When they arrived in the courtyard, Xu Dai glanced at Xu He behind him and waved to him. The two of them did not leave the courtyard and got on the carriage he came in.
He probably felt that no one could hear what he was saying here, so Xu Dai said: "Xiaohe, your uncle sent me here this time because he has something important to tell you!"
Seeing his serious expression, Xu He felt even more uneasy.
Xu Dai said: "Yongfeng Granary has bottomed out, but there is still no news from the court's grain ship. Chen Hua has sent three groups of people to Huai'an Prefecture, but when they came back, they all said that Chang Ying Granary refused to allocate grain!"
Xu He said angrily: "This is the decree of the imperial court. Hundreds of thousands of victims in Huaizhong are crying for food. How dare they?"
Xu Dai saw that he was anxious, so he whispered: "I was told by County Magistrate Chen to tell you this news. Those people inside don't know about it yet, so please be gentle."
Xu He saw that Xu Dai seemed to be really thinking on his side, so he sincerely asked for advice: "Second uncle, you have assisted the uncle in running the Xu family for many years. If you force these people to borrow food on behalf of the uncle today, is there any hope? "
Xu Dai thought for a moment and nodded: "Most people will borrow it, but how to borrow it and how long to borrow it will have its own explanation!"
Xu He understood what he meant, that is to say, these people would eventually give in, but they would obey openly and stumble secretly.
Crying about poverty, borrowing less, and borrowing food for a short period of time are all imaginable troubles.
Although the Xu family is a family that enjoys both prosperity and loss, when it comes to interests, each small family has its own calculations.
Even the clan leader Xu Song couldn't force everyone to lower their heads and drink water.
For a while, there was silence in the carriage. In addition, the weather was hot and cicadas were screaming outside. Xu Dai opened the folding fan irritably and fanned himself desperately.
After a while, Xu He suddenly smiled and said: "Second uncle, if I can turn these people's sloping fields into cotton fields, and turn them into good paddy fields in ten years, they will have to give me free public grain for the people. Do you think they are willing?"
Hearing this, Xu Dai shook his head repeatedly: "Are you talking about the beach here? Aren't you kidding? You gave the beach to others for free for ten years without rent. The kitchen workers are missing reeds. How can they dry the salt? They are the first He refuses!"
Xu He nodded and said: "Don't worry, I mean, what if the cooks agree! Is it feasible?"
Xu Dai still shook his head: "I know that cotton can be grown in this kind of thin salt land, but first, you have to isolate the beach fields from the rivers where the seawater flows in, then you need to level the beach fields, and finally divert the river water for irrigation. , the cost of building an acre of land is too high, and in the end we can only grow cotton! It’s not cost-effective, it’s not cost-effective!”
Xu He asked back: "We have almost all good paddy fields in the Jiangnan area, but these fields have been occupied. If we can take this opportunity to provide relief through work, we can ask the kitchen workers to help transform the paddy fields into good ones." Paddy field, this is a good land for family heirlooms!”
Xu Dai couldn't help but feel moved when he heard this. The Xu family is a big landowner in Lianghuai, but the Xu family started late and only made a fortune in two generations. Therefore, except for the paddy fields in Hailing's countryside, the land they can buy is the original land between Lianghuai and Huaihe. Ownerless beach fields.
If we can really operate like Xu He, we can transform the beach into acres this year, and then after five to ten years of cleaning the fields, the originally worthless beach can be turned into a good paddy field immediately.
Seeing his move, Xu He persuaded him: "Second uncle, think about it, if the long stretches of water turn into fertile fields, you will be the biggest contributor to our Xu family!"
When Xu Dai heard this, he immediately made a calculation in his mind. The people in the house had very little beachland. Between the Huaihe River and Huaihe River, he and his elder brother had more than three thousand acres of beachland.
If all these fields are transformed into paddy fields, what will the situation be like ten years from now?
When the time comes, what books will I study and what will I do as an official?
Children and grandchildren can live in luxury just by collecting rent!
Thinking of this, he held back the ecstasy in his heart and asked in a deep voice: "We have a problem in getting soil from our flat plain!"
Xu He said confidently: "Every household here, including Zaoding's family, has a boat. On the one hand, some people are assigned to dredge the river, and the cleared silt is dumped directly on the beach by boat."
"The second is to dig ditches for irrigation, take the soil and dump it on the beach."
"Third, take hilly soil from places like Nantong Prefecture!"
Xu Dai was startled by him: "You still want to touch the beach in Tongzhou?"
Xu He smiled and said, "What? The second uncle's family has no land in Tongzhou?"
"Yes, there are, but you have a lot of people to use!"
Xu He nodded: "The kitchen men will help us level the ground. At most, we will work until the next transfer envoy officially takes up his duties. Time waits for no one!"
Xu Dai was completely moved this time. He couldn't sit still anymore and said to Xu He beside him: "I can't make the decision on this matter. I have to go back and discuss it with your uncle!"
Xu He nodded. For such a big project, the Xu family might have to spend all the food they had accumulated over the years.
Fortunately, taking this opportunity, Xu He followed Xu Dai back to Hailing.
Xu Dai went to Fenghuang Dun to discuss the matter with his elder brother, while Xu He went directly to the county government office.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the county government office, he was stopped by his disciples.
"Mr. Xu, the eldest master is in the second hall talking to the county officials about borrowing grain. Please wait outside the second hall. When the eldest master is finished, I will help you go in and report!"
Xu He rushed to the door and cupped his hands: "Thank you!"
The doorman invited him to wait in the concierge. Xu He waved his hand and waited under the eaves.
At this moment, a voice slapping the table suddenly came from the second hall: "Everyone of you here is a prominent figure in the county. I, a foreigner, still know how to cherish the people of Hailing. How? You are so desperate at this time. It's a little bit... Isn’t it too cold-blooded?”
Xu He heard that it was Chen Hua's voice. It seemed that borrowing food was not going well.
Sure enough, another familiar voice came out: "Mr. Chen, it's not that we are cold-blooded, but in this year of disaster, our own family doesn't have enough food to eat, and there are so many tenants in each family who are waiting for food, so the food is lent to the county. , these farmers starve to death, aren’t they scolding us?”
"Yes, yes! What Brother Huang said is exactly what we are worried about. If we lend it to the county, we won't be able to live on at home!"
"right!"
"That's right!"
For a moment, there was a lot of noise in the second hall separated by a wall.
Chen Hua probably saw that this group of people refused to let go, so he sighed tiredly and said: "Everyone, at this time, the county feels that it is best for everyone to work together as one. You go back and think about it. I will invite you again in two days. Come to the office to discuss!"
"Okay, okay!"
"Master Chen, let's go then!"
After a while, a group of people came out of the second hall, and Xu He happened to be standing next to the pillar. The group of people came out but did not see Xu He.
I saw one of them spitting: "It's like urging classes every day, is there anyone who borrows food like this?"
"Haha, who asked me to be Bailihou!"
"Brother Huang, everyone is following your lead. Whatever you think we should do, what should we do?"
Xu He saw the fat man at the head, who was Huang Youcai's father, Huang Dewang.
I saw Huang Dewang's sinister face with a cold smile: "From ancient times to the present, disasters and disasters have nothing to do with us. People like us just think that the bigger the disaster, the better!"
When several people heard this, they burst into laughter.
At this moment, Xu He suddenly turned out from behind the pillar.
When everyone saw it was him, especially Huang Dewang, their faces turned dark instantly!
Xu He grinned at the people, his big white teeth making them panic.
