Chapter 70 Powerful and domineering

Chapter 70 Powerful and domineering

The county magistrate Du Yun was indeed very ambitious. On the afternoon of the second day after Li Tai finished talking to Zheng Man, he came to Shangyuan Village with several followers.

Du Yun was also shocked when he saw the current scale of the manor. He still remembered that when he came here in the first half of the year, it was just a deserted slope and abandoned garden, which was completely opposite to what it is now.

"Is there really nothing wrong?"

Du Yun glanced at Zheng Man, pointed to the gate of the manor and said with some uncertainty. When Zheng Man nodded, he couldn't help but sigh: "Li Lang is not a common talent. He has only been in the country for half a year. Not only did he lose With enough food and supplies, we managed to create such a beautiful business!”

"So the county magistrate really needs to seriously consider Li Lang's proposal. He will practice what he says. Others are afraid of difficult situations. For him, it is just normal!"

Today, Zheng Man is full of confidence in Li Tai. Even if Li Tai says he wants to reach for the stars, he feels it is an honor to help build the ladder.

Of course Du Yun had high expectations for Li Tai, so he came so unreservedly after hearing the news. But when he thought that what Li Tai was going to do this time was after all extraordinary, he was not as confident as Zheng Man and just said "Let's go to the village first and discuss it in detail with Li Lang."

When they were welcomed into the manor by strong men, they saw some villagers gathered under a thatched shed, seemingly watching something.

In the center of the hut was a pile of coal mixed with water and mud. Li Taizheng was clumsily operating a strange-shaped bamboo utensil.

He first inserted the hollow cylinder at one end of the utensil into the pile of coal, rotated it, and pressed it. The movable rod at the upper end of the utensil was squeezed by the peat and lifted up several minutes.

When the cylinder was filled with peat, he moved the object to the open space, slammed it twice, and then pressed the floating rod hard. A cylindrical coal cake as big as a fist was squeezed out of the cylinder. There are some cylindrical holes evenly distributed on the cake.

Everything is easier said than done. After working hard all morning, he finally produced a well-formed briquette. Li Tai was quite satisfied and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He turned to point at a villager nearby and said, "Look. Are you ready? Come and take over."

As he spoke, he handed the bamboo briquette machine in his hand to the villager. He watched the villager operate it and found that the briquettes he pressed out were actually a bit more precise than his own, and he felt relieved.

He has nothing to worry about. Although the dealers are not as open-minded as he is, as long as they are taught basic techniques, their practical abilities are much better than his.

"Li Lang always has wonderful ideas that are refreshing. I wonder if the new and interesting things he created this time can benefit people?"

Seeing that Li Tai was idle, Du Yun stepped forward and pointed at the briquettes and asked with a smile.

"The people in the village are suffering from the cold winter, so they make small things to keep warm."

Li Tai's overall impression of Du Yun was not bad. After hearing this, he explained a few words with a smile, and introduced Du Yun into a nearby house, letting him take a look at the briquette stove built with clay tubes.

The price of firewood in Guanzhong is quite high, but there is no shortage of coal resources. The cost of building such a coal stove in a household is not too high. It can not only keep warm, but also ensure the supply of hot water. Li Tai also hopes to use Du Yun to build a nearby coal stove. Promote it in counties and townships.

He spent the whole morning tinkering with briquettes, and there were many stains on his clothes. After apologizing, he went home to bathe and change clothes, and asked Li Zhusheng to accompany the county magistrate to explain.

When he returned, several people from the county government office had already sat down in the hall. Du Yun praised Li Tai's wonderful idea of ​​creating things to benefit the people, and then he said: "Yesterday, County Lieutenant Zheng returned to the government office. I told you that it was the king's wish." Building water conservancy projects in the countryside?”

After hearing this, Li Tai nodded and raised his hand to signal Li Zhusheng to fetch the books and materials he had compiled before, placed them on the table in front of Du Yun, and said with a smile: "In Wuxiang County, there are wells and canals that were originally built in the Han Dynasty. Luoshui River is diverted and irrigated, benefiting thousands of hectares of nearby farmland.

