Hanhou

At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the calendar of the Qin Dynasty was followed, and October was set as the beginning of the year.

Yunzhong County is located in the frontier, bordering the grassland in the north, the heavy snow has been drifting until the end of the moon, and the snowmelt period comes even later.

With the first gust of spring breeze, the weather gradually warmed up, and the snow began to melt, converging into shallow streams, dipping into the ground little by little.The sky is dyed a piece of blue, and the earth is dotted with fresh green dots.

The farmers are most familiar with the weather, and they don't need the elders to persuade Nong Sang. They have already picked up the Lei Lei, led the cattle rented from Litian, and started this year's spring plowing.

The grasslands that had been silent for a winter began to revive, and the shadow of the Huns began to appear in the frontier fortress.The frontier troops patrolled cautiously, keeping an eye on each other's whereabouts.

During the recovery season, the Han people were busy with farming, and the Huns were also busy with grazing, and wars rarely started at this time.But no one can guarantee that any tribe will suddenly have a brain twitch and come to kill them with bows, arrows and knives.In such a situation, the frontier soldiers will not be polite. Anyway, they carry a head on both shoulders, just chop it back.

With the greenery covering the pasture, the border residents also opened the fence one after another, driving their sheep to eat the grass.When the elders are busy in the fields, the children are responsible for herding the sheep.The still immature shoulders also have to bear part of the family budget.

At dawn, when the rooster crows, some children get up and get dressed.Ignoring the coldness in the morning, I wrapped myself in a short jacket made of animal skins, grabbed the dry food my mother had kept warm under the stove, and ran to the stables and sheepfolds while breathing the heat.

In order to reduce the burden on the family, even Douding, who is three-headed and tall, tries to do some work within his ability.Twelve or thirteen-year-old boys have already been able to go to the fields with their parents and use them as half laborers.

The children drove the sheep out of their homes with dry food.Borrowing the twilight of the sky, each invites their companions to gather together.

Taking Wei's village as an example, there are five households with one neighbor, five neighbors with one mile, and border residents of two or three miles gather together to form a village. Not to mention that every household raises cattle and sheep, about half of them have large animals in their homes.

There are more wild animals than people in Bianjun, so children tending sheep alone will inevitably encounter danger.More than a dozen walked together to gather the ferocious dogs raised at home, and the small pack of wolves would not easily approach.

"A Tao, this way!"

Seeing a familiar companion, a child in a sheepskin jacket waved vigorously.The round little face was flushed red with cold, and a big black dog was squatting beside it, and three sheep were next to each other, chewing the forage they had snatched from the manger.

"Give!"

When his companion came close, the child took out a cloth bag from his arms, opened it carefully, and revealed the caramel wrapped inside.

"Caramel!" The boy named Tao was taken aback, and pushed up the fur hat that was in front of him.For them, this is a good thing that can only be eaten during the holidays.

"Brother brought it back, I'll share three yuan, and I'll give you one piece!" The child handed the caramel to A Tao, seeing that the other party hesitated to accept it, he simply grabbed it and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Hurry up, wait for the gate to open, let's go quickly, we can find the best pasture."

A Tao puffed his cheeks, and when the sheep of the two gathered together, he asked vaguely, "A Shi, is your elder brother really working on Zhao Langjun's livestock farm?"

"Of course, these caramels were given by Zhao Langjun! My brother also said that we can get corn at the end of the month." The child puffed out his chest, very proud.

"That's great." A Tao's tone was full of envy.

The two drove the sheep while talking, and after a while, they came together with the other three boys.

"My elder brother is always lazy and doesn't do anything. He was beaten up by Ah Weng just now. My mother said that if my elder brother dared to be lazy and hang out with the idlers in the village, he would be arrested by the official temple sooner or later and punished to go to the city. dawn."

When it comes to the previous campaign against gangsters and evil in the official temple, everyone in the temple still remembers it vividly.Many parents educate their disobedient children, mostly using the captured idlers and villainous teenagers as negative examples.

Have to say, the effect is extraordinary good.

"Don't worry, your elder brother can always fix it." A Shi patted A Tao's shoulder like a little adult.

Atao shook his head, not quite sure.If it could be changed, it would have been changed long ago, and it would not be delayed until now.

