On the third day of October, the autumn planting has been completed for most of the month. With the support of Yang Peng's disaster relief grain, the autumn planting and farming work in Shandong Province has almost been completed. After eating enough, the peasants did their work smoothly. Yang Peng rode a horse and walked on the field path and saw green wheat seedlings growing in the wheat fields on both sides.

After walking for an hour, Jing Yishan pointed forward and said with a smile: "Lord, our prince is in front of this crucian carp ditch." There's still a mile to go. Yang Peng nodded and continued to ride forward. When more than a dozen guards heard that their destination was approaching, they galloped forward to see if there was any danger in the crucian carp ditch.

Yang Peng asked casually: "Jing Yishan, how much dry land can be irrigated after this prince is repaired?" Jing Yishan said with a smile: "Don't worry, when you get to the crucian carp ditch, I will explain it to the prince in detail." ”

Yang Peng inexplicably ate a nail here at Jing Yishan, and was a little speechless. In the past few years, Yang Peng has asked others to speak, which one is not to say a lot of things respectfully and shake out everything he knows? This Jing Yishan is good, but he doesn't bother to say it in front of the real thing until he is on the scene. Yang Peng looked at Zheng Hui and secretly said that this Jing Yishan is too arrogant.

Zheng Hui saw Yang Peng looking at him, a little anxious. He hurriedly looked at Jing Yishan, his eyes widened as if urging Jing Yishan to speak quickly, but Jing Yishan rode leisurely and didn't look at Zheng Hui. A few drops of cold sweat broke out on Zheng Hui's head, but he couldn't do anything about Jing Yishan, and said: "Lord Wang, when you get to the crucian fish ditch, Jing Yishan will naturally explain it in detail." ”

Yang Peng frowned, and secretly said that this Jing Yi is good at letting go, but he can't be reused. In order to get a satisfactory water conservancy project, Zheng Hui was able to endure such recklessness from his subordinates, and he really threw himself wholeheartedly into the construction of Hsinchu. Yang Peng pondered for a while, and his evaluation of Zheng Hui was one point higher.

When he arrived at the crucian fish ditch, Yang Peng walked to a small mound and saw tens of thousands of people digging and carrying burdens there, filling in the course of a small river. The busy peasants had enough to eat, worked very hard, and the scene was in full swing.

Jing Yishan jumped off the horse, took out a few drawings from under the saddle, opened one of them in front of Yang Peng, and said: "Look, Lord Wang, we are building a cement embankment of 113 zhang on the course of this small river crucian fish ditch and the low-lying places nearby, and the highest part of this dam is two zhang and three feet, blocking the small river to store water, and turning this low-lying land behind the crucian fish ditch into a large reservoir higher than the surrounding dry land. ”

"The bank walls on both sides of the embankment are interspersed with long stones, layered and stacked, the embankment is rammed with clay, a layer of cement is filled on it, and the top surface is paved with stone slabs to become 'Picheng'. There is an embankment pier every two zhang, the pier is three feet long and two feet wide, and the long stone is inserted into the ground for two feet. The built in this way is durable, not afraid of fire and water, and is the most strong. ”

"There are 10 sluices on the embankment. In case of drought, the sluice gates are closed to store water, and in case of floods, the sluice gates are opened to release water to keep the water level in the reservoir high. ”

Yang Peng asked, "How long will this dam last?" Jing Yishan said proudly: "There is a sand sluice gate on the embankment. Even if the sediment accumulates, the sand gate can be opened to wash the sediment away. The sluice gates are redone every five years. If the entire levee is properly maintained, it will not have a problem for 50 years. Tinkering, I'm afraid it will be used in 150 years. ”

Yang Peng nodded and did not speak. Jing Yishan patted the drawings and said, "Grandpa Guo, answer your question." After this Wangye Pi was repaired, the water level of the reservoir was raised. Seventeen irrigation outlets on the east and west sides of the adjacent wasteland can be used to irrigate 270,000 acres of land. ”

Being able to open 270,000 acres of new land is indeed a big project worth boasting about. Yang Peng seemed to understand why Jing Yishan was so arrogant, smiled, and said: "Jing Yishan, you do it well, if the project is completed well, I will reward you with two hundred taels of silver!" ”

