The time has soon reached the middle of November of the ninth year of Tang Wude, and the weather is already very cold at this time, and more than two months have passed since Shi Bufan took office as the county leader of Wannian. It's been more than a year since he crossed over. For more than a year, Shi Bufan may have been the most incompetent traverser. Even if other traversers become officials, they often gain appreciation for a few months, and in the end, they can almost ascend to the sky in a short period of time, and they are small to become four or five grades, and two or three grades are not nothing. But he is still an eight-grade petty official, and he has to climb slowly, which is really speechless.

However, Shi Bufan is still relatively satisfied, although he is not much official after crossing, he has done a lot of practical things. First of all, help people to form cooperatives according to the new management method, so that they can make better use of manpower. Even Shi Bufan asked Yan Liben to help build a set of water conservancy facilities, so that in the future, whether it is a drought or a flood, there will be no major harm, and the agricultural harvest will be protected as much as possible.

Shi Bufan knew that the Engel coefficient of the Tang Dynasty was as high as more than 60 percent, and such an Engel coefficient also belonged to which grade of poverty in later generations. So if there is a little fluctuation, the people can't bear it. We should ensure the stability of agricultural production as much as possible, so that they can rely on stable production. Otherwise, the people will not be able to survive, and the government will lose in the end.

"Whew-"

A cold wind blew over, and Shi Bufan felt as if there was some cold chill on his face. Shi Bufan touched his face, and found that there were some traces of water.

"It's snowing?" Shi Bufan said unexpectedly.

It was obvious that it was snowing, and he felt a lot of this feeling back then, and this kind of snowflakes floated on his face, and then the body temperature melted into water traces, which means that it was snowing.

Sure enough, soon, Qin Jiarui also said, "Husband, it's snowing!" ”

"Jiarui, be careful, you have our baby in your belly!" Shi Bufan hurriedly said.

Qin Jiarui's belly has begun to bulge now, and she is currently two months pregnant, which is still an unstable period, so of course Shi Bufan doesn't want her to have any problems. Especially in ancient times, the population died very high, especially the medical conditions were very poor, once something happened, the consequences would be unimaginable! Even there are many accidents when pregnant women give birth, which makes him very worried.

"Hmm!" Qin Jiarui obviously also feels that his children are very important, don't worry about anything.

"But it's snowing, and this snow is going to be good. Originally, our family opened an inn, and I heard my father say that after the next heavy snowfall, most of the harvest in the second year will be very good. This year's snow came early, and it felt much colder than last year's month, so it looks like a better harvest! Qin Jiarui said.

Shi Bufan suddenly thought about something, although there is a saying that Ruixue is a good year, but the climate change in the past few years is obviously abnormal. In particular, Qin Jiarui also said that it has become colder and colder year by year in recent years, which shows that the climate temperature has been gradually declining in recent years. In this way, it may be colder in the next few years, and the Turks in the north may not be very stable at that time.

In particular, although the northern Turks are currently making preliminary transactions with the Tang Dynasty, if the climate becomes colder in the future, it will be unfavorable to them. At that time, the cattle and sheep froze to death, and I am afraid that they will not be able to produce milk. Once the climate is cold to a certain extent, cattle and sheep will also produce milk, which will also destroy the economic and trade balance between the Turks and the Tang Dynasty.

In addition, Shi Bufan thought of the end of the third year of Zhenguan, and Li Shimin ordered the Northern Expedition to the Turks. However, during the Northern Expedition to the Turks, it was obviously a winter battle, and winter combat was a taboo for soldiers in ancient times! However, after careful speculation, according to the records of the Turks, many cattle and sheep froze to death, and the Turks often had to go south to plunder in order to obtain food.

But perhaps it was precisely because of this that Li Shimin decided to strike first and directly began to use force against the Turks. Li Jing sent thousands of cavalry to hunt down the Turkic Khan Jieli, so that in the end, the leaders of other Turkic tribes did not support Jieli, and chose to watch from the sidelines, not knowing what conditions the Tang Dynasty promised them. After that, Jieli faced Datang alone, so he would definitely lose.

Therefore, the cold climate may be an important factor in the future of the Tang Dynasty's Northern Expedition to the Turks, especially to strike first.