"It would be great if I grew up a little bit more. My sister will turn fifteen next year, and the family will have to pay an extra [-] yuan when she turns [-] next year. If my brother doesn't work all the time, Aunt and Aunt will be even more tired .”

"Sister Mei won't get married?" Ah Shi asked.

"No, my mother said that I want to stay with my sister for two more years. We must find a good family. Ah Weng also said that it is okay to pay more money. But I heard from my sister and my mother that I should get married early for her and save some money for the family. .”

In the early Han Dynasty, the land tax was one tax for thirty, which seemed not high.However, in addition to land taxes, the common people also had to pay taxes and perform corvee labor. It was really not a small burden to produce with the land at that time.

The imperial court stipulated that from the age of seven to 14, regardless of gender, each person must pay 15 yuan a year, which is the so-called poll tax.After the age of 120, it will be changed to an operator, which will increase to [-] yuan, and merchants and child slaves will have to double it.

In addition, women have to pay another sum of money if they do not get married after fifteen years. According to later generations, it is the so-called "single tax".

As for corvee service, compulsory service and military service, in some cases, you can pay for exemption or hire someone to serve on your behalf, ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, which ordinary people may not be able to afford.

I don't want to be overwhelmed by taxes and corvee, and I don't want to sell the land, so I have to work from morning to night, and find other jobs during the slack, trying to find ways to increase income for the family.

In an ordinary farmer's house, the children start to help the family from the moment they can walk in the fields.Idle around like brother Atao, doing nothing every day, in the eyes of the insiders, it is simply intolerable, and belongs to the type that must be educated.

"When Ah Weng beat my elder brother, both Eldest Father and Second Father were there. Eldest Father would have done it even if Zhong Father hadn't stopped him." A Tao licked his lips after eating the caramel, still yearning for the sweet taste.

In fact, before the arrival of Atao's eldest father, there was already a mixed doubles match in the family.It was when Uncle Jun came that Atao's mother stopped and hid the discounted stick behind her back.

Even so, Atao's elder brother still didn't do well, and almost ushered in a men's doubles match after the mixed doubles. In terms of intensity, it was enough to keep him unable to play for several days.

"I hope brother can understand." A Tao sighed, and drove the sheep back to the flock with a whip, "Otherwise, A Weng will do it again."

A Shi didn't speak, and patted A Tao's shoulder again, which was supposed to be comforting.It is indeed tiring to have such a brother who looks like an idle man.

The children came to the gate one after another, the flocks of sheep crowded together, and the dogs barked one after another.

The gatekeeper pulled up the latch, pushed open the wooden door, and told the children to be careful, and if something went wrong, call for help immediately.

"When you encounter wolves, let the dogs go. If you are a wicked person, even if you don't want sheep, you have to get away as soon as possible, remember?"

"Remember!"

Last month, a group of criminals who robbed and bought people were dealt with. All the counties in the county were on high alert, especially in the lower villages of Shaling County. Anyone who had strangers near children would attract suspicious eyes.

The children left the village together, met several teams on the way, joined together, and headed for the pasture.

Several seven or eight-year-old boys rode small ponies and walked at the forefront of the team.Dogs, nearly half a meter tall at the shoulder, run around the flock, making sure no beast dares approach.These dogs are usually used for hunting and guarding the house. After the traffickers happened, they were used to protect children and sheep.

The sun is rising, the sky is bright, and the vision ahead is getting wider and wider.

Among the fresh greenery, you can see a fence and field seals piled up with earth and rocks. The children all know that this is Zhao Jia's field and livestock farm.

Marmots that had finished hibernation came out of their burrows and stood on the mound looking out. When they saw the flock of sheep approaching, they immediately uttered a few loud calls.When encountering a running dog, it quickly burrowed back into the hole.

"Come back, don't catch!"

The children shouted and called back to their dogs.

The big dogs looked at the chubby marmot, whimpering in their throats, quite reluctant to part.In the next second, the children grabbed the ears or the fur on the back of the neck, warning them not to catch this thing.

Zhao Jia repeated orders and repeated warnings, and the elders repeatedly warned the children. Although the children didn't understand it, they kept in mind that this thing should not be approached.If you don't touch it yourself, you are also not allowed to touch it with grazing dogs.

