One person and one donkey, plus the one who led the way, Liu Pet and two cadres of the intelligence department and the little brother of the transportation line went north along the official road.

One of the two cadres of the intelligence department is from the Jinan department, and the other is from the Kaifeng department. The three of them had arrived at Chenqiaoyi at this time, got off the donkey, handed the donkey to the little brother of the transportation line, and the three of them looked up at the three big characters of Chenqiaoyi on the stone tablet.

"Huh." Liu Pet couldn't help but laugh a few times. The National Day is coming soon, and those who have read the book can't help but think of the Chenqiao Mutiny. For young people, it's funny to think about it.

Seeing Liu Pet laughing dryly, the others couldn't help laughing. None of the people who can work in the intelligence department are illiterate, and they are all from a department of science, so their basic historical knowledge is still very consistent.

But everyone just laughed wittily, and no one commented on it out of place. Although everyone agrees with what Zhao Guanjia said, the establishment of the Great Song Dynasty itself has great progressive significance. However, taking away the Chai family's country is not a move of complete virtue no matter how you look at it.

"Section Chief Liu, why do you like the official's article so much?" Comrade Kaifeng asked.

"Don't you like it? Or do you read those Jinshi articles and read them very clearly? Liu Pet asked rhetorically.

"This ...... is still easy to understand in comparison with the official article." The comrade in Kaifeng replied.

Liu Pet smiled, but didn't say anything. He felt that the poor should have been more attracted by Zhao Guanjia's story, because Zhao Guanjia pointed out the fundamental reason why the poor were poor. But among the people Liu Pet has seen, on the contrary, the rich people have a higher degree of recognition of the Zhao official family. Maybe it's the rich people who have gone through the process of getting rid of poverty, so they have a special feeling for this part of the content.

When they arrived at Chenqiaoyi, everyone prepared to cross the river. At this time, a pontoon bridge was erected over the Yellow River, and the wooden boats were fastened with long iron chains, and only pedestrians were allowed to pass on the bridge. When I got to the pontoon, I saw a crowd of people. The army sent people to maintain order, and finally let the people who crossed the bridge have basic order.

Liu Pet and the others took the army's identity certificate, and they could go to the special window for military teachers and cadres to line up. Naturally, there were many priorities in the queue here, and they quickly got on the bridge.

The thick iron chains are the thickness of a baby's arm, and at regular intervals you can see a thick anchor chain sinking into the Yellow River. Looking at the coarseness, the size of the iron anchor below can be imagined.

"A bridge flies north and south, and the moat becomes a thoroughfare." Liu Pet couldn't help but sing about Zhao Guanjia's evaluation of the Kaifeng pontoon bridge on the Yellow River. Walking on this pontoon bridge by myself, I can feel the power of this steel. Zhao's family was not only able to divert the Yellow River, but also to build a bridge across the Yellow River.

Recalling the hardships of intercepting the Yellow River with his comrades-in-arms, Liu Chong even felt that the power of this pontoon bridge was no less than that of that year. If there was such a pontoon bridge on the Yellow River in the Great Song Dynasty, I am afraid that none of the 100,000 Mongolian troops would be able to escape. The Song army was completely capable of outflanking the Mongol army.

"I've been here once, and I was hungry the last time I walked halfway there." The comrades of the Kaifeng Intelligence Department also sighed. It's a pontoon bridge that is miles long, and it's a little shaky, and it's slower than walking on flat ground.

"And you didn't eat anything?" The comrade from Jinan asked with a smile.

"Don't talk about that." The comrades at the Kaifeng office replied with some embarrassment: "Some people ate it, and after eating it, they added it and shook it, and they vomited a mess." I almost fell into the Yellow River. In the end, we carried him on our backs. The reason for limiting the number of companions is that they are afraid of this blockage. Didn't you look at the billboard? Since the bridge was built, more than 30 people have fallen under the bridge and drowned. ”

The comrades in Jinan turned their heads to look over and saw that although there was a gap on the bridge, there was still a surge of people. It's easy to imagine that if it took an hour to cross the Yellow River Bridge, who would take the huge risk of crossing the river by boat? And in order to prevent people from falling into the water, nets are also laid on the iron chains on both sides of the bridge, and it is really difficult to fall into the water unless it is a special situation.

Everyone walked and talked and watched, and waited until they crossed the pontoon bridge and stepped on solid ground again. Liu Pet's feet were weak, and he hurriedly held on to the railing next to him to stabilize his figure. Looking at the people around me, many of them have made the same move. Now Liu Pet finally understood why there was such a long passage with handrails. Liu Pet has a heartfelt admiration for the intimacy of the bridge designer.

