Chapter 695 Shock
Chapter 695 Shock
It's April now, and the weather is getting warmer.
Starting from mid-March, the Bian River and Suiyang Canal became very busy, with ships coming and going, transporting all kinds of supplies.
A batch of grain had just been delivered to the Liangjin Wharf in the northeast of Bianliang City.
A total of 200,000 hu of grain were shipped from Pengcheng, passing through Pei and Liang, and then delivered to Chenliu.
The amount is not large, but Xuzhou had already raised one million hu of grain to Qingzhou for disaster relief last year. Taking away another 200,000 this time is already very generous, highlighting the "love" of the Xuzhou elders for their fellow villager Liang Gong.
As soon as the food arrived, the able-bodied men and women gathered nearby immediately stepped forward and transported it to the Liang Palace construction site in large and small carts.
The Guanfeng Hall and Huangnu Palace need to be completed, and the Lingbo Hall is about to start construction, which is very costly.
For these refugees from Bingzhou, Jizhou, Sizhou and even Tuoba Dai, they would rush to take up any opportunity to work in exchange for relief.
Everything will be fine, and everything will work out. The first batch of refugees who built the palace city have been resettled and settled in Chenliu, Liang, Puyang, Ji, Dunqiu and other counties.
Basically, the best route for these refugees is to first provide them with work-for-relief for a year or two and then arrange for them to settle down.
There is also a large open-air dining hall near the pier.
A part of the refugees, the elderly, the weak, women and children, were gathered here, and corn porridge was made overnight, which was sent to the parade ground in the east of the city early in the morning to serve as meals for the soldiers - on the Cold Food Festival, fire was prohibited for three days.
In order to fill the soldiers up and prevent them from fainting from hunger while putting on their armor and marching in formation, almond paste and wheat flour were added to the porridge.
The refugees started preparing a few days ago. They cooked porridge all night last night, drooling as they cooked. It was so delicious and they were so hungry. But the soldiers who managed them kept a close watch on them. Weiwei Chen Jing stayed up all night and went to the north of the city to supervise them, all for today's military parade.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, the first group of refugees carrying cold porridge set out.
The convoy stretched out for several miles, made a big circle, and arrived at the edge of the parade ground.
When Chen Jing reached the periphery, he saw battalion after battalion of soldiers standing at attention with weapons in hand. They changed their formations from time to time in accordance with orders, and finally the entire army shouted loudly.
He then looked at the temporary platform, on which stood more than a hundred people, including officials and representatives of local nobles.
Chen Jing had seen the military parade more than once, and watching it again was no longer as shocking as the first time. But among the people watching the ceremony on the stage, many were probably seeing it for the first time, especially the young men who followed their elders. They usually drank and drank, and occasionally watched the training of their own farmhands. When had they ever seen such a solemn scene?
Chen Jing was a member of the Yingchuan gentry and also one of the Six Lords of the Liang State. He knew the scholars' thoughts very well.
How do you feel when you see this today?
Back then, when Duke Liang’s Silver Spear Army first stepped onto the official stage, it was when Sima Yue disappeared after the failure of the Northern Expedition and Luoyang was leaderless. Hundreds of soldiers were stationed in front of the Taiji Palace, effectively deterring many ambitious people who intended to cause chaos.
Today, 18,000 people are collectively dressed in armor and lined up in battle formation, which should be the culmination of the elite strength of Liang Gong's uprising over the past ten years.
Sometimes reasoning doesn't work, and telling others how powerful Lord Liang is doesn't work either. They have to see it with their own eyes for it to have a deterrent effect.
Of course, he was not completely satisfied with Lord Liang.
He also had some complaints about the recent restrictions on land occupation, but because he and Mr. Liang had known each other since they were humble, he subconsciously defended Mr. Liang: He had his own difficulties.
Furthermore, he was the Weiwei of Liang State and according to the regulations he was allowed to occupy 40 hectares of land, which was actually a lot.
