Great Han Empire

Chapter 315 The rain is coming
Xian Yufu saw Zheng Xin and Chen Ming walking out of the big tent from a distance, and waved to Yan Rou, Yushi, Xian Yuyin and Hu Zi who were standing behind them.

The news sent from Luoyang proved that the central and eastern counties of Youzhou had all been captured by the rebels. They were very worried about the safety of their families, and wished that the army would arrive in Jinyang one day and start to put down the rebellion.As long as Zhang Yan is defeated, the army will rush to Youzhou.But what Li Hong said made them feel cold.If you only walk fifty miles a day, you will have to walk for at least ten days to reach Jinyang.Ten days later, it would be fine if the Yellow Turban Army fled without a fight, but if they defended the city, one more day would mean one more day of preparation, and it would be even more difficult to attack the city.

Xian Yufu was out of control now, he couldn't stand Yan Rou, Yushi, Xian Yuyin and Hu Zi's persuasion, so he agreed to stay and persuade Li Hong with them, hoping that he could take into account the situation in Youzhou and calm down Bingzhou as soon as possible.Judging from Li Hong's current attitude, he has made up his mind to put down the rebels, but he seems more inclined to fight the Yellow Turbans for a long time.Xian Yufu wanted to know how Li Hong would fight this battle, and he was eager to return to Youzhou.

Seeing several old subordinates walk into the big tent, Li Hong immediately understood their purpose.He felt a little guilty.These people fought with him all the way without complaint or regret, but when they needed his help the most, not only did he not think about them, but instead he was only thinking about how to avoid wars and how to stay in Bingzhou. Li Hong had no face to deal with it.He thought of Liu Zheng who died, and his comrades who died in Xijiang, and he felt very uncomfortable.He sat silently behind the desk with a gloomy expression and was speechless for a long time.

"My people, the imperial court has no reinforcements to go north to Youzhou to suppress the rebellion. Even if there is, the number is limited, and there is no strength to defeat the rebels." Xian Yufu hesitated for a moment, and said, "We can only rely on ourselves. His Majesty said in the edict, As long as we defeat Zhang Yan, we can return to Youzhou immediately, my people..."

"My lord, we came from Youzhou. Youzhou is our home and our roots. The people of Youzhou must be looking forward to your lord leading the army back. My lord, please go back earlier." Yushi was almost begging.

Li Hong's heart trembled and he was in unbearable pain.At this moment, he was shaken, and a strong feeling of homesickness instantly filled his body and mind.

"My lord, the refugees in Taihang Mountain are human beings, but the people in Youzhou are also human beings. The people in Youzhou are our closest relatives. You can't save millions of refugees in Taihang Mountain, but you can save hundreds of thousands of people in Youzhou." Xian Yuyin said emotionally, "Who are we fighting in Youzhou for? Have you forgotten, sir?"

Yan Rou said excitedly: "My lord has always said that he will take us back, now we can go back, but why does your lord only walk fifty miles a day?"

Li Hong moved the map slowly, staring at Youzhou on the map for a long time, without saying a word.

There was silence in the big tent.

"My lord, the 12 Xianbei iron cavalry are all determined by you in one battle. Could it be that you can't solve this group of ant thieves?" Huzi finally couldn't help shouting, "My lord, what are you thinking? Tell us, how can we defeat Zhang Yan?" How long?"

Li Hong shook his head, glanced at him, and said helplessly, "Brother, we won't do Youzhou any good by defeating Zhang Yan quickly."

Xian Yufu and the others were startled.

"When we attack Zhang Yan by force, Zhang Yan must flee eastward to Taihang, but what about Yang Feng of the Shangdang? As long as Yang Feng quickly goes northward and entangles us, Zhang Yan can escape to Jizhou calmly. At this time, for Zhang Yan, the safest The place is no longer Taihang Mountain, but to join Zhang Chun in Jizhou."

"When we chased to Jizhou, we faced hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turbans and Karasuma Cavalry." Li Hong smiled wryly, "Even if we win, how many troops can we continue to go north into Youzhou? Countless Yellow Turbans The defeated army and refugees fled to Youzhou, and you can imagine how many people will die in Youzhou, plus our pursuit and attack, have you ever thought about how many people will die in Youzhou?"

"The most important thing is who can guarantee the continuous supply of food and supplies for the imperial court? When we arrive in Jizhou, who will replenish us with food and supplies? If we attack Youzhou far away, it is more than 2000 miles away from Luoyang. How will we solve the supply of food and supplies?"

