Chapter 127
Since ancient times, farmers have been a vulnerable group. Because of poverty, even if new types of plows, harrows and other agricultural tools were invented, they would have neither the money nor the ability to replace them. Even though everyone knows that cotton can keep out the cold, everyone knows that good cotton is more expensive than silk.
But the problem is that without money, there is no cost to invest. Planting cash crops is not like ordinary food. Crops such as wheat, soybeans and sorghum have been replanted for thousands of years. The planting area of cotton and flax is not large. The intensive farming technology of harrow-harrow system has become more and more mature. Throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties for more than 600 years, there was almost no development in agricultural tools and agriculture.
Just like sweet potatoes, in the eighth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1580), Chen Yi obtained the seedlings from the Spaniards in Luzon and then introduced them to the Ming Dynasty. However, more than fifty years and half a century have passed, and sweet potatoes are only sporadic in Shandong. Planting is not because farmers are conservative, nor is it because they are lazy and unwilling to plant.
Instead, the heavy levies and miscellaneous taxes weighed down the farmers. Any mistake would destroy their families. Unless you see the high yield of sweet potatoes or corn with your own eyes, you will naturally learn slowly by using other people’s experience to learn.
There is another reason, that is because farmers no longer have land, and there is no way to plant it even if they want to. Landowners who own large amounts of land are naturally unwilling to plant such high-yielding crops, because this will destroy the high food market. How can food be sold at high prices without a large number of hungry people?
For ordinary farmers, a bumper harvest is not necessarily a good thing. Because in a good year, the food may not be sold and the price may not be high.
The development of anything must be viewed from a long-term perspective. Just like in later generations, from the household contract system to the present day, private contracting of large amounts of farmland has formed a comprehensive trend. Because this is very dangerous. Once oligarchs and capital monopolize real estate, food prices will rise like a rocket.
Although there is no guaranteed output to each household, the current military households are very enthusiastic about their work. As the saying goes, if there is no comparison, there will be no harm. The minimum land rent for landlords in the Ming Dynasty was 40 to 50%, and the most was even as high as 70 to 80%. This made it impossible for farmers in the Ming Dynasty to accumulate continuously, and therefore it was impossible to get rich. The gap between rich and poor is getting wider and wider.
Cheng Shijie stipulated that Ning Haijun's military households in the field would not receive any remuneration except for the labor reform prisoners who could only receive rations. However, ordinary military households or military households adapted from refugees would only receive three dou per mu of military land. The tax rate was almost 100%. At about ten to fifteen percent, even the most conscientious landlord's land rent is more than double that of Ning Haijun.
The land tax in southern Liaoning is not only much lower than the land tax of landlords, but also much lower than the tax of the court, because in addition to paying taxes, farmers also have to perform corvee, but there is no corvee in Liaonan. Any project construction is Gainful employment.
Today's army households in Ninghaijun are very enthusiastic about their work. They have been given homesteads of one or three acres of land. Generally speaking, even if there are nine people in a family, a house of 300 square meters on half an acre of land is enough for the whole family. The reason why many homestead sites were distributed was to allow military households in southern Liaoning to grow vegetables in these places.
No matter where you go, you can see cucumbers, beans, winter melons, pumpkins, radishes, cabbage, eggplants, zucchini and other vegetables in front and behind newly built houses.
In the end, Cheng Shijie will not equally distribute the land in southern Liaoning to ordinary people. Instead, he plans to reward the fields and form farms one by one in the form of military exploits, military exploits, reforms, innovations, technological inventions, technology transfers, and great achievements. Free a large number of farmers from the land and provide sufficient manpower for the industrial revolution.
A farmer cultivates sixty acres of land and works hard all year round, barely making ends meet, but a worker can earn at least ten taels of silver after working in a factory that provides food and accommodation for a year. This is the difference. If a farmer wants to earn more than ten taels of silver, he needs not only land, but also a large number of livestock to produce manure and provide sufficient fertilizer for the land.
But now, how can the people in southern Liaoning have the capital to raise horses and cattle?
