Chapter 178 Currency Circulation
It’s no wonder that Mi Tang would have such an idea.
The reason why the Qiang people were able to develop into dozens or even hundreds of different ethnic groups, such as the Zhong Qiang, the Canlang Qiang, and the Shaodang Qiang, is because there was an old precedent hundreds of years ago:
When a qualified leader, or "Haogui" appears among the Qiang people, they will follow the rule of "separate descendants, each one is a clan" and split off into a clan that will independently inherit the leader's name.
Taking Ling Qiang as an example, there are several types including Dian Ling Qiang, Xian Ling Qiang and Lingchang Qiang.
These all originated from the names of Qiang leaders.
In other words, although there were many battles among the Qiang people and they plundered and annexed each other, if we look deeper, we will find that these Qiang people may have been one family hundreds of years ago, and the only difference was their lifestyle and attitude towards the Han Dynasty.
After Yao Chang had shown a relatively friendly attitude towards them, compared to the Han people, she...
She has to be considered one of her own.
Of course, Mi Tang still stepped into the Huangzhong River Valley with some caution.
It is rumored that the governor of Bingzhou once burned the Qiang people and buried them in the soil of Anding Huoshizhai as fertilizer. In the winter when transportation is inconvenient, it is not impossible for her to let the Qiang people come to her door first and then capture them in one go... right?
Even though she thought so, when Mi Tang and her companions were taken into the temporary shed built here, looking at the Atractylodes and Aconite Decoction that was brought to her, her fingers, which were almost frozen along the way, moved slightly and she took it anyway.
She drank the hot soup to drive away the cold, and finally felt that the air she exhaled was not cold air.
When her hands and feet gradually felt warm, she got up and went out to observe her surroundings.
This temporary camp was not as shabby as she had imagined.
Rather than a dilapidated shelter, this place is actually more like a military camp.
This place was built against the mountain, with a circle of high earthen walls piled up on the outermost edge, leaving only passages for entry and exit. Because the outer wall was slightly higher, the wind passing through in the severe winter was blocked in advance.
Outside the earth wall was covered with a layer of snow, forming slopes at both ends, so that Mi Tang was completely unaware of any abnormalities when he was first brought in.
Under such circumstances, it seemed difficult for the Qiang people who were accepted into this place to organize a team and launch external attacks even if their numbers increased.
It was like locking them in an earthen cage in a not-too-drastic way.
However, just as she was feeling a sense of crisis because of the environment and the vague sentry post on the distant watchtower, she saw a Qiang man pushing a cart passing by in the twilight and he gave her a friendly smile.
"..." Mi Tang withdrew his gaze from the distant earth wall, and tried to convince himself that if he did not block the wind in this way, the tent here would not be enough to keep out the cold with just the wooden tent frame and the linen covering it.
This is also understandable.
Her gaze turned to the nearby area.
It is said that this place is more like a military camp because of the ditches and channels on the ground of the camp, which divide the entire camp into several parts.
This could be said to have caused them to encounter further resistance from the coalition when they were in it, but it also seemed feasible to say that this was to pile up the snow on the road when it could not be cleared in time.
In addition, when they arrived in Huangzhong this time, they brought their horses, cattle and sheep, which were all driven into a concentrated area, which was divided by these ditches.
Thinking of this, Mi Tang subconsciously touched the wooden sign on his wrist.
This was distributed when they entered the place.
Although this object is somewhat similar in shape to the "Ke Biao" used by the Qiang people as a burial object, it is actually a sign representing storage.
On the front was written the number of fences where her cattle and sheep were stored and the number of cattle and sheep in each. On the back was a sheep symbol, which was regarded as a totem by most Qiang tribes.
When completing the deposit process, Mi Tang paid special attention to the fact that the registration and collection procedures were in order. There should be no one's belongings being embezzled here, otherwise, given the temper of the Qiang people, they would have caused a commotion long ago.
Thinking of this, the uneasy feeling in her heart was relieved a little.
Mi Tang didn't know that this wooden sign was called "humanitarian care" by Qiao Yan when he was explaining it.
She just suddenly thought of something at this moment -
The livestock rations she saw when depositing the cattle and sheep were much better than the feed she had previously fed her own cattle and sheep.
I don’t know why the Bingzhou governor took the trouble to do this.
