Farmer of Shu Han

The county seat of Wudu County is not in Wudu County, but in Xiabian County.

Because Xiabian has the largest valley and plain in Wudu, and the various rivers flowing down from the Qinling Mountains bring abundant water, it is known as the small granary in Longyou.

Therefore, it is the most important grain-producing area and population gathering area in Wudu.

How important is it?

Controlling here is equivalent to controlling Wudu.

This is very similar to the whole Longyou.

Although the Longyou region may seem large, in fact, the main grain-producing areas are concentrated in Tianshui County.

Controlling Tianshui County is equivalent to controlling more than half of Longyou.

The counties around Tianshui are all guards to protect the core of Tianshui County from being intruded.

Of course, due to the improvement of farming tools and cultivation level, the area from Pingxiang to the north to Zuli can also be used as a reclamation area.

This is also the reason why Feng Yong set the governing seat of Huqiang Xiaowei's Mansion in Pingxiang.

In addition to supporting the Longshan Pass in the east, threatening Liangzhou in the west, and receiving support from the Longyou Governor's Mansion in the south, it is also convenient for reclamation and reduces the pressure on food transportation.

But this area of ​​reclamation can only be maintained for the daily use of Huqiang Xiaowei's Mansion.

In wartime, the need for food and grass increased sharply, and we still had to rely on the rear.

Although dry food has been widely promoted in the military, although Dongfeng Express has a higher transportation efficiency than this era.

But no matter how you change it, you can't change the constraints of the times.

If it is said that others can transport grain for thousands of miles, they can get one point very well, and Dongfeng Express can only increase one point to three or four points.

So in the past two years, the pressure on grain transportation has always existed.

It is a very important task for Longyou to realize self-sufficiency as soon as possible.

Wudu County connects Longyou and Hanzhong, and Xiabian County is a small granary, so it is naturally the target of vigorous development.

However, the position of the lower debate is a bit special.

The West Han River does not pass through Xiabian, that is to say, Xiabian County is not on the main road between Hanzhong and Longyou.

On the contrary, Wudu County, named after Wudu, is not the county seat of Wudu County, but it happens to be located on the edge of the West Han River.

After Wudu County, the rest of the journey is along the mountain road formed by the West Han River, which is the most difficult.

Therefore, Wudu County can be regarded as the most important transit point between Qishan Fort and Hanzhong, and Dongfeng Express will naturally establish a warehouse here.

When Feng Yong and his party arrived in Wudu County, they did not live in the post house, but lived in the stronghold of Dongfeng Express.

This time, the rain was continuous, and there was no sunny day at all. After the heavy rain, the sky was still gloomy, and the sparse light rain continued.

When God had enough rest, the light rain turned into heavy rain again.

Xu Xun was afraid that Feng Yong would continue to forcibly move forward, so he found an opportunity to pull Li Yi together to persuade him.

Feng Yong, who had changed into dry clothes, sat casually on the floor mat, looking at the rain outside the window with a leisurely expression, and the ginger tea on the short table was steaming.

Seeing Xu Xun and Li Yi coming hand in hand, Feng Yong was a little surprised:

"After driving such a long distance in the rain, everyone is tired. Why don't Wenxuan and Yuande take a rest? Sit down and drink some ginger tea to drive away the cold."

With that said, he personally poured a cup of tea for the two of them.

It is now the end of summer, approaching autumn, and the temperature has begun to drop compared to midsummer.

In addition, it was raining and after getting wet, it was still a bit chilly.

The two knelt down and sat opposite Feng Yong.

Xu Xun had a little worry on his face:

"Brother, in the past two years, I have walked this road no less than ten times, and I know this road very well."

"According to my little brother's experience, in this kind of weather, if we continue to move forward, the mountain road is too muddy."

"Especially like it is raining continuously now, there will be rocks and landslides on the mountain, so I think it is better to send someone to check after the rain stops."

"Make sure there is nothing wrong ahead, brother, it won't be too late to start again."

Hearing this, Feng Yong understood the purpose of the two people's visit, and then smiled slightly: "Yuan De has a heart."

For mudslides, Feng Yong naturally knows the dangers involved.

Seeing Feng Yong's calm face, Xu Xun thought that Feng Yong didn't care about what he said, and was a little anxious at the moment:

"Brother, don't underestimate the slippage of the mountain road. This is a bit more dangerous than a flood. Once you encounter it, you will definitely not escape."

