The rise of the prince

Chapter 844 Champa Rice + Xia Country Strategic Misjudgment
In the twelfth lunar month, the heavy snow fell even harder, and the whole Kaiyuan City was completely white.

Years ago, my sister-in-law, Princess Qing'an, and her family also returned to Beijing.

Li Xingzhou went to pick her up at the ferry in person. Over the years, the palace's business in the south has been taken care of by a sister-in-law.

This time my sister-in-law brought the whole family here, and also brought a lot of southern specialties.

Her mother-in-law also went north together this time. The old man was too old to leave the house once, but Li Xingzhou stopped him when he saw that he wanted to salute.

Li Xingzhou had a good impression of this old man.

It is said that the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is not good, but her sister-in-law and this mother-in-law are exceptions.

Probably the core of the split between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is the son and husband. As a wife, I want the affection of my husband, and as a mother, I don’t want my son to be more and more indifferent to me.

But my sister-in-law's husband, the old lady's son, is a bastard who doesn't live up to expectations, and both of them are very disappointed.The conflicts between the two are gone, and they still depend on each other and support each other, so the relationship will be better.

At the beginning of the rebellion in the south, if it weren't for the support of the old lady, my sister-in-law might not have survived.

So Li Xingzhou treats her with the courtesy of an elder, with good etiquette.

That night, a family banquet was held in the palace, and then the accompanying people were arranged to stay.

My sister-in-law is a princess after all, even if she gets married, she still has a princess mansion.

Although there is no real power, the Princess Mansion can be understood as an office where eunuchs, maids and guards are dispatched by the central government.

So there were more than 100 people traveling north this time, and it was not easy to arrange all of them in the palace, so they rented some houses on the other side of the palace. If there is no money, Li Xingzhou ordered people to exchange the money into wine and meat, and give it to the people as New Year gifts.

This is how the people accept the gift.

At the family dinner that night, my sister-in-law was very happy and in high spirits, and kept saying that he was promising, and that the emperor could rest in peace with the news.

Everyone settled down that night, but my sister-in-law called him to the wing alone.

Li Xingzhou knew that Auntie must have something to tell him.

When they arrived at the house, the little girl stepped back, sat down and poured tea to hangover, and said to him: "Xingzhou, do you still remember my father-in-law? I told you about him back then."

Li Xingzhou had some vague impressions, so he nodded. The decline of my sister-in-law Liu's family began with the accidental death of my sister-in-law's father-in-law who encountered a landslide in a landslide during days of heavy rain on his way home from the south.

"At the beginning, we didn't know why my father-in-law hurried south at that time. Last year, the family renovated the house and found the father-in-law's handwriting in the old house.

Only then did I know that he had received a letter from an old friend in Fuzhou, saying that a new rice species had been brought in from the sea, which was drought-tolerant and early-maturing.

The father-in-law is a person who cares about the people. He thought it was a big deal and he didn't want to delay, so he hurried south, but unfortunately encountered a natural disaster on the way.

After seeing the handwriting, since last year, we have been sending people to the south to look for it. "

Li Xingzhou sat up straight, and immediately regained his energy: "Is there any result?"

Auntie nodded: "At the beginning of June, the people sent out came back to report that there is indeed a new type of rice called 'dry rice' in Fuzhou, which is said to be more drought-tolerant and early-maturing than the original rice species, but not many are planted.

At that time, I sent someone to tell you, but you were fighting in the north, so no one was sent. "

"Dry rice." Li Xingzhou muttered to himself, his heart pounding, and he asked, "Is it still called Zhancheng rice?"

The little aunt was taken aback for a moment, then surprised: "How do you know?

Fuzhou has indeed given some aliases to Xindao, some of them are called 'Han Champa', which is not too different from your 'Champa Rice'. "

Li Xingzhou quickly asked, "Sister-in-law, have you brought the rice seeds?"

The little aunt shook her head: "Although the rice seed is novel, it doesn't have much advantage in terms of yield.

The local people are also accustomed to planting old rice seeds.So I don't pay much attention to it, and I will tell you about this matter alone, maybe it will be of some help to you. "

Li Xingzhou's heart was already in turmoil, "Sister, it's not only helpful, it's a major issue related to the country's society!"

"No way!" My sister-in-law was also surprised when she saw his tone.

Li Xingzhou stood up and paced, then said: "That's true!

That's all for now, don't spread the word, next year I will send someone to go south with you, and then you will send someone to help him find 'dry rice' seeds in Fuzhou, I will be of great use. "

"Okay then, just arrange it." Seeing that he was serious, the sister-in-law nodded seriously and agreed.

That night, Li Xingzhou was so excited that he couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, thinking about things while hugging Gillian.

Dry rice is another name for Champa rice.

Champa rice is a new rice variety introduced to China during the Song Dynasty, and it is native to Indochina Peninsula.

