Chapter 283 Core Area

Chapter 283 Core Area
The Spring Festival in the fourth year of Yongjia (310) was as lively as ever.

It is true that last year we suffered an unprecedented drought, and although we harvested a wheat crop in May, the losses were still considerable.

But the hard life needs the carnival of festivals to numb us, so this year is still very good.

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Shao Xun entertained relatives at home.

If the territory is large and there is no one to control it, it is very dangerous. Therefore, as long as the relatives' abilities are not too bad, they will generally be used.

My uncle Liu Shan is now the master of Yushanwu and also a military official in Yangdi County.

As places that had been harmed by Wang Mi, the population of Yangcheng and Yangdi counties had dropped sharply, many gentry were killed, and many escaped. Now they are in the hands of Shao Xun.

The student soldiers he trained not only filled the grassroots official positions in Liang and Yiyang counties, but also went to Yangdi, Yangcheng and Luyang counties.

These five counties are also the focus of his operations at this stage.

There are no aristocratic families, or even if there are, they have been completely subdued. For example, the brothers Du Dan and Du Yin of Yi Yang, and the Chu family of Yang Di, no longer have any strength.

His private estates and forts were spread across five counties, making Shao Xun the largest estate owner in the five counties.

In addition to Liang and Luyang counties, Yangdi County newly established a defense force last year, bringing the number of force households to 2,700 (on paper).

A large number of military families are distributed in this area and some counties and towns in Xiangcheng, and the number of people supporting him locally is increasing year by year.

In short, these five counties are his base and he has a relatively deep control over them.

"Uncle, how did you feel when you went north to Huanyuan Pass last year?" Shao Xun poured him a cup of tea personally and then asked.

My cousins ​​Liu Fang and Liu Bin sat respectfully aside and listened silently.

They were both older than Shao Xun, and had been military families in Xuzhou, one was a squad leader and the other was a platoon leader, so they had experienced battles. But the grand battle between Jin and Xiongnu was not comparable to the small-scale battles when Xuzhou suppressed the rebellion of Feng Yun and Shi Bing.

They usually assisted their father in managing and training the guards of Yushanwu Fort, and found that the fighting ability of these people was not worse than that of the hereditary soldiers of Xuzhou. They felt strange at first, but this time they finally understood: some bad battles, no matter how many times they fought, would not improve their fighting ability much. If they really wanted to improve, they should experience more serious battles.

"The Huns' advantage lies in their cavalry, while my nephew's advantage lies in his infantry. When the two face each other in battle, they are still at a disadvantage." Liu Shan had been a team leader after all, so his words were to the point.

My nephew did break through the encirclement of the Xiongnu cavalry and successfully arrived in Luoyang. But in this battle, the Xiongnu were attacking and the Jin army was defending.

The Huns can run away if they are defeated, but you can only die if you are defeated. This is the biggest difference.

"My uncle is indeed proficient in the art of conquering on the battlefield." Shao Xun praised.

"I've seen a lot." Liu Shan shook his head, as if recalling some memories of his youth.

Finally, he said, "Xiao Chong, the Shao and Liu families have been running the business for generations, but have achieved nothing. In the end, it was you who made a breakthrough. It is not easy to have the foundation we have today. No doubt, uncle will listen to you. If any of the elders and younger generations in the clan are dissatisfied, I will talk to them. You just need to manage this foundation well."

"But now we need help from our relatives." Shao Xun said, "I think my uncle has also realized that this world is still dominated by the aristocracy. It is as difficult as ascending to heaven for ordinary people to make progress."

"My uncle may have heard of Gou Xi. Gou Dao was the governor of Qingzhou. He had strict laws and harsh punishments. He kept thousands of maids and dozens of concubines. He indulged in pleasure and was despised by the scholars. As a result, he could not move an inch in Qingzhou. He could not raise money and food, and it was difficult to support the army. When he got angry, he killed a few people to establish his authority, and then people accused him of being cruel and bloodthirsty. At this time, the relationship between the Qingzhou gentry and Gou Xi had become very tense. If someone attacked, he would suffer a great loss."

"In fact, what Gou Xi did was done by many nobles, and some were even more excessive than him. But when a scholar keeps concubines, it is called 'romanticism of a famous scholar', but when Gou Xi keeps concubines, it is called 'arrogance and debauchery'. Why? No one covers up for him, speaks well of him, or brags about him. This world is too unfriendly to ordinary people."

"I am better than Gou Xi, but I have also offended many scholars and am looked down upon by many scholars. There are countless people who want to kill me, and even more who want to laugh at me. But these people are fearless because I want to use them and win them over. If I treat them harshly, word will immediately spread that I am a sex-hungry ghost and raped the princess. If I kill them, my reputation will be even worse."

Liu Shan frowned as Shao Xun spoke for a long time, but he had to admit that his nephew had some truth in what he said.

To put it bluntly, a scholar may be able to do the same thing, but you may not be able to do it.

"So..." Shao Xun changed the subject and said, "I need a strong backing that fully supports me. I need a group of people who will support me no matter what. Gou Xi is lacking in this aspect."

"Xiao Chong, are you talking about Liang County..." Liu Shan asked.

"Not just Liang County." Shao Xun nodded and said, "In fact, Liang, Luyang, Yiyang, Yangcheng, and Yangdi are all affected. I have put a lot of effort into these counties, and have taken a lot of land and people from scholars and powerful people. Now their strength is very weak. Jiacheng, Xiangcheng, and Fucheng are the three counties I am managing and transforming. These rear areas require the efforts of relatives."

