There are many kinds of people in this world.

Some people are like a bucket of ink, black from head to toe, and when you get it, you are also black;

Some people are like a pool of muddy water, turbid, as soon as you step on it, keep it and splash you with dirty water;

Some people are like a bucket of paste, confused, you don't know what he wants to do, he doesn't know what he wants to do;

Some people are like a pool of clear water, clear to the bottom, making people feel fresh, getting along with it, refreshed;

Some people are like a clear spring, the more you taste it, the more you can feel his sweetness, and the longer you get along, the more you will find that he has many advantages.

Wu Shiqi is like a clear spring, when you don't ask him, he just flows quietly on the side, quiet and elegant, once you ask him, you will find that his knowledge is so profound, no matter what the question, he can answer for you carefully, such as sweet spring water, refreshing people's hearts.

The county commander had a trick, and Wu Shiqi soon appeared in Qinzhitang.

After this period of getting along, Zhang Bin respected him more and more, and when he saw him come in, Zhang Bin immediately stood up and said cordially: "Mr. Wu, come, please sit, please sit." ”

Wu Shiqi still had a flattered expression, and sat down respectfully on the chair on the left side of the desk, without the slightest pampering and arrogant appearance.

Zhang Bin did not rush to ask about his political achievements, but asked curiously: "Mr. Wu's profound knowledge is really admired by the official, and the questions asked by the official several times before are not seen in ordinary books, I don't know where Mr. came from?" ”

When Wu Shiqi heard this, he said modestly: "The county magistrate has an overreputation, and the villain is very knowledgeable, just because he is shallow in his studies and the imperial examination is hopeless, so he likes to run out and go around, see more, listen more, and some things will naturally understand." ”

It turned out to be like this, no wonder he seemed to know everything, it turned out that he liked to run around, Zhang Bin couldn't help but yearn and said: "The so-called 'reading ten thousand books is better than traveling ten thousand miles', reading some dead books is actually not very useful, this official has never visited my Ming Dynasty's thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, after all, I don't know as much as Mr. ”

Wu Shiqi said with admiration: "The county order is too modest, and the adult is in the gold list high school when he is weak, and he is really an immortal genius." ”

When Zhang Bin heard this, his face couldn't help but be hot, and he hurriedly said modestly: "It's over, it's over, and the official has another question I want to ask Mr." ”

Wu Shiqi hurriedly arched his hand and said, "Lord County Order, please speak." ”

Zhang Bin said a little embarrassed: "That's the case, this official has been in office in Pingyang for more than two years, but he has not made any achievements, next year's Jingcha plan, I am afraid that there will be no hope of promotion, so this official wants to take advantage of this last year to make some achievements, and at the same time make the people of Pingyang live a little better, I don't know what Mr. can do?" ”

When Wu Shiqi heard this, he sighed and said: "Alas, in fact, in this world, if you don't greed for money and don't disturb the people, you are already a good official, and the county magistrate has done a good enough." ”

Don't be greedy for money, don't disturb the people, such an official, looking at the current eunuch lineup, is indeed a rare good official, the problem is that he can't invest in the eunuch lineup!

Zhang Bin was so embarrassed that he had to be cheeky, and said with a pun: "Mr. smiled, didn't this official want to go further and do better." ”

When Wu Shiqi heard this, he pondered for a while, and then sighed: "Actually, the people's requirements are not high, and they will be content if they can barely mix food and clothing, but now, it is difficult to make all the people eat and dress warmly!" ”

Zhang Bin didn't know that the current people had become like this, and he couldn't help but be shocked: "No, can't the current people even have food and clothing?" ”

Wu Shiqi pointed to the list of yellow books on Zhang Bin's desk and guessed: "The county magistrate wants to understand the situation of the common people through the records of fields, houses, vehicles, boats, and livestock in the yellow book, right?" ”

Zhang Bin nodded awkwardly and said: "Well, the official is also dizzy, forgetting that there are more than 100,000 people in Pingyang, and this has to be seen by every household, and I don't know when to see it." ”

Wu Shiqi shook his head and said: "The county magistrate doesn't need to look at it, most of the people now are tenants, and they don't have any land under their names at all, so they live like cattle and horses." Even if there is a field of land, the average farmer only has about ten acres of land, a family, at least five or six people, ten acres of land, each mu produces two stone of grain, a year is twenty stone, a strong man needs a stone of grain a month, the rest of the old and young women and children, it is good to have porridge to drink, as for clothing, it is all patches and patches, and it is rare to make a new body in a few years. And that's not even counting the land endowment, forced labor, and liao salary. ”

One stone of grain is about one hundred and fifty catties, and the yield of farmland is very low at this time, and the yield of two stones per mu is still a good field, and the yield per mu is almost more than one stone, and the best is less than three stones, Zhang Bin knows all this.

He also knew that at this time, a strong man could really eat four or five catties of grain a day, because ordinary people could not afford to eat oil at home, and if they did not eat much, they would be hungry and rumbling after working for a while.

The only thing he didn't expect was that the current peasant families only had about ten acres of land, what was going on, at the beginning of the dynasty, each household was divided into hundreds of acres of land!

He couldn't help but ask curiously: "Originally, didn't every farmer have hundreds of acres of land, wouldn't this land be bought by the squires and tyrants, this is their lifeblood, how many people will sell it?" If the common people refuse to sell, the squires and tyrants will never rob it, right? ”

Wu Shiqi shook his head and said: "Where is the need to rob, the county magistrate, you should also know that birth, old age, sickness and death, weddings and funerals all cost money, and the farmer's family generally does not have any savings, once it encounters a natural disaster, you have to tighten your belt to live, if there is another birth, old age, sickness and death or something, then you have to borrow money to live, if natural disasters continue, the borrowed money cannot be paid, and you have to pay all kinds of taxes, then you can only sell the land." ”

When Zhang Bin heard this, he couldn't help but nodded, at this time, the people really have no resistance to natural disasters, once a natural disaster occurs, ruining a year's harvest, the people may still be able to borrow money to survive, if the natural disasters continue for several years, there is no harvest in the field, then if the field is not sold, it will indeed starve to death.

How many natural disasters have occurred so far in the Ming Dynasty? It's impossible to estimate this, and this land should be sold slowly like this.

Wu Shiqi took a breath and continued: "This natural disaster is one thing, there are also man-made disasters, for example, if there is a loser who is lazy and lazy, eating, drinking, prostituting and gambling, then this family will be finished in a few years." There are also robbers, bandits, thieves, robbers, etc., any one of them can make the common people bankrupt. ”

When Zhang Bin heard this, he couldn't help but nod heavily, it is indeed not easy for the people of this society to keep the little land left by their ancestors.

The current land annexation is really terrifying, no wonder the Chongzhen Dynasty is full of peasant uprisings as soon as there is a natural disaster, there is no way, if you don't rebel, if you don't rob the grain of those local tyrants and squires, corrupt officials and even imperial relatives, they will starve to death.

In this case, how to solve the problem of food and clothing for the common people?