Like all Song Dynasty officials who wanted to gain an in-depth understanding of Zhou's domestic affairs, He Sanjie abandoned ships and landed in Nanpi County, Cangzhou, and crossed the Song-Zhou border by land.

And he was also shocked by the huge disparity between the two sides of the border.

On the side of the Great Song Dynasty, the land belonging to Qingchi County in Cangzhou was as desolate and dilapidated as ever. Although it is the golden autumn season, there is no harvest except for the "weeds" that grow to half a human height and the occasional sight of cattle and sheep grazing.

But as soon as you enter the border of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it will immediately be an idyllic scene of harvest and happiness. Even the official road is different, from a dusty dirt road to a stone road paved with bluestone slabs.

Most of the travelers on the road are strong and ruddy, and there is no dish that cannot be eaten. Even the customers (tenants, hired farmers) in coarse cloth shorts did not look hungry or cold.

However, instead of golden wheat, the fields by the roadside were planted with half grass and half cotton. The cotton has bloomed and turned into white, snowflake-like hairballs, which are very eye-catching.

Most of the people who are grazing on the grass in the grass fields are tall horses, probably the famous Tianjin horses, right?

Different from the reception method in which the Song court sent an escort to accompany foreign envoys, the Zhou State did not have a companion system, but only registered it at the border checkpoint, and then issued a "foreign affairs passport", and let He Li, Feng Mingshan and others walk freely on the land of the Zhou State.

This frank and unrestrained bearing surprised He Li and He Da Zhuangyuan.

In addition to being surprised, He Li did not forget to take advantage of the "carelessness" of the Zhou State to go deep into the people of the Zhou State to conduct an investigation.

At present, a considerable number of scholars and doctors in the Great Song Dynasty are keen to study the system of the Zhou State. Some study for the sake of criticism, while others want to learn from Zhou. It is necessary to learn the circumference technique to make the week!

On the one hand, they felt that Zhou's law was unkind, blindly seeking strength and wealth, and disregarding the people; On the one hand, it is also desirable to admit that the Zhou law is desirable, after all, the wealth and strength of the Zhou State are obvious.

However, in the past, the "division week" and "criticism week" were all based on not knowing the week, and there was no basis. Now the three heroes of the He family finally have the opportunity to know Zhou.

In order to better know Zhou, He Sanjie deliberately changed his official uniform after entering the Zhou realm, and slowed down, and stayed in a township called Aobao Town for a day.

The so-called township is the center of the hundred townships (usually four or five hundred knights). It is a town enclosed by a wall, and there are township offices, township elders' associations, township schools, township warehouses, shops, wine shops, inns, blacksmith shops, and so on. The former is a public facility, while the latter is commercial.

He Li took advantage of the fact that the group was having dinner in the wine shop, and found a junior who spoke with a Hejian accent and inquired with him.

"The second brother is from Hejian Mansion, right?"

"Back to the guest officer, Xiao Di is from Nandashu Town, Letao County, Hejian Prefecture."

"Nandashu Town, oh, it's near Nanpi County, on the edge of the Yellow River, isn't it?"

He Li remembered that this town was a big depressed town. Depression is the present, and big means prosperity in the past.

"yes." The little second brother sighed, "It's hard to make a living in my hometown, so I came out with the owner." ”

The situation in Hejian Province is also similar to that of most of the state armies of the Great Song Dynasty, and the pastoral economy of male farmers and female weavers is disintegrating! The impact on the merchants who worked in the towns was also very great, and their minds were more active than those of the peasants, and they knew the reason why people move to life and trees to die. So they were the first to leave their homes.

"Is there any peace here?" He Li asked again.

"It's a pleasure, but it's ......"

"But after all, it is a foreign country, and there is no way to buy a few acres of land to settle down, and the farmland of Zhou Kingdom basically cannot be bought and sold. In the future, I will eventually return to my hometown, but my hometown is ......."

In the Middle Ages, land was the primary means of production. It is normal for businessmen to want to buy a few acres of land when they make money, and the land system that can buy land is attributed to the feudal land system, and at the same time, the land that cannot be circulated and can only be sealed with military merit is described as the capitalist land system...... It's weird!

However, it is indeed difficult for the merchants in the capitalist Zhou to invest capital in the farmland after making money. Because most of the farmland in the Zhou State is the work of military citizens, it is not for sale!

Therefore, it was difficult for the merchants of the Zhou State to be converted into landlords, and they could only continue to develop in industry and commerce, unless they were not merchants to join the army.

"The peasants of the Zhou Kingdom are richer than the peasants of Hejian Province, right?" He Li inquired again.

"He is rich." Xiao Er replied, "Both the host and the guest, they have a few dollars, but they are not comfortable. ”

"Restless?"

"Yes, those who have fields have to worry about the future of their younger sons, and the grange of the Zhou State can only be inherited by the eldest son. If you don't have a field, your eyes are hot, thinking that one day you can join the army and fight a grange...... Fighting out a grange is the life of a person! ”

As he spoke, two men dressed in narrow-sleeved round-necked robes came in from outside the restaurant, both with long swords hanging from their belts. At first glance, you can tell that it is a knight of the Zhou Kingdom.