The marmots will soon find out that even the house dogs will not bite at them when the people in the neighborhood see them and detour.There was no danger, so they naturally gained weight without worrying about it, and digging holes quickly, forming the largest group of marmots in a radius of tens of miles.

In the livestock farm, Wei Qing and Gongsun Ao had also got up. After breakfast, they gathered eight three-headed men, picked up a wooden shovel and shovel that were one size smaller, and cleaned up the sheep pens according to Mrs. Sun's orders.

Zhao Jia came from the village on horseback, accompanied by several carts with newly-made farm tools.Because high-quality iron is used, it must be reported to the official temple to confirm that it is used to make agricultural tools before mass production is allowed.

"Where is Uncle Xiong?" Zhao Jia grabbed the rein and asked loudly.

For the convenience of movement, he wore a riding suit today.The narrow-sleeved trousers look like Hu clothes, but they are the right lapel of the Han family. There is a leather belt around the waist and a short knife.The horse started to run, and felt that the short knife was in the way, so Zhao Jia simply tied the knife to his leg. Seeing this, Hu Bo, Ji Bao and others followed suit.

"Your Majesty came so early!" Mrs. Sun smiled at Zhao Jia with a wooden basin in her hand, "Uncle Xiong led his people to the west, it must not have gone far, and you can still see hoofprints on the road."

"it is good!"

Zhao Jia whistled, kicked the horse's belly, the horse neighed, and everyone rode their horses and raised their whips, and chased in the direction Mrs. Sun pointed.

Behind them, both Wei Qing and Gongsun Ao stopped and watched the horse team gallop away.The grazing children gathered together, stood on tiptoes, looked at Zhao Jia's back, and hoped that they would have such a majestic day.

After driving nearly two miles, Qing Zhuang and Xiong Bo finally appeared in front of them.

Zhao Jia immediately speeded up, the bay red horse spread its hooves, and the horse's belly was on the ground, and it came to Uncle Xiong in an instant.

"Lang Jun?"

Uncle Xiong was instructing Qing Zhuang to put the plow on the ox. When they saw Zhao Jia, everyone stopped and stepped forward to salute.

"Uncle Xiong, I brought some new plows." Zhao Jia got off his horse, walked to the front of the cart, and lifted the sackcloth covering the cart to reveal the new plows underneath.

"This is a new plow that can be pulled by an ox."

According to the records of later generations, during the period of Emperor Wu, Zhao Guo promoted the method of replacing land and invented the coupling plow.This plow is suitable for deep plowing, but it requires two oxen to lead together, one to lead the ox, one to hold the plow shaft, and the other to support the plow.

When Zhao Jia was flipping through agricultural books, he not only discovered the method of taming cattle, but also found records about plowing.Combined with memory, I found a skilled craftsman, tried many times, and finally made a new plow.

This kind of plow is similar to the long curved plow in the early Tang Dynasty. It is more flexible and convenient for deep plowing. It can be pulled by one ox and pulled by one person, which is far better than the straight plow currently used.

Watching Qing Zhuang take off the plow from the cart, put on the ox one by one, and experiment in the field, Zhao Jia patted the bay red horse beside him, almost unable to control the smile on his face.

Living in the Western Han Dynasty for 14 years, it is really not easy to finally light up the technology tree of farming!

After laughing, Zhao Jia had another headache.

Xinli had been registered in the official temple, and now it has been proved that it is available, so he must send someone to the prefect's mansion.With Wei Taishou as a person, he will definitely not be greedy for his credit.But the method of taming the bull has not yet come to fruition. According to Zhao Jia's original intention, he didn't want this credit at all.

What happened before made him understand that the background strength is not strong enough, and some credits are no different from reminders.If he didn't have Wei Taishou's thigh, he would have been in trouble already.

But things have to be delivered.

In the end, I could only comfort myself that the thighs I hugged were thick enough, so I just took a step and looked at it.

"Lang Jun, this plow is very good!"

From the beginning of the field to the end of the field, Uncle Xiong was overjoyed when he felt the flexibility and ease of operation of the plow body.

"With this new plow, there will be enough cattle in the farm!"

