Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1385 Xijing and Tokyo

"A place surrounded by mountains can actually build such a big city." Before entering the city, Shao Chengjie walked around Xijing.

Xijing Liushou, Yalu Mansion, Shenzhou, and Shenlu County all work in such a city. In terms of institutional structure, it is no different from Tang Dynasty.

Conquering Xijing did not actually go through such a brutal battle.The Weisheng Army had more than [-] soldiers, plus some soldiers from the Anton Mansion, Tutuan Villagers, and Huibei Township Yong, totaling about [-] soldiers and horses. The real fierce attack took only six or seven days, and more than [-] people were killed or injured. People, they completely shake the will of the defenders, and then take them down.

In fact, speaking of it, it’s all ripe.

They have fought since last year, and winter gave them a serious setback. This year, the Bohai soldiers in Xijing stopped seven times out of ten.

If they have the will to fight...

Shao Chengjie laughed.I heard that the construction of the Shenzhou Building took decades to complete. The city defense facilities are extremely complete. The city wall is three feet high and twenty miles in circumference. The whole body is made of quarried stones.Change to Xia Bing to guard, as long as the food and grass are constant, they can guard you until the end of time.But everyone loves field battles, and most of them will not be willing to defend the city.

After laughing, he whipped his horsewhip and roared into the city with his own soldiers.

The Bohai people may have inherited part of Goguryeo's culture. Not only the city walls are made of stones, but even the streets are paved with stone slabs, which is extremely luxurious.

When the crisp sound of horseshoes appeared on the street, a few Bohai people who were about to go out hurriedly avoided, fled into their homes, and closed their doors tightly.

In the 200 years of Haidong Shengguo, they have always been the only ones who bully others, not being bullied by others.Even though the rise of Khitan in the past few years has been very obvious, Bohai has been defeated repeatedly, but it is only in the west of Manjie Mansion and Fuyu Mansion, and Changling Mansion is separated from their Yalu Mansion, so the feeling is not so deep ——Although Xijing was captured by the Khitans a year later in history, Abaoji was fishing in the Yalu River and declared victory.

Since the second half of last year, Xijing, which has been stable for 200 years, has become turbulent and wars are frequent.But Wen Tian and Wu Xi's Bohai people really can't get tough anymore.They organized resistance in a hurry, the more they did, the more mistakes they made, all kinds of troops were sent to fight, and all of them were killed.

Today, Xijing is broken. For all Bohai people, it can be said that it is like mourning for a concubine, and they are in constant fear.

Shao Chengjie had conquered the middle of Shu, so he was not surprised by the behavior of the common people.He rode his horse and rushed to a palace, tied the horse to the stone lion at the door, and walked in.

"Is this the Xijing Palace?" Shao Chengjie asked, waving his horsewhip, looking at the palace that had obviously experienced a lot of fighting.

Zhang Dingbao, who stayed behind in Xijing, Bohai Sea, surrendered yesterday, but the opinions of the defenders were not unified.After all, Bohai has been established for more than two hundred years, and after all, there are still loyal men who summon soldiers and fight bravely with the Xia army who entered the city.The last group of more than a hundred remnants gathered inside and outside the palace and resisted until evening.

This made Shao Chengjie look at Bohai people with admiration.

Prairie tribes are much better at fighting than Bohai people.But once they failed, they surrendered, very simply.After all, grassland tribes have always killed and annexed tribes, and the herdsmen do not have a strong sense of belonging to the tribe.

However, it is different for a country with a national system, a written language, a city, and a solid local governance system.Guozuo has existed for more than 200 years, and there are indeed many people who do not want Bohai to perish, but would rather die in battle.

He had heard his father talk about such things before, and knew that this was called national consciousness. Although it was still very superficial and not very firm, it was really beginning to emerge.

If left alone, in decades or even hundreds of years, will there be a revolution in Bohai State?Once the so-called rebels overthrow the Dashi and establish a new dynasty, will Bohai be reborn from the ashes?It is possible.

