The expeditionary troops left Chengdu, Shu Guoping, Sun Hong, He Zengzhi and others led the infantry to hurry, while Zhu Pingjin and Liao Daheng and others broke away from the brigade with the cavalry and rushed to Jintang Huaikou Town.

Yao Yulin of Huaikou Town and a group of local gentry lined up on the Tuojiang wharf, ready to welcome the prince of Shu and the governor of Liao to Huaikou. However, when it got dark, the official ship carrying the prince and the governor was nowhere to be seen. It turned out that Zhu Pingjin and Liao Daheng did not take the waterway, but under the guidance of Wang Zhuang's guide, they rode through the small Three Gorges of Jintang from the area south of Zhao Town, Jintang County, along the sheep intestine trail on the right bank of the Tuojiang River, and entered Huaikou Town from behind without knowing it.

Zhu Pingjin chose to travel by land, first, because there were horses with him; The second is that there are not enough ships.

There are many ships in western Sichuan, but some large ships followed Qin to the south of the Yangtze River, some ships carried immigrants to Luzhou, and the transportation of 50,000 stone military grain also occupied many large ships. The battle companies of the county guards gathered in Jintang Zhao Town for reorganization, and more ships were needed to transport them. Except for the Tuojiang fleet from Yao Yulin in Huaikou and the Minjiang fleet in the palace, Zhu Pingjin did not try to monopolize the shipping industry. The economy of Shudi should develop in an all-round way, the logistics industry should go first, and monopoly is not a good idea. Of course, the shipping industry needs to be developed, and large shipyards are also being planned, but he is more concerned with military transportation, and the ships at the control of the palace are mainly to meet the needs of the front.

When he arrived in Huaikou Town, Zhu Pingjin did not rest, and met two people overnight: Li Chongwen, deputy premier of the administrative secretary and manager of Miantong General Village, and Qiu Ruiguang, deputy manager, who had just arrived in Huaikou to wait for his wife to report to work. Since Chen Youfu and Luo Jianjun's caravan crossed the border, Qiu Ruiguang's promotion speed has exceeded his imagination. Chief Steward Qiu's ability to dance with long sleeves in the officialdom also has more room to display.

Miantong Zongzhuang originally governed the three counties of Zhongjiang, Shehong and Pengxi in the north of Tongchuan Prefecture and Luojiang and Zhangming County (now Zhangming Town, Jiangyou) under the jurisdiction of Mianzhou, Chengdu Prefecture. Recently, the joint department of Jia Deng transferred to the Boryeong Mansion to prepare to participate in the suppression, so he simply handed over the Tongchuan Prefecture City (now Santai) and the Yanting County under its jurisdiction to the royal palace in exchange for more subsidies. Later, the palace and the Long'an Mansion and its Pingwu, Shiquan (Note 1), Jiangyou three counties, Baoning Mansion Zitong County and other Wangzhuang to Miantong Zhuang, so that the jurisdiction of Miantong Zhuangzhuang has one government, two states, ten counties, become the leading village in Shufu Wangzhuang. The area covers all of Mianyang in Zhu Pingjian's previous life, and one part of Deyang and Suining. The headquarters of the village was also moved north from the original Shehong County to Mianzhou, where the conditions were better.

Miantong Zongzhuang from west to east, forming a barrier in the north of Chengdu, with outstanding value. Mianzhou is located in the center of the Fujiang Plain, one of the three major impact plains in western Sichuan. Tongchuan, Jiangyou, Zhangming, Shehong and the three counties of Shehong are located on both sides of the Fujiang River, and the important tributary of the Fujiang River, Zhongjiang (Kaijiang), flows through the two counties of Luojiang and Zhongjiang, and the two counties of Yanting and Pengxi are also above the tributaries of the Fujiang River. The two counties of Pingwu County and Shiquan County, which are the administrative offices of Long'an Prefecture, are connected to Maozhou, Weizhou and Maozhou Wei of Chengdu Prefecture and Maozhou Wei of Sichuan Prefecture from the west, south and north. And Zitong County, guarding the important passage from Guangyuan in northern Sichuan to Mianzhou - the southern end of Zitong Road (now Cuiyun Corridor), echoes with Jianzhou (now Jiange) at the north end and the famous pass Jianmen Pass.

