The days passed day by day.

The imperial army was besieging Xin'an City, causing heavy casualties. Wang Mi was unable to hold on, and seemed to be waiting for the imperial army to be exhausted before breaking out in one fell swoop to see if he could gain some victory.

The city was still under construction at Mengjin Ferry, while Shao Xun began to reorganize the young men and make plans for the future.

He did not intend to give this crucial place to the imperial court, as he was worried that the emperor would cause chaos.

June 20th was an extremely hot day.

Wang Yan came, empty-handed.

Shao Xun glanced at him, ignored the old man, and continued working in the fields.

It was dinner time, and the smell of steamed cornmeal came from the side.

Wang Yan sniffed it and said with a smile: "I still have to bother Quanzhong for a meal."

"It's done." Shao Xun threw the hoe away and said angrily.

Cai Cheng took the courgette seeds and threw them into the pits to help Shao Xun plant melons.

"Growing vegetables is a good living." Wang Yan said with a smile.

"What? The Lieutenant also wants to come to the sandbank to grow vegetables? Welcome, I'll build you a thatched cottage, and you and I will live next to each other, how about it?" Shao Xun walked to the river, washed his hands, wiped them on his robes, and said

.

"I just happened to bring some seeds." Wang Yan shook a small cloth bag in his hand and said with a smile.

"What?"

"The ones obtained from Shu are commonly known as 'dwarf melons'."

Shao Xun wasn't quite sure what this was, but after taking it, his expression improved a lot and he said, "Let's eat."

The soldiers brought a low table and the dishes were very simple, including two bowls of corn rice, a stewed carp, and two plates of pickles.

Wang Yan was not polite and sat down to eat. He enjoyed the meal very much.

Shao Xun was so excited that he finished eating in just a moment.

"If nothing happens, Lieutenant, you can go back now." After resting for a while, Shao Xun came to a temporary warehouse and said while checking the linen.

Wang Yan clasped his hands behind his back, followed him as if unintentionally, and said, "Hey, this cloth is pretty good."

Linen is also divided into three, six or nine grades. High-quality linen is very comfortable to wear and is not expensive, making it very suitable for the common people.

"There are three hundred pieces of white linen sent from Yushanwu. What do you think of it?" Shao Xun asked, holding up a piece of white linen.

After Wang Yan took it, he looked at it carefully, touched it and said, "It's fine and durable. It's pretty good."

After speaking, he added: "I heard that you were transplanting mulberry trees in Xuchang before, and I was worried that you were going the wrong way. Now it seems that it is not bad. Although it is always said that the foundation of livelihood is that crops are for food, and mulberries and hemp are for clothing.

, but actually speaking, hemp is the root.”

"The best strategy is to go hand in hand with silkworms, mulberry and hemp," said Shao Xun.

What he is talking about here is actually three kinds of cloth, namely silk, linen and Gebu.

Among them, the silk production is not the largest. Currently, the quality of silk produced in Changshan, Zhongshan and Zhao counties of Hebei is the highest, followed by other places in Hebei and Henan. The technical level of Jiangdong is not as good as that of Guanzhong - yes, even Guanzhong

There is a sericulture industry in Youzhou, which is quite large.

The output of linen far exceeds that of silk, and it is the main raw material for daily clothing for the general public.

The yield of Gebu is the smallest, and it is mainly located in the south. The farthest north is also in the south of Yuzhou and along the Huaihe River.

There are also some other cloths with local characteristics, the output is very small and can be ignored.

"Mr. Chen is so courageous." Wang Yan said with a smile: "However, we should be practical in everything, and why not start with linen."

"There is something in Taiwei's words." Shao Xun said doubtfully.

Wang Yan chuckled and said, "It was a coincidence. Outside Jianchun Gate, I saw my uncle Liu Gong sending people to transport sackcloth and go north, so he went home to get a book."

After saying that, he waved, and a servant came forward and took out a thin booklet made of yellow paper from the package.

