Chapter 1171 Before the War
“Guo Xun?”
Facing the name proposed by Feng Duhu, Pei Qian, the general of Zhenbei, thought for a long time, then shook his head and said:
“Please forgive Qian’s ignorance, Qian has indeed never heard of such a person in Hedong.”
The Central Protector came to visit him personally, which was something that should not be taken lightly for Pei Qian, who surrendered from the state of Wei.
Faced with Zhong Duhu's questions, he couldn't give any useful answers, which made him feel a little uneasy.
He glanced at Feng Duhu and said cautiously:
“Zhongduhu, is this person not from Hedong, or did he change his name on purpose?”
Pei Qian was a descendant. Although his status seemed to be very respected, he rarely participated in the affairs of the court.
However, he had also heard of Wei Yan's famous name.
Leaving aside Wei Yan’s bad temperament, who dares to underestimate Wei Yan when it comes to military affairs?
And Guo Xun can gain Wei Yan's trust in military affairs, so his talent must be quite high.
According to Feng Duhu, this man was even recommended by Wei Yan to join the army in the Hedong Governor's Office.
This kind of person who is personally recommended by the general to serve as an official, and then receives it from the government for his own use to join the army, is generally regarded as a person who is valued by the general.
How could such a person be an unknown person?
Feng Duhu nodded:
“I have this suspicion too.”
Pei Qian took the initiative and said:
“Then Qian sent a letter to Hedong and asked them about the situation there.”
Although Feng Duhu didn’t mention it, Pei Qian had to recognize it.
After all, who told that guy to claim to be from Hedong?
How about that, the Protector-General, who is always busy with everything, comes to your house to chat with you?
“That’s good.”
Feng Duhu nodded noncommittally, and then said:
“On the east side of Hedong, the land registration and household registration have almost been completed.”
Feng Duhu came to Pei Qian's house specifically, and naturally it was not just for Guo Xun.
Moreover, for Feng Duhu, Guo Xun was just a trivial matter, not worthy of his personal trip.
He came here this time mainly for the overall situation of Hedong.
"According to the rules of the imperial court, both adult men and women, as long as they are sixteen years old, can be allocated fifty acres of land. Children under the age of sixteen can be allocated thirty acres."
Feng Duhu looked at Pei Qian, his tone and expression were somewhat meaningful:
“But as long as you receive the land, you will be considered a person registered with the government.”
“According to Duke Pei’s estimation, how many people in the Pei family still want to claim the land?”
The chaos in Hedong caused heavy losses to the Hedong family.
It’s not just that the fields that were privately seized in the early years were forced to be vomited out again.
Even the hidden population must be sent out to re-register their household registrations.
Dividing people into acres means incorporating the poll tax into the land tax.
People can hide, but the ground doesn’t have legs.
So no matter how many people you hide, what's the use?
The government only collects taxes based on the actual acres of land owned by your family.
Population and cultivated land are one of the foundations for aristocratic families to control social resources.
Now that most of it has been shoveled away by someone Feng, why doesn't the Hedong family become horrified?
Fortunately, Mr. Feng knew how to give a sweet date with a stick.
He stuffed a lot of cotton into their mouths, which temporarily calmed down the wealthy families.
In fact, Feng Duhu knew very well that the subsequent impact of dividing a small family into an entire family would not stop there.
This policy will hinder the development of the plantation model of large families.
Because it will divide a large family into small families connected by close relatives.
The reason is also very simple.
Because of the government's allocation of fields per capita and the allocation of land into acres, coupled with the farming technology of the Han Dynasty.
Make it possible for a family of several people to have enough food and clothing on their own.
There is no need to rely on a large family to resist unpredictable natural and man-made disasters.
The so-called natural and man-made disasters not only refer to natural disasters and wars, but also excessive taxes and levies from the government.
Attachment to aristocratic families and became a hidden population, although they gained temporary peace.
But the price is that from now on, you have to live in the shadows, you have no control over life and death, your descendants are all slaves, and you will never get ahead.
How many people would think about living such a life if there was still some hope?
Even if you only think about your children and grandchildren, as a parent, who would want to harm your children and grandchildren unless you have no choice?
Dividing the fields and dividing the land into acres on a per capita basis gave people hope of food and clothing.
The establishment of schools and the implementation of imperial examinations will give the world's leading officials the hope of promotion.
Two-pronged approach, whether it is the complacency in front of you or the hope in the distance, you have it.
At least until the population in the Central Plains does not exceed the carrying capacity of the land, the small farmer economy can be stabilized by dividing the land into an acre.
