In the first year of Yanxi of the Han Dynasty, as soon as spring began in Guanzhong, Feng Junhou began to inspect spring plowing in various places.
Spring plowing is one of the tasks that the government attaches most importance to, and is related to the stability of local people.
This year’s spring plowing in Guanzhong is particularly important.
When the news of the emperor's decision to change Yuan Yanxi reached Guanzhong, Feng Junhou knew that his brother-in-law would come to Guanzhong this year.
If the work in Guanzhong is done well, the capital will be moved directly this year.
If you are not prepared, then the emperor will patrol the border.
Everyone on the left and right wants to welcome the emperor. This is the most important task in Guanzhong this year.
Therefore, Feng Junhou estimated that he would not have much time to manage the place in the second half of the year.
Everything that needs to be done must be done in advance, time is very tight.
The consolidation of land registration records south of the Weishui River is still continuing.
Nowadays, there are fewer people and more land. The land allocated by the government does not mean that all the land will be distributed.
Instead, the land is divided according to the principle of one acre and fifty acres. Now that the population is sparse, a family of three can still get 150 acres.
A family of five can manage a hundred acres of land without losing time, and there will be no hunger...
This is still in Guanzhong. If it is over in Liangzhou, a Han citizen can get one hundred acres, and a foreigner can get fifty acres.
If there is an additional population, land can continue to be allocated from the government.
According to this method of division, the fields in Guanzhong can be divided continuously for two or three generations.
After two or three generations, if you still hope to rely on this little bit of land to make a living, then this dynasty will be able to live comfortably for at most one generation before it inevitably enters decline.
The continuous annexation of land, the continuous differentiation of rich and poor, and the inability of food to support more people often mean the coming of unrest.
This is the self-recovery process of ancient human society.
Through active or passive population reduction, the purpose of restoring stable operation of society can be achieved.
However, the superposition of the Little Glacier climate caused a sharp decrease in food supply, and the Hu people were forced to continue moving south, which would only make this change more drastic.
Therefore, if Feng Junhou wants to avoid the darkest period in Chinese history, it is not enough to unify the world.
He also needs to find ways to increase grain production against the Little Icefall cycle, so that the output of the Chinese land can support a larger population.
At the same time, we must also find ways to combat the severe weather of the Little Ice Age, especially to improve people's cold resistance.
They even had to find ways to tame the barbarians who kept coming south.
The further north you go, the more you feel the malice of God when she comes to visit your aunt.
Last winter in Jinyang City, more than two hundred people froze to death, including men, women, and children.
This is just the city of Jinyang.
I can’t even imagine how many people would freeze to death in Bingzhou in one winter.
If Deng Zhi had not stayed in Longyou, he would never have imagined that the winter in the north would be so cold.
After Feng Junhou inspected the spring plowing in Guanzhong, he crossed the river again and headed north to Bingzhou.
This time, Deng Zhi, the governor of Bingzhou, followed Feng Junhou through Yanmen Pass.
He felt a little anxious.
"Junhou, you should dig coal quickly!"
So many people froze to death last year, and it can be said that Bingzhou has just recovered, so a lot of work was too late to be done.
But if so many people freeze to death again this winter, it will be a question of whether I can keep my current position, let alone return to the court to fight for the position of the Three Lords.
The Xinghan Hui chose two locations, one in Pingcheng and the other in Mayi City (later Shuo County) not far from Yanmen Fortress, and planned to mine coal in these two places.
Of course, it can also be said that a large amount of coal was found in these two places.
Feng Junhou sighed and said to Deng Zhi:
"Uncle Deng, I'm worried too. I still have a lot of things to do in Guanzhong. But I haven't found any iron ore after searching for so long."
"If we go to war easily, if iron ore is found elsewhere, wouldn't it be a waste of money and food invested?"
"The people behind the scenes can't make the decision, so I had to find time to come and take a look."
