Lonely non-good minister

After negotiating with them, Song Yuan said goodbye.

Wei Yan was very puzzled: "Master, you don't want to accept bribes, do you? Tell them well what you want to do with the land? If you really want to farm, the subordinates will buy you a hundred and eighty acres tomorrow. Is it worth dealing with them? ?”

"They have to drag me into the water before they can trust me." Song Yuan was very calm: "I guess, they will buy land in my name, so keep an eye on it."

Wei Yan didn't dare to be careless, and responded seriously.

They returned to the yamen, and in the evening, Huang Yue and the others also came back. They carefully recorded the conditions of the fields around the county town. Looking at the records, Song Yuan frowned.

There are five counties under the jurisdiction of Leping County, and this is only the situation around the county seat. With so many fields being used for grazing, the situation in other counties may be even more serious.

It is too wasteful for such a good land to be used for grazing, but so far there is no mandatory decree against this situation in Leping, which shows that the court has no hope.

After thinking hard for a long time, it was already dark outside. Song Yuan got up to find Mu Lin. Mu Lin was still dealing with official documents.

"Master Mu, is it convenient now?" Song Yuan knocked on his door.

Mu Lin was also tired, so he put down his official document and asked her to come in, and he just took a rest: "Master Jun Cheng, what's the matter?"

"Master Mu, don't be so polite, just call me Master Song." Song Yuan sat down, glanced at the official documents on his desk, and felt a little more sympathy for him.

What a pity~
Mu Lin shook his head solemnly: "The official title is the highest title, and Song Naiguo's surname is inappropriate. Please forgive me, Lord Cheng."

"Okay." Song Yuan didn't want to haggle over such trivial matters: "I came here to ask Mr. Mu, do I have a quantitative method for opening up wasteland?"

Mu Lin thought about it seriously: "I don't remember it, but it's about the law. It might be more appropriate to ask Mr. Huo, but he's not here tonight, and we may have to wait for him to come back. Mr. Juncheng wants to open up wasteland?"

"Well, I have carefully looked at the situation around the county town. Even the fields are used for grazing. This situation has already affected the grain production, but the court has not issued a mandatory decree for three years, so I guess some people in the court do not want to To move these wealthy gentry, we can only find another way."

Mu Lin nodded: "Master Jun Cheng is right, but it is not easy to open up wasteland. Many mountains and forests are privately owned, and we can't cut down the trees for food. Those slightly flat places have already been owned by others, and it is really possible to open up wasteland. There are not many places, and the people have to wait a year for the harvest if they have fields in their hands. How can they survive in this year? Many people can't make it through, and they can only sell the fields in the end."

"It's not difficult. I have a solution, but I just need the help of the county guard." Song Yuan said silently: "Leping County has five thousand soldiers and horses, and these soldiers and horses are only used to suppress bandits. If the current posture continues, only I am afraid that [-] soldiers and horses are not enough, so I think, let the yamen be the guarantee, encourage the people to open up wasteland, and at the same time require the soldiers and horses in Leping to cultivate the land by themselves. how?"

Mu Lin immediately rejected it: "How can this be done? Soldiers are used to suppress bandits and rebellions, and they are not field soldiers. How can they be used for farming?"

"Why not? The banditry in Leping is not serious, and there is no rebellion to be suppressed now, so the [-] strong labor force should be spent on farming. As long as the grain production increases, banditry and rebellion will naturally disappear."

Mu Lin still disagreed: "The soldiers have gone to farm, who will guard Leping?"

"It's not difficult to take up the sword and gun to fight the enemy, and put down the sword and gun to farm in the field. It's not a fairy tale to expect a group of hungry and skinny farmers to increase their food production while leaving five thousand strong laborers on the army's royal rations to spend. "Song Yuan was also in a hurry.

"Excessive words." Mu Lin was also anxious.

Song Yuan suppressed the anger in his heart: "I know that five thousand soldiers and horses are the main force in Leping and cannot be used as envoys to garrison the fields, but the biggest crisis in Leping now is food. If the problem can be solved with sweat, there is no need to work hard. The people have insufficient food and clothing. Well, banditry and rebellion will happen sooner or later, and now we can kill these two crises, why not give it a try?"

Mu Lin also suppressed his temper: "What if there is a riot during the farming period?"

"Then divide it into batches, how many people form a group, how much wasteland you open up and how much food you grow is up to you. How to arrange it is up to the army. You don't need to guard the fields day and night, and it doesn't delay their defense. Leping."

She had made up her mind a long time ago before coming to her. This is not a discussion, it is clearly a notice. Mu Lin's temper can't be suppressed anymore: "To open up wasteland, we need to build canals. Where does the money come from?"

"As long as you agree, I will raise money." Song Yuan said affirmatively.

This made Mu Lin look down on her even more, and subconsciously felt that she was going to ask her family for money.

"I have to discuss with the generals in the army." Mu Lin made an excuse.

Song Yuan looked at him: "Okay, please let Master Mu know when you discuss it, I want to hear it too."

Her attitude made it clear that she didn't trust herself, and Mu Lin's face darkened on the spot, but Song Yuan didn't care, and stood up and said goodbye graciously.

Before dawn the next day, Song Yuan got up and took Huang Yue for a walk on the street. The two ate at the street corner stall and took a look at the people who were busy doing business early in the morning.

"How did the son and Mu Lin talk?"

Song Yuan shook his head: "He doesn't think that the main force of the city should be used as soldiers for farming, so he is very opposed to letting soldiers go to open up wasteland."

"The main reason for Mu Lin's objection is that he is worried that the soldiers will not accept it. These soldiers who are used as the main force are all rushing for military merit, so they are naturally unwilling to let them farm the land. mutiny."

Song Yuan was stunned for a moment, and asked seriously: "Even if we guarantee that all the food they get will be delivered to their homes?"

"Who can guarantee that their families will receive the food? Who can guarantee that the food they get will not be discounted?" Huang Yue asked: "Military exploits can be exchanged for glory and wealth, but food cannot. To put it bluntly, if It is true that banditry and rebellion happened because of lack of food, it was a great opportunity for them to make contributions, why would they erase the opportunity to make contributions?"

This statement made Song Yuan stunned for a moment, she rubbed her chin and pondered, it is human nature to seek profit, she really ignored this point.

"Perhaps you can talk to Mu Lin again. Ordinary soldiers are from poor backgrounds. They may support your idea, but it is the upper ranks of the army who can decide this matter. These generals don't worry about food and clothing, and they don't care about the life and death of the people. of."

Huang Yue's words made Song Yuan ponder again, and he also understood that the crux of the low grain production in Leping was not just a problem of the wealthy gentry.