Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 383 0378 [War Bond]

The construction of the Shimen Reservoir in New China raised the water level of the Bao River, and the plank road was already very close to the river.

The stone gates and plank roads in the Song Dynasty are all hanging on the cliffs on the mountainside!

Further downstream, not only was the ancient barrage restored, but another barrage was built according to Zhao Fengji's water conservancy design (actually designed by his father).

This winter, an additional barrage will be built.

If all three barrages and dams are built, although not as good as the Shimen Reservoir, they are still sufficient to ensure irrigation in Hanzhong.

Ju Ming was standing on the barrage right now, with a large golden rice field behind him.

With the Baogukou as the dividing line, the army in the north is pressing down on the border, and the harvest in the south is imminent.

The dredging of the main canal of Shanheyan and the construction of two dams, although the first phase of the project has not been completely completed, have already allowed Baocheng County to keep its harvest from drought and flood.

Landlords, farmers, and tenants are all full of energy at this moment, trying their best to harvest new rice.

Pick up a load of rice and go back to dry, and hand in the land tax immediately after drying. You only need to transport it to the nearby military grain station, and you will be free of land foot fees this year.

Yes, money is still being collected from the ground, this thing was invented by Cai Jing.

Zhu Ming collected strictly according to the standards set by Cai Jing, and officials were not allowed to increase the tax at will. The people in the area under his jurisdiction accepted it, and they all thought that the Zhu family and his son were very benevolent.

However, the people in Baocheng County, who were free of money, were overjoyed by the surprise, and they enthusiastically handed in their land taxes, and they themselves sent the new rice to make military rations.

Qian Chen is working in the foreign army warehouse in Baocheng County.

An official shouted: "Du Baogui, the first capital in the second mile of Shimen Township, bought and sold new rice for 245 shi, and the balance was collected, and a bond was issued!"

A big landlord came in with a sad face, Qian Chen filled in the amount, and then stamped it on the bond.

Qian Chen is now in charge of buying rice at the front line, and accepts the dual management of Zhu's father and son.

Buying rice is still being collected, in principle, it is all voluntary, and it returns to the essence of buying rice.That is to say, the government spends money to buy food from the people, and it is no longer a forced apportionment of exorbitant taxes.

Moreover, in the form of war bonds.

The annual interest rate is one and a half cents, or 15%.

This is a three-year bond, and ordinary people can cash it in advance, but the interest will be halved before maturity, and it will take at least one year to cash it.

It is true that too much money was spent on the payment of military pay, and it is really money to buy food from Jingxi South Road. Zhu Guoxiang does not have much money at all now.When buying grain from the landlords, they can only pay on credit. It sounds like it is completely voluntary, but in fact it is still half forced.

Any big landlord who doesn't sell grain on credit can always find various crimes and punish them, reminding them that the Zhu family and his son are actually traitors.

This naturally disgusts the landlords, but it can increase loyalty.

The landlord was dissatisfied with the forced purchase on credit, and after paying the grain, he was bound to the rebels.Zhu Guoxiang said that it can be cashed in next year, and interest can be paid when it expires in three years.

This kind of empty promise must survive the rebels.

Therefore, the landlords can only look forward to the victory of the rebels, otherwise the grain they sold on credit will be in vain.

As for the interest or something, no one expects that stuff.

It is estimated that by next year, most landlords will choose to settle in their pockets and will not be greedy for the 15% interest on the three-year war bond.

"Mr. Du, don't worry. The bonds are all given to you. Are you afraid that the government won't pay you?" Qian Chen laughed.

Du Guigui squeezed out a smile: "That's right, Mr. Zhu made a promise, he said that if you give the money, you will definitely give the money, and the interest will definitely not be lost."

Qian Chen said: "Take the bonds and go home. It will be troublesome if you lose them. But don't be afraid, even if the bonds are lost, the government can check the account. It's just that when cashing the interest on the money, you have to ask a few The second-class household acts as a guarantor, so as not to be unclear in the future.”

"Yes, yes." Du Baogui quickly agreed.

