Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 568 Orthodox Roman Plantation

After Guo Kang explained to everyone, Yang Laobaihu and others thanked him politely. However, they did not have much emotional change as a result.

"I'm sorry to bother you all. But it doesn't matter to us even if it's farther away or takes a longer time." Yang Laobaihu explained: "Our Xianggongmiao Village is not an ordinary Zhuangzi. We can't have so many benefits but Don’t do anything.”

Guo Kang thought for a while and understood this.

In fact, the main occupation of their village is to serve as soldiers and participate in wars. Other industries in the village are just side businesses for them. Therefore, it may be a good thing that the war lasts longer. After all, the longer the time, the more opportunities there are to make meritorious deeds. So much so that when the Khan's court had not sent anyone to inform them of the recruitment plan for the next year for more than half a year, they became a little anxious.

On the way down, Yang Laobai happened to be taking them through the village while introducing the village's industries as usual. The situation here probably verified his idea.

The distribution of houses and facilities in the village are not much different from other places, but the situation in the fields outside is different.

"The terrain here is not very flat. The flat land below near the river is used to grow food. Other places are not so suitable and are used to grow other things." Yang Laobaihu gave a brief introduction.

"Is wheat grown in the fields now?" Guo Kang asked.

"Yes, they are planted in the autumn." Yang Laohu replied: "We mainly grow winter wheat here, and then mix in various beans and plant them in rotation. During the intermittent period, or on the plots that have been rotated, we also plant Plant some vegetables or grass.”

"Who is running the grape plantation? Yourselves?" Guo Kang asked.

"In our family, starting from my father, the canes we hold in our hands are all produced in this vineyard." Guo Ru told him: "This time, I just asked Uncle Yang to cut one for you. From now on, you will also be the one to lead the troops."

"That's understandable." Guo Kang nodded: "Growing grapes and making wine are both technical tasks. And your place is no longer an ordinary plantation."

"Our current master master was specially invited through the relationship with the church. The plantations and wineries are also worked by people selected by the village. Don't trust them to unreliable people."

"It's a good thing to be famous." Guo Kang is very optimistic.

"Moreover, we took the opportunity to publicize it to the Italians who came to buy wine, saying that our vines are very special. The scepters held by the generals and marshals of the past generations were all made from these vines. Those businessmen I liked it so much that I named it "Marshal's Staff" for years and sold it to their hometown. Especially after Xianhan crossed the sea to conquer Italy, the reputation of Rome became more and more known to the people there, and the wine was also known there. The prices are all hyped up by them.”

"It turns out it's been so long." Guo Kang said with emotion.

"The Italians are not a group, it is just a general term. In fact, they dislike each other." Yang Laobaihu explained: "Moreover, even if they attack their own city-state, it will not hinder their business. These profiteers, I just want to increase the price.”

"Yes." Yang Laobai said cheerfully: "The profits there are actually enough to sustain the entire village. Therefore, even if we go on an expedition, we will not delay the food and clothing at home."

"The grapes here are very famous. When Mr. Guo Yuanting settled the village here, he personally climbed the hills and observed the surrounding mountains and rivers. Finally, he told everyone that grapes can be grown on all the hills here. At that time, we in Rome had already figured out the technology of growing grapes and making wine, so everyone quickly got to work and opened up this plantation.”

"But these are mainly for reserves. Those are the things that really make money." He pointed around the hill: "There are vineyards over there. These are our main outputs."

"But the quality of the wine in our area is better than theirs." He said proudly: "Moreover, we have also benefited from your family, so we are quite famous, especially overseas. Therefore, we have been selling Very good.”

"That's weird." Guo Xianwen scratched his head.

"We'll go there in a minute." Old Baihu Yang said, "There are some old vines in the garden over there, the oldest ones are fifty years old. I'll give you guys some time to peel off one of them."

"That's for sure. Some plantations now hire people from everywhere to save money. We are different." Yang Laobaihu said firmly: "We are the most orthodox Roman plantation. We will not use any foreigners as laborers to save costs. That's why we can always maintain such good quality and reputation."

"If you really want to save money, you should have slaves." Guo Xianliang asked.

"There is also this saying..." Guo Kang didn't know much about wine. His only knowledge was probably what he heard from Tuohuan. As for its reputation overseas, it is even less impressive.

