Iron Dynasty

The snow outside the attic was getting bigger and bigger, and the tracks of people and carriages on the road would be covered in just a short time.

A gust of cold wind blew, and Xiao Ming tightened the tiger skin cape on his body. This tiger skin is the treasure of the Lu Fei family, but he lost to him in the last bet.

But he didn't let Lu Fei hurt too much. He gave him some money, but it made him happy for a lot of time. After all, he had to sell this tiger skin for a good price.

His Royal Highness, the snow is so heavy this year, it seems that the barbarians will have a hard time this year. Pang Yukun looked at the silver-white Qingzhou City, and was a little worried.

The last time Luluo's words reminded Xiao Ming of the Little Ice Age, and now this year's colder winters have made him a little more convinced.

He said: Wang Xuan brought news that, just like last year, many barbarian cattle and sheep were frozen to death. Last year, in order to produce soap, this king asked the king's family to exchange food for the dead cattle and sheep. Now that the king's family is gone, the barbarians can Suffering.

No, the dead cattle and sheep are at most enough for the barbarians to eat for one winter, but as soon as the spring begins, the barbarians will be hungry. I have lived in the barbarians for a few years, and every time this time, the barbarian tribes will go deep into Da Yu. National looting.

Lu Tong used to be a barbarian slave, bought by Liang Dahai while the barbarian cattle and sheep were frozen to death.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ming said: Although the Wang family is destroyed, the business with the grassland cannot be cut off, and we should take the next opportunity to exchange for more slaves, so that the barbarian slave soldiers will become more and more If there are fewer, there will be more and more labor in Qingzhou.”

Pang Yukun nodded, The population of the fief is indeed a problem. This household registration re-count is really shocking.

Last year, Pang Yukun only gave Xiao Ming a general data based on the previous household registration records in Qingzhou, but after the New Year, he asked Pang Yukun to re-appraisal the population of the fiefs, but found that the population of Qingzhou was actually only about 600,000 households.

This is because Pang Yukun only provided data from many years ago. Since the fall of Youzhou and the massacre of the barbarians, many people have been killed or fled Qidi.

He finally understood why the ministers did not object when Xiao Wenxuan sealed Qi Di to him.

Now he understands, it turns out that these officials have long been scruples in their hearts.

Earlier, when Pang Yukun showed him the number of re-counted households, Xiao Ming could say that his mood was almost collapsed at that time, because the 600,000 households indicated that the actual population of his fief was only 1.2 million to 200 million. The 500,000 range is also the reason why Xiao Ming has always felt that the fief is a bit desolate this year.

Except for Qingzhou, he felt this kind of desolation wherever he went.

It is precisely because of this that he asked Pang Yukun to introduce a refugee policy, attracting refugees from the Great Yu Kingdom to settle in his fief.

Although these refugees may vary, he can't always avoid the disease and avoid doctors. After all, the real population data has made him half cold.

This time, the population was almost reduced by half, and this incident was even more serious than the barbarian attack on Cangzhou. The lack of labor was basically equal to the lack of industrial power.

For the sake of the population, Xiao Ming doesn't care about continuing to trade with the barbarians, because for him, the purpose of all his actions now is to strengthen himself.

And the new city wall of Cangzhou City is about to be completed. At that time, Cangzhou will be an insurmountable fortress for the barbarians. The only thing he needs to worry about is that the barbarians will attack Jizhou.

Because once the city of Jizhou is broken, it means that the flanks of his fief will be fully exposed to the iron hoofs of the barbarians. At that time, the infantry can not be described as sour to the cavalry.

Even if he already has a musket team by then, the barbarian cavalry will naturally flee once setback, and he will not be able to catch up.

It's just that Jizhou is where King Yong's palace is now, and Xiao Ming has no way to interfere, he can only hope that King Yong will not be a pig teammate.

Let Liang Dahai and Li Kaiyuan continue to go to the grasslands and exchange food for slaves.

Xiao Ming thought a lot in an instant, and became more and more firm in his thoughts.

This exchange of grain for slaves can stabilize the barbarians for a few years and prevent the barbarians from going south quickly. Second, this is also to weaken the barbarians in disguise, which is his real purpose.

After the food is eaten, it will be gone, but the number of slaves will continue to decrease, and the impact on the barbarians will be gradually reflected in the future.

Pang Yukun nodded, Let Li Kaiyuan and Liang Dahai prepare for the caravan to go to the grassland when the official goes back.

After saying this, the three of them went downstairs, and in the yard he saw the fireworks sent by Lu Tong.

His Royal Highness, these fireworks are still made of bamboo tubes, which are filled with metal powders such as gunpowder, copper powder, iron powder, etc. The lower official has tested them, and the fireworks sprayed out are really colorful. Lu Tong smiled.

He had never seen such beautiful fireworks before.

Xiao Ming smiled and nodded. The carriers on the ground were bamboo tubes. One side of the bamboo tubes was drilled and there were match ropes in them. As long as they were lit, the gunpowder inside would spray out from one end of the fireworks, forming beautiful fireworks.

However, unlike modern fireworks, these fireworks do not have fireworks that are thrown into the air and then explode. After all, this kind of fireworks involves the principle of blooming bombs.

Although it is impossible to let the people of the whole city see the effect of modern general fireworks, these fireworks are enough to entertain themselves.

After all, there are very few entertainment projects in places like Dayu Country.

Taking advantage of the Chinese New Year, he had to play enough.

Asking Aster to take the fireworks, Lu Tong and Pang Yukun said goodbye one after another. In addition to the people on duty during the Chinese New Year, the government office will also have a holiday. After a busy year, everyone can take a seven-day break.

This is also the resting rule of the Great Yu Kingdom.

After the two left, Aster and Luluo came over and asked, Your Highness, what about the cotton-padded jackets in this textile workshop? It's New Year's Eve, and so many padded jackets have been piled up. This year, the slaves can make a loss-making business.

This king has already solved it for you just now. Xiao Ming said with a smile.

Perhaps due to the influence of the modern Chinese New Year, Xiao Ming's mentality will relax during the Chinese New Year period.

Solved? How? Aster said in confusion.

Xiao Ming raised his head and looked at Feixue, with a smile on the corner of his mouth, You let this king eat a mouthful of rouge, and this king will tell you.

Aster and Luluo suddenly turned crimson.

Naturally, there is no such language as kissing in this country of Great Yu, and the euphemism only uses words such as eating rouge, because a woman has rouge on her lips, and eating rouge is the same as kissing.

PS: Correction, Youzhou is the fiefdom of King Kang, maybe the battle of Cangzhou was excited and written as King Yong, King Yong is the vassal king on the west side of Xiao Ming.