Jing Yishan said with a smile: "The prince is more generous than General Zheng, I commanded a large dam of 500,000 acres of irrigated fields in Hsinchu, and General Zheng only rewarded me with one hundred taels of silver." After thinking about it, Jing Yishan said: "My mother-in-law likes to make silk clothes, buy rouge, and ask me for silver at two ends in three days." If Grandpa Guo's two hundred taels of silver are really rewarded to me, I will not lack money to spend! It's really emergency silver. ”

When Yang Peng heard Jing Yishan's words, he laughed dryly, and secretly said that Jing Yishan really didn't have a trace of humility as a subordinate when he spoke. Yang Peng said: "Jing Yishan, you work hard, and you will be rewarded with so much silver that you can marry a little wife in the future!" ”

When Zheng Hui heard this, he laughed. Yang Peng looked at Zheng Hui, no longer said much to Jing Yishan, and only rode to the people working under the hillock. The people were stunned when they saw Yang Peng's royal honor guard moved to the construction site. They looked at those golden gourds and golden scepters, and they all felt that this must be a big official. The people stopped what they were doing and knelt on the construction site, not daring to look up at Yang Peng.

Yang Peng waved his hand and motioned for the people to get up. Yang Peng's guards shouted loudly in the crowd, shouting the people who were kneeling on the ground. Yang Peng walked up to a woman in her thirties and asked, "This woman, are you working here, is it hard?" ”

The woman raised her head and said, "Official, it's a hungry year, and Lord Yan gave us sweet potatoes to eat to save us, and we are already grateful." Now that Lord Yan is giving us rice and noodles to eat, so that we can eat two meals a day, how can we not work hard? To be a man is to talk about conscience, if there is no Yan Wangye, Shandong doesn't know what the chaos will become, maybe the thieves have already come in. My two daughters and one son are still young, and they will definitely not survive. Lord Yan gave my three children sweet potatoes to eat, not to mention letting us build water conservancy, but let us open up mountains and reclaim the sea, and we will do it. ”

When the woman had finished speaking, she looked at her husband beside her, as if to ask him if he was right. Her husband was a little nervous in front of Yang Peng, and nodded stiffly. The woman smiled with a spring breeze on her husband's face, as she received her husband's approval. But in front of Yang Peng, a big official, she didn't dare to be presumptuous, and quickly covered her smiling face with her hands.

Yang Peng looked at the woman's husband. When the man saw Yang Peng looking at him, he said solemnly: "Official, this crucian carp ditch has a big flood every three or five days, which is a harm to us here." Yan Wangye is now building a dam to control the water, and in the future, the crucian carp ditch will not be flooded, and the people of our township will benefit. Everyone is doing a great job! ”

Yang Peng nodded, looked at a thin young man next to him, and asked, "What about you, do you feel tired from doing this job?" When the young man heard Yang Peng's inquiry, he knelt on the ground and said loudly: "Official, I don't feel tired at all!" The official sent by the prince of Yan said that the poorest tenant farmer like me can rent the fields irrigated by the prince of this country in the future, and my daughter-in-law and I can rent forty acres. King Yan only collects 30% of the land rent. ”

"With these forty acres of good land, my daughter-in-law and I will have a good life. Don't say that we are not tired after working for a few months, even if we work for a year, we can only be happy. After this Wang Yepi was repaired, the new fields irrigated would be used as Yang Peng's private land and leased to the local poor tenant farmers to cultivate.

Although Yang Peng has not yet been given a flat field in Shandong, no local official in Yan Wang's private land dares to collect more than Yang Peng's field endowment. Yang Peng has informed the magistrate that the annual income of these new fields is six liters of wheat per mu. In fact, if Yang Peng equalizes all the fields in Shandong and does not increase the field endowment, the average field endowment per mu is about six liters a year.

In fact, Yang Peng didn't pay the field endowment, and the magistrate couldn't do anything about Yang Peng. But Yang Peng pondered the flat field endowment every day, of course, he had to set an example to pay the field endowment, otherwise he would have to teach the truth.

Yang Peng charged 30% of the rent per person for the small people who cultivated their own fields. Based on the average yield of one stone of wheat per mu, Yang Peng can get two buckets and four liters per mu of land excluding Tian Fu. 270,000 acres of new land is calculated to be a net income of 65,000 stone wheat per year, worth 160,000 taels of silver.