At that time, will Da Xia still have the energy to deal with the rising "New Bohai State"?Hard to say.

Small countries also have their ups and downs, ups and downs, so they should be completely killed when they are sick, without leaving a chance!

"Your Highness, this is the palace city of Xijing." Zhang Yun, the young inspector of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who entered the city last night, came over and said, "It's actually not bad. The palaces of the former Tang and Daxia looked like this."

"The small country of Fanbang also has such luxurious palaces. Bohai Kingdom really can't let it continue to exist." Shao Chengjie touched the carvings on the pillars and said, "How many things were seized?"

"Your Highness, according to the agreement, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will purchase leather goods and medicinal materials at an estimated price and pay with woolen cloth." Zhang Yun said: "There are more than [-] bolts of brocade, more than [-] tussah silk cloth, [-] pieces of gold and silver wares, and [-] bags of pearls in the hall." , nearly ten thousand furs of various colors..."

After listening slowly, Shao Chengjie praised: "Before I entered the city, I saw that there were mountains all around, and there were not many fields, so I thought there was not much oil and water. In fact, when I saw such a fortified city, I should overthrow this idea. People from Bohai There is still money, Shenzhou is a place of water and land transshipment, it has always been prosperous, and it will never disappoint me."

"Your Highness, there is still Fangshi in the city, that's the big head..." Zhang Yun reminded.

"Don't worry, someone has already gone to seal it up and count it." Shao Chengjie said: "The disposal of spoils is still the old rule. You make a list and I will read it to the warriors on the spot."

"Yes." Zhang Yun agreed very simply.

Great Xia warriors are still very talkative.You are not required to hand out rewards on the spot, you can just cash them out when you go back. This has been the case for 30 years, and everyone has long accepted it.But if you read it out in public and tell everyone how many things have been captured, they are still very happy and their morale can be improved.

This is what Shao Chengjie came up with.After many years of military service, he has a clear understanding of how to mobilize the morale of warriors.

Zhang Yun also knew this, so he readily agreed.

"Then it's fine, let's deal with it quickly." Shao Chengjie waved his hand and said.

"Your Highness." Zhang Yun did not leave immediately, but asked, "Where will the troops be sent next?"

"You're not a military supervisor, why ask so many questions?" Shao Chengjie turned around and asked with a half-smile.

"The sage has a purpose..." Zhang Yun said.

"Okay! Okay! I know." Shao Chengjie nodded him with a horsewhip, and said angrily: "Isn't it just to attack Longyuan Mansion eastward?"

Longyuan Prefecture is Bohai Tokyo, which once served as its capital.

Daqinmao, king of Bohai Wen, lost his wife and son in Shangjing, thinking it was an ominous place, so he moved his capital to Tokyo.

After Da Qinmao's death, Zihong died early, and his clan brother Yuanyi succeeded to the throne.But he only reigned for one year, "the people of the country killed him", promoted Hong Linzi Huayu as king, returned to Shangjing, and changed Yuan Zhongxing.

The superficial reason for Daqinmao's relocation of the capital was the loss of his wife and son, but the actual reason was that the people of Shangjing became more powerful, which frightened him.

This countryman is not an ordinary person, but an aristocratic power that has gradually emerged with the reform of Da Qinmao.They have grown enough to control the throne of Bohai, so after moving the capital to Tokyo, they can still kill Da Yuanyi, help establish Dahuayu, and return the capital to Beijing.

There are main post roads between the five capitals of Bohai State, namely Japan Road, Silla Road, Yalu Road (Trial Tribute Road), Yingzhou Road, and Khitan Road.

Xijing Shenzhou is located at the water and land transshipment hub of the Tribute Road.From here to the north, you can travel four hundred miles to Xianzhou in Zhongjing.And if you go east all the way, there are two lines from the north and the south to Tokyo.

