Chapter 184 Let's go and see first
Chapter 184 Let's go and see first (Monthly ticket plus 1)
Outside the county town of Guangzong in Anping, a large flag with the word "Shao" on it appeared far away on the horizon.
When the more than a thousand rebels who had fled here in panic saw this, they immediately exploded: "The Shao thief is here!"
Half of the people fled on the spot and scattered everywhere.
The other half didn't want to escape anymore, so they left the city tremblingly and surrendered.
The neatly-armored Silver Spear Army soldiers, who had just taken down their iron armor and spears from the baggage cart, were immediately delighted when they saw it.
When marching, they did not wear armor, carry spears, or string their bows. Whenever they encountered the enemy, auxiliary soldiers would fetch them equipment and help them put on armor and go into battle.
They put on and took off their armor too many times while chasing the enemy along the way. Most of the time they didn't have to fight, and they were all very bored.
But that's also a good thing.
As long as there is a war, there will be casualties. The enemy will flee as soon as they hear the news, which will save a lot of trouble and allow more comrades to return home safely.
By this time in the pursuit, the team had shrunk a lot.
What was missing were one thousand Yamen soldiers and two thousand strong men. They "escorted" the seized property, six or seven thousand prisoners, and two hundred craftsmen of various kinds to Ji County first.
After arriving in Ji County, he rested for a while and then returned to Liang County via Henan and Luoyang.
The fate of the captives was already determined: farming.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to plant. You will learn it eventually under the whip.
The environment of Guangchengze is not very good and the degree of development is insufficient. The yield of the newly opened fields is not high, which is no different from reclaiming wasteland - in fact, it is reclaiming wasteland.
This is a hard job, and sometimes it is easy to get sick, so it is most appropriate to let the prisoners take the first step and improve the environment.
"There are more than 6,800 prisoners in total. It's no problem to plant more than 1,000 hectares of land." Shao Xun summoned all the generals and began to make a big promise: "I have asked the remaining Yamen soldiers to take turns to guard. Each prisoner can plant more than ten acres of land. After the annual output is enough for them to eat and drink, there should be a slight surplus, which can be used to pay pensions to the men who died in the battle."
"This is not a matter of one or two years. From now on, the grain and beans obtained by the captives from farming will be used to provide compensation for the three armies of Silver Spear, Tooth Guard, and Long Sword. I will give as much as the captives produce, unless a household receives more than 20 hu of grain per year, in which case I will take the excess."
"The families of the soldiers who died in battle can receive compensation for ten years, which will end after the expiration of the period."
After Shao Xun finished speaking, he looked at everyone.
In fact, the standard he set was still too low, and it felt a bit like bullying the people of Jin.
In the Tang Dynasty, it was stipulated that soldiers who died in battle would receive 12 hu of pension per year (one Tang hu = three Jin hu), and the pension would last for ten years, so their combat effectiveness was relatively strong in the early days.
During the reign of Empress Wu, due to several disastrous defeats, too many people died and this rule existed in name only. It is unknown how many people could still receive the full amount.
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, wars became more frequent. He even lost a large number of heads in Nanzhao several times and could not afford to pay the compensation at all.
But anyway, this thing is just like the government soldiers, it is very useful when conquering the world. If it can't be used in the future, then think of other ways, or lower the standards.
Anyway, Shao Xun left a loophole: after deducting the food rations for the captives in the military farms, you can only distribute as much as you produce. If it is not enough, there is nothing you can do. Or you can just fight hard and capture more captives?
"General, this is a benevolent policy. When we hear about it, we will definitely be impressed." Li Chong said seriously.
The Qing Dynasty actually had pensions, but they were not customized and were very arbitrary, and rarely targeted at soldiers.
Most of them were hereditary soldiers or conscripts, and they didn't even have military pay, so how could we talk about institutional pensions? Even if there were, it was the personal behavior of the generals, or the temporary behavior of the court, and it was not always there, and the number was very small.
