After the grain distribution was over, the villagers were already very fond of the new county magistrate, and they were all gearing up and preparing for a big fight.
Gu Zhengchen looked at the people who had calmed down, took out a document from his sleeve and handed it to Li He in the workshop: "Read it to everyone."
Li He took the document, cleared his throat, and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty's kindness is as wide as the world. The Tatar captives have become obedient people. They should be properly resettled and farmed in the fields like the people. There are currently 2,200 Fifty-six people will be registered as Jurong residents and become Jurong citizens..."
"Two thousand two hundred and fifty-six people?"
The expressions of Wu Mazi, Ma Li and others changed.
Everyone looked at each other.
When recruiting for the Long March, they were talking about 1,236 prisoners. What else could they say, hurry up and work hard, maybe you can catch the autumn harvest.
Damn you, you're a liar.
Can more than one thousand and more than two thousand be the same thing?
According to this situation, we still can't work until November?
The county magistrate is also true, there are so many prisoners, why not recruit more people and simply finish the work early so as not to delay the autumn harvest.
Clang!
The gong rang and the scene fell silent.
Li He continued to read: "However, the autumn harvest in Jurong is coming soon, so as not to miss the farming work. The county leader has decided on the construction strategy as follows. Listen carefully: resettle 2,256 people and build 376 houses... eh ?”
"Three hundred and seventy-six rooms?"
Li He's eyes widened and he turned to Gu Zhengchen after confirming that he had read it correctly.
The county magistrate Liu Boqin, the chief secretary, and the official Chen Zhong were also dumbfounded.
In the past, the court had to house a thousand people, and the county magistrate had to build 400 houses. Now the court suddenly has nearly doubled the number of prisoners. Shouldn't you double the number and build seven or eight hundred houses?
Even if it doesn't double, it shouldn't be reduced, because one thatched hut would have to accommodate six people! County Lord, there are six people and six beds. If you put them in a thatched hut, do you still have room to turn around?
Zhao Doubei wanted to step forward to persuade, but Liu Boqin stretched out his hand to hold him back.
Liu Boqin looked at Gu Zhengchen coldly. Although this guy won the hearts of the people with his behavior, he could not win the support of the county government officials!
In previous years, when the corvee was collected, why only one dou of rice was given to the people? Because everyone in the county government had to eat and support their families!
Gu Zhengchen did something like this and distributed the full amount of rice to these people. How could the county officials and government servants do this in a fair and clear way?
Without this gray income, how will everyone live?
Since he has taken it upon himself to reduce the number of houses, let him do it and watch how he delivers to the court!
After so many prisoners were settled, the imperial court would definitely send the censor to check. When the censor saw the room full of beds and listened to the prisoners' complaints, as long as they reported it, Gu Zhengchen, the county magistrate, would be done.
Everyone in the six rooms knew that there was a fatal flaw in Gu Zhengchen's arrangement, but they all looked at it silently.
Zhou Mao from the official office hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, stood up, and shouted: "The County Lord..."
"The county magistrate, if you build 376 thatched huts, you can't accommodate 2,256 people, right?"
Lu Wu bravely shouted.
Ma Ma came out and said seriously: "The county magistrate doesn't know something. The thatched house is not big, so putting six beds in it is too crowded and very inconvenient. To be honest, although putting three beds is a bit cramped, it is common in ordinary people's homes." .To house 2,256 people, 752 rooms will be built as needed."
Gu Zhengchen looked at Ma Li with some surprise in his eyes: "Listening to you talking, it sounds like you have read a book?"
Ma Li handed over his hand: "To be honest with the county magistrate, my father is a private school teacher. He has learned some lessons from me, but he is just stupid and has never passed the examination."
Gu Zhengchen nodded, looked at everyone, and shouted loudly: "I am from Teng County, Shandong Province. When I was young, I was homeless and fled to many provinces. How can I not know the hardships of the people? Summer harvest and autumn harvest are not only important events for the people, but also A major national event!”
"I'm telling you, no one can delay this autumn harvest! I want 376 houses, which will be completed on the 20th. After completion, I will go back to harvest rice! Everyone is a laborer at home, and the general We can’t let old and weak women harvest crops, right?”
"The county magistrate!"
Ma Li burst into tears.
Lu Wu, Wu Dacheng, Wu Mazi and other gentlemen wanted to cry at this moment.
Gu Zhengchen looked at Liang Bin in the household and said something. Liang Bin turned around and arranged for someone to bring out a large box.
Everyone looked at Gu Zhengchen in confusion.
Gu Zhengchen took the gong from the officer's hand, banged it twice, and shouted to everyone: "You heard clearly, the prisoner placement time is tight, and it is different from other corvee recruitment. Your Majesty understands the righteousness, and charters this Officials use extraordinary methods and do extraordinary things!"
"I'm here to set the rules for you and set the specifications for thatched houses and other construction. After twenty days, I will check and accept it! If it is completed on time, you can take away two hundred dollars! If it is not completed, you will not have a penny, and you will have to carry your rice bags. go home!"
As he spoke, a box was pushed down, and with a crash, copper coins flowed out and piled up!
Liu Boqin stared at Zhao Doubei with wide eyes.
Zhao Doubei opened his mouth so wide that his jaw almost dropped in shock.
Chen Zhong and other people from the Yamen also exclaimed.
