"Helan Mountain is under the west of the river, and the girl has eighteen combs of high buns. Fennel dyed clothes as bright as xia, but summoned Xia County as a husband. ”

This Lingzhou is in the modern Wuzhong City, it is located on the edge of the Yellow River, the Yellow River passes through the city, since the Qin and Han dynasties have dug the Qin Canal, the Han Canal, the Tang Lai Canal and other important irrigation channels, so that Lingzhou has become the most important grain production area in the Western Xia, and it is the Western Xia that occupies Yinzhou and Lingzhou, with the leading grain production, Li Yuanhao has the capital to be the emperor. Wuzhong City is the early year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1398 AD), it is one of the thirteen tunbao led by the Lingzhou Shouyu Thousand Households at that time, and it was named Wuzhong Fort after Wu Zhong, the head of the tun. Due to the war, the location and city of Lingzhou were changed many times, and in the Ming Dynasty, after Luzhou moved out of the valley, it was called the ancient city and Wuzhong Fort here. The Lingzhou of the Western Xia, in the Qin Dynasty is the location of Fuping County, the Western Han Dynasty is the jurisdiction of the imperial family's internal history, in the late Eastern Han Dynasty due to the Qiang people's rebellion, the national contradictions are serious, the famous "Fuping three moves" story occurred, Fuping moved from Ningxia to the ground of today's Shaanxi. Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty in the fifteenth year of Zhongping (185 years) Fuping County in Feng Yi, and then migrated to Pengyang County, due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion, all over the country rose together, and finally migrated and finally settled in Huaide, Shaanxi, for the Beidi County Governance. The history of Lingzhou's relocation is actually a history of war.

Western Xia is the most glorious history of the rise of the party. In modern times, the people of the party have been completely assimilated by the Chinese culture after the Western Xia was brought to the country by the Yuan Dynasty. The Dangxiang nationality is one of the ethnic minorities in the ancient north of China, and belongs to a branch of the Western Qiang nationality, which is a general term for the Western nomadic people in the Central Plains. The Dangxiang clan is divided into tribes and the surname is used as the name of the tribe, and gradually formed the famous eight departments of the party, among which the Tuoba clan is the most powerful. Li Yuanhao, the founding emperor of Western Xia, claimed that the Tuoba Dangxiang was from the Xianbei clan and was the same clan as the Tuoba clan of the Northern Wei Dynasty. And this Tuoba clan is a descendant of the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor was called king by the Rui of Tude. The Xianbei people say that "soil" is "tuo", and "after" is "ba", so they take "tuoba" as their surname, and call Tuoba clan, which means that they are the descendants of the Yellow Emperor. In the Western Han Dynasty, there were also people surnamed Li who were descendants of the Yellow Emperor who changed their surname to Tuoba, but now there are very few of them. Emperor Wei Xiaowen changed the surname of the entire royal family to Yuan. Therefore, if your surname is Yuan, your bloodline is most likely the Northern Wei royal family. Li Yuanhao, the founding emperor of Western Xia, was able to fight well, and not only had outstanding military talents but also high political accomplishment. He imitated the Song system to establish the entire administrative system of Western Xia, he built a palace, set up civil and military classes, stipulated the service of officials and people, fixed the military system, established the name of the army, and also required the establishment of his own independent Xixia culture, created his own Xixia script, advocating Buddhism, and the first order of Wuhao as the emperor was to require the people to be bald. But such a great emperor reigned for only 16 years, and he was only fifty years old when he died, and his death was not birth, old age, sickness, and death, but because he robbed the prince's daughter-in-law as a concubine, and was cut by the prince's nose and bled excessively.

Although the capital of Western Xia was moved to Xingqing (Yinchuan), Lingzhou (Xipingfu) was still the second largest city in Western Xia, the most important grain producing area, and the most prosperous and wealthy state capital.

On this day, the largest inn in Xiping Mansion, in front of the Fengxiang Inn, three carriages came, it is said that as the most luxurious inn in Xixia, cars and horses come and go every day, and the guests are like clouds, which is too normal? But it was not, because the three people who got off the carriage were all extraordinary, and the first one to get off the horse was an old man of about forty, bald, and the sideburns on both sides were white, wearing the green clothes of ordinary civilians, felt hats, but the momentum was majestic, and down from the second carriage was a pair of young men and women, the woman was mature, but because she did not comb her high bun, so she must not have reached adulthood, and the Western Xia woman had eighteen combs of high buns, just like a man with twenty crowns, in fact, this girl was only fifteen years old, and she was wearing a colorful Xia dress, Either the royal family or the children of dignitaries. The other boy was about ten years old, although he was young but wearing a purple silk robe, and he didn't know that it was the hereditary young master of the family, he called the girl his sister, this is a pair of sisters and brothers. They were followed by eight tall guards.

