Guanzhong is extremely busy this spring. There are many busy people in the fields during the busy farming season, and various workshops are also busy producing.
There are fewer idle people in Guanzhong. It can be seen from the local county annals that public security is much better than before.
Since Lishan became the richest family in Guanzhong, Guanzhong as a whole has also begun to aim at getting rid of poverty and becoming rich, striving to develop production, increasing exports and expanding domestic demand.
In the past, Lishan would still hold discussions with the counties, but now they don't, and everyone is working on their own.
That's what manufacturing is like, once you start, you can't stop.
People's material needs cannot be satisfied. Confucian scholars often say that the rapid industrialization process is slowly curbing people's most precious nature.
But this deep and beautiful vision is destined not to be understood by most people.
On the road to pursuing a better material life, the obstacles that stand in the way of development are our common enemies.
It's like people in Lishan using paper to go to the toilet. Now more and more people in Chang'an City are using paper to go to the toilet. It is indeed more comfortable to do so.
After some people use up the paper, they will curse, "Fuck you, saint."
Pragmatism is the first priority in Guanzhong now, and getting rid of poverty and becoming rich is people's yearning for a better life.
In front of these two, the teachings of the saints can be put aside for the time being.
When people don't even have enough to eat, where can they go to see the teachings of saints?
Today is May of the first year of Zheng Qiankun, and Tubo has just sent news that a woman named Zhuoma has become the Prime Minister of Tubo.
Li Junxian was a little confused about this, as the world became increasingly unfamiliar.
Xu Xiaode prepared all the regulations and hurried over with a team of censor officers and soldiers. After bidding farewell to his daughter in her wedding dress, his worries were relieved.
"Actually, you can stay in Lishan for a few more days."
Xu Xiaode whispered: "The situation in the south of the Yangtze River is serious. Your life is at stake. I dare not delay."
Li Junxian said again: "I heard that you have a son in Jiangnan who is also working for Lishan?"
"Quanzi helped Lishan build the port and prepare for the future."
"That's fine. We need someone to take care of us when we go to Jiangnan. I heard that His Highness the King of Jin is also in Jiangnan."
Seeing that the team had rested, Xu Xiaode said, "It's not too late."
Li Junxian nodded and said: "Then let's leave Tongguan first, and then go south to Yangzhou."
"good."
With an unprecedented fighting spirit on his face, Xu Xiaode rode up on his horse and headed towards Tongguan.
The appointment of the censor for inspection was planned as early as last year, but he has only started taking action now. Li Chengqian made this arrangement to clean up the court. Only when the situation of the court in the rear is improved and there is a stable rear, can the inspection have an advantage.
And Li Junxian was given the power to mobilize troops in other places, just in case.
It took two days to get from Chang'an City to Tongguan. Xu Xiaode and Li Junxian started from Luoyang along the canal opened by Yang Guang, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty. They set out from Luoyang and went south to Jiangdu. They crossed the Huaihe River in Jiangnan and then entered the boundary of Jiangnan.
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The journey on the waterway was stumbling, as many of the fortifications that year were shelved in the middle of the process. The journey was not very smooth, and it was half a month later than expected. It was only in the summer of June that we arrived in Suzhou, Jiangnan East Road.
As soon as you arrive in Jiangnan, you can feel the drizzle and lush greenery here.
The mountain peaks in the distance are green, the rivers are winding and criss-crossing, there are many merchants and traders coming and going, and there is an endless stream of pedestrians on the official road.
The continuous drizzle is like a curtain, shrouding the not-so-high peaks in mist.
Xu Xiaode and Li Junxian stopped by Taihu Lake.
There is a large boat in the center of the lake. The boat is luxuriously decorated, and it looks like it is not an ordinary boat.
What's even more peculiar is that this boat has no mast, but looks like a wooden house floating on the water.
Li Junxian comforted the horse beneath him. The horse snorted, a little impatient of the rainy season in the south.
A small boat sailed slowly from the center of the lake. The other person was wearing a raincoat and rocking an oar. When he got close, the boatman saluted and said, "May I ask, are they Xu Yushi and General Li?"
Xu Xiaode nodded.
The boatman spoke Guanzhong dialect with a strong Suzhou accent, "Mr. Xu has been waiting for a long time. Let's get on the boat and meet at the boathouse."
Xu Xiaode took the lead and boarded the boat.
When Li Junxian saw this, he also got off his horse.
As the boat swayed forward and sailed away from the shore, the surroundings became increasingly quiet, with only the sound of rain falling on the lake and the sound of the oars moving across the water.
The closer you get to the center of the lake, looking at the vast and endless lake surface, you will feel a sense of tranquility far away from the hustle and bustle of the world.
Xu Yushi looked up and saw his son Xu Qitan standing on the bow of the boat. He was now a half-grown young man, already seventeen years old in a blink of an eye.
Xu Qitan saluted and said: "Father, General Li."
The small boat stopped next to the big ship, and Xu Xiaode and Li Junxian stepped onto the big ship.
Standing on the boat, I realized that the wood and decoration used in the boat were all of the best quality.
