Great Han Empire

Chapter 718
Looking at the weeping beauty in his arms, smelling the refreshing fragrance, and holding the soft and boneless little hand, Li Hong's heartbeat increased and he felt a little dizzy.I don't know if it's because I'm too tired from traveling for days, or because I have a beautiful woman in my arms, but Li Hong can't hold it anymore.He shook his body slightly, and the arm hanging in the air gradually stretched towards the princess' waist.

Zhang Wen, who was outside the lobby, saw it from a distance, his thick eyebrows frowned, and he opened his mouth to shout.Zhao Qi had sharp eyes and quick hands, grabbed him, and waved his hands repeatedly at him.

Cui Lie gestured to everyone.Everyone understood, and quietly hid under the eaves on both sides of the corridor.Several old officials looked at me and I looked at you, all of them were angry.

It is no secret that the eldest princess has a deep affection for the general, and it is no secret in Xingyuan, even among the officials of Hebei provinces, but the general seems to know nothing about it, and respects the eldest princess at a respectful distance.The general didn't stay in Xingyuan for a long time, and most of the time he led his troops to fight outside, so all along, Xingyuan was calm and there were no rumors and gossips in Hebei, and everyone lived in peace.

The eldest princess is 16 years old, which is the age when love first begins. It can be forgiven for this kind of thing to happen to her.If it weren't for the chaos in the world and the ruin of the country, the eldest princess would have married another woman two years ago.However, the eldest princess can fall in love with the general, but the general must not have any thoughts about the eldest princess.It is not because the general has a wife, nor is it because of the humble background of the general, but because of the situation in the world today, because of the great cause of ZTE.

Originally, people in the world were suspecting that the general was planning to usurp the position. He might be the second Dong Zhuo. If it was reported that there was an affair between the general and the eldest princess, the consequences could be imagined.At that time, rumors were very unfavorable to the general.Back then, Dong Zhuo raped the first emperor's concubines, and now the general's wife and princess are even worse than that. Then the charge of conspiracy to usurp the establishment was naturally added to the general's head, and then the general's reputation was ruined and he became the target of public criticism.Some officials in Hebei who don't understand the truth may betray the general, and Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Cao Cao and others can justifiably hold high the banner of righteousness and join forces against Hebei.

Li Hong's hand stopped suddenly before touching the princess's slender waist.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, the elders are coming soon, you... you'd better listen to the minister's explanation first, okay?" Li Hong straightened his body stiffly, and whispered almost pleadingly, "Your Highness, the minister It just said that Qin Wang failed, and did not say that he would no longer serve the king."

The eldest princess's crying gradually became quieter, but she still hugged Li Hong tightly.

"Your Highness, this year, I may still have a chance to rescue His Majesty..." Li Hong softly persuaded, "Your Highness, don't worry, since I have promised Your Highness, I will definitely do it for Your Highness."

The eldest princess raised her head, sobbing softly, her cherry lips trembling slightly, "You didn't lie to me?"

Li Hong looked at the tear stains on the face of the eldest princess, and his heart trembled, and suddenly he had the urge to bow his head to kiss her, to love her.At this moment, a few whispers came from outside the house.Li Hongda was taken aback, his right hand hurriedly broke free from the little hand of the eldest princess and stuck it to her waist, his left hand hugged the slender waist of the eldest princess, picked her up in the air, and placed her in front of him.

The eldest princess blushed instantly, shy and happy at the same time, her arrogance was as gorgeous as a flower.

Li Hong's heartstrings trembled, and his heartbeat accelerated again.

The eldest princess lowered her head, and once again stretched out a tender little hand to Li Hong.

Li Hong suddenly thought of something, smiled slightly, and took out a small red kit from his arms and put it in the hands of the eldest princess, "Your Highness, I came back in too much haste, so I didn't bring any good gifts..."

"General..." The voice outside the room suddenly became louder.

The eldest princess' face changed, like a frightened rabbit, she turned and ran into the back hall.

=

Zhang Wen walked into the lobby angrily, glared at Li Hong, wanted to say something but didn't say it.