Wang Yan handed the booklet to Shao Xun and said, "How about taking a look?"

Shao Xun took it and took a look and almost laughed. There were three words on the cover: Planting pockmarks.

"In "Warring States Policy", it is recorded what Lu Zhonglian said to Lord Mengchang. Since ancient times, the state of Lu has not had a lot of people, but the land is small and the people are small. This is because it has a lot of mulberry industry." Wang Yan continued:

"My family has lived in Langya for a long time, and I have quite a lot of experience in the matter of mulberry and hemp. I wonder if this book is worth reading?"

"Not bad." Shao Xun looked at it halfway and then carefully put it away.

They are all practical techniques and tips for growing hemp, which are very helpful in improving yield and quality. Even modern people, as long as they are not in this industry, may not understand this knowledge. After all, many people can’t even tell the difference between leeks and wheat seedlings.

.

The advanced productive forces of these days are indeed still in the hands of wealthy families.

The Male Desert needs to be dug out.

"Please sit down, Lieutenant." Shao Xun asked someone to bring the bed and said with a smile, "I wonder why the Lieutenant came to Heyang?"

"I didn't come empty-handed." Wang Yan said.

"Of course I didn't come empty-handed."

Wang Yan nodded. There was no use talking in circles with the man in front of him. He was a man who would never let go of the rabbit before he saw it. It would be more useful to talk to him about practical benefits.

So he said: "The court has no food, no money, and not much silk. There are only some equipment, which can be distributed as appropriate. If Mr. Chen wants it, I will find someone to supervise this matter."

"It can't be done with just some equipment." Shao Xun said dissatisfied: "I have been here for twenty years, and I can only get 100,000 dendrobium grains. Now I am transferring 50,000 grains from Xinzheng, which is only enough to last until August. Besides, so many people still have it.

Building a city..."

"The imperial court has already distributed the food for building the city." Wang Yan corrected.

"Okay, this matter has been revealed." Shao Xun said, "Meizi can guarantee that there will be food delivered in July."

"In July, there are only one hundred thousand dendrobium."

"Okay, I believe Taiwei." Shao Xun said again: "But the Huns are stationed on the river in large numbers, attacking day and night. Where are the rewards and pensions?"

Wang Yan became a little angry and said, "Do you only recognize A Duwu?"

Shao Xun said without changing his expression: "I have no choice but to be beautiful. I don't like money very much, but I can't help my sons. If I don't have money to reward me, who will work for me?"

"There are only three thousand pieces of silk." Wang Yan said.

"Thirty thousand."

Wang Yan almost lost his temper. Is there such a way to repay the counteroffer?

After seeing Shao Xun's resolute expression, he sighed: "Quan Zhong, the country is in dire straits, so we must endure it for the sake of the country."

Shao Xun looked at his expression carefully and found that he really seemed to be unable to squeeze out any profit, so he asked tentatively: "Taiwei, I heard that there are various craftsmen sent by various states on duty in Luoyang, don't you know?"

Huh? Wang Yan glanced at him doubtfully.

When Shao Xun saw something interesting, he immediately laughed and said: "For example, the book "Growing Pockmarks" is very good. If there are any craftsmen in the imperial court, can you send some to Yuzhou? Anyway, they have nothing to do now..."

"The blacksmith is still very busy." Wang Yan said: "From morning to night, the fire does not stop, making tools for you and others. Do you know how troublesome a pair of iron armor is? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe it.

It actually takes thirty or forty people more than half a year to make a piece of iron armor..."

"If a blacksmith can't do it, other craftsmen can do it, right?" Shao Xun said.

He now mainly solves the problem of food and clothing for the people in his jurisdiction.

People who are not directly engaged in agricultural production, such as blacksmiths, businessmen, and scholars, generally need a large surplus of agricultural products to support a large area. The so-called industrial revolution, the first thing that needs to be solved is the agricultural revolution.