"We originally kept those vines as souvenirs. Because grapes also have a lifespan. Over time, the yield and quality will decline. Generally, a batch must be replaced after thirty years at most, which is similar to people who go to war. But later, we discovered that grapes from old vines also have a special flavor.”

"Aren't we going to beat them? Why do they pay higher prices to buy wine?" Guo Xianwen, who had been silent until now, asked curiously.

"Yes. The requirements for these jobs are quite high. Starting from grafting, basically every process is very particular. Not only do you need to be capable and careful, you also need to have knowledge and experience." Yang Laobaihu replied: " When I first went to work there, I had to read a lot of books temporarily, so as not to be of help but to cause trouble for others. Now, we often take notes and share the written information with people in nearby monasteries. . There are naturally barriers to entry for this kind of work.”

"Actually, it's not the oldest one. Ours is the third batch of plantations in Rome." Yang Lao Baihu thought for a moment and said, "The first batch was when the account was built. Over there in Hebei, Mr. Liezu Khan personally surveyed and organized the development. The second batch was to the south of us, on the northern slope of the Balkan Mountains. It was cultivated by people when the imperial court first recovered it. "

"Slaves can't even grow vegetables, let alone what we have here." Yang Laobaihu told him: "Really speaking, we have many acquaintances in the Ministry of War, but we have never purchased slaves to work. . Our industries here are all agricultural, how can we withstand the destruction of slaves? "

"so……"

"The competition here is still very fierce." Zhang Baihu also said: "Although the other surrounding villages often send troops with us, they are somewhat greedy. Especially the people in Majiazhuang, they say weird things from time to time. , If we don’t grow food well and deal with businessmen every day, it won’t work.”

"They grow staple food?" Guo Kang asked.

"Yes, they merged two villages back then, so there were many people in the village, with five hundred households." Yang Laobai nodded: "The terrain there is good, so the government requires them to grow staple food every year. The output is quite a lot. As time goes by, they use this as a reason to brag about themselves and ridicule us, saying that we are not serious. "

"Although we have the qualification to be exempted from land tax, we still pay a lot of tribute to the court every year." Zhang Baihu also complained: "Although we no longer collect land tax, there is still a tax on selling wine, and we have never Not less. In terms of value, it is probably higher than them."

"How are they treated?" Guo Kang asked curiously.

"Their village is new, and they only have tax-free rights in the province, so they still have nothing." Zhang Baihu said, "Of course, they are not willing to accept it."

Everyone discussed it and shook their heads. "Now there is only a big industry like vineyard here, which is actually not good. You can unite with other villages to grow other types of things. It is not a bad thing if we all find more ways together." Guo Ponu took advantage of the situation and said: " You can ask my brother. He has also studied this."

"Oh?" Yang Laobaihu and others were a little surprised: "Does the young master have such a wide range of interests?"

"Which one are you talking about? Have I ever done it?" Guo Kang himself was not sure.

"Last time I went to the monastery, the monks were planting peas in the ground. I asked why they came here to plant peas, and they said it was arranged by you." Guo Ponu said, "You were busy and forgot, right?"

"That doesn't count...that's okay..." Guo Kang didn't know what to say for a moment: "We actually just did this kind of research. But the church does have some experience. If you need it, I can talk about it over there. "

"What I'm busy with now is textiles. If you want to find some higher-paying jobs for women, you can tell me. I'm recruiting people and I'm going to find a few places to pilot it first."

"There shouldn't be any need in our village. The vineyards need a lot of manpower, and women from various families have to help." Zhang Baihu said, "The jobs there have higher incomes. And they have been doing it for so long, and they have I have some skills, but I don’t necessarily have any interest in changing my career.”

"However, you can try other Zhuangzi. Let's ask back." He thought for a while and said, "If the benefits are okay, everyone should be interested."

"Isn't that the case over there? Women still have to farm. Otherwise, what will happen to the food every year?" Yang asked.

"Let's rent out the land." Zhang Baihu said: "Actually, I think we can rent out the flat land we have. Some young men are not this material and have not learned this craft. We have to force them to do it. It doesn’t feel good either. Why don’t you go to town and build weapons and equipment? Isn’t that a serious job?”

"You are a blacksmith, and you want others to blacksmith with you." Yang Laobaihu didn't believe it: "Why do you need so many blacksmiths?"