Li Hong was embarrassed, his face was slightly red, and he couldn't explain himself.

"Okay, it's not your fault." Cai Yong stepped forward to smooth things over, "The general returned quickly, he must have been tired along the way."

"General, this is too dangerous." Zhao Qi said bluntly as he sat down, "Hebei has suffered such a catastrophe, and it will be difficult to turn around in a few years. At this time, we must not make any mistakes."

"Forget it, forget it, the general doesn't know the seriousness of the matter." Cui Lie waved his hand and said, "How is the situation in Guanzhong and Kansai? Will Your Majesty be in danger?"

Li Hong gave a general account of the situation in Guanzhong, Guanxi, and Guandong, "Due to the break of the Yellow River, we had to withdraw from Luoyang. The strategy of forcing Yuan Shao to withdraw from Guanzhong failed immediately, and the matter of King Qin became even more uncertain. Leaving Hedong Before, I have asked Xu Rong to do everything possible to ensure the safety of His Majesty. If His Majesty can listen to our persuasion and take the initiative to withdraw to Tongguan and Taolin Fortress, then we will have a chance to be king in the future."

After listening to Li Hong's narration, Zhang Wen and others felt heavy and remained silent.

"Your Majesty is unwilling to go to Hedong, and we have no way to capture Guanzhong. Things are getting more and more troublesome." Li Hong looked at the veterans and sighed helplessly, "Hebei has suffered a rare flood in a century, and the wealth is very tight. The matter can only be put aside temporarily. Do you adults have any countermeasures for the difficulties in front of you?"

"Ninety percent of Hebei's wealth depends on Jizhou. Jizhou suffered a disaster and its wealth dropped sharply. No matter what method we use, we can't change money and food, so..." Zhang Wen paused, and smiled bitterly, "We We can only do everything possible to reduce expenses.”

"Cut down expenses?" Li Hong pondered for a long time, "This doesn't seem like a good idea."

"Yes, it is indeed not a good way. To reduce expenditure, first of all, we must reduce the daily expenses of Hebei provinces and the salaries of officials at all levels in Hebei, and secondly, we must reduce the military salaries of the soldiers of the Northern Xinjiang Army. As for sending troops to fight, don't even think about it." We can't fight these two years." Zhao Qi said to Li Hong, "Since the northern army has stopped fighting these two years, is the general considering reducing the army?"

Li Hong looked stern, and shook his head again and again, "This time King Qin failed, and Guanzhong and Luoyang failed to win the battle. The main reason is the lack of troops. In my opinion, the northern army can not be reduced, but will increase. In addition, Hebei was defeated. Disasters, the homeless victims need relief, the affected counties and counties need to restore and rebuild, officials at all levels have a lot of work to do, everyone is working very hard, and their salaries cannot be reduced.”

Neither the salaries of the officials nor the army were cut, nor were the taxes increased, and the expenditures for wealth and disaster relief were increased on the original basis. Where did Hebei get so much money and food?All veterans expressed their opposition with one voice.

"General, if you insist on doing this, the people will suffer in the end. There is no food, and the relief efforts are not enough, and the victims will die." Ma Rizun urged excitedly.

"Whose fault is it that the disaster victims are not given relief and are starving everywhere?" Li Hong said loudly, "The officials have worked so hard day and night, but in the end they can't get their salary, so whose fault is that? The soldiers of Northern Xinjiang fought bloody battles, and in the end they couldn't even eat enough, so whose fault is that?" Li Hong pointed to his nose and said, "It's my fault." Then he pointed to Zhang Wen and others and said, "It's also your fault. We have repeatedly talked about restructuring and rejuvenating the country, but after several years of restructuring, we can't even survive a disaster. How can such a restructuring be able to rejuvenate the big man? I can't see the hope of rejuvenating the big man."

"If the Yellow River breaks out every now and then, if there are heavy snowstorms in the desert and border counties from time to time, if droughts and locust plagues continue one after another, if Hebei is caught in disasters one after another, will we just wait and die? Is it right? With the collapse of the country and the extinction of Han Zuo?"

There was no sound in the lobby.Everyone was lost in thought.

