In the shed, Xia Mingyue kept a small stove for burning coal in winter. It was convenient to sit around the stove, eat hot pot, or boil water and make tea.
Next to it, a rattan chair made of bamboo strips and a stone table are prepared, where you can enjoy the coolness, drink tea and watch the stars at night in spring and summer.
As for the remaining open spaces that were originally vacated, all the attachments on them were removed and returned to the original flat land. They were still surrounded by green bricks inserted into the ground to serve as small vegetable gardens and small gardens.
While it is not completely frozen at this time, dig out this small piece of land with a shovel, level it with a rake, and plant garlic seedlings, spinach, and coriander...
Xia Mingyue was busy happily, but a northwest wind blew from the horizon.
The northwest wind brought a strong chill, turning the originally sunny and warm weather into a cold winter overnight.
The temperature dropped sharply, and even the water tank in the yard had a layer of ice in the early morning.
Along with this layer of ice came a notice from the county government.
It was a notice from the imperial court to collect grain.
But the collection was not in vain, but the court provided money to purchase grain from the people.
The price of purchasing grain and grass is set at 10% higher than the price of buying and selling grain in the market, in order to encourage people to sell the surplus grain at home.
The people were naturally very excited about being able to sell grain at a price that was 10% higher than the market price, but at the same time they were also talking about it.
The imperial court purchased grain from the people. This was the first time for a young lady to sit in a sedan chair.
What its purpose is is really curious.
"I heard that this is the idea of the Ministry of Household Affairs, to buy surplus grain from the people and hoard it. If there is a famine somewhere in the coming year, there will be enough food to go to the disaster relief."
As soon as this statement came out, it was immediately echoed by many people.
After all, except for the granaries set up in county and government offices in each place for emergencies every year, the imperial court had no other place to store food.
But in the event of drought, floods, etc., most of what the court can allocate is money, and grain needs to be purchased from grain merchants and transported to the disaster area.
At that time, food prices usually skyrocketed due to disasters, and many merchants who controlled the food business raised prices, making a huge fortune for the country. With the support of aristocratic families behind them, the court was helpless.
The same amount of money will buy less food, and the disaster relief effect can be imagined.
But if you use the method of storing food, it will be different.
In years of good harvest, surplus grain is purchased at a relatively low price, stored and kept, and taken out when needed. For the court, this can be regarded as reducing the cost of disaster relief and being able to allocate more grain. Help more victims.
"This is a good idea. It will prevent you from being hungry even if you have money."
"Yes, this way the court can provide disaster relief in a more timely manner. After the money is allocated, it will take a long time to buy and transport food."
"This idea is excellent, but if you hoard food like this, it will be very easy to spoil over time. If all the food you take out is moldy and insect-eaten, what should you do?"
"You have thought of it, and the Ministry of Revenue has also thought of it. If the grain cannot be used for two years, it will be sold to outsiders, or consumed as a reward. At the same time, new grain will be replenished. This way, the quality of the grain can be ensured. When the time comes, it will be available. The food that comes out is all new and will not go moldy or spoil. ""So, there is nothing wrong with it..."
"Why is it that what I heard is completely different from what you said?"
"What do you mean? Did you hear something else?"
"I heard that this harvest of grain is not because the Ministry of Revenue is using it for disaster relief, but because now that winter has arrived, Jin Weiguo's combat power has dropped significantly, so the imperial court wants to take advantage of this time to fight a few more battles and capture a few more places. The city, so I want to purchase food from the people for the war effort!”
"According to what you say, this harvesting of food is just for fighting?"
"Real or false?"
"I don't know if it's true or not. Anyway, I heard that this is the case. Is it true or false? I'll just have to wait and see in the future to find out?"
"Also..."
The imperial court purchased grain from the people. In order to fight a few more big battles, the news that Jin Wei was defeated in one fell swoop gradually spread from the people's mouths and reached the military camp.
Fan Honghui, "..."
How come he doesn't know about this?
Could it be that there was another commander in the Western Frontier Army who had already decided on this matter and reported it to the court, but the emperor agreed without informing him at all?
"They say the rumors are nonsense, but now I realize it." Fan Honghui joked with a wry smile on his face.
Lu Qiyan on the side laughed, "Commander, don't you think this rumor comes just in time?"
"You mean..."
Fan Honghui paused and raised his eyebrows, "Let Jin Weiguo feel that we are planning a new tactical layout, so that he will be alert and then fearful?"
"That's right." Lu Qiyan nodded, "Now the two countries have been at war for many years, which has wasted people and money, and is a huge burden to the court. This is true for our country, and it is also true for Jin Weiguo."
"For our dynasty, if we rest and recuperate for a few years and then expand our territory, we can still accomplish great things for the emperor, without causing complaints among the people and destabilizing the government."
"For Jin Weiguo, years of war have consumed a lot of national power. The dignitaries in North Korea and China are also very opposed to another war. They hope to stop the war as soon as possible, open up trade between the two countries, and live in peace and stability."
"It can be said that both our country and Jin Weiguo have reached a critical moment. Both sides want to cease the war, but no one dares to speak first. Otherwise, they will be cowardly and seek peace, both in terms of status and momentum. If you lose to the opponent, you will be very passive when negotiating peace, and you will not be able to get any advantage.”
"Now there happen to be rumors that we are preparing for war, then we might as well make use of these rumors to make Jin Weiguo think that our national strength is still strong, not only can we maintain a long-term war, but even if Jin Weiguo is really destroyed, we are bound to win."
"In this case, Jin Weiguo will definitely be afraid of this and will carefully consider whether to continue the war. If..."
If Jin Weiguo completely stopped the war and asked for peace, then the Zhou Dynasty could go down the slope and negotiate a temporary peace, and gain the absolute initiative in negotiating a peace.
Excellent strategy!
Fan Honghui couldn't help but nodded, "What you said is true. Jin Weiguo also has a lot of spies near the border. If he hears these rumors, he will naturally report them truthfully. Then let's just add some more firewood to make the fire even bigger!" (End of chapter)