"Brother has a body of ten thousand gold, and has countless ties, so it's still for safety."

Feng Yong nodded: "I know what Yuan De said. But I didn't think about going on in the past few days."

Speaking of this, he looked in a certain direction, "Yuan De knows, how is the road condition when going to Xiabian from Wudu?"

Xu Xun was relieved to hear that Feng Yong had no intention of forcing his way, but Feng Yong suddenly brought up the argument again, and he was shocked immediately.

"Brother wants to go to Xiabian? But from Xiabian to Hanzhong, not only will there be more detours, the journey will be much longer, and it will be more difficult."

Two years ago, the Cao thief entered Sanguan and took the old route to Hechi County, but was blocked by General Zhao at Lueyang, and was not allowed to go any further to the east, precisely because of the extremely dangerous terrain when entering Hanzhong from Hechi County.

Cao thief finally had to turn to the west, wanting to use Xiabian to cut off the food route of the Northern Expeditionary Army, but the prime minister had already set up an ambush in Xiabian to wipe out Cao's 20,000 elite soldiers.

If my group transfers from Wudu to Bian, they have to go to Hechi County, then from Hechi County to Lueyang, and finally enter Hanzhong from Lueyang.

Compared with going directly from Wudu County to Lueyang along the Xihan River, it takes more than half a month to go around.

On the other hand, Li Yi, who was on the side, had to turn his mind a little faster, and immediately interjected: "Brother, do you have something to discuss?"

Feng Yong glanced at Li Yi appreciatively, "This time I'm here, I do have something I want to discuss with Prefect Liao."

The prefect of Wudu is Liao Hua.

Hearing Feng Yong's words, Li Yi and Xu Xun looked at each other, their eyes full of doubts.

I have never heard of my elder brother having any great relationship with Liao Hua before, let alone at this time my elder brother is a prince, with a noble status and real power, so why would he take the initiative to discuss matters with Liao Hua?

Feng Yong didn't deliberately conceal it, but he explained:

"Some time ago, when the Nanxiang engineering team was building the official road between Xiabian and Wudu, they found a treasure."

"As the captain of Hu Qiang now, I can only stay in the place under my jurisdiction on weekdays. I can't go anywhere else easily, let alone go to find the prefect of other counties in private."

"This time, I just took this opportunity to meet Prefect Liao and talk to him about this matter."

Hearing Feng Yong's words, both Li Yi and Xu Xun's hearts jumped.

The one who can make the elder brother say the word "baby" must be the big baby!

"But I don't know what kind of treasure my brother is talking about?"

"Lead mine."

As soon as these words came out, Li Yi's eyes widened.

Xu Xun was even more exaggerated, he couldn't even close his mouth, he couldn't hold back his saliva, a gleam of light hung from the corner of his mouth...

"Chi slip"!

Xu Xun sucked back his saliva, moved his throat, and leaned in front of Feng Yong, asking eagerly:

"Brother, the lead you are talking about is the lead used to make copper coins? How much is there?"

Feng Yong smiled, "There seems to be only one kind of lead in this world, right? There is a lot of lead in the debate."

Minting currency itself is an extremely profitable business.

The so-called copper coins are not only made of copper, but also mixed with other metals.

For example, iron.

It's just that the density of iron is lower than that of copper. The more iron is mixed, the lower the quality of copper coins and the lower the value of copper coins.

Although this method allows the government to plunder a large amount of wealth in a short period of time, it is at the cost of damaging the country's economic potential and the government's credibility.

The so-called falsification is cool for a while, and the crematorium afterwards.

The loss of government credibility, the unwillingness of the people to use legal tender, and even hyperinflation and the people's livelihood will only lead to the backlash of the entire country.

If you want to maintain the quality of copper coins and keep huge profits, at the current level of casting, it is best to add lead.

Because the density of lead is much higher than that of copper, and lead is very soft and easy to process.

As long as the proportion is well controlled, then the maximum profit can be obtained.

It can be said that in this respect, the value of lead is second only to copper.

"Brother, what are we waiting for? Hurry up and get someone to dig it!"

Li Yi was also short of breath, and blurted out.

Seeing their gaffe, Feng Yong smiled helplessly.

