Kunlun one millet

Chapter 209

Zhao Mi stood on the altar, silently chanting mantras, in front of him was Jizhentu, the spiritual light was like waves, and the energy of the earth veins was flowing as usual, without any miraculous sight.

After finishing his work and leaving the altar, Zhao Mi asked the other monks to pack up their things, and he looked around. In the distance was the scene of farmers plowing. Even the drizzle could not stop them.

"I remember this place." Jiang Ru came with an oil-paper umbrella and looked around: "When you stayed in this village, it seemed that you spent the night with a village woman."

Zhao Mi's expression was slightly embarrassed: "That village woman was forced to come to the door in the middle of the night by her family, just to ask for a few more rations of rice. I was soft-hearted for a while, and I had no other choice but to keep her."

"You are a real gentleman who can sit still, don't be so nervous." Jiang Ru covered her mouth and smiled.

"I can't take that seriously." Zhao Mi sighed, "You also know that I'm not a hard-hearted man, but I just can't see others suffering. But if there is a livelihood, why does that village woman want to sell her body? As for The matter between men and women... I simply feel that it is insane to be able to have lust in such a situation."

Jiang Ru joked, "I'm afraid that village woman is plain-looking, not enough to tempt Zhenminghou."

Zhao Mi took a look at Jiang Ru, when he was furious at the beginning, he suddenly grabbed her by the neck, and today he revisited the old place and was teased and sarcasm, so let her get back some face.

"Maybe." Zhao Mi smiled. He didn't involve in matters of men and women, and it was more because of the need for self-cultivation and magic research.

Moreover, in Zhao Shu's eyes, there are so many things to experience and experience in life, and the matter of men and women is not so important.He has never understood how boring those children from aristocratic families are obsessed with women.
"Is it Zhao Xianzhang?"

At this time, a few old people came and tentatively asked, fearing that they might be offended.

"I'm Zhao Mi. I visited this place a few years ago." Zhao Mi led the villagers to a tent to keep warm from the rain.

"I didn't expect Zhao Xianzhang to come again, Xiaomin is far away, please forgive me." Several old people knelt down after speaking.

"It doesn't have to be like this." Zhao Mi was most annoyed by this kneeling etiquette, he went up to help the old man with his own hands, he always felt that those who sincerely respected him don't need to bow down, and those who pretended to kneel would not respect him.

The villagers got up and said quickly: "We have always remembered Zhao Xianzhang's life-saving grace these years. We often send people to clean the Buddhist altar outside the village, and we dare not neglect it."

"It's time for you guys." Zhao Mi said, "Saving lives is not enough. If you can live and work in peace, that would be great."

The villagers were moved to tears: "Prince Zhao, you are virtuous!"

Seeing that they were about to bow down again, Zhao Mi had no choice but to support each other's arms quickly, and changed the subject with a wry smile: "I see that the seedlings in the field outside your village are sparse, and the spring sowing is slower than other places. Is there any difficulty?"

"Let the head of the fairy worry." The villagers looked cautious: "Although the snow has melted, the fields in the village are still as hard as stones, and there are not enough cattle, so the fields can only be pulled by people. dig."

Zhao Mi nodded slightly, and suddenly thought: "Take me to have a look."

The villagers didn't dare to refuse, so they hurriedly took Zhao Mi to the edge of the field, and saw a few men not far away pulling like trackers, and another person behind him was holding an iron plow, turning over the frozen soil.

"I heard that the local government can rent farm cattle, why don't you borrow them?" Zhao Mi asked.

The villagers looked troubled: "The government has farm cattle, but in the past two years, I heard that the county has reclaimed a lot of wasteland, and the farm cattle have been lent to the new refugees. And the farm cattle will lose money if they are sick and dead. Small households are afraid that they will not be able to take good care of them, so the government is more willing to lend cattle to big families. They know how to take care of the cattle, and some even raise them for the government, so everyone wants to rent cattle from them.”

Zhao Mi frowned slightly, and he also felt a little difficult.Along the way to the north, Zhao Shu had seen many powerful families occupying vast fields, and he really hated their behavior of bullying men and women and annexing land.Everywhere I learned something, I almost had to write a letter to the king, proposing to limit the acres of large households, and to check the hidden population, and to equalize the land.

However, with the increasing experience, Zhao Mi also discovered some things.That is, the small households seem to have been given the land, but they may not be able to live a better life.

First, the country's corvee tax is collected according to household registration, and small families are sparsely populated. If there is a shortage of any strong man, the whole family may suffer from hunger.

Secondly, small households cannot withstand natural disasters. A little bit of wind and rain, frost, drought, and floods may be catastrophic. In order to save their lives, the family's fields must be sold immediately to large households at a low price.

