Chapter 238: The benefits are not only there, but they are also great

Li Nong ran to the nearest first-level terraced field in one go, stood on the dam made of stones, and quietly looked at the half-moon-shaped field.

What a flat field! There is a stone dam outside to block, even if it rains heavily, it can't wash away the soil in the field, the slope is most afraid of heavy rain, a heavy rain down the ground will be thin on a layer, the rain not only washes away the soil but also takes away the fertilizer, Rao is how to carefully handle the villagers, the barrenness of the slope and the thinness of the soil force can not be fundamentally changed, people can still resist God?

After watching quietly for a while, Li Nong squatted down, ignoring the fact that the soil in the field was already frozen, and rubbed his hands into the flat field, this soil was obviously newly moved, and it had not rained recently, so the terraced fields were loose, and one hand could reach into the old and deep, and how fast did the seedlings have to grow to grow crops in such a soft ground? After rubbing the soil in his hand a few times, Li Nong began to dig with both hands, digging and digging for a while, until he turned out a small arm's deep pit before stopping.

"Just look at the dam, how can this field be counted as a cowleg deep, how much rain and fertilizer can be stored in such a thick field? If you put on another layer of floating soil shoveled out of the yard, the crops and seedlings will have to grow crazy", squatting down next to Li Nong was another old farmer who came up, this old farmer stretched out his hand and twisted in the field like Li Nong had just done, "Brother, this is a good land, a good land of the highest quality."

"Good land, good land......", both hands are accustomed to "sexually" crushing a piece of soil in the terraced fields and then sprinkling it back, Li Nong, who agreed in a low voice, inexplicably felt some pantothenic acid in his eyes.

At this time, Tang Cheng also accompanied Jia Duwei to the edge of the terraced fields, and after looking at the farmers squatting on the edge of the fields with excited faces, the smile on his face became more and more moving, "If Lord Duwei is not satisfied with this terraced field, then the county really has no choice."

It is said that manpower is sometimes poor, but the neat terraces on this slope in front of him are the evidence of manpower's victory, in the face of this never-before-seen thing, Jia Duwei may have been too shocked just now to hear Tang Cheng's words, at this time he withdrew his gaze from the terraces above and suddenly asked: "What about water?" ”

"I asked these old farmers yesterday that there is no shortage of rain in Longmen County. In addition, there are many mountains and rivers in this county, and all slopes close to rivers and streams can be set up with high drum trucks to lead water to the mountains to relieve the needs of drought", Tang Cheng stretched out his finger and pointed to those carpenters and continued confidently: "If there is not close to the water source, it is easy to do, dig Pitang in the higher part of the hillside, this pond can be dug as large as possible, and store small mountain springs and weekday rainwater in it, and open the gate to irrigate the terraces below with a ditch when the drought is dry, and the water can be adjusted with large water and small water, which is much stronger than blindly pinning the harvest of the acres on the sky."

Tang Cheng's words were heard by several old farmers not far from them, and one of them couldn't help but praise excitedly: "The county commander has thought thoroughly"

"The land is good land, but it takes too much effort to clean it up"

"If Lord Duwei can think more about the benefits in the back, then the hard work in front is nothing, after all, the hard work is only temporary, but the benefits are ten years and decades", Tang Cheng just smiled at Jia Duwei's words, "There is also a great benefit to building terraces, the stones used to build the dam are all taken from the mountains nearby, and there is no additional cost, and the only thing that is used more is manpower, but what is so difficult about this for the Tiancheng army?" There is no war in front of Suoyang Pass, and the sergeants are idle, so it is better to come here to repair the terraces for their upcoming families, so that it is not only an industry, but also the best training for the sergeants. ”

Hearing this, Jia Duwei's brows jumped suddenly, "What do you mean...... Can you get started now? ”

"Winter and spring are the best time to renovate the fields, so what else is there to wait for?" , Tang Cheng laughed, "How easy is it for more than 20,000 family members of the Tiancheng Army to migrate long distances, from leaving to arriving in Longmen County for nearly half a year, they can't come at all, if the sergeants under the captain are more energetic and energetic, and when their families arrive, the three acres of terraced fields can be repaired, and the calculation time is not just in time for next year's autumn planting?" ”