After leaving the warehouse, Du Baogui carefully checked the bond, which indicated the amount of rice purchased.

This kind of paper is similar to Jiaozi paper, and there are detailed rules printed on the back, with the words "Xuanhe five-year Chuanxia four-way war bond".

"The remnant people of the Song Dynasty are violent, and the world is boiling. Today, I, the Zhu family, have raised troops to do justice for the heavens, punish the people and punish crimes... The annual interest is one and a half cents, and it can be cashed at the end of three years. It can be cashed in advance for a period of one year, and the interest is halved. ..."

The words in black and white are clearly written, and Du Baogui feels a little more at ease.

He decided to cash the payment next year, with less interest, and even less interest, and he could accept it as selling grain at a low price to the rebels.

This year, we must win the officers and soldiers, otherwise, who will be accounted for when the rebels are finished?

"Food and Grass Departure!"

Several ships set sail at the gate of the warehouse.

These grains were first transported to Xixian County, and then transported to the front line through Chencang Road.

The land in Lueyang is narrow and sparsely populated, and there is not much food to collect. It must be supported by military rations in Hanzhong.

The farmers brought back from Baogu’s strong walls and cleared fields are not only exempted from taxes this year, but also young and strong are transformed into grain-carrying peasants.Food was provided during the grain transportation, and a small amount of wages were received after the war, and they were given the seeds for next year's spring plowing.

Most of the rebels on Chencang Road were stationed at Yuguan where Qingniling was.

This Qingni Ridge is exactly what Li Bai said in Li Bai's poem, "Where are the pans of green mud, and there are hundreds of steps and ten folds of rocky mountains".

Just listening to these two lines of poems, you can know how complicated the terrain is, and the Western Army going south from Chencang Road is also really uncomfortable.

The emperors and ministers of the Song Dynasty who were responsible for formulating the strategy of suppressing thieves had never been to Hanzhong in person. They could not imagine the dangers of Chencang Road, Baoxie Road, and Tangluo Road.

As time went by, he kept urging him from the rear, forcing the frontline general to want to die.

"Chang Shi Tao is about to be driven crazy?" Zhu Ming observed the plank road north of Shimen with a binoculars.

After half a month of rest on the planting teacher's road, he suddenly sent people to repair the plank road in the dark.

There was a loud knock ten meters away, and the defenders inside the stone gate were awakened immediately.

The tiger squatting gun has already been loaded with ammunition, and it only needs to be lit with a torch.

Just as the gunner lit the torch with a brazier, suddenly several giant arrows shot at the gunner's entire right shoulder, and the two rebels beside him were also shot to death.

On the plank road, the Western Army is using the God Arm Bow!

The more powerful bed crossbow did not come, and that thing required multiple people to operate.It was in the dark to build the plank road, and many people were required to operate the bed crossbow. There was simply no room for so many people on the plank road.

"boom!"

Another rebel picked up the torch and quickly lit the artillery fuse.

Immediately afterwards, the musketeer loaded the ammunition with the help of the flame, and fired at the plank road ten meters away.

Several Western troops were killed or wounded, and the rest all fled.

Knowing the result, Mr. Zhong had no choice but to completely give up on repairing the plank road.Even if he forced the order, it is estimated that no soldier would be willing to carry it out. This is no longer a courageous risk, it is purely a errand that must die.

At this moment, Zhu Ming stood on the barrage and said to Zhang Tong beside him: "If you want to, when you talk to the imperial court, you can bring your parents and relatives to Hanzhong."

Zhang Tong said: "It is enough to pick up parents and brothers, other relatives are not willing to leave."

"I heard that Shandong is very chaotic." Zhu Ming reminded.

Zhang Tong said: "No matter how chaotic the situation is, the ancestral house, ancestral hall and family land must be preserved. These are the properties accumulated by the Zhang family for hundreds of years."

"Indeed." Ju Ming nodded.

When Zhu Ming returned to Hanzhong in the spring, Zhang Tong immediately came to see him, and now he holds an important position in the General's Mansion.

