Since the summer of the third year of Xingqing, the Song army advanced into Hexi, and the Song court immigrated to the border areas to work in the fields. Nearly one million immigrants from Sichuan have successively moved to various parts of Hexi, rebuilding their homes on the ruins and taking root tenaciously.
Fortunately, the Mongolian army only stayed in Hexi for a little more than a year. Although Hexi suffered a huge population loss, a large number of Sichuan immigrants entered, which could just fill the gap. But the cities, fortresses, houses and stations that had been devastated by the war had to be built brick by brick.
Immigrants entered Hexi, settled in various places in Hexi, and restored industry and commerce. Hexi established bureaus and dispatched officials to the four counties of Hexi and various counties and towns in Hexi to manage civil affairs, create new household registrations, encourage farmers to teach farming, settle prison lawsuits, and collect taxes. .
Four years later, the population of Hexi Road has reached nearly one million. The houses are in good shape and the city walls have been renovated. It is lively and prosperous. It is far from the miserable situation where the Song Army took over Hexi that day when it was deserted.
When the Mongolian army entered Hexi, the ruins and fertile fields were replaced by a bustling and fertile field.
Just four years later, because the number of immigrants was far greater than that of the indigenous people, and the officials were strict in governing the country, the security in Hexi was stable and there was no trouble.
Dunhuang City, the original Shazhou, has restored its original prosperity with the land reclamation and commercial prosperity. The people live and work in peace and contentment, and there is a prosperous scene.
In the "Hexi Restaurant" in the middle of the city's South Street, looking at Xili Lubu's figure, the shopkeeper Liu Dayi greeted him with a smile.
"Mr. Xili, you are here!"
The Xili family, the aristocratic family in Hexi in the past, has unfortunately lost its glory in the past few years, and most of its family property has been wasted and squandered.
"Shopkeeper Liu, don't call me Mr. Xili anymore. I'm just an ordinary citizen now."
Xili Lubu smiled and sat down at the table.
Liu Dayi is not an ordinary businessman. He has a big family and a large business. He has properties in Liangzhou, Ganzhou and other places. He has an unusual relationship with the officials of the Song Dynasty, and he does not dare to offend him.
"Shopkeeper Liu, it's the same as usual."
"Mr. Xi, I have a relative who has bought a new house, and he wants to buy some furniture. Do you still have it?"
Liu Dayi left, and a fat man with a round face surrounded him.
"No more now. But I still have two chairs and a square table, both made of huanghuali. Do you want them?"
"Mr. Xili, I have to ask my relative about this!"
Hearing that there was nothing good, the round-faced fat man lost all interest, and the smile on his face immediately disappeared. He sat aside, turned his head, and ate and drank by himself, no longer talking to Xili Lubu.
"Tell me carefully. If you want, I'll give it to you cheaper!"
Being cash-strapped, Xili Lubu was no longer ashamed.
"Okay, okay! Mr. Xili, just wait for my letter."
The round-faced fat man poured himself a drink without looking back.
Liu Dayi personally served the dishes, and another thin man came around and asked Xili Lubu.
"Mr. Xili, are you going to sell your house? That wealthy businessman Li Daguan is willing to pay a big price."
"If I sell my house, where will I live?"
Xili Lubu said with a smile on his face.
"Sell the big one and replace it with a small one. It will last you several years! Mr. Xili, go back and think about it carefully!"
The thin man poured himself a glass.
"Okay, I'll go back and think about it."
Xili Lubu picked up the wine glass and drank slowly.
"Ms. Xili, go back and think about it carefully. After passing this village, this shop will be gone!"
The thin man didn’t give up yet.
"I know, I know. Let me think about it."
Xilirubu nodded and began to think deeply.
"Think carefully!"
The thin man patted Xili Lubu on the shoulder and turned to leave.
"Mr. Xili, don't listen to that guy. Don't you know how evil he is?"
Liu Dayi came over and whispered in Xili Lubu's ear.
"Thank you so much, Shopkeeper Liu. Thank you very much."
"Xili Lubu, if you really want to sell your house, you can go to the government. Not to mention the stability, the money will not be less. You have so many relatives and friends in Lingzhou and Xingzhou. It's no better for you to do some business than anything else. ?”
Liu Dayi was kind-hearted. Seeing Lu Bu's confusion in the past, he gave him an idea.
"Thank you, Shopkeeper Liu, for reminding me!"
Xili Lubu nodded and suddenly spoke.
"Shopkeeper Liu, what do you think about me selling my house, taking my old family with me, and going to Southeast Asia or Africa? How about planting hundreds of acres of land and building a manor?"
