Chapter 525 Civil Unrest
“Brother, I wonder how many soldiers will be trained in Nanxiang?”
Huang Chong asked.
"Add the four hundred people who returned from Jincheng, and draw another six hundred people to make up for one thousand people."
1,600 people were selected from more than 30,000 people to serve, which sounds like a lot, because most countries in later generations generally do not exceed one to one hundred.
But for the Three Kingdoms era, this was not much.
Some people in later generations said that one of the crimes of Shu Han Zhuge Lao Yao's militarism was that the ratio of soldiers to civilians was one to ten, which made the people of Shu Han miserable.
But in fact, whether it is the Han Dynasty, Soochow Wu, or Cao Wei, the ratio of soldiers to civilians basically fluctuates around one to ten. Therefore, if this is really considered as evidence of guilt, everyone is actually the same. They are all resorting to militarism.
As for the saying that people can't make a living...how come there are still places where people can make a living during the entire Three Kingdoms era?
It can only be said that it depends on which person in power has better methods of managing people's livelihood.
So comparing Nanxiang to other places, the ratio of soldiers to civilians in Nanxiang is one to twenty, which is indeed not too much, and more people can be mobilized.
But the calculation is not that way, because Nanxiang is a place where golden eggs are laid. If too many people are deployed, once the normal production order is affected, even ten thousand soldiers may not be able to make up for it.
In addition to this trip to Yuexi, Feng Yong has sent some business backbones to prepare for the basic work of Yuexi. The manpower in Nanxiang is already slightly tight.
Fortunately, the locals understood the importance of talents. After opening the school, they used it for students during the day and for employees at night.
The development of night schools, the open training system for various technologies, and Nanxiang's unique "teaching and mentoring" culture have allowed him to reserve a considerable number of technical backbones.
In addition, the slave workers at the bottom have a strong desire to naturalize, which can fill the gap caused by the transfer of the backbone, so that the technical backbone can quickly bring out new people.
Others see Nanxiang as a place to pick up gold, but they don’t know that what Feng Yong values most is the talent supply system he has worked so hard to cultivate.
It can be said that Nanxiang is now a grassroots talent training base in the hands of Feng Yong. Even the soldiers there are future grassroots officers in the hands of the Nanxiang generals. We cannot draw too much blood from it, otherwise the gain will not be worth the loss.
It's just that the cost of training this grassroots backbone of the military is a bit high, which makes Feng Yong feel a little distressed.
"Soldiers who are disabled and can no longer fight on the battlefield should be carefully arranged after they are recovered. If you are willing, try to arrange them in Yuexuan. After all, this is a newly opened land, and the horse farm needs a lot of management."
“I explained it clearly to them. If we go back to Nanxiang, we won’t have to worry about food and clothing, but in the long run, our future prospects may not be as good as those in Yuexi.”
Wherever there is life, there is death; where there is injury, there is disability.
The development and construction of Yuexun requires a large number of managers, grassroots managers, and even backbones. Retired and disabled soldiers who are quite organized and can recognize common words are extremely suitable candidates.
This can be regarded as finding a new way out for them.
After all, only when others have no worries can they go into battle to kill the enemy with confidence. Feng Yong has always spared no effort in this regard: only when others fight desperately can he live a peaceful life in the rear.
“Also, when we return to Qiongdu this time, we must remember to let the people below discuss, especially the casualties, **** the enemy better, and how to better avoid casualties. We must take note of them.”
"Compile it into a book and then promote it throughout the army. This matter is very important. You two should do this together. You must do it yourself, and you must not rely on others."
Learning experience can make people grow better, and learning lessons can make people grow faster.
If you want Nanxiang soldiers to die less, it is necessary to conduct a post-war summary.
This is what makes Nanxiang soldiers different from soldiers of this era. They do not need to sum up their survival experience on the battlefield dozens or even dozens of times like other soldiers.
How many people can have such luck to survive dozens or even dozens of battlefields?
Compared with this, the hard work of training in the past few years is actually worth it.
)
Huang Chong and Wang Xun responded in unison.
