Fenghou

"Reporting to Your Highness, reporting to Your Highness, the production of Guide Mansion has not yet been counted. The humble official now only knows that Songcheng County has harvested 25 shi of wheat, and the Jin soldiers have not had time to take it away."

"What about taxes?"

"The tax collection has not yet started. We discussed it and decided to wait for His Highness's order."

"You guys have done a good job. I have announced a [-]-year tax exemption notice in all parts of the Central Plains, and Guide Mansion is no exception. Please post the notice! Chen Qing took out a sample and handed it to him. According to this announcement, put Just change Kaifeng Mansion into Guide Mansion."

Chen Qing saw that everyone was a little hesitant, so he asked again: "In the harvest, how much grain belongs to the official field?"

The judge Li Hun quickly said: "The humble post is Li Hun, the judge. To answer your highness's question, the grain belonging to the official farmland is about [-] shi. If the tenant farmers take half, that is the net income of [-] shi."

"What about other income? Like rent or something?"

"The rent is a little, but not much. Songcheng County's annual rental income is about [-] guan."

"How much does Songcheng County need in a year?"

The government officials couldn't answer, so they looked at the county magistrate Wei Huan together, and Wei Huan bowed and said, "I'm sorry, Wei Huan, the magistrate of Songcheng County, report back to Your Highness, the main expenses of Songcheng County are salary, county school, and salesmen. It is around [-] per year, and it will be more if bridges and roads are built.”

Chen Qing did a quick calculation in his mind. The annual non-tax income of Songcheng County was about [-] guan, compared with the expenditure, there was still a shortfall of [-] guan. , reluctantly.

Chen Qing explained to them with a smile: "Don't worry, I have been exempted from taxes for ten years, mainly direct taxes, household tax, land tax, commercial tax, shelf tax, etc., but there are two indirect taxes that cannot be exempted, salt tax and Liquor tax, these two taxes are collected by the Salt and Iron Administration and the government, and after the tax is exempted, the insufficient government expenditure will be paid to everyone by the Henan Road Appeasement Commissioner, in fact, wasn’t this the case in the previous court?”

The officials were all relieved by Chen Qing's promise, and Liu Sheng, the magistrate, bowed and said, "Your Highness is kind and wise. The Guide Mansion is full of devastation. It is time for the common people to rest and recuperate for ten years, so that people's livelihood can be slowly restored."

Chen Qing went to the city to inspect and found a space. Li Hun, the judge, said in a low voice: "Actually, the humble official is worried about the imperial court. The ten-year tax exemption is what His Royal Highness Yong Wang wants, not the imperial court's attitude. I heard that the imperial court is too poor to open the pot." They can’t even afford the military expenses, how could they agree to tax exemption for ten years? I’m afraid that the order will change every day!”

"Are you still worried about the court?"

Liu Sheng sneered and said: "Which state do you think has worried about the imperial court? I'm afraid you are the most dull. Don't care about the imperial court. Our future imperial court will be in Jingzhao, not Lin'an. This is the king we are loyal to. If you understand this, you will lose the official hat on your head."

Chapter 44 Patrol River

Songcheng County belongs to the Yellow River Flooding Area, but it is not on the edge of the New Yellow River. The Yellow River New Road is still [-] miles away from Songcheng County, and is close to another county, Yucheng County.

At noon the next day, Chen Qing came to the Yellow River New Road. One of the purposes of his trip was to inspect the Yellow River New Road. Both sides were barren muddy land. The continuous drought made the soil as hard as rocks, and no grass could grow.

"Has there been no grass growing here?" Chen Qing asked, pointing at the two banks with a whip.

"Exactly!"

Liu Sheng nodded and said: "There has been no grass for more than ten years, so here I am most afraid of rain. When it rains heavily, the ground is covered with mud and it is difficult to move."

"Have you tried growing grass?"

Liu Sheng smiled wryly, "No one cares about such things."

