Chapter 237 System
Chapter 237 System (Part )
On the sixth day of the twelfth month, outside Yecheng, there were loud gongs and drums and music.
Luyang Hou Shao Xun led his troops on the return journey.
The elders of Yecheng went out of the city for several miles to see him off, reluctantly bidding him farewell.
Shao Xun covered his face with his robe sleeves and wiped away his tears.
After a moment, he said loudly: "Everyone——"
The elders of Yecheng gradually calmed down - no, it should be said that it was the elders of the three counties of Ji, Wei, and Dunqiu, and some even came from as far away as Guangping, Yangping, Qinghe and other places.
The drumming also stopped.
The earth was quiet, with only the sound of the wind.
"Protecting the country and the people is the responsibility of the governor. I am only leading the army to pacify the people, and will retreat when the mission is accomplished. There is no need for you to see them off." Shao Xun said, and then he looked towards Anping County in the north.
Jizhou Governor Ding Shao did not come to Yecheng and stayed in Anping, perhaps to avoid embarrassment.
"Before I leave, I have a few words to say. I will say them for the time being, and you can listen to them for the time being. If you think they make sense, you can do it. If they are all false, you can do whatever you want."
"The purpose of stationing troops in prefectures and counties is to guard against bandits. Yecheng is an important place, so it is particularly important. The gifts of clothing and silk, and the monthly grain, must be paid on time. If there is any delay in payment, the chief officials will discuss and punish them separately."
"There are many idle fields in the wilderness. Rather than leaving them uncultivated, it is better to help the people. Refugees beg for food, so they can be recruited and encouraged to cultivate. The grain collected can be used to prepare for floods, droughts, locust plagues, and as food for the army in the area."
"The purpose of selecting officials and employing people is to select those who are capable. Those who have made outstanding contributions to the military should be promoted to the right position to reassure them and encourage their ambitions."
"The king regards the people as his country, and the people regard food as their heaven. The people at all times are of one mind. We have a country and a family. Remember this."
After saying this, he bowed, mounted his horse and left.
"Farewell to Marquis Luyang." The elders of Yecheng said sincerely.
What Marquis Luyang said before he left were all true words, which made people particularly admire him.
Hebei has a large population, abundant money, and grain, as well as many brave and skilled warriors, but they are scattered and difficult to unite, so they are bullied.
The path for Hebei scholars to become officials was not very smooth. Taifu Sima Yue valued Qingxu scholars more, so very few Hebei people got official positions.
The former governor He Yu was from Runan, and the current governor Ding Shao was from Qiao. Going back further, not to mention the princes, Wen Xian was from Taiyuan, and none of Li Yi, Shi Zhan, Yang Huai, etc. were from Hebei.
This time, it was given to Wang Bin, but I'm afraid it's just a stopgap measure when the situation is critical.
It was a pity that Marquis Luyang could not come to Hebei. If he was willing to come to Yecheng, he would have a backbone, but now he could only go to Ji County Yu Gong more often.
The wind was blowing hard, the flags were fluttering, and the long dragon-like team had no end in sight.
In addition to the soldiers, the returning army also included dozens of poor and minor scholar sons from Ji, Wei and Dunqiu counties. They were not necessarily the main force, but more of the branches, but this was already a great improvement.
Compared with scholars, there were more children of powerful people and wealthy merchants in the three counties. They had no connections, so if they stayed in the local area, they could at best be county clerks. If they were lucky, they could become assistants. Unless they met a lucky person, it would be difficult for them to become officials.
Considering that Liu Han's forces are constantly invading the east, there is not much point in staying in Hebei. It is better to go out and try your luck, maybe you can make a fortune?
In short, this expedition to Hebei not only brought about a military victory, but also many other benefits, both obvious and hidden.
Some benefits may not be realized now, or may never be realized, but as long as the opportunity arises, they can always play a role.
Shao Xun maximized the exploration and utilization of the surplus value of the Battle of Yemagang.
On December 18th, the army arrived at the north of Luoyang city.
******
Wu Qian, his eldest son Wu Yong and grandson Wu Li arrived at the base outside the Daxia Gate.
Along with them came hundreds of new recruits who had just been recruited last month, most of whom were from Henan and Hanoi counties, and went south to Liang County with their families.
This year's new soldiers had actually been recruited in advance before the expedition. The more than 300 additional recruits were mainly to fill the vacancies caused by the Silver Spear Army's deaths in battle or those who were unable to return to the team after recovering from injuries.
