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Chapter 5 The Countryside

 Leaving Luoyang and heading north, there is a post road leading to Mengzhou.

It was in tatters and extremely bumpy. Shao Shude took the wild woman on a northern tour, and there was a different kind of fun amidst the bumps.

"There are quite a few small earthen kilns..." Shao Shude opened the curtain and looked carefully at the village next to the post road.

Li Yixian was very sensible, and even went out of his way to call his soldiers, the knight with a straight silver saddle, to step out of sight.

Immigrants from Henan Prefecture continued to come in, mostly families of sergeants. They had money in their pockets, and they probably thought that Luoyang would definitely become the capital in the future. After settling down, they began to spend their money to build new houses.

Shao Shude suddenly felt very depressed. If he decided to move to another place in the future, wouldn't these sergeants object to it one by one? Unless you would provide a lot of benefits, which would far exceed the cost they paid.

"Stop!" Shao Shude was in a bad mood and ordered.

After getting off the carriage, Shao Shude walked towards the village.

"There are only twenty or thirty households, but there are seven or eight brick houses." Shao Shude calmed down and praised.

Bricks can only be fired and sold nearby, and the transportation cost is too high.

Since new things like brick and tile wheel kilns appeared in Guanbei, they have slowly spread to Heyang and Dongdu Town. Except for the first few that were invested by big families such as the Xiao family, the new ones now are basically

The industries of the Tu people in various places. In this regard, the shogunate played a role in promoting the industry. They selected skilled craftsmen and promoted the technology in various places.

The effects are good and bad, and the overall speed is not satisfactory. But generally speaking, this new technology that can greatly improve the efficiency of brick and tile production is gradually becoming popular. Especially in Henan Prefecture and Ruzhou.

For the families of sergeants, coupled with the construction of Luoyang, the demand was not small, and the industry gradually developed.

"Your Majesty, if Luoyang hadn't been in a hurry to use bricks, there would have been more brick houses in our village. Many people are still waiting for bricks. Buy 500 bricks today and 800 bricks tomorrow. Save them slowly. When you have enough, you can build a house.

." someone said.

Shao Shude looked at this man, who had a gray beard and was in good spirits. His eyes moved to his hands and asked with a smile: "Which army did you belong to before?"

"I am from the Yi Cong Army." The veteran replied: "This time the Yi Cong, Feng'an, and Tianzhu armies were reorganized, I was over forty and kicked out. Alas, I used to be a team leader, and those juniors may not fight.

Beat me."

Shao Shude laughed and said: "When you come to Luoyang this time, why do you want to build a brick house?"

The veteran was stunned and asked: "Your Majesty, you don't want to leave, do you? The brothers all said that when the palace in Luoyang is completed, you will proclaim the emperor and found the country here."

Shao Shude's smile was slightly stiff. He avoided the question because he didn't know how to answer it.

Seeing that he did not answer, the old soldier felt that he had acquiesced, and said happily: "The rumors are indeed true, otherwise what would be the point of building so many palaces? After His Highness becomes emperor in Luoyang, General Gao, who had led me before, can be appointed as the governor of Hedong.

Li Tangbin looks worse, but he can also be the military governor of Huainan. Everyone also said that the current military governor of Dongdu is too fake..."

The veteran was kicked. He turned around and couldn't find who kicked him. He was so anxious that he almost cursed.

Shao Shude smiled from ear to ear and asked someone to give two bolts of silk to the veterans. Then he seemed to have heard nothing and continued to wander in the village.

It is said to be a brick house, but it is actually a mixed structure of brick and wood. The wood is mainly elm, including the pillars and beams.

It was quite good. It was much better than the tree branches and yellow mud walls he had seen before in Heyang. Of course, there were fewer such houses later on and became adobe or wooden houses. If houses across the country could gradually transition to brick houses, It would be nice to get a room, but this is probably impossible.

It's not easy to find ways for rural tycoons to make money. What they value most is probably land.

Every household has a garden and grows some vegetables, which is very different from what is seen in the countryside of Bianzhou.

In Kaifeng and Junyi counties, mulberry trees are commonly planted in farmers' gardens, and almost all open spaces are planted. Some even plant them in farmland, which is amazing.

