Good farming at the foot of Changbai Mountain

Chapter 203 Grassland
Time flies, in a blink of an eye, Zixuan and Jinghan have been here for more than a month.In the past month, Jinghan sent Anfu, Changshun, and Changan to inquire around, and went to the area of ​​Zhendong County to check.In addition, Jinghan also got a general understanding of this place from those people in the county government through Zixuan.

After knowing the scope of Zhendong County in detail, Jinghan was really shocked.How is this within the scope of a county? There must be six or seven counties in size, okay? This has caught up with the jurisdiction of the state.Looking at the manpower in the county government, Jinghan is really powerless.

The eastern part of Zhendong County is a mountainous and hilly landform with vast forests.The central part is a plain with flat terrain and fertile soil, while the western part is a grassland with excellent quality pastures.Moreover, there are many large lakes scattered between the plains and grasslands, and there are also many wetlands and swamps.Within the entire county, there are nine main rivers and countless other tributaries, with extremely rich water resources.

When Jinghan learned about this, she pointed to a crude map on the table and said with emotion, "What kind of backcountry is this? , such a good place, it is really stupid to be so poor." Jinghan couldn't help muttering.You know, in such an environment, with the comprehensive development of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline fishery, how can the people be poor.

Zixuan looked at Jinghan with a smile, "Do you think everyone is like you? All you think about is getting rich? This place belongs to the imperial court for only five or six years, and it was snatched from Beiyuan Kingdom The county magistrate here is worried about the attack of the Beiyuan Kingdom every day, and he is worried all the time. How can he have time to manage how the people live? But with my wife, the people here will be blessed, right, lady? "Zixuan loves to see Jinghan's energetic appearance when she has a good idea.

"Hmph, why don't you say it? Is it rare for this trivial matter to upset your wife?" Jinghan raised her head and deliberately looked at Zixuan with a contemptuous look.

Fascinated by her cute appearance, Zixuan put his arms around Jinghan and kissed her red lips. "My little lady is the most powerful. No matter what idea my lady has, her husband will definitely do it for you." Seeing Jinghan's appearance, Zixuan knew that Jinghan probably had an idea in mind.

"Well, what about you, first give a memorial to His Majesty the Emperor. Say that this place is too poor, and ask for a year or two of tax exemption so that the people can recuperate. In addition, I implore the Emperor to send some prisoners who have been exiled from various places. What we lack the most right now is manpower. Look at such a big place, there are only tens of thousands of people, even if they guard the golden mountains and silver mountains, they can’t move back home.” Jinghan’s understanding of this place is quite detailed I know that this place used to be the border area between the two countries. Due to the war and other reasons, the sparse population is pitiful.

"Look at this area, it's all fertile land. As long as it is reclaimed, the grain output will be very considerable in the future. And here, so many lakes, wouldn't it be good to keep them for farming? The grassland over there is even more useless. I said, horses, cattle and sheep, you can raise them as you like. Hey, I want to see such a good place with my own eyes." Jinghan pointed to the pasture on the map, feeling quite yearning.

"If my wife wants to go and see, isn't this easy? Just wait for the day when my wife is convenient, and just take my wife with you as a husband." Zixuan didn't care. He should go to various places when he first arrived here. Just look at it. "Lady, where do you want to go first, let's go in a few days."

"Go to the grassland first. I want to see the grassland and experience the feeling of seeing cattle and sheep when the wind blows the grass." Jinghan said, pointing to the western region on the map.

"Okay, then I'll go get ready, and we'll be there in two days." Zixuan hurriedly went out to get ready.

Jinghan also got busy here, "Ruyu, help me prepare some clothes that are easy to move. Just like those women outside, suitable for riding a horse." This place originally belonged to the Beiyuan Kingdom, but it returned later The imperial court, but the residents here still wear the original clothes.The Beiyuan Kingdom is a country dominated by nomads, so regardless of gender, the clothes they wear are more suitable for riding a horse.Jinghan had seen it a few times and thought the clothes looked good, so she made a few of them, which came in handy.

"Madam, if you go out with the master, what about us? Why don't you take us? What about the lady's diet?" Ruyu asked.

"You don't know how to ride horses, so why take you with you? It doesn't matter, the master and I are used to doing it ourselves. How can you use you for such a small matter? Just prepare some dry food for me, and you can do the rest. Don't worry about it. Just stay at home and wait for us to come back." Jinghan waved her hand, it's not like she doesn't know anything, she shouldn't take these girls with her when she goes out, it's too cumbersome.

Jinghan has a hot temper. Although Zixuan is steady, he wants to please Jinghan, so he does things very quickly. The two of them rode out the next day.This time they brought An Fu, Chang Shun, and a policeman from the yamen, there must be someone who knows the way, right?
Jinghan can still ride a horse, but Zixuan is worried, so Jinghan can only ride a horse with Zixuan.The terrain here was flat, and the horse let go and galloped westward.In the afternoon, I came to the grasslands in the west.

