Frost for a Thousand Years

The main camp for the Huai County military settlement was in Jianxing, but the emperor's temporary palace was in Huaiyang, the hometown of Song Shi'an. Therefore, the military settlement ceremony was held about ten miles away from the temporary palace.

After disembarking, the emperor moved to the Song residence.

The remaining officials lived in some relatively spacious and comfortable houses that had been newly built near the ceremony.

It was equivalent to a hotel, and had dedicated soldiers for security.

Of course, important figures like these wouldn't entrust their security to others; their core bodyguards are still their own.

However, these officials were on a publicly funded trip, so everyone was in a very relaxed state, and they were all greatly surprised after seeing Song Shi'an's approach firsthand.

Complete military-civilian integration.

Each village was evenly divided into several settlements, which conveniently covered the area of ​​land it was responsible for cultivating, minimizing the distance for working and harvesting.

At the same time, it also ensures that almost no arable land is wasted.

"It saves time and effort on the journey, and the irrigation ditches are crisscrossed and neatly arranged like a chessboard. When irrigating, you only need to open the gaps in the field ridges..." An old official couldn't help but praise, "Even in the past, if one was a little diligent, it was indeed not a problem for one person to cultivate ten mu, but that was calculated for adult men. Now, including women and children, each person can cultivate ten mu, which has greatly increased grain production."

Upon hearing this, Song Shi'an smiled.

"Moreover, each household in the village has planted more than a dozen mulberry trees in front of and behind them, which makes it very convenient for women to raise silkworms and weave cloth in their spare time," an official added.

“My lord,” Song Shi’an explained, “it is not about raising silkworms or weaving silk.”

"What does this mean?" the man asked.

The others also looked at Song Shi'an with curiosity.

“Silkworm raising and weaving are separate,” Song Shi’an explained again. “As you can see, the women in this village are all responsible for silkworm raising. In the neighboring village, they are all responsible for weaving.”

"How much can production be increased by separating the work like this?" someone asked curiously.

“Fifty percent.” Song Shi’an stretched out his hand and said with a smile.

"What about working hours?"

"constant."

"Is that so?"

Fifty percent of the production capacity was increased by establishing assembly line operations!

Everyone's eyes lit up when they looked at Song Shi'an.

Assembly lines sound simple, but they really are a very simple invention.

Just as the invention of the container led to a qualitative leap in the development of shipping, so too did the invention of the container lead to a qualitative leap in the development of shipping.

"By unifying things in this way, it will not only be easier to calculate wages, but also to collect taxes in a unified manner. This is a brilliant plan to replenish the imperial treasury."

No sooner had this person finished speaking than an official from the Ministry of Revenue suddenly said, "I understand, those merchants can use it here too."

"what for?"

“Is that so?” said the official from the Imperial Household Department. “There is silk available locally, and female workers are everywhere. Moreover, those merchants are all skilled craftsmen. Ordinary silk is far less expensive than embroidered silk. We can directly take over the business with them, solving both production and sales in one go. In the end, we can also offset the debts that the government previously owed them.”

After hearing this, everyone suddenly understood.

No wonder those merchants were willing to stay even after being cheated by Song Shi'an, who was from the state of Qi.

If the government is trustworthy, then this is indeed a place to make money.

No one in this world who can be a 'meat eater' is a fool.

"Lord Song".

Yu Xiu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who was currently serving as Song Shi'an's father's deputy but belonged to Ouyang Ke's faction, asked, "How were the business deals with the merchants negotiated?"

This is something that everyone cares about.

Song Shi'an's purpose in establishing military settlements was to enrich the people and strengthen the army.

“Lord Yu.” In response, Song Shi’an explained, “The government initially promised them that the grain they temporarily borrowed would be settled at the market price before the land reclamation, and the wages for participating in the land reclamation would also be paid in full after the reclamation was completed. Therefore, we had a contract with some merchants to allow them to use silk at a cost 30% lower than the market price to offset the wages.”

“In that case, in addition to recouping their initial investment in grain, these grain merchants will also make a profit.” Yu Xiu nodded and then added, “But 30% is not a small amount.”

“Your Excellency is wise,” Song Shi’an explained with a smile. “Therefore, the amount of silk each person can exchange for is limited. As for the remaining wages, we have already negotiated with the wealthy farmers and merchants in Huai County; we can sell them grain instead.”

“Brilliant!” Yu Xiu nodded seriously. “In this way, merchants will all make a profit, the government’s debts will be paid off, and a large quantity of silk will be left. Even if it is sold at market price, it will still be a considerable source of tax revenue.”

