Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 373: Agricultural Saint
"kill!!!"

In the darkness of the night, flames were everywhere.

The assembled catapult fired rocks toward the checkpoint ahead.

In order to welcome Duan Shao, Wei Xiaokuan sent soldiers from Danzhou to greet him. However, the soldiers suffered heavy casualties, first being killed by Yao Xiong and then by Duan Shao. Only a very few of them escaped.

In order to deal with the enemy's rear and open the road to Chang'an, Wei Xiaokuan could only transport soldiers from the core Suizhou to Danzhou. The direction from Suizhou to the river was mostly hills and high slopes, and even had several cliffs, so there was no need to worry about enemy raids. Yinzhou to the north and Xiazhou to the west were both heavily guarded, so there was no need to worry about being stolen even if the troops were reduced.

However, Lao Wei did not expect that the enemy would dare to cross the river from Danliu Front Camp to attack Suizhou.

What a courage!
Not only did Old Wei not expect this, but even the governors and generals of Suizhou did not expect this.

After Yao Xiong occupied the front camp, he no longer needed to cover it and could directly let the army on the other side cross the river together. The most worrying thing on the ice was the holes. As for whether the army could pass through, there was no problem, otherwise Zhou Heqi would not have spent so much money to chisel ice every year.

This ice surface is not only able to accommodate large armies and even cavalry, but also large numbers of cavalry convoys. It can even be covered with wooden planks to create an "artificial bridge", which is convenient and quick.

Yao Xiong's only goal is Suizhou.

This time they were not going to have a big fight with Wei Xiaokuan. Both sides did not have the energy for a large-scale battle. This was just like when Hulugu went out to attack the Zhou people from time to time in the past. It was just a small-scale friction.

It is impossible to occupy many cities in Suizhou.

With enemies on three sides, it is easy to be blocked and killed inside the city, but it is still possible to break through the city, plunder their baggage, and kill their officials.

The stones whizzed past and smashed heavily on the city wall. After suppressing the archers on the wall, who were not very strong to begin with, the soldiers launched a charge.

The two garrisons closest to Danzhou were the first to be breached, and there were less than three hundred soldiers guarding the two garrisons.

Its main function is not defense, but a contact point and a resting point on the road.

Yao Xiong was very anxious and divided the army into two. One part was commanded by himself and the other was commanded by Dugu Jie. They launched attacks on the counties and towns of Suizhou from the two garrisons.

For a time, Suizhou was engulfed in war. Suizhou had the second largest horse farm that supplied Xiazhou's defense line. When the guards of the farm found that they could not defend it, they ordered their horses to be released and escape to prevent them from falling into the hands of the enemy.

When Wei Xiaokuan arrived, he could even see ownerless war horses on the official road.
After Wei Xiaokuan arrived, he did not dare to cut off the retreat to the south. Suizhou not only had horse farms, but also a lot of food and fodder. It was more important to keep these things than to completely destroy the enemy.

The two sides met in Yiling County and began fighting.

Dugu Jie was defeated and retreated to Anren County near Hedi.

After joining forces with Yao Xiong, he fought with Wei Xiaokuan again. Both sides suffered casualties. Wei Xiaokuan was not in a hurry to fight as he did not bring many soldiers with him. At the same time, he was worried about accidents in the rear and needed to wait for scouts from the rear.

Huluxian certainly would not miss this opportunity. He sent troops towards Xiazhou, and his fierce general Li Qihu took the lead in capturing Baitou Bridge east of Yanlu County, and the troops went straight to the heart of the city.

While commanding the war against Hulu Xian, Wei Xiaokuan pursued Yao Xiong in an attempt to drive Yao Xiong and others out of Suizhou.

Yao Xiong and his men retreated all the way to the garrison towards Danzhou. They did not linger in the battle, but crossed the river and left along the same route with their spoils.

The generals of Danzhou did not send out troops, not because they did not dare, but because Wei Xiaokuan did not allow them to do so. Wei Xiaokuan was worried that there were other troops behind Yao Xiong, such as the Jinyang troops who had disappeared for a long time.

