Settled in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 89 Preparing to Build a Farm
Princess Pingyang said: "It is natural to do it, but there is still one problem that has not been resolved."

Xue Lang understood: "Salt!"

"Of course, it's salt!"

The purpose of building a farm is to train a group of elite soldiers. An increase in the amount of training means an increase in physical loss. In addition to supplementing nutrition, how to supplement the body's salt loss caused by a large amount of physical loss is also a big problem.

Princess Pingyang said: "Weize Pass belongs to Hebei Road. There is a big salt pond in Youzhou in Hebei Road. It is convenient to transport it here, but I don't know if the output of Youzhou salt pond can be supplied. This is one of them!"

At this time, salt production, no matter sea salt, well salt or rock salt, mostly adopts the fire frying method of boiling in marinade.Production is limited by fuel and manpower, and has been low.

The method of making salt, whether it is sea salt or pool salt, was mostly stewed before the Northern Song Dynasty.The drying method of sea salt did not appear until after the Northern Song Dynasty. However, the sea salt that was dried at the beginning was not filtered due to technical reasons, so the taste was not good.It was not until the end of the Qing Dynasty that someone invented the method of sun-drying salt in ditches and beaches, and the history of sea-salt fire-frying has just ended.

Duke Pingyang continued: "Secondly, Liu Heikai made a rebellion and occupied Jizhou, Beizhou and other places. When the governor of Youzhou came a few days ago, I asked him. Changshi said that Yanchi in Youzhou was inconvenient due to the influence of Liu thief. Large quantities of salt will be transported, and the large quantities of salt can only be resumed after the king of Qin puts down the bandits Liu.”

According to historical records, Li Shimin's conquest of Liu Heita was not long. After the Battle of Mingshui, Liu Heita was defeated and fled to Turkic.Count the time, the day of victory is not far away.

Therefore, Xue Lang said: "Your Highness, according to my subordinates, after the first battle of Mingshui, the King of Qin and Liu Heitai have already won the battle, and the decisive victory is not far away, and the news of King Qin's victory may arrive in a few days. "

Princess Pingyang is a decisive person, and she also knows the ability to bring up her younger brother by herself, she pondered for a while, and said: "Xue Lang obeys orders!"

Xue Lang hurriedly said: "The subordinate is here."

Princess Pingyang solemnly said: "From now on, this general will allow you to take the post of quartermaster and be responsible for the overall planning and establishment of the garrison farm. The cook camp officer and school lieutenant will assign you to fully assist you in the preparation of the farm."

"Here!"

Xue Lang took the order.Her Royal Highness immediately wrote a handwritten letter and stamped it with the general's seal, so that the order could be passed on.

So, after a few days of idleness, Xue Lang became busy again.Fortunately, on the sweet potato field, you only need to go around the field frequently to pay attention to the growth status; on the other side of the workshop, Xue Lang has completely become the role of soy sauce. Just make a trip when you have questions or make a finished product for him to check.

In the afternoon, the school lieutenant of the cook camp came to see him.Although the school lieutenant of the cook camp is a school lieutenant, his rank is not high, not as high as that of other government barracks, and he is only an eighth-rank officer.The school lieutenant is a man in his early forties, short and strong, with a big head and fat ears, he looks like a cook.

"Xiaguanzhuang Dahai has met Master Xue."

The visitors greeted respectfully.

Xue Lang couldn't help but twitched the corner of his mouth. It wasn't that there was a problem with the etiquette of the visitor, but that he was allergic to the word "sea" recently——

On the harm of joking!
Xue Lang returned the courtesy: "Lieutenant Zhuang is free, there is no need to be polite, please sit down."

Zhuang Dahai said: "Thank you, Mr. Xue. In front of Mr. Xue, you don't dare to call him a captain. Just call him Dahai."

Xue Lang felt a toothache, and insisted: "I should call him Xiaowei Zhuang. Sit down, let's talk about something."

Only then did Zhuang Dahai kneel down before Xue Lang, maintaining a respectful attitude of listening attentively.

Everyone has their own way of life, and Xue Lang didn't want to talk about him, so as not to make him feel more uncomfortable.So, Xue Lang asked: "Does Captain Zhuang know what he wants to help me with?"

Zhuang Dahai said bluntly: "Returning to Mr. Xue, the lower officials don't know, all they know is that they must obey Mr. Xue's orders. If you have any orders from Mr. Xue, you can show them, and the lower officials will definitely work hard."

Xue Lang felt that he should have a general idea, and said, "His Royal Highness wants to build a farm dedicated to the garrison's meals. I have already completed the plan, and your cooking camp will assist you in the specific preparation work. By the way, how many of your cooking camps are there?" people?"

Zhuang Dahai said cautiously: "Back to Mr. Xue, the cook camp of the lower officials, although it is a camp, only has 50 people. Is it enough for Mr. Xue to order?"

It's no wonder that although the official is a school lieutenant, his rank is so low. It turns out that he is only equivalent to a captain.Xue Lang nodded: "There are 50 people, and they are also responsible for the meals of the sergeants on weekdays... Will the selection of ten people affect the operation of the cook camp?"

"what?"

Zhuang Dahai didn't understand.Xue Lang was stunned, and put it another way: "In the early stage, I don't need too many people here. I have transferred ten people from the cook camp, leaving 40 people. Will it affect the work of the cook camp for everyone?"

Now, Zhuang Dahai understood: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter, everyone is used to it, if you work hard, you can get out, so it won't affect the cooking."

"That's fine. In this case, go and find some stonemasons for me first. It doesn't need to be very skilled, as long as they can make large stone troughs. The main thing is to do the work quickly."

"Here."

Zhuang Dahai obviously had no education level, so Xue Lang didn't say much, and directly ordered him to do the work.

Zhuang Dahai went out to recruit stonemasons.After Xue Lang drew the pattern of the stone trough at home, he took people out and chose the address to build the farm.

At this time, Weize Pass is still sparsely populated, with large areas of wasteland and reed beaches, so there are many places to choose from, the key is whether it is suitable or not.

Xue Lang ran outside for three days, leaving early and returning late, and finally chose a suitable place, half an hour away from the military camp. There is a small river not far away.

The land of the farm is mainly for growing vegetables and needs a lot of water for irrigation. This place is just right.The reed marshes can be rebuilt to raise fish, ducks, and geese. There is a river next to it, so it is convenient to bring in water or drain it out.

After measuring it, there are about [-] acres of farmland nearby, and there is also a large area of ​​wasteland.These wastelands can not only build houses, but also continue to be reclaimed into farmland.Xue Lang's plan is to plant the [-] acres first, and enclose the rest of the wasteland, depending on the need to slowly reclaim it.

After choosing the site, Xue Lang has already started to make the planning map, and the stonemasons also started to dig the stone groove according to Xue Lang's drawing, and wait for the order of the sage to start the work.

One day, Xue Lang was explaining to Zhuang Dahai how to rebuild the reed marsh by the side of the reed marsh. Princess Pingyang's personal soldiers flew over and said that the princess had summoned her.

Xue Lang had no choice but to leave Zhuang Dahai first, and rushed back to Tingfengyuan to change into clean clothes, wiped his hands and face and rushed over.After the announcement, he went into the main hall, where not only Princess Pingyang, but also Lady Liu and Ma Sanbao were present.

In addition, there was a handsome young man sitting on the head of Liu Nuguan and Ma Sanbao, who looked exactly like Princess Pingyang, handsome and handsome, with extraordinary momentum.

(End of this chapter)