Johime Three Kingdoms

Chapter 93 Lu Su: The Prophecy Is Unbelievable!

"Dig a well? And it's a deep well... Is this necessary?" Lu Su frowned at Bai Tu's plan.

That's right, in addition to strategic material reserves, another short-term task of the Ministry of Civil Affairs is to train grassroots officials to use new well-digging tools, and then organize people from Danyang and Wu counties to perform additional corvee work during the slack season. —Dig a well!
As extra corvee, Baitu planned to use "relief grain" to replace the wages that needed to be paid.

The so-called relief grain is a kind of grain mixed with bran, bran, wild vegetables, a small amount of eggs... In coastal areas, dried fish is also mixed in. It tastes like chewing sand and does not taste very good. "Grain and grass" - only those that have been processed by Cheng Ji are called grain and grass!

At the same time, after Cheng Ji's treatment, the taste of the food will further deteriorate, but the shape is suitable for storage and transportation.

It looks like bricks, tastes more like bricks, and doesn’t taste good, but it’s filling and not bad for your health.

Two stones of grain, plus those messy things, can be "exchanged" for three stones of relief grain!
In addition, there are "growing grains" with higher nutritional content and a smaller proportion of bran and wheat bran, which can be supplied to children and soldiers who need to train and fight.

As for the ones that are completely free of wheat bran and bran and have a high meat-to-egg ratio, they are prepared for a small number of elite soldiers who need high-intensity training - this is the product of Bai Tu's nutritional balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

"This 'relief grain' is quite good. It can not only increase grain taxes in disguise, but also reduce some public resentment. In addition, the achievements and reputation of the 'Baigong Li' and 'Baigong Huan' made public by the lord later, should still be popular in Jiangdong. " Lu Su said.

Lu Su is very supportive of the food relief policy.

During the Three Kingdoms period, people were taxed very heavily. In the Han Dynasty, it was usually one out of ten taxes, which meant one-tenth of the grain production had to be paid. During the Wen and Jing Dynasties, people advocated governance by doing nothing to hide wealth from the people, and taxes were as low as thirty taxes. First, when it comes to the real Three Kingdoms period, those who use official oxen in the Wei State will have six officials and four civilians, and those who do not use official oxen will have five to five points.

Although the Shu Han Dynasty had Shu brocade, Yunnan horses, and gold and silver produced in Nanzhong, in order to maintain a large army, the tax revenue had always been nearly half...

It can be said that during this period, aristocratic families were transitioning into powerful families one after another, but the people were very miserable.

Even now, the princes of all parties have generally increased the poll tax significantly, and the land tax has also reached five taxes and one tax, three taxes and one tax, to balance the huge military expenditure.

In comparison, the original garrison forces in various places in Jiangdong now total more than 300 people. The number of new soldiers Bai Tu recruited in the four counties is not planned to exceed [-]. Compared with Jiangdong, which has a population of [-] million, it is not many. .

Just because he foresaw that there would be a drought next winter, Bai Tu had to start preparing food, so he had no choice but to choose five taxes and one tax.

At this time, even in Jiangdong, where rice and wheat were planted in rotation and two crops were harvested a year, the average yield per mu was only one stone.

Taking a household with a hundred acres of land as an example, Baitu had to collect [-] shi of grain, and he was "crazy" and forced to exchange [-] shi of relief grain for [-] shi of ordinary rice grain.

This is equivalent to one hundred shi of grain per 120 acres of real estate. Bai Tu wants to collect [-] shi, and after turning it into [-] shi of relief grain, he will give back [-] shi!

There is another advantage, that is, the sale of ordinary rice grains cannot be restricted across the board, but the relief grains produced by Cheng Ji can.

When Bai Tu issues an order that those who buy and sell relief grain privately will be punished as smugglers of salt and iron, this will put an end to a large number of open reselling and prevent people from hoarding grain in disaster years.

"It's just that for a long time, both the military and the people will be in turmoil. It's better to tax three of ten, two of five, or increase the calculated tax." Lu Su suggested.

The so-called "tax calculation" is actually a poll tax, a tax paid by all farmers, merchants and handicraftsmen. Generally, farmers use silk, meat and eggs to offset the tax.

"Of course it's not a long-term solution, but... I have a hunch that there will be a severe drought in Huainan next winter. The year after next will be a good time to conquer Huainan. However, a large amount of relief food is needed, and the drought may spread to Jiangdong. We also Be prepared," Bai Tu said.

Lu Su became a little serious after hearing this, and said solemnly: "My lord, you cannot mess with the administrative orders regarding prophecy!" He glanced at Tai Shici as he said that, as if he wanted to ask something.

Seeing this, Bai Tu understood that Lu Su thought he had been deceived by some fortune teller, and wanted Tai Shi Ci to reveal something.

"It's not the words of prophecy, it's me...it's me, the divine being, who has entered the dream!" Bai Tu said bravely.

"I think about it every day and dream about it at night. My lord has a headache from Huainan Yuan Shu, so that's why he has this dream, right?" Lu Su retorted.

In Lu Su's view, it is not impossible to "go into a dream with a god", but it should be a means, an excuse, not a source of motivation!

Bai Tu knew that he couldn't explain it, so he could only say: "Since there is such a dream, why shouldn't we be more careful?"

When Lu Su heard this, he said helplessly: "But Su can guarantee that there will be no major disasters in Huainan in recent years."

"How can you guarantee this?" Bai Tu couldn't help but wonder when he heard this.

"Actually... Su has a lot of research on Feng Shui, and he can see the world's atmosphere..."

Hearing Lu Su's words, Bai Tu stared at him with a look of disgust on his face - who just said that the "prophecy thing" was not credible?
Of the co-authors, only my "Gods and Men Entering Dreams" is in the category of prophecy, but your "Feng Shui and Earth Qi" is very scientific?

Lu Su saw the look in Bai Tu's eyes and said excitedly: "My method of observing Feng Shui and observing the earth's energy is recorded in the Book of Heaven!"

"Oh, how much does the Book of Heaven cost?" Bai Tu was already convinced that Lu Su had been deceived into lameness.

"Priceless treasure...wait a minute! Lord, I wasn't deceived, this is the real book! One of the ten volumes of the book..." Lu Su said quickly.

"Ten volumes? One of them? When that person comes to sell you the other nine volumes, please inform me." Bai Tu looked like he wanted to seek justice for Lu Su.

Lu Su went crazy and struggled to explain to Bai Tu that the Heavenly Book was free of charge and was not something that beggars on the street would sell if they looked at someone's skeleton. It was a gift from heaven...

Lu Su originally thought that Bai Tu might also have a certain heavenly book, but now it seems that this is not the case.

But Bai Tu was still doubtful. After all, we often see examples of scammers tricking smart people.

But then Taishi Ci interrupted: "My lord, Ci has also heard of the legend of the Ten Volumes of the Heavenly Book..."

Only then did Bai Tu become convinced. There were even chengji in this world. In comparison, the Book of Heaven was nothing special.

But now Bai Tu is very doubtful whether Lu Su's Heavenly Book is a parallel import or whether his academic skills are not perfect - comparing the current world with the direction of major events that Bai Tu understands, next winter's severe drought should not happen There are mistakes, but why did Lu Su come to the opposite conclusion when he "observed the earth's energy"?

On the other hand, what Lu Su said later made Bai Tu believe some of the claims about the "Book of Heaven"...

(End of this chapter)