Brother Zhu Youxiao

Chapter 554 Books are not as good as people
"Wow—"

Almost at the same time, when Zhu Ciran and the others went deep into Zhejiang, a group of people climbing Tiger Mountain in Zhangjiakou also attracted the attention of sky eagles.

The goshawk circled several times, its eyes fixed on the few short children in the crowd.

"boom--"

Just as it was about to pounce, when it heard a gunshot, the goshawk wailed and fell down instantly. At the same time, Zhu Youjian also threw the rifle in his hand to Lu Yuangao who was next to him.

"Beasts devour people, you have to weigh it..."

Zhu Youjian turned around and continued to climb up, while Lu Yuangao kept his head down, not daring to say anything.

He escorted Zhu Youjian's family to climb the mountain, and as they got closer and closer to the main peak, when Zhu Youjian completely climbed to the top and walked under a tree to look into the distance, the scene in front of him was not so good.

In the first month of the lunar year, with the arrival of spring, this should be the most vibrant season of the year, but what Zhu Youjian saw from the top of Tiger Mountain was lifeless.

The cracked field looks like an old man who has experienced wind and frost, his face is covered with wrinkles, which are very clear and helpless.

The sun hanging above the head roasted the earth like a big fireball, making everyone feel like they were in a cage of fire.

The faces of Zhu Cihong and others were flushed red from the sun, and their faces were covered with salt crystals from dried sweat.

At this moment, they held the water bag and drank water in big gulps.

It's just that people still have water to drink, but the earth doesn't have so much water to use.

Under the drought and extreme heat, the Qingshui River and Yanghe River in the border of Zhangjiakou have also become thinner.

The Yang River, which was once hundreds of steps wide, has almost disappeared. It only exists in the center of the original river bed, and has become a thin stream like a gossamer.

It slowly flows towards the capital, hoping to continue its hopeless life.

Not far away, the reservoir originally built by Zhangjiakou officials has also dried up, and the crystal-clear reservoir has revealed a hideous face. The drought in these years has also made Zhangjiakou, a place with green mountains, green waters and pleasant scenery, become like hell.

Looking down from the top of the mountain, the Yanghe River and Qingshui River, which are already as small as streams, have become the source of life for the people of Zhangjiakou.

On both sides of the riverbed, people from near Zhangjiakou town formed a long queue, each pushing a cart with wooden barrels on it.

Zhu Youjian watched with a binoculars, and the dense crowd of people fetching water made him not know how to speak. After a long time, he sighed and said:
"Although the scenery of the northern country is majestic, it has not rained since this year."

"Right now, when I look at this hill, I can only helplessly suffer from the people's livelihood..."

While Zhu Youjian said this, he also turned his head and asked the panting mayor of Zhangjiakou who had just climbed to the top of the mountain:
"How many people in Zhangjiakou Town still live here, and how much of the arable land in the town can produce something?"

"Return...return...return to Your Highness..." The mayor was very tired, bowing intermittently and said:

"There are still more than [-] people in this town, and [-]% of the arable land cannot be cultivated. The rest of the irrigated fields can be cultivated as dry fields by relying on the Yang River and Baishui River."

"If the imperial court can send a few water pumps, it will be much easier for the common people to water."

The water pump is a use of the steam engine, and the mayor's proposal is indeed for the sake of the people of the town, but Zhu Youjian cannot agree to this.

"It's easy to adjust the water pump, but if Zhangjiakou Town uses the water pump, the downstream market towns may not be able to have water..."

Zhu Youjian told the truth, and the mayor knew it well, so he didn't force it anymore. He just wanted to try it.

"More than three thousand people..."

Zhu Youjian shook his head looking at the people crowded on the river bed to fetch water.

"The imperial court will distribute tractors to Donghai, Modong, and Mobei this year. The people in Shanxi still say that if they can move, they should move as soon as possible. This severe drought will continue for five or six years."

It was the first time that Zhu Youjian issued an order in the form of prophecy, which stunned the officials responsible for recording the content of the order, but he still wrote it after hesitating for a moment.