There are also vacancies in the Yamen Army, but this needs to be filled by the imperial court - but considering the current financial situation, this may not be possible.
When new recruits and old soldiers meet, although they have the same equipment and attire, their temperaments are completely different.
After experiencing a series of battles, the more than a thousand people in the first three buildings of the Silver Spear Army have become standard veterans. They are skilled, well-equipped, and experienced. They even have a sense of arrogance cultivated from years of winning battles.
The more than a thousand people in the fourth and fifth buildings are slowly transforming into veterans, and some of them have not yet completed complete training with all kinds of equipment. In another one or two years, and after fighting a few more battles, they will become elite veterans.
The combat effectiveness of buildings six and seven is average, and more efforts are needed.
Shao Xun took these people for a walk around Jingu Garden and Shao Garden that day.
The first battalion of Qingzhou's military farms had 5,000 men stationed in Jingu Garden, the second battalion had 5,000 men stationed in Shao Garden, and the third battalion had 2,000 men stationed in Pan Garden. After planting grains in May, they harvested them in August and September, and then planted winter wheat in mid-to-late September. The growth was pretty good. After all, the land they were farming on was not really virgin land, but even cultivated land with complete water conservancy facilities. It's just that no one wanted it.
The fourth battalion of 5,000 people is stationed in Yangcheng.
The fifth battalion of 5,000 people and the sixth battalion of 3,000 people reclaimed wasteland and cultivated land in Guangchengze.
The Jizhou military farm troops have been reduced to a battalion of 6,000 people, cultivating the land in Guangchengze.
This time, during the attack on Shi Le, they brought back more than 7,000 captives, who were to be organized into the second and third battalions of the Jizhou Garrison Army, and continue to open up wasteland in Guangchengze.
"The garrison troops are self-reliant, which is great. Can the farmhands at Jinguyuan control them?" Shao Xun looked at the dishevelled men and asked his nephew Shao Shen who came over. "They are hungry and full, and the work is hard. Even if they want to rebel, they don't have the energy." Shao Shen said nonchalantly, "There are 5,000 soldiers in a battalion, but many of them have died of illness or exhaustion."
"Leave all the grains harvested in the fall to them. You can distribute them. Don't let them eat too much, but don't treat them harshly either." Shao Xun ordered.
"Okay." Although he didn't understand why his second uncle was so kind to the prisoners, he still agreed.
"Are those all your men?" Shao Xun asked, pointing at the dozens of young men carrying swords and bows in the distance.
These are the so-called "evil teenagers". They are usually very vicious and brave, but when they see the soldiers of the Silver Spear Army, they are so scared that they dare not breathe.
"They are all hunting companions." Shao Shen said nervously.
"You should have your own team, otherwise you won't be able to lead your people." Shao Xun touched his head and said, "Don't train the farmhands too hard. They are civilians, not soldiers. Be moderate."
"Yes." Seeing that his second uncle would not pursue the matter of him hanging out with those bad boys, Shao Shen breathed a sigh of relief and agreed loudly.
Shao Xun smiled and patted him on the ear.
Shao Shen likes to wield spears and sticks. In recent years, he has been practicing martial arts and riding horses and shooting.
The bad boys who hang out with him are not good people, and some of them have even injured more than one person.
Shao Shen dictated official positions to them, and the evil young men agreed with a smile, and then they each trained the farmhands of Shao Garden, Jingu Garden, and Pan Garden.
In fact, he has been trained quite well, and he looks quite competent after holding weapons, at least he can scare these captives who are farming there.
Overall, it saved Shao Xun a lot of manpower and trouble.
Before I knew it, my eldest nephew could also help.
On the 19th, Yu Min, the Minister of the Court, who received the news, came to Jingu Garden.
"The news that the prince stationed his troops at the Great Xia Gate yesterday spread throughout the city in a matter of minutes. Even the emperor was alarmed and asked questions repeatedly." Yu and Shao sat at the highest point in the Jingu Garden, overlooking the fields, forests, rivers, manors and city walls below the mountain. Their minds were expanded, and Yu Min told an interesting story in the capital: "Mi Zihui, the lieutenant of the Sili Army, came to the palace to report that the prince had returned, but because he was in a hurry, he did not have time to report, so this alarmed him."
"When I returned, Henan and Luoyang counties showed no reaction. They did not send anyone to investigate or check the documents. When I passed Mount Mang, the imperial guards seemed to be unaware and allowed me to march straight in." Shao Xun said, "If they are so lax, if the Xiongnu army comes in force, the people of Luoyang will not even have time to escape."