Fu Zonglong and Sun Yuanhua followed Cheng Shijie to the horse farm in Jinzhou. There are currently only more than 400 stallions in the horse farm. Although the number of stallions is smaller, each one is tall and strong, with a strong backbone and full of energy. .
Some of these war horses were captured by Cheng Shijie in Shandong, some were captured from Jiannu in southern Liaoning, and some were purchased from Jiannu.
Today, Hu Erqi, after the Haizhou Dongjiang Army mutiny, led more than 4,000 men under his command to defect to Cheng Shijie. Cheng Shijie gave limited trust to this Haixi slave. He appointed the garrison of Wangtai Town in Haizhou, which is the front part of Haizhou. To the right of Wangtai Town is Xinhe Town, to the left is Sangang Town, and to the south is Qiantai Town.
From a geographical point of view, this Wangwang Town is like Chu Yunfei's Dagu Town in "Bright Sword", surrounded on three sides. Even if Hu Erqi rebels again, it will have little impact on the overall defense of southern Liaoning.
Cheng Shijie asked Hu Erqi to trade with Jiannu in Wangtai Town. The cattle, sheep, horses and even people in the hands of Jiannu could be traded in Wangtai Town. The more than 140 excellent stallions in this horse farm were all bought by Hu Erqi from Jiannu. It was obtained from the slave at an extremely low price.
Now almost many Jiannu tribes know that there is a bold Hu Guard under the command of Liaonan Ning Navy. As long as the money is in place, he dares to sell anything from refined salt, grain, cloth, tea, and even weapons.
It's just that Hu Erqi was very greedy. Even though he could sell grain for one or two taels of silver per stone in Dengzhou, Shandong, he sold grain for 5 taels or eight dollars per stone. Rice from Jiangnan to Jinzhou cost eight taels of silver per stone. , but he actually doubled it ten times, and dared to sell it for eight taels of silver per stone, whether he wanted to buy it or not.
Compared with ordinary grains, rice was undoubtedly more popular among the slave-building nobles. But the price of eight taels of silver is already the price of a small horse or a calf.
Hu Erqi's defensive energy seems to be very powerful. Not only can he get a lot of rice, but he can also get pure spirits and crystals that make the beauties go crazy.
Of course, Hu Erqi's smuggling channels and smuggling behavior were tacitly approved by Cheng Shijie. The purpose was to confuse Jiannu and make Jiannu think that Ning Haijun was actually no different from Guan Ningjun. They could be bribed, drawn together, or divided.
At the same time, it is also to increase Ning Haijun's cavalry strength. If a country has one million strong infantry, then no one may dare to bully it. If a country has 500,000 cavalry, it can definitely sweep across the world.
During this period of time, these war horses lived a good life. They had endless fodder every day in the stable, and there were dedicated people to fumigate mosquitoes and clean horse manure for them. They could also eat a meal of refined food every few days. Well, even the hard-working soldiers in the military camp had to swallow their saliva when they saw it.
These stallions are Cheng Shijie's treasures, so of course they must be taken good care of.
Fu Zonglong praised Cheng Shijie for raising the horse well, but Cheng Shijie just smiled and said nothing.
In fact, the Ming Dynasty did not lack experience in horse breeding. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Henan and Shandong have been one of the important horse breeding bases. Horse farmers have to provide a large number of horses to the army every year. If the quality of the horses is not up to standard, it will be There will be a fine.
This horse policy ensured the supply of war horses for the Ming army, allowing the Ming army to maintain a strong cavalry for more than two hundred years. However, it also made the people of Shandong and Henan suffer. In order to complete the task of raising horses, they had to There are many people who don't spend all their money and go bankrupt for this.
Nowadays, people's livelihood is declining, and even the common people can no longer live, so the horse administration is naturally unsustainable. However, a large number of horse breeders are still there. Cheng Shijie just recruited some at will, and these four hundred horses are well served. .
After seeing the horse farms, pig farms, and sheep all over the mountains and plains, I realized that most of the sheep in southern Liaoning are actually raised in captivity, not free-range. The alfalfa grass is cut and sent to the sheep pens to feed the sheep. After the corn is harvested, soybean straw and corn straw can also be used as green storage fodder for raising cattle, horses or feeding.