It is predicted that once this kind of thing is moved out, it will become even more terrifying. In the case of human-to-human transmission, I am afraid that the north will not be peaceful...

"The number of people in Shanxi is still the same as the previous sentence. It is reduced to four acres of paddy fields per capita, so it can be stopped."

Zhu Youjian gave the migration standard, which is particularly harsh.

There are more than 600 million mu of paddy fields in Shanxi. According to Zhu Youjian's theory of four mu per capita, only 400 million people can be left, and Shanxi has to relocate more than 100 million people.

After this relocation, the population of the six northern provinces of Beijing and Beijing may drop to less than 500 million people.

"Go down the mountain." Looking at the bare mountain, Zhu Youjian confessed, and then walked down the mountain with Zhu Cihong, who was exhausted and exhausted.

When they returned to Zhangjiakou, they didn't go to the town yamen, but led by Zhu Youjian to the homes of the townspeople.

Seven years after the apocalypse, officials were dispatched to market towns. This was the first time that the feudal dynasty had brought imperial power down to market towns.

For the management of the market town, Zhu Youjian arranged according to the configuration of one mayor, two deputy mayors, and ten street village officials. Therefore, when they went to each street, they were introduced by village officials.

Zhangjiakou Town is very prosperous, after all, it is the place of mutual market for trade inside and outside the customs.

Even though Mongolia is currently moving westward, with the departure of the Mongols and the continuous building of the Ming Dynasty outside the pass, after the hidden danger of war has been completely eliminated in Zhangjiakou, the environment, economy, and people's livelihood are better than before.

If there is no drought, maybe the people here will have a good life, but...

"Old man Zhang! Come out, come out! King Qi is here to visit your house!"

"what?!"

When Zhu Youjian and the others walked into Zhangjiakou Town, the people in Zhangjiakou used their living environment to tell Zhu Youjian what the "prosperity" in the north of this era looked like.

The houses on one street are all built of yellow rammed earth. Although their roofs have gray tiles, the tiles are covered with dried moss and some plants.

The so-called courtyard wall is nothing more than a foot-high yellow rammed earth inserted with three-foot-high dead wood strips. For a five-foot-nine-inch person like Zhu Youjian, he can easily see the situation in the courtyard.

In the yard, two seven or eight-year-old children had just carried pigweed home, and are now cutting pigweed for the pigs to eat.

Their bodies were dusty, their clothes were covered with patches, their hair seemed to have not been washed for a long time, and their faces were covered with dust.

They didn't know why they looked at the village official who was shouting excitedly at the gate of the courtyard, and the next second their father, an old man called Zhang, was limping with a cane, with an excited "jump" on his face. out.

"King Qi! King Qi is really here?!"

Old man Zhang seemed to be very familiar with the village official. He shouted excitedly, and the village official also saluted Zhu Youjian: "This is King Qi!"

Old man Zhang jumped up and down to the door, and when he looked up, he was stunned, not knowing what to say.

After a second, he suddenly realized that he quickly dropped his crutches, knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "King Qi is a thousand years old..."

"Get up."

Zhu Youjian squatted down and tried to help him, but the village officials and the mayor around him helped the old man up in advance. They seemed to be afraid that the old man Zhang would get Zhu Youjian's hands dirty.

This move made Zhu Youjian not know what to say, so he could only bow his head and walk into the gate of the courtyard, standing in the courtyard and looking around the courtyard.

An ordinary stone mill, one large and one small two gray tile houses of yellow rammed earth, this is the home of old man Zhang.

"Why don't you see the farm cattle?" Zhu Youjian frowned and looked at old man Zhang. Seeing his shabby clothes, disheveled hair and missing a leg, he also had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Returning to Your Highness, my family shares a cow with the Liu family next door. The cow lives in his house, and my house is too small to fit in."

Old man Zhang got up with his cane, and by the way, led Zhu Youjian to sit in the main house.

Zhu Youjian didn't follow him to the main house, but went to the side room first.

"It stinks..."

Before he walked into the ear room, the stench in the room came out.

Zhu Cihong and the other children hurriedly covered their mouths and noses, and stopped in disgust, but Zhu Youjian opened the door and looked.