"Zhang Shaojian, I want to take the northern route. I will go to Zhongjing first, and then go east to conquer Longyuan Mansion." After thinking about it for a while, Shao Chengjie said, "Xiande Mansion is in the middle. If you don't pull it out, you will be attacked from the back. It's not beautiful. What's more, Bohai The people focused on renovating the post road from Zhongjing to Tokyo, which is divided into 39 post stations. The vehicles and horses are well prepared, the road is easy to travel, the supplies are convenient, and the march should be very fast. Third, the saint is in Xianzhou and will go east. If he does not attack Zhongjing , may be dangerous. Based on these three points, it is better to go north first and then go east.”

Zhang Yun was silent for a while, and said: "Your Highness just remember the goal. Longyuan Mansion must be taken."

After the Bohai Kingdom moved its capital to Tokyo, it vigorously renovated the roads between Zhongjing, Shangjing and Tokyo, equipped with more than three times the number of post stations, carriages and horses, and it is a well-deserved main road in the country.

Tokyo is near the sea, and there is the Tuomen River (also known as the Tumen River, that is, the Tumen River), and there is a port near the south bank, called "Longji Port", which is the starting point for the Bohai State to Japan.

After Bohai moved its capital to Tokyo, the focus of national development was maritime exchanges with Japan. Therefore, the port and wharf were vigorously renovated, the household registration was moved, and the city was built. Longji Port once became a very prosperous commercial port.

Shao Shude also wanted to take a look at this place, and was even more interested in it than Shangjing, that's why Zhang Yun's words came about.

"It's settled like this." Shao Chengjie was overjoyed, and said: "You quickly count your belongings, and I will prepare the army. The matter of going north should be sooner rather than later, and there should be no time for the thieves to react."

After finishing speaking, Shao Chengjie went straight out of the palace. Seeing the sergeants outside the gate doing nothing, he beat them with whips and scolded with a smile, "Where are we going? Go back to each camp, and come with me to Zhongjing in two days to play."

Almost at the same time, the messenger of the victory also rushed out.

******
Shao Shude received the news very quickly. At this time, he had entered Xiazhou with the palace guards, Yin Anzhi and a part of the Youguo Army, and stationed in Sumi City (Huadian Town, Huadian City).

The Youguo Army currently has 2 people, about half of whom are from various departments of the old Forbidden Army, and most of the rest are soldiers from the original Youguo Army and Weisheng Army.

The Youguo Army is also the tenth imperial army in Daxia.Liu Wei, Kong Qing, Li Lin, Wang Jiao, Wang Yanwen, Li Cunxin and others served as generals at all levels.

Along the way, Shao Shude was exchanging feelings with this army, and the results were quite remarkable.

After arriving in Sumi City, he ordered the Youguo Army and Yinan to station outside the city, and the palace guards stationed inside the city, waiting for news from all parties while inspecting local government affairs.

Qin Han, governor of Xiazhou, Jiang Xuanhui and other officials accompanied him.

Qin Han is from Lanzhou.During Shao Shude's early Western Expeditions, his whole family took refuge in him, and he was one of the first batch of ministers who followed the dragon.Served as the tribal envoy of the Lanzhou capital, the regiment training envoy, the governor of Linzhou, and Biejia of Hezhou. His resume is very complete. He has always worked in Longyou and is a member of the Kansai Group rooted in Zhengmiaohong.

Qin Han also has several brothers.

Qin Qing is the governor of Fengzhou, Qin Le is the Sima of Shanzhou, and Qin Ke is the general of the Feilong Army.

As for their father, Qin Gui, the head of thousands of households in the Lanzhou Pedestrian Tribe, had passed away many years ago.Before he died, he returned to Tang Dynasty and served as the tribal envoy of the capital of Lanzhou, which can be regarded as a smile.