"Mr. Xili, it seems you are not stupid either!"
Liu Dayi laughed.
"When you go to the South Sea, India, Ocean, and Africa, you don't have to worry about travelling. You can eat and drink and have enough to eat. Your family raised horses in the past. When you go to those places, there are many opportunities to show off your talents."
Traveling to Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, and Africa was a common sight in newspapers, and even Xili Lubu was interested in it.
"For me, it's mainly because I don't want to stay in Hexi anymore. I want to leave this sad place and start over."
At this moment, Xili Lubu was sober in a rare moment.
"Mr. Xili, as long as you feel comfortable."
After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he was about to leave, but was stopped by the thin man.
"Shopkeeper Liu, my dear husband, spring plowing has begun, why don't you go and take a look?"
"I won't go. The store is too busy. Xili Lubu, why don't you go and take a look? The pacifier Fan Xianggong and the county governor Jiang Xianggong are both there. By the way, we can get familiar with them. On the ground in Hexi, we still have to deal with these frontier giants. Official, one parent needs to have a good relationship with the official, right?"
Liu Dayi smiled and shook his head, but instead persuaded Xili Lubu.
"Shopkeeper Liu, I'm going to take a look. However, I want to ask about going to Southeast Asia and Africa."
"Mr. Xili, so your house is going to be sold?"
The thin man and the fat man followed Xili Lubu together.
Plowing is deep in autumn and shallow in spring. Spring plowing is like turning cakes, autumn plowing is like digging a well.
One inch of spring plowing can take up one manure. I refuse to be busy in spring plowing, and my face turns yellow from hunger after autumn.
Five miles outside the south city of Dunhuang, east of Yangguan Town, there is a field with a sea of people, gongs and drums, and a lively atmosphere.
On the ground, on a square table with three animals and fruit cakes, several officials from Anxi County and a group of local wealthy people were burning incense to pay homage to the emperor's thick earth. Everyone bowed down and bowed three times, showing great humility.
Fan Zhong, the pacifying envoy of Hexi Province, Jiang Wanli, the governor of Dunhuang County, and Mu Zanglehu, a famous Dunhuang clan, followed, followed by a group of local gentry and celebrities, and paid homage in accordance with the ceremony. As the speech in honor of the gods of heaven and earth was read, the atmosphere at the scene reached climax.
Amid the cheers of the people, Fan Zhong, the pacifying envoy of Hexi Province, and Jiang Wanli, the prefect of Dunhuang County, each helped the plow in person, followed the plowing oxen, and demonstrated using oxen to plow the fields to signify the start of spring plowing.
"In previous years, the spring plowing was either done by high-ranking officials and wealthy families in Shazhou, or there was none at all. I didn't expect that now it's the pacification envoys and prefects. It's really rare to see them!"
Among the people watching, some people said with emotion.
"Don't you understand this? In the past, it was those powerful people who were showing off and showing off. Then the Tatar army came and the entire Shazhou was almost killed. Then the Song army came again and took food again. , but also taking seeds, farming tools, cattle and horses, this is how to behave, otherwise how can you convince others?"
A man in his thirties said lazily. Judging from his bald hair, golden ring, and leather robe with left lapels, he must be from the Dangxiang clan.
"I didn't hide Sun Hu, don't talk nonsense!"
As soon as the man who spoke finished speaking, he was pushed back by the middle-aged man in a green cotton robe next to him.
"You haven't been in Shazhou for so long, why haven't you seen you giving out a liter of grain to the poor? The Tatar army has come, and how many people have died without you? Don't you know how many people have died in Shazhou? If you hadn't happened to be away in Shazhou , you are dead without a collector! Now that you are back, you have food and drink, what do you have to complain about? I still want to be your rich son, just go ahead and dream!"
Sun Hu's face turned red, but he didn't say a word.
Although Jiao Er's words are unpleasant, they are all true. What he was dissatisfied with was that the more than ten hectares of fertile land that originally belonged to his family had been confiscated by the government and classified as public land or distributed to common people and military households who came to Hexi to farm.
"If you don't hide Sun Hu, you can save your life. Just be content. The pacifying envoy and the prefect Xianggong are all upright officials who love the people like their own children. There are no private fields in Hexi that don't pay taxes. If you want to farm, you can just pay to rent the land." Well, you have to pay taxes anyway. If you don’t pay taxes before, that won’t happen anymore!”
Hexi's pacification envoy's government decreed that both merchant and civilian villages must pay taxes after three years. What the sergeants sow belongs to the government, and there are two types of civilian villages: those where the government hires people to do the work, and the government provides seeds and cattle, and those who grow it are seven for the people and three for the officials. As for what the people sow, they own it and pay taxes.
