Chapter 303 Killing three birds with one stone

Wu County has plenty of sunshine, which is very suitable for growing cotton. Dongye County produces kapok, which has a low yield and is difficult to pick.

As for the cotton seeds of Wujun, they came from the border market of Yizhou and were brought by a merchant from the Western Regions.

We had originally planned to sow seeds on a large scale this year, but who would have thought that it is almost May and we still have not been successful.

This is another matter where force cannot be used, which is really a headache.

Sometimes people are easy to talk to, and sometimes they are difficult to talk to.

Cotton is a rare commodity in this era and no one has ever grown it, so it is normal to have doubts.

However, this year's planting season has passed, and Jinmao is not in a hurry to solve the problem.

When the time comes, it will be a piece of cake.

"Anything else besides this?"

Xi Zhicai nodded and said, "The water conservancy construction of Pengze Lake in Yuzhang County will be put on the agenda this year."

The weather in the south of the Yangtze River has been good in recent years, but we cannot relax on water conservancy projects.

Most of the population in the Han Dynasty lived in the Yellow River basin in the north, and most of the water conservancy projects were also in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. Most of the water conservancy projects in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River were built during the Eastern Han Dynasty.

Both quality and quantity are far inferior to the Yellow River Water Conservancy.

If there is a heavy rainstorm and flood, all the efforts of Jinmao over the years will probably be wasted.

Zhenze Lake has already begun to be reinforced, while Pengze Lake is planning to build dams in low-lying areas to prevent the Yangtze River from flooding too many fields.

The idea and plan are good, but unfortunately, the manpower, material resources and financial resources consumed are astronomical, no less than a major battle!
The existing stock is sufficient to cope with the situation, but it will lead to a very serious problem.

If a disaster occurs next year, even if the flood is blocked by the dam, the people downstream will inevitably suffer.

By then, there will be no relief food, and how to get through it will become a huge problem.

How could Xi Zhicai not think these things through carefully?

It is precisely because we cannot decide that we need the lord to make the decision.

"Let's take a long-term view on this matter."

In the end, Jinmao chose the safest approach and kept the relief grain in its hands so that if an unexpected situation occurred, it could advance or retreat.

However, we cannot be completely unprepared.

"In my name, call upon all the water conservancy experts in the world."

Jin Mao said: "I will control the water in the Yangtze River to fill the gap that is urgently needed, and put the rest aside for now."

It is better to dredge water than to block it, as that will release the risk to other places.

For example, if Yuzhang County was preserved, then Danyang, Jiujiang and Wu County downstream could not be preserved.

Are the three counties put together not as good as one county?
Obviously impossible.

Xi Zhicai nodded in agreement and flattered him again: "My lord is wise."

Jin Mao was not happy at all and asked, "Anything else?"

Xi Zhicai closed the book, looking embarrassed, and said carefully: "There is something I don't know whether I should say it or not."

hiss~
Jin Mao really wanted to reject this kind of talk-starting thing, and directly said: "If you don't want to say it, don't say it!"

Unfortunately, since it concerns people's livelihood, no matter how difficult the matter is, we have to prick up our ears and listen.

"speak!"

Xi Zhicai asked in a low voice, "My Lord, do you still remember that you once tried to have mountain people and Han people live together in Kuaiji County?"

That was quite a while ago.

Jin Mao was shocked: "How could this go wrong?!"

Xi Zhicai bent down and nodded, burying his face in his black sleeves and not daring to look up.

Jin Mao jumped up, walked quickly to Xi Zhicai, pointed at Xi Zhicai with trembling fingers, and didn't say anything harsh.

Finally it turned into a helpless sigh.

"Go ahead."

"What happened again?"

Xi Zhicai exhaled a breath of turbid air, and then slowly said: "Nowadays, more and more mountain people are moving down the mountain to settle down. The original gathering places are no longer sufficient, and we urgently need to open up more settlements for the mountain people."

