At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 344, Military Track and Sitting in the Western Regions
Such a Northern Expedition cannot be negotiated in one go. When Xu Fan saw that it was getting late, he dismissed and let the important officials rest.

Zhou Zhang, Chen Ping, and Zhang Liang left Zhangtai Palace and walked together.

Zhou Zhang said angrily: "These generals know how to fight wars. In order to start a war, they are all alarmist. They say that a small Huns are extremely powerful. They don't look at the current situation in the Han Dynasty. They are building the Grand Canal. It’s about repairing the track again. Where can the imperial court find the energy to deal with the Huns?”

Zhou Zhang's words may seem extremely short-sighted to future generations, but to the big man, they are extremely normal.

The population of the Huns is only a few tenths of that of the Han people, and their finances are only a few hundredths. The Xiongnu army's combat effectiveness is vulnerable. In a frontal battle, any Han general has the confidence to annihilate the Huns army with 10 people. .

Although the Huns have a vast territory, they have a small population. In the eyes of people like Zhou Zhang, the strength of the Huns is only that of the mid-level princes during the Warring States Period. It is not that the big Han cannot defeat the Huns, but the Huns now are like beggars covered in mud. Even if the big man hits him, he will be splashed with mud, which is not cost-effective at all.

Zhang Liang said: "Maodun is very ambitious. The Huns do want to fight, but 600,000 horses are too much. To deal with the Huns, it is best to gradually encroach on them as we are now and weaken the strength of the Huns to a certain extent. Then I, a big man, Commanding the Donghu people, Xianbei people and other Hu tribes to attack the Huns in Mobei, and using the Hu people to control the Hu people, can minimize the consumption of our Han Dynasty. "

"Mobei is too desolate, and it is difficult for the imperial court to manage it. None of the princes of our Han Dynasty are willing to occupy these places. We, the Han Dynasty, should digest Monan into the mainland of the Han Dynasty and use Monan to consolidate the territory of the Han Dynasty's Northern Expedition.

Divide and rule Mobei, and after the Huns' strength has been weakened to a certain extent, it is necessary for the imperial court to negotiate peace with the Huns, divide the huge Mobei into several pieces, and hand it over to several different tribes. Our Han Dynasty court will maintain Mobei as the arbiter. 's rule. Relying on this strategy, our Han Dynasty only needs a small number of elites to rule the entire Mobei. "

But Chen Ping on the side said: "If you put forward this opinion, Zifang, it would have been possible for the court to accept it a few years ago, but it is impossible now."

Chen Ping said: "But without these merchants, it would be difficult for my Han soldiers to be stationed in Monan. And these things may be something the emperor would like to see."

One is that the investment in wooden rails is huge, costing 20 yuan per mile. If you want to connect the entire Han Dynasty with wooden rails, the money spent is astronomical.

Xu Fan thought for a while and said: "This money belongs to the Han military. If you agree to build wooden rails, I will agree."

"You must know that today is different from the past. In the past, the Hu people wanted to plunder the Central Plains on the border of tens of thousands of miles. The border counties suffered heavy losses. The sages naturally shouted at the Hu people to kill them. But now I, the big man, come from three directions. Taking the initiative, the front lines of both sides have advanced to the grassland, which they should not have done. "

On the other side, Ji Xin and others had a rare visit to Chang'an City, and Xu Fan entertained them at Yan Palace.

The big Han who owns the wooden rail system can suppress riots and rebellions in the first time. It is impossible for the big Han to happen again. Many big Han generals even assert that there will be no rebellion after the wooden rails.

After more than a year of construction, this wooden rail system is more than half completed and has been connected to Hangu Pass.

There is no need to worry about dealing with the Huns, and there is no need to fight like Emperor Wu. For Xu Fan, the best role model for future generations is Niu Niu's shit stick. He did not mess with any of the powerful feudal dynasty and did business peacefully. But as long as he showed his weak face, he would strike hard and make it his own. of colonies.

The second is that wooden rails have a huge flaw, that is, they are not durable. If the only flaw of the wooden rails was the huge investment, Zhou Zhang saw the huge strategic value of the wooden rails. Even if he used the spirit of Yu Gong to move mountains, he would continue to invest hundreds of miles a year in building it.

All the generals of the Han Dynasty are enjoying it. All the counties and counties in the Han Dynasty are connected by wooden rails. The imperial imperial army can appear anywhere in the Han Dynasty within half a month. Such an efficient mobilization ability is powerful in itself. deterrence.

