Barren mountains, wild ridges, and jagged rocks.
The pine trees in the ravine are lush and green, and the gray mountains are like solidified dark clouds.
In the Wangwu Mountain area in summer, a team with no beginning or end walked silently, climbing over mountains and ridges with difficulty.
After crossing the last mountain pass, the front suddenly became clear.
Wang Yao subconsciously looked back at the place he had just walked through: high mountain ridges, setting off the gray sky, narrow roads running through them, and majestic passes as solid as iron and stone. There are countless stories of fighting and iron horses that have been staged in history.
Alas, it’s time to go to the killing field again!
"Commander, General Hedong Gai has arrived in Jiyuan." When going down the mountain, Wang Yao received a report from Du Yuhou...
"Building a residence?" Wang Yao was stunned for a moment, then thought that he was going to Luzhou this time and would have to deal with these Hedong generals sooner or later, so he said: "Let him wait for now."
The 10,000-strong army was originally intended to assist Zhiguan, but on the way they learned that Zhiguan and Jiyuan had fallen, and the Bian army was defeated. Wang Yao, who was still marching slowly, immediately ordered the entire army to speed up and rush to Heyang.
The soldiers complained, but they also knew that this would be different from before. If the Xia army was defeated and Zhu Quanzhong won, then they would go back home, and the Jiedushi would surrender to Zhu Quanzhong again, and everyone would be safe; if the Xia army won, then they would be safe.
You have to work harder to avoid being beaten again.
After Wang Yao came down the mountain, he calculated that he still had enough time, so he asked people to set up a tent on the roadside, put a table and make tea.
What surprised him was that there were already people living nearby.
Several Tibetan people are building a wall with branches and loess. The roof is covered with reeds and thatch, and is surrounded by a fence. Judging from this style, it should be the residence of the people of Jiyuan in the past, but it has been uninhabited for a long time and is very dilapidated.
If someone lives in it, repair it.
The walls made of loess and branches could be dented with just one kick. The thatched roof could be blown away by a strong wind. It was raining heavily outside and light rain inside.
However, the living environment of most people in the world is like this, and Wang Yao is not surprised.
Rich people are, after all, in the minority, and 95% of them are farm laborers, which means they are struggling to survive.
A Tibetan child drove a group of sheep out. There were many wastelands in the wild, and sheep were not as picky as horses. They were going to graze.
"I heard that Lingxia under the rule of Shao Shude liked to raise cattle. How come I saw mostly sheep along the way? I want to eat beef. Come and ask if there are any cattle for sale and give me money." Wang Yao sat down.
On the horse, there is a strange path.
An aide immediately saluted and went to negotiate.
But he came back soon and said helplessly: "Commander, these Tibetan people have no cattle, only sheep. The new ones from the other side of the river are very poor."
Wang Yao was greatly disappointed after hearing this and was too lazy to say anything more.
A few more horses came from a distance, and when they saw a large army passing by, they were not afraid, so they dismounted and headed straight for the village.
"The king has an order. The people of Heyang have been fighting for months and have fought with merit. Today and tomorrow, the household tax and local tax will be exempted. I hope you and others will tell each other and don't let others deceive you." These people stood at the entrance of the village and shouted in unison.
It was so loud that Wang Yao could vaguely hear it.
"Taxes will be paid in the year to come, and taxes on grains, beans, skins, and wool can also be offset."
"Corvee service and military service are indispensable."
Wang Yao listened silently and suddenly laughed: "Wool can also be tax deductible? What is this?"
The staff was also a little puzzled and said: "The people of Lingxia raise many livestock. I heard that besides grain and beans, cowhide, horns, tendons and horse leather are not allowed to be sold privately. They are all used to pay taxes. In summer and autumn, taxes are collected.
, they will also collect some cheese, hay and the like for military supplies. This is the first time I heard that wool can be tax deductible."
In Lingxia, where the three-crop rotation system is practiced, the output of cowhide, horns, tendon, horse leather and the like is quite large, and it itself consumes huge amounts of military supplies, so it is normal to use them as tax deductions.