He had land in Yingchuan outside Liang State, and a manor near Luoyang, which together amounted to more than 250 hectares. In other words, he actually owned about 300 hectares of land, of which Yingchuan was occupied before the Yongjia period, and the Luoyang manor was acquired for free after the Yongjia period - someone from the Zhong family of Changsha crossed over to the south and gave him the land and some farm households.
In fact, the main assets of these old people who have followed Lord Liang for many years are not in the territory of Liang. After the land occupation order came out, it was just not convenient to go to Liang to occupy land on a large scale. There was indeed an impact, but it was not very big.
What else can we expect from this world? No one can do as they please, not even Mr. Liang, let alone them. They can only tolerate each other.
After the cold porridge was delivered, some people were left to guard it, and the convoy returned to its original place to start delivering the second batch.
******
On the high platform, Shao Xun stood with his sword in hand, looking at each battalion.
"Zidao." he suddenly shouted.
"Mingsir." Lu Zhi, who had become increasingly worried over the past month, stepped forward and responded.
"I heard that there is a riot in Hebei. Where are the people who swore to die for me?" Shao Xun asked.
Lu Zhi was startled and said, "The generals of Jizhou have long obeyed your orders, and the people of the state have long missed your kindness. If there is a small disturbance, it will be settled in a moment. You just need to stay in Bianliang, and the people of the other counties will be able to deal with it quickly."
"You have to destroy a few homes before you can know how powerful you are," said Shao Xun.
Lu Zhi sighed secretly and said, "I will definitely give you an explanation."
He was the commander of the right army of the general, and it was his job to quell the rebellion in Jizhou.
"You go to Yecheng and take charge." Shao Xun said, "Don't let anyone go."
"Yes." Lu Zhi replied.
Shao Xun glanced at the scholars in Yu and Yan states again. They all lowered their heads, not daring to look at him. No matter what you think in your heart, don't try to be stubborn at this moment. If you can't stand the humiliation, just secretly organize a rebellion. If you act now, the end will be bad, and you won't even have a chance to organize a rebellion.
Shao Xun retracted his gaze and continued, "To govern the world, one must first improve his country. The politics of a country depends on the villages. The farming of a man and the weaving of a woman add up to a lot to provide for the country. Now the emperor has been on the throne for twelve years, the old system has been messed up, and the new system has not been established. The rich have their fields crisscrossed, and the poor can hardly stand. Over time, political affairs are not communicated, education is difficult to spread, the people are insufficient, and the military and the country are lacking in supplies. Is this acceptable?"
At this point, Shao Xun pointed to the 18,000 soldiers below the stage and said, "These people have been fighting for a long time and are familiar with military affairs. They are not only diligent in the king's affairs. Once they are deprived of food and clothing, they are like beasts out of their cages. Wherever the master and his disciples go, they burn and plunder. There are also those who can destroy the front and break the sharp, kill the generals and seize the flags. Their ferocious nature has been aroused, and their swords are sharp. They are no longer the submissive attitude of the past. If we block their way and take away their will, they will inevitably invade the castle and burn and plunder. I don't know how to persuade them."
After he finished speaking, he looked at the Prime Minister Yu Chen, the Minister of the Chancellery Pei Miao and others, and said, "The land survey must not be stopped, but it should only be stopped in the fifteen counties. The matter of the honorary officials has been delayed for a long time, and they are still arguing about it. How long will it take? Get it done quickly, don't delay."
"Yes, sir." Yu Chen and others responded.
Shao Xun took another look at the scholars from various counties and officials from various government offices.
The words were very clear and the warnings were very accurate. So far, people like Wang Yan, Yu Chen, Lu Zhi, Pan Tao, etc. can actually understand and are ready to take a small step back. On the contrary, the people below are quite vocal in their opposition, pretending to obey but actually disobeying, and making a lot of weird remarks.
Let's use today's incident to shock them again. Let them think carefully about whether to make a small concession or to gather their own troops and cause both sides to suffer losses.
