Chapter 448 Military Discussion

Chapter 448 Military Discussion

Chapter 448 Military Discussion
In the mansion in the southeast of Xuchang, the doors of all the storehouses were wide open.

Bag after bag of corn was shipped out of the warehouse and loaded onto ships on the Wei River.

The shogunate issued an order to send 450,000 hu of millet to Xinzheng warehouse.

Xinzheng Warehouse allocated almost the same amount of grain to Xingyang.

Before troops move, food and fodder must be sent ahead. The stockpiling of war supplies is a prerequisite for launching a war, and it can even be said to be a matter of life and death.

Near Xuchang Palace, Shao Xun held an on-site meeting.

Under the shade of elm and willow trees, the main assistants of the Pingdong General's shogunate arrived.

The first to speak was the Chief Secretary Pei Kang.

He was very old, but after becoming the Chief Secretary, he somehow looked radiant and his health seemed to have improved a lot. It was simply a medical miracle.

You can tell by listening to his voice, which is calm and powerful: "Mingsir, I think it is not appropriate to use force at this time. The four counties just had a surplus last year, but they started to control the floods and sent a large number of people to work, which was very costly. If you want to go to war, should you collect grain from the four counties?"

The four counties refer to Xiangcheng, Nandun, Xincai, and Chenjun, totaling 20 counties and about 360,000 people. Because it is a directly governed territory, it has been focused on construction, which is indeed very costly.

In recent years, Shao Xun has mainly asked for food and grass from the nobles and powerful families, who generally come from places outside the four counties. Over time, they are more or less dissatisfied. You arranged a large number of people to farm, but did not collect taxes from them, but only asked us for it. What does this mean?
There were reasons before, such as the refugees had not yet taken root, the harvest was limited, etc. But this is the third year, and the four counties even have surplus grain to control the floods. It would be inappropriate for you not to collect taxes.

"The wheat harvest is in May, and we can collect some grain, beans, and hay in June and July. How about each household contributing three hu of grain and beans and five bundles of hay?" Shao Xun said.

There were about 77,000 households in the four counties and states, and they could collect about 200,000 hu of grain and less than 400,000 bundles of hay.

This is the result of multiple considerations.

In fact, until the Song Dynasty, the average yield per mu in the north was only one hu (Tang and Song hu were over 100 jin, equivalent to the Sanjin hu). A family of five ate an average of four hu of grain per person per year, for a total consumption of twenty hu, which means that on average, adults and children ate more than one jin per person per day.

One pound and two ounces of food a day is more than enough for modern people, but for ancient people, it was not enough. They had to find vegetables, fruits and melons to supplement their food to get through the lean period. Therefore, a family had to cultivate twenty acres of land to just have enough food and clothing, and that was without paying taxes.

If you have to pay taxes or work in the fields, you will go hungry.

If the upper fields are cultivated, it can barely support the economy.

The role of water conservancy projects is to eliminate lower fields as much as possible, turning them into middle fields or even upper fields, and increasing production.

The people of the four counties and kingdoms had an average of 30 acres of land per household.

After this year's summer harvest, we can indeed collect a small amount of grain.

"Since you have a plan, I have nothing to say." Pei Kang said, "It is best to wait until the summer is over before launching the troops."

After the summer harvest, there is summer sowing, mainly planting grains, which are harvested before the snow falls. The yield of grains per mu is very low, but it is also a harvest and should not be ignored.

"It's already June in the summer. By the time we finish preparing and send out the troops, it will be July. By the time we reach the enemy territory, it will probably be August. Four months have passed. What's the point of fighting?" Left Sima Chen Yougen said with a glare.

Pei Kang glanced at him and was too lazy to say more.

Although Chen Yougen has been trying hard to learn to read and seems to be studious, he is still a warrior at heart. All he does all day long is kill, kill, kill, as if their great cause will make no progress without conquering cities and territories.

Water conservancy projects, transplanting mulberry seedlings, establishing official systems, and winning over people's hearts, which one is not a major matter in consolidating the foundation?

"Just be patient and don't worry." Shao Xun said softly.

"Yes." Chen Yougen cupped his hands and stopped talking.

You Sima Yang Chen watched from the side and nodded secretly.

Before this, he was a little worried that Mr. Chen would be coerced by the military and gradually become militaristic. In that case, the capital invested by the Yang family would be in danger and there would be a risk of not being able to recover it.

Now it seems that Mr. Chen still has some ideas.

Military men could not coerce him, as he had enough prestige to suppress them. At the same time, he also paid attention to consolidating the foundation and recuperating, giving the literati space to display their ambitions.

If he were replaced by someone with less prestige, the balance between civil and military affairs would be unbalanced, and life would be difficult. At that time, he would not have much energy to do anything, and would either fight openly or secretly, or stand aside and watch.

In short, he was not very satisfied with Chen Gong releasing the beast of warriors to erode the interests of the noble families, but he had invested too much in the early stage and was reluctant to withdraw now. In addition, Chen Gong was reasonable and knew how to strike a balance, so he was a little relieved. Just bear with it. The world is like this, and everyone has to pay a price.

