The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 149 The Beginning of Agricultural Economic Revitalization
The lower reaches of Yangjinchuan are the immigrant farming and reclamation development zone.

The last rollover truck was installed, and the two black donkeys were put on the drawbar. Zhu Xiu stood aside with a whip in his hand. Under the attention of countless civilian officials around him, he raised the whip high with a serious face, and shouted loudly and whipped the people. On the black donkey's ass.

The black donkey screamed "Uh ah~" in pain, spread its hooves and dragged the drawbar around the wheel column.

The wheel column "squeaks" and rotates under the pull of the drawbar, and the large wooden gear installed above rotates slowly, driving the small gear to use the transmission principle to drive the horizontal axes on both sides of the low ditch, and then dozens of A keel car composed of scrapers sends the canal water into the high ditch along the water tank.

Yellow muddy water flowed into the highest irrigation canal, and the surrounding area was filled with thunderous cheers.

The peasants excitedly clenched their fists and waved to the sky, the officials clapped and applauded, and the eldest daughter and the younger daughter-in-law giggled with their cheeks red.

Zhu Xiu happily wiped the sweat from her forehead and grinned happily with her arms akimbo.

So far, all four main canals and fifteen auxiliary canals in the agricultural reclamation development zone have been connected, and nearly [-]% of the [-] acres of newly cultivated land has been turned into paddy fields.

The earliest [-] acres of farmland were reclaimed under the hillside, and manpower has been stepped up to plant a season of late rice.

Looking from a high place, the green seedlings are swaying in the breeze, like a blue sea.

In other dry fields and small paddy fields, agricultural officials also led the people to plant mulberry, hemp, soybeans and melons. Zhu Xiu also asked Song Shen to lead several farmers to actively explore intercropping and strive to maximize the use of this agricultural reclamation area.

Pei Jin exclaimed excitedly: "The young envoy actually knows how to make and use keel carts. In two months, tens of thousands of acres of fertile land have been added to Jingzhou. It is really a miraculous feat to turn decay into something magical!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "Delegate chariots have existed as early as the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. During the Yonghui period of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court had fully promoted it in Guanzhong. By the Taihe period (828), the government formulated a unified style and ordered the counties of Gyeonggi Prefecture to A large number of imitations are made in accordance with regulations. In fact, there are many local craftsmen in Jingzhou who know how to imitate, but they are not able to design shapes according to local conditions, which results in the limited use of keel cars and their promotion."

Pei Jin complimented: "That's all thanks to the young envoy who is a scholar of heaven and man, personally designed the design, and led the craftsmen to rush to make it. Otherwise, it would not be as prosperous as it is today!"

Zhu Xiu took out the stopper of the water bag and drank it, wiped his mouth, and said with a smile: "You are good at flattering people, why not learn from Wen Zhongping, work down-to-earth, and ask the peasants for advice on farm matters. When you are an official, you can't just float around. When you are in mid-air, you have to land on the ground to be grounded."

Pei Jin looked down the ditch and saw Wen Zhongping wearing a bamboo hat with his trouser legs rolled up, holding a pen and paper, surrounded by a group of old farmers, talking in a hurry. Wen Zhongping listened carefully and nodded from time to time to write down on the paper.

Pei Jin blinked, cupped his hands and said, "What is grounding?"

"Well, the first step is like mine."

Zhu Xiu pointed to her legs. She saw that her trouser legs were rolled up to her knees. She took off her shoes and socks and stepped on the mud. Her feet and legs were covered with yellow mud, and her body was also covered with mud marks.

Pei Jin lowered his head and looked at the robe he was holding in his hand. He was trying to stand on tiptoes while wearing black shoes. He swallowed with a look of fear on his face.

Zhu Xiu winked at the two guards who followed him, and the two understood, one of them hugged Pei Jin without saying a word, the other rolled up his trouser legs roughly, tucked the hem of his robe into his belt, took off his shoes and socks, and pushed Pei Jin back. As soon as he gave him a hand, Pei Jin screamed and couldn't stand still, and stepped into the muddy puddle, splashing his head and face.

