Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 909
Going north from Luoyang, there is a post road leading to Mengzhou.

It was shabby and turbulent.Shao Shude took the wild woman on a north tour, and had a different kind of fun amidst the bumps.

"There are quite a few small earthen kilns..." Shao Shude lifted the curtain of the car and carefully watched the village beside the post road.

Li Yixian was very sensible, and even specially asked the soldiers and knights with silver saddles to get out of sight.

The Henan Province continued to immigrate, mostly from the families of soldiers.They have money in their pockets, probably because they think that Luoyang will definitely be the capital in the future, and after they settle down, they start spending money to build new houses.

Shao Shude suddenly felt very depressed.If he decides to move to another place in the future, these sergeants must not object one by one?Unless you give a lot of benefits, which greatly exceeds the cost they paid.

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

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

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

Things like bricks can only be fired and sold nearby, and the transportation cost is too high.

Since the new brick and tile kiln appeared in Guanbei, it gradually spread to Heyang and Dongdu towns.Except for the first few buildings that were invested by big families such as the Xiao family, the new ones now are basically the properties of the Tu nationality in various places.In this regard, the shogunate played a role in fueling the flames. They selected skilled craftsmen and spread the technology to various places.

The effect is mixed, and the overall speed is not as good as it should be.But in general, this new technology that can greatly improve the production efficiency of bricks and tiles is gradually becoming popular.Especially in places like Henan Prefecture and Ruzhou where the family members of soldiers have moved in, coupled with the construction of Luoyang, the demand is not small, and the industry has gradually developed.

"Your Majesty, if Luoyang hadn't been in a hurry to use bricks, there would be more brick houses in our village, and many people are still waiting for bricks. Buy [-] bricks today and [-] bricks tomorrow, slowly save up, and start building when you have enough. .” Someone said.

Shao Shude looked at this man, he had a gray beard and was in good spirits, his gaze shifted to his hands, and he asked with a smile, "Which army did you belong to before?"

"Yi Congjun." The veteran replied: "This time, the three armies of Yicong, Feng'an, and Tianzhu were reorganized. I am over 40, and I was kicked out. Alas, I was still a team leader before, and those younger generations may not be able to fight well." pass me."

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

The old soldier was taken aback, and asked: "My lord, you don't want to leave, do you? The brothers all said that when the palace in Luoyang is repaired, you will be here to proclaim yourself the emperor and start the country."

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

Seeing that he didn't answer, the veteran felt that he was acquiescing, and said happily: "The rumors are indeed true, otherwise there is no use in building so many palaces. After His Highness became emperor in Luoyang, General Gao, who had brought me before, could be appointed as the governor of Hedong Li Tangbin looks a bit inferior, but he can also be the governor of Huainan. Everyone also said that the current governor of Dongdu is too fake..."

The veteran was kicked by someone, he turned his head to look, but couldn't find who kicked him, so anxious that he almost cursed.

Shao Shude grinned from ear to ear, and asked someone to take two bolts of silk as rewards to the veteran, and continued wandering around the village as if he hadn't heard anything.

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

It was very good, much better than the tree branches and yellow muddy walls he had seen in Heyang before.Of course, there were fewer such houses later, and they became adobe houses or wooden houses. It would be great if all the houses in the country could gradually transition to brick houses, but this is probably impossible.

It's really not easy to find a way to make money for the local tyrants in the countryside. The land they value most is probably the land.

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

In the two counties of Kaifeng and Junyi, mulberry trees are widely planted in the gardens of farmers, and it can be said that almost all open spaces have been planted.There are so many species that are even planted in the farmland, which is amazing.

There may be many immigrants from the northwest and grasslands in Henan Province, who are not very good at planting mulberry, and they are not so skilled, so they need to improve in the future.

Wang Bian did well in Qianzhou.Fifteen acres of garden, a variety of mulberries, three crop rotations are implemented in the farmland, producing millet, pasture, wool, silk and wool.

However, there are also old people from Henan Province who have experienced Zhang Quanyi's era in the village. They know how to plant mulberry, raise silkworms, reel silk and weave silk.

"How many acres of land does Zhang Weng's family have?" Shao Shude sat in the yard of a family, looked at the mulberry trees and vegetable beds in the yard, and asked.

"Thanks to Your Majesty's blessing. My son has fought several times and obtained fifteen acres of gardens and thirty acres of dry land in Henan County." The old man replied.

"What is the annual income?"

"Go back to the king, and harvest forty dendrobium grains a year."

This is actually an average.

Under the traditional two-year three-crop farming mode, the rotation of millet, wheat, and miscellaneous grains can yield less than [-] hu of grain and beans, and an average of nearly [-] hu a year.

"Fifteen mu of house garden, eight mu of mulberry, can plant fifty stalks, and get four or five bolts of silk. The rest can be planted with melons, vegetables, jujube and elm. The three-year mulberry can be cut off, and it can be used as a staff to support the old. Worth three renminbi. Ten years of mulberry, middle four broken into sticks, one worth 15 renminbi, can be used to make horsewhips and beard beds. For 20 years, it is used as bow material, worth [-] renminbi, and can also be used as shoes. Cut into pieces Wood, for knife handles, is worth [-] yuan each. Twenty-year-old mulberry wood can be used as a car material, and it is worth tens of thousands of dollars per piece." Before Shao Shude asked, Zhang Weng continued.

