The next day, the rain stopped, Zheng Xi's formalities were all completed, and then, Sanye Yan was full of energy.
Could it be that Mr. Yan, you are suffering from rain depression!
After repeated heavy rains, the road to Huai'an was very difficult. There was mud everywhere, and there was light rain from time to time. When they arrived at Huangzhuang, the local people advised them not to go forward, saying that the Gusang area they were going to was the hardest-hit area. Most of the polders were flooded, and only one polder built before the end of the year could be preserved. The rest of the polders were covered in a vast ocean, and even that polder was partially submerged.
After discussing, Ling Qingyu asked Zheng Xi to stay at the inn in Huangzhuang with the gold, and he and Yan San rode over there.
Gu Sang is by the Hongze Lake. This year, the Tuohe River in the Huaihe River has flooded, and the water level of Hongze Lake is much higher than in previous years. Many places around are flooded. The two of them walked all the way, and the tragic scene of the flood can be seen everywhere. .
Yan San pulled Ling Qingyu onto his mount, took the reins of another horse, and drove on the faintly visible official road without rush.
A large field was looming ahead, surrounded by tall embankments.
"Which way!" Ling Qingyu shouted, pointing in that direction.
Yan Sanyi clamped the horse's belly and went over there.
Along the shore of the lake and the river, a large embankment with a height of about one foot and two feet and a width of about six feet has been built. It looks like a big city. reed. The fields in the polder are separated by criss-crossing ditches, on which boats drive, and there are many water gates on the polder bank, which can adjust the height of the water at any time. The fields in the polder are golden at this time, with some half-fallen ears of rice at intervals. Some farmers are plowing in it, and they are picking up those ears of rice that have been drenched by the rain.
"Han Bian is a talent." Ling Qingyu sighed, and then loudly asked the farmer in the boat in the ditch, "Excuse me, where is Mr. Han?"
"Ah?" The farmer heard it several times before he heard it clearly. He heard that he was looking for Mr. Han, so he quickly rowed the boat over and said, "Both of you are looking for Mr. Han? The old man will take you there."
The boat went round and round to a village. The village was in the middle of the polder. Unlike other places where there was a vast ocean, this village was still clean and peaceful.
Seeing Ling Qingyu, before Ling Qingyu could speak, Han Bian bowed deeply and said, "You are a great talent!"
"This? I'm the one who said this, right?" Ling Qingyu couldn't figure it out, and helped him up.
"If the head hadn't said how to build the polder at the beginning, this year's flood would have lost the land." Han Bian laughed.
"It's not my wisdom, it's your wisdom. Polder has it since ancient times. Hehe, I don't dare to take credit for this." Ling Qingyu said embarrassedly. She added some concepts of water conservancy projects of later generations, but the practices of polders are actually mostly the wisdom of the working people in ancient China, some of which are far easier to use than those of later generations. It is definitely the credit of Han Bian that such a large-scale polder can be built.
Han Bian smiled, didn't say any more, and brought Ling Qingyu into the house. At the beginning, Ling Qingyu gave him a silver note of 100,000 taels, and he visited Huai'an all the way. He saw a rich family here in Huai'an taking in victims of disasters, and accumulated a large number of refugees. A large area of swampland and water surface, even bought and hired a large number of refugees, built a large-scale polder bank on the edge of Hongze Lake, divided the original swampland and wasteland into several pieces and began to improve it, and now a year has passed , There are already more than 700 hectares of fertile land, there are nearly a thousand permanent tenants below, and there are hundreds of slaves who sell themselves into slavery.
Han Bian took out both the Tian Deed and the Body Deed, and handed them to Ling Qingyu.
Ling Qingyu didn't answer, but asked: "I see that the construction here is very reasonable, and the layout of the field is also very particular. With such a heavy rain, there are not many fallen crops in the field. Does Mr. Han have a good helper? "
"Haha, it really is the head of the house!" Han Bian laughed, and then shouted to the inner room: "How about it, come out."
Several people came out of the inner room, among them were two middle-aged men with their trouser legs rolled up, looking like old peasants.
