Li Xiao's worries about the food problem are not without reason. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

According to statistics, the land for grain production that Li Xiao now owns, even if the newly developed wasteland is included, is only 300,000 mu of the original Chifengwei, 400,000 mu of Shanxian County, 40,000 mu of Haiyang Island, and 840,000 mu of the newly incorporated Zhaoyuan in Huang County, with a total of 1.58 million mu of grain growing land.

Everywhere combined, the area of grain cultivated land is actually only equivalent to a county town in the south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty, which is very helpless to think about.

According to the calculation that a total of 4 buckets of tax is collected per mu of land a year, a total of 630,000 stone of grain can only be collected in a year.

According to the total number of 150,000 people, each person needs about two catties of rice grain and three taels of pork per day, so each person needs 720 catties of rice grain and 108 catties of meat per year, and 108 catties of meat, so 108 million catties of grain and 16.2 million catties of pork need to be consumed.

108,000,000 catties of grain, according to 188 catties of grain in one stone, can only eat 150 catties, which can be converted into 720,000 stone of grain. In other words, Li Xiao's current grain output is not enough to reach the level of self-sufficiency. Instead, it can only be purchased in large quantities from the market, just like pork.

According to the price of 2.5 taels of grain and two cents of silver for one pound of pork in Shandong, Li Xiao needs to buy another 100,000 stone of grain in a year, that is, 250,000 taels of silver, and another 330,000 taels of silver to buy pork, totaling 580,000 taels of additional grain expenditure.

In fact, the amount of grain purchased by Li Xiao now is much larger than that, because a large number of displaced people have arrived, and Li Xiao has temporarily provided them with free food for free, so that they can safely survive the initial predicament. These new arrivals consume a considerable amount of food.

Of course, spending money is not a problem for Li Xiao, who is now wealthy, but the feeling that food is subject to others makes Li Xiao very uncomfortable.

After all, if the number of his own soldiers and the scale of his industry were to be further expanded, the food gap would become bigger and bigger, and the grain arable land that could be developed in the land controlled by Li Xiao had reached a limit.

And Li Xiao knew that with the expansion of the war at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the price of grain would rise further, and by the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, the price of grain in Xuanfu Town and other places had even reached a high price of nearly 5 taels per stone!

What's more, because of the war and the fact that profiteers are living in strange places, even if the price of grain is so high, there is still a risk that the grain will not be bought.

The people are uneasy when they have no food, the army is in chaos if they have no food, and there is no safe grain reserve and grain supply base, and there are huge risks to the future of Li Xiaojun.

However, where can we go to find more land so that our future development will not be controlled by others because of the food problem? You can't force your hand to cross the border and go to other parts of Shandong to forcibly seize land. If this is the case, when the court is already quite suspicious of itself, such a strong approach will only make itself enemies on all sides.

Perhaps, going overseas to expand the living space is the only way for Li Xiao to take it now.

It's just that the dream is beautiful, and the reality is skinny.

Because Li Xiao's sailor, except for the No. 2 fortune boat, which has now become a fishing boat, there are no extra boats, and the so-called sailor is just an empty name.

Without a sailor, wanting to expand overseas territories is tantamount to a fool's dream.

After Li Xiao returned to the mansion, he went to the county lord Zhu Yujiao.

Seeing Li Xiao coming, Zhu Yumei, who was leaning on the window and watching the spring light, was anxious to get up, but was gently held down by Li Xiao.

"Grandma, there are less than two months to give birth, but you can't move the fetus."

Zhu Yumei's face turned red, she raised her head, and looked at Li Xiao's clear eyes, which were full of shyness.

"Husband, do you like boys or girls?" Zhu Yujiao's voice was as light as a mosquito.

"Haha, both men and women are treasures from God, and husbands like them." Li Xiao stroked his wife's bulging belly and said straightforwardly.

Zhu Yumei covered her mouth and chuckled, but there was a sympathetic look on her face: "Now my wife has been pregnant for more than eight months, and my sister Wan'er has been pregnant for two months. ”

Li Xiao shook his head and smiled: "You'er think too much, you are busy with everything for your husband, and the love between men and women, but you don't think much about it." Now I just want to give birth to Lin'er as soon as possible, so that my husband can be a father as soon as possible. ”

Zhu Yumei sighed lightly and said in a regretful tone: "It's a pity that my husband doesn't like my roommates very much, otherwise it's better to let them serve you more." ”

"Alas, you're really thinking too much."

"This county is a big wife, and she should be worried about her husband, but now her husband is lonely on his pillow, and he is very uneasy for his wife. By the way, husband, why don't you go and marry that Mongolian princess Ingmar earlier, with her by your side, your husband doesn't have to keep watch at night. ”

Zhu Yumei's words made Li Xiao's smile freeze suddenly.

