Chapter 766 2 Shore

Chapter 766 2 Shore

Chapter 766: Both Sides
In the third month of the lunar calendar, the grass has just turned green.

In the Nanshan Mountains, the people have finished their spring plowing and are preparing to graze their cattle, sheep and horses.

The wind in the mountains is a little chilly. After the migratory birds have had enough rest, they flap their wings and fly north, passing over the boundless land.

Nanshan, commonly known as "Beishan" by people in Guanzhong, stretches from east to west, as if it has inlaid a border on the southern edge of Henan, which is spectacular.

The two sides of Nanshan Mountain and even the basins and river valleys in the mountains have always been a mixed farming and animal husbandry area.

Some people cultivate the land, some graze, and some are involved in both farming and animal husbandry.

Some people live a very comfortable life, almost comparable to the fertile land of the Central Plains.

But most of them lived a very difficult life. They could only harvest a little over 100 kilograms (about 50 kilograms in modern times) from farming one acre of land. After deducting the seeds, the income was extremely limited. Therefore, they needed to make use of the hillside grasslands that were not suitable for farming to increase their income.

However, to the north of Nanshan Mountain and west of the Yellow River, there is a large area of ​​hills and river valleys, which is a rare and excellent agricultural area.

Whether a piece of land is good or not depends not only on the soil but also on the climate.

When Guanzhong suffered from drought for consecutive years, Shangjun was indeed suffering from drought, but the disaster was actually not as serious as that in Guanzhong.

In recent years, there has been plenty of rainfall, and the grass has grown vigorously, making the land more vibrant.

After Shi Le arrived, the quality of agriculture here improved greatly.

The crisp sound of horse hooves rang out, and Shi Le arrived at the river bank in the spring breeze.

The personal guard took off the saddle from the horse, loosened the girth, and led the horse to cool down.

Shi Le went to the river, scooped up some cool river water and washed his face.

It was not long since spring arrived, and the river water was icy cold. Shi Le could not help but shiver, and then he laughed at himself: "I am old."

The river is called Mugua River. As the name suggests, the nearby mountains are full of papayas (Xanthoceras sorbifolia).

In the Pre-Qin period, there was a saying, "If you throw a papaya at me, I will repay you with a jade pendant." The "papaya" here refers to this thing.

After washing his face, Shi Le climbed a high slope, overlooking the farmland in the valley, and praised: "What a great place."

"It's a pity that there are too few of them." Zhang Jing looked around and sighed, "Among the continuous mountains, only the river valley is the flattest. Muguayuan has only more than 300 hectares of land, so it can only be allocated to a thousand households."

This area is large enough, but the area suitable for farming is limited and fragmented.

For example, this place called "Muguayuan" has only opened up 300 hectares of farmland. There may be some potential to be tapped, but at most it can only double to 600 hectares, and that's it.

It can't be compared with the endless scene of Hebei with plains following one another.

As a result, the population is actually more dispersed.

A village was built in this mountain basin, housing several hundred families; a fort was built in that river valley plain, housing more than a thousand households, and the people were scattered among the continuous mountains for hundreds of miles from north to south.

Compared to farming, grazing is much more convenient.

Although it is called a mountainous area, there are no particularly high peaks here, and gentle slopes can be seen everywhere. After the rain, the grass grows wildly, making it a great place for grazing.

In order to survive better here, farming and grazing are inevitable. Pure farming or pure grazing are too fragile.

"Don't be impatient." Shi Le glanced at Zhang Jing and said with a smile: "This place is bad in many ways, but there is one good thing. The people are poor, strong and good at fighting. You have also seen the more than 100 personal soldiers I recruited. What do you think?"

"Simple, barbaric, and brave to fight." Zhang Jing said with a wry smile.

It was precisely because these mountain villages and tribes were too barbaric that they sometimes did not give him face and he was humiliated many times.

Fortunately, the leader still submits to the imperial court. It doesn’t matter if he is rude, as long as he is obedient.

Shi Le had already moved to the other side of the hillside.

Many "holes" were dug here, or more accurately "cellars".

Cellars are used to store grain. This is a local custom that has existed since ancient times.

Each granary is not large, the small ones can store several thousand hu of grain, the large ones can store thirty to forty thousand, and the average is more than twenty thousand.

Seven granaries have been dug here, with a total capacity to store 160,000 hu of grain. However, only a little over half of them are filled now, so they are quite empty.

Outside the granary, there are green trees and grass slopes to shade it, and it cannot be seen from a distance.

In fact, most of the granaries are relatively hidden and can only be found with the guidance of the villagers.

The customs here are indeed very different from those in the Central Plains.

"From now on, these granaries will be our capital for fighting against the Shao bandits." Shi Le climbed to the top of the granary, grabbed a handful of grass sprouts that had just emerged, and said.

Zhang Jing's face didn't look very good.

How can this place be compared with Yecheng? But now that things have come to this, there is no point in sighing.

"So you are here, my lord." Diao Ying, Cao Pingle and others came over and laughed.

"What beautiful mountains and rivers! How magnificent!" After climbing to a high place and looking far into the distance, Diao Ying's scholarly habits broke out and he laughed loudly.

Cao Pingle looked at him as if he were a fool, then shook his head and thought about his own things.

"My lord, the 322 new families have all been settled. We will start the spring ploughing in the next few days. Lord Liu has sent us seeds, farm tools, and more than a hundred oxen and horses." Diao Ying sat down and said.

"How many papaya families are there originally?" Shi Le asked.

"Nearly 1,100 families, most of whom are our own people." Diao Ying said, "The new Di Qiang people can also farm, so they won't be a problem."