Miantong Zongzhuang has been ravaged by thieves and bandits since Chongzhen for seven years. Except for the two counties of Pingwu and Shiquan in Long'an Prefecture, because they are located in the depths of the Minshan Mountains, they can still survive the troubled times, and all the other prefectures and counties have been broken by Chuangxian. Many cities, including Mianzhou, were occupied twice and slaughtered twice. At the same time, natural disasters occurred frequently in Chongzhen years, and the imperial court imposed heavy taxes, which greatly damaged the agricultural production in this area. Massive exodus, massive land abandonment, and a scene of ruin and decay everywhere.

Resuming production and ensuring people's livelihood is Zhu Pingjin's intention to deliberately put Li Chongwen, a doer, and Qiu Ruiguang, his own family, in Miantong.

……

Because of the task of transporting materials from the army and immigrating from Luzhou, the Yamen of the Huaikou Inspection Division of Huaikou Town, which was once abandoned, was renovated by Jintang Wangzhuang. As soon as Zhu Pingjin arrived, this became the location of his Chinese army. And the old Liao tycoon was carefully arranged by him to the house vacated by Yao Yulin, which is of course the best house in Huaikou Town.

In the lobby of the Huaikou Inspection Division, the monarch and the minister had a long talk.

Li Chongwen described him as haggard, but his eyes were shining, and he said sincerely to Zhu Pingjian: "Although Miantong is broken, it is doing great things for my generation!" ”

The customs and customs of Miantong are very different, but because of the cover of Baoning and Shunqing Mansion, they have avoided the attack of local rioters, so the security environment is generally better. After the thieves, the rich gentry and wealthy families were slightly depleted, suffered heavy casualties, and their power was greatly reduced. The royal government did not support the collection of donations and tax reclamation, but they were also powerless to oppose it, so the social environment was generally stable. Faced with the military pressure of thieves and bandits, the tax pressure of the imperial court, and the political pressure of the Futai feudal divisions, the local government chose to cooperate with the royal government, which was their choice in desperation, so the political environment was generally favorable.

Li and Qiu took advantage of the favorable external environment in a timely manner, and under coercion and inducement, after negotiating the tax package in Tongchuan Prefecture, they reached a tax package agreement with the Zhizhou of Mianzhou and the three counties of Luojiang, Zhangming, and Jiangyou. The specific form refers to the Yazhou model, but there are more measures to promote the development of industry and commerce.

For example, Qiu Ruiguang gave full play to the advantages of blood and opened Huitong Money Village in every state and county in Mianzhou and Tongchuan. vigorously promote the circulation of silver banknotes, implement discriminatory measures against gold and silver and other precious metals in taxation, and increase the cost of all links; In cooperation with Yang Neng of the Machinery Bureau, Liu Hongting of the Weaving Bureau and Cao Santai in charge of Yazhou, they opened a branch factory for machine manufacturing and weaving, introduced tea seedlings, expanded tea planting, and exchanged ideas with the toasts of Longnan and Qinghai. Qiu Ruiguang, who has huge internal energy, even reached an agreement with Wang Kunshan of the Firearms Bureau to build a large gunpowder manufacturing bureau on the side of Jiangyou Mountain, using the abundant natural nitrate soil in the mountains west of Mianzhou. The boss of the Chen family in Jiangyou County, who is good at making fireworks, is the manager of this gunpowder bureau.

With regard to the agriculture that Zhu Pingjin is most concerned about, last year's drought and thieves had a great impact on the livelihood of the people in Miantong. In some areas, the seeds and grain were robbed and eaten, and the people fled, and the seeds could not be planted in time for spring sowing, so this year's sharp reduction in output is a foregone conclusion. The autumn grain harvest has been exhausted, but according to production and population estimates, the entire stock will last until the end of April at most, after which famine may occur.

After Li and Qiu took office, they urged all prefectures and counties to replant winter crops, such as winter wheat, rapeseed, broad beans, and peas, in order to produce some output in exchange for some rice grain. However, due to the inconsistency of the establishment of Wangzhuang, the implementation of the policy is large and small, and a large number of places are still abandoned, so the focus in the near future is still trying to strengthen Wangzhuang and recruit displaced people to reclaim the wasteland. It is estimated that by next year, Miantong will be able to achieve self-sufficiency on the whole, and individual prefectures and counties with better conditions will still have a slight surplus.