Ling Qingyu immediately stood up, bowed and said: "Ling Qingyu has met all of you, and you have built this polder so well, it is really a blessing to the people!"
"You don't have to be polite." A middle-aged man stepped forward, helped her up, and said with a smile, "Mr. Han is right."
Seeing Ling Qingyu looking over suspiciously, Han Yan hurriedly coughed twice, pointed at the two middle-aged people and said, "Let me introduce to you, this is Mr. Zhang Wen Zhang, who built our polder bank, and this is Yang Wanli Mr. Yang, the layout of the entire polder was planned by him." Pointing to the other three young men, he said, "This Ma Lin has a lot of research on mulberry farming, this is Tao Xin, and this Tao Jiu. And those lakes are taken care of by these two brothers."
Zhang asked Yang Wanli that Ma Lin was a technical expert, and Tao Xin and Tao Jiu were managers. Ling Qingyu greeted them one by one with a smile, looked around, and asked, "Where are Shang Qi and the others?"
"It started to rain again upstream, and they went to check the frontmost polder bank." Han Bian laughed. Then everyone sat down separately.
"These fields will be rebuilt for another two years, and it is estimated that the annual output will be two or even three stones." Han Bian said. The annual rent that Ling Qingyu gave for the first year was only three buckets. This year, those tenants will have a large surplus. Next year, the production will increase, and the rent will be restored to fifty-five cents.
"I came here this time and saw that a large area of land was flooded here. How is the damage to our polder?" Ling Qingyu asked. She didn't care much about the land rent. Seven hundred hectares of land is more than 70,000 mu of land, even if it is one mu. The rent of one stone is more than 70,000 taels a year, which is really a small number for her, and she is more concerned about whether the land can continue to be acquired.
"Ours is okay, basically there is no loss, but there used to be fish farming in the lake, but it was seriously damaged. The mulberry trees on the bank of the polder can be picked next year, and the weaving workshop can also be established next year." Han Bian smiled slightly.
"That's it." It seems that Han Bian doesn't intend to increase the fields here, and that's right, nothing can be done. If you shoot the bird, Ling Qingyu figured it out, and smiled: "I saw a man in Qiongzhou on Fanwai. Planting cotton, I wonder if it can be planted here?"
"Is it Ji Bei?" Ma Lin asked.
"Yes, it's called that locally."
"Can the head of the house get some?"
"Of course." Ling Qingyu said to Ma Lin: "Mr. Ma, I would like to ask, if it is near Heishuiguan in the northwest, is there any good way to produce grain?"
"Heishuiguan?" Several people looked at each other in blank dismay, and asked puzzledly: "That's the boundary of Xinzhou, which borders with Dangxiang Khitan, and the war is starting there now, and there have always been many mountains and little land, so we need to send food. , but it is a little difficult, where does the head of the family want to buy land?"
"Xinzhou? Isn't there a Yanmen Pass there?" Ling Qingyu asked, she had visited this place before, so she remembered, to be honest, Yang Zhao and the others kept talking about Heishui Pass, but she never knew where it was.
"Heishuiguan is Yanmenguan. The name of the first emperor has the word geese. To avoid taboo, it was changed to Heishuiguan." Han Bian explained.
Depend on! How dare you change such a famous place name casually! If it is Yanmenguan, it is indeed not easy to grow grain there, but you can grow potatoes!
Returning to the topic of polders and what kind of crops to plant, Ling Qingyu communicated very smoothly with a few people. Concepts, including the production of bio-fertilizers, were deeply communicated. The more people talked, the more excited they became. Later, when they talked about water conservancy, soil erosion, and planting trees to protect the land, Zhang Wen and Yang Qianli's eyes lit up, and they kept moving chairs closer to Ling Qingyu, and the problems became deeper and deeper. Oh, it made Ling Qingyu unable to resist, and secretly complained, I am not from the Agricultural College, we just watched from the sidelines, your question is so technical, how can I answer it
After talking for an hour, when the farmer called for food, Ling Qingyu felt that there were all gold stars in front of him, and many birds were flying. Suddenly, when I was inspecting other companies, I had to ask why no matter what I understood or not, and I felt guilty towards the other party.
