Three Kingdoms

  Chapter 981 Returning to Pingyang

  Pingyang City.

Today's Pingyang City seems to have become a torch held high in the north of the Fen Plain. Whether it is the red Pingyang City Wall or the torches and lanterns lit at night, it attracts countless businessmen, refugees, poor families, and even nobles. Like moths to a flame, they gather here.

With the dredging of the old Pingyang canals with good irrigation in the surrounding area one by one, the potential of farming in this area was quickly tapped and developed. Although the output of each field still needs to pay taxes and rent, but Because on the one hand, there are raw horses or retired war horses for deep cultivation, and on the other hand, jujube has continuously improved farming technology during these times, and the yield per mu is much higher than that in other places. few.

  Agriculture in the Han Dynasty was extremely backward, and the degree of backwardness was far beyond Fei Qian's imagination.

  The yield per mu of Dahan is generally about three shi per mu, and good fields can reach four to six shi. Of course, there are also bad fields, which can't even reach one shi per mu.

  Hanmu is much smaller than that of later generations. The mu of later generations is 666 square meters, while the mu of Han is only about 465 square meters, which is less than 70% of the mu of later generations.

It seems to be good. Some brick experts in later generations even said that the yield per mu in the Han Dynasty could be two to three hundred catties. Units, but still subconsciously use the weight units of later generations to convert, so there is a feeling that the yield per mu in the Han Dynasty is almost the same as that in the late Republic of China.

  So where did the farming evolution of one or two thousand years go?

   But actually?

  Han stone has two uses. One is used for weight, which is divided into baht, two, catty, jun, and stone. Twenty-four baht is tael, sixteen tael is a catty, thirty catties is a jun, and four jun is a stone. The Han Jin is probably less than half of the later Shi Jin, which is about two hundred and forty grams.

  The other one is used for capacity, such as 龠, He, Sheng, Dou, and Dendrobium. One dendrobium is equal to one stone. One is equal to two, and the rest are decimal.

   When used in grain, most of the time the capacity unit is used for calculation.

   This habit has been maintained until later generations. Even in the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, statistics were still made by capacity, saying that the harvest was three to five buckets more than the harvest, not three to five catties...

   Therefore, in fact, the productivity of the Han Dynasty was actually quite low.

If one mu of Han land must be converted into the weight unit of later generations for calculation, the yield per mu is usually only about 120 jin. The area around Pingyang was already a piece of fertile land as early as the Western Han Dynasty. , It is also recorded in the Records of the Historian, "Through the canal to divert Fen, irrigate Pishi and Fenyin, and divert the river to irrigate Fenyin and Puban, the degree can be 5,000 hectares. If the 5,000 hectares are exhausted, the river needs to be abandoned. Shepherding the middle ear. Now irrigate the fields, and you can get more than 2 million stones of grain.” In addition to Zaozhi’s continuous efforts in farming and mulberry, the farmland near Pingyang can basically be reaped from future generations for one mu. About one hundred and eighty catties.

Because of this, although for the people of later generations, the output of several tens of catties is nothing, but for the farmers of the Han Dynasty now, it means that they can produce more than ten catties, or even just a few catties more The surplus of food, with wild vegetable bran, can eat another month or two...

  So Zaoyi's identity in Pingyang, especially in the eyes of the surrounding farmers, is even more resounding and noble than Feiqian.

However, this is naturally what Zao only deserves, especially when those farmers come outside the Pingyang government office with woven straw baskets, holding some fruits or some millet, just to give these things to others. Zaoyi, expressing his gratitude to Zaoyi is enough to prove Zaoyi's reputation in Pingjing.

  In Pingyang, not only is agriculture developed, but also the development of commercial trade is also promoted.

  With the increasing number of business transactions, the original trading market in the city was overwhelmed, so it was directly moved to the east and west of the city, and a huge east-west market was established outside the two city gates.

Pingyang East City, facing the east direction, is also close to the original municipal and restaurant areas in the city, so in Pingyang East City, it generally sells items that are biased towards Han, such as a wide variety of cloth, lacquerware, pottery, etc. Wait, there are also some luxury goods for sale, even if you want the top-quality green salt from Qingzhou, the best tea bricks from Wujun in Yangzhou, and brocades as expensive as gold in central Sichuan, you can find them all...

In the market place at the west gate of Pingyang, there are mostly Hu people, so the products from Hu land are the main products. In addition to cattle, sheep, furs, etc., there are also some daily necessities such as clothes, candles, cakes, and medicines. Common people most often go to the market place to buy replacement items.