Ingmar, the princess of the Tumut tribe, this girl who is as naked and direct as the Mongolian plateau, and as unscrupulous as Mongolian spirits, has never met her since she parted in Jintang City last year, this Mongolian woman who sacrificed her virginity for her own overnight pleasure, and she is indebted to her.

It's just that now Chifengwei Xinnahuang County and Zhaoyuan have busy affairs such as developing ocean islands, planting tobacco, recruiting displaced people, and resettling prisoners, so they really can't spare time to go to Jintangcheng, Xuanfu Town.

But I don't know if the girl who left is still waiting for herself.

Thinking of this, Li Xiao felt an inexplicable melancholy in his heart.

Zhu Yujiao's words came like a silver bell: "Husband, since that Ingmar, heaven and earth are far away, and it is difficult to see for a while, why don't I recommend one of my maids to you to talk about the loneliness by the pillow." ”

Li Xiao was taken aback: "Who is it?" ”

Zhu Yumei laughed, she beckoned, and a maid-like person next to her walked over with a shy face.

Li Xiao looked at this person, and suddenly felt a little familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was for a while.

When the maid saw Li Xiao looking at herself like this, her face turned red in an instant.

"Husband, have you forgotten her? You rescued her from the sea. Zhu Yumei had a smile on her face.

Li Xiao thought of it like a flint, it turned out that this person was the one he had saved in the sea that day, that Haoge's wife Zhuo Naxi.

Unexpectedly, since I rescued her in October last year, more than half a year has passed, and she is already dressed as a complete Han woman, no wonder she didn't recognize who she was for a while.

It's just that after listening to Zhu Yumei's words, Li Xiao felt very embarrassed in his heart.

No, take Hauge's original wife as his own sleeping girl, this county lord, I really want to think about it.

It's just that when I meet Zhuo Naxi's clear gaze, why can I feel my heart throbbing slightly?

Li Xiao instantly felt a little fever on his face, he straightened up, and his face was slightly annoyed: "Don't be kidding, lady, how can this make Li Xiao not take advantage of others." ”

"How can it be true, she has been by my side for so long, this county has already seen that she is a gentle and kind good woman, but her life is miserable, which makes people sigh. If you accept her, husband, it will be a good thing. ”

Li Xiao shook his head again and again: "No, no, Li saved her that day, and he was really open-minded, and he would never do such a difficult thing for a strong man." ”

Hearing such an argument between Li Xiao and Zhu Yumei, Zhuo Naxi, who was standing on the side, looked at Li Xiao who kept prevaricating with a straight face, Zhuo Naxi felt that there seemed to be thousands of words to say to him in his heart, but he was blocked in his chest for a while and couldn't say anything.

Lord Li, do you know how touched I was in my heart when I woke up from my slumber in the cabin that day and saw you, a handsome and handsome man, who came to visit me. Your majestic figure, your expression of concern in words, as if at this moment, were in my heart, and they could never be erased.

Later, when I arrived in Chifeng City, you gave me such a precious Suzhou rouge as a gift, do you know how excited and warm my heart was when I was holding rouge in my hand, looking at your kind smiling face.

Although the time I spent with you, Master Li, was extremely short, I knew how excited and happy I felt when I was with you.

This is a wonderful feeling that I have almost never experienced in the cold and sinister Houjin Palace.

Perhaps, at that moment, my scarred heart wants to dwell by your side forever.

It's a pity that you and I have known each other for too short, and you who are busy every day have long forgotten me. You won't know that there is a Jurchen woman who has been rescued by you, who is quietly thinking about you day and night.

Otherwise, why would you not recognize me when I am in your presence?

It's just that I, Zhuo Naxi, have completely broken off with the past, and I think my posture is not bad, and I don't want to have any reputation, but why, can't I even be a girl in your room?

Thinking of this, Zhuo Naxi's heart was mixed, and crystal tears surged in her eyes.

And after Li Xiao finally turned around and left, a string of beaded tears couldn't help rolling down from Zhuo Naxi's face.

A warm hand grabbed the slender jade arm of the whimpering Zhuonahi.

"Madame。。。。。。"

Zhuo Naxi saw Zhu Yumei smiling, grabbed her wrist, and quickly wiped away her tears.

"Zhuo Naxi, don't be sad, in fact, this county can see that Master Li also likes you, but he can't erase his own knot."

Zhuo Naxi's heart trembled, she opened her mouth, and two crystal tears rolled down first.

"Madam, don't force Lord Li to make it difficult." Dronahi's voice was low.

Looking at Zhuo Naxi's sad and shy appearance, Zhu Yumei smiled, but finally let out a sigh softly.

。。。。。。

Two days later, after Li Xiao had just sent Chen Zilong and a group of officials from the Department of Commerce to Songjiang Mansion to buy a silk textile machine, a subordinate reported that a man named Zheng Cai had made a special trip from Fujian to Chifengwei by boat, wanting to see Li Xiao.

"Zheng Cai?"

Li Xiao was suspicious, and suddenly thought that this person should not be the Zheng Cai of Zheng Zhilong's subordinates.