As soon as they entered the door, they saw a table of people drinking tea and chatting, they asked for an independent courtyard, and just wanted to leave, but they heard a young descendant of the Great Song Dynasty or the Great Qi talking eloquently:

"I call the area of Xiping Mansion and Xingcheng Mansion the Ningxia Plain, which is the richest place in the entire Xixia Kingdom, the grain producing area and the foundation of the Xixia Kingdom. This is a sloping plain with a high southwest and low northeast, and the Hetao Plain is also like this, but why is this Ningxia Plain different from the Hetao Plain or other places? This Ningxia Plain is an oasis and the rest is at most a grassland? ”

Hearing this, the elder in his forties, with a pair of young men and women, did not leave, they sat down at the nearest table, ordered tea, wine and food, and listened to the afterlife.

"The most important reason for the formation of this unique geographical environment and different results is that the Ningxia Plain benefits from the Helan Mountains in the west, which blocks most of the cold and dry air from the northwest to the west of the mountain, while the water and air mass from the south stays in the southeast of the mountain. Therefore, the west of Helan Mountain is a desolate desert, and the southeast of the mountain is a rich oasis. The second reason is that the Yellow River crosses the entire Ningxia Plain, and the Yellow River brings a lot of water to the plain. The third reason is that our ancestors built three canals, the Qin Canal, the Han Canal, and the Tang Lai Canal, which allowed us to divert water tanks for irrigation and grow crops and grains. In addition, there is plenty of sunshine here, making it a rich land suitable for farming. These three aspects are the time, the second is the location, and the third is the people, all of which are indispensable. ”

"The Western Xia Kingdom has the right time and place according to this rich land, but this place is still only one-twelfth of the use. For more than 100 years, the climate and soil erosion during the Xiaoice Sichuan period have led to frequent droughts,。。。 In particular, droughts will become more frequent in recent years or in the coming years. This natural disaster may be unpredictable or changeable, but people can still reduce their losses in various ways. ”

"What's the solution?" A fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl asked eagerly.

Who are you talking about here, it is Gao Pet, and it is Deng Yu who is asking. Along with Gao Pet are Qian Jichen, Deng family brothers, Ding Li and Zhang Dazhu, several people are listening quietly and not talking much, listening to this Gao Pet talk about the book of heaven. Zhang Dazhu and five or six other guards sat at the other two tables, seemingly unintentionally, but in terms of safety, they were rigorous.

"What's the solution? As far as this land is concerned, the first thing is soil and water conservation. The second is water storage. The second is to increase or increase the area of the irrigation tank. All these tasks need to be led by the state, such as soil and water conservation, mountain and land conservation, tree planting, grass planting, afforestation, wetland protection, and grain reserves in famine years. But in addition to the need for the national level to organize, some of these things do not need money, and more need 'money' to complete, and money to do things. Let me start by talking about what soil and water conservation is. Gao Zhong took a sip of tea and sat down to listen to him, but he didn't care, just nodded to the elder, glanced at the pair of little brothers and sisters, and continued:

"Before talking about soil and water conservation, let's talk about the reclamation of Western Xia. This has to start from the national conditions of Western Xia. Most of the Western Xia were descendants of the Qiang people or the Xianbei people, mainly nomadic herding, living by raising cattle, sheep and horses. Previously, these groups were not involved in agricultural production. Before the Western Xia got the Ningxia Plain, most of the places were dry and rainless, so they were not suitable for agricultural production. In the past, the Western Xia mainly relied on mutual trade with the Great Song, Liao, or Dajin in exchange for food. Even now with the Ningxia Plain, the land is still not enough to meet the needs of the country. Therefore, the food problem was the shortcoming of Western Xia. ”

When the elder heard this, his face changed, and there were people who knew Xixia so thoroughly, and the two young men and women were also holding back in their hearts, but they didn't dare to talk nonsense, they still wanted to listen.

"Of course, the court of the Western Xia knew this shortcoming, so they encouraged the people to reclaim the land and turn to agriculture, and also robbed the population from the Great Song Dynasty by luring familiar households or wars, so that the people of the Great Song Dynasty could cultivate or teach the Western Xia people to farm."

"But as I have said before, except for some places in the Hexi Corridor and the Ningxia Plain, other places in Western Xia are not suitable for farming, because of the lack of water, although those places that are not suitable for farming have been reclaimed, they can no longer be cultivated after two or three years, and there is no harvest if they are planted, and these lands are desertified, so these families have to give up the reclaimed land and reclaim new grain fields in the surrounding areas. The reason for the abandonment of this species after two or three years is the desertification of the soil caused by over-cultivation and lack of water, which will lead to the desertification of the entire region over the years. The desertified land usually evaporates the water in the land into the air, and once it rains, these cooked soil is washed into the river with the rain, the ancient saying is clear, the Jing River is clear, the Wei River is muddy, the difference between the Jing water and the Wei water is that the water is clear, and the other is that the water is turbid because of a large amount of sediment. The sediment in this water is produced by the erosion of water and soil by rain. ”