Chen Qing did not show any dissatisfaction, and continued: "This will cause a lot of soil to flow into the river, making the soil fertility worse. In recent years, Shaanxi Road has planted a large number of wild peas along the banks of the river. It has been implemented for three years, and the effect is very good. Well, the animal husbandry is booming and the soil has been greatly improved, if you promote the cultivation of vetch in large quantities, perhaps the animal husbandry will become a major feature of Guide Mansion."

"Can the vetch be planted successfully?" Liu Sheng lacked confidence.

"It should be possible. The vetch is very tolerant to the soil. It can be planted in large quantities in the poorer part of northern Shaanxi. Besides, you can grow wheat here. Later, I will arrange for the Xuanfu envoy to send the seeds over."

"We'll give it a try then!"

Chen Qing glanced at him, a little dissatisfied with his casual attitude, and said in an emphatic tone: "I'm thinking about how to manage the Yellow Flooded Area. I came to Songcheng County this time, and I'm also thinking about doing a pilot project in Songcheng. If the wild peas If it can be planted successfully, I will fully promote it to other states and counties, if you are not willing, I will not force it, I will go to Puyang to try it out!"

Liu Sheng Khan has come down, these years they are used to dealing with all kinds of errands assigned by the superiors, and they have not changed it for a while, until they heard the dissatisfaction in Chen Qing's tone, Liu Sheng realized the seriousness of the problem, he quickly said: "Of course we are willing, It is also our dream to form an industry, and I guarantee that Songcheng County will implement it to the letter."

Chen Qing took a breather and gave them a step up, "I know that you lack confidence, but you must do it. I will ask the Animal Husbandry Department to arrange experienced officials to help you. They will come to inspect first, and then plant next spring. It is a matter of concern. You must pay attention to the survival of the entire yellow flood zone."

"Follow your orders!"

Chen Qing urged his horse to run towards the Yellow River in the distance, and soon came to the bank of the Yellow River. In fact, Chen Qing's descendants have seen this Yellow River in Xuzhou. It was called the old course of the Yellow River at that time, but it was just a very narrow channel. It is two miles wide, and the current is fast-moving, and it looks very magnificent.

Niu Gao's fleet has already docked, Niu Gao hastily came forward to pay a visit, "See Your Highness for humble posts!"

Chen Qing nodded with a smile, "Niu Dutong has worked hard in blocking the Yellow River this time!"

Niu Gao said with shame on his face: "I didn't expect the Jin soldiers to retreat suddenly. We just happened not to be on the new road of the Yellow River. When we heard the news and rushed over, the Jin soldiers had already crossed the Yellow River, even the pontoon bridge was demolished. Hey! The humble judge Mistake, missed the most important action."

What Niu Gao said was true, if they could destroy the pontoon bridge, the Jin soldiers would not be able to cross the Yellow River, and they would most likely be wiped out on the west bank of the Yellow River. For this reason, Yang Zaixing and Liu Cui were quite dissatisfied with Niu Gao.

But Chen Qing couldn't blame Niu Gao. The task he assigned to Niu Gao before was only to prevent the Hebei Jinbing from supporting Bianliang, and it didn't involve the withdrawal of the Bianliang Jinbing. No one thought that the Jinbing would withdraw so quickly, not even Chen Qing himself. Not to mention Niu Gao who has poor intelligence, this is not playing a game, they are separated by hundreds or thousands of miles, and there is no information delivery on the water, how could Niu Gao know that the golden soldiers were retreating.

Chen Qingwen comforted Niu Gao and said, "It's not your responsibility. We didn't even think that Jin Bing would give up Bianliang and retreat. We thought that there would be a siege. I think Wanyan Wushu is only possible because of the existence of the war fleet. Decided to abandon Bianliang in advance, otherwise they would not even have a chance to retreat, and it is the early retreat of Jin Bing that reflects the success of your fleet and poses a huge threat to Jin Bing."

What Chen Qing said made sense. If it hadn't been for the Niugao fleet's successful interception of 50 frozen muttons, which made Wanyan Wushu suddenly realize the serious consequences of the failure to retreat, would Wanyan Wushu have hastily and early evacuated Bianliang?Absolutely impossible, he will definitely defend Bianliang City and continue to encourage the imperial army to go north.

