"General Office, is this going to start?" the instructors asked at the Xiazhou Martial Arts School.
"Start!" Shao Shude sat on the top chair and waved.
In the field, young people lined up, picked up their bows and arrows, and shot towards the grass target.
After each round of shooting, an instructor would come over to check and record the results.
"Chen Huiban, how is Mr. and Mrs.'s martial arts background?" Shao Shude looked at the energetic young people and asked with a smile.
Chen Cheng cupped his hand and praised sincerely: "I admire you so much that the commander has the patience to spend ten years doing something."
There are two levels of Xiazhou Martial Arts and Shuofang County Martial Arts. The first batch of students was admitted in the first year of Guangqi (885). Counting the freshmen for next year who have already been recruited, there are 250 students in the County Martial Arts and 107 in the State Martial Arts.
The earliest batch of county martial arts students will enter the last year of their schooling next year. After passing the examination, they can be promoted to the state martial arts school.
The 24 state martial arts students who enrolled in the first year of Guangqi will serve as interns in the Tianxiong Army next year.
The Tianxiong Army is a new army with a strength of 5,000, all of which are infantry. During the reorganization of Lingzhou, some old soldiers from the Tielin Army, Zhenwu Army, and Tianzhu Army came in, and there were probably less than 2,000 of them. The remaining
There are more than 3,000 people, all of whom are new Cai people from Ruzhou, Xuzhou, and Henan Prefecture.
To be fair, the Tianxiong Army's combat effectiveness should be relatively low among the various armies, if not the last.
The chief officers of other armies were not very interested in martial arts students. The Tianxiong Army was a new army, and its military envoy was Zang Dubao, the general of the Yamen. He originally joined the army and was from the Xiangmu Zang clan of the Hengshan Party.
Zang Dubao was particularly loyal to the commander. He carried out various orders without compromise, and he was a bit fanatical as a convert. It has basically been decided that the 24 Xiazhou martial arts students will join the army for internship after the Chinese New Year. They will then join the army.
Let’s drive to Qinzhou together.
In addition to Xiazhou martial arts, there is also Lingzhou martial arts.
In the second year of Guangqi (886), the martial arts school in Huile County opened, and it also recruited 50 children around the age of ten, most of whom were the sons of soldiers who died in battle or were disabled, and some were the nephews of nobles from the Party Xiang tribe in Hexi.
Counting next year's new students, Huile County Martial Arts School already has 200 children, and Lingzhou Martial Arts School has recruited 76 underage boys in four years, and related teaching activities are in progress.
Next year, a martial arts school will be opened: Wuquan County and Lanzhou Martial Arts School. The first class of students has been recruited. About 20% of the places will be given to the Tubo and Qiang tribes in Longyou, and they are required to have a certain status and not be the nephew of a nobleman.
Not accepted.
School education is the easiest to assimilate and brainwash. It also provides a better background for the sons of these tribal leaders, that is, martial arts students. Martial arts students can continue to be promoted in the army and will not be discriminated against because of their tribal origin. They are destined to
It is a political and military group that rises like the rising sun.
This background is much better than that of the tribal leaders who organized their households to serve as idle officials.
After the competition, rewards are awarded as usual.
"He Piao, who hit nine out of ten arrows, should be ranked first in archery." Shao Shude took three Xuanzhou red thread blankets from the soldiers and handed them to He Piao, who looked excited.
"I would like to thank the General Office for the reward."
"This thing is valuable. One piece can be exchanged for several pieces of Suizhou miscellaneous silk." Shao Shude also warned: "The people work hard and farm all day long. There are two taxes in summer and autumn. The local tax pays more than ten dendrobiums of grain, and the household tax also needs to pay silk. How much money is given to the tax?
There are also money from young crops, money from the field, and tax grass. If there is something going on in the town, additional contributions are needed. Life is not easy. There is no problem in accepting this reward. It is what you deserve. However, you must remember that after joining the army, you will not be able to protect your health.
Do you know that the environment is safe and the people are safe, and the country is protected and safe, and the people are not allowed to harm it?"
