Royal road

"Ah Gui, the one in front is the Liang Mansion? How come the land reclamation has reached outside the courtyard wall?" Zhou Kan was riding on the back of a poor horse, looking forward curiously.

Outside the long courtyard wall, rows of thatched cottages stood on both sides.The nearby fields have been sorted out to look like ridges, and several cows are slowly plowing the ground with plows, and there are many thin-looking men following behind, watering and weeding, busy.It turned out to be a look of hurrying up to open up wasteland and prepare for summer sowing.

Aren't these aristocratic families accustomed to enclosing farms in their courtyards?How come the land reclamation has been opened outside the courtyard?Is it too late to reclaim wasteland now?The plow was also strange, how could it be so easy to turn the ground?

Full of questions, Zhou Kan couldn't help asking, but the servants of Liang's mansion around him didn't answer him.Zhou Kan couldn't help raising his volume: "Ah Gui?"

At this time, Ah Gui woke up and hurriedly said: "It is indeed the Liang Mansion, but it is a little different when I left..."

It's only been a month, where can I go differently?Zhou Kan shook his head helplessly, but didn't ask any more questions.No matter what the Liang Mansion looked like originally, it looked much better than the villages he saw along the way.These days, it's not easy to plant a piece of mature land, how can there be spare energy to open up wasteland?It seems that what I wrote in my sister's letter is not an exaggeration.

Speaking of which, Zhou Kan made a lot of determination to go this trip.Although there are a lot of wars in my hometown, after all, I have lived together for generations, and I have a care for my neighbors.But it was different when he came to Liang Mansion. He was not familiar with the place, and Bingzhou was a territory with many Hu people, which sounded scary.If you encounter bandits or rebels along the way, wouldn't you lose your life?

For this matter, several cousins ​​persuaded him several times respectively, but Zhou Kan had long understood that it is better to find another way out than trying to be a petty official like his cousins.How can I say that there is a Tinghou in the Liang Mansion, and being a guest of the Tinghou is not better than being a petty official at the mercy of others?Anyway, his family is small, and if he is full, others will not be hungry.If you miss this opportunity, you will regret it!

In order to hurry, he even reluctantly spent money to buy a rough horse, and went on the road with the messenger from the Liang Mansion.After walking for more than half a month, I escaped several chaotic troops and arrived at the ground after untold hardships.Seeing such a prosperous scene now, my heart is naturally relieved.It seems that his decision was not wrong.

Following Agui through the farmland, they came to the gate of the Liang Mansion.Both of them got off their horses and were checked carefully before being put into the yard.The inside is the real farm of the Liang Mansion, and it looks more lively than the outside.At this time, the wheat was ripening, and the Zhuang Han were busy harvesting grain, plowing the land, and preparing for summer planting. There was no sign of severe drought at all.

There are also some men wearing the same style of clothes, or stab the haystack in front of them with their guns, or surround each other in twos and threes, hacking and killing each other with swords and shields.Just watching from the sidelines is amazing.

Is this a soldier of the Liang family?Why does it look more powerful than the chaos outside?

After walking all the way in a daze, Zhou Kan didn't get nervous until he came outside the high wall of the Liang Mansion.Would such an aristocratic family really accept themselves as a guest?He has been learning counting from his father since he was a child, and he has little interest in poetry and books, let alone intensive research.If you lose your face in front of the Patriarch, wouldn't it be a waste of time to fetch water from a bamboo basket?

"Uh, Agui, can you let me meet my sister first? I, I haven't seen her for a long time, and I really miss her..." In the end, Zhou Kan couldn't help but said to Agui.

"That's easy to say." Agui responded quickly.

After another interrogation, the two entered the gate of the mansion.Agui went to deal with the steward, while Zhou Kan followed a servant boy and walked towards the inner courtyard.Along the way, Zhou Kan only felt his heart beating more and more violently.This Liang Mansion is really big, with such a noble family, would you hire him as a guest?Don't be a wrong sister, if the Liang family doesn't accept a vulgar person like him, what should I do?

