Listening to Zhao Ran talk about the fields, Ning Deshou explained: "It used to be cultivated land, but now we are facing the Xia army across the river. No people are allowed within five miles of the shore, in case the other side has an opportunity to take advantage. In the past, there were several along the coast.
The villages were all demolished by the army."
Zhao Ran asked: "Old Ning, to be honest, I feel very sad that the cultivated land is abandoned. The total arable land in Hongyuan is only more than 50,000 acres, and you have abandoned less than half of it. As the abbot of Baimayuan, I
, can’t just watch and remain indifferent.”
Ning Deshou was silent for a moment and said: "Don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of what happens."
Zhao Ran said: "Is it necessary to ban the river for five miles? Lao Ning, these five miles of land just cover the fields that can be cultivated. Five miles away, there is a lack of water sources and farming is difficult, so it is no longer cultivated land.
It’s mostly a pasture.”
Seeing Ning Deshou looking at the river section in silence, knowing that the other party was weighing the matter, he struck while the iron was hot: "Is it okay to ban the river for three miles? It's really not possible, what about three and a half miles? Even four miles, or even four and a half miles? I've seen this land
, if it is four and a half miles of Forbidden River, then the extra half mile of cultivated land can probably get 500 acres. If you give me one mile of cultivated land, I can get 2,500 acres, one mile and a half, I can get 4,000 acres, two miles
, you can get six thousand acres! Lao Ning, half of the remaining cultivated land in Hongyuan is here with you, half is in the Chewa Valley, and there are only a few hundred acres at the other end of Anqu. You have good land here, just give it to me.
With 6,000 acres of cultivated land, I can feed 3,000 people!"
Ning Deshou sighed: "This is not a question of one mile of land or two miles of land. Why was the river banned for five miles in the first place? It was precisely to include these five miles of cultivated land in the forbidden river area. In this way, it can be guaranteed that there will be no one along the river for ten miles.
Go down to the river."
Zhao Ran nodded: "Old Ning, do you think this will work? After the refugees moved here, we made two agreements. One is, along the river bank, every other mile, I will build you a three-foot-high sentry.
Building, the farmers stationed in the watchtower can at least save you the pain of running around patrolling the river every day."
Ning Deshou immediately said happily: "This is what I have always wanted to do, but the military resources are scarce and it is difficult to afford to build dozens of sentry towers. There are no big trees in this area, and all the nearby trees have been cut down to build the military camp.
Already..."
Zhao Ran said: "It doesn't matter. There are many trees in my Maharaja Mountain. I will figure out a way to transport the wood."
"What about the second one?"
"Secondly, the farmland released will be exempted from land tax in the first year, and one and a half bushels will be harvested in the second year. After the third year, three bushels will be harvested every year. No matter how much is harvested, each acre of land in Baima Court will supply the garrison with one bushel of military rations every year.
These military rations are not accounted for in our White Horse Courtyard, and are counted as a reduction in the quota, which you, Lao Ning, will allocate by yourself! When will the garrison be dismantled, when will it be considered over? If you, Lao Ning, have been stationed here at the garrison for ten years,
Let’s divide it for ten years and never give you any scorn!”
Ning Deshou's eyelids twitched: "Seriously?"
"Can there be any falsehood?"
"However, the military order... The abbot also knows that there are many things that I can't afford, and I still need the nod from above..."
This matter needs to go through the normal process. I don’t know how long it will be delayed. It may even be shelved by layers of procedures during the reporting process. After all, there are not many people who dare to take responsibility, so Zhao Ran said: "In name, you are the one in the army.
Recruited farmers! If there are soldiers and family members in your army who are willing to come, they will also be granted land, and those who have married locally will do the same! While plowing the fields, they will guard the river for you. This is a farming and fighting unit, called the Farming Corps."
Ning Deshou took a deep breath, walked back and forth on the river, looked repeatedly, and finally made up his mind.
"Abbot Zhao, if Baimayuan can meet the two conditions you promised, I can agree to ban the river for three miles and give up two miles of land to Baimayuan."
"Then it's settled!"
