No matter if you are a human or an immortal, you can still farm for me after traveling through time!

Ji Qingyue sat on the bridge. After another person finished talking about the sudden withdrawal of capital from the lotus root industry by Beijing officials, a silent silence fell outside, and no one made a sound for a long time.

Li Erlang and his brother-in-law couldn't figure out for a long time why the host's cousin suddenly gave up growing lotus roots.

Luo Liangcheng was not really curious about the reason, but he was reluctant to give up this job. The host's cousin stopped growing lotus roots, so their family would lose an income.

Everyone feels it is a pity.

In contrast, Li Erlang is more sensitive. Since the sudden rise in prices, he has paid more attention to the news in the capital and the south than before. Especially since he has a younger brother who is going to take the imperial examination. An accident at home distracts him.

But this matter makes no sense to them, and there is no way to guess.

The lotus root industry has no direct connection with their family, but this sudden change made Li Erlang very uneasy. There is a simple truth that all children understand: money can make the world go round.

Something big is definitely going to happen in Chang'an City, and the first people to get the news are the officials in the capital.

The two ended the topic and gradually turned to lotus root planting, which was Luo Liangcheng's specialty. Li Erlang's brother-in-law talked a lot by himself, starting from lotus root planting to harvesting. Ji Qingyue listened for a while and wrote down the planting method, but there was nothing he could do without seeds. After listening to it for a while, he should go back to work in the fields.

Winter is coming, and the scenery in the painting is still not much different from when he first arrived. After the snow melts, the pine forest becomes more green, mixed with a few deciduous broad-leaved trees, surrounding the thatched cottage, and on the shallow bank of the slow-flowing stream downstream. Overgrown with reed-like weeds.

Ji Qingyue still didn't know the name of the weed.

The mountains are beautiful, the water is beautiful, the woods are lush, but there is not a single bird chirping. Ji Qingyue rests for a while with his wooden shovel, while thinking about where to place his orchard.

The seven or eight jujube trees planted at the beginning all survived. More than a month later, the jujube trees have grown to chest level, and the branches and leaves are getting bigger and bigger. Planting them in the vegetable garden does not seem to be a good choice. In the future, they may It will block part of the sunlight in the vegetable field, and the jujube trees compete with each other for living space. If he wants to expand the vegetable field, it will be blocked by the jujube trees.

This was something he didn't expect at first. The jujube trees were planted too close, squeezing into the space of the vegetable field.

Gee tut.

The world in the painting is divided into two parts by a stream flowing down from the mountain. The opposite side of the stream is isolated by a transparent barrier. He can only temporarily recuperate in the thatched cottage beside the pine forest. Behind the thatched cottage is a large area of ​​pine trees. The pine forest grows under a connected mountain range and stretches all the way to the mountain. In front of the thatched cottage to the stream is an open space of about 100 square meters. He plans to cultivate it into rice fields as soon as possible. After all, it is still Get used to eating rice. The thatched cottage is still a short distance away from the pine forest. He has fenced off the open space in the backyard for a vegetable garden. On the left is the experimental rice field, and on the right is the foundation of the new house.

Except for these patches of open space, the rest is occupied by pine trees. It seems that there is really no room for an orchard.

Ji Qingyue could only continue his search toward the stream. He looked around and quickly decided on the hillside with weeds.

Cutting grass is easier for him than cutting down trees. Behind the open space where the house is built is a pine forest, and in front is a slightly undulating wild grass slope. On the wild grass slope are a few trees of unknown species that have lost all their leaves. With the obstruction of the hillside and trees, in the future, building a house behind the hillside will not be easy for outsiders. Absolutely nothing to see.

It is indeed a good idea to leave the trees behind to clean up the weeds.

Ji Qingyue took up the stone knife and went to the stream to polish it, and then went to the back of the hillside to cut the grass. He worked until dark before cutting off four or five meters of weeds in diameter.

Ji Qingyue straightened up and tapped his lumbar spine.

No, it seems that I still need to borrow a sickle from Li Erlang.

He sorted out the cut weeds and called it a day. As he walked, he wondered what kind of meal Li Erlang would bring tonight. He had the feeling of a laborer returning home from a tiring day and looking forward to what his little wife at home had cooked for dinner.

As expected, Li Erlang didn't keep Ji Qingyue waiting too long. He quietly opened the study door and brought in a breath of air-conditioning, "Immortal...?"

As soon as Ji Qingyue heard the noise, he wrapped himself in a cloak and came to the wooden plank bridge. The creaking wooden plank bridge reminded him that he had forgotten the reinforcement work, and he patted his forehead.

Arrange for tomorrow.

Li Erlang handed over another baggage: "Immortal, my sister-in-law has made a few clothes in a hurry these days. I wanted to go to a clothing store to buy them before. After knowing this, my sister-in-law wanted to make some coats for the immortal herself. She couldn't do anything before. I thought I could only do these small things to repay the immortal. My sister-in-law also made a pair of leather boots in a larger size, so I ask the immortal not to mind."

