Zhang Su, the chief bookkeeper of Xixiang, heard that Zhu Ming had taken the Tanhua exam, and immediately took someone to congratulate him in person.

As for the real purpose, I want to go to Daming Village and find out how many hidden fields and hidden households there are!

Although Zhang Su chatted with Zhu Guoxiang very well, he also admired Zhu Guoxiang very much, and asked Zhu Guoxiang to promote corn and sweet potatoes in the county. However, the matter of Daming Village's crazy absorption of population has reached Zhang Su's ears, which always makes him feel a little wrong.

Xixiang County has many mountains and little land, and the population distribution is very scattered, with a village of several hundred people at most.

The large village of thousands of people is all located around the county seat.

Therefore, Daming Village, with more than 1,500 people, is so eye-catching, and it is very difficult to hide.

The units from top to bottom in the Northern Song Dynasty are probably like this:

Central - Road - Fuzhou Military Supervisor - County - Township - Liguan Regiment Qidu Bao Village.

Li, Guan, Tuan, Qi, Du, and Bao are all artificially demarcated for the purpose of collecting taxes and maintaining law and order. Some of these units exist at the same time, some are discarded, and some are equal to each other. Anyway, it's so chaotic that it often confuses historians.

The village is a natural settlement and has nothing to do with administrative divisions.

Let's talk about the township, this thing has become nothing.

Before Wang Anshi's reform, the "township" was infinitely close to the division of the entity government affairs, and the township boundary was not fixed, and it was constantly adjusted according to the actual taxation situation.

After Wang Anshi's reform, "township" became a geographical concept, mainly used for the implementation of the armor protection law. The boundaries of the countryside are gradually fixed, and they are drawn along the direction of mountains and rivers.

The weakening of the "townships" is not a weakening of the control over the grassroots, but a great strengthening of them.

Because of the rights and responsibilities of the "township", it is further delegated to the "li".

Imaginary villages.

Although Zhang Su has not yet made the officials completely obedient, he is basically more obedient, even if he violates Yang Feng and Yin, he does not dare to go too far.

So, he wanted to redraw the boundaries of the countryside.

This is in line with the central policy, Wang Anshi stipulated that 500 households should be one capital, and Cai Jing ordered that 250 households be changed to one capital. In this way, the management of the rural grassroots level was strengthened, and it was more convenient for the imperial court to collect taxes from the peasants.

Zhang Su planned to find out the real household registration of the county in the name of redrawing the township boundary, clear out some hidden households, and find out some hidden fields by the way (he did not dare to thoroughly investigate the hidden fields, otherwise it would inevitably provoke a violent resistance).

Aboard.

Zhang Su stood with his hands in his hands and looked at the river in front of him: "The matter of demarcating the township boundary still requires more efforts from the Bai Si Division." ”

Bai Chongwu said: "I must be conscientious and responsible, but I am afraid that I will not be able to satisfy the master bookkeeper." ”

"Just do your best." Zhang Su knew what the situation was in the countryside, and he didn't think that he would be able to do it in one step.

Bai Chongwu had a flattering smile on his face, but he blamed Zhang Su for being troublesome, and he redrew the rural boundary in a good manner.

Zhang Su said: "Shangbai Village, Xiabai Village, Daming Village, as well as Huishui Village and Wang Village further downstream, I plan to take Daming Village as the center and demarcate these five villages as Daming Township. The capital and li under the jurisdiction of Daming Township were re-demarcated according to the actual household registration. ”

"Yes!"

Bai Chongwu said yes, but he didn't plan to cooperate, at most he threw some hidden households and hidden fields out to make up the numbers.

"Master Zhang, why did you go to Daming Village alone?"

An official ship chased after him, but it was Xiang Zhixian who was laughing heartily.

Xiang Zhixian has been in a good mood recently, and he has already hooked up with the newcomer He Zhizhou. secretly bribed 2,000 yuan and asked He Zhizhou to help apply for an increase in the selection level, paving the way for the completion of the examination and selection at the end of the year.

This is in line with the process, and the selection level is evaluated every three years, and the superior officer needs to help apply.

Xiang Zhixian felt that he would definitely be promoted, and his political achievements were there, first to exterminate the anti-thieves, and now to vigorously promote new crops. Moreover, he also sent money to Shangguan!