"Well, that's a good point", after looking at the terraces from top to bottom again, Jia Duwei, who was also laughing, turned around and patted Tang Cheng's shoulder, "Okay, Tang County's order is really trustworthy, and it didn't disappoint Bendu Lieutenant, even if the roots of the Tiancheng Army are rooted in Longmen County, I bother Lord Tang to demarcate the place where the families of this army are placed as soon as possible, and after half a month at most, the first batch of sons and daughters of this army to come to Xiutian will be able to leave"

"It's easy to say that this county will not treat your family members badly, the land is not only well zoned but also must be divided, as long as the soldiers of the Tiancheng Army are capable, the number of acres of land in Longmen County is at least twice as much as their hometown in Guanzhong, so Lord Duwei can still be satisfied."

In this era, no matter who the land is, it is the largest and most reassuring wealth, why should the family members of Tianchengjun migrate thousands of miles, in addition to the factor of family reunion, what is more important is that because there are many people in Guanzhong and little land, and the court does not grant enough land, the life of these family members is really difficult, Tang Cheng gave this promise can be said to be the most appetizing for Tianchengjun, Jia Zixing, who listened, smiled on his face, raised his hand and slapped Tang Cheng on the shoulder, at this time, what kind of official title like "Adult, Ming Mansion" is not needed," I didn't believe you wrong, my brother is interesting! ”

"It's easy to say", Tang Cheng smiled when he heard this, "Longmen County is interesting enough, then your army can't bear to lose this county, right?" ”

With this sentence, Jia Zixing slapped the hand on Tang Cheng's shoulder and took it back, the laughter on his face was gone, and his eyes looked at Tang Cheng vigilantly, "What does Lord Tang mean by this?" ”

To be honest, it's no wonder that Jia Zixing overreacted, but after the last negotiation in Baiyang Town, Tang Cheng's impression of refusing to suffer was too deeply imprinted in his heart, and he couldn't help but be nervous when he heard such words.

"There are so many family members of the Tiancheng Army who want to come, and the land is going to be given a lot, but the family members of the army here still don't accept the land endowment, which means that the Longmen County Ya has done good things for your army, but the Yamen has not benefited at all, this is ...... I really can't say it."

As soon as he saw Tang Cheng start to talk about detours with a smile on his face, the vigilant "color" in Jia Zixing's eyes became even stronger, "If you have something to say"

"Take one out of ten", Tang Cheng looked at Jia Zixing with a smile, "This county can allocate more land to the family members of Tiancheng Army, but for every ten acres of terraced fields that your army cultivates, the county government will draw one of them into the official field, and the county government will be in charge of the one acre that is drawn, and those who are less than ten acres will also be counted as ten acres." You have to draw one out of ten, Lord Duwei, this is not too much to ask, right? ”

"That means that if you build eleven acres of terraced fields, you will have to draw two acres of your yamen?"

"Why build eleven acres? Since your army thinks it's not cost-effective, then you can repair enough rounders, and if you repair 20 acres, you will only draw two acres."

Although it is not light to take one out of ten, but the family of Tiancheng Army is not paying the land after all, so Tang Cheng's request is not excessive, and Jia Zixing is also a five-grade general who has been a captain for a long time, and he also knows that if the two sides want to be long-term, they must have some benefits in the end, although he Tiancheng Army does not belong to the jurisdiction of Longmen County, but the family members of the army are managed by people on the ground of Longmen, and if it is deducted too ruthlessly now, it will be Tianchengjun himself who will suffer in the future. After thinking about these things clearly, Jia Zixing didn't say anything more, and looked at Tang Cheng with a solemn face: "One word is a certainty"

Compared with the solemn Jia Zixing, Tang Cheng smiled very comfortably, "A word is a certainty!" ”

Jia Zixing, who was born in the army, was a quick temper, and after seeing that the terraces had also reached a deal with Tang Cheng, he didn't want to stay any longer, so he took the guards and left after giving his hand. When Tang Cheng was about to find those peasant carpenters to come over and talk, he suddenly heard a voice not far behind him and said with a smile: "Count in one fell swoop, Tang County is so calculating, congratulations."

