A gust of wind blew, and a puff of white ash rose from the miserable white salt and alkali ground, squinting so that people couldn't open their eyes.

At this moment, Hao Yue really wanted to pull Zhang Xiang's grandson over and beat him.

Well? Do you call this eighty acres of fertile land?

In fact, Zhang Xiang can't really be blamed for this matter, because most of the land assigned to him by Hubu Shangshu is saline-alkali land, and Zhang Xiang has never been to the field, so he doesn't know that this fertile land has been replaced with saline-alkali land.

As for why, because Gongsun Li, the head of the Gongsun family, is the cousin of the Hubu Shangshu.

On this trip on the ship, Fang Qishan and Xu Jingyang offended Gongsun Li inside and out, and Gongsun Li wrote a letter to his cousin in Hebei as early as the ship, crying in the letter about his experience.

No, Gongsun Li seized the opportunity to pit them to death, gave you saline-alkali land, and made you scolded, and you couldn't pay taxes.

Most of the saline-alkali land in the Ganjiang River basin is caused by the backflow of river water, where the terrain is flat and the evaporation is large, and the phenomenon of land agglomeration and salinization will occur as soon as the river water is backfilled.

In late autumn, the salt and alkali begin to flood the surface, and in winter and spring, the ground is like a layer of snow.

In the rainy summer and autumn, the saline fields are so full of water that the crops are drowned, and only frogs are left jumping around in the water.

This saline-alkali land can be said to be watery in summer and autumn, white in winter and spring, only the seeds are seen but there is no grain, and there are nine famines in ten years.

Seeing the barren and gray fields with no grass, Haoyue and his party are not very good-looking, what is the difference between this saline-alkali land and the dry land in their hometown?

You can't grow food, and no matter how much land you have, it's useless!

Moreover, it is very difficult to improve saline-alkali land, and even in modern times, it is extremely expensive to improve saline-alkali land.

"Daddy, what do you say about this agricultural captain?" Haoyue turned her head to look at Xu Jingyang.

"Uh.... I... I'm going to settle accounts with that kid from Zhang Xiang! After Xu Jingyang finished speaking, he rolled up his sleeves and went to the barracks to find Zhang Xiang in a hurry.

Looking at the miserable situation in the field in front of her, the second girl sat on the ground and cried: "How can this make people live, they have walked so many roads, so many people have died, and this is still empty in the end....."

"Auntie, don't cry, no matter how hard it is, we have all survived, there will be a way." The second brother comforted beside him.

Haoyue remembered that she had opened the space blind box before, but she had opened a few bags of fertilizer, but this saline-alkali land could not be solved by a few bags of fertilizer.

I remember taking a geography class before, and the book talked about some ways to control land salinization.

Either it is to grow cash crops suitable for growing in saline-alkali land, such as alfalfa, wolfberry, dates, sunflowers, cotton.

Either plant some trees that can improve the soil quality, such as white willow, poplar, and ash, and then use livestock manure, plant ash, and straw to fertilize the land.

However, the cultivation of cash crops cannot satisfy the stomach, and the output is limited, even if it is sold, it will not be much for money, and it will have to pay 70% of the tax.

The method of fertilizing the land and planting trees is too slow to take effect, and maybe the Great Yuan will die and the land will not be improved.

It is also unrealistic to use chemical agents such as calcium sulfite and phosphogypsum, after all, there were no such things in ancient times.

The use of ditch irrigation and salt drainage method, the guest soil method, the dark ditch drainage method is too large, and it is not suitable, after all, we are not professional.

The formation of saline-alkali land is closely integrated with the local climate, groundwater, topography and landform, and there is generally no immediate effect. In modern times, the cost of improving land salinization is very high, let alone in ancient times when productivity and technology were very backward.

The second brother sighed: "Alas, let's go back first, and wait for the fifth uncle to come back and listen to what the camp has to say." ”

"Yes, it's not a way to be stupid here, and you have to hurry up and build a house."

"I hope that the fifth uncle can come back with good news, maybe Vice General Zhang can change a piece of land for us."

Everyone talked about it and walked back.

Haoyue turned her head and glanced at the saline-alkali land of Baihuahua again, and felt that this matter was indeed very difficult to do, and it was too troublesome to solve the salinization of the land, so it was best for Daddy to let Vice General Zhang change the land for us.

During these days, Daddy and Vice General Zhang have a good relationship, and it should not be a big problem to move around.

When the Xu family and his party returned to the station, it was already noon, and everyone was so hungry that their stomachs were growling.

Er Ya Niang is not in the mood to cook now, so she directly threw large and small river fish, river shrimp, clams, crabs, wild garlic, and mushrooms into the pot, and pasted some cornmeal cakes on the edge of the pot, and then covered the pot and stewed in a pot.

