Follow Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the country

Chapter 206: Starting the field camp, Guo Tianxu also started digging potatoes
In the name of responding to Zhang Cheng's efforts to help the people, many wealthy gentry began to provide large-scale relief to the refugees, and at the same time helped the refugees move to Jiqing City.

For a time, many refugees appeared inside and outside Jiqing City.

Zhang Cheng knew that this was an ulterior motive by the wealthy gentry to force him to abandon his basic people-oriented policy.

After all, it is already winter and October now. Even if large-scale spring plowing begins next year in the Jiqing Road area, it will take summer and autumn to harvest a lot of food to feed the army and the people.

But now, as many refugees come, so much food will be consumed in vain.

The food of the Chinese army is indeed limited. It must supply not only the army of more than 100,000, but also hundreds of thousands of craftsmen and unemployed bureaucrats. If the number of refugees continues to increase, the only choice is to increase financial expenditure and confiscate it from the hands of Hu Yuan’s powerful bureaucrats. to the property to buy food.

But this will inevitably mean that food prices will rise.

Not only would wealthy gentry with a large amount of grain in their possessions make a fortune, but the key question was whether they were willing to sell the grain stored in their cellars.

But fortunately, Zhang Cheng has now cultivated potatoes.

He doesn't have to worry about next year's spring shortage.

It's just that Zhang Cheng now needs to organize a large number of refugees, first use the abandoned fields in the form of a field camp, and plant potatoes.

Li Shanchang served as the chief training officer of the camp field army, responsible for improving technical guidance and supervising the camp field process.

Li Shanchang continued walking elsewhere as he walked, and said to Miao Daheng: "Mr. Zhang really cares about these common people, so he has prepared this new food a long time ago!"

Fortunately, the camp is not a complicated matter. It means organizing the refugees and prisoners to plant potatoes on the abandoned land and then harvest the potatoes when the time comes. You just need to temporarily learn the sowing technology.

Miao Daheng glanced at the civilians and prisoners who were being organized and lined up like a long queue to fight in a large number of wastelands along the river, and asked Li Shanchang, who was guiding and supervising the Yingtian Military Academy.

It's just that the Chinese army has just taken over Jiqing, and in terms of domestic affairs, it needs to resume production and open up education and education, so it is in great need of talents. The graduates of Chuzhou Prefecture and Military Studies that Zhang Cheng created before are completely insufficient. Now it is necessary to establish Yingtian Army can only allow students from these two schools to graduate early.

At present, Zhang Cheng has begun to address cabinet ministers as senior ministers, so Miao Daheng and others also follow suit and call Li Shanchang and others this way.

Now, what Zhang Cheng has to do is to quickly have the potatoes he cultivated and the potatoes he hoarded brought to Jiqing as seeds for sowing in the next camp.

Li Shanchang and others said yes.

For this reason, Zhang Cheng called Tang He and asked him to lead a fleet to follow Shu Anguo back to Chuzhou to transport the potatoes he had stored in Chuzhou Zhizhou Yamen.

Miao Daheng nodded: "So, those people's conspiracy to use up our rebel army's food by driving a large number of hungry people to Jiqing is impossible?"

"Don't divide the private lands of Hu Yuan's powerful officials. First, unify them as official lands. The most important thing now is to organize the refugees to cultivate the fields and plant potatoes. All the prisoners, including the prisoners, are organized to plant potatoes and unify them." It was organized into the Yingtian Army, and students who were about to graduate from Chuzhou Military Academy and Chuzhou Prefecture School were selected to graduate early and serve as officers in the Yingtian Army to supervise the potato cultivation of refugees and prisoners. "

On the third day of October, Zhang Cheng was on duty at the cabinet and made specific arrangements for the camp for Li Shanchang, Yang Xian and other cabinet officials.

"Mr. Li Ge, these potatoes are really high-yielding, and how fast can they be harvested?"

Miao Daheng was assigned as the general officer of the Yingtian Army, responsible for organizing refugees and prisoners to grow potatoes in areas occupied by the rebels such as Jiqing Road and Taiping Road.

The climate in Jiangnan is warm. Generally speaking, potatoes can be grown for two seasons.

Li Shanchang replied, and specifically asked Miao Daheng:

"nature!"

Plant in October and harvest at the end of the twelfth lunar month or the beginning of the first lunar month.

Li Shanchang replied: "How could Mr. Zhang lie to you? Don't worry about planting!"

Because Li Shanchang was taught how to grow potatoes by Zhang Cheng.

"But we can't talk about this, lest those wealthy gentry stop helping us transport people."

"These people stay here. Although they are wasting food now, as long as next summer and autumn are over, they will be the foundation for the growth of the rebel army!"

Miao Daheng hurriedly handed over his hands: "Understood!"

Li Shanchang squinted at the large pits filled with potato tubers in front of him and sighed slightly.

He admired Zhang Cheng in his heart, and had to admit that Zhang Cheng really didn't want the people in the world to starve to death, so he had long been consciously looking for various high-yielding new grains.

Li Shanchang asked himself that he was not as great as Zhang Cheng.

Although he kept saying that he joined the rebel army for the sake of the people of the world, he knew that he actually did it for his own wealth and to gain greater power.

Therefore, he has always spent his thoughts on how to gain power, and even on how to let people above him, such as Zhang Cheng and Zhu Yuanzhang, know the benefits of power, but he has never really thought about how to let the common people know the benefits of power. Better off.

And now, through the potato incident, Li Shanchang has to admit that Zhang Cheng is different from him and greater than him.

