What the prince said was true, which made all the officials present look embarrassed, especially the new Minister of Civil Affairs, Du Yinxi.
The current situation in Shaanxi is like this. It is so poor that even the reserve officials selected from the palace examination do not want to accept the appointment. Even if they are to be a low-ranking and unqualified official elsewhere, they will not go to Shaanxi.
It doesn't matter if you are poor, rogue bandits are elusive and difficult to guard against. Not only can you make little money, but you can easily risk your life there. As long as you receive an order to go to Shaanxi, you can avoid this disaster by pretending to be ill.
If pressed further, those who have money at home and no worries about food and drink will simply resign. Anyone who goes to Shaanxi to take up a post will either have no money, no connections, or neither.
It’s okay to keep chatting awkwardly. The prince suddenly chatted to death. After mentioning this, no one could continue...
Yao Ji smiled meaningfully and found a step: "Isn't this a good place for surfing the sand? I'm not afraid that no one will go, but I'm afraid that everyone will rush to go!"
Even Xue Guoguan and Sun Chuanting, fellow Shaanxi fellows, were confused by what he said and couldn't figure out the prince's background. Of course they knew the virtues of their hometown.
It was a great blessing for the local people that Zuo Maodi, one of the three heroes of Shandong, could go to Hancheng to be the magistrate. After hearing about this, even Xue Guoguan felt relieved about his hometown.
It's a pity that there are very few capable and courageous talents like Zuo Maodi. Most of them are people who want to seduce others and enrich their own pockets. The imperial court's expectation of such people to revitalize Shaanxi is nothing more than a daydream.
It would be a bit unkind to let Zuo Maodi take office empty-handed. At any rate, he can be regarded as one of the loyal and capable ministers in the late Ming Dynasty: "Don't worry Zuo Aiqing, I will be extraordinarily merciful to Yan Jizu and order him to rectify it." Shandong. When Aiqing takes office in Shaanxi, she will naturally give some big greeting gifts to the folks in the land of Sanqin!"
One portion is not enough for the folks in the northwest to eat and drink enough. If you want to give away, just give out a few more at a time to let the folks eat until they are full. Whether they can eat it depends on whether everyone can survive until then.
"I give Aiqing Shangfang's sword to Aiqing. All civil servants in Shaanxi can be judged by Aiqing. They can be killed first and then reported. Sun Aiqing can judge the military generals in Shaanxi. There is no distinction between civil and military ranks. Violations will be punished by law. If you want to make them guilty and meritorious, you can report and explain. Details, this is one.”
Separate the civil and military forces first, and learn from the experience and lessons of Liaodong, so as not to catch them like Governor Yuan, and end up with a big tail in the end.
Shaanxi has a vast territory and is far away from the capital. By the time Zuo Maodi reported to the prince, several days had passed in local time.
It is not an exaggeration to give him arbitrary power. Zuo Maodi has both ability and political integrity and good conduct, so he is unlikely to do anything treacherous.
It is safe to leave all the generals who are similar to bandits under the control of Sun Chuanting. Without Lao Suntou to curb them, these generals of the Qin army will not be far away from going to the house to unveil the tiles.
"The imperial court allocates two million taels of silver in relief-for-work funds at one time, specifically for the restoration of production in various parts of Shaanxi. The amount will still reach this amount next year. All agricultural taxes in Shaanxi are exempted, and commercial taxes are levied at the rate of one in ten taxes. The price of grain must not exceed five taels and one stone. Shaanxi can keep half of the tax money for himself and the rest to Taicang, the Ministry of Revenue. If there are people who violate regulations such as speculation, unauthorized raising of grain prices, etc., Aiqing can punish them first and then report them. If the circumstances are particularly bad, If they are found guilty, they can be dealt with severely and severely. If the relief food is difficult to control, it can be supplied on a per capita rationing basis. This is the second option."
Yaoji no longer plans to receive much money from Shaanxi. The 50% commercial tax is just what it means. Zuo Maodi can absorb most of it on his own. If he wants to squeeze some money out of a poor place like Shaanxi, then What an unrealistic idea.
Regarding the high food prices in various markets in Shaanxi, we must increase management efforts. Once food prices soar, ordinary people will not be able to buy much food with just one tael of silver, and the imperial court's rule over Shaanxi will basically end. .
The things Shaanxi merchants did were almost the same as those of their counterparts next door. They would rather starve the people to death, but also hoard as much as they could. In the end, they were pocketed by the bandits along with their family property and food. Their immorality was roughly equal to that of stupidity.
"Guanzhong and Ningxia have many rivers and abundant irrigation, so they can still continue to grow wheat. In other places with extreme water shortages, droughts will continue in recent years. If you continue to grow grains, you may not be able to harvest much, so you must switch to other crops, such as potatoes. and sweet potatoes. These two crops are not only drought-resistant, but also consume low water. They are simple to plant and easy to maintain. Most importantly, they have high yields. According to the information I got from the fairy world, poor land can produce about one stone of potatoes per acre. The amount of fertile land can be two or three stones. If Shaanxi can be self-sufficient for most of it, and with the government's allocation, all the food shortages can be made up, then Min will be determined, and the problem of rogue bandits can be eradicated. This is the third point."