The two of them walked until they reached the courtyard before stopping. The man walked into the courtyard, and after a while, a woman came out after him.

"Sister!" Seeing Zhao Yu, Zhou Kan immediately called out.

Seeing the person in front of him clearly, Zhao Yu was stunned for a moment before he said, "Is it Ah Kan? Why are you here? Aunt, she..."

Zhao Yu stopped talking halfway.She remembered that this younger brother had always been filial. If his mother hadn't died, he probably wouldn't have left home and gone to the Liang Mansion in Bingzhou.

Sure enough, Zhou Kan sighed: "My mother passed away last year. I have nothing to worry about at home, so I naturally have to find another way out. It's a pity that several cousins ​​are now looking for errands, and no one wants to come with me."

Zhao Yu had been away from home for six or seven years, but she didn't expect that things had changed in the family, so she couldn't help but feel a little sad, and hurriedly comforted her younger brother.Zhou Kan's eyes turned on Zhao Yu, and hesitantly asked: "Sister, aren't you working as a nurse in the Liang Mansion? Why are you dressed like this..."

The clothes Zhao Yu was wearing did not look like the clothes of a wet nurse.Not only did he tie up his sleeves with rope, but he also tied a linen apron around his waist, as if doing rough work.

Only then did Zhao Yu come to his senses, and said with a smile, "I'm not only Xiao Langjun's nurse now, but also work in the weaving room. I'm rushing to make new clothes for the next few days."

Unexpectedly, as a wet nurse, my sister could also serve as an errand in the mansion, Zhou Kan couldn't help wondering: "Didn't there be weaving households in Liang's mansion before? Wouldn't my sister's status be messed up like this?"

"What identity?" Zhao Yu shook his head, "After all, the wet nurse is just a maidservant, not to mention that Mr. Xiao Lang is still young, even if he takes charge of the Liang Mansion in the future, he will marry a bride, so naturally it is not easy to arrange any important errands. Give it to me. But it’s different if you take care of the weaving house, no matter how small it is, you’re still in charge, and on the contrary, it’s better than a servant girl living under someone else’s fence.”

Is there such a saying?Zhou Kan nodded, and suddenly changed his mind: "So, the Liang Mansion is understaffed now?"

"That's right. The previous patriarchs were content with having fun and didn't care much about the affairs of the mansion, which made Liang's mansion a mess. Now the master is in charge of the house, it's different. Since you're here, Ah Kan, you must be honest , do your job well, and you must not have any ghostly thoughts. The Patriarch has a vicious vision, and he is even more merciless when he punishes the slaves."

Zhou Kan's forehead was sweating: "Then can I still hire guests? My poetry and books are not good..."

"How about the calculation?" Zhao Yu interrupted him and asked the key point directly.

"If it's just the stuff in "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic", I'm still proficient." Zhou Kan said that his mathematical talent is not very high, but he can still read the nine chapters thoroughly.

Zhao Yu immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. You come with me, let's go see the Patriarch."

Are you going to meet the head of the house?Zhou Kan quickly asked the most important question: "Sister, how is the temperament of the Patriarch?"

Just as he was untying the rope on his sleeve, when he heard this question suddenly, Zhao Yu couldn't help laughing and said: "The Patriarch treats us very well, and he has a connection with Buddha, he is a kind-hearted person."

"Ah?" Didn't you just say that his eyes are vicious and merciless?Confused, Zhou Kan followed behind Zhao Yu, walking towards the main courtyard anxiously.

■

"Master Lang, if you say anything this time, you have to assign a few more people to Tiefang!"

"Ding Jiangtou, last time there were already three people leaving Tiefang, there really can't be more." Looking at the short and stout old man who looked like a stone pier in front of him, Liang Feng also couldn't laugh or cry.