"When did Guest Yang come?" , Tang Cheng turned around and saw Yang Jiao with a smile on his face, this person was originally a close confidant of Li Chongjun's side, and he was a guest of the crown prince, so he was called so, "If there is no Yang guest to build these terraces in a short period of time so that Jia Duwei can see it for himself, any ideas in this county will be in vain."

"Yang is a distant criminal minister who is reincarnated, and the word guest should not be mentioned again", Yang Jiao, who walked in a step, said this sentence with a deliberate lightness, but the frustration between his eyebrows was unwilling but he couldn't hide it, "I haven't thanked the Ming Mansion for the gift of 'medicine'"

At this point, Yang Jiao, who had already approached, looked at Tang Cheng sideways, and said with a bit of curiosity: "The Ming Mansion gave 'medicine' to the whole village, and it was nothing for other households to accept it, but it was surprising that Kong Jue had never refused, but I don't know what good means the Ming Mansion used?" ”

Hearing this, Tang Cheng smiled, and waved his hand without saying anything, "What are the few meager things to worry about, Mr. is too polite."

Seeing that Tang Cheng didn't say anything, with Yang Jiao's cleverness, he didn't chase after him, turned his head to look at the terraced fields in front of him and said: "The Ming Mansion is really unexpected, and the repair of this terraced field is just to spend some money and grain and hire more people, but I can think that such an unbelievable method of improving the slope is really rare, and this law will not only benefit Longmen County, but also benefit thousands of people if it is implemented by the Ministry of Households." Farming is the foundation of the country, and only this Tang Ming Mansion has made great contributions to the court and the world."

"The affairs of the imperial court have their own 'worries' of the adults in the court, for me, as long as Longmen County can benefit, it is enough"

"Oh!" Hearing this, Yang Jiao turned his head and glanced at Tang Cheng again. The education that scholars in this era have received since childhood is self-cultivation and Qi family governance and peace in the world, no matter whether they can do it after becoming an official, but at least psychologically, they are still accustomed to taking meritorious service to the world as the highest goal of governance.

Seeing Yang Jiao like this, Tang Cheng glanced back at him and said intentionally or unintentionally: "It's good to be lofty, but a high-rise building has to be built from the first floor, so it takes too much effort to imagine the beautiful scenery after climbing the high-rise building, it is better to lower your head and start building from the first floor with peace of mind, and when you look up when you are tired, maybe you are already standing on the top of the high-rise building."

After listening to Tang Cheng's words, Yang Jiao was silent and thought quietly for a while, and then said with a smile: "Well said, I will never forget this word."

As a degraded official and a minister, how could Yang Jiao not have the idea of returning to the imperial city of Chang'an? It's just that if you don't have a suitable opportunity to promote this kind of thing, it's useless to think about it, but if you want to find the right opportunity, you have to do it from your side in a down-to-earth way when you can't borrow it.

Yang Jiao's intelligence and ability to do things are not bad, but the corresponding mind is too lively, coupled with his past experience as a guest of the prince, although he promised to serve in the county government before, but no one can be sure whether this promise is sincere or a sleek perfunctory for self-preservation, Tang Cheng's words just now are in response to this situation.

If you want to return to the Imperial City of Chang'an, okay, then you can work hard in Longmen when you can't leave now, and after you do a good job here, maybe you don't need to think about it anymore to reach your goal. As for what he could do for him in this matter, Tang Cheng believed that with Yang Jia's cleverness, he wouldn't ask at all, of course, even if he really asked, Tang Cheng wouldn't say it, at least not right now.

As for whether he believes that his small county commander can have such means to reach the sky, Tang Cheng will never deliberately explain anything now, everything depends on Yang Jiao's vision and open-mindedness, if even this is a problem, then how much value does he have that is worth valuing?

