Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 268 Fertility
When Zhang Qi came back, he said to Zhao Zhen, "Sir, we went to Erlong Mountain and met Master Lu Zhishen. The three places pointed out by Taoist Dong have been dug. Now they are nearly two feet deep. The soil dug out is already damp. Master Lu Zhishen thinks that if there are no accidents, we can find water by digging another ten feet at most."

Zhao Zhen said: "Master, it seems that your ability in water caves is also first-rate and powerful."

Taoist Dong heard this and said, "We have to wait until we get out of the water tomorrow before we can tell you."

Zhao Zhen praised him a few words, then seeing that it was getting late, he said goodbye to Taoist Dong and went back to his farm.

At dinner time, the four members of Zhao Zhen's family were chatting. Bai Zhi said, "Sir, my brother said today that two more medicinal snakes have been raised in the snake pit, and there are four medicinal snakes with signs. My brother asked me to ask if we should prepare a medicinal snake?"

Zhao Zhen shook his head and said, "How much medicinal wine can be made from this medicinal snake?"

Bai Zhi said: "One medicinal snake can make ten kilograms of medicinal wine, which can be used by ten people. It is effective for the first use."

Zhao Zhen thought for a moment and said, "Then please ask my brother to prepare one and send it to the farm. It can be used as a reward in the future."

Bai Zhi smiled and agreed, saying, "There is one more thing, your Excellency will be happy to hear it."

"What is it? You are so sure."

Bai Zhi said, "Didn't Ruan Xiaoer's wife have infertility before? Now, under my care, she has been pregnant for a month."

Zhao Zhen smiled and said, "Among the three brothers in the Ruan family, only the second brother is married. Now, in addition to his adopted son, he has his own child. I think he must be very happy."

Then he turned to Cheng Wan'er and said, "Madam, pick out two pieces of fine satin and send them there tomorrow as our congratulations."

Cheng Wan'er said, "My husband, I understand."

Hu Sanniang said, "Speaking of pregnancy, I was chatting with Hei Sijie today. I wanted to compete with her in martial arts, but she said she is two months pregnant."

Zhao Zhen said, "Oh? I see Jiao Ting every day, but he never says anything. I also sent him two pieces of silk to congratulate him. From now on, we will do the same."

Cheng Wan'er listened and nodded.

Cheng Wan'er also said: "Speaking of pregnancy, Madam Lin has been pregnant for nearly two months."

Zhao Zhen said: "It seems that there are many newborns in the county this year."

Cheng Wan'er said, "I want to congratulate you, my husband. This is a prosperous scene. Under your governance, Liangshan County has a clean government, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. Naturally, there are more new babies being born."

After hearing this, Bai Zhi and others congratulated Zhao Zhen.

At night, Zhao Zhen went to Jin Cui Lian's room to rest.

The wind drove the rain down on the high city, and the clouds pressed lightly with the sound of thunder.

On the second day, after Zhao Zhen and Hu Sanniang practiced martial arts, they sent someone to call Xiao Rang and Pei Xuan. Zhao Zhen said, "Brothers, I heard that several brothers' families in the county are pregnant. I think many farmers in the county are pregnant and have given birth. I plan to reward and punish those who are pregnant and give birth to children to increase the farmers' willingness to give birth. What do you think?"

Xiao Rang and Pei Xuan looked at each other, and Pei Xuan said, "Sir, I have observed the policies of all dynasties, and they are nothing more than rewards and punishments. For example, "Yue Yu" says: 'Young men should not marry old women, and old men should not marry young wives. If a girl does not marry at the age of seventeen, her parents will be guilty; if a boy does not marry at the age of twenty, his parents will be guilty. Those who are about to be exempted will be reported to the Duke, and the Duke will order the doctor to watch over them. If a boy is born, two pots of wine and a dog will be given; if a girl is born, two pots of wine and a pig will be given. If three people are born, the Duke will give them a mother; if two people are born, the Duke will give them food.'"

"There are also many records in subsequent dynasties. The Book of Han records that during the reign of Emperor Hui, it was said: 'If a girl aged 15 to 30 does not marry, she will be sentenced to death.' The Book of Jin also records: 'On the 10th day of the 10th month of winter, it was decreed that if a girl aged 17 does not marry her, her parents will order the local officials to find her a date.'"

