"Why are most of these fields deserted?" The king of the Bohai Sea, Gualja Sangge, rode a horse and stopped on a hillside, holding the whip in his hand and pointing to the flat dam overgrown with wild grass in front of him, and his face couldn't help but sink, "If I remember correctly, that field was cultivated seven or eight years ago, and it was still planted with hardy rye. What is the situation today that the fields are barren and overgrown with weeds? ”

"Back to the king, the peasant households who have acquired this field are some naturalized Daur people, who themselves do not like to farm, and are not good at farming. They only cared for cattle and horses, and in their spare time they went to the mountains and forests to hunt animals or do some work as caravans. Over time, these fields became barren. Guan Rencai, the magistrate of Xinglong County, Zhongjing Prefecture (now Bio Fabrika Town, about 20 kilometers north of Chita City), took two steps forward, stood in front of the monk's horse, and bowed down to play.

"Huh?" When the monk heard this, he couldn't help frowning, "As a local parent, you haven't persuaded and corrected him?" ”

"Back to the king, local taxes are collected in silver dollars. The naturalized Daur people were paid a lot of money by selling livestock, buying and selling horses, and occasionally hunting furs in the mountains and forests. Guan Rencai said with a wry smile: "After paying local taxes, his generation still has a large surplus, which can be used to buy enough rations and some simple daily necessities. As for the hard work in the fields, they are too lazy to do it, so they will leave the fields barren. ”

"The ancients said that the country is people-oriented, the people take food as the sky, food is safety first, safety is quality-oriented, and quality is based on sincerity." The monk said in a deep voice: "The people in the market also have a saying, there is food at home, and they don't panic in case of trouble. Although the land in the Bohai Sea is vast, the mountains and rivers are mixed, and the fields are fertile for thousands of miles, if all of them make a living by herding and raising horses, how can the hundreds of thousands of people in the country have food rations? In addition to Zhongjing Prefecture, are there many such situations in other prefectures and counties? ”

"Back to the king, Heilongjiang, Jingqili River, Heilongjiang and other areas, abundant water sources, fertile land, decades have opened up more than one million acres of fertile land. There are also more than 200,000 immigrants from Han China, Korea and Japan, all of whom are hard-working and hard-working people, and the fields are also very meticulous and meticulous, providing hundreds of thousands of tons of grain for our Bohai Sea every year, so that the people in the country have no food and clothing. Du Guangli, the prime minister of the Bohai Cabinet, arched his hand and said: "However, the situation in various parts of the country is different, and there are indeed many naturalized barbarians who do not engage in farming and waste their fields. This generation is wild and difficult to get rid of, in his spare time, he likes to hunt horses and animals, and drinks wildly, but he is unwilling to serve the crops and rice in the fields, which makes people in vain! In order to deal with this situation, the cabinet will introduce a series of policies to curb this situation to some extent, one of which is that the more the land is abandoned for more than three consecutive years, the local government will take back the ownership of the land and then distribute it to the new immigrants. ”

"I think the Cabinet's policy is very good." The monk's face softened slightly, and he nodded and said: "Although my Bohai country has a vast territory, it has a sparse population, and only by consolidating the foundation of the country and stabilizing the people's hearts can it develop. How to stabilize the people's hearts is to let the people in the country have enough to eat, wear warm clothes, and have shelter from the wind and rain. To achieve this, there must be enough food to ensure it. If we have food, we will be able to recruit more immigrants and naturalize more people from the mountains and forests, and we will be able to have enough confidence and confidence in dealing with various crises. ”

"The king's words are very true!"

"Although these Daur people raise livestock and horses, and they have also contributed a lot to our Bohai country, this is by no means an excuse to give up arable land to grow grain."

Seng Ge still remembers that in his early years, the entire Lingbei region was hit by a rare snowstorm, and almost eighty percent of the livestock raised in the fort died, and at the turn of the spring and summer of the following year, there was another more widespread cold wave, which froze all the crops that had just emerged to death. Although many potatoes and sweet potatoes were replanted later, in the summer and autumn, there was still an irrepressible phenomenon of large-scale grain failure.

