"Inform the housekeeper of Yiliang, prepare cattle and sheep, cloth, and salt, let's listen to Mrs. Zhiqing's arrangement today, which Zhuangzi she thinks of, let which Zhuangzi celebrate the New Year."

Yang Meng's guards are all carrying carrier pigeons, but the current communication is too backward, Yang Meng every time he travels, he has to bring more than a dozen or twenty carrier pigeons, which can fly to Yiliang Manor, Yunxi Manor and Kunming Wuzhuang.

Yang Meng's command did not cause Wei Zhiqing's displeasure, not that she didn't mind the title of Mrs. Zhiqing, but her heart was full of sorrow about leaving home, what Yang Meng was saying, she didn't hear it!

Looking at the old mansion where she has lived for more than a year, there are too many sorrows here, and now that she has walked out of the house without knowing it, Wei Zhiqing's heart is not only sad, but also miserable.

"Mrs. Zhiqing, which Zhuangzi in Yiliang should we go to?"

Yang Meng leaned in front of Wei Zhiqing and asked lightly, now Wei Zhiqing heard it, the sorrow and misery of leaving home were all replaced by anger, if it weren't for this little thief, he could leave home so inexplicably?

"Lady Zhiqing? Sure enough, it's the villain's heart, and he can't wait until he just leaves the house? ”

Wei Zhiqing glanced at Yang Meng contemptuously, then turned her head away and stopped answering.

"Huh...... How can you not be in a hurry! I've asked Yiliang to prepare, which grange do you want to see? Time is limited, we can't go through the Zhuangzi in Yiliang one by one, and now after this time has passed, we will go to three or five Zhuangzi at most. ”

Although Yang Meng said that he was fine, he didn't want to go to Yiliang to show off, and when he arrived at that Zhuangzi, it was a burden for them, and now Yunnan is in the midst of famine. Food should not be wasted for unnecessary things.

"Just spend money and buy it! Let's just walk. Wherever you go, it counts. I would like to see your prestige in Yiliang. ”

Dozens of horses out of Kunming City, go straight to Yiliang, to the junction of Kunming and Yiliang, the road becomes easy to walk, the dirt road of Zhangyu wide, although it is not very smooth, but can also see some kung fu from the surface.

Palm-sized gravel covered the pavement, and the road was tamped. The horse's paw made a 'clang' sound when it stepped on it, and the sides of the road were obviously tidyed up.

"You did this?"

In addition to being stuffy along the way, this was the first time that the Wei family girl took the initiative to speak, and Yang Meng grinned.

"This is really not arranged by me, the Yang family's horse gang often takes this road, it should be arranged by Steward Ding!

If I had arranged it, the road would have been at least one or two times wider, and the money would have been spent in vain. ”

Yang Meng: This is telling the truth, building bridges and repairing roads, it's not impossible, but there must be a plan. This road is the main traffic artery of Yiliang, and it is two or three meters wide and narrow. Obviously, it is not enough, and in the future, you will have to pay money and effort to renovate it, isn't this money spent in vain?

"Humph! You don't think you spend too much money! ”

This road is very well repaired, at least four or five miles long when you look at it, it is all made of this with crushed stones, looking at it from a distance, it is like a green jade belt, connecting the mountains and rivers of Yiliang.

"Afraid of spending money? jokes, just afraid that they will work in vain. ”

Regarding Wei Zhiqing's questioning, Yang Meng smiled, the things in his stomach were too advanced, and sometimes they were misunderstood, which was also a normal situation. Yiliang such a road is already wide in Yunnan, and some of the main roads in western Yunnan are only one or two meters wide.

Arrived at the stone road in Yiliang, the speed of the group slowed down significantly, Yiliang is different from Kunming City, there are mountains and rivers, the scenery can still be seen, Wei Zhiqing, who has been staying at home all day, has not seen such scenery for a long time, the reins in his hand are tight, and the horse's pace has slowed down.

Looking at Wei Zhiqing on the horse, Yang Meng can also calm down, heroic and neat, and Wei Zhiqing in men's clothing can give people a very unusual feeling.

After walking for half an hour, the group finally saw a place where there were people, hundreds of people were digging ditches in the fields beside the road, and what attracted everyone's attention was a bunch of people shouting trumpets and tamping the canals.

"This is someone from the Yang Family Grange, right?"

"Probably right?"

How much land he has in Yiliang, Yang Meng really doesn't count, but seventy or eighty percent of the entire Yiliang should still have it, and the construction of water conservancy is also arranged by himself, whether these people are from the Yang family, Yang Meng is not sure.

"Let's go over and have a look!"

Seeing that Yang Meng was a little uncertain, Wei Zhiqing became interested, maybe she could turn the tables without going to Yiliang herself!

"What is there to see about a group of bitter men who open the canal, you see that they are all shirtless, you are a woman, and it was not very convenient in the past."

This time Yang Meng really thought about Wei Zhiqing, most of those men were working shirtless, and there were many rules in the Qing Dynasty, so Yang Meng was uncomfortable with Wei Zhiqing.