There may be many immigrants from the northwest and grasslands here in Henan Prefecture, who are not very good at growing mulberry and are not that skilled. More improvements will be needed in the future.

Wang Bian did a good job in Qianzhou. There were fifteen acres of garden, a variety of mulberries, and a three-crop rotation system in the farmland, producing millet, pasture, wool, and even silk.

However, there are also elderly people from Henan Prefecture who have experienced Zhang Quanyi's era in the village. They can grow mulberry, raise silkworms, and reel and weave silk.

"How many acres of land does Mr. Zhang's house have?" Shao Shude asked as he sat in a courtyard and looked at the mulberry trees and vegetable beds in the courtyard.

"Thanks to your Majesty's blessing, my son has gone to battle several times and obtained fifteen acres of garden and thirty acres of dry farmland in Henan County," the old man replied.

"How much is the annual income?"

"Back to your Majesty, I will harvest forty bushels of grain every year."

This is actually an average.

Under the traditional two-year and three-crop farming model, which rotates millet, wheat, and miscellaneous grains, less than 80 bushels of grains and beans can be harvested, and the average is close to forty bushels a year.

"Fifteen acres of the house garden, eight acres of mulberry trees, can be planted with fifty plants, and four or five bolts of silk can be obtained. The remaining land can be planted with melons, vegetables, jujubes and elm. Three years of mulberry trees, cut off, can be used as a stick to support the old man. It's worth three cents. After ten years of mulberry, four of it can be broken into a staff, one worth twenty cents, which can be used to make a horse whip or a bed. After fifteen years, it can be used as bow material. It's worth three hundred cents, and it can also be used to make shoes. It can be cut into pieces. Broken wood can be used to make knife handles, each worth thirty cash. Twenty-year-old mulberry wood can be used as calf and cart materials, worth ten thousand yuan per ride." Before Shao Shude asked, the stick man continued.

Shao Shude nodded repeatedly and listened patiently.

The profit from growing mulberry trees is still high. You can get four or five pieces of silk a year. Based on the quality of the silk from the Central Plains, you can get it for 2,500-3,000 yuan. If the mulberry trees are all ten years old, they are worth 4,000 yuan, and the average is 400 yuan a year. .Using the broken wood to make knife handles and awls can earn an estimated several hundred dollars.

The older the mulberry wood is, the more valuable it is. When it is planted for fifteen years, it can be used to make bows, which becomes even more valuable. On average, it can earn a thousand coins a year.

In the early years of the Chinese dynasty, the equal land system was implemented. Chinese people believed that by planting more than a hundred mulberry trees and thirty acres of millet, they would have enough food and clothing, and would always be able to visit relatives and friends. Unfortunately, the equal land system was later corrupted, and there was nothing that could be done.

The ability of the Central Plains region to create wealth is truly amazing!

Before Shao Shude completed the agricultural reform, there were still people who thought that with a similar population, how could Zhu Quanzhong be richer than you?

After Liang Town was conquered, Pei Di once told Shao Shude that the northwest people who had just moved to Henan Prefecture and Ruzhou loved to plant fruit trees. This habit should be changed and mulberries should be planted in the garden. Shao Shude promised it, and now

This strengthened his view.

The natural endowments of the Central Plains are not comparable to those of the Northwest.

Even in the development of animal husbandry, the Central Plains is far superior to the Northwest and the top grassland grassland. The average Central Plains farmer's ability to create wealth is much stronger than that in the Northwest. After the agricultural reform is completed, the Northwest will be completely outclassed. In the future, the Central Plains can be regarded as the

Of course, Shao Shude will not do this for the time being. Kansai is still based on the old foundation, but it is also true that the ability of Kansai to produce wealth is weaker than that of Kanto.

After the reform of the three-crop rotation system in farmland in the Central Plains, the output of grains and beans will be slightly reduced, but there will be a lot more meat, milk, skins, and wool, and the overall income will be greatly increased. The garden will continue the previous economic model, planting mulberry trees, elm trees, and jujubes.