Zhu Xiu said with satisfaction: "That's right. The weather is getting hotter. It's so comfortable to step barefoot in the mud and feel the coldness. Look at your legs. They are whiter than those big girls who pick up the sand. What do they look like? ! And I also took off the black hair on your head. When the people see you wearing an official hat, they don’t dare to tell the truth. From now on, you are only allowed to wrap yourself in a square scarf when going to the fields."

Pei Jin cried sadly, and the sweat-stained black gauze was torn off: "What you taught me, the young envoy, is that I will remember it."

"Well~ We also need to pay close attention to the matter of dividing the fields by drawing lots for the newly relocated people in the order of registration. You will keep an eye on this matter. No adulteration is allowed, and no one is allowed to interfere.

Now that more and more people are fleeing from Pizhou, the people who came first must get tangible benefits and serve as an example to spread the word. Only then will the people of Pizhou feel at ease and take root in Jingzhou. "

Zhu Xiu told him a few more words, which Pei Jin took seriously in his heart and accepted.

"By the way, how is your daughter?" After arranging official business, Zhu Xiu did not forget to care about the family life of his subordinates.

Pei Jin sighed: "I hired an aunt to help take care of her. The baby is young and cries all day long asking for her mother. I am humble and humble and feel sad when I see my baby crying." As he spoke, Pei Jin's eyes were red and he choked a few times.

Zhu Xiu consoled him: "The child is still young and has lost his biological mother. As a father, you have to spend more time accompanying and taking care of me. You can't let your child feel insecure since he was a child."

Pei Jin was confused as he listened to the parenting lessons Zhu Xiu taught him. He could only nod his head dully.

After a few more instructions, Zhu Xiu let him do his own thing, while he sat by the ditch, put his feet in the ditch, and washed the dirt on his legs with yellow muddy water.

A group of barefoot children bravely gathered around. Zhu Xiu stopped the guards who wanted to drive them away, and happily sat with a group of children by the ditch to wash their feet and play in the water.

Pei Jin walked cautiously on the ridge with his shoes and socks in hand. When he heard the sound of laughter, he looked back and smiled in surprise.

The young envoy was obviously a young boy, but he taught him how to raise a baby in an old-fashioned tone.

Is it possible that the young commander also learned this knowledge when he was studying in Tanzhou?Or maybe he brought his master's doll?

Pei Jin shook his head and was puzzled. He didn't know how many strange things there were in the young commander's head.

Zhu Xiu chatted cheerfully with a group of rural children.

This group of farm children, some of whom were newly moved to the common people's homes, and some of whom were from the families of civilian husbands, ran around in this farming area all day long.

As long as they don't cause trouble, they are free to run wild.

From their mouths, Zhu Xiu was still able to ask some useful things.

An eleven or twelve-year-old boy complained that he could not catch migratory locusts. After Zhu Xiu asked in detail, he was secretly happy.

As the old saying goes, "Locusts emerge from extreme drought." Locust plagues often occur after drought.

Locusts cannot hatch their eggs in paddy fields. After the large-scale construction of water conservancy and irrigated fields in agricultural reclamation areas, locusts have lost the foundation for breeding. In the next two months of the late summer and autumn harvest, there will be no risk of a locust plague.

This year, Jingzhou, as long as no man-made disasters occur, should be able to usher in the most abundant harvest in a century.

Zhu Xiu encouraged the children to continue their efforts in catching migratory locusts, gave them a pack of steamed sorghum cakes, and watched them scramble away with a smile.

A fast horse galloped from the dirt road. A sergeant jumped off the horse and ran to Zhu Xiu. He knelt down and clasped his fists and said: "Li Shouzhen sent an envoy. Wei Yashuai asked the young envoy to return to the city quickly to discuss."

"Oh?" Zhu Xiu laughed. Li Shouzhen sent someone to explain that he didn't know about the statement yet.

"What happened to the people sent by Wang Shou'en?"

The sergeant reported respectfully: "We arranged to live in the library. Wei Yashuai sent people to keep a close watch on him. He has been left alone for several days."

Zhu Xiu put on his shoes and socks and said with a smile: "I will go back immediately and bring Wang Shouen's people with me."

The sergeant responded, ran back to the dirt road, climbed on his horse, and rushed back to Anding County.

(End of this chapter)