The land in Shuofang Town is the same as other towns, and there is no shortage of local taxes and household taxes. The only difference is that because there is not so much money, part of the household tax is reduced to grain. In other words, the grain harvest
The ratio is higher than other places, but the money and silk are less.
Taking Jingzhao Prefecture in Guanzhong (excluding Tongzhou and Huazhou) as an example, the household tax is set at nine levels. It costs 4,000 yuan for upper-level households, 3,500 yuan for upper-middle households, and 500 yuan less for each lower level.
The lower and middle households receive 700 yuan, and the lower households receive 500 yuan. With this amount collected, the annual household tax in Jingzhao Mansion is about 500,000 yuan.
This is the regular household tax, and there are also tax deductions, which are collected as additional taxes on the household tax. For example, the young crop money was originally ten yuan per mu, but now it has increased to eighteen yuan; the land money was initially five yuan per mu, but now it is
Twelve coins; tax grass, three bunches per ten acres.
The ratio in Guandong prefectures and counties is almost the same, some are higher, some are lower, roughly the same.
There is also silk. On average, one acre of mulberry forest can produce half a piece of silk. Each household in Jingzhao Prefecture has about 20 acres of mulberry forest. If they harvest ten pieces of silk a year, four pieces of silk will probably be taken away.
If there are no mulberry groves, there are orchards and vegetable gardens, and it is more complicated to put them away. Some people near Chang'an donated fruits, and winter vegetables were deducted from this part of the tax. For example, the palace required two thousand carts of winter vegetables every month in winter.
From this part of the endowment.
The Ma Lin family's apricot production was huge and famous throughout Chang'an. This was also the introduction of the two-tax law that required payment of taxes, which greatly offended the powerful and big landowners. During the Jianzhong Rebellion, the situation in Chang'an was very strange. Up to the officials and wealthy merchants,
He worked as a landowner in the city and had an unexplainable tacit understanding with the rebels.
In the land of Lingxia, the average local tax per household is 500 yuan, which is much lower than that of Jingzhao Prefecture, but the shortfall is actually not much less if you use other kinds of goods. Of course, this is a normal year. If the army goes out to eat, the financial pressure will be reduced.
, we will charge less and make people’s lives easier.
Every time the army goes to another town, the economy in the town will be visibly active. The reason is that the tax is light!
This is the tax system of living within your means.
"The general office's teachings should be kept in mind by my disciples." He Biao Suurong replied.
"Okay, let's go down, Liu Zhong is here." Shao Shude said gently.
"Liu Chong, your father is a Confucian scholar in the town. You abandoned literature and turned to martial arts. You can hit eight out of ten arrows, which surprised me. These two red thread blankets are yours."
"Thank you, General Office, for the reward." Li Zhong said excitedly after taking it.
They are all young men, and they admire the commander who started from the bottom very much. To use a word from later generations, he is an "idol". In addition to his majesty, the commander also has a gentle side. He cares deeply for them, martial arts students. Every time he comes back from an expedition,
They all go to the fastings to visit, talk to them, and encourage them.
"In this world, people's livelihood is difficult. After you have completed your studies, you should serve on the battlefield and restore peace to the world."
“The general office’s teachings should be kept in mind by the disciples.”
After Liu Zhong retired, it was Li Lin's turn, taking third place today.
"Li Lin, seven out of ten arrows are not bad. Your father has made great contributions. He is in charge of the thirty-third post in eight counties in Lingzhou. After he goes to the Tianxiong Army next year, the father and son will work together for something. It is also a good story." Shao Shude.
He personally put a red thread blanket into his hand and said: "Do it well, I will wait for you to become a general the next day."
“The general office’s teachings should be kept in mind by the disciples.”
"They are all good men!" Shao Shude stood up with a smile, looked at the remaining twenty-one people, and said: "What are you all doing with your head down? Are you worse than He, Liu, and Li? It's just a few red thread blankets, let's get in
In the army, if you kill thieves and generals, you are afraid that you will not receive any reward? I want to see, in a few years, who among you will be the first to be promoted to deputy general. The first general will be rewarded with a horse and silver.