Xu Fan said bluntly: "There are too many internal projects in the Han Dynasty now, and the imperial court will not change its policy rashly and go all out for the Northern Expedition."

Therefore, Dahan's wooden rails are now built on bustling business roads, because only the commissions provided by these caravans can maintain the operation of the wooden rails. At least Dahan's first wooden rails are profitable.

Han Xin also followed up and said: "The most important thing is that the military center of our Han Dynasty is in the north. It is extremely beneficial for the Han Dynasty to have such a strategic track that can connect the border fortresses."

Do you think the First Emperor was a fool and couldn't see the benefits of wooden rails? The fundamental reason was that even the Qin Dynasty could not bear the consumption of building wooden rails, so the First Emperor could only retreat to the second best and build Chidao. "

Zhou Zhang said: "It's ridiculous. How can the military and government of the imperial court be influenced by these merchants?"

On the way, Xu Fan kept looking towards Ji Xin, Han Xin and Lu Chen to understand the current situation in the desert.

He was not the First Emperor. He had launched so many large-scale infrastructure projects in the Central Plains, and he continued to conquer the north and south without stopping. But in Xu Fan's opinion, the strength of the Huns increased rapidly, but the strength of the Han Dynasty increased even faster. The Spice Island had already been discovered. With this big blood pack, the big man's strength will increase faster, and time is on the big man's side.

Last year, he led the coalition of Liaodong princes to attack the capital of Weiman. These Liaodong princes divided up hundreds of thousands of people in the country of Jizi. Now Lu Chen is a little stuffed and plans to spend a few years digesting these people. If he continues to attack the Huns, he is worried that his Lu Guoguo will not be able to digest it.

Lu Chen suddenly realized: "So you are planning to silence the Prime Minister and use this money to repair the wooden rails."

However, wooden rails are extremely not durable. Generally, the rails will decay after one or two years of use. If you want to continue using them, the annual maintenance costs are astronomical. And if wooden rails are to be common throughout the country, the cost of repairing these wooden rails alone It will exceed Dahan's finance by more than ten times.

"After all, the emperor often said that meat rots in the pot. No matter how treacherous those merchants are, they are still merchants of the Han Dynasty. It is better for them to occupy the desert than for barbarians to occupy the desert."

It's a pity that Prime Minister Zhou Zhang ruthlessly shattered the illusions of these generals.

Xu Fan murmured to himself: "Build a wooden track leading to Jiuyuan County?"

After all, the military expenditures bear part of the construction cost of the wooden track, and the caravans bear another part, so the cost of this track is not so terrible.

Ji Xindao: "This year, my Han army has a military surplus of 5.5 gold. The general thinks that this money should be used to build tracks. The distance from Xianyang to Jiuyuan County is more than 1400 miles. It can be built 500 miles a year and can be built in three years." "Yes, if the imperial court can build a track from Xianyang to Jiuyuan County before the Northern Expedition, the consumption of food and materials can be reduced by %."

Zhou Zhang even said without mercy: "In order to conquer Chu, the Qin Dynasty built a huge wooden rail system in the Central Plains to transport grain and grass, but this rail system was dismantled after the Qin Dynasty ended the war.

After Xu Fan and others arrived at Yan Palace, Ji Bu and other princes of the Han Dynasty were already here.

Nowadays, the people of the Han Dynasty may pay more attention to the Spice Island, but the military of the Han Dynasty pays more attention to the wooden rail system from Chang'an to Luoyang City, which is still under construction.

Building such a wooden track from Chang'an to Jiuyuan County may cost 30 gold, but compared with the millions of gold spent in the Battle of Mobei, this does not seem to be unacceptable.

The powerful carrying capacity and fast transportation time of wooden rails attracted everyone's attention. The Han military once used wooden rails to conduct troop transportation experiments. The three-hundred-mile march was completed in one day, which shocked the entire Han military.

Han Xin said: "Your Majesty, if you are prepared, everything will be successful, and if you are not prepared, it will be ruined. We are not planning the Northern Expedition now, but the court should make plans in advance."

Then Chen Ping looked at Zhou Zhang and said: "The mainstay of the imperial court's finances is the textile industry. Woolen cloth has become the second largest source of cloth in the world. The imperial court can earn 10 gold from woolen cloth every year. The tax amount is over yuan, Prime Minister, will you support them?"

When Zhou Zhang heard this, he said with a deep expression: "Support."

"The model of Mobei Trading Co., Ltd. has attracted the attention of other powerful people in the Han Dynasty. This year, there are more trading companies in Longxi Trading Company, Shangjun Trading Company, Jiuyuan County Trading Company and other powerful companies in the Han Dynasty. Each one is rich and powerful, and each one They are all eager to find a piece of pasture to raise sheep in the desert."