This time the soldiers of Nanxiang were dispatched. They moved quickly, marched forward in every battle, and were not afraid of death. This is enough to show that my brother's military drill is a rare art of war, and it also shows that my brother is very strategic.
Although some of the rules my brother has in the military seem very strange, I guess they must have a deeper meaning.
“The rest will be handled according to the rules established by Nanxiang earlier.”
Nanxiang has actually formulated detailed rules for these situations, but this is the first time Nanxiang soldiers have been officially dispatched on a large scale. Feng Yong seemed to take it very seriously, so he nagged about it for a long time.
Huang Chong and Wang Xun stood there and listened carefully without any slack.
The authority of the elder brother is getting stronger and stronger. On weekdays, it is easy to say, but when it comes to serious matters, it always makes people feel that he is not the same person as usual.
After explaining this, Feng Yong walked to the ditch, washed the mud off his feet, then took the wooden clogs lying aside and put them on, waved to the Yiren children in the distance, showed a kind smile, and pointed Fish basket.
The Yi kid nodded repeatedly, grinned, patted his chest, and shouted in less than standard Chinese, "Sir, I understand."
The two are very harmonious and harmonious.
Feng Yong smiled and signaled, then turned and walked back, "Let's go, take me to see the wounded soldiers."
Huang Chong looked back at the large fields filled with water, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Brother, why are there fish in this field?"
“For fertilizing the fields.”
After several years of exercise and timely nutritional supplements, Feng Yong has a very tall figure and walks at the front, giving people a majestic feeling.
“This newly opened paddy field has weeds and other things in the soil. Putting fish in it will eat up the grass. Secondly, the field where fish is raised will always be fertile.”
Feng Yong explained.
Then he pointed to the south and said, "I asked Jufu to lead the troops southward along the Sunshui River Valley. In fact, the main purpose is to visit Dingchen County."
"Before we came from Jincheng, I had already inquired about the salt ponds in Dingju, Yuexi. Once we find out the road, we can get the salt from Dingxi to pickle the salted fish."
Salted fish is a good thing. It is meat and contains salt. It can be stored for a long time and will not go bad easily. It is also easy to transport and easy to eat. Even if the conditions are really bad, you can just pick it up and eat it as a staple food.
If you are cooking something, put a piece of salted fish in the bowl and steam it till soft, it will taste better.
It is simply a must-have product for marching and fighting.
Why is it said that Greater Sichuan was China’s last rear during the Anti-Japanese War?
Because it is truly a treasure land given to China by God.
The terrain is difficult, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Surrounded by mountains, it has both a grain-producing base and rich mineral resources, including astonishing iron and coal reserves.
Even God saw that it was far away from the sea, and even arranged for it to have abundant salt wells, which even made up for the shortcomings of salt shortage that is common in the inland.
What is this if not a treasure land?
“Is there a salt pond in Dinglu?”
Huang Chong thought for a moment and then asked, "Brother, remember, isn't there a tribe of Yi tribes in Dinglu? The salt and iron are huge profits, and the Yi people are short of salt. If we take away Dinglu's salt pond, I'm afraid The barbarians will be dissatisfied."
At this time, you can see the difference between Huang Chong, a son of an aristocratic family, and Wang Xun, a man from a grassroots background.
Because of the family background, Huang Chong's vision is indeed far-sighted and wiser than Wang Xun's.
“That’s why I asked Jufu to explore the way in advance.”
No matter how weak the Han Dynasty was, the Han army was still an insurmountable mountain for the Yi people.
If the two sides really let go of the fight, it will be no different from the beautiful women in later generations who want to fight against stupid trees. The gap may even be larger.
The reason why we don’t fight is because in many cases it is not worth fighting, or the cost of sending troops is really disproportionate to the gains.
Dinglu is located in a remote area. To get to Dinglu from Qiongdu, you have to walk down the Sun River to the confluence of Sun River and Lu River, and then cross the Lu River to reach Dinglu.
From this aspect, sending troops to Dinghu is indeed a high-cost operation.
