"Lao Zhao, go and call all the stewards in the village, I want to have an important meeting."

Xu Yuan said to the housekeeper Zhao Jinde.

"Yes, owner."

Zhao Jinde bent down slightly and informed the news.

Soon, in the round table room.

The main stewards of the manor were all present, and the conference room was almost full.

There is Li Jin, the steward who is in charge of the management of Zhuangtian.

There is Xie Tianqing, the steward in charge of the ranch.

There is Wu Dabao, the manager in charge of the pig factory.

There is Wu Erbao, the manager in charge of the brick kiln factory.

There is Wei Mancheng, the steward in charge of the cannery.

There is Xu Sheng, the manager in charge of the furniture factory.

There is Yang Zhongyuan, who is in charge of the oil mill and rice mill.

There is Shi Yong, the steward who is in charge of the security of the manor.

There is Wang Daxi, the steward in charge of personnel management.

and Liu Jince, the administrator in charge of education affairs.

These ten people are the top ten stewards in Xujiazhuang, ranging in age from twenty to thirty years old, they are all very young, they look shrewd and capable, and these people are Xu Yuan in the career of the master of time and space, and gradually recruited to his command, the ability is high and low, the biggest feature is reliable, loyal, honest, Xu Yuan's trust and recognition, so they have been reused, and they can get a very generous remuneration every year.

"Let me tell you a good news, the county's Huangxian order, has been bought by me with silver, starting this year, Xujiazhuang can start a chain plan, from one manor, to eleven, if any of you have the ability and interest, you can apply to be the owner of the new manor, promote our model, and build more Xujiazhuang."

Xu Yuan's words fell.

Buzz.

And all the stewards were excited.

"Owner, aren't the expansion plans going to start next year? Why is it a bit too hasty, and many of our talents are still being cultivated, and they have not yet reached the fully qualified standard? ”

Li Jin opened his mouth and said that he is 32 years old this year, because he has been dealing with the fields for a long time, he looks like an old farmer, has a simple personality, and is also a filial son praised by his neighbors.

"Time is running out."

Xu Yuan shook his head: "I also want to slow down, step by step implementation plan, but the plan can't catch up with the changes, next year Huang Zhixian will step down, the new county is not necessarily better to speak, this year in advance expansion may be better, and everyone can learn by doing, accumulate experience in practice, and usually exchange more experience and summarize experience, I don't think it will necessarily be bad." ”

"I don't think there's anything wrong with that."

Wu Dabao, who was in a wealthy state, said: "Our manor, there are the highest yields of wheat, rice, potatoes, corn seeds, pesticides and fertilizers provided by the owner, as well as various professional books, as long as you are willing to study and learn, anyone can make some achievements, and it is no problem to expand in advance." ”

"It's just that if we engage in land expropriation, will there be strong opposition from farmers? Some peasant households value their fields more than their life, and they don't sell their land for any amount of silver, but these people are very difficult to deal with. ”

Ranch steward Xie Tianqing asked his question.

When Xu Yuan said two years ago that he wanted to change his style of play and said that he would take the route of encircling the city from the countryside, although his subordinates did not understand it, they all expressed their support.

Just when they took a lot of white money and bought land on a large scale at a price far exceeding the average land price, many peasants did not sell their land alive or dead, and the price rose to 1021 mu, 321 mu, or even 521 mu, and they were unwilling to sell it.

In the end, it was through violent persecution, land replacement, sky-high purchases, and promised employment that the task of land acquisition of 10,000 mu was completed, which cost a total of millions of taels of silver, which was ten times the normal cost of land purchase, and solved countless thorny problems.

"I think there shouldn't be too much of a problem with land acquisition now, and farmers should be more acceptable."

Steward Zhao Jinde said his opinion: "In the past two years, in order to gain the trust of the surrounding farmers, we have not only sent a lot of high-yield seeds to them for free, guided them to plant, but also held many open visits, let them visit the new farming mode of our collective estate, and also recruited short-term workers from the surrounding areas when the workshop was short of manpower, so that many farmers earned wages. We already have a very good reputation. ”

"In addition, in these years, drought and lack of rain, the field production has decreased, but the court has increased the Liao sound, the officials under the Xu have intensified, knocking on the bone and sucking the marrow, the burden on the farmers is getting heavier and heavier, and many places have fled the phenomenon, if you see our manor, farming can achieve a five-fold, ten-fold increase in production, the court taxes are all borne by the manor, not to mention the daily food, there is still a salary to get, work in the factory workshop, can get a higher salary, I think, this is the best choice for those farmers who can't live quickly, join our manor."