The new Di Qiang were from Wudu. Last year, Shao Xun was doing disaster relief, but the Xiongnu were not idle. Liu Can sent people to attack the three counties of Wudu, Longxi, and Yinping, and finally took Longxi County. He defeated the Di leaders Yang Nandi and Yang Jiantou, who called themselves the Left and Right Wise Kings, in Wudu. The two then led their troops to surrender, and the two counties were pacified.

Liu Can named Yang Nandi the "King of Wudu" and left a part of the army to guard the city of Wudu. The army returned with prisoners and spoils.

The Di people who were relocated to Shangjun were the spoils of war during the conquest of Wudu.

A lot of things happened in Qinzhou in the past year, but it was difficult for them to spread to the east.

Sima Bao is already dead.

Zhang Chun and others were attacked and killed by Chen An, who had surrendered to Liu Han, and Sima Bao was killed as well.

Civil strife broke out in Liangzhou, and Zhang Shi was killed. The news that came was very confusing, and Shi Le and others did not know the details. They only knew that Zhang Shi was dead, but the newcomer was still a member of the Zhang family.

However, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the prestige of the Zhang family was weakening with each generation. The newcomers were definitely not as capable of controlling the family as Zhang Shi, let alone Zhang Gui.

It is impossible for Liangzhou to mobilize troops against other countries unless others take the initiative to attack.

"How is the emperor?" Shi Le was silent for a while and then asked.

"He is seriously ill and can't get out of bed. I'm afraid he won't live long." Diao Ying said.

Shi Le let out a breath.

Whether the emperor is dead or alive actually has no impact on the overall situation, because the power has long been transferred to the hands of the crown prince who regents the country.

The fourteen counties in Guanxi were conquered by the prince with his own sword and spear, and had nothing to do with the emperor.

As early as the moment the emperor lost Pingyang and fled to Puzhou Pass, the Han Dynasty had entered the Liu Can era.

His position as the governor of Shuofang was also granted by the regent prince. In theory, he was the prince's man, although the prince had no good intentions.

"Don't think too much. Baitu County, Muguayuan, Qibao Mountain and other places are our foundation. The yield per mu of land reclaimed last year was too little, and this year it may not be much either. After next year, the court will no longer distribute food to us, and we have to rely on ourselves for everything." Shi Le stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Go and meet the leaders of the tribes."

The group quickly left Mugua River and disappeared into the mountains.

******
On the hills on the east bank of the river, flags were everywhere and the sounds of drums and horns were endless.

Suddenly, a red flag was hoisted on the top of the mountain, followed by increasingly intense drum and horn sounds.

In an instant, more than three thousand people rushed down the mountain.

Archers, sword and shield soldiers, spearmen and a large group of soldiers armed with blunt weapons such as wooden clubs and long axes coordinated with each other, fighting fast or slow with thousands of other people lined up at the foot of the mountain - of course, they only fought when necessary and did not really fight.

"It was a bit chaotic at the beginning, and it got even more chaotic later." Shao Xun commented, "There should be some old soldiers of Shi Le in the Yellow Head Army, right?"

Chen Yougen, the left military commander of the shogunate who accompanied the emperor, took a look and said, "His killing skills have deteriorated. He has been with new soldiers all day, and his skills have deteriorated."

After that, he smiled and said, "It's just like when I traveled all over the country. There are hundreds of brothers, all relying on blood and courage, without any rules. If you meet a soldier who can't stand the battle, you can still fight, but if you meet a veteran who has fought for many years, blood and courage will be useless. You have courage, and their courage is not bad either."

Being able to say this, Chen Yougen's level has indeed reached a higher level, which is completely different from what it was a decade ago.

However, when this kind of daring and fighting army encounters corrupt and decadent soldiers at the end of the dynasty, it is still possible for them to win by relying on their desperate fighting style.

After winning a few battles in which you don't even know how you won, you will quickly absorb captured regular troops and strengthen your studies. With time, you will definitely improve.

"We need to practice more." Shao Xun's gaze turned to another hilltop, where thousands of soldiers were learning how to set up a stable camp like a hedgehog.

This is the significance of military training.

The men of the Yellow Head Army are full of passion and very loyal to him. If they are not properly trained, it would be a shame to rush into the battlefield and die.

Shao Xun turned around, glanced at the soldiers who were practicing making siege weapons and building temporary pontoon bridges on the bank of the Yellow River, and looked at the opposite bank.

It is early April, and the hills on the opposite bank are covered with green grass.

The white clouds were very low, and from a distance they seemed almost sticking to the top of the mountain.

Amid the interweaving of green and white, horses, cattle and sheep roam leisurely, and the singing of shepherds can be heard from time to time.

There were also vigilant eyes staring at this side in the mountains.

Behind the forest on the opposite bank, there seems to be an earthen fort vaguely visible.

The Loess Plateau is generally dry, but there are places with abundant river water, such as Papaya Plain.

First of all, this is an area with relatively abundant precipitation along the Yellow River.

Secondly, there are many rivers, flowing all year round.

Finally, there are many springs on the ground with a lot of water, which can be used for grazing horses, watering the fields and drinking.

This place has a famous name in later generations: Fugu.

"Shi Le is quite courageous. He has advanced all the way here. A few dozen miles further north is the pasture of the Dugu tribe." Shao Xun said with emotion.

"You are here too, my king?" Chen Yougen said disapprovingly, "How can the border be so clear? A shepherd has been here to graze, so does that mean it is his land? Where is the deed? I haven't seen it."

Shao Xun patted Lao Chen on the shoulder and laughed: "Let's wait for the crossing of the river in the evening to see how Shi Le is doing."

The water in front is turbulent and not suitable for the army to cross the river to the west, so the people on the other side were not very panicked when they saw the army here. They just sent people to monitor it and did not take much action.

"Let's go and meet those chieftains." Shao Xun added, "See where there are opportunities."

(End of this chapter)