After ending the topic without "dew", Yang Jiao pointed to the terraced fields and said: "The Ming Mansion borrowed strength in Longmen County, with the help of the border army not only solved the problem of the people in the city, but also reshaped the authority of the county government.

Tang Cheng smiled and nodded, "Yes"

"Repay the Tiancheng Army's borrowing of troops that day, this is the first benefit that the Ming Mansion harvested from the terraces", Yang Jiao pointed to the terraced fields, and vaguely had a little bit of the demeanor of pointing out the country by Li Chongjun's side that day, "The 8,000 soldiers of the Tiancheng Army, even if only half of the 8,000 soldiers are willing to bring their families to Longmen for reunion, according to the agreement of one out of ten, the Ming Mansion can at least draw more than 10,000 acres of land from the hands of these 4,000 new households, and how much grain can more than 10,000 acres of terraced fields with stable yield produce in a year?" How many other things can you get back? Longmen is barren and poor, the county government is even poorer, the Ming government's move does not increase the people's taxes at all to add a stable source of good wealth to the county government, but what is given is just an idle and useless barren mountain, a good deal! This is the second benefit of the terraces."

The Tang Dynasty was not as high as the agricultural science and technology developed in later generations, so the amount of land needed to maintain the life of a family was more, so that the estimate of Yang paying more than 10,000 mu was conservative, after all, the last time I was in Baiyang Town, I listened to the meaning of Jia Zixing's words, and there were nearly 5,000 soldiers in the Tiancheng Army who wanted to bring their families to settle with the army.

Seeing Tang Cheng nodding again, Yang Jiao continued without stopping: "The third and most important point, with the terraces as a rope, the Ming Mansion has really tied the Tiancheng Army and Longmen County together, as long as the family members of the Tiancheng Army settle in Longmen, what other way can that Jia Duwei go?" In this way, the strength of the county government and the Tiancheng army are tied, with these 8,000 soldiers to rely on, what are the 20,000 Xi people afraid of? Even the Ming government can extend the authority of the county government to the grassland."

After Yang Jiao, who spoke generously, finished speaking, Tang Cheng only said one sentence, "When will Mr. go to the Ya Counselor for official business?" ”

Yang Jiao didn't answer when he heard this, and asked, "When will the Ming Mansion return to the government?" ”

After two questions, both of them looked at each other and smiled.

After laughing, Yang Jiao looked at those peasants and asked softly, "But I don't know why the Ming Mansion spent a lot of effort to gather these people?" If you want to spread the terraces in the county, you don't need to go to such trouble."

"These people are good at handling crops, they are very familiar with the fields, after all, the construction of these terraces is only the first try, if you want to promote it on a large scale, there will inevitably be some problems, and to solve these problems you have to rely on them, after all, the most familiar with the land of Longmen are these farmers, as for the carpenters are for the high drum car. In addition, I would also like to take this opportunity to summarize the good methods and good experiences of these farmers in farming for many years, and they will continue to preach and promote them in all parts of the county, so that they can give full play to the power of the land."

At this time, Tang Cheng had no reservations about Yang Jiao, and laughed in a low voice: "Attaching importance to agriculture and mulberry must start with real things, and I have a big idea in addition to that."

It's not that simple! Yang Jiao, who muttered to himself in his heart, asked, "What? ”

"Longmen Mountain is vast and wide, and the more than 20,000 Tang people who live from farming in this county live too loosely, and I want to use the mouths of these people to help me persuade the Tang people under my jurisdiction to gather", Tang Cheng's eyes lit up when he talked about this goal that he had never mentioned to anyone.

"How is it possible for more than 20,000 people to abandon their homeland, their houses and the fields they have cultivated for many years? Let them say no more", Yang Jiaozhen was taken aback by Tang Cheng's earth-shattering thoughts, "Besides, what's the benefit of doing this?" ”

"Of course, you can't rely on them all, such a big thing must be done to succeed", Tang Cheng said, looked up at the queen of heaven and continued with a smile: "As for the benefits, not only are there but also very big, big enough to completely change the appearance of Longmen is barren and poor."