"In my opinion, these two methods can both increase the farmers' fertility. I wonder what strategy you want to use?" Zhao Zhen said, "I have also read a lot of history books, and I think the government's practice of arranging wives is too cruel. How about just rewarding them?"

Xiao Rang said: "Your Excellency is kindhearted, but you must make plans early. Don't let the situation of giving birth to children and not raising them happen, or good policies will turn into bad policies. If this happens, the personal tax will not be collected in the future."

Zhao Zhen said: "Of course, there are many wastelands now. My intention is also for the future. A large population can increase output."

Xiao Rang said, "Your Excellency is right. If we can encourage people to have children, and farmers value offspring, and believe that more children means more blessings, there will be more newborns in the future."

Zhao Zhen asked: "In this case, what do you think is the best reward?"

Xiao Rang pondered for a moment and said, "Two pots of wine and one dog are not enough. How about two pots of wine, one piglet, or ten chickens or ducklings, one stone of grain and one piece of cloth. But the wine should be good wine with color, not the randomly brewed village wine, and the cloth should be fine cloth, not homespun cloth."

"When piglets, chickens and ducks grow up, they will produce food and can solve the current difficulties. Why do we need to make colored wine and fine cloth? Why do we need to make fine cloth?" Zhao Zhen asked.

Xiao Rang said, "Cloth is used to reward the wife, and wine is used to comfort the husband. I asked Brother Zhu Fu, and the wine used in various restaurants is divided into three grades. The first grade is the new wine produced by the winery, the second grade is one ladle of wine plus half a ladle of water, and the third grade is one ladle of wine plus half a ladle of water. Even so, this wine is much better than the village wine brewed by ordinary farmers. Among the three grades of wine, the third grade sells the best, just because it is cheap."

"Farmers drink wine to cool off and relieve fatigue, not for the sake of taste, but for the sake of cheapness. If they have no money, they can drink village wine. Brother Zhu Fu also suggested that the winery should save some processes and brew some village wine as the fourth grade wine, so that it can be used by restaurants and farmers can eat it more conveniently. I think this is feasible."

"This fine wine has been cellared, and has a mellow flavor that lingers on the palate. Now, in addition to supplying it to the county heads and county officials, the managers are also given a limited amount of it as a reward to motivate the farmers."

"The same is true of fine cloth. Women are very competitive. If someone wears fine cloth, others will be competitive. They are all coarse cloth, but now some people wear fine cloth because they want to give birth to children. If you can give birth, why can't I?"

Pei Xuan listened and said, "Brother Xiao Rang is right. Let's not talk about anything else, just talk about this wine. If you drink too much good wine, you will feel that the village wine is bland even though you can swallow it."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen nodded repeatedly.

I remembered that the ranch managers Chao Cuo, Li You, and Li Zheng from Shangwang Village had all said that the ranch produced a lot of cow, sheep and horse milk. In addition to supplying the village heads and military captains, the village managers also had a lot of surplus, which was made into cheese.

Zhao Zhen said: "How about adding a pot of cow, sheep or horse milk to the nearby village? This can also strengthen the body."

As soon as the words fell, Xiao Rang and Pei Xuan objected in unison: "No..."

The two looked at each other, and Pei Xuan said, "Sir, there is a saying that goes: What is worrying is not the lack of milk, but the inequality of it. This matter should also be treated equally. If there is more milk, it can be rewarded by making cheese. If you live near the ranch, you will have more milk to enjoy. Wouldn't everyone be willing to go to the villages around the ranch?"

Xiao Rang said: "That's right."

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "Thanks to your reminder, I almost made a mistake."

Xiao Rang said, "Your Excellency is just caring for the farmers under your jurisdiction. Cow and goat milk are plentiful, so that's easy to deal with. I've heard that there is a cheese factory in Bianjing that specializes in making cheese."

"I've seen people put sugar in milk and put it in a bowl, and then eat it cold. They put the bowl in a wooden barrel and sell it on the street. It tastes pretty good, and costs five cents a bowl. The county could set up a dairy to accept milk and make cheese, or make cheese, put less sugar in it, and use cups instead. It only costs one cent a bowl, and you can make a small profit but a lot of sales. The cheese could also be shipped to the main world, and it could be considered an industry."

After hearing this, Zhao Zhen nodded repeatedly.

The three of them discussed it carefully, wrote the official document, stamped it, and had it posted everywhere.

(End of this chapter)