Zhao Ran was very happy to have obtained 6,000 acres of cultivated land. With the turnover of these cultivated lands, his great project of relocating refugees could be officially launched.
While chatting and laughing, Zhao Ran asked about the Han people he bought back from Xingqing Mansion: "I have been away for more than two months. How did they arrange them in the military camp? Let's go and see?"
Ning Deshou took Zhao Ran to the place where these Han people were resettled. This place was about a mile away from the military camp. There were more than ten separate tents and a low wall built with mounds of earth. The wall was just waist-high, which just happened to prevent the sheep from entering.
Herds and cattle escape.
For more than two months, sixty-three redeemed Han people have been living and raising here. When Zhao Ran came over, he looked over one by one. The faces of these people had regained their vitality and their bodies were much stronger than before.
.
This is a pasture, and it has already entered winter, but there are neat stacks of hay stacks in the camp. The cattle and sheep that Zhao Ran bought from Xixia are huddled together in the fence supported by the earth wall to keep warm, and they are taken care of very thoughtfully.
.
Ning Deshou said with emotion: "These people are indeed veterans who have been herding in Xixia for ten years. Many cattle and sheep in my camp are taken care of by them and they are well raised."
Zhao Ran expressed his thanks: "In the past two months, a lot of food and supplies in the army have been consumed, right? Thank you very much, Lao Ning."
Ning Deshou waved his hand: "It's just more than sixty mouths, and I can squeeze out some food in my camp. What are you going to do next with these people? Can you just let them settle here? This pasture is still very rich.
, it’s not a problem to raise thousands of cattle and sheep, and it can also supply beef, mutton, milk, um, skins, muscles and bones for my army.”
Zhao Ran agreed: "Okay, let's do it like this. Later I will ask Diazhuo Institute to come over and register them for naturalization."
At the banquet to reward the army that night, Zhao Ran and Pei Zhongze sat together again, and the two talked to each other about the two months apart. Pei Zhongze was not very interested in Zhao Ran's governance in Baima Court, and Zhao Ran briefly mentioned
After mentioning it in just a few words, he was very interested in the war formation weapons that Pei Zhongze was tinkering with.
Pei Zhongze mainly introduced some large-scale magic weapons used in military battles, such as the Talisman Ballista. One hit from this ballistae can send a Buddhist novice monk directly to the west. Even if he is a monk, he must
Seriously injured, the power is really amazing, but once it is released, it requires two third-level spirit-gathering talismans, which cost almost more than one hundred taels of silver, which is really too expensive.
There is also a Five Elements Spirit Shield, which after being filled with the Spirit Gathering Talisman, can be expanded into a huge Five Elements Shield Wall five feet high and ten feet wide, which can withstand the full attack of monks at the top of the Arhat Realm.
In addition, Pei Zhongze is also in charge of many fourth-level and fifth-level talismans, such as the Five Nights Divine Thunder Talisman that the two of them had accidentally obtained before. These are all powerful weapons in the battle formation.
Zhao Ran originally planned to take a look at the effect, but after knowing the cost, he had no choice but to give up. It was only a few hundred taels of silver at a glance, which he could not look down on even with his wealth.
From this, Zhao Ran also had a better understanding of Zongguan's wealth collection. In this world, don't blame the Taoist sect for taxing, and if you don't gather a lot of wealth, can you withstand the cost of conquest on the battlefield?
After returning from Hongyuan garrison, Zhao Ran sent a flying talisman to his second senior brother Yu Zhichuan: "Senior brother, New Year's Eve will be in a few days. Are you still coming back to celebrate the New Year?"
Soon, Yu Zhichuan replied: "I won't go back for the time being. Teacher asked you to take more care of me, so as not to let Master Sun and others suffer any injustice."
A bunch of irresponsible masters and apprentices. In the final analysis, they just enjoyed their time in Fujian and lost their enthusiasm for building a homeland. They don't want to come back to work.
Zhao Ran thought for a while, and took advantage of the fact that there were still two days before Zhengdan, so he hurried back to Dajun Mountain.