But Wei Zhiqing didn't see it that way, she thought Yang Meng was timid! grabbed the thief's pigtails, of course, he had to fight to death, otherwise how could he turn the tables?

"What's inconvenient? I'm wearing men's clothes now! ”

Since Wei Zhiqing wanted to go over, Yang Meng did not stop him, and as soon as the horse's head was adjusted, the group slowly walked towards the canal.

It is not easy to dig a ditch, and it is good to say that the place where the land is lower than the river bank is to dig a ditch, and where the field is higher than the canal, not only should the water be diverted artificially, but the construction of the canal is also exquisite.

A trapezoidal embankment must be built in the ground, and then a canal can be dug on the embankment, which must be tamped in order to last longer.

Not to mention that these ditch diggers are the hands of the Yang family grange, and they don't know the knife hands, but the third master of the Yang family, there are not many farmers and tenants in Yiliang who don't know each other.

"Get up! Everyone rest for a while, this boy wants to ask you some questions, what do you have to say. Someone, show me the new canal. ”

Since he came, Yang Meng didn't want to be idle, Yiliang Xing has invested a lot in water conservancy, and in the past two years, manpower and material resources have been added, and there are tens of thousands of taels, what the specific situation is, Yang Meng is not clear. Take a look, take a look. Maybe I'll have some suggestions!

The third master is the most important. The steward of this section of the canal. found a few literate and hyphenated tenants to deal with Wei Zhiqing, and he trotted to Yang Meng.

"Some of these people don't know me, they're from out of town!"

"The third master has really good eyesight, it is the victims who have escaped from the surrounding areas of Yunnan Province, Guizhou, Sichuan and other places in the past two years."

The steward's answer made Yang Meng frown, could it be Guizhou. Sichuan also suffered? The imperial court's newspaper didn't say anything about it!

"Guizhou and Sichuan have also been affected?"

"No, it's not! They can't survive in the two provinces, and when they go to Yunnan to burn mountains and open up wasteland, they won't encounter a drought year. I didn't have anything to eat, so I went down the mountain to beg for a living. ”

"Burning mountains to open up wasteland, are there many such things around Yunnan?"

"There are a lot of them, most of them are from Guizhou and Sichuan, and they often fight with local weapons in Yunnan to grab mountains, and they have been there for decades."

"Hmmm! You go back and give a note to Steward Ding and ask him to check on this matter. ”

"I know it."

It is not very scientific to burn mountains and open up wasteland, the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan are their own one-third of an acre in Yang Meng's heart, and there is no problem with the bald mountains, but Yang Meng is clear about the mudslide. This problem still needs to be curbed in advance.

"How is the situation on Yiliang's side, how are the farmer tenants doing?"

"Very nice. In the past two years, grain prices have risen sharply, and the tenants of Yiliang's farms have some surplus grain in their hands, and some industrious and thrifty families have begun to build brick houses in the farms.

These are the kindnesses of the third master! I used to be a long-term worker hired by Zhouda livestock, and my family also divided more than 30 acres of mountain fields. Without the third master, in the past two years, at least thirty percent of the farmer tenants would have starved to death. ”

"Hmmm! Follow the Yang family well, your benefits are indispensable, the house built by the family is built according to the drawings given by the manor? How much silver was given from the manor? ”

The construction of the farm, Yang Meng had arranged before, and each farm in the building had planning drawings, and the farms in Yiliang were all selected in advance in the key locations, and once the war started, these farms had to be transformed into military villages.

Therefore, Yang Meng has strict requirements for the construction of the farm, in addition to the thatched house and bamboo building, who wants to build a brick house, must apply from the Zhuangzi to the Yang family manor, from the well, the courtyard wall, the gate to the house, the Yang family manor has certain standards, of course, every time a house is built, the Yang family gives subsidies are also indispensable.

"My family's house, the manor has made up sixty or five percent, I have paid thirty percent myself, plus the labor of the family to make up some money, I can be regarded as taking a big advantage.

The new house is blue bricks and blue tiles, and the ground is also paved with bricks and stones.

After the house was added up, all the people in Zhuangzi were red-eyed, and they all shouted that they wanted to save money to build a house! ”

Speaking of his new house, the steward is also dancing with his eyebrows, and he can't wait to take the third master to see his own house with his own eyes.

"Hmmm! Good! How many people in your village have built new houses? ”

The stewards of the Yang family are well paid, which is uncountable, and ordinary farmer tenants are the standard by which Yang Meng measures gains and losses.

"There are so many families with a lot of labor, and if others want to think of the house, they have to work for another three or five years."

"Hmmm! Is this aqueduct so built? ”

The two chatted while walking, and Yang Meng was also constantly looking, the newly built canal, this canal doesn't look very authentic!

"Hmmm! Completed, this is also the order of the steward Ding, the earthen embankment is all compacted with triple soil, and the canals opened must be mixed with lime, so that not only the canals are used for a long time, but also these limes have some benefits to the ground. ”

After listening to the steward's words, Yang Meng kicked the tamped waterway with his foot, which is indeed good, but the earthen waterway still can't withstand the washing of the water!