The struggle for interests touches the soul the most, so you should examine your own soul carefully.
These beasts can still be kept in captivity now because they still have some hope in you. But when they are completely disappointed, they will no longer be able to be kept in captivity.
After retracting his gaze, Shao Xun looked at another person: Guo Rong, the Han general who was captured in the Hanoi battlefield.
Shao Xun did not send him to Luoyang to improve his reputation, but pardoned his crime and made him work with the military strategist Zhang Bin. The reason he came to see him was mainly because a group of people from Taiyuan came to participate in today's military review, pretending to be his followers.
Shao Xun waved his hand, and Guo Rong immediately trotted over and saluted, saying, "Mingsir."
"What about these soldiers?" Shao Xun asked.
Guo Rong really watched it carefully just now, from beginning to end, without missing a single thing.
Last year, he turned against his allies in Shanyang and surrendered with his entire army. In fact, it was because of the general trend of the situation, and they surrendered without even fighting.
When he was under Shi Le's command, he spent most of his time with Shi Hu, mainly active in Shangdang, Henei and Jijun areas. He fought against the Yicong Army, Zhuosheng Army and other troops, and also saw the Yinqiang Zuoying and Heilang Army, but he had never led a direct battle.
At that time, I felt that they were very strong just from afar. Today, I saw 18,000 iron-armored warriors at once. They were full of energy, skilled in skills, and their military formations changed quickly and accurately. I was shocked.
Eighteen thousand! This guy can drive more than a hundred thousand soldiers to fight for his life, which is more than enough to guard the fifteen counties of Liang State.
Just now, he heard a new name: "Bianliang Imperial Guards."
Of course, that was what people said in private conversations, but it fits the actual situation very well.
With this army, not to mention other things, Duke Liang can divide the land into fifteen counties and become a prince without any problem.
Therefore, when he heard Shao Xun's question, he immediately replied: "There are more than 32,000 Pingyang imperial guards, and only a few thousand of them are as brave as this army, the rest are not enough."
"If we use this army to attack Taiyuan, can Liu Yao and Shi Le stop us?"
"If Liu Yao and Shi Le were to meet the enemy with the troops from Taiyuan and Xinxing, they would certainly face disaster."
"However, Bingzhou is surrounded by mountains and rivers. How can we conquer it?"
"What are you worried about, my lord?" Guo Rong said, "The heroes of Taiyuan are all the best families in the world. After being captured, they think of the grace of heaven and earth every day, and are willing to return to their homeland; they remember the kindness of their parents every day, and swear to kill wolves to redeem themselves. When my lord raises his flag, they will surely win food and follow; when the mighty soldiers of Daliang arrive, they will open the city and welcome them from afar. Although Bingzhou is dangerous, people's hearts are no longer there. Since there is an outstanding ruler in the south, why should we be attached to the mediocre chieftains in the north?"
After hearing this, Shao Xun laughed but did not express his opinion directly.
Just like the surrender of Shangdang, they still need to unify their thoughts and sort out their interests. Otherwise, there will be a lot of trouble.
After some time, he planned to send the military advisor Wen Qiao to the north as his plenipotentiary representative to handle this matter in a unified manner.
When the general trend arrives, some things will become much easier.
Taiyuan had not fallen for long, and Liu Yao might not have had time to establish a solid relationship, so this created an opportunity.
Warm cheers gradually rose from the audience.
They were given a piece of silk and a piece of linen, and all eighteen thousand soldiers prostrated themselves on the ground.
Shao Xun glanced at the scholars from various counties again, sneered, stepped down from the high platform, and accepted the cheers of the soldiers.
With what happened today, I believe that the little thoughts in the minds of the nobles that they cannot show on the surface will be wiped out.
They could only temporarily suppress their ambitions, continue to lie dormant, and silently wait for Shao Xun to make a stupid move or reveal a flaw.
(End of this chapter)