After living in Yucheng for several months, Nalanxue has completely grasped the situation here.

There is plenty of silver and food in the treasury. The amount of silver alone is more than 70 million taels, which is enough to cover the national treasury tax revenue of Mo Country for half a year.

According to Bu Shiren's original secretary, during Bu Shiren's ten years in office, Yucheng's city tax has never been less than 20% of the product, which is twice as high as the national tax. In some good years with good grain harvests, it may even be

The poll tax and city wall repair tax are collected from the people, and foreign merchants have to pay the city entrance tax at the city gate... And the city wall of Yucheng has not been really touched once in the past ten years. At most, it is only on the battlements.

Above, some new torch stands are replaced, which means it has been repaired...

What makes Nalan Xue interesting is that this Bu Shiren is not a lavish spender. On the contrary, he is very stingy. He doesn't even have a wife or concubine at home, and the objects in the house are all left by his predecessor. Only,

The walls, house walls and courtyards of the city guard's mansion are taken care of every day, and they need to be painted with red paint at least twice every year to make them feel comfortable.

"Does Bu Shiren have any special hobbies in his daily life?"

While Nalanxue was looking through the account book in her hand, she asked the clerk who was standing in front of her desk with his head bowed. Sima Shang had been practicing calligraphy every day since he came to Yucheng. Now it seems that he is pretty good at it.

Nalanxue also taught him some skills and other things, but he was still lacking in handling city affairs, so Nalanxue could only take care of it for him first.

"As far as my subordinates know, this Bu Shiren seems to have... no special hobbies. He doesn't gamble. He doesn't go to brothels and taverns, and he's not greedy for food and drink... If he has some... then, that is.

Hoarding money..."

The secretary thought for a moment, and then replied to Nalanxue with some embarrassment, "I have seen him several times. Instead of going back to his room to sleep, he was lying in a pile of gold and silver. He took the pieces one by one.

He wiped his sleeves, and then, after wiping, he fell asleep... Because of this, he didn't know how many times he had been exposed to the wind and cold. Who said he would be annoyed with someone... In the past, there were people in this city.

There were two city officials who wanted to check the accounts, but he used various methods to swindle them away..."

"It turned out to be a miser!"

After hearing what the secretary said, Nalan Xue understood. No wonder, there is so much money in the treasury. This rain city is still in tatters, and the city walls are not willing to repair it. It turns out that this is the case!

"What miser?"

Sima Shang came in from the door and was stunned after hearing the last sentence Nalan Xue said. He frowned slightly and asked her, "Who is it?"

"Where's the dead Bu Shiren? Have you practiced your calligraphy today?"

Seeing Sima Shang come in, Nalan Xue stood up with a smile, beckoned him to sit on the seat, and she moved a small stool and placed it next to the seat, "I just told the secretary, Yucheng

The money in the big treasury has not been touched much for ten years. The tens of millions of taels stored there are almost as much as the national tax income of the entire Mo country in less than half a year. I plan to build a new city next to Yucheng.

After the new city is built, move the people in the city there, demolish this side of the old city, build it like the other side, and patch up the middle wall to turn it into a big city with an urn city."

"Building a new city? It will cost a lot of money. Is there enough in the treasury?"

Hearing Nalan Xue talk about building a new city, Sima Shang couldn't help but frown. Historically, cities were mostly built as towns for people to gather. After reaching a certain scale, the state would pay to build a circle of walls, and it would be considered a city, or,

After the war, the city was destroyed, and there were prisoners of war who could be enslaved and the city could be built. But...at times like this, it's not like the city couldn't be used anymore. It would be too wasteful to tear it down and build again...

"Would it be better to ask your father about this matter? The prisoners of war in the Moyi War were all repatriated to their places of origin after the war. Now that we are building the city, just recruiting civilians will cost us a lot of money.

Less money!"

"The people don't need to use money. We only need to provide money to provide food and supplies, and that is enough."

Seeing Sima Shang's distressed expression, Nalan Xue couldn't help but laugh, stretched out her hand, poked his arm, and teased him, "Isn't this Yucheng's feng shui bad? Why did I become the city lord and city guard?

Are you going to become so obsessed with wealth? The city's money and grain are originally taken from the people and used for the people. If you store them in the treasury, they will not give birth to babies!"

