Chapter 9: Visiting the Tuntian with My Wife

According to the regulations of the military settlement system, each military household in Wuzhaibao is required to pay approximately 2 dou of grain per mu of land cultivated. Consequently, the total annual grain income of Wuzhaibao is estimated to be over 12,000 dou, which, calculated at 1 dou equaling 20 jin, amounts to approximately 240,000 jin, or 120 tons

The heart of a young girl, after reading such books extensively, inevitably leads to fantasies. However, fantasies are merely fantasies, and reality often brings disappointment. In the past, Huang Laifu appeared to be quite a rough character; he did not resemble the talented scholars depicted in the books, nor did he embody the loyal and righteous figures found in dramas such as "The Tale of the Jade Plate," "The Double Heroic Record," "The Record of Loyalty and Filial Piety," and "The Great Blade Record," who resisted foreign aggression. On the contrary, he bore a closer resemblance to the antagonists in those stories, akin to debauched young rascals, which made her feel quite repulsed.

He turned over and mounted his horse, saying to Gu Yunniang: "In such weather, you should stay indoors with my mother and sisters to keep warm and talk. Running around everywhere, what good will it do?" As he spoke, he was about to spur his horse and leave.

However, she is a very cunning girl, always presenting herself as a well-behaved child in front of the adults from both families. When she is in public and with Huang Laifu, she also behaves shyly, gracefully, and obediently, winning the favor of the adults. It is only in front of Huang Laifu that her true nature is revealed. As for Jiang Dazhong and Yang Xiaolu, who are aware of her demeanor, they naturally do not dare to say anything in front of others.

Especially in recent years, due to severe droughts and harsh winters, the annual grain production of Wuzhaibao has been merely several tens of thousands of jin, most of which comes from the fields of the officers. This is far from the annual demand of one million jin for the entire Qianhu establishment of Wuzhaibao, not to mention that the population growth of the military garrison is not comparable to that of the early Ming Dynasty.

Gu Yunniang was momentarily taken aback, not expecting Huang Laifu to be completely different from before. He ignored her completely regarding the *illustrated* book, which made her feel a surge of anger. She couldn't help but huff in annoyance, feeling embarrassed in front of the servants. She called out, "Huang Laifu, you... you are so heartless. I came all this way to see you, and you treat me like this. I will go tell my aunt, saying that you are bullying me." Her eyes turned red, looking as if she was about to cry. She called out again, "Huang Laifu, you... you are so heartless. I came all this way to see you, and you treat me like this. I will go tell my aunt, saying that you are bullying me." Her eyes turned red, looking as if she was about to cry.

The Wuzhaibao Qianhu Station has a quota of 1,120 troops, including soldiers and officers. Originally, it had more than 60,000 acres of farmland and 72 acres of gardens, located near the Wuzhaibao Station, with a significant portion situated around the Qinglian River.

It was merely the command of her parents and the words of the matchmaker; in the context of the Ming Dynasty, there could be no other outcome. Her fate was destined to be with Huang Laifu. The gap between reality and fantasy, coupled with the fact that she was deeply spoiled by both families and had a temper, meant that she would often not show a pleasant demeanor towards Huang Laifu.

She looked at Huang Laifu with a pair of charming eyes, her expression a mix of smile and teasing. In a delicate voice, she said to Huang Laifu: "Hey, Huang Laifu, are you really going to inspect the farmland? You wouldn't be using that as an excuse to go off and have fun, would you? I only remember you being good with weapons; when have you ever done something serious? Just tell me where you're going to have fun, and since I'm also feeling bored, I might as well join you."

Moreover, he has always preferred gentle and lovely girls, akin to a little bird leaning on someone. Although Gu Yun'ang presents herself as a well-behaved child in front of adults, he is aware of her mischievous nature. Regardless of how unsatisfactory Huang Laifu's character was in the past or how dissatisfied Gu Yun'ang may have been with him, he does not wish to spend much time on the emotional whims of these young lovers.