When I told Zhuge the old demon about the copper mine, the prime minister, who was as stable as an old dog, couldn't sit still.

It is not surprising that Li Yi and Xu Xun had such reactions when they heard that Xiabian had lead mines.

He shook his head, then nodded to the two of them:

"Now the imperial court implements a salt and iron monopoly, what are you trying to do?"

Feng Yong's words were like pouring a basin of cold water on the heads of the two of them, calming them down instantly.

In the current situation of the big man, unless he wants to rebel, this treasure in the ground can only be dug by the court.

"But brother, only the prime minister can make decisions about matters like this. Talking to the prefect of Wudu County may be useless..."

Xu Xun said hesitantly.

Li Yi has been with Feng Yong for so long, and his vision is higher than Xu Xun's. After being reminded by Feng Yong, he immediately reacted and interrupted Xu Xun's words directly:

"Yuan De's words are wrong! When this matter is reported, the Prime Minister will have to let someone dig it in the end?"

"The manpower, equipment, transportation, etc., what is the deployment method? Could it be that the imperial court alone can cover everything?"

A large mining farm can prosper a place, and when the place is prosperous, there will be more things to do.

Nanxiang is a prime example.

Whoever can take the first step can take the biggest advantage.

Xiabian County is the county seat of Wudu County, and it would be beneficial to have a good relationship with the county magistrate, and it would be even better if they could form a relationship of interest.

Xu Xun also reacted, he couldn't help clapping his hands together:

"I see! Anyway, we can't touch the lead mine in Xiabian, so we might as well tell the prefect of Wudu County the news."

"Let him also share some of the credit. In this way, his relationship with us will naturally be closer!"

Li Yi once again refuted Xu Xun's words:

"Prefect Liao of Wudu County has a close relationship with the Guan family. If my elder brother personally informs Prefect Liao of the news, it will not just be to close the relationship. In the future, Xinghan will act in Wudu. the difference?"

After the fall of Jingzhou, the Guan family fell on the wall in Shu, and most people hid from the Guan family as if they were hiding from the plague. Liao Hua was one of the very few exceptions who had contacts with the Guan family.

The reason is also very simple. Liao Hua was Guan Yu's boss back then.

Moreover, Liao Hua was born in the noble family of Jingzhou, and he was a member of the Jingzhou faction in the middle of Shu. After the battle of Yiling, he was transferred to the Prime Minister's Mansion by Zhuge Old Demon to join the army.

Therefore, during the most difficult years of the Guan family, Liao Hua's help to the Guan family was not insignificant.

For Guan Ji, she has always regarded Liao Hua as her elder.

Feng Yong, as Guan Ji's husband-in-law, now has the opportunity to help Liao Hua, so naturally he has to do his best.

Therefore, no matter from the interests of the Xinghan Society or as the son-in-law of the Guan family, it is necessary for Feng Yong to communicate with Liao Hua first.

Otherwise, Feng Junhou might be kicked out of bed by Mrs. Junhou when he returned to the mansion.

Xu Xun finally understood completely, and nodded again and again: "Yes, yes, yes!"

At the same time, he was thinking in his heart, who doesn't know that his elder brother is, well, very affectionate to his sister-in-law, no wonder his elder brother condescends to meet Liao prefect in person.

Feng Junhou naturally didn't know what was going on in his little brother's mind, so he asked:

"In the past two years, I heard that the reclamation in Xiabian has made good progress, and many Di and Qiang people have been attracted?"

"Brother, it is true."

As a qualified manager, Wudu is self-evident to the importance of Dongfeng Express's line from Hanzhong to Longyou, so he naturally needs to grasp the basic situation of Wudu.

"During the Battle of Longyou, Chief Hu forcefully gathered the Qiang and Di people from Wudu and Yinping, and wanted to respond to the Cao bandits, but unexpectedly, he was defeated by the prime minister's ambush."

"This battle not only eliminated the Hu people in Wudu and Yinping, but also many tribes were moved to Xiabian for reclamation."

Well, familiar formula, familiar taste.

That's what Zhuge Lao Yao did when he was in Pingnan Middle School.

First pretend to be confused, let the opponent feel that the opportunity is great, take the initiative to gather the scattered tribes, and then KO again.

As Xu Xun said, it seemed that he had thought of something, and he burst out laughing.