When Zhang Su heard Xiang Zhixian's voice, he suddenly didn't have a good face, he had a very bad impression of this boss.

Of course, you can't really turn your face, and you have to ask the magistrate to report to the county magistrate about redrawing the township boundary.

The magistrates, the chief bookkeepers, and the officials landed at the dock of Daming Village.

When Zhu Guoxiang got the news, he immediately led people to greet him, followed by several county gentry.

During the busy farming period, Zhu Guoxiang often went to various villages to guide the local gentry in planting corn and sweet potatoes. The rapeseed seedling transplanting method and the water control and drought seedling raising method have all been taught to farmers in various villages, which has significantly increased the grain output in Xixiang County.

These are all visible benefits, and the squires have great respect for Zhu Guoxiang, and some people have even called him "Yuan Zhanggong".

I heard that the son of Yuan Zhanggong visited the flowers in high school, and the gentry came to congratulate him every day.

"I've seen Xiang Zhi County!"

"I've seen Master Zhang!"

Zhu Guoxiang and several gentry saluted the two officials one after another.

Although Xiang Zhixian has been lying flat, he likes to save face in public.

He walked quickly to the front to show his status as the chief officer, and enthusiastically took Zhu Guoxiang's hand. Maybe there was a Tanhualang, he was more respectful to Zhu Guoxiang, and even changed his title: "Yuan Zhanggong, congratulations to Ling Lang for winning the third person in the palace examination!" ”

Zhu Guoxiang smiled and said: "There is Lao County's respect. ”

Xiang Zhixian said to the gentry again: "In the spring of the previous year, this county went to eat Mrs. Bai's birthday wine, and it was there that I first saw Zhu Tanhua. At first glance, I felt that this young man was extraordinary, and he had penetrated the Three Classics at a young age, and I also recommended him as a prodigy. It's a pity that the letter was sent to Tokyo like a mud cow into the sea. ”

The gentry hurriedly flattered: "The county's wisdom is like a torch, which is really admirable." ”

Everyone blew each other's business, and Zhu Guoxiang invited them to the inn to drink.

Zhang Su said: "The sun is still early, and I have admired the name of Daming Village for a long time, so it is better to go to the village for a turn." ”

Zhu Guoxiang asked Xiang Zhixian: "What does the county think?" ”

Xiang Zhixian complained about Zhang Su in his heart, and still smiled: "Then go for a walk, but also to observe the people's feelings." ”

Everyone followed the Han River and walked in the direction of the waste tea mountain first.

Zhang Su pointed to the thatched huts by the river: "These thatched huts are still very new, and they were all built this year?" ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "They are all refugees who fled from other places, and I saw that they were pitiful, so I arranged for them to reclaim the famine by the river. After three or five years, when the wasteland is reclaimed, I will go to the county government to get the land deed. ”

Just this sentence broke Zhang Su's mind of wanting to investigate the hidden household.

The imperial court encouraged the displaced people to reclaim the land, and after farming, they could receive land deeds, and they could also reduce taxes for three or five years.

After ploughing, he received the land deed, which was to prevent large households from arbitrarily enclosing land, but now it has become an excuse for Zhu Guoxiang to postpone registration. By the time the wasteland was cultivated, Zhang Su had already been transferred......

Zhang Su was a little unhappy in his heart, and asked, "Is it really a homeless person?" ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "If you don't believe in the main book, you can ask yourself. ”

Ask for an egg, it must have been colluded a long time ago.

Zhang Su was still unwilling: "Even if you are a homeless person, you should also make a book." First, they made a register of displaced people, recorded the wasteland they had reclaimed, and gave them the land deed when the land was ripe after three or five years. ”

"It's all up to the master book." Zhu Guoxiang agreed casually.

It takes three or five years for the land to be cultivated, and there is a tax exemption for three or five years, and ten or eight years have passed like this, and the devil knows what happened at that time.

During the period, even if you change the new county and the new master book, don't think about coming over to make trouble, because Daming Village is legal and compliant.

insisted on indiscriminately exploiting, so he directly expelled the tax collectors by force, and the lawsuit was brought to the city of Tokyo, and Daming Village was also the party that took charge.

The premise is that with Zhu Ming as an official as the backing, Daming Village's own strength is enough.

