The Cavalry Regiment, like the other three regiments, is stationed outside Duolun City in camps surrounded by barbed wire and trenches.
The campsites are all made of cotton tents, which keep them warm in winter and insulated in summer.
Yang Fan didn't want to waste time building fortifications. Time was precious, so it was better to use it all for training.
Purchasing cotton tents in this way is a good choice. Modern cotton tents have been eliminated.
There is a lot of squeeze in the warehouse of the military uniform factory. Nowadays, the army uses mobile homes and no longer uses cotton tents. It only spent a small amount of money to purchase more than 10,000 sets of cotton tents that were backlogged in the warehouse.
A small cotton tent with a camp folding bed inside, enough for a group of ten people. A medium-sized tent with bunk beds is enough for a total of fifty people. Large cotton tents can be used as Chinese military tents, command centers, warehouses, horse pens, etc.
In front of the Chinese army's tent in the middle of the camp is a huge flat land, which is the main campus. A place where training and inspections are usually conducted. It is also the place where conferences are held. Those who usually break military regulations are also beaten here with military sticks.
Except for the Bastille Castle in the east and on the east bank of the Luan River, the four major military camps are located on the other three sides, namely, the direct cavalry regiment, the silver cavalry regiment, and the Tumut cavalry regiment. These military camps are located on the periphery of farmland and are responsible for protecting the farmland and the working farmers.
The presence of these cavalry is a reassurance for the farmers, and they can work boldly with confidence.
There is also a large school field in Duolun City. It is located in front of the gate of the Yamen and has a hardened ground.
This is the center of the city, and the streets on all sides lead to it. It is a square mile in size and is a 500-meter square.
Except for the government office in the north, the square is surrounded by various shops. At this time, even though it is already late at night, the carbide lamps on the lamp posts in the square are bright, illuminating the cement floor as bright as day.
Carloads of grain were dumped here, and the cement floor was covered with grain.
The freshly harvested grain must be dried and dehydrated before it can be loaded into the granary. Otherwise, wet grain will become moldy.
The cement floor absorbs heat very easily. Under the sun's rays during the day, the temperature is extremely high. The grain can be dried almost completely in one day, and can be packed into sacks and transported to the warehouse that night.
After harvesting yesterday's grain in the first half of the night, in the second half of the night, a carriage will transport today's grain and spread it out in the square to dry.
The same applies to the military camps of the three cavalry regiments, and the main campus was temporarily requisitioned for drying grain.
There is no cement floor here, only yellow clay mixed with lime and sand. After watering, it is compacted using a large stone roller with a diameter of two meters and being dragged by ten cows.
Because it was mixed with lime, there was no grass growing here. At this time, a plastic wall covering was spread on the ground, and a large amount of grain was poured on it. Teams of people used wooden shovels to push it flat and spread it thinly.
While the farmers were busy, the cavalry gathered in squadrons in the tent area to eat roasted whole sheep.
These days, they are actually under greater pressure than the farmers. The Mongolian tribes all around were harassing them like crazy. They struggled to keep up with the harvest without any losses.
This time they killed all fat sheep, each one containing at least fifty kilograms of meat. A squadron roasted three lambs. Let everyone be well fed.
Because only one-third of the squadron can come back for meals at a time, and after all, the Mongols don't stop at night.
Wang Hao and his squadron were eating roasted lamb. The roasted lamb was sizzling with oil and filled with aroma. From three big sheep, each warrior can get one and a half to two kilograms of meat on average. You can eat as much as you want.
The soldiers put the naan bread on their bayonets and heated it over the campfire.
The dough exudes the unique aroma of wheat.
The cooking team used poles to carry buckets of seaweed and egg drop soup, as well as ten-pound plastic buckets of Erguotou liquor. Each person's enamel jar was filled with three ounces of white wine. In normal times, soldiers are not allowed to drink, and drinking is given special rewards. Or a major holiday.
Under the light of the bonfire, the soldiers' faces were red and full of happiness.
In this era, soldiers are worse than dogs and are looked down upon everywhere.
As the saying goes, a good man cannot be a soldier without hammering nails into the iron.
