On the 22nd of the first lunar month, Yang Anxuan's order was sent to Anding City, and Guo Gong was ordered to take over the post of Anding Prefect. Li Qiang was promoted to General Ningshuo and transferred to Bajun Prefecture.
Li Qiang happily handed over to Sima Liao Hui, who took over, and three days later he took ten personal guards and set off from Anding to Jiangzhou City.
On February 18, Li Qiang went directly to Jiangzhou City and did not go to Nanzheng City. Suo Miao, the governor of Liangzhou, was just a decoration, and Feng Li was a scholar. As for Sima Zhu Chaoshi, who was still attacking Qiuchi, Li Qiang felt that the troops were very fast, so instead of wasting time socializing in Nanzheng City, it was better to go to Jiangzhou City earlier.
Tan Daoji, the governor of Nanyi Prefecture, led his elite troops to Jiangling on Liu Yu's order. Yinji, the governor of Northern Yizhou, led his army to seize the territory of Nanyi Prefecture. At this time, Nanyi Prefecture was empty, which was a good opportunity to make contributions.
Her husband earned his reputation on the battlefield, and Meng Longfu, Kuai En, Yin Ji and others under the lord's command all rose to power by virtue of their military merits. If he could seize the land of Ningyi, he might also be able to become the governor. Li Qiang longed for the position of governor of Yizhou.
There are 4,000 regular soldiers, 6,000 county troops, and 160 warships in Jiangzhou City. After arriving in Jiangzhou, the first thing Li Qiang did was to organize the army for training.
After seeing the soldiers and horses training, Li Qiang was confident and led his army south to Bie County, Zoke County. He wanted to capture Zoke County before Tan Daoji returned for reinforcements, and then join forces with Yin Ji's army from east to west to capture Zhuti County.
At this time, Tan Daoji had already taken a boat up the Yuanshui River to Qielan City. When he learned that Yong's army was coming south from Jiangzhou City, Tan Daoji led 5,000 elite troops and rushed to Bulang Mountain to ambush them.
Bulang Mountain blocks Bashu to the north and Guizhou and Guangxi to the south. The terrain is extremely dangerous. Li Qiang led 8,000 soldiers and horses to march unimpeded. He planned to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness to quickly occupy Biet County, and then seize Wanshou City, the seat of Zoke County, and strive to control Zoke County within a month. The army blocked Zoke County.
The terrain of Bulang Mountain was dangerous, with steep cliffs, and "ten thousand peaks cut into the sky, leading to a thin line". Li Qiang felt uneasy and urged his troops to cross the mountain quickly.
When we reached the winding mountain path, we saw ambushes on both sides. Big rocks rolled down from the mountain, and arrows were like rain. Li Qiang hurriedly urged the soldiers to run forward. The road several miles away was dug out, and there were piles of miscellaneous trees on the ground. There was no way forward.
Li Qiang had no choice but to lead his army back. By this time, corpses were everywhere and horses could not move. Li Qiang had no choice but to break out on foot under the cover of his personal guards. When he escaped from the mountain and counted his troops, he found that out of the 4,000 troops who had entered the mountain, only more than 2,000 were left.
Fortunately, Li Qiang considered the dangerous terrain of Dalang Mountain and planned to lead 4,000 soldiers and horses across the mountain first, and then set up a camp on the other side of the mountain, and then let the soldiers and horses left behind bring the baggage to join them.
After reuniting with the 4,000 soldiers and horses guarding the baggage, Li Qiang ordered to build a fortress on the spot for defense. However, Tan Daoji did not pursue Li Qiang. He left 2,000 soldiers and horses stationed in Bietian County and rushed to Nanguang City of Zhuti County with the remaining soldiers and horses. .
He sent a messenger to inform Fan Yuanzhi, the governor of Ningzhou who was confronting Yinji on the banks of the Moshui River. Tan Daoji did not go directly to the rescue, but went north from Nanguang City to attack Bodao City in Jianwei County.
Bodao City is located at the mouth of Sanjiang River and is located along the river. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Although there were only a thousand defenders in the city, the county magistrate Wang Jin did not panic and ordered the city gates to be closed. He sent people to Wuyang City in Jianwei County, the north bank of Moshui, a tributary of the Minjiang River, to seek help from Yinji's army and Jiangyang City.
Tan Daoji attacked the city for five days, and Jiangyang County sent 1,500 reinforcements to arrive. Tan Ma reported Yin Ji and also sent troops to help. The plan of encircling Wei and rescuing Zhao was successful, and Tan Daoji retreated to Nanguang City.
Yin Ji learned that Tan Daoji had led his army back to Nanyizhou from Jiangling. He knew that the fighter plane had been lost, but he did not return to Chengdu. Instead, he led his army to Jiangyang City in Jiangyang County and confronted Zhuti City in Zhuti County where Tan Daoji was located.
