Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 96 Harvest
After this battle, I finally had some spare money.

However, the next day, Cao Ji handed Liu Daogui a thick account book, which instantly made him feel depressed.

Just for grain, we owe the Cao family over 7,600 dan...

However, this also indirectly shows that the Cao family is wealthy, after all, they have occupied the city for more than ten years.

"How could it be so high?" Adding to all the other old accounts, Liu Daogui felt that this battle was fought for the Cao family and the Northern Army. Even the people of Yucheng had profited, and he was the only one who lost money...

The servants who were taken in needed resettlement, which cost a lot of money.

As for the rewards for the soldiers, we cannot be stingy and discourage them.

Finally, he still has more than fifty of his own men who follow him through life and death, running around for him. He can't let others bleed and sweat, and let his entire family starve, right?
Liu Daogui increasingly felt the importance of money and food.

The key is that this method of robbing bandits can only be used once and not twice.

There are only so many bandits on the mountain. It will be difficult for them to recover in less than ten years. Forget about it in the future. Mount Tai is too far away and we are unfamiliar with the place. Don't even think about attacking them in the short term...

"The general is very generous, and the Northern Army under his command is as fierce as wolves and tigers, and I haven't even charged the interest." Cao Ji's face was full of resentment.

Before the army moves, food and fodder must be sent ahead. After a great battle, money and fodder are spent like water.

When Huan Wen was in power, he launched three northern expeditions, and had to retreat twice due to lack of food and fodder...not to mention Liu Daogui.

These days it’s easy to recruit soldiers and servants, but the problem is how to feed them.

But at least we got through the biggest crisis and made it through this year.

As for the Cao family’s debt... Liu Daogui felt a pang of pain. If he refused to pay, he would be breaking his promise.

The trust that the Cao and Liu families had worked so hard to build would also be lost.

Liu Daogui gritted his teeth and said, "Pay it back! I, Liu, will pay back whatever you owe me, not a cent less!"

Cao Ji breathed a sigh of relief. "I still need to make arrangements to join the army and return to Guangling. I also need to leave some money and food at Lushui Pond for emergencies. I will pay back half of it this year. In cash, it will be a total of 17,000 strings of cash."

Fortunately, there was the bronze Buddha, and Cao Ji was a good person, so he helped Liu Dao to calculate everything clearly.

"Brother Cao, how about I hand over all the money and grain from the city of Qi and Lushuibi to you from now on?" Liu Daogui had an idea and decided to strike while the iron was hot.

He has no shortage of brave men who can charge into battle, but he lacks someone who can manage money and do the accounting.

The reason why the Cao family surrendered was that Cao Ji and the young lady of the Cao family made great contributions.

Without them standing up to speak for justice, the two families would have long since turned on each other, and Zhang Fonu and his gang of bandits would have been the ones to take advantage of the situation.

Cao Ji's eyes flashed, "Can you trust me as a soldier?"

"Brother Cao is very understanding and we are all family from now on. Why shouldn't you trust me?" Liu Daogui's real identity was a soldier in the expeditionary army, and he would return to Guangling sooner or later.

Then you need a strong partner in Lanling.

There is no other choice except the Cao family.

Cao Ji did not refuse and nodded, saying, "Since you have been asked to join the army, I will give it a try."

"Thank you!"

Liu Daogui was delighted. With his help, things would be much easier.

The autumn harvest arrived as scheduled, but Lushuibi did not have the bumper harvest that had been imagined.

The hasty journey north delayed the farming season. It was also the first year of farming, and the soil was not yet fertile. Although the villagers took good care of the crops, they could only barely get a harvest.

Liu Daogui waved his sickle and was the first to go to the field to harvest rice.

Seeing this, the soldiers were also busy and joined in cutting the silk. The old, the weak, women and children all joined in, sweating profusely. Although it was hard work, joy was everywhere.

Rice can fill the stomach, rice straw can be used to feed livestock, and after being dried, it can be burned or used as bedding to keep warm.

For five consecutive days, Liu Daogui harvested with the villagers.

Farming is actually much harder than fighting on the battlefield. You have to be exposed to the wind and sun, and worry about it. A drought, flood, or locust plague can wipe out your harvest.