As long as the accounts of central and state-owned enterprises can be settled, it's a highly sought-after business.

Of course, the risks are significant for the general public.

Because the ability to pay the bill is quite uncertain.

This is why the merchants fled en masse after Eunuch Lian arrived.

No one could believe that a dead eunuch would be held responsible for this.

And the result was that he really did become a 'dead eunuch'...

"Truly a masterpiece of genius."

After seeing this model, everyone was filled with respect for Song Shi'an.

"It is indeed ingenious to come up with these methods, but more importantly..." an old minister said succinctly, "to be able to command 500,000 people with order, high morale, and such trust in the government, is truly rare. This is what makes him a peerless national hero."

"Yes, yes, a peerless hero."

Suddenly, everyone started praising Song Shi'an lavishly.

"Thank you all for your kind words, I am not worthy of such praise." He could only smile and change the subject, saying, "At this time of year, the carp of Huai County are tender, bouncy, and delicious. Because of the Grand Ceremony of Settling Farms, I have had many caught and raised in ponds. You gentlemen are in for a treat today."

Upon hearing about food, everyone couldn't help but shed tears.

"Great, great, this is all thanks to Shi An."

"Where's the fish? And the wine?"

"Besides the wine, what about the yeast?"

"It's all nothing." Faced with everyone's teasing, Song Shi'an said quite humbly, "It is an honor for Huai County and for Shi'an that you gentlemen have come to Huai County to give guidance. Naturally, we should treat you to a grand banquet."

"Don't be modest."

An elderly man, deeply moved and filled with admiration, said, "We are truly fortunate to witness such a prosperous and peaceful nation, a time of great prosperity and abundance."

.........

"This Song Shi'an is truly a genius. Only by seeing it with my own eyes can I truly appreciate his respect and admiration."

The Prince of Jin and the Prince of Zhongping sat together in the carriage, enjoying the scenery along the way, and spoke.

"Second brother, this has really made fourth brother proud," Wei Yiyuan said with a smile. "You probably didn't expect Song Shi'an to become so talented so quickly."

"Do you ask your fourth brother if he wants it?" Prince Jin directly countered his teasing with a question.

"That's true, even Ji Yuan couldn't have imagined it." Wei Yiyuan really couldn't blame the Prince of Jin for this, because these absurd things were beyond anyone's comprehension.

Who could have imagined that just the year before, the whole country was struggling to make ends meet during the Lunar New Year due to food shortages?

And just one year later, five million mu of land yielded a bumper harvest.

"If things can continue like this, then next year we might be able to send troops to Ji Yuan on our own initiative," the King of Jin analyzed.

"Such chaos was easily quelled within a few days of his arrival." Wei Yiyuan's tone gradually became serious. "Second brother, didn't you see? When the officials from Sheng'an came to Huai County, they acted like guests."

Previously, Huaijun belonged to Sizhou, and Sizhou belonged to Dayu.

But now, can Sizhou really govern Huaijun? Song Shi'an has become the master of this land, just like the Northern Liang has become to An Sheng.

“But Song Shi’an doesn’t seem like the right person, so this military settlement project won’t work,” said the Prince of Jin.

At this moment, Wei Yiyuan leaned over and whispered, "On this eastern tour, Zhao Yi led 5,000 elite imperial guards, with 2,000 stationed at the Song family residence and 3,000 directly guarding the military agricultural settlement ceremony. In the center, Jia Guihao, who has gradually expanded from the military agricultural settlement army to the county soldiers, also has 10,000 men."

"This is a normal arrangement, after all, His Majesty is here." Although Prince Jin said this, his mind was already wandering.

The total number of troops stationed for farming was indeed nearly 50,000.

However, ten thousand of them were commanded by Jia Guihao.

The entire central area will be defended.

The two core elements within the center are like double-yolk eggs, controlled by the Imperial Guard.

The remaining 40,000 troops were scattered around outside the central area, engaged in harvesting.

In other words, now is the best time to completely control Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng.

This is the best opportunity to strip them of their power.

but!
Someone would do something like that unless they're crazy.

"Second Brother, let's talk about something more cheerful," Wei Yiyuan joked. "What gift do you have to offer Father for this grand ceremony?"

At this point, it would indeed be the best opportunity to cure An Sheng directly, but the possibility of that is basically zero.

If we really do that, then the Great Yu will be crippling itself.

“I went to the southern kingdom and found some treasures, as well as an embroidered robe made by your sister-in-law,” said the Prince of Jin.

“Not bad.” Wei Yiyuan nodded.

