I

The "Cotton Field Suppression Order" has already been implemented. It does not force anything, but only slightly increases cotton field taxes.

At the same time, if there is a natural disaster, the preferential policies for cotton fields will be halved. That is, due to natural disasters, taxes on grain fields are completely exempted, while cotton fields are only 50% tax-free; taxes on grain fields are halved, and cotton fields are only 25% tax-free.

Except for northeastern Jiangxi, cotton can be planted freely!

In recent years, northeastern Jiangxi, which is subject to drought every year, is the best cotton-producing area in Jiangxi.

The quality of the cotton produced there is comparable to Shandong cotton, and the water-powered spinning machine is a waste of material. The cloth must be spun and weaved manually, and it is directly woven into fine cotton cloth, which is many times more expensive than coarse cotton cloth.

The Jiangxi Provincial Government is located in Nanchang, and Ouyang Zheng, the chief envoy to the left, and Huo Tao, the chief envoy to the right, made a special trip to Ji'an to report on their work.

Ouyang Zhizi reported on the last agricultural development plan: "In view of the situation in the province, various departments of the provincial government believe that in terms of agriculture, we should focus on the development of tea, cotton, tung oil, ramie, and tobacco leaves. Especially ramie and tobacco leaves!"

"Tell me in detail." Zhao Han nodded.

Ouyang Zheng analyzed:

"There is no need to go into details about Jiangxi tea. It was famous all over the world during the Han and Tang Dynasties. Businessmen valued profits over separation. The month before last, they went to Fuliang to buy tea. "Pipa Xing" talks about Jiangxi tea. There are many mountains in Jiangxi, so it is very suitable for growing tea."

"Jiangxi is one of the four major cotton-producing areas in the country. Cotton should be planted, but it is best to only plant it in northeastern Jiangxi. The number of cotton fields in other areas of Jiangxi must be suppressed."

"Tung oil and tobacco leaves are better grown in Southern Gansu. There are mountains all over there, and there is no harvest from growing food. Southern Gansu can also develop tea mountains, but tea mountains, like tung oil, take shape slowly, and it takes several years to harvest. Therefore, tung trees , tea trees are planted slowly, there is no need to rush, tobacco leaves can be promoted quickly. "

"The main crop promoted in Jiangxi should be ramie..."

Jiangxi was one of the four major ramie-producing areas in the Ming Dynasty. This thing is not very picky. As long as the wasteland matures, it can be planted casually on the hillside, and the economic benefits will definitely be far greater than sweet potatoes.

Moreover, the large water-turned spinning wheel was originally used to spin linen yarn. Jiangxi is densely covered with rivers and ramie is widely cultivated. Even without improving the water-turned spinning wheel, it will be a perfect fit.

Ramie is mainly used to weave summer cloth, which is breathable and cool.

Now, all the bandages in Zhao Han's army are made of ramie and linen. Ramie fiber contains ingredients such as ammonium, purine, and pyrimidine, which has an inhibitory effect on a variety of bacteria. It also has antiseptic and anti-mildew effects. It is simply the first choice for medical bandages.

After the promotion of water-powered spinning machines, the most rapid increase in production last year was not cheesecloth and coarse cotton yarn, but linen!

Even Guangdong merchants buy large quantities for export to Southeast Asia.

Because Jiangxi grass cloth suddenly became extremely cheap, Zheng Zhilong purchased 20,000 pieces of grass in one go. The crew members particularly liked this stuff. It was cooler and more breathable than cotton. There was no need to worry about sales in Nanyang.

Ramie can also be used to make matchlocks for matchlocks, cables for sea ships, etc.

"Ramie is a good thing," Zhao Han nodded in approval. "Take your agricultural plan and go to the Department of Civil Affairs to contact Huang Zhang. Remember, agricultural development must consider supporting industrial and commercial development. The two are complementary to each other."

"yes!"

"Go ahead."

The two chief envoys left hand in hand.