As a result, I didn't expect that this pot of river fresh stew was surprisingly delicious.

Lift the lid of the pot, a strong fresh fragrance of shrimp and crab rushes to the face, the golden corn tortilla is stained with fresh fish, and the fish and shrimp carry the fragrance of corn flour cake, the fish and shrimp are fat and fragrant, and they melt in the mouth.

The golden tortillas soaked up the rich soup, and Haoyue almost swallowed it with her fingers.

After eating, Haoyue touched her round little belly and lay down on the grass on the side to eat.

Fortunately, there is food to comfort the lost mood, otherwise how should I live this day~

As soon as the industrious men of the Xu family finished eating, they began to make adobe bricks to build houses.

They chopped up the straw, mixed the dug clay with water and filled it into a wooden frame mold that Xu Jingyang had bought in the city.

Then use a hammer to smash and tamp flat, demold the adobe bricks and dry them in the shade, and then stack them vertically and staggered, and then move them to a place with the sun and wait for the sun to dry.

In this way, the first adobe bricks for building the house were ready.

Haoyue and a group of children were also helping to remove the mold on the side, their two hands were muddy, and they pressed a handprint on their clothes, which made the second girl feel distressed for a while.

Just when everyone was in full swing, Xu Jingyang rolled up his sleeves and walked back from the riverside.

Haoyue was the first to see Xu Jingyang, and shouted crisply: "Daddy! How did you talk to Vice Admiral Zhang? Can we change the land? ”

Hearing Haoyue's greeting, Xu Jingyang walked over with a calm face.

When everyone saw that Xu Jingyang's face was wrong, they knew that they must have talked unpleasantly.

"Fifth uncle? Vice Admiral Zhang refused to give us a land exchange? The second brother put down the hammer in his hand, and then stood by the tent and asked.

Xu Jingyang spread his hands, then sat on the stone with his butt, and sighed: "Alas, what kind of land to change, it is like this everywhere, there is no fertile land under his hands Zhang Xiang." ”

It turned out that early this morning, Zhang Xiang's threshold was broken, and the soldiers responded that there was no grass in their fields, and they were all white clay clods condensed together.

Later, Zhang Xiang reported the matter to General Fang, Fang Qishan thought about it a little, and understood the trick, the Hubu Shangshu who was in charge of the field was Gongsun Li's cousin, and Gongsun Li took this opportunity to take revenge on them.

After listening to Xu Jingyang's narration, everyone was indignant: "Then what should I do next?" In the past, General Fang promised us the land, but now this land cannot be planted with crops, what will we eat when the time comes? And what do you take to pay taxes? ”

After listening to Haoyue, she also complained silently in her heart, this Gongsun Li is really an old villain....

Then, Xu Jingyang took out a cloth bag from his sleeve and opened it in public.

The crowd looked up and saw a handful of seeds wrapped in a cloth bag.

Xu Jingyang explained: "This is the white thorn seed given by Dr. Huang, which is said to be drought-tolerant, barren-tolerant, and can be grown in saline-alkali land. ”

Then, Xu Jingyang said: "This herb can invigorate blood and dispel blood stasis, and it is also a standing medicinal material in the army, and the yield is extremely high."

Zhang Jia pinched a small handful of herb seeds and sniffed them, and then said, "However, if you want to grow non-food crops, the tax you have to pay is nearly seventy percent!" ”

The second brother also chimed in: "Let's not talk about whether anyone will buy this herb in large quantities, this tax alone can cost people's lives, this... I can't get enough to eat...."

"yes, yes, I don't think this method works."

The original intention of the military field farming system was to solve the problem of food and clothing for the troops and the families of soldiers, so the grain planted in the fields was divided into fifty and fifty with the imperial court, but if other cash crops were planted, it was thirty-seven points.

Xu Jingyang shook his head after hearing this: "No, no, no, I think this herb is still bought by someone and can be sold, you think, we are going to march and fight in the future, and the war will bleed, and the bleeding will need to be treated with herbs, and the market for this herb is still very large." ”

"But the tax on growing herbs has to be paid seventy percent! It's too much, and we're all hungry ourselves. ”

Everyone, you and I are talking about it.

Haoyue listened to it and didn't speak, in fact, the method of planting medicinal herbs is not impossible, but it is a good idea.

Everyone discussed for a long time, but there was no result, and the short-tempered Zhang Jia was a little anxious.

