Dahan first prince

Chapter 109 The hardest is the peasants...

"Father~"

"Father."

Hearing a childish call from behind, Zhang Bing couldn't help but stop for a while.

Just as he turned around, he saw a short figure, less than four feet tall, plunging into Zhang Bingji's body.

Seeing his young grandson raised his head, with a runny nose still hanging from his nose, Zhang Bingji's face suddenly warmed up, and he squatted down with a smile.

With trembling palms, he wiped away his young grandson's snot, and Zhang Bingji patted Xiaowa's head lovingly.

"But tired? Hungry?"

"Still thirsty?"

The leader stopped, and the people of Zhangjiazhai also stopped, putting down the grain bags on their shoulders, so as to rest for a while.

Seeing that Zhang Weiyang heard his grandfather Zhang Bingji's words, he only lowered his head in embarrassment, wiped his nose again with the back of his hand, then turned his head away, and raised his finger to point to the straight road behind him.

Raising his head, looking along Zhang Weiyang's arm, Zhang Bingji couldn't help but slowly straighten up, looking at the huge team of people.

As far as Zhang Bingji saw, at the very beginning of the team, there were dozens of guards who were powerful and fierce, clearing the way!
Then, there are two cars, one big and one small.

The smaller one was pulled by four thin old horses of different colors and walked in front; the larger one was followed by four cows whose horns had been cut off.

At first glance, it was this carriage, an ox cart, and dozens of guards.

If you take a closer look, you can see that about two miles away, there is a group of soldiers with hundreds of people, hanging far behind!

"horse?!"

With a slightly surprised murmur, Zhang Bingji's face was a little solemn.

——In today's Guanzhong, horses are definitely rare!

It was rumored that even the Prime Minister Feng Hou Xiaohe had to ride an ox cart to go to the court!
What's more, four horses draw a chariot, this is the treatment that only princes and kings can enjoy!
"Could it be, which clan prince entered the court?"

While thinking about it, Liu Ying trotted forward to the outside of the crowd, and bowed to Zhang Bingji from a distance.

"Boy, I would like to pay homage to my husband!"

Seeing this, the old and the weak, women and children in Zhangjiazhai couldn't help but raise their heads one after another, and looked at the young man with delicate features, straight clothes and even aristocratic demeanor.

After a while, the villagers of Zhangjiazhai quietly gave way to both sides of the straight road, leaving a passage about ten feet wide between Liu Ying and Zhang Bingji.

Seeing Zhang Bingji approaching with doubts on his face, he cupped his hands tentatively: "Dare to ask..."

Not waiting for Zhang Bingji to clasp her fists, Liu Ying jumped forward and hurriedly stepped forward to help Zhang Bingji with her own arms, and there was a hint of respect between her brows.

"Old man, don't be like this, the boy is not as old as the crown, so he really dare not be such a big gift..."

Saying that, Liu Ying did not forget to move a little to the side of Zhang Bingji, completely looking like a younger nephew serving the elders in the family.

Seeing Liu Ying's behavior, Zhang Bingji recalled the rumors from Chang'an area some time ago.

"The prince is benevolent and treats the elderly as if he were his elder..."

Thinking secretly, Zhang Bingji turned his head hesitantly and looked into Liu Ying's eyes with a little scrutiny.

But Liu Ying nodded with a smile on her face, her hand was still on Zhang Bingji's big arm, she raised her head, and looked at Lu Shizhi who had followed up.

"Also ask uncle to bring the chariot and horses here."

After saying that, Liu Ying smiled again and turned her head to the side, looking at Zhang Bingji with a gentle and pleasant expression.

"The old man has received the rod, and he is already old, how can he work hard for a long distance?"

Seeing Liu Ying's gentle smile, Zhang Bing thought about everything, but finally nodded slowly, letting Liu Ying support his arm, and walked towards the carriage...

·
After a while, the people of Zhangjiazhai, who were walking slowly on the straight road, formed a team with Liu Ying and Lu Shi, and walked on the straight road together.

Zhang Bingji, the patriarch of the Zhang family, was respectfully invited into his carriage by Liu Ying, but Liu Ying did not get into the carriage, but only followed the left side of the carriage, sitting together in the carriage from time to time, waiting to be cautiously opened. The patient Zhang at the curtain was talking about something.

Behind him, Lu Shizhi's ox cart was already occupied by three or two old men who were nearly sixty years old and whose breathing was obviously heavy.

Like Liu Ying, he was walking beside his own ox cart on foot, seeing Liu Ying talking with Zhang Bingji, and laughing lightly from time to time, Lu Shizhi couldn't help but nodded secretly.

"Although he is still young and weak, he knows how to respect the elderly..."

"Hey!"

"It's still the same..."

Thinking of this, Lu Shizhi lowered his head with joy, and enjoyed this precious leisure time.

But at the front of the line, the old and the young sat in the car and outside the car, chatting not very happily.

"I have heard for a long time that the prince is generous and benevolent, but I don't know this rumor..."

Listening to Zhang Bingji's probing question, Liu Ying just lowered her head and smiled, assuming that she acquiesced.

"The kid is just born in a heavenly family, and he has a little bit of his father's benevolence, righteousness, love for the people, and kindness to the world."

"Don't be too cautious, old man, the right to be a kid and grandchildren in the family is..."

Feeling the kindness and easy-going in Liu Ying's tone of voice, and the innocence and prestige in Zhang Bingji's temperament, most of them dissipated in an instant.

Just thinking about how to speak, Liu Yingwen smiled and tilted her head.

"The old man is over seventy years old, should he take care of his life at home and enjoy the blessings of his children and grandchildren around his knees?"

As she spoke, Liu Ying did not forget to turn her head and look at the hundred or so old and weak women and children who followed behind her.