Shang Qi also came back with someone to inspect. When he saw Ling Qingyu, he gave another excited salute. Then Ling Qingyu asked everyone to sit down and eat together. They sat at several tables lively. As soon as he took the bowl, Ling Qingyu regretted it. , the two guys sat next to her again, and continued to conduct exclusive interviews on academic issues.
After finally finishing the meal, I was dragged to the field for field investigation and discussion. At the end, it was Han Bian who pulled everyone together and said: "Okay, okay, you go back and draw up a plan first, and then see if there are any problems." Fang released Ling Qingyu.
"Why does the head of the family want to go to Heishuiguan to buy land?" Han Bian asked as Ling Qingyu walked on the bank of the polder.
"The mulberry trees planted on the bank of the polder can roughly plant tens of thousands of mulberry trees, which can produce silk, huh? What did you say?" After Ling Qingyu answered subconsciously, Fang Fang realized that Han Bian's problem was not this, and asked.
"Hehe, don't worry about the head of the family. After your guidance today, they will definitely increase the output of this polder several times." Han Bian laughed, and then asked: "Why do you mention Heishuiguan, the head of the house?" idea?"
"Ah, this, Yang Zhao, do you know?" Ling Qingyu scratched his head and asked.
"Little General Yang, of course I know." Han Bian nodded.
"Yang Zhao boarded the Fengshen ship the year before last. He was not allowed to come back last year because he was afraid that people here would harm him. It's just that this year the emperor was looking for him everywhere, so he was summoned to Heishui Pass." Ling Qingyu paused. After a while, he said again: "He is my good friend, I don't want him to be framed again."
Han Bian looked at her deeply, which made Ling Qingyu feel hairy, and sighed: "Although the head of the house is a woman, it makes us men feel inferior."
"Ah?" Ling Qingyu was stunned, such a high evaluation? Is it because I stole the agricultural technology of later generations
"It's true that there are many mountains and little land in Xinzhou, but the Shanxi Road is sparsely populated. It's just because of the long-term war that no one dares to go there. If the head of the family can trust me, Han Bian is willing to go." Han Bian said, "Don't What can you say that is trustworthy but not trustworthy?" Ling Qingyu patted him on the shoulder and said, "I have my own selfish intentions in this matter, and it is also very dangerous over there. Brother Han is willing to help me do it, and I am too grateful for it."
The relationship between Heishuiguan is not your selfishness, but the people of my Dazhou. As a female merchant, you dare to use your own wealth to help with all your strength. How can I, Han Bian, stay out of it, Han Bian thought to himself.
"But although the first task is to ensure the supply of grain and grass at Heishuiguan, we can still think of ways to make money. By the way, cotton," Ling Qingyu clapped his palms and said, "Cotton can keep warm and can be made into military uniforms." The best thing is, all the land over there is planted with cotton, this time I will go to America to bring back potato seeds, potatoes are high yielding, if it is not possible, they can be used as a substitute for food, then, we have made a deal like this!"
"I will not disgrace my life!" Han Bian said.
"By the way, those five gentlemen, are we hired? Do you want to give me some benefits?" Ling Qingyu's words made Han Bian startled, and he jumped here for some reason, but he still replied politely: "Mr. Mr. Yang is actually a celebrity in Huai'an, but he is very interested in water conservancy. When I was buying land in Huai'an and recruiting migrant workers, he and the two of them knew about it. They have these materials in the field. It is better to carry out the project according to their proposal and make them happy. Ma Linben is a student of Huai’an College, and he came here because he is interested in agriculture. It is also a prominent family in Huai'an, but because the family is poor and the family is in distress, they are paid. In fact, there are more than ten stewards below, each in charge of the tenants below."
sharp! Celebrities were actually instructed by you to do this! Although it is said that those people have a strong interest in academics, but without Han Bian's affinity, they would definitely not come. I can't do this. Ling Qingyu sighed privately, and then encouraged himself. There is no perfect person in this world. I just need to know how to make money. For a big company, the CEO alone will die quickly. For Zheng Xi and Cai Jingfang, even if he softened a little, it doesn't matter.
