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

Chapter 379: Leading by example and farming with peace of mind
On September 25th, the eighth year of the Han Dynasty, Pinglu Fort was taken.

The imperial army had been on the march for more than two months. Nearly one million young and strong men of the Han Dynasty were engaged in the most brutal battle in the vast desert.

However, in the counties and prefectures in the interior of the Han Dynasty, the autumn harvest season had already arrived. Countless people in the interior of the Han Dynasty began to work on the autumn harvest. Due to the lack of young and strong people, most of the fields in the counties and prefectures in the interior of the Han Dynasty were worked in the fields by women and the elderly, who brought their children. They harvested ears of wheat and corn, threshed them, and stored them in warehouses.

In Yanmen County, the Hun prisoners captured in Pinglu Fort and other places were put to use. The autumn harvest needed a large amount of labor. It was a waste to just watch them being guarded in the camp without any benefit.

So the Han Dynasty made an agreement with them that they would be given a sheep as personal property for every 100 acres of land they harvested. This made the Huns' enthusiasm for captured labor unprecedentedly high.

In the area of ​​Yanmen and Pinglubao, there were Xiongnu prisoners harvesting grain from the fields. Of course, in order to ensure safety, most of these prisoners were used together, and there was an elite Han army guarding them.

Farmland outside Pinglubao.

Xu Fan wielded his scythe and quickly cut the wheat in front of him. Every time he swung his scythe, a stalk of wheat more than ten feet wide would be cut off. Xu Fan was very strong, and the scythe in his hand was the best and sharpest in the entire Pinglu Fort, so Xu Fan's harvesting speed was extremely fast. Chen Sheng could only follow behind Xu Fan and busy himself with tying up the rice. The autumn sun was already scorching, and soon Chen Sheng was sweating profusely.

Since the Emperor had joined in the harvest, the Han officials and officers of Pinglu Fort naturally had to perform in front of the Emperor Xu Fan, and they also joined in the harvest with great enthusiasm.

So this year, the people of Pinglu Fort saw that the village men and the masters of all sizes in the county came to the fields to help them harvest crops, saying that they were the families of Han heroes, and that your sons and nephews were defending the country on the front line, so we should take care of you in the rear.

These words shocked the local people. They did not understand the situation, but felt that the Han officials had changed a lot. Not only did they help them with farm work, but they also worked very hard. It was really not just for show.

The people of Yanmen County also saw their county magistrate Li Shang, leading Han officials of all ranks in Yanmen, going deep into the grassroots to help the families of the soldiers who went to the expedition harvest food.

Because of Xu Fan's leadership, most people in Pinglu Fort were in the fields, picking up sickles to harvest, even if it was just for show.

"It's time for dinner!" A team of Han officials who were transporting food pushed carts full of food into the fields and shouted.

When Chen Sheng heard this voice, he said happily: "Brother-in-law, it's time for dinner. Let's take a break."

Xu Fan took off the straw hat on his head, wiped the sweat off his face with a towel and said, "Okay."

Then Xu Fan and Chen Sheng walked to the shadow of a tree, where a table and chairs had been prepared by the Han officials, with four dishes and a soup on them.

Chen Sheng took a big gulp of cold water, sat down and muttered to himself, "Finally I'm alive."

He was no longer the young man from the countryside of Yang County. Although the food in Pinglu Fort was quite rich, he was too tired to have much appetite.

Xu Fan took the bowl and chopsticks and started eating quickly, and said to Chen Sheng: "You should eat quickly too. If you don't eat, you won't have the strength to harvest later."

Chen Sheng took the bowl and chopsticks and complained: "Brother-in-law, you are the emperor now. You should be handling military affairs in Pinglu Fort instead of harvesting crops in the fields under the scorching sun. How can you replace several farmers?"

Because Emperor Xu Fan often went to inspect the local areas, Chen Sheng, the Weiwei, almost became Xu Fan's personal bodyguard. If it were so, it would be fine, but when Xu Fan went to the local areas, he often either repaired houses for the people or harvested rice.

This was very life-threatening. He rarely did heavy physical work in Chang'an, let alone the more arduous farm work. Every time he went to the fields, he really felt like he was dying. Chen Sheng, who was accustomed to the wealthy life in Chang'an, found it difficult to adapt to the life in the Han countryside.

Xu Fan smiled and said, "Han Xin and his men have already penetrated 3,000 miles into the desert. What military affairs can I handle? Should I order Han Xin to raise the crossbow three degrees in Pinglu Fort?"