The basic situation of Miantong can be basically grasped through a monthly situation report. Zhu Pingjin is more concerned about how Miantong, as one of the top economic zones in Sichuan, can gain experience in the key work of land reclamation. You must know that the area of arable land in Miantong far exceeds that of Luzhou; Agricultural conditions such as water, soil, light and heat are far from being compared with Luzhou.

Based on the practice of Miantong, Li Chongwen put forward several valuable suggestions for land reclamation:

First, it is necessary to strengthen the organization, and we cannot let the peasant households and displaced people arbitrarily occupy it if they are given the policy of reduction or exemption.

Li Chongwen said that some displaced people were reluctant to join Wangzhuang and ran to the mountains to reclaim the famine, so several tragedies occurred. There were more than 50 people in Shehong County, and 12 died of starvation because of the lack of rations. A family of five in Yanting County entered the mountain with their bare hands, and there was no news after that, and later asked the hunters to look for it, only to find that they were all eaten by tigers. Because of the competition for good land by the riverside, two groups of displaced people from the middle and rivers fought with weapons, killing two people and injuring more than a dozen others. It can be seen that the effect of scattered land reclamation is slow, the effect is poor, and the cost is large. Water conservancy facilities are neither planned nor supported.

In order to implement efficient land reclamation, they put forward a proposal for overall development: properly separate the land reclamation and the farmer. It is necessary not only to make full use of the surplus rural labor force in winter, but also to organize a specialized and large-scale reclamation team to carry out the overall development of more than 10,000 mu at one time. Terraces, baokan, ponds, wells, ditches and other facilities are in place at one time. Then the developed mature fields are rented to farmers to plant, and they can be harvested that year.

In this way, the property rights of the reclaimed land belong to the royal government, and the rental income is high, and the future income is relatively stable, so that both the tenant and the tenant benefit at the same time. At the same time, the overall development is also conducive to social management. A land development project can form a Wang Zhuang, and the management of the village and the construction of the village protection team can also be promoted, saving a lot of time and effort.

Second, it is necessary to rationally select sites and plan reasonably, and cannot be carried out blindly. Site planning must take into account two important factors:

The first is water conservancy conditions. Li Chongwen gave an example: Zhongjiang County is hilly and mountainous in the south, located on the right bank of the Kaijiang River, the mountains are not high, the land is not barren, and the area of reclaimable land exceeds 300,000 mu, but the effect of land reclamation is not good. He personally inspected the site, and it turned out that the terrain here is high, there are few rivers, and there is a serious shortage of water. According to the local farmers, during the drought last year, the whole area was scorched with no water, and people died of thirst. If there is no drinking water and water storage facilities here, even if the land is cleared, it can only rely on the sky for food.

The second is the political and popular conditions. There are some famous gentry in Mianzhou and Tongchuan, such as Liu Yuliang's family in Mianzhu County, Hanzhou, who has a large amount of land in Mianzhou. Liu Yuliang is the third elder of the Liu family, Chongzhen was the first assistant before being ousted by Xue Guoguan in the twelfth year, his brother Liu Yuyang of Guannan Province, and Liu Yulie, a waiter, have several high-ranking officials and countless disciples. Chongzhen ten years of thieves into Sichuan, Liu Yuliang, who was still a university scholar at the time, cried in front of Emperor Chongzhen about the tragic situation of his hometown, the emperor was furious, resulting in the death of Wang Weizhang, the former governor of Sichuan, in prison, and even the chief soldier Hou Liangzhu who died in the battle of Baiqingba was not spared.

Li Chongwen believes that if the enclosure of land infringes on the interests of the big families, it is bound to meet with fierce opposition from them. In addition, many small landowners and yeoman farmers have fled the famine and may return later. Therefore, when enclosing land and reclamation, it is necessary to have a reasonable basis, strive for the support of the local government, and grasp the first-hand evidence of land ownership. After the wasteland has been cleared, if the landlord and the yeoman farmer come back and make a request, the interests of the original landowner and the land-clearing operator should be reasonably balanced in accordance with the method of separating the field skin and bones, so as to avoid excessive intensification of contradictions.