There are actually not many places to see in Jinzhou, such as the steel factory, the work of the Ordnance Bureau, and the factory of the Gun Bureau. It is absolutely impossible for Fu Zonglong and others to see it. It is not that Cheng Shijie is hiding something. If Fu Zonglong knows, Liaonan only needs He could easily produce five thousand firegun tubes a month, and he would definitely go crazy.
What's more, Cheng Shijie has already hoarded a large amount of food, grass and equipment, which is a taboo thing in itself. Why would you take him to see it if you are confused?
Aren't you afraid of being slapped with a big label by him?
The issue that Fu Zonglong is most concerned about is actually the combat effectiveness of Ning Haijun. As the governor of Jimen, Liaodong, and Baoding Military Affairs, he knows very well that there are not many armies in the Ming Dynasty that can fight, and the one who plays the leading role is Ning Haijun, a rising star.
"Cheng Jinglue, let's take a look at the military camp!"
"yes!"
Ning Haijun's strategic defense center is in the northeastern part of Haizhou and Fuzhou. As for Jinzhou, Ning Haijun's military headquarters and a garrison were originally there. In order to deal with Fu Zonglong and his party, 6,000 navy, cavalry and infantry were temporarily mobilized. People and horses, come here to participate in the ennobling ceremony.
The group soon arrived at Ning Haijun's temporary military camp. Fu Zonglong looked at the Ning Haijun camp's towering fences, thick deer villages, deep and wide trenches, and meticulous layout. It was like an iron fort in a soup pool. He wanted to gnaw at it. A large camp is a big headache.
Next to the main camp is a more heavily guarded camp, with one post every five steps and one post every ten steps. All fences are covered with thick soil to prevent fire. In order to prevent theft, all the grass within hundreds of steps is even shoveled away. In order to prevent thieves The bandits used the cover of vegetation to sneak up on them and sneak into the camp.
"Meet the Marshal!"
In the school grounds, more than 6,000 Ning Navy officers saluted Cheng Shijie in unison.
"All officers and soldiers are exempt from courtesy, take a break!"
Fu Zonglong looked at Ning Haijun's officers and soldiers arrayed in a fierce manner, filled with murderous intent, surprisingly consistent equipment, surprisingly consistent mental outlook, the entire army was integrated, giving people an indescribable pressure.
At the beginning, the equipment of Ning's navy officers came from various sources. Some were allocated by Si Yamen, commander of the Dengzhou Guards, some were allocated by Sun Yuanhua from the Denglai New Army, and some were seized from bandits. Generally speaking, they do not have armor. The bandits who can possess armor have actually been surrounded and suppressed by the official army, and they have successfully defeated the official army. Only then can they have armor.
Of course, it is also possible that like Zhensanshan Zhang Huairen, he relied on the Zhang family in Laiyang and used Zhang's craftsmen to build it privately. When Cheng Shijie had no choice, he could only use this kind of armor of varying quality, but as time went by Ning Haijun's Armor Bureau successfully produced plate armor.
Cheng Shijie changed the armor of Ning Haijun to a unified standard. As for Ning Haijun's equipment, he gave it to the Dongjiang Army officers on a half-buy, half-free basis. The current equipment of Ning Haijun is steel armor, which is made of molten steel. In an arc-shaped mold, the steel plate is then forged by a forging press while it is not completely cooled to form the arc of the human body. This kind of plate armor only consists of six parts, but it can cover the entire chest and abdomen from the shoulders to the abdomen. Strictly.
All the plate armor was painted dark black. What surprised Fu Zonglong even more was that Ning Haijun's spearmen, fire gunmen, or sword and shield soldiers all had a dog-legged knife hanging on their waist. Whether they are spearmen or sword and shield soldiers, everyone carries a crossbow.
Fu Zonglong looked at Ning Haijun's equipment and immediately understood why Ning Haijun could behead tens of thousands of slaves. This kind of armor was much stronger than the rags produced by the Imperial Staff Bureau.