In the late spring season, there was still a slight chill outside the Great Wall. Feng Junhou and Governor Deng rode their tall horses side by side on the grassland outside the Hanwai, letting the cool wind blow on their faces.
When Deng Zhi heard Feng Junhou's words, he couldn't help but raise his voice:
"Don't waste it! How could it be wasted? This winter, the people of Bingzhou will spend the winter relying on these coals!"
Fortunately, in the south, even if there is no fire pit or coal stove, as long as there is food, the family can get through it by gritting their teeth and huddled in the haystack.
But in the north, especially in places like Bingzhou, Liangzhou, it is not something that can be overcome by squeezing.
But if there is no fire to keep warm, people will definitely freeze to death.
When a person lives in this world, he cannot lack the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
Why did Feng Guiwang employ so many barbarians as laborers, but the barbarians on the grassland still regarded Feng Junhou as a god?
Isn’t it because he helped the Hu people with their basic necessities, food, housing and transportation?
In every workshop, there is a batch of damaged wool every year, that is, scraps that cannot be sold.
But even these scraps, if taken to the barbarians, are also treasures to keep out the cold.
Liangzhou Gongfang, Caochang Fur Workshop, etc. distribute this kind of wool to handymen and weavers for free every year, which also makes people feel grateful.
Those who are more handy at home will change it into winter robes. Don’t talk about whether they are ugly or not, and whether they are comfortable or not. Not being cold is the greatest comfort.
The Xiongnu commander Liu Bao and others were willing to pay for the blankets used by the caravans to wrap their goods.
Why?
It's really because I'm scared of the cold.
Milk tea, which was popular in Longyou in the early years, has gradually become popular in Liangzhou.
I heard that this is a good thing made by Feng Junhou himself.
Wealthier Hu people drink a bowl of hot milk tea made from tea bricks and feel warm all over their bodies.
If you have a small coal stove at home, it is most convenient to burn some coal for heating and boil water for cooking.
What is this called? This is called a good day that even the gods will not change.
Back when we were in the desert, that would have been unthinkable.
Why did Zhao Sanqian lead his cavalry and wipe out several wealthy families in Liangzhou, but the whole Liangzhou remained calm?
Isn’t it because people are determined?
Who would let go of a good life and go into business with their head tied to their waistband?
Isn't this a disease?
Now don't say that you are leading the Hu people to rebel. If the Hu people find out, it will be good if they don't put a sack on you and go to the government to collect the reward.
Happiness comes from comparison. As long as the living standards of the people continue to improve under the rule, it doesn't matter whether you are a queen with a thousand women at night or three thousand with a sun?
Ten thousand a day is all you need as long as you don't touch my wife and daughter.
Deng Zhi lived in Longyou for so many years, but he saw with his own eyes how Feng Junhou governed a place where Han and barbarians lived together.
Even if you don’t understand anything else, don’t you understand something if you learn something else?
Feng Junhou, on the other hand, couldn't help laughing when he heard Deng Zhi's slightly hurried tone:
"It turns out that this is what Uncle Deng was worried about. Don't worry, as long as Uncle Deng is willing to facilitate the Xinghan Association, the people of Bingzhou will never be frozen this year."
After receiving Feng Junhou's guarantee, Deng Zhi felt relieved and said with a smile:
"I also know that Xinghan will be in Bingzhou mainly because they want to find iron ore."
Now Deng Zhi can be regarded as one of the big shots in the DPRK, mainly because he is senior and has lived a long time.
And he also has a son who is in the Xinghan Society.
Xinghan would exchange the interests of Guanzhong for the iron smelting rights of Bingzhou. It can be said that this was somewhat of a gamble.
Therefore, in his opinion, finding iron ore is the primary goal of Xinghan Hui.
However, Feng Junhou was always generous to his own people and promised not to let the people of Bingzhou suffer from the cold until the iron ore was found.
The implication is that the progress of coal mining will not be slowed down.
