Overlord!

Chapter 97 Preparations for the Harvest

Zhu Zhi's suggestion made Sun Ce quite moved. It would undoubtedly be the most beneficial thing for Sun Ce if he could buy a large amount of grain in the southern counties with silver silk cloth.

The north of Wu County is prosperous and developed, and industry and commerce are relatively prosperous.The south is vast and sparsely populated, with poor agriculture as the mainstay.

More importantly, there are still a large number of coins in the treasury of Wuxian County, which can be used to purchase grain.

Coins and even gold and silver are called wealth only if they have transaction value, but they cannot be circulated when they are minted. Even if it is a more advanced Tongbao, it is worthless.

But before Sun Ce had time to agree, Gu Yong spoke first.

The interests of the county government are very different from those of the county government. If manpower is used to build roads in the county, Wu County will not benefit.

So Gu Yong talked about it emotionally and said: "General Sun, Mr. Zhu Fu, the communication between the north and the south is indeed the most important thing in the governance of Wu County. But I think road construction should not be the main thing, especially when people's livelihood is famine. There was so much construction going on at the time.”

Although it was almost decided that he would enter Kuaiji County to act as the prefect in the future, he did not want to offend Zhu Zhi, a highly respected veteran, lest he be called a madman.

So he took the initiative to explain: "If you transport grain from the south of the county to the north of the county, if you go by land, even if the distance is only more than a hundred miles, I am afraid it will cost one out of ten. How can it be transported by boats and water when it is transported by cattle and horses and carried by farmers on their shoulders? Since ancient times Since then, ships have flown from south to horses from north. The water network in Wu County is dense, so if you want to connect the north and the south, the best way is to dig the road set up by Lord Zhu into a canal."

Zhu Zhi is not a violent and irritable person, on the contrary he has a heart.Gu Yongzhi's words were very reasonable, he didn't get angry, but nodded his head in admiration.

In this day and age, whenever land transportation is involved, it is always costly.

It's like raising an army of [-], most of the separatist princes can do it.It is necessary to send [-] troops hundreds or even thousands of miles away to attack.The food consumption by land is enough to immediately collapse the logistics.

Therefore, before the war, it is best to farm near the destination.Either dig a canal in the direction of the goal.

Yuhang and Qiantang have already begun farming, and digging another canal is obviously a waste of manpower.

And Gu Yong obviously wanted to use this to dispel Zhu Zhi's idea, first telling him the inconvenience of road construction, but now there is a shortage of manpower, so it is better to wait for the manpower to be sufficient in the future and then directly build a canal.

Zhu Zhi was really moved. As the prefect of Wujun, if he could build water transport, he definitely didn't want to build dirt roads.

He asked: "But there is a lot of silver and silk in the treasury. If you can't exchange for a lot of grain, how can you have enough food for soldiers?"

Gu Yong immediately said firmly: "Using the recruitment for Wu County, building roads and building cities can go hand in hand!"

Everyone looked at Gu Yong with concern, the two go hand in hand?Didn't you decide just now that you should choose one of the two and govern?
Even if Wu County is slightly smaller than the whole county, it is difficult to do both at a time when people's livelihood is famine, right?
Sun Ce still had very high expectations for this famous minister of the Eastern Wu Dynasty. The power of a party depends not only on the monarch, but also on how many outstanding ministers there are in the power.

In many cases, a capable minister can have a decisive influence on the improvement of internal affairs.

Sun Ce asked: "Then how does Yuan Tan plan to give me enough food and soldiers with just one county in Wu County?"

Gu Yong cupped his hands respectfully, then sat upright, and talked calmly and eloquently: "General Meng never gave up, and ordered me to be the county magistrate of Wu County. For several months. In the past few months, I have personally visited the ridges of the fields with the officials, advising on farming and mulberry cultivation, patrolling the soil and fields, and making the most of the benefits of digging irrigation. Now that the autumn harvest is coming in June, I can affirm that there will be a bumper harvest this autumn, and the accumulation of japonica rice will be abundant. "

Everyone recognized Gu Yong's assertion.

Sun Ce took his personal guards to Kunshan Township and saw that the vast fertile fields were covered with green rice fields, and even fish fry were raised in a large number of rice fields.

It can be said that as long as there is no major climate change in the next short period of time, the first autumn after the end of the war will definitely usher in a bumper harvest.

Early rice is harvested in June, and there is also a batch of late rice harvested in October in the Book of Songs.

According to the current situation, the tycoons and the common people are all trying their best to develop production. As long as there are no natural disasters, the production of Wu County will reach an unprecedented height this year.

So Gu Yong went on to say: "Nowadays, Wu County has a large population, and the tyrants have come out of Wubao again. They no longer hide trilogy, practice display, and instead carry out production. Once the autumn harvest ushers in a bumper harvest, there may be food in Wu County. Millions of stones."