"Except for [-] infantry, the rest of us are Hu cavalry. Among them, Qiang people accounted for almost half. They fought from western Xinjiang to northern Xinjiang in a short period of time, and they were three or four thousand miles away from home. Who can guarantee that they will follow us all the time?"

"The other [-] cavalry are newly surrendered Xianbei people. They have been with us for less than a month, and they have not been tamed at all. Once they arrive in northern Xinjiang, they suddenly defect and flee back to Xianbei. What should we do?"

Li Hong took a short break and continued: "If we hold Zhang Yan and Yang Feng back in Bingzhou, as Master Huangfusong said, the rebels in Youzhou are isolated and helpless, and they will not dare to go deep into the hinterland of Jizhou. Stable in the border area between Youzhou and Jizhou. In this way, the people in the middle and eastern parts of Youzhou can temporarily avoid the flames of war, and the reinforcements of the imperial court will gradually gather and arrive in Jizhou. By October, the grains are ripe and put into storage, and the grain, grass and military supplies With the guarantee, the reinforcements gathered in Jizhou will start to attack the rebels, but by then it is very close to winter, and it is estimated that they can only consume each other."

"We spent a few months in Taiyuan and Shangdang to deal with the Zhang Yan and Yang Feng rebels. Firstly, we can stabilize the army, secondly, we can accumulate strength, and thirdly, we can threaten the Yellow Turban Army in Montenegro, Hanoi, and deter the barbarians outside the Great Wall. , defend the capital."

"In the spring of next year, we will go out of Yanmen to Daijun, and attack from behind the rebel army, while Jizhou will attack Zhuojun from the front from the Hejian Kingdom, and the rebel army will be defeated immediately under the attack of the two sides. This is the best way to deal with the rebels in Youzhou."

Li Hong looked at them and asked, "Didn't you understand what Lord Huangfu meant? It took a long time to resolve the Youzhou rebellion. Lord Huangfu was probably worried that His Majesty would not accept it, so what he said was vague, but his intentions were very obvious. .”

Xian Yufu sighed and had nothing to say.Although he was burning with anxiety, Li Hong's words made sense, and he could only accept this fact.

Huzi was still not reconciled, he stared at Li Hong, and asked word by word: "My lord, are you really helpless?"

Li Hong's heart was agitated, he could no longer restrain his emotions, and said loudly: "Yes, but what about Bingzhou? What about Jizhou?"

He punched Shanggu County on the map and shouted at the top of his voice: "I can take Fengyun cavalry from Yanmen to Daijun, from Daijun to Shanggu, I can gather Wuye tribe, Bailu tribe, I can drive Zhang Chun to Jizhou, but what about Bingzhou? What about Jizhou?"

Li Hong stood up abruptly and roared angrily, "How many innocent people are you going to let die in the war for Youzhou? Is it 100 million or 200 million?"

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"I suspect that the general's brain is broken." Li Wei wiped the wine stains from his mouth, and said with a smile, "We have discussed it for a long time, but all these methods need the permission of the imperial court, and all of them need the approval of the Bingzhou Governor's Department. Agreed, they all need the money of the Da Si Nong's Mansion, especially a minister who holds the military and political power of Bingzhou to preside over it, otherwise, it will not be able to meet the needs of adults."

He glanced around at everyone in the tent, shook his head and smiled, "Your Excellency has a whimsical idea, to solve the problem that the Great Han Kingdom has been unable to solve for hundreds of years by himself, his courage is commendable, his courage is amazing, and his behavior is crazy, but we really can't do it. "

Xie Ming smiled lightly and said, "Zhong Yuan, your lord's proposal is not without purpose, he has thought it through a lot. I think Bingzhou's conditions are unique, and it can completely solve the refugee problem."

"This dynasty began to implement the system of garrisoning land since the time of Emperor Wen. Because the several border counties north of Taiyuan County were important towns against foreign invasions, the military garrison system was first implemented in the border counties of Taiyuan County. Hundreds of thousands of frontier soldiers were in this area A large amount of wasteland was reclaimed and a large area of ​​arable land was formed. At that time, due to the equal emphasis on immigrant settlement and military settlement, coupled with the improvement of farm tools and the widening of ditches, the grain production increased sharply. It can also supply the capital, but in the past hundred years, due to the frequent invasion of the Hu people and the plundering in the south for years, the reclamation stopped, the people moved away, and the land was barren."