In later generations, the yield of potatoes per mu is about one ton. Taking into account factors such as seed type, irrigation and rainfall, farming methods, fertilization effects, etc., it is relatively easy to achieve one-fifth of the yield. One stone per mu of potatoes can be obtained regardless of drought or flood. Local people They all went crazy with joy.
There are different opinions on the grain yield per mu in the Ming Dynasty, but the lower estimate is 1.2 shi per mu, and the higher estimates are 1.3 shi per mu in the north and 2.6 shi in the south. Calculated based on the conversion of one stone to 180-190 city catties, this output was not low at the time.
But by the end of the Ming Dynasty, under the influence of successive natural disasters and man-made disasters, there was a severe drought in the north, especially in Shaanxi. The yield per mu of land could be halved, or even a fraction of 0.3 shi was left, which was already considered thankful.
Yaoji originally wanted to add equally high-yield crops such as sorghum and corn, but these two crops were too large when they were about to mature. Once a locust plague occurred, it would be difficult for the people to take care of them.
Compared with the two short and fat crops that are "fat and round", growing these two things is not worth the gain. It is about to have a big harvest, but locusts have taken the lead. I am afraid that the farmers are even thinking about death. .
The prince's three strategies made Zuo Maodi very happy. If they were brought to Shaanxi, as long as the decree is implemented, the situation will be greatly improved: "Your Highness, I also learned about these two things from the legacy of Xu Guangqi, my predecessor. If we can farm properly in Shaanxi, the people can make a living on their own. On behalf of the people of Shaanxi, I kneel down to thank Your Highness for your kindness!"
As long as the yield per mu is guaranteed to be one stone, or even half a stone in the worst case, the large-scale famine in Shaanxi can be effectively curbed. The people will naturally be well fed and will not join the bandits, and the disaster that has caused them for many years will be put down.
Things have to be done step by step, especially in a down-to-earth manner. Directly making millions of people in Shaanxi rich is just talk. With the combined effect of many favorable government decrees, the desire to make a living is relatively easy to realize.
Of course, Yao Ji will not rest assured. Everything must be planned carefully in order to get twice the result with half the effort: "People may have doubts about new crops. Officials from various places in Shaanxi and Xi'an must patiently explain the reasons. I will also order printing to plant potatoes and sweet potatoes." Methods and precautions. Moreover, farmers should be encouraged to plant these two crops. The imperial court will provide seeds for free. Under the supervision of relevant personnel, in the first year, the farmer will be rewarded with one coin of silver per acre of each type. There is no upper limit for the amount. As long as there is a harvest in the first year and tangible benefits are seen, the enthusiasm of the remaining farmers will be effectively mobilized, and they can be widely planted without the need for supervision from the county. Aiqing also needs to pay for work. Shaanxi is already short of water. If the rainfall and snowfall cannot be collected, it will be a huge waste. If the water network in the Guanzhong area is not affected by the severe drought, many canals can be opened. , implement south-to-north irrigation, and use water from southern Shaanxi to irrigate the dry land in northern Shaanxi. The specific situation will be inspected by Aiqing on the spot and demonstrated by water conservancy experts from the Ministry of Industry. It must be cautious and rigorous. If it can be done, the imperial court will allocate funds. It must be built in various places. If there is no rainfall in the summer, the snow in the winter can be filled into the reservoir, and when it melts in the spring, it will be a pool of water."
It is simply a joke to ask Zuo Maodi to lead a group of people who are about to starve to pray for rain. It is better to ask for help than to ask for help. If you have this time, you can build more water conservancy facilities.
The pool is easy to repair, and must be repaired in every county. Once repaired, it can be put into use immediately. As long as it falls from the sky, whether it is rain, hail or snow, if it is collected in tons, it will be a treasure.
Canals are difficult to repair, but they still need to be explored and tested. Although they cost a lot of money, once they are built, they can last for decades or even thousands of years, such as the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project.
When preparations are sufficient, and if God still doesn't help, then we can directly dig up the Yellow River and plug the Ningxia side to the south of the Yangtze River and turn it into the northwest...
After hearing the prince's plan, Zuo Maodi couldn't help but secretly admired him. Although the prince was young, he had obtained the true inheritance of the great ancestor of the immortal world, and the government orders he issued were very thorough and more appropriate than the mature and solemn ministers in the court.
Yaoji stretched out his little hand and gestured to Zuo Maodi: "My dear, please don't get excited. I haven't mentioned the project to increase the silver inventory of Shaanxi Mansion yet!"
These words aroused the curiosity in the hearts of Xue Guoguan and Sun Chuanting. If the prince spoke of Chrysostom, it would not be empty talk, and his words would definitely be shocking.
"Go to the court and send someone to bring that wooden barrel over!"