After clearing the customs. The three of them decided to take a break. It took more than an hour to walk such a bridge, not the one that had been expected. The intelligence officers couldn't help but talk about the military, and the three of them greatly appreciated the military use of the bridge. The comrade from the Jinan Department asked: "Do you think there is anything else that the Zhao Guanjia can't do?" This pontoon bridge is a success, but I am afraid that Dayuan will not be able to sleep and eat. If it is a march, it will only take three to five days to pass 100,000 men. ”

Liu Zhong nodded heavily. In the Battle of the Yellow River, the Zhao Guanjia achieved great results and was recognized as a god-like existence with soldiers. However, this use of troops is based on the ability to divert the Yellow River and restore the Mengjin pontoon bridge in Luoyang. The Mongols' geographical understanding of the war, as well as their understanding of the speed of the war, were completely shattered by the Song army, so that the Mongol army was caught off guard by the Song army before each move.

In the Battle of Huaxian, which was the core of the campaign, Liu Pet boasted of his involvement in the interrogation of Mongol prisoners. The high-ranking Mongol captives said that when they learned that the Song army was rapidly attacking Huaxian from the north of the Yellow River, it was less than 48 hours before the Song army arrived in Huaxian. At that time, a large amount of Mongolian supplies were piled up in Huaxian, and they had no time to withdraw at all, so they had to decide to fight a decisive battle with the Song army in Huaxian.

The comrade at Kaifeng pointed to a series of nearby forts and said with a sigh: "The soldiers are fast. And our army has mastered the water, and Mongolia can only come to attack the city. Therefore, the bridgehead of our army can also defend against the Mongol army. Speaking of which, the first time I passed by, I thought about how many people would have to faint on the bridge if I walked over. ”

"Haha! Yours is it! Liu Pet couldn't help laughing.

After the break, they moved on. According to the telegram, the locusts flew over the Yellow River and then continued to the northeast. Liu Pet and the others are going to chase them down in this direction. They first went to the nearby military station, where they had already received a telegram that a team of cavalry protected Liu Pet and the three of them chased down together.

Seeing the dozen or so tall horses, Liu Pet shouted in his heart. He rode horses when he was a surveyor in the army, and the horses were much smaller than they are now. If you want to be an intelligence officer, you must pass the horseback riding test, and everyone can adapt to these horses after they get on the horse.

If you don't go too far, you can see the traces of locusts crossing the border, and the further you go, the more you can see. The next day, the crowd finally caught up with the locust's tail. Looking at the direction, the army of locusts is heading north-east. Patches of locusts were gnawing at all the plants where they landed. It's only the end of April, which is the time when all plants are growing fast. The only thing that could be seen in what should have been green was bare branches and locusts.

As we walked on, we saw that there were incense sticks at the head of each village, and the villagers knelt on the ground, prostrating to the seemingly endless locusts. Some villages are relatively wealthy, and the gods and men who dance the gods are invited in front of the incense case at the head of the village.

These gods are playing the trick of 'please star lord to come down to earth'. It is to smear some kind of symbol of the star monarch on the face and clothes. Then he jumped vigorously with crazy movements and wild dances.

Looking at it from a distance, Liu Pet couldn't help but smile and said, "With this kung fu, it is better to hunt some locusts and feed the poultry." ”

"They're not True Star Lords." The comrade from the Jinan Department replied.

Liu Zhong and the comrades in Kaifeng were stunned, and the comrades in Kaifeng asked in surprise: "Why do you say that?" Stumped True Star Monarch can work? ”

"No, no, no. The official family ordered to crack down on feudal superstition, and I would not hit the muzzle of the gun. The comrades in Jinan hurriedly cleared themselves, "I mean, they don't know how to predict the future." Where do you know when there are locusts? If they raise a lot of poultry, they also have to eat fodder. Where do they get so much feed and raise so many poultry? ”

“…… I see! Liu Pet felt suddenly realized. There were a large number of livestock and poultry farms around the city of the Great Song Dynasty, which meant that before the locust plague, everyone had to feed these poultry and livestock with huge things every day. That's a lot of money. When I was studying the military and social management courses at school, the school teacher had a special lecture. However, when it came to the specific application, Liu Pet found that he had forgotten all about it.

This group of more than a dozen cavalrymen ran forward for three days, only to see locusts raging all the way. Everywhere I went, I only saw the people of Dayuan burning incense and praying, and there was no sign of Dayuan's army. As if these armies simply did not exist. Everyone didn't dare to continue to move forward, if they really met the Yuan army, it wouldn't be fun at all. And the fodder that the troops carry is not much. If there are no locusts, the horses can eat some grass. In this situation, there is no need to think about these issues at all. So the team turned around and went back.