With the continuous development of trade, a few hours during the day can no longer satisfy the increasingly large business system. As a result, in the two east and west markets of Pingyang, the first two-shift trade model appeared, with scattered transactions during the day and also caravans. Negotiations were conducted on bulk goods, and bargaining was made to reach an agreed time. At night, it was time for loading and unloading, inventory and delivery. Because it was outside the city, it did not disturb the residents much, but it promoted the development of some lighting equipment.

   It is precisely because of business and trade that the city of Pingyang always wakes up very early. It seems that the hustle and bustle of last night has not dissipated, and when it is still lingering in my ears, a new day has arrived, and a new busyness has begun.

Normally, people in the Han Dynasty ate from 7:00 am to 9:00 am. However, due to the development of commerce and trade in Pingyang County, caravans were already ready to set off as early as Mao, so even the first wisp of cooking smoke in Pingyang All came earlier than other local cities.

  Spring has passed quietly, and summer is coming one after another. On the streets of Pingyang, it seems that it has entered the ever-increasing summer, and it looks like a thriving scene.

  As the first ray of sunshine shone down in the morning, the flow of people on the street gradually increased. At the main intersection of the neighborhood, there were crowds of people with colorful sleeves. The shops along the street opened the curtains, and waiters or shop assistants stood outside to greet and solicit business; the farmers and woodcutters outside the city carried their own things and didn't know how to greet them, just squatting on the side of the road, ignorant Fat or thin businessmen all have the same expression, smiling and arching each other's hands and bowing to each other, politely, cautiously and sensitively testing each other's words...

  For the gentry, things are even more complicated. Seeing that the temperature is getting higher day by day, the winter clothes should be put away, and the silk, satin and silk clothes that were originally stored should be taken out to blow air and incense; the ice cubes stored in the hoard last winter should also be dug out to save temporary It takes time to wait for it to be used; the sun is gradually lengthening, so various summer banquet invitations are gradually arranged in the summer afternoon, and at the same time, it is also necessary to calculate the distance between each other, and choose according to the changes in the government and the opposition. Give up or make some friends...

Inside the several restaurants in the city, it is even more lively. The first floor is basically a little more affluent, and the city residents in kudzu clothes sit around long tables, sit on mats, and drink a bowl of thin wine. , Eating two pieces of pickled cabbage, talking nonsense, just trying to have a good time, is also comfortable.

   Those court battles, those swords and swords seemed to be far away from them. What they thought about was the bowl of wine in front of them, and the few cards in their belts. Most of these city residents are the first group of people who migrated to Pingyang, and some of them are even the people who were brought by Baibo back then. For these people, the life in front of them is like a heaven, beautiful and dreamy.

However, on the second floor of the restaurant, it was much cleaner. Merchants, large and small, were sitting scattered. If someone wanted to sell goods, they would bring some small samples and put them on the table. Naturally, they would come forward, and the two of them negotiated in low voices, whether it was successful or not, with a friendly face, and it was rare for someone to jump and get angry.

However, on the third floor of the restaurant, the conversations were completely different. When the temperature gradually rose in summer, one thing was finally conveyed. En Jiafeng is now the general of Zhengxi, and the food city of Pingyang!

  Although he is only a Tinghou, he is a real hero of Pingyang!

  The earliest Marquis of Pingyang was Cao Can, the Marquis who inherited Xiao He's aspect, and one of the famous heroic Marquis in the early Han Dynasty.

  The Marquis of the Han Dynasty can be roughly divided into four categories: hero marquis, prince marquis, foreign relative Enze marquis, and clan marquis. Among them, the Prince Hou and the Clan Hou are enfeoffed with the same surname, that is, the blood of the Liu family, but the Clan Hou usually made a mistake for some reason and came down from being a king to a Marquis, so they are in the lowest series of Marquis.

  Honor Hou and his cousin Enzehou both have different surnames, but the status of Gongchen Hou is higher than that of his cousin Enzehou, even more noble than Prince Hou.

This kind of honor is not only reflected in the people who are entrusted in the world, but can even extend to heirs, just like Cao Shen, the title of Marquis of Pingyang has even become extinct, and it is still necessary to find a person of adjacent blood to inherit it, and then after the heir is extinct again. It's all in the end, which shows the specialness of the hero.

