Fei Rulan lay on Zhao Han's chest, looking at the heavy rain outside the window. She finally knew what it meant to be inseparable, and she always wanted to be with the person next to her. Xiyue had called her twice, but she still didn't want to get up to eat.
"Husband, what are you thinking about?" Fei Rulan moved her body and rested her head on Zhao Han's arm.
Zhao Han sighed: "It's raining so damn hard...it's hard to put it into words."
Fei Rulan asked curiously: "Isn't there always a spring drought? Isn't rain not good?"
Zhao Han explained: "Last year there was a military disaster, and a lot of winter wheat was replanted. Now it is blooming and pollinating, and if it rains, the yield will definitely be reduced. And the wheat that was sown in time will be harvested in a few days.
These strong winds and heavy rains can easily cause the ripe wheat to fall over. I hope it doesn’t rain for several days in a row, otherwise this year’s summer grain harvest will be at least 30 to 40 percent poor.”
"You are really tired of being a rebel. You are worried about drought and rain." Fei Rulan sighed.
Zhao Han said helplessly: "In the past, one person had enough to eat, and the whole family was not hungry. Now I have tens of thousands of people under my command, and I have to think about their stomachs."
Wheat is also grown in the south, especially in Zhao Han's territory, where there are many dry fields and wheat is the main summer grain crop.
Seeing Zhao Han lying restlessly on the bed, Fei Rulan sat up and said, "Get up and eat quickly."
"Kiss me and get up." Zhao Han suddenly smiled playfully.
"No kiss." Fei Rulan lay down again, turned her back to Zhao Han, her eyes turned into crescent moons with smiles.
Zhao Han pounced on it and gnawed it for a long time. Finally, he got out of bed and went out to eat hand in hand.
It rained for three days in a row, and all the water that had fallen in the river rose back, and even reached the shore.
The next few days will be cloudy and rainy.
The rain was not heavy, but a few raindrops were always scattered, which made Zhao Han's hair fall out from worry.
After calling all the senior officials for a meeting and discussion, Zhao Han issued an order: "The wheat harvest that the villagers have returned to their hometowns to replant will definitely fail on a large scale this year. Mr. Li, Fei Chun, and the grain bank must be prepared to deal with the difficulties faced by the villagers."
You can borrow grain without having to repay it for the time being. From June to the autumn grain harvest, all grain borrowings are interest-free during these months! The landlord will give you the interest on grain storage, and he would rather we lose some money."
"Understood!" Li Banghua and Fei Chun responded immediately.
Zhao Han added: "Maosheng's missionary group and Dashan (Zuo Xiaoliang)'s Farmers' Association will start propaganda and organization immediately after the weather clears. First harvest the wheat that has fallen due to wind and rain, and we will harvest as much as we can!"
In ancient times, wheat did not have lodging-resistant varieties. When it matured and encountered strong winds and heavy rains, it was likely to fall to the ground in patches, resulting in a failed harvest.
Zuo Xiaoliang said: "Don't worry, the head of the town, the farmers' association has already taken action. In the past few days, people from all villages and towns have been mobilized to help each other lift up the fallen wheat. Everyone inserted bamboo poles and used strips to weave simple fences. When they found the fallen wheat
Immediately help him up and tie him up."
"Well done, I would like to thank your Farmers' Association for your contribution!" Zhao Han was very happy.
Ouyang Zheng raised his hand and said: "After spring plowing, I organized the villagers to dig four water storage ponds. The roads there are difficult to walk, especially the mountain roads. I want to organize the villagers to build roads again."
Zhao Han said: "After the busy farming season is over, let the Farmers Association help you with your work."
After talking about agriculture and infrastructure, Xiao Huan suddenly said: "According to the reports from the spies who stayed in Fucheng, the magistrates of Ji'an and Luling County have arrived one after another in the past few days."
"Who is the prefect of Ji'an?" Zhao Han asked.
Xiao Huan replied: "Yang Zhaosheng, the third-ranked Jinshi in the second year of Tianqi, the details of this person are not known yet."
Zhao Han asked Li Banghua: "Does Mr. Li know this person?"
Li Banghua shook his head: "I've never heard of it."
Since he has never heard of it, he must be a minor character and no one takes it seriously.
Xiao Huan added: "The name of the new county magistrate is Wang Diaoding. He seems to have been a Jinshi in the fourth year of Chongzhen's reign. I don't know exactly what he is like."
The new governor is a mess.
The newly appointed county magistrate is a truly good official.
Wang Diaoding was the magistrate of Xian County before. Not only did he not commit corruption, he actually donated money to build the city wall. Not only did he donate his salary, but he also donated the money he brought from home.
At that time, the people of Xian County were in dire straits and bandits were everywhere. It took Wang Tiaoding only three years to eliminate the bandits and allow the people to live.
At this moment, Wang Tiaoding was visiting the people.
Since Zhao Han had killed all the county government officials, Wang Diaoding no longer had to rectify the officials, and he was not afraid of being sidelined by his subordinate officials.
He took several of his followers and visited all the villages, and finally came to the shore of Lu River.
"Is the opposite side the territory where the rebels are stealing possessions?" Wang Diaoding asked.
A soap official replied: "Exactly."
Wang Diaoding walked toward the ferry and said as he walked, "Let's cross the river and have a look."
"Your Majesty, you must not do this!"
"Your Majesty, that thief Zhao kills people without blinking an eye, we may never come back!"
"Have you forgotten, the county magistrate, that the Zhao thieves massacred all the county officials last year?"
"..."
The followers quickly caught up with him, holding his arms and thighs, and grabbed Wang Diaoding.