Deng Zhi was overjoyed when he heard this and patted his chest and promised:
"As for the iron mine, as long as I am in Bingzhou, it will definitely open the door to the Xinghan Hui, but please don't worry, my dear nephew."
The two big men of the Han Dynasty were engaged in some kind of dirty power and money transaction, and suddenly there was a rumble of thunder in the distance.
Deng Zhi looked towards the direction where the thunder came from, which was exactly the direction of the Xinghan Hui enclosure.
"I heard from people below that since the beginning of spring, even if it's a sunny day, there will always be thunder over there."
Deng Zhi seemed to have remembered something, and turned to look at Feng Junhou again with some surprise:
"My dear nephew, will everything be okay?"
Feng Junhou smiled:
"Uncle Deng, don't worry. What can happen? Even if something happens, it will be in a deserted mountain and wild place, and it won't get in the way."
"By the way, Deng Zhi, it's best to warn the local people not to run there if nothing happens. There are always some weird things happening in mining areas."
"I remember when I was digging coal in Nanxiang, a three-foot-long worm was dug up in the mountain. Some people said it was about to turn into a dragon. So if anyone is curious and sneaks in and sees something rare, please spread the word.
Rumors spread and make people panic."
Seeing Feng Junhou's calm and confident expression, Deng Zhi simply said that he had little experience and didn't know much about things like mining.
He nodded immediately and said:
"Since my nephew said this, I will ask people to pay more attention to it."
Capital of the Xinghan Hui didn't care, so naturally Deng Zhi wouldn't worry about him.
To put it bluntly, even if someone is really killed by thunderbolt, it is not a big deal.
Because apart from the people from the Xinghan Hui, the rest there were either laborers or criminals sent by the government, and there were also some Bingzhou barbarians.
"There is one more thing that Uncle Deng should pay attention to. Taiyuan County still needs to pay attention to farming." Feng Junhou held a riding whip in his hand and pointed at the large grassland in front of him, "It is not suitable to grow food outside the Great Wall."
"So in the future, we will still have to rely on Uncle Deng to transport food here from Taiyuan."
With Yanmen Fortress as the boundary, although some grain can be grown in the Datong Plain to the north, the yield is not too high, and part of it must be supplied within the fortress.
The Taiyuan Plain south of Yanmen Fortress is the real essence of Bingzhou, and it is also the main grain-producing area of Bingzhou.
Each base of the Xinghan Hui will have a food supply base.
Off-duty workers need to consume a large amount of calories. In an era when protein supply is insufficient, the demand for food is even stronger.
Taiyuan Plain is the food supply base planned by Feng Junhou.
"Don't worry, my dear nephew, as soon as spring started this year, the Xinghan Association transported a lot of farm tools and grain seeds to Taiyuan."
"Speaking of which, I have really taken too much credit from my nephew this time. If I can't even do this well, how can I have the dignity to occupy the position of governor of Bingzhou?"
Deng Zhi replied and sighed in his heart:
Relying on Xinghanhui makes everything easier.
Others have to exert a lot of effort to do things, but if you rely on Xinghan Hui, you only need to use three points of effort, and you are already much stronger than others.
The two were talking when they saw a group of people galloping in the distance.
When Deng Zhi saw clearly the appearance of the men and horses, he wisely said to Feng Junhou:
"I have other things to do, so I won't disturb you."
Feng Junhou held up his hands and said, "Uncle Deng, please do as you please."
The person coming at this time was none other than Guan Xiaojunhou, who was leading people over.
In this team of carriages and horses, there was not only a carriage, but also several carts pulled by mules.
The wheels of the cart are much taller than ordinary carts, and the entire cart is specially designed and reinforced. Although it looks simple, it is very convenient for pulling goods on the grassland.
It was Feng Junhou who imitated the Lele car that had been passed down for thousands of years and improved it.
Guan Xiaojunhou rode up to Feng Junhou, and the car behind him opened the window, revealing Amei's pretty face.
There was a light of joy in Amei's eyes.
