"Old Zhao, go and call all the stewards in the village. I have to hold an important meeting."
Xu Yuan said to the housekeeper Zhao Jinde.
"Yes, owner."
Zhao Jinde bent down slightly and informed the news.
Soon, inside the round table conference room.
All the main stewards in the manor were present, and the conference room was almost filled.
There is Li Jin, the steward in charge of the farmland.
There is Xie Tianqing, the steward in charge of the ranch.
There is Wu Dabao, the steward in charge of the pig factory.
There was Wu Erbao, the manager in charge of the brick kiln factory.
There is Wei Mancheng, the steward in charge of the cannery.
There was Xu Sheng, the manager in charge of the furniture factory.
There is Yang Zhongyuan, who is in charge of the oil pressing mill and the rice mill.
There is Shi Yong, the steward responsible for the security of the manor.
There is Wang Daxi, the steward in charge of human resources management.
and Liu Jinche, the steward in charge of education affairs.
These ten people are the top ten stewards in Xujiazhuang. They range in age from twenty to thirty years old. They are all very young and appear to be smart and capable. Xu Yuan gradually recruited these people during his career as a time and space master.
The people under his command have high and low abilities, but their biggest characteristics are reliability, loyalty, and honesty. They have gained the trust and recognition of many people, so they are all reused and receive very generous rewards every year.
"I want to tell you some good news. I have bribed Magistrate Huang of this county. Starting from this year, Xujiazhuang can start a chain plan from one manor to eleven. If any of you have the ability and interest,
, you can apply to be the owner of the new manor, promote our model, and build more Xujiazhuang."
Xu Yuan's words fell silent.
Buzz.
All the stewards became excited.
"Master, isn't the expansion plan going to start next year? Why is it so early? Moreover, many of our talents are still being trained and have not yet reached fully qualified standards. Isn't this a bit too hasty?"
Li Jin opened his mouth and said that he is 32 years old and has been working with the fields for a long time. He looks like an old farmer and has a simple and honest personality. He is also a filial son praised by his neighbors.
"Time waits for us."
Xu Yuan shook his head: "I also want to slow down and implement the plan step by step, but the plan cannot keep up with the changes. Magistrate Huang will step down next year. The new magistrate may not necessarily be easier to talk to. It may be better to expand early this year, and everyone can
If you learn by doing, accumulate experience in practice, and exchange more experiences to summarize your experience, I don’t think you will necessarily do a bad job.”
"I don't think there's any problem."
The prosperous Wu Dabao said: "Our manor has the most productive wheat, rice, potatoes, corn seeds, pesticides and fertilizers provided by you, the owner, and various professional books. As long as anyone is willing to study and learn, anyone can
We can make some achievements, and there is no problem in expanding ahead of schedule.”
"But if we engage in land expropriation, will there be strong opposition from farmers? Some farmers value their fields more than their lives and will not sell their land no matter how much money they pay. These people are very difficult to deal with."
Xie Tianqing, the ranch manager, raised his question.
Speaking of land expropriation, everyone has a deep memory. Just two years ago, when Xu Yuan said that he wanted to change his strategy and take the route of surrounding the city from the countryside, all his subordinates did not understand it, but they all expressed support.
When they just brought a lot of money to buy land at a price far higher than the average land price, many farmers refused to sell their land, and the price increased to 100 taels per mu, 300 taels per mu or even 500 mu.
Two acres, no one is willing to sell it.
In the end, violent coercion, land replacement, exorbitant price acquisition, promised employment and other methods were used to complete the land acquisition task of 10,000 acres, which cost a total of millions of taels of money, which was ten times the normal cost of land purchase, and solved countless troublesome headaches.
problem.
"I think land acquisition now won't be a big problem, and farmers will be more receptive to it."
Housekeeper Zhao Jinde expressed his opinion: “In the past two years, in order to gain the trust of surrounding farmers, we have not only given them a lot of high-yield seeds for free to guide them in planting, but also held many open visits to let them visit our collective estates.
The new farming model also recruits short-term workers from the surrounding areas when the workshop is short of manpower, allowing many farmers to earn wages. In addition, for those poor farmers, we provide grain lending services, which are big buckets out and small buckets in, often giving them
The introduction work has gained a lot of public support, and after two years, we have gained a very good reputation."
"In addition, in recent years, there has been drought and little rain, and the fields have reduced production. However, the imperial court has increased the influence of the Liao Dynasty, and the subordinate officials have become more and more aggressive, breaking their bones and sucking their marrow. The burden on farmers has become heavier and heavier, and there have been fleeing phenomena in many places. If you see our manor, farming can
Achieve a five-fold or ten-fold increase in production, and all the court taxes will be borne by the manor. Not only do you have to take care of the food every day, but you can also get wages. Working in the factory and workshop, you can get higher pay. I think this will help those days go by quickly.