Zhang Tong, Qian Chen, and Zhu Ming don't plan to let them go outside for the time being, and they all stay by his side to listen to.

……

"I've met Gao Chengxuan!" Zhong Shidao led the generals to greet him.

Gao Yaofu was the second son of Gao Qiu, and his official position was to be a Xuan envoy, that is, the observation left by Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty before the reform.

This is a kind of military officer with false titles, who get paid for nothing and do nothing.

Since Gao Qiu became the head coach of the Western Army, he had to bring his cronies with him, and his two sons were by his side.There is also a younger son who is still studying in Tokyo.

Although Gao Yaofu is domineering and domineering in Tokyo, he is also an unusual dude. Like Gao Qiu, he is good at calligraphy and painting, and he has also practiced guns and sticks since he was a child.After exchanging greetings with the generals, he couldn't wait to ask: "Why don't you have a decisive battle with the general strategy? My father really can't stand the urging in Tokyo for ten days."

Zhong Shidao didn't explain, just said: "Gao Chengxuan go and have a look first."

Gao Yaofu was taken up the plank road by Zhong Shidao, and he stopped when he could see the stone gate from a distance.

Zhong Shidao pointed to the stone gate and said, "The thieves not only tore down the plank road, but also guarded in the middle of the stone gate. The last three or four zhang plank roads couldn't be repaired. The thieves have two kinds of weapons. Others call them magic weapons, but I think they are medicines. Gunpowder) device. Whenever used, the sound is like a thunderbolt, lead pellets can wear heavy armor, and iron bullets can shatter solid rocks. How can this pass? I deliberately did not repair the plank road for many days, and sent soldiers to repair it at night, and returned it with the magic arm bow Cover, but was still repelled by that strange weapon."

Gao Yaofu asked, "Is there no detour?"

Master Zhong said: "Yes. But the small road is difficult for a large army, and the luggage cannot be transported, so we can only send a small group of elites to attack. The bandits have long been prepared, and surprise attacks are difficult to be effective."

Gao Yaofu asked again: "How about taking a boat down from the river?"

Zhong Shidao said: "Our army's rafts are all built temporarily, and it is difficult to build large ships in a short time. But the bandits have large ships. How can we win in water warfare? The wet season in Hanzhong is later than that of the Yangtze River. Now it is just Hit by us. The current is so fast that the small boat and raft cannot be stabilized, and it is about to board the boat eight miles away, and it is all washed away downstream."

"What about using a boat full of firewood to attack?" Gao Yaofu asked.

Master Zhong said: "You can try, but it's hard to work. After passing the mouth of Baogu, the river suddenly widened. I watched it from a distance, and the bandits seemed to have built a dam or something. How can fire boats catch bandits in such a wide river?" Boat?"

Gao Yaofu sighed: "It's really difficult."

Zhong Shidao bowed and said: "Gao Chengxuan, please understand the situation here, and let Gao Taiwei wait patiently. No matter what, the soldiers of the Western Army will attack after the water is shallow."

After all, Gao Qiu had led troops in Shaanxi and fought in battles, so he knew that this thing should not be rushed.

But the eunuch and superintendent didn't care about this, the emperor urged him hard, and he had to finish the work.

The job of supervising the army is not to win battles, but to convey the emperor's will and let the frontline generals strictly implement it.

As for the defeat of Zhongshi Dao, it has nothing to do with him supervising the army?

All the new rice in Hanzhong had been harvested, but the water level hadn't dropped yet, and a stern reminder letter was sent.

The beginning of the letter was to put a hat on. The eunuch and supervisor said that there were rumors that Zhong Shi Dao supported the soldiers and was suspected of contacting the rebels.The superintendent said he didn't believe it, but the rumors spread widely, and he had no choice but to believe if Zhong Shidao was delayed, and he would impeach Zhong Shidao for colluding with the rebels.

After Zhong Shidao read the letter, he was so angry that he couldn't speak.

He handed the letter to the generals to read, and then said: "Choose another day to attack, it can't be delayed."

(End of this chapter)