Chapter 24: Wenxian County is prosperous
"Liao County, Le'an, Qingzhou?" The location of Liao County suddenly appeared in Chen Gong's mind, and then he immediately understood why it was Liao County.
"It would be very convenient to go there by water. Liao County is not only located between Qing and Ji states, with a broad market, but it is also located at the mouth of the Yellow River. Along the Yellow River, goods can be transported directly to the heart of the Central Plains." Chen Gong murmured to himself.
Bai Ni was stunned when he heard this, clapped his hands, and praised: "Brother, you are really smart and knowledgeable! Yes, Wen County will regularly arrange sea vessels to transport the goods directly to Liao County for us, and then I will hire ships to transport the goods to Yanzhou along the Yellow River."
"In this way, not only is transportation convenient, fast and low-cost, but it is also safe and there is no need to worry about banditry. It's just that the officials along the Yellow River are a little corrupt, and most of the cost is spent on them." Bai Ni said indignantly.
“But overall the profits are still quite substantial.”
"In this way, if everything goes well, the round trip will take less than a month. It is indeed convenient." Chen Gong made a brief calculation.
Although he had never been engaged in business, he had some understanding of it.
When running a business, what matters most are profit, risk and timeliness.
Wen County has solved all three problems, no wonder so many merchants come here.
"Almost. It's a pity that we can't take a ship directly from Liao County to Wen County. Otherwise, we can shorten the journey by about ten days."
"Oh? Why is this?" Chen Gong keenly sensed something strange.
"I don't know. They said these ships have other business and we are not allowed to take the ship back to Wen County. We can only take a detour to Yuyang, where there are ships from Wen County to pick us up."
"Strange, what business can these sea vessels have?"
Bai Ni cautiously moved closer to Chen Gong and whispered, "I have seen quite a few refugees around Liao County, probably around one to two thousand people."
"Recruit refugees, but the number..." Chen Gong pondered for a moment.
"These things have nothing to do with us. Besides, the Central Plains is full of refugees who can't get enough food. It can't get any worse."
"Thank you for your guidance, brother." Chen Gong bowed.
Bai Ni quickly waved his hands and returned the greeting respectfully: "No, no, the people around here basically know about this, it's nothing."
Afterwards, Chen Gong asked several businessmen, and after gaining a certain understanding of Wen County’s business, he headed out of the city.
He originally wanted to learn about the situation in the villages around Wen County, but he didn't expect to see villagers farming shortly after leaving the city.
How is this going?
If there were only one or two people, Chen Gong might have thought that they were refugees who had just come from the south and were unfamiliar with the climate in the north, and thus made a misjudgment.
But this group of people were busy in the fields, so it was obviously not the case.
When he got closer and took a look, Chen Gong was even more confused.
"Uncle, what are you planting?" Chen Gong's voice trembled slightly, and he thought for a moment that he was dazzled.
"Sir, I grow wheat." Seeing Chen Gong's elegant dress, the old man quickly put down the farm tools in his hands and replied respectfully.
"This is Liaodong! It's almost winter, and you are planting wheat here?" Chen Gong felt the biting cold wind around him, his eyes full of disbelief.
Even though he was wearing the cotton-padded jacket, one of the Liaodong specialties prepared by Tian Ze, Chen Gong still felt a little cold. The temperature in Liaodong at this time was almost the same as that in the Central Plains and the south in winter.
If the crops were vegetables, beans, sorghum and the like that could grow in autumn and winter, Chen Gong would have tolerated it.
There are dozens of people planting wheat in this area, and they are using ox-drawn plows and iron tools. It is obvious that they are serious about this.
After seeing many new and interesting things since coming to Wen County, Chen Gong once thought that nothing could shock him anymore.
But I didn't expect that my cognition would be broken again here.
Do these people not know how to farm? But looking at their calloused hands and rough faces from years of hard work and sun exposure, it doesn't seem like that.
The old man was obviously used to Chen Gong's reaction. He smiled familiarly and said, "Sir, it's not just you. I also thought this was a fantasy a month ago. In the past, in the winter in Liaodong, nothing could grow, let alone wheat."
"But things are different now. Since County Magistrate Tian came, not only have we been given land and food, but the weather has also changed for the better."