Listened to Zhao Jinde's analysis.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The life of the vast number of peasants and ordinary people is indeed getting more and more difficult, even if this is the relatively wealthy Yangzhou Prefecture.

In the first year of Chongzhen, there was a great drought in northern Shaanxi, Wang Jiayin, Gao Yingxiang and other peasants rose up, killed officials and rebelled, and swept through many places.

In October of the second year of Chongzhen, the Houjin army entered the customs for the first time, broke the Xifeng Pass, occupied Zunhua, and beheaded the Ming generals Zhao Shujiao, Mangui, and Sun Zushou, and returned to Manchuria after plundering.

In March of the third year of Chongzhen, the peasant army entered Shanxi and attacked Xiangling, Jizhou, Taiping and Quwo. The flames of the uprising burned all over the mountains and Shaanxi.

In the fourth year of Chongzhen, that is, next year, the imperial court will levy Liaoxiang again, from nine cents of silver per mu to one cent and two cents, and then through the hands of the officials, the burden of the peasants and the common people will probably increase greatly.

Internationally, the Thirty Years' War in Europe is in full swing, coupled with the reduction of the output of the Potosí silver mine in South America, resulting in a significant reduction in the flow of silver into the Ming Dynasty, and in a few years, due to the continuous famine invasion, resulting in the Catholic Insular Rebellion, Japan will also close the country, and the Ming Dynasty has one less silver import channel, the lack of silver circulation of the Ming Dynasty, the financial crisis will become more and more serious, and can only step into the abyss from which it is difficult to extricate itself.

However, these crises are huge development opportunities for Xu Yuan.

The development model of the collective estate, coupled with the improved seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, tractors, excavators, pumps and other mechanical equipment brought from modern society, was simply a dimensionality reduction blow in the world full of natural and man-made disasters in the late Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, in the two years since the establishment of Xujiazhuang, after many times of publicity, seeing is believing, it is clear whether it is good or bad to join the manor, and I believe that farmers will make a wise choice.

"The manor expansion plan is so decided, if you want to go out as a new owner, you can apply, Mao Sui self-recommended, next, we have to rush before the spring ploughing, as soon as possible to complete the task of land acquisition, in short, everyone must be mobilized to do a good job in this round of expansion!"

Xu Yuan finally made a decision and assigned various tasks.

……

Soon.

After the order is given.

Like a delicate machine.

The entire Xujiazhuang began to operate efficiently.

During the inspection of various workshops and departments.

Xu Yuan asked Xia He, the maid who worked as a part-time secretary next to him: "Xia He, the manor is going to expand, there will be ten more owners, you have a good level of education, and you have broadened your horizons with me in the past two years, are you not interested in signing up for the competition and going to the chain manor to be the owner?" ”

"I, a woman, can be the owner of a few thousand people?"

Xia He was very unconfident, and he didn't think about this problem.

"Women can also do big things, don't be arrogant, as long as you want to do it, you can definitely do it, and it will not be worse than men." Xu Yuan encouraged.

"Forget it, it's not good for a woman to show up, I'm still suitable to stay by your side." Xia Heqiao's face was slightly red, revealing a little of her own careful thinking.

"Okay."

Xu Yuan didn't persuade again, turned his head to look at the tall and strong, dark and strong young guard on the right side, who had been protecting his safety, and said: "Zhang Hu, do you have the idea of becoming the owner of the village, if so, I will give you a chance to be motivated." ”

"Master, how can I be the material of the owner, if it wasn't for the master you gave me a bite to eat, I Zhang Hu would have starved to death, I swore at that time to protect the master you for a lifetime, this life will live for the master of you, how can I leave you ungratefully."

Zhang Hu said innocently.

"You bastard, you have been hacked to death a few times, and you don't know how to escape, and you want me to turn around and save you."

Xu Yuan scolded with a smile, but he was also a little moved in his heart.

Zhang Hu this kid, is one of the first to follow his own people, three years ago, thirteen-year-old he fled from Shaanxi, his family all starved to death, only thin into a bamboo pole skinny he survived, Xu Yuan took him in, found that this kid is simple, the head is not very bright, the learning ability is bad, the biggest advantage is that he can eat, strong digestion, so far three years have passed, he has eaten a height of 1.9 meters, weight 201 mighty strong man.

Of course, he also has a lot of strength, and he has learned a few tricks from martial arts masters, and in the case of bare hands, ten strong men are not his opponents, and they are loyal to Xu Yuan, and they are trustworthy personal guards.