Great Han Empire

Chapter 105
In the big tent, Zhang Niujiao was lying on the table, looking at a worn silk map by the faint candlelight.Zhang Baiqi sat next to him.

Zhang Baiqi's original name was Zhang Ze, and his style name was Ziyin. He used to be a macai in the Anping State of Jizhou (Maocai is similar to Xiaolian, both of whom were recommended by the county to the imperial court). He was very knowledgeable, but his family was poor and had no The way, has not been appointed.Zhang Zeshan is good at fighting against injustice, and he is very famous in the local area.Later, he met Zhang Jiao and joined Taiping Taoism.He is one of the 72 young marshals of Taiping Taoism.Because he likes to ride a white horse, the soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army call him the handsome white horse.

After Zhang Baiqi received Zhang Niujiao's order in the afternoon, he stopped his pursuit and stationed his camp at Sanxiangpo, sixty miles away from Jumashui.

"Ziyin, is the scout's news accurate?" Zhang Niujiao raised his head and asked in a low voice.

"Please rest assured, Commander. Our troops have the support of the local people in Zhuojun County. The news came quickly and the source is very reliable. The Leopard's Fengyun cavalry has indeed rushed to the Shengshui River, and it is estimated that they are crossing the river now." Zhang Baiqi looked dignified said.

Zhang Baiqi is more than 30 years old, with a yellow complexion and a thin body, except for a pair of eyes that are very energetic and not angry.

"We don't have any experience in fighting cavalry. I'm afraid the troops will suffer if they come into contact with them." Zhang Niujiao said slowly, "With [-] cavalry, its combat effectiveness should be amazing."

"What are you afraid of? In the past, the Huns, Karasuma people, and Xianbei people repeatedly invaded the border. Tens of thousands or even 10,000+ cavalry went south. The Han army basically defended the city or fled after hearing the wind. It was rare to fight against them on the battlefield. But in the end It is not the same as being defeated by our Han army. During Emperor Wu’s time, General Li Ling retreated from the desert with [-] infantry, and the Huns’ [-] army followed the siege for more than ten days and could not break through. It can be seen that the cavalry must have the weakness of the cavalry, and the infantry has the infantry As long as you use it properly, you can completely defeat the enemy. Don't worry, Commander."

Zhang Niujiao glanced at the confident Zhang Baiqi and laughed.

"Ziyin is so heroic. We have 15 people. Against him, [-] cavalry and [-] infantry, he does have an absolute advantage in numbers. Although the equipment and strength are a bit short, it should be no problem to eliminate them. The key now is time. , we can’t afford it. If we want to take the three counties of Youzhou before the snow falls, we must take Jicheng this month. I hope to have a direct confrontation with them in Zhuocheng, and the outcome will be determined by one battle.”

"The enemy is weak, and they are very cunning. I don't think they would do this. If there is no accident, the Han army staying west of the Shengshui River will not exceed 5000 at most. The 3000 reinforcements from Yuyang County have been staying in Ji Seeing the situation, they have no confidence in defending Zhuocheng, and they are ready to abandon Zhuojun at any time and fight our army in Jicheng." Zhang Baiqi said with a smile, "The reinforcements from Shanggu County will arrive soon, according to Commander Anding According to news, there are more than 15 of them. Huang Shuai and Zuo Shuai will cross the river tomorrow, and our army of [-] people will all approach Zhuocheng. If we take down Zhuocheng, the entire Zhuojun County will be ours.”

"Is the news about An Dingshuai still delivered every day?" Zhang Niujiao asked.

"Very punctual. However, his news about the arrival of the Leopard Army at Shengshui River is slower than the news from Guangyang." Zhang Baiqi snorted dissatisfied and said, "Marshal, don't give up hope. It's all based on this line. Now that the troops have reached Youzhou and are not in Zhongshan, his role is not as important as before."

"His status is special, and the news he sends every time is accurate and timely, and no one can replace him." Zhang Niujiao said solemnly, "Be sure to keep in touch with him. Whether you can win Yuyang County at the end of the year depends entirely on him." .”

"Is he a high-ranking official over there?" Zhang Baiqi hesitated and asked.

"I don't know. He is one of the eight major disciples of General Tiangong, and no one knows him. Now that General Tiangong is gone, he can still contact us and provide us with information, which shows his affection and loyalty to the master." Zhang Niujiao Shaking his head, he said with admiration.

"Is there any news about Yanzi?" Zhang Niujiao then asked
"Chu Shuai's troops have already arrived in Zhongshan, and they will reach Zhuojun in ten days. We may have already attacked Jicheng by then."

On the grass by the holy water river, there are many tents.On the river, Fengyun Iron Cavalry was crossing the river overnight.

Li Hong hosted a banquet in the big tent for a group of officials from the county government of Zhongshan.Although there is not much food and wine, there are barbecues.