"I plan to let my uncle manage Yangdi, Yangcheng, Huanyuan Pass, and Taigu Pass. He doesn't need to interfere in local government affairs, just manage the forts. In addition to Yushan Fort, we will build a fort in the direction of Yangguanju, using the old earthen city to build two forts on the left and right. The Fourth Battalion of the Qingzhou Tuntian Army has been farming in Yangcheng. After the summer harvest, we will disperse them and reorganize them into fort residents, one person per household."

"All matters, big or small, in Yushanwu, Yangguanzuowu, and Yangguanyouwu are decided by my uncle."

After hearing this, Liu Shan was not happy about how many people and soldiers he could control. On the contrary, he felt heavy in his heart.

The nephew has entrusted all the military affairs along the way to him.

If there were any enemy troops coming to Taigu and Huanyuan Pass, he would lead the militias of the three forts to the north to resist them. Even at a critical moment, he might have to seize the pass to block the enemy's way south.

"Okay." After a long sigh, Liu Shan responded, "Don't worry, nephew. These two counties and two passes are not going to cause any trouble."

The government affairs were under the charge of the county magistrate and county clerks. He only needed to organize the production of the three forts, train the young men during the slack season, and guard the checkpoints during wartime.

With tens of thousands of men in these three forts, it is impossible for Yangcheng and Yangdi counties to rebel. After talking with his uncle, Shao Xun found an opportunity to talk with his eldest nephew Shao Shen and his third brother Shao Fan.

"After the Spring Festival, you go to Gancheng." Shao Xun looked at his nephew and said, "There is a group of soldiers and civilians who have withdrawn from Hongnong. There are less than 4,000 households, and about 20,000 men, women, old and young. They use Gancheng as a fortress and cultivate the land nearby. Aren't there dozens of people around you? Each of them boasts of their extraordinary skills and is brave and fierce. I will give you another 500 people, which are the Jinguyuan and Shaoyuan troops you have trained before. You will organize them into an army and manage these Hongnong people."

"Practice during the slack season. I will give you some captured equipment and you can make do with it. If there is a war, immediately use Gancheng as a shield and hold it until help comes. At the same time, send some people to seize Yique Pass and control this thoroughfare. If you really can't hold on, you can all withdraw, but you can't withdraw from Yique Pass. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Shao Shen agreed excitedly.

Second uncle is letting him take charge.

"Many people in Ganchengwu are family members of Zhongwu Army soldiers. You must control your men and don't let them do anything reckless." Shao Xun also instructed: "Don't let them move away at will."

"I see." Shao Shen was not stupid and understood it immediately.

The commander of the Zhongwu Army was Yuan Yan, and its core force was the former Hongnong County soldiers. Although most of these county soldiers were the old subordinates of the second uncle, no one knew whether they had been won over by Yuan Yan, and controlling their families was more important than anything else.

Shao Shen usually seems to be loud and reckless and fierce, but he actually knows everything in his heart.

Just now, my second uncle talked with the people from the Liu family for a long time, and it seemed that they also had a task to assign.

This time, it was obvious that they wanted to stabilize the rear...

"Second uncle, are you going to move to Chen County and not return to Liang County?" Shao Shen asked worriedly.

Shao Xun looked at him in surprise and said, "I'm going to go there for a while, run a business there and then come back."

"how long?"

"If nothing happens in the west, we'll have to spend most of our time in the next few years there. Why, do you want to go there too?" Shao Xun asked.

"No...I don't want to go." Shao Shen replied quickly.

Are you kidding? When he is away from his second uncle, he can enjoy a happy life as free as a bird in the sky. He doesn't want to be controlled by others.

Shao Xun gave him a good ear and said, "You can't fall behind in your studies and martial arts. If I come back, I will definitely check them."

"Yes." Shao Shen answered honestly.

Shao Xun nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Shao Fan and said, "Third brother, please come with me to Chen County after the New Year. In these troubled times, you all have to step up. I have come to this point today, and there are some things that you must experience as well."

"Okay." Shao Fan didn't say much and nodded calmly.

In recent years, he has focused his energy on the management of the three parks in Luoyang, which has been generally going well.

After the three gardens of Luoyang retreated south, he continued to manage the more than 3,700 households of farmers in the southern garden of Caiguanzhuang, so he had enough experience.

Next, he also needs to hone his ability to deal with local gentry and powerful people.

But he is too introverted and shy, which is a bit of a headache for people.

Shao Xun planned to give it one last try to see if his younger brother could be trained. As long as his talent reached the middle level, there would be someone available in Chen County.

Of course, Shao Xun still has some relatives, most of whom are members of the Shao clan, and there are dozens of people.

If some talented people could emerge among these people, it would be a great help to him.

He has a very clear plan for the future.

Simply put, eat as much as your appetite allows.

The number of relatives and student soldier cadres is limited, and they will be used first in the five counties currently under our control and the seven counties in Xiangcheng County that are being slowly digested.

This area is his core ruling area. In the future, he will set up a large number of military forces and gradually implement the equal-field system. It is also the place where the families of officials and soldiers live. It is impossible for him to hand it over to outsiders.

After completely digesting a total of twelve counties, they will take advantage of various opportunities to expand outward.

By that time, the number of student cadres will increase. The earliest batch of people have been rotating among county officials, fortresses, and marquisate for many years. Their experience and abilities have improved, and they can move up to higher positions.

To put it bluntly, eat as much as your appetite allows.

To rule a place, you ultimately need officials to enforce your will.

Talent is always the core.

(End of this chapter)