Yang Peng calculated, and Chaojing Yishan asked: "How much labor and materials are used to develop these new fields?" Jing Yishan was promised a reward of 200 taels of silver by Yang Peng, but he was more cooperative than just now, and replied: "This prince used 35,200 people to work for three months, and spent 87,000 taels of silver on cement, stone and other materials. ”

Yang Peng turned around and asked the ambassador of the Shogunate Tax Agency, and asked, "Liangyou, how much silver is this?" ”

Xie Liangyou does tax statistics every day, and his calculation ability is very strong, and he arched his hand and said: "Lord Wang, the labor cost plus the material money is 150,000 taels." Yang Peng nodded, the cost of building this irrigation reservoir can be recovered from a year's rent. By the way, when the project is built, the labor cost is included in the project, so that the people can work for relief, and the cost of disaster relief is also reduced.

No matter how you look at it, the development of water conservancy and reclamation of new fields is a sure-fire business. However, this situation was only for Yang Peng, the Song Dynasty was politically chaotic, the local bureaucrats and gentry were eyeing each other, and the people were afraid of others even if they had a few acres of fertile land, let alone water conservancy and development of new fields.

If a person with no power comes out to organize a water conservancy project, I am afraid that the project will not be completed, and Xintian will be divided up by the landlords who have appeared in various names. And for the powerful people, the idea is to try to bankrupt the people who have good land, and they can directly benefit by annexing the people's good land, so why bother to make a big deal about water conservancy? really made a lot of good land, and the other gentlemen and heroes didn't want to come up and get a piece of the pie.

In a society where there is political corruption and disorder, benefits are distributed according to power rather than contribution. In such a pattern of interests, no one is willing to contribute, everyone is staring at the existing cake to divide, and in the end the cake will only get smaller and smaller.

A character like Yang Peng, who hollows out his mind to make a big cake, holds a strong soldier and swears to defend his own big cake, and does not snatch the cake of the powerless small people, is just an isolated case in a society like the Song Dynasty.

However, the seventeenth century was no longer a closed age. The Manchus, Western colonizers, and even the ethnic minorities of the southwest all eyed the decaying Han Chinese society. If the Han people do not manage their cake well and do not make the country bigger and stronger, the history of being enslaved by foreign races will be staged.

Whether it is for himself or for the sake of this nation, Yang Peng must stick to his lonely example.

Yang Peng nodded, and then helped the thin young man on the ground. Xie Liangyou thought for a while and said, "Lord Wang, this farmer who cultivates our new field can harvest fourteen stone of grain per person every year, which is equivalent to thirty-five taels of silver. These people used to earn only eight or nine stones a year, and their lives were turned upside down... Is the rent we charge too low? In my opinion, it would not be too much to charge an extra 10% of the rent. ”

Yang Peng said with a smile: "What is the income of thirty-five or two years?" It's just that the family has food and clothing, and it can't be well-off. In the future, the public will make all the people in Hebei and Shandong rich, and of course they cannot collect high land taxes. It was charged at 30 per cent rent. ”

Xie Liangyou arched his hand and said: "Wang Ye is benevolent, the people of Shandong and Tianjin are blessed!" Yang Peng inspected the construction site for a while, and then asked Zheng Hui: "How many new fields can be reclaimed in Shandong this year?" ”

Zheng Hui said: "We have planned eight projects like Wangyepi, but the scale is slightly smaller. After all of them are made, 1.1 million mu of new land can be obtained, and the annual income from land rent alone is more than 600,000 taels of silver. ”

More than 600,000 taels of silver is not a small number, which can greatly enrich Yang Peng's finances. Yang Peng patted Zheng Hui on the shoulder and said, "Zheng Hui, after the successful completion of the project in Shandong, I will go to the imperial court and promote you to the vice general of the sea!" When Zheng Hui heard this, his face flushed with excitement.

On the fifth day of October, in various provinces, prefectures and counties in Shandong, Yanwang tax offices were opened one after another.

Like the tax offices in Tianjing New Town, these tax offices were also renovated from the purchase of houses in the downtown areas of each city. The basic principle of the tax office is that the businessman declares his own taxes, and the tax office levies taxes according to the business turnover declared by the businessman, and the tax is 30 tax one. Of course, businessmen tend to take risks to evade taxes, and there are a large number of tax accountants in each tax office who act as supervisors to check the turnover of merchants.