Noticing Li Junxian's gaze, Xu Qitan saluted and said: "Our Xu family has earned a lot of money through the Lishan trade route in recent years. General Li can rest assured that our Xu family's money expenses are all based on tax regulations and regulations."
Lishan will be handed over to the Central Government together, there will be no mistakes."
Xu Yushi stroked his beard and said: "If there is any mistake, I will kill my relatives out of justice. I don't want to give up this little family wealth."
Hearing his father's serious words, Xu Qitan quickly said: "Father is right."
Li Junxian took off the raincoat draped over his shoulders and whispered: "The eldest daughter of your Xu family is married to the Marquis of Lishan County, so the family's wealth is naturally countless, but I heard that none of your children will enter the official career from now on."
Xu Qitan replied: "General Li is laughing. The Jiangnan nobles have a lot of opinions about our Xu family, and there are also many people who point fingers. We are used to this. We also invited the general and father to come into the boathouse to talk."
Xu Xiaode walked into the boathouse and saw King Jin and Di Renjie, and he quickly saluted.
Li Zhi now has a soft beard. He is not very tough at the age of seventeen, but he is much taller than before. He quickly stood up and bowed, "Xu Yushi, General Li, there is no need to be polite, please take your seat quickly."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Everyone sat down in the boat house. It was very warm here, and there was a stove boiling water next to it.
Li Zhi asked: "How is your father?"
Knowing that he was asking himself, Li Junxian replied: "I am taking care of my old age in Lishan. I heard that I am getting old very quickly. The queen is taking care of me, and the doctors of Lishan are taking care of your majesty's body. Your highness can rest assured."
Li Zhi took a long breath and murmured to himself: "All this was deliberately arranged by the emperor."
Li Junxian took the tea from Xu Qitan, looking more discouraged.
Di Renjie took out a list and said: "Xu Yushi, this is the list of acres obtained from our visits to the gentry in various places. Xu Yushi's inspection of Jiangnan can be used as a reference."
In fact, the Xu family does not have much land. Now the Xu family has no acres of land and only has three tea mountains to support the Xu family's expenses.
Now the Xu family controls most of the tea merchants and tea farmers, which they have accumulated in the past few years.
It has become the only local wealthy family in Jiangnan that makes its fortune through tea.
However, what is different from other wealthy families is that the Xu family is a wealthy family but not a prominent family, because the Xu family has promised that future generations will not become officials.
This is also a prerequisite for the cooperation between Lishan and the Xu family in Jiangnan.
Except for Xu Huiyao who was far away in Lishan, Xu Qidan was in charge of most of the affairs of the Xu family. From now on, he would only make a living by doing business.
With Lishan leading the way, the Xu family became rich very quickly. Now they have built a port and have ships. They just have to wait for the sea route to be discovered in the future, and there will be more wealth in the future.
Xu Xiaode looked at the roster and frowned: "You asked these are all?"
Di Renjie explained: "It's a shame to say that when His Highness the King of Jin debated with many scholars, all those who came were registered, with names, surnames, and place of origin. No one else could participate. Unexpectedly, he happened to be with Xu Yushi.
It has the same purpose and can be useful."
Xu Xiaode glanced at his son.
Xu Qitan lowered his head guiltily, begging his father not to ask more questions, and then looked at King Jin for help.
Li Zhi coughed and said quite confidently: "Xu Yushi, don't worry too much. With me here, they can't make waves."
Miss Gongsun has cooked fish porridge and served it to several people.
After everyone ate their porridge, the conversation continued.
While eating pastries, Li Zhi analyzed the current situation with Xu Xiaode. There was also land annexation in Jiangnan, but the situation was much better than that in Guanzhong.
Di Renjie took out two wooden buckets and explained: "These are buckets used to weigh rice. The bucket with the character "official" on it is the official bucket, and the one with the character "min" on it is the civilian bucket. The gentry used it to buy and sell grain.
But the taxes paid are official battles."
This folk fight is a bit bigger than the official fight. According to the price of a bucket of rice, more people will buy the civilian fight. For the same bucket of rice, the civilian fight is bigger than the official fight.
Xu Xiaode frowned and thought for a long time without speaking.
Di Renjie continued: "Since the Jiangdu Incident, the Central Plains has been raging with war, and chaos has also occurred in Jiangnan. Fortunately, all places in Jiangnan focus on the gentry, and each place can defend itself. Sometimes there are more militiamen than officers and soldiers."
Li Zhi took over the words and added: "The nobles are the spokespersons of the imperial court in Jiangnan, but they are also powerful people in Jiangnan. There are many forces in Langya County, Wuzhong, and Kuaiji. Wang Xie, Yuan Xiao, etc. are all local powerful people."
"This is a place with abundant food and fish, and it is also a private land where local powerful alliances can easily form. It is far from the court and close to the villagers. Just like the two fights in front of us, the fight between the people is more reliable than the fight between the officials."
Xu Xiaode looked at the two buckets and understood the disadvantages of this weighing tool, and whispered: "Whoever masters the weighing tool will master the taxes and the value of the land."