"That's what Gao Shilian said. Think about what it was like a few years ago. Now this Shazhou is finally lively again."
A gray-haired old man named Dangxiang was full of emotions.
"Hexi, we must never fight again!"
Another old man shook his head and sighed.
Years of war have resulted in a sharp decline in population, with most places barely surviving. Fertile farmland has become wasteland, with skeletons everywhere and hundreds of miles of uninhabited land. When the Song army came, all the wasteland was turned into official land and returned to the government. The government will then farm the land by soldiers, merchants, and immigrant people, and the produce will belong to the government and the merchants and people who farm the land.
Every day, in the fields, groups of soldiers and civilians go out early and come back late, busy in the fields. After four years of recovery, Hexi is finally back to life.
"Ms. Jiang, I don't have much education and don't know how to do calculations. Please help me do the calculations."
Dong Si raised his dark face and rubbed his hands in coarse clothes, feeling a little embarrassed. The group of farmers next to him also pricked up their ears, listening and observing carefully.
"The villain's family has rented and cultivated one hundred and twenty acres of land. How much will they get when the autumn harvest comes?"
Jiang Wanli kicked the mud off his shoes, pondered for a moment and said: "Dong Si, you have planted 120 acres of land. According to the approximate output, it is about 120 shi. You get 84 shi, and the government gets 36 shi." Stone, clear as day.”
"Ms. Jiang, what if there is a natural or man-made disaster?"
A man next to him asked with a smile on his face.
"A natural or man-made disaster?"
Jiang Wanli smiled slightly and continued:
"If it is a natural or man-made disaster and the arrears exceed 10% or less than 30% of the usual amount, the government will collect 15% less. If it exceeds 30%, the government will waive the tax for that year. However, the government will at least ensure that you have enough to eat. If you produce If you don’t have enough food to eat, the government will subsidize you so that you don’t go hungry.”
Everyone laughed.
This kind of government is convincing.
"Ms. Jiang, you won't charge more taxes, right?"
Seeing that the prefect's husband also had a muddy face, the people next to him became much bolder and continued to ask.
"Ten taxes are one, and everyone is the same. There are no other exorbitant taxes, so you can rest assured."
The tax of one out of ten is also because the people have enough land. Twenty acres per person is far different from the three or four acres per person in the original Song Dynasty.
The people work hard in farming, and the tax burden is huge. However, Hexi is special. There are mostly cattle and horses, and irrigation is convenient. Compared with the interior, especially north of the Yangtze River, life is much better.
As more and more immigrants flock to Hexi, I am afraid that this cultivated land will soon be used up.
"When Mr. Jiang said this, I feel at ease. If I had known it, I would have rented more land this year and gotten more!"
Dong Si said with a smile. Renting more land is nothing more than hiring more people to farm it. In the end, it is you who will profit.
"Fourth brother, if your family of five has a harvest of 120 shi, this 86 shi harvest will be enough for a year, so you should be satisfied."
Among the crowd, some hired workers spoke enviously.
Dong Si shook his head and replied: "It's enough to eat, but this firewood, salt and meat tea, illness and other illnesses all cost money, and the burden is not light!"
Everyone nodded, and Jiang Wanli was helpless.
People's livelihood is very difficult. In today's world, it is good to have enough to eat.
On the ground, Fan Zhong nodded with satisfaction when he saw Jiang Wanli mingling with the people.
This Jiang Wanli is indeed a talent. After a few more years of training, he can be put to great use.
Looking to the west, Fan Zhong couldn't help but frown.
Hundreds of horses galloped in, and smoke billowed. The knight on horseback arrived, rolled his saddle and dismounted.
"Xiangong Fan, the Gaochang Uighurs invaded Yangguan Town and are heading towards Dunhuang, which is only thirty miles away!"
"Where is our Song Dynasty border army?"
Fan Zhong was shocked, but his face remained calm.
"Zhang Tongzhi has sent a military order, and the three armies of Tiaoyang Pass, Yumen Pass, and Dunhuang are going to intercept! The officers and soldiers of our battalion are here to cover the return of the husband and others to the city."
Fan Zhong nodded, thought for a moment, and immediately passed on the order.
"Let all the people retreat to Dunhuang. Don't panic, there will be a large army ahead to kill the enemy."
Dunhuang, Yumen Pass, and Yangguan are all important border towns. With ten thousand elite soldiers, how many soldiers and horses of the Gaochang Uighurs dare to invade?
I hope you won’t miss this spring plowing.
