Good farming at the foot of Changbai Mountain

Chapter 237 Preparation
Zixuan discussed with those old people for a while, and then he and Jinghan carried Qingyuan back to Zhuangzi.After coaxing Qingyuan to sleep, the two discussed the solution there.

"After we go back, let's prepare as soon as possible. As everyone said, we are not afraid of a little drought, but we are afraid of flooding. In this way, mobilize the people in various places, and after the spring plowing is over, we will start to put the The dam should be repaired first." Zixuan thought for a while and said.

"Well, in addition, from now on, the food in the warehouse of the county government is not allowed to be used. In case of any situation, this is life-saving food. I will save all the food at the winery. From now on, the winery I won’t make wine anymore, and I’ll talk about it after a while if there’s nothing else to do.” Jinghan is not afraid of anything else, just that if something happens, people may be able to keep it, but the crops in the field may not be.If there is no preparation at all, wouldn't these people have to starve to death?

"It's hurting my wife." Zixuan put his arms around Jinghan and said apologetically.

"What are you talking about? We've been married for more than four years. We're old couples. It's too boring to talk about it. By the way, if we build these dams, will the county government have enough money?" Jing Han only cares about making money. He is interested in the affairs of Zixuan County, and never asks about the affairs of Zixuan County Yali.

"It's enough. None of the taxes and taxes collected in the past few years have been handed over. In addition, the money sold from the wasteland has not been used. The construction of the county wall and other projects are all allocated by the Ministry of Households. Therefore, the county There is still a lot of money in the yamen, which should be enough." Zixuan was a little sleepy, "Go to sleep, we will go back to the county yamen tomorrow, there are so many things to do."

Jinghan blew out the candle, then fell asleep in Zixuan's arms.

The next day, the family returned to the county.Today's county is not what it used to be. The tall city walls are all made of huge stones, which are very strong.The size of the county seat is directly built according to the state city.The emperor meant that sooner or later this place will be upgraded to a state city, so it is better to build it directly according to the specifications of the state city, so as to save trouble in the future.

As soon as he returned to the county office, Zixuan called the people in the county office to discuss the matter.

Wenchang and Wenxuan are no longer here. The two of them participated in the autumn of the year before last. Wenchang won the Juren, but Wenxuan did not pass the exam.In the spring of the second year, Wenchang won the first prize again.Wen Xuan was a little discouraged, and after returning home, he helped his father manage the family property at home.

Jinghan wrote a letter to persuade Wenxuan to take the exam again in two years. Even if he fails, he should not be discouraged. The imperial examination is not the only way to go.Wen Xuan has also turned the corner now, saying that he is helping his father manage the family business while studying and preparing for scientific examinations.Jing Han has no objection to this, reading doesn't necessarily have to be hard on the books, it also requires more experience.

But Ziwen is here now.Like Wenxuan, after he was selected as a scholar, Qiu Wei did not pass the exam.So I came to Zixuan's side and learned from Zixuan.Now, Zixuan has an extra helper.

Everyone spread out a more detailed map and carefully studied the rivers in the entire Zhendong County. "Look, my lord. Although there are nine rivers in our county, the biggest ones are the Tao'er River and the Nuoni River. Why don't we go along these two rivers tomorrow to see where the dams are? , Just fix that section. As long as we make preparations in advance, even if we really get angry, we can reduce the loss by then."

The person who spoke was, of course, the county magistrate. His surname was Zhao, he was in his forties, and he was a very prudent person.Zhao Xiancheng and Zixuan get along very well, and he admires Zixuan for making the people live a better life in a short period of time.

"Well, that's fine. It's useless for us to just look at the map here. It's better to go to the place to take a good look. It's just that we first decide on the location, and then after the spring plowing is over, we can recruit peasants to build the dam together. This can be regarded as a good thing that will benefit the people in the long run, and we must do it well." Zixuan also felt that just looking at the map like this is not a good thing after all.

So he arranged for the people who stayed in the yamen, and all the rest went out to check.After the division of labor was clear, everyone went home to rest.

"Brother, do we need to report the construction of the embankment to the imperial court? Logically speaking, it should also be reported to the magistrate, right?" Ziwen waited for everyone to leave before asking Zixuan.

Zixuan pondered for a moment before speaking. "It stands to reason that this should be done. After we have checked everything and figured out the specific situation, I will write an official document and report it. It will be better."

In this way, in the next few days, everyone will go out together.Along the banks of the two rivers, the situation of the embankment was checked, and some places for the construction of the embankment were determined.