"It's such a cold weather, I don't know if they can stand it!" Shi Bufan began to think about whether the Turks could stand it and whether there would be another war and invasion of the south.

However, these words fell into Qin Jiarui's ears, and it was obviously a misunderstanding.

"Husband, are you worried about the people of Wannian County? The part of the people's city in Wannian County is blocked by the tall city wall of Chang'an, and the cold wind can't blow over. Even in the city, there are houses that can block the cold wind, so you don't have to worry about anything being frozen by the cold wind. There are also a lot of charcoal fires in Chang'an City that can be burned, so there is no need to worry. Qin Jiarui said.

Hearing Qin Jiarui say this, Shi Bufan knew that Qin Jiarui had misunderstood, and she thought that Shi Bufan was talking about the people in Wannian County. However, this reminds Shi Bufan of the people in Wannian County, especially the people in these Wannian County are even colder, and it may still be possible to live in that part of the city, with tall walls to block the cold wind, plus all kinds of internal houses, there will be almost no major problems. But for the people who live outside the city, it's really a bit of trouble.

In particular, there are no tall city walls outside, and the houses are often built of some thatched formwork, which cannot be compared with those brick houses in the city. This kind of thatched and formwork house leaks everywhere, which is really worse.

In ancient times, there were no adequate facilities to keep out the cold, let alone heating, and there were no electrical appliances for heating. So the cold is understandable. Back then, the idiom of sending charcoal in the snow, that is, a monarch still felt cold wearing a leather jacket in the court, and then remembered whether the people would be cold, so he chose to send charcoal in the snow.

Ancient kings felt cold when they wore this kind of leather jacket in the court, and there was no doubt about those ordinary people.

Shi Bufan came to the county office again and said, "Go and see how many people outside the city don't have enough warm clothes." ”

Those officials who are reluctant can only go out to count, who makes Shi Bufan powerful now? Especially since the two prime ministers were brought down, who is not afraid in the entire Wannian County? Even in Wannian County, Shi Bufan's words are more important than the county order, and that county order Zhang Hong was overturned by Shi Bufan. They didn't dare not listen to Shi Bufan's words, because they were all ungrade scribes, and if they dared not listen, Shi Bufan could let them go at any time.

After about four hours, the investigation was finally completed.

"Shi Xiancheng, after our investigation, there are almost no problems with the people in the city at present, although I dare not say that it is very warm, but it is still passable. However, outside the city, there are about 2,000 households with charcoal and firewood, which should also be warmer. There are about 3,000 households left, but there is not enough charcoal and firewood. Even some families have too many people to keep out the cold bedding. ”

"I see!" Shi Bufan said.

Shi Bufan probably knew that he still had to solve the problem of keeping more than 3,000 people cold, and once the people froze to death, it would be really troublesome.

"Husband, what are you thinking?" Dugu Daxue asked.

Shi Bufan said: "I'm thinking about how to solve the problem of keeping the people warm this year." It's just winter, and it's not the coldest yet. Solve the problem of keeping people out of the cold as soon as possible, so that they can avoid the problem of being frozen. ”

"Husband, why do you care about this? I was in the counties of the Central Plains of the Tang Dynasty, and I didn't freeze to death that year? Especially in the past few years, it is getting colder and colder, and people will definitely freeze to death. Dugu Daxue said.

Shi Bufan frowned and said, "Are there a lot of things that freeze people to death?" ”

"Of course, there are a lot of them, and people freeze to death every year. Of course, it's not a lot, and it's generally not more than ten! Dugu Daxue said indifferently.

Shi Bufan frowned again, because "there will be no more than ten", such words have been said? Shi Bufan obviously didn't feel any "accident" from Dugu Daxue's mouth, but it seemed that it was normal for people to freeze to death. If it weren't for Shi Bufan knowing that Dugu Daxue was not a cold-blooded woman, he might have misunderstood. Since Dugu didn't feel anything in the heavy snow, it was enough to show that there were a lot of things that froze to death in ancient winters.

