Fenghou

Chapter 692
After tidying up the battlefield, Chen Qing led an army of [-] troops northward and stationed in Lingzhou.

And at this time, Liu Cui sent an express letter.

Chen Qing opened the express letter and read it carefully. In the letter, Liu Cui told Chen Qing that he used the strategy of besieging Wei and saving Zhao to attack Xingqing Mansion, and had led [-] enemy troops to the north. His army had no siege weapons and could not attack Xingqing City. At this time, he had led an army of [-] across the Yellow River, and began to attack the Xixia army who supervised the harvesting of wheat.

More than [-] Xixia troops had retreated to the north in a panic. Liu Cui was worried that the main force of the enemy army would come to grab the wheat, so he begged the commander to send troops to help them grab the wheat.

Chen Qing immediately conscripted [-] party men in the city, took their families as hostages, and ordered the [-] men to go to Hetao to harvest wheat.

At the same time, Chen Qing sent Yang Zaixing to lead [-] cavalrymen and [-] Dangxiang wheat harvesting teams to cross the river to join Liu Cui's army and assist Liu Cui in harvesting wheat.

But this number was not enough, and Chen Qing ordered to recruit another [-] peasants from the Han people to go north to participate in the wheat harvest.

Harvest season is approaching.

A big reason why Chen Qing seized Lingzhou was to grab the wheat.

Xixia is a famous wheat producing area. Wheat is mainly produced in two places. The largest wheat area is the Hetao area between the East and West Yellow River, and there are also large wheat areas distributed between several cities.

Both sides need to harvest wheat, which is related to Xixia's food and military rations for the next year, and also related to the rations of more than [-] people under the Song Army next year.

Li Ganshun, son of the Western Xia Dynasty, specially sent the censor Bari Zuren as a special envoy to visit Chen Qing in Lingzhou City, hoping that the two sides would stop the war during the wheat harvest.

The agreement was not difficult to reach. The two sides hit it off immediately. The two sides agreed to a one-month truce, with the East Yellow River as the boundary.

A few days later, [-] people arrived at the Hetao wheat field and began harvesting wheat in full swing.

Chen Qing, escorted by three thousand cavalry, went to the west of the Yellow River to inspect the wheat harvest.

The Yellow River splits in two at the mouth of the gorge, fifty miles south of Lingzhou, and splits into east and west.

Just between the two Yellow Rivers in the east and west, there is a large alluvial plain, also known as the Hetao Plain, with fertile land, convenient irrigation, abundant sunshine, and a very vast area. It has become a famous food producing area. More than a few big and small dignitaries took over, built hundreds of manors, and raised hundreds of thousands of Han serfs to farm for them.

But now all the manors have been swept away by the Song army. This alluvial plain is occupied by the Song army, depriving the Xixia dignitaries of their land ownership.

In the morning, Chen Qing came to the wheat fields in the north of the plain, where there were also endless wheat fields, with undulating golden waves, full of the joy of a good harvest.

There were clusters of human heads everywhere in the wheat field. At this moment, Chen Qing saw a few old Han people sitting beside the field ridge, and he was surprised. How could there be old people here?

Chen Qing got off his horse, stepped forward and said with a smile, "Where are the old men from?"

Several old people didn't know Chen Qing, so they all laughed and said: "We are from Taiyuan Prefecture, so we must be from Guanzhong by the general's accent!"

"I'm from Zheng County."

Chen Qing knew who they were. Those [-] coachmen came to Xixia with the carts that were forcibly confiscated, and were sent here by the Xixia court to harvest wheat. Of course, their carts also came to load the wheat.

Chen Qing sat down on a big rock, and asked with a smile, "Where is your cart?"

"Over there in the barracks!"

An old man pointed at the barracks and said worriedly: "The Xixia army has run away, and we don't know what to do. The general will help us ask, can we go back to our hometown?"

Chen Qing smiled slightly: "Actually, you can stay in Xixia, and when Xixia perishes, they can take your family to Xixia, share [-] acres of land for each person, and be tax-free for life, isn't it good?"

"How is it possible to be tax-free for life?"

Several old people shook their heads and smiled wryly, "It's just a daydream to give back a hundred acres of wheat fields."

