The private brew in the countryside is light and tasteless, and Du Zhongxiao drank it casually, while listening to Baozheng talk about the changes since the reclamation of the fields.

Until now, the camp has not produced grain here, and it has lived on the transferred grain and money. Due to its timely development, the standard of living is higher than that of the local area, and it is envied by many locals. In recent months, there have even been customers around who covet the treatment of farm work. Drag the family to vote. Because of these things, Du Zhongxiao was complained by the local big families for cultivating land here.

After he took over as the magistrate, Du Zhongxiao somewhat understood why the treatment given by Yingtian in the past was not high. If the treatment is high, it will attract local customers, and the main households with a lot of land cannot rent out their fields, which will affect the stability of the local area. I am the magistrate of the county, and the governance of the county depends on the support of those big households, that is, because of the Ma Meng case recently, no one dared to come out to accuse Du Zhongxiao.

Bao Zheng said with emotion: "The county officials are kind-hearted, and we small people don't have to worry about food and clothing, who doesn't envy them?" A few days ago, I heard that in the newly opened village, there are local owners who have no cattle and livestock, and they have all sold their fields and come to work in the community. ”

Du Zhongxiao was taken aback: "There is still such a thing? It took generations of hard work to save some land, so why are you willing to sell it? ”

Bao Zheng said: "Where do you have to work so hard! The price of land in this area is not high, the general land is only 500 wen per mu, if it is an inferior household, how much can it be sold for? Instead of guarding those lands and renting cattle to cultivate them every year, it is better to sell the land to earn some cash in hand. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded, did not speak, and felt a little bad in his heart. The purpose of cultivating land is to solicit hukou, not to destroy the agricultural ecology. If they all come to the camp to reclaim the land, but abandon the original land, he is derelict in his duty.

At this time, in the Central Plains, the contradiction between people and land was not prominent, and it was not the state of more people and less land as he imagined. Among the means of agricultural production, agricultural tools and ploughing cattle account for a large proportion, while land accounts for a small proportion. As a result, the price of renting cattle and farming implements is higher, while the price of arable land is lower. Generally, the land is 500 wen per acre, and good land is only worth the same. Cattle and farming tools are provided here, and households are paid according to their work, and their living standards have surpassed those of the local low-class households. As soon as the customers and the lower class households leave, the main households with many fields will not be able to hire people, the land will be abandoned, and the land price will fall, and the situation will gradually deteriorate. Unable to open new fields, it made the original ripe fields barren.

Raising his glass, Du Zhongxiao said: "It's a good thing that the days are getting better and better, drinking, drinking." ”

Social transformation is a big project, and it affects the whole body, and I am still too anxious. This kind of thing, according to the household registration, not allowing local households to vote is not good, it is easy to cause the separation of the farm work and the local society, and if it is not handled well, it will also lead to conflicts and contradictions.

Putting down the cup, Du Zhongxiao said to Bao Zheng: "Among the people who came, I don't know if there are many craftsmen. If there is a master craftsman, regardless of whether he is a carpenter or a blacksmith, he will build some farm work and make some farm tools, but it will be easy to sell. With farm tools, some ploughing cattle were sold from Jingnan, and the county sold them to everyone at a low price, so they didn't have to abandon the wasteland to do things in the fields. ”

Bao Zheng smiled: "Who doesn't know the value of craftsmanship?" With good craftsmanship, which craftsman will come to work in the fields? ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded, it seems that he still has to figure out how to deal with this matter. It is necessary to keep the price of farm tools down, and then find a way to sell some farming cattle from the south, and even officially establish farming cattle farms to stabilize the market price. It is better for the county to provide subsidies to stabilize the original agricultural pattern. Otherwise, the number of accounts here will increase, and the number of accounts will decrease there, and the merits and demerits will only look at the mouth above, and things will not be good.