Yang Peng stationed 150 tax accountants in each prefecture, 100 in each prefecture, and 50 in each county. The daily job of these tax accountants is to enter the vendors' business premises and check whether the actual turnover of the vendors is truthfully declared.

If a businessman is found to have evaded taxes, he will be severely fined according to the principle of one penalty of five for evasion. Tax evasion exceeds 100 taels, and the tax evaders must be handed over to the Dali Temple court to play the board. Yang Peng flipped through the account books at the Jinan Tax Office and asked Xie Liangyou: "How much does the accounting staff have to spend this year?" Xie Liangyou sniffed and said, "Lord Wang, in order to cover Shandong Province, we have hired 5,637 accountants. The monthly money of these accountants, the maintenance of the premises and all kinds of miscellaneous expenses cost 300,000 taels a year. ”

Xie Liangyou shook his head and said: "This year's drought in Shandong, the farmers all rely on Yan Wangye's disaster relief to live, and they have no money to buy goods, and Shandong's economy is very depressed. It is estimated that this year, Shandong will only receive more than 600,000 taels of commercial taxes. Yang Peng said: "Isn't that only a net income of more than 300,000 taels?" ”

Xie Liangyou nodded heavily and said, "Lord Wang, this is indeed the case. However, next year, when the peasants have profits, the situation will be greatly improved. It is estimated that 1.6 million taels of commercial tax will be received next year, and 1.3 million taels will be removed from expenses. ”

On October 10, Shen Congdao, a well-known gentleman from Tianliu Town, Shouguang County, couldn't stand the suffocating atmosphere in Tianliu Town, and slipped into the county town to breathe. In the past few months, Shen Congdao can be said to have lost his wife and lost his soldiers. In the end, all the grain collected for 55 taels was sold in the market for 128 yuan, and 29,000 taels were lost as soon as it was entered and one was withdrawn. He has accumulated more than 30,000 taels of wealth for more than ten years, and he lost 29,000 taels. Even the mansions in the city were lost.

However, the house in Fucheng was gone, and when he moved to Tianliu Town in the countryside, the matter was not over. Shen Congdao's hoarding of grain and sniping at King Yan for disaster relief became the biggest joke in Tianliu Town, and this joke spread throughout the township. When the people finished telling this joke, they always added a curse: "This thief is arrogant and wants to starve us to death!" ”

Now in Tianliu Town, Shen Congdao's reputation is completely stinky. He walked in the town's bazaar, and from time to time someone spat on the ground at him, where was there anyone who still had a trace of respect for his show? Shen Congdao basically doesn't go out much now, and he has to get angry every time he goes out. On weekdays, he asked his family to go out and do whatever he wanted to buy.

But staying in the house for a long time is really uncomfortable. On this day, Shen Congdao asked people to carry a sedan chair and slipped out of the back door, and walked quickly to the county seat. Shen Congdao secretly said that there were few people who knew him in the county seat, so he went to the county town to take a turn and breathe.

Sure enough, no one in the county recognized Shen Congdao, and no one knew that Shen Congdao was a gentry who opposed King Yan. Shen Congdao finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked easily on the commercial streets of the county.

Walking to the door of the largest teahouse on this commercial street, Shen Congdao suddenly saw that the spacious teahouse was full of people. Even the aisle next to the tea table was full of people. As soon as Shen Congdao saw this posture, he knew that the tea guests were waiting to see the big show. I think this is an extremely popular drama that has attracted so many tea drinkers.

Shen Congdao walked to the door of the teahouse and asked Zhang Luo's guest's shop junior: "Xiaoer, which one are you singing today?" Still have a place to sit? The little second glanced at Shen Congdao up and down, and said with a smile: "This master, you must not like to watch this play, don't ask!" Shen Congdao raised his eyebrows and asked, "What are these words?" Xiao Er, you must have accepted the benefits of others and helped others reserve a place! I'm afraid I'll rob you of the place you left! I must see it! ”

The little second looked at Shen Congdao, a little embarrassed, and said: "This lord, I won't tell you, the few gentry who watched this play before quarreled with other ordinary tea guests, and they were all beaten by the tea customers. If you have to watch it, you can say okay, don't make trouble, and leave after reading it. ”