But Feng Yong, based on the information he received from Langli of the Yanniu tribe, knew that the Dongqu tribe had wanted to unite the Zhuma tribe and the Yanniu tribe in the north, as well as the Dinglu handsome man Lang Cen in the south, to besiege Qiongdu together.
It's just that the Dongqu Department's plan to delay the war failed at first, and then was struck by Zhang Ni's thunder, and was defeated soon after, so the joint plan naturally died.
This Lang Cen can be included in the joint list of the Dongqu Department, so naturally he will not be a good candidate.
Furthermore, although Lang Cen sent someone in front to tell Eshun that he was willing to surrender to the Ghost King, it had been so long since the Ghost King Feng Yong arrived in Yuexi, and he didn't even send anyone over.
So in Feng Yong's view, Dingchen County must send troops there. As for how many troops to send, it depends on whether Lang Cen really wants to surrender or is just pretending to be superficial.
If you truly surrender, and the Ghost King wants to take back the salt pond in Dinglu, why don’t you quickly offer it up obediently with both hands?
If it’s just superficial, then let’s start fighting.
The Han Dynasty acted like a domineering leader towards the barbarians, and there was no room for negotiation.
Feng Yong likes this kind of domineering very much. Whether others like it or not is none of his business.
Time entered May, and news finally came from Jufu heading south.
After crossing the Lu River, Jufu prepared to enter Dingcheng, but was rejected by Lang Cen, the powerful commander of Dingcheng.
Jufu again requested supplies on the grounds that he had come a long way and lacked food and grass, but Langcen refused again. He also tried to encourage the tribes around Dinglu to attack Jufu's troops and drive them back to the east of Lushui.
Although Gofu led less than 300 soldiers, he was not afraid because he brought enough dry food.
He first built a camp in a dangerous place west of Lu River. While sending people to report the news to Qiongdu as soon as possible, he also sent people to spread the news: Lang Cen violated the ghost king's will and was about to suffer a big disaster, just like the Dongqu. The Department and the Horse Catching Department are general.
When the Yi people heard this, they all had doubts and did not dare to attack with all their strength. Some even secretly sent food and drink to the camp in Jufu.
After receiving the news from Jufu, Feng Yong sneered, "This wolf is afraid of wolves in front of him and afraid of tigers in the back. He is indecisive in his actions, greedy for small profits and cherishing his own life. He is not in danger."
“I’ve heard that Lang Cen is quite famous in Dinglu and is popular with the barbarians, but I don’t know why Feng Changshi gave this person such evaluation?”
Meng Yan, who has dark skin, flat face and a typical Yiren appearance, heard Feng Yong's words and asked humbly, not thinking that there was anything wrong with calling others Yiren.
Feng Yong glanced at Meng Yan. This guy is quite capable. The key is that he has a dark heart and a thick skin. He is indeed an official material. He is much better than Meng Huo's straightforward temper.
“That Lang Cen first said that he wanted to submit to the Han Dynasty, and then he wanted to join forces with the Dongqu Department. It’s just two things. The key is that he doesn’t even know what he wants to do.”
"Rejecting General Ju to enter Dingcheng was an act of rebellion against the Han Dynasty, but he did nothing when General Ju was crossing the Shanghai River. He was probably afraid of offending us too much and just wanted to keep his position in Dingcheng."
"What is the way to do things other than to act indecisively, to be greedy for small gains and to cherish one's own body?"
"If the barbarians in southern China rebelled, they would have relied on the difficult terrain. But now that they have allowed General Ju to establish a foothold on the west side of Lu River, they have actually put themselves at a disadvantage. This behavior, so I conclude that he is not in danger."
"I once heard someone say that either you don't do it or you don't stop. If you don't succeed, you will become a benevolent person. This wolf Cen does half the work and leaves the other half. He doesn't have much ambition. What's the point?"
Meng Yan was impressed when he heard this.
At the same time, he secretly thought to himself, this sentence "If you don't do one thing, you won't stop doing the other thing," I'm afraid he is just talking about himself, right? Otherwise, where does the power of the Ghost King come from?