How could Ji Qingyue mind? It was too late for him to be surprised. His life now was much better than at the beginning. He had food, drink and clothes to change. He weighed the baggage. The clothes were very heavy and felt very solid. If he wore these clothes, he would not be afraid of being heated by the fire no matter how cold the weather got.

He quickly thanked Li Erlang and asked about the situation of the bellows and iron tools.

Li Erlang handed over the baggage and dinner: "The day before yesterday, I went to Wu Awen's to have a look. The rough mold was almost completed, but it took him some time to figure out the key parts of the push plate and the air outlet. I understand, tomorrow is the day for delivery. As for the iron farm tools, I have asked Uncle Quan... the person we sold the drawings to this time. When the tools are finished, he will help me pick them up and make handles for the tools. Calculated, everything will be settled in less than two days."

Food gets cold quickly in cold weather. After taking the bowl, Ji Qingyue stood on the bridge and started eating dinner. Today’s dinner was pancakes with roasted lamb. The lamb was not marinated to remove the mutton, but was simply coated with salt and roasted over fire. It tasted like a residue. The smell of mutton made him not very accustomed to eating it.

After learning about the progress of the new tool, Ji Qingyue immediately decided to postpone the mowing plan. When the sickle is obtained, the efficiency will be several times or ten times that of today. There is no need to rush now.

Gradually, the short chats with Li Erlang every day became a kind of entertainment activity between them. Listening to Li Erlang talk about some things about life, one can roughly portray what kind of era Dali was and how it was developing.

After listening to it for a long time, Ji Qingyue gradually developed an initial impression of Dali: it was declining day by day, people were resentful, and the seeds of war were gestating in the dark.

The two of them were just chatting, Li Erlang said, and Ji Qing listened more and more. "My sister went home today and brought back some lotus roots. I wonder if the immortal will plant them?"

Ji Qingyue did not expect that Li Erlang would think of him. When he heard lotus root, his mind was already filled with candied lotus root, lotus root slices and lotus root soup. He held the bowl and nodded repeatedly: "Thank you, Erlang!"

Li Erlang couldn't help laughing. The immortal really cared about the seeds, and he didn't know how well the immortal was farming.

Ji Qingyue picked something he could tell and told Li Erlang that every time there were new changes in the seeds in the fields, he would be happy for a long time as a farmer. These were all the contributions of the magical land. He did not exaggerate his role at all, nor did he share it. Instead of talking about the magic of the land, they talked about the situation of wheat, and then changed the topic and asked Li Erlang how to grow fruits.

It was a rare occasion for Li Erlang to be a master, and he couldn't help but feel a little proud: He never expected that one day he would be able to teach an immortal to farm!

If Ji Qingyue knew that he thought so, he would definitely surprise him when the harvest comes!

Li Erlang didn't know much about fruits. If he wanted to explain each type in detail, there were several types that he couldn't tell the specific growing method. However, regarding the method of planting lotus roots, he deliberately led Luo Liangcheng to talk about this topic in the study just now. After a while, Ji Qingyue only remembered a rough outline. He spoke hesitantly. Li Erlang shook his head helplessly and had to focus on the key points. Add it again.

Listening to Li Erlang's agricultural lecture, Ji Qingyue only regretted not having paper and pen. A good memory is not as good as a bad pen.

At this time, his and Li Erlang's roles were reversed from the previous science popularization. He asked many dumbfounding questions. Fortunately, Li Erlang did not underestimate these questions at all and answered them patiently. "Immortal, I heard what you said. Your field is not far from the water. If you still feel tired from watering, I will ask Wu Aweng to make a small trolley. In this way, there is no need to dig trenches or carry water. Just The pipe needs to be placed in the ground, and the drum truck will automatically place the water into the pipe.”

Ji Qingyue knew more about the trolley, a water-carrying tool similar to a Ferris wheel structure. It was mostly made of wood and bamboo. It was not difficult for him to draw the structure. The old problem was that he had no tools, so he wanted the iron tools. Very important.

Li Erlang: "The last time I went to the county to customize tools, the owner of the blacksmith shop said that the county government's control over pig iron has become more and more strict, and the price of iron has risen accordingly. The review of material procurement is stricter than usual. Pig iron cannot be distributed for a long time. After the autumn harvest, iron The shop's business is good, but after all this trouble, he has been unable to deliver the order."

Ji Qingyue's first instinct was: "Is there going to be a war?"

Li Erlang's heart tightened: "Why does the immortal think so?"

"I don't know, I just think so subconsciously." After all, he comes from a country that has been peaceful for a long time. He has never seen war break out in his own country. On the contrary, there are many countries at war in the world. He has been influenced by it. He more or less understood the circumstances under which a country was prone to war.

Li Erlang trusted Ji Qingyue very much. He pulled up a chair and sat in front of the painting. To outsiders, they only thought that he was admiring the painting. "Sanlang and I have also made such speculations before, but all of them were speculations without evidence. Now the situation is getting more and more confusing, which makes people have to worry. What exactly do you think, Immortal?"