As for the border areas, because of the influx of barbarian people—it doesn’t matter what the form of inflow is—they can provide free labor and form a development model that is completely different from that of the Central Plains.
The territory of the Han Dynasty was large enough for the two economic models to coexist - even in the era of large-scale industry, uneven regional economic development was the norm.
As for what it will look like in the future, it depends on which economic model is more dynamic.
According to Feng Duhu's idea, the Han Dynasty should recuperate and recuperate in the past few years, and at the same time implement the New Deal.
As long as we manage it well, sooner or later we will widen the gap in national power with Wei. When the time comes, we can just frame the army and go over with A and that's it.
Who would have expected that when he met Sun Shiwan, a useless ally, and requested to send troops, it happened to satisfy the old man Wei's desire to show off his skills.
This is what made Feng Duhu so angry.
As soon as Wei Yan sends troops, the situation will become tense, which will most likely affect the New Deal being implemented in Hedong.
So when it was time to send troops, Feng Duhu came to find Pei Qian to talk to him.
In fact, he wanted to warn the Hedong family through Pei Qian not to make any small moves at this time.
It would be best if Guo Xun has nothing to do with the Hedong family.
If this person is really a small trick brought about by the aristocratic family, then Feng Duhu's personal mention of this person at this time is an attitude.
Pei Qian, who was able to serve as a minister in the Wei state, was certainly not an ignorant person.
His heart suddenly trembled when he heard Feng Duhu first ask about Guo Xun, and then suddenly mention the population and land.
Could someone really be so bold and want to use this matter to hinder the implementation of the New Deal?
With this thought, Pei Qian did not dare to be sloppy in the slightest and said quickly:
“Don’t worry, the Central Protector, because our Pei family has already counted the people in each house, and the total number of people is more than 20,000.”
Even though he was mentally prepared, Feng Duhu couldn't help but take a deep breath after hearing this number.
More than 20,000 people?
How many people are there in the entire Hedong area now?
The Pei family alone hid so many people, what about other families?
No wonder that in the original history, after Sima Jin unified the country, he conducted an inventory of household registration land, and the population suddenly increased from more than 7 million to more than 25 million.
Perhaps he also knew that the amount he mentioned was terrifying. Pei Qian coughed awkwardly and wanted to say something, but for a moment he didn't know how to say it.
On the contrary, Feng Duhu came to his senses and smiled:
“The Pei family in Hedong is really prosperous!”
“Zhongdu Humu praised...”
Feng Duhu’s lips twitched, are you sure I’m complimenting you?
Of course Pei Qian knew that this was not a compliment, but what could he say?
You can't say in front of the Central Protector that a certain person named Feng is not a son of a man, causing the people of Hedong to have a hard time.
Now we can actually find people to clean up the land registration. Doesn't this force everyone to pay taxes truthfully in the future?
If you don’t release more than 20,000 people and still want to hide them as before, wouldn’t it mean that you have to keep them in vain?
I have never heard of a brave man who only eats and doesn't poop. How can there be any kind person who raises slaves for nothing?
Having said this, as long as Pei Qian is not a fool, or pretends to be a fool, then he should understand the purpose of Feng Duhu's visit.
After chatting with Pei Qian for a while and mentioning Pei Xiu who was actually surveying the terrain in Hedong, Feng Duhu left.
After leaving the Pei Mansion, Chief Feng Duhu breathed out a sigh of relief.
Everything I can do has been done.
Now we are waiting for news about Hedong sending troops.
To be honest, Feng Duhu, who was in Chang'an, could not do much for this battle, which was entirely under the command of Wei Yan.
Just as he did when he was in Longyou and Liangzhou, the prime minister in Hanzhong basically had no restrictions on him.
As long as it is not a rebellion, he can decide everything big or small.
After all, there was no radio. We had to wait for the news from the front line to come back, and the day lilies were getting cold.
Now that I am sitting in this position, I understand how rare the Prime Minister's trust in me was.
“My lord, do you want to go back to your home?”
The personal guard interrupted Feng Duhu’s thoughts.
Looking up, Chang'an Avenue is bustling with people and cars.
It is many times more prosperous than when I first entered Chang'an.
In addition to the influence of the emperor's move of the capital, important departments such as the Han Dynasty Joint Reserve Bureau, the Exchange, and the Royal Academy also moved here.
Let pedestrians and business travelers come with them, which naturally greatly contributes to the liveliness of Chang'an.
“Don’t be in a hurry to go back home, let’s go to the market first.”
“Here.”