When taxes are collected in summer and autumn, cheese can be used as military food, and hay can be used to feed war horses and draft animals. It is understandable to use them to deduct taxes.
But wool can only be used to make some blankets and mats, right? Except for the Qiang people who wear a lot of clothes, there are really very few Han people. The reason is that it is very uncomfortable to wear. The wool fabrics made by the Qiang people
, basically no one cares about it, Sergeant Lingxia’s military uniforms are all made of camel hair.
"If wool can be tax-deducted, with so many Tibetan people in Heyang, wouldn't every household raise sheep?" Wang Yao always felt that there was something wrong with this.
What's the use of collecting so much short, thick wool? This is really accommodating to the people. From now on, everyone will raise sheep, and they will try their best to stuff wool into it to pay the tax every year. Some people even look for sheep that produce more wool.
What do you do? Is it possible to let the sergeants wear clothes made of wool?
Who cares! Shao Shude will definitely regret it later if he acts recklessly.
Wang Yao smiled, but after laughing for a while, she suddenly stopped laughing. If Shao Shude ran out of money, would he take advantage of me?
This is absolutely certain!
Suddenly I felt a little discouraged.
Sometimes I think darkly, if Shao Shude loses this time in the battle of Heqing, will it be a good thing for me? Can I take the opportunity to get rid of some control?
It's a pity that he won. The next time Zhu Quanzhong gathers his troops to counterattack Heyang, I don't know if it will be in the Year of the Monkey or the Horse. Maybe it will never happen.
This is really frustrating.
…
On the outskirts of Hanoi County, Huaizhou, Shao Shude was riding a horse on a patrol.
After riding around for a long time, everywhere was deserted and not a soul could be seen. Occasionally, I saw a village with people living in it, which was like winning a lottery.
The first batch of immigrants have already arrived in Heyang. They are Li Renyu's tribe from the south bank of the Yellow River. There are more than 2,000 people in total, and they have been resettled in scattered villages along the line from Jiyuan to Hanoi.
Due to the neglect of farmland water conservancy, it is estimated that there will be no time to plant overwintering wheat this year. Shao Shude simply ordered the seizure of military rations to be distributed and used work as relief, and the water conservancy facilities should be improved first.
Wait until next spring to sow spring wheat.
Of course, in addition to water conservancy facilities, the lack of personnel is also an important reason.
The recruited agricultural students are still on their way, and officials at all levels are also on their way and have not yet taken up their posts. Even after they arrive, they will still need time to get familiar with them, and they will probably not be able to make it in time this year.
To do one thing, qualified cadres are always in short supply! Especially when he wants to implement a unique agricultural production model such as the three-crop rotation system, only Lingxia has talents in this field. Old Weibei Town, Longyou
Although agricultural studies are also offered in vassal towns such as Ping Ning Town and other prefectures and counties, the level is uneven, not even as good as Lingxia.
"When Heyang has something to look forward to, I will have to let a doctor of agriculture with outstanding performance become the governor of Shangzhou." Shao Shude said with a vicious wave of his riding crop.
Song Le followed behind and laughed when he heard the words. So far, Confucian classics was the most popular, and everyone crowded in. If Agricultural studies really produced a governor, it would be really amazing.
But it seems to be nothing. These days, warriors all over the world are serving as governors and governors, and everyone has long been numb. The conversation of the agricultural doctor is still elegant at least, and he can barely be regarded as one of his own.
"Not only will he be appointed governor, but he will also be promoted to prime minister in the future." Shao Shude added: "If you are not strong in farming, you will not be able to accomplish anything."
He was serious when he said this, and he was really considering letting a person with greater merit in the agricultural system be the prime minister in the future.
Food production is the foundation of everything. If you still have a desire to promote social progress, then try every means to increase agricultural output. This is much more reliable than inventing and creating. After food output increases, society can support more people.
Many people are engaged in medicine, literature, art, music, industry, etc. who are not directly engaged in agricultural production.
When there are more people like this, the social atmosphere will slowly change from conservative to open, only then can more advanced ideas burst out, and only then can society progress.
When the seed to harvest ratio is 1:4, you can only create a serf society.
At 1:7 and 1:8, there is more literature and music, but the essence has not changed.