The little second brother hurriedly greeted him with a smile on his face, calling him a big official and a second official Wang.

It turned out to be a pair of brother knights, and the grange was in the village of Auburg.

"Little second brother, quickly take some good wine and meat, ask for beef, cut four or five catties on a plate, and then cut ten catties and wrap them in paper, let's take them."

Unlike the Song State, which prohibited cattle slaughter, the cattle of the Zhou State were not protected, and they were killed and eaten at will, and it was not expensive.

As soon as Xiao Er heard that the other party was going to bring ten catties of beef on the road, he asked: "The two big officials are going to Tianjin?" ”

One of the Wang officials smiled: "Yes! Click on it! ”

"Dot set? It's the turn of the two of you? ”

Another senior official laughed and said, "How come? Just came home last month. ”

"Isn't that ......?"

"Hahaha, what? Little second brother, do you want to go with me? You can't do cavalry, but infantry can still do it. If there is merit, there will be a grange of hundreds of acres! ”

"I, can I really do it?"

"Hahaha, as long as you go, if you can't do it, you can practice until you can!"

The little two gritted his teeth, "Then I'll go talk to the owner......"

is a very good little second brother, and he has become a soldier brother like this!

This scene made the three He brothers a little dumbfounded, but Feng Mingshan was not surprised.

He Li is also a very good master, and he went over to get in touch with two knights surnamed Wang.

These two people are also from Hejian Mansion, they were originally local tyrants, and they were recruited as knights by Wuhao Gu more than ten years ago, and they have been in the army. I've been on the battlefield many times, but I'm not hurt at all! So I'm not afraid to go to war.

The two also planned to bring their son as a knight's retinue (that is, auxiliary cavalry), so that they could see blood.

As for who to fight, the two Wang officials don't know, and they won't say it if they know.

He Li didn't blindly inquire, but also introduced himself, claiming to be a scholar of Songyang Academy in the Song Kingdom, and wanted to go to Tianjin to find an opportunity.

"There are many opportunities in Tianjin!" One of them, Wang Daguan, was quite talkative, and said with a smile, "Recently, the doctoral group has been recruiting scholars to go to Annan Mansion, and if they go, they will be given citizenship and fields. ”

"Where is Annan Province?"

"Jiaozhi country, we have cut the most fertile land in Jiaozhi country and set up an Annan mansion...... How does Mr. Annan Road be far away, and the township school in Hongxiang is also a good place to go. Although you can't get the land, the salary is not low, as long as you have real skills, a few hundred a year is not a problem, it is much better than being a petty official. ”

It turned out that there was still a lot of development in Annam Province. Knights and warriors are one thing; The establishment of a seowon and the dissemination of heavenly principles are another aspect. The latter has to be a reader!

Therefore, the doctoral group has been recruiting people during this time, preparing to form the Annan Doctoral Group Academy.

However, He Li was not interested in the affairs of Annan, and inquired about the income and grange of the knights of the Zhou Kingdom.

After some inquiry, He Li learned that the knights of the Zhou Kingdom were not out of production, they were also farmers, soldiers and herdsmen, and they were really busy. If the knight's family did not have many people, he usually rented out a portion of the land to tenants to operate. If the family is prosperous, they will hire farmers to run the business.

As for the income, it is less rent collection and higher self-employment. The 1,500 acres of grange in Tianjin is well managed, and it can have a net income of more than 2,000 yuan a year! Mainly from raising horses and selling cotton. It's unbelievably rich.

It's just that such a family property cannot be divided equally among children and grandchildren, and can only be inherited by the eldest son. Therefore, the knights can only pay no expense to the education of the second son and the youngest son, which can be regarded as compensating them.

And it is precisely because the knights are willing to invest in the education of their children and grandchildren that the township schools in each township are very well built, and they do not hesitate to hire teachers who graduated from the Yuntai Academy at a high price - the knights do not have to pay taxes, but they will donate to the township school, and they will pay a lot. After all, these folk schools are to educate their own children and grandchildren!

Therefore, the teachers of the knight township school of the Zhou Kingdom have an annual income that exceeds that of the middle and lower-level officials! Even if it is left in the Great Song Dynasty, this income is also worth the parents of a county......

Therefore, the Zhou State, which did not have the imperial examination system, invested far more in national education than the Great Song Dynasty, which was famous for its cultural rule.

Of course, the only people who can enjoy a high level of education are the sons or personalities of military citizens, or businessmen who can afford to pay high tuition fees.

In other words, for the vast number of ordinary civilians (excluding merchants and mechanics) in the Zhou State, becoming a military citizen was the beginning of a good life!

As long as you become a military citizen, you will have land, real estate, wife, and son's education!

And to become a military citizen, you have to be in the army!

Therefore, Da Zhou never worried that no one would be a soldier, and the military mobilization for the sake of sending troops to Goryeo had just begun, and civilians who wanted to join the army lined up in front of various military stations in Tianjin.

Of course, now the civilians of the Zhou State are not paid military salaries when they serve as soldiers. If you don't pay the military salary, you will break your head and want to squeeze in, and it will be a waste of money to pay the military salary again.

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