Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

"Zeng..." Yin Wencai paused, "Old man Zeng. Don't be nervous. I called you here this time just because I have some questions to ask you."

Answer the grown-up questions!

Zeng the elder became even more nervous, his mouth slipped, and he said directly: "Sir, just give me your answer, I will definitely ask you carefully!"

"Puff——" The people around burst into laughter instantly, and someone even said, "Old Zeng, you must ask carefully!"

Now, let alone his hands, Old Man Zeng didn’t even know what to do with his feet!

Yin Wencai automatically corrected his words in his mind and asked patiently, "Old man Zeng, can you grow food easily on this land? How is the yield?"

There are fewer crops in the field now, and Yin Wencai can't tell what the land is like, but he vaguely remembers that the crops on this land grew particularly poorly when the canal was dug.

There must be a reason, maybe... it's the reason he thought!

Zeng was no longer so nervous when he heard this. He rubbed the ground with the tip of his shoe and said sadly, "I don't know if this piece of land is affected by the rocks over there. Every time we plant crops, they grow well, but after a long time, the roots of the crops will rot. Some of them are not even ripe yet... We can only dig them up and eat them as soon as possible."

Yin Wencai was not worried but happy when he heard this, and looked directly at Shen Zheng.

Shen Zheng understood his intention and squatted down to pick up a handful of soil.

"The soil..." Shen Zheng tilted her head slightly and used her fingertips to feel the soil. "The soil is relatively moist, and it is difficult for rainwater and water vapor to penetrate into the ground..."

Her words were just to the point, and Yin Wencai and Liang Fu understood at the same time.

"There's something underground!"

This place is quite far from where they were just now, but there is still a stone mine underground!

This was great news for Yin Wencai. He had lived for decades and felt that today, like the day he went to Tongan County, was the happiest moment of his life.

Shen Zheng nodded, "The soil quality is not the main issue. The main issue is that this old man Zeng said that the crops grew well when they were first planted, which corresponds to the properties of feldspar, and further supports our guess."

The feldspar here is potassium feldspar, which is rich in trace elements such as potassium and silicon. If used in moderation, it can curb soil acidification and improve soil quality. As a result, the growth of crops will surely be gratifying.

But there is a saying that "too much is as bad as too little", and this is also true now.

A large amount of potassium and silicon leads to an excess of elements in the soil. When the crops first arrive, I feel that the soil smells so good! I breathe in the air!

But after a long time, the crops will not be able to bear such a rich element - they can't absorb it all, they can't absorb it all, why are they still giving...

If this continues, it will become what old man Zeng said - rotten roots.

Yin Wencai couldn't suppress a smile on his face. He stepped forward and supported Old Man Zeng's shoulders, saying, "Old Man Zeng, this piece of land is useful in the county. How about buying you another piece of land to plant?"

In fact, when the county government reclaimed farmland, it did not even need to ask the farmers for their opinions.

This moment is not like Shen Zheng's previous life.

In the past, whether it was land or homestead, if it was said to belong to the people, then it belonged to the people. Even if officials came, they had to negotiate and compensate according to the amount that should be compensated.

But the cultivated land in Da Zhou was different.

Not to mention arable land and wasteland, even a small stone in the ground belongs to the government. Giving the land to the people for farming is called "distributing arable land."

The allocated arable land cannot be given away or sold. If the owner of the land is no longer around, the land will be taken back by the government and redistributed.

To sum it up in one sentence, farmers only have the right to cultivate the land, not the right to own the land.

In fact, from their conversation just now, Old Man Zeng guessed that there was something under the land.

Are you curious?

curious.

Are you moved?

Still... I'm a little moved.

Do you want to have it all to yourself?

In no mood.

Because he would never think about it, or he dared not think about it.

Not to mention whether it is useful to throw a tantrum and act like a scoundrel, what is the use of him being old and getting away with a little bit of corruption? Can he rely on his family to keep it together?

Besides, he still wanted to live a good life in Baiyun County for his retirement! Why bother thinking about things that were not his and disappointing the county magistrate?

"I am willing." Old man Zeng looked at the land under his feet that he had cultivated for most of his life and had asked the village head for it countless times in order to exchange it, and he felt a little reluctant in his heart.

"I dare to..." He lowered his head and asked in a low voice: "Lord Yin, there is something underground... right? Can you fulfill my wish and tell me quietly, what is underground?"

It was because Yin Wencai was too nice to them on a daily basis. He had some authority on the surface, but he had never really taken any action against them, so Old Man Zeng dared to ask such questions.

Yin Wencai was stunned for a moment, looked around and said loudly: "The ground is made of rocks!"

People inside and outside the city all heard this.

"Stones?" The people immediately reacted and pointed at the small hills in the distance and asked, "Sir, are these the same stones as those there?"

"That's right." Yin Wencai nodded in acknowledgement.

He had thought about informing the people directly in advance, because he and Lord Shen had come here specially today and would be mining soon, so the fact that these stones were a mine could not be concealed for long.

He might as well have said it directly: "It was only when Lord Shen came today that I learned that this stone is useful."

"hiss--"

As soon as he said this, the people were stunned by the news.

"Useful? This piece of rocky ground has been there since I can remember. What use can it be?"

The implication is - if this stone is really useful, why would it have been left here to endure the wind and rain for who knows how many years?

Yin Wencai kept it a secret: "It's not gold or silver treasures, but Lord Shen wants to make a new object that can use this stone."

"Wow - it turns out that Lord Shen discovered this when he wanted to make something new! What new thing is it? If it weren't for Lord Shen, we would never know the use of this stone until we die, right?"

The people looked at Shen Zheng in admiration. The scene was noisy for a moment, and Yin Wencai clapped his hands.

"Mr. Shen is a great benefactor of our county. As for the specific use of this stone, you will know it later. That's why I have said it in advance. From now on, no one is allowed to mine this stone privately. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished according to the law!"

Ordinary people are afraid of the government and the laws. After all, they have heard that some government offices can behead people at will, and the blood can splatter three feet high.

As soon as they heard it, they nodded and said, "Don't worry, sir. Even if you tell us that these stones are useful, we don't understand. There is no use for us to dig them out. We will never dig stones privately!"

Yin Wencai nodded and continued, "I will send people to guard it and also send people to explore the area. If there are stones under the fields..."

"We understand!" Without waiting for him to finish, the people said, "Don't worry, sir, we can just change the land to grow crops!"

The people were sensible, and the government saved itself a lot of trivial matters. Yin Wencai thought of the large amount of land in the county, and took the initiative to promise: "If anyone takes the initiative to exchange land after discovering the stone, he will be rewarded with one cent per mu of cultivated land."

One piece of land!

One mu of land may not sound like much, but it can actually produce enough food for a family for half a month!

When the people heard this, they could no longer sit still and ran to their own farmland, praying in their hearts: "There are stones, there are stones..."