"However, the plains are all owned by someone else, and the mountain dwellers are unable to reclaim the wasteland, so the government needs to intervene."

"This is a huge expense." Xi Zhicai raised his head and said, "It requires the Lord's approval."

Yangzhou is mountainous, and seven out of ten mountain people in the six counties are not naturalized. These people are extra out of thin air, and it would be a great thing if they could be properly resettled.

Jin Mao thought that the mountain people were fighting with the Han people, but it turned out that they were just asking for money and food.

This is also a big problem!

Since Xi Zhicai was mentioned last, it is obvious that the money and grain consumed was no less than that spent on the management of Pengze Lake.

If you think about it carefully, you can understand why.

Not only Yangzhou has many mountains, but Yizhou, Jingzhou, and Jiaozhou also have many mountains, and the corresponding number of mountain people is naturally outrageous.

The number is not much less than the number of refugees coming to the South from the North, at least half as many, more than two million!
Moreover, mountain people are different from refugees. Due to the policies formulated by Jinmao in the early days, mountain people can receive the same treatment as Han people as long as they come down from the mountains.

Damn, four million talents have just been resettled and now we have to deal with another project of the same magnitude.

Not to mention whether Jinmao can accept it, the officials below are already overworked. If they continue to do so, the entire official system may collapse.

At that time, it was not a question of money and food.

No wonder Xi Zhicai left this question for last, it’s such a difficult problem.

After all, it’s impossible that the mountain people of Yangzhou have something that is not available in other places, right?

We can't treat everyone equally. Let's see if the mountain people in other states still believe in some bullshit God or religion.

"Well, this matter..." Jin Mao looked at Xi Zhicai and asked, "Can we discuss it in the long run?"

Xi Zhicai said helplessly: "It can be delayed for one year at most."

Gan!
Jinmao somewhat regretted coming to inspect and uncover the scars. This is no longer a question of whether it is ugly or not, but a difficult problem that must be solved.

"Money and food, money and food!"

Jin Mao kicked the table over in annoyance, causing the guards outside the hall to think there was an assassin. They rushed in with swords drawn, shouting, "Protect the lord!"

Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong and others who were left behind outside rushed over after hearing the news. In just a few minutes, the court was packed with people inside and outside.

"Where is the assassin?"

"Where is the assassin?"

Jin Mao glared fiercely at the personal guard who rushed in first. The man's name was Huo Jun. He was from Zhijiang, Nanjun, and was sixteen years old this year. He joined the army at the age of fifteen and was quite talented. He relied on his military achievements to be promoted from the recruit camp to the personal guard.

Maybe it was because he had just been appreciated by Jinmao, and he wanted to show off, but he didn't expect to cause a misunderstanding.

"Zhongmiao (Huo Jun's courtesy name), you lied about military intelligence. Considering this is your first offense, you will be punished with twenty military sticks."

Huo Jun replied with a bitter look on his face: "Yes."

This caused a burst of laughter from the royal guards, and they pushed and shoved Huo Jun away, showing that they were on very good terms.

The farce made Jinmao feel much more relaxed and his thinking became sharper.

Having just dealt with the capitalists, Jin Mao now encountered the task of helping the mountain people. He combined the two and came to the conclusion: "Why don't I be a capitalist for once?"

Wu County can grow cotton, but the Han people in Wu County are unwilling to do so. So can some of the mountain people be relocated to Wu County to reclaim wasteland and grow cotton?

Since they have to be resettled anyway, why can’t we exploit the labor force?

Jin Mao shared this idea with Xi Zhicai.

"Wonderful!"

Based on this idea, Xi Zhicai drew inferences: "There are also wastelands suitable for growing cotton in Jingzhou, Yizhou, and Jiaozhou."

“We can guide the mountain dwellers who are willing to come down from the mountains to plant cotton on a large scale.”

"In this way, the problem of the mountain people is solved, and the problem of cotton is also solved!"

"The most important thing is that it can produce a large amount of cotton!" Kill three birds with one stone!
As for what cotton can do, the cradle of industry has it!