"How many years will this canal last?"

The construction of these above-ground canals consumes a lot of manpower and material resources, but they can't withstand the washing, and Yang Meng still feels that something is wrong.

"If you repair it often, it can be used for seven or eight years, and if you don't repair it, it will take three or five years!"

"What if you use bricks?"

"Then even if it is a descendant of goods, as long as you are careful when you build it, and the brick blades of the green bricks are smoothed, the canal will not leak once you silt it, at least twenty or thirty years will be fine, and it is easy to clean up, and the silt in the canal is also a good thing to fertilize the field."

The steward of the Yang family is also proficient in water conservancy. Smooth the brick blade of the green brick. This is to reduce the gaps. Coupled with the effect of silt, the canal lasts for a long time.

"What's your name?"

"Yang Lu."

"That's a weird name!"

"The small one was originally called Saturday, and this surname was also changed by Zhou Da Livestock at that time, and the Yang family wanted to change its name to Yang Liu, but someone used this name on the manor, so it cost three coins of silver, invited a fortune teller, and changed it to Yang Lu."

"Yang Lu, right! I'll see you at the manor later. Will it be possible to give you the task of repairing the canal in Yiliang? ”

"The little ones don't dare, the little ones are illiterate, so I'm afraid of delaying the affairs of the Yang family."

"If you don't know how to read, follow Mr. in the future, you have some skills in repairing the canal, and in the future, the canal will be built with green bricks, and it is nothing to spend more, and it is a good thing to be firm and durable."

As soon as the third master said this, the steward's head was sweating, and he blamed himself for being cheap. Can you just talk about it? The water canal of green bricks, the price of green bricks alone. It's going to be higher than the current cost, and I'm not looking for trouble!

The two of them are talking! Wei Zhiqing's side was also lively, and when she saw it, it turned out to be Ding Taichen coming.

"It just so happens that Steward Ding is here, let's go over and get you a good errand. And where did the brick-burning soil come from? ”

"Most of the soil used to burn bricks is obtained from good fields, and the bricks fired from poor soil quality are not strong."

To burn bricks, you have to take soil, and you have to take good soil, there are more bricks burned, and there are many fields destroyed, this Yang Meng has no idea.

When they arrived at Wei Zhiqing, Ding Taichen also joined their circle and was telling the Wei family daughter about the changes in Yiliang!

And the Wei family's expression is not very good, looking at this person, I am afraid that she has heard something bad!

"Taichen, this Yang Lu is good, and the matter of Yiliang repairing the canal will be handed over to him in the future. These rammed earth canals were too durable, and all the canals were built in the future, all of which were made of green bricks. ”

As soon as Yang Meng spoke, Ding Taichen knew that Lu Dao must be in charge of talking more, he didn't want to repair this green brick canal, but it cost too much, Yiliang Manor has been a little unable to make ends meet in the past two years, and then repair the green brick canal, it is really going to be a warehouse.

"Third master, it's not impossible to repair the canal of green bricks, but the cost is too great, and then there is the burning of bricks to destroy the ground, Yiliang's fields are mostly fertile fields, the two are relatively compared, it is better to use rammed earth canals, although this needs to be repaired every year, but we have a lot of manpower, not afraid of contribution."

How to build this canal is not set by Ding Taichen alone, but in Minghu Academy, although the rammed earth canal is easy to destroy, the cost is low, and the speed of construction is fast!

"Can the silt in the river burn bricks?"

"This is okay, not only can you burn bricks, but also the good silt can also fertilize the fields!"

"Then the renovation of the river and the construction of canals, brick burning, together to do, the two years happened to be drought in Yunnan, the amount of water in the river is small, mobilize Yiliang Zhuang farmers tenants, dredging!

And doesn't Yiliang destroy some fertile land every year? Part of the sludge is used to renovate the fertile land that has been destroyed over the years. Let's see how we can curb the destruction of farmland by flash floods, and if there are burning mountains near Yiliang to open up wasteland, we must also stop it. ”

Ding Taichen can still accept the transformation of fertile land or something, but the cost of river dredging is a bottomless pit!

"Third master, is it a bit of a waste to treat the river for a few green bricks?"

"Infrastructure construction should not hesitate to work, take advantage of the good season, just clear the river, this year after year of drought, if you don't get the next few years there will be floods, spend more, spend more! It's nothing more than 1.8 million taels, our business routes are continuous, and these are just small money. ”

Now the Yang family is really not short of silver, Yiliang is the foundation of the Yang family, and it should be shared to do better than other places, and then it is not in vain to transform Yiliang now.

Western Yunnan has become the territory of the Yang family, and the experiment here in Yiliang is good, summarize the gains and losses, and then move the easy-to-use method to western Yunnan, that is, it will get twice the result with half the effort.

"Whether it's water control, canal repair, field modification or brick burning, you have to come up with a charter with the people of Minghu Academy, Yiliang uses it well, and when the time comes, it will be promoted in western Yunnan." (To be continued......)