After saying this, Xu Fan laughed. As he laughed, he felt lost again. Only he could understand the meaning of this joke.

He is more lonely than ever in this world, and only Qin Bo and a few other like-minded people can be called his confidants. Transforming this world into one that he is familiar with has always been Xu Fan's motivation.

"The battle has reached this stage. Battlefield matters can only be handed over to Ji Xin, Han Xin, and Lu Chen. The military officers in Pinglu Fort can handle the logistics.

As the emperor, I can only play the role of leading by example. This year, Hebei has lost nearly one million young and strong men, and the autumn harvest will definitely be affected. Today, I am harvesting grain here, which can make the Han officials in Hebei pay attention to the autumn harvest. Even if it only reduces the loss by one percent, it is worth it. "

Xu Fan's later experiences made him always believe that it is very important for superiors to set a good example for subordinates. If you fail to set a good example, your subordinates will definitely become even more chaotic.

Let’s not talk about the distant past, let’s just talk about the recent Qin officials. The Qin officials who took ten years to unify the world and the Qin officials who lost the world in three years should mostly be the same group of people.

The Qin officials were corrupted so quickly and seriously. In addition to the fact that they forgot their original intentions and gave up their ideals and beliefs after unifying the country, one of the internal factors was that the First Emperor did not play a good leading role, which was also an important external factor.

You, the First Emperor, collected all the beauties in the world and built many palaces. Naturally, the Qin officials under you thought that you had a share in the conquered empire. They could also have three wives and four concubines and build many luxurious houses.

Under the leadership of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Qin officials quickly became corrupt, which became one of the important straws that broke the camel's back.

Han Li must be the most thoughtful person in the world. As long as Xu Fan can keep his methods simple, keep in touch with the grassroots, and treat the people well.

Even if they pretend to live, they dare not be extravagant. Instead, they would take pride in wearing patched clothes. They also dare not oppress the people wantonly.

Even though Xu Fan knew that most of these people were just pretending, it was better than not even pretending, or not wanting to do it, and rolling out the red carpet for every field. Such stupid behavior showed that the upper and lower classes were beginning to be out of touch, and they were even perfunctory in pretending.

Judging from Xu Fan's practice in recent years, the results are good, and the Han official group still maintains the simple and pragmatic style of the founding of the country.

His behavior will always infect some idealists, so that their ideals will not be shattered by the behavior of Han Li. The more idealists there are in the world, the more light there will be.

What Xu Fan has to do is to protect these lights and let them bring progress to the world, rather than letting their beliefs be destroyed by the world.

Xu Fan looked at Chen Sheng and shook his head, saying, "It is you who lack labor. If I hadn't taken you to the countryside, I'm afraid you would have been out of touch with the grassroots. Do you still remember the happiness during the autumn harvest in your hometown of Yang County?"

Chen Sheng was a little embarrassed, but he quickly retorted: "I followed my brother-in-law to rebel because I didn't want to farm in the countryside."

Xu Fan shook his head and said, "Although Chang'an City is rich, it is easy to make people useless. Do you have any idea of ​​establishing a vassal state?"

Although Chen Sheng has been following him in the past few years, he has not practiced local governance. He has not become a playboy yet, thanks to his childhood life experience in the Chen family. But the second generation of rich people is not as good as the first generation of rich people who have worked hard.

Chen Sheng was his first student after all, and Xu Fan didn't want to see him become an ordinary relative. In the entire Han Dynasty, there was nothing that could hone a person better than establishing a vassal state.

Chen Shengxi said happily: "Is it okay? But my father and sister both told me to protect my brother-in-law."

Xu Fan said: "The Xiongnu is the last powerful enemy of the Han Dynasty. After this battle, the Xiongnu will vanish into thin air. The focus of our Han Dynasty will be on governing the world. At most, I will go to the grassroots to inspect. It won't be too dangerous."

Then Xu Fan saw Chen Sheng and said, "You want to become a vassal, but do you have the ability to open up a piece of land and let the people live and work in peace and contentment?"

Chen Sheng said happily: "I have learned the art of governing a country from my brother-in-law for several years. If my brother-in-law is willing to give me this opportunity, I will govern a wealthy vassal state that is not inferior to the Han Dynasty." Chen Sheng had long been excited when he saw Ying Bu and others expanding their territory and becoming vassal states. He also wanted to be called King Chen, but his father and sister kept asking him to protect Xu Fan, so he gave up the idea of ​​becoming a vassal state.