The "relief land" established by Shao Xun was already a matter at the institutional level, and was completely different from the more arbitrary personal behavior.
The pension land may belong to the government, but the families of the soldiers who died in the battle of the Fubing, Yamen Army, and Silver Spear Army have the right to share the output for a period of ten years.
Although the yield will be small in the beginning, it is better than nothing. When the wasteland becomes fertile land, the yield will increase further, and life will gradually get better.
Li Chong thought again that if anyone dared to touch this land in the future, they would offend all the military men, and the imperial court would not be able to take it away unless they could kill most of the soldiers of the Silver Spear, Yamen, and Long Sword Armies.
In this way, the Yamen Army will no longer belong to the imperial court! Li Zhong sighed.
But could he object? No, he was in favor of it, because the lives of the lower-level soldiers were really too hard.
"General, how many years do the captives have to farm? Ten, twenty years?" Huang Biao said, "It would be best if they could farm for twenty years and then let them go when they are old."
Shao Xun was amused when he heard this. How could Huang Biao treat people like this? The most amazing thing was that Zhang Gu and others nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Huang Biao's opinion.
This bunch of killers!
"There is a lot of land now, let's settle it for five years first, and then settle the household registration and become civilian households." Shao Xun said: "If you want more military land and relief land, you must fight bravely, capture more prisoners and open up more land. After returning, tell the men clearly that only by winning battles and winning more battles can they have a better life."
"Yes." Everyone responded in unison.
Shao Xun would call them to a meeting, they would call the officers to a meeting, and the officers would then tell the soldiers, so that the message was conveyed effectively.
The group of warriors will gradually become more secure and attractive.
The group became more cohesive when they were able to share in the benefits of the Shaw Group's rise.
People have spirit, energy and spirit.
When soldiers know why they are fighting and for whom they are fighting, the fighting power they unleash will make those confused armies pale in comparison.
******
After the message was passed on, as expected, everyone's morale was boosted.
It's not that the soldiers are unwilling to fight to the death, you have to help them resolve their concerns.
What if I die and my family can't survive?
I beheaded the enemy, can I get a reward?
If I make great contributions, can I get promoted?
I have no offspring, and after I die and go to the underworld, will anyone offer sacrifices to me during festivals?
and many more.
Solve one problem and your combat effectiveness will increase a little.
All solved, the fighting power is off the charts. Shao Xun's ability is limited, so he can only solve it bit by bit.
That night, Lu Zhi, who had disappeared for three days, came back, and with him came a former general of Sima Ying named Wang Chan.
"General Wang, please take a seat." After completing the greetings, Shao Xun pointed and asked Wang Chan to sit on the Hu bed to his lower right.
Lu Zhi sits at the lower left.
"General, is the princess in the mansion?" Wang Chan asked as soon as he sat down.
"Yes." Shao Xun replied briefly.
Why does everyone care about Le? She is only the Consort of the Prince of Taidi and the Princess of Chengdu at certain times of the day. At other times, she is just my concubine.
"In the past, I served as a general under the King of Chengdu. I was nearly killed due to drunkenness. Later, the princess interceded for me and I was able to save my life." Wang Chan sighed when talking about the past.
Shao Xun silently observed his expression.
His face was haggard, his beard was untidy, and his military uniform was torn and dirty, looking no different from a bandit.
Looking at his eyes again, there was not much light, and no expectation for the future, as if the meaning of his existence was to rebel, to oppose Sima Yue's entire family, until the last moment of his life.
This is also a poor man!
It is a pity that the former General of Beizhong has ended up like this.
"General, why are you still hesitating?" Lu Zhi couldn't help but say, "In the battle of Feixiang, Shao Cai led several thousand infantry and cavalry and defeated Jisang's 14,000 troops in one battle. His military prowess is unmatched by others. Now that Jisang's troops have been defeated, you are the only ones left in Hebei. If you don't surrender, we will be wiped out."
Wang Chan sighed, his face looking bleak.
"How many of you have left?" Shao Xun asked.