Furthermore, small households cannot afford to use cattle and water cones, and even the most ordinary men and women who plow and weave, not only how to cultivate and weed according to the solar terms every year, prevent insects and fertilize, and cultivate in sequence, etc., can't compare with the accumulation of large households Rich, the silkworm concubines and weavers specially raised in other manors are by no means comparable to ordinary small household female celebrities.

Therefore, it seems fairer to count the land evenly, but the large manors are dismantled into small families who cannot cope with the crisis and rapid changes.

Moreover, in the original manor, the water source could be shared to irrigate the crops. After it was dismantled into small households, looting and fights occurred immediately because of competition for water sources, cattle, farm tools, etc., and gangs and cunning became common in the village.

In order to be able to cope with this situation, some rural villages that have already implemented equalization of farmland have almost undergone mergers again. Those who have more males and dare to fight hard are elected as village sages, and all daughters in the family hope to marry them. At home, the situation is not much better than before Jikou Juntian.

Zhao Mi understands that the people's livelihood cannot be settled just by counting the land and equalizing the land, but he can't think of how to solve it right now.

Looking at the farmer stepping on the wet and cold soil with bare feet, Zhao Mi thought about it, took out a few pieces of talisman paper from his sleeve, wrote and drew, then raised his hand to sacrifice, and then blew out a wisp of true energy, the talisman changed into several A big ox with a strong head and shoulders.

Compared with the live cows, these yellow cows transformed with charms looked dull and dull, with absent-minded eyes, and felt like clumsy statues. Zhao Mi was embarrassed to take a look at them.

However, the other villagers were shocked to see the talisman paper turned into a cow. Some villagers who didn't know where it was, immediately knelt down and called the immortal.

"Take these oxen to plow the field." Zhao Shu snapped his finger, a noose appeared on the ox's shoulder, and he led it directly to the farmer who pulled the plow. The rope, holding the iron plow, whistled, and the stupid cow moved its four legs, dragging the iron plow to walk.

"Oh! It's shallow, it's shallow!" The farmer behind hurriedly greeted again: "The plow needs to be deeper! It's better to turn the soil out!"

After all, Zhao Mi is still a scholar who doesn't work hard and doesn't distinguish five grains. He doesn't know anything about farming.

With a few big yellow oxen with amazing strength and tirelessness, the plowing of the fields was accelerated immediately, and a large field was turned over by the back and forth ox plows.With such help, the villagers became more energetic and worked tirelessly.

"Cultivators in Guanyin are too far away from working." Zhao Shu squatted on the ridge of the field, grabbed a handful of soil, and said inexplicably.

Jiang Ru didn't understand what it meant: "Do you think monks also have to go to the fields to plow?"

Zhao Mi said: "I can't say for sure. It's just that people like us are supported by the people for food and clothing, but they don't know that the people are hungry. It's not appropriate to just say that immortality is expensive."

Jiang Ru said, "I'm afraid not many people would agree with your words."

"I heard that in ancient times, master cultivators lived in seclusion in the wilderness, plowed for self-sufficiency, brushed in the rain and wind, did not know the power of the emperor, and did not become kings." Zhao Shu said: "If you go on your own, you will not harm others. The two fellow Taoists also forgot each other in the rivers and lakes, and they did not gather together in the sect hall to play fierce and violent."

"In ancient times, people's hearts were simple, so there is nothing wrong with it." Jiang Ru shook her head: "But today is a world of great struggle, and those who live in seclusion and self-defense are only casual cultivators in the world, and it is difficult to become a great weapon."

"It's a good tool." Zhao Mi sighed: "People don't want to be human beings or real people, but they want to be utensils. The monks of Guanxi are indeed the great and important weapons of the country, but they also lose their authenticity. Didn't you find out Is it? Since the creation of the Guanxi system, the real masters of the immortal way are almost still the founding elders of each family, and among the younger students, there are few who can be called the immortal way."

"It's not easy to become a fairy. If it weren't for this, why would the Jiang family follow Yongjia Liang's house and ascend?" Jiang Ru said: "The system of Guanxi is less than a hundred years old, even in the past, an immortal sect was established for a hundred years , I dare not say that there is anyone among the disciples who is guaranteed to become an immortal and attain the Tao."

"There is some truth to this." Zhao Mi nodded.

"Moreover, becoming an immortal not only depends on one's personal cultivation and hard work, but also depends on chance and luck." Jiang Ru said: "During the Great War of the Five Kingdoms, every house had young talents who sacrificed their lives. Who dares to say that there is no immortality in it? What about those who can be expected? It’s a pity that they ran into this world and disappeared in a hurry before they could be confirmed.”