Being the chief envoy under Zhao Han is not that easy. You must be familiar with the industry, agriculture, and commerce of the province.

In contrast, the chief envoys of the Ming Dynasty, as governors became the norm, the chief envoys who were supposed to be in charge of the provincial government affairs were directly reduced to the director of the provincial government general office.

Indeed, those chief envoys in the late Ming Dynasty, as soon as the imperial court sent governors or governors, they immediately became directors of the provincial general offices, and their actual power was not as good as that of the prefects below.

This situation is abnormal, but it was normal in the late Ming Dynasty.

Except for the Ministry of War, which is slightly better, Ming's cabinet, six departments, and six ministries are all dysfunctional!

If Emperor Chongzhen wanted to turn things around, he must first standardize the central departments and clarify the responsibilities of officials at all levels.

When Zhang Juzheng reformed, he also first reformed the court, reorganized the cabinet, six departments, and six ministries, and implemented a performance appraisal system. Otherwise, if the central government is in chaos, how can local reforms be implemented?

Chongzhen was just the opposite, taking the lead in disrupting the central government!

He placed eunuchs in the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Household Affairs, and directly crippled these two departments with a stick.

But there was nothing Chongzhen could do. The corruption in the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Household Affairs was outrageous. He didn't trust civil servants, so he could only send eunuchs there... Then, his greed became even more outrageous. The eunuch took a small amount of money first, and then the civil servants continued to be greedy.

After finishing a bunch of government affairs, Zhao Han glanced at the clock, stretched himself and went home for dinner.

Today, there are two places in the country that have the best watches, one is Suzhou and the other is Guangzhou.

Unfortunately, there is only an hour hand, not a minute hand or a second hand.

When Zhao Han was in Guangzhou, he summoned several watchmakers and asked them to research the minute hand.

It will take time to develop the minute hand.

Just like the chief ministers of Hunan and Guangdong provinces, it will take at least a year to fully understand the situation in the provinces. We should first formulate the province's agricultural plan, and then develop supporting industry and commerce. We should not develop indiscriminately against local conditions.

After walking back to the back house, the meal was ready.

The younger sister was having lunch at school, leaving only Fei Rulan and Pan Qimei. Both women have slightly bulging bellies and are both pregnant, and the time is relatively close.

"Husband, I can finish memorizing the Three Character Classic!" Pan Qimei said excitedly.

Zhao Han smiled and encouraged: "You are very smart. Keep up your efforts and learn numbers together."

Fei Rulan smiled and said: "Qimei is indeed smart. She learned the Three Character Classic very quickly, but she still needs more practice in writing."

They were pregnant together and couldn't run around, so they just stayed at home and studied all day.

Pan Qimei uses "The Three Character Classic" as a Chinese teaching material. Except for her weird accent, daily communication in Chinese is no problem at all.

The three of them chatted and ate.

Suddenly, the guard came to report and handed over a letter.

Zhao Han put down his chopsticks, chewed his food and opened the letter. After reading it, he said, "Let them come to the General Military Mansion at one o'clock in the afternoon."

"Yes!" The guard retreated.

To be honest, Zhao Han didn't have deep feelings for the eldest sister. After all, he hadn't met her since time travel.

"Ta, ta, ta..."

The pendulum in the office swayed and made a sound.

Five people, Xu Fengcai, Xu Nianzu, Wang Wei, Lin Xue, and Liu Rushi, have been waiting in the waiting room for a long time.

Secretary Tao Aizhi walked in: "Two Mr. Xu, please follow me, and the three ladies, please wait a moment."

The Xu brothers quickly followed. Xu Fengcai was a little nervous, but Xu Nianzu was extremely excited.

Finally, they saw Zhao Han.

Zhao Zhenlan is only in her twenties, and her brother is of course younger. The two brothers have long been mentally prepared.

"Meet Mr. Zhao!"

"Please take a seat, both of you."