Wang Chan was silent.
"Oh! We talked about it nicely on the way, why did you hesitate when the time came?" Lu Zhi felt a little regretful.
There are really not many old people left in Ye Mansion. If this continues, Wang Chan and his group will all die.
If he had known he was so stubborn, he would have gone to Sima Yue to be the chief priest and no longer care about these wandering ghosts.
"Shi Chao still has 2,000 soldiers, Lou Bao and Lou Quan each have over 1,000 soldiers, Hao Chang has 500 soldiers, and I have 800 soldiers." Under Lu Zhi's angry gaze, Wang Chan finally said.
"We may be able to hold out for a while if we defend the city." Shao Xun said, "But Gou Xi will come, and I will also join the siege. Then you will surely be defeated. Why not surrender and follow me?"
"Can you afford it?" Wang Chan asked in surprise, "These eight hundred people are my old brothers who have followed me for a long time. I don't want them to suffer any injustice."
"If you let them die with you, wouldn't that be unfair?" Shao Xun asked, "Eight hundred people are not many, and it's not difficult to give them food. Forget about the reward, I really can't afford it. Besides, I don't think Shi Chao will surrender to me, right?"
Wang Chan and Lu Zhi looked at each other and nodded silently.
When they are at their wit's end, some people will surrender, and some will not.
Even if Shi Chao wanted to surrender, he would not surrender to Shao Xun, but Sima Yue would not accept him because it was too late.
If it had happened a year earlier, the former scholars and generals of Ye Prefecture might have been pardoned by Sima Yue, or even used by him. For example, Wang Bin, who had joined Shi Chao in the western attack on Bingzhou, surrendered and was appointed. This time, he was assigned to Gou Xi to command the attack on Jisang.
But people like Shi Chao, Wang Chan, and Hao Chang either hid in Hebei and repeatedly caused trouble, or fled west to Guanzhong and joined Sima Yong and continued to oppose Sima Yue. It was not easy for them to be forgiven.
Shi Chao was destined to be beyond saving, but Shao Xun still wanted to try to save others.
The 800 soldiers under Wang Chan's command have been fighting with him for more than a year, and they have not dispersed even when they have reached the end of their rope. It can be seen that they are not the kind of weak soldiers that will collapse at the first touch, and they still have some value.
In troubled times, talent is the most important.
"Whether to surrender or not is up to you." After Shao Xun said this, he stood up and left.
Lu Zhi knew that this was an opportunity for him to persuade Wang Chan. So he immediately stood up and walked to Wang Chan. After a while, he said, "Some things I will only say once. If you are still stubborn, I will not care about you anymore."
"First, a few thousand soldiers who are short of food and weapons will be defeated against a victorious army of tens of thousands."
"Secondly, Shao Caiguan has won many battles, so he will definitely be granted a title this time, and his status is not much different from yours. You can even be said to have no status now."
"Third, the princess is in the palace and can help if there is any problem."
"Fourthly..." At this point, Lu Zhi lowered his voice and said, "Shao Caiguan has not yet married, and the princess is already pregnant. If she gives birth to a boy, it is still unknown what the future will be like."
Wang Chan's heart moved.
Lu Zhi looked at him and didn't speak for a long time.
After a while, Wang Chan opened his mouth and said with difficulty: "I will leave the camp and go to persuade Hao Chang, Lou Bao, and Lou Quan."
Lu Zhi was overjoyed and made a decision in his mind.
The chief priest of the Taifu Shogunate was just a low-level position, and he didn't want to go there anymore. But now there was a place that was becoming more and more attractive to him.
Especially after experiencing the Battle of Feixiang and gaining a deeper understanding of some things, his mind became active.
The princess is Shao Caiguan's bedmate and may give birth to a eldest son. It would be even better if there were more old friends like Wang Chan.
Anyway, Shao Xun cannot set up a government office at the moment, and he cannot officially take up a position. If there is any disharmony, he can just leave.
Go take a look first before talking.
(End of this chapter)