Chapter 915: The Great Wall

Chapter 915: The Great Wall

Chapter 915: The Great Wall
As the sky gradually darkened, Shao Xun climbed up the earthen city on the ridge.

This city is hidden in a forest and is quite cool in summer, so it is not wrong to call it "Cool City".

The grass in front of the city was already filled with tables and tableware, and the personal soldiers and servants were busy making tea and cooking.

Shao Xun sat cross-legged and looked at the map Zhang Bin handed over.

From Yanmen Pass to Yanchi, which is hundreds of miles away, grain carts come and go in an endless stream, and the transportation continues without interruption.

There are six hundred soldiers of the Left Flying Dragon Guard in Yinguan, and now there are more soldiers of the Right Jinwu Guard of Wufang. Including the troops, there are more than four thousand people in total. There is no problem in guarding this general grain station.

Shao Shen led 3,000 men of the Left Cavalry Guard to station in Shanwu and nearby areas, with a total of 6,000 soldiers. It was not difficult to defend this key location - Shanwu was an important grain storage area for the front line.

Thousands of cavalrymen under Liu Runzhong were active between Luoxian and the former site of Wucheng and Zhishanwu to protect the grain route.

The Yicong Army, Zhuosheng Army and Luoyan Army readjusted their deployment. The former was transferred to Tailuo River, and together with thousands of young men recruited by Liu Zhao, the prefect of Kelan, they cleared out those who were undisciplined.

The Luoyan Army has already headed for Shengle and is under the command of Jin Zheng. The Zhuosheng Army has been recalled and is heading towards Yanchi.

The 3,600 soldiers of Puyang Prefecture were responsible for protecting the transportation of military food and equipment from Shanwu to Yanchi. More than 3,000 of their troops were stationed in the old city of Woyang to accumulate food and military supplies.

The first battalion of the Yellow Head Army was advancing northwards and was about to reach the Salt Lake. The other two battalions were left by Shao Xun between Yinguan and Shanwu. One battalion built a camp and stored food, and the other battalion escorted laborers to transport food and fodder.

As for the troops led by the commanders of each garrison, part of them were sent to Shengle, and part of them were stationed near Pingcheng, under the command of Wang Que'er.

From this troop deployment, it can be seen that after the war came to an end, Shao Xun's mentality changed obviously. He began to be more wary of Wang's mother and son who had reaped the benefits of the war.

He liked to think from other people's perspective. From Wang's perspective, it was inappropriate to turn against him at this time, because it might very well make things difficult for others. After all, the only people she could really rely on were some of the imperial guards - and not all of them might be reliable.

In addition, there are the Wuhuan forces in Yuandai County and Guangning controlled by his brother Wang Feng.

Although there are conflicts among these people, their overall interests are consistent. They will stand behind Wang, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they are her base.

But what about the local Wuhuan people? Not necessarily.

There were also various Xianbei, Xiongnu and miscellaneous Hu tribes. Wang had average control over them, and they only obeyed her out of righteousness.

But Wang herself is a woman, and it is difficult for her to completely convince herself, so these people are likely to rebel.

Not to mention the newly defected western tribes, who are even less loyal and may flee or even turn against us at any time.

Shao Xun won't give them a chance.

After reading the map, he put it away, handed it to Zhang Bin, and whispered, "Let the Wansheng Army dispatch 5,000 men to Mayi, and the Wuzhou Army will set up fences along the way. All people coming and going will be questioned, and no mistakes will be made."

"Yes." Zhang Bin bowed and turned to leave.

Shao Xun looked forward again, and saw nobles from various tribes coming over one after another and sitting cross-legged like him.

The bonfire was lit and the aroma of meat wafted out, relaxing everyone's tense nerves a little.

Shao Xun looked around.

Wow, Wang was “reluctant” to bring Shi Yijian out for display.

This woman is sometimes very smart, but sometimes she has a chronic disease that is difficult for women to overcome: she is easily blinded by small interests.

To pacify the lords in the west, she was the one who made the contacts most of the time, dealing with various interests, and only after the matter was done would she pay a visit to Shi Yijian.