Hearing Nalan Xue make fun of him, Sima Shang blushed slightly, smiled rather awkwardly, and said to her, "Shang just feels that building a city is not necessarily flattering, and it also costs a lot of money.

It’s not really worth doing. It’s not like the city can’t be used anymore. Just use some money to repair the city walls.”

Nalan Xue smiled and stretched out her hand, took out a tea bowl, poured some tea into it, and put it in Sima Shang's hand, "The hearts of the common people are weighing on each other. Treat them well and let them live a happy life."

If you feel comfortable, they will remember it in their hearts. When you need their help, they will stand up and help you. Some things can be solved with money, but many things cannot be solved with money.

For example, many people can work hard for you for money, but few people will work hard for you for money. For the king, it is a boat, for the people, it is water, water can carry the boat, and it can also capsize it.

I've told you the truth before, but looking at it now, you probably haven't fully understood it yet."

After a few more words with the secretary, Nalan Xue sent him out to do some work. She turned around and looked at Sima Shang, seeing that he pursed his lips and frowned. After thinking for a long time, he couldn't think of a "way" to do what she did.

He said it in a general way, asking the common people to work without any money, so I couldn't help but smile, and no longer made it difficult for him, I just told him.

The common people have never wanted much, except for a stable place to live and adequate food and clothing.

Afraid that Sima Shang wouldn't understand, Nalan Xue took the brush on the table, dipped it in ink, and started drawing on the rice paper in front of Sima Shang while talking. Stone was quarried from the mountain, felled, and transported to the foot of the mountain by river water.

, and then use the houses in the new city to offset the wages of the peasant husbands, use a tool shop to offset the wages of the craftsmen, and use the enrollment quota in the new school. The peasant women will cook for the peasant husbands and craftsmen.

In order to reduce the city tax and encourage people to open up wasteland and repair water conservancy projects, they would receive food and wages for weaving and making clothes.

In short, to put it bluntly, even if you don’t spend a penny, just provide some food to feed the people, you can make the people happy and help them build a new city!

"Xue'er, fortunately you are a woman, otherwise, I'm afraid your second brother might not be able to match you!"

After listening quietly to Nalan Xue's explanation of the matter, Sima Shang couldn't help but exclaimed in surprise.

If ordinary people were to build a larger house, they would have to spend at least several hundred or even thousands of silver. It would not be possible for a family of five to run it for half a lifetime just by farming and weaving. An ordinary person might not be able to build it.

If an ordinary craftsman were to accumulate a two-story shop for one city, it would probably take thirty or forty years. As for the number of places to attend the school... In the old city of Yucheng, there is only one official school.

, since the child was born. He started to sign up and wait, waiting, so that when the child reaches eleven or twelve years old, he can enter the school.

Although this is much better than before when there was no school, but compared with children whose families are wealthy and can afford to pay their husbands to attend private schools, four or five years of life have been wasted, especially if they plan to apply for school.

It is even more difficult to become an official in a day! For example, "Nalan Shu" became the prime minister of Mo State at the age of ten. However, in Yucheng, the children of ordinary people's families were in Lian Xuetang at that time.

Haven't even been able to go there yet.

As for the city tax, Nalan Xue had originally discussed with him and planned to reduce it to the same level as Yuncheng. He also agreed. The current operation is tantamount to using the money that was originally planned to be reduced.

, to do what I plan to do...

There are more than 3,200 households in Yucheng, or more than 56,000 people. If we put all our efforts into it, we can build the city Nalanxue envisioned in three months at most, and distribute houses and shops according to households.

At least, there are still five to six thousand vacant houses and shops left. In the future, as the city develops, the population increases, and foreign merchants settle, it will be very convenient. If someone has extra money and wants to buy more real estate, it is better to do so.

Once sold, it can enrich the treasury. It can be said that it is a small capital but a huge profit!

Moreover, the spring plowing is about to pass, and the people will soon be free. At such a time, using such good conditions to recruit civilian laborers will definitely get the support of the people. It is estimated that before the harvest season comes,

You can rest assured that you can build a city without being interrupted midway.

The two discussed for a while and finalized many of the matters. Then, in Sima Shang's surprised eyes, Nalan Xue took out another piece of clean, unused rice paper and wiped it out three times.

