In the late April of the 33rd year of Qin Shi Huang, outside the county of Huanxian County, Cangcao Peng Xiao He stood at the pavilion post, holding a book, looking at the galloping road, an endless stream of ox carts and people came one after another, the car was full of grain, such as millet, wheat, beans, etc., the cattle were struggling to step forward, the people were pushing and grabbing in the back, sweating, and the sound of the big cart and the small cart was rolling.

These are all from the southern counties of Jiaodong County, sent to the county warehouse storage of grain, Xiao He, as the warehouse Cao Peng, is responsible for the inventory and inspection of grain, must be supervised with the local warehouse husband, clear responsibility, no mistake can be made.

In the original history, Xiao He was an expert in logistics supply, he stayed in Guanzhong, making Guanzhong a consolidated rear of the Han army, constantly transporting soldiers and soldiers to support the war, and now he is in charge of Cangcao, and it is the best use of his talents.

"Xiao Cangpeng."

Xiao He had just checked the batch of grain with the barnman, and watched them enter the warehouse and seal them with his own eyes, at this time, a thirty corporal who followed the grain team arrived on horseback, saddled down, and greeted Xiao He.

"Chen Changshi."

For Chen Ping, Heifu's chief staff, Xiao He didn't dare to slack off, and hurriedly returned the salute.

Chen Ping said: "How is it, Chen Ping personally took the grain, and there was no mistake?" ”

Xiao He said: "Chen Changshi is meticulous, there are not many cars, but there are many cars. ”

"That's fine."

Chen Ping looked left and right, and said with a smile: "If you have enough food, you will have enough soldiers, only by ensuring that the army on the other side of the sea is sufficient, can the army on the other side of the sea fight." Xiao Cangpeng, can you accompany me to take a walk around this warehouse? ”

Chen Ping took the initiative to propose, Xiao He naturally couldn't refuse, handed over the book to Cang Qifu, and after telling him a few words, he invited Chen Ping to take a look at the newly built granary.

The granary covers a wide area, each earthen silo is like the soil bags that stand in the Jiaodong hills, and each earthen silo has accumulated a whole 10,000 stone of grain.

Xiao He patted the thick warehouse wall and introduced: "There are a hundred earthen warehouses like this, that is to say, they can accumulate millions of stones, although only half of them have been accumulated at present, but by June and July, they will definitely be able to overflow with grain, which is enough for the Eastern Expeditionary Army for a year!" ”

Chen Ping nodded, thoughtfully, walking in the well-guarded cang, which was like a city fortress, Chen Ping's attention was attracted by a few civet cats (Chinese civet cats) lying on the roof of the barn yawning and basking in the sun, pointing at them and saying:

"There are many raccoon slaves."

Xiao He said helplessly: "Long history should know that the "Cang Law" is strict, not only do different grains have to be stacked separately, if the doors and windows of the granary are not closed tightly and can reach into the fingers, the person in charge is guilty. If there are more than three rat holes in the granary, a fine of one guilder is also payable. There are many rats in Jiaodong, and there are hundreds of soil warehouses in this warehouse, so they can only raise dozens of raccoon slaves to catch mice. ”

"It's better to raise more."

Chen Ping smiled and said an interesting story: "You don't know, the county guard likes raccoon slaves very much, often buys fish and wears willows, and feeds the civet cattles raised at home, and Mrs. doesn't talk much about him." The county guard has a heart, saying that the raccoon dog is in the hall and the rats are scattered, and now Jiaodong is becoming more and more prosperous, but the officials up and down are quite slack, and it is inevitable that some rats will be born, that is, to raise a few more raccoon dogs and kill these rats! ”

Xiao He's head and rectifying the rule of officials is what Heifu has been emphasizing, but what he didn't expect was that Chen Ping continued on the topic of tanuki and rats:

"But in my opinion, the grain stolen by a hundred rats is not as good as one-tenth of the grain lost in this shipment......"

He seemed to have something to say, Xiao He was cautious and didn't dare to take it rashly, but Chen Ping said to himself:

"Xiao Cangpeng should know that all the counties in Qi were in chaos last year, but Jiaodong relied on the county guard to take precautions and exterminate Zhutian, so there was nothing to do. In addition, the county guards ordered the farmers to walk the counties, and passed the method of composting and manure to the farmers, and the song of the solar terms to the farmers, so the autumn harvest was quite abundant, and the county's public and private fields, more than 6 million mu (Qin mu) of land, a total of 15 million stones of millet were obtained! Wheat 10 million stones. ”

Xiao He bowed: "This is already a bumper harvest." ”

Chen Ping said: "Then dare to ask Xiao Cangpeng, after this bumper harvest, how much has an ordinary household in Jiaodong benefited?" ”

Under Chen Ping's gaze, Xiao He finally answered the question head-on.

"Today, Jiaodong has five husbands, 100 acres of land, millet, wheat, and beans are added to a piece, and the annual harvest is 300 stones. The government collected a rent of one and a half stones per mu, so it went to 150 stones, and only 150 stones remained. People eat one and a half stones a month, and five people eat 90 stones of millet all year round, and then remove the 10 stones that are reserved for seeds, and there are 50 stones left. 50 stones, can be exchanged for 2,500 money, Qi land is good sacrifice, except for the shrine of the new and spring and autumn periods, with 300 money, the remaining 2200. For clothes and shoes, each person uses 300 money, and five people use 1500 at the end of the year, so each household only has 700 yuan left. ”

These data are all recorded in Xiao He's mind, although there will be differences between different people, but they are generally not bad.