But when she walked around the camp and returned to her previous tent, she realized that it was not just the livestock that were eating better than before, but even the dinner they were given was better than what they usually ate.
This is a cognitive gap caused by a very different quality of life.
Of course, this meal is not free.
The monetary transaction order in Liangzhou was almost limited to the wealthy families. In the face of frequent Qiang rebellions and wars, the Wuzhu coin was extremely easy to lose during escape and was also easily devalued, so bartering became more commonly used among the common people.
These Qiang people who came to the Huangzhong River Valley to spend the winter would not carry many Wuzhu coins with them.
Fortunately, they had another option, which was to use the re-determined prices to offset the furs, cloth, cattle, sheep, horses, etc. in their luggage and exchange them for the five-zhu coins needed for accommodation and meals.
This price was not much different from the prices in the market, but when the dinner was served, Mi Tang and his companions' first impression was -
This meal was definitely worth the money!
Although the pot cake was a bit hard, it was filled with cheese and pickles.
Although the vegetable soup is made by brewing dried vegetables, it is still hot soup after all.
Mi Tang carefully nibbled the last piece of jerky, and saw sesame seeds sprinkled lavishly on it. It tasted even more delicious than the meat they had eaten before.
You know, raising sheep and eating mutton are two different things.
Most of the time, they are reluctant to slaughter the sheep they raise.
So much so that this dinner with plenty of food and meat was actually the most comfortable meal she had had from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.
When she took the last bite of the jerky, her heart, which had been hanging for a long time, finally settled down temporarily.
Think about it, with such treatment, they should not be the future fertilizer to be penned in the dirt wall.
And then she heard some unexpected news.
"You said, this is the military rations of Bingzhou Governor?" Mi Tang asked in surprise to the Qiang people who were distributing the food.
The other party was from the Shaodang Qiang, and as early as April, they had already joined Qiao Yan's army following the decision made by Yao Chang.
It has been seven or eight months now.
He was already accustomed to these things, so he took on the responsibility of guiding them.
"Yes, this is military rations, so we can supply a large amount of it." He replied: "After you choose your next destination, the food you use will be different. Different places have their own characteristics. The premise is that you want to stay here."
Do you want to stay here?
Mi Tang weighed everything he had seen here.
Now that Qiao Yan has occupied Bingzhou, she does not seem as scary as they imagined. At least compared to the deadly climate on the plateau, Liangzhou, which she governs, makes people feel much safer.
This is exactly the contrast that Qiao Yan wanted.
The climate of the Little Ice Age and the environment of Liangzhou itself gave her this opportunity.
In summer, the Qiang people can still survive, so she should show more "power". In winter, the environment has dealt a heavy blow to the nomadic people, so she should show more "gratitude".
Just like at this moment, as a relatively intelligent Qiang person, Mi Tang felt that the various treatments they received here seemed to be a trap, but at the same time, she couldn't help but prick up her ears and listen to what the Shaodang Qiang, who was in charge of both serving food and guiding, said about the positions they could choose.
"It's still winter now, and agriculture and animal husbandry are still in a state of rest, so let's not talk about it for now. The large fields in Jincheng, Wuwei, and Gaoping will not accept people easily. From December to next month, the contribution points made by the sect in Liangzhou must meet the standards before they can accept new members in next month."
Mi Tang had no idea about the contribution points, but he could roughly guess that this might mean admission based on merit.
The guide continued, "The first is the Equipment Office, which is responsible for making the farm tools, livestock fences, wheels and other items needed for next year."
She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why do you want to talk about the wheels separately?"
The other party explained: "I think you have seen it on the way here. Liangzhou needs a lot of wheelbarrows for transportation. Not only through the Sun and Moon Pass and heading to the Xigong Salt Lake, but also across the Wushaoling Ridge. This type of vehicle is the easiest to travel, but the wheels are also the most damaged and need to be replaced regularly."
"In addition, the pig farming manual distributed by the Lord mentioned that when new pigs are placed in one place for livestock, the larger pigs that grab food faster will often eat up all the food. At this time, you can use the replaced wheels to bury them vertically and build a small area in the pig farm to allow the smaller pigs to squeeze through the gaps in the wheels."