Shi Zai, Zheng Cai, was a native of Gaopu in Anrenli, Tong'an County, in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. In the fifth year of the Apocalypse, he went to the sea from Zheng Zhilong to do business, and then followed Zheng Zhilong to be appeased by the Ming court, and the official was the chief soldier. When the Southern Ming Dynasty supported Emperor Longwu in Fuzhou, he was named Yongshengbo and was ordered to go to Jiangxi. The Qing soldiers entered the customs, he welcomed the Lu king's army into Fujian, and was forced by the feudal prince and the king of Lu to retreat to Xiamen in the first year of Yongli. In the Mid-Autumn Festival of the fourth year of Yongli, after Zheng Chenggong planned to kill Zheng Cai's brother Zheng Lian, he led "more than 100 boats and fled between the South China Sea in Guangdong", and was finally absorbed by Zheng Chenggong. Not long after being adopted, he died of illness at home.

Thinking of this, Li Xiao immediately followed the sergeant to the entrance of the inner city.

Li Xiao saw from a distance that a middle-aged strong man with a short stature and a dark face, but with a pair of bright eyes, with a man who looked quite similar to him, was standing at the entrance of the north gate of the inner city, looking around, as if he was very interested in everything in this Red Phoenix City.

Seeing Li Xiao coming over in a military attache uniform, the two strong men didn't notice that their eyes lit up.

"Under Zheng Cai, for the Fujian Five Tigers Deputy General General Zheng under the garrison, this is my brother Zheng Lian, I came to your place today, and I came to see General Li." Zheng Cai saw the military attache dressed in the third grade coming, and secretly thought in his heart that this person must be Li Xiao, the chief soldier of the Red Phoenix Guard, and hurriedly knelt down with his brother.

"Hurry up, two of you."

Li Xiao smiled and helped the two of them up, but his heart moved.

These two people are Zheng Zhilong's subordinates. It seems that this Zheng Zhilong has recently been promoted to a military position, from the guerrilla recorded in the history books to the deputy general, but I don't know what happened to send these two people to Chifengwei.

"Lord Li, when we came to your land, we were actually appointed by my lord Zheng to bring twenty merchant ships to discuss the trade between the two families in detail." Zheng Cai had a humble smile on his face, and handed his pocket waist card to Li Xiao for inspection.

Li Xiao was secretly shocked in his heart, this Zheng Zhilong, the information is very keen, and it is estimated that he already knows a lot about his own Chi Fengwei.

However, his willingness to trade with himself was something Li Xiao could not ask for.

"The two of you have worked hard from afar, please follow this soldier into the city to talk in detail."

Li Xiao returned Zheng Cai's waist card, smiled and made a gesture of invitation, and then brought Zheng Cai and Zheng Lian into the inner city official hall and sat down watching tea.

"Master Li, you, Chifengwei, have built so prosperous and well-organized, it really opened my eyes to wait." Zheng Caifang sat down and praised Li Xiao.

"Yes, when I entered Longkou Port, I saw this prosperous atmosphere, and I am afraid that it is not under my hometown Quanzhou Port." Zheng Lian on the side also interjected with a smile.

"Hehe, the two of you have a good reputation, Chifengwei has only been built for less than three years, everything is not perfect, how can it be compared with Quanzhou Port, the first port of my Ming Dynasty." Li Xiao smiled and waved his hand, and then said to Zheng Cai: "But I don't know what trade you want to talk about with this official?" ”

"Lord Li, is this matter of trade, my family Lord Zheng has a letter here, please Lord Li take a look." Zheng Cai said as he took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Li Xiao with both hands.

Li Xiao opened the letter and read it quickly.

The content of this letter is that Zheng Zhilong, because he intercepted a smuggled North Korean merchant ship in the sea, he learned that Li Xiao's Chi Fengwei produced a rather novel woolen fabric, which was warm and comfortable, which made him very interested. Therefore, the two brothers Zheng Cai and Zheng Lian were specially sent to Chifengwei, hoping to discuss the woolen trade with Li Xiao in detail.

Zheng Zhilong hopes that from now on, the woolen wool produced by Chifengwei will be handed over to him for underwriting in Japan and Nanyang. Of course, if the price and quality of the other goods produced by Li Xiao's Chi Fengwei are suitable, he also hopes to capture all the sales shares of Japan and Nanyang.

After reading this letter, Li Xiao was extremely happy.

With Zheng Zhilong's Japanese and Nanyang channels, the sales volume of Li Xiaojun's products has increased significantly, which will bring immeasurable wealth to Li Xiaojun.

Li Xiao thought so in his heart, but he was silent on the surface.

Zheng Cai looked at Li Xiao, who was silent, with a look of expectation and anxiety. He didn't know that the current Li Xiao had suddenly had a bold idea in his heart.

That is, exchange goods for Taiwan! (To be continued.) )