As a result, hundreds of thousands of people in the entire Bohai State suffered the worst famine since the founding of the People's Republic of China. If it weren't for the urgent delivery of large quantities of rice and grains by Qi and Beiming, as well as boatloads of dried fish and canned food, most of the people would have starved to death.

A lesson from the past, a teacher of the future, how not to let the monks who are the lord of the Bohai Sea wake up!

"In this vast Lingbei region, livestock, fur and gold are precious, but grains and flour are also in high demand. He thought that with the money he could exchange, he could easily buy the rations and other daily necessities he needed. But if the situation is urgent, or if it is in a state of war, the roads are blocked, and the enemy army is besieging the city, how can we get the necessary food? The monk said earnestly: "Those hunters who have just moved out of the mountains are all right, but what reason do these Daur people, who have lived here for generations, not to farm?" Didn't they simply grow crops like oats and buckwheat decades ago? ”

"I see them as lazy and depraved, even lazy and intimidating, without more long-term considerations, drunk today, drunk today, and sitting at home with some money in their hands, and playing on horses. Half a month ago, I inspected several counties, including Fuping (present-day Nebuchu), Suining (present-day Shilka Town), and Xinpu (present-day Karemskaya Township), where almost all the peasant households grew grain and raised a lot of livestock, and the output of vegetables, potatoes, and fruits was not low, and agricultural production was booming. Unexpectedly, near the capital of our Bohai Kingdom, there is still a large amount of farmland abandoned. Ministers should take it seriously and not ignore it! ”

A few months ago, the Bohai State learned that the Qin army had broken through Dzungaria and captured Ili, and that Dzungar succeeded the Khan, King Gardance Zero, and only led more than 1,000 remnants of troops to flee to the Issyk-Kul steppe, which immediately reversed the situation in the entire Western Regions, and Great Qin also gained the absolute initiative.

It is foreseeable that the Qin army's troops will definitely not stop at Ili, and will inevitably gather a large army, take advantage of the victory to pursue, and chase and attack Dzungar fiercely, without giving it a chance to breathe.

Then, after the destruction of Dzungaria, it is likely that Qin's strategic focus will turn to the north, pointing the spearhead at the Bohai Sea, as well as the Eastern Dan and Northern Ming.

For the Central Plains Dynasty, no matter which dynasty or generation it experienced, there were only two directions for border troubles from the outside, either to the west or to the north. Once the Qin State has dealt with Dzungaria, it will definitely regard the Bohai Sea as a thorn in its side, and as a potential threat, it will be strongly suppressed or conquered.

The Qin State and the Dzungar State have been tugging for decades in Mobei, and the four tribes of Chechnya, Tushetu, Zasaktu, and Saiyin Noyan have certainly been beaten to pieces, and the population and livestock have suffered heavy losses, and those small and medium-sized tribes with hundreds or thousands of people can only sway with the wind in the tug-of-war, and they cannot protect themselves at all. As a result, a large number of Mongols flocked to the north every year into the territory of the Bohai State to seek shelter and food.

The arrival of these Mongol refugees increased the much-needed manpower of the sparsely populated Bohai State, but also increased the amount of food required, and the grain production was raised to a very high latitude by the non-monastics.

Therefore, whether it is to take precautions to deal with the threat of the Qin State in the future, or to meet the needs of the growing population, the Bohai State should earnestly improve the full security and stability of the supply of grain, a strategic material.

Zhongjing, as the capital of the Bohai Kingdom and the economic and cultural center, has a population of more than 42,000, plus several surrounding prefectures and towns, with a total population of more than 80,000, which is the core of the kingdom.

Zhongjing Prefecture is located in the eastern part of Lingbei (now Eastern Siberia), at the confluence of the Long Beach River (Chita River) and the Tongshan River (Ingoda River), with abundant water sources and fertile land, after decades of development, it has become the largest grain production base and animal husbandry production base in Bohai State, with thousands of kilometers of irrigation canals and numerous water diversion facilities, the cultivated land area ranks first in the country, and the number of cattle and sheep ranks first, providing a large amount of food and meat demand for hundreds of thousands of people in China.