"But the last time the master just said he wanted an iron plow, now he wants to make some horseshoes and make more arrows. How many people are there in the iron workshop? How busy are they?!" Ding Da didn't intend to give in at all.He understood that now, if he wanted to complete the work assigned by the master, he had to expand the iron workshop and recruit more apprentices.

Most of the villages are well-off, and blacksmithing is not like other jobs, and it cannot be easily passed on.Wouldn't it be a loss if you were tricked by those villainous boys?It's better for those refugees outside the village, they don't have any relatives or friends, they have to worship him as a teacher after entering Tiefang, and naturally they dare not leave Tiefang in the future.This made Ding Da, who had been unwilling to let go, plan to expand Tiefang.

This old stubborn is willing to expand the iron workshop, but at other times, Liang Feng would definitely agree with it.But now is not the usual time, the series is being expanded, land reclamation also requires labor, this Ding University also specially selects those young and strong who have recovered well and have a bright head, it is like cutting his flesh!If Ding Da was assigned, it would be time for A Liang to jump in the blink of an eye.

Liang Feng coughed: "Actually, you can also hand over some of the work of making clay models to the pottery workshop. Wouldn't it save a lot of effort? There are also work such as polishing arrows, which can be done by women and children. Why do you have to be young and strong?"

"How can that be done?!" Ding Da immediately blew his beard and stared, "This is all delicate work, and if it is done badly, it will be a waste of time! Is grinding knives something that those pussy dolls can do? Fumbling back and forth on the millstone will exhaust them to death!"

"I remember that the pottery workshop seems to have a kind of turntable for making pottery. If you step on it with your feet, it can drive the mud embryo to rotate and become smooth. Why not make the millstone into this kind of wheel, and then you only need to step on the wheel with your feet. Wouldn't it be possible to sharpen the edge of the blade by rotating the whetstone?" Liang Feng said, recalling the whetstone tool in his previous life.

Ding Da stopped immediately and buried himself in thought.Liang Feng persisted and said: "I'll ask Liu Jiangtou to help you think of an idea. If it is done, there will be as many servants and children as you want!"

"I'll try it first! If it doesn't work, Mr. Lang, you can ask for a few more young men from Tiefang!" Ding Da got up suddenly, saluted hastily, and ran out.

Looking at the back of the old man in a hurry, Liang Feng couldn't help shaking his head and smiling wryly.A few days ago, he asked Tiefang to trial-produce an iron plow, which is a luxury item. Ding Da's stubborn old man shook his head for several days, saying that it was a waste of materials.In the end, he distributed some of the confiscated swords to Tiefang for refurbishment, and sent three refugees to Ding Da as apprentices, so he let go.

The iron plow is really easy to use, and the speed of land reclamation is twice as fast as that of the previous wooden plow.But Ding Da also tasted the sweetness of increasing the number of refugee apprentices, no, as soon as he proposed to play horseshoes, Ding Da immediately climbed the pole, wanting to add more manpower.But Liang Feng really didn't dislike this stubborn old man. Although he didn't make sense, he was really good at fighting.If the horseshoe can be made, the few horses in the village can form a cavalry team.

That's right, although there are saddles now, there is no shadow of horseshoes.The cuticle of a horse's hoof is very easy to wear and tear. He only has these few horses at hand. If the hooves are damaged due to training, it will be a big loss.It's better to spend a little money to develop the horseshoe first, and then consider other things.

I was thinking about whether the grinding stone wheel could be realized, and how to make the several workshops in the village form a technological flow, when someone outside suddenly reported: "Master, please see me in the rain."

"Call her in." Liang Feng regained his spirits immediately.Just now someone had reported that Zhao Yu's Congdi had arrived at the Liang Mansion.This is the accountant he has been waiting for for a long time!If it is useful, the burden on his shoulders will be much easier.

Not long after, Zhao Yu and Zhou Kan came in one after the other. Zhao Yu knelt down before the case respectfully, and said, "I want to report to the Lord, my younger brother Zhou Kan has arrived, come to see the Lord."

