After thinking about it again and again, Du Zhongxiao said: "You are also the people of the court, life is difficult, and the court cannot sit idly by. However, the Volcano Army is not a place of restraint, and if it is attached, it cannot live according to the account as before. There are indeed some idle fields in the territory, but they cannot be grazing, and all of them must be reclaimed as farmland. The people who are attached to you must be subordinate to the camp and field affairs, and they will also be the village soldiers. ”

Xiangbu was a little embarrassed when he heard this: "If this is the case, it is not a small person who can call the shots, and he should go back and discuss with the clan elders." ”

"It's okay, you can discuss it properly, just go to the yamen to find me. When I came to Dongjiazhai this time, I met a few businessmen I knew before and invited them to drink tonight. If you have nothing to do, stay and drink two glasses together and gossip. ”

Xiangbu was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly thanked him. It's rare for a small leader like himself to have this kind of opportunity.

In the memory of Du Zhongxiao's previous life, places like Shanxi and Shaanxi are absolute Han areas, and it has even become a kind of common sense. But in this era, it is not necessarily, the north of Shaanxi Road and Hedong Road, there are a large number of Tibetan departments, mainly party items. In fact, in terms of blood relationship, these people may not be Hu people, and there are a large number of Han people who were originally Huhua. In addition, the party was originally a part of the Qiang people, and the Han, Tibetan, and Qiang were of the same origin, and the ethnic affiliation of these Tibetan tribes was ambiguous.

From the Han Tuo Western Regions, from the Central Plains to the vast area of Hexi, the Han people are the mainstay. Later, the Jin dynasty moved south, and a large number of Hu people went south, especially the long-term rule of the Xianbei Northern Wei Dynasty, which slowly began to become Hu. By the end of the Tang Dynasty and the fifth dynasty, Shaanxi Road was dominated by Fan people except for Guanzhong. Further east, to the north of Hedong Road and Hebei Road, is the area where Han and Hu live together, with Han people in the plains dominating and Fanhu in the mountains. The Great Song Dynasty has always aimed at Youyan, and in addition to geostrategic reasons, the predominance of Han Chinese is a more important factor.

In Du Zhongxiao's previous life, the Volcano Army was the absolute core area of the Han people, with very few ethnic minorities. But in this era, there were very few Han Chinese, except for the population that came with the garrison, which was a sporadic farmer who cultivated the river valley area. There are 3,000 households, including many familiar households.

The Song Dynasty was one of the most narrow periods since the Han Dynasty, and many of the things that Du Zhongxiao took for granted in his previous life were not applicable in this era. For example, the three roads of Shaanxi, Hedong and Hebei along the border were the core areas of the Han people in the previous life, and the Han and Han people lived together in this era, and even most places were not dominated by Han people. The rebellion of Yuan Hao was centered on the two states of Yin and Xia, and if the Song Dynasty wanted to attack there, it had to pass through hundreds or even thousands of miles of non-Han areas, and the small Tibetan tribe in the middle rebelled from time to time, and the situation was very complicated. In addition to the inconvenience of transportation caused by geographical conditions, the distance from the core area of the Han people is also an important reason. In order to solve the problems in this area, in addition to military victories, it is also necessary to consolidate the sinicization of these small Tibetan tribes.

From the Volcano Army to the north, the first problem Du Zhongxiao faced was a lack of manpower. For the Tibetan Ministry, the policy of the Great Song Dynasty was to allow it to have a certain degree of independence, and if there were conflicts, they should be settled according to the laws of the Tibetan Dynasty, rather than the laws of the imperial court. The problem caused is that the Sinicization of the Tibetan people is insufficient, and it is difficult for the imperial court to use.

Seeing that it was dark, Du Zhongxiao instructed Tao Seventeen to call Feng Yuan and a few people, and then set up a feast in his residence.

Thirteen Lang mentioned a big carp and said to Du Zhongxiao with a smile: "Official, we have been to the Volcano Army these days, and we know that they produce good fish here. I heard that this fish is best when the Yellow River freezes in the spring, but now the season is not right, so I have to reluctantly eat it. ”

Du Zhongxiao said with a smile: "The Yellow River has always produced good fish, but I don't know how to make fish here, and there are not many people who eat it." I see that this fish is fat, so you can wash it, cut it into large pieces, and fry it and eat it. Since here, I have eaten some steamed cakes every day and fried them hot, and I can't get a drop of oil into my mouth, which is really difficult. ”

Thirteen Lang promised loudly, holding the fish in one hand, and ran to the back kitchen with Tao Seventeen.

