Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 109 Opening up wasteland

On the third day after the wedding, you have to return to your parents' home.

He happened to be returning to the city with Liu Daogui. When they passed by Guangling, Liu Daogui went to thank Yuan He specially.

But Yuan He, Huan Hong, Huan Daozhen and others went to Xinting again. Every year, these noble families would gather in Xinting, chanting "Work hard for the royal family and recover China" while taking Wushisan and drinking, living a life of drunkenness and debauchery...

Huan Hong and Yuan He were both gone, leaving only Xun Xinzhi.

Liu Daogui couldn't stand his contempt, and seeing that nothing was happening in the military office, he left a letter of thanks, asked for another month's leave, and then went north with Cao Sifei.

Spring is back and the grass and trees are sprouting.

With a beautiful woman by your side, the green mountains and clear waters along the way are a pleasure to the eyes.

Spring plowing is about to begin, the household registration check has been suspended, and all manpower is invested in the land.

Liu Daogui was busy with various military affairs.

Cao Sifei was also busy. She led the women and children to pick mulberry leaves, cut grass, weave cloth, and embroider. The embroidery made by her was especially lifelike.

"Don't work too hard and take care of your health." Liu Daogui felt distressed.

"My husband, do you think I'm spoiled? With my father and brother away, I'm responsible for all the household affairs. I'll get sick if I'm idle."

Cao Tengyun is narrow-minded and scheming, and is not someone who can accomplish great things.

The Cao family has indeed relied on these brothers and sisters to support it over the years and has grown to its current size.

Cao Sifei acted like a mistress, and the eight buildings and the Cao family members were all obedient to her. She also recommended five people who were both talented in civil and military affairs and had good character.

Having her around really saved Liu Daogui a lot of trouble.

The couple, one inside and one outside, live a much more comfortable life than before.

This year, spring plowing was prepared in advance, and oxen, slaves, and iron tools were all used, which greatly improved efficiency and opened up more than 300 hectares of wasteland.

The Huang and Zi groups stationed in Qingguang Village planted mulberry and hemp on the surrounding hills and raised chickens, ducks, geese, pigs and sheep.

The white and green boats caught fish fry from the Yishui River and scattered them into the two small lakes southwest of the city.

The Chi and Xuan groups settled in Chishan Village to engage in fishing and hunting.

The He and Cang buildings were developed towards Cangshan Mountain in the northeast of Lushui Pond.

Mountains, rivers, and lakes can all feed people. Even the most worthless weeds, trees, and rocks can be used as fuel for fire and building materials for houses, not to mention the wild vegetables and wild animals in the mountains.

The mountains, rivers and lakes of Jiangzuo were all controlled by the nobles and powerful families. The powerful people in Lanling County were not very powerful and had not reached the level of Jiangzuo.

The eight buildings are equivalent to eight large manors, each governing one area.

With the addition of the Cao family and the people of the city of Yu, the eight buildings expanded to more than 11,000 people, and the actual number of households was only slightly more.

The number of people in each building increased to 1,400 to 1,500, nearly 300 households.

Production efficiency is much higher than before, especially in land reclamation. Each building is equipped with more than 20 oxen and more than 50 donkeys and mules, and the goals are clear.

Outsiders dare not bully them because there is no restraint from the government or powerful people.

Through collaborative work, the villagers became closer and no longer relied as heavily on their clans as before.

Even the Cao family members gradually integrated into it.

But even so, the pressure is still great. With more than 11,000 people, there are more than 11,000 mouths to feed every day.

Land reclamation is not something that can be done overnight. It is a long-term investment. Opening up fields and repairing ditches in the wild mountains and wilderness is extremely difficult. In the absence of oil and water, the villagers consume more food.

Liu Daogui has already eaten one-third of the food he stockpiled last year...

There are also seeds, fertilizers, firewood, fish fry, lambs, various iron tools and other materials invested in spring plowing, which are all a considerable amount.

With a population of 11,000, the number of soldiers should also be appropriately increased.

To support a soldier is to support a whole family.

Elite soldiers were deployed more heavily, and they needed to eat meat every day. "After the spring plowing, I plan to build three forts in Hexiang, Cangshan, and Zengxian," Liu Zhong said.

"Fort?" Liu Daogui felt a pang of pain in his flesh.

Reclaiming the wasteland cost a lot of money and food, and then building the fort...

A dock is almost like a small city, and it needs to be strong. The cost is unimaginable.

"Can't we wait a few more months?"

"Scouts have recently learned that several groups of refugees from the north have moved southward and entered Mount Tai. Among the nearby counties, only Lanling and Langya are relatively well-off. The bandits will return sooner or later."

Zhai Liao was severely defeated by Zhu Xu and lost more than 10,000 elite soldiers. This was a fatal blow to a small country with an unstable foundation like Zhai Wei.

Zhai Liao himself was injured, his prestige dropped greatly, and the people in the country fled.

"Let me think about it." Liu Daogui felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.

"I'll take my leave, little brother."

Forewarned is forearmed, without prejudging the waste.

What Liu Zhong said was the truth.

Not to mention the Taishan bandits, even the Dingling people of Zhai Wei and the Xianbei people north of Taishan might come at any time.

Zhai Wei and Yan State have retained many grassland habits to this day. Although they have established their own countries, they have no rules at all. The Hu chiefs each occupy one side and rely on robbery to collect land rent.

Whoever has more horses and sharper swords will eat more...

The reason why there was peace last year was because Liu Laozhi stationed his troops in Pei County, which just happened to block the path of the Xianbei and Dingling peoples moving south.

Later, Lanling developed, the grain was ripe, and the Northern Army returned to Jingkou, and Lanling became a piece of fat meat...

In addition to building forts, it is also necessary to expand the troops and increase military equipment, which is another considerable expense.

Elite soldiers are made up of money and food.

Lanling is a bottomless pit, and the two left and rear divisions in Guangling are also very expensive. If you want to stabilize people's hearts, you have to invest a lot of money and food...

Liu Daogui’s current situation is waiting for the rice to cook.

"What's troubling you, my husband?" she whispered softly, a pair of small hands gently rubbing her forehead.

“It’s not about money.”

A penny can make a hero fall. Liu Daogui was ready to take action in advance. When Liu Guangzhi went there, he was indeed valued and was promoted to a ghost soldier by Sun Yizhi himself.

The other Tiger Guards also became small leaders.

However, the money and silk from Yandu are only collected in May and October every year and shipped to Jiankang.

Act in advance and alert the enemy.

"Just ask my brother to borrow some. If my husband is too embarrassed to come forward, I will borrow it. Who knows the details of the Cao family better than me?" Cao Sifei is now trying to make a move towards the Liu family.

"This...is not good..."

"What's wrong with that? The Cao family has occupied the city for seventeen years, and they can still come up with 10,000 or 20,000 strings of cash. My brother is also confused. We are all family, why are you still holding on to money? If you want to do big things, you can't be stingy with money."

Cao Sifei appears weak and delicate, but in fact she is very wise and more decisive than ordinary men.

Liu Daogui pulled her into his arms and said, "You are truly a good wife and supporter. However, please do not intervene in this matter, lest our relationship become strained. I will go to him myself."

Borrowing money is Liu Daogui’s strong point.

This is not the first or second time I have borrowed money from Cao Ji. His credit is there, and we are relatives, so I am not worried that he will not lend me money.

Liu Daogui had previously worried that the Cao family wouldn't be able to come up with the funds, but Cao Sifei's words dispelled his doubts. The Cao family did indeed have a trick up their sleeve...

(End of this chapter)