Zhao An, a junior official, was very angry that Qu Zhen actually dared to attack Liu Yu.

He thought that these two guys, who had been beaten to the status of drowned dogs by Da Song, shouldn't hide in their turtle shells and wait for Da Song to knock on the door?

He actually became a guest!

"Since they are dogs, how can they make their own decisions?" Xiao Cheng explained with a smile as he squatted beside Zhao An on the edge of the field. "If the dog owner wants them to go east, they have to go east, and if they want them to go west, they won't.

If they dare not go west, what else can they do besides flapping their ears and wagging their tails? And this time, it is obvious that the people in charge are the Liao people, so they are even more out of their hands."

Seeing Xiao Cheng put his hands next to his ears and shake them, Zhao An couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"If you don't do good things, you will end up being a dog!"

"There is nothing we can do. Some people are relatively mean!" Xiao Cheng said: "Last year there was a warm winter, and this year the whole north was hit by disaster. There was no rain for several months, and it has become a fact that the harvest was poor or no harvest. On the contrary, the situation in our south

It's much better. Even in some places that were also affected by drought, because of early prevention and the widespread use of water conservancy projects, the harvests were not affected too much."

"There's no harvest in the north, so they're going to rob us?" Zhao An said angrily: "If they were like us and built water conservancy projects and dug deep wells early, how could there be no harvest?"

"That's what robbers are like." Xiao Cheng nodded.

The truth is of course not that simple.

It's not that Qu Zhen and Liu Yu don't know the importance of these things, it's just that they can't do them on a large scale.

The army of the Song Dynasty was pressing down on the border, threatening their survival at all times. They had to maintain a large number of troops to ensure their own safety. As a child government, they did not dare to disobey the requirements of the father of the Liao Kingdom, and they should hand over what they should.

Tribute cannot be less than a penny.

And where will the large amount of money required for this come from?

Naturally, we can only scrape the ground.

I know that this is just drinking water to quench my thirst, but what else can I do?

I can only dream about defeating the Song Dynasty in one fell swoop and stabilizing the military situation. In the coming year, maybe everything will be fine.

When the internal conflicts accumulate to a certain level, they must find a vent to let out the hostility. Otherwise, it will be like a powder keg. Once it explodes, it will blow them to pieces.

War is the best way.

If you can win, then all problems will be solved.

It is obvious that the south has not been affected much by the drought.

In the south, even those areas above the border are rapidly returning to their former prosperity.

so,

Go grab it.

This robbery also received strong support from Yelu Zhen, King of Zhennan of the Liao State. Tens of thousands of Liao troops were divided into two groups to assist Qi and Zhao in fighting respectively, which made Qu Zhen and Liu Yu more courageous.

In fact, Yeluzhen was also worried that if Quzhen and Liu Yu did not help this time, especially the Quzhen regime, once they collapsed, it would cause a chain reaction, which would be detrimental to the rule of Daliao.

Like the original Hebei Road, the resistance to the rule of the Liao Kingdom has never stopped.

If the Song army really defeated Qu Zhen and took back the old capital of Kaifeng, wouldn't the rebels everywhere be as excited as if they had been given a shot of chicken blood?

"If you don't fight, the hungry people can tear them apart. If you fight, there is still a slight possibility of winning, so naturally I have to take a gamble!" Xiao Cheng said.

"It's really difficult to keep everyone fed!" Zhao An suddenly sighed: "The statistics you showed me a few days ago, master, really surprised me. We have worked so hard, why are we still here?

There are so many people who don’t have enough to eat?”

"The days are getting better day by day." Xiao Cheng said: "No matter how bright the sun is, there are still shadows that cannot shine!"

Pointing to the yellowing rice in front of him, Xiao Cheng continued: "Isn't it estimated that the Anmin No. 2 cultivated by you can exceed 500 kilograms per mu this year? As long as this kind of work continues,

If we continue to do this, the yield per mu will increase steadily, and more and more food will be produced every year, and naturally there will be fewer and fewer hungry people."

"Of course, I will breed more and better varieties."

"It's not just rice seeds!" Xiao Cheng said with a smile: "Under your leadership, not only the Agriculture Department, but also agricultural officials from all over the country have started a trend of cultivating high-quality seeds.

