It was all the silt of the Yellow River, and the soil was soft, and it didn't take long for Lu Fang to lead people to dig up the soil next to the cement canal. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info This small ditch was pulled out of the soil and became a large sink, and Lu Fang found a few stones to support it.

Xu Ping stepped forward and pointed to the big sink and said to Chen Yaozuo: "Xianggong, please see, the water is in the canal, and it does not seep or leak." This cement is good here, it will harden in the water, and it will not leak, and it is best used to repair the canal. ”

Chen Yao stepped forward and looked around, thought for a while, and said, "I just don't know how much time I can save." ”

"If there is no accident, the top is sealed to prevent wind and sun, and it will not leak out for several years. In previous years, when I was in Yongzhou, I built a lot of canals, and they were still good for a few years. ”

Chen Yaozuo will be suspicious: "If this is the case, the canal is all paved with this cement, can't it be used for a hundred years?" ”

Xu Ping straightened up and smiled: "How can it be so easy." First, the price of this cement is very expensive, and it takes considerable manpower and material resources to open a kiln to burn. The cement of the two is afraid of moisture, and it is not easy to store or transport. Also, this cement casting thing, the wind and the sun, the weather is cold and hot, and a poor storage will crack. Therefore, it can only be used in some critical places, and it is impossible to repair a canal if it is properly cared for. ”

The cost of cement is closely related to the entire industrial system, when the industry is underdeveloped, both the production cost and the use cost are very expensive, where can be used as soil and stone casually. Moreover, the current cement technology is still very rough, and it has aged badly under natural conditions, and there is no basis for large-scale use. Xu Ping just wanted to use it to fill in the stone cracks at key points, as well as to use it in key places near the wharf, and the entire canal was paved with cement, he didn't even dare to think about it. Since it began to be fired in Yongzhou, cement has been used to build water conservancy facilities, and Xu Ping is not willing to use it in other aspects.

Chen Yaozuo circled around the cement sink a few times, and when he saw it for the first time, he wasn't sure what the performance of this thing would be and how it would be used in the future, so he secretly thought in his heart.

Xu Ping looked at the sky and said to Chen Yaozuo: "Xianggong, in the future, Lu Fang will take some of the people from the bridge and road army to stay here, if there is anything to ask, just ask him." Since he was in Yongzhou, Lu Fang has been working in the bridge and road army, and he is an expert in repairing bridges and paving roads, and he is diligent and down-to-earth, so he can only use it with confidence. ”

Chen Yaozuo nodded and did not speak. He doesn't want to rely too much on the bridge road, he has his own set, and it works, and he has been successful in many places, what is it about relying on others? However, in the final analysis, he built this section of the canal because he had the intention of doing something to make it look at the imperial court, and he was determined to build it perfectly and beautifully, and he would not reject the use of really useful technology. I also think about it, and I can't help but feel conflicted in my heart.

After saying what should be said, Xu Ping didn't want to be entangled with Chen Yaozuo anymore. No matter what, Chen Yaozuo can build this section of the river decently, and listening to himself is nothing more than icing on the cake, not a must.

When I turned my head, I saw a teenager standing on a large rock, looking out of the place. Xu Ping recognized it as the Sun Erlang he had seen when he was in Heyin last time, and he wanted to ask him about his current situation. At that time, Jiang Dayou, the No. 1 powerful man in Heyin, handled it by himself, and also set the tone for the future development here, I don't know what happened to them now.

In the next year, once the commodity economy with cotton cloth as the core takes off, these places will inevitably be affected. In particular, the silk cloth in the two taxes under the rule of Jingxi Road has not yet been decided, whether to change that part into grain, or into cash, or to change it to errand labor.

The basis for the division of fifth-class households, the adjustment of grain and cloth in the two taxes, and the corresponding changes in enslavement are the top priorities that Xu Ping has to do this winter in addition to repairing the river. If this is done well, we will be able to reduce social shocks and enable the entire reform to develop in a good direction. If one is not good, it will cause local turmoil, and it will cause very big adverse effects.

The two taxes are generally collected in the autumn and cloth and copper coins in the summer. According to Xu Ping's vision, the taxes collected from the peasants should be mainly in kind as much as possible, so as to minimize the looting of cash. Because in the commodity trade, the peasant is always in a weak position, from ancient times to the present, there has never been a change. When there is a bumper harvest, grain prices will fall, and both the grain merchants and the government will pass on the losses to the peasants, and the grain will hurt the peasants. When the disaster hits, the peasants have no surplus grain in their hands, and they are reluctant to sell it, and even if they want to, the grain merchants will not give the peasants the benefits of rising grain prices. If you sell more grain and get 100 wen, the price of other necessities will increase by 200 wen, and you will be asked to take out the extra money, and the peasants who grow grain will not get the slightest benefit. In the exchange of commodities, the peasants are always in a passive position, and one more exchange, one more time they will be exploited.