Shao Shude nodded repeatedly and listened patiently.

The profit of planting mulberry is still high.Four or five bolts of silk can be obtained a year. With the quality of silk from the Central Plains, 2500-3000 yuan is possible.If they are all ten-year-old mulberry trees, they are worth four thousand dollars, an average of four hundred a year.The broken wood is used to make knife handles and awls, and it is estimated that there are hundreds of dollars in income.

The older the mulberry wood, the more valuable it is. After 15 years of planting, it can be used to make bows, which is even more valuable. On average, you can get a thousand coins a year.

In the early years of the Kingdom of China, the average land system was established. Chinese people believed that "planting more than a hundred mulberry trees and [-] acres of millet" can "have more than enough food and clothing, and always meet relatives and friends."It is a pity that the land equalization system was corrupted later, so there is no other way.

The ability to create wealth in the Central Plains is indeed amazing!
Before Shao Shude completed the agricultural reform, there were still people who thought the population was about the same. How could Zhu Quanzhong have more money than you?

After conquering Liang Town, Pei Di once told Shao Shude that the northwesterners who had recently moved to Henan Prefecture and Ruzhou love to plant fruit trees, this habit should be changed, and the garden should be used to grow mulberries.Shao Shude promised him, and now his opinion is more firm.

The natural endowment of the Central Plains is not comparable to that of the Northwest.

Even if it is to develop animal husbandry, the Central Plains is far superior to the top pastures in the Northwest and grasslands. On average, the ability of a farmer in the Central Plains to create wealth is much stronger than that in the Northwest.After the agricultural reform is completed, the Northwest will be completely inferior, and the Central Plains can be used as the foundation in the future. 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 Kansai’s ability to produce wealth is weaker than Kanto.

After the reform of the three-crop crop rotation system in the Central Plains, the output of grain and soybeans will decrease slightly, but there will be a lot more meat, milk, skins, and wool, and the overall income will increase greatly.The house garden continues the previous economic model, planting mulberry trees, elm jujubes, melons and vegetables, mulberry trees can be used to raise silkworms, elm trees can be sold for pods and leaves in three years, rafters can be made in five years, bowls, bottles and other utensils can be made in ten years, and utensils such as bowls and bottles can be made in 15 years. It can be used to make car hubs—of course, it can also be used to make weapons, such as bows and spear shafts.

Fifteen acres of house garden, about [-] mulberry trees, [-] jujube trees, [-] elm trees and a lot of melons and vegetables can be planted in total. The states in the Central Plains are more worthy of good management than the Northwest.

After rewarding Zhang Weng with two bolts of silk, Shao Shude left the village.

In the rural economy, food, fruits and vegetables, sericulture, poultry, and wood are the previous cycles. In the future, bricks, leather, dairy products, wool, etc. can be gradually promoted, and life will get better and better.

"Your Majesty..." Pei Tong waited outside the village for the sacrificial wine at the West Pavilion of the Wangfu.

"What are you doing here? Wouldn't it be enough to send the army to report?" Shao Shude asked.

Pei Tong didn't dare to say that I wanted to come over more to flatter him, so he could only say: "The military situation is urgent, so I sent it myself."

"Speak, I'll listen." Shao Shude said.

"The prisoners from Yiding and Chengde towns have already been released, and the Jin soldiers have released five hundred." Pei Tong said.

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

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

"It's expected." Shao Shude commented: "Continue."

"Yan Bing marched north to Wenshui, where he was defeated by Han Zhu, deputy envoy of the Yanei Army, and retreated. Yan Bao heard the news, abandoned Rencheng and left. Hu Zhen sent people to pursue him and beheaded two thousand people."

"Li Du, who was camped in Puzhou, attacked Changshan. The bandit army went out to fight and was defeated, so they stayed behind closed doors. Two thousand people were also beheaded in this battle."

"The decree of the Shouzhou camp has come to report that the outer city of Anzhou has been broken."

Shao Shude thought about it carefully, and the situation on all fronts was not bad.With Li Ke's retreat this time, there should be a rare period of peace.As for how long this quiet period will be, it's hard to say, we can only hurry up 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.

"Of course." Pei Tong replied.Of course, this order still needs to go through a process, and he should not pass it directly.

"That's right." Shao Shude thought for a while and asked, "Have the five hundred elite soldiers selected by the Zhongwu Army arrived in Luoyang?"

"We've arrived in Luoyang, and Zhao Yan will take it personally." Pei Tong replied.

Because Zhao Yan did not play well in Qizhou, the Zhao family in Xuzhou made a substitution and sent Zhao Lu 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 hosted a banquet. During the banquet, the Jiedu envoy Gao Renhou laughed at Zhao Yan for his poor fighting skills. At that time, Zhao Yan was drunk and talking nonsense. Talked a bit."

"What did he say?" Shao Shude asked.

"Zhao Yan ridiculed that Gao Renhou was a false envoy with no real name. He also laughed at Gao Renhou and Li Tangbin who had fought for 20 years and had nothing to ask for, even those who surrendered halfway. Dushi, the confidant general has nothing on the contrary, what kind of confidant is he, just like a pig and dog." 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, you've done more than failed!" Shao Shude finally changed his color and said angrily.

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

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

(End of this chapter)