"Then we can send out troops after the summer sowing is over. Before that, we just need to transport food and military supplies. There is no need to be too hasty and don't recruit too many people as the summer harvest will be soon." Shao Xun made the final decision and no one had any more objections.

"Mingsir," said Liu Anzhi, a Zhonglang official, "Mingsir, you had previously planned to attack Wang Mi, but now you are storing food and grass in Xingyang. Why? Is there a change?"

Shao Xun looked at him approvingly and said, "This is exactly what I want to discuss with you today. We must fight, but we haven't decided who to fight. Choose one of Hongnong, Hanoi, and Hebei, and discuss it."

After that, he explained the emergency situation in Hebei so that everyone could have a deeper understanding of the current situation.

During the Cao Wei period, most of the Wuhuan people moved to the Central Plains, leaving a vacuum on the northern grasslands. As a result, the Murong Xianbei began to move to western Liaoning. Later, because they assisted Sima Yi in pacifying the Gongsun clan, they were named the King of Ruyi and lived in the north of Daji City (now Fuxin, Liaoning). To this day, they both raise livestock and farm, and have gradually become prosperous.

In the fourth year of the Yuankang reign (294), Murong Wei officially moved the capital to Daji City, established an official system, gathered the people of both Han and Hu ethnicity, and tolerated scholars, and the country gradually prospered.

When the Central Plains was in chaos, some scholars went north to seek refuge with the Xianbei.

For example, Liu Yin of the Donglai Liu clan wanted to avoid the chaos in Liaodong. When he arrived in Youzhou, he was detained by Wang Jun and was recommended as the prefect of Bohai.

In addition to the Liu family, people from Donglai, Beihai, Pingyuan, Taishan and other counties and states all went north to join the Murong family.

As of now, only a part of the young men have been sent over to scout the way, and the family representative has not yet gone there. However, it is hard to say how the situation will develop further.

Although there are many useless people in the aristocratic families, there are also many people with sharp vision. There are people who have joined Murong Wei, which shows that these people really have a deep understanding of the general situation of the world.

Hu Wufu said some time ago that someone in his family had taken his family, followers, craftsmen and books to join the Murong Xianbei. He also mentioned that the Murong clan had strict laws and regulations, were open to accepting talents, constantly learned the Central Plains' rules and regulations, and made localized reforms.

Led by Crown Prince Murong Huang, many noble children came to study under him to learn the Central Plains culture.

In addition to governing the country, Murong Wei also went to school to attend classes and recite classics.

But Murong Xianbei was still very good at fighting. The momentum of the rise of such a regime was already very obvious, and Shao Xun also gave them an assist. It was highly likely that Duanbu Xianbei would not last for a few more years.

Speaking of the Duan tribe of the Xianbei, they have now almost completely withdrawn from Liaoxi. Many of their members have defected to the Yuwen and Murong tribes, and the rest have mostly fled into Youzhou.

Of the three powers that once competed for Liaoxi, only the Murong Xianbei in the south and the Yuwen Xianbei in the north remained. The Yuwen Xianbei were originally stronger than the Murong, but in the second year of Tai'an (302), the Yuwen Xianbei took the initiative to attack the Murong clan, and were defeated twice within a year, suffering heavy losses. The gap in strength between the two sides was no longer as large as before.

After the Duan tribe of the Xianbei declined, the Murong clan received the largest share of the inheritance. The strength of the two sides was now very similar. In addition, the Murong clan was brave and good at fighting, and they tried their best to learn the Central Plains culture. They had scholars to help manage the local area and give advice. It was only a matter of time before the Yuwen Xianbei fell.

After analyzing the situation, the shogunate officials were not very interested.

In their opinion, those things are a bit far away.

Murong Wei does seem to be a great leader, but his sphere of influence is limited to Liaoxi, and he currently respects the Jin Dynasty and does not seem to have any intention of rebellion. Apart from other things, the imperial court still has the governor of Pingzhou and various prefects in Liaodong. It would not be difficult for Murong Wei to capture these places, but he did not do so, which shows his attitude.

"My lord, have the Duan tribe of Xianbei already submitted to Wang Jun?" asked the military officer Yu Liang.

"I guess so." Shao Xun said, "They are unwilling to withdraw from Liaoxi and are still dreaming of regaining lost territory. Wang Jun has no choice but to fight with them, but he may not be able to deal with the Xiongnu offensive."

"Can Wang Jun's troops fight?" Yu Liang asked again.

Military officer Jin Zheng sneered.

Yu Liang turned his head suddenly, feeling angry but saying nothing.

"Mingsir," Jin Zheng said, "It has been ten years since Tai'an to Yongjia. If Wang Jun led the army alone, he would have had few victories. In the past, when Shi Le was just starting to gain momentum, the battle at Feilong Mountain only caused Shi Le to suffer a minor setback, and almost all of his 100,000 soldiers retreated. The reason why Shi Le was afraid of Wang Jun was not because of the Youzhou soldiers, but because of the Xianbei soldiers. Does he really think Wang Jun is capable? Without the Xianbei son-in-law's help, it would have been easy for Shi Le to destroy him. There is no need to overestimate some scholars."