Originally, Uncle Xiong planned to ask Zhao Jia for instructions to find more servants in order to avoid delaying the farming season.Now with a new plow, manpower and animal power can be saved by at least half.

Zhao Jia shook his head.

The people who should be hired still need to be hired.

He has [-] mu of land, except for the part used as a livestock farm, the rest must be reclaimed and cannot continue to be abandoned.

During the snow disaster last year, he exchanged cattle and sheep for millet and distributed them to everyone in the village.Now, even if he doesn't speak, everyone will take the initiative to fulfill their promises and pay back the food with their labor.During the spring plowing process, as long as he is willing to work hard, he will also distribute some wages and food.

"I will hand over the farm work to Uncle Hu. This year, Uncle Xiong will also hand over the field of my sister's family. He will organize manpower to reclaim it as soon as possible, and plant millet and wheat."

"promise!"

"Also, the method of composting can also be tried. There is not much livestock manure, so plant ash can be used."

Zhao Jia took out the wooden tablet, which contained both the method he read from the agricultural book and the notice posted by the county to encourage Nong Sang.Zhao Jia will record everything that can be used.He is not very proficient in this matter, and he can always help some professionals such as Uncle Xiong.

"Your Majesty, don't worry, I will definitely handle it well!"

The border people were busy with spring plowing, and the frontier army strictly guarded the Huns who haunted the border counties. The army market and horse market in Yunzhong City seemed a little deserted, not as lively as usual.

Inside the prefect's mansion, Wei Yue walked into the main room with a few wooden slips in her arms, and delivered a withheld confession to Wei Shang.

After reading the content on the wooden tablet, Wei Shang's expression was slightly gloomy.

"Is this true?"

"It's true."

"What a doctor!" Wei Shang sneered.He didn't expect that not only Guan Fu had tampered with, but also Tian Fu, the queen's younger brother, was involved behind his back!

"According to the confession of the thief leader, after they entered Yunzhong County, a noble family boy came to the door and paid them to rob them. It's just that the matter is confidential, except for the thief leader and his confidants, most of the thieves don't know about it." Wei Yue handed over Two wooden tablets.

"According to the clues he provided, three people were caught in the city. They all confessed to be the children of Taizhong doctor Tian Fu's family. They were ordered by him to enter Yunzhong County and wanted to find an opportunity to start. Because the village is difficult to enter, the livestock farm has young and strong guards day and night. The three of them waited for several days and failed to accomplish anything, so they sought out their fellow countrymen who were bandits, and got in touch with this group of villains."

Wei Shang put down the wooden tablet, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Are there any accomplices who slipped through the net?"

"Arrest them all, without missing a single one," Wei Yue said.

"Tian Fu..."

Wei Shang doesn't care about Tian Fu.

A mere doctor of the Taizhong, even if he is not in Chang'an, he can still step into the mud.But Tian Fu is not just a doctor in the imperial court, he is the queen's half-brother and the prince's uncle!

However, let him go like this?

This is not Wei Shang's way of doing things.

"Ah Weng, I heard that Dai Guo is on good terms with Wei Qihou."

"Dai Guoxiang, Wei Qihou...Tian Fu?" After pondering for a moment, Wei Shang suddenly laughed.

The Dou family is prominent today, but in the early years he was also oppressed by the Bo family.The Wang family and the Tian family are backed by the queen, so how could they not have the heart to strive for the top.However, there is Queen Dowager Dou in the palace, and Wei Qihou in the court. If he moves too much, he will definitely touch Dou's Ni Lin.Tian Fu's family boy had acquaintance with the villains who plundered and trafficked people, and it was in the hands of someone who could use it, but it was not a small trick.

It is not a bad thing for the emperor to fight with relatives and fight against each other. Not only will he not stop it, but he may be happy to see it succeed.The prince is young and intelligent, if he can make the best use of the situation, he can also lay the foundation for the future.

As for bringing Guan Fu in, it can only be said that you will pay for it. Since you dare to block Wei Taishou, don't expect not to be blocked back.

"Send your confidants to the country and get things done as soon as possible."

"promise!"

Wei Yue withdrew from the inner room, stood on the porch, looked towards Chang'an, the corners of her lips curled up slightly, but there was a hint of coldness in her eyes.