"The man named Cui is secretly checking on the fields."
Pang Xiaotai found out the news and immediately came to tell Wu Huaiyu.
"Just check it. It's not a shameful thing anyway. This Youfu border area is sparsely populated and is in urgent need of farmland development."
Wu Huaiyu did not feel guilty. He was indeed buying a large amount of land in Youzhou. Not only did he buy it, but he also asked Huaiyi to buy it, the warriors Xun and the warrior brothers Leng, and Wu Fatty Wu Junbo and others. In addition, Zhao Yi, Zhao Xin, Chen Xing, and Chen Shenghou bought it.
Sanxu Siye, brother-in-law Ma Zhou, brother Cheng Chumo, etc., as well as close relatives and friends, Wu Huaiyu all wrote letters asking them to come and buy land.
It's not like they were occupying people's fields. Most of the land they bought was border land. Many of them had previous owners, but they were abandoned during the war and became raw land. Some of them were pastures.
Especially in the areas behind the mountains and Yingping, many of these areas were occupied by the Xi people in the late Sui Dynasty, or were occupied by border people's self-government, or occupied by the Sogdian Hu, and basically did not even have formal rule.
Nowadays, the rule of the imperial court is basically restored, but the population is small and there is a lot of open space. Now the imperial court is becoming more and more prosperous, and the military garrison on the border has also increased. Even the opening of border markets has boosted border trade and the demand for food on the border.
Big increase.
It is not cost-effective to transport grain from the mainland. It is actually the most cost-effective to cultivate wasteland and farmland on site.
Wu Huaiyu also encouraged people to move to the frontier. For people with little or no land in the interior, as long as they were willing to move, a strong man would be given 100 acres. If a young family was a couple with children, they would be given 200 acres directly.
A family with a large population can get at least 300 acres of land. The more adults there are, the greater the share of Yongye land.
In addition, merchant villages are also encouraged to purchase border land for reclamation and cultivation in the name of merchants at affordable prices. The requirements are that they cannot be left idle and a certain amount of grain must be purchased by the public every year.
The border troops were also encouraged to bring their families to the border and share as much land as possible.
Under these policies, local officials, generals, as well as local nobles, powerful men, and merchants could purchase land without much restriction, and it was even encouraged.
It is certainly profitable for Wu Huaiyu and the others to buy land now. First of all, there is more land and it is cheaper. Moreover, if you buy it first, you can not only choose at will, but even get large tracts of land, which is convenient for planting.
Gradually in the future, the value of these lands will definitely increase, and it will even be equally profitable to operate them.
This approach is not the first of its kind.
In fact, when Wu Huaiyu was in Shuofang, he implemented this policy of granting farmland and establishing farmland in border areas. He also bought more than a hundred hectares of land in Shuofang.
Before him, Li Daozong in Lingzhou, Duan Decao in Suizhou, and even Yang Gongren in Liangzhou had actually implemented similar policies, which not only reclaimed wasteland but also provided some benefits to officials and soldiers.
Some of them even invaded the former official land, the good land of the extinct households, and the terra nullius land that was ruined by the war, and directly changed it into their own, which is called encroachment.
People like Wu Huaiyu spend money to buy land, and most of the land they buy is wasteland, and they have to cultivate and cultivate it themselves for several years before it matures. That really means spending money to do practical things and benefit the country and the people.
The initial investment is not small.
The emperor would not pursue this situation at all. Although the powerful nobles took the opportunity to acquire large amounts of land, which would be a hidden danger in the future, for the moment, this behavior was actually beneficial to both sides of the court.
Just like the Tanghe River Valley, Chaohe River Valley, Puhe River Valley, Liuhe River Valley and other major river valleys that Wu Huaiyu is about to take back from Beishan Xi, as well as the valleys of their tributaries, these were all pastures of Beishan Xi.
hunting ground,
Once these lands are taken over, it is impossible and they will only be used as pastures. There is still a lot of land suitable for farming. Moreover, there will be many troops stationed in the Yanshan area in the future, and there will be many post stations and border markets. Food self-sufficiency is very urgent.
But now it is unrealistic to cultivate the border through immigration.
Only aristocratic powerful people like the Wu family and the Lu family can take the lead in development. Those who enter the game first will naturally get the benefits first.