Thinking like this, my heart became even more awe-inspiring, and I gained a deeper understanding of a certain gentleman's ruthlessness.
In May of the fourth year of Jianxing, Feng Yong selected 300 soldiers from Nanxiang and 1,000 soldiers from Shanlu Yi people, and ordered Huang Chong and Wang Xun to lead them to provide emergency assistance.
At the same time, in a large manor in Mianzhu County, Guanghan County, a young man begged, "Manager Zhang, my family has been following the Zhang family for three generations, why are we suddenly going to be expelled? Is there something wrong?"
“We are just watching the grain grow now, and we don’t even have any food left at home. Leaving Zhuangzi is forcing us to die!”
Manager Zhang held his head high with a sneer on his face, "Whether you die or not is a matter for the imperial court. The imperial court has said that no idlers are allowed in the village, and all must register with the government, otherwise the master's family will be punished."
"In the past two years, haven't the master's family released many people? Aren't they all forced by the imperial court? The master's family understands you, but who will understand the master's family? I'm not deliberately making things difficult for you. This is the government making things difficult for everyone. Do you understand? ?”
“Steward Zhang, even if we have to leave Zhuangzi, we still have to wait for Guzi...”
The young man wanted to speak again, but Manager Zhang waved his hand impatiently, and the village man behind him rushed up and drove everyone outside the village.
At the same time, all the rags in the thatched house were thrown out.
For a time, inside and outside Zhuangzi, there were constant sounds of howling and begging.
“Langjun, what should we do?”
The tenants stood in the field with their black belongings and rags in their arms, their faces blank and at a loss. They felt that the bright blue sky was actually extremely gray.
There are many people among them who have worked for the master's family for a whole life, or even two or three lifetimes. They really didn't expect that the master's family was so cold-hearted and would expel people as soon as they were told.
The young man looked at Zhuangzi with anger in his eyes, gritted his teeth, and said bitterly, "This bitch!"
It's just that he kept scolding, but for a while he didn't know what to do. According to the current situation of his family, he was afraid that he would starve to death on the roadside in less than three days.
Zhuangzi's steward stood high up, watching the lowly tenants wandering around Zhuangzi, unwilling to leave for a long time, with a sneer on his face.
“What do the remaining people on Zhuangzi say?”
“When I got back to Zhang Guanshi, they were all thanking the master’s family for their great kindness. They said they were thanking the master’s family for giving them a bite of food.”
"That's good."
Steward Zhang nodded with satisfaction.
This year the master decided to use eight oxen plows on all the villages. There is no use keeping these extra tenants. They are eating rations in vain. They are worried that they have no excuse to drive them away.
I didn’t expect that the government would actually give me a clue.
While thinking this, I saw a sudden commotion among the tenants outside Zhuangzi, and at the same time there were faint shouts.
After a while, I saw that they all turned around and ran in the same direction at the same time.
In May of the fourth year of Jianxing, civil unrest broke out in Mianzhu County, Guanghan County, north of Jincheng.
The reason was that Zhang Ji, the prefect of Guanghan, enforced the law strictly when checking the land and land of large households, and at the same time forcefully required the large households to report their concealed population and land, otherwise they would be punished, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the wealthy families in Guanghan County. .
So the aristocratic families cooperated on the surface, but secretly expelled the tenants from the farm and turned them into refugees, obstructing the census of the population.
For a time, Mianzhu County was filled with refugees, and the government was unable to contain them.
At the same time, the aristocratic family spread rumors that this was due to the harsh government implemented by the imperial court.
So the refugees, who had nowhere to go and no food to eat, were panic-stricken. Under the instigation of thoughtful people, they began to attack the county.
Although Zhang Ji led his troops to eliminate them in time, there were still many people scattered in the mountains and forests and became bandits.
There was a man named Zhang Mu who gathered many people and roared between Guanghan and Mianzhu, wreaking havoc on the countryside everywhere. Even the military supplies shipped by the Han Dynasty Prime Minister to Hanzhong for the Northern Expedition were plundered.
The news reached Jincheng, and the court was shocked.
(End of this chapter)