With such excellent agricultural conditions, it would be a foolish thing for those farmers to give up growing grain and go to grazing. You know, even the Rakshasas who used to like to rob the grain of local tribes are now honestly growing rye, oats, and barley in the Yenisei River valley, and their tsar has moved more than 5,000 serfs over the years to provide a stable supply of food for the 2,000 Rakshasa soldiers and Cossack cavalry stationed there.

Because of the sparse population and vast area of cultivated land, the Bohai State also spent a huge amount of money to introduce many agricultural production machinery from the Qi State, such as animal power seed drills, horse-drawn wheat harvesters, animal threshers, etc., which not only greatly promoted the efficiency of agricultural production, but also correspondingly expanded the scale of agricultural production, making it possible to produce large farms (the Bohai State did not limit the scale of individual land ownership).

The Bohai Kingdom has gone through three generations, although it has laid a huge piece of land, and also pushed the Rakshasa people all the way to the west, driving them to the head of the rat, a prosperous appearance. However, as the head of the Bohai family, the monk knew that his own strength was really weak, and if he did not have the support of the Qi State and the Northern Ming Dynasty, he would not let the Rakshasas push back, or be swallowed up by the huge Qin State in the south.

In the whole of Bohai State, apart from simple grain processing, fur processing, and fish product processing, as well as a number of small workshops and workshops without any technical content, there is not even a decent "modern industry".

That's right, not to mention that even artillery and muskets cannot be produced and manufactured in the Bohai Sea, and even an iron nail needs to be imported from Beiming. Not to mention cotton cloth, soap, refined salt, cane sugar, canned food, as well as cement, building materials, hardware tools and various farm tools for daily needs.

You must know that even the Eastern Dan Kingdom had a small shipyard in the city of Boli (now Boli, Russia), which could produce some inland river flat-bottomed transport ships and galleys of less than 100 tons, which effectively supported the country's water transportation industry.

The Bohai Sea has a huge land area, but due to the scarcity of the population, the actual territory under its control is actually quite limited, and most of the towns and settlements established are distributed on both sides of various rivers or in fertile river valleys and flat dam areas, and as for the vast mountainous woodlands, they basically belong to those local tribes who do not submit to the king, and are afraid of the kingdom's force, pay tribute, and pay some furs and gold dust for peace.

In the previous decades, the Bohai State relied on its comparative superiority in human resources and weaponry, and could easily drive back the Rakshasa who had invaded Lingbei. But if you are faced with the Qin State, which has a larger population and does not have much generational difference in weapons and equipment, it would be absolutely a lie if the monarchs and ministers of the Bohai Kingdom said that they had no fear in their hearts.

Thinking that he was also sixty-five years old, he was already in his last years, and the time limit was not long enough, and the monk's heart was full of anxiety and uneasiness. Although the crown prince Shude has been cultivated for many years, his personality is also calm, and he has also traveled to Zhenzhou and Yunzhou (now Hokkaido) in the Northern Ming Dynasty, as well as Ryukyu and Annam under the rule of Qi, which can be regarded as some insight, but the monk is still worried that he will not be able to cope with the complex and severe regional situation in the future.

"The development of agricultural production should be a top priority for the country. However, we must not slack off or relax in the establishment of some basic industries, the rectification of road transportation, and the naturalization of mountain and wild tribes. The monk rode a horse alongside the crown prince Shude, slowly marching on the gently sloping meadow, earnestly teaching his eldest son, "These priorities, according to the people of Qi, are to 'practice hard internal skills', take me as the mainstay, and improve the self-sufficiency of my Bohai country." And only by doing this can our Bohai State's rule in the Lingbei region have its own foundation. In the future, with this foundation, we will have some confidence in whether we will continue to expand north or west, or face Qin in the south. ”

"Erchen wrote it down." Shu De nodded solemnly.