The new wheels are used for vehicle transportation, and the old wheels are used for dividing pig farms. From this point of view, it is necessary to make them separately.
Mi Tang pondered the meaning of the guide's words and smiled unconsciously.
Her previous conjecture about Qiao Yan's image was that he was a mighty general, and even his armor might be stained with the blood of the Qiang people.
As a result, when she closed her eyes and thought about it, she felt as if she saw the general put down the gun in his hand and handed her a pig farming manual.
Something seemed to be wrong, but Mi Tang couldn't put his finger on it.
She was completely absorbed by what the guide said next, and had no time to think about the incongruity of it.
"The place where farm tools are made is a little special. We need to check whether your species has participated in any military operations against the Han Dynasty in the past ten years. After all, we have to deal with iron tools, so it is reasonable to have a strict review."
Mi Tang nodded.
When the Qiang people first rebelled against the Han Dynasty, they were even able to replace spears and halberds with bamboo and wood, and used wooden tables as shields. They cut off the Long Road with such crude weapons. If they really had a large number of people armed with hoes and iron tools, they would have been a force that could not be ignored.
Fortunately, the Qiang tribe that came to Huangzhong this time would at most go to Longxi County to ask for money when they could not survive the cold winter.
But as Ma Teng and his son occupied Longxi County, Ma Chao defeated the Canlang Qiang and made them flee in panic. They were not even able to participate in Han Sui's action to raise troops and gather the Qiang people.
This kind of situation of checking qualifications is not a problem for Mi Tang.
What surprised her was that Qiao Yan seemed to be much less wary of the rumors about farming tools than he was of a rebellion by the Qiang people.
Isn't she afraid that someone will run away with the farm tools?
But if Qiao Yan could hear this question, he would definitely answer her that in the vast barren land of Liangzhou, the only place that could truly achieve high yields was where she had people dig water storage and irrigation projects in the autumn and arranged farming work strictly according to each process.
Hundreds of years ago, Wuyi Yuanjian became the leader elected by the Qiang people by teaching them how to farm.
With this kind of inheritance in place, the Qiang people, who are willing to accept the "rules of the game", would naturally not choose to leave with their tools, but would gather around her, the new "leader", to form a larger ethnic tribe.
Before anyone tried to seize the farming tools and escape, Qiao Yan had the confidence to make them clearly realize that—
Only by staying here can you get the greatest benefit!
Even more than these Qiang people, the person she should call an outsider was Liu Yu who still stayed here.
The heavy snow in winter blocked the mountains and prevented Liu Yu from returning to Youzhou.
Or perhaps he also wanted to see how Qiao Yan would use Lu Zhi and Xun Shuang's disciples to teach the Qiang people to speak Chinese, so he continued to stay here.
But Qiao Yan didn't need to be too wary of him.
Liu Yu was a man of very high moral standards.
This is definitely not a good thing for him or Youzhou.
Once there is a change in the empire, Youzhou's stable people's livelihood, stable grain prices and harmonious relations with the Wuhuan are likely to become the enemy's pawn in an instant.
But this is obviously not a bad thing for Qiao Yan, because it means that he is a mascot on par with Cui Lie.
Liu Yu knew clearly that based on geographical divisions, he and Qiao Yan were actually on hostile positions.
He could dissuade Qiao Yan from advancing on the grounds of concern for people's livelihood and unrest on the Han border, but he could not transfer her methods of governing Liangzhou and Bingzhou to the court in the east while he was there.
Regardless of whether he really thought so or just needed to build such an image to the outside world, under the constraints of this moral standard, even if Qiao Yan took a step back and handed over the Huoshizhai military settlement to Huangfu Song and Liu Yu, all Liu Yu did was to restrict the behavior of the Qiang people here and coordinate the production and storage of grain. He never had any in-depth contact with the tools of planting.
Liu Yu's "knowledge and taste" would get him into big trouble sooner or later, but this was obviously not something Qiao Yan had the time to pay attention to.
All she wanted was for her creation office in Liangzhou to be carried out smoothly and also serve as an important place to shelter the Qiang people in the winter.
In this shelter "city" in the Huangzhong River Valley, the guides in front of the Canlang Qiang people continued speaking.
"The second place is the Textile Office. The only thing they need to make right now is oilcloth, so they don't recruit many people."
