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Chapter 266 Is it the king’s land in the whole world 2
Sihui County is named after the intersection of Xijiang, Beijiang, Suijiang and Longjiang rivers.The county was established in the 38th year of Jiajing and belongs to Zhaoqing Prefecture.

Within the jurisdiction, the northwest and southwest are mountainous areas, but the altitude does not exceed 700 meters, the east and middle are hilly areas, and the southeast is plain.The climate is humid, with abundant precipitation, suitable temperature, thick and fertile soil, and abundant citrus fruits.Among them is a kind of tribute tangerine, which has been a royal tribute since the Song Dynasty.

However, growing citrus has not brought huge returns to the local people, because fresh fruits are not suitable for long-term storage and are not convenient for long-distance transportation. The easiest way is to transport them by boat along the river to Guangzhou for sale.

During the citrus harvest season, merchants would come here by boat to set up a purchase point, and nearby fruit farmers would carry their own fresh citrus on their trucks to the dock for sale.But there is a problem, the merchant's purchase price is very low.

From autumn to winter every year, different types of citrus will mature in several periods of time, and there is a lot of supply.At this time, citrus fruits were not only cheap, but also had to be picked and picked. Only the best-looking and sweetest ones were selected and shipped away, and no one wanted the rest.

This has dealt a big blow to the farmers who grow citrus. After working hard for a year, they finally have a good harvest. Not only can they not sell at a good price, but they also have to use their family's labor to pick and transport the citrus. It is not worth the gain.

But if you don’t plant it, next year the total output will be small and the price will go up immediately. You can only watch others make money.Hurry up and plant more. Wait three or two years for the fruit trees to bear fruit and the price will go down again.

After going back and forth so many times, those who have fruit trees at home have lost their enthusiasm and are no longer willing to take care of them carefully, let alone expand the planting area.There are as many knots as there are knots of love, and there is no hope of how much money they can be sold for.

But this year is different. The county government officials came to the village, beating gongs and shouting one thing at the top of their lungs, asking farmers who have citrus trees at home to be careful.

The more results the better, don’t worry about not selling.As long as there is no problem with the fruit, during the harvest season, a special collection point will be set up outside the west gate of the county to harvest as much as you come.

Don’t be afraid if you are unwilling or unable to send. There will be ships from Guangzhou going upstream to collect the goods from one village to another.It's just that the purchase price is lower than that in the county town. After all, hiring ships and people is also a cost.

At this time, some farmers should ask. You have been saying that a variety of citrus is good. If no one comes to buy it by then, who can we ask to reason?I can't even find the grave when I cry.

The government officials were not upset. They found a big tree at the end of the village and brushed it with some sticky rice. They spread out the rolled paper in their hands and read it for themselves. They beat the gong and walked to the next village without looking back.

Most of the villagers must not be able to understand it because they are illiterate.But there are basically a few literate people in every village. When they come to see them, they shout good luck, turn around and run out of the village.Those who have some character can still tell the villagers why they ran away, but those who are more stupid just don't tell, for fear that too many people will know.

The notice clearly states that the new right-hand governor of Guangdong will build a factory in Sihui County to make canned citrus. If there are not enough local citrus, he will have to go to surrounding places such as Sanshui and Dongxiang to purchase them.In order to reassure farmers, the cannery will write down documents with those interested in selling citrus, which will be guaranteed by the county government. The purchase price and quantity will be agreed in advance, and a [-]% deposit will be paid.

During the harvest season, no matter what the price is at that time, whether there is a good harvest or a poor harvest, the goods must be purchased and delivered as agreed. Any party that violates the contract will be sued.

Those literate villagers hurried to the county town to sign documents with the cannery.They didn't know what canned food was, but they definitely made a good deal.I didn’t see anything, so I paid [-]% of the deposit first. It’s a good thing that’s hard to find even with a lantern!

It doesn’t matter if the harvest is poor due to bad weather, we won’t talk too much.Originally, we could harvest 200 kilograms of fruit every year, so let’s just say 100 kilograms, so we can keep it rich.In addition, talking less is also a kind of self-protection. Even if there is a guarantee from the county government, you still have to be cautious about some things that you have never seen before. It will take about a year to see the effect.

Very few people don't understand such a simple truth. Being illiterate doesn't mean you are stupid.At present, the roads and roads leading to the county seat are busier than going to the market. They are all farmers in a hurry, each walking faster than the other.Even the emperor praised our Gongju from the Fourth Society, why should we let people from other counties take advantage!
Not only during the Fourth Session, but also from the end of January to the end of February, similar things happened across Guangdong.Canneries, sugar cane distilleries, biscuit factories, a lot of unknown factories have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.Notices are posted everywhere to purchase raw materials and recruit people to join the factory. After we sing, you will appear on stage, which is very lively.

The most powerful one is the Liulichang outside Guangzhou, which is famous at home and abroad. A set of high-quality transparent carved glass wine sets can be sold for the same price as gold. The Time Workshop actually came to Guangzhou to open a branch. Even though the foundation of the factory has just been laid, every day There are still many idle people who rush over to take a look.

Immediately afterwards, the "Business Daily", which was founded less than half a year ago, gave the answer on the front page.The centralized opening of these factories was not accidental. They were all started by Yuan Yingtai, the new right chief minister of Guangdong, in compliance with the emperor's orders.

The money to set up factories came from powerful and wealthy households from all over the country, part of which belonged to the emperor, and the management was also appointed by the royal family.But the taxes are paid to the local area, and most of the workers used are from the local area. Regardless of how much the people who pay to set up the factory can earn, the local people can 100% earn more.

This move also received strong support from Li Zhi, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Li Rumei, the governor of the capital. At the same time, a notice was posted. If anyone found out who was obstructing or undermining the administration of the envoy Yuan Bu, he could go to the nearest governor of Guangzhou and the governor of Zhaoqing. The yamen exposed the case, and after investigation, the situation turned out to be true, and the whistleblower would receive a hundred taels of silver.

The "Business Daily" also explained in detail several points that need to be paid attention to in the contract document in the second page, reminding farmers and merchants everywhere to read it carefully before signing. Once signed, it cannot be changed unilaterally.

If you can't finish it, you will have to pay double or even multiple times the compensation. If you don't have enough money, you will be arrested by the government and sent to the factory to work hard for several months to several years. By then, it will be too late to say that you have not seen clearly.

There are also detailed instructions on the details of working in the factory, such as how many hours a day, how many days a month, what day of the month wages are paid, when rewards will be given, when penalties will be deducted, etc.

It is specifically stated in large fonts that if there is land or leased land for farming, each household can only register one person, and farmland, especially rice fields, are not allowed to be abandoned.The county government sent people to inspect each village and found that one family was arrested and sentenced to five years of hard labor. They would not tolerate it!
(End of this chapter)