Han official!

Chapter 143: Progress of Buying a Title to Atone for Sins

Three and a half million coins?

The host Zhao family's household income is three million, so how could they have an extra 500,000 coins? This is equivalent to the tax of more than 4,000 people, and there are only a few thousand people among the five scholars.

The Yangling Commander swung his black robe sleeves vigorously and glared at Chong Huangrou. "You're giving Zhao Yu five hundred thousand coins. Aren't you afraid of offending Wei Qihou? How ridiculous! A son of a noble, a marquis, aiding a cruel official hated by all the nobles of Chang'an!"

"you"

Chong Huangrou's face flushed red, and she was filled with anger. Yangling Ling had taken his anger out on the wrong person, but due to his own proud nature, he was too disdainful to explain and could only accept the injustice he had suffered.

Guo Jie smiled but said nothing.

As expected, the enemy's firepower was attracted by Chonghuang Rou's vest.

He has always been a small and transparent person who is not noticed by senior officials.

Zhao Yu took the account book into the official temple of the Right Secretary of the Interior. When he came out again, it was already dusk (18:45-19:30). The report was finished, and the first place in the report this year was already a foregone conclusion.

Zhao Yu is not good at governing the people.

The best plan.

Zhao Yu was in a good mood and took Guo Jie back to the back hall of the hearing hall of the Chang'an official temple, which was very close to the seats of the five men's officials. This was also the reason why the five men's officials were more honorable than other officials.

"Haha."

A familiar laugh echoed from outside the door. Sang Hongyang, looking weary, rubbed his brows and said tiredly, "Not only did you bring more money and silk this time, you also executed the host Zhao clan who wove the evil cloth. Cai! Here's the land deed. Counting the one thousand coolies of the host Zhao clan, the amount of land is still one thousand acres."

Sang Hongyang was busy all day building the forest garden. He was short of money and laborers to grind the grain in the city.

The money and Zhao clan members brought by Guo Jie once again helped Sang Hongyang temporarily alleviate the predicament of lack of money and people. He gave him the title deed of a thousand acres of land and hurried back to Linyuan.

Zhao Yu took out a letter he had written long ago and said, "This letter can also be exchanged for 500 acres of farmland. In addition, I have asked Zhang Tang to write a letter to you as well. Together, they will give you 1,000 acres of good farmland."

There are 5,000 acres of farmland in Jinchenglu.

Including the two thousand acres of land given by Sang Hongyang, Zhao Yu and Zhang Tang.

The farmland in Jinchenglu reached 7,000 acres.

Zhang Tang knelt beside him and held out his hand to Guo Jie: "Give it to me. This time I can buy a title and redeem my sins with the seven volumes of the Love Book."

Guo Jie quickly took out the love letter he had written long ago and handed it over.

Zhang Tang took a few glances at it and put it away. He nodded and signaled Guo Jie that he could go back to handle official business.

Near the entrance to the back hall of the Hearing Hall are the seats of the five departments under the Ministry of Justice. The seat of the Gongcao is in the first room on the right. In the Western Han Dynasty, the right was respected, and the Gongcao was the most powerful official in the county temple.

Guo Jie returned to Gongcao and sat down, overjoyed, and began to think about the gains he had made.

First, he became brothers with Pingling Hou Su Jian, and then accepted two disciples, Su Jia and Su Wu.

Next is two thousand acres of farmland.

Hundreds of women followed Su Jian to Jinchengluli. These women were textile workers in Wushili. They knew that they were sold to Zhao Tuo by their parents and husbands, and that they would have a miserable life if they returned.

Guo Jie did not stop a small number of women who were willing to go back and let them go.

There are also most women who don't want to go back.

Guo Jie entrusted everything to Su Jian and had already set off for Jinchengluli to marry hundreds of wanderers recruited from Chen County.

There are only 3,000 acres of land left to feed 200 soldiers.

Finally, and most importantly, buy a title to atone for your sins.

The progress has reached 37%.

When Su Jian returned from Jinchengluli, Guo Jie recruited him to be the Gongcao Shi and handed over all the trivial affairs of Gongcao to Su Jian. He was free from worries and went home with Yi Zong and others.

Yi Shuo was about to give birth, and Guo Jie, under the pretext of escorting corvée labor, planned to stay in Jinchenglu for a while to accompany his first wife during the birthing process.

After a while, Guo Jie returned to Jinchengli again. The Hexi horse walked out of the pass of Gaolan Mountain. The front was still as bright as before. The fields were full of heavy millet, and the harvest would begin in another month.

It was also the first bumper harvest since the establishment of Jinchengli, and the residents attached great importance to this harvest.

Whenever the soldiers of Jincheng finished their training with Wei Junru and returned to Jinchenglu, no matter how tired they were, they could not help but smile when they saw the large fields of heavy corn, and their tiredness would disappear.

The soldiers of Jincheng trained tirelessly just to guard this fertile land.

