Yuan Xi commanded his soldiers to hitch the donkey to the stone mill. When the whip sounded, the donkey stepped out with its four hooves and pulled the millstone to spin.
Others had already thrown the shelled wheat grains into the eye of the millstone. At this time, the wheat had only been drying for a long time and was not completely dried, but people couldn't wait any longer.
How long ago was it when you last ate pancakes?
Yuan Xi also knew that the shelled wheat at that time was crushed with the skin on, and actually tasted quite rough, far less delicious than the refined noodles of later generations.
But this is already the best thing people can eat right now.
People will really go crazy if they haven't had a full meal for a long time, just like the Yellow Turban Uprising a few years ago.
In fact, people are easily satisfied. As long as they have food to eat and survive, who would be willing to rebel?
Therefore, Yuan Xi did not stop the pair's almost crazy squandering of wheat. On the contrary, he was happy to see it.
If we don't let it out, people might really go crazy.
Forget about storing grain for emergencies, there's no telling who will survive until next spring.
He raised his hands and shouted: "Eat enough today!"
This sentence immediately triggered the thousands of soldiers and civilians present. They all shouted together: "Eat to the full today!"
"Eat up!"
Suddenly someone shouted: "Yuan Chengshou is a great virtue!"
Everyone paused and started shouting one after another.
"Yuan Chengshou is a great virtue!"
"Great Virtue!"
The huge shout spread out, brushed through the waves of wheat, crossed the river, and echoed in the mountains and fields, lingering for a long time.
Zhao Yun was leading dozens of subordinates to patrol along the river bank to guard against enemy raids.
The news that Liu Bao was killed and the Xiongnu tribe was destroyed a few days ago has spread to Bingzhou. When the southern Xiongnu learns of the news, they may not come to take revenge.
After all, the world is in chaos at this time, and the general who protects the Huns in Bingzhou is in name only. The princes from all sides are fighting on their own, and the foreigners on the border are watching eagerly.
The shout came over, and when Zhao Yun's subordinates heard it, they couldn't help but smile and said: "This new gentleman we have taken refuge in is quite interesting."
Zhao Yun nodded. He had been seeking refuge with Yuan Xi for several days, and he knew a little bit about the situation in Beixin City.
When it comes to winning people's hearts, Yuan Xi's treatment of his generals and soldiers is certainly good. At least they have well-equipped soldiers and armor, and adequate food and salary management.
But for the people in the city who were insignificant in the eyes of other princes, they were not spared and could still provide the minimum amount of food on a daily basis.
Although they are just rice bran and wild vegetables, they are much better than starving to death.
What surprised Zhao Yun was that the thousands of acres of wheat outside the city did not belong to certain landowners or farmers, but were directly managed by Beixin City.
Those who do farm work every day assign people in the city in turn to work for a day and get excess food and rewards.
Zhao Yun couldn't understand, if this was the case, how could he get the support of the nobles and how could the common people be motivated to farm?
You must know that salary and land are the most effective means for various forces to bribe the wealthy noble families. Without land and salary, how can the wealthy families sacrifice their lives?
He asked Yuan Xi about this the day before yesterday. After hearing this, Yuan Xi said: "Nothing is perfect in the world."
"What you are talking about is what my father is doing, so all the nobles in Jizhou submit to him."
"But I can't."
"First, I don't have that much land to give them. Second, those nobles will never be satisfied and will fight among themselves sooner or later."
"That's why I came to Youzhou, a place where there are few nobles, to welcome poor families and see if there is another way."
Yuan Xi's current choice is very similar to Cao Cao's, but different.
Yuan Xi did not think that his method was the most appropriate, and it might not even be much better than Cao Cao's farmland.
But in this place where the war was fierce and he could starve to death at any time, this was the most feasible expedient he could think of.
Zhao Yun raised his head and looked at the sky. He had been hesitant in the past few years and felt that every step he took was wrong.
Gongsun Zan, who took refuge, was cruel and bloodthirsty and had no sympathy for the people.
The suitable lord in Zhao Yun's heart was Liu Yu first, and Liu Bei second. However, Liu Yu was defeated and died because he was too lenient. In this troubled time, he was obviously not a qualified lord.
But Liu Bei made Zhao Yun hesitate. Although Liu Bei was quite kind to him, he was obviously closer to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, making Zhao Yun feel a little out of place among the three of them.