Zhao Shu also felt helpless, now that the situation of the five countries side by side does not change for a day, there will always be a period of war and chaos, and when the time comes, the soldiers will be together, and it will still be the common people who suffer.

"And there is a person who, in my opinion, is a person with a promising future." Jiang Ru said with a smile.

"Who?" Zhao Mi added, "Guoshi Liang doesn't count."

"That man can spread talismans with his hands, change animals, send ghosts and gods, and howling wind and thunder. He is especially proficient in scientific rituals and rituals, which can ward off disasters and eliminate evil spirits." Jiang Ru looked at Zhao Mi and said, "Such people are still alive. Can't you say that immortality can be expected?"

Knowing that she was talking about herself, Zhao Mi looked away in embarrassment.

"Oh, Marquis Zhenming is actually shy?" Jiang Ru said pleasantly.

"Okay, if you praise me so much, you can't ask for candy." Zhao Mi waved his hand, and suddenly sensed a sharp breath in the distance.

Looking around, Luo Xixian was riding a tall horse, leading a group of government servants to the outside of the village.When they saw Zhao Mi driving, they stopped and did not go forward.

Jiang Ru's expression sank, she turned around and hid in the carriage without saying a word.When the villagers saw Luo Xixian coming, they cautiously stepped forward to inquire, and when they learned that it was the county sheriff, they quickly knelt down and bowed down, and asked the villagers to stop their work and come to pay their respects.

After asking a few questions about farming, Luo Xixian learned about Zhao Shushu's Fu Huaniu, looked at the field a few more times, and then waved to let the villagers go to work.

"The mandala here is set up, if you don't rush to the next one, what are you doing here?" Luo Xixian drove forward alone.

Zhao Mi patted the dirt in his hands: "The livelihood of the people in this village is difficult, and I will help. Doesn't the county governor allow it?"

Luo Xixian's tone was flat: "I just feel that the Marquis of Zhenming has a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, so there is no need to waste time on general affairs. Otherwise, if it is delayed for a long time, I am afraid that I will be implicated as well."

"I'll make my own decision, and I won't implicate the governor." Zhao Mi responded.

"Some things are not up to Marquis Zhenming himself." Luo Xixian's tone was not angry.

Zhao Mi pointed to the field and said: "The people here are not enough to cultivate cattle, so I have to use some magic methods to help them. Unless the governor of the county borrows a few cattle for cultivation, otherwise the farming season will be delayed, and the people here will starve this year. If the people of Xingluo County refuse to be An An and starve to death, what kind of evil will be planted in the future, the county guard should understand."

Luo Xixian frowned and said, "Zhao Shu, if you're here to cause trouble, you might as well just say it straight. Don't put on an aloof air of suffering!"

"Pretentious?" Zhao Shu glanced at Luo Xixian: "Would the Lord Magistrate rather lend the cattle to the big households than to the common people?"

"You really don't know how expensive Chai Mi is if you are not in charge!" Luo Xixian got off his horse and retorted: "Do you think that everyone is like you, who can conjure up a few cows at will? I spent a lot of time to borrow a batch of farm cattle from the southern counties. As a result, those villagers killed several heads last year, and sent people to investigate. The whole village, men, women and children, conspired together, affirming that the government will not punish the public, and refused to pay for it. ?”

"Don't pretend that I don't understand anything." Zhao Shu said, "These big households rent out their cattle and send people to watch them. If you lend the cattle to the big households, they will be able to take the cattle to various places for farming. It's not about blindly obeying the interests of the gentry."

"It's just a scholar's opinion!" Luo Xixian questioned, "Do you know how many cattle the Xingluo County official has privately? Do you know how much wasteland has been reclaimed in the past two years? The number of cattle is simply not enough!"

Zhao Mi said: "Since this is the case, there is no need to reclaim too much wasteland, and it is more appropriate to accept refugees."

"Do what you can? The refugees flocked to Xingluo County immediately after they learned that Xingluo County granted land!" Luo Xixian sneered: "I almost forgot, it was the Wang Juncheng who wrote to the court before resigning from office, allowing Xingluo County to take in refugees. He is now I'm leaving, but I have to clean up the mess for him!

The legs grew on the refugees, and they trekked across mountains and rivers to Xingluo County, and they couldn't be stopped!Moreover, several counties in the south are eager to drive the refugees to us, and they all gloat and open the way!Marquis Zhenming, you think of a way for me. If you don't reclaim the wasteland vigorously, how can I settle these refugees?

If the farming season is missed and there is no time for spring plowing, I have to borrow food from the rich gentry first, and use work as relief. Only in this way can the refugees barely keep a way of life, and they will not immediately cause chaos.Do you think those big gentry are so willing to borrow grain?I almost robbed them at the door!What do you want me to do? ! "

(End of this chapter)