Looking at the land like early winter along the way, Liu Pet sighed in his heart. He didn't expect the locust plague to be so cruel. According to the data, the southern part of the Great Song Dynasty has adopted a two-season farming model. North of the Yellow River, the pattern is still one season a year, and after a locust infestation, this year's harvest for these farmers is in vain. The days after that will be miserable.

Liu Zhong and the others returned to the north bank of the Yellow River and immediately sent a telegram to Kaifeng. The Kaifeng intelligence station did not dare to conceal such the latest news, so it immediately sent a telegram to Hangzhou. The Zhao family soon received a report of a locust plague north of the Yellow River in Dayuan.

"Doesn't it look like they're having a hard time?" Zhao Jiaren couldn't help but smile at the personnel of the military department who were discussing the National Day military parade.

"Are we going to take the opportunity to make Dayuan's life even harder?" The people from the military department couldn't help but ask.

"There's no need for that. The Mongols will continue to review the army this year, and then they will know that life will not be easy. Zhao Jiaren said with a smile.

When he said this, everyone understood. If the scale of this locust plague is huge, I am afraid that many areas in Hebei will have to starve. When the government soldiers gather, something will definitely happen. Whether it is a big thing or a small thing, the life of the Mongols will not be easy.

"That's right. Is the training for this parade over? Zhao Jiaren asked. The seventh day of the fifth month is the National Day, and now it is the first day of the fifth month, and there are still six days left. At this point, all the training should be over, and everyone should just rest and prepare.

"Official, it's over. Fortunately, so many old houses were demolished, otherwise there would not have been such a large space to accommodate so many troops. The generals of the military department couldn't help but sigh.

"Then I'll wait for the review of the troops." Zhao Jiaren didn't say much, and completely handed over the work to the Ministry of War.

That's it for talking. After the departure of the military department, Sun Qing, the head of the household department who was scheduled to meet, arrived in front of Zhao Jiaren. The two talked about the latest tax situation, and recently the Huainan area has basically completed the construction of the measurement base point. The problem of hidden fields in Huaixi was exposed as soon as one thing was done, and the implementation of land state-ownership encountered many problems.

"Official, a lot of fields in Huaixi have actually been returned to the temple and Taoist temple. It's just that no one has mentioned it before, and it's really surprising that this time it's counted. There was a nervous feeling in Sun Qing's voice.

"Don't be afraid, after the National Day, we will solve these monasteries and Taoist temples first." Zhao Jiaren replied coldly. When it comes to cracking down on religion, Zhao Jiaren has always had a ruthless attitude.

"In addition, the canal on the Henan side has been measured, which is very different from the old canal before. I'm afraid that it will be a lot of work. ”

"There's no hurry. On our side, we are about to carry out a nationwide campaign on soil and water conservation. After the publicity and then the excavation, everyone knew why it was necessary to maintain a large area of green belt on both sides of the river. With the green belt, the problem of canal silting will be much better. None of this will happen overnight. ”

"But if this continues, I'm afraid there will be a problem with taxes."

"Don't worry about taxes. Next year, the price of salt will be reduced by 10%, the price of oil will be reduced by 10%, and the price of iron will be reduced by 10%. Doubling the supply. There is also a 40% increase in the supply of coal. Taxes can still be increased a little more. ”

"Official, I don't think we can increase the supply of salt, oil, and iron every time there is no tax. The year before last, the year before last, and last year, we all did this to deal with the past. If it goes on, will it become a poor donkey? ”

"The donkey is poor, that's because it's useless. Our method has been used until now, and it has proved to be useful. Since it is useful, what are you afraid of. Inflation is because there are not so many goods on the market that the people need, such as salt, oil, and ironware. How many people have an iron stove at home? How many people have stoves at home? Do you think they don't want to use these things? Increasing income and employment is the best way to increase tax revenue. ”

After chatting for a while, Sun Qing wanted to stand up with a sad face. He, the head of the household, is facing countless work pressures, and he can't do it without worrying about it. However, Sun Qing suddenly remembered something, and he sat down firmly and asked, "Official." Recently, quite a few people have read some articles. I feel that those articles seem to be disrespectful to the officials. ”

"Got it." Zhao Jiaren replied coldly.

"What doesn't the official want to say?" Sun Qing could only say more bluntly.

"Of course it is to be said. However, the current major event is the National Day, and the matter is prioritized. ”

"Then I'll take my leave." Sun Qing, who got an answer, got up. Many people think that the official family will be angry because of the opposition of a group of people led by Wen Tianxiang, and it seems that this anger will be tilted on Wen Tianxiang and others after the National Day. Judging from the time of the struggle, this time is also very normal, almost the cycle of traditional struggle before the Great Song Dynasty.