Zhang Chun, Minister of Zhongshan, was from Yuyang.He is very talented, good at martial arts, and famous for his poetry and prose. There are not many county guards like him who are all-rounder in both civil and military affairs in the Han Kingdom.He has been an official for many years, he is lenient in government, considerate of people's feelings, fair and honest, has a good reputation and is deeply supported by the people.

Zhang Chun is in his 40s, of medium build, and relatively thin. Probably due to overwork, his complexion is very poor, his eye sockets are sunken, and his forehead has many wrinkles. The lines are like knives, and he looks vicissitudes and old.

Zhang Chun seemed to like Li Hong very much, and he was very close to him, and he couldn't stop admiring him while talking and laughing.Li Hong saw that Zhang Chun admired him so much, although he was a little embarrassed, he was still very grateful in his heart.The two felt that they were very similar to each other, and they talked more.

After the banquet was over, Li Hong accompanied Zhang Chun for a walk by the river while continuing to chat.Naturally, the two talked about the current situation.

Li Hong was very disgusted with the Yellow Turban Army's rebellion, rebellion against the imperial court, burning, killing and looting. He first accepted Liu Yu, Liu Zheng, and Xian Yufu's argument, thinking that it was a mob rebellion, a disaster for the country, and a waste of life.He put it bluntly that repression is right and necessary.Of course, he thought it was too much for Huangfusong to massacre [-] Yellow Turban soldiers in Xiaquyang.For Li Hong, the measures Murong Feng or Liu Yu took against the enemy were the most acceptable to him.Let them surrender if they win, use those who can be recruited for themselves, and appease those who cannot be used, let them live a stable life, and stabilize society.

Zhang Chun frowned, and said something that Li Hong felt was fresh and needed time to understand and think deeply.

Zhang Chun asked him, why did the common people rebel?Of course there is no way out.Why is there no way out?Those who have nothing to eat and clothes will starve to death.The common people are busy all year round, why not only do they have nothing to eat and wear, but also starve to death?Li Hong couldn't answer.He didn't think about it carefully.

A peasant family with five members in this dynasty consumes about 150 shi of grain per year, plus the cost of salt and clothes, and the minimum living expenses for the whole year are about 240 shi. If a family’s income cannot meet their needs Without the minimum cost of living, they will inevitably fall into a situation of hunger and cold, let alone maintain the cultivation for the coming year.Now a large mu of land can produce about 3 shi of millet a year, and a small mu can produce about 2 shi of millet a year. That is to say, a family of five who cultivates a hundred acres of land can harvest about 200 shi of grain a year.However, the land owned by many peasant families in this dynasty is actually less than a hundred acres, generally only tens of acres or even a few acres, with an annual income of more than 100 shi or less. After deducting various taxes, there is not much left. Can't survive at all.

Do you know the annual income of the relatives of the emperor, nobles, and bureaucrats in this dynasty?Li Hong shook his head.Of course he didn't know.

The income of the royal relatives and nobles mainly came from their fiefs and taxes.The more feudal cities, the larger the population, and the more taxation. Some princes earn more than [-] shi from taxation every year.As for the income of the princes and kings, it is even more astonishing, with hundreds of millions of stones everywhere.And the officials use grain to determine their rank and salary, the three princes rank ten thousand stones, the nine ministers rank two thousand stones, the county guards two thousand stones, the county magistrates of ten thousand households six hundred stones, the county magistrates and county lieutenants four hundred stones.The land owned by the powerful and wealthy is as many as hundreds of hectares, or even more than a thousand hectares, and their income is far higher than that of officials.And this is only what everyone knows, and there are countless people who don't know.Compared with the highest income of poor people, the smallest gap between a small county magistrate and them is four or five times.

Why is this happening?

land.The land was taken away by the rich and powerful.They have large houses in the city and countless fields in the countryside.They have tens of thousands of slaves and apprentices.After farmers lost their own land, most of them became dependent farmers of the rich.In addition to paying high land rent and serving corvee, they are still their "slaves". There is no such saying now. The Han Kingdom does not allow slaves, but what is the difference between them and the slaves of the Hu people?The family wants them to die, can they still live?
Since Emperor He of this dynasty, the emperors have been enthroned at a young age, and the relatives and eunuchs have taken turns to control the government, and the government has become increasingly corrupt.State and county offices sometimes rotate several times a month.After the officials took office, they collected money, extorted money, and extorted money.Since Emperor An, the imperial court has used troops against the Qiang people for a long time, spending more than 400 billion in military pay, and this heavy burden has all fallen on the heads of the common people.It will be even worse if it is a disaster year.There was no harvest in the fields, and a large number of farmers had no income, so they had to flee everywhere, resulting in the tragic situation of starvation everywhere. Even Luoyang, the capital, had dead people lying on the road.But what about the rich?They get something for nothing, and still live a life of luxury and luxury.