He did not explain why he made this thing, but even if the Qiang people in front of him asked him about it, he would not be able to answer.
This was an order specifically issued by Qiao Yan.
If you want to make oilcloth, you can use tung oil tree in the south, which is also the most suitable material.
Unfortunately, in the relatively dry environment of Liangzhou and Bingzhou, tung trees cannot grow normally.
Fortunately, there is another kind of oil that is extracted from crops grown in these two states and also meets the characteristics of a drying oil, namely sesame oil.
This gave Qiao Yan the conditions to produce oil paper and oil cloth during the winter.
"The first is the Construction Office. The work done here is relatively labor-intensive." He pointed to the outside of the tent where snow was still falling, and said, "You should have seen that the snow in some places needs to be cleared, and the rivers and canals need to be dug after the snow has cleared. There is also the transport team that you saw traveling between Huangzhong and Xigong Salt Lake. There is also another team responsible for the transportation between Wuwei County and Northwest Salt Lake."
"But you don't have to think of this as a chore. As long as the wear and tear of the tools is within the limit and the amount of brine delivered is up to standard, you can take a break this winter."
For the Qiang people, traveling across the snowfields seems to be an innate ability for them, provided they have equipment to withstand the severe cold.
Mi Tang glanced around and found that many people were interested in this choice.
After all, they had seen the transport team led by Yao Chang on the road, and from their clothes to their weapons, they all looked quite respectable.
The guide did not comment on their inclinations, but continued: "The fourth department is the reception office. You should have guessed that I am affiliated with this department. But we have special selection conditions. You need to have a good image and expression ability, know a lot about the situation in Liangzhou, and -"
"You need to be able to speak Chinese and be able to report news to the military and civilian settlement leaders under your command."
"Chinese?" Mi Tang's eyes moved.
Watching the guide talking here, she also yearned for this position.
But this one point alone is enough to screen out most people.
For example, her.
The guide continued, "This is the fifth place I want to talk about. This place was named the Foreign Language Office by the Lord. It is a place dedicated to teaching the Qiang people to learn Chinese. Recently, it has also been used to teach the Xianbei and Xiongnu people to learn Chinese."
"If you can complete the study of basic Chinese in the winter, you will not only be allocated a piece of land, but also receive a year's worth of food. Of course, this place is not so easy to enter."
Mi Tang could guess that there must be a lot of restrictions, otherwise everyone would be trying hard to get there.
"Your Excellency's intention is that if the Qiang people who go to take the test can learn fifty Chinese words within seven days, they will be allowed to stay here for further study. Regardless of whether they can learn anything this winter, they can smoothly join the military and civilian settlements. If they can learn well, they will be entrusted with important tasks."
This statement of being entrusted with an important task does not have any clear definition, but it is precisely this very fact that makes people imagine more.
The various scenes they had seen since entering the Huangzhong Valley were all different from the impressions they had in their early years, and it was hard not to have such an intuitive feeling.
The guide smiled at them in a friendly manner. "You can seriously consider it, but it's best to make a decision early. After all, you have to pay five baht to live here. When you go to the corresponding office, you will not only have a formal house and shed to stay in, but also receive a salary."
With land and money...
The more I listened, the more it sounded like a dream come true for the Qiang people.
Mi Tang listened to the whimpering sound of the cold wind as night fell outside, and began to think about where to go.
There is an option of a foreign language office, and anyone with a little foresight knows that they should give it a try.
But language is not something that can be learned quickly just because you want to.
She had often heard people say that some talent was involved.
Does she have this talent?
Just as she thought of this, she met a pair of eyes illuminated by the faint light coming in through the gap in the tent.
Although she knew that her clinical colleague was also thinking about the same question, and perhaps because of the change of environment, which was why she was unable to fall asleep quickly, Mi Tang was still startled.
But there were many Qiang people settled in the tent, so she could only ask in a very low voice: "Why are you still awake?"
The companion she was questioning was a round-faced girl, not very old, only around 20 years old. She moved closer to Mi Tang and replied in a low voice, "Before the receptionist left, I asked him a few more questions. You know, what he said before was that the food and utensils in each place were different, and it really wasn't nonsense."