Yu Min sighed. It is said that the Imperial Army has been established for several years, and its combat effectiveness should be getting stronger and stronger, but looking at the current situation, it seems that there is no improvement. I don't know how the generals manage it.
"The court's reward to you has already come down, but it has not yet been officially announced. Would you like to hear about it?" Yu Min asked.
"I was about to ask for advice."
"Promote the title of Duke of Luyang County, with a fief of 1,800 households."
"The fiefdom is not important." Shao Xun became excited when he heard this and asked, "Will you allow me to open a government office?"
Yu Min laughed and said, "It is impossible to open a government. But don't be impatient, and listen to me slowly."
"In the third year of Xianning (277), the emperor ordered the relocation of all the princes and dukes back to their own countries, and changed the household system, with lieutenants leading the troops. Pingyuan, Runan, Langya, Fufeng, and Qi were large countries, Liang, Zhao, Le'an, Yan, Anping, and Yiyang were secondary countries, and the rest were small countries. The county marquises and county dukes were also governed by the small country system."
"But that was in the early years of the dynasty. Nowadays, the number of officials varies depending on the size of the country. However, the system established during the reign of Emperor Wu has never been abolished."
"If you look closely, in addition to the prime minister or the internal historian, the king has a teacher, later changed to tutor, one person. He also has a friend and a literary official, all of whom are sixth-rank officials. These are officials of high prestige."
"There are also two ministers in the kingdom, namely, one Langzhongling and one Da Nong, both of whom are of the sixth rank" - the duchy system imitates the small country, but there is no lieutenant. The marquisate reduces one Da Nong on the basis of the duchy. Therefore, strictly speaking, Shao Xun had no right to appoint a Da Nong and manage the local finances when he was a county marquis.
"In addition to the three ministers, there are the Director of Books, the Director of Shrines, the Director of Schools, the Director of Guards, the Chief of Pastoral Affairs, the Director of the Palace, the Ushers, the Senior Officials, etc., each with their own duties..."
Yu Min gave a long and eloquent introduction, and Shao Xun's eyes lit up after listening to him. This was much more formal than a county marquis, as if he had jumped to a higher level - admittedly, he could not set up a government office, but as a county lord he could have subordinate officials, which was equivalent to setting up a government office in disguise.
Then he became a little confused again, so he asked, "There are many ministers in the court, do they all have these subordinates?"
"How is that possible?" Yu Min laughed and said, "For kingdoms, the kings will be appointed officials only after they have settled down. If they don't settle down, a big country will have 100 guards, a medium-sized country will have 80, and a small country will have 60, that's all. A county marquis or a county duke is considered a small country, and if they don't settle down, they will only have 60 guards."
"Then can I, a county lord, serve the country?" Shao Xun asked.
"If you want to serve the country, you can serve the country. If you don't want to serve the country, forget it." Yu Min looked at him and said seriously, "According to the rules, the officials of Luyang, such as the prime minister, chancellor, tutor, friend, literary officer, and three ministers, are all selected by the court and paid by the court. But now the court is unlikely to select officials, nor can it support officials and soldiers for you. You should do what you can, appoint your own subordinates, and report to the court. The Shangshutai should be fine."
At this point, Yu Min sighed as if unintentionally: "Niece Wenjun is so lucky. She can get married with the ceremony of a duke and be given red clothes by the emperor. Many daughters of princes can't have such glory."
Shao Xun understood and immediately said, "Wenjun and I have known each other since childhood and have a special affection for each other. After we separated, I miss you day and night, and I have no choice but to marry you."
Yu Min nodded with satisfaction.
He was also worried that Shao Xun might change his mind midway, so he confirmed it again.
Now that he had a clear answer, he had more reasons to help Shao Xun in the court.
"I will write a few more letters in the next few days and send someone to take them to Yingchuan." Yu Min added, "After the New Year, some talented people from Yingchuan will go to Liang County. You can examine them and use them if you think they can be used. If not, forget it."
Shao Xun understood.
Just after he expressed his intention to marry Yu Wenjun as his principal wife, Yu Min returned the favor by introducing scholars from Yingchuan - most of whom he had commented on when he was the county magistrate - to come and take up the post.
This is more than just a "job" and in fact indicates political inclinations.
From now on, Yingchuan, a place of outstanding people and beautiful scenery, opened its doors to him.
(End of this chapter)