Zhou Kan also knelt down behind Zhao Yu, but he knelt in a bit of a mess and almost tripped himself.Because when entering the door, Zhou Kan couldn't help but sneak a glance at the chief seat.

Why didn't sister mention that the Patriarch of the Liang family is such a beautiful person? !

Zhou Kan was almost dumbfounded, it was the first time he had seen such a real handsome man.Not only is she outstanding in appearance, but she is also full of extravagance that makes people tremble.He is simply the kind of born aristocrat who deserves to talk about poetry and paintings, drink and have fun all day long.Such a head of the family will take care of the household chores?Can you see him as a mediocre person?

Heart pounding, Zhou Kan only felt his mind go blank, and followed Chao Yu in a daze to salute.

Naturally, Liang Feng could also see that the newcomer was not in the mood, and smiled at Zhao Yu: "Thank you for your hard work, how many days will it take to finish the new clothes for the first part?"

"It will take another three days." Zhao Yu replied softly, "This time I used fine linen, which is durable and should last for a long time."

"Good. You go down first." The newcomers to the school naturally couldn't let the relatives be present.After Zhao Yu saluted and retreated, Liang Feng said to the young man who still had a dazed expression: "I heard from Zhao Yu that your family is good at numbers?"

"I, my talent is not very good, I only learned "Nine Chapters"..." Zhou Kan finished speaking in a daze, only to realize that he accidentally dropped the bottom, and suddenly became annoyed.This is not an ordinary inquiry, but related to whether he can stay in the Liang Manor!What are you doing now? !

Liang Feng smiled, and asked nonchalantly: "The two started from the same place at the same time. A's pace was seven, and B's pace was three. After walking a certain distance to the north, he meets B. May I ask, how far has A and B traveled?"

Zhou Kan blinked his eyes, isn't this the topic in "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic"?Involuntarily, he took out the counting chip he was carrying, put it on the ground for a while, raised his head and said, "A walks in 24 and a half steps, B walks in ten and a half steps."

The numbers are right.Liang Feng nodded, and continued: "A good walker takes a hundred steps, and a bad walker takes sixty steps. Now there is a bad walker who walks a hundred steps first, how many steps can a good walker catch up to?"

Zhou Kan answered faster this time: "It takes 250 steps!"

"Good." The kid was able to answer the two application questions fluently. It seems that his math foundation is not bad.It's not like he wants to be a master who knows astronomy and geography, such computing power is enough.

After boasting, Liang Feng casually picked up a page of paper from the table and handed it over: "This is the text I came up with a few days ago, it can be used for accounting."

Zhou Kan took the piece of paper and looked at it, only to see a string of characters such as "one, two, three, four" written on it, and a number was compared next to each word. Another way of writing numbers, and the font is complicated, and it is absolutely impossible to change.He couldn't help saying happily: "Use this to keep accounts, I'm afraid there will be no worries about tampering!"

His expression didn't seem fake, Liang Feng nodded in satisfaction.The basic mathematics is reliable, and there will be no conflicts because the books cannot be tampered with.It shows that this person is not a complicated person.He needs a bookkeeper who doesn't need to be very smart, but honest and reliable.On this point, Zhou Kan has passed the assessment.

"Now the family urgently needs someone who is good at counting to help me manage the accounts. I wonder if you intend to be the guest secretary of my family?" Liang Feng asked with a smile.

So it passed?Zhou Kan blinked his eyes and stammered: "Yes, of course... no, it's a great honor!"

"The accounting room needs to help me with two things. One is to register all the incoming and outgoing materials in the warehouse, to ensure that every transaction is recorded in the account, and the numbers are accurate."

"This little one can do it!" Zhou Kan blurted out.