Second, I drew a city map of the new city. Although it was all simple small squares, it was enough for someone like Sima Shang, who could barely understand the city map, to figure it out.

Clearly understand what is included in it.

The place where ordinary people live is in the south of the city, where there are many small and medium-sized streets, where more than three small farm vehicles can go parallel. The shops of merchants are in the west of the city, close to the official road of the city gate, where vehicles can transport goods easily.

For passage, the barracks for garrisoning troops are in the east of the city, close to the city gate. They have their own independent gates for entering and exiting the city, and transporting supplies, which is very convenient. Shops of various craftsmen are gathered in the north of the city, according to their categories.

In nearby places, merchants can save a lot of time when buying goods and delivering them, and it is also convenient for craftsmen to communicate with each other. Schools are in the middle of the city, and no matter what family's children go to study, they are only a few steps away.

It's close, so you don't need to go too far. The City Lord's Mansion is also next to the school. No matter who you are, if you want to go there for help, the distance is still close, so there is no bias.

There is a waterway in the city. The water used is imported from the nearby river and passes through the center of the new city. There are gates where the river enters and leaves the city. If there are ships that need to transport goods by water and want to enter the city,

As long as the gate is opened, there is no risk of passage. If there is a war, the gate can be completely closed to cut off the river water in the city and supply the people with daily water and make up for the lack of water supply from the wells.

The city is surrounded by double-layered walls. There is an urn between the two-layered walls. If the enemy attacks and breaks the first wall, they only need to cut off the passage between the two walls to proceed to the second wall.

For the second line of defense, the Wengcheng is so narrow that it is impossible to move the ladder to attack the city. The distance between the first city wall and the second city wall is so large that it cannot be crossed by just foot power. If you want to build a plank bridge, you need to start from the first city wall.

Use slings to pull up and set up.

On the battlefield, the situation is changing. No one can guarantee that he can waste so much time without being attacked from behind. In other words, no general is willing to attack such a city with all the effort.

It is really uneconomical to destroy and attack the nearby city, spending ten times, or even a hundred times the manpower and material resources, just to capture such a city that is not a fortress.

"Xue'er. Despite my virtue and ability, I, Sima Shang, am lucky enough to marry such a virtuous and sensitive woman like you!"

Sima Shang hugged Nalan Xue excitedly, and when he got to the middle of the study, he spun around happily for several times, causing Nalan Xue to scream in surprise, and then he was still not satisfied. He put her down and wanted to get close to Fangze.

. But Nalan Xue blocked her with her hand, and her face suddenly fell, "What's wrong? My own wife won't let me kiss her anymore?"

"When you replenish me, we'll get married as promised."

It wasn't that Nalan Xue was being pretentious and insisted on pursuing those false things from Sima Shang, but that she wanted to give Sima Shang a motivation to work hard.

His martial arts skills are not bad, but his literary talents are extremely lacking. He was wasted when he was young and had no one to supervise him. Now, if we don't force him to learn more urgently, by the time he finishes learning, he will still be dead in the Year of the Monkey and the Moon of the Horse?

Now, the world is still good, and the two of them have no offspring. She still has time to teach him his lessons. If in a few years, Sima Qing wants to give up the throne, or other princes want to seek power, and war breaks out,

He has nothing to offer and no accumulation to support him, so how should he deal with it?

She is not a short-sighted little girl who only cares about her husband's love and childishness. What she wants is for her husband to stand in front of others, turn into a butterfly, and no longer be threatened, made things difficult, or bullied and looked down upon!

Sima Shang agreed with some disappointment, lowered his head, and then, while Nalan Xue leaned her head to look at his stall, he suddenly raised his head, took advantage, and ran away!

"Sima Shang! Don't let me catch you! Otherwise, otherwise, I will punish you until you cry!"

Looking at Sima Shang who had already disappeared, Nalan Xue's face turned red. She stamped her feet in annoyance and threatened her. Anyway, since she didn't know martial arts, she would definitely not be able to catch up with him. Anyway, even if he was at this time

Even if you run away, you still have to come back. Anyway, you can run away from the monk, but you can't run away from the temple!

…

On the second day, notices drafted by Nalan Xue and signed by Sima Shang were posted on several city gates of Yucheng, informing the people of Yucheng that a new city would be built after the spring plowing was completed. Everyone would voluntarily participate.
To be continued...