Especially the sword and shield soldiers, they not only wear heavy armor, but also hold a heavy shield one meter high and sixty centimeters wide in their hands. This heavy shield is covered with a layer of steel plate and weighs more than forty kilograms. In battle or on the march, it is a heavy burden for soldiers.
But the problem is that Ning Haijun is marching like a mule and horse. This heavy shield is directly inserted into the wall of the carriage during the march, forming a shield for the carriage. When necessary, the heavy shield and the support frame can be used. Can we form a shield wall, and use the sword and shield soldiers to cooperate with the spear soldiers, and let Jian Nu attack again?
"Master Fu, Master Sun, do you want the soldiers to practice for the elder's assessment?"
Fu Zonglong smiled and said: "Forget it about the drill. Although I am already dim-sighted, you can still tell at a glance whether a unit can fight. Ning Haijun is well-equipped and has high fighting spirit from top to bottom. It is obvious that he is a capable unit. It is incredible that you can train such an elite soldier in half a year!"
"Actually, it's not that difficult. Just copy Qi Shaobao's "New Book of Ji Xiao"!"
Fu Zonglong didn't take Cheng Shijie's perfunctory words seriously, and Sun Yuanhua just laughed it off.
Although Cheng Shijie claimed that Ning Haijun's training method came from Qi Jiguang's "New Book of Jixiao", in fact, Ning Haijun's training method was very similar to the Wei soldiers trained by Wu Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
The Wei Wuzu were a terrifying iron-blooded force during the Warring States Period. They were well-trained and well-equipped. The Wei Wuzu phalanx was like an unshakable Mount Tai, pressing firmly on the heads of the Shandong countries, making them shudder.
From the perspective of future generations, this is the first professional army in Chinese history. Each soldier has his own land and serfs, has a certain financial strength, can buy his own weapons and horses, and has a very high social status, so his morale is high. He was high-spirited and dared to fight. He was invincible in defeating all the countries in Shandong. Even Qin was defeated in front of the phalanx of Wei soldiers and lost nearly half of the country. If Wu Qi had not been tolerated by Wei, he had to run away. When they arrive at Chu State, it is uncertain whether the Wei army will attack Xianyang.
When the Qin Kingdom fought in Hexi, the Qin Iron Eagle warriors met the Wei soldiers. The Wei army was defeated worse than Maling. The elite soldiers and generals accumulated over the past century were almost wiped out...
This actually does not prove that the Wei soldiers are not as good as the Qin army. The Wei soldiers at the time of the Hexi defeat were no longer the Wei soldiers under Wu Qi's military power. At this time, the Wei soldiers were no longer as good as in terms of military training and social status. During the Wu Qi era, the land was being encroached upon bit by bit by the big landowners, and the treatment was getting worse day by day. They were no longer able to buy sophisticated equipment for themselves, but the burden increased, and the decline in combat power became inevitable.
Can’t the Ming Dynasty’s guardsmen fight?
In order to completely eliminate the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang began the first northern expedition in 1370. In the next 26 years, a total of eight northern expeditions were completed before the Northern Yuan forces were completely defeated. During the reign of Emperor Zhu Di, he even made five expeditions to Mobei and seven voyages to the Western Seas. The Ming Dynasty's guardsmen were also very capable of fighting.
At that time, almost all the guardsmen owned more than 100 acres of land. They had enough money to eat and drink, not to mention the hereditary military household system, which allowed those guardsmen to forget their fears and the things behind them, and work bravely. Kill the enemy.
In any military system, as long as the officials are not corrupt and the interests of the soldiers can be protected, the army can sweep across the country and be invincible. The same was true for the Tang Dynasty's imperial army system. When Guanzhong had more than 28 million acres of land and more than 200,000 Tang army Guanzhong imperial soldiers, they conquered the Eastern Turks in the north, conquered Goguryeo in the east, and destroyed the Western Turks and Gaochang in the west. They became famous. , when the land in Guanzhong was completely occupied by the noble families, the Tang Dynasty had no troops to use.