It's not over yet, the imperial court still has to collect a wave of money, a family of five people adds up, 23 yuan per person, more than 100.

In the end, there was only more than 500 money left, which is equivalent to less than 1,000 RMB in later generations according to purchasing power. This is the small peasant family in Jiaodong County, the annual flexible use of expenses, for them, is already extremely generous, but once the unfortunate illness and death expenses, the imperial court levied a few more oral taxes, the family will not be able to make ends meet.

Chen Ping clapped his hands and praised: "Xiao Cangpeng is worthy of being a cadre, as I said, so even if it is a bumper harvest, the life of the people in the county will only have food and clothing, not necessarily much better, if there is a poor harvest or even a great famine, then the small farmers will struggle on the hunger and cold line." ”

Xiao He smiled dryly: "That's not it." ”

"Whether that's the case or not, Xiao Cangpeng should know better than me."

Chen Ping said with some emotion: "I dare to say that Jiaodong, which has been governed by the county for two years, although the yield per mu is still not as good as that of Guanzhong, at least it is also the forefront of the forty counties in the world, and it is still so." In some counties with less yield per mu, the land rent collected is the same, and there, it is really the men who work hard to not get enough food and wages, and the women who spin not enough clothes! ”

Xiao He asked cautiously, "What does Chen Changshi mean ......?"

"That's right, the imperial court rent is too heavy!"

There was no one else next to him, and Chen Ping had a heart-to-heart posture with Xiao He:

"Xiao Cangpeng, like me, is also good at Huang Lao's skills, when you know that this half of the rent of Thailand, except for the people of Qindi, who can endure it for a long time? Not to mention that Ding Zhuang in the family has to go out to serve from time to time, even as far as Yuyang and Yuzhang...... But not every county can be as friendly as the county guard, so friendly to foreign soldiers and widows, so that they have no worries about food and clothing. ”

Xiao He looked at him left and right: "How much rent to collect and how many times to levy taxes is set by the imperial court, and it has been like this for more than 100 years." ”

Chen Ping said in a low voice: "Actually, the county guard has already admonished him, proposing that he needs to reduce the rent, and the eleventh and twelfth taxes are appropriate. But Your Majesty still has the southern and northern wars to fight, as well as the tomb of Lishan, the Great Wall to be repaired in the north, and the Western Queen Mother State to be found. ”

"What the county guard can do for the time being is to increase the yield per mu of the people of Jiaodong as much as possible, and maintain the oral endowment at once a year, and never increase the endowment! In accordance with the promises, some Lu Zuo taxes were exempted. ”

Xiao He knew what to say at this time: "However, the county guard is not only a good official of the court, but also a parent official of the people. ”

He changed his voice and said: "But it is precisely because of this that the people pay heavier taxes, the government will get more grain, plus the money from salt drying and gold mines, so that the warehouse can overflow, so that the county guard can build sea ships in Qingdao Port, organize manpower, and open ditches in various counties, compared with the lack of money and food two years ago, I don't have to have such a headache." ”

This slippery Xiao He, no matter how Chen Ping tried to tempt and seduc, he didn't show his attitude.

Chen Ping said meaningfully:

"But it is precisely because of Jiaodong's generosity that His Majesty will appoint the county guard as the supervisor, and the food and clothing of the Eastern Expeditionary Army will be borne by Jiaodong......"

Chen Ping knew that the plan to send troops to Fusu, at least from June until the beginning of spring next year, within ** months, the army's food and clothing would be provided by Jiaodong.

The army of Fusu, the soldiers and the people, a total of 30,000 people, and a lot of livestock, plus the boat division dispatched by Jiaodong itself, counting the loss of grain transportation, the risk of the ship sinking in the wind and waves, full of calculations, every month, at least 100,000 stone of grain must be transported out, a total of one million, and the warehouse that is finally full will be empty.

This is not counting the ships and manpower prepared by Jiaodong for this war.

"Jiaodong has worked hard for two years, and the people have spent a lot of hard work on this battle, which is just to supply tens of thousands of people for the expedition."

Chen Ping turned south:

"If the big battle in the south that mobilized hundreds of thousands of people starts, won't half the world be uneasy?"

Xiao He didn't dare to answer again, Chen Ping smiled dumbly, but sang a poem.

"Big rat big rat, no food for me! Three-year-old girl, don't care about it. The dying woman is a paradise. Paradise, I ...... what I have"

"Xiao Cangpeng, although the people are glad that the chaos has been pacified, it has not affected Jiaodong, and they are still obedient for the time being, but in their eyes, will these Qin officials who went to the countryside to urge food and Ding also be rats, and they can't wait to expel us one day?"

After that, Chen Ping gave Xiao He Chang a swipe and walked away.

Xiao He also replied, and after a long time, he didn't raise his head until Chen Ping's back was gone, his eyes full of doubts.

"Chen Ping said this to me, is he just complaining? Or is he trying to imply something? Was this his word, or did the county guard tell him to say it? ”