Cui Dunli insisted on finding fault with this matter, but he was picking in the wrong place. Maybe he thought that Wu Huaiyu would not be so honest and spend money to buy land and raw land. He thought that Wu Huaiyu would take advantage of his position like many nobles and nobles.
, people who use their power for personal gain will encroach on government land, public land, and even common people's good land. This kind of thing is indeed very common.
We haven't found it yet, but there will definitely be it, and the problem will be serious.
But what he didn't expect was that Wu Huaiyu did buy a lot of land, including land purchased by the Wu family himself, as well as commercial land purchased in the name of various businesses, and many relatives and friends were also brought in to buy the land.
Even Princess Yang Muyun of Huainan bought dozens of hectares of land in one go, while Lu Sanwu Niang, Gao Twelve and others, and Wu Huaiyu all let them use their dowries, and took advantage of the current good policies to take some land.
But there is really no such thing as Cui Dunli thought, using power for personal gain and encroaching on the land cherished by the government and the common people.
Although Wu Huaiyu donated the Jiangdong plow to the emperor, which could improve the efficiency of farming, and cattle and horses were more abundant and cheaper in Youzhou, the most important thing for reclaiming wasteland and farming was labor force.
This is still a relatively labor-intensive industry, and there is a lack of unemployed people to hire. It mainly relies on slaves to run plantation estates, develop some pastures, and then engage in mines, workshops, trade, etc.
However, the initial cost of holding slaves and planting things in manors is high. A Tibetan slave costs at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. But now one acre of land can only produce two or three shi per year, and the price of food is low. A bucket of rice only costs 20 to 30 yuan.
You can buy a slave with stone grain, which requires an annual output of at least fifty acres of land.
In comparison, hiring a long-term worker for a year's food and wages is about the annual output of ten acres of land.
It's just that keeping slaves is like raising cattle and horses. They can also be paired and reproduced to increase value. Slaves can also be engaged in other things to increase benefits, but the initial investment is huge.
Buying a hundred acres of land can cost up to ten thousand yuan, but it requires at least two Din slaves to cultivate it. Two Din slaves cost fifty to sixty thousand yuan, and you also need to buy cattle, horses, farming tools, seeds, etc.
Although the long-term efficiency is not bad, ordinary people will definitely not be able to afford it. Therefore, if you want to speed up the development of border land, it is most reasonable for noble officials and powerful officials to take the lead.
"Let him check it and ignore it,"
"I also want to buy some land in Youzhou," Pang Xiaotai said with a smile.
"Aren't you afraid that Cui Dunli will impeach you?"
"I'm afraid he's a stupid bird. He's a stupid bird, but he's also a hero from five surnames and seven families. I don't know how such a person can be appreciated by a saint." Pang Xiaotai scolded.
"You don't understand," Huaiyu laughed and didn't give him any pointers. Although Cui Dunli was very passive in Youzhou now, he didn't even dare to leave the house because someone really threw shit at him secretly.
However, even if this guy offended the superior of Youzhou, he was definitely a plus for the emperor of Chang'an. For the emperor, of course he also liked Wu Huaiyu and the soldiers of Youzhou, but ministers like Cui Dunli were...
also need.
Cui Dunli was very picky and carried out various investigations. Even if nothing was found, he was still doing things seriously and safeguarding the interests of the emperor. Of course the emperor would be happy.
So Wu Huaiyu doesn't think Cui Dunli is stupid at all.
This guy might have done this on purpose. If he came to Youzhou with an order, it would be impossible to be amicable. He really only came to announce the order and reward, so it must be effective.
In just less than three years, he had risen from the sixth rank, Youxiao Guard Chief Shi, to the current fourth rank, Minister of the Ministry of War.
Previously, he held the important position of Zhongshu Sheren for almost two years, which was an important position known as the Prime Minister and in charge of Wuhua judgement.
How can you call such a person stupid?
It can only be said that Cui Dunli made a choice. He chose to offend Wu Huaiyu in exchange for the emperor's praise for him. He was a truly smart man who knew who was his boss.
Although Wu Huaiyu's holy family is very prosperous now, he will not befriend Wu Huaiyu, especially during this mission.
In fact, this was what she analyzed for herself when he and Yang Muyun had Yuanxiao last night. Yang Muyun had been working as a Kehe Dun in the grassland for twelve years. He had been trained for a long time and was used to intrigues, so he immediately saw through Cui Dunli's plot.