Xu Fan nodded and said, "Remember your original intention now, don't forget it after becoming a prince."

At this moment, Xu Fan and his companions heard the sound of war horses galloping from the north. Xu Fan looked hesitantly in the direction of the sound and found a trail of smoke appearing.

Chen Sheng also saw this scene. He shouted in shock: "The guards are on guard, escort your majesty away from here."

Although Chen Sheng saw that the cavalry was small, he did not dare to take the risk. After all, this place was too close to the Xiongnu territory. Who knew if the Xiongnu would send a cavalry to kill them? Chen Sheng quickly took Xu Fan away from here.

Xu Fan was not being pretentious. He understood the principle that a son of a wealthy family should not sit in the hall. If he, the emperor, really encountered an accident in Pinglu Fort, the Han army in Mobei might be defeated, which was an unbearable situation for the Han Dynasty.

Soon, the Han army who were harvesting rice all around dropped their sickles, drew their swords and surrounded Xu Fan. Soon, more than a dozen horses arrived. Chen Sheng took Xu Fan on horses and withdrew to Pinglu Fort. The Han officials who stayed here also quickly fled.

But this cavalry ran straight to Pinglu Fort and said, "Open the city gates, there is important military information."

A Han official shouted, "What's the situation at the front?"

The cavalryman who came over couldn't suppress his joy and said, "A great victory on the front line. The governor of Monan annihilated 8 Xiongnu main forces, and General Fan Kuai killed the Xiongnu Chanyu Maodun in battle. The governor erected a monument in Beihai after defeating the Xiongnu. From now on, the entire desert is the territory of our Han Dynasty."

"Long live!" The Han officials and soldiers on the city wall cheered at the same time. Maodun was conquered and killed, and the Huns were annihilated. From now on, there would be no more powerful enemies in the north of the Han Dynasty, and Pinglu Fort no longer had to worry about it, as the Huns moved south.

The Huns, on the other hand, were feeling mixed emotions: they were sad because their tribe was truly destroyed, and their hearts were still heavy with sadness and difficulty accepting it; but they were happy because now they could finally become Han people without any worries.

The officer opened the city gate to let the cavalry enter the city, and the news of victory continued to spread. Such cheers continued to sound behind the cavalry. When the cavalry who brought the victory news arrived at Pinglu Fort, hundreds of people kept shouting the victory news. When the people of Pinglu Fort heard the victory news, they immediately became a sea of ​​joy, and the streets were filled with people singing and dancing.

When Hu Hai learned that the Han army had won, he was overjoyed and said, "We will set out immediately to encircle the desert."

After saying this, Hu Hai and others rode towards the desert.

There were many people like Hu Hai in Pinglu Fort. Like Hu Hai, they immediately rushed to the desert after hearing the news.

Pinglu Fort, meeting hall.

"Your Majesty!" Chen Sheng said excitedly, "Our army won a great victory. Han Xin annihilated 8 Xiongnu main forces, Fan Kuai conquered and killed Maodun, and the army south of the desert captured nearly one million Xiongnu herdsmen in Beihai. Han Xin also erected a monument in Beihai. From now on, the desert is the territory of our Han Dynasty."

Xu Fan said excitedly: "Good, Han Xin did not disappoint me."

Han Xin also achieved what Huo Qubing did, so he did not waste his military talents.

Without the Huns, I can finally focus on farming and building technology.

Then Xu Fan took over Han Xin's battle report from Chen Sheng, skipping the flattering words. Han Xin killed more than 2 elite Xiongnu soldiers in the Battle of Mobei, captured 6 and nearly one million Xiongnu tribesmen, and several million livestock. Together with the Xiongnu tribesmen captured in the Battle of Mobei, the power of the Xiongnu in Mobei can be said to have been eradicated by the Han Dynasty.

Xu Fan said: "In this battle in Mobei, the people of our Great Han fully supported it, the soldiers of the three armies risked their lives, and the Central Plains defeated the powerful enemy. This victory report is announced to the world. After this battle, our Great Han will no longer have a powerful enemy, and the people of the world can share peace in the future."

Chen Sheng and others said: "Yes!"

Xu Fan continued, "Order the Han Monthly to send people to the front line, and order the opera troupe to go to the desert to entertain the troops. At the same time, collect the deeds of our Han army's meritorious officials and then record them in newspapers. At the same time, the opera troupe will adapt operas based on the deeds of our Han army soldiers, so that the people of the world know that this battle was hard-won, and the peace of the world was forged with the blood of the Han army soldiers."