Compared to the excitement in Chang'an, the people in Hedong finally felt the atmosphere of war again after enjoying peaceful days for several years.
Groups of cavalry crossed over from the other side of the river and headed east.
The tall horses, sharp weapons, and bright armor all show that this is an elite division.
“Is this going to be a war again?”
The old farmer standing on the edge of the field looked at the endless line of soldiers on the official road. He couldn't help but smacked his lips, shook his head and sighed:
“How many years have we been stable now? When will this world come to an end..."
“Old man, are you afraid?”
A young man who was sitting on the ground with his trouser legs rolled up and resting, saw the old farmer's appearance and couldn't help but smile and asked.
"Are you not afraid? These good days have only passed for a few days. Who is not afraid that the Wei thieves will come again?"
The old farmer did not shy away from his thoughts. He looked at the marching troops on the official road with a worried look on his face:
“Looking at this posture, I’m afraid we’re going to have a big fight.”
The young man was not worried at all. He stretched out the tape measure used to measure the land, then raised his head and squinted at:
“You have an elite like a big man, but you are still afraid that the Wei thieves will come over? I’m afraid I’ve never seen such soldiers before, right?”
"Who are you looking down on?" The old farmer also sat on the ground like the young man. "I have never seen such elite soldiers in the east of the river."
“But when I was in Jizhou, I saw a similar cavalry army under Nanpi City.”
“Jizhou Nanpi?”
When the young man heard this, he was immediately shocked:
“My father-in-law has actually been to Jizhou?”
“I haven’t been there before, I’m originally from Jizhou.”
The old farmer picked up the water bag and took a sip of water. His face looked a little nostalgic, probably because he thought of his hometown, and his tone was a little sad:
“After Yuan Jizhou (i.e. Yuan Shao) died of illness, Cao Cao led his army across the river to the north and fought with Yuan Jizhou’s son Yuan Tan at Nanpi.”
"The two sides fought for a long time. It was not until Cao Cao sent out tiger and leopard cavalry that he killed Yuan Tan and captured Nanpi."
The old farmer said this and signaled to the soldiers on the official road:
“The tiger and leopard cavalry are very similar to the current Han cavalry…”
The young man was shocked:
“Have you actually seen the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry with your own eyes?”
The old farmer smiled carelessly:
“It’s an old story. After Cao Cao crossed the river and went north, there was great chaos in Jizhou. Cao Cao has always liked to send troops to massacre cities.”
“So I felt that Jizhou could not stay any longer, so I took advantage of the military turmoil and fled from Jizhou until I reached Hedong, where I finally settled down.”
Although the old farmer did not mention why he was able to see the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry with his own eyes, the young man knew that the story that the old farmer in front of him had skipped was probably not simple.
Just seeing that the other party didn't want to talk in detail, he wisely didn't ask any further questions.
Probably opening up the conversation, the old farmer babbled a little:
“When it comes to the chaos in Hebei in the Central Plains, the war in Hedong is the least chaotic, so people fleeing in Hebei like to go here the most.”
However, the young man seems to be more interested in the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry:
“Old man, you said you have seen the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. Which one do you think is more powerful, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry or the cavalry in front of you?”
“Du Langjun, your words are simply unkind!”
The old farmer was not fooled. He pointed at the young man named Du and said with a smile, "Besides, I am just a farm tool operator. How can I know what happened before the battle?"
Du Yu also laughed, came closer, and said flatteringly:
“Old man, just think of it as a casual chat and talk to me!”
“Since I’ve been working so hard these days, why don’t you just tell me and let me relax?”
“I promise not to tell anyone.”
After Du Yu arrived in Hedong, he first led the farmers to build canals, build earthworks, etc., and then ran around to help everyone measure the acres of land.
Who among those whose families have access to fields would not like these young men sent down by the government?
Hearing what Du Yu said at this time, the old farmer was willing to say a few more words:
"I really don't know who is more powerful. The key to victory or defeat before this formation depends not only on the soldiers at the bottom, but also on who leads the army."
“You must know that the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry are elites who have followed Cao Cao in battles all year round and have experienced countless lives and deaths.”
Pointing to the official road, the old farmer said, "This cavalry army is very elite, but compared to the real tiger and leopard cavalry, I'm afraid it still saw a little less blood."
"oh."
Du Yu nodded as if he understood something, "I don't know who is leading this cavalry army? Is it Feng Zhongduhu?"
In March of the fourth year of Yanxi, Zhang Bao, the general of Anhan and the central leader, led the southern army to cross the river eastward and enter Hedong.
(End of this chapter)