Each household was allocated 50 mu of land and learned the farming method of two crops a year from Zhao Guo. The output of the 50 mu of land was comparable to that of a 100 mu of land in the counties within the Great Wall, which made the soldiers of Jincheng feel a sense of superiority.

Guo Jie also gave each Jincheng soldier a wife. They didn't have to worry about the bride price, and they would have a virtuous wife at home and land to provide them with enough food and clothing.

The rent is only one tenth.

It is far less than one-fifth of the powerful people within the Great Wall.

The morale of the people and the army in Jinchenglu was unprecedentedly united. They were determined to defend the fertile land on the right bank of the river even at the cost of their lives.

Don't let the Huns lay hands on an inch of land.

Not an inch of land will be given up!

In September, they began to repair the fields, granaries and cellars. When Guo Jie returned to Jinchengli, it was already September. Zhao Guo and some villagers were building granaries in preparation for the harvest in October.

There are two main ways to increase the population of Jinchengli. One is to absorb the wanderers from Chen County. Chen County is only a county with a population of 10,000, and can only absorb a few hundred wanderers at most.

Another reason was that as Guo Jie's reputation in Chang'an grew, many fierce and desperate criminals came to join him. Since Jinchengli was far outside the Didao Great Wall, it was a life-or-death struggle to come here, so the best soldiers were selected.

Guo Jie gave it to his wife, and the desperado had another son, so he had roots. Even the most ferocious desperado was tamed into a simple and honest father who only thought about his wife and children all day long.

His fierce side is only directed at the Huns and anyone who tries to occupy Jinchengli.

It is precisely because of their roots that the desperadoes will become more ferocious.

As a result, the entire Jincheng neighborhood was filled with a group of brave warriors who were willing to risk their lives.

"There are more than 200 households in Jinchenglu."

Ji Shaogong's fairness in his work brought great stability to Jinchengli. As the number of residents increased, various lawsuits were inevitable. It was because of his fairness in his work and that he never favored anyone that the residents of Jinchengli did not feel any resentment.

As long as the final judgment is given by Ji Shaogong.

The residents all accept it and have no complaints.

Because the residents knew it was a fair verdict.

Just be fair.

There will be no complaints.

"Two hundred of them are from Chen County and were organized into Jincheng soldiers to conduct drills with Lady Wei."

Ji Shaogong looked tired. Compared to Zhao Guo, who only had to lead the villagers to farm, he had more things to worry about, including grain storage, conflicts among villagers, bridge and road construction, and weapon forging. He had to worry about all of these.

Ji Shaogong looked very tired. "In addition, there are dozens of fugitives. These people come from various counties and prefectures. They all rushed from Chang'an to seek refuge with Lord Guo. They are not yet enlisted as Jincheng soldiers. Once these fugitives have sons, they will be enlisted as soldiers."

Under his governance, Jinchengluli was well-organized and everything was thriving.

Guo Jie reached out and patted Ji Shaogong on the shoulder, saying with a smile, "I heard that your wife gave birth to a daughter a few days ago. If Yishuo gives birth to a son, I will marry you to her."

Ji Shaogong was stunned.

He could never have imagined that Guo Jie was actually related to the Ji family by marriage.

Ji Shaogong felt as if there was something stuck in his throat. He shook the sleeves of his jacket and trousers and bowed deeply to Guo Jie.

Guo Jie helped Ji Shaogong to his feet, who bowed low. "From now on, you and I are one family. No need for formalities. Besides, without your hard work and dedication, Jincheng would not have prospered so well."

"Sister-in-law!"

Just as the two were inspecting Jinchenglu, Yi Zong came hurriedly and said, "My sister is about to give birth. You should go to the palace and keep an eye on her. My sister is worried because her brother-in-law is not around."

In ancient times, giving birth was like going through the gates of hell.

Guo Jie's expression tensed. He did not bother to continue patrolling the neighborhood of Jincheng. He ran anxiously to the house and stood at the gate of the palace, waiting anxiously.

"Husband."

Wei Junru's graceful figure had been waiting at the gate of the palace. Her face was tense as she looked towards the palace where shouts were coming from. She was very anxious. She caught a glimpse of Guo Jie coming and saw a pair of delicate hands tightly holding Guo Jie's hands.

Guo Jie glanced at Wei Junru's slightly bulging belly and scolded her, "Why bother coming here in person? My wife is pregnant now, so it's not suitable for long-distance travel."

After his last wedding night, he had sex with her and Wei Junru became pregnant.

Xihe Horse Farm is quite far from Jinchengluli in Donghe, so you need to ride a horse or take a car to get there, which will inevitably be bumpy along the way.

Wei Junru leaned her drooping bun on Guo Jie's shoulder and said with a smile, "The eldest wife is about to give birth, so how could I not come? My husband, don't worry. I came here in an ox cart instead of a horse, so the baby won't be disturbed."