Once the Danzhou soldiers move forward, it is hard to say whether a large number of Jinyang soldiers will emerge to attack Danzhou, and then directly threaten the gateway to the Great Zhou and aim at Chang'an.

Yao Xiong and others were able to leave. Wei Xiaokuan deployed heavy troops to the shore, while he hurried back and fought a desperate battle with Huluxian at Baitou Bridge. He finally repelled the Han soldiers and regained control.

This cannot be considered a war. From Yao Xiong crossing the river to retreating, the entire process only took fifteen days, so it can only be considered a minor friction.

Although Yao Xiong once broke through many city garrisons in Suizhou, destroyed the enemy's horse farms, and looted several smelters, the army suffered heavy casualties.

However, this proved that Yao Xiong's original idea was correct!

Once the battle line is expanded and Wei Xiaokuan is forced into a multi-front battle, he will not be able to unleash his full strength, and may even be able to fight on equal terms with Yao Xiong!

It's not that Wei Xiaokuan didn't have capable people under his command, it's just that Wei Xiaokuan's personality was such that he would see the shortcomings of anyone he saw first, and always felt that letting this person go into battle would lead to some bad consequences, so he didn't dare to use them and had to do it himself.

Simply put, it's thinking too much, being too cautious, and too conservative.

When Yao Xiong successfully returned to his own territory, he was extremely proud. He enjoyed the highest courtesy in Bingzhou. The old Xianbei people in Bingzhou had always had a feud with Wei Xiaokuan. No matter who it was, as long as he could embarrass Wei Xiaokuan, he would be their good brother!

After Yao Xiong had settled his troops, he was ordered to go to Pingcheng to pay a visit to the King of Han, taking the captured war horses and enemy generals.

The first year of King Han, spring.

Pingcheng.

The local official was dressed in black and was leading a mule. The saddle on the mule was bulging with all kinds of documents.

He just kept going along the country road.

On both sides of the path were tall trees that had just begun to turn green, stretching all the way into the distance.

On the left is a small canal with crystal clear water. Occasionally, you can see a few children walking barefoot on the canal or sitting in it, laughing and playing. The water in the canal is very shallow at the moment, and even if a child stands in it, it can only cover his legs.

On the right, every hundred steps or so, you can see thatched houses hidden among the fruit trees.

You can vaguely see some shepherds gathered together, letting their cows graze nearby.

The village official walked along the road with a stern face, shouting as he walked.

"You guys! Come out here!!"

"I've told you several times not to play in the water! Don't you remember?!"

The local official pretended to chase them, and the children quickly jumped up and ran away screaming.

The clerk laughed and continued walking forward.

The woods gradually thinned out, and much cultivated land appeared beyond the canal.

The village official found a place, tied up the mule, and then went to the farmland.

Standing on the edge, he stared at the farmers in the distance.

Several farmers were plowing the field. The oxen were pulling the plows and walking in the field with their heads down. The sharp plows broke through the soil, leaving a long wound on the dark land.

The old farmer looked up and saw the village official. He was shocked and quickly instructed his sons. He walked up quickly and saluted with a smile on his face.

"Shang Li!"

The village official looked at the oxen and plows in the distance, picked up the document, and said solemnly, "Isn't the new plow good?"

"Excellent! Excellent! All good iron! Good iron!"

The old farmer looked flattering, and the village official handed him the document in his hand and said, "Take a look."

"I remember your family borrowed a set of plows, three double-pointed iron plows, two iron hoes, and an axe, right?"

The old farmer looked in the direction of the cultivated land, thought for a moment, and then nodded, "Yes."

“Draw a circle on it.”

The old farmer signed his name, and the clerk tore open the folded portion and handed half to the old farmer.

"Then don't forget. Your family will have to pay back an extra five dou of rice during the autumn harvest. This is already a great favor. Take good care of your sons. I have seen your youngest son cockfighting with others at the entrance of the village several times. The government supports your hard work in farming and wants to see results. If you dare to neglect it and are not diligent enough, the land you are granted can be reduced, and you can forget about the oxen and farm tools."