Thinking of these in his heart, Du Zhongxiao didn't show it on his face, but just drank with everyone with a smile. There is a ban on alcohol, and in order to overcharge the liquor tax, the price is high, and these rural farmers rarely buy it to drink, and they are all privately brewed at home. Drinking it privately, and not selling it outside, the court can't help it. Especially in the capital, many famous wines are brewed in the homes of some princes and nobles.

After drinking for a while, several teenagers hugged the bride and groom in a cave room. I don't know who hung up a string of firecrackers over there, crackled and set off for a while. The firecrackers stopped, and the children around them were still unsatisfied, so they took a piece of bamboo tube and threw it into the bonfire to listen to the sound of the explosion.

Seeing Du Zhongxiao staring over there, Bao Zheng said embarrassedly: "Be careful of poverty in the village, and only bought three strings of artillery battles." A string was put when I greeted my relatives, and a string was ordered when I entered the village, and this is the most recent string-"

Du Zhongxiao said with a smile: "That's how the word firecrackers came about. Burning bamboo is the ancient style. ”

Bao Zheng smiled awkwardly: "If you have money, who doesn't want to buy more." ”

After nearly a year of hard work in cultivating fields, this is the first time that Du Zhongxiao has experienced the life of the people under his rule up close. Although it is far from being rich and happy, this peace and tranquility are rare. Wealth is accumulated little by little, as long as you can have the money left, there will always be a day when you will get rich. Now they have a house, clothing, and food, and many people are grateful.

The newcomer entered the cave room, the old man returned home with the child, and only the young man was left by the bonfire, and Du Zhongxiao was here. It was not easy for the whole village to have such a banquet, they packed up the leftovers on two or three tables, and a bunch of young people gathered around them to eat and drink. They are strong laborers, and the work of the village is for them to do, so they should naturally enjoy it. Others quit to give them a chance.

Du Zhongxiao asked in detail about the arrangements for this year in Baozheng Village, how much famine has been opened, how much land has been planted, and how much grain is ready to be harvested.

Bao Zhengdao: "In our village, there are more than 30 families. According to the number set at the time of land reclamation, there should be 50 or 60 households, and the fields enclosed by the big ditch can be reclaimed. Now the number of people is uneven, and they are all waiting to recruit their relatives and friends. This village is close to the big ditch in the west, where there is no land, leaving some ponds to catch some fish and shrimp to eat. The meadows by the river were later grazed with livestock. In the south, I plan to plant some mulberry dates and chestnuts, and in the future, I will raise silkworms and weave some brocade, all of which are money. There are some vegetable patches left in the east, and the rest, like in the north, are good plots. ”

Listening to Baozheng's description, Du Zhongxiao had a picture of cattle and sheep grazing and a bumper harvest of rice in his mind, and he was a little fascinated for a while. Even ordinary people actually want to farm and live in peace, not how to be a landlord to exploit others. It's just that whether it can be done or not is another matter. There are always people in the village who are idle, eating, drinking, prostituting and gambling, and it is difficult to cut them off, just how to eliminate them.

Du Zhongxiao said: "We dug a big ditch to treat alkali, and at the same time, we also separated the land into a large area, and naturally became a village. The old man arranged it in an orderly manner, if he could really do it, it would be a happy land. It's just that there are hundreds of people, all kinds of people, and it is good to do things with heart. ”

The old man smiled and shook his head: "My family came here first, two sons, and a large family, so everyone obeys me." What will happen to me in a hundred years, which one can say? We, the small people, can't see that far. ”

"It's okay, just follow what the old man said, carve a tablet at the entrance of the village, and draw a figure on it. If you want to change, just set the rules. I think this method is very good, not only in this village, but also in the villages here in the field affairs. The stele is engraved, and the government makes a record, and it is passed down from generation to generation. Hundreds of years later, future generations will see these and know how their predecessors pioneered. ”

Speaking of this, Du Zhongxiao said to Su Song: "Zirong will stay for a few more days and leave a few tablets here for posterity." One day, a thousand years from now, it may be a joy for future generations to see what we have done here. ”