Chen Ping explained leisurely: "Now half of the textile machines in the Han Dynasty are spinning woolen cloth. The fiscal revenue of Longxi County, Beidi County, Shangjun, Yanmen County, and Jiuyuan County mainly relies on the profits and taxes of wool. "You haven't noticed that in the past two years, the sages in the border counties have been shouting at the Huns more and more."

Lu Chen said: "Actually, the method of cutting meat with a blunt knife like the imperial court's current method is not bad, and the consumption is lower."

Zhang Liang suddenly realized: "They are interested in the Huns' pasture!"

Ji Xindao: "New tracks are naturally expensive, but if the wooden tracks are laid on Qinzhi Road, the cost can be halved."

Chen Pingdao: "Mobei Trading Co., Ltd. already owns hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep in the desert. Last year they made hundreds of millions of dollars selling cattle, sheep and wool. They have become the largest breeder in Han Dynasty. They can't even compare with my Taihan servant. On."

"And the wooden rails are laid in the north, so maintenance costs are lower. After all, the north is dry and rainless, so wooden rails are less likely to decay."

Peng Yue said: "One mile of wooden track costs 20 gold, and it costs 500 gold to repair 10 miles. The income from Spice Island alone cannot meet the cost of building the track."

These people were all old friends and were not polite. They all found people they knew well to sit with.

Ji Bu asked, "Why did your Majesty come so late?"

Xu Fan said: "Let's discuss the Huns. The Huns are growing in power in Mobei. Han Xin and the others plan to build a wooden track connecting Jiuyuan County and destroy the Huns before they grow strong."

Ji Bu said: "Your Majesty cannot underestimate the Huns. Now the shadow of the Huns appears in the Western Regions." Then Ji Bu carefully talked about the changes in Hexi.

The Dayue clan had been beaten for several years by the coalition of princes led by Ji Bu. Now the Dayue clan had lost all their territory in Hehuang, a third of the land in Hexi, and a fifth of their tribe.

Ji Bu was so powerful, not to mention that there was a powerful Han Empire standing behind Ji Bu.

The senior leaders of the Da Yuezhi people have been discussing for several years. Since they cannot defeat the Han people, they will find a way to escape.

So they moved the tribe from a place near Longxi to a place near the Western Regions.

Then the Dayuezhi people united with the Huns to defeat Wusun, a powerful country in the Western Regions, and the Huns divided Wusun's population. Dayuezhi people occupied Wusun's territory.

Ji Bu said: "Judging from the current situation, the Dayuezhi people are planning to give up the land west of Hexi and migrate to the Western Regions."

"The general asked the caravans from the Western Regions about the situation in the Western Regions. The area of ​​the Western Regions is not much worse than that of the Central Plains. There are dozens of countries, large and small, in them. The small ones only have a few cities, and the large ones cover thousands of miles and have a population of hundreds. Ten thousand."

"There are jade, precious stones, agate, gold, silver, and all kinds of precious spices in the local area. It can be said to be an extremely wealthy place."

"Whether it's the Huns or the Yuezhi, occupying the Western Region is not a good thing for me as a big man."

Xu Fan was a little surprised after hearing Ji Bu's introduction. Are the Western Regions really so wealthy?

Why, in his memory, the Western Region is full of deserts and Gobi deserts, and it is the Silk Road that feeds the countries along the way.

Xu Fan said: "What are your plans?"

Ji Bu said: "I plan to occupy the land west of Hexi first and find out more about the situation in the Western Region. If the Western Region is really a rich land, I will be willing to take it for Your Majesty."

Okay, this is all talk.

The real reason is that when Ji Bu and other princes in Hexi heard about the prosperity of the Western Regions, they wanted to go to the Western Regions and establish vassal states.

Compared with the princes in other directions of the Han Dynasty, the princes in Hexi were really tired of fighting. However, the fighting ability of the Dayuezhi people was not bad. It was difficult for Ji Bu and others to annihilate the Dayuezhi people in one battle.

The land west of Hexi and the plateau land occupied by the princes of the Han Dynasty were relatively poor.

The emergence of the Spice Island made these princes feel a little turbulent. They also wanted to establish a country in a wealthy place, and judging from the current situation, the Western Region was the place they hoped for.

Xu Fan thought for a moment and said, "If you are willing to take charge, the Western Region Imperial Court will definitely support you."