By 1:12, business will prosper and social atmosphere will slowly change.
Above 1:16, centralized production factories will spring up like mushrooms after a rain.
Food production is the foundation for promoting civilization and progress.
Half a century after the start of the British Industrial Revolution, the number of people engaged in agricultural production has dropped to one-third. The other two-thirds have been liberated to engage in various jobs such as philosophy, literature, art, industry, fine arts, navigation, and colonization.
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More than a hundred years before the start of the Industrial Revolution, European agricultural technology advanced by leaps and bounds, and the yield per mu increased significantly. The seed harvest ratio in Britain, France, and the United Provinces generally increased to more than 1:12. At this time, northern China (mid-to-late Ming Dynasty)
, the yield of most farmland cannot meet this standard, still hovering around 1:6 or 7, that is, the yield per mu is just over 100 kilograms.
Only by liberating a large number of people from the land can progress in philosophy, art, and industry be promoted, otherwise it will still be the Middle Ages.
Without a substantial increase in food production to promote the progress of ancient society, it would be obscene nonsense.
"The gentleman suggested that wool be collected as a tax deduction. I originally disagreed." Shao Shude stopped his horse and said, "But then I thought about it. I'm afraid it would be too slow to rely solely on government-run pastures to cultivate woolly sheep. It's better to use this method."
Inducing the common people to participate. If more wool is produced, there will be money, and some people should be willing to try it. If we can breed some high-quality sheep, we can make a lot of money."
"I didn't think much about it." Song Le said with a bitter smile: "I just saw that the people were in poverty, and I was not willing to raise horses and there were few large livestock, so I tried to find ways to make their lives live. An acre of Dawan alfalfa can be raised.
One cow or sheep can raise more than ten, but now that there is a lack of large livestock, they can only let them raise sheep first."
Shao Shude nodded.
He actually planned to have someone make a set of woolen clothes, and he would take the lead in wearing them first. In addition, he could also specially select some relatively soft wool to make coats and skirts for his wives and concubines to wear.
The Xia King's wives and concubines wore woolen clothes to attend various social activities of their wives, which may have created a trend.
The positive and negative effects may drive demand for wool.
Under the three-crop rotation system, the output of pure grains has no advantage over traditional farming methods. The advantage lies in the production of large amounts of meat, milk and animal skins.
Of course, meat and milk are also foods, and they are high-quality foods. It can be considered that the yield per unit area is much higher than the traditional method. Nowadays, we still have to find a market for the fur. Leather is a military material and is consumed in large quantities. Don’t worry about this. The fur will have to be
After promotion, it also requires patience to cultivate improved seeds.
"After the agricultural students from various states came, I asked them to come to see me. They gave me two coins, um, and two pieces of woolen cloth, haha!" Shao Shude laughed and said, "I built a place after I laid it.
Step by step, we will change the world. Is what Zhu Quanzhong did the same as me? It’s different."
I am responsible for increasing the world's agricultural output and providing more raw materials. Every step I take counts.
Everyone just wants to aim high and start from the most dazzling place. No one wants to do the most basic, hardest and most important things, so let me do it.
I have laid the foundation. When the dynasty reaches its peak, it is estimated that there will be millions or even tens of millions more people in the country who have left agricultural production. Let them take the final honor and lead the future of this country.
The large-scale textile industry may appear a hundred years after my death. It would be great if I could live another hundred years.
"It's naturally good for the commander to have such pride. However, a lot of money and food will be needed to fight against the Bian army. I wonder when the livestock promised by the commander will be transferred from Lingxia?" Song Le chased after him on horseback and asked.
"This is already being done." Shao Shude said helplessly: "There is no need to ask God to remind you. The Yellow River cannot carry large ships, and livestock cannot come by boat. And when passing through the state and county, not a single blade of grass grows. Some of the pastures are Hengshan Dangxiang.
Yes, coordination is still needed. I have asked Yang Yao, Ye Li Jingchen, and Wu Zang Qingxiang to handle it as soon as possible."
"Then just wait for the good news." Song Le said: "The commander-in-chief will attack Henan next, and I am also worried for the commander-in-chief."