In addition, Jinghan also suggested that the diversion canal should be built together.Build sluice gates where water is diverted from the river. In this case, the sluice gates will be opened during droughts to divert water for irrigation.When the water rises, close the sluice gate so that the fields will not be washed away.Another point is that there is no moat built outside the city wall of the county government.This is a big disadvantage for defense, and you can also take this opportunity to dig out the moat.

Zixuan was very excited about Jinghan's proposal, "My lady is awesome, I knew she would have a good idea." Zixuan hugged Jinghan and kissed her on the face.

Jinghan smiled, "Don't talk about whether the idea is good or not, but you have to understand that these projects are not small. How many people will be employed, and where will they be recruited? Are these all counted?"

"It's already been calculated. For each section of the river, we should recruit people from the nearby villages. This way, it will be easier to work. The moat can only find people in the city. In addition, the emperor Didn’t they send [-] soldiers to our place? At the beginning, the emperor had something to say, and he could ask them to help with the work when there was nothing to do. All these people were transferred to help build the dam, so there will be more A lot of people will come?" These Zixuan had already made up their minds, and they already had a bottom line in their hearts.

Jinghan nodded, "Since this is the case, then I have nothing to say. This is a good thing for the benefit of the people, but you must make it clear to the people before doing it, and don't make it unpopular. Let the people be willing It’s good to work.” In the past few years, the two couples have caused a lot of noise here, if it weren’t for the emperor’s full support, Zixuan might not be able to be the county magistrate here long ago.

After all the plans were arranged, Zixuan wrote an official document and sent it to Fucheng to be handed over to the magistrate.These projects are not small things, and they can only be started after the approval of the adults in the government.

It is impossible for the magistrate to give an immediate reply, so Zixuan waited anxiously.At the same time, Jinghan asked Zixuan to write a letter detailing these matters, sent someone to the capital, and asked Mingyu to hand it over to the emperor.

The magistrate has not replied yet, and the spring plowing has not been completely finished, so Zixuan honestly handles the business in the county government.

The master came in from the outside, "My lord, the chairman of the county chamber of commerce has come and said that he has some matters to discuss with you."

"The chamber of commerce? This doesn't seem to have anything to do with me, does it? Forget it, let people come in first, let me ask." Zixuan was a little puzzled. The chamber of commerce in this county was only established last autumn.They are merchants from all over the world who came here to build some workshops, or set up shops to buy local specialties. Why do these people get together?
Not long after the master went out, he brought in two people, "My lord, these are the two presidents of our local chamber of commerce." The master specially recommended it.

Zixuan asked people to watch the seats, and then asked someone to serve tea, and then looked at the two people.It turned out that they both knew each other. These two people were the two owners of several weaving workshops in the county. "I don't know if President Cui and President Jiang came to see me, what's the matter?"

"My lord, that's what happened. The members of our chamber of commerce discussed it and decided to reduce the workers' wages. My lord may not know that the wages here are twice as high as those in other places. We It is not easy to come here to do business. To be honest, such a high salary is really too expensive." One of the people surnamed Cui said.

Zixuan lowered his head and took a sip of tea, and then he didn't look up at them again, "The two are the presidents of the local chamber of commerce, you can decide on this matter. I don't care about these matters of the chamber of commerce, as long as you can hire workers, This is whatever you want." Zixuan's voice was a little lazy, and when the master clerk heard it, he knew that the county magistrate was a little angry.

The master bookkeeper secretly laughed, these profiteers, in order to earn more money, even managed to pay such a small amount of wages.You must know that many people in the county now work in these workshops. If the wages are reduced, these people will not be able to earn so much money.The master's home is in the local area, and some relatives in the family also work in the workshop, so when he heard this, he was also unhappy.

"My lord, this matter must be done by an adult. My lord should also know that Mrs. Zun has a lot of workshops in the county, and the wages are the highest among these workshops. Since it is a business, of course it is the cost. The lower the better. If Madam pays such a high salary, the cost will be too high, and the profit will be greatly reduced." The other man muttered to himself while talking.This magistrate doesn't know how to run a business, so she pays such a high salary, how can others make money like this?It's true that a woman can't take care of her husband and teach her children well at home, but she has to do these things.

"My lord, I hope Madam Zhixian can take the lead in lowering wages. In this case, Madam can also earn more money? We came thousands of miles to earn more money. If we can't Without money, this workshop will not be able to continue." There was a hint of threat in this man's words.

(End of this chapter)