The commodity economy is largely a monetary economy, and the more widely money circulates, the more developed the commodity economy becomes. But this does not include grain in the hands of the peasants, just as commodity capital does not include land capital, and monetizing taxes is actually a double exploitation of the peasants. At present, only a part of the summer tax in the two taxes is collected in cash, which will cause a seasonal shortage of money in the two areas of the south and Zhejiang provinces, and when the government collects taxes, the peasants will not be able to exchange money for grain in their hands, so they can only sell it at a low price. If all the cloth in the summer tax is changed to collect money, I am afraid that there will be all the children and girls sold by then.

Money is used to exchange goods, so it is necessary to let it flow in the cycle of the commodity economy as much as possible, rather than flowing around in society. Agriculture is a weak link in the commodity economy, so it should be protected. The commodity economy is a monster, and if it is not reined, it will bite society everywhere and put it where it should not be.

In this kind of shock, farmers' self-help cooperation is very important, as a buffer to protect them.

In the final analysis, this society is still an agrarian society, and only when the peasants are stable can there be social stability. Only when society is stable can the reforms envisaged by Xu Ping proceed smoothly. All it takes is a small popular uprising as a result of the reform measures, and all reforms may be aborted. Xu Ping is alone in this world to carry out his own changes, and he can't tolerate a little mistake.

After talking to Chen Yaozuo, Xu Ping took Tan Hu and a few guards to leave the river beach and arrived at the mouth of the chasm.

Sun Erlang jumped down from the boulder and happily ran to the front of him to salute: "Little Sun Erlang, I have seen the deputy envoy." ”

Xu Ping said with a smile: "I am no longer in the Third Division now, and I am a transfer envoy on Jingxi Road, which is considered to be a post on this road." ”

Sun Erlang touched his head embarrassedly: "I've heard about the little one." The festive in the third shop, saying that the new Ducao official was the original deputy envoy, I didn't believe it, and I fought with him for a while. ”

In the eyes of the common people, an official is an official, and they don't have a clear concept of how big an official he is, and what kind of official he is. After so many years in this world, Xu Ping was used to it, so he just smiled at Sun Erlang and didn't say anything. It is not easy for them to remember themselves, and they should do something for them.

Seeing the furnishings in the thatched hut next to him from outside the door, Xu Ping pointed and said, "This is your trading company?" ”

"Yes! Now I'm doing things here, and I go every time I buy them! ”

"Okay, shall I go in and have a look?"

"Okay, good, good, we have all the goods here!"

Sun Erlang said as he followed forward and led Xu Ping into their small thatched hut trading house.

The surrounding villagers pointed at Xu Ping and talked about it, some guessed Xu Ping's origin, and some guessed his intention. Seeing Xu Ping's kind expression, their mood relaxed and chattered non-stop.

When I entered the trading agency, I was faced with a large counter, which divided the small room into two. Behind the counter is a row of shelves with a variety of goods. There are not many goods, and the shelves are not full. This is the village, and the villagers will only buy the things they must buy every day, such as oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, needles and threads, and a little bit of coaxing children's playthings to eat.

At the end of the counter, there are three large vats, the largest one has the word "wine" pasted on it, one small is "vinegar", and the other small is "sauce". When Xu Ping was in the Salt and Iron Division, the soy sauce sold in the Sansi shop was already sold, but the price was more expensive than ordinary sauce, so the villagers naturally chose to be cheaper.

Seeing this pattern, Xu Ping smiled. The small shop is not much different from the commissary in his previous life, and it seems that the most convenient thing for this kind of small business is this, and it has remained unchanged through thousands of years.

When he arrived at the counter, Xu Ping casually looked at the various goods placed behind him. Sun Erlang was well-behaved, rubbed under the counter on the other side of the wine vat and got in, stood behind the cabinet and just showed his head, looking at Xu Ping.

Naturally, there are no things Xu Ping wants to buy here, they are all bargains sold from the Sansi shop. As for the local products, because this trading agency is not for profit, it is natural that it will not sell it.

Seeing a booklet on the counter, Xu Ping pointed and asked Sun Erlang: "This is a booklet for bookkeeping?" ”

Sun Erlang nodded vigorously: "Yes, no matter who buys something, it has to be booked!" ”

"Bookkeeping requires literacy, who do you keep accounts here?"

Sun Erlang stiffened his chest: "It's me, and I keep all the accounts here!" I know a few words, and I roughly remember coming. ”

Xu Ping said with a smile: "Literacy is good, literacy can know a lot of things." Can I take a look at the books? ”

"Officials want to see it, naturally they can!"

Xu Ping casually flipped through the account book on the counter, with a smile on his face. Sun Erlang said that he knew a few words, but he was really not modest, the words in this account book were crooked, and the name of the goods was obviously drawn from the goods.

In order to facilitate private bookkeeping, Xu Ping instructed the three shops that all wholesale goods must clearly indicate the name and quantity of the goods in large characters. What is written in this account book is evidently drawn from there. However, the names of the people are all written on it with heart, all of them are Sun Er, Li San, etc., and I think it is Sun Erlang's handwriting. (To be continued.) )