"Last month, the county chief arranged for people to plant several acres of wheat in our village, and we thought it was a joke."
"But guess what? It rained sporadically this month, every few nights, and the wheat seedlings actually grew!"
The old man pointed excitedly at a field not far away as he spoke. "Look over there, the wheat seedlings that were just planted last month are already so strong!"
Chen Gong looked in the direction the old man pointed, and sure enough, he saw a lush green wheat field.
Without taking care of the old man, Chen Gong walked over quickly and looked down carefully.
The wheat seedlings are sturdy and strong, with lush green leaves and are nearly one foot tall.
Chen Gong pulled up a plant without hesitation. It had 7 leaves, 6 tillers and 11 secondary roots.
Standing there in a daze, Chen Gong, who was quite proficient in farming, knew very well what this meant.
The old man who followed closely looked at the wheat seedlings in Chen Gong's hand with a look of regret on his face.
"Sir, we have checked the wheat seedlings. There is absolutely no problem."
He watched the wheat seedlings grow with his own eyes and checked many plants before finally confirming that it was true.
Chen Gong took a deep breath and quickly regained his composure.
I have to say that these two days in Liaodong have really trained my mentality.
"Old man, even if the wheat seedlings can really grow, is it too late for you to start planting them now? It's only a month away from wintering."
"Who said it wasn't? But when the county magistrate came a few days ago, he said that it was still in time. If we can't grow wheat, he will compensate us at the price of two hundred coins per mu, and he has even signed a document." said the old man.
"We don't trust anything else, so how can we not trust the county magistrate! These fields were allocated to us by the county magistrate. If it weren't for the county magistrate, we would have starved to death long ago, and there is no way we can live the good life we have now."
"Did the county magistrate allocate this land to you for farming?" Chen Gong asked.
"That's right. Sir, you don't know that most of the land in our village used to belong to the Bai family, and only a few small plots of land belonged to the villagers themselves."
"At that time, we all worked for the Bai family, and we only received 10 dan of grain as wages throughout the year. The villagers were starving to death, and many people starved to death every year, and some were bullied and beaten to death by the Bai family's servants."
"My daughter-in-law committed suicide because she refused to obey. My son wanted to seek justice from the government, but ended up having his legs broken." At this point, the old man sighed, tears welling up in his eyes.
Chen Gong was filled with indignation, and could not help but grasp the long sword at his waist: "Damn it, I never thought there would be such a wicked villain, I wish I could kill him with my own hands."
"Don't be upset, sir. Evildoers will be punished by God. The Bai family and those former government officials were all killed by bandits. This is retribution." The old man said hatefully.
"Butchered by bandits?"
The old man explained the cause and effect of what he had heard one by one. After comparing the beginning and the end, Chen Gong immediately understood what was going on.
I never thought that County Magistrate Tian would have such drastic measures!
"Later, the county magistrate took the land of these people and the small fields in our village for a high price. However, he gave us the right to cultivate the land, saying that the village would distribute and use it permanently and free of charge. On average, each person in our village could get more than 30 mu of land."
Upon hearing this, Chen Gong's pupils trembled slightly and he fell into deep thought.
After a long while, Chen Gong calmed down again and took out a few copper coins from his sleeve: "Thank you, old man. I hope you will accept them."
The old man waved his hands and said, "No, no."
"Your family is in a difficult situation, this is a small token of my appreciation."
The old man pushed the coin back again: "With the county magistrate here, my family is not in trouble. Please take it back, sir."
Chen Gong looked at the old man's ruddy face and the thick cotton coat and cotton shoes on his body, and couldn't help but feel a little confused again.
As if sensing Chen Gong's thoughts, the old man said, "The county magistrate has exempted all other taxes and corvées. You only need to pay 30% of the grain you harvest. My grandson is attending the village school for free, and his board and lodging are provided."
"I can also work in the village factory after the busy farming season. Although my son's legs are disabled, there are corresponding positions in the village factory. Although the salary is a little lower, it is no problem to support two people."
Chen Gong didn't know how many times he had gasped for air, and now he felt a little uncomfortable in his lungs.
"Wen County, is it so rich?"
(End of this chapter)
