Chapter 141 Official in danger
Two watchtowers several feet high were erected near the river at the Manor of the Dushui Administrative Office. Most of the watchtowers were above the river, with bamboo rafts and wooden piles as supports below, and a small pier for boats to dock was built.
The two watchtowers were like fortresses where soldiers were stationed and guarded, and people inside and outside the government office did not dare to approach them at will. Li Tai did indeed set up a land and water camp here, and the soldiers of the tribe were stationed here. However, these two watchtowers were not just military buildings. There were two large water conservancy spinning wheels inside.
Li Tai is not reluctant to share advanced productivity with the masses, but even if he shares it with good intentions, he may not get a good result.
Once the hydraulic spinning wheel is widely promoted, water conservancy along the river will receive greater attention. At present, he is still unable to completely control this water area, and rashly promoting water conservancy production will only encounter greater resistance.
So for now, he can only keep it to himself. When he has the final say in the Luoshui Basin and can adjust the productivity and production materials along the river, he will consider further promotion so that the masses can benefit from it.
The newly erected large hydraulic spinning wheel has a kinetic energy output that is more stable and durable than the previous animal-driven castrated version. It can spin yarn continuously from day to night, and the efficiency is nearly doubled.
Fortunately, Li Tai had previously built a trading channel like Qushi, so the acquisition of raw materials no longer had to be as constrained as last year. The two spinning wheels are spinning continuously day and night, and the raw silk materials currently accumulated can be maintained for a while.
The main role of the more than 3,000 soldiers allocated by Si Nong is to maintain water conservancy. But today the water supply warehouse in the capital is still empty, and most of this year has passed. In such a destitute situation, it is difficult to organize large-scale water conservancy projects.
So in the past few days, Li Tai also classified his soldiers. The adult men were mainly responsible for cultivating the manor's public land and planting winter wheat. The women mainly engaged in weaving to save capital for the official warehouse.
As for the grain and yarn needed for weaving, Li Tai was still responsible for raising and providing it, and paid it to the government office in the form of rent.
There is no need to pay off one's own business in one go. The output of two large spinning wheels alone is enough to maintain the rent in Zuiya. As for the original rivers, they were free water and were mainly used for crop processing.
The lower reaches of the Luoshui River are an important farming area in the Guanzhong Plain. However, due to the existence of Zhao Gui, the river tyrant, there were not too many dykes installed nearby.
When Li Tai got a bargain, he always wanted to benefit the village. In addition to processing the grain purchased and produced by himself, he also provided free processing to the people of the nearby village. The amount of processing was one stone per stone. The premise was that he needed to use the canal tickets of the Qu Alliance in exchange for qualifications.
Benefiting the village is one thing, but there is no need to extend kindness indiscriminately. As long as you hold a canal ticket, it means that the villager has contributed to the affairs of the village no matter what circumstances.
As for the issue of forged channel tickets, Li Tai is not worried at all.
Because the channel ticket is not a currency at all, it is just a certificate extended from the channel alliance. Without Qumeng's complete set of matching matters, this piece of paper would be completely worthless.
Moreover, canal tickets are a type of printed matter. In the current era, the entire process from paper making, ink mixing to engraving and printing is definitely not something ordinary people can do. If the whole process is carried out only to forge three or five channel tickets, then there will be no compensation left.
People with this kind of ability can join the Qu Alliance in an upright manner, and simply forging bills doesn't make much sense.
The biggest role of the channel ticket at the moment is to get an opportunity to do business with the channel alliance.
For example, if you purchase a series of products produced by Li Taijia Manor, or ask the Qumeng construction team to dig a water well, etc., you still have to pay for the materials. If you have money but no channels, I won't bother to talk to you.
In the final analysis, Li Tai hopes to build a rural alliance, and channel tickets are only a certificate to maintain personnel interaction within this alliance. Even if someone forges in large quantities, it is equivalent to expanding the personnel influence of the alliance.
The work of harvesting fish at the administrative office is still going on, and with the free processing of crops by Zuiya, the administrative office near the river is crowded with people every day, and it has a strong sense of presence in a very short period of time.
The sense of presence is a good thing and is the basis for all interactions. If no one knows your existence at all, even if you have any big plans, they won't be implemented at all.
Just like before, everyone only thought that the Dushui Administrative Office was a fish shop, and even the leasing of Tui Yai was greatly affected.
But now, because of the large number of villagers coming and going, at least they already know what this yamen is looking after. Therefore, the benefits are obvious, and any measures taken by the Metropolitan Water Department will receive great attention.
Two days ago, the Administrative Office needed to rent private boats. As soon as the notice was posted, the water surface of the river was covered with boats of various sizes, with hundreds of boats. This appeal alone is far superior to that of many county and county governments.
Of course, this appeal is still based on clear pricing and fairness. If you want to gain stronger control over nostalgia, you still need to continue working hard.
Just when everything in the government office had begun to run in an orderly manner, a serious matter finally came to the door.
"This one is Chen Muzhi and Chen Weng of Xiangxian County, Baishui County, and this one is Zhou Zheng, a fellow countryman. The two villagers went to the countryside to visit Zhao Qu Envoy before and asked about the Longshou Canal in our township. After Zhao Qu Envoy was entertained by the villagers, he invited Introduction to humble positions."
Wu Jingyi came to the hall with two villagers and introduced him, and the two people also quickly came forward to greet him.