From the huge amount of supplies left by Jin Bing, they knew that they had no retreat plan, and finally retreated hastily.

Of course, there is still worry about the Song Army's Tie Huolei, but the fear of being cut off by the Niu Gao fleet must also be an important factor in Wanyan Wushu's decision to retreat.

Niu Gao was touched and said: "Thank you Your Highness for your tolerance!"

Chen Qing smiled, and changed the topic: "I have a very important question to ask you, what do you think of the shipping value of this new Yellow River road?"

Niu Gao shook his head, "It's okay to sail a ship with a weight of more than a thousand stones, and it's barely stable, but it's not good for ordinary cargo ships. My humble suggestion is to go to Bian Shui."

"Why, because the current is fast?"

"It's not that the current is turbulent, but because it is unstable. The underwater is full of countless uncertain currents. Generally, small cargo ships will capsize inexplicably. This is likely to encounter a cross-cutting undercurrent, and the water is too heavy. It is very difficult to control the ship, even a two-thousand-stone ship like the humble one needs someone to guide it to dock safely, let alone an ordinary cargo ship."

Chen Qing nodded. He himself thought that the new Yellow River course was not conducive to shipping. After all, it was a new river. However, Niu Gao confirmed that he had given up the idea of ​​launching navigation on the new Yellow River course, and that the Bian River should still be dredged according to the established plan.

……

After Bianliang arrived in Songcheng, it was washed away by the Yellow River that broke its embankment. A long section of Bianhe River from Songcheng to the south has disappeared. Inhabited area, not much economic value.

So Chen Qing decided to excavate a new Bianhe River. The new Bianhe River has been determined, so he will use the Caihe River. The water connects Bozhou and Xuzhou and other places, and can also connect Yingchangfu, Ruzhou and other places through Yingshui, forming a water transportation network extending in all directions.

However, this new canal also has shortcomings, that is, the channel of the Cai River is silted and the channel becomes very narrow. Ships over 100 stone cannot navigate. At least a section of more than [-] miles needs to be dredged manually. After dredging the Cai River, there is no money, so we have to let it go.

Chen Qing left [-] troops to garrison Songcheng, while the rest of the army returned to Bianliang. He himself brought [-] cavalry to patrol Caihe.

Chen Qing returned to Kaifeng Mansion from Songcheng County to continue his inspection. This afternoon, he came to Lincai Town in Chenliu County. Lu Dai from Chenliuzhi County accompanied Chen Qing to the bank of Cai River.

"How far is it from Chenliu County to Caihe?" Chen Qing asked.

Lu Dai hurriedly said: "Reporting to Your Highness, it's about thirty miles away."

Chen Qing shook his head, "It's too far away, you need to dig a Cao River, otherwise Chenliu County will be completely forgotten by the New Bian River."

After a pause, Chen Qing smiled again: "Of course, you can also go through the old Bianhe River to Bianliang, and then from Bianliang to Caihe, just like Songcheng County. Opening a Cao River is not only beneficial to you, but also beneficial to Song City."

Lu Dai sighed and said, "The humble workers are also worried about this these days. All the elders in our county want to dig this Cao River. There is a small river that can be used, but there is no money and food, so we can't mobilize the people."

Chen Qing said slowly: "I advocate paying money but not food. Each worker is paid at fifty cents a day, and then each person is provided with a catty of grain per day, and every 30 people are provided with a big tent. In fact, it is to control food and food. Live, [-] Wen per person per day, and then your county government is responsible for formulating plans and organizing the people. After the plan is made, immediately rush to the Kaifeng government office in Bianliang, find Zhang Xiao, the appeasement envoy, and report your plan to him. Once approved, he will allocate money and food."

Lu Dai scratched his head and said, "Your Highness already knows the way your highness said, and we have already reported the plan to Mr. Zhang."

Chen Qing glared at him, "Since you know, why ask?"