Liang Feng didn't care about him interrupting, and continued: "The other thing is to calculate the money and food needed for each ten-day period based on the output per mu of the mansion and the consumption of the population, as well as the possible surplus and deficit in the next ten-day period, for my reference. This , let’s call it a ‘budget’, and everything must be carefully considered before it can be reported.”

This thing is very fresh, but Zhou Kan felt that it was not difficult, so he nodded immediately: "The little one must be careful and never miss it."

"It's so good. As for the monthly salary, three dendrobiums of food per month, board and lodging will be settled by the family. Do you think it's okay?" Liang Feng asked tentatively.

"Yes! Of course!" Zhou Kan blushed with excitement, bowed his head and bowed.Three dendrobiums are really a lot, and his cousins ​​only get five dendrobium chaff in January, not including board and lodging!

Tsk!Liang Feng cursed secretly, it seems that the salary was raised.He referred to Tian Chang's treatment, as well as the salary standard of the small officials outside, halving it and wiping it off before asking this price.Unexpectedly, the newcomer happily agreed without changing the price at all.Let's not mention the dividend at the end of the year, let's see how the work efficiency is.

Heartbroken secretly, Liang Feng still had a smile on his face: "The journey has been tiring, you should go and rest first. I will ask Ah Liang to hand over to you tomorrow. Just submit the accounts for me to review once a month."

"Thank you, Lord Lang!" Zhou Kan kowtowed again before happily retreating out.This is easier than he imagined!Could it be that the Lord is so kind to him because of his elder sister?

No, Zhou Kan stopped suddenly.I obviously lost my composure just now, but the host didn't show any displeasure at all.The man did not show a superior attitude towards himself who was born in a poor family and was vulgar and clumsy.So after a few small talk, he will be convinced and sincerely happy.No wonder my sister said that the Lord Lang treated them very well.

Feeling a little moved in his heart, Zhou Kan clenched his fists. Since the Lord has treated him so kindly, he must keep an account and repay the Lord!

The author has something to say: Keke, the question in Chapter [-] was found online, it’s too early to count, don’t blame me if I’m wrong→_→I also found out that the lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar were confused before, and the fourth month of the lunar calendar is not spring at all.Changed it, it became the first time in late March, one month later to meet the enemy, expand and open up wasteland, and it happened to start harvesting grain and summer planting in early May, so everyone understands it. The first rank of military merit, look at the courageous military ranks of Daqin, from the first level to the young husband, the order is called school, apprentice, cao, and soldier.Those who can win the first level of the first class will be awarded the first level of honor, benefit one hectare of land, benefit nine acres of house, and get rid of one concubine, and then they will be the officials of soldiers and officers.Those who have nobles beg those who do not have nobles to be concubines, and they beg for one person.He has nothing to do, and his concubine will serve his doctor for six days;

The head of a soldier of the enemy is a hundred acres of land, as well as houses and slaves.This is still the lowest rank of nobleman, the tiger and wolf division of the Qin army, so it can be seen.

Then in the Western Jin Dynasty, there were land occupation orders and Ketian orders. Ding men had to cultivate 300 mu of Ketian, and Ding women had to cultivate [-] mu. The court collected taxes according to Dingkou.The land occupation is higher than this number. Ding men can reclaim [-] mu of land, and Ding women [-] mu. The land reclaimed is exempt from tax.Beiliang has become an equal-field system, with [-] mu for males and [-] mu for females, which will be returned after death, and [-] mu of mulberry fields will be used forever.It was not until the population exploded in the Tang Dynasty that there was no land, and the two-tax system was changed.You have to ask if there is enough arable land, of course it is enough, it will be no problem for two to three hundred years.

One mu of land produces about a little more than one shi, and ten mu of land is tax-free, which means more than ten shi a year in military pay, and someone has to find someone to plow the army land.At that time, the salary of the small official fighting food was eight dendrobium (stone) per month, which was more than 90 stones a year.To be a soldier is to go into battle and kill the enemy. It is not easy to survive a few battles. Do you still think it is exaggerated to exempt soldiers from taxes?