In the ear room, a two-headed black piglet of about [-] catties was sleeping. A firewood stand was set up above its head to store firewood. Next to it was a dry toilet, which was not only dirty, but also gave off a foul smell.

It's just that Zhu Youjian looked at it for a long time without any expression, and then walked to the main house with old man Zhang.

The condition of the main house is not too good either. On the left side is the place for stacking farm tools and sleeping. The sleeping bed is an adobe kang, which is only big enough for three adults.

As for the kitchen on the right, the rice jar in the kitchen has only one bottom, and the rice probably doesn't add up to thirty catties. The oil, salt, soy sauce and vinegar tea next to it is also similar to the rice jar, with only one bottom.

"Your Highness, this is rough tea, I hope you don't mind."

Old man Zhang didn't feel sorry for the tea, but took all the tea to entertain Zhu Youjian and the others.

Putting tea leaves in a broken pottery bowl and pouring a pot of boiling water has become his most affluent way of hospitality.

"It's not easy, why don't you take your child outside the customs?"

After Zhu Youjian took his seat, he motioned for old man Zhang to sit down too, and asked him about it.

In this regard, the old man Zhang's words are also very straightforward: "I want to go too, but my mother-in-law died of illness, and only me and my two children are left."

"I'm missing a leg, and the two dolls are too small to handle the cattle, and I can't reclaim the land outside the pass."

"I can only plant the [-] acres of land allocated by the court here, with the help of the neighbors, and move when the two children are older."

Old man Zhang's voice was a little deeper, and Zhu Youjian also took the opportunity to look around.

There is nothing but a few memorial tablets on the bare wall, and there is only a low table and five or six low wooden stools in the room.

In such an environment, it is too far-fetched to say that the family is barren.

"What's the matter with the legs?" Zhu Youjian looked at Old Man Zhang's empty trouser legs.

"Unfortunately, Wanli lost his leg outside the side wall during the war in 43." Speaking of his own leg, old man Zhang was relieved, but Zhu Youjian couldn't hold back.

"Didn't the imperial court give me a pension... Five years after the apocalypse."

Zhu Youjian added that five years after the apocalypse, because he knew that before that, most of the Ming army had no compensation.

"I was given ten taels of compensation silver, but due to the drought in the past few years, except for the ten acres of irrigated land, there is a harvest, and the rest of the land can't grow anything."

"I borrowed some money the year my mother-in-law died of illness, and I can pay it back this year if I sell the pig."

"Hehe..." Old man Zhang smiled honestly, and Zhu Youjian didn't know what to say when he heard that.

During the Wanli period, there were too many disabled soldiers. Back then, he ordered the living people to pay ten taels of silver per person.

Ten taels of pension silver is already a lot, but compared to the plight of the disabled veterans, it seems not so much.

"Are there still many veterans like you?" Zhu Youjian asked patiently, but old man Zhang shook his head:
"Not many, most of them died during the Wanli period, and only a few survived into the Tianqi period."

Speaking of this, the old man Zhang also said excitedly: "If you hadn't given the land to us mudlegs, King Qi, I'm afraid we wouldn't be alive today."

As he said that, old man Zhang was about to kneel down again, but this time he was supported by Zhu Youjian:
"I don't like to kneel and bow, you can just bow. The imperial court should allocate land to the people."

"These years are just the beginning, and more land will be allocated later, but the premise is that you are willing to move."

Zhu Youjian turned his head to look at the door, because unknowingly, the people in Zhangjiakou Town heard the news of King Qi's appearance, and they rushed here one after another, making it impossible to get out of here.

"Your Highness! Is there any official school after going outside the customs? I don't want to go outside the customs and have no books to read!"

A twelve or thirteen-year-old child shouted loudly, but was immediately pulled by his clothes by the parent next to him.

"Yes! There are not only government schools, but also government schools." Zhu Youjian responded to the ragged people, and at the same time walked out of the house and came to the courtyard and said:

"This natural disaster cannot be resisted. The imperial court has been transferring grain from outside to stabilize food prices, but the situation in various places is not much better than in Shanxi."