"If we report to Your Majesty and move millions of refugees from the Taihang Mountains to Taiyuan and Shangdang counties, reopen reclamation, and cultivate wasteland, not only can the refugees be resettled so that they have enough food and clothing, but also the tax of Bingzhou can be increased. In addition, the frontiers of Bingzhou The army can also provide food and grass on the spot, so that the court does not need to transport supplies to the border counties thousands of miles away, and the treasury can save a lot of money. At the same time, the strength of the frontier army is also strengthened because of the abundance of food and grass and the increase in the population of Bingzhou. When the strength of the army increases, the invasion of the Hu people will decrease, which in turn will guarantee the safety and property of the refugees, and promote the enthusiasm and confidence of the refugees to open up wasteland and farmland."

"Recruiting the Yellow Turbans, resettling the refugees, and reclaiming the land can solve the rebellion, prevent the Hu people from invading, and increase the treasury tax. This is a good thing for the imperial court. It is a good thing."

===

"Lianzhi, the benefits of appeasement and farming are obvious, but the question is, will His Majesty agree with the proposal?" Li Wei said, "The rebellion in Bingzhou is different from the rebellion in Xiliang, there is a big difference between the two. The Qiang rebellion in Liang has been suppressed and rebelled repeatedly. It has been a chronic disease of the imperial court for decades. The imperial court reluctantly agreed because it was worried that the Qiang people would take advantage of the chaos to invade and lose the western border and lose the barrier in Guanzhong. Recruiting Wang Guo and Han Sui and other gang rebels, but this is purely helpless. The court's attitude towards the Yellow Turban Ant Thief is to kill, mercilessly. Since Zhang Jiao's rebellion in the first year of Zhongping, there has been no precedent for recruiting. therefore……"

Li Hong snorted helplessly, and continued: "There is another question, whether the Yellow Turban Army is willing to be appeased. If the Yellow Turban Army swears not to surrender, so what if His Majesty agrees to the offer of appeasement? If the Yellow Turban Army does not surrender, the refugees will naturally not It will go down the mountain, and this disaster will never stop."

"Finally, there is one more important issue, which is who will preside over this matter. If the general, the governor, and the state's military administration personally manage the recruitment and farming, it is estimated that the trust between the two parties will be a little more, and the resistance will be less in practice, but The reality is, will His Majesty agree with the general to preside over the military administration of Bingzhou? Will the ministers in the court agree? Will the Bingzhou Governor's Department agree?"

"In order to prevent powerful ministers from monopolizing one side and causing harm to the country, the Han Dynasty has always separated the military and government. The generals will lead the conquest, and they will withdraw after the matter is over. The court will neither let a general preside over state affairs, nor let a state governor or governor The prefect commands the army."

"Due to the continuous rebellion in the past few years, the imperial court has also allowed individual ministers to take charge of one side's military administration at the same time for the convenience of suppressing the rebellion. But once the suppression of the rebellion is over, the military administration will be separated immediately. Inspector Geng Bi once led an army to attack the rebels. After Geng Bi’s death, the General also served as the governor of Liangzhou’s military administration. But at that time, almost all the counties in Western Xinjiang were occupied by the rebels, and the General was just playing a false role.”

"With the current situation in Luoyang, the importance of Bingzhou, and the strength of Lord General, who would dare to propose that Lord General be in charge of the military administration of Bingzhou? I guess His Majesty has to weigh it again and again?"

"If His Majesty does not agree to appease, if the Yellow Turban Army does not surrender, and if the general does not preside over it himself, how will the refugee issue be resolved? These conditions are far more important than the wasteland in Bingzhou. We can cultivate land without arable land, but without these conditions, we will I can only stare."

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Everyone in the tent was contemplative, helpless.

Zuo Yan touched the beard on his mouth, and said slowly: "Zhongyuan, Lianzhi, Changfeng, Wenlong, and Bohan, let's not consider these problems for the time being, okay? Your lord wants us to give him a The solution to refugees, as to whether this solution can be implemented is another matter. If we drink wine and always talk about whether it can be realized here, I am afraid that we will not be able to discuss the reason after a year. What do you think? ?”

When everyone heard this, they immediately laughed easily.

"Lord Zuo is right." Yu Peng smiled, "Zhongyuan, you've been talking here for a long time, but it's actually nonsense. In my opinion, you should think of some brilliant ideas."

"Zhongyuan, I've given you a lot of wine, but there's nothing I can do about it." Tang Yun pointed to Li Wei and said, "Sit aside, don't keep dangling in front of us, I'll give you all your eyes It's gone."

Li Wei laughed loudly and said, "A way? Didn't the way be said a long time ago?"