Chen Sheng and others said: "Yes!"

Such a great victory must, of course, be widely publicized. It must be publicized from the collective to the individual. If the court does not occupy the public opinion position, others will occupy it.

Historically, this high ground was occupied by aristocratic families and gentry, but Xu Fan would certainly not give up this high ground like other feudal kings. Instead, he would firmly control this high ground, because only by mastering this high ground can the reform go smoothly. Otherwise, he might become a tool for those with ulterior motives to hinder the reform.

If a monarch wants to carry out reforms, the prestige of the monarch is extremely important. From one victory to another, it is easy for the monarch to break the internal class interests and redefine the distribution of interests within a country.

In history, the King of Qin, Emperor Wu of Han, and Emperor Taizong of Tang all achieved this by relying on their military prestige.

On the contrary, the Song Dynasty was very poor in foreign wars. From its founding to its demise, it had been reforming and failing all the time. This was because it could not find a prestigious monarch. Naturally, they had no ability to divide domestic interests. The monarchs were fooled by Confucian scholars, and this started from the Song Dynasty.

There are still people who believe that half of "The Analects of Confucius" can rule the world.

What is "Zizhi Tongjian"? It is a book for emperors to learn from historical lessons and govern the world (it is no wonder that the quality of emperors after Song Dynasty has become worse and worse if they only read the book but do not practice it).

As soon as the Song monarch wanted to reform the country according to his own wishes, he found that he could not do it, because the emperor of the Song Dynasty did not have enough prestige to break the domestic jars, nor did he have an imperial book that truly analyzed the interests of various classes in the Song Dynasty.

The emperors of the Song Dynasty were all fooled by Confucian scholars. Song Renzong was bullied by his subjects all his life, but they still called him a wise emperor. He could not win wars abroad, suppress the interest groups at home, and complete the reform of enriching the country and strengthening the army. He did not succeed in anything in his life. They don't talk about achievements, but about character. When did the standard of a wise emperor become so low?

(The Song Dynasty was a very strange dynasty. They always say that there were many wise rulers and famous ministers, but if you look for them in history books, you really can't find any achievements of them. On the contrary, there was a prime minister named Sima Guang who gave away land. The key point is that if you ceded land, it would bring decades of peace, but after you ceded the land, the Xixia people came to fight you immediately. Such a person was not called a treacherous prime minister. Am I not too low a standard for famous ministers in the Song Dynasty?)
If you want to reform, you have to harm the interests of some people. You have no prestige, or you don't even dare to kill people. Then why should the vested interests of the Song Dynasty give up their own interests? Is it really out of kindness?
Xu Fan remembered that a big V said that the Ming Dynasty had no famous ministers and that it was a dynasty with "three nothings". Xu Fan, on the contrary, felt that the Song Dynasty, which had never unified the world and whose territory was shrinking, was a dynasty with no famous ministers, judging by its achievements.

Your territory is shrinking day by day, and the land for the entire nation to reproduce and thrive is constantly decreasing. You, the dynasty, you, the monarch, and you, the minister, have not made any contribution to the entire nation. What qualifications do you have to call yourself a wise monarch and a famous minister?
Depends on you guys for writing books!

However, the Northern Song Dynasty perished less than 60 years after the appearance of "Zizhi Tongjian", which proves that this is not a book for emperors at all. It is just a history book written by Sima Guang with his own rhythm.

"The Book of Lord Shang", "Han Feizi" and "Six Strategies" are more qualified to be called emperor's books than "Zizhi Tongjian", not to mention the dragon-slaying books that appeared in later generations.

For Xu Fan, the biggest benefit of this war is that his prestige has been enhanced again, and the prestige of the court has been enhanced again. He can now break free from his constraints and make some bolder reforms.

Even if these reforms will affect the interests of major vested interests, they will have no choice but to bear the pain and give up part of their profits.

The battle of Mobei was finally won, and he could roll up his sleeves and do a great job. Xu Fan gave an order with great confidence: "General Deng Zong, the supervisor of the army, start counting the heroes of this battle. You also start making a map of the desert to prepare for the next step of the court's enfeoffment."

"Yes!" All the soldiers in Pinglu Fort bowed their heads.

Finally, there are no powerful enemies in the four borders of the Han Dynasty. They can open up a new homeland without any worries. The Han Dynasty’s bright destiny has finally arrived.

(End of this chapter)