"what--"

"Wow--"

Just as Guo Jie was waiting anxiously, a shout came from the palace, followed by a loud baby cry.

A female doctor came out holding a baby, her face full of joy: "Congratulations, Mr. Guo, you have given birth to a son. Now there is a gentleman in Jinchenglu."

When Ji Shaogong heard that there was a gentleman, his expression relaxed. As long as Guo Jie had a son, the people in Jincheng would be completely stable.

Guo Jie hurried into the palace and looked at Yi Shuo, whose face was covered in sweat, lying on the couch. With a distressed look on his face, he picked up a silk cloth and wiped the sweat off her face. "Thank you for your hard work, Madam."

"Husband."

Yi Shuo stretched out her delicate hand and tugged at the hem of Guo Jie's black robe, her face full of anticipation: "Hurry up and give your son a name."

Guo Jie had already thought of a name and solemnly said the name of his eldest son.

"Guo Qin."

For the next period of time, Guo Jie lived a happy life. Every day he stayed at the Rizi Mansion with his wife Yi Shuo and played with his eldest son Guo Qin. After a few days, he went to the Hexi Horse Farm to accompany his second wife Wei Junru.

"Boom, boom, boom"

Guo Jie had just returned from the Hexi Horse Farm when he was stopped by Zhao Guo at the warehouse door.

Zhao Guo, who was pounding rice on a treadle, made a series of "dong dong" sounds and started a busy day of farming with the fragrance of corn.

This is also the sound from the neighborhood that Guo Jie likes to hear the most.

The sound of pedaling the pestle.

Corn is plentiful.

"Mr. Guo."

Zhao Guo picked up a piece of sackcloth, wiped the sweat from his forehead, stopped treading the pestle, and walked towards Guo Jie: "The fields in Jinchenglu will start harvesting next month. According to the Mantian Law, they need to be left fallow. I have a different opinion."

Since the Qin Dynasty, the farming method in counties and prefectures has always been the Mantian method, also known as the Qitian method.

The ridge-field method is a farming method in which arable land is formed into ridges.

A ridge is a field with ridges (cheng) around it that are higher than the surface of the field, that is, the earthen ridges between the fields, which need to be left fallow.

The best farmland should be left fallow after one season of planting, otherwise the soil will become exhausted.

Inferior thin land even has to be cultivated for one year and left fallow for one year, otherwise the pond will be exhausted and the thin land will lose its fertility and will not be able to grow any food if left fallow for several years.

Guo Jie had been looking forward to Zhao Guo's new farming method, which was the method of planting two crops a year that started from Zhao Guo in the Western Han Dynasty. However, it would take several decades for this to happen.

Now, Zhao Guo has invented a two-season farming method in advance. When he is recommended to be an official in the court in the future, his farming method will only become more mature.

Guo Jie stopped and said cheerfully, "Let's go to the newly opened fields and tell us in detail about your new farming methods."

The fields near Jinchengluli were reclaimed again. Several villagers first dug fire-prevention ditches around dozens of acres of wasteland, and then used bean-shaped lamps to ignite the weeds, burning dozens of acres of weeds.

The ash left behind from burned wasteland can not only be used as fertilizer, but also kill pests in the wasteland.

After burning the land, three villagers brought a plow with two oxen and a couple of oxen. The two oxen and three people began to turn over the soil and cultivate the land, reclaiming it and turning it into fertile fields.

"Another two thousand acres of land."

Guo Jie stood at the edge of the field, looking at the small black spots that were being reclaimed. He felt indescribably relaxed, as if he had the joy after a good harvest.

This is an intense feeling of pleasure that cannot be replaced by any other emotion.

The Chinese really love farming.

Zhao Guo squatted down, picked up a handful of fine soil from the cleared land, put it in his mouth and tasted it. His face was filled with joy, as if he had eaten the most delicious delicacy in the world.

"So fat."

Zhao Guo stared at the vast expanse of reclaimed land as if it were a piece of ointment. He swallowed and said, "This piece of land is perfect for growing wheat. Next year, we'll have a warehouse full of grain."

He couldn't wait to introduce it: "The new farming method I'm talking about is called the Daitian method, or the Quan (streams or ditches in the fields) ridge method."

Zhao Guo walked a few steps forward along the ridge of the field. Several villagers were digging ditches. When they saw Guo Jie coming, they hurriedly put down their plows and bowed to Guo Jie.

There is no trace of the vicious look of a desperado at all.

He looks more like an honest farmer.

Zhao Guo pointed to the fields that were being leveled and excavated and discussed the Daitian method in detail.

The Daitian method is to dig three ridges on one acre of land, each ridge is one foot wide and one foot deep, and the length of the ridge is the same as the length of one acre.

There is a ridge between the ditches, which is also one foot wide.

"The reason why the Daitian method does not require fallow land."

Zhao Guo stretched out his right foot, clad in hemp shoes, and stepped on the ridge of the field: "It's all about the ditches and ridges."

(End of this chapter)