Shi Bufan couldn't imagine that in ancient times, people would often freeze to death, and it was so common that there would be no surprise to Dugu Daxue. You must know that in the future, if the people under the rule of any city starve to death or freeze to death, then the local government officials will definitely be held accountable. Everyone who starves to death and freezes to death must be held accountable, but in ancient times, it was normal for people to freeze to death and starve to death here, and it was unimaginable. The number of people is even more immeasurable, but the difference is so big.

"No, I can't freeze a single person to death this year! Since I am a county official, I naturally have to work for the welfare of the people. I don't dare to say that they will have enough food and clothing, but don't let them freeze to death and starve to death! Shi Bufan said.

Of course, Shi Bufan can't accept the situation that the people under his rule want to starve to death and freeze to death, once there is a starvation and freezing to death, then maybe the ancient people can accept it, but as a later generation, they can't accept it. The people under his rule were starved to death and froze to death, so where did Shi Bufan, a traverser, put his face? Can you even feel good in your heart? Shi Bufan can't accept that the people under his rule will starve to death and freeze to death, otherwise he may have an unstable conscience in his life.

"Do you have any suitable solutions for the people to keep warm?" Shi Bufan asked.

Dugu Daxue and Qin Jiarui shook their heads together, obviously there was no good way.

"Husband, if you want to keep warm, it's nothing more than a few ways. One is charcoal or firewood, but it takes a lot of money to buy charcoal, so the people may not be able to afford it. Moreover, chopping firewood is also time-consuming and laborious, and many people may not have the time and strength to chop wood. Because I am very tired from farming, if I don't have enough firewood, I am afraid that I will also get cold. Of course, it means that the house should be built stronger, but the thatched or wooden house will certainly not work. ”

"As for the other way, it's nothing more than wearing a leather jacket, and a few more clothes!"

Shi Bufan also shook his head again, this leather jacket is not something that ordinary people can afford, let alone ordinary people, some lower-class scholars and ordinary small businessmen can't afford to buy leather jackets! It is simply unrealistic to expect the people to be able to carry leather jackets on ships. So Shi Bufan also began to wonder if he wanted to find a way to solve the heating problem. It's a pity that in ancient times, there was no heating, let alone coal, so it was really difficult for him to cook without rice.

"Cotton, but cotton is still in the far West. Especially now that cotton is not grown in large quantities, it is impossible to expect to wear cotton clothes. Cotton is a low-cost thing that has a good warmth effect, so that people can really resist the cold and so on in the future. But now there is not much cotton, so naturally it is impossible to use too much cotton. If cotton doesn't work, then what else can keep the people warm? Shi Bufan thought.

"Husband, if you can't figure it out, you don't have to think about it. How about a bowl of goose soup first? I learned this from you, if you want to say that there is no one better than you in cooking, you are better than the imperial chef of our Datang Food Bureau. Even I often hear Princess Lizhi pestering me, hoping that you will continue to cook, and she says that it is not interesting to eat your dishes and then eat those dishes of the imperial chef. This goose soup was taught to me last time, how do you see it taste? Dugu Daxue said.

Shi Bufan couldn't figure it out, and he didn't want to think about it anymore, since his own woman made soup for herself, of course Bufan had to accept it at that time. In ancient times, wives were almost obligated to make soup for their husbands. Even the royal nobles paid much attention to this, although they actually had servants, but it was still very common for their own women to make soup for themselves.

"This goose meat feels a little not hot enough, and it's still a little hard!" Shi Bufan said.

After listening to it, Dugu Daxue said, "Goose meat? Husband, this goose can't be called meat. Meat is just the meat of ordinary animals, such as chickens and geese, and feathered birds cannot be called meat. ”

"And that said?" Shi Bufan really doesn't know about this, only beasts can call it meat, and this chicken, duck and fish is not meat?

"Wait? You say this chicken and goose have feathers? Shi Bufan asked again.

"Yes, almost every household in my Datang currently has chickens and geese, especially now that it is about to enter winter, every household will prepare all kinds of chickens and geese, and the Chinese New Year will eat geese!" Dugu Daxue said.

Shi Bufan said again: "Daxue, through the identity of Shang Gong, you go to help me open the palace gate, I have an urgent matter to see the emperor, a very urgent matter!" (To be continued.) )