Zhang Su carefully read Zhu Guoxiang's agricultural book and knew that bean crops could fertilize the field, so he walked to the side of a dry land: "These are all newly opened wastelands? ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "The first three years are used to grow beans, and when the fertility is enough, the fourth year is changed to paddy fields. These fields are all along the river, irrigation is very convenient, and the villagers are also digging irrigation canals along the river, using ordinary cylinder trucks to carry water for irrigation. ”

Zhang Su sighed: "What a good land, why has it been barren before?" ”

Zhu Guoxiang explained: "I heard that a few decades ago, there were also farmers living here, but later when they encountered natural and man-made disasters, they all fled to the mountains or other places. ”

"Natural disasters and man-made disasters...... Zhang Su sneered, "I'm afraid there will be more man-made disasters." ”

walked all the way to the abandoned tea mountain after taking care of it, and everyone returned the same way.

Zhang Su asked: "The seeds of these displaced people are all given by Yuan Zhang?" ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "They are all poor people, and life is really not easy. So he lent them seeds and tools at an annual interest of one cent. ”

Zhang Su arched his hand and said: "Duke Yuanzhang is really benevolent!" ”

Although he always felt that something was wrong, Zhang Su still didn't think about it.

If you really want to rebel, you will directly incite the displaced people to fight the county seat, or simply occupy the mountains as kings and plunder everywhere, how can you first farm the land and slowly accumulate strength?

What's more, Zhu Ming has already been admitted to Tanhua.

Tanhualang's father rebelled?

That's not!

When he went back, Zhang Su went to visit the village school again.

Zhu Guoxiang introduced: "The village school is not restricted, and there are only more than 10 students at present. When next year's life is better, there will definitely be many villagers who are willing to send their children to study. ”

Zhang Su looked at the classroom and said in surprise: "There are still girls?" ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "That is the daughter of Meng Zhao, a scholar in this village, and when I was too busy, I also asked Meng Zhao to teach on my behalf." Although there are no male or female students, so far, no villager has been willing to send a girl to her. ”

"It's so hard!" Zhang Su said with emotion.

Because he saw that none of the students in the classroom had pen and paper, and were practicing calligraphy in the sand basin with bamboo branches.

After thinking about it, Zhang Su took out the silver money: "Buy some pen, ink, paper and inkstone for the children." ”

Zhu Guoxiang took it with both hands: "Thank you for the sponsorship." ”

Xiang Zhixian felt that he couldn't lose face, and said to his relatives: "In a few days, you will bring five yuan to ...... You don't have to bring money, buy some pen, ink, paper, and inkstones, and send them to Daming Village to be handed over to Yuan Zhanggong. ”

Zhu Guoxiang immediately flattered: "The county respects and the main book, worthy of being the parents of the county, and is dedicated to educating the people, and I admire it so much." ”

It was another commercial blow, and Zhang Su had to go down the tributary to the mountains to continue to inspect the situation.

Most of the villagers along the road are indigenous villagers, who have been developing for almost two years, and every household has surplus food, which is obviously richer than the new immigrants along the river.

They not only grow grain, but also learn from Zhu Guoxiang to grow mushrooms, and raise some poultry as a side business.

In the river valley, there are fertile fields everywhere.

Thanks to the construction of the canal, crops also grow lush at the foot of the mountain, which is far from the river.

Xiang Zhixian liked it very much, it was completely the ideal idyllic beauty of the literati, and he couldn't help but praise: "Take the small river into it, and the valley suddenly opens up." Qianmo is vertically and horizontally, chickens and dogs smell each other, the people are happy, this is a real paradise! Who would have thought that two years ago it would be a den of thieves? ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "Although the farmers here are thieves, they are also forced to do so. The thief can send the head to the official, and the remaining villagers can educate them to be good. ”

Zhang Su looked at the villagers in the valley, all of them were busy and happy, and completely calmed his mind about checking the hidden households.

Hide it, hide it, the people will be rich, and if you really find out, maybe you will harm them.

Zhang Su couldn't help but say: "If Yuan Zhanggong is the county order, he will definitely make a county rich and stable, and it is really condescending to live in seclusion in Daming Village." ”

Zhu Guoxiang said: "The state and county will levy less harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes, and no matter who is the official, the people can rest and recuperate." ”

Zhang Su was speechless, because this was the truth.

(End of chapter)