Chapter 155 Game
Chapter 155 Game
Between the mountains and rivers, a fortress appeared before our eyes.
There is a difference between a dock and a fort.
The fort built by Zhao Gu, Shangguan Si and others on the banks of the Yellow River was actually just a simple earthen enclosure.
More high-end fortresses, such as the historical Yunzhongwu, even mined nearby marble to serve as stairs to go down the mountain.
Yubi City was not big. In terms of shape, it was similar to the largest of the forts (comparable to the smaller ones in the county). However, Gao Huan got too carried away and failed to capture it even after 70,000 people died.
The safety of a fort depends on whether the terrain is dangerous, whether the materials are solid, whether the guards are complete, and whether the military and civilians are united.
The Kinmen Dock, which was completed not long ago, uses relatively solid materials.
The whole is located on the mountainside, and the mountain is very solid. There are springs flowing in from the top, which is a bit like the mountain city built by the Goguryeo people on the top of the mountain.
The soldiers of the second group of the Silver Spear Army stationed in Jinmenwu saw Shao Xun and his group from afar.
After Tang Jian sent someone to pass the message, a large group of people immediately went down the mountain to meet them.
"Master Shao." Lu Heigou and Hou Feihu bowed.
"Greetings, General." Hundreds of soldiers struck the ground with their spears and shouted in unison.
"No need to be so polite." Shao Xun dismounted from his horse and then carried the struggling Le off the horse, saying with a smile.
Le's face turned a little red. She smoothed the hair beside her ears slightly and lowered her head without saying a word.
Just now, Shao Xun's hand touched her chest for the first time, as if it was unintentional, but also as if it was intentional.
Le looked up at Shao Xun.
He had a smile on his face, and his attention was completely focused on looking at the hundreds of soldiers. There was nothing unusual at all.
It seems he didn't mean it.
Le Shi didn't know what she felt in her heart, so she could only prepare herself mentally: "I am a slave gifted to him by the emperor. I can't do anything he wants to do."
"I haven't seen you for half a year. It seems you haven't fallen behind in training. Before the New Year, I will check your skills and the winner will receive a reward." Shao Xun said.
"Yes!" Hundreds of people responded in unison, the sound completely drowning out the howling cold wind.
"Let's go back to the mountain." Shao Xun waved his hand, then took Le's hand and went up the mountain path.
Le was in a daze. Halfway through the walk, she realized that something was missing in her hand. It turned out that she had forgotten to take her zither and left it in the carriage.
But it wasn't just that I forgot to take it just now. I often forgot to take it these days, and I often couldn't remember it...
Her face was a little red, she felt guilty, and a little like crying.
How many days has it been?
She is definitely not such a fickle woman.
But when following Shao Xun, I always felt passive, and was disturbed by him step by step. However, I quite liked this feeling, as if the shackles of my nature that had been suppressed for many years were slowly being released.
"Greetings, General!" Dozens of local elders and village heads of Jinmenwu saluted in unison.
A village elder was in charge of fifty households, and his authority and responsibility were limited to the interior of the fortress.
The village head is responsible for managing the residents who go out to farm. During the slack season, they are also responsible for leading people to the designated locations for military training or collective labor.
"Today is a festive day, no need to be polite." Shao Xun raised his hands and said.
He glanced at Le out of the corner of his eye and found that she was standing there calmly, neither nervous nor timid, but very confident and composed, as if she was used to such scenes.
Only then did he realize that the little slave girl who had been often held in his arms these days was actually the Crown Prince's wife, and she almost became the mother of the country.
Wow, I do have good taste. I just like these high-quality women.
"Master Shao, everything is ready, including the red bean porridge you mentioned." Lu Heigou walked over and reported.
Everyone looked at Shao Xun with anticipation.
Even though they were "officials" who managed dozens of households, life in Jinmenwu was too hard and their basic conditions were too poor, so they could not even eat enough. Eating to their heart's content during festivals was also a temptation for them.
Today is the La Festival. In addition to the traditional worship of the Kitchen God, Shao Xun also ordered that the Winter Solstice be celebrated together.
The Winter Solstice was not a popular festival at that time, and in many places it was not even celebrated. There was no saying of later generations that "the Winter Solstice is as important as the New Year", but Shao Xun felt that it should still be celebrated.
He was not sure whether he would still be in Jinmenwu in the next few days, so he simply combined the two sessions.
Among the more than 300,000 hu of grain transported from Chang'an, there were many grains such as red beans, black beans, and mung beans, so the festival food red bean porridge was available.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Shao Xun said, "You've worked hard for a whole year, such as farming, training, digging rivers, herding, and building forts. Don't you deserve a good meal?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the local sages showed joy on their faces, and then went to their respective areas to pass on the order.
Soon, cheers resounded throughout the entire dock.
Shao Xun laughed loudly and pulled Le to his courtyard.
As soon as he entered, he took Le into his arms and whispered in her ear: "Look how happy these refugees are that I have taken in."
Le was infected by the joyful mood of the whole castle, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She even ignored Shao Xun's hand on her buttocks.
******
In the evening, Shao Xun walked out of the main gate of the fortress and climbed up a high slope overlooking the entire river valley.
