu Wentai inherited He Dayue's power and became the boss of Guanzhong. Even if he was just grateful to He Dayue and did not have other distractions, He Dayue's sons should also be cautious and self-restrained in order to enjoy peace.
"The gentleman is deeply aware of the matter, but the servant is not an old servant of the master's family in Beizhen. Seeing this poor relationship, it is inevitable that the master will be sad. The two husbands may be cautious, but they are not alienated from goods. When the master returns,
Later, he took pity on this young orphan and often gave him generous gifts. This has become a regular practice to this day. When something happens, he must give instructions, but he refuses to come forward to be disciplined. How can he not make all onlookers feel sad?"
Zhu Ziyong shook his head and sighed again, expressing his congratulations on whether the victory was worth it. He then looked at Li Tai and said sincerely: "There are not enough close relatives to do the work. How can the lord not worry about his subordinates? The relatives and heirs are still stranded in the east."
Zhou, if we can reunite in the coming year, we will need someone to help us establish a foothold...
I sincerely ask you, sir, not to be estranged because of the outdoors. Since my lord trusts the family affairs, we, the loyal soldiers, also hope that your lord can help my lord become a good person and keep the thoughts of a person before and after his death!"
When Li Tai heard this, he couldn't help but feel touched. He Basheng's life was full of ups and downs, but in his later years, he was also in a miserable situation that was visible to the naked eye. Just watching Zhu Ziyong pouring out his feelings to him, he knew that it was not just He Basheng, but also He Basheng.
Even his loyal servants are pessimistic about the future.
"Don't worry, Zhu Weng. I am a lonely new guest from Dongzhou. My uncle has shown favor to me out of righteousness, and I should repay him righteously! Once you have given me something, I will keep it. Unless my uncle is far away from me and abandons me, I will never be timid because of the distance.
Take responsibility and let this matter go to others!"
Li Tai was silent for a moment, and then he spoke.