"The overall situation here has been decided. As long as the method is determined and maintenance is done regularly, there will be no big problems. I often come to see if the head of the house has any other ideas besides Heishuiguan?" Han Bian interrupted her self-consciousness. building, asked.
"Well, we brought back a lot of species from Fanwai, and Shi Fang and Zhu Weili are cultivating them. The forests in the northwest are too severe. If there are barren hills, it would be good to buy them and plant fast-growing forests. The general direction is like this, and you will be more specific. Just watch, I like you!" Ling Qingyu laughed. Then he took out a stack of bank notes, handed them to him without counting them, and said, "Funds."
Han Bian took it over and took a look, good guy, you can get 200,000 taels if you take it casually, and asked with a smile: "It seems that the head of the family has made a fortune this time?"
"Haha, it's easy to say. It's just good luck." Ling Qingyu replied with a smile. It was indeed good luck. If there was no such catastrophe, how could the pirates have such a high profit, but I'm afraid there will be no such good things in the future. Well, let's do business in a down-to-earth manner. If this polder is managed well, the annual profit is also one hundred thousand taels of silver. It is enough for self-consumption.
"If that's the case, then the head of the house will give another one hundred thousand taels. I want to build another polder in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River." Han Bian laughed. The polders here are far stronger than those in other places because of Ling Qingyu Zhang Wenyang Wanli's sake. Before other big clans have made a move, we should go to collect some fields, that is, invest more in the early stage, but there will be profits every year later. Yes, and can guarantee the supply of Fengshen's foreign trade products.
"Okay." Ling Qingyu took out another 100,000 taels and gave it to Han Bian. A stone in her heart fell to the ground. With this person around, she didn't have to worry about farming at all.
Back in the village, Ma Lin has already drawn up a business direction, detailing what kind of trees to plant at what distance, how to maintain them, and what to plant in the field twice a year, and the vegetable field and cash crop field, and so on. , Ling Qingyu stared dumbfounded, after doing this, wouldn't this Zhuangzi be a treasury in the future
"Brother Han, I discussed it with Lao Yang. The place you mentioned last time is very good. If you go to buy land, the two of us are willing to come forward to match, and we will also be a part of it." Zhang asked with a smile.
"So, thank you, Mr. Zhang!" Han Bian was overjoyed and bowed. What he was looking at was a large low-lying area in the east of Wuhu, which had become a swamp due to the flooding of the Yangtze River. If the polder can be renovated, there will be more than a thousand hectares of good farmland there, but because the area is too large, I am afraid that the government will not It would be easy to sell, but the current Wuhu county magistrate and Taiping prefecture are both students of Zhang Wen. If Zhang Wen and Yang Wanli are willing to come forward, it will be much easier to buy the land.
"Don't be so polite, who in Huai'an doesn't know your name, Han Bian, you are the number one scholar in Huai'an." Zhang Wen blinked at Ling Qingyu and said.
No. 1 celebrity? Seeing that Han Bian's ears turned red suddenly, Ling Qingyu laughed and said: "Brother Han's literary talent is of course the best." Such beautiful characters, among other things, calligraphy can impress the big ticket Fans, people are so gentle and handsome, it's no wonder they are not popular.
Han Bian glared at her with blushing ears, you are a nonsense boss, you and I talk the most about how to make money, where do you know that I am good at writing! ! !
That night, the guests were having fun again. After the meal, a wine table was set up in the yard, and several celebrities drank and chanted poems to enjoy themselves.
Ling Qingyu fled back to the room Han Bian arranged for her early, jokingly, asking her to show her talents too, why don't you do me reciting doggerel? Let's not affect my glorious image in your eyes!
On the second day, Yan San hurried to pick up Zheng Xi, and Ling Qingyu continued to accompany the celebrities in the academic discussion. This time, the topic had extended to rational fish farming, and the impact of aquatic plants including wetlands on the environment. Ling Qingyu wanted to cry so much!