"In the past, Emperor Taizu of Qi sent an edict, requiring us not to cross the Heilongjiang River and invade the Han land on the southeast border of our Bohai Kingdom. But now, when the Qin State took advantage of the Western Regions to defeat Dzungaria, in May, it crossed the Heilongjiang River and rebuilt and restored two fortresses on the north bank of the river: Hailanpao (now Blagoveshchensk, the capital of the Amur Region of Russia) and Yaksa (now Albazin, Russia). Although the State of Qi has already intervened, with the strength of the State of Qin, it will definitely not easily withdraw from the above-mentioned strongholds. In this way, several counties and towns in Jiangbei will face the Qin army, and the slightest carelessness will lead to an armed conflict and even a huge war. ”

"Does my father want his sons to go there for a good time?"

"Heh, you are the crown prince, the successor of the country, how can you leave Beijing at will?" The monk smiled and said, "Let the third child go." In addition to negotiating with the Qin army, it is also necessary to rectify the defense of Jiangbei and strengthen the construction of local fortresses. If Qin Guo really wants to make a dangerous move, let's be prepared. ”

"The land of the two rivers (Heilongjiang and Jingqili River) is the essence of my Bohai Sea, and there is no room for loss. The third brother has been in the army for a long time and was sent to his place to deal with disputes with the Qin State, which is indeed the best choice. Shude said quietly.

"Prince, for the way of the king, you should have a broad mind, tolerate people, and don't be suspicious." Seng Ge glanced at his eldest son and said lightly: "My Bohai country is weak and weak, and only when the whole country is sincerely united and united can we gather strength to deal with foreign enemies." Although the third child is arrogant and domineering in the army, he still has some courage to hold, and he should be able to take charge of the land of the two rivers. ”

The third prince, Mute, studied at the Army Training Institute in Qingyuan (today's Hakodate City, Hokkaido) in the territory of Yunzhou of Qi when he was a teenager, and joined the Second Mixed Regiment of the Qi Army in Ryukyu at the age of 18 as a lieutenant (second lieutenant). For more than ten years, he has followed the Qi Army to fight against the Siamese rebels, participated in the Ha Tien-Cambodia War, intervened in the peasant rebellion in Quang Nam (Annam Nguyen) Quang Ngai Province, and even served as the Qi State Military Staff Observation Group, personally experienced the Qin Zhun Mobei War, and finally accumulated merit and was promoted to the rank of Captain (Major) of Xuan Jie of Qi State. This experience is really "a little bit of courage to hold", and it is definitely possible to deal with the small-scale military conflict of the Qin army.

But as the crown prince of the kingdom, Shu De was full of jealousy of this half-brother, because after he was removed from the Qi Army, he served as the commander of the Jiangdong Metropolitan of the Bohai State and the head of the first mixed regiment of the New Army, and controlled the most elite army of the Bohai State.

My father is very old, and if he dies and leaves without a holiday, and he wants to inherit the throne, will this third brother who "has a little courage" rebel in order to compete for the throne, kill back to Zhongjing, and come to usurp the throne?

"There are some things that don't need to be speculated maliciously." The monk said coldly: "The succession of the kingdom is the key to the stability and stability of my Bohai Sea, as long as the people of Qi nod their heads in approval, who dares to rebel again?" ”

When Shu De heard this, he was not only frightened, but also relieved in his heart.

Yes, even if Mute has the military power of the first mixed regiment of the new army, as long as the Qi people cut off his military supplies, can they still hold a burning stick and run thousands of miles to kill all the way to Zhongjing?

"The Manchurian mission has been in Zhongjing for a few days, and we have been hanging them out for so long, it's time to talk to them, and see what benefits these remnants of the Qing Dynasty can bring us." The monk grabbed the horse's belly with his legs and ran down the hillside, "You have such a cranky mind, why don't you settle down and make serious contact with them." ”

"Yes, Father." Shude said loudly, and then tapped the horse's belly lightly, and followed his father to the camp.

(End of chapter)