By the late Jiajing period, the requisitioned grain became increasingly limited, forcing the government to exempt military lands from grain contributions to the granaries. Additionally, efforts were made to raise funds through other means. Particularly after the Little Ice Age, the military rations of various garrisons and military posts relied heavily on allocations from the national treasury

... ...

Gu Yunniang rode with the others, clearly standing out among the women at that moment. In front of the various dignitaries in the hall, she appeared somewhat like a well-behaved child. However, once she left the Thousand Household residence, her true nature was revealed.

After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, a system of military garrisons and agricultural settlements was implemented. Generally speaking, in the border regions, the military garrisons were allocated three parts for defense and seven parts for farming; in the interior regions, two parts were for defense and eight parts for farming

Huang Laifu took the lead, riding his horse towards the city outside the fortress, with several others hurriedly following behind. Upon seeing Huang Laifu and his companions approaching on horseback, the people in the street quickly moved aside, calling for their children, creating quite a scene of chaos in the streets.

Generally speaking, each hereditary military household within the garrison can be allocated between 15 to 50 mu of land, along with the provision of plowing oxen, farming tools, and other necessities

Huang Laifu smiled and said gently, "I didn't want you to come all the way to see me, nor did I want you to suffer in the cold outside. Since you are here, let's go together." He had seen such situations with young ladies many times before, so he was naturally in control.

It is unclear whether Huang Laifu of the past felt ashamed or something else; regardless of how Gu Yunniang treated him, she always indulged and tolerated him, even finding pleasure in it, which only made Huang Laifu more arrogant in front of Gu Yunniang

In the monthly rations provided to military households, regardless of the number of mouths to feed, cavalry soldiers receive 2 shi of rice, infantry soldiers under the main banner receive 1 shi and 5 dou, those under the small banner receive 1 shi and 2 dou, and soldiers receive 1 shi. However, there are distinctions; for soldiers defending the city, the monthly rations are provided in full, while those engaged in farming receive half. Civil artisans serving in the military receive 8 dou, while the horse herders receive 1 shi. Civil conscripts undergoing military training receive 1 shi. For those who have been stripped of their status and are serving in the military, households with more than 4 members receive 1 shi, those with 3 members or fewer receive 6 dou, and those without any members receive 4 dou. As for the monthly salt allowance, soldiers with families receive 2 jin per month, while those without families receive 1 jin. For those who have been stripped of their status and are serving in the military, households with more than 4 members receive 1 shi, those with 3 members or fewer receive 6 dou, and those without any members receive 4 dou. As for the monthly salt allowance, soldiers with families receive 2 jin per month, while those without families receive 1 jin

Gu Yunniang and Huang Laifu were betrothed since childhood, having known each other from a young age, and their families often interacted, making them childhood sweethearts. However, Gu Yunniang had a penchant for reading legendary novels and dramas about talented scholars and beautiful women, such as "The Jade Beauty Pear," "The Tale of Good Matches," "The Heart of the Zither," "The Tale of the Phoenix," and "The Story of Chen's Sentiment." This was a popular trend during the Ming Dynasty; not only her, but even the current Emperor Wanli was an enthusiast of legends and dramas.

Generally speaking, each year the grain harvested by the屯田 soldiers is allocated as follows: they retain 6 shi (1 shi = 188.8 jin) for their own use, pay 12 shi as tax, and the remaining grain is stored in the屯仓 for the army's own distribution. Approximately 70% of this is used for the monthly rations and half-pay of the soldiers, while the remaining 30% is allocated for the salaries of the officers

Amid the knowing glances and smiles of the crowd, Gu Yunniang's face flushed red as she followed Huang Laifu and Steward Yang out of the Qianhu residence. Jiang Dazhong and Yang Xiaolu hurriedly brought out everyone's horses.

Gu Yunniang also had a small red horse. When she accompanied Gu Qianhu to Wuzhaibao, she rode like everyone else. In the Ming dynasty, when women went out, those with means often used vehicles such as carriages, and in extremely cold weather, they typically employed warm sedan chairs, including women from military families.

