Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 371 Sand Dust Dark Cloud Sea (4)

"My lord, Chang'an urgent report, please open the national treasury and release 580 shi of grain to help the workers and apprentices near Chang'an." Chen Yuyi first presented a copy of the pigeon book to Liu Yi, and then presented another dossier, saying, "This is If there is no new financial source for Duzhicao's additional Duzhi settlement, the state treasury will be overrun by [-] million guan."

A year ago, Yuan Xingzong, the order of the Relief Department, recommended Chen Yuyi to Liu Yi as a scribe. Compared with a few years ago, there was a lot more calmness in his brows.Liu Yi opened the documents of Du Zhicao, the cost of building the naval gunboat, the food and grass for the Liaodong Han army, the expenses of the Anbei Army Division and the Andong Army Division for attacking Xijing Road, and the rations and salaries of the Guanzhong mobilization regiment. Items of expenditure are not in previous years.Coupled with the sluggish market in Guanzhong, Du Zhicao suddenly became nervous.In order to avoid making ends meet, Du Zhicao proposed to increase the tariff by 600%, or sell [-] million bonds from the treasury, with an annual interest of [-]%, repayable in ten years.Adding land tax and scholar's annual income is the worst choice, and it will also cause the greatest criticism, and Du Zhicao didn't mention it.

After thinking about it for a moment, Liu Yi decided to ask the treasury to sell the bonds first.The Song Dynasty's severance of trade between the two sides has already made Chang'an's market depressed. If tariffs are increased, it will be tantamount to worsening the situation, or even killing the chicken to get the egg.He raised his head and asked, "Yu Yi, you just came from Chang'an Relief Office. Tell me, if Hangu Pass is shut down for a while longer, how bad will the conditions of workshops and apprentices in Guanzhong be?"

Every time Xia and Song turned against each other, the Song Dynasty would cut off trade with Xia as it did barbarians.At this time, it will lead to a depression in the Guanzhong market, and the unemployed workers will put huge relief pressure on the prefectures and counties.Although the merchants in Kanto also suffered heavy losses, they had nowhere to complain.Over time, whenever the Hangu Pass trade was cut off, the court of Xia State was always more anxious than Song State, and was even willing to make some concessions.This is also the reason why the Anton Army Division is unwilling to easily go to war with the Kwantung.

Chen Yuyi pondered and said: "If this continues, Luo tea can be replaced by Shu tea, but about half of the shops that sell incense, medicine, and jewelry will be closed. The second should be spinning and brocade workshops, with high-quality cotton yarn It cannot be transported to the Kanto, the silkworm yarn in the Kanto cannot be transported, and the brocade weaving workers cannot start work. Some workshop owners, even if the workshop is closed, still cook porridge and vegetable leaves every day to feed the workers. Some The owner of the workshop directly dismissed the workers, and these people had no land, so they became refugees. The workers who were relieved by the relief agency were mainly dismissed from these yarn and weaving workshops."

Liu Yi nodded. Spinning and weaving are the industries that employ the most apprentices in Guanzhong and Shuzhong, and they are also the hardest hit by the cut off of trade.Both silk and satin and white stacked cotton cloth are hard currencies in the market.For ordinary people, cloth and clothing are also an important property, even after the death of the father.The white folded cloth woven by Xia Guo Workshop is also famous for its durability. A good white folded cloth is as thick as two copper coins, and bows and arrows from a distance can't shoot through it.And no matter how much cloth is produced, there is no need to worry about not being able to sell it.Because there was not enough cotton in Kanto, some merchants bought cotton yarn from Guanzhong, sold it to farmers in the Heluo area for spinning cloth, and then purchased cloth from these farmers on a regular basis.Similarly, the brocade workshops in Guanzhong needed a lot of silk yarn, and the insufficient amount was bought from Guandong.

Chen Yuyi's eyes inadvertently showed a trace of compassion.After the trade was cut off, the situation of the farmers in Heluo became even more miserable.The Heluo area is the most densely populated place in the Song Dynasty, and it is close to Bianliang, and the dignitaries and nobles bought the most land.The income from cotton yarn spinning made the life of the farmers a little better in the first few years, but it was followed by a substantial increase in land rent by the landlords, which has been said to just allow the tenants to return to their previous living standards.Now that the cotton yarn in Kansai is cut off, the peasant households lose their income from spinning cloth, but the land rent will not be reduced. I don’t know how many peasant households have to sell their sons and daughters.

"For the matter of the apprentices, the imperial court plans to recruit and train firearms gunners in Chang'an. The initial number is about 5. I hope it can be eased." Liu Yi said slowly, "The matter of recruiting regiments will first be ordered by Chang'an. Cooperate with the Relief Agency."

He seemed to be talking to himself, but Chen Yuyi's heart skipped a beat.Song and Xia turned against each other, and Guanzhong recruited and trained gunners.Raise soldiers for a thousand days and use them for a while.It is self-evident where these [-] regiments will be used in the future.After all, Chen Yuyi was born in Kanto, so he felt a little depressed.Liu Yi looked at his back as he resigned and left, and sighed, his eyes were a little complicated.

After eating the porridge from the relief agency, Bao Qizhang lay motionless on the bed, but his stomach still made a grunt.