Hexi and the Western Regions are places that the Han must control. By occupying Hexi, the Han will attack the Huns from three sides, which is extremely beneficial to annexing the Huns.

Occupying the Western Region opens up the bridge between Central Asia and can radiate the influence of the Han Dynasty to the core of the entire World Island.

If you want to successfully dominate the world, you must first dominate the World Island. If you want to dominate the World Island, you must control the Western Region. The Western Regions were the key to the Han's hegemony.

Ji Bu and the others wanted to take control of the Western Regions, which would be beneficial to the Han Dynasty. Historically, the Han and Tang Dynasties occupied the Western Regions, but because the population was too small, they did not take root in this area.

When the empire's strength declined, it withdrew from this area. Especially apart from useless people like the Song Dynasty, the Han civilization's influence on the Western Regions was cut off for hundreds of years.

With the experience and lessons from his previous life, Xu Fan understood that if he wanted to take root in this land, he could not rely on Han officials. The bureaucrats of the Eastern Han Dynasty dared to give up even places like Xiliang, let alone remote places like the Western Regions. .

Only by enfeoffing the feudal lords in this territory and continuously moving the people there, could Han civilization truly take root in this land.

When Ji Bu heard this, he said happily: "I will thank your majesty in the end."

At this time Yingbu came over and said: "Your Majesty, Zhao Tuo actually moved the capital to Longling. He has a ghost in his heart and is worried that my Han army will attack him."

"Who are you? How could you do such a thing? He is slandering you and has thoughts of rebellion."

"Your Majesty, please give the general a decree. The general will lead the coalition of princes to kill Zhao Tuo without leaving any trace behind."

Xu Fan said: "Where Zhao Tuo wants to move the capital is his own business. You can develop safely in central Guizhou. When the time is right, Zhao Tuo will open the door. He wants to stay in seclusion, but I won't agree yet."

Ji Bu grabbed Ying and said, "Come, brother, I will drink with you."

After Yingbu left, Liu Bang came to Xu Fan.

Xu Fan smiled and said: "I heard that you got a big deal this time and got millions of acres of land for free."

Liu Bang smiled and said: "Fortunately, people like Wei Man will not build a country. These places are equivalent to the border counties of my Han Dynasty, not too rich."

But Liu Bang couldn't hide his smile. He picked up a county-sized territory for nothing. Although the development was not very good, it was much better than the slash-and-burn savages.

The most important thing is that he also got a capital city with tens of thousands of people. Although most of the population was divided, the capital infrastructure was complete, saving him decades of construction time.

Then Liu Bang said: "My eldest son Liu Fei is already an adult, but he is not very talented and has no reputation in Liaodong. I would like to find a job for him in the Han Dynasty."

Liu Bang did this because he actually wanted to protect his eldest son.

Last year, the allied forces of the princes captured the country of Jizi, and Lu Chen and other princes divided the population. Because this territory was close to Liu Bang's princely country, it was occupied by Liu Bang. Of course, he also incurred a debt to compensate other of princes. Several princes were satisfied with this distribution.

When Liu Bang moved his capital to Wangxian City, he wanted to hand over Peicheng, which he had worked hard to develop for several years, to his eldest son Liu Fei.

In Liu Bang's view, it is not too much for a legitimate son to inherit the family business and a concubine to be given a small town.

However, his behavior was resisted by his wife Lu Pheasant and other ministers.

Liu Bang was as fertile as he was in history, with more than a dozen sons. If the enfeoffment continued like this, Liu Bang's power would definitely be disintegrated.

Faced with the opposition of so many people, Liu Bang could only give up this idea, but he found that Lu Pheasant had murderous intentions for Liu Fei, so in order to protect Liu Fei, he could only send him to the Han Dynasty.

"Liu Fei?" Xu Fan had the impression that he was Liu Bang's eldest son. He later became the king of Qi and died within a few years. I don’t remember the rest.

Xu Fan thought for a while and said: "What are his specialties? If he likes fighting, I will arrange for him to go to the Military Academy. If he likes farming, I will arrange for him to go to agriculture. If he likes equipment, I will arrange for him to go to Luban Academy."

Liu Bang said: "If you say Quanzi has no talents, he is not good at any of the things you just mentioned. I remember that he seems to be good at arithmetic and can keep accounts and so on."

Xu Fan said: "This is also a good skill. Otherwise, I will arrange for him to go to the Agricultural Bank. There are many things to calculate. It is just a good opportunity to use his talents. If he can get ahead, I will arrange for him to become the shopkeeper."

Liu Bang said happily: "Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty."

(End of this chapter)