When Feng Junhou saw her little appearance, he felt happy and looked at Guan Xiaojunhou again.
Guan Xiaojunhou, who had always been cool in front of outsiders, could not hide his excitement at this time.
"Set up camp and rest!"
As the guard camp dispersed, Feng Junhou looked at his two wives and concubines: "How?"
"Alang, it's really, really, really awesome!"
Guan Xiaojunhou, who was always calm, couldn't wait to give a thumbs up, "It's really amazing! That big mountaintop was blown up in half..."
"It's an exaggeration. How can it be so powerful?"
Feng Junhou smiled and shook his head, "At most, it will make a big hole."
How powerful must the TNT of later generations be before they can be said to be able to blow up half a mountain?
Not to mention that the current one used is just black gunpowder. After years of testing by Ah Mei, it should be the best formula.
The most important thing is to master the equivalents used in various situations.
This time I came to Bingzhou to test various types of equivalents and finally compile them into practical guidance materials.
But even if it is the best formula and the equivalent amount is mastered, it cannot be compared with tnt.
"Almost the same!" Guan Xiaojunhou didn't care about that much, but seeing her face full of joy, he said, "In my opinion, blowing up the city is enough."
There's a big difference between blowing up half a mountain and blowing up a city.
Most of the current cities are made of rammed earth, and even counterweight trebuchets cannot stop them.
However, it was not easy for Feng Junhou to attack Guan Xiaojunhou, who was immersed in imagination and wanted to lead an army with explosives to blow up the world.
He looked at Amei and asked another thing:
"How, the coal there may burn sulfur?"
Amei shook her head:
"The quality of the coal there is considered to be very good, but the quality for refining sulfur is a bit inferior."
"It doesn't matter." Feng Junhou said with a smile, "The quality of the coal is good, which is a good thing."
"From Pingcheng to Mayi, the underground is full of coal. There must be places suitable for sulfur refining. We will go to Pingcheng tomorrow to have a look."
After hearing his Alang's words, Guan Xiaojunhou suddenly remembered something:
"Alang, Pingcheng and Mayi are now considered places outside the Great Wall. There are thieves in the east, so we need to be careful."
"Don't worry, Mr. Xi, the eyes of the world are now only looking at Luoyang, Yecheng, east of the river." Feng Junhou smiled mysteriously, "I am interested in Youzhou."
"Youzhou?"
Feng Junhou smiled slightly:
"Yes, Youzhou. The only place in the world that can produce excellent war horses is Liangzhou and Youzhou. Now both Liangzhou and Bingzhou are under the control of the Han Dynasty."
"The current war horses of the Wei thieves are all produced in Youzhou. If Youzhou is gone, in a few years, the cavalry of the Wei thieves will no longer have any use."
The lifespan of horses in later generations is about thirty years, but this is under scientific breeding.
But in this era without scientific animal husbandry, it is enough to live for twenty-five years.
The horses are the oldest and must be three years old before they can be selected to join the army.
After entering the army, it takes another one to two years to train before riding it on the battlefield.
If it is lucky enough to survive on the battlefield and wars are not frequent, it can serve until it is about twelve years old.
Because that is its peak period. After that age, it begins to decline, and forcing it to charge will only hinder it on the battlefield.
At this time, it can basically be transferred to the logistics department to transport grain and grass.
But this is an ideal situation, and in reality the situation is often:
Most of the war horses did not wait until they were twelve years old, died on the battlefield, or were injured, and could never become war horses again.
Or it may have experienced too many battles and too many rides, causing it to age prematurely.
Wei State has already dominated the world with its fine cavalry, and coupled with the secrets that Yang Yi has brought, I believe that Wei State's cavalry will be greatly improved.
But now, Feng Junhou smiled evilly, he no longer planned to play cavalry versus cavalry with Wei.
The Ghost King cast his eyes directly on Youzhou, intending to draw fire from the bottom of the cauldron.