Watching the two leave, Du Zhongxiao said to Feng Yuan and Xiangpu: "The food in the north has always been coarse, and it is not as fine as the Jingshi, even if there are good things, you can't make good food. Blessed are you today, I have prepared some good noodles and good stir-fried vegetables, and I will get drunk. ”

Feng Yuan said: "What the official said is true. The little one has never been to Jingshi, but only in Bingzhou, and he thinks that the food there is really delicious. When I arrived at the Khitan, there was only soup cakes and boiled meat, which was really shoddy and difficult to swallow. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "Whether the place is prosperous or not, let's look at the food first." When the people live a good life, they must be particular about eating and doing fine work. Of course, like Jingshi, he often uses silverware, and dozens of dishes in one meal, which is too extravagant. ”

Xiangbu couldn't help but smack his tongue when he heard it: "My God, how can you finish dozens of dishes in one meal?" I heard that the Han people eat less, why are all the big-bellied men in the capital? We usually eat, and it is excellent to cook a few pieces of meat. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "There are many samples of dishes, and the number of each kind is smaller, but it is finely done." ”

Xiangbu shook his head again and again, unable to imagine how there could be dozens of dishes in one meal. He has lived for decades, and he has also been to a prosperous place like Dongjiazhai, and all the dishes he has eaten add up, and there are only a dozen at most.

Not long after, the attendant set up a wooden table in the courtyard and came out with food and drinks. These days, eating too monotonously, Du Zhongxiao felt that the corners of his mouth were chapped and his body was on fire, and he couldn't bear it. Dongjiazhai is a big place in this area, you can buy wine, meat and vegetables, Du Zhongxiao specially ordered to do it more finely today, especially to have a few vegetables.

People who live here all the year round don't think that people from the Central Plains eat less vegetables, and they will have small problems such as rotten mouth corners due to lack of vitamins. The corners of Du Zhongxiao's mouth are ulcerating these days, so he knows that he should eat some fresh vegetables and supplement vitamins.

The first thing to be served on the table was a large basin of noodles. In this era, there were also noodles, which were a type of soup cake, but they were made too coarsely. There are not as many varieties as dazzling in later generations, and the noodles are not good, and they are clear soup and oligopoly, which makes people intimidating. These noodles are stretched thin and evenly, especially when served in a bowl and a spoonful of soup made from large bones, which is extremely delicious. In this kind of place, noodles are the most suitable food, there is enough pasta to fill the stomach, and you can also add vegetables and meat, which is both simple and quick, and delicious.

Xiangbu looked at a large bowl of noodles in front of him, soaked in a full thick soup, with several large pieces of meat stacked on it, and garnished with green onions and coriander, and couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. I couldn't help it, and pointed to Du Zhongxiao and said, "The little one has lived for decades, and I haven't seen such exquisite food." Don't hide it from the officials, with this bowl of soup cakes, the small ones will eat and drink. ”

Du Zhongxiao said with a smile: "This is just ordinary food, first pad your stomach before drinking." When you see this noodle good, you haven't eaten anything else. You are used to eating this noodle, and you will want to eat other foods, steamed buns, wontons, I don't know how many are delicious. ”

Xiangbu sighed: "In the end, the Han people can do life, how can we, the Tibetan people in the mountains, have such delicate thoughts?" If you can eat a full stomach every day, it is a heavenly day. There is no way, the mountains are barren and the people are poor, and occasionally there are flat land to grow some grain, but they can't harvest much. The family's livelihood depends on the cattle and sheep they raise, and they have to change salt and clothing, and they are reluctant to eat. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "It's all the same, it's not easy to do anything." But in any case, it is always better to farm the land, and in places like where this kind of land is widespread, as long as you are diligent, you will not go hungry. ”

Xiangbu nodded again and again, and the thought of moving to the flat ground was even stronger. The life of the herdsmen is very hard, and there are many cattle and sheep raised, but there are not many people who can afford to eat. If it weren't for the unexpected death of cattle and sheep, they rarely slaughtered and ate meat, and they would have to go to the plains to exchange food and clothing with the farmers to survive the long winter. Xiangbu is a small chief, and he can't eat meat a few times a year, and his life is not as good as that of the peasants in the Central Plains.

If Du Zhongxiao wants to reclaim the land in this area, he must attract the surrounding population in the best possible conditions. Appealing, what could be more effective than eating? In Du Zhongxiao's eyes, this place is as backward as primitive people, and what he has is the means to attract people.