What's worse, some people even asked me today, "Am I worthy of you now?"

What does it mean?
Others may not understand, but Shao Xun knows it very well. This means that only the position of queen is worth her giving up the interests of Dai and going to the Central Plains.

In other words, she is now the Grand Lady of Dai State, and has all of Pingcheng, Shengle, and Dongmugen Mountain under her control. She can dispatch 150,000 cavalry if she is fully mobilized. This force is enough to help Shao Xun fight and wipe out all disobedience.

If Shao Xun dared to marry her and make her the queen, and their child became the emperor in the future, she would lead the Xianbei nobles into the Central Plains, where everyone would have an official position and be rich. They would no longer have to live a hard life on the grassland, but could enjoy the luxurious life of the heavenly people that they had never heard of before.

After Shao Xun refused, Wang ridiculed him as a "coward", but Shao Xun didn't say anything.

If one only cares about immediate interests, he can indeed do so, but in the long run, this will not be the Sui and Tang dynasties. The Hu and Han people have not experienced three hundred years of coexistence and integration, and the Central Plains scholars have limited acceptance of the Hu people. After his death, the country will not be stable.

Of course, the current situation is actually very difficult.

Perhaps, the three hundred years of chaos and integration during the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties in history were always inevitable and could not be solved with just one sentence.

They had to go through this, they had to experience this, but Shao Xun wanted to reduce the intensity of the turmoil caused by the integration so that an all-out war would not break out, so that his heirs would have time to digest it slowly.

To be more precise, he wanted to exchange time for space, suppress this huge stress within a long time dimension, and release it slowly, rather than exploding it all at once, like the Five Barbarians and Sixteen Kingdoms in history.

This is what Wang couldn’t understand.

The male protagonist of the Liang Kingdom in the Central Plains married the female protagonist of the grassland as his queen. She is so young and beautiful. Would it be a loss for her to be his wife?

The Xianbei nobles were stunned by the wealth that came out of nowhere and were ecstatic. They would certainly unite tightly around the couple. By then, they would be able to kill the nobles whom they dared not kill, and measure the land whom they dared not measure. What was wrong with that?
This woman!
Shao Xun collected his thoughts and looked at the Wang mother and son who were gradually approaching.

"Uncle." Tuoba Shiyijian bowed and saluted.

Shao Xun sat still and said with a smile: "Shi Yijian has grown up again. He will definitely become a powerful leader in the future."

Shi Yijian had a blank expression on his face, while Wang secretly glanced at Shao Xun, her eyes seemed to say that he had bad intentions.

"Please sit down." Shao Xun pointed to the Huchuang beside him and said.

Wang's mother and son then sat down.

Shao Xun stood up and paced back and forth.

The whispering gradually stopped.

"How is the harvest in the fields and orchards this year?" Shao Xun suddenly asked.

Everyone looked at each other, and no one answered for a while.

Wang signaled with her eyes.

Soon, Changsun Rui, the chief of the Changsun tribe and the assistant minister of Dai State, who lived in the southern part of Yunzhong, stood up and said, "The five-fruit flowers were frost-ridden when they were in full bloom, and they are seedless. I'm afraid it will be difficult to get a few fruits."

"How did you defend yourself in the past?" Shao Xun asked.

"Often weeds and manure are planted in the garden to keep away the frost overnight." "Why don't you do it?"

"When the war came, there was chaos and disorder, and all the people were displaced and had no way to start their work. The fields were all the same, and all were frost-scorched."

Shao Xun groaned and said, "What a pity."

"It's not just the fields and orchards that are hit by the frost." Yang Zhen Duan Fan sighed, "I went west from Pingcheng to Yangshui, Wuzhouchuan, and Yanchi. In May, when the grass was in the ear and bud stage, it was hit and trampled by the frost, and many of them withered and died. By June, the new grass was very sparse and short. I don't know how it will survive the winter this year."

Shao Xun nodded repeatedly while the other ministers looked worried.