Zhao Han was still very interested in a direct descendant of Xu Jie and a descendant of Xu Jie's younger brother.

The Xu family is a big landowner!

Xu Fengcai cupped her hands and said, "My third brother, Xu Zhiyuan, is in love with a woman. According to the younger brother and sister, her real name is Zhao Zhenlan, and she was separated from her younger brother Zhao Han in Tianjin."

"Then we meet, it's my eldest sister." Zhao Han said.

Xu Fengcai said: "The younger sister is now a concubine and lives alone with the third brother in a separate property. Apart from the younger brother and sister, the third brother only has his wife and no other concubines."

Zhao Han nodded and said, "I understand."

What kind of reaction is this?

Xu Fengcai felt increasingly uneasy. The Xu family really did not dare to divorce his wife. The head wife is also from a wealthy family. Once she divorces her without any fault, or because she fawns over Zhao Han, the reputation of the Xu family will be completely ruined.

Finally, Zhao Han said: "I will send a few people to bring the eldest sister and brother-in-law to Jiangxi."

Xu Fengcai sighed and felt lucky that Zhao Han had given enough face and planned to deal with the matter coldly first. As for the future, it is likely to be a reconciliation, or a divorce.

The Xu family still has time to do ideological work. Otherwise, what will happen if the third brother's first wife commits suicide after the divorce?

By then, it would not only disgrace the Xu family, but also affect Zhao Han's reputation.

"The matter is settled like this. You can handle the head and tail of the Xu family on your own." Zhao Han gave the order directly without discussing it with Xu Fengcai at all.

Xu Fengcai cupped her hands and said, "The Xu family will take care of it."

Zhao Han suddenly asked: "The Xu family has a lot of fields?"

The Xu family's land property is not only large, but the entire family's combined land is over one million acres!

However, the family has been divided several times. Take the three Xu Fengcai brothers as an example. This branch owns about 200,000 acres of land.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhao, the Xu family will definitely cooperate with the land division." Xu Fengcai said quickly.

Since the third brother married Zhao Han's sister, he can do various things. Sell ​​the family fields in advance, exchange them for various goods, and then concentrate on being an official and doing business.

Zhao Han said: "The Xu family has too much influence in Jiangnan, so some of them need to be moved away. How about breaking it up and moving it to five provinces?"

"This..." Xu Fengcai didn't dare to agree, and he had no right to make the decision.

"That's it," Zhao Han made the decision again. "If any of the Xu family members don't want to divide their land or move far away, I will send someone to convince them. I am reasonable, and I believe the Xu family can do the same." Listen to the truth."

Xu Fengcai hesitated to speak, but finally did not dare to object.

The Xu family is finished.

The land and family property were divided, and they were scattered and moved to five provinces, and it is estimated that they could be dispersed to more than ten counties. By that time, the hearts of the Xu clan members would be scattered, and it would be impossible for them to be united again.

Xu Nianzu felt a little scared, and even his vest was sweating.

What Zhao Han said proved that he was extremely afraid of the Xu family. If he had not married his eldest sister, it is estimated that the Xu family would have been used to establish their authority, and then it would not be as simple as breaking up and moving away.

What a risk, what a risk!

While being frightened, Xu Nianzu was also excited. This is what a hero looks like.

Which of the founding monarchs is not strong?

Xu Nianzu looked down on Zhao Hanruo when he showed signs of compromise.

Xu Nianzu stood up suddenly, cupped his hands and said: "Please send troops to Jiangnan immediately from the headquarters!"

"So anxious?" Zhao Han laughed.

Xu Nianzu said: "This year there is a serious drought in southern Zhili. Although Zhejiang has not been affected, there will be famine in Jiangnan this year. The imperial court's taxes are too heavy and they have repeatedly sent more troops. The people have already become unbearable. If the main town does not send troops, Jiangnan will at least be affected this year. Hundreds of thousands of people will starve to death!”