Nowadays, many of these deep wells and channels are abandoned, and the originally fertile soil has suffered from crop failure year after year due to floods and droughts, which really makes the viewer feel sorry for the farmers. Although I am a new visitor from a foreign country, I am based in this hometown, and I also hope that I can give some encouragement to benefit the people of this land and soil. "

"Li Lang is worthy of being a talented person from a famous family. He is truly benevolent and righteous!"

Du Yun sighed with emotion at first, and then lowered his head to read the books on the case. His expression became more solemn the more he looked at it.

The old business of the Han Dynasty that Li Tai mentioned refers to the Longshou Canal built in the Luoshui Basin during the Western Han Dynasty.

After the Luoshui River entered Huazhou, due to the terrain, a large curve was drawn downstream to flow into the Wei River, pushing a large area of ​​Weibei land including Shangyuan out of the basin.

During the Western Han Dynasty, water was opened in the upper part of Luoshui River to divert water, so that the land on this part of the Weibei Plain was also irrigated.

However, due to the crisscross ravines and thick soil layers in Shangyuan that the channel flows through, landslides often occur at the edges of the weirs. Therefore, the well and canal method was created, in which deep wells were dug and connected with culverts. During droughts, groundwater could be used to supplement the water shortage. , prevent water from evaporating, and can drain water and prevent waterlogging during flooding.

Li Tai already had the idea of ​​building water conservancy when he was traveling with He Basheng. Although he was busy with everything before returning to Shangyuan, he did not give up the idea and kept giving orders to his subordinates such as Liu Gong who often wandered around the countryside. We collect information.

Taking into account the actual regional conditions, he planned to choose the restoration of Longshou Canal in the Han Dynasty as the first choice.

Although Longshou Canal has been abandoned for a long time, there are still some remains of the shaft and construction remains. Shangyuan is now one of his base camps. It has a little accumulation of nostalgia and local conditions, and has some local foundation for planning and mobilization. .

Li Tai asked people to collect very detailed information, including the terrain along each channel route, the ownership of each piece of land, and even the density of private canals and wells.

It took Du Yun more than half an hour to finish reading the information. He closed his eyes and sorted out the information in his mind. Then he couldn't help but sigh: "Li Lang has only been in the country for a few months. But his proficiency in nostalgia has surpassed mine, which really makes me, an official serving the people, ashamed!”

"The county magistrate is busy with his affairs, so he must cover all aspects and not focus on one thing. I live in the countryside and am bored, so I take advantage of my leisure time to visit, so I don't dare to praise you like this."

Li Tai responded humbly at first, and then asked with a smile: "According to the county magistrate's opinion, which of the channels listed in the map is the most acceptable?"

“From what I can see, the middle line is the best. It passes through the plateau at the narrow point. It requires less construction and can benefit more land.”

Du Yun was not just a talkative thief. He had a deep understanding of Tian Sang's affairs and nostalgia. After hearing Li Tai's question, he weighed it based on his own knowledge and information before answering.

After hearing this, Li Tai nodded and said with a smile: "Fortunately, it is similar to what the county magistrate saw. A canal is dug to divert water from the middle section of Luoqu. It is a flat land construction and can be started this winter. Before spring plowing, the canal can be dug thirty miles to the north of the plateau. After spring plowing, when the soil on the plateau thaws and the water vapor rises, we can dig wells and connect them through holes. After autumn, we can continue the work on the south plateau to divert water from the south. A two hundred-mile channel can be built in one year!"

He is not just talking on paper, he has even planned the phased construction period.

"If there are no distractions, Li Lang's plan is indeed feasible. However, such a huge project requires a lot of labor and materials. The county is also having difficulty in allocating resources and is unable to do anything..."

Du Yun sighed with embarrassment and said that he had to rely on Li Tai, a big customer, to complete the tasks assigned by Daxingtai this year. The county's savings were weak and it was really difficult to plan such a large project.

"The county government does not need to bear the cost of the materials. I visited the villagers to raise funds myself. This is a favorable policy that benefits the village and people. How can we leave the county government alone in poverty?"

