A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 725 The Prime Minister's Experimental Field
sunset.

Under the giant soapberry tree, the emperor and Li Yige squatted on the millstone, gazing at the Hao River flowing out from the majestic Shibian Valley of the Qinling Mountains.

In autumn, the water volume of the Hao River decreases, and the water becomes increasingly clear.

When the Hao River flows past Shenhe Plain, it makes a big bend and flows westward, creating a fertile rice paddy that stretches for thirty miles and is teeming with fish and shrimp.

Li Yi pointed to the green ribbon-like orchard along the riverbank, "These are all peach trees. Originally, this sandy riverbank was washed down by mud and sand more than ten years ago when the Nielong mudslide occurred in Shibianyu, which destroyed a lot of farmland."

I bought this land that had been destroyed by floods and have been investing money in its restoration, repairing dikes, removing stones, and carrying soil. I planted fruit trees such as peaches, plums, and pears here, and now the wasteland has been transformed into an orchard.

When the fruit ripens, it is harvested, transported to Chang'an, and sold, earning a profit several times greater than that of growing rice.

"Moreover, these trees can also help to stabilize the dike."

Looking at this river bend, Li Shimin remarked, "This Toad Beach has now become a treasure trove."

"Your Majesty, this place has always been a treasure. Rice has been grown here since the pre-Qin period. Eight rivers surround Chang'an, and rice has always been grown along the banks of the rivers at the foot of the Qinling Mountains. In each dynasty, there were special rice officials in charge."

Li Yi pointed to the Qinling Mountains.
"The Hao River originates from Shibianyu. During the rainy season, torrential rains in the mountains cause the Hao River to swell and flood, destroying farmland and obstructing transportation."
Sometimes there are even mudslides.

I plan to build a dam and reservoir at a site in Shibianyu.

In this way, it can prevent floods during the rainy season and prevent droughts during the dry season. With the regulation of this reservoir, the rice fields along the banks of the Hao River, spanning thirty miles, can be transformed from floods into water resources, resulting in increased production and a bumper harvest.

If this reservoir is built, it will not only irrigate the rice paddies along the Hao River, but it can even bring water to the Shenhe Plateau, relieving drought on those tens of thousands of acres of wheat fields. The people of Shenhe Plateau will no longer be entirely dependent on the weather for their livelihood.

Li Shimin turned his head to look at the Qinling Mountains.

“Building a reservoir in Shibianyu, damming and storing water, is quite a project. Now that the country is newly settled, we need to recuperate and rebuild, and we cannot undertake large-scale construction.” The emperor shook his head.

“Your Majesty, civil engineering projects do consume a lot of manpower, but as long as they are properly planned, they are not necessarily a bad thing.” Li Yi smiled. “I do not intend for the government to build this reservoir, but rather for the people to build it themselves.”

"Repair it ourselves? Where will the money and supplies come from? In the end, we'll still have to mobilize the people, won't we?"

"I have a preliminary idea: to build the Shibianyu Reservoir and raise funds through bond issuance, with regular interest payments."

The money borrowed through bonds was used to purchase materials and hire craftsmen and laborers to repair the structures during the off-season. This way, the farming season was not disrupted, and the people were not harmed.

People can even earn some extra money by doing odd jobs during the off-season.

Li Shimin was somewhat puzzled, "If we issue bonds to borrow money and hire people to repair it, who will repay the money?"

"Naturally, whoever benefits should repay the debt. Once the reservoir is completed, fish can be raised in it, which will also generate some revenue. Of course, the most important thing is the water."

Whether it's drawing water up to Shenhe Plain to irrigate the tens of thousands of acres of wheat fields, or using it to irrigate the thirty miles of rice paddies along the Hao River, money should be paid for this water usage in the future.

Of course, the price can be set lower.

After all, once this reservoir is built, it can operate for many years if properly maintained.

"Building a reservoir like this wouldn't take a year or two, and it would cost a considerable amount of money and resources."

Borrowing money incurs interest.

Your method of collecting water fees won't generate much revenue in the short term.
"Then I'm afraid you won't be able to repay the loan for building this reservoir," the emperor said.

"I own considerable land along the banks of the Hao River and on the Shenhe Plain, so I intend to acquire more bonds. I'm not in a hurry to redeem them."

In addition, organizations such as the Ojuku Gathering will also purchase bonds and donate money and supplies.

"In short, if the Shibianyu Reservoir can be completed, it will be a great thing that will benefit the present and future generations. Everyone in the surrounding area will benefit from it."