Vegetables and mulberries can be used to raise silkworms; elm trees can be used to sell pods and leaves in three years; rafters can be made in five years; bowls, bottles and other utensils can be made in ten years; cart hubs can be made in fifteen years. Of course, they can also be used to make weapons.

Such as bows, spear shafts, etc.

A total of fifteen acres of garden can probably be planted with fifty mulberry trees, ten jujube trees, ten elm trees and a large number of melons and vegetables. The Central Plains states are more worthy of good management than the northwest.

After giving the stick man two bolts of silk as a reward, Shao Shude left the village.

Rural economy, grain, fruits and vegetables, sericulture, poultry, and wood were the previous cycle. In the future, bricks, leather, dairy products, wool, etc. can be gradually promoted, and life will get better and better.

"Your Majesty..." Pei Tong was waiting outside the village to offer wine in the west pavilion of the palace.

"What are you doing here? Can't you just send military reports and send your men?" Shao Shude asked.

Pei Tong did not dare to say that I wanted to come over to flatter him more, so he could only say: "The military situation is urgent, so I sent it in person."

"Say it, I'll listen." Shao Shude said.

"Yi Ding, the prisoners of Chengde Second Town have been released, and the Jin soldiers have released five hundred." Pei Tong said.

"Deputy Ambassador Chen is still very experienced in doing things." Shao Shude praised: "Is there anything else?"

"After Li Keyong withdrew his troops, Lu Yanwei also left, and Dizhou turned the corner."

"It's an expected thing." Shao Shude commented: "Continue talking."

"The Yan soldiers went north to Wenshui, but were defeated by Han Zhu, the deputy envoy of the Yamen Army, and they retreated. After hearing the news, Yan Bao abandoned Rencheng and left. Hu Zhen sent people to pursue him and beheaded two thousand people."

"Li Du headed the camp in Puzhou to attack Changshan. The bandit army went out to fight and was severely defeated, so they stayed behind closed doors. In this battle, they also beheaded two thousand people."

"The Shouzhou camp was broken up and I ordered you to report that the outer city of Anzhou has been destroyed."

Shao Shude thought about it carefully and found that the situation on all fronts was not bad. With Li Ke's retreat, there should be a rare period of calm. As for how long this period of calm will be, it is difficult to say, so we can only seize the opportunity as much as possible.

"Send an order to Li Tangbin. If the thieves can't hold out, the people will be moved away. Don't be polite." Shao Shude ordered.

"Yes." Pei Tong responded. Of course, this order must go through a process and should not be passed on directly by him.

"By the way." Shao Shude thought for a moment and asked, "Have the five hundred elite soldiers selected by the Zhongwu Army arrived in Luoyang?"

"We have arrived in Luoyang. Zhao Yan will take the lead personally," Pei Tong replied.

Because Zhao Yan's performance in Qizhou was not satisfactory, Xuzhou Zhao's front line was replaced and Zhao Lu was sent over, while Zhao Yan returned to Xuzhou.

After finishing speaking, Pei Tong hesitated for a moment and then reported: "Yesterday, Zhao Yan was in Luoyang, and the Dongdu shogunate held a banquet to entertain him. During the banquet, Jiedushi Gao Renhou laughed at Zhao Yan for his poor fighting skills. At that time, Zhao Yan was drunk and talking nonsense. Let’s talk a little bit.”

"What did he say?" Shao Shude asked.

"Zhao Yan ridiculed Gao Renhou for being a fake military envoy, in name only. He also laughed at Gao Renhou. Li Tangbin had been fighting for twenty years, and what he wanted was nothing. He was not even as good as those of them who came to surrender halfway. The surrender can still be taken seriously. Jiedushi and his trusted generals have nothing. They are just like pigs and dogs." Pei Tong said bravely.

"Did Gao Renhou say anything?" Shao Shude asked calmly.

"Gao Renhou was unhappy and didn't say anything," Pei Tong said.

"Zhao Yan, this fellow, fails more than he succeeds!" Shao Shude finally changed his color and said angrily.

Zhao Yan's nonsense after drinking too much actually touched a big hidden worry in Shao Shude's heart.

"Detain Zhao Yan in Luoyang until I come back to deal with it." Shao Shude ordered: "Call Zhao Guangfeng and Xie Tong again."


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