Leaving 600 men behind, Li Qiang returned to Jiangzhou City dejectedly. He did not dare to conceal the news of the loss of troops and generals, so he wrote a report to Suo Miao, the governor of Liangzhou. Suo Miao didn't take care of the matter at all, and didn't even go to the lobby, so the official documents were sent directly to Feng Li.
When Feng Li saw the news of Li Qiang's defeat, he quickly invited Sima Zhu Chaoshi, who had just returned to the army, to come and discuss it. After reading the official document, Zhu Chaoshi said coldly: "This Li Qiang is so bold that he sent troops first without reporting anything. He said that he must obey the authority urgently." He doesn’t take you and me seriously. If he wins a battle, he gets the credit. If he loses a battle, let him bear the punishment alone. Just forward Li Qiang’s official documents directly to the lord."
In Xiangyang City, most officials from the Yonggong Mansion went to various states, counties and counties to supervise farming, encourage teachers to teach mulberry farming, and inspect local areas.
As a time traveler, Yang Anxuan is well aware of the importance of stabilizing the bottom line of grain production. In addition to vigorously promoting land reclamation, it is stipulated that the fields producing grain in various places must not be less than 90%. In order to prevent low grain prices and hurt farmers, the government also adopts minimum grain control measures. Price acquisition protection.
In addition to ensuring the payment of grain taxes and their own food needs, people are encouraged to plant fruits, vegetables and beans. During the Han Dynasty, crops such as courgettes, broad beans, green onions, garlic, peppers, sesames, and grapes were introduced from the Western Regions, as well as alfalfa for horse consumption. Yang Anxuan had 30,000 horses and needed a lot of fodder.
After Qiuchi was quelled, there were many farmers who were proficient in growing crops from the Western Regions. Yang Anxuan scattered them in various places and asked them to guide local people to use the idle land in front of and behind their houses to plant these cash crops.
The top priority this year is to increase the cotton planting area. The thermal performance of cotton clothing has been tested, and Yang Anxuan decided to increase the trial planting area from 1,000 acres last year to 50,000 acres.
Based on last year's yield of 200 jins per mu, 50,000 acres can produce 10 million jins of cotton. A complete set of cotton clothes, cotton hats, and cotton shoes used by the soldiers will cost about ten jins, and 200,000 soldiers will need about 2 million jins. There is also some savings needed for quilting.
The military did not need so much consumption, so Yang Anxuan decided not only to sell in bulk to civilians, but also to prepare spinning and weaving cloth and launch cotton cloth.
The emergence of cotton cloth should be of epoch-making significance. Cotton cloth is soft, warm, close-fitting and breathable, and will inevitably replace linen and Gebu.
When planning an attack, Yang Anxuan stroked his beard and thought about how to use the emergence of cotton cloth to fight an economic war. The main purpose was not to deal with Liu Yu, but the Wei State in the north.
Yang Anxuan was considering a battle to destroy the country, but Wu Chen from Wujia Village in the south of Xinxi City was thinking about the livelihood of his family.
My brother-in-law Wu Zhuang got married at the end of last year. The family provided betrothal gifts, built a new house, and their son Wu Yuan went to school in Xiang. The family's savings were almost spent. Last year, while working in the cotton mill, I and my sister-in-law received 200 kilograms of corn, which subsidized the family income.
Years ago, someone came to propose marriage to her sister-in-law. Mrs. Wu Chen thought that she had a good relationship with her sister-in-law, so she always prepared some dowry for her. In the family, the sister-in-law is getting married and the sister-in-law is getting married. The workload has not decreased. However, the Wu Wang family is too shrewd. I am afraid there will be quarrels in the future and the family may be separated one day.
In February of this year, the government sent someone to ask if the family wanted to plant cotton fields. My husband was in the army and took care of the family, and they could plant up to 40 acres of cotton. My father-in-law has been farming all his life. He believes that growing food is the real job and refuses to grow things that cannot fill his stomach.
Eight years after Mrs. Wu Chen married into the Wu family, she became angry with her father-in-law for the first time. She insisted on taking all the 40 acres of cotton fields. Her father-in-law was so angry that he wanted to separate the family from her.
Mrs. Wu Chen gritted her teeth and refused to let go. Her sister-in-law helped her, and her father-in-law said bitterly: "This year is calculated separately. If you can't fill your stomach by then, don't come to the servants."
Cotton cultivation requires sufficient water resources. Cotton is planted on farmland on both sides of the Huaihe River. The Wu family's 40 acres of land is on the north bank of the Huaihe River. There was someone in the cotton field who specifically gave instructions on how to plant cotton. Her father-in-law and brother-in-law were unwilling to come, but Mrs. Wu Chen listened attentively. Her sister-in-law Wu Mei was a caring person and followed her to learn how to grow cotton.