At the highest point, he stretched out his hand. Le hesitated for a moment and held out his hand. As a result, he was accidentally hugged by Shao Xun like a princess.
I am a slave gifted by the emperor, I have no choice...
Le's face looked a little conflicted, but she didn't struggle in the end.
Shao Xun found a dead tree trunk that had fallen on the ground, wiped off the snow, and sat on it.
"Fan Yang Wang is dead." Shao Xun suddenly said: "Hebei is going to be in chaos again."
Le hummed.
Shao Xun was a little puzzled. After all, she was once the mistress of Yecheng, so why was she not interested in hearing about Hebei's affairs?
"As soon as the imperial guards left, Guanzhong was in chaos. Sima Yong was welcomed back to Chang'an, but Liang Liu's soldiers turned against him, killed him, and surrendered to Sima Yong." Shao Xun added.
This was actually the main reason why he was not sure whether he could celebrate the New Year at home. What if Sima Yue asked him to lead troops to war?
Le hummed again.
Shao Xun felt a little strange and looked down, only to see Le writing something on the tree trunk with her slender fingers.
"Le Lanji?" Shao Xun looked at the words on the remaining snow, his expression unchanged, but he was overjoyed in his heart.
Le nodded slightly, but soon a trace of sadness appeared between her brows. No one knew what she was thinking.
Maybe she was thinking of her late husband.
Shao Xun did not take advantage of the opportunity. He carefully controlled the situation and only hugged her slightly.
His advantage was enormous, because Le Lan Ji was a slave and was psychologically defenseless against him, making it much easier for him to get his hands on her than other women.
This game of pursuit has entered deep waters, but it is not yet time to pick the fruits. Shao Xun is addicted to it, and the strong sense of satisfaction makes his soul tremble.
"The mist in the mountain..." He whispered in Le's ear, "You belong to this mountain, not to be bound in a strict cage. On Jinmen Mountain, you can release your nature at will, forget all worries, and enjoy happiness to the fullest."
Le felt dizzy from the heat in her ears and her face felt like it was burning.
"Listen, the mountain breeze is greeting you." Shao Xun's voice was like the whisper of the devil.
Le really listened, and her eyes even showed a hint of joy, as if she was recalling something - perhaps some experience from her teenage years.
The two of them sat in each other's arms quietly for a long time.
Shao Xun restrained himself and didn't take any advantage of her. He would occasionally hug Le tighter to protect her from the wind.
When they returned to the fortress, the atmosphere between the two was obviously different.
Shao Xun sat at his desk, checking the data on the first year of Guangxi (306) sent by various forts and manors. After defeating Sima Yong, the emperor issued an edict to change the reign title, and this year was the first year of Guangxi.
Yunzhongwu entered its second year of farming. After applying manure mixed with moist silt from the riverbed, the yield was quite good. However, because some fields on the north bank of the river were trampled by the Xianbei people, a total of 287 hectares of farmland only yielded more than hu of millet - one hu of millet was about kilograms.
The fort currently has more than 1600 households, more than 7500 people, and 282 livestock of all sizes.
There are more than 1200 households and 5200 people in Jinmenwu. This year, they reclaimed about 150 hectares of land, harvested more than 149 hu of millet, and raised livestock.
Tanshanwu has almost the same household registration, reclaimed 160 hectares of land, harvested more than 167 hu of grain, and had livestock of all sizes.
Obviously, Tanshanwu won the competition, so Mao Er got a place in the Imperial College.
The construction of Tanshan Fort will also begin next year and is expected to be completed within a year.
The development of Yushanwu has reached its peak, with an annual harvest of more than 820 hu of millet, which is very stable, and more than livestock of various sizes.
This scale is not the limit of a dock, but it is the limit of Yushan Dock. It may be able to grow a little, but there is not much room.
The real fort that could be used to produce grain had to be on the plains. Later, when Liu Yao attacked Guo Mo in Huaicheng, he seized 800,000 hu of millet from a fort in his family.
The development of the three major estates was subject to many restrictions. After the summer harvest this year, another crop of grains was planted, and a total of nearly 130,000 hu of grain was harvested throughout the year.
A rough calculation shows that this year's grain gap is only over 100,000 hu.
Kinmen, Yunzhong and Tanshan all planted winter wheat a few months ago. Grain production will increase significantly next year and there will be a surplus by then.
Considering that we got a lot of money and grain from Chang'an this year, and that for the first time in several years we are not in financial trouble, we don't even need to borrow money from outsiders for the construction of Tanshanwu next year.
Of course, you still have to borrow.
Being able to borrow money is a skill, not to mention that he wants to expand his army.
After settling the accounts, Shao Xun felt happy.
Le Lanji gently stroked the zither, like a stream of clear spring water, soothing his tired nerves.
Shao Xun leaned against the back of the Hu bed, silently looking at Le who was kneeling in front of the zither.
She has a graceful figure, elegant temperament, and a faint blush on her pretty face.
The age of twenty-four is when a woman is at her most mature and beautiful.
He suddenly had the urge to marry this woman.
But he quickly killed the idea. I am trying to capture this woman's body and mind, how could I be captured by a woman instead?
Ridiculously funny.
(End of this chapter)