Li Tai did not expect the county to provide any money at all. After hearing this, he said, and then added: "But the villagers are concerned with farming, and this year they are recruiting soldiers as soldiers. The township power will inevitably be in a hurry, and the county government will need to dispatch labor!"

Du Yun's heart relaxed when he heard that he didn't have to pay, but after hearing the last sentence, he became embarrassed again: "There is also a lack of labor in the county..."

boom!

Before Du Yun could finish what he said, Li Tai clenched his fist and slammed it on the case, his face darkened: "I won't give you materials or work. The county magistrate lacks sincerity. There is no need to do this. I Seek advice from others and never make things difficult for anyone!”

As he spoke, Li Tai stood up and pretended to see off guests.

Du Yun didn't expect Li Tai to fall out so quickly, and he felt ashamed and annoyed for a while.

Seeing this, Zheng Man quickly spoke up to smooth things over: "Li Lang, please be patient and calm down. This is not what the county magistrate meant. Although the county governs thousands of servants and slaves, it still needs to be used within its capabilities..."

"Stupid official said, I don't know how the county can manage its manpower? This year, the county has nearly 10,000 workers, and only less than 30% are self-employed. There are two renters, but five are borrowed from envoys! Seven caves and statues have been dug, and three new temples have been built, all in the county. We are so exhausted! Fortunately, we can only shrink it by half, so we don’t have any channels to benefit the people!”

Although the construction of water conservancy projects requires a lot of labor, the government is not without such power. Although the average landholding households registered in the county were only over a thousand years old, there were thousands of people serving as slave laborers, most of whom were prisoners of war, criminals, and extremely poor families who had no land to grant.

As long as this part of the labor force is organized and mobilized, the government's mulberry farming operations can not be missed, and the project can be promoted in stages during slack periods.

"The county magistrate has his own difficulties. Those who use his help are all benevolent and virtuous families in the village. Worshiping Buddha statues is also to encourage enlightenment..."

When Zheng Man was still waiting to argue, Li Tai grabbed something on the case and threw it at him: "The dog officer is still trying to argue! Doesn't it mean that I am doing good to the countryside by digging ditches and cultivating the land? You are waiting for the officials to bully me and the newcomers are ignorant. This autumn has already They deceived me into having a lot of food and supplies, thinking that I was just a rootless duckweed in Kansai and could be blackmailed?

If you don't care about the common people or ghosts and gods, you should pray to gods and worship Buddha. It's best to get a few clay statues to protect you. The powerful family will be the first to advance and your power will not decline. Otherwise, you will be deceived and hindered, and the hatred will be deep. How can I forgive you! "

Li Tai's sudden rage shocked Du Yun. Although he is the county magistrate, he really doesn't have a strong sense of superiority when facing the truly powerful rural households.

Zheng Man rubbed the sore spot, secretly complaining that Li Tai was too harsh, but he still bent down to apologize again and again, and then leaned closer to Du Yun and whispered: "Li Lang is new to Dongzhou, so you shouldn't be afraid of it in normal times. But this autumn, the Di tribe is coming to the country." , Diaohu is fierce and harmful to the rural sentiments, and the township corps is needed to intimidate the township. As General Zhou of the county, he is also a disciple of Li Lang, so the county magistrate needs to think deeply..."

Du Yun's face was pale and pale, although he knew in his heart that the two of them were singing and acting for him, otherwise Li Tai would not be so aware of the details of the county's employment.

But he also had to admit that this young man who had been renting cattle labor from the county had to be treated as a real powerful person in the countryside. He was even more difficult to deal with than those powerful people in the countryside, and he could no longer be dismissed casually. .

"Li Lang, please calm down, please calm down. It is my duty to do so to benefit the people and provide good governance! Although the county's workers are ill, there is still room for waste..."

Thoughts swirled in his mind, Du Yun finally stood up, lowered his head and held his hands to comfort Li Tai.

Li Tai was showing off his authority in his own manor, but he didn't know that his name had once again made his presence felt in Xingtai Ba Mansion.