In April, her husband Wu Xiong returned home from Xingyang, and the government awarded him fifty acres of land. Wu Xiong made meritorious service in Xingyang and was promoted to the rank of chief. After returning to his hometown, he could serve as a team leader in the county army or go on a tour in the countryside. Wu Xiong thought that he had no help for his family after two years away from home, so he chose to travel in the countryside.
When her husband returned home, Mrs. Wu Chen had a backbone. She handed over her family's land to her father-in-law and brother-in-law for farming, and she and her sister-in-law concentrated on taking care of the 40 acres of cotton fields. The cotton seedlings gradually grew up. According to the instructions of the officials who came to guide, we drained water, fertilized, and eliminated stubble. When we saw the cotton seedlings beginning to bloom, I was filled with anticipation.
Starting from April, workshops have been built along the Huaihe River. Wu Chen heard that the cotton fields have increased twenty-fold this year. In addition to the cotton fields on both sides of the river, there are dense cotton workshops.
Last year, Manager Yang came again, bringing some fruit to the village to recruit workers from door to door. Last year, there were only a dozen people working in the village. The requirement was that they were family members of military lieutenants. This year, there is no such requirement. Anyone who is willing to go can do it. , the labor price is the same as last year.
Mrs. Wu Chen and her sister-in-law were so skillful that they did the work quickly and well last year. Manager Yang was still impressed by this smart woman and asked her if she would like to go. There were more people this year and he asked her to be a foreman and provide corn every day. Twenty pounds.
Sister-in-law Wu Wang is a little jealous. If she had agreed long ago, why is her sister-in-law still hesitating?
Mrs. Wu Chen had already inquired about it. People like her who grow cotton at home pay twenty kilograms of cotton as tax per mu of cotton field, and the rest can be sold to the government. Each kilogram of cotton can be exchanged for five kilograms of grain.
The person who came to teach cotton planting saw the cotton field and said that the yield of his cotton field was more than 200 kilograms per mu. In addition to the 20 kilograms of cotton, there was at least 180 kilograms of cotton. If converted into grain, it would be 900 kilograms of grain per mu. The family's fertile farmland can only harvest about 200 kilograms of grain a year. This kind of cotton is much more cost-effective than growing food.
When Wu Wang heard about the price of cotton, she regretted it. She had known that she would plant 20 acres of the forty acres. Although the two families have not yet separated, the father-in-law has said that they should separate the accounts, and all the profits from the cotton fields will go into the sister-in-law's pocket.
Wu Chen calculated that one pound of cotton could be exchanged for ten pounds of grain during the trial planting last year. This year, the cotton field has increased twenty-fold and the price has quickly dropped to half, but it is not a loss. Calculating the yield of 200 kilograms per mu of our own forty acres of land, we can get eight thousand kilograms of cotton. If we sell it to the government for four thousand kilograms, five kilograms of grain per kilogram of cotton equals twenty thousand kilograms of grain. Twenty acres of cotton field is worth one hundred acres. The fertile fields have produced.
The price of grain in the market is five yuan per catty, which is one hundred thousand yuan. Wu Chen was a little dizzy. She had never thought of having so much money in her life, and this was still half the money.
Mrs. Wu Chen heard that the government allowed cotton growers to keep half of the cotton for their own use, and the remaining half would be four thousand kilograms. According to last year's work experience, four thousand kilograms of cotton can be used for at least six hundred cotton coats and trousers. This cotton coat is very warm. Wu Chen believes that she can sell it for at least 500 yuan each at the market.
Five hundred yuan a piece, six hundred yuan is 300,000 yuan, plus the 100,000 yuan from selling government cotton, it is 400,000 yuan. After taking into account the materials and labor involved in picking cotton, drying it, removing seeds, and making clothes, Wu Chen estimated that she could earn at least 250,000 to 300,000 yuan.
She had never dreamed of earning so much money in a year. Mrs. Wu Chen fell on the bed with a silly smile, a happy smile on her face.
The person in the family who knows the Wu Chen family best is her sister-in-law Wu Mei. Her marriage to the young man from Chenjiaji has been settled. The family is a well-to-do family, and the marriage has been good. Wu Mei thought about picking some cotton from her sister-in-law's hands to make a winter wedding dress, and then put it on for her fiancé.
Mrs. Wu Chen smiled and tapped her sister-in-law's forehead with her finger, and said with a smile: "I'm going to my husband's house before I pass the door. Okay, you have worked hard with the slave to grow cotton. In addition to the wedding dress, the slave will give you a few things." jewelry."
"Thank you, sister-in-law." Wu Mei smiled in surprise and burst into happiness.
On both sides of the Huaihe River, many people like the Wu Chen family were planning and longing for it, and countless noble families were setting their sights on both sides of the Huaihe River, ready to get a piece of the pie, but no one knew that all this was planned by Yonggong.
Some people died, but not completely...