New varieties of wheat, sorghum, millet, etc. have come out this year. Not to mention anything else, the Chinese cabbage that Sinong Temple focused on cultivating last year can be grown on a large scale this year. One Chinese cabbage can produce four or five crops.

It weighs a lot!"

"Food is the most important thing for the people. As long as there is food, most of the world's affairs will be determined!" Zhao An said excitedly: "Master, I think that whoever cultivates new varieties and good varieties, the court should not hesitate to reward them.

.”

"This is natural." Xiao Cheng nodded and said: "If you want money, give money, if you want an official, give an official, if you want a title, give a title, as long as they can come up with something that satisfies us."

Zhao An laughed happily, stretched out his hand to pinch a few grains of rice, and rubbed it vigorously in his hands. Although he was not old, he was very skilled in doing these things. He carefully observed the fullness of the rice.

, nodded with satisfaction.

"Master, I heard Minister Yang talking about the pioneering group in the southwest two days ago. What's that about?" Zhao An asked, chewing a few grains of uncooked rice in his mouth.

"The so-called pioneering group is actually a private armed force organized by some wealthy gentry. They go deep into the south to seek wealth!" Xiao Cheng pointed to a pavilion not far from the field and said: "Guan family, let's go there and sit and talk.

.”

When they returned to the pavilion and sat down, Liu Fengkui had already prepared drinks for the two of them to quench their thirst and relieve the heat.

Taking a sip of the sweet and sour drink, Liu An asked puzzledly: "I remember that the master has always hated the private ownership of armed forces. In his early years in the southwest, he mercilessly attacked those local armed forces.

of."

"In China, it is illegal for them to have private armed forces, and they must be vigorously attacked and eradicated." Xiao Cheng said leisurely: "But outside the country, there is no such restriction. After all, our laws in the Song Dynasty still exist.

It can’t be controlled outside the country.”

Liu An seemed to understand somewhat.

What the master probably means is that you can harm others, but you are not allowed to cause trouble in the country.

"The pioneering group began to appear last year." Xiao Cheng said: "For two reasons. The original plan of me, Luo Gang, Cen Zhong and others was to prepare for a three-way alliance to explore the Annan area, but I didn't expect that.

This great war between the Liao and Song Dynasties put all our plans in ruins. The troops originally prepared to go south had to be transferred north and became the main force to fight against the Liao Kingdom and the puppet Zhao and Qi."

Zhao An nodded: "There is nothing we can do about it. If it weren't for the master's prompt decision, I'm afraid that even half of the country we have now would not be able to save it."

"Guan family, as a result, the situation in Annan that we have been managing for several years will be destroyed in one fell swoop." Xiao Cheng was a little disappointed: "The few Annan agents we originally supported saw the Song Dynasty being destroyed by the Liao Kingdom.

Defeated, we moved all the way north. They no longer had any pressure, but they made a decisive decision and betrayed them. All agreements with us were voided, and they even turned back and swallowed up all our local interests."

"Damn it!" Zhao An was furious.

"Yes, but in the past two years, we really couldn't spare any time to deal with them." Xiao Cheng said: "So we had to let it go. Even in the past two years, the imperial court did not have the energy to explore further south. Because

We cannot afford a defeat."

"So there is a pioneering group?" Zhao An suddenly wondered.

"It's not just that!" Xiao Cheng continued: "The political reform, military reform, and tax reform of the imperial court have, to a large extent, deprived a considerable number of people of their fundamental interests, and these people,

In the past, it was the foundation of the big tree of the Song Dynasty. But now and then, the foundation of the past has now become a resistance for us to move forward. If we really want to uproot it, it is not impossible.

But if you do this, you will still hurt yourself."

"So we want to divert trouble to the east? Give all this anger a place to vent?" Zhao An asked.

"Yes, these forces have money and people. We will give them a way out and a name to let them explore and conquer outside." Xiao Cheng said: "As long as they get it outside, we will recognize it as theirs.

Legal income, and protected by the Song Dynasty."

"How do we protect ourselves abroad?"

"Just leaving an excuse!" Xiao Cheng explained: "In this way, if they are bullied outside, when we recover and have more strength, we can use this excuse to intervene."