Soldiers are treated like slaves by their superiors, and scolded by the common people as Qiu Ba. Apart from barely making ends meet, he could not afford to support his family, and his military pay was in arrears.
Only Yang Fan gave them the respect they deserved. Military pay was the highest in the Ming Dynasty. Ordinary soldiers were paid three taels of silver per month and were never in arrears.
This is because military pay is not issued by officers. Instead, when joining the army, everyone is given a bankbook from Xinghe Bank. The military pay will be credited to the bankbook every month. It is not in the hands of officers at all, and there is no chance for corruption.
Other benefits are distributed by the division chief of the battalion. The officers are only responsible for daily management and operations. Military discipline and records of merit and demerits are managed by the military supervision system.
The personnel department in the regiment is responsible for the promotion and demotion of personnel. The punishment for crimes is the responsibility of the military law section of the regiment.
Yang Fan's wife, mistress Tu Shanyue, is in charge of the extremely powerful military supervision system and administrative supervision system. No one can get the back door there.
The mistress and the second wife were from Dongchang stalls, and this status was enough to scare the people below to death. No one in the Ming Dynasty dared to make a mistake in front of Fanzi.
Only a person from my hometown can have some respect in front of his wife, so how can other people dare to cause trouble.
In terms of finance, the chief accountant is Xiang Yi, and she is responsible for the annual budget and final accounts. Xiangyi is known as the God of Wealth behind his back and must not be offended.
Xiangying is in charge of the cashier.
The Audit Office is headed by Dean Yaoguang. How every penny is spent must be clearly audited.
At present, industry, agriculture, banks, military command, and the judicial system are controlled by the master himself, and they will inevitably become independent in the future.
Power has been locked in a cage, and there is no unsupervised power. Even if the master does something wrong, various departments can still make suggestions.
Since no one can cover the sky with one hand, the rights of the soldiers are guaranteed.
The soldiers can have enough to eat every day. They can have meat and fine grains for one meal a day, ensuring that everyone is well fed. Military pay is paid in full, housing is allocated to family members, and medical care is provided at public expense to the whole family.
Regarding free medical care, Yang Fan was a little hesitant at first, but when he got started, he found that it was not as expensive as he thought, and it was affordable. Drugs in this era are not expensive.
Many diseases cannot be cured, and there is nothing he can do.
Yang Fan's doctors are all students from the academy and veteran Chinese doctors recruited from various places. They are given a thorough training in the "Barefoot Doctor's Manual" and then assigned to medical clinics opened in various places.
Solve the problems that can be solved, and there is nothing we can do about the ones that cannot be cured.
However, although many serious diseases cannot be cured. The people are already very satisfied.
Poverty due to illness is a serious social problem. Since there are free medical clinics, even if they are not cured, they can accept their fate calmly. I will never make trouble with Dr. Yang Fan.
Now, soldiers and common people, regardless of Han or Mongolian people, everyone has something to do, and there are no unemployed people.
Every family has a house, their children go to school for free, and the whole family gets free medical treatment.
These policies have completely stabilized people's hearts. The public security is also appallingly good.
Although this level of protection is extremely low. There are only barefoot doctors at the grassroots level, who can only treat minor illnesses, and the cure rate for serious illnesses is very low. Schools can only read and learn simple arithmetic, plus simple knowledge of agriculture, animal husbandry, and industry. After studying for a few years, I went to farm, work, and herd cattle.
But the people have regarded this place as the paradise of Ming Dynasty, and everyone is satisfied.
At midnight, the Sibeigou family had finished delivering food and were preparing to go home and sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow to continue shooting.
At this time, an officer accompanied old Uncle Zhong and came.
"Everyone, please don't leave yet. It looks like everyone is suffering from the above. The military camp has stewed haggis soup and naan bread. We can go back after everyone is full."
In fact, after working until midnight, everyone was hungry, and they were ready to endure it for a while, so that they would not be hungry again when they went back to sleep. When we gather tomorrow morning, we will give out steamed buns, dough pancakes, and pickles. That's free. The chewing grains of my own family are saved.
After all, they are too poor to survive without thinking about it. If there is less firewood, there will be no need to burn it.
Hearing that the soldiers in the military camp were still in charge of food, they immediately became happy.
