Reborn in the late Northern Wei Dynasty

Chapter 213 Review of Salt Soldiers

At the end of August in the sixth year of Taichang (537), it was the time when autumn was crisp and clear, and all places were immersed in the busyness and joy of autumn harvest.

Gao Cheng, who returned to the capital, went to the salt soldiers camp in the south of the city without stopping.

With the rewards of Zhao Yanshen and Zhang Liang, Gao Cheng has great expectations for this army mainly composed of salt workers.

Zhang Liang had already set up the general platform and summoned [-] troops in advance to wait under the general platform for Gao Cheng to review.

Under the watchful eyes of more than [-] people, Gao Cheng stepped up to the general platform step by step, followed by Gao Jishi and Zhang Liang who had returned from sweeping the grave.

Standing still in the middle of the podium, Gao Cheng glanced at the soldiers and soldiers in the audience, there was a sea of ​​people.

Gao Cheng took a deep breath and shouted loudly:

"I set up 480 salt stoves in Cangzhou, but Cangzhou has few people and cannot recruit so many salt workers.

"Someone suggested to me that the [-] salt soldiers recruited by Zhang Sima have been in the salt field for a long time, so we might as well let them devote themselves to boiling salt production after training."

After all, it is a scale of 2 people. Even with a simple subway leather speaker, he still needs a group of personal guards to pass the words on his behalf.

As soon as the words fell, there was a buzzing discussion under the stage.

Gao Cheng turned a deaf ear and continued to shout:

"What he said is very reasonable, but I disagree. In order to solve the problem of insufficient manpower for cooking salt, I tried my best to allocate [-] state soldiers from the three states of Xiang, Ji, and Cangzhou to the Cangzhou Salt Field. Let you concentrate on training.

"Although you are salt soldiers, you also belong to the ranks. You will go to the battlefield in the future. If you pay more attention to training on weekdays, you can reduce many casualties on the battlefield.

"It is irresponsible for everyone's lives to distract you from cooking salt, and I will never do it.

"Since I formed the Gyeonggi Army, I have sworn three pledges with all the generals.

"First, meritorious deeds will be rewarded! As long as you fight bravely, all the military officials who record meritorious service will see them in their eyes. False records and omissions will be punished accordingly. Any appeal, whether it is a general or a soldier, will be seriously accepted.

Second, there must be punishment for mistakes!Chengchu went to the battlefield and fought fiercely with Liang general Chen Qingzhi outside Xiangyang City. Some soldiers looted supplies privately, causing chaos. "

As he spoke, Gao Cheng glanced at Gao Jishi behind him, and motioned to him.

Gao Jishi came forward knowingly.

Gao Cheng pointed at Gao Ji Shi and said:

"At the critical moment, it was him, Gao Jishi, a native of Bohai, Jizhou, who led five hundred guards to charge the Liang army, which turned the situation into a safe place. In this battle, I didn't kill the soldiers immediately to improve military discipline. It was because of me I understand that the soldiers are not paid, and they live by plundering. The crime is not theirs, but the 150-year bad habit of the Great Wei Dynasty.

"Since the crime lies in the system, Cheng learned from the painful experience, and after obtaining the consent of his father, he paid the soldiers of the armies. From then on, the armies never looted privately, and all the gains on the battlefield were distributed uniformly after the war.

"The salaries of the various armies cost more than two million households in taxes. If more than one million monks and nuns hadn't been forced to return to secular life, the treasury would have been empty and the finances would have been unsustainable.

"Let me ask you guys, is the battle of Xiangyang difficult by drawing out ten kills and one, or is it difficult to pay taxes to 200 million households to change bad habits?"

At first, there were only a few voices answering, and after a while, the whole army shouted together:
"Taxation is really difficult! The general is benevolent!"