"Because there is not so much food, the imperial court wants you to live in a place without drought."

"Tractors, people here have seen them before. As long as you go outside the pass, the imperial court will distribute them to you so that you can be self-sufficient."

"Have you read "Da Ming Pao"? Have you also read "Journey to the South" by the prince?"

"Seen!"

Some literate people around responded to Zhu Youjian, and Zhu Youjian also said to them:

"Don't you envy those people in Sichuan and Yunnan who can eat meat once every few days?"

"I know that the current migration of the imperial court is not as strong as before, and the distribution of food is less, which makes you feel uneasy."

"But, if you can trust me, and you can trust Long Live, then listen to me. This year's autumn harvest is over, and you will go to farm outside the customs. The imperial court will be responsible for sending you cattle and machinery, so that you can live a better life than the people in Yunnan and Sichuan. "

Zhu Youjian's words were against his will, because he knew that it was impossible for Daming to take out so many tractors in one go so that every household could easily reclaim fifteen acres of arable land a year.

But he knew better in his heart that the remaining villagers still had a long time to live in hardship.

Zhu Youjian can prevent man-made disasters, but he cannot prevent natural disasters.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youjian turned around and comforted the old man Zhang: "You are all people who have spilled blood outside the pass. Whether it is the Wanli Dynasty or the Tianqi Dynasty, you are all soldiers of the Ming Dynasty."

"Starting from this year, the imperial court will distribute two taels of silver as compensation money to disabled veterans who are still alive."

"Thank you, Your Highness Ron!!!"

"This... Your Highness..."

As soon as Zhu Youjian opened his mouth, old man Zhang immediately knelt down, while Lu Yuangao behind Zhu Youjian hesitated to speak.

The retired soldiers of Ming Dynasty already had retired silver and retired land, but now they have to pay two taels of pension silver to former disabled veterans every year, which put too much financial pressure on Daming.

It's just that other people often can't stop what Zhu Youjian wants to decide, and Zhu Youjian didn't listen to Lu Yuangao's words.

Is two taels of silver a lot?It may not be much for people with able-bodied hands, but for many disabled veterans, this amount of money is enough to save lives.

In such a catastrophic year, if old man Zhang had two taels of silver every year, he could hire someone to cultivate the land for himself, and then use the land to live a more nourishing life than now.

In other words, even if he didn't ask people to plant the land, the two taels of silver would be enough to buy three or four shi rice, which would reduce the rations of one person in his already impoverished family.

What's more, from the perspective of the entire Ming Dynasty, no matter how many disabled veterans there are, it is impossible to have tens of thousands of them. Since there are no, or even tens of thousands, why can't we spend 10+ taels to take care of them?

"Get up and live a good life after paying off the debt."

Zhu Youjian helped old man Zhang up, but only now did he realize that this man who had lost a leg outside the pass was crying like a child.

When he cried, many people who watched outside the courtyard started to cry.

Old man Zhang's family is in debt, so why not theirs.

With the development of the drought, the grain seeds invested in more than [-] acres of land every year are all silver, and the seeds of more than [-] acres are planted, but only half of them can grow grain.

These grains are not enough for the family to eat, let alone planting in the coming year?

It's not that the people in Shanxi don't want to move, but most of them are in debt and can't leave even if they want to.

Zhu Youjian only found out about this issue after he came to Zhangjiakou, so he is also preparing to make a series of policy arrangements to the people.

"On the first day of March, banks in various prefectures and counties will open to you interest-free immigration loans that don't require interest. You can borrow up to 100 taels of silver."

"If anyone in your family wants to relocate but is unable to relocate because of debts, you can go to the bank with your household registration book."

As soon as Zhu Youjian opened his mouth, many people around the yard stopped crying in an instant. Some of them couldn't believe that the court borrowed money without interest, and some of them had already calculated the authenticity of the matter.

These words came from the mouth of King Qi, naturally there is no mistake, and there is a high probability that they are true.

That is to say, as long as they are willing to migrate, the imperial court will lend them a sum of money to repay the debt, and at the same time distribute five shi of immigration food per person.