Looking at the people who were doing corvées, they all looked at the copper coins on the ground with wide eyes, and they were extremely shocked.
Give money?
Ma Li was breathing heavily.
I have never heard of anyone being paid for doing corvee work, and it’s not a small amount!
Two hundred dollars, that's a lot of money!
Everyone has a miserable life. Who has seen so much money?
"Master County Master, let's do it! We'll make sure it's completed on the 20th!"
Lu Wu scratched his neck and his face turned red.
"Yes, it will be completed on the 20th!"
a crowd shouted.
You have to fight for whatever you say!
Gu Zhengchen struck the gong again, walked to another box, and said in a deep voice: "For this construction, the county government only issued specifications and did not send supervisors. I don't care how you arrange the construction. I only say one word and every time you advance, If we finish it on the same day, you can get fifty more coins!"
"This this……"
Wu Mazi was a little unable to speak, and his hands were trembling.
Ma Li clenched his fists, his whole body full of strength.
Gu Zhengchen took out the drawings from his arms and shouted: "From now on, you must allocate manpower reasonably, how many sawmakers, how many carpenters, how many builders, knotters, laborers, how to build the thatched house as quickly as possible, how to Let’s work together to get this thing done well. I don’t need to say anything more. Select your foreman, ask him to come and get the drawings, and then—start work!”
Although many people are illiterate, when it comes to construction and other tasks, they are completely experts. They know how to arrange manpower, what to do first, what to do later, what to do simultaneously, where more people are needed and where fewer people are needed. They all know it from afar. He knows much more than a layman like Gu Zhengchen.
In the countryside, who is an expert, who knows how to organize, and who has prestige is also known from street to street.
The foreman was elected and everyone approved of it.
Liu Boqin walked to Gu Zhengchen's side and said with a gloomy face: "County Lord, is this inappropriate? This money is the county's treasury silver, which is related to the county government, inspection department, county schools, etc. salaries, daily expenses, reception and delivery, etc. It is unjustifiable to pay them in this way! What’s more, using His Majesty’s name to resort to extraordinary means, if the higher-ups knew about this, wouldn’t the county magistrate be afraid of losing his head?”
Gu Zhengchen looked at the people. He originally planned to spend a thousand dollars. Who would have thought that only six buckets of rice a month would make them happy. At this time, there was no need for too much stimulation. Just a little extra money would be enough for them to concentrate. work.
Two hundred guan of money, divided among 800 people, 250 yuan per person.
The construction period was twenty days, and the amount of work done in one day was less than thirteen cents.
This number is not much.
Gu Zhengchen glanced at Liu Boqin and said sternly: "If you don't tell me about using His Majesty's name, and if he doesn't tell me, he won't get wind of going to Jinling, right? Also, no one said that they would use the county treasury money to pay. them."
"Then the county magistrate, this is..."
Liu Boqin pointed to a pile of copper coins on the ground.
Gu Zhengchen said calmly: "Oh, give them a shot of chicken blood..."
"What?"
Liu Boqin was confused.
Get chicken blood. There are no chickens here, and there is no blood. There are only copper coins.
The foreman quickly selected eight people.
Gu Zhengchen asked Liu Boqin and others to lead the team first and took the people to the north of the city. He discussed the construction specifications with the eight foremen. After asking for their names, he took out the drawings and handed them to Ma Li, one of the foremen, and said to everyone: "We built 376 thatched huts. According to the old methods, it is absolutely impossible to accommodate 2,256 people, so I have to be careful."
Ma Ma is a carpenter and can understand drawings and rulers. He unfolded the drawings and looked at Gu Zhengchen with a puzzled look on his face: "County Master, what is this?"
Sawmaker Wu Mazi, knot maker Xu Erjiu, timber builder Guo He and others gathered around and were stunned when they looked at the strange things on the drawings.
Guo He examined the drawing, frowned and said, "This thing looks like a two-layer shelf, but is this shelf wider?"
Wu Mazi followed: "I looked at it. The bottom looks like a couch. What is the use of the top?"
Gu Zhengchen smiled and explained: "This is a bed, a kind of bunk bed, with upper and lower bunks. One bed can accommodate two people. In this way, with three beds in the thatched house, six people can be accommodated. , and does not take up more space.”
"Bunk bed?"
Ma Li and others looked at each other, having never heard of it.
In ancient times, there were mainly two types of sleeping equipment: beds and couches.
A place where people sit and lie down is called a bed; a place that is long, narrow and humble is called a couch.
The bed is larger, wider and relatively higher, suitable for two people to roll around wrapped in sheets.
But the couch is long and narrow, so only one person can wrap herself in sheets.
The drawing that Gu Zhengchen took out was later said to be a bunk bed. In the Ming Dynasty, it was probably called a bunk bed, just a little wider.
There were no bunk beds in ancient times. After all, there was no need for them.
But when it comes to relocating the population, don’t worry about it so much.
What's more, Tatars are used to living in yurts, and it's common for six people to live in a yurt. Such an arrangement can be regarded as respecting their living habits, and it can also develop a friendship between bunk beds...
The wooden bunk bed is reinforced with mortise and tenon connections. There is no technical problem, but it is just a waste of time.
The futon is dented.
An old monk sat upright, with kind eyebrows and kind eyes, turning the Buddha beads in his hand, and asked the young monk at the door: "Why did the monks from Chongming Temple in Jurong come to Tianjie Temple?"
