Not long after, more than 300 gentry from all over the world walked into the Dacheng Hall in an orderly manner.

These people have one thing in common, that is, most of them are scholars, so they are more particular about paying tribute to the statue of Confucius first, and then paying tribute to His Royal Highness King Yan.

Why did King Yan make an appointment with such a place?

Looking at the portrait of Confucius, thinking of what they were going to talk about with King Yan later, the gentry felt a little uncomfortable.

However, these people can come to talk about things on behalf of their families, and naturally they are all people from the city government, and their expression management is still in place, and they all seem calm and calm, and some of them also nod to the crowd of Pingjiang gentry and say hello.

The gentry class is indispensable to each other, even in different states and counties, there are many relatives, it is common to meet and salute, if it is not allowed by the occasion, I am afraid that a greeting is indispensable.

The Dacheng Hall is actually not much smaller than the Chongzheng Hall in Lin'an, and it is more than enough to accommodate five or six hundred people, but even so, the gentlemen of Pingjiang and Jiaxing were also squeezed aside, so that the hall was obviously divided into two groups of people, one east and one west, with an aisle three or four feet wide in between, which was quite a bit distinct.

In this situation, so many gentry from different places gathered here, it was obviously not a temporary idea, but beforehand, the Pingjiang gentry did not receive any news, which made them mutter.

"It's weird... How did these people come to Gusu quietly, what are they here for?"

"Brother Zhu, it should be Changzhou's security officer who nodded to you just now, I remember that he and you are still children and daughters, did you have a breath with you or something?"

"It's An Zaixu, my third daughter-in-law is his daughter-in-law, a few days ago I sent someone to buy grain and borrow money from him, and I didn't see him mention that he wanted to come to Pingjiang in the letters."

"Hey, the uncle of our Zhou family's Lin'an house is also opposite, and he is very diligent in his daily contacts, but this time there is no news at all, it's too wrong, I have a bad feeling, I'm afraid it's not good."

"It stands to reason that King Yan is also not pleasing to them in the scripture realm, shouldn't they be on the same side as us? How can it seem that they are both respectful and flattering to King Yan?"

"Do they have some dirty deal with King Yan?"

"What deal? Could it be that you sold us?"

This noisy discussion attracted the attention of the gentry from other places in the east, and their eyes revealed pity and mourning.

Some of them were close enough to hear the content of the discussion, but they didn't have the slightest idea of justification, and at the same time they subconsciously moved their bodies to try to stay away as much as possible, as if they were afraid of being contaminated with bad luck.

Xie Tang saw all this in his eyes, and his heart fell rapidly, sinking into the abyss, as if there was an invisible noose around his neck, which was slowly tightening, and he was about to lose his breath.

Lu Wencai and other key personnel gathered around him, like ants on a hot pot, anxious, looking at him with blank eyes, hoping to hear some instructions, even if it was comforting words.

At this time, Zhao Mengqi, who was standing directly below the portrait of Confucius, cleared his throat after seeing that all the invitees had come in.

Realizing that King Yan was about to speak, everyone in the hall consciously quieted down and looked at Zhao Mengqi seriously.

Zhao Mengqi waved his hand, "Ladies and gentlemen, Xiao Wang first has to thank you for taking the trouble to come and be invited, but Xiao Wang was not well prepared, and even a chair and a cup of tea could not be provided, so I am really wronged by you."

Then the gentry responded enthusiastically, "Your Highness is too polite, Your Highness is a noble man of heaven, the prince of the country, and it is an unsurpassed honor for us to summon our small people......

"Since you're all so open-minded, let's not waste time and get straight to the point."

Zhao Mengqi smiled and waved his hand, and Wu Qiong and the others behind him slowly unfolded a huge map and hung it on a wooden shelf, presenting it in front of everyone.

"This map is a preliminary project overview map drawn by the Taihu Comprehensive Management Division, although there may be changes later, but it will not be too different."

"As you can see, when the whole project is implemented, it will have a great impact on the environment of the Taihu Lake Basin

Great improvements, drought and flood disasters dare not be said to be completely eliminated, but the harm is certainly much smaller."