"Then General Fang doesn't care about this matter?" Zhang Jia was so angry that he smashed the hoe in his hand: "We will go to the front line to fight in the future, and then our family will endure cold and starvation in the rear?" So what's the difference between this and crossing a river and demolishing a bridge? ”

"Oh, you baby, why are you still in a hurry?" The second girl patted Xu Jia beside her, and then handed him a bowl of tea.

Xu Jingyang waved his hand and said: "Alas, General Fang has the difficulties of General Fang, which must involve the battle of the court, and we can't understand it." ”

Hearing this, Hao Yue complained fiercely in her heart Xu Jingyang, you know the best about the open and secret battles in the court....

Then Xu Jingyang said: "But this matter, General Fang has already gone to the Hubu Shangshu to discuss the explanation, do you want to wait patiently?" ”

Haoyue interjected and asked, "Daddy, what is the origin of that Gongsun calendar?" "She wants to know what our villain is.

Xu Jingyang: "Hey, Gongsun Li is a nouveau riche who started by selling illicit salt, and now he has defected to King Yuan, become a salt merchant in Hebei, and have been named a marquis." If I had been in power, this kind of outlaw who sold illicit salt would have been condemned by the Nine Clans a long time ago. ”

Well? Wait a minute!

Selling illicit salt?

Hearing this, Hao Yue's eyes suddenly lit up, and then asked, "Daddy, how is the price of salt in Da Yuan now?" ”

"What I saw in the city was 20 stone rice for 2 catties of salt, and the price of salt was still very high. Hebei does not produce salt, and generally relies on the sea to transport salt, so Gongsun Li is so valued. Xu Jingyang replied.

Haoyue asked again: "Then is there a regulation prohibiting the sale of illicit salt?" ”

Xu Jingyang tilted his head and thought for a while: "Da Yuan has just been established, and it seems that he has not yet promulgated any rules and regulations. ”

"Great!" Hearing this, Haoyue jumped three feet high excitedly: "Hahaha! We're going to get rich overnight! ”

Then, Haoyue pointed in the direction of the saline-alkali land and said, "It occurred to me that we can extract salt and alkali from this land, and the salt can be sold, and the alkali can also be used to make soap and laundry detergent. ”

Haoyue's proposal made everyone stunned when they heard it.

Digging soil to boil salt to make alkali is the first time I have heard of it.

What is alkali? What is soap? What is laundry detergent?

Seeing that everyone was looking at her in surprise, Hao Yue had no choice but to explain: "Well, I saw an overseas classic book from Nalan Gongzi before, and these methods are recorded on it. ”

"Oh oh", everyone nodded, and most of the people sitting there were farmers who had never read a book, so they believed what Haoyue said.

"It's still useful to read" The second girl looked at Haoyue with adoring eyes, feeling that her little head was full of wisdom, and then she pulled her son's ear and said: "When you make money in the future, you must send the dolls to school." ”

"Yue'er, do you really know how to boil salt to make alkali?" Shen Yinxing hugged Haoyue aside and quietly bit her ear.

In Shen Yinxing's era, it was all high-tech and ruthless, so she didn't know much about these.

Haoyue patted her chest and said confidently: "Auntie, don't worry, soon we will be able to live in a big mansion with three entrances and three exits." ”

When she was a child, she saw her grandmother boil flour soda with alkaline soil, and the steamed buns steamed with alkali were white, large, and fluffy.

The method of boiling salt is also very simple, but it is a little time-consuming and laborious.

The method of boiling salt and alkali from saline-alkali soil to make alkali is almost a household name in modern times, but no one has tried it in ancient times.

Haoyue thought for a while and instructed everyone: "Don't do anything about this matter, don't tell others, you must keep it secret, if you say it, we will have no money to make!" ”

After hearing this, everyone nodded: "Well, this is the secret of our Xu family!" ”

Calculate the season, make alkali in winter and dry salt in summer, and now it is late autumn and September, after boiling the first wave of salt, you can start making alkali in winter.

As soon as Haoyue talked about the things of the season, everyone also felt that time waited for no one.

The matter of building a house can be slow, and when the salt is boiled out and the money is earned, you can directly hire someone to build the house.

So in the afternoon of the same day, the Xu family and his party came to the saline-alkali land with a flat pole and a bamboo basket, hoe and shovel.

At this time, everyone's eyes looking at this saline-alkali land have gradually become fanatical.

It does not grow crops, but it grows gold.

Seeing this gray saline-alkali land again, Haoyue's eyes were also swept away with gloom, and her face was full of joy.

Not to mention salt, alkali is more useful.

This can be regarded as turning waste into treasure!

Haha, it is estimated that Gongsun Li is going to be angry, and we can still directly grab business with him!

Hey, what's it called?

It's called, someone throws mud at me, and I use the mud to earn him eighty-eight!