And Zhao Yun still doesn't know what Liu Bei wants to do.
Zhao Yun listened to the cheers in his ears and thought to himself, did he make the right choice this time?
At this moment, Sun Li rode over and shouted: "General Zhao, I want you to have dinner with me!"
The lid of the pot was opened, and the steaming wheat grains and wild vegetables were put into the wooden bowl.
Unhulled wheat grains are not too sweet. On the contrary, they have a bit of astringent taste that grinds your mouth and requires a lot of chewing before swallowing.
However, the moment the wheat rice was stuffed into the mouth, happy smiles bloomed on people's faces like flowers.
Many people couldn't help but burst into tears, and their tears fell into their bowls, adding a richer taste to the wheat rice.
For a whole year, I endured hunger and defended the city with all my might, but finally survived and ate the food I grew with my own hands!
Yuan Xi silently felt the joy of the people present and deeply felt that it was really not easy for farmers.
From sowing seeds to harvesting, it takes at least half a year. During this period, locust plagues, natural disasters, military disasters, diseases, and any accident may instantly wipe out these efforts.
However, in such difficult and troubled times, our ancestors worked hard to pass on their life and unyielding spirit from generation to generation, leaving fire and hope to future generations.
Yuan Xi hopes that the joy of this new city can be shared by more people in the near future.
Zhao Yun looked at this scene and thought, this is what Yuan Xi wanted him to see, right?
What is the Han Dynasty?
He seemed to have some realization.
It took five full days to harvest the wheat outside Beixin City.
After scraping off what was eaten and lost, he brought it back to the city to weigh it. Yuan Xi found that he had harvested tens of thousands of shi of grain!
If you eat sparingly and mix it with whole grains and wild vegetables, it will be enough for tens of thousands of people in Beixin City to survive this winter!
This was obtained in exchange for two bloody battles outside the city. If they failed in the battle with the Xiongnu and Gongsun Zan's army, these grains would only be destroyed and robbed by the enemy.
Watching the last bag of grain enter the warehouse, Yuan Xi felt relieved. This was the biggest harvest in the year, and he finally got it. Compared with the treasures and clothes robbed by the Huns, the grain made him feel more satisfied.
satisfy.
But there are also things that make him depressed.
Yuan Xi slapped Sun Li hard on the head and said angrily: "You kid, you have found a wife now!"
"I'm not married yet, but you're ahead of me!"
Sun Li rubbed his head and chuckled: "My mother has been saying she is worried about me getting into trouble during the war, so I would have left a big fat boy behind. I can be considered as being filial to her!"
"Brother Yuan has a lot of people. Don't you often say that when you return to Yecheng this time, you will definitely bring back a stunning lady?"
Wu Zhao on the side became curious, what kind of stunning lady?
After hearing this, Yuan Xi waved his hands and said: "You little brat, what do you know about stunning beauty? You couldn't have forced that woman on me, right? Are you old enough?"
Sun Li called out to Qu: "How is that possible!"
"That little girl was rescued by us from the Huns. I met her by the river. She showed her kindness to me first. She is several months older than me!"
"Sister Wu Zhao was present at the time, she can prove it!"
After hearing this, Wu Zhao nodded helplessly, thinking to himself, if he pulled me out to block the gun at this time, wouldn't he say that I am ugly and do more mischief?
After hearing this, Yuan Xi sighed: "You are a naughty boy. Go and write a note to Mr. Dong and get three stones of rice, two bolts of silk, and five pounds of meat as a wedding gift from me."
"Go away!"
Sun Li was overjoyed and quickly thanked Yuan Xi and ran away.
Yuan Xi is a little unbalanced. His younger brother is already married, but he is still single!
I have traveled through time for three years, and I am thinking about how to survive every day. I am a member of a noble family, but I have never touched a woman. Because women in this world get married very early, and most of the maids are very young, how should Yuan Xi act?
Do you really want to find a widow?
Wu Zhao said softly: "Young Master is married??"
When Yuan Xi thought of Zhen Ji, he spoke enthusiastically: "My unmarried wife is rumored to be very beautiful..."
Wu Zhao looked at Yuan Xi's cheerful look, and for some reason, his mood was extremely complicated.
Yuan Xi's good mood did not last long.
Because several bad news have arrived one after another.