Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

Counting the time, I have stayed at Mrs. Shen's house for six days.

Affected by the living environment, the father and son's schedules automatically adjusted.

I have a mobile phone but no battery.

Even oil lamps cannot be kept lit because they consume too much oil.

There is a lack of entertainment activities in the evening, and I usually go to bed around ten o'clock.

The next day, I got up with the morning light, helped with some farm work, and had dinner around nine o'clock.

Work, read, tutor children in their studies, and eat around five in the afternoon.

After taking a short rest, we started telling stories and ended at eight or nine in the evening.

Fulfilling?

No, it's boring!

Ju Ming decided to find something to do. He got up this morning, washed up, and came to the courtyard with his sword.

The sword does not need to be unsheathed, and the sweater wrapped around it has not even been removed.

He held the sword in both hands and stood empty-stepping.

Then he landed on his feet and slashed the sword. His empty step turned into a lunge. He rotated his wrist, turned his body slightly to the left, lifted the sword out, then tilted it, and then pointed it forward. When he withdrew the sword, he changed back to his empty step.

This goes on and on, one sword flower after another.

"What are you doing?" Zhu Guoxiang stood under the eaves.

Ju Ming replied: "Practice sword."

Zhu Guoxiang asked curiously: "Is this the only way to come and go?"

"I don't know anything else," Ju Ming explained carefully, "and this is not a sword move, it is more like a gun practitioner shaking a big gun, exercising the coordination of the whole body muscles and the basic control of the sword. This is When I first bought the sword, the seller sent me a video to teach me. I never had time to practice, so I picked it up and gave it a try now."

"How do you feel?" Zhu Guoxiang asked.

Ju Ming played for a while, thought about it carefully and said: "It can indeed exercise the coordination of the muscles of the whole body. Every time you dance the sword flower, you need to cooperate from the feet to the waist, and then to the hands. Especially the waist. Don't look at the hands dancing with the sword. In fact, waist strength is the key.”

Zhu Guoxiang commented: "It doesn't look good at all when dancing. It's not even as good as the swordsmanship of the old man in the park."

Ju Ming was speechless and said: "How can I compare with the old man from the park?"

"Then you practice slowly." Zhu Guoxiang helped Shen Yourong feed the silkworms.

Ju Ming was not practicing blindly there. Every time he swung the sword, he was realizing where the power came from.

The strength on the feet, the strength on the legs, the strength on the waist, the strength on the back, the strength on both arms, the strength on the wrists... All the forces need to be coordinated and combined, otherwise not only the movements will be awkward, but also the feeling of drawing the sword will be uncomfortable.

This is the most basic training method for sword wielders.

It's like those who practice kung fu are doing the horse step, those who practice spear are shaking the big gun, and those who play basketball are learning to dribble.

As for training some exquisite moves, I'm sorry, Ju Ming hasn't reached that level yet.

As I practice, my whole body becomes warm.

Even though the range of movement is very small, the muscles in the whole body are actually being mobilized. Even if you don't use the sword to kill people in the future, this thing can still be used for fitness.

After Silkworm's breakfast was done, Mrs. Yan stayed at home to do farm work, while Shen Yourong took Zhu Guoxiang into the mountains.

"This large tea farm belongs to Mr. Bai's family," Shen Yourong said while standing on the hillside. He continued walking for half an hour. After passing the tea farm, he added, "This forest also belongs to his family. Outsiders are not allowed to come in and cut down trees. Chopping wood.”

Zhu Guoxiang nodded and said, "No wonder we have to walk so far to chop wood."

In the early Tang Dynasty, the imperial court suppressed land annexation, and most of the mountains, forests, lakes and lakes were shared by the common people.

After the mid-Tang Dynasty, the tax-yong modulation completely collapsed and had to be replaced by the two-tax law.

The Song Dynasty also followed the two tax laws and completely liberalized land sales. Moreover, local infrastructure construction is left to the private sector, with local officials only playing a coordinating and guiding role.

As a result, local tyrants spent money on infrastructure construction and took advantage of the opportunity to occupy mountains, forests and lakes. They built farmland around lakes and turned public lakes into private farmland. They built dams and dug canals to obtain nearby water rights, and people had to pay water fees for watering crops.

On the whole, the country's infrastructure has developed rapidly and agricultural productivity has also increased significantly. However, the control of local governments by powerful powers has been strengthened unprecedentedly.