The old farmer nodded quickly.

"I understand, I understand. Don't worry, sir. I will definitely not neglect you."

The village official gave a few more instructions and turned to go to the next house.

In the Shangshutai of Pingcheng, Gao Yin was discussing important agricultural and sericulture issues with several officials.

This is a cliché.

Gao Yin has been doing this for many years.

Gao Yu looked at the people around him with a straight face and said seriously, "We should still stick to our past practices and use our own advantages to promote agriculture and sericulture."

"What are the advantages of Hebei?" "One is animal husbandry. We have many herdsmen in Bing, Yan, You, Shuo and other states, raising cattle, sheep and horses."

"And these are all things that can help agriculture and sericulture."

Gao Yin narrated these contents seriously, and the officials around him scratched their heads. The stubbornness of this Shangshu Ling was really surprising.

How many years has it been?

Gao Yun has been at the border for quite some time. During this time, apart from arranging officials, he has devoted all his energy to helping farmers.

It can be said that the entire Shangshu Tai was centered on agriculture, and it did nothing else but promote agriculture.

After doing this for so many years, Gao Yun still refuses to give up, as if he is determined to fight against "hunger" to the death. Many people in the court think that Gao Yun has inherited the family tradition to some extent. Is he crazy?
After so many years of farming and sericulture, the land distribution has been done very well. The people now have land to farm, and that's enough!

Why continue to interfere?
Do we still have to teach farmers how to farm?
You know, too much is as bad as too little. As a government, it is enough to allow farmers in the country to have land to farm.

Several officials looked at each other but did not dare to say these words out loud.

In the past, those who questioned the agricultural policy were called "ignorant of state affairs and unworthy of great use" by Gao Yu, and were directly transferred out of the Shangshutai.
While Gao Yu was still speaking, the soldiers outside the door shouted, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Many officials in the hall stood up in panic, and Gao Yun also stopped talking and stood up to greet them.

Sure enough, the next moment, Liu Taozi strode into the house.

Gao Yu led everyone in paying homage to him.

"I'm just here to listen, please continue."

Liu Taozi said something and sat aside. Zu Ting stood behind him, looking down at Gao Yin.

Gao Yin looked at the officials in front of him and was about to tell the story again, but suddenly stopped and looked at Liu Taozi.

"Has someone impeached me to Your Majesty?"

Liu Taozi did not hide it, "An official in Taichung wrote to me, saying that Gao Lingjun used agriculture and sericulture as an excuse to eliminate dissidents and place his own cronies. This accusation is very serious, so I came to see it myself."

Gao Yu was not afraid, nor was he surprised, he just felt a little disappointed.

"I know what people in Taichung think, but right now we should really focus on agriculture. Agriculture is not something we can just leave the farmland to the people."

"There are still many things that require the government's help."

Gao Yu suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, do you know that the manure from the pastures in various places can actually be collected and used for farming. This compost can promote agriculture. Hebei has the most pastures. It is a pity that these manures cannot be used as fertilizer!"

Liu Taozi was stunned for a moment, and he looked at Gao Yun in front of him again.

"Shit? Compost?"

"How did Gao Lingjun know?"

Gao Yu was helpless, "What I said is true. Many people in the country cannot understand what I want to do."

"Agriculture is the foundation of everything. Only with sufficient food can we do other things. The people will be prosperous and the country will be strong. This is not just about giving away land, but also requires multiple aspects."

"Hebei has many things that can be used for agriculture, in addition to pastures, there are also iron mines."

"Your Majesty, do you know how much effort a good hoe can save for the people? For one acre of land, the difference in time can be up to six days, depending on the quality of the tool, provided that only one farmer is employed! This is just one acre of land. What if it is forty acres or a hundred acres?"

Liu Taozi interrupted Gao Yu forcefully, "How could Gao Lingjun know all this?"