"As we all know, the area around Taihu Lake is the most productive area in the Great Song Dynasty, and after such a thorough treatment, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a cornucopia, and the grain produced here alone is expected to feed most of the people in the world."

Although everyone knows that the Taihu Lake basin is ready for large-scale management, there is no real idea.

When the whole project is vividly displayed in the form of patterns, whether people who understand water conservancy or not, they have to be shocked.

"This... It seems to be no less than the scale of the Grand Canal dug in the Sui and Tang dynasties!"

"That's a big deal! If it is indeed completed, this will be the land of abundance!"

"If it really happens, it will not only be a merit in the present generation, but will also benefit thousands of generations, but I am afraid that the manpower, money and food required for this will also be huge, and now we can get it from the Great Song Dynasty? Moreover, is it really appropriate for the Mongols to carry out such a nationally expensive project at this time?"

Some admired, others questioned.

In the face of doubts, Zhao Mengqi had foreseen it, and did not have the slightest sense of annoyance, still smiling on his face, and explained slowly.

"The whole project does cost a lot, conservatively estimated, it will take about 50 million yuan to complete the main body, which is almost a year's financial revenue of the imperial court, but everyone should have heard that this Taihu Lake project, Xiao Wang has promised the imperial court that he will never use the treasury money and grain, and Xiao Wang will raise it with all his might."

"Before you come in, you all saw the gold mountain outside, and it is worth at least fifteen million guan in a rough calculation, and in addition, thanks to the generosity of the gentry in Pingjiang and Jiaxing, Xiao Wang should have at least 30 million guan in profits, so you don't need to worry about money and food anymore."

What a generous!

When the gentry heard this, they couldn't help but smile.

Those gold and silver, and even the profits earned this time, Zhao Mengqi did not plan to invest in the governance project so simply and directly, but he did not need to explain to the gentry in detail, as long as he made them believe that he had this strength.

"As for the consumption of national strength, Xiao Wang thinks that it is not necessarily, including this dynasty, most of the large-scale construction and construction projects in previous dynasties will indeed damage the national strength, mainly because of the use of forced labor, a large number of labor forces that should be responsible for production are input, so that the production of agriculture and industry is reduced."

"But this time is different, everyone should know that now the territory of the Great Song Dynasty is shrinking day by day, and the long border area is difficult to cultivate, so a large number of people have lost their livelihoods and become displaced people, if they do not find a way to solve it, then they will either die of hunger and cold, or rise up."

"In the past, the big guys, including the imperial court, were very afraid of the homeless, thinking that they would not produce, would only waste food, and would cause hidden dangers to public security, so they usually passively reduced their number, but in Xiao Wang's view, the population is the greatest wealth, and the value that each person can create is far higher than his consumption, and the reason why the homeless people will become a burden and a burden is because they have lost the job of creating value."

"The Taihu Lake Project can directly accommodate at least 500,000 laborers, who are not free of charge, they all have relatively good wages, and then the materials and tools needed for this project, as well as the food, clothing and daily necessities needed by these 500,000 laborers and their families, can generate countless jobs."

"To put it simply, after Xiao Wang's 50 million yuan is invested, it will be rolled in a cycle, and countless industries will prosper because of this, Xiao Wang believes that you are all people of insight, and you should understand that it is actually difficult to make a fortune by digging in the soil, otherwise you would not have so many industrial and commercial industries, right?"

"The most visible result of the Taihu Lake Project is that at least 50,000 hectares of high-yield fertile land can be developed, and after the completion of the project, part of the labor force will be transferred to the farmers who cultivate these fields, and part of the professional construction group will be formed to continue to engage in other construction. There are also some that can be diverted to other industries according to their skills, in short, Xiao Wang has corresponding arrangements."

After listening to King Yan's tirade, some of the hundreds of gentry in the palace fell into thought, some nodded frequently, and some may not have figured it out for a while, but they couldn't behave better than others

Stupid, I can only vaguely not understand and pretend to understand.

There are some shrewd people who have found countless business opportunities from Yan Wang's words, and the investment of 50 million yuan, as long as they try to get on the edge, it will be a source of money!

Zhao Mengqi drank a large cup of tea, moistened his throat, then picked up a slender bamboo pole and pointed at the dense circles and lines on the map, telling the gentry how much they were expected to produce and the location of the grange.