Liu Qiong, who accompanied Chen Qing on inspection, couldn't help but said: "Do you know who he is?"

Chen Qing waved his hand to Liu Qiong, gesturing not to speak out, and continued to say to the elders, "This is not a daydream. The Hehuang Valley recruits Han immigrants, and each family is allocated a hundred acres of fertile land. If they are military families, they can share Up to [-] mu, river valleys and valleys are exempt from tax for [-] years, and military families are exempt from tax for life. The Xuanfu Department of Sichuan and Shanxi has announced that after the destruction of Xixia, the people who immigrated to Lingzhou will be given [-] mu of permanent land for each household. Tax exemption, tax exemption for [-] years under the age of [-]."

Several old men looked at each other in blank dismay, they had never considered this issue, they were just forced into carts and exiled in Xixia.

"Thank you General for your kind introduction. We all understand, but we must go home first. I wonder if we can go back?"

Chen Qing also knew that they wanted to return home, so he couldn't force it, so he smiled and said, "Of course you can go home. After the wheat harvest is over, you will be given two pennies and five buckets of rice, and then there will be troops to escort you out of Xixia , I believe we will meet again in Hedong soon!"

At this time, Liu Cui came galloping on horseback from a distance, and Chen Qing got up to meet him. All the elders were surprised to see the top general bowing on one knee. Who is the general?"

The soldier laughed and said, "Except for Chen Dutong, the Xuanfu envoy of Sichuan and Shanxi, who else can promise you tax exemption for life?"

"what!"

Everyone exclaimed and were stunned. It turned out that this general was the well-known Sichuan-Shaanxi King Chen Qing.

Chen Qing used to be called a monster by the people, but these years Chen Qing worked hard to govern, and the deeds of governing Xihe Road and Shaanxi Road gradually spread. The common people know that he is a ruler who truly cares about people's livelihood, and their affection for him is increasing day by day. No one calls him a human devil anymore, this nickname has gradually been forgotten, replaced by the nickname of King of Sichuan and Shaanxi.

There were mixed emotions in everyone's hearts, and they didn't know whether they were moved or scared. At this time, an old man smiled and said: "Actually, I think it would be good to bring my family here to settle down. I am a tenant in Taiyuan Prefecture, so I will have my own family here." For land, Chen Dutong just promised to be tax-free for life, everyone, I am really tempted."

At this time, everyone knew Chen Qing's identity, so everyone believed what he said just now, everyone is poor, and facing such good conditions, who would not be tempted?

Liu Cui introduced Ashali to Chen Qing, and Ashali also knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists and saluted, "The lowly Ashali sees Du Tong!"

Chen Qing quickly helped him up, and said with a smile: "Chief Jiang told me about the general, he said that the general is the number one warrior in Eastern Qiang, and his reputation is indeed well-deserved!"

"I have won the award. The great chief is my father. When a father praises his son, it is always a bit exaggerated."

Chen Qing smiled slightly, "In my opinion, you Qiang people are all warriors."

What Chen Qing said was not false. In this confrontation with the Jurchen iron cavalry, [-] of the [-] Song cavalry were Qiang cavalry. They were the forefront of the confrontation. The [-] Qiang cavalry killed [-] More than a hundred people, still not defeated, is really impressive.

"Thank you for your love!"

Chen Qing met with the generals again, and then, surrounded by dozens of generals, he went to the wheat field to inspect the situation.

Liu Cui said with regret: "This time I pretended to attack Xingqing Mansion. Later I heard that there were only [-] guards in Xingqing Mansion. At least half of them are the emperor's guards. There are very few troops defending the city. I really regret it. The batch of siege weapons might be taken down by Xingqing Mansion."

Chen Qing shook his head, "Even if we win the Xingqing Mansion, it doesn't mean that Xixia will perish. Brother Li Cha is still in Dingzhou, and he will succeed him as the lord of Xixia. Although Xixia is in decline, they haven't reached the end yet."

Liu Cui asked anxiously, "When can we wait until it perishes?"

Chen Qing said indifferently: "If the sky wants to destroy it, it must first make it crazy. The person who made Xixia crazy has appeared, and this day is coming soon."

(End of this chapter)