Those who have money should contribute.

Li Yi did not require anyone to exert themselves, because ordinary people also needed to earn money during their off-season. If they stopped working, they would not have anything to eat. If they were asked to work for free, it would be difficult for many people to bear.

For wealthy individuals and large households, whether they subscribe to some bonds or donate some money and grain, it will not have a significant impact. In fact, once the reservoir is completed, they will be able to enjoy the benefits.

Li Yi proposed grassroots organizations such as bridge associations and road associations.

He will then spearhead the establishment of a water association for the Shibianyu Reservoir. This association will issue bonds to raise funds and supplies, then hire craftsmen to plan and design the project, and recruit artisans and laborers to construct the reservoir and irrigation canals. Once completed...

You have to pay to use the reservoir's water.

This is actually normal. For example, there are many irrigation canals along the Haohe River, where weirs are built to divert water for irrigating fields.

These weirs and canals are usually built by several or even a dozen villages together, with each village contributing labor and paying for their water usage.

They will also assign someone to manage it.

But in the past, during the dry season, there was no water in the river, so having a dike was useless.

The people had no choice but to dig wells for water.

Although the groundwater in the Haohe area is relatively shallow, the cost of drilling wells and the manpower required to fetch water are certainly not as high as those from an upstream reservoir that releases water for irrigation.

If the government were to build such water conservancy facilities, it would typically allocate some funds, then solicit donations from the wealthy, and even ordinary people would have to contribute.
When it was finally built, the local people were definitely conscripted to do the work without pay.

Therefore, this traditional approach is prone to causing dissatisfaction among the people.

Especially now, after the great chaos, people have no surplus food. Who has time to bring their own food every day to repair the reservoir? Don't families need to eat or drink?

"Are you sure this can be done? Don't let it end up being a waste of resources and manpower, causing widespread resentment among the people?" Li Shimin solemnly reminded him.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this is a project that benefits the people. It will also attract countless poor people in Wannian County to have a job to earn money and food this winter. It is equivalent to work relief."

Working on a construction site means three meals a day and a decent wage, which is definitely better than going into the mountains to cut down trees or make charcoal.

Every winter,

Countless poor people would flock to Zhongnan Mountain, where the only jobs they could do were chopping wood, making charcoal, felling trees, carrying planks, and other manual labor.

It's hard work, but the pay isn't much.

There are many more people,
In the dead of winter, there was hardly any work to be found, and people could only endure hunger.

Li Yi is now undertaking a large-scale project, which requires various craftsmen, as well as a large number of laborers, and even women, children, and the elderly to do the work. They will be paid according to the amount of work done.

Li Shimin was still quite worried about the funding issue. Even if he could borrow money now, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to repay it.

But Li Yi said he was willing to subscribe to the majority of the shares.
"You should be cautious and think it over carefully. If the time is not right, you can wait." "Your Majesty, rest assured, building a reservoir doesn't actually cost too much money. Even if I fill it in first, it's fine."

Later generations built the Shibianyu Reservoir, which was the largest reservoir south of Chang'an City. The dam was 85 meters high and could irrigate 200,000 mu of land. It was a large reservoir that could control floods, irrigate, generate electricity, and raise fish.

Li Yi doesn't need to repair such a large one.

He can't generate electricity.

Therefore, it would be sufficient to build a small to medium-sized reservoir by damming the Shibianyu area. This would irrigate a lot of farmland during the dry season, and fish could be raised there as well.

If heavy rains don't cause disasters, and a good harvest can be guaranteed even without rain, that's enough.

By utilizing the natural terrain of the valley, dams can be built to store water, which requires a much smaller amount of engineering work.

The reservoir in history was built starting in the 1970s and took about ten years to complete, while the reservoir that Li Yi planned was scheduled to be completed in three to five years.

Once completed, it is expected to irrigate 30,000 to 50,000 mu of land, which will increase grain production significantly and generate substantial water revenue.

The bell rang out.

I've finished my studies at Puji Academy.

The orphans finished three hours of hard work with their hands.

After cleaning up, line up to go to the cafeteria for lunch.

From afar, Li Enyi could smell the aroma of meat.

The others sniffed the air, and Li Dezhong exclaimed excitedly, "Meat! This smells like meat!"

Many children craned their necks to look ahead, eager to see if there would really be meat to eat today.