On the contrary, Wu Huaiyu thought that Cui Dunli had been instructed by someone, or even had the emperor's will to deliberately cause trouble.
"It's okay if you want to buy land. There is a lot of land here now, but if you really want to buy it, I advise you not to rush. Wait until Beishanxi is cleared after a while. There is a large area of good land there, because it is a newly conquered land, and
It is the land of the original Beishanxi, there will be a risk of conflict, and the land will be cheaper when the time comes.
When you get there, you can directly acquire a large river valley, buy it and keep some slaves, and get some tribesmen from your hometown to take care of it. You can both cultivate food and herd livestock, and do some border trade on the side. The future is still very good.
Of course, there will be some risks in this place. If Beishan Xi or the Xi people rebel in the future, these places will be in danger."
Pang Xiaotai was more direct, "I listened to the Prime Minister, and those scorners can still change the world. As long as we, the Tang Dynasty, occupy these lands, then this place will always be the land of the Tang Dynasty and the Central Plains. The scorners will never think about it again."
Take it back, and even if there is an occasional rebellion or something, don't worry, they won't be able to take it."
"Eun Xiang, can you count me as the one who makes fun of Beishan? I really don't want to follow that idiot Cui Dunli anymore. It just so happens that he doesn't like me either."
"Your mission is to send envoys to the Turkic tribes and assume the important task of protecting the envoys."
"Enxiang gave a memorial to the saint, just leave me here."
Huaiyu patted him on the shoulder, "You'd better finish this errand first. Anyway, the fighting won't start for a while. If you finish the errand and the fight doesn't start, then I will request an order to keep you in Youzhou."
, if you can stay, just in time to finish defeating Beishan Xi, and then fight Jieli, you can also achieve some military exploits."
"As long as I can follow Enxiang, I don't care whether I make meritorious deeds or not. It's just that staying in Chang'an is quite boring."
When he first arrived in Chang'an, he had only thirteen sons, but now he has eighteen sons. Because he was too bored in Chang'an, he gave birth to five more sons and more than a dozen daughters.
"Then I will ask my brothers Zhongtai, Liangtai, and Houtai to stay in Youzhou and accompany Enxiang."
"If Enxiang doesn't dislike me, I would like to become my adoptive father."
He was a little speechless when he saw that this fierce man from Lingnan, who was ten years older than him and had fathered eighteen sons and thirty-three daughters, was no longer satisfied with being his lackey and wanted to be his adopted son.
As expected, he is so thick-skinned that he is invincible in the world.
"Your eldest son seems to be more than ten years old this year, right?"
"That bitch is sixteen this year, and his name is Yanzhang."
Wu Huaiyu was convinced. People would call their son a dog son because of their modesty, but he would call him a dog son more bluntly.
"Why don't you let Yan Zhang stay with me?" Wu Huaiyu wanted to accept him as his student.
Pang Xiaotai plopped, "Thank you for taking me in, thank you for taking me in."
"What?"
"I called it for him,"
This guy knows how to beat a snake and follow the stick.
"Okay, let Pang Yanzhang stay in Youzhou,"
"Young man, go and ask him to kowtow to Enxiang and change his surname to Wu immediately."
"I'm just an adopted son. There's no need to change my surname. Let's just call him Pang Yanzhang, which means virtuous."
Wu Huaiyu now has a lot of adopted sons under his command, most of them are young men with beards. There are down-and-out young men with barbarians like Yuwen Chengdu and An Lushan, and there are also sons of Mohe leaders like Li Keyong and Wu Sigong.
Of course, there are also Li Heluo'u, son of Tuli Khan, Li Pidi, son of King Xi Kedu, Li Kuge, son of Khitan Khan Mohui, Li Guicheng, son of Khitan commander Li Aocao,
Now it would be okay to accept Pang Yanzhang, the son of the barbarian king of Lingnan.
Pang Xiaotai hurriedly called for the puppy. In fact, he was quite strong and looked like a younger Pang Xiaotai. He thought he was his younger brother. He was said to be only sixteen, but he looked quite mature and looked like he was in his early twenties.
When he came to see Wu Huaiyu, he was still carrying an iron gun wrapped around a pole.
"From today on, you are my ninth adopted son, stay with me and learn the art of war."
Pang Xiaotai slapped his son on the back, "Hurry up and thank your adoptive father."