In any case, there was a harvest this year, and the food supply for the villagers was guaranteed.

The vegetables and beans on the dry land are growing well, and the mulberry seedlings are thriving, so we can raise silkworms next year. The entire Lushui Pond has harvested over 9,730 dan of grain.

Six officials and four civilians.

Liu Daogui received over 5,800 dan of grain. A soldier consumed between 15 and 20 dan of grain per year. With 569 soldiers under his command, their annual grain consumption was between 8,500 and 11,000 dan...

Although bran, wild vegetables, fishing and hunting can provide for a while, the situation remains serious.

There is no need to think about the lives of the other residents, who are just barely surviving.

A field that is one year old is called "zi", a field that is two years old is called "xintian", and a field that is three years old is called "wei".

Lushui Pond has been abandoned for many years, and it is not easy to have such a harvest in the first year.

Liu Daogui still hopes to expand the military, but now it seems unrealistic.

They could only find Cao Ji and ask them to plan out some more farmland. The bandit problem in Mount Niu had been resolved, and there were many more farmlands in Lanling.

"The fields over there at Chishan Village are all silted up. After restoration, they can be two to three hundred hectares." Cao Ji pointed to a place on the map.

Going around and around and back again.

However, the land there is indeed fertile. It was because of a lack of manpower that they rushed into the city and found the Cao family.

There are eight buildings at a time, and there is no need to concentrate them all in Lushuibei.

It is entirely possible to expand and then disperse.

Inspired by him, Liu Daogui simply added more than 2,000 servants to the eight buildings and issued an order to reclaim wasteland, requiring all unowned land in Lanling counties to be cultivated.

In the past, the Jie Zhao established 32 military farms here, and Ran Min supported 20,000 to 30,000 beggar soldiers. There was no reason why Liu Daogui could not support 6,000 people.

As soon as the order to reclaim the wasteland was issued, the common people had not yet started, but the powerful people of Lanling, both big and small, panicked and took the initiative to push carts of food into the city.

"Since I joined the army, I have defeated the bandits and the people are living and working in peace and contentment. This year we have a good harvest, and this is my small token of gratitude." Xiao Tingzhi was the most active and donated 700 dan of grain.

"The general is like Sun Wu reborn. He is a military genius and can sweep away the bandits." Sun Wenzhi, the head of the Sun family, flattered him loudly.

Liu Daogui frowned and did not respond. When they were weak and had to borrow food everywhere, they did not have such an expression.

Seeing that Liu Daogui didn't say anything, Sun Wenzhi said awkwardly: "My Sun family is willing to offer 500 dan of grain!"

More than a dozen other powerful families, including Zhao and Zhang, also offered grain, the largest of which was 500 dan, and the smallest was more than 200 dan.

Liu Daogui remained silent. Cao Ji's face was gloomy. "In the past, you all contributed more than this to the various villages on Mount Tai."

Several people looked at each other.

It was Xiao Tingzhi who stood up and said, "My Xiao family will give us another 300 shi!"

"The Sun family will pay another 500!"

"The Zhang family offered three hundred..."

Only the Cao family knows their background.

There was no government in Lanling, so there was no land rent or corvee labor. The mountains, rivers and lakes all belonged to them. Although they were not extremely rich, they lived a relatively comfortable life.

We can still produce several hundred shi of grain.

"Let me remind you again, with the soldiers here, Lanling is free from the invasion of bandits, and every household can live and work in peace and contentment, farming with confidence. What are a few dollars and grains worth?" Cao Ji coughed, and emphasized the word "dollars and grains".

The powerful people immediately understood.

"Don't worry, general. From now on, my Xiao family will pay 500 coins every year!" Xiao Tingzhi was very considerate, as if he was afraid that Liu Daogui would refuse.

"My family is also willing to offer three hundred..."

The other powerful people could only shout along with bitter faces.

Liu Daogui glanced at his future brother-in-law. They were all from the same family. He looked gentle and polite on weekdays, but he didn't expect that he was not a good man.

With his help, the financial burden will be greatly reduced in the future...

(End of this chapter)