Shouts came and went, so Gao Cheng could only raise his hand to stop the shouting of the crowd, and said:

"Anyone who commits a crime must be punished. Since the crime lies in the system, Cheng will reform the rent and tax of more than two million households. If the crime lies in the individual, why are you afraid of killing people to gain power? You must keep in mind that in the army, military discipline is the first. Anyone who violates the law will be punished severely, don't misjudge my determination to strictly enforce military discipline after the Battle of Xiangyang!"

All the soldiers agreed in unison, and Gao Cheng followed up with three oaths:
"Thirdly, the disabled soldiers will be taken care of by the imperial court. In addition to the pension, the offspring of those who died will go to Gao's free school. For the dead who have no descendants, I will also choose young children to succeed them from among their clan relatives. It lacks sacrifice.

"In the past, these orphans either joined the army as military officers, or went to the government office as minor officials, but now there are imperial examinations, and those who study writing can even take the imperial examination.

"Five years ago, there was only one Gao's free school, which was built in Luoyang, for the four hundred guards who died in the battle of Xiangyang to study. Now Gao's free school is opened in various places, and this preferential treatment is no longer limited to the Gyeonggi Army. , but benefited the Kwantung armies.

"What I tell you today is to tell you that if you work hard for me, Gao Cheng, you don't have to worry about your family members, and you don't have to worry about not being rewarded for your merits.

"Now your military salary is three shi per year, which is provided by foreign soldiers. If you can prove yourself on the battlefield in the future, I will definitely promote you to the middle soldiers and distribute five shi of rice grain every year.

"This oath is an alliance with you all!"

The voice spread, and under the rhythm of some generals and school leaders, the audience shouted:

"The general treats each other with sincerity, and we will do our best!"

Amidst the cheers, Gao Cheng glanced at Gao Jishi aside, his chest was so high.

Ever since Gao Cheng praised his five hundred cavalry for turning the tide in front of an army of [-], enjoying the admiration of everyone, Gao Jishi's face was flushed red because of excitement.

Over the years, for various reasons such as love, Gao Cheng has focused on favoring Gao Jishi. Now, even if he is allowed to capture his elder brother Gao Gan and second brother Gao Shen, Gao Jishi will not hesitate at all and turn around. Just tie them up.

When it fell on Gao Aocao, he would argue with reason and intercede for that third brother.

Gao Cheng, under the protection of Gao Jishi and others, went off in person and shuttled among the ranks of the salt soldiers.

Due to the long-standing communication with Zhang Liang, the whole army was called up this time, and there were no salt soldiers to carry weapons. Before Gao Cheng arrived, Zhang Liang specially asked a group of people to check each other, just to guard against someone with a short sword.

What kind of lord there is, there are what kind of subjects, Gao Cheng's confidants are influenced by him, and there is no need to say that they have a sense of security.

Gao Cheng asked everyone to sit on the spot, and he shuttled back and forth tirelessly, chatting with the soldiers.

Until the evening, Gao Cheng stayed in the army to eat with the salt soldiers, and he did not reply to the letter until he had done enough to share the joys and sorrows.

Gao Cheng didn't go straight back home, but went to visit his uncle Lou Zhao first.

"Ah Hui has been working hard outside, so why don't you rush to see your beautiful wife and beautiful concubine even after replying to the letter, and instead came to see me, an old man."

Lou Zhao who went out to greet him laughed loudly.

"Business is the most important thing. Uncle must not tease my nephew. Besides, uncle is in his prime, so how can he call himself an old man."

Gao Cheng shook his head helplessly.

Knowing that Gao Cheng came to look for business, Lou Zhao immediately brought him into the mansion. Uncle and nephew sat opposite each other in the wing room. Lou Zhao said:

"What's the matter with Ah Hui, but it's okay to say."

Gao Cheng looked at Gao Jishi who was accompanying him, and Gao Jishi immediately went to watch outside the house to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

After confirming that no one would listen to the corner, Gao Cheng did not hide it, and said straight from his heart:

"Cheng recruited [-] salt workers to serve as an army. He told his father that he was taking care of the salt farms, but in fact it has other uses."