"The harvest is over this autumn, how can the old people travel with the old and the weak in the village, carrying bags, grain and rice?"

"Where does the old man want to go on this trip?"

Speaking of this, there was a hint of worry quietly on Liu Ying's face.

"But this year's autumn harvest, the fields don't get enough food, so why is the old man in trouble?"

Hearing Liu Ying's words, Zhang Bing couldn't help raising his head slightly, and finally nodded slightly in his heart when he saw the faint anxiety and worry in Liu Ying's brows.

"After all, it is His Majesty's blood..."

"In the deepest part of my heart, I still miss us, the head of Guizhou!"

Thinking of this, Zhang Bingji looked at Liu Ying with a gentler gaze.

"temple······"

He opened his mouth tentatively, seeing Liu Ying's complexion froze for a moment, and looked behind him with a stiff smile, Zhang Bing thought for a moment, and finally had no choice but to smile and nod.

"Sir?"

Seeing Liu Ying nod his head noncommittally, Zhang Bingji adjusted his sitting posture, with a little sadness on his brows.

"Although it is not to the place that the young master said, but this year's autumn harvest, there is indeed very little food..."

As he spoke, Zhang Bing couldn't help but sighed and shook his head again.

"In the fifth year of the Han Dynasty, the old man was injured and retired from the army, and returned to Weibei to farm. His Majesty bestowed him with the title of Immutable, and [-] acres of fertile land."

"At that time, the old man's family had [-] acres of land and got more than [-] stones of corn!"

"The old grandchildren's sons are eleven, and they can all be fed for more than one year because of this. Today, they are all only twelve or three years old, but they are more than six feet long!"

"However, as the years go by, the food in the field becomes scarcer..."

Speaking of this, Zhang Bingji couldn't help but feel a little sad.

"First, in the eighth year of the Han Dynasty, there was a slight drought in Guanzhong. There was no water for irrigation, and the grain per mu was less than two stones!"

"Last year, although there was no drought, Zhangjiazhai, where the old man lived, was far away from Zheng Guoqu; when the water flows to Zhangjiazhai, there is not much left..."

"This year, the elderly have no choice but to drive the young and strong in the village to carry buckets to the Weishui River. However, it is only a drop in the bucket; there are more than 370 households in Zhangjiazhai, with nearly [-] mu of land, and the grain they get is less than [-] shi... "

"This grain is [-] shi, and the agricultural tax is [-] shi, and then sold to a wealthy grain merchant; next year, the money from selling the grain may only be less than [-] shi..."

As he talked, Zhang Bingji looked at Liu Ying with tears in his eyes.

"It should be noted that there are 370 households in Zhangjiazhai, with a total of more than [-] people..."

"[-] shi of grain and rice, divided and eaten, a person can only eat more than ten shi; even if half-satisfied with coarse grains and dregs, it is only enough for eight or nine months..."

"In the third and fifth month of the month, I am afraid that children will cry, there will be no one around, and every family will be starving and lying on the couch, not daring to go out for a while..."

Listening to Zhang Bingji's description, even though she had expected that the grain production in Guanzhong would decrease and the people would not have enough to eat, Liu Ying could only feel a muffled sound of being hit by a stone hammer in her heart.

——600 shi of grain, more than [-] people eat, is it enough?

Liu Ying knew very well: in the Han Dynasty today, the standard for judging "whether there is not enough to eat" is two stones of rice per capita per month!
According to this standard, as long as an adult citizen, regardless of gender, as long as his annual food intake does not reach 24 shi, he can be called a "poor household without enough food" in the report of the local government. ······
According to Zhang Bingji, the average grain and rice intake of the people in Zhangjiazhai is probably a little more than ten shi.

This means: If you only eat pure millet and are full for every ton, then the people in Zhangjiazhai work hard for a year, but they can only eat for half a year!

In just a moment, Liu Ying felt an inexplicable and solemn sense of mission.

——Zheng Guoqu must be repaired!
——Next year, the year after at the latest, we must let the people of Guanzhong get rid of the dilemma of "one year of farming, but not enough food for one year"!

While Liu Ying was meditating, Zhang Bingji also turned around with guilt on his face, and touched the little head that was lying in his arms and quietly sleeping.

Zhang Bingji's youngest grandson, Zhang Weiyang, is only eight years old this year, but still looks as thin as a four or five year old child.

Looking at Zhang Weiyang's obviously protruding collarbone and slightly sunken cheeks, Zhang Bingji only blinked miserably, but didn't dare to raise his hand to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes.

In just a moment, at the front of Liu Ying and his party, whether it was inside the carriage where Zhang Bingji was or outside the carriage where Liu Ying was, the atmosphere became extremely oppressive.

I don't know how long it has passed, but finally Zhang Bingji choked up a soft whisper, breaking the immersion...

　This is a tasteful writer said.

　　I have a little diarrhea, I have to go to the toilet after writing for a while...
　　Just, the writing is a bit slow, there are four changes left, and there may be at least three changes that will be sent out after twelve o'clock.

　　Brothers who have something to do tomorrow can sleep first and watch it tomorrow.

　　Thank you for understanding.

　　The per capita grain consumption in this article is based on "I want to be an emperor" as a reference.

　　It should be mentioned that the Han Yishi is not the "thirty kilograms" that most history buffs think, but about 13.5kg.

　　27 kilograms of rice per person per month sounds like a lot, but the actual average is less than one kilogram per day.

　　Moreover, the nutritional value of corn is far inferior to that of rice and wheat noodles.

　　Although in the Western Han Dynasty, people only ate two meals, but each meal was less than a catty of corn, especially for the people who needed to be engaged in farming, it could still barely be counted as 'satisfaction'.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)