=

"General, in today's desperate situation, what better solution do you have?" Cai Yong thought for a long time, but he couldn't think of any clever solution, so he cupped his hands and asked.

"Where does the food come from? Where does the money come from? Land, it's all land." Li Hong patted the ground with his hands and said word by word, "Hebei has been hit by disasters, and wealth has decreased, but there is no shortage of land and population. .We have land and population, so why can’t we support the officials? Can’t we support the army in northern Xinjiang? Why can’t the official system and the military system be combined with the land system to benefit from each other?”

"Why did we implement military settlements in the first place? Military settlements can use the idle wasteland to feed soldiers and support the army. This is the advantage of military settlements, but there are great shortcomings in military settlements, that is, the unrestrained use of soldiers in the fields, which makes the soldiers in the fields Overwhelmed and full of complaints, we had to gradually cancel the military settlements. The cancellation of the military settlements also caused us to lose the source of troops and the advantages of the military settlements, but why can't we think of a way to maximize our strengths and avoid weaknesses, and give full play to the strengths of the military settlements? Advantages, so that we can use the land to feed our soldiers and maintain a sufficient supply of soldiers? In this way, the number of our troops has increased, but the military resources have been greatly reduced. Isn’t this better than simply reducing the army and reducing the salaries of the soldiers?”

"If we can further combine the military system, the land system, and the taxation system, so that the three complement each other, so that the land can support the soldiers and their families at the same time, it will not be good for stabilizing Hebei, stabilizing the morale of the army, and improving the combat effectiveness of the Northern Xinjiang army. Is there a greater benefit? As long as we have land, we will have a source of soldiers, soldiers can support themselves and their families, Hebei can save a huge amount of expenses, and wealth will increase invisibly, what's wrong?"

"By analogy, since the military's wealth problem can be solved, why can't the officials' salaries be solved? Governments at all levels in Hebei can have their own official land. The harvest of this official land is the official's salary. The officials are gone and gone. , the official land is still there, so you can continue to provide salaries to your successors. As long as there is land, officials will have salaries. This will not only solve the shortage of financial resources in Hebei, but also increase the income of officials at all levels. What's wrong? ?”

=

There was a moment of silence in the lobby, then Cui Lie jumped up, raised his arms excitedly and cheered, "Hebei is saved, the big man is saved. General, good way, good way..."

Zhang Wen, Ma Rixun, Zhao Qi, Ding Gong, Cai Yong and others sat together, discussed a few words in a low voice, and then applauded in unison to celebrate.

"Is this method really usable?" Li Hong couldn't believe the strong reaction of the elders.

"It can be used. It's a great plan for Zhongxing, it's a great plan for Zhongxing." Cui Lie rushed up and punched Li Hong hard, his eyes were a little moist, "The late emperor didn't misjudge the person, the late emperor didn't misjudge the person. General, this The method can not only ensure a strong northern border army, but also save money and expenses. In the future, the world will be peaceful, and the great man will have ten or twenty years of development, and he will surely be able to reproduce the prosperity of "literature and scenery" back then."

Li Hong was taken aback, "Master Cui, are you kidding me? Is this method really useful?"

"Yes, General, it is really useful." Cai Yong smiled happily, "Although what you said is very simple, it will take a period of discussion and careful revision of the official system, military system, land system and taxation system, but the situation Indeed, as you said, as long as we have land and people, we can solve the problem of shortage of wealth and insufficient number of troops, and we can pacify the world and rejuvenate the great Han.”

Zhang Wen smiled all over his face, and looked Li Hong up and down, "No matter how I look at you, you are still the invincible titan on the battlefield in Western Xinjiang. Why did you suddenly become a capable minister?"

Li Hong blushed and bowed again and again, "My lord, you are joking. Don't you know how much stuff I have in my belly?"

"Then how did you come up with this idea?" Ma Rizun asked in surprise, "Do you have any advice from an expert?"