Lou Zhao's face changed drastically when he heard the words, and he dissuaded him:

"Ah Hui, brother-in-law believes in and loves you. You must not be deceived by the desire for power and make disasters for relatives and enemies. I heard that after my brother-in-law fell off a horse, he suffered from headaches and frequent attacks. Ah Hui again And be patient for a while."

Hearing this, Gao Cheng couldn't help laughing.

It’s no wonder that Lou Zhao wanted to think wildly. Now that Kanto is firmly in Gao’s hands, Gao Cheng suddenly and mysteriously told him that the [-] salt soldiers he had on hand would be of great use. Huan fights.

"Uncle is too worried. That day in Jinyang, Cheng belonged to his father. How can he be disobedient and unfilial now? As uncle said, his father's body is not in good condition. The only thing Cheng worries about is that he has been in Luoyang for a long time, in the Jinyang army. We have no foundation, so we built [-] salt soldiers, combined with the Gyeonggi Army with [-] troops, and with the old kindness of our father, we should be able to stabilize the situation."

Lou Zhao was relieved after hearing his explanation, as long as their father and son were not fighting for power, nothing else would matter.

But he still wondered:
"Ah Hui mentioned salt soldiers to me, what do you mean?"

Gao Cheng sternly replied:
"I want to train [-] strong soldiers, but my uncle can accept this great trust."

Immediately analyzed with Lou Zhao.

Gao Cheng has no way to bring these 2 people back to Luoyang, and the salt soldiers formed under the guise of guarding the salt farms should not be stationed in Luoyang.

And he didn't plan to disperse the salt soldiers in the four prefectures of You, Cang, Ying, and Qing where the salt was boiled.

Since it is necessary to choose a prefecture to centrally place [-] salt soldiers, Jizhou is none other than Jizhou.

First of all, Jizhou is adjacent to Cang, Ying, and Qingzhou, and it is not far from Youzhou. If there is a riot, you can go there at any time.

Secondly, the governor of Jizhou is his own uncle Lou Zhao, and it is far more reassuring than others to hand over these 2 people to Lou Zhao. After all, he cannot stay in Hebei for a long time, and he will return to Luoyang after all.

Especially when he learned that during the one month or so of his tour, Lou Zhao concentrated on handling political affairs and had no interaction with Gao Yang and Gao Yan.

Such rationality was also one of the reasons why Gao Cheng entrusted these 2 people with confidence.

What's more important is that Lou Zhaojiu is a good general in the army, and he can take over the command and preside over the training.

Back then, most of the Gyeonggi soldiers were trained by Murong Shaozong and Hu Luguang. One of them was in Yingzhou and the other in Liangzhou. They were beyond reach. Gao Cheng had many generals under his command, but most of them had positions and were assigned to southern Henan. , Beware of Xiao Liang.

The only generals who can be trusted in Hebei are uncle Lou Zhao and uncle Dingzhou Inspector She Diqian. Dingzhou is far from Cangzhou and Qingzhou, and the relationship with Gao Cheng is not as good as Lou Zhao.

After all, Lou Zhao lived with him in Luoyang for more than five years.

Of course, Gao Cheng only told Lou Zhao the geographical location of Jizhou and his trust in his uncle. As for surveillance and other matters, he never mentioned anything.

After hearing Gao Cheng's heartfelt words, Lou Zhao did not refuse. He patted his chest and assured:
"Ah Hui, don't worry, I will hand over government affairs to my staff and concentrate on training. Within a year, I will send an elite soldier to Ah Hui."

Gao Cheng shook his head and said:
"If you want a strong army, you have to see the truth on the battlefield, but everything will be troublesome to uncle."

As he spoke, he stood up and bowed solemnly to Lou Zhao, who, as his uncle, accepted it calmly.

In fact, for Gao Cheng, Zhao Yanshen, governor of Qingzhou, and Yang Min, governor of Xiangzhou, could be entrusted to him, but both of them were literati, so they were not as familiar with military affairs as Lou Zhao.

(End of this chapter)