Shen Congdao was stunned, became more and more curious about this play, and asked, "What kind of play is this?" Such an evil sect? The little second said: "This master, this is a new play that the troupe of the small shop went to the Tianjing New Town Opera Academy to learn, called "Relief Shandong", which is about King Yan's disaster relief in Shandong. The standing seats cost two cents, and the ordinary seats cost ten cents, all of which were sold out. There is only a front row of seats left, twenty yuan per person, how many people do you buy, master? ”

Listening to Xiao Er's words, Shen Congdao was stunned. Shen Congdao, the opera academy in Tianjing New Town, knew that this incident was published in the newspaper last month. It is said that it is because the people's cultural and entertainment activities are too single, and there has not been a new drama in the opera program for a long time, even if there are individual opera troupes to launch new operas, they are limited to the uneven level of the opera troupes, so Yanwang gathered outstanding opera masters from all over the world to set up this opera academy.

The best opera corners in Tianjing New Town and Shandong gather in the Academy of Chinese Opera and launch a new play every month. The new drama closely follows current affairs and reflects the things that the people are most concerned about, which will inevitably attract the people. Shen Congdao didn't care too much about the news when he saw it. In recent years, most of the things that the government has done have failed, and nine out of ten things have failed. Therefore, King Yan wants to set up an opera academy, and Shen Congdao subconsciously feels that this matter will not stir up much waves.

I didn't expect this to happen, and the track came out so quickly, and it was so popular. Shen Congdao became more and more curious, and waved his hand at the servant beside him. The servant took out forty yuan and handed it to Xiao Er, saying, "My lord buys two places." The little two got forty yuan, and after thinking about it for a long time, he took the two of them in. Passing through the crowded crowd, the three of them squeezed into the front row and found the front seat.

Before leaving, the little second didn't forget to say to Shen Congdao: "This master, don't make trouble after watching the play, what should you do!" Shen Congdao didn't bother to pay attention to this little two, and began to play on the stage with a teacup. After a while, the opera began to be performed.

"This year's Shandong is in a tight drought!" At the beginning of the opera, a white-bearded actor took the stage with a hoe in his hand. The old man sang in a low voice, which immediately attracted thunderous applause from the tea guests.

Shen Congdao is also a person who likes to watch dramas, and cheered with other tea customers. But looking at it, Shen Congdao found that something was wrong. On this day, the "Relief Shandong" choreographed by the Beijing New City Opera Academy was beaten to death by the gentry who hoarded grain this time. The whole play revolves around the problem of disaster relief food in Shandong, and the plot is full of ups and downs, shaping Yang Peng, the king of Yan, into a big hero who spares personal interests for the country and the people, and portrays the gentry who hoarded grain to obstruct the disaster relief of the king of Yan into a despicable, shameless, stupid and ignorant villain.

At the climax of the gentry's grain hoarding, an old woman with silver hair walked out on crutches, led a little girl, and carried a broken porcelain bowl, and said tremblingly: "This year, the old man is going to Nanzhili to escape the famine!" I just don't know if Jiangnan is rich and can let the old body and granddaughter live until next year. ”

Seeing this, the crowd watching the play sighed for a while, and many people felt the same way, and even shed tears.

In this era, the means of entertainment are extremely limited, and the people are very engaged when watching the play, not to mention this kind of period drama that reflects the life of the people in Shandong? Seeing this scene, the tea guests watching the play shouted loudly:

"dog rich man! Dare to raise the price of food! "Chop up these bad gentry and feed them to the dogs!" "Thieves kill talents, don't let Lao Suo meet these cheap blanks!" The people were so excited that Shen Congdao's face turned pale with fright, for fear that he would be recognized as an inferior gentleman who hoarded grain. The big drama on the stage turned around here, and suddenly a big boat came out from behind the scenes, and it was Yan Wangye who transported a large number of sweet potatoes from Xiaoliuqiu.

At this time, all the gentry who were stockpiling grain went bankrupt. In the play, a thief-eyed rich man in Shandong borrowed money from a pawnshop with his family's house as collateral in order to hoard grain, and finally lost all his real estate. Seeing this, the people in the teahouse suddenly became overjoyed and laughed. "These thieves are delusional, now they know what it is to be self-inflicted!" Shen Congdao, who was sitting in the front row, shrank his head, and did not dare to come out in the crowd of people surrounding him in all directions.

After all, what happens next, let's see how it will be broken down next time.