Cheng Shijie really wanted to build an army like Wei Wuzu. Each soldier had his own land and property, and his family members could receive more generous treatment, thereby enhancing their centripetal force so that they could focus on the battlefield and use the sword in their hands. To gain fame.
It is difficult for a group of beggar-like troops to win the war. Rogue bandits may be able to do so because they have no other choice. Guerrillas can do it as well, but regular troops definitely cannot. They will not have enough food and clothing to keep them warm. Once they die in battle, their whole family will starve. Damn, what combat effectiveness can such an army have?
Why doesn't Cheng Shijie equally share the land with ordinary people? Because the land resources in his country are limited. If it is equally divided, what will Ning Haijun do? If they have made meritorious deeds, what should they be rewarded for? What should be paid to the fallen soldiers?
Whether it's buying horse bones with thousands of gold, or buying people's hearts with invitations. In fact, they are all the same. Cheng Shijie wants to use his best efforts to make Ning Haijun soldiers and their families the first wealthy people in southern Liaoning. They have shed blood and made mistakes for Liaonan. Why can't future generations enjoy a wealthy material life?
Opportunities are also placed in front of everyone. Whether they are willing to seize them and whether they are willing to pay for them is everyone's business.
Fu Zonglong was very satisfied with Ning Haijun's mental outlook. When he arrived at the large tent of Ning Haijun's temporary military camp, only Cheng Shijie, Sun Yuanhua and Fu Zonglong were left.
Fu Zonglong said: "Cheng Jinglue!"
Cheng Shijie said: "Master Fu, Cheng's nickname is Beiping, which is the pseudonym chosen by Master Sun Futai. You can call me Beiping!"
"Beiping!"
Fu Zonglong looked at Sun Yuanhua.
Although Xu Guangqi said many times that the relationship between Cheng Shijie and Sun Yuanhua was just an ordinary superior-subordinate relationship, he even did not hesitate to expose himself, saying that Cheng Shijie bribed Sun Yuanhua's staff Xu Dacheng eight thousand taels of silver in order to become an official.
Because Xu Dacheng received the money, he recommended Cheng Shijie to Sun Yuanhua.
The ministers did not believe this statement. If they had a disciple like Cheng Shijie, let alone paying a bribe of eight thousand taels of silver, they would rather give Cheng Shijie eighty thousand taels of silver, no, even one hundred thousand taels of silver.
Now I heard from Cheng Shi that his cousin's nickname was given by Sun Yuanhua. Characters are usually given by elders or teachers. Sun Yuanhua was willing to give Cheng Shijie a nickname, and Cheng Shijie was willing to accept it. Could this be an ordinary relationship?
"Beiping!"
Fu Zonglong pondered and said: "Did you know? Originally, the imperial court only needed to appoint a doctor from the Ministry of Rites, or a chief minister. Why did I come to Jinzhou?"
"Beiping is stupid, please speak clearly, Mr. Fu!"
Fu Zonglong sighed and said: "Someone in the court is impeaching you for selling military rations for profit, plundering people's fat and anointing to use as military supplies, and building weapons in large quantities. It seems you have evil intentions!"
Cheng Shijie's expression changed slightly, but he immediately returned to normal, pretending to be indignant and yelling: "Which idiot did this? Isn't it too poisonous?"
Although Fu Zonglong did not see Cheng Shijie's general workshop, he could see from Ning Haijun's horse farm, a large number of military camps, and the equipment of Ning Haijun's officers that these impeachment remarks were not groundless.
Sun Yuanhua said with a look of disgust: "Do you still have to ask? It must be those censors and officials who did it!"
As early as when Sun Chengzong was managing Liaodong, he adopted fortress tactics, bit by bit oppressing the living space of the Jiannu, and adopted the method of cutting off food and aid, forcing the Jiannu into a desperate situation.
It doesn't take long, if you persist for five months or a year, the slaves will fall and scatter. Even though all the slave-building soldiers were strong, how could they be hungry for half a year? If they can stand up, they are capable.
It's a pity that Yushi Yanguan is like the trolls of later generations, no matter what the logic is, no matter what the reason. As long as you do things, you can spray.