Gao Yin helplessly took out a book from his arms and put it aside.

"More than ten years ago, when I was serving as the governor of Cangzhou, I met a master among the people."

"That expert talked to me about the key to managing agriculture and sericulture, told me a lot, and gave me a copy of his own book."

"He is a wise man, but unfortunately, his reputation is not well known to the world. I want to keep him, but he has no intention of serving in the government."

Zu Ting hurried forward and brought the book to Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi took the book, flipped through a few pages, and her eyes couldn't help but widen.

"Which master are you talking about? His name is..."

"His name is Jia Sixie."

"He served as the governor of Gaoyang during the Wei Dynasty. After the establishment of Qi, he resigned from his post and traveled to Cangzhou, Qingzhou, Qizhou and other places, writing books and educating people."

Gao Yu introduced this 'not very famous' master very seriously, "Your Majesty, this man debated with me for a long time. He said that 'a strong country lies in agriculture', and all policies must be carried out around agriculture. There is no need to suppress other things, but they cannot be underestimated."

"At that time, I attached great importance to the equal distribution of land, and I thought it was the best agricultural policy in history, but he refuted me."

"He said that the government handing over farmland to the people to cultivate is only the most basic thing and cannot be considered agricultural policy. The real agricultural policy is to use the power of the government to help the people save more effort and get more results. This includes the distribution of farm tools, composting, new farm tools and so on. I learned a lot from him."

"Although this person's reputation is not prominent among many celebrities, he is truly amazing and talented!!"

Gao Yu tried very hard to persuade Liu Taozi.

Liu Taozi waved her hand and interrupted him again.

"I believe."

"Ok?"

Liu Taozi said with a serious face, "Is the master you mentioned still alive? Do you still have contact with him?"

Gao Yu recalled for a moment, then slowly said, "It has been ten years since we last contacted each other. He does have a few disciples, but I heard they are all in Guangzhou."

Liu Taozi looked at Zu Ting who was standing aside.

"Go find someone."

"If the person is no longer alive, then find his disciples and ask if there are any books or articles left by him."

"only!!"

Zu Ting saw how much Liu Taozi valued him and left in a hurry.

Gao Yu finally felt relieved. He said seriously, "These days, I have been trying to implement agricultural policies according to the contents of the book. For several years, mines in various places have been making farm tools with all their strength, increasing the number of iron farm tools and lowering their prices. This has been effective in various places. This year, the price of a good iron hoe in Pingcheng has dropped to 200 coins, which is three times lower than in the past!"

"These good agricultural tools have replaced the crude and inferior agricultural tools of the past, increasing efficiency."

"In addition, for those people who really can't pay anything and have just been granted land, I also ordered them to borrow money from the government. After the autumn harvest, they can repay according to the current price and pay additional grain."

There was some deviation between what Gao Yun wanted to do and what everyone thought. The officials in the court believed that agricultural policy should still be in the previous style, allowing the people to have land to farm and then focus their energy on other directions. However, what Gao Yun wanted to do was to continue to use the government as a help to improve agricultural policy in many aspects. He even classified animal husbandry into agricultural policy. He believed that the current herdsmen also needed guidance.

It's not just a matter of manure and oxen. In terms of proper breeding, the book left by the master once said that attention should be paid to the matching of male and female cattle, as well as various methods of preventing livestock diseases, etc.

Gao Yu has a great ambition. He wants to use the powerful grassroots officials in Hebei and the strong control over various resources to make the agricultural policy of Han break through the previous "enough" and fill the granaries everywhere with grain! !
The officials looked at Liu Taozi secretly.

"Gao Lingjun, please continue to do it."

"Don't hesitate."

“Never mind impeachment.”

"Don't even mention that it took you five years. Even if you took ten or fifty years, I wouldn't object."

"If you can save the country from hunger, I will build a temple for you."

Gao Xin was still as calm as ever.

"It would be great if we could find that noble man."

“He should build a temple.”

(End of this chapter)