For farmers who can't go out, joining our manor is definitely the best choice."
After listening to Zhao Jinde’s analysis.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The lives of the majority of farmers are indeed becoming increasingly difficult, even though this is the relatively affluent Yangzhou Prefecture.
In the first year of Chongzhen, there was a severe drought in northern Shaanxi. Peasants such as Wang Jiayin and Gao Yingxiang rose up in rebellion, killing officials and rebelling. The rebellion swept many places. It has not been calmed down yet, but has intensified.
In October of the second year of Chongzhen, the Hou Jin army entered the pass for the first time, broke through Xifengkou, occupied Zunhua, and killed the Ming generals Zhao Lijiao, Mangui, and Sun Zushou. They looted and returned to Manchuria.
In March of the third year of Chongzhen, the peasant army entered Shanxi and attacked Xiangling, Jizhou, Taiping, and Quwo. The uprising was burning all over the mountains and Shaanxi.
In the fourth year of Chongzhen, that is, next year, the imperial court increased the levy of Liaoxiang again, from nine cents of silver per mu to one and two cents. With the help of subordinate officials, the burden on the peasants will probably increase greatly.
Internationally, the Thirty Years' War was in full swing in Europe. In addition, the production of the large silver mine in Potosi in South America was reduced, resulting in a significant decrease in the flow of silver into the Ming Dynasty. In a few years, due to the constant attacks of famine, the Catholic Shimabara Rebellion
, Japan will also close itself off, and Ming Dynasty will have one less silver import channel. Without silver circulation, Ming Dynasty’s financial crisis will become more serious, and it can only step into an abyss from which it is difficult to extricate itself.
However, these crises are huge development opportunities for Xu Yuan.
The development model of collective estates, coupled with the improved seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and mechanical equipment such as tractors, excavators, and water pumps brought from modern society, were simply a dimensionality-reducing blow in a world full of natural and man-made disasters in the late Ming Dynasty.
.
Moreover, in the two years since the establishment of Xujiazhuang, after many publicity, seeing is believing, it is clear at a glance whether joining the manor is good or bad, and I believe that farmers will make wise choices.
"The manor expansion plan has been decided. Those who want to be the new owner of the manor can apply and nominate themselves. Next, we must complete the land acquisition task as soon as possible before spring plowing. In short, everyone must mobilize to do this well.
A round of expansion!”
Xu Yuan finally made the final decision and distributed various tasks.
…
soon.
After the order is issued.
Like a precision machine.
The entire Xujiazhuang began to operate efficiently.
In the process of inspecting various workshops and departments.
Xu Yuan asked Xia He, the maid who was working as a part-time secretary next to him, and said: "Xia He, the manor is going to expand, and there will be ten more owners. You have a good education level, and you have broadened your horizons with me in the past two years. Don't you have interest?"
Sign up for the competition and become the owner of a chain manor?"
"As a woman, can I be the owner of a village with thousands of people?"
Xia He said very unconfidently and had never thought about this problem.
"Women can also do great things. Don't underestimate yourself. As long as you want to do it, you can definitely do it, and you will not be worse than men." Xu Yuan encouraged.
"Forget it, it's not good for a woman to be in the public eye, I'm still suitable to stay by your side, the owner of the village." Xia He said with a slight blush on his pretty face, revealing a little of his little thoughts.
"All right."
Xu Yuan did not try to persuade him anymore, but turned to look at the tall, dark and strong young guard on his right who had been protecting him and said: "Zhang Hu, do you have the idea of becoming the owner of the village? If so,
If so, I will give you a chance to improve."
"Master, how can I be the master of the village? If you hadn't given me a bite to eat, Master, I, Zhang Hu, would have starved to death. I swore at that time that I would protect you, Master, for the rest of my life. This life will be for me from now on.
How can I be ungrateful and leave you when I live for you as my master?"
Zhang Hu said naively.
"You idiot, you were about to be hacked to death several times, but you didn't even know how to run away, and then you asked me to turn around and save you."
Xu Yuan laughed and cursed, but he was also a little touched in his heart.
Zhang Hu was one of the first people to follow him. Three years ago, he fled from Shaanxi at the age of thirteen. All his family members starved to death. Only him, who was as skinny as a bamboo pole, survived. After Xu Yuan took him in
, I found that this kid is naive, not very smart, and has poor learning ability. His biggest advantage is that he can eat and has strong digestion ability. Three years later, he has become a mighty man with a height of 1.9 meters and a weight of 211 meters.
Strong man.
Of course, he is also very strong. He has learned several moves from martial arts masters. With his bare hands, ten strong men are no match for him. He is also loyal to Xu Yuan and is a trustworthy personal bodyguard.