These censors and officials had no real power, so they didn't have to do anything except curse people. They did two things all day long: scolding the emperor and finding fault with their colleagues.
It was very hard to be the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. If he made the slightest mistake, a large group of officials and censors would immediately rush in to chase him and beat him with green eyes and drooling eyes. It was not enough to prevent the emperor from bowing his head and admitting his mistake and pretending to be a grandson!
If the emperor is so angry that he wants to beat them up, that is even more desirable. For these guys, being on the imperial staff is definitely the most glorious experience. After a beating, their reputation will definitely rise, so many officials and censors They were all just looking for trouble, finding fault with the emperor out of nothing, and pointing their fingers at the emperor's nose and scolding them until they were bloody.
It's not that the emperor really made so many mistakes, but that these guys were itchy and wanted to deceive the imperial staff. They often made the emperor look livid but helpless.
As for evidence, for Yan Guan, that is never needed. Their duty is to report rumors, not to handle cases!
"Master Fu Mingjian, Cheng..."
Without waiting for Cheng Shijie to explain, Fu Zonglong smiled and said: "Beiping has just entered the official career and does not understand the way of being an official."
Fu Zonglong looked at Sun Yuanhua and said, "Brother Chuyang, you have been in official circles for a long time, why can't you give some advice to Beiping?"
Sun Yuanhua could only smile bitterly. Didn't he make any point?
The key is that Cheng Shijie must listen to him. He had already told Cheng Shijie that he would go to Beijing to face the Holy Spirit to cry poverty, but Cheng Shijie had his own plans.
Of course, Sun Yuanhua would not tear this layer of paper.
He mused: "Beiping, I also know that things are complicated in southern Liaoning, and slaves are often harassed. It is inconvenient for you to get out of it easily, but the problem is that there are some things that you need to appeal to His Majesty. Since Ning Haijun became an army Since then, the Ministry of War has not allocated a grain of food or a pair of armor, and it will not be easy for you!"
If Cheng Shijie couldn't understand what Sun Yuanhua meant, then his life would have been in vain all these years.
This is called milk for a crying child.
Fu Zonglong then lowered his voice and said: "This matter is not urgent now. After the autumn harvest, you will bring tens of thousands of stones of food to Beijing. It is really difficult for the court now. At that time, all rumors will be self-defeating!"
Cheng Shijie also knew that the court was difficult, but the problem was that there was no way to solve the difficulty. Many people think that the problem can be solved by killing all the gentry and dividing the land equally.
In fact, can it be solved?
The problem of Ming Dynasty is not only the land problem, but also the financial problem. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the sea ban has existed in name only. A large amount of money has been made through maritime trade. This money has been stored and has not been circulated. Now, with the natural and man-made disasters, many large households have dug out the money.
A large amount of money flowed into the market, causing inflation, which only made matters worse.
To solve the problem, there must be sufficient food and goods to meet market demand. What Cheng Shijie needs is to fill this gap. This is just like in the 1980s and 1990s in later generations. Any goods are scarce materials. As long as they are produced, they are money.
Cheng Shijie said: "This is very good. After the autumn, Cheng will prepare to go to Beijing with 200,000 shi of food!"
"Very good!"
Fu Zonglong left with the well-fed and well-fed officials of the capital. When he left temporarily, Cheng Shijie gave each of them a large gift package according to their official position.
Even the lowest ninth-grade official still has ten pounds of salt fish, dried kelp, a woolen cloth cloak woven with wool and cotton thread, or a new book by Xu Guangqi that has just been printed.
This set of hardcover books also has colorful pictures, and some of them include mutton jerky, horse jerky, crystal products, wood crafts (a model made at a scale of 20:1, which is a four-wheeled carriage), and Some items captured from the slaves, such as bone jewelry, bows, arrows, knives, guns, armors and other equipment.
Fu Zonglong and his party left with large and small bags, and Sun Yuanhua was also preparing to leave.
When Sun Yuanhua left, he quietly said to Cheng Shijie: "There is a letter from the Xiang family in Jiangxi. Beiping, don't be deceived!"
(End of chapter)