It is good to have a blacksmith, but if there is no blacksmith, other craftsmen such as weavers and dyers or other craftsmen can also be used, preferably those closely related to agricultural production.

"I'll go back and find someone to discuss this matter." Upon hearing this, Wang Yan realized that this condition was not unacceptable.

"Then it's settled." Shao Xun said happily.

The spread of technology in ancient times was very slow, and even those who mastered the technology had no intention of spreading it.

Just like the flowered steamed buns that He Zeng ate, it was outrageous that such a trivial eating technique was so mysterious that it was only spread among a few aristocratic families.

This time I have to take some money from the court to benefit the people of Henan and Yanzhou.

They now trust themselves very much and are willing to fight for themselves, so of course they must give back to them.

"What's going on in Henan and Yanzhou now?" Seeing Shao Xun like that, Wang Yan also became curious and asked.

"Yanzhou is not that good, but Yuzhou is still good." Shao Xun said: "I will wait until the autumn harvest this year, and I plan to let people plant winter wheat."

Wang Yan nodded lightly.

The promotion of winter wheat in Sizhou was once a major political achievement of his and earned him a lot of prestige. He had a very favorable impression of this product.

Shao Xun has been ruling Yuzhou for several years, and the local situation has gradually stabilized.

Especially in the Battle of Gaoping last year, Liu Hanzhong's guard Jin Zhun was defeated. At that time, it was just ordinary, but now that I think about it, the impact of this victory has become more and more far-reaching.

This year the Xiongnu will probably not go south to Henan and Yanzhou. This is the biggest result of the Battle of Gaoping.

However, when the Huns did not go south, Shao Xun had a chance to breathe, so that he became more and more courageous, and actually came up with the idea of ​​planting winter wheat. He was not afraid that the Huns would gather tens of thousands of horses again and surge south from the ice of the Yellow River to kill him.

The crops were completely destroyed.

If he succeeds in this matter, the summer harvest next May will greatly alleviate the food shortage situation, and then he can continue farming...

With Henan's endowment, the people may not have enough food by then. As the saying goes, "Three years of farming will provide one year of food." Even if Yanzhou is dragged down, at least there will be no widespread famine.

It’s really incredible!

If you can win the battle, you can fill your stomach. Reality is really educational.

"After I return, I will allocate five thousand bolts of cloth and silk to you. There is not much left. The emperor is also planning to reward the meritorious ministers in the Battle of Xin'an." Wang Yan said.

"If Wang Miruo can't shrink, Xin'an can't win." Shao Xun said, "The court might as well appease him."

"I tried to caress him, but it didn't work." Wang Yan sighed.

After sighing, he pointed up and down the river and asked, "Are you sure you can hold it?"

"The Huns have not yet been able to capture the South City and the Central City. When they were building the North City, there might have been a big battle, but not this time." Shao Xun said, "Now there are fewer sneak attacks at night. In August and September, the Central City

The rough construction of Nancheng will be completed by the end of October."

To be honest, he didn't want to stay here in Hezhu anymore, it was so boring.

If you have the time, why not go back to Yanzhou to see your children, or go to Xuchang to inspect the fields.

"With you here, I feel relieved." Wang Yan said: "What do you think of the battle of Xin'an?"

"The imperial court and Wang Mi are fighting a stupid battle. There is nothing to say." Shao Xun said: "I heard that the Liangzhou soldiers have been thinking about returning home for a long time? Let them finish the battle before leaving. The Xiao Cavalry Army and the Liangzhou Cavalry Army were mobilized and ambush

On the retreat route. If the Forbidden Army is defeated and the cavalry fights out, some gains may be made. At the worst, the Forbidden Army can be safely withdrawn to Luoyang."

"I believe in you." Wang Yan has always trusted Shao Xun's military advice.

"Guard well here, I will leave tonight. If the three cities of Heyang are successfully built, it will be a great contribution to the king." Wang Yan said: "The war in Sizhou, Governor-General, will be completed by then. Remember it."
Chapter completed!