Therefore, when Fei Qian was conferred on the west and the news of Pingyang Tinghou gradually spread, these sons of the gentry from Hedong, Xihe, Shangdang, Taiyuan, and even Guanzhong, the rich and right people in the countryside, could not sit still and huddled with each other. There was a lot of discussion. Now that Feiqian's army has returned from Guanzhong and is about to arrive in Pingyang, how should the sons of the gentry who are relatively close to the court now face the newly appointed Pingyang Pavilion? Hou, has become a very real problem before them.

  This question is also very troublesome for Wang Chen...

  The Taiyuan Wang family has plummeted since the death of Wang Yun, the mainstay. Under the sorrow, anger and grief of the old man Wang who controlled the entire Wang family in Taiyuan, he could not bear the attack of aging and was bedridden after all.

  Wang Yun's two sons, the eldest son and Wang Yun, were buried together in Chang'an. The second son, Wang Jing, was originally not in good health, but after such a sudden change, he couldn't afford to be ill...

  Taiyuan Wang family, such a huge family that has been operating in Bingbei for more than a hundred years, of course, will not be without an heir, but this heir is Wang Hei, the eldest grandson of Wang Yun, who is currently studying in the academy. Wang Hei is currently young, so he asked Wang Yun's nephew Wang Chen to come to accompany him, but the pillars of the Wang family in the family fell down again and again, which gave Wang Chen an excellent opportunity.

   Now is the time to prove yourself.

Wang Chen looked at the thumb-sized earthenware bottle on the desk table, his eyes drifted a little. Even if someone discovered what he did before, he could turn around to some extent, but this step in front of him was about to go out. There is no turning back!

  Wang Chen stretched out his hand silently, pinching the thumb-sized ceramic vase in his palm. He also knew that what he was going to do might not be very glorious, but since he had the opportunity, he couldn't just give up like this!

  Just when Wang Chen made up his mind, suddenly there was a burst of noise from outside the courtyard, and it seemed that someone was shouting loudly: "I'm back! I'm back!"

  Wang Chen trembled in fright, let go of his hand, and the clay bottle in his palm fell to the table, rolling towards the edge with a rumble. With a hasty pounce, Wang Chen grabbed the clay bottle and almost fell to the ground.

   "What's back?" An excited voice came from the backyard, and Wang Hei ran out, dancing and shouting, "Is General Zhengxi back?"

The servants outside just came to report that it is true that General Fei Qian of Zhengxi is about to arrive, and even the soldiers in the school grounds in the north of the city have already lined up, and teams have been dispatched to maintain order in and outside the city. …

"Uncle!" At Wang Hei's young age, it is time to admire heroes like Fei Qian who fought on the battlefield the most. When he heard that Fei Qian's class master had returned, he immediately turned his head to look at Wang Chen, with an expression of wanting to go out and have a look. beyond words.

  Wang Chen pretended to be nonchalant and hid the little pottery bottle in his arms, smiled a little, and said, "Okay...okay, take a look, just take a look..."

  Wang Hei jumped up for joy, and ran out in big strides, followed by several servants and guards of the Wang family in a panic.

  By the time Wang Hei arrived at the city gate, it was already overcrowded, but the gentry children still had some privileges. An area outside the city gate was surrounded by guards brought by the gentry children. Several students from the academy in the circle recognized Wang Hei, and quickly waved their hands, and gave up a space in the circle, so that Wang Hei would not have to be crowded with Mudlegzi.

  Before Wang Hei thanked him, he heard another commotion around him!

   I saw layers of smoke rising in the distance, and I saw that Fei Qian's troops were about to arrive!

  In a blink of an eye, everyone suddenly fell silent, and everyone stood in awe, waiting, waiting...

When a three-color flag was raised in the smoke and dust rising in the distance, when Fei Qian's figure appeared under the three-color flag, outside Pingyang City, on both sides of the road, the people who came to welcome them finally broke out. There were bursts of high-pitched cheers, the sound was like layers of waves, surging, surging, rushing across Pingyang, across Bingbei, and along the vast sky and land, spreading in all directions, just like It will continue like this until the end of the world!

The history of production in the Han Dynasty has been preserved for a long time and is relatively less complicated. In addition, ancient literati like to use approximate numbers, so the calculation is actually very inconvenient. For the data in this article, refer to Mr. Yang Jiping’s "Re-discussion of the Han Dynasty Mu System, Mu Yield—Discussion with Mr. Wu Hui", Yang Jiping published this article in "Research on Chinese Social and Economic History", Issue 2, 2000, and those who are interested can check it out by themselves.

  (end of this chapter)