Di Renjie slapped the table and saw that Xu Xiaode could figure out the key so quickly. He slapped the table and applauded. He took a sip of tea and said, "Although it is just two small buckets of rice, this bucket of rice is related to the lifeblood of powerful people and noble families."
Xu Xiaode nodded secretly, "Now I know what to do."
By mastering different weighing tools, you can master the output of the annexed land.
Aristocratic families have also used this method, but they are even more daring, blatantly annexing land to plunder taxes.
Jiangnan's field register is very simple and obvious. At first glance, there is nothing wrong with it, but when it comes to weighing, it is tampered with.
The people used civil fighting against the nobles, while the government used official fighting.
The difference between this big and small bucket can reach 30%.
And as recorded, they are all calculated in dou meters, so there is room for maneuver.
Li Zhi smiled and said: "I have never participated in these matters before, but after spending half a year in Jiangnan, I saw the whole situation and had to admire their clever methods. This is not a land annexation, but it is indeed a land annexation."
Xu Xiaode saluted and said, "Thank you very much, His Royal Highness King Jin and Mr. Di for informing me."
Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter."
Seeing that the conversation was over, Xu Qitan waved his hand, and the steam engine behind the houseboat began to rumble, and the entire houseboat began to shake.
There was thick black smoke coming out from the rear of the hull, and it started to move.
This boat does not need masts, sails, or manpower to row, and can drive towards the shore on its own.
When Lishan's steam engine was delivered, Xu Qidan installed the steam engine on the ship according to Lishan's drawings.
This was the first ship to be powered by a steam engine.
Li Zhi explained: "Xu Yushi, with this ship, we can go north to Luoyang along the waterway, go to the sea and go north to Youzhou. This is the secret of Lishan transportation."
The ship was not moving slowly. Xu Xiaode stood on the bow of the ship, feeling a little cold from the rain falling on him. King Jin's words could not be heard clearly under the cover of the noise of the steam engine. At this moment, he was filled with emotions, and he also knew about the Jiangnan gentry.
The hard bones are so difficult to crack.
The next day, Xu Xiaode began to visit various official residences in the five states of Taihu and began his inspection work.
It seems that many people will die in Jiangnan this time.
But Li Zhi didn't want to get involved in these things, and as a prince, participating in these things would inevitably lead to suspicion by the currently reigning brother.
It is enough to give Xu Xiaode some advice, and any more participation would be inappropriate for his status.
Li Zhi, Di Renjie, and Lady Gongsun came to the edge of the East China Sea with a group of guards.
The summer sun shone on the beach, and a loud whistle sounded in the distance. It was a steam engine ship sailing.
Di Renjie said: "This kind of ship has a deep draft and requires a deeper port."
The beach was a bit hot, and there were some fishermen working on the beach. Some fishermen brought some crabs, fish and shrimps to these well-dressed young people.
Every time, the money given by Li Zhi was very generous, so the fishermen were very keen to donate fish to this wealthy young man of unknown origin.
Di Renjie said to King Jin who was chewing crabs: "You shouldn't spend money like this."
Li Zhi said nonchalantly: "Brother King Wei has a lot of money, and he has too much money to spend."
Di Renjie looked up to the sky and sighed, "His Royal Highness, King Jin, look at your appearance, alas... wealth is harmful to people."
Miss Gongsun packed her luggage nonchalantly.
The guard hurriedly came to report, "Your Highness, King Jin, the ship is ready. We can go north to Youzhou."
Li Zhi was in a good mood.
Di Renjie was still looking at the navigation guide, which was written by the Marquis of Lishan County and included various instructions for navigation.
"Be aware that when going to sea, you must prepare leeks, bean sprouts and various vegetables. A compass and telescope are essential, they can save lives in critical moments..."
Li Zhi couldn't stand Di Renjie's words and said displeased: "Why are you nagging more and more?"
Di Renjie said: "His Royal Highness the King of Jin is getting more and more mischievous."
"We sail close to the coast. If there is an accident, there are small boats that can return to the shore."
"It's better to be prepared."
"Are you done yet?"
Di Renjie held the navigation instructions in his hand and said: "It's better to be careful."
When everyone got on the sea boat, they felt like they were swaying.
The steam engine ship started sailing, and there was a group of fishermen's children on the coast following the ship, cheering and running along the coast.
Being on an inland lake is not as good as being on the sea. An hour later, neither Di Renjie nor Li Zhi looked very good.
Both of them vomited on the boat, and several people who had lived inland for a long time felt the pain of seasickness for the first time.
Gongsun Xiaoniang patted Prince Jin on the back and whispered: "Your Highness, why don't we go back?"
"No, let's continue heading north... Youzhou!"
As soon as Li Zhi finished speaking, he hugged the bucket and vomited again.
The sails were lowered, the steam engine stopped operating, and following the southeast monsoon, the ship headed north.
The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the sea, making the sea particularly beautiful. The land gradually gets farther and farther away, and the scenery gradually becomes vaster.