Looking at the endless green grass in front of her eyes, Jing Han felt indescribable. "It's so beautiful. Look over there, there are really cattle and sheep. What is there? Is it a shepherd's tent?" Jinghan was very excited. If it wasn't for her different status now, she wouldn't lose her manners in front of her subordinates. She really wanted to lie on the grass and roll.But this can only be imagined, she can't do it now.

Zixuan still smiled gently, although he was quite shocked by the scenery in front of him, but compared with the ever-changing expressions on the face of the little wife in his arms, no matter how beautiful the scenery is, it is not as seductive as Jinghan. "Come on, let's go forward and see what those shepherds are doing." Zixuan's legs clamped the horse's belly, and the horse moved forward.

Coming to a felt tent, Zixuan dismounted, and then helped Jinghan down as well.The catcher at the back followed up and communicated with the shepherd in front of him.Fortunately, this place used to be the border between the two countries, and the language is interoperable, so Jing Han can understand the words of these shepherds.

As soon as they heard that the county magistrate and his wife had come, the shepherds warmly invited them into the yurt.Everyone went inside, the floor was covered with thick felt blankets, and everyone sat on the ground.The industrious hostess served milk tea to honored guests from afar.

The policeman on the side reminded quietly that he should use his right hand to pick it up.Jinghan and the others heard it, took the milk tea with his right hand, and took a sip.This milk tea is not the one Jinghan has seen in her previous life, it is a favorite drink of people in pastoral areas.Take a sip of the fragrant and refreshing milk tea, and feel the combination of milk and tea fragrance just right.It seems that there are other things in it, and there is also salt, which is really salty and delicious.

Next, the hostess brought in fried rice, milk skin, cheese and other foods for Zixuan and the others to eat.Jinghan and the others thanked them repeatedly.

The shepherds here are very enthusiastic, and the host keeps urging everyone to drink tea and eat.Everyone ate and drank while chatting about the surrounding situation.

According to the host, there are about 3000 herdsmen here, not many, and they usually live by water and grass.However, since this place was assigned to the imperial court, some herdsmen began to learn to settle in one place.Anyway, the pasture here is huge, so there are so few people, there is no need to worry about not having enough forage.

Speaking of the lives of these herdsmen, they still basically maintain this self-sufficient state.They raise animals such as cattle and sheep, usually for their own food.What they eat the most is of course dairy products.Except for a small part of fresh milk that is consumed, the rest is made into various dairy products for preservation.

People here raise the most sheep, and they are full of treasures. The wool can be rolled into felt blankets, the mutton can be eaten, and goat milk is a good thing, which can be used to make various delicacies.

Jinghan couldn't help asking, "Brother Batu, do you only use wool felt here?"

The male host was a little strange, "Yeah? Wool is not used for rolling felt, what else can it be used for? Look at our felt tents and blankets on the ground, aren't they all made of wool felt?"

Jing Han nodded, but thought of something else in her mind.Wool can also be spun into wool, and it can also be spun into thinner threads for weaving, that is, woolen materials. These are much better than just rolling felt.Of course, you can also weave blankets. It seems that there are still many things that can be fussed about.

The herdsmen are very warm and hospitable. Some people nearby rushed over when they heard that the magistrate and his wife were coming.It happened that the sky was gradually getting dark, so everyone took out the food they kept at home one after another, and had a meal with Zixuan and the others.Of course, drinking is also indispensable. This season is a good time to drink kumiss.

The host brought kumiss and dedicated it to the respected guests.But Zixuan and the others were reminded by the policeman, took the wine happily, dipped their ring fingers in the wine and pointed it towards the sky, the earth, and the direction of the stove before drinking.This wine must be drunk and cannot be refused, but people who do not drink well can drink it to show it.Jinghan's alcohol capacity is not bad, so she didn't care about that and just took a sip.The people next to him all gave Jinghan their thumbs up. "Madam is doing well, not inferior to the girls on our grassland."

The one used to entertain the guests is naturally the highest standard whole lamb mat. With the help of neighbors, the hostess has already cooked the lamb.The hot and fragrant mutton was brought in, and it was delivered to Zixuan and Jinghan, of course, with long ribs, this is the rule of hospitality.

Jinghan had never seen such a way of eating, so she had to imitate others, grabbing the mutton with her hands and putting it in her mouth.The very fresh and tender feeling in the mouth made Jinghan fall in love with this way of eating, but she was not polite, so she ate it vigorously.

The hostess sat next to Jinghan, seeing that Jinghan liked to eat, she was very happy.In their opinion, if the guests don't eat, it means they dislike them, but the more they eat, the better.

(End of this chapter)