"With so much food, the common people must sell it in large quantities and exchange it for silver and silk to support their families. So at this time, as long as the general does not send troops to conquer, there is no need to mobilize food from the south."

"As long as you endure for a few months, the food in Wu County can be enough for soldiers!"

Sun Ce suddenly understood, and asked, "Yuan Tan's implication is to spend these few months building roads for all townships in Wu County, so that the people in all townships and lis can send grain to Changping warehouse?"

Gu Yongzheng nodded his head: "We have to prevent the low price of rice from hurting farmers. If roads are not built, it will be difficult for the people to transport the grain to the city. In order to prevent the late rice farmers from being delayed, they may be sold at a low price to the families of nearby tycoons and wealthy merchants."

Sun Ce has a slightly different view on the matter of cheap grain hurting farmers from the scholar-bureaucrats.

Sun Ce has always felt that cheap grain hurts farmers, and on the other hand, it may be that there are too few other handicraft products, resulting in too high prices.

However, this matter is not easy to solve. If industrial production leads to an increase in industrial products and wealth, it will lead to a shortage of money.

Since ancient times, the Central Plains has been able to use copper coins to exchange gold coins, silver coins, and various precious treasures from Western countries on the Silk Road. The reason behind this is of course that there are a large number of industrial products behind the copper coins to guarantee its value.With copper coins, you can go to the Central Plains to buy exquisite porcelain and silk.

But even if it is copper coins, it will consume copper and iron.

So even with this model, if wealth increases, the supply of copper coins will be insufficient, leading to a shortage of money.

In any case, the current society is dominated by agriculture.Agricultural output is the most important wealth. Once the wealth produced by him far exceeds the handicraft industry, it will naturally lead to low grain prices and hurt farmers.

Only Sun Ce's current view, which is slightly different from that of the aristocratic family, can affect too little space.

He didn't think about how to deal with this problem for a while, so he turned to Gu Yong and asked, "So Yuan Tan's plan to build the city is to demolish the city to facilitate trade?"

Gu Yong was surprised, this is different from what he thought!

He hesitated for a moment, and then asked: "Does the general want to demolish the city? I thought that building the city would also allow recruits to build new east and west markets in the city to expand exchanges."

Sun Ce's attitude was firm: "Fang City must be demolished, so that recruiters will build the Municipal Weisi Tax Cao Pavilion on the street entering the city gate, and register and pay taxes when caravans deliver goods into the city."

Faced with such a resolute Sun Ce, Gu Yong could only compromise: "If Fangshi is to be demolished, there is no need to recruit many conscripts, and the main conscripts can be used to build roads. You can even try to dig ditches to connect several rivers."

This is a good suggestion. The water network in Wu County is dense, so as long as thousands of corvees are willing to send thousands of corvees to carefully plan and dredge it, it may not be impossible to dredge a major water transportation route.For example, build a road linking cities from Yangcheng Lake in Kunshan Township.

Sun Ce said solemnly: "I thought Yuan Tan's words were quite thoughtful, so I built new roads and built cities in Wu County according to Yuan Tan's plan."

Gu Yong immediately got up and cupped his hands, and said: "I ask the treasury for 1000 million yuan, and I will do my best for the general."

Ten million yuan is not a small amount, even if it is converted into a guan, it is a million guan wealth.

However, there are tens of millions of Tongbao minted in the treasury, and Sun Ce can still get this money out.

At that moment, Sun Ce asked in amazement: "You only need 1000 million yuan? You don't need other silver, silk and grain?"

After all, things like copper coins are the lowest-cost wealth for Sun Ce.

He had harvested tens of millions of five baht coins and small coins minted by Dong Zhuo before, and he could transform them into Jiangdong Tongbao with a little melting.

This is the real seigniorage, or the empty-handed white wolf. With this money, he can go to Wu County to buy a lot of wealth.

If every courtier could help him solve a government affairs with just a penny, then his current treasury would be filled immediately.Just like Liu Bei issued straight five hundred coins in Yizhou.

Gu Yong smiled calmly and said: "As long as 1000 million yuan is enough. General Sun once met with the elders of Wujun to eliminate all kinds of violent laws, except for agricultural taxes. The head of Guizhou has no burden. Then this recruitment must To pay salaries for the people. I intend to use the name of recruiting the people to distribute the 1000 million yuan to the people to reassure the people."

Hearing this, He Kui immediately clapped his hands and praised: "Mr. Gu County is worthy of being a genius in the world. This method can be said to kill three birds with one stone! It not only saves the treasury's wealth, but also promotes the coins, and also eases the hearts of the heads of Guizhou. In the hands of the common people With Tongbao, there is no need to worry about not being able to pay the land tax in October. Applicants will inevitably gather.”