"There will definitely be more and more in the future." Zhang Baihu is quite confident about this: "The price of iron ore has begun to fall now. I think the overall trend is very obvious. There is no need to get too hung up on it. Don’t let it go, just do whatever suits you.”

"This is true." Guo Kang also agreed: "Iron is too important, and our consumption is expected to increase in the future. If you learn these things, you will definitely not have to worry about food and drink in the future."

"These skills are also taught in the army. I learned them from my elder brother in the team." Zhang Baihu nodded: "When I am free now, I also lead young people from other villages, and the orders I receive are not limited to our village." . Since others can hire us to do some work, we can also hire others to help.”

"So I'm thinking that I can at least find a few reliable plow teams, sign contracts with them, and arrange long-term leases. It's also feasible to outsource part of the work first. It's not that we can't plow the fields now. But the efficiency is indeed not as good as others, because there are already too many things in the village, and I really don’t have the time to take care of the horses." He introduced the situation to everyone.

"I've gone to see them before. The horse herders in their plow team are much more professional than us in selecting stallions, buying feed, and doing daily feeding and maintenance. We can't always do our best if we do it ourselves. There are not so many livestock in the vineyard, so the villagers are always reluctant to spend more money here. Unlike others, after signing the contract, even the veterinarian and the replacement horse are prepared in advance. It is better to just go ahead. If we let people come, we can’t just make money from all the businesses in one village.”

"That's okay..." Yang Laobaihu hesitated for a moment, but gave up other demands and just insisted on the final bottom line: "If you are really too busy, you can rent it to others - you can't rent it to people in Majiazhuang. , you can talk about everything else.”

"That's not the case. Majiazhuang uses oxen for farming, which is not suitable for us. The soil here is different." Zhang Baihu seemed confident.

"Did you really ask?" Yang Laobaihu said in surprise.

"..."

Everyone discussed again, allowing Guo Kang and others to roughly understand the situation.

He estimated that Majiazhuang had the potential to surpass this place because of its large number of capable people. Although they do not expect to replace the special status of Xianggongmiao Village, they still feel a lot of pressure.

However, these are things that often happen in the local area, and there is no need for him to take care of them. Rather, if those neighboring villages had never had any disputes or group fights, they might not be normal.

And these people in Xianggongmiao Village also tried their best. Although the salary is indeed high, what is linked to it is their extremely high service ratio. And when people fight, they really fight hard.

You know, the flag bearer seems to have honor, but it is also a high-risk profession. Judging from the state of their exhibition, most of those who served as flag bearers in the village may not have come back in the end. Someone like Lu Laosan who can disarm and return to his field is already a powerful person in every sense of the word.

Here, the adoptive father discussed with several people around him and decided to go to the vineyard first, prepare the canes, and then let Guo Kang and others meet everyone, so that they could get to know each other in advance.

The whole process didn't last long. Soon, everyone came to the vineyard. At this time, the grapes had already been picked. They selected a few bare canes, cut them down in a ritual ceremony, and packed them away.

"I'll take it first, and when the documents from the Ministry of War come out, I will officially grant it to you." The adoptive father said to his nephews and nephews, "From now on, it's up to you."

"Don't worry, uncle, I will fight well and come back with more heads!" Guo Xianwen said loudly.

Guo Xianliang was about to speak, but he beat him to it. He didn't know what to say for a moment, so he scratched his head, held it in for a moment, and then said, "Me, me too!"

The crowd burst into laughter, Guo Ru blushed, picked up the note and gave it to him first. Guo Xianliang quickly took a step back and hid behind Guo Kang.

Guo Kang also laughed along with everyone.

"Everyone just try their best. If you are really capable, you don't have to worry about not having a chance." He smoothed things over.

Others also responded.

But at this time, someone hurried up and shouted: "Uncle, uncle, Ma Shizhu and his people are here too! Brother Lu asked them to leave, but they were not happy and said we should run away. What should we do?"

"I&)*^*..." Yang Laobaihu said a local curse word that even Guo Kang couldn't understand.

"Let's go and have a look. Let's have a look." Guo Zhaowen and others all became happy and pushed the bewildered foster father and Guo Ru, who was still trying to beat his son, down the mountain.

(End of this chapter)