"Xiazhou's four counties, half of mountains and half of plains, are actually very promising." Shao Shude walked among the birch forests, looked at the towering trees, felt the slight depression on the soles of his feet, and thought to himself that thousands of years It has not been developed, how much fertility has accumulated in the soil.

Zhao Zhi, the young supervisor of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, also followed behind him.

He looked at the dense forest, but what he thought about was how many leathers he could get.

The sage had already told him the truth. From now on, wild animals in the mountains and forests of Liaodong Road could not be hunted casually.If you want to hunt, you need to obtain the qualifications of hunters and register with the government.

In fact, it has been such a rule since ancient times.Being a hunter is not easy, you have to get permission from the government.Because they do not farm land, their taxes are also different from others, which is quite special.In the event of a war, Orion is easily conscripted, because they have certain skills and can be scouts after some training.

Of course, because of low management capabilities and high management costs, it is not so strict in actual operation.In the countryside, you can see villagers hunting during slack seasons everywhere. Many people don't even know that there is such a rule, and no one cares about it.

But the sage has emphasized so much, obviously he wants to take care of it.Even if the management is full of loopholes and the number of people hunting in private is countless, it still has some effect.

For the prey hunted by hunters in Liaodong Road, the meat is handled by themselves, part of the skin is handed over to the government as a tax, and the rest is sold.

That's the point.These leathers can only be sold to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, not privately to merchants.

In short, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has the monopoly right to operate Liaodong leather goods.

Even if he didn't know what happened to the monopoly rights of colonial companies in the era of great voyages in later generations, Zhao Zhi knew that this was a great power based on his own analysis of experience.The profits behind it are simply incalculable.

The sage once said that he would let the Ministry of Internal Affairs enter Liaodong to make money. Zhao Zhichu was a little surprised, thinking that the sage might be too optimistic and might not be able to make money.But as soon as the monopoly rights came out, there was nothing to say. Who can compete with you?
"Looking at the fish swimming in the river, it has been inaccessible for thousands of years, and many of them are probably dying." Shao Shude said, pointing to a fat fish that jumped out of the water.

"Your Majesty, Liaodong is much stronger than Lanzhou." Qin Han said: "If there are only ten thousand people in Xiazhou, even if you don't farm land, you can still be rich."

"If there are 10 people, you have to cultivate the land." Shao Shude said with a smile: "But you can also get a good harvest. You are still leveling the land this year, it is a bit slow, speed up."

"Follow the order." Qin Han replied.

"Zhao Qing, the fish in this river are not under your control." Shao Shude joked: "You can take care of the fish in Longyuan Mansion."

Zhao Zhi also smiled and said: "I can't wait."

The sage named the sea the Sea of ​​Whales.The fish in the sea of ​​whales is also monopolized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is another great benefit, although it may not be as good as the benefit of leather goods.

The sage also pointed out that the salmon migrating from the sea of ​​​​whales is also theirs.He heard that salmon would fill the Tuomen River between July and August, and the scene was very spectacular, so he wanted to see it.

"It's coming soon." Shao Shude looked to the east and said, "My son just came to report that he has broken through the Bohai Sea and Xijing, and is about to go north to Xiande Mansion. It's really coming soon. The Luoyan Army on the northern line also fought very well, making a surprise attack in one day. , conquered Bozhou, went south with the trend, and fought against the thieves several times, all victorious. Fu Cunshen also won two games at the foot of Dongmou Mountain, conquered Dongmu Mountain City, Aodong City lost troops and lost generals, and it will be broken soon."

The three routes dispatched troops, the main force attracted the Bohai Forbidden Army, and the North Route took advantage of the vacancy to force Bohai to dispatch troops from the front to return to aid, and set up fences to block them.The East Road was led by Shao Chengjie, and the troops advanced rapidly. Bohai was unable to resist and retreated all the way.

Looking at the progress, Shao Shude feels that Bohai will definitely be won this year, good luck!

(End of this chapter)