These are all true, and I can't fool anyone. The harvests in orchards and farmland are poor this year, and the grass is growing rather sparsely. I'm afraid that around the time of winter, there will be fights over hay.

Thinking of this, everyone looked at Shao Xun eagerly.

Whether you hate him or like him, it doesn't matter at this moment. What is more important is to get food from him.

It was impossible for him to transport back the millet and wheat that had been transported thousands of miles from the Central Plains as the loss on the way would be unbearable, so most of them would inevitably be left in the State of Dai.

But the question is, who has the right to distribute food?
"You are all in such a difficult situation, what about the tribes in Mobei and Hexi?" Shao Xun asked again.

After these words were spoken, everyone's faces became even uglier.

Damn, there are wild dogs coming to steal food. The key is that these wild dogs are in groups and very fierce. They dare to do anything to survive.

"Need I say more?" Wang Feng sneered, "The tribes in Mobei and Hexi that were conquered by Yiyi will definitely move south and east. Even the tribes in Henan will surely be ready to move. This kind of thing has happened every day in the past twenty years?"

The climate is unpredictable and extremely cold, so those fierce and aggressive tribes in Mobei will of course move south. Although they are nominally still vassals of Tuoba, that is, the third layer besides the "Ten Tuoba Clans" and "Alliance Tribes": "Tribes from all directions".

Apart from other things, didn't the Hedouling tribe originate from the Gaoche tribe in Mobei? It's just that they have been moving south for a long time and call themselves Xianbei.

The Hexi area was the main base camp of the mixed Hu people, including the Xianbei and Xiongnu, as well as the people with high noses and deep eyes who migrated from the Western Regions. They moved eastward in batches, chasing for the land with more abundant water and grass.

The Western Dingling Zhaishu tribe is a typical example. Tens of thousands of people moved eastward, from the Western Regions to Zhongshan County in Hebei. With such a long migration, the children who left before the trip might have grown up by the time they arrived at their destination.

"It's not easy!" Shao Xun sighed.

Everyone was confused. Your damn cat is crying over the mouse. Are you making fun of us?
Wang rolled her eyes at him.

Shao Xun avoided her gaze. This woman, once favored, would take advantage of her.

It was also Shao Xun's fault. He was scolding the woman at first, but after she cried with her child, he softened his heart and hugged her.

As she held him in her arms, her breathing became heavy. She untied her robe and took a few sips. She then competed with her son for the food, and the woman felt very proud.

You scolded me so harshly just now, don't be so eager to climb on me tonight - However, Wang secretly thought that Liu Ye was also very handsome, and he might be a bastard.

"Has anyone been to Beiyi Mountain?" Shao Xun stopped, looked at everyone and asked.

"Your Majesty, I've been there." Dou Qin, a leader of the Hedouling tribe who was still grazing in Wuyuan two years ago, stood up and said, "In the past, we attacked Liu Hu and chased him all the way to Shuofang. His troops fled south to Beiyi Mountain. I personally led people to pursue them for more than a month."

"How is this place?" Shao Xun asked.

Dou Qin thought for a moment and said, "It was August at that time, with strong winds and dust all over the sky. I observed carefully and found that the wind and sand were mostly blocked by the Beiyi Mountains. The wind was not strong on both sides of the Yellow River, and the locals even planted crops and fruits, and were content."

When Shao Xun heard this, he smiled and said, "General Dou has indeed been there. There are mountains in the west of Beiyi Mountain to block the wind and sand, and the Yellow River flows through the east. The land is full of water and is suitable for grazing and farming. Other places are bitterly cold, but this place may not be so."

"There are many plants and trees on Beiyi Mountain. From a distance, it looks lush and green. It is suitable for grazing and cutting firewood."

"There are thousands of miles of fertile fields below the mountain, the water is sweet and the soil is fertile, and you can get a lot of profit by growing millet and wheat, and even rice."

"In the mountains, forests and swamps on the southern edge, there are herds of gazelles and wild deer everywhere. Jackals, wolves, tigers and leopards live in the mountains, making hunting a very interesting activity."