As soon as this news was announced, the people around began to sing the words of King Qi Qiansui, and it was the first time that Lu Yuangao felt the appeal of King Qi.

Compared with the appeal of King Qi, the appeal of the emperor and prince is almost nothing.

In this case, what he wants to do depends not on the faces of the emperor and prince, but on the faces of King Qi.

Thinking of this, Lu Yuangao looked at Zhu Youjian, and Zhu Youjian also looked at him at the same time.

At the same time as his eyes crossed, Lu Yuangao quickly lowered his head, and Zhu Youjian, surrounded by the common people, visited the homes of the households in Lane No. [-] of Zhangjiakou, and got a general understanding of their living conditions.

The environment of their home is actually similar to that of old man Zhang's, but even so, it is already a "rich" place in Shanxi.

In this way, it can be called Fushuo, but what about other places?

After understanding, the silent Zhu Youjian took Zhu Cihong and the others to have a light meal at Old Man Zhang.

After half an hour of busy work, the last dishes that appeared on the table were a plate of fried eggs with leeks, a bowl of fried cabbage, boiled green vegetables and fried wild vegetables.

The meal, which was barely oily and watery, was so bland that Zhu Cihong and the others frowned.

Zhu Cizhao, the youngest, even wanted to stop eating by sarcasm, but under Zhu Youjian's frowning expression, Zhu Cizhao still ate what he thought was the most unpalatable meal in his life.

Seeing that Zhu Cizhao had eaten the meal, Zhu Youjian also said to Old Man Zhang, the mayor and others while eating:
"The days are better than last year, but this year we still have to be prepared. This year's drought may be worse than last year. After the autumn harvest, we should move as soon as possible."

His words made everyone nod repeatedly, and while Zhu Youjian was eating, he recalled Zhu Ciran's "Journey to the South".

Compared with last year, the life of the people in Zhangjiakou is slightly better than that of Zhu Ciran's southern tour, but this "some" is only limited to two more bites of food.

If you want them to be full and eat meat dishes, Zhu Youjian still has a long way to go...

With a sigh, Zhu Youjian and Zhu Cihong finished the meal and rushed to the train station surrounded by more than 3000 people in Zhangjiakou Town before dark.

Due to the tight schedule, they didn't have the possibility to stay too much, so part of the rest could only be done in the car. Tonight they will rush to Shuofang Mansion in Shaanxi outside the Great Wall.

"Your Highness, when will you come to see us again?!"

More than 3000 people crowded the train station, and some people shouted at Zhu Youjian who was about to get on the train. Zhu Youjian also turned around and waved after hearing the words:
"In two years, when your life is better, I will go to see you outside the pass."

After speaking, Zhu Youjian turned around and got on the train, but the more than 3000 people in Zhangjiakou had no intention of leaving.

They stood outside the cordon formed by Jin Yiwei, watching Zhu Youjian get into the car, walked to their place behind the glass and sat down.

Until here, they still haven't left.

"Woooo-"

Finally, when the train whistle sounded, many people couldn't help crying.

They didn't know why they were crying, maybe they thought that after King Qi left, they might never see him again.

Under the watchful eyes of thousands of people, the train started.

From inside the station to when the train left the station, Zhu Youjian could still see the crowds on both sides of the railroad tracks outside the station.

He opened the window and waved to the people on both sides of the railway tracks, Zhu Cihong and the others followed suit.

Some young people who had studied in government schools saw King Qi waving to them, and they all ran after the train, waving while running, until the train went away and they could no longer see the waving man.

During this process, Lu Yuangao recorded everything with his own eyes.

At this moment he was silent, looking at Zhu Youjian who was sitting on the seat and looking out the window at the people, he didn't know how to describe it.

When he knew that the emperor was different from the image in the books, he thought that King Qi was also like this.

However, at this moment, everything he experienced told him that the King Qi in the books might not be as real as one-tenth of King Qi himself.

　I have to go on a business trip in the morning, so I stayed up late to write and send it in advance.

　　Today's second update is estimated to be updated around [-] o'clock in the afternoon

　　
　
(End of this chapter)