Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 542 Planning for big things
At Queen Mi's urging, Liu Bei asked Huo Du and Xu Sheng to lead their troops to escort Queen Mi and the Mi brothers back home to worship their ancestors.

Liu Bei inspected Guangling for two or three days, then took Huo Jun south to Jiangzuo, where he met with Bu Zhi, the governor of Yangzhou, and Jiang Wan, the governor of Danyang, in Moling (Nanjing).

Although Moling has beautiful mountains and rivers, with dragons and tigers dominating, it has the aura of an emperor. However, in the Southern Han Dynasty, it was only the seat of Danyang County and the military and political center of a county. It was far from being comparable to the ancient capitals of the Six Dynasties in later generations.

Moling, the east patrol palace.

In the lobby, Liu Bei was sitting on the couch, and senior officials such as Huo Jun, Bu Zhi, and Ma Liang were sitting on the left and right.

Looking through the Yangzhou household registers, Liu Bei showed a satisfied look and said: "The number of household registrations in the counties has changed more than when I left Yangzhou. I talked to the Prime Minister about the governance of Yangzhou, and the Prime Minister was full of praise for you. Since Duoyan Zishan was appointed as the governor of Yangzhou, the household registrations have increased over the years. As he grows older, his tax payment is second only to Jingzhou, which is very rare. "

According to calculations before the split of Jiangzhou, due to the Xuhuai people moving south, Yangzhou's population and tax revenue were actually greater than Jingzhou's, making it the largest state in the south.

After the Battle of Xiangfan, with the establishment of Jiangzhou, Yangzhou lost four counties, and the registered population decreased by 60,000 to 70,000 households. In addition, Jianghuai's long-term blood sucking caused Yangzhou's vitality to be severely damaged, and it fell from the first largest state to the second largest state. The household registration and taxation of this prefecture are less than those of Jingzhou, and are on par with Jiangzhou.

"I dare not be greedy for credit. The current achievements in Yangzhou are due to your majesty and the prime minister's proper selection of prefects. In the twelve years since your majesty went to Jingchuer, all the officials have defeated the bandits, pacified the Han barbarians, and organized the people into households. I only live in the administrative office, supervise the affairs of the country, issue government orders, and strictly enforce the rule of law," Bu Zhi said modestly.

"Moreover, there are mountains and mountains in Yangzhou. There are tens of thousands of mountains, hiding the people. They build their own armor and soldiers, and they are occasionally attacked. I can't control them, and I can't appease them. I deserve your majesty."

"Shan Koshi?"

After hearing this, Liu Bei hesitated for a while and asked: "When the prime minister led the troops to conquer the Wuxi barbarians, I sent General Huang Quan to lead the troops to search the mountains and wild areas, and found very few people in the mountains and rivers. Everyone said that the mountains and rivers were moved inland, so why not move inland? It can be exhausted. I don’t know what it will be like now.”

At the end, Jiang Wan cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, Danyang Mountain has a steep terrain. It is connected with the four counties of Wu County, Kuaiji, Xindu and Poyang. It circulates for thousands of miles and cannot be controlled by one county. There are many valleys and the mountains are hidden, and the mountains are more hidden. He made bronze and iron, made his own armor, and marched in the wild with his noble strength, making it difficult to capture him."

"I sent troops from the county to enter the mountains. They ran up and down the mountains and treacherous mountains, passing through the thorns. They were like fish walking through the abyss and monkeys climbing trees. When the time came, the troops retreated and they emerged as bandits. When they resumed the expedition, they were defeated by them with a small number of soldiers and a large number of soldiers. Scattered away, unable to catch it.”

Previously, Liu Bei sent Huang Quan to conquer Shanyue. The situation was similar to what Jiang Wan encountered. Most of the Shanyue people outside were captured, but there were still a large number of people who fled into the mountains. Simply sending troops to arrest them would not be able to completely solve Shanyue. .

At that time, Liu Bei asked Huo Jun for advice. Based on Zhuge Ke's blockade strategy, Huo Jun refined and improved the essence, and proposed the strategy of a dragnet to block the passage between Shanyue and the outside world, build forts, and block the flow of materials into Shanyue. After three or five years, Time is blocked and imprisoned, thus forcing the people of Shanyue to come out.

At that time, Liu Bei felt that this method was too time-consuming, consumed a lot of troops, and did not know what the harvest would be, so he put it aside for the time being. Since there are few counties in the mountains in the hinterland, this was put on hold for five or six years.

"Did Xi Zhongmiao have a plan to create a dragnet?"

Liu Bei put down the scarf, recalled the content, and asked: "If we act according to this policy, in three to five years, all the people in the mountains and mountains will be captured?"

"Exactly!"

Huo Jun nodded and said: "Although the Southern Barbarians live in the mountains, they all live on grain and grain. If you can destroy their cultivated land, cut off their grain and supplies. We must gather troops to seal the road, prohibit trade and internal communication, and do not fight with them. A few years later , The mountains will be depleted of food, and there will be no salt to eat. If you use words to persuade them and implement good governance, they will be captured!"

Liu Bei looked at Bu Zhi and Jiang Wan and asked, "Do you know how many far-reaching mountains there are?"

Jiang Wan pondered for a while and then calculated: "According to the words of the mountain people and merchants, there are dozens of tribes in the mountain, spread over thousands of miles, with no less than a hundred thousand people. If we can capture the people from far away, we may be able to organize them Households are organized to bring people together to pay taxes for the country; or they are organized to serve as troops for military expeditions."