"Are there many pioneering groups like this?" Zhao An asked.

Xiao Cheng looked at Liu Fengkui.

Liu Fengkui smiled and said: "When I return to my official home, as far as I know, there are now a total of 28 pioneering groups, organizing nearly 5,000 people to pioneer in the south, not just Annan, but also Siam.

In fact, there are still people who go to Bagan by sea, going to Java, Ryukyu, Japan and other places, but the requirements for pioneering groups at sea are higher, and so far, there are only four or five."

"So many?" Zhao An asked in surprise: "But Chief Assistant, wouldn't it be better if these people stayed in the country and dealt with the Liao Kingdom together?"

"If they stay in the country, they are a disaster." Xiao Cheng said: "But if they go outside, they may be heroes! The officials asked me earlier why I knew that many things were done by the company and others.

But why did I tolerate it? Actually, this is the reason."

"I know that master is willing to endure for the sake of the country."

"That's not entirely the case!" Xiao Cheng said: "Even if these people are sick lions, they are still lions. If you make them anxious, they are really going to bite. We are absolutely unprepared.

Although I am absolutely sure of winning because of internal strife, this will push back our Northern Expedition by at least ten or twenty years. Compared with this price, I would rather take a step back."

"Is this also the reason why you let the company retreat completely?"

"It's not just the company, but also people like Liu Mingyi!" Xiao Cheng said. "Now, the power they have in their hands has spread outwards. They have gained wealth. In fact, our Song Dynasty has gained wealth. .Because they have money, they still have to go back to the Song Dynasty to spend and enjoy it. After grabbing supplies, they still have to sell them to the Song Dynasty. Even if they rob people, only the Song Dynasty can eat them!"

"Robbing someone?"

"That's right!" Liu Fengkui added on the side: "They plundered people outside and then trafficked them back to the Song Dynasty. Now our Song Dynasty is in the southwest and still lacks a large number of people and labor. We want to move there from the places with a large population in the south of the Yangtze River. , but with little success. The mines, plantations, workshops, and even wasteland settlements there all require a large number of people."

"Eunuch Liu said that too politely!" Xiao Cheng said: "The answer is actually very simple. If you hire people from the Song Dynasty, the salary and other rights must be guaranteed, even if they are sent there because of crimes. , they are also people from the Song Dynasty. But these people who were kidnapped from outside did not have a household in the Song Dynasty. In the eyes of the mine owners and plantation owners, they were not considered human beings, they could only be regarded as big animals, and they only needed to be fed. , won’t this cost come down all at once?”

"It's harmful to Tianhe!" Zhao An showed an unbearable look in his eyes.

"That's all we can do now!" Xiao Cheng said: "After we succeed in the Northern Expedition, we will naturally have to go back and deal with this kind of matter. In the official family, things have priorities and priorities."

Zhao An nodded silently.

"The official family, like the batch of fragrant rice shipped to Jiangning last winter, was brought back from Bagan by the pioneering team, traded at the border market, and then shipped all the way to Jiangnan. The price of the fragrant rice shipped all the way is only the same as that of Jiangning. Our local rice is at the same level!" Liu Fengkui said.

"Why so cheap?"

"Because these products from the pioneering groups were snatched by them without any cost!" Liu Fengkui said: "Every penny we pay them is a net profit for them."

"We don't care if they are wearing helmets and armor and are fully armed outside. They are bandits!" Xiao Cheng said: "But as long as they enter the territory of the Song Dynasty, they must remove their armor and discard their swords, put on robes, put on Confucian crowns, walk and sit Respect the etiquette of the Song Dynasty while sleeping."

"Will they cause trouble? After all, they were forced out by you, master."

"At first, there might have been some resentment, but now, I'm afraid I'm too happy to miss Shu!" Xiao Cheng laughed: "Besides, although these people will unite outside, they will still scheming among themselves and the interests will be unevenly distributed. , when they return to the country, there will be even more ties, and they will not be able to make big waves. Moreover, Eunuch Liu’s Imperial City Department and the Zhiqiuyuan of the Supervisory Yuan have been keeping an eye on them. If there is any bad trend, They will be extinguished immediately."
Chapter completed!