"Everyone has seen that these are fertile soil, abundant watering, and very good conditions for transportation in all aspects, for the sake of safety, Xiao Wang is ready to set up 20 granges with 10,000 hectares in the first phase, each of which is about 50,000 acres of fertile land." Chinese Net

"As for the grange system, you should all understand it, Xiao Wang won't talk much nonsense, one million acres of fields, twenty stone rice per acre, pay for grain and pay rolls, Tong Su is not bullied, you can think carefully before buying."

These gentry were waiting for this moment, and as soon as Zhao Mengqi's voice fell, they expressed their positions one after another.

"There's nothing to think about, can't we still trust Your Highness? My Lin'an Zhou family has already sent 200,000 stone of grain to the Wujiang official warehouse, this is the delivery certificate, I want 10,000 acres of fields in the No. 13 Grange!"

"Your Highness, Xiaomin is Hua Chengyu of Qingyuan Mansion, 200,000 stone of grain has been sent to Huating, and the delivery procedures are here, Xiaomin chooses No. 7 Grange."

The gentry rushed to report it, just to preemptively occupy their preferred position.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, the old Changzhou An Zaixu, the grain has been delivered to Changshu County, there are only 50,000 stones for the time being, but at least 50,000 stones can be raised within half a month, can you ask Your Highness to be a little accommodating, and the old decay will use the family property as a pledge to buy 5,000 acres of land tickets first?"

Hearing this, Zhu Gui of Pingjiang Mansion exploded, "Okay, you An Zaixu, didn't you say that you sold me all the grain!?" There are 50,000 stones hidden! I think, if we don't do it, we will let my son and your daughter reconcile when we turn around!"

"Hehe, if you leave, you can leave, and the old man still can't wait for it." An Zaixu didn't panic at all, his triangular eyes glared, "Don't forget, I borrowed your 100,000 yuan, and it will expire in five days, if you can't pay it back then, don't blame me for coming to collect the house and land!"

"You!" Zhu Gui didn't know if he was angry, or if he thought of the terrible consequences, he suddenly spit out a mouthful of black blood and fainted.

A bunch of people on the side of the Pingjiang gentry panicked, and many people also thought of their fate, and they couldn't help but start scolding.

But those out-of-town gentry didn't bother to look at them, and they were still enthusiastically reporting the numbers and deciding the location of the grange they wanted.

A few people who didn't seem to be familiar with the other gentry tried their best to squeeze in front, "Your Highness, I'm from Jiangnan West Road, can I have a discussion with you?"

Jiangxi's?

That helped a lot this time, and I had to take care of it somewhat.

Zhao Mengqi waved his hand to make the others quiet for a while, and then looked at a few people kindly, "Xiao Wang has to thank you well, if there is anything you need to help, as long as Xiao Wang can call the shots, there is no reason to refuse, you say."

"Thank you, Your Highness, Xiao Min and the others have sent two million stone rice to Jiankang Mansion according to Your Highness's instructions this time, and the delivery voucher signed by Qiu Zhi made it his own hand, originally you said that these rice were purchased according to two and five, but Xiao Min and the others don't want money now, and the one million yuan deposit will also be returned to you, just want to exchange this field roll, you see if it will work."

It turned out that Zhao Mengqi had embezzled a total of 1.8 million stone of military food and Changping grain from Jiankang Mansion, but promised Qiu Yue that he would return 2 million stone of new grain.

This trades in the old for the new, and earns an extra 200,000 stones, Qiu Yue has no reason to disagree, and then Zhao Mengqi asked people to bring a million guanjiaozi and rushed to Jiangnan West Road to buy grain as quickly as possible, where the summer harvest happened and the new grain was on the market.

In addition, he also sent people to Jinghu South Road, but it is estimated that he can't buy too much there, after all, he has to supply military rations for the defense line in the middle of the Yangtze River, and the road is far away, so he has not returned for the time being.

"Okay, I'll give you a share of 100,000 acres." Zhao Mengqi didn't think much about it, so he agreed to this request.

When the other gentry saw that another hundred thousand acres had been divided at once, they all became more anxious.