Wang Diaoding said with a smile: "The Zhao thief occupied the city without looting the streets, and took the initiative to return the city and leave. He will definitely not want to conflict with the government again. As long as I don't recruit troops to suppress the thief, the Zhao thief will definitely not kill the county magistrate without permission. Gentlemen
Let go and follow me to explore the enemy's situation."
The followers could not stop him and had no choice but to follow the magistrate across the river.
They were on a private visit incognito, and did not wear official uniforms. They looked more like they were on an outing in the countryside.
Wang Tiaoding stepped on the ridge of the field and walked. He suddenly squatted down to check the ears of rice and exclaimed: "This rice is growing really well. There is no spring drought in the rebel territory?"
"I don't know." The followers shook their heads.
After walking for a while, I finally saw a farmer carrying firewood.
Wang Tiaoding raised his hand and said, "Brother, I am a foreign merchant. The rice here is growing well. Didn't you encounter a spring drought?"
The farmer was very proud: "If there is a drought, the farmers' association will take the lead. You help me and I will help you. Mr. Zhao said that as long as there is water in the river, the fields will not be afraid of drought."
"What is a farmers' association?" Wang Tiaoding asked.
The farmer said: "The farmers' association is the fellow villagers. If you help me, I will help you, the world will be unified."
"The world is unified?" Wang Diaoding was shocked. Jiangxi's literary style was indeed prosperous, and even a farmer knew that the world was unified.
The farmer laughed and said: "The world is unified when everyone has fields to farm, everyone has food to eat, and everyone has clothes to wear. Mr. Zhao said that if we want the world to be unified, we must organize a farmers' association. You help me, and I will help you."
.”
Why does it feel like something is wrong, yet it seems to make sense?
Wang Tiaoding asked: "How can the farmers' association help?"
"You help me and I help you. Why can't you understand this?" The farmer's tone was full of contempt.
Wang Tiaoding is indeed a young man. He has been the county magistrate for three years and is still very young now.
He was born as a child prodigy. Not only was he a scholar, he was also a junior student.
Eleven-year-old Linsheng!
Precisely because the road to the imperial examination was smooth and his family had enough money to feed and clothe him, he always maintained an innocent heart. He became an official at a young age and was full of enthusiasm. He was not greedy for money and even donated the money he brought from home to build the city.
.
This is a young official with ideals and pursuits.
After repeated questioning, the farmer could not explain the reason, so Wang Tiaoding could only continue to move forward.
What I saw along the way was that the people were happy and the rice and wheat were abundant.
Wang Diaoding was stunned and said: "Is this actually a den of thieves?"
A follower said: "My lord, this is a den of thieves. There are eight townships in Luling County, and the four townships in the west are all dens of thieves."
Wang Diaoding smiled wryly at himself: "If this is a den of thieves, the villages and towns I visited before and the countryside under my administration are far worse than the dens of thieves. The Zhao thieves here are really strange people!"
Everyone continued walking forward and finally came to the hilly area.
There are very few paddy fields here, and 80% of them are dry land. Most of them grow wheat, and a few other miscellaneous grains.
I saw more than 20 people harvesting in a wheat field, and there were even a few children picking up wheat ears.
There is a flag planted on the hillside. It is a very common indigo cotton cloth, the same as the military flag of the Datong Disciple Army, but this flag has the word "Nong" embroidered on it.
Someone else came over with tea and shared it with the wheat harvesters to quench their thirst. He took the opportunity to say, "Countrymen, please work harder. First harvest the wheat that has fallen down, and then the wheat that has fallen. Try to dry out all the wheat before the next rain."
Once done, enter the warehouse!"
"Don't worry, Xianggong Liu, I promise to collect it all."
"There are twenty or so people working on one piece of land, and it's all done in a few clicks."
"We've finished collecting here, which one should we go to tomorrow?"
"..."
The farmers drank tea to quench their thirst while talking.
After drinking tea, he immediately went back to cut the wheat without being urged by anyone.
Another farmer bundled up the wheat straw and carried it downhill to the threshing floor. Wang Diaoding immediately followed.
But I saw that the threshing floor was more lively and orderly in the chaos.
The place is divided into several areas, where men are threshing wheat with flails and women are drying wheat with wooden rakes.
After working for a while, the missionary officer called for a break, and everyone gathered under the shade of a tree to drink tea and chat.
The tea was made with cheap tea foam and had long since turned white, just like drinking boiled water. But everyone drank it with enthusiasm, and there was even a pretty woman who sang a ditty for everyone during the break.
"good!"
"another one!"
After singing the song, everyone cheered and cheered in unison.
The ditty singer was originally a prostitute from Fucheng who came here voluntarily as a thief.
She was also allocated three acres of land, but she was unable to cultivate it, so she had to share it with farmers who had spare capacity. She usually followed the missionary officer, received a salary, and sang songs to liven up the atmosphere.
Wang Tiaoding remained silent and walked towards the next village, only to find that everything was the same everywhere.
Looking at the people harvesting wheat happily, he suddenly said with wet eyes: "This is not a den of thieves, this is clearly a paradise."
Wang Tiaoding turned around and asked his followers: "Is this a den of thieves?"
Everyone was silent and did not dare to speak nonsense.
Suddenly, an official boldly said: "They have all divided their fields. I heard that the taxes are not heavy, so why wouldn't they be happy to collect food for themselves?"
"You don't understand, you don't understand!" Wang Diaoding shook his head repeatedly.
Doesn't this make sense just because the fields are divided? There are so many farmers who are as close as one family, helping each other to harvest wheat and dry it for drying. Not only are there no disputes, but the scene is harmonious. This kind of organizational power is terrifying.
Even, the people can be directly organized into the army!
After making inquiries all the way, Wang Tiaoding went straight to the General Military Mansion, raised his hands and said to the guard: "Please inform Mr. Zhao that Wang Tiaoding, the magistrate of Luling, wants to see you."