"You must have something that would make Father Emperor quite happy, so just say it." Prince Jin saw through Wei Yiyuan's attempt to show off at a glance and said speechlessly.

“A surprise.” Wei Yiyuan raised a finger and said with considerable confidence, “You’ll find out when the time comes.”

"Ah."

…………

"Your Excellency, this is a letter written by His Highness Prince Zhongping. Please take a look."

In a large house, the troupe leader of the "Journey to the West" opera troupe, along with a group of people, presented a handwritten letter to a eunuch with both hands.

Program schedule.

The ceremony was actually just a gala.

The gala will definitely have many programs, and every official can submit their proposals, but they may not be approved.

As for those who report personally by the prince, there's no need to say more, since they are family.

After looking at the program application form, the eunuch carefully examined the people and, seeing the boxes, asked, "Are all these things needed?"

"Reporting to you, sir, the costumes for the opera, the curtains, the gongs and strings backstage, and some other things needed on stage... I can't really explain it clearly," the troupe leader explained.

“These all need to be checked,” he said.

"Please go ahead, there's absolutely no problem."

“Your Highness’s gift to His Majesty is naturally no problem, but we are just following protocol.” As he spoke, he stared at the weapons in the hands of the strange men and asked, “These rakes, shovels, and clubs cannot be brought onto the stage.”

"Father-in-law, this is for the opera performance; we can't do without it," the troupe leader said urgently.

“That’s for His Majesty’s performance, so of course we can’t let them wield weapons. If they make a mistake, do you want my head to be split in two?” The eunuch was very principled and firmly disagreed.

"This, this, this..."

"If that doesn't work, then you can't perform for His Majesty either."

“Sir, yes, we can!” The troupe leader’s words made the 'actors' behind him very uncomfortable, but they were helpless and could only watch him negotiate with the eunuch. “But we can’t leave without this stick.”

“This stick can also be used as a weapon,” the eunuch said. “Of course we can’t bring it.”

“But Father-in-law…” Just then, the actor playing Sun Wukong interrupted, “If Sun Wukong doesn’t have the Golden Cudgel, how can he defeat the White Bone Demon three times?”

"Do you have any right to be nosy?"

The troupe leader reprimanded him directly, but then looked at him with hope.

At this moment, a young eunuch next to the old man covered his mouth and leaned over: "Your Excellency, you really can't fight without the Golden Cudgel."

The old man frowned, thinking of the Prince of Zhongping's reputation, and then looked at the stick in the monkey's hand.

Compared to the rake and the shovel-like staff, it was indeed far removed from weapons.

"Okay, except for this stick, no one else is allowed on stage."

.........

After escorting the emperor to his residence and giving him his instructions, the crown prince went directly to the camp for the "Grand Ceremony of Settling Farms".

It was afternoon.

Basically, all the officials had been arranged, so Song Shi'an and Wei Wusheng were able to personally receive the Crown Prince.

The three of them met in the lobby.

The Crown Prince sat in the seat of honor, with Wei Wusheng and Song Shi'an on his left and right respectively.

"This land reclamation is the greatest sight I have ever seen." The Crown Prince could not hide his joy and said excitedly, "After this, our Great Yu can be said to have gotten rid of the predicament of insufficient food and money, and turned danger into safety."

"Your Highness," Song Shi'an replied with a smile, "the grain is sufficient, but only enough to keep us fed and clothed. We have a little more money, but we haven't become wealthy."

“I understand what you mean,” the Crown Prince said calmly. “This land reclamation is just the beginning, and it will continue.”

"As long as the Crown Prince trusts me, Shi'an is willing to continue expanding the military farms, so that Your Highness's northern expedition will be without any worries," Song Shi'an said firmly.

These words, coupled with that sincere look in his eyes, were spoken with great sincerity.

Regardless of what he really thinks.

But what he expressed was his unwavering and devoted loyalty.

From another perspective, it means he doesn't back down.

"Shi An, you are my peace of mind."

After the crown prince gave his affirmative praise, his expression gradually became solemn. Before they could speak, he said, "But the troubles in the north have arrived."

"Your Highness, how is it?" Wei Wusheng asked curiously.

"Ji Yuan has dispatched his troops."

The crown prince looked at them and said earnestly.

Actually, all three of them knew about this.

But they have to pretend 'I don't know' and 'I know you don't know'.

Therefore, the shock and silence at this moment are very carefully considered.

"really."

Then, Song Shi'an said indignantly, "I knew it! That old scoundrel Ji Yuan still has the heart to kill me!" (End of this chapter)