Lu Dai hurriedly said: "The notice issued by the appeasement envoy is the dredging method of the main road of Caihe River. What Beizhi is worried about now is the branch line, which is the [-]-mile Caohe branch line from Caihe to Chenliu County. I don't know if it is the same as the main road. The dredging method is the same?"

"The same, there is no difference between the main road and the branch road!"

"I understand, I will try to make a plan today and tomorrow, and I will go to Bianliang in a few days and report to the appeasement envoy."

Chapter 45 Patrol River

Chen Qing urged his horse to come to the bank of the Cai River. Sure enough, the river was very narrow, at most five or six feet wide, and at least it had to be widened to about ten feet. Thousands of people began to dig, and the crowd was so busy that it was very lively.

The efficiency of Chenliu County's work is very high, which really satisfied Chen Qing. However, Chen Qing found that there were still many houses on the bank. He pointed at the houses in the distance with his horsewhip and asked, "Do all the houses on the bank need to be demolished?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, if it is extended to fifteen feet, it will involve the relocation of the houses near the front. If it is only extended to ten feet, then only more than 100 houses will be relocated. At present, Zhang Anfu envoy has decided to expand to ten feet, which is basically the same. It is enough, and it will be expanded to fifteen feet in the future."

Chen Qing frowned slightly, originally it was agreed to expand to fifteen feet, why did it change?He didn't say much, he had to ask Zhang Xiao directly, it was useless to ask Lu Dai.

"Is it difficult to relocate?"

Lu Dai nodded, "Everyone wants to live by the river, which means a lot of benefits. It is impossible for them to move farther away. They must ensure that they are still by the river before they are willing to move. We in Chenliu County One section was fine, but I heard that the section in Bianliang County was asking for a lot of money, and the new magistrate of Fu County was beaten up by the local villagers and fled in embarrassment."

After a pause, Lu Dai said again: "If Jin Bing asked them to move, they wouldn't dare let a fart go. They moved away overnight. Xi Jun is still too kind. People are kind and they are bullied!"

……

Continue to go north along the Caihe River, and after walking for more than [-] miles, you enter Bianliang County. After escaping, a large group of farmers were chasing after him with hoes.

Chen Qing immediately sent a hundred cavalry to meet him. Perhaps because he saw an army on the official road, the peasants in the village returned to the village one after another.

Not long after, the cavalry brought the officials and government servants over. The official was Fu Hong, the new magistrate. There were five streaks of blood from scratching the fingernails, and the other servants were similar, and they all died.

Fu Hong saluted with a weeping face: "See Your Highness!"

"What's the matter, these farmers refuse to move?"

"No! Relocation is not a problem. Changing the width by ten feet will basically not involve relocation. The key is that these farmers have rushed to the river to repair their houses. If they want to widen the river, they have to dig their new houses. Everyone has to The sky-high price, demolition of a house is five hundred, one thousand."

"The land by the river has no owner?"

Fu Hong quickly shook his head, "No, the government used to stipulate that farming and building houses are not allowed within five feet along the river, and it stands to reason that it is all official land."

Chen Qing nodded, and asked again: "How many farmers want to build houses by the river?"

"There are many, very many. This is the first village. I want to persuade them to demolish the houses to set up a demonstration effect, but the result... hey! I am incompetent."

Chen Qing was furious immediately, and immediately ordered: "Wang Zhan, where are Li Que!"

The two guardsmen stepped forward and clasped their fists together and said, "Humble post is here!"

"Wang Zhan led 1000 people to the village to arrest people. I caught all the young and strong men and tied them up to meet me by the river!"

"Follow the order!"

Wang Zhan led [-] cavalrymen and [-] infantrymen to rush towards the village in a mighty manner. For a moment, the village was crying for father and mother.

Chen Qing said to Li Que, another soldier commander: "You also lead a thousand brothers to follow the yamen servants to the river, and when you see the house you built burnt down, if anyone in the house refuses to come out, no matter how old or young, just knock them out and drag them Come out and tie up."

"Follow the order!"

Commander Li Que also rushed to the river with [-] cavalry and [-] infantry. Fu Hong moved his lips and didn't dare to say anything. There were old people in those houses, and they were all looking for death and life. They were forced to come to the village to try to persuade the villagers , I didn't expect King Yong to use the simplest and most rude way to solve the problem, hey!