"Is it because of the water conditions in the village that two wise men came here to meet each other?"
Li Tai motioned for the two of them to sit down at the table, and then asked with a smile.
Chen Muzhi, a villager with gray beard and hair, quickly clasped his fists and nodded after hearing this: "The Baishui River is wide and shallow, and every flood season or heavy rain falls, it floods erratically, and people in the villages along the river suffer a lot. Therefore, a certain village household I have discussed it myself, hoping to build a weir in the middle reaches, which can store water to protect farming during cold weather, and release water to prevent floods during floods..."
"This is a good thing! It is also a blessing for the villagers that the villagers have lived there for a long time. I have traveled to Baishui before, and the river is indeed wide and difficult to tame. Since you and other villagers are interested in establishing something, the sooner you get it done, the sooner you will reap the benefits."
Li Tai was also overjoyed when he heard this. Baishui was originally one of the tributaries of Luoshui that needed to be rectified in his plan, but he did not have the capital and energy to start the matter at the moment. When he heard that the people from other towns took the initiative to join the plan, he He also said with a smile: "If there are any difficulties in the matter and I need to come forward to make adjustments, I will be obliged to do so."
"The Longshou Canal incident has shocked both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and a certain number of villagers are also grateful for it. However, not everyone in the village shares this sentiment, and the planning of people is still a bit slow..."
Hearing this, Li Tai smiled and said: "This is a small matter. Longshou Canal can operate in an orderly manner for hundreds of miles, and the Canal Alliance deserves a lot of credit. The people here are skilled, and you and other villagers have such ambitions. You can join the alliance and work together, watch and learn, and use human resources to build this cause.”
Of course, it is impossible for the Qu League to have such a good organizational model and stick to Wuxiang. Li Tai smiled and said: "I also recommend virtuous people and do not avoid relatives. I believe in the virtues of my hometown people. If there is Qu League to take care of it, this matter will be solved." If you can foresee it, it will be 70 or 80 years old. If you manage things with water, you will also adopt this local sentiment, and you will be given subsidies and arrangements as appropriate in terms of people and things."
After hearing the words, the two people nodded quickly and said: "Because they believe in this rural righteousness, a certain class has also joined the alliance. Under the guidance of envoy Zhao Qu, they are preparing to return to their hometown to build a public warehouse in the village, raise funds from the village, and gather people to establish things. Today we are entering I tell you that there is an official matter that cannot be decided by the people of the country, and I beg you to speak up and mediate."
While talking, they explained the difficulty, which was the location of the pond weir.
Baishui is located in the transition zone between the Guanzhong Plain and the Northern Shaanxi Plateau, and is also the dividing point between the lower and middle reaches of Luoshui River. The territory is not flat like the Guanzhong Plain, but has many hills and valleys.
If you want to dig a reservoir to store water and prevent floods, the site must be located in a low-lying area to get twice the result with half the effort. However, low-lying areas are often occupied by cultivated fields, so there is also an issue of land occupation.
In fact, these rural households in Baishui County discussed building a reservoir for flood control and water storage earlier than Li Tai built the Longshou Canal, but it was because of this site selection issue that it was delayed for several years.
Of course, the big households don’t want to lose their farmland by providing people and efforts. But if we want to occupy the land of equal-field households, neither the rural households nor the county will agree.
In particular, the county is extremely opposed to this. Whether Baishui is a drought or a flood, and whether to repair the reservoir or not, has little to do with their current officials. However, the increase or loss in the number of households under management is closely related to political performance.
Baishui County is originally a narrow township. There is not much arable land that can be used for land transfer. There is one of the few arable lands along the Baishui River. Once the land is occupied, it will inevitably lose control of some households. This is unacceptable to the county. of.
Li Tai frowned after hearing this, and after thinking for a while, he said: "Do you have a chosen employment address? I will send a few people with you to the countryside to survey, and then discuss with the county magistrate, hoping to reach a consensus as soon as possible. "
After hearing this, the two of them immediately became happy, thanked them repeatedly and then exited.
Li Tai then ordered Wu Jingyi: "Arrange for two people to go back to their hometown with them for inspection, and send a few others to the countryside to collect the scenery. If the site selection is really irreconcilable, it would be better to choose a large household and compensate it from elsewhere. If the local tyrants are greedy for water control, they will He Meitian and intimidated the small household, and then coordinated with the county magistrate. "
Wu Jingyi nodded in agreement, and then withdrew from the arrangement staff.
Li Tai was still waiting for the staff to retrieve the information about Baishui related books, but two subordinates hurried in with anxious expressions: "Your Majesty, something bad happened! When Mao Shijian was passing through Fucheng County, he was attacked and trapped by Yanhe villagers... "
When Li Tai heard this, his expression suddenly changed, and he asked in a deep voice: "Who is the famous person in that country? Do you know that Mao Shijian is my envoy?"
One of the people traveling with him was an associate of Mao Shijian, and he quickly came forward and reported: "The local tycoon's surname is Lei, and he is the head of the township party there. When he saw that he was falsely delivering orders to the government office and seizing the villagers, he went to question him, but he was House slaves besieged..."
"Lead Li Yan and others to immediately rectify the troops and follow me north to rescue my colleagues!"
Li Taizai took a rough look at what happened and said in a deep voice while patting the case.