This is getting off topic. Quilts and cotton clothes made of cotton are very resistant to cold and keep us warm in winter, which means we consume less food.

It is equivalent to increasing production in disguise!

Then, the two discussed this issue.

The next day.

Jin Mao decided that the two were still not smart enough, so he asked Xi Zhicai to send inquiry letters to the main leaders of the four states to gather their ideas.

...

May.

A fleet sailed north from Qu'a County, Wu County, Yangzhou to Guangling County.

Today, the capital of Guangling County has moved to Huaiyin County, and Guangling County has become an important industrial resource city.

The industry is still in its infancy and wild growth is inevitable. As long as it does not affect the fundamental interests and does not hinder production, Jinmao will turn a blind eye.

Countless minor issues were ignored.

Ever since the story of Huang Zu and Lu Jun spread, the leaders of Qu'a County and Guangling County were very sensible and increased the salaries of the craftsmen.

This turned the blacksmiths, who already had high incomes, into super craftsmen second only to papermakers, and in turn attracted a large number of young people to choose this industry.

This was beyond Jinmao's expectations.

Huaiyin County Wharf.

Led by Jia Xu, a group of generals including Gan Ning, Zhou Tai and others were waiting at the dock early in the morning wearing straw raincoats.

This year's plum rain season arrived on time. May is the rainy season. Even though the precipitation in the Huaihe River Basin is not as much as that in the Yangtze River Basin, there will be a rain every now and then.

It just happened to be online today.

At noon, God was kind and the rain stopped.

A ray of sunlight slanted down, illuminating the sails in the river, and the passionate shouts of the boatmen could be faintly heard.

Jia Xu took off his straw raincoat, adjusted the Jinxian crown on his head, and smoothed his black official robe before going forward to greet the docking ship.

"Bang" the ship hit the dock, making a dull sound. The trackers pulled the rope thrown from the ship and shouted to pull it to the shore.

When the anchor was dropped into the water, the entire ship came to a complete stop, and a yellow divine horse carrying a young man in a vermilion official robe slowly disembarked.

"Greetings, General!" Jia Xu was the first to bow his head.

"Greetings, General!" The generals had also taken off their straw raincoats and saluted almost at the same time as Jia Xu.

"No gift."

Jin Mao wore a large military hat and two red feathers in his ears. Originally, they should have been white feathers, but he felt that they were not good-looking enough so he changed them to red feathers.

This time he came to Guangling County with only one purpose: to ask Cao Cao for Xuzhou!
Yuzhou had long been unable to withstand the offensive of the Jiangnan army, and Yuan Shu, the governor of Yuzhou, fled north to join Lu Bu.

With the help of Yuan Shao, Lu Bu ceded Dongjun to Yuan Shu as a place to live.

At first, Lu Bu was unwilling to cede.

Yuan Shao sent Qu Yi with 800 elite halberd warriors to beat Lu Bu severely, and he became obedient.

This time, Chen Gong did not abandon Cao Cao, and Lu Bu was unable to gain a foothold in Yanzhou, relying purely on military suppression.

The reason why Zhang Miao rebelled against Cao and welcomed Lu Bu was because he had insulted Yuan Shao during the campaign against Dong Zhuo, which made Yuan Shao hate him. He was afraid that Cao Cao, Yuan Shao's former younger brother, would kill him.

Lu Bu mainly occupied Chenliu County and the area west of Dong County to ensure that it could be connected with Zhang Yang's Henei County. In the east, he relied on military deterrence to collect taxes from Jiyin County, Shanyang County and other places.

And Cao Cao was not without the opportunity to retake Yanzhou.

Therefore, Jin Mao decided to weaken Cao Cao and prevent him from becoming more powerful.

Historically, Cao Cao was either fighting or on the way to a fight, and he basically never had a stable development. Even so, he was able to defeat Yuan Shao.

Jin Mao doesn't want to become the second Yuan Shao and allow Cao Cao to become more powerful.