"During the period of Emperor Wen, Jing, and Emperor Wu of the previous dynasty, due to the adoption of strategies such as immigrant reclamation and military settlements, and the implementation of farming methods such as the Daitian Method and the District Field Method, Bingzhou was greatly prosperous and developed. I remember the historical records. Open the Fanxi Canal to irrigate 50 mu of land in Pishi (now Hejin), Fenyin (now Wanrong), Puban (now Yongji) and other counties with water from the Fen River and the Yellow River. At that time, in the counties of Hedong, Shangdang, and Taiyuan, a large amount of grain was transported from the Fen River, the Yellow River, and the Wei River to Chang'an, the capital of Kyoto. More than 200, and the population of Hedong County has reached 60."

"Our ancestors are far smarter than us. They not only successfully solved the problem of imperial borders through immigration and military settlements, but also solved the problem of poverty in the Central Plains. Whether it is the past sages of this dynasty or today Whether it is Mr. Wang Fu's "Tun Fu Lun" or Zhao Qi's "Yu Bian Lun", they all put forward quite far-sighted solutions to the problem of refugees in this dynasty. We younger generations have no wisdom, and we cannot There is no better way, so we have to use their country-governing strategy to solve the problem of refugees in Taihang Mountain."

Li Wei waved his hands and said proudly: "Why can't we do what our predecessors have done? Only with the consent of His Majesty and the court, we will definitely be able to reproduce the prosperity of the three counties in the past within five to ten years."

"Nowadays, Taiyuan and Shangdang have a lot of barren land, there are millions of refugees on Taihang Mountain, the general has [-] troops, and the Yellow Turban Zhang Yan and Yang Feng have hundreds of thousands of troops. All the conditions of Tun."

"However, when we implement the farming, we must formulate a series of measures to ensure that the farming can be implemented effectively for a long time, so as to ensure that the people will no longer fall into poverty and rebellion."

Li Wei frowned and said: "To achieve this step, the most important thing is the issue of land ownership. If this issue is not resolved, land sales and mergers will occur immediately, and the people who lost their land will become refugees again. And everything we do All the hard work will be in vain in the blink of an eye.”

"Zhong Yuan, the system of farming must conform to the laws of the Han Dynasty, otherwise the court will not agree." Song Wen gently tapped on the table and reminded in a low voice.

"The difficulty lies in this place." Li Wei hesitated for a moment, and said, "At present, Taiyuan County has a population of more than 20, with a small number of people and a lot of land reclaimed by the army and unowned land. To sell or not to sell?"

"If it is not sold to private individuals, there will be a lack of money for later land investment. It is impossible to count on the Dasinong government to allocate money, and we can only count on ourselves. What if it is sold? The refugees can't afford it. Even if they are willing to buy it, they can buy it. The money is deducted from the taxes paid every year, but in this way, their burden is very heavy. If there is a natural or man-made disaster, the income of the people is reduced or there is no income, and they cannot pay the taxes, they still have to sell the land or flee the land. "

"We'll discuss this issue later, so don't talk about it for now." Zuo Yan said while making notes on the bamboo slips, "Zhong Yuan, you continue to talk."

"If the issue of land ownership is resolved, how will the issue of land sales be resolved? Should we allow land to be traded freely?" Li Wei looked at the crowd and asked.

"Of course it can't be bought or sold." Tang Yun said, "In my opinion, all unowned land should be owned by the imperial court, and then we lease the land to refugees for cultivation, so that land sales can be avoided."

"Where did the money for the early investment and the later investment come from?" Li Wei said, "In order to appease the refugees, the rent and tax are either completely exempted or very light. Where do we get the money to invest hundreds of thousands of fields? Seeds, farm tools, plowing Cattle, wait, these things need to be provided by landowners, do we have them?"

"We can earn money through other methods to supplement the demand for the land." Xie Ming said, "After three years of farming, we probably don't need to invest any more money in the land."

"Zhongyuan, what Lianzhi said makes sense." Song Wen said, "We shouldn't focus all our eyes on farming, the effect of farming is very slow, it will take at least five years and there must be a bumper harvest every year, otherwise we will see It doesn't work."

"Wenlong, you are good at breeding goods, but do you have a way to make money?" Yu Peng asked with a smile.

"You all know the several methods I mentioned. How can you buy or sell without goods?" Tang Yun smiled wryly, "Think about it, in Bingzhou, what can be sold for money."

"I know." Li Wei suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "I know how to make money."

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(End of this chapter)