"There are also many rare trees, exotic flowers, good medicines, and bamboo forests, all of which are wealth."

"Wild horses, wild boars, eagles, and falcons can be seen everywhere. If you just go into the mountains, you can easily get deerskin, horsehide, white feathers, black feathers, white glue, and various tendons. Haha, just talking about this makes me want to go hunting."

After saying that, he clapped his hands, asked someone to bring a map and held it up, then pointed to the Yellow River in the shape of a Chinese character "几" on it and said, "Henan is a big place. There is a good place near Shengle, and Wuyuan and Shuofang are also good places, but they are not as good as Beiyi Mountain. In the past, the Helan tribe lived here, right? If it weren't for the marriage with the Tuoba clan, they would not have gone north or east. This is a good place, worthy of being called 'Jiangnan on the Frontier'."

"Jiangnan on the Great Wall?" Everyone was a little surprised.

"Can I still lie to you?" Shao Xun's face fell, and he said unhappily: "If you don't believe it, send someone to Yixin Mountain and ask the people of the Helan clan and you will know."

The Yellow River has a hundred harms, but it brings wealth.

So, which one is better, the front set where Hohhot is located, the back set where Bayannur is located, or the west set where Ningxia is located? Shao Xun thinks the west set is better.

Because when the Yellow River flows through here, canals are dug to divert water for irrigation, most of which are gravity-flowing canals, so there is no need to build water trucks. The soil fertility is very good, and there are the Helan Mountains to the west to block the wind and sand, so the conditions are really good.

During another little ice age in history, namely the Five Dynasties and the early Song Dynasty, the Dangxiang people farmed and grazed here.

After the establishment of the Western Xia Kingdom, a lot of rice was planted. This shows that Ningxia is really a unique treasure land in the pastoral area where water resources are relatively scarce.

As for the Xianbei people, they have never set foot here.

In the early years of the Later Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu relocated many Wuhuan tribes and allocated pastureland to them. However, since Shengle and Wuyuan areas were directly controlled by the imperial court at that time, they were not divided out.

After the Eastern Han Dynasty's border defense system was reduced, Shengle and Wuyuan were abandoned, and these two places became a power vacuum. Tuoba Xianbei happened to go south, seized the time window, and seized these two places before the Wuhuan and Xiongnu.

Shengle can be said to be the "place where the dragon rose" of the Tuoba clan, but after they grew stronger, they first set their sights on Pingcheng, which had also been abandoned by the Han Dynasty, that is, they moved eastward rather than westward.

At that time, the Qiang had been in chaos for many years and the three prefectures were in turmoil. The Eastern Han court could no longer hold on in the west and the north and collapsed. There was a large number of Hu people in Guanzhong. The Xianbei people may have felt that there was no point in going south to contact Guanzhong, so it was better to annex the territory of the Wuhuan King Kuren and contact the Central Plains through Taiyuan.

Therefore, they have not yet considered clearing the entire Henan area and unifying the various Hu tribes.

Shao Xun gave another idea: Don't always think about bringing disaster to the Central Plains. Wouldn't it be better to go to the Hetao area and act arrogantly?
Well, it was not so good for the Xianbei nobles. Because those tribes were barbaric, ignorant, and fierce, and it was not so easy to fight them.

If they are just fierce and barbaric, it is not impossible to deal with them. The problem is that those tribes are poor and can't rob much. It's boring and is not as good as the "Nantu".

Of course, Nantu is in a difficult situation now because of the thief Shao who appeared in the Central Plains.

I'm really in a dilemma.

As soon as Shao Xun saw their expressions, he roughly understood what they were thinking.

After thinking for a while, he said, "Henan is a vast land with abundant water and grass, and there are countless places suitable for grazing and farming. I will only take Shangjun, and the rest can be given to you. If you win the battle, the land will be yours, and the court will issue an edict to confer titles, and I will also give you cloth and silk as a reward. If you feel that the food is not enough, you can also exchange it for people."

People for food? Everyone was shocked. How could this be exchanged? What was King Liang's purpose?
(End of this chapter)