Sun Ce also looked at Gu Yong approvingly, and it was indeed what Kui said, this move was done properly, killing three birds with one stone.

The one who is most anxious at the moment is naturally Xiaomin.The government has issued a decree that when collecting taxes, only Jiangdong Tongbao will be collected.

But many small people don't even talk about paying taxes, and they haven't even seen what this Jiangdong Tongbao looks like!
That was naturally uneasy.

Now that there is such a way to obtain Jiangdong Tongbao, every household will inevitably send out their daughters to participate in the recruitment.

No matter whether it delays the farming season or not, it is not a loss to participate in the recruitment. After all, this Tongbao can directly offset the land tax, saving them from selling grain.

Considering the current famine situation in Wu County, the common people may not dare to think about selling grain for money, buying cloth and equipment to subsidize their households.The safest way to live is to save food for next year.After all, without all kinds of utensils, life would be a little harder at best.But if there is no food, it will really starve to death.

But the current scene also confirmed what Zhang Zhao said at the beginning.

No matter what kind of currency is issued, if it wants to pass, the biggest problem it faces is the shortage of money.

The entire Wu County, one county and thirteen counties, according to the circulation of the government, each county is only a few million dollars, how can it be circulated?
Although Sun Ce and all the civil and military officials have accumulated tens of millions of money in the treasury of the worrying mansion for a long time, they have no use for it, and it is difficult to buy a large amount of supplies.

But on the other hand, the currency on the market is also facing a serious shortage problem.

The crux of the problem lies in the credit system and circulation system of the currency, which has been unable to be formed for a long time and cannot revitalize the entire Wu County economy.

Sure enough, to reform the currency at the end of the Han Dynasty was doomed to be full of difficulties.Otherwise, the Wei and Wu countries would not fail again and again, and the Wei country would completely lie flat.

So the most important thing now is to let the currency circulate first no matter what, even if the tyrants privately forge it, Sun Ce will bear it.

As a powerful monarch, Sun Ce naturally couldn't sigh and sigh. He still had a bright smile on his face, masculine and confident, and said: "Now 1000 million yuan can recruit thousands of people in Wu County to participate in corvee labor, build roads and canals, and in the future, Jiangdong Tongbao will be widely circulated. In the hands of every common people. The most important thing right now is to continue to mint and issue coins. I have already asked my wife to contact Danyang County and the heroes of the counties on my behalf so that we can communicate with each other and bring copper and iron to Wu County. Therefore, during this period of time , I will continue to improve the smelting preparations."

When it comes to smelting, this is not within the scope of responsibility of He Kui and Gu Yong, and they immediately stood up and resigned.

And Zhu Zhi also got up, and said to Sun Ce: "When it comes to smelting and forging, I am going to discuss with the general. The general can follow me to the back house of the county mansion to have a look."

Wu County County Mansion is still quite big, mainly because it has been operated and expanded by officials of successive dynasties since the Spring and Autumn Period.

In the whole building complex, there are not only the majestic palaces and pavilions of the Qin and Han Dynasties, but also a hint of the lush scenery of landscape gardens.

Sun Ce walked side by side with Zhu Zhi, and praised with a smile: "Wu County is peaceful and prosperous, as long as we can keep the war out of the river and make the hinterland peaceful, sooner or later all the homes in the south of the Yangtze River, Yuan Yu, will be so prosperous and prosperous."

Zhu Zhi said with a smile: "This garden is lush and spacious, and it is indeed convenient for doing everything. Please come here, General, just to have a look at the melting pot I set up."

Following the direction of Zhu Zhi's finger, Sun Ce saw two melting furnaces near the stone platform by the pool.

He asked in surprise: "Mr. Zhu is still smelting in the county mansion?"

Casting furnaces to smelt iron is what Sun Ce is most happy to see.

Zhu Zhi explained with a smile: "It's just to express my feelings in my spare time. In the past few days, I have successfully forged a saber, and I ordered it to be Anguo."

Sun Ce nodded. The generals of Soochow Wu all have this hobby of making precious swords for themselves.

In addition to the Anguo created by Zhu Zhi, after Pan Zhang captured and killed Guan Yu and was worshiped as the prefect of Guling, in commemoration of his contribution this time, he also forged a precious sword and engraved the word "Guling" on the knife.

If it was just a knife, Zhu Zhi would not have invited him here so solemnly.

So Sun Ce asked: "Mr. Zhu said just now that there is a matter of smelting and forging, and you want to discuss it with me in detail?"

Zhu Zhi nodded solemnly, and then said with a sigh of relief: "I thought at this time, we should recruit soldiers from Wu County to benefit the people's livelihood!"

(End of this chapter)