Meat is served at the Puji Temple; people can eat meat twice a week, and there is also meat on holidays.
Although it wasn't much, it was still something they couldn't forget.

"Today is neither a 5th nor a 10th anniversary, nor is it a holiday."

"Who cares what kind of day it is? As long as we have meat to eat, it's a good day."

The aroma of meat made Li Enyi's mouth water.

"Auntie Pang, what's the occasion today? Are we eating meat?" Li Dezhong, being bold, stood in front of Auntie Pang and asked with a smile.

"Today is a big day for our Puji Temple! Today, the Prince of Dai, accompanied by the Emperor, has come to our Puji Temple!"

The Emperor decreed that he would grant our Puji Temple 100 mu of land, 200 shi of grain, and two pigs.

"The extra meat we're having today is a gift from His Majesty; you should all be very grateful!"

The two pigs have already been made into chunks of meat.

Chop the meat into pieces, skin and bones included, and stew it in a large pot. Throw in the internal organs as well. Once cooked, take it out, sprinkle with salt, and it's ready.

Simple, yet delicious.

There were 500 children in the orphanage, and each child could get several large pieces of meat plus some offal.

Aunt Pang's spoon was very steady and precise; each spoonful was just the right amount, no more, no less, and everyone used it the same way.

Li Enyi took the food, quickly got some millet porridge, received cornbread from the volunteer, and got some vegetable soup.
Back at my table,

All ten children at the table ate meat immediately.

No one spoke; everyone was engrossed in eating the meat. The chunks of meat were fatty yet not greasy, crisp yet not dry.
The more you chew, the more delicious it becomes.

Li Yi and Li Shimin quietly entered the dining hall, disguised in plain clothes. The children were focused on eating their meat and didn't notice them for a moment.

"Seeing them eat so happily has whetted my appetite too. Let's have some as well," Li Shimin said with a smile, requesting that dinner be served here today, the same food as these emperors.

When Aunt Pang saw Li Yi coming to get his food, she was so startled that she kept stirring the food with her chopsticks. She was too excited to speak; she recognized Li Yi.

"Give us two portions, the same as the students."

The plump aunt stammered, "This, this won't do, this..."

At Li Yi's insistence, Aunt Pang ordered two meals, each with two extra pieces of meat.

I found a corner,
Li Yi, Li Shimin, Xu Luoren, and Zhou Xiaofan sat at a table, each receiving the same meal: a few pieces of meat, four cornbread buns, a bowl of millet porridge, and a bowl of vegetable soup.

The food in the cafeteria is definitely not that refined.
The pig hair on this piece of meat wasn't scraped off very cleanly, it tasted a bit salty, and it was only about 80% cooked. It's likely that some of the blood foam wasn't skimmed off properly while cooking.

The salt used wasn't very refined; it was a slightly bitter salt.

The vegetable soup had almost no oil; it was just boiled vegetables.

Cornmeal buns are made from cornmeal and soybean flour, without any fine flour added, so they are rather coarse. But the emperor didn't complain and ate them heartily.

Instead, they sighed.

This orphanage has taken in five hundred children, and with five hundred mouths to feed every day, it's not easy to raise them.

After the meal, Li Shimin wiped his mouth and said, "I'm very full after today's meal."

"Wu Yi, I think what you said makes a lot of sense, and I plan to use Yu Su Township as a pilot area."
This will first pilot the primary customer system, and also pilot the two-tax law and the industrial and commercial tax law.
Be bold and try it!
We explored a new path, but also identified some problems.

"Furthermore, I fully support your idea of ​​establishing a water conservancy association, issuing bonds to raise funds, and hiring craftsmen and ordinary people to repair reservoirs and canals during the off-season. I will personally pledge 500 strings of cash for reservoir bonds and donate another 500 strings."

First, a pilot program will be conducted in Yushu Township.
Then it was implemented in all 45 townships of Wannian County, then in Yongzhou, and then in Guanzhong.

Expand step by step, continuously accumulate experience, identify problems, and solve them.

"but,"

"I'll say it again, you have to come back to the capital with me. I'll dismiss you from your position as Grand Councilor, but you're indispensable to the Council of State Affairs."

"Your Majesty, please allow me to focus on the pilot project in Yushu Township. This is a major matter, concerning the future policies of the court," Li Yi requested.

Li Shimin resolutely refused, saying, "Yusu Township is only thirty li away from Chang'an City. You can take care of it. What kind of prime minister would be a township head?"

(End of this chapter)