Li Shanchang couldn't help but start to wonder, would it be because of people like Zhang Cheng that his selfishness and publicity could be satisfied, and he could enjoy a wealthy life with peace of mind?

Once such expectations arise, Li Shanchang becomes more and more worthy of his decision to follow Zhang Cheng's orders. Miao Daheng is also willing to believe in Zhang Cheng, believing that these potatoes can really produce high yields, and he admires Zhang Cheng quite a lot.

Because Miao Daheng knows that generally speaking, no one cares about these landless people called hooligans, let alone the life and death of these people. They may even be afraid that they will starve to death in the wild, causing diseases to spread and affecting the combat effectiveness of the army. , killed in batches in advance.

But now Zhang Cheng is really in charge of the life and death of these people. While organizing some of the food used to support officials, soldiers and craftsmen to organize camps for these refugees, he has also prepared high-yielding new food in order to survive as much as possible. people.

Although he talks about benevolence and morality and performs charitable deeds of giving out porridge and medicine, in fact, he is just deliberately driving a large number of refugees to Jiqing Road to take advantage of Zhang Cheng's kindness to consume the food of the Chinese army and raise the price of food for the sake of the people. For the wealthy gentry who made their own money but never immediately responded to the Chinese military policy to lower their land rents, Miao Daheng also felt from the bottom of his heart that Zhang Cheng really put the people of the world at ease and was a true sage, even allowing their army to come. The blood of many innocent people has not yet been stained on the swords and guns.

And this is hard to imagine in troubled times. Except for a few armies such as the Yue Family Army, few can do it without harming or even killing innocent people.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw a large number of refugees and prisoners cultivating potatoes in the fields along the river, he couldn't help crying, and sighed with his hands on his hips: "Fortunately, Mr. Zhang has found new grains long ago, unlike other evil gentry and profiteers who hide high-yielding grains." Come on, I’d rather sell to big customers at a high price than do any promotion!”

However, Guo Tianxu, Zhang Tianyou, Feng Guoyong, and Shao Rong still didn't know that Zhang Cheng had prepared for this, so more and more refugees came to Jiqing, and the cabinet only organized the refugees and prisoners to camp and farm. When eating potatoes, I was still quite worried.

Guo Tianxu even found Zhu Yuanzhang himself when he returned to the Privy Council.

Zhu Yuanzhang saw the angry look on his face and asked, "What's wrong with Privy Guo?"

Guo Tianxu said in a deep voice: "You are not the one who is favored by those wealthy gentry!"

"Because our Datong Society must be people-oriented, as a result, now, they are using various methods to bring refugees to our place, and even take the initiative to free the maidservants out of the house to celebrate, in order to use up our food, and by the way... Let there be a plague here! Everyone has ulterior motives!”

Guo Tianxu replied.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Then why are you looking for us?"

"Of course I'm here to discuss military rations with you, the superior!"

"Now the cabinet allocates the food used to support the army to help the people every day, and also organizes them to camp in the fields to grow potatoes. Many officials and schools are worried about whether there will be insufficient food and salary due to this."

After Guo Tianxu answered, he asked Zhu Yuanzhang: "Do you think we should stop it? At least we can't leave enough food to support the army."

"No need to stop it yet."

"Mr. Cabinet Zhang has now set up a policy research office, and has specially asked a group of people who are proficient in arithmetic, under his guidance, to calculate the critical value of refugees that we can now accept. As long as the critical value is not reached, we will not do it for now. In order to protect the army's food supply, they forced large households to pay food."

Zhu Yuanzhang replied.

"Policy Research Office, arithmetic?"

Guo Tianxu was quite surprised after hearing this.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "Mr. Zhang has long guessed that they will do this, so he has made a series of preparations. You don't have to worry too much. Besides, once the potatoes are harvested in two months, there will be no need to worry about too many people. "

Then, Zhu Yuanzhang took the initiative to pat Guo Tianxu on the shoulder and said, "Come here, sir. Let me show you how productive these potatoes are."

Guo Tianxu followed Zhu Yuanzhang to Zhu Yuanzhang's backyard, and then saw Zhu Yuanzhang pick up a hoe, come to a large vat-shaped pile of soil with potatoes, and start digging.

"This is the jar of potatoes we asked for from Mr. Zhang. We are going to plant them in our backyard."

As Zhu Yuanzhang spoke, he first dug up a large piece of soil with a hoe, then smashed the soil with the back of the hoe, and bent down to take out the potatoes from inside.

Guo Tianxu watched silently.

At first, he was just surprised by Zhu Yuanzhang's ability to dig the ground, and said: "I understand why you, a superior, often wear poor clothes and even have mud on your trouser legs when discussing matters."

then.

Guo Tianxu was surprised when Zhu Yuanzhang dug out many potatoes, and opened his mouth: "Can this jar of soil produce such big potatoes?"

"Of course!"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled.

Guo Tianxu became more and more dumbfounded as he watched, and said: "It seems that there is really hope for realizing world unification!"

"I'll dig a hoe!"

Guo Tianxu said and walked over.

Zhu Yuanzhang gave him the hoe instead.

Guo Tianxu picked up the hoe and pretended to dig into the ground, but he dug his own feet all of a sudden.

"Ouch!"

Guo Tianxu immediately threw away the hoe and touched the soles of his feet in the boots: "Mom, come on, this hoe doesn't have a knife to use, and it doesn't obey orders very well!"

(End of this chapter)