Wei Xin walked over barefoot, clapped his hands on his body, and said, "Zhi Niang, it looks flat here, but there are water seeds everywhere. There are many reeds here, so it is extremely difficult to dig a drainage channel."

Zhu Zhaoren said: "Isn't that the case with reclaiming wasteland? You still want to plant it like the land at home!"

Wei Xin sighed, went to everyone, chose a stone to squat on it. The person next to him handed him two branches, counting them as chopsticks. He said, "Let me say less. I didn't hear Tu'aoshi say that as long as these lands are opened, the court will be exempted from three years of taxes."

In the middle is today's supper, a large pot of yellow rice and a small pot of pickles. There is also a large pot of fish caught in a nearby pond. They directly cooked with salt and sprinkled with some wild vegetables. These days, they have dug drainage channels in this field. After draining the water, it will be easier to burn the wasteland in winter and cultivate it into arable land in spring. The field is full of reeds and various tree roots, which is not easy to do.

Meng Xuezhao took two people and carried a few bags. He came to everyone and threw the bags on the ground, saying, "The newly released iron shovel in the yamen is said to be produced by Xiangzhou Iron Supervisor, which is extremely durable. We will find some branches to pack the iron shovel."

Wei Xin opened the bag and took out the iron shaved head inside to watch. They all looked round, and they looked very thin and sharply ground in front. He flicked it with his fingers and heard a buzzing sound. He couldn't help but praise: "What a great iron! These farm tools from the Song people are really well made!"

Zhu Zhaoren said: "It's not cheap to be such a good thing."

Meng Xuejue said: "It is certainly not cheap to make a deal of five stagnant money. But if we don't use it, how much land can we get?"

Zhu Zhaoren nodded and looked carefully at the head. He said, "If it was in the north, five jin of money would not be bought. Such good iron must be used for swords. How could it be used for farmers? It seems that the court is good for us and did not take the opportunity to raise the price."

Meng Xuejue said: "That's natural. I asked Tu'aoshi and said it was cheaper than nearby markets and was given by the yamen for preferential treatment."

Putting down the iron shovel in his hand, Wei Xin raised the wine jar on the side and said, "Let's stop talking. We drink. The old man who sells wine there has been talked about several times and finally stopped selling sour wine to us. I heard that the wine in the city is better and there are extremely strong ones. In the future, when we drink, it's better to send someone to the city to buy it. These countrymen have no honest business in their business."

While talking, they poured wine for everyone. They each raised their own bowls and drank them all, which was extremely pleasant.

After drinking a few bowls of wine, Zhu Zhaoren said: "A few days ago, the earthquake was quake. I heard that the Khitan exempted the taxes from Xijin Prefecture and Zhuozhou would no longer build a city. It was a pity that if the earthquake was a few days earlier, we would not need to cross the river."

Meng Xuezhao said: "Who can know what is in charge of the earthquake and the sky? Don't talk about these things soon. I have arrived here. I can only work hard, open the ground, plant food, and live a good life in the future."

Wei Xin took a sip of the drink and said, "If we were not far from the river, we might not have had an earthquake. You have never heard of it. The earthquake was caused by the heavens. The Khitans arrested people and built cities, and treated them as livestock. This is to punish them!"

Zhu Zhaoren laughed and said, "This is not nonsense! Those who died of earthquakes are not high-ranking officials, but the disasters are mostly common people."

Several people were eating and drinking while talking about the latest news, which was also lively.

Two days ago, I heard that the Khitan exempted the taxes from the Xijin Prefecture and stopped building the city. Many people regretted escaping. Especially the homes were full, and some women even cried bitterly every day. Fortunately, everyone knew that if they returned to the other side of the river, not only could the Song people not spare them, but the Khitan people not spared them either. If not, someone might run back again. After these two or three days, everyone's emotions stabilized.

Tuaoshi was worried for two days, but when he saw that nothing big happened, he felt relieved. He bought some good farm tools from the shopping mall in Hejian Mansion and loaned them to the people who reclaimed the desert. A handful of iron shovel was indeed a affordable price, and Tuaoshi did not charge too much.

The earthquake caused great damage on the one hand, and on the other hand, it also stopped various Khitan personnel. Although the people suffered heavy losses, they were exempted from taxes and had no service, and the trend of people fleeing south was quickly pacified.

In this era, most of the houses were thatched houses, and they lived in scattered places. Not many people died in the earthquake. It was just that the houses collapsed and the bridges were broken, and the lives of the people were affected. The Song Dynasty also suffered losses, but they were not serious.

After drinking a few bowls of wine, Zhu Zhaoren patted his stomach and said, "In the nearby village yesterday, someone heard that the Khitan had stopped serving and secretly crossed the river and returned home in the middle of the night. Guess what happened in the end?"

Wei Xin smiled and said, "What else can you do? The Khitans hate him for escaping south, how could they be careless?"

"That's true! The man was stabbed and the name Chongjun. The old and young people in the family were sold as slaves by the Khitan, and all the property was taken away." Speaking of this, Zhu Zhaoren shook his head. "The man didn't know what he thought, and he had fled south. How could he think that the Khitan would not pursue it!"

Meng Xuejue said: "The Khitans cannot govern the country either. At this time, we should not pursue those who escaped. Only when others see them will they go back slowly. Once someone escapes, they will be punished and severely punished. When others see them, who dares to go back?"

Zhu Zhaoren said: "Scholars, this is wrong. There are only a few hundred people who fled to the south bank, and the Khitans don't care too much. Only by punishing those who escape back can they exhale their anger."

Wei Xin said: "When it comes to this, you say that the Khitans hate us so much. Will they send troops across the south bank in winter?"

Zhu Zhaoren shook his head repeatedly: "I have been here for some days, but have you not heard of it? The Khitans nowadays were not the same as before, but they had no chance of winning. After fighting in Shuozhou for a few days, the Khitans could not take any advantage."

"Yes, the Song army is no longer as good as before, and is not afraid of fighting with the Khitans." Meng Xuejiao nodded. "I heard that the real Song army uses guns and cannons, and he has traumatized people hundreds of steps, and does not fight in close combat at all. The Khitans cannot make guns and suffer a lot."

Wei Xin said: "There is no here. Look at the Song army in Xiongzhou, aren't they still holding swords and guns?"

Zhu Zhaoren shook his head: "Who knows these things? We just heard people say. The most important thing now is that the Khitan should not cross the river to catch us in winter. The Joma River freezes in winter, and the Khitan cavalry rode over, but it was very easy."

Speaking of this, several people were a little worried. Although the Song Dynasty also had heavy troops in Xiongzhou, based on past experience, it did not block the ability of the Khitan cavalry. Even if the Khitans could not fight, as long as they knew their location, they would cross the river and arrest hundreds of villagers.

Meng Xuejue said: "This is south of Yishui, dozens of miles away from the border. I don't believe that Khitan soldiers can come. The Song army in Xiongzhou is not a decoration, so how can we let Khitan soldiers come and go? Our safety is still a small matter, and the hats of officials here are big matters."
Chapter completed!