……

Hundreds of houses were built along the seven or eight mile-long river, all made of wood, mud, and straw mats. At this time, they were all engulfed by raging fire, and the old people living in the houses were dragged out by soldiers and tied up. He lost his feet, couldn't move, and watched the house burn down.

Not long after, hundreds of young and strong men were escorted over with their hands tied behind their backs. Many of them were beaten to the point of bleeding. This was caused by fighting with soldiers. It was also because they were civilians. If they were enemy soldiers, they would have been stabbed Cut off the head.

A large group of women and children followed behind the man, weeping and crying. The old man who was still yelling and crying was shocked when he saw his children and grandchildren being tied up and brought, and fell silent for a moment.

Chen Qing pointed at the horsewhip and shouted: "Knock them all down! Each person will be beaten with fifty sticks, and those who dare to resist will have their heads cut off!"

Hundreds of men were pinned to the ground. Soldiers used spears as sticks and beat them hard. The peasants were beaten so hard that they cried for their parents and cried for their mothers.

After the fifty sticks were beaten, everyone was beaten to a bloody mess, unable to move, and everyone was in great pain.

At this time, more than a dozen old men knelt down and begged for mercy, Chen Qing said coldly: "Why did you beat them, because they disrespected the magistrate, this is just a warning, if anyone dares to disrespect the magistrate, he will be exiled. "

Chen Qing pointed at the burning house and said: "Widening the river is a good thing for the country and the people, but you are trying to take advantage like flies. Today I am warning you. From now on, whoever dares to occupy the river in the states along the way will cancel the tax exemption." , and double taxation."

A group of old people were so frightened that they kowtowed that they didn't dare.

Chen Qing led the army away, and the women, children, and old people went up to help their men one after another, complaining to each other, and several leading men were surrounded by a group of old people and yelled at them, begging for money for medical treatment.

The news about personal interests spread quickly along the banks of the Cai River as if it had grown wings. Farmers demolished the temporary houses one after another. Seeing that they could not take advantage of the benefits, they would lose ten years of tax-free benefits. This kind of chicken-and-egg fight No one wants to do it.

……

When Chen Qing returned to the camp, Zhang Xiao rushed over after hearing the news, and thanked him with a bow: "Our most troublesome problem was unexpectedly resolved by His Royal Highness, and I am really grateful. We can officially start work tomorrow."

Chen Qing waved his hand and said, "I would like to ask, how did it shrink to ten feet from the original plan to widen it by fifteen feet?"

Zhang Xiaowei smiled and said: "This is the suggestion made by Zhang Yuanlang, the former capital water envoy, and I think it makes sense."

"What's the point?"

"A ten-foot-wide river can accommodate five cargo ships of [-] shi in parallel. Inland river vessels are basically below [-] shi. Even if a fleet of a thousand shi occasionally travels, there is no problem. If it is a ship of two or three thousand shi You can go on the inland river, just add a guide official in front, he will direct everyone to pull over, and the fleet of two or three thousand shi can still go smoothly."

"What if it's a fleet of five thousand shi?" Chen Qing asked.

"Your Highness, it's rare for a five thousand stone fleet to appear a few times a year. Even if there is, then you can use the new Yellow River route! You don't need to squeeze the inland waterway, and it's still not safe."

Chen Qing was at a loss for words for a while, Zhang Xiao smiled and said: "Another consideration is the amount of work. If it is widened by [-] feet, it will not be completed this year, and it will be delayed until next year, which will affect the implementation of His Highness's market plan, and will also Affect the normal operation of Bianliang."

Chen Qing nodded, "This Zhang Yuen Long is not bad, how old is he?"

"Around 50 years old, he was a sixth-rank official in the previous dynasty."

"If I want to meet this person, let him serve as the supervisor of the water affairs of Henan Province, and as an official of the appeasement department, he will be responsible for dredging the waterway and transshipment of ships."

16th Chapter [-] Triumph