The master's military discipline is very good and he never harms the people. Everything he buys is dealt with fairly, and he speaks in a kind manner, just like the legendary and famous armies in history.
Normally, everyone can farm with peace of mind, thanks to their hard work in patrolling and fighting. I don’t know how many groups of Mongolians and horse bandits were repelled before the safety of Duolun City was ensured.
The treatment of being a soldier is good, and the benefits are even more enviable by the common people. Being a soldier here now has a high social status, and no one looks down upon it. Many families want to marry their daughters to soldiers. After all, the income is high and the treatment is good, so my daughter doesn’t have to suffer.
There are a lot of spices added to the haggis soup, and it is stewed soft and very delicious. People in Xingfu Club were sweating profusely after eating. Si Xiaosong has already eaten four bowls and still needs to serve them. His mother grabbed her ears and cursed: "You little bastard, the whole family has been embarrassed by you. Are you a starving ghost?"
Old Uncle Zhong chuckled and said: "Eat, eat, it's enough. I'm a half-grown man, and I'm poor. It's the time to grow."
Si Xiaosong jumped up happily and said, "Have a rest, Uncle Zhong."
This haggis soup is so delicious. It turns out that this is the taste of spices. Si Xiaosong secretly made up his mind that he must stand out and drink haggis soup every day from now on. "
Sibeigou said: "Brother, if we have another day of work tomorrow, we can finish harvesting the sorghum. This year is really a bumper harvest. The yield per mu is about 800 kilograms, which scares everyone."
"Haha, I didn't believe it at first. I didn't expect it to be as much as what Xinghe Seed Industry said at the beginning. They said that if they add chemical fertilizers, it can reach 1,500-2,000 pounds."
"What, so many!" Sibeigou was completely stunned.
"That kind of chemical fertilizer will not be available for a while, but next year it is said that the supply of guano on some islands will be released. The production can be increased by 20 to 30%."
"Isn't that more than a thousand catties? A thousand catties per mu has never been heard of in several lifetimes."
"Our sorghum has good seeds, which is why we have such a high harvest. The wheat and rice grown in other communities are not as high. Although our sorghum is edible, it doesn't taste good. It is mainly sold to the city. Liquor factory, which makes wine-making raw materials. Liquor is the main commodity in trade with the Mongols."
"I understand this. It is the cash crop mentioned above. My cousin's community grows tobacco. After harvesting, it is made into flue-cured tobacco. It is said to be sold to the cigarette factory in Xincheng. After making money, they use it to sell grain Eating is said to be more cost-effective than farming.”
"Yes, farming is not the only way out now. I am also thinking about whether our Xingfu Society should also engage in diversified operations. I heard that Mr. Yang is promoting chicken farms. Tens of thousands of hens are intensively raised for laying eggs. . After we socialize, there is still a lot of grain left, which can be used to feed chickens. I have calculated that eggs in the city are worth more than grain. The culled hens and roosters can also be sold for meat. Chicken manure can also be used to fertilize the fields."
"I think it will work. There are more than 30,000 Han people in our city. Including Mongolians and military family members, there are 60,000 to 70,000 people. Now everyone has something to do and can make money. Eggs can only be sold better and better. Now The eggs in the market were sold out in no time, and the price has been raised several times. I think this idea is feasible," Sibeigou said.
"Okay, after the harvest is over, we will hold a meeting with the heads of the 25 households. If everyone agrees, I will apply for a chicken farm to take photos. We will use the money from selling the grain as start-up capital, and we will not distribute dividends for now. If approved from above, there will be chicken breeders and technical support. Banks can also apply for loans. But we need to pay close attention to this matter. I heard that our city of Duolun only provides three chicken farm licenses in total, one for each of the three urban districts in the southeast and west. "
Si Beigou asked puzzledly: "Why is this?"
"It is said that one company will have a monopoly, which is not conducive to the people who consume eggs. It is necessary for three companies to compete and restrict each other."
Seeing Si Beigou's thoughtful look, Lao Zhong continued: "Not only chicken farms, I heard that there are two or three companies competing with each other for supplying people's livelihood, such as briquette factories. So, we must work hard. Do it, otherwise the money will be taken away by others."
