The situation in the Central Plains is turbulent, and the Longyou Road is also experiencing slight waves.
After marching for seven days, the army arrived at the Yanchi Salt Fields and met up with the caravan that had set off earlier.
After Yuchixin arrived at Yanchi, he immediately sent officers and troops to Sanwei Mountain to read out King Jianning's policies to the refugees on the mountain.
Ordinary refugees were collected and trained into the second battalion of the Moli Army, and those refugees who were weak or unwilling to join the army were arranged to work in the salt fields.
"The efficiency of boiling salt like this is too low. You have to do this when precipitating salt crystals." After Cui Ruoyun saw the salt field, she couldn't bear the itching of her hands and soaked in the salt field for three days.
Three days later, Cui Ruoyun proposed a complete set of improvement plans in a series of processes, including filtration, making brine, and boiling and drying salt.
With the help of several businessmen and players, I only made some simple mechanical tools.
At this time, the working efficiency of the entire salt farm was greatly improved, and a large amount of snow-white refined salt was produced at once.
Yanding Ma Wu was surprised to find that since the female official came to the salt farm, their work intensity had decreased, but the salt they produced was more and better.
Ma Wu felt like he was in a dream. Ever since King Jianning's troops arrived, the saltmen had lived a good life that was beyond their dreams.
As long as he works four hours a day, he can eat and drink enough and get wages.
After the young official named Jiang Lun took office as the director of the salt farm, he first asked Cui Ruoyun to improve the salt production process, and then improved the salary of salt workers like Ma Wu.
Now Ma Wu can eat and drink enough every day, and he can also get his weekly salary. Mr. Jiang has already announced the policy. Those who are willing to be salt workers can stay, and those who are not willing to be salt workers can go to Guazhou to farm.
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Originally, the salt workers all discussed leaving the salt field, but after working for a week, no one wanted to leave.
Now the salt farm only needs to work eight hours a day, and he can eat and drink just like the old man, so he can have enough to eat every day.
Yan Ding's personal freedom is not restricted. If he wants to quit, he can leave at any time.
The newly appointed farm director Jiang Lun has also formulated a series of policies. For salt workers who perform well at work, they will not only be rewarded with money, but also promoted.
Now Ma Wu is even more active. With his excellent performance, he is now the squad leader of the salt cooking workshop and has more than a dozen salt cubs under his command.
Ma Wu's salary has also increased a bit. His biggest wish now is that His Highness Prince Jianning can enter Shazhou, so that the people of Shazhou can live a good life.
I heard Mr. Jiang say that they are all subordinates of His Highness Prince Jianning, and His Highness followed the emperor's order to take over the entire Longyou Road.
The important events of the imperial court are really far away from ordinary people like Ma Wu who strive for promotion, but the life now is really countless times better than before.
Ma Wu used the money he saved to buy a woolen sweater at the big market outside the salt field.
This dress is so comfortable, feels smooth and soft, and is very warm when worn.
Yu Chixin also didn't expect that King Jianning's banner would be surprisingly effective.
After raising the banner of King Jianning, the ordinary people hiding in Sanwei Mountain came down one after another.
Refugees flocked to the salt field, and even many real bandits disbanded and went down the mountain to become common people.
The terrain of Sanwei Mountain is difficult and there is no place for farming on the mountain.
However, Sanwei Mountain is so big, the government caravans did not dare to rob it, and the Hu merchants from the Western Regions took a detour. There are still so many bandits on the mountain, and many bandits starve every day.
I originally went to the mountains to become a bandit because I didn't have enough to eat, but I didn't expect that I still didn't have enough to eat after becoming a bandit.
Now I heard that King Jianning has come to Yanchi. He can serve as a soldier and eat, or work in the salt field, and he can also get his weekly salary.
The bandits who were starving in the northwest wind on the mountain came down one after another to seek refuge.
Yuchixin built several new camps overnight and then settled the refugees.
Yuchixin selected 500 strong men from them and incorporated them into the reserve army.
Another group of refugees also made salt dices and continued to cook salt by the salt pool.
Finally, some who were unwilling to serve as soldiers or saltmen were sent to Guazhou to farm.
After assisting Yu Chixin in resettling the refugees, Cui Tao set off from the salt farm to Shazhou City.
"Sister, just stay in the salt field. You can also get rewards after completing the task." Cui Tao was still trying hard to persuade Cui Ruoyun to stay in the salt field.
Cui Ruoyun was unmoved. Seeing her sister's firm attitude, Cui Tao did not dare to persuade her any more.
In addition to the two siblings, they also hired Zhang Shun, a refugee who was familiar with Shazhou's situation, as a guide, disguised as a caravan clerk.
Cui Tao found three more players in the camp and headed to Shazhou City with him.
Li Daoyuan is a landscape party member. He came to Shazhou just to see the scene of Dunhuang during the Tang Dynasty.
Now that the army is staying in Yanchi, Li Daoyuan naturally can't stay idle. When he heard that Cui Tao was recruiting companions to go to Shazhou, he immediately signed up.
In addition to Li Daoyuan, Qin Chuan accepted Yu Chixin's mission and went to Shazhou to find out the information about Doulu Army.
Another player is Sun Jianguo. He has accumulated a network of business friends in Guazhou and plans to sneak into Shazhou to visit several businessmen in Shazhou and ask them to come to the big market outside Yanchi to do business.
Together with Cui Tao, his brother and sister, and the indigenous guide, this is the standard configuration of a small caravan.
After bypassing Sanwei Mountain, Li Daoyuan put down his telescope and said: "The Dunhuang Grottoes are ahead!"
Everyone raised their heads and saw rows of houses nested into the mountain. There were several large and small caves on the cliffs. The artificially dug caves stretched for miles, and the outsides of the caves were painted with bright colors.
Sun Jianguo said with emotion: "I didn't expect that the Dunhuang Grottoes during the Tang Dynasty would be of such a scale."
Li Daoyuan said: "The construction of the Dunhuang Grottoes began in the Pre-Qin Dynasty. It took two generations of construction in the Northern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties to achieve such a scale."
"Pre-Qin?"
Cui Tao added: "It's the former Qin Dynasty who threw a whip to cut off the flow of Emperor Fu Jian."
Sun Jianguo groaned and said, "Oh oh oh, are those houses embedded in the mountain all temples? I think the incense is quite prosperous?"
Li Daoyuan nodded and said: "Buddhism flourished in Dunhuang, and the trend of digging caves to build Buddha statues lasted until the end of the Tang Dynasty. The temples here are also very prosperous."
Qin Chuan looked at the Buddhist temple and then at Sanwei Mountain behind him and asked: "It is so close to Sanwei Mountain. Aren't the monks afraid of bandits? Or do these bandits not rob the monks?"
Li Daoyuan said with a smile: "Do you think that the monks at this time were the same as those in later generations? Buddhist temples like Dunhuang all maintained monk soldiers. Those monk soldiers who ate every day were much more powerful than the hungry bandits on Sanwei Mountain.
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"It is said that the total number of monks and soldiers in the temples here at the grotto is a thousand. Not to mention the bandits, not even the government troops dare to mess with these monks."