Since the Qiu's workshop was closed and Zhu Guofu promulgated the "Law of Self-discipline for Workers and Apprentices", the wages in Guanzhong have risen sharply.Bao Qizhang came and went, and it would be better to stay here for another two years, and then take his wife and children to the west to receive the grant of land.He saved his annual wages and sent them back to Kanto, where he used them for his wife and children to cross the river.Unexpectedly, this year encountered a bad year.Many workshops were closed, and the first one who was not found was the Kanto worker. He went to receive the porridge from the relief office every day, and then returned to the shed, lying on the bed, and trying to minimize his activities, otherwise he would wake up hungry at night.

"Brother Bao, Brother Bao." Guo Hong walked in, holding half a torn steamed bun in his hand, and said loudly, "Here!"

"Huh?" Bao Qizhang took the steamed buns and asked curiously, "Isn't the relief department only serving gruel? How come there are steamed buns?" He was so hungry that he swallowed, but he didn't eat. He looked at Guo Hong, afraid What illegal deeds did he do to get this steamed bun.

Looking at Guo Hong, who was also sallow and emaciated from hunger, Bao Qizhang felt very sorry for him. If this brother hadn't wanted to advance and retreat with him, he would have gone to Shishan to lead the field a long time ago.Although Guo Hong didn't have a family to drag him down, there seemed to be a hole in his pocket. The wages paid at the end of the year were almost used up at the beginning of the year. As a result, when the workshop closed down, he was still starving like Bao Qizhang.

"Eat, big brother," Guo Hong seemed to see Bao Qizhang's doubts, and said with a naive smile, "I joined the Huobao camp for training, with food and lodging included, and I still have [-] yuan of salary a year," he sighed "tsk tsk" Said, "At the entrance of the relief agency recruiting soldiers, there are steamed buns piled up like a hill. Anyone who joins the army will give a steamed bun."

"You can neither 'shoot' arrows nor ride a horse, how can you join the army?"

Bao Qizhang was puzzled, after staying in Guanzhong for a few years, he didn't want to confuse sergeants with bandits as soldiers, but Guo Hong, who had no special skills, was able to join the army, which made him feel unbelievable.

"Hey, it's different this time, as long as you're not deaf or blind, you can tell the difference between the left and the right." Guo Hong frowned and said, "Brother Bao, if you can't find work on the left and right, you should join the army too!"

"It's inevitable that the earthen jar will be broken on the well," Bao Qizhang hesitated, "Eating the military rations means you have to hold your head and work hard..." Before he finished speaking, another rough voice called out: "Bao Qizhang, come out quickly, Your family is here looking for you with a doll!" Bao Qizhang's squinted eyes suddenly widened, he jumped up, and went out to see that Fu Qing, who had been dismissed from the same workshop, was standing outside, beside Fu Qing was a ragged and disheveled man The 'woman', with this little beggar-like doll behind her.Bao Qizhang took a closer look, isn't it his wife Pan and the child?He looked at them incredulously, and said with trembling lips, "Damn it, you...how did you find it?"

Seeing her husband, Pan's tears flowed down before she could speak, and then she dragged the child and timidly called out "Father" before talking about the whole story.It turns out that in the past two years, Bao Qizhang has entrusted people to send home a total of forty or fifty pennies.After being found out, the owner of the Tsukuda will also raise the rent.The bullies also come to the door to blackmail and force them, otherwise they will go to the Yamen to report.

Pan had no choice but to take the child out overnight after thinking about it.I wandered along the frozen Yellow River for more than half a month, and never dared to cross the river.Fortunately, she met someone who was crossing the river, and she took out all the money. Seeing that she felt sorry for her, they helped their mother and son cross the river together.It was also a coincidence that within a few days after she crossed the river, Song Guo invaded the river bank.After crossing the river, I searched all the way, eating from one relief office shed to another, and finally reunited with my family.

There was nothing left or right, Fu Qing and Guo Hong stood beside each other, smiling and watching the family meet each other with snot and tears. After a long while, Bao Qizhang came over, gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Guo, what's the matter?" For the way to join the army, can I get paid to settle down my family first?" Guo Hong's face turned pale, apparently he didn't know.But Fu Qing said: "I know this, as long as you sign and draw a deposit, you can get half of the salary as a settling allowance."

Bao Qizhang hesitated for a moment, looked back at the mother and son who were still wiping tears, and suddenly stomped his feet and said, "I have joined the army!"

A few days ago, Zhao Xingde received a document from the military government, ordering him to report the organization and tactics of the Huobao Battalion. At the same time, these are included in the military plan, and if leaked out, it will be regarded as rebellion and collaborating with the enemy.Zhao Xingde was puzzled, since he was transferred to the Dragon Tooth Army, why should he take care of the Fire Gun Camp.According to the usual saying, the Dragon Tooth Army has elite archers, and there is no need to equip them with firecrackers.

In the past few days, most of Zhao Xingde's energy was spent on selecting soldiers and preparing reports.After Li Ruoxue heard the news that she was leaving, while preparing to pack, she inevitably had to say goodbye to Han Ningshuang.After that conversation with Han Ningshuang, the two of them were embarrassed for a few days, but fortunately, after the embarrassment gradually faded, the knot in each other's hearts was eliminated.

"It's been a long time since we've been separated. I don't know when we'll see each other again. My sister follows General Zhao and doesn't have a maid by her side. General Zhao is in a state of chaos all year round, so it's inconvenient to take care of her." Han Ningshuang's eyes flashed complicated light, She concealed her depressed mood, then smiled and said, "There is nothing else in Liaodong, except that women don't give in to men. I will choose two smart maids for you. They are good at skills and can take care of others. They are all loyal and reliable girls. Let them follow my sister."