Yaoji asked the craftsman to make a large quasi-oval wooden barrel, which was similar in shape to a barrel containing red wine.
"Have you seen it, Aiqing? As long as you fill a barrel of oil and transport it from Shaanxi to the capital, I will only get five taels of silver!"
I originally wanted to say three taels, but the journey is far away and it is not easy for oil transport workers to sleep in the open. They also have to worry about fires and explosions, so let's increase it to five taels.
When Zuo Maodi got up and saw this object, he was still a little strange in his mind. Hearing the bounty set by the prince, he couldn't help but be moved, but where did Shaanxi get the oil?
Seeing his expression, Yaoji explained: "The Geography of the Han Dynasty written by Ban Gu of the Han Dynasty recorded that in Gaonu County, Shangjun, 'there is water, and the fertilizer can burn'!" Shen Kuo of the Song Dynasty also inspected and studied the same area. And it was recorded in "Mengxi Bi Tan" that the word 'petroleum' was proposed. Kerosene is derived from petroleum and is used for lighting and burning."
There is a scale inside this wooden barrel. As long as the water reaches the scale, it is one hundred kilograms. The density of oil is lighter than water, and the weight of oil is close to one stone.
Gaonu County in the Eastern Han Dynasty was the extension of the Ming Dynasty. Due to its shallow burial depth, the Yanchang Oilfield has been the easiest oil field to exploit since ancient times. It was exploited in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Northern Zhou Dynasty, Northern Song Dynasty and other dynasties, but the scale was not large.
The prince's words were so detailed that Zuo Maodi felt a little ashamed and hurriedly added: "What your Highness said is true, but I was negligent for a moment. There is indeed a record of this oil being produced in Yanchang, Shaanxi. Kerosene has always been a weapon for defending cities, and it is also It can be used for lighting for the people, and if it is mined vigorously, it can benefit the people a lot!"
Since the prince is interested, after a government decree, there are many people waiting for relief in Yanchang, so it will be much easier to mine. The prince can offer this price, which is not unreasonable.
What could be easier to make money these days than oil extraction?
Yaoji did not forget to continue to stimulate Zuo Maodi: "If Aiqing can transport 10,000 barrels to the capital, the Ministry of Household Affairs will pay 50,000 taels of silver. If he delivers 100,000 barrels, he will get 500,000 taels! Two hundred thousand barrels will be It’s one million taels, there’s no upper limit, it just depends on how many Shaanxi people Aiqing can mobilize to extract oil!”
Zuo Maodi was very excited. It is no exaggeration to say that the Yanchang Oilfield is simply a gold mine, and it can bring in one million taels of silver to the Shaanxi government treasury in one year.
Li Daiwen, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, was even more excited than the governor of Shaanxi. As soon as the prince touched his lips, the Ministry of Households lost one million taels of silver. Who could bear it?
The Ministry of Revenue in Taicang now only has more than three million taels of silver. The confiscated properties have not been discounted, and another two million taels of silver have to be paid for Shaanxi disaster relief. Before that, the money for building the mountain city has not been paid, and Li Daiwen has already Almost exhausted.
Even if 200,000 barrels could really be transported, that would be 18,000 tons of oil. Excluding military use, there would be basically nothing left if it were distributed across the country.
Isn't the most powerful one among the braids heavy infantry wearing triple armor?
Give each of them a bucket of oil to try, they are guaranteed to be cooked properly!
Daoshan may not be able to arrange it well, but with the Yanchang Oilfield, the sea of fire on the battlefield is definitely possible.
If you think you are invulnerable, heat-resistant and resistant to burning, then come over and try it...
In all my life, I have never seen an enemy who is not afraid of flamethrowers!
Not to mention anything else, I am very hospitable. I will prepare 10,000 barrels of oil for you first, just in case you don’t dare to come over then!
Yao Ji didn't care about money at all, so he calculated an account for the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue: "Maybe Li Aiqing is worried about money? Let's think about it this way. When Donglu entered the pass and robbed, which time didn't he take away millions of taels of silver? The imperial court If you spend one million taels of silver to buy 200,000 barrels of oil, how can you burn and burn thousands of Donglu? I think that as long as it is used to defend the country, no matter how much money is spent, it is still worth it! Furthermore, To use work-for-relief means to hire more laborers. This million taels of silver spent in northern Shaanxi is actually well spent!"
I would rather spend all my money on oil than let you snatch it away.
Instead of throwing away one million taels of silver to distribute grain relief and then lose it after eating it, you can at least still see 200,000 barrels of oil, right?
Whoever feels that this method is not appropriate should come up with a better method.
Li Daiwen knew that the one hundred taels of silver could not be saved, so he compromised: "Your Highness interpreted it this way, with clear advantages and disadvantages, which made the foolish minister suddenly understand and no longer dare to refute!"
Everyone here is smart. If this method is not used to provide relief to Shaanxi, it will mean that the court will need to subsidize it year after year, and the northwest will become a huge bottomless pit, which the prince cannot tolerate.