Then it was slowly promoted on a large scale during the Southern Song Dynasty, which also made the Southern Song Dynasty the first country in the world with a population exceeding [-] million.

Facing the mighty Mongol Empire and being driven to a desperate situation, the Southern Song Dynasty, which had only half of the country, showed strong and durable combat effectiveness and the improvement of food sources was inseparable.

When the Egyptian Mamluks defeated a left-behind Mongolian army, they were praised as the last defenders, and they were invincible in the world.

The Southern Song Army fought against the main force of Mongolia for more than 40 years. Until the last few years before the collapse, there was a back and forth, and a Mongolian Khan was killed. Is it possible to become a heavenly soldier?

Champa rice is definitely a powerful weapon for the development of the country, and it can push the dynasty to a new height.

Aunt Li Xingzhou said it was nothing special because she hadn't thought of the true strengths of Champa Rice.

Compared with traditional rice, Champa rice is not as good as rumored in terms of yield. Although it has advantages, it does not have such advantages in some places that are originally suitable for rice cultivation.

But its strength lies in its drought tolerance!precocious!
Champa rice was originally called 'dry rice'.

In areas with well-developed water networks like Fuzhou, if its drought-tolerant advantages cannot be brought into play, it is no different from ordinary rice.

But this feature means that in the past, a large number of places that were not suitable for rice cultivation can grow Champa rice!If promoted in an all-round way, the arable land area of ​​the country will be greatly increased.

But China has a vast territory and a lot of land. Many lands that were not suitable for cultivation can be cultivated!
Champa rice is an early rice with a short maturity period. In some areas with better climate, it can be cross-planted with local late arrivals, and can be planted twice a year!Food production has almost doubled!
But if you are happy, Li Xingzhou is still not sure if it is Champa Rice.

There was nothing to say all night, and the next day was already 28. The palace was full of joy and busy with shopping.

However, Li Xingzhou left in a hurry early in the morning and went to Tingyu Tower, where the Wangfu's intelligence office was located, led by Fang Xin.

He came here to order Fang Xin to send people to Fuzhou to inquire about new rice varieties as soon as possible, and bring some back for trial planting.

After hearing this, Fang Xin agreed, and then wrote down the details with a pen and paper, and then put them in the classified cabinet next to him, and promised to send people there immediately after the New Year.

Then all came, and Fang Xin took the opportunity to report some new situations to him.

"Among the envoys from various countries who came to the palace to pay homage, the envoys from the Xia Kingdom sent people around to give gifts to officials and inquire about news, and most of them were military officials and warriors." Fang Xin said in a low voice.

Li Xingzhou nodded, "It seems that Xia Guo has already noticed something."

"Not only that, the information I just received should have happened half a month ago." Fang Xin took out a bunch of keys, picked out one of them, opened one of the densely packed cabinets behind him, and took out a Xia Guo The map, densely marked with Xia Guo's military deployment, was laid out on the table.

"At the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, Xia Guo transferred the Chaoshun army on the right side of the north to the south, to Yaode City, south of Xiping Mansion." Fang Xin pointed to the map and told him.

Li Xingzhou said: "Tell me about the military strength of the Xia Kingdom." For the past two years, his attention was first on the Liao Kingdom, and then on the Jin Kingdom, and he did not fully control the overall military strength of the Xia Kingdom.

"The four standing armies of Xia Kingdom are the Brave Army on the left side, the Chaoshun Army on the right side, the Heqing Army, and the Jinsu Army. Now only the Chaoshun Army on the right side is still in the hands of the lord Li Ji. They are all in the hands of Li Yuanchang.

The four standing armies add up to more than 5 troops.

However, according to the intelligence of all parties and the information we have collected, the Xia Kingdom's standing army should be around 5. [-] people are in the hands of the king's family, namely the four armies of Shenyong, Chaoshun, Heqing, and Jinsu.

There are still more than 3 people in the hands of the leaders of various nomadic tribes. Judging from their relationship with the king, I think that if there is a war, [-]% of the tribe leaders will send troops for the king of Xia, so there are about [-] people. "

Li Xingzhou listened: "That is to say, if there is a war, there will be [-] soldiers and horses in Xia Kingdom."

Fang Xin nodded: "According to the current information, it is indeed the case. The barren land of Xia State occupies most of the land, and the people's customs are strong.

There are also three thousand iron kites in the army directly under the Lord Xia.

However, according to the intelligence of some spies and businessmen, Xia Guo's iron kites are not as good as before, with loose military discipline and lax training, far from the elite soldiers who defeated Jing Guo and Liao Guo one after another decades ago. "

This Li Xingzhou believed it, because the iron harrier was not only powerful in equipment, but mainly in its spirit.

In the beginning, the Xia Kingdom faced enemies on both sides. When the country was in crisis, the three thousand iron kites were all selected from the children of nobles, with top-level equipment and a strong sense of honor. In addition, fighting for their own interests naturally gave up their lives.