Third, it is necessary to strengthen support and guidance, especially the support of agricultural loans, seeds and agricultural tools, and other materials. Li Chongwen said that because of the shortage of seeds and rations, as well as the shortage of agricultural tools and cattle, the progress of land reclamation was seriously affected, so monetary loans and in-kind loans were very important. He used the loan to order a large number of farm tools from Chengdu, so most of the silver flowed back to the palace......

Fourth, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of agricultural infrastructure, especially water conservancy facilities. There should be water first, and then planting. Digging ponds, digging canals, diverting water, and digging wells are all measures that cannot be spared......

Li Chongwen is the vice premier of the government secretary of the palace and the chairman of the North Sichuan Military and Political Committee. But when Li Chongwen talked about his work in Miantong, it was like turning on a faucet, and it was flowing non-stop.

This pale, thin young scholar, a scholar who had experienced the turmoil and displacement of his parents and experienced the painful suffering, when his inner belief was aroused, it was like a nuclear reactor being ignited, and a huge stream of energy was continuously released. He doesn't need external pressure, no spur from his superiors, and no need for the stimulation of fame and fortune, he relies entirely on his endogenous motivation to push his work forward. What he burns is life, and what he reaps is his heart. The difference between such a person and those who go camping, betraying, running, and tossing for fame and fortune is as different from heaven and earth, and the difference in value is like gold shit. In the presence of such a pure man, the average layman is easily ashamed of himself; The monarch, on the other hand, is prone to suspicion. Since ancient times, loyal ministers and good generals have not been able to die well, because of this.

"Mr. Li, Manager Qiu, the military situation is urgent, this son is going to leave tomorrow, I'm afraid I can't wait for Miss Luo to arrive."

Zhu Pingjin touched the full pimple that had just started on his upper lip, and he felt a little weak in his heart, and he felt very ashamed. He was determined to give more support and care to Li Chongwen: "These articles are still hard for you to explain in detail to Miss Luo." This prince will leave her a letter, asking her to pay more attention to the affairs of Miantong. ”

Li Chongwen and Qiu Ruiguang thanked each other. It was late at night, the two said goodbye, but Zhu Pingjin left Li Chongwen alone.

The monarch and the minister sat opposite each other, speechless for a while.

After a long silence, Zhu Pingjin finally spoke:

"The medicine king Sun Simiao once said: If you think too much, you will be dead, if you think too much, you will be wise, if you want more, you will be dizzy, if you have more things, you will be tired, if you talk more, you will be lacking, and if you are sad, you will be heartbroken. If it is an eventful autumn below today, Mr. is an important minister of my palace and is deeply loved by the people of Wangzhuang. The scenery should be long-sighted, please Mr. to the common people, don't work too much, everything is pro! Steward Qiu is a relative of the mother's concubine, and the concubine uses it, one uses its talents, and the other uses it to not lose the festival, so this son will hand over Miantong to him sooner or later. Mr. is the general manager of northern Sichuan, and he can guide him on the side, and let him do all the chores. If he doesn't do well, this son will punish him. This time, the local rioters ravaged Shunqing, Chongqing, Pengzhou, Guang'an, Hezhou and other more than ten prefectures and counties. The livelihood of the people in northern Sichuan needs to be worked hard for, so Mr. must cherish his body even more! Sir may wish to rest here for a while, and wait quietly for Miss Luo to arrive. Wang Han, president of the Invalides General Hospital, accompanied the expedition this time. He is a great disciple of his father-in-law, and his medical skills are exquisite. Let him show you tomorrow, prescribe a prescription, and adjust it a little. ”

"Obey the order!"

Zhu Pingjian's heartfelt concern moved Li Chongwen to tears. Li Chongwen Zhuge Liang, he had to learn from Zhuge Liang to follow Liu Xuande all his life. In Li Chongwen's mind, Liu Xuande must be a benevolent monarch who is both loyal and righteous.

AND ZHU PINGJIN THINKS THAT COMPARED TO LIU XUANDE'S SCHEMING, HE IS NOT TOO MUCH TO LET (HUANG), THIS IS HIS SELF-CONFIDENCE IN CONTROLLING THE MINISTERS AT THE AGE OF LESS CHONG.

Note 1: The old city of Beichuan was completely destroyed by the 512 earthquake.