Because the country's finances are exhausted, the salaries of hundreds of officials are often reduced, and the princes are borrowed to rent taxes to meet the urgent needs of the country.During the period of the first emperor, he also openly sold officials and nobles, amassing money wantonly.Today's world is getting worse, his harem has thousands of beauties, and food and clothing cost hundreds of dollars a day, so he is desperately searching for money, doing everything he can.He announced the price of selling officials, 2000 million shi for two thousand shi, 400 million for [-] shi.Even different objects can have different bargaining prices.Since officials can be bought with money, corruption has become a legal act, and officials are searched as much as possible as soon as they take office.In order to sell more officials, the government often changes officials, and even a local official changes several people within a month.In order to scrape the money, Emperor Ling also stipulated that when the prefectures pay various taxes and contributions to Dasinong and Shaofu, they must first take a cent and hand it over to the palace, which is called "guide money".He also built the Wanjin Hall in the West Garden, and dispatched Si Nong's gold and silk to fill it up as his private collection.He also deposited the money in Xiaohuangmen and Zhongchangshi, each with tens of millions.

The emperor is like this, let alone other princes and ministers.

rebel?This is all official coercion.In the past few decades, have there been few people who rebelled?During the reign of Emperor An, Zhang Bolu of Qingzhou led the refugees to rebel, which spread to nine counties along the coast.During Emperor Shun's reign, Zhang Ying from Guangling led more than 1 people to rise up, and they persisted in Xuzhou and Yangzhou for more than ten years.More than ten years ago, Gongsun Ju of Taishan County gathered refugees to rebel and fought continuously in Qingzhou, Yanzhou, and Xuzhou for several years.In the south and northwest, there was also a joint rebellion between the people of the Han Dynasty and the barbarians of the Hu nationality.There was a popular folk song: "The hair of the small people is like leeks, and they will be born again; their heads are like chickens, and they will sing again. Officials don't have to be feared, and people don't have to be taken lightly!" Everyone has no way out, so they want to rebel.

I also don't want to see common people rebelling, and I hate common people rebelling, but if they don't rebel, they will die, and if they rebel, they will die. In comparison, it is better to rebel.After the rebellion, corrupt officials can be killed, patriarchs and bullies can be killed, the houses of the rich can be burned, and the property of the rich can be divided up. Everyone can have a full stomach for a while, and enjoy life before dying.

Li Hong was stunned, don't they want the future?
future?Who of these people has a future?Do you know why the people who followed Zhang Jiao did not surrender until death, and why 5 people threw themselves into the river and died?There is no future and there will never be a future.So they kill, burn, loot, destroy everything that can be destroyed.Because there is no future, only today.

Then, emperor, princes, nobles, ministers, my lord, why don't you change it?
change?change what?This is the world with the surname Liu, and any word the emperor says is the law of the king.The common people are untouchables, and they are the seed that should be killed.

Li Hong looked at Zhang Chun's angry face, dumbfounded, and didn't dare to say a word again.

He felt that the adult in front of him seemed to be the leader of the Yellow Turban Army, and he was about to rise up.Subconsciously, he felt that this should not be what a county head who had just lost his jurisdiction should say.

But these words shocked him too much.He seemed to have opened his eyes suddenly in the dark night, and slowly saw everything around him clearly.

He's been a slave for as long as he can remember, but he doesn't know why he's a slave.Iron Wolf became a slave because he was a defeated prisoner, so what about himself?Why did I become someone else's slave, the kind that should be killed.

If you are a slave or a pariah, you should accept it and kill it?
Li Hong saw Yan Liang running towards him.

Yan Liang is now the leader of Li Hong's bodyguard.

Li Hong handed over more than 100 people to Zhang Chun to set up a separate bodyguard team, which is the entourage bodyguard team, which is the general's personal soldiers.

Now in the hinterland of the Han Kingdom, the hair ornaments and clothes of the Hu scouts were too obvious, and they were no longer suitable for scouts and followers, so Li Hong transferred all the Hu warriors in the scout team to the Qinwei Tun.The Qinwei Tun was transformed into the Black Panther Volunteer Battalion, which expanded to nearly 600 people and was directly commanded by Li Hong.He saw that Gongsun Zan's white horse righteousness was very majestic, and he wanted to imitate and set up his own righteous army, loyal only to himself and obeying his own orders.So he named it after the Black Panther Yi Cong, which moved Hu Ding and Qi Shen to their blood boiling with excitement.Following such a master, he will be famous all over the world if he fights in all directions from now on.

Yan Liang admired Li Hong very much in his heart, not only because of his reputation and achievements, but also because of his trust.It was only a one-time acquaintance, but Li Hong was so relieved to give his life and secrets to himself. This kind of mind and courage really cannot but make people swear to serve him to the death.

Zhang Chun was at the scene at the time, and he was also dumbfounded when he heard Li Hong's arrangement. He felt that this leopard was really close to the rumored person. He was either an idiot or a genius.

"Lord Colonel, Mr. Xian Yufu, a meritorious officer in the governor's office, has arrived."

(End of this chapter)