The mountain forest that Shen Yourong pointed to is actually a common property of the villagers, and the Bai family has no relevant land deeds at all.

However, the forest belongs to the Bai family. Anyone who dares to go in and cut it will be responsible for all the consequences!

Zhu Guoxiang asked: "Are there no streams or springs on the mountain?"

The father and son decided to reclaim wasteland and build houses there. Whether they were farming or living, they needed a stable water source. After all, the mountains were too far away from the river banks.

Shen Yourong said: "There are streams, waterfalls and pools. It is also occupied by the Bai family. There are many tea farmers living nearby, who grow and make tea for the old Bai family."

This is a bit embarrassing. Places suitable for human life and production either belong to the Bai family or have been occupied by villagers. The father and son wanted to open up wasteland, but they couldn't find a suitable land!

Come to think of it, if there is a good place, it will be your turn?

The locals are not stupid.

If you want to find good land to open up wasteland, you have to go back to the lower reaches of the bandit village. But it was too far from the market town, even further from the county seat, and there was a bandit den nearby.

Zhu Guoxiang asked again: "What is the price for buying land?"

Shen Yourong said: "Paddy fields that can grow rice cost about two or three guan per acre. Some very fertile paddy fields can be sold for three or four guan per acre. Dry fields that can grow wheat cost one or two guan per acre. Only millet can be grown. Mountain land with grains, millet, and hemp can be purchased for up to a thousand dollars or even a few hundred dollars per acre. Forest firewood is even cheaper, and one acre can be purchased for one or two hundred dollars."

It was quite cheap, so Zhu Guoxiang decided to sell the brush and buy a piece of land.

There is no need to buy that kind of good land. It is estimated that the landowner is unwilling to sell, so he can just buy mountain land or forest.

Shen Yourong added: "The prices just mentioned are not higher than those from the government."

"Private sale!" Zhu Guoxiang said in surprise.

Many fields in the Song Dynasty were hidden fields and did not pay taxes to the government. This is true for big families, and it's the same for small people. What's more, when buying and selling land, taxes are still levied when the ownership is transferred to the government.

Therefore, they often buy and sell privately, only signing white deeds (illegal sales contracts) that are not recognized by the government.

This kind of white contract can be overturned at any time, and the transaction depends entirely on credit and each other's strength.

Take Shen Yourong's family's more than 20 acres of land, for example, nearly a quarter of it is hidden land. Although there is no land deed and it is not recognized by the government, as long as the villagers recognize it, they all know whose land it is.

When Cai Jing ordered the country to clean up farmland, the magistrate of Xixiang County cleared a large number of hidden farmland for political achievements.

Unfortunately, it went too far, and the barren hills were registered as fertile farmland. At that time, the country was in chaos and farmers rebelled in Xixiang County. Xinzhi County took over the mess and defaulted to collecting taxes according to Qingtian's previous book.

As a result, there are more private hidden fields!

"Hey, there's a pavilion over there." Zhu Guoxiang pointed to the distance and said.

Shen Erniang said: "It was built by Mr. Sanlang of the Bai family. There is a spring next to the pavilion. Mr. Sanlang named it 'Lingquan' and often made tea and drank tea with his friends in the pavilion."

Zhu Guoxiang smiled and said: "It's quite leisurely."

…

After only half an hour, Ju Ming completely mastered the sword practice method.

The jerkiness gradually faded away, I got on the right track, and my speed became faster and faster.

After all, this was just basic training. After practicing for an hour, Ju Ming decided to change his approach.

There is no teacher's guidance at this moment, Zhu Ming must explore on his own.

He used the mulberry tree in the vegetable patch as an imaginary target, and repeatedly swung his sword to make false strikes, coming and going in one slashing motion.

There are also things to pay attention to when chopping. How to mobilize the strength of your feet, legs, waist, back, arms, and wrists to make the sword come out faster, to make the sword come out with the least effort, and to achieve the most accurate landing point. These must be explored during training. . There is even an advanced version, which allows you to draw the sword like an arm and use your fingers, control the force, and retract and release it freely.

There are no shortcuts, just keep training every day.

After practicing so hard that he was sweating all over, Ju Ming finally stopped to rest and led the horse for a walk in the yard.

The skinny horse was too weak, and even after several days of recovery, it still couldn't run quickly. I can only take a walk every day, which is equivalent to doing step-by-step rehabilitation training after a serious illness.

"Little scholar, where are you walking your horse?"

