A Clash of Gods

Chapter 77: In the fields

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The village that Gu Qinghan mentioned was actually not big. There was a low mountain peak next to the village. There were dense camphor trees and oak trees on the mountain. These were indispensable materials for making charcoal. In fact, within a hundred miles of this area, there were no camphor trees. It is the most common tree, and the camphor charcoal produced here has always been famous. Every winter, a batch of camphor charcoal is transported from Jiangling to the capital.

At the foot of the mountain, there are dozens of families built against the mountain. Dotted with stars, there is a large area of cultivated land in the distance. It was dusk, but Yang Ning still saw farmers plowing the fields. The food in the fields was obviously all gone. It has been put away and is completely bare. Under the setting sun, there is endless scenery as far as the eye can see.

"Sanniang, it's already late autumn, the food has been put away, how come there are still people farming in the fields?" Yang Ning rode beside Gu Qinghan and couldn't help but ask.

Gu Qinghan smiled and said: "You have never been to the fields, so of course you don't know. After the grain is collected, the farmer loosens the soil so that it will be easier to plant grain next year."

"I see."

After the two dismounted, they walked forward along the field. There were not many farmers in the field, but when they saw two strangers leading their horses on the edge of the field, they couldn't help but look over.

"Sanniang, where is your hometown in Jiangling?" Yang Ning saw Gu Qinghan looking east and west with a peaceful expression and asked, "Is it far from here?"

"Not far." Gu Qinghan seemed to be in a good mood, "The Gu family, like the Qi family, is also a well-known family in Jiangling. The two families have always had a very good relationship in Jiangling. Even now, the prestige in Jiangling is only second to the Qi family. "

Yang Ning immediately understood that when Mr. Qi married Gu Qinghan, it was probably because the two families were family friends, and it was also to consolidate the foundation in Jiangling. Gu Qinghan spoke lightly, but Yang Ning knew that the prestige of the Gu family was only second to the Qi family, so The Gu family must be extremely powerful in Jiangling.

The prestige of the Qi family in Jiangling is unparalleled, and this is understandable. After all, the two generations of Jinyihou are the pillars of the great Chu country. Not to mention the small Jiangling, even in the entire Chu country, there are not many sects that can be compared with the Qi family.

Putting aside the Qi family, the Gu family is obviously the most powerful family in Jiangling.

"The Qi family's property is mainly in the north of Jiangling, that is, in the Jingzhou City area." Gu Qinghan explained: "The Gu family is in the south of Jiangling. Going south from Jingzhou City, there will be a river called Jingzhou for dozens of miles. Yuehe, many years ago, as long as you crossed the river, it was the Gu family who had the final say."

The imperial power did not extend to the county.

Yang Ning has naturally heard this ancient saying and understands its meaning. In ancient times, the influence of local gentry was more effective than the emperor's imperial edict. The various systems issued by the imperial court were specific to the local area. , local officials need to cooperate with local gentry. Without the support of local gentry, it is almost impossible for officials to move forward in the local area.

There is no doubt that both the Qi family and the Gu family were local squires in Jiangling in their early years and had great say in the local area.

According to Gu Qinghan, before the Qi family became prosperous, the Qi family and the Gu family should be on equal footing in Jiangling. The Qi family had a high influence in the north of Jiangling, while the Gu family was based in the south of Jiangling. However, the Qi family later became The Gu family cannot compare with the Marquis of Da Chu, but it is still deeply rooted in Jiangling.

Yang Ning thought that with such a family background, it was no wonder that Gu Qinghan was married into the Marquis's mansion, and that he was also deeply involved in the Queen's family and was in charge of the family affairs.

Seeing an old man sitting on the ridge in the field in front of him, Yang Ning stepped forward and said with a smile: "Old man, you haven't lost your job yet?"

In fact, the old man had noticed Yang Ning and Yang Ning a long time ago. Yang Ning was just that, but Gu Qinghan was extremely handsome, with fair and delicate skin. The old man knew at a glance that the origins of these two people were not simple. He smiled and replied: "You two are... Where are you going? Are you lost?"

He just wanted to prevent the two of them from returning to the fields and getting lost.

"Yeah, we were traveling to Jiangling and took the wrong road." Yang Ning said smoothly, while Gu Qinghan rolled his eyes at Yang Ning, thinking that not only did this kid have a bright mind, he also had a smooth temperament. This nonsense was just spoken out of hand. Come on, it's natural.

"Where are we going? I know the area around here and can help you with directions." The old man was quite enthusiastic.

Yang Ning thought that Gu Qinghan was right. The people here were simple and the old man was kind. However, he squatted down beside the old man, glanced at the ground, and asked: "Old man, is the harvest good this year? Is the food in the field good?" Have you put them all away?”

"It's okay." The old man said with a smile: "We have gathered all the grain. We will double the land so that we can grow more grain next year."

"After harvesting the grain, we can have a good year with plenty of food and clothing next year, right?" Yang Ning smiled and said: "I heard that your place is the fiefdom of Jinyi Marquis, and the tax revenue is much lower than other places."