With a saddle and a set of armor, do you dare to fight for this?"
"Dare!" the young men shouted in unison, and their morale suddenly rose.
Chen Cheng laughed secretly from the side.
The commander-in-chief's ability to drive warriors is really superb. He used one rhetoric to the prairie warriors and another to the Han warriors. Today, when he faced this group of martial arts students, he changed his tactics again.
These young men have good martial arts skills. They have been training in the state martial arts school for four more years. They have also learned a lot of battle formations and military knowledge. Next year, they will join the Tianxiong Army as captain and deputy.
I know what that team will become.
30% are experienced veterans, 70% are new recruits from Cai people, plus martial arts students who join every year. The Tianxiong Army is probably different from other troops.
After leaving the martial arts school, Shao Shude went to the east and north of the city to inspect.
Lingxia's ironmaking industry had a very weak foundation at the beginning, which was shockingly thin. Later, various means were used, the most direct of which was tax exemptions and land grants, which attracted some blacksmiths from Guanzhong and Hedong to come and do business.
.But there is a requirement, that is, the number of disciples must meet the requirements, otherwise the tax will not be exempted.
After apprentices of foreign blacksmiths start their apprenticeships, they are still given tax exemptions and land-grant privileges, and continue to recruit apprentices to expand the number of blacksmiths. Of course, if they do not want to open their own shop, they can also work in a large blacksmith shop.
Wei's Blacksmith Shop is probably the largest private ironworks workshop in Lingxia today. It was funded by Weicai Sudu, the inspection envoy of Dijinze, and has been undertaking the weapons production tasks of the shogunate all year round, mainly swords and spears.
This shop last year manufactured more than 2,000 knives of various types, more than 10,000 axes and guns, and some odds and ends.
Their existence freed the eight major workshops from the heavy work and allowed them to concentrate on making armor, which greatly improved their work efficiency.
Shao Shude didn't know what the military manufacturing capabilities of other vassal towns were, but they should not be weak.
In March of the first year of Guangqi, w;. King Chengde sent Chang'an "a thousand cattle for farming, nine thousand farm tools, and one hundred thousand soldiers."
One hundred thousand pieces of military equipment were sent to the imperial court in one breath. In the land of several states in Chengde, the military manufacturing capability is indeed very strong. At the same time, it also shows that Hebei is really too wealthy. It is said that there has never been a shortage of equipment for the Shence Army.
The emperor must have come from various towns to beg for alms, but he didn't go to Marshal Shao to beg for alms. This shows that he knew that Lingxia was relatively poor.
Wei's blacksmith shop can produce more than 10,000 soldiers a year. With the private blacksmith shops in Xiazhou, Suizhou, and Lingzhou, it is indeed no problem to produce tens of thousands of swords and spears a year. After all, this kind of thing is too easy to make, and the technical content is
Low.
Bows and armors are more troublesome, and this is the work of the Eight Great Manufacturing Institutes. The output of bows and armors will continue to increase next year, but they can only make more than 300 pairs a year. The process is too troublesome, and the craftsmen who are familiar with this art are too
There are few, and the supply of raw materials is not very sufficient, which greatly limits production.
If there is no Zhazi armor, use ordinary zhao armor. If there is no ordinary zhao armor, use leather armor. The latter is not lacking in spiritual summer, it can even be said to be abundant, so the armor coverage rate of the army is still quite high, at least about 70%. There is no problem, although among them iron armor
There are still a few who are better than those who are above, but more than below. The armor coverage rate of the armies of the vassal towns of the country is generally less than 60%, and most of them are not made of iron armor, which is enough.
Hao Zijia is destined to only equip elite troops, such as the Leopard Cavalry. In the future, if the Tianxiong Army has excellent results, they can also lean more towards them. These are my core team in the future, and of course it is important to wait until the good ones come.
After visiting the blacksmith shop, Shao Shude returned to the county prince's mansion, surrounded by his own soldiers. The winter solstice has passed, and the New Year is coming soon. In the new year, I don't know what challenges are waiting for me.