"It's not an expert, but a few veterans of the farm." Li Hong said respectfully, "During the attack on Luoyang, everyone stayed in the army tent and chatted because of the continuous rain. One day when I went to patrol the camp, some veterans of the farm said They were homesick. I said, after the war, I will let you go home and have a look. Several veterans were very happy, saying that they had one biggest wish in their hearts, that is to have a piece of land that can be used when there is no war. Plowing and working with the family, and being able to hug my mother-in-law and children for a few days. As a soldier, one day you will die on the battlefield, but if you can go home when you are not fighting, you can be with your family , that should be such a happy thing.”

Li Hong sighed, and then said: "When I returned to the big tent, I couldn't sleep, so I came up with this idea. When there is no war, the Northern Xinjiang Army maintains a certain number of cavalry and garrison troops. Commanded by the army, return to a fixed place, and plow the fields with your family. When fighting, you will go to the battlefield after receiving the military order and serve the country.”

"These soldiers are different from ordinary people. They make up loans and register separately. They have more fields than others. They don't have to pay taxes or do corvee. The harvest is their own. But they have been my big men for generations. Soldiers, they die, and their offspring must grow up and go to war."

Zhao Qi clapped his hands again and again, and praised loudly: "The common people are the real foundation of my Dahan community. General, you must thank these soldiers who are stationed in the fields in the future. It is them and their heart's desire to help Dahan on the road to rejuvenation. .”

=

"What should I do if there is not enough land?" Ma Rixun asked a crucial question.Hebei is overpopulated, and the land has been insufficiently distributed.

"Forcibly buy from powerful families and rich people from all over the world." Li Hong said without hesitation.

"Forcible purchase?" Cui Lie frowned. "I'm afraid this will conflict with the 'dictation of land' system and intensify the conflict between the government and the powerful. This is very detrimental to the stability of Hebei."

"When is this? This is the time when the big man lives and dies." Li Hong said sharply, "Is it the big man's interest, or the big family's interest?"

"General, I think so." Zhang Wen said with a smile: "Tell those aristocratic families that when we conquer the Central Plains, let them buy the best land at the lowest price. As for the losses they have suffered in the past few years, We can convert it into money and offset it when they buy land in the future."

"Hmph..." Li Hong sneered dissatisfiedly, "In the future, wouldn't I want to give them a lot of land for nothing?"

"General, do you know how much land you can get back if you kill the rebels Yuan Shao and Cao Cao in the future?" Cui Lie obviously agreed with Zhang Wen's suggestion. He patted Li Hong on the back and said with a smile, "Family Yuan Great business, their family’s land combined far exceeds the land sold to us by the Hebei Clan. Don’t be so stingy. When you need help from others, you should be more generous. This is good for us.”

"I'm afraid it will benefit you a lot, right?" Cai Yong mocked, "Your Cui family is the number one family in Jizhou. In the future..."

"Okay... okay..." Cui Lie hurriedly waved his hand and interrupted Cai Yong, "Now is the time for discussion, don't talk about private matters, don't talk about private matters."

Everyone laughed.

=

Under July, Guanzhong, Xinfeng City.

The grain borrowed by Huangfuhong was first supplied to the emperor and a group of ministers in the court, then to his own soldiers, and finally to the army of Zhang Ji, Wang Fang, Yang Feng and others.

One day, soldiers from both sides fought for food.Huangfu Hong was furious and killed a dozen soldiers who took the lead in robbing food.Zhang Ji and Wang Fang were very angry. They secretly urged Hu Cai and Li Le to go to the Tianzi camp to snatch it.

The Baibo Yellow Turban Army was probably extremely hungry, not only robbing food, but even the court ladies.Huangfu Hong led his personal guards and rode into the Tianzi camp, Li Le, Han Xian, and Hu Cai did not show any weakness, and fought with Huangfu Hong, arrows flew all over the sky, and Xinfeng City was in chaos.

Zhang Ji and Wang Fang took the opportunity to attack Huangfuhong and drove Huangfuhong out of the city.Although Huangfu Hong was mad with anger, he still had reason and knew that he could not be fooled by Yuan Shao.

At this critical moment, Taiwei Yang Biao returned to Xinfeng City with food and ordnance.

=

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(End of this chapter)