"The Creation Office and the Agricultural Office have mutual assistance and mutual benefit, so they have enough vegetables, fruits and dry food. The Textile Office has to deal with sesame, so the food is especially oily. The Construction Office does all physical work, not to mention the meat jerky we have today, even roasted meat and stewed meat are not uncommon. The Reception Office also has tea and wine to show respect. Not to mention the Foreign Language Office, they are said to share food and clothing with the disciples of the great Confucian scholars."
She sighed and said, "I now feel that the Bingzhou governor is no ordinary Han Chinese."
"..." Mi Tang really wanted to say that this comment should have been made when they saw the scenery in Hehuang. It seems that it should not be made when they knew what to eat in these places!
But seeing his companion's hopeful eyes, Mi Tang subconsciously asked: "Then what do you want to eat——"
"No," she quickly corrected herself, "I mean, where do you want to go?"
On this howling night, the Qiang people who had just entered Huangzhong were facing a crucial decision.
Do you want to stay? Where are you going?
It would be best if they could give a positive answer tomorrow.
This is undoubtedly a sleep-depriving experience.
Qiao Yan hadn't fallen asleep yet either.
She was not in Wuwei at this time, but was in the study of the Jincheng County government.
The influx of the Huangzhong Qiang people put considerable pressure on Jincheng County. Even though Cheng Yu had accumulated considerable experience in handling Bingzhou's affairs, he was still inevitably busy until late at night to prevent any mistakes or omissions.
Compared to this, Qiao Yan was still considered a free man, so he simply came here on his own.
Cheng Yu didn't feel any pressure about Qiao Yan's surprise visit to inspect the work.
And based on his understanding of Qiao Yan, she obviously had something to say.
Sure enough, not long after he entered the house, he heard Qiao Yan ask, "Since the Qiang people entered the country, how many new cattle and sheep have been brought to the prefecture from Jincheng County?"
Cheng Yu did not hesitate and gave the answer: "More than 60,000 in total."
More than 60,000 cattle and sheep does not mean that 60,000 Qiang people have surrendered.
It is because it is a cold winter season and it is not uncommon for livestock to die of illness due to improper care.
For some Qiang people who fled to Huangzhong, it would be better to let the state government support them rather than keep them in their hands and bear the loss themselves.
Anyway, the state government will give a purchase price that is suitable for them.
More than 60,000 heads?
Qiao Yan turned a five-zhu coin in his hand, looked at the candlelight in front of him through the hole in it, and considered the number in his mind.
This is not a small amount.
Even the Xianbei, who were intimidated by her, only paid tribute of 20,000 heads per year.
However, this amount will probably continue to decrease in the future, and Qiao Yan will also deliberately limit the rapid increase in this number.
Living cattle and sheep are a resource on the one hand, but also a considerable burden on the other.
So she came here to solve this problem.
She pondered for a moment and said, "The New Year is coming soon. Mr. Zhongde, what do you think if we slaughter the 10,000 sheep, transport them to the counties of Bingzhou, and sell them to the people of Bingzhou at a price slightly lower than the market price in Bingzhou as a New Year gift?"
Bingzhou could consume the share of 10,000 sheep, and when the New Year was approaching, it could sell them at a price slightly lower than the market price and even make a small profit. This amount will not disrupt prices.
But Qiao Yan's purpose in doing this is not to make money.
Cheng Yu asked thoughtfully, "What should I do with the five zhu I got from selling the sheep?"
Qiao Yan looked up at him and replied, "Of course it's for the wages of the five offices in Liangzhou."
Cheng Yu stroked his beard and smiled: "Then your trick is a good one!"
Although the people of Bingzhou had more Wuzhu coins in their hands as their per-acre yield increased and the state government purchased grain, they were still more accustomed to holding the money in their own hands due to the consumption habits formed in their early years.
Unless there is a bargain to be had.
The situation is the opposite in the newly acquired Liangzhou.
The people had almost no Wuzhu coins in their hands, and they only had goods that could be exchanged for coins.
To be precise, they were not used to using Wuzhu coins, because the wars in Liangzhou over the years had made them believe that only objects could maintain their value.
But now, Qiao Yan has to reshape the rules and make these people adapt to the rules she created.
The first step is -
Let the money circulate!
The rule of using Wuzhu coins for trading and bartering gradually became another chain that bound these Qiang people!
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