A farmer came home from work and deliberately walked around here with a hoe.

Ju Ming patted the horse's neck and let it go on its own. He turned around and said with a smile, "Hey, it's Brother Ang. Are you going home for breakfast?"

The farmer said: "There is not much work in the fields today, so we have to finish work early."

"Brother Angkor is really good at his work." Ju Ming also learned to say flattery.

After talking nonsense like this, the farmer finally explained the purpose of his visit: "Little scholar, is your throat feeling better? We left after a short talk last night. Today we have to talk for a long time."

He actually took out a bamboo tube and said: "This is the loose tea saved by my family. I steamed it myself. Zhu Xiucai used it to nourish his throat."

"Thank you Brother Ang for your concern." Zhu Ming smiled and went to pick up the tea.

The storytelling has been going on for several days, and Havoc in Heaven has long been finished.

Ju Ming's "Journey to the West" belongs to a collection of TV series and novels, and he will tell whichever one is pleasing to his eyes.

During the riot in the Heavenly Palace, the Jade Emperor was not so frightened that he got into the table because Ju Ming thought it was too intellectual. What could he hide from with a table? Therefore, it was changed to the Jade Emperor hiding behind the Queen Mother, and a grown man still needs a woman to protect him.

It's very outrageous to scare the Jade Emperor like this, but it's so cool!

It was a kind of pleasure that defied authority, and contained a deep meaning. For example, the villager is Sun Wukong, who overthrows the Bai family's rule in the village, and even overthrows the corrupt officials in the county.

Of course the villagers don't understand, or even think about it, but they can empathize with Sun Wukong.

And during the Jingkang period, if "Journey to the West" can be spread, people all over the world will know who the Jade Emperor is alluding to.

After telling "Havoc in Heaven", the villagers listened to the story more enthusiastically, and the number of people increased. Those who come early can still enter the small courtyard, but those who come late can only stand outside the courtyard, listening to the dark sound of Sun Wukong showing off his power.

The farmer left after delivering the tea, and Ju Ming continued to walk his horse.

He also asked Grandma Yan who was cooking and borrowed some salt and beans to supplement the horse's nutrition and condition its body.

At about ten o'clock in the morning, Zhu Guoxiang and Shen Yourong finally returned.

While the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were setting out the dishes, Zhu Guoxiang gave a general explanation of the situation: "The places with water sources have long been occupied, so we can only buy land. Forests and mountains are very cheap, but only if others are willing to sell."

"We have to trouble that Third Master Bai and trick him into selling a few acres of land." Zhu Ming thought seriously.

"This is the only way." Zhu Guoxiang said.

Zhu Ming suddenly winked and nuzzled in Shen Yourong's direction: "There is another way. Dean Zhu, sacrifice your appearance and marry Mrs. Shen directly. We don't want her family's property either. We just open up the land as a test field. This is better than finding a way to marry Mrs. Shen." It’s much easier for the Bai family to buy land.”

Zhu Guoxiang said angrily: "Don't talk nonsense. The rumors haven't been completely suppressed. If I marry Mrs. Shen, won't the rumors be confirmed?"

Zhu Ming said: "Whatever the rumors are, do you think the two of us will live in a ravine for the rest of our lives? When we become prosperous, the villagers will only envy Mrs. Shen and say that she is lucky enough to marry a good man."

Zhu Guoxiang didn't say anything anymore and actually considered the matter seriously.

Ju Ming laughed and said, "Dean Zhu, you turn out to be really evil!"

"Get out!"

Zhu Guoxiang finally found out that he had been fucked by his son.

After everyone had breakfast, Zhu Guoxiang went to teach the children the "Three Character Classic".

Seeing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law taking out several bamboo baskets to clean and dry, Zhu Ming couldn't help but ask: "What are these bamboo baskets for?"

Grandma Yan explained: "The vernal equinox is coming soon, so we have to rush to pick the vernal equinox tea. The tea farmers on the mountain are short of manpower, and the village neighbors down the mountain have to help."

"Will you be paid?" Zhu Ming asked.

Grandma Yan said: "You give me money and you take care of the food. A nimble person can earn twenty or thirty cents a day. A clumsy person can earn ten or eight cents a day."

For farmers in the mountains, there are not many opportunities to make money.

If you earn thirty cents per day, you can buy seven or eight kilograms of rice, and it is the most expensive white rice.

If you replace it with brown rice and grains, how many days of rations will it take?