War will not suddenly break out for no reason. It must be the result of multiple contradictions that are mixed together and remain irreconcilable before they gradually show their signs. After these phenomena are involved and analyzed one by one, it is possible to predict a war. .

"Do you remember any major events that have happened in recent years? Just like the sudden rise in rice prices some time ago."

Li Erlang was deep in the remote fields, but from the insights reflected in his past conversations, Ji Qing knew more and more that he was not an ordinary farmer who only immersed himself in farming.

Li Erlang fell into deep thought, recalling what happened this year or even the past few years.

Ganzhou is an extremely important hub on the trade routes of the Western Regions. Since the Uighurs often invade the borders, officials continue to add more military headquarters to Hexi, Longxi and Beiting. Nearly 70% of the domestic troops are placed in the northwest, and the northwest border is pressed against An army of five to six hundred thousand is nothing unusual.

The unstable border has affected trade routes, which are intermittently open. As a result, the price of goods from the Western Regions has remained high. Spices are marketable and priceless, and it is difficult to find them. That's why Li Erlang thought of growing garlic.

What happened on the trade route was not an abnormality, but rather the strange price increase that happened some time ago.

"The south is driving up the price of silk, causing the price of grain and other prices to rise..." The status of the south is extremely important to the rulers in various senses, and no monarch can allow this big fat piece of meat to be allowed. Taking action without authorization, this was still the south under the rule of a feudal dynasty. The follow-up only said that the officials took action, but never said how to deal with it.

Should the army be used to directly suppress the perpetrators, or should officials be sent to negotiate terms with these wealthy people? Prices have slowed down, but there is not a shred of news about the process.

Things arise suddenly, but fall quietly.

Everything you do has a reason. Raw silk is the same as money in Dali. It can be used as money and directly exchanged for other items. Assuming that this is a price adjustment action led by the state, raising the price of silk can increase the amount of currency in circulation, and people can exchange for more things in the short term, which seems to be a good thing.

As more currency circulates, the prices of other commodities will naturally rise, and so will the receipt prices. This will of course attract people to sell silk grain in exchange for more money. The state controls the prices of important commodities such as salt and iron, and it is difficult to stabilize grain prices. As for the rise, it's too outrageous. After the storm has passed, when people have almost exchanged grain and silk, the market will slowly return to a balanced state.

Ji Qingyue asked: "What is the current price of food?"

Speaking of this, Li Erlang finally felt a little happy: "Now the price of rice is getting lower day by day. It has only been more than 20 days since the price reduction, and it has dropped to fifteen cents per dou of rice. Many people have been happy for a while. According to this The price of rice may be even lower next month."

"Well……"

The ultimate goal of those behind the scenes is certainly not just to lower food prices.

Ji Qingyue seemed to see a big hand, killing two birds with one stone. Not only will more new grain be recycled, but more money will be in the hands of the people.

The most important thing is what the harvested grain will be used for.

After the autumn harvest, people have already paid grain taxes, and now they are still collecting grain in disguise. There is no natural disaster, so there is no need to provide grain for disaster relief. All that remains is to prevent man-made disasters.

"Speaking of which, my father and eldest brother started training half a month earlier this year than in previous years." Li Erlang also thought about the possibility that Luo Liang Chengtou's court would require tax reform. The specific laws are unknown, and there are rumors in Beijing. It says there will be big changes in tax laws next year.

The tax changes are the same as the changes to the laws for joining the military. They become more stringent little by little. They are like frogs in warm water, slowly adapting to the higher temperature, and finally being scalded.

Ji Qingyue had nothing to say. Various factors combined to create this environment where everyone was burdened. The center of the contradiction is the outdated land system, with serious land annexation, which continues to encroach on and squeeze the living space of the people at the bottom.

The country is so big. As the number of people of the same age continues to increase, the more land will be given out. There will always be a day when there is not enough land. The rich will continue to take away the land of the poor, and more and more poor people will lose their land. , getting poorer and poorer, and finally had no choice but to run away.

The people can no longer survive. In ten or twenty years, this war will be inevitable.

Ji Qingyue thought that this battle was an internal one, while Li Erlang thought about an external war: "Yes, the officials are preparing for a counterattack against Uighurs. Every winter, Uighurs always use sporadic formations. They are constantly invading the border and taking away the goods of Hu merchants and the food of the border villages. We have long disliked them!!"

It sounds like Li Erlang quite supports this war?

Li Erlang smiled and told Ji Qingyue: "The Uighurs have done all kinds of bad things. Wherever their cavalry passed by, it was stained with the blood of innocent Li people. It would be good to beat them so that they dare not disturb us anymore. If dad and eldest brother make an agreement, If you achieve military merit, you will be exempted from grain and silk taxes and corvee! I have always wanted to be able to be naturalized and join the army when I turn twenty soon!"

The bloody man's tone was unwavering, and what he said was something Ji Qingyue had never thought about nor dared to think about.

In the end, Ji Qingyue could only tell Li Erlang to pay attention to food safety.

With grain in hand, don't panic in my heart.

This is not only talking about Li Erlang, but also himself.