"Speaking of this, there is another anecdote, I don't know if my brother has heard of it."

"Oh, let's hear it."

Feng Yong said with great interest.

In the past two years, I have been focusing on the affairs of the barbarians in Longyou and Liangzhou. The only news I have paid attention to is the lead mine in Xiabian. As for other news, I have never paid attention to it.

"It's like this. The Qiang and Di people in Wudu and Yinping were forcibly moved to Xiabian for reclamation at the beginning, and some of them wanted to escape."

"I didn't know that later, I found out that I was able to eat food there, and my life was more nourishing than before. The news spread, and some tribes came out from the deep mountains and wanted to go to Xiabian to find food."

"Isn't it strange that the barbarians and barbarians who are now in Xiabian settlement can't be driven away with a whip?"

Feng Yong also laughed when he heard the words.

"This person, they are all the same. Living in this world, the first thing to do is to find a way to fill your stomach first so that you don't starve to death."

"You have to dress warmly so that you don't freeze to death. Only when you survive will you think about anything else."

Feng Yong sighed, "Liu Liang sent news from Xiping that in winter, in order not to be frozen to death, it is common for Hu people to trade their wives and daughters for wool and wine."

Xiping County is actually the Qinghai area of ​​later generations. According to Feng Yong's experience in the Northwest in his previous life, the temperature in that area of ​​winter is basically more than ten degrees below zero.

In addition, it is now the Little Ice Age, the temperature will only be lower, and it is common for people to freeze to death.

Spirits are considered expensive in Longyou, but even rarer in Xiping.

Some barbarians in Xiping, in order to get a jar of spirits, gave it away, not to mention their wives, or their daughters without blinking an eye.

Hu Yi, who was relocated to Xiabian, was able to eat, which is a great thing.

Although this rice bar sometimes contains bran, it is better than starving to death in winter.

After all, you can't expect everyone to be the compassionate Feng Langjun who will work tirelessly to improve the living standards of the Hu Yi brothers.

In the era of big Han chauvinism, it is already a great progress that the big Han can shout the slogan that Han and Yi are one, so that Han people can live with Hu Yi in peace, and take the initiative to integrate Hu brothers with a gentle attitude.

"Since Xiabian's reclamation has been very effective, I think there should be grain in it. If there is a chance, I would like to buy a batch of grain from Liao Taishou and transport it to Pingxiang nearby."

No matter how small the mosquito meat is, it is still meat, and there is not too much food.

Because of the change in the means of governing the Hu people, the newly established Huqiang Xiaowei Mansion was quite a testing ground for the Han Dynasty.

There are only three things: the upper limit of the military strength of the Huqiang School Weifu, the taxes that need to be paid every year, and the five-year governance time limit.

Everything left, such as the shortage of troops, as well as food, weapons, armor, etc., must be solved by the Qiang Xiaowei Mansion.

It seems to let Feng Yong let go of his hands and feet, but in fact the fundamental purpose is to accumulate experience for the great Han to govern the surrounding Hu Yi, which is a bit like "one country, two governance" and "special zone".

So if Feng Yong really had a way to buy grain from Liao Hua, it wouldn't be a violation of the rules.

Anyway, I have money, how do you care how I buy it? !

It's just that Xu Xun didn't understand: "Why does my brother suddenly want to buy food again? If there is a shortage of food, just tell my younger brother that it is. There is quite a surplus of food in Shu now."

"It's too far away, I'm afraid it's too late."

This is the second time Xu Xun has heard Feng Yong say the word "too late" in the past few days. He really doesn't understand why his brother is so anxious.

At this time, a part of the song came to report: "Reporting to the Lord, Liao Taishou came to visit!"

This time, even Feng Yong had a look of surprise on his face: "Why is Uncle Liao in Wudu at this time? Invite him in quickly."

Li Yi pondered for a while, and speculated: "Could it be that Liao Taishou knew that his brother was going to pass, so he came here earlier?"

"It's very possible!" Feng Yong laughed, "In this way, it saves a lot of trouble!"

PS: I'm back! With tears streaming down my face, I can finally work and rest normally! It's just that leaving the battlefield at such a critical moment always makes me feel a little uneasy.

But I can’t update these days, and every time I think of a group of Sand Sculpture readers waiting hard, I also feel uneasy, I’m sorry everyone.