Liu Bei was already interested in the Northern Expedition for two or three consecutive years. The people in the country were tired, and he wanted to leave a good foundation for Liu Chan. Therefore, in the short term, Liu Bei had no intention of the Northern Expedition. It took three years to conquer more than 100,000 mountains, which was a good deal for the big man.

Moreover, the soldiers from Danyang Mountain are good at fighting and are rare warriors in the world. There are more than 100,000 people in the mountains, and the elites are selected. It is said that if there are less, 10,000 soldiers can be produced. Whether the remaining people are organized into households or turned into military camps, they will greatly benefit the country.

"If we follow Zhongmiao's strategy, how many soldiers will be needed to carry out the strategy of heaven and earth net?" Liu Bei asked.

"Send generals who are well-versed in the military and can care for the people in the mountains. They coordinate with the officials of Jingzhou and Jiangzhou and send troops and horses from the five counties of Danyang, Poyang, Xindu, Wujun, and Kuaiji. They guard the dangerous points and build fortifications. They can be leveled for several years. ." Huo Jun replied. As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuge Ke, who was eager to make achievements, stepped out of the queue, raised his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I am not talented. I am willing to lead troops and horses to conquer Shanyue."

"Yuan Xun?"

Seeing that it was Zhuge Ke who wanted to fight, Liu Bei hesitated. Not to mention that Zhuge Ke is still young. In Liu Bei's eyes, Zhuge Ke has an impatient temper and often relies on his own small wisdom, making it difficult to entrust him with important tasks.

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Bei said with a smile: "Yuanxun is a smart and talented person, and I want to use him. However, I am worried that you have no previous experience in commanding the army. Now I can serve as a deputy to assist the general in uniting the troops of the five counties."

As he said that, Liu Bei looked at Huo Fan behind Huo Jun and said with a smile: "Shizai conquered Jiaoling in the south and built extraordinary achievements. I wonder if he dares to take orders to conquer Shanyue?"

Huo Fan had already intended to make a move. He stood out with his head high and his chest raised. He raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Fan is willing to lead the troops to fight. During the three-year period, I will capture all the mountains and mountains and offer them to your Majesty."

"color!"

Liu Bei ordered the people around him and said: "I ordered General Huo Fan to lead three thousand troops and command the troops of Danyang, Poyang, Xindu, Kuaiji, Wu and other five counties to conquer the people in the mountains. The minister, Zhuge Ke, is also the captain of the school and is his deputy."

"No!" Huo Fan and Zhuge Ke were ordered to retreat.

After the two men retreated, Liu Bei asked: "Zishan, I heard that there are many large families in Jiangzuo. I wonder if there is anything to hide the population?"

Zhuge Liang wanted to search the population extensively, and Liu Bei strongly agreed. Just considering the large number of civil and military officials in Jing and Yang states, Liu Bei did not dare to promote it in the two states immediately. Instead, he planned to set up a test field in the middle of Shu and let the rich people in the middle of Shu serve as experimental subjects to see how it works.

As Zhuge Liang and Pan Jun launched a strict population census in Shu, Liu Bei also set his sights on Yangzhou, wanting to ask questions and understand his next step.

Bu Zhi, as the governor of the state, had some understanding of Zhuge Liang's policies and replied truthfully: "Your Majesty, since the chaos of the Han Dynasty, many Huai people have fled south to the south of the Yangtze River. During this period, many Huai people either lacked food or were impoverished. Due to poverty, many mountain people were forced to sell themselves into slavery.

"Because there is no household registration, each big clan has a hidden population. In the past, when Wu and Chu came under the rule, Cao Cao was in the north of the Yangtze River. The county governor was worried about the big clan and Cao Cao, and did not dare to check the population of the big clan in detail. Your Majesty wants to investigate it seriously now, because I am afraid that all clans will meet in Yin and Fengyang. If you disobey and refuse to obey orders, I hope your Majesty will act with caution."

Zhuge Liang's policy was to detect the hidden population of the wealthy families, so that the wealthy families could pay taxes on the hidden population and fill the treasury deficit caused by the Northern Expedition.

During the Han Dynasty, head taxes were emphasized over land taxes. If Zhuge Liang's policies were followed, the wealthy families would have to pay high taxes. For example, the Mi family had more than ten thousand servants and guests, and the taxes they paid must be based on ten thousand people. At the same time, those servants also had to perform corvee service.

The wealthy families make money by hiding their population. If the population is strictly investigated now, it will greatly harm the interests of those wealthy families. When their interests are affected, it is very easy for wealthy people to go to extremes, such as submissiveness or armed resistance.

Liu Bei showed a solemn expression. He rose too fast and his foundation was very unstable. In the past, in order to compete with Cao Cao, they had to rely on the power of the Wu and Chu gentry. Now that the political situation has stabilized, these Wu and Chu nobles have become an obstacle to his rule of the country.

Of course, Liu Bei can choose not to check the hidden population, but those Wu and Chu clans will form cancerous tumors one by one and entrench themselves in the Southern Han Dynasty. As time goes by, the national destiny that will affect the Southern Han Dynasty will be formed.

And Liu Bei knew that if he did not rectify the government, he would leave a prosperous Southern Han Dynasty for Liu Chan. With Liu Chan's future prestige, even if he wanted to implement it, he might not be able to do it.

"Zishan's words are actually good words."

Liu Bei knew it well and said calmly: "After years of Northern Expedition, the people are tired, and many of them are hiding in the big families. Let Kong Ming and Cheng Ming check the household registration of the big families in central Shu, search for the hidden people, and order them to pay taxes and serve. As for whether to implement it in Wu Chu, let me Thinking.”

"Today's words, please do not reveal them to outsiders. Anyone who violates them will be punished!"

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)