The grain supply is insufficient, and the monthly rations rely solely on allocations from above. However, as is customary, there are layers of deductions at every level. By the time the monthly rations reach the ordinary soldiers at Wuzhaibao, only about one-third remains. Each soldier has a family with wives and children, so how can this meager monthly ration sustain them? No wonder the entire Wuzhaibao looks like a den of beggars

However, this is all from the early Ming period. After the mid-Ming period, most of the irrigable areas near water sources in Wuzhaibao had already been occupied by Qianhu Huang Sihao and some officers of Wuzhaibao. Most of the military households had become tenants of these officers. Additionally, due to the continuous droughts and cold disasters in recent years, the grain production in Wuzhaibao has been declining year by year

Butler Yang also mounted his horse, watching the two children behaving like a couple, merely smiling without speaking. At the same time, he found it somewhat strange to see the change in Huang Laifu in front of Gu Yunniang. After all, Huang Laifu was someone he had watched grow up since childhood; as the saying goes, it is easy to change the mountains and rivers, but hard to change one's nature.

As usual, upon her saying this, Huang Laifu had already hurried over to her side, doing his utmost to please her with explanations, and he would not care about the sarcasm in her tone. When they were together in the past, Gu Yunniang often remarked that Huang Laifu was a rough man, uncouth and unrefined, and she was particularly displeased with how he would often bully the families of military households in Wuzhaibao, which was also a result of having read too many idle books

Huang Laifu smiled without speaking, while Gu Yunniang let out a discontented hum, pouting her lips and ignoring Huang Laifu. However, she felt quite frustrated inside; in the past, Huang Laifu had always been very accommodating to her, never daring to treat her so coldly as he did now. She couldn't understand what had happened to him; it was as if he had completely changed after going out. This sudden shift left her at a loss for what to do.

At this moment, Huang Laifu merely smiled slightly and said, "Of course I am going to inspect the farmland; otherwise, do you think I have nothing better to do than to go outside the fortress for a breeze?"

Having grown accustomed to Huang Laifu's unwavering compliance in the past, Gu Yunniang found it difficult to adapt to his indifferent demeanor today. This stark contrast left her feeling quite unsettled, and she could only sulk in silence, after all, she was merely a 16-year-old girl, and in terms of emotional control, she was no match for Huang Laifu.

Gu Yunniang urged her horse and rode alongside Huang Laifu. She said, "Huang Laifu, look at you, ever since you appeared, the people on the street are so afraid of you. I heard that your reputation in Wuzhaibao can stop children from crying at night. Is that true?"

Huang Laifu cast a glance at Gu Yunniang; he had no intention of wasting time on the antics of such a young girl. He was busy planning his grand ambitions and could not afford to squander his energy on such entanglements

Soon, a group of people exited the Wuzhaibao fortress and headed northwest to the banks of the Qinglian River, where some military households of Wuzhaibao were engaged in farming. For a century, the military households and their families have relied on this for their livelihood, integrating military service with agriculture and combining defense with settlement. This pattern is also observed throughout the entire border town.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the military farming system achieved good results, allowing the army to be largely self-sufficient. However, by the mid-Ming Dynasty, especially after the Xuande period, the military farming system began to deteriorate, leading to the abandonment of military fields, and the Ming government had no choice but to reduce the grain tax. In the early Ming Dynasty, the five towns of Yansui, Gansu, Ningxia, Xuanzhou, and Datong had a total grain supply of 1.54 million shi, but by the early Jiajing period, the grain supply had decreased to 570,000 shi, a decline of 53%

Jiang Dazhong and Yang Xiaolu wanted to laugh but dared not, quickly turning to mount their horses. Both were aware that this young lady from the Gu family was not someone to be trifled with; if they angered her, they would face dire consequences. They could only suppress their laughter and divert their eyes elsewhere. Meanwhile, they were puzzled, as the previous young master had not behaved this way in front of the young lady from the Gu family. His timid demeanor had been uncomfortable for them to witness. Had he changed after going out for a while?

Gu Yunniang's face flushed, and she said softly, "Who asked you to be so kind?" Seeing Huang Laifu agree to her request, her anger turned to joy, and she quickly mounted her horse, unaware that the control of her emotions had already shifted to Huang Laifu.