Liu Xin had dinner at noon and walked towards the north gate. At this time, the village owner invited all the retainers and generals of the Zhang family, as well as the heads of each village. There must be important matters to discuss. It was the first time for Liu Xin to participate in such a meeting.

But I dare not be late.

Although he has built a village, its strength is at most the size of a small village. It may be because he has a pork business with the village that the village owner invited him.

Zhangjiazhuang has thousands of acres of fertile land in the north of the city, with hundreds of servants and thousands of tenants. Its strength is far beyond what Liu Xin can match. Moreover, Zhangjiazhuang has connections with many big businessmen in Donghu Grassland, Liaodong, and Zhongshan County. The amount of money it makes every September

Millions. To be able to occupy the western city of Zhuoxian County and convince the entire aristocratic families in the city. How could it be possible without strength?

There are not many people going out of the city in the north of Zhuoxian County, but there are quite a few people dragging their families into the city. Every time they see such a person, the city guards will check carefully. They will not let you enter the city unless you can give them ten coins.

When Liu Xin left the city, he saw a piece of withered and yellow land. Most of the crops in the field had lost their greenery. Most of them were withered and yellow. Only the middle root system could be seen that they were not completely dead.

Some people in tattered clothes wandered around the fields in groups, looking for the ears of wheat that had not yet grown. When they saw someone passing by, they begged a few times in the hope of getting a bite to eat.

Passers-by avoided them. Faced with so many victims, the city guards could no longer drive them away, as long as they did not enter the city.

Arriving at Zhangjiazhuang, Liu Xin saw that there were some fields where crops were growing well. These were the result of people constantly carrying water from wells for watering. It would be considered good if one person could water two acres of land a day, but the prerequisite must be you.

The land is next to the well.

Arriving at the gate of Zhangjiazhuang, Liu Xin looked at the Zhang family compound again. There were more than 20 acres of land and three courtyards. The outer courtyard was occupied by the servants, and there were more than 40 houses in total.

In the middle courtyard, retainers, generals and the Zhang family lived, and there were about forty or fifty houses.

Liu Xin walked into the inner courtyard of Zhangjiazhuang and saw that the houses here were tall. Most of the houses were built with fired bricks, and there were several wooden buildings carved with various patterns. The Zhang family was stronger than the big families in the city.

It's a little worse, but compared to Liu Xin's Qilin Villa, it's more than a hundred times better.

There were many people standing outside the living room of the main house. Most of these people were very old. They were discussing the drought together. Liu Xin saw that his father-in-law, Wang Qingxun, was also there.

"Liu Xin!" Wang Qingxun shouted when he saw Liu Xin.

When Liu Xin walked over, no one else paid attention to him. The relationship between the villages outside the city was also complicated, and not everyone could blend in if they wanted to.

"Uncle Wang, have you also been invited by the owner of the village?" Liu Xin asked.

"Well, maybe the Lu family sent a letter to the owner of the village, and the owner invited us to come over to discuss the drought," Wang Qingxun said.

Liu Xin nodded after hearing this. They can't talk too much here. The more they talk, the more trouble they may cause. Liu Xin has stocked more than 5,500 stones of food in and outside the city. There may not be as much food in Zhangjiazhuang as he does, so just wait and see what happens.

.

After waiting for a while, about 30 people came to the yard. At this time, Zhangjiazhuang Zhuangzhuang's retinue came from a distance.

Everyone saluted Zhang Hu together. Zhang Hu said a few polite words to everyone and then entered the living room. After Liu Xin followed everyone into the living room, he saw Zhang Hu sitting on the main seat in the living room. Several retainers and generals of the Zhang family were sitting on the seats.

Next, everyone else can only stand.

"I invite you all to come here today. I have something to tell you.

Everyone knows about the drought this year. Most of the fields and villages have withered by now. Even if it rains now, the yield in the fields this year will be reduced by more than 70%.

The food problem is now the biggest problem in our Zhuo County. This year, our county's Lord Gongsun is fighting Wu Heng's army in You Liaoxi County, consuming tens of thousands of grains every month. The Lu family is determined to save the people of Zhuo County, but the imperial court orders

It is irreversible, the Lu family can only first guarantee the food expenses for the county magistrate to suppress the rebellion in western Liaoning." Zhang Hu said to everyone.

The retainers and generals of the Zhang family did not speak, and it was impossible for others to speak. At this time, Zhang Hu continued.

"The Lu family asked each aristocratic family in Zhuo County to count their own grain and grass in a rural pavilion outside the city. If there is insufficient food, they can borrow some from the Lu family first. Each aristocratic family and Zhuangzi can use their shops and fields as collateral.

Every rural village must ensure that no one who escapes appears among its servants and tenants. If any villager appears, he will be punished.

The reason why I called you here today is to talk about this matter. You are all important members of Zhangjiazhuang. If you don’t have enough food at home, you can tell the villager. The villager can lend you some food first. The Lu family’s words are already here.

, we cannot have a single refugee family in Zhangjiazhuang."

Zhang Hu said that everyone felt heavy in their hearts. Not to mention that the county magistrate Gongsun Zan went to western Liaoning to quell the rebellion. The Lu family asked the Zhuangzi to borrow grain and did not allow refugees to appear in Zhuo County. Isn't this an obvious plan to annex the Zhuangzi land outside the city?

In this way, Zhang Hu called everyone together. He did not tell everyone whether the food in the village was enough. He only said that he would lend food to everyone and asked that no refugee appear in Zhangjiazhuang.

"Master, let's borrow grain from the village, but do we need a mortgage?" a village chief asked Zhang Hu.

"If you borrow a small amount, you don't need to mortgage it. Depending on the size of each family, a family of 8 can borrow 2 shi of coarse grains a month." Zhang Hu replied.

So everyone understands that the owner of the village is still as kind as ever. For a family of 8, 2 shi of coarse grains a month can ensure that the family does not starve to death. If you want more, you have to mortgage it. Everyone is very happy to hear this.

.

"The weather has been so hot this month and the ground is cracked in many places. I think there is little chance of rain in May.

Even if there is rain in June, the crops in the fields will be almost dead. Each of your families must use grain sparingly. If the grain grains in the fields are not harvested this year, you will have to wait until September next year to harvest.

Oh, let's just endure it! Build more sewers if you have nothing to do, and don't worry about food this year. Don't provoke refugees from outside the city. The number of refugees outside the city will increase in the future. Everyone pays attention to safety." Zhang Hu said.

.

When Liu Xin and Wang Qingxun came out of the Zhangjiazhuang Courtyard, they saw that someone had already registered to borrow grain. Although the borrowed grain did not need to be mortgaged, it would have to be repaid in the future. A dou borrowed this year would have to be repaid at least 2 dou next year.

When he arrived at the city gate, Liu Xin saw the city guards leading hundreds of people to repair the city wall. The place where Liu Xin climbed over the wall before had been repaired. These people were all serving as corvees this year. They worked during the day and went home at night.

, the government does not care about food, or even the working tools.
Chapter completed!