But under decades of peace, these rich and powerful children are also the most vulnerable to corruption, just like the later Eight Banners children.

Li Xingzhou thought about Xia Guo's military strength, and silently calculated in his heart, if he sent troops, how many people would be needed
"Your Highness, this is just a standing army. If you are in a hurry, Xia Guo will definitely recruit troops. I estimate that if the cost is not considered, Xia Guo can recruit about 40 new troops." Fang Xin added.

Li Xingzhou nodded, he understood the truth, and carefully moved the map on the table to look at it: "Except for the Chaoshun army, is there any movement from the other armies?"

"The brave army in the left wing crossed the river and moved to defend Yongle City, Yinzhou, and Niuxinting in September this year."

"The Heqing army moved to Xiazhou in half a year"

"The Brave Army Was Discovered by the Soldiers of Tanglong Town"

"Jin Su's army is deploying Jingsai and the western border along the Huizhou line."

Li Xingzhou looked at it for a long time, and said, "The strategy is moving south."

"That's right. Judging from this year's Xia Kingdom dispatch, they are dispatching the elite standing army to the south, and half of the troops originally prepared to guard against the Tatars have also been transferred to the southern states and towns."

"They're defending Jingguo." Li Xingzhou clicked his tongue. If it wasn't for Fang Xin and his team's intelligence, he might not be able to see the situation clearly, but if he put all the intelligence and dispatch on a map, the general trend would be obvious. .

The four major standing armies of Shenyong, Chaoshun, Heqing, and Jinsu continued to move southward and deployed to the south. Jingguo was targeted at Tanglong Town, an important town west of Dahe.

Xia Guo was quietly guarding against them.

The military strength of the Xia Kingdom is far from being comparable to that of the Jing Kingdom and the Jin Kingdom, but they can survive in the gap between the Jing Kingdom and the Liao Kingdom because they are known for their bravery and fearlessness.

In terms of military strength, there are 6 troops in five divisions of the New Army Army and one division of the Navy, and they are still expanding.

By next year, the new army is expected to have six divisions in the army and two divisions in the navy with 8 people, which will be on par with Xia's standing troops.

In addition, Jingguo's Central Forbidden Army was reorganized and downsized after the prince's rebellion, but next year there will still be three armies of Lingjie, Wulie, and Shenwu, with a strength of about 12.

At the border, there are the Guanbei Army under the command of Wei Chaoren, the Yang Family Army under the command of Yang Wenguang, the Zhejia Army under the command of Zhe Weizhong, the Jiannan Army which intimidates the tribes of Baiyi and Tubo, and the standing frontier army in the south defending Jiaozhi and Dali. There are also about [-] standing troops.

In other words, by next year, Jingguo's standing army will be around 30.

Of course, there will still be standing armies in Liaodong and Liaoxi in the future, and Jingguo is huge and has a vast territory, and there are many places that need to be taken care of. It is impossible to concentrate the whole country's forces in one place in a war.

Xia Guo can do it, so if there is a real war, Jing Guo can't have much advantage in military strength.

However, Xia Guo's move made Li Xingzhou very happy.

Judging from the synthesis of various intelligences, Xia Guo's strategic center of gravity is moving south.

Xia Guo's high-level judgment should be: if Jing Jun wants to attack, it will definitely attack the southern state town bordering Jing Guo, where the terrain is convenient for marching, which is good for Jing Guo's logistics supply.

Jing Jun attacked from the south to the north, relying on Fengxiang Mansion and Hezhong Mansion, the rear was stable, and the prospect country had also attacked Xia State in the same way for decades.

This is also one of the best offensive plans that a person who knows how to fight can come up with.

Therefore, they began to transfer their troops to the south in the overall situation, intending to prevent problems before they happen.

Li Xingzhou became happier the more he watched, and couldn't help laughing out loud. This was a strategic misjudgment!
Xia Guo's senior management didn't understand his intention at all!
Then he asked Fang Xin who the officials of the Xia State envoy had bribed and contacted in the capital.

The eyes of Sun Banzhang, Sun Wenyan and others are all over the capital, and it is easy to inquire about these news.

Li Xingzhou took the list that Fang Xin handed him, on which were written the names, official positions, addresses, and even family members of several people.

He took a look and found that they were basically officers from the Ministry of War.

That's right, the Jingguo Privy Council is in charge of military affairs, and the military department of the six ministries is almost empty, and the Xia people can only find these unhappy military officials if they want to buy.

However, they are basically low-level officials, and they can't buy even those with a little status.

Li Xingzhou looked at the profiles and resumes of these people and picked three of them.

One of them lived on the street across from the palace, another was surnamed Wang, and was related to the Degong family, and the last one had the highest official position in the Ministry of War.

Since the Xia people want to find someone to inquire about the news, then I should give them some news with good intentions!Li Xingzhou thought to himself, I am really a kind person.

(End of this chapter)