"Do you say that the Western Xia Kingdom knows about this situation? Of course they do, but they don't know that this will have serious consequences for future generations. In this desert farming, the yield is very low, but the wide planting and small harvest are also better than the animal husbandry. In the grassland, it may take 15 to 25 acres to raise a sheep according to the situation of water and grass, but if such land is cultivated, how can it be harvested? This account peasant households will calculate, and the Western Xia Dynasty will also calculate, but the national policy of the dynasty is to take grain as the key link, even if it knows that this production method has hidden dangers, it will be resigned. But they didn't think about what would happen to future generations when these places were turned into deserts? ”

"Speaking of soil and water conservation, I'll say the second thing. After the establishment of the Western Xia state, many people ended this nomadic life and settled in this land of Ningxia. This requires a lot of wood to build houses and furniture, and the original forests of this Western Xia Kingdom are scarce, and wood is scarce. To use timber is to cut down forests. In the past few decades, the timber of Helan Mountain has also been cut almost the same, and now people only know how to cut but not plant, and do not know how to cut trees, so in the past hundred years, the forests of Helan Mountain have been degraded in a large area. In ancient times, there were ninety-nine good springs in Xixia, and you should ask, how many of these ninety-nine good springs are there now, and has the spring water of each spring decreased? If you look it up, you will know the consequences of the massive deforestation. "How did this young man go all over the situation in Western Xia, and even the court didn't know about many situations.

"In addition to chopping wood to make furniture, the second is the problem of cooking for warmth. I said that it is the Xiaoice River period, this day is colder than the old days, we need to cook to keep warm, we need fuelwood. This fuelwood comes from there, and of course it is cut around the perimeter. The result of this cutting is also the same as mentioned earlier, which will lead to the loss of vegetation and soil erosion. But if a man wants to live, it is impossible not to build a house, and it is impossible not to cut this fuelwood. "Isn't that how people live? Is this also important?

"If we're going to cut less or no at all, we have to change the way we live. There is nothing to replace this fuelwood wood for building houses, heating. Of course there is, and this thing is more convenient and better to use. But it's not early today, so I'll stop here and talk about it next time. Dazhu, go and prepare, Lao Qian said that stealing the market is fun, let's go there! ”

This elder and a pair of young girls were hearing the excitement, but the other party stopped suddenly, and his heart was itching, and he wanted to know the ending later, people are not familiar with you, and it is not too early to say that the sky is indeed not early. Seeing the young man get up, he also got up to thank him, and said to Gao Zhong in Chinese:

"This son, the old body is polite, the old body is surnamed Ren Mingcong, the word Minzhi, the ancestor is also the Great Song Dynasty, but in this Great Xia Kingdom for nearly a hundred years, the little brother next to him is Wang Gongzi is the master surnamed Wang Mingrenxiao, and this young lady is the third sister of Wang Gongzi, everyone is called Xiu'er."

"In Tongling, which is in the south of the lower Yangtze River, the old gentleman doesn't have to be polite."

After speaking, Gao Pet and his entourage said goodbye to these few and went to Blackwater Castle.

After Gao Zhong left, the old man took the boy and girl back to the courtyard.

"This is not a simple Han boy who is called a high favor, his statement I have read all the scriptures and history, it is unheard of, but what he said is true, like watching fire, to the point of my Western Xia. Your Royal Highness, the world says that it is easy to start a business and difficult to keep a business, and what to leave for the future generations of black descendants is indeed something we should consider. Let's talk about our farming policy, the desertification that Gao Pet said, we also see the problem, but we don't know its harm, if it continues like this, my Western Xia descendants will really be doomed. Today I listened to their words and made me ashamed to be a young master, don't look at his young age, but he is more suitable to be your teacher. If he wishes, I would like to recommend him to your father as your teacher. ”

"The teacher said there, you are proficient in scripture and history, and you have rich experience, which is comparable to a teenager like him, he can say such a truth this afternoon, but by chance."

It turned out that this line was the prince Li Renxiao of Western Xia, the third princess Li Mingzhu, and the prince young master Ren Cong. Because the prince came out to practice at the age of ten this year, he went to various places to inspect and make secret visits, and just left the capital and came to Pingxi Mansion, the second largest city in Western Xia. Because it was an unannounced visit, he never lived in the palace.

"Brother Huang can't say that, I think that young man Gao Zhong is indeed a capable person, you can't see that others are smarter and more capable than you."

These three princesses know each other best, the prince's younger brother. The prince Li Renxiao, one year old was set up as the crown prince, extremely smart, his biological mother is the Han Cao Xian Concubine, ascended the throne in 1139, at the age of sixteen, he is a more effective emperor in Chinese history, but also the Zhongxing Emperor of Western Xia, the emperor Renzong. Such a prince has his pride.

"Okay, His Royal Highness is also tired from this day's travel, but I hope that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will have time to think about what he has experienced today, maybe you will have some experience. I have retired as a teacher, and I will report this to your father. ”