On the way, Yang Ning had already learned from Gu Qinghan that Jinyihou's three thousand households in the fiefdoms were controlled by Jinyihou and all tax revenue was not subject to the government's control at all in terms of taxation.

The Emperor of Da Chu also treated the people with benevolent policies. In the early years, he collected taxes at a rate of 30%. However, in recent years, wars have been frequent and the tax rate has increased to 40%. The three thousand households belonging to Jinyihou have always been According to the tax collection of 20%, it is unchangeable. Among the subjects of the empire who have fiefdoms, the taxation of Jinyihou's fiefdom is definitely the lowest.

For Jinyihou, the Jinyihou Mansion has never been a place of luxury and extravagance, and the fiefdom it belongs to is in his hometown. The people who cultivate the land are local folks, so Jinyihou can be regarded as a local villager by virtue of the fiefdom. Did a good job.

The old man just smiled and said, "I can make do with it."

Gu Qinghan was also standing on the side at this time. She was very smart and observant. When the old man said something reluctantly, she felt something was fishy. She asked in a soft voice: "How many people are there in my father-in-law's family?"

"Two sons, there are nine people in the family." The old man said with a smile on his face.

"How many acres of land do you have at home?" Gu Qinghan was a woman after all. She couldn't squat as openly as Yang Ning, so she could only stand next to the old man and ask.

The old man raised his hand and pointed forward, "My family's fields are all here, and there is eight acres of thin field."

Gu Qinghan nodded slightly. She naturally knew quite a bit about the situation here. When the late emperor granted the fiefdoms, they all selected better fields. There were three thousand households in the fiefdoms, not just one acre of land per household. Jingnan belonged to It is a large grain-producing area, and there are a lot of fields here. Most of the people here can have about ten acres of fields, and the least can have four or five acres of fields.

This old man's family has eight acres of land and is considered a relatively prosperous farmer.

"How much grain can be harvested from this acre of land in one year?" Gu Qinghan asked carefully.

The old man naturally did not suspect that Gu Qinghan had other intentions. He just thought that these two outsiders suddenly became interested and explained: "The weather has been good in the past two years and the harvest is not bad. I can get about one acre per acre of my eight acres of land." Two or three stones of grain.”

Yang Ning naturally knows that one stone of grain is equivalent to about 60 kilograms of grain in later generations, which is more than one hundred kilograms of grain. This old man can also produce more than three hundred kilograms of grain from one acre of land. Compared with the grain output per mu of later generations, A mere three hundred kilograms of grain is naturally extremely low, but in this era, due to the limitations of agricultural technology, one mu of land can produce more than three hundred kilograms of grain, which is already an extremely high yield.

"So, these eight acres of land can produce more than 20 kilograms of food in a year?" Gu Qinghan said: "I heard that the Jinyi Marquis collected 20% of the tax, and your family can still have a lot left. The little one should be able to eat enough.”

Yang Ning also felt that normally, after paying taxes on the harvest in a year, the old man would still have two thousand kilograms of grain. Although a family of nine was quite large, it would still be enough to feed the family.

But the old man sighed and said, "If it's really like that, I really won't have to worry about food and clothing."

"Old man, what do you mean by this?" Yang Ning and Gu Qinghan looked at each other and immediately asked, "Isn't it like this?"

The old man just shook his head, and then smiled and said: "No more, it's useless to say more, where are you going?"

Gu Qinghan discovered that there was something wrong with it, and of course he would not leave easily. He said warmly: "My father-in-law, look at you, can't you keep so much food in one year?"

Seeing her delicate features and gentle voice, the old man smiled bitterly and said: "Twenty shi of grain a year is certainly enough for a family to have enough to eat. We can save a little and still be rich, but... hey, after a year, what is really left behind is It’s only about ten shi, and there are a lot of people in the family, so I can survive by eating less dry food and more porridge.”

"Absolutely impossible." Gu Qinghan frowned, "Why can only ten stones of food be left?"

The old man hadn't spoken yet, but he heard the sound of gongs in the distance. The attention of Yang Ning and Gu Qinghan were instantly attracted. They saw a middle-aged villager beating a gong and shouting loudly: "The surname is Luo." He's here, everyone, go back to the village quickly, the man named Luo is here...!" The voice was loud and spread far away.

The old man who was sitting on the ground immediately got up, grabbed the hoe at hand, and did not forget to say to Yang Ning and the other two: "You leave the village first, it is not easy to stay here." Without saying much, he picked up the hoe and struck the gong. People ran, not just him. Yang Ning and Gu Qinghan saw that the villagers who were farming in the fields were holding their farm tools and gathering towards the gong player.

"Sanniang, it seems something happened in the village." Yang Ning frowned, "Let's go over and take a look."

Gu Qinghan's beautiful face was full of doubts at this moment. After hearing what Yang Ning said, she immediately nodded and said: "Let's go and see who the person named Luo is? They all seemed to run back because of the person named Luo. "

I saw a group of farmers gathering together. They were all running towards the village at the foot of the mountain. Young and old alike, they all felt as if their homes were on fire.