He would rather let Yuan Shao become more powerful than allow Cao Cao to become more powerful. This is the respect that should be given to the greatest hero of the Three Kingdoms.

"Wenhe, where is Cao Cao, the governor of Xuzhou?"

Jin Mao dismounted, walked in front, and asked, "Did you follow my advice and come to Huailing County?"

Jia Xu bent down with his head down, half a step behind Jin Mao, and followed closely, saying: "My lord, Cao Mengde did not come to Huailing. After defeating Tao Qian, he returned to Pengcheng."

"It's just that Cao Mengde sent an envoy, Chen Gong, hoping that the two families would become friends."

"Humph!" Jin Mao perked up when he heard Chen Gong's name, and said unhappily, "If he doesn't come in person, it's useless to send anyone else!"

Although he said so, he was sincere in his heart and asked again, "Where is Chen Gong?"

"It's at the post house."

"Take me there."

"Here."

However, Jinmao did not get on the horse, but continued walking as if taking a stroll.

The pier is only two miles away from the posthouse, and it only takes a quarter of an hour to walk there. I can take this opportunity to ask Jia Xu.

"Wenhe, do you have any tricks to teach me?"

Jia Xu pretended to be ignorant and asked, "My lord, are you referring to Cao Mengde or Chen Gongtai?"

"Of course it's Cao Cao!"

Jia Xu understood that the lord had definitely not come to Guangling County to negotiate peace. In order to confirm a more specific goal, he asked, "Do you want to kill him, or keep him as a pet?"

Jin Mao turned his head and glanced at Jia Xu, who immediately lowered his head and bent his waist deeply.

"Raise him." Jin Mao simply said it more clearly: "Cao Cao has sharp teeth. I want to drive him to tear a piece of flesh off Yuan Shao."

"But I'm afraid Cao Cao won't obey me and will turn around and bite me, his master."

This sounded like a strange thing to say, but Jia Xu didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

At present, Cao Cao does not have the ability to challenge Jinmao, or it can be said that no one in the world can challenge him!
"Well, I have a trick, but I don't know if I should tell you about it or not."

again!

However, Jia Xu's statement this time was intended to be modest, meaning that he was not sure.

Jin Mao said calmly: "Tell me about it."

Jia Xu mentioned something seemingly insignificant, "I heard that the lord punished the shipyards in Jiangxia and Lujiang in Yangzhou."

Jin Mao nodded and said, "It is true."

Then he explained it again briefly.

Jia Xu nodded and asked, "My lord, do you want to vigorously develop the navy in the future?"

Jin Mao thought about it and said affirmatively: "That's right!"

Jia Xu bowed to Jin Mao and said, "This plan is feasible."

Jin Mao didn't say anything and waited for what was to come.

"I heard that Yuzhou has been taken. My lord, you can form a Yuzhou navy to manage the Yingshui River and Honggou area."

Honggou is the earliest artificial canal connecting the Yellow River and the Huai River.

During the Warring States Period, the State of Wei dug a large ditch in the north of Daliang City to divert water from farmland to irrigate farmland, which later became the main trunk of the Honggou Canal.

This artificially dug "big ditch" was centered on the Wei capital Daliang. It started from the north of Xingyang City, Zhengzhou, passed through Daliang City, turned southeast to Chen capital Wanqiu (now Huaiyang District, Zhoukou City), and flowed southward into the Yingshui River, and then into the Huaihe River.

The Yellow River system is not as abundant as the Yangtze River system, so large ships such as tower ships cannot enter, and only small and medium-sized ships can be used.

As a result, the Yuzhou Navy's combat effectiveness is definitely not as good as the other three navies, but it is more flexible.

Jia Xu's strategy was to further reduce the space for activities of Cao Cao and others.

In this case, it doesn't matter whether Xuzhou is captured or not.

After all, there is no rule that the Yuzhou Navy can only operate in Yuzhou.

(End of this chapter)