Everyone didn't believe the empty words of the village chief, but the food they got in their hands was real. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

After receiving the grain, more than eighty percent of the immigrants, like Zhang Tie, believed in the various promises made to them by the village chief, and began to look forward to their future in Liaodong.

Because everyone knows a truth, the sooner you get to the migration destination, the sooner you can fix the house, and then you can start working for food.

Coupled with the fact that they spend less time on the road, they can save a day of food to store.

When the whole village started to move, it would have been only four hours a day. But at the strong demand of the immigrants, four hours became five and a half hours.

In this way, they can cover the journey that took twenty days to cover in only fifteen days.

As for building houses, because there was food to feed their stomachs, all the elderly and children joined in, and they had to do it day and night, and it took only 15 days to build more than eighty percent of the houses in the village.

After seeing everyone's efforts, the village chief knew that it was time to fulfill the first promise to the villagers.

Early the next morning, the 2,000 people in the village were gathered at the entrance of the village, and they told how to earn money from the Liaodong army.

Repair roads for the Liaodong Army, and the Liaodong Army will take revenge for the food of one pound a day at the same time. But the Liaodong Army also has requirements, as long as the strong young and strong!

The second way to exchange grain is to reclaim the famine, the Liaodong Army does not care about food, and reclaimed an acre of fertile land, which can be exchanged for ten catties of grain from the Liaodong Army!

As soon as the village chief's words came out, the two thousand immigrants began to discuss, and the Zhang Tie family who gathered together was no exception.

Seeing her husband Zhang Tie frowning, his wife immediately proposed: "Be in charge, or our whole family will go to the wasteland!" There are five of us, the old man and the third child stay at home to take care of the house, and the three of us should have no problem cultivating one acre of land in two days! ”

Zhang Tie frowned, shook his head and objected: "No, doing physical work is not as good as doing other things, the five of us have to eat at least four catties of food a day, otherwise we don't have the physical strength to do things at all." ”

"In this way, we will eat four catties of grain in two days. And in two days, we can reclaim one acre of land in exchange for ten catties of grain, and only after eating eight catties will we have two catties left. It is equivalent to shaving our own food, and the five of us can only earn back a pound of grain a day, and when the snow closes the mountain, the remaining grain is not enough for us to survive the winter. ”

"I went out with the village chief to build roads, and I could save a pound of rations a day, and I could exchange it for a pound of food. You stay at home to reclaim the wasteland, the fat old man and the third child also help, I will come back in the evening and be busy for another hour, we can still reclaim one acre of land in two days, in exchange for ten catties of grain. By shaving and eating, our family can earn three catties of grain a day. ”

"There is also the boss in the village protection team, one pound of food a day, three months later, when the heavy snow fan is over, we can save almost 400 catties of food, save a little food, and there is no problem at all in persisting for half a year!"

Soon, two thousand immigrants made their choice.

More than 500 young and strong, almost all of them followed the village chief to build roads. The rest of the women, the elderly, and the children stayed at home to reclaim the wasteland.

At the headquarters of the Liaodong Army, Zhou Zhongju rushed in with an excited face and reported: "Commander, you said that those methods are really smart, the enthusiasm of the immigrants is much higher, and the migration speed is at least two percent faster." “

"According to the latest reports sent by the counties, eighty percent of the migrants have started to build roads and reclaim the wasteland, and they have exchanged food for food from us. At this rate, in five months at most, the entire official road in Liaodong will take on a new look. When the time comes, Commander Zhong of the Heavy Artillery Division will definitely no longer complain to me that the official road in Liaodong can't go through his artillery. ”

Yang Xingguo did not rejoice with Zhou Zhongju, but replied with a frown: "This is indeed good news, but it also means that in the next few months, we will prepare a large amount of food to distribute to those immigrants!" ”

"With only the 200,000 loads of grain in Fengcheng, Dingtian can last for ten days and half a month!"

Zhou Zhongju hurriedly replied: "Half a month ago, I asked Yan Bing to take one million taels of silver to Wuhan by water to buy food, and by the way, I also brought two thousand rifles to the newly appointed governor of Lianghu as a gift!" ”

"From the perspective of time, in just a few days, Yan Bing will be able to bring back at least 500,000 loads of grain from the two lakes!"

"It's not enough!" Yang Xingguo shook his head and replied.

"In addition to the two lakes, we also have to trade with the governors of Liangjiang, Liangguang, Fujian and Zhejiang, and Sichuan. These governors are all grain-producing provinces, and I have greeted them all in the capital, and a governor's palace has sent almost twenty heavy machine guns! “

"However, Yan Bing should not go to these places, let Yan Bing send people over, buy 500,000 loads of grain from each governor's mansion and come back, and by the way, bring 2,000 rifles repaired and refurbished from the arsenal as gifts!"

Being able to buy two million quintals of grain at a time at the price of two taels of silver is definitely very cost-effective for the Liaodong Army.

But two million quintals of grain is an expenditure of four million taels of silver for a mid-week lift.

Some time ago, the commander used various means to raise four or five million taels of silver, and he suddenly removed a large head. As a result, it is a personal heartache, and the midweek lift is no exception.

After seeing the changes on Zhou Zhongju's face, Yang Xingguo replied thoughtfully: "Second uncle, the investment is a little bigger now, but the harvest will be big in the future." More than 2 million immigrants, if we do a good job, there will be more than 2 million quintals of grain taxes every day in the future, and the tax revenue in the first year will be even more, more than 4 million quintals of grain, and it will only take one year for us to recover all the inputs! ”

"As for the silver, use it first. If I run out, I'll find another way to solve it! ”

Shortly after Zhou Zhongju left with the order, a person Yang Xingguo hadn't seen for months appeared.

Xiao Wenchang, the director of the arsenal, seemed to have won some kind of grand prize, and filled his office with excitement.

As soon as he came in, he said excitedly: "Commander, it's done!" You have to say that the mortar is done! ”

Yang Xingguo was stunned at first, and then became excited. A pair of eyes stared at Xiao Wenchang and asked, "Are you sure I asked you to study the mortar!" ”

"Yes!" Xiao Wenchang affirmed with a serious face.

"We also conducted test firing, with a range of between 300 meters and 1,500 meters, which was quite powerful, especially against exposed infantry, which was fatal. Also, because the mortars are curved artillery, the sulfuric acid enemy hides in the trenches, and the shells can also be smashed into the trenches! ”

"Now that the arsenal has made three and thirty shells, the commander can go and experiment at any time!"

Yang Xingguo, who was more and more satisfied the more he listened, continued to ask: "Is the mortar heavy, can a person carry it!" ”

Xiao Wenchang hurriedly replied: "What we made is a 60 mm caliber mortar, because we don't have the equipment to produce seamless steel pipes, and the barrels can only be cast and polished, which is still very bulky, and the barrel alone weighs more than 120 catties." “

"However, we also made one out of steel pipes purchased from Germany, and the barrel weighed less than 40 pounds, so it was completely possible to carry the cannon alone. Plus the bracket needs one person, the base needs one person, one person can carry eight to ten shells, and an artillery squad can be armed with one gun with fifty shells. ”

Hearing this, Yang Xingguo was also moved, and without thinking about it, he ordered: "Go, go to the arsenal now!" (To be continued.) )