Now many people looked at Jin Zheng.

Jin Zheng didn't care and glared back at them. What's the matter? Am I afraid of you? Besides, I didn't beat the scholar to death with a stick. I only mentioned Wang Jun. Why are you so sensitive?
Shao Xun also looked at Jin Zheng.

Jin Zheng's arrogance suddenly subsided, and he clasped his hands and said, "I think we should attack Shi Le. Let him take Guanzhong and Hongnong, he can't take care of them. First, hold Shi Le down and don't let him destroy Wang Jun."

Shao Xun looked at the others again.

Pei Kang coughed and said, "It's up to you, sir."

"My lord, let's attack Shi Le." Chen Yougen and Liu Anzhi said almost at the same time.

"My lord, I think we still have to attack Hanoi," suggested Mao Bang, an attendant to the Imperial Secretariat.

"Oh? Why?" Shao Xun asked.

"If we don't capture Hanoi, it will be difficult for the Silver Spear Left Camp to withdraw, and we will have no soldiers to use."

"What are you talking about?" Hou Feihu, who was recently promoted to the position of the governor of the shogunate and the commander of the Black Legion, said dissatisfiedly: "The Black Legion has recruited more than 2,000 people. They have been training for years and have the help of the farming army. It is more than enough to defend the three cities of Heyang."

Mao Bang turned his head away and didn't look at him.

For some reason, Wang Que'er, Jin Zheng, Hou Feihu, and other people he had known for many years, now felt a little estranged from him, which made him sad.

"My lord, I think we still have to fight Wang Mi." said Yuan Yan, a military officer of the shogunate and the governor of Hongnong.

His face did not look very good, perhaps because the situation in Hongnong was too difficult.

Because of the existence of the Zhongwu Army and the strategic location of Hongnong, he was listed as one of the six military officers.

Now the Zhongwu Army only had a few hundred remnants left, and they were completely unable to resist Wang Mi. Every time the bandits rushed over, they had to gather the men from the four forts of Tanshan, Jinmen, Yunzhong, and Gancheng to rescue them. Over time, the Luoshui River Valley became the front line, and men could not farm and women could not weave, and life was difficult.

After hearing his words, Shao Xun remained silent.

The Zhongwu Army was the first unit under his command that was almost completely annihilated.

The Zhongwu Army, which had 4,500 infantry and cavalry at its peak, now has less than 500 remnants left, and it is indeed unable to support such a vast Luoshui River Valley.

Now small groups of Xiongnu cavalry often set out from Wang Mi's territory, rushed into the Luoshui River Valley, burned, killed and looted, and agricultural production was greatly affected.

This is a major exposure on the Western Front, and it is still losing blood, which is indeed very critical.

"Where is the commander of the camp?" Shao Xun asked.

"I am here." The eldest nephew Shao Shen had a lower status and was sitting in the back. He stood up immediately after hearing this.

"The Zhongwu Army must be rebuilt." Shao Xun said, "The soldiers will be recruited from the four forts in Gancheng, and I will select some of the best soldiers from the Guangchengze garrison to give to you. As for the equipment——"

Shao Shen was overjoyed.

Yuan Yan seemed to be losing power. Without the army, he was no different from a county magistrate. It would be better for him to stay in Xuchang and concentrate on being a staff member. From now on, he would have the final say in the Luoshui River Valley. Shao Shen's wife, Du, was born in Yiyang.

"Come with me to Luoyang." Shao Xun said.

"Yes." Shao Shen sat down, looking quite excited.

The shogunate officials were all thinking about it.

There are three possible directions for war to break out. Judging from Lord Chen's intention, he is inclined to attack Shi Le, but Yiyang is also a troublesome issue that needs to be resolved.

No one can guarantee whether a war will break out in Heyang North City.

Will Cao Yi of Qingzhou go westward? It is hard to say.

Although there are many soldiers, they are faced with enemies everywhere and cannot split their forces.

"Yan Guo." Shao Xun looked at Hu Wufuzhi, the chief priest of the West Pavilion, and said, "Go to Nanyang and tell them that I want Yang Pengzu (Yang Dan) to lead the army north."

"Yes." Hu Wu Fuzhi responded.

Yang Dan's troops were not the regular troops of the imperial court, but the private armies of the nobles and powerful families in the three counties of Nanyang, Shunyang and Xinye.

When he led his army north, he naturally had to negotiate with the aristocratic families in Nanyang and get them to agree to release the people.

Yang Dan had a brutal temperament, but the soldiers under his command had experienced many battles and had defeated Du Tao once a while ago. In any case, they were much stronger than the Tuntian Army.

"That's it." Shao Xun waved his hand and announced the adjournment of the meeting.

(End of this chapter)