Chapter 716 New Home, Old Home (Happy New Year, Everyone)
It was early April, and on the mountain pass outside the Xiaocang River, the dam that had been built before winter had taken shape. The dam was built according to the mountain, with a wood and stone structure and a height of two feet and four feet (about seven meters in later generations). At this time, it was being tested by the floods in the flood season.
During the rare flood season in this mountainous area, the flood diversion mouth next to the dam is pouring out water with dangerous and alarming momentum. The roaring sound is deafening. The road into the mountain is on the river bed. Go around and up.
Entering the mountain pass, the waters of the Xiaocang River behind it suddenly expanded due to the existence of the dam, and a dangerous blue wave pushed forward. The narrow dam connected to this reservoir sometimes even It makes people feel anxious, worried about when it will collapse. Of course, since the opening was opened to the outside, it wouldn't be a big deal if it collapsed. At most, the valley and mountain stream outside would be turned into a big bathhouse.
I entered through the mountain pass with Hou Yuanyong, who was chattering, and said hello to the soldiers guarding here. What appeared in front was a hundred-meter-long road that went around the mountain. Due to the recent During the rainy season, the roads become a bit muddy. There are cave dwellings on one side of the road, occasionally mixed with some wooden and earthen houses, where the troops who guard this side live. Further forward, there is the gathering area for the residents of Xiaocanghe River at this time.
The emergence of the reservoir caused the water level of the Xiaocang River to rise a lot, encroaching on many places in the front of the valley, but the impact gradually diminished as we moved further back. Cave dwellings, rows of houses, and tents are gathering in this area. From a distance, although the various houses are still simple, the planned area is surprisingly neat. Zhuo Xiaofeng participated in the delineation of this area at the beginning. The house may have been built in a hurry, but the lines in all the building areas were drawn in a square shape, which was strictly required by Ning Yi.
Even if it cannot be built temporarily and the tent is put down to live, the edge of the tent will never be allowed to exceed the marked range.
After all, although it is a residential area, the largest number of people in Xiaocang River are actually soldiers. During the most difficult days of winter, some people came in from outside the mountain. They once said that they were being picky, but they were suppressed and driven out of the valley. It was a severe cold winter, and the soldiers of the former Wu Rui Camp had to work every day. It was inevitable that some people were relaxed and almost participated in it. Afterwards, a rectification meeting with tens of thousands of people gathered in the valley was held.
The Jurchens are at their peak, and the Xixia people are attacking cities and territories outside. What happened to the refugees who came in is proof of this. They are civilians who have lost their homes. You are soldiers. Do you still want to have this small land under your feet in the future?
For soldiers, every rule will save several lives on the battlefield in the future!
After this meeting, the military leadership also implemented strict regulations on the briquettes and charcoal fires used every day. When the chill subsided a little, and after the dam was built, wooden houses gradually replaced the tents, but there were no walls beyond the originally drawn line.
At this time, the progress of replacing tents with wooden houses has not yet been completed. The entire settlement is basically built in a pattern of large and small houses surrounding a central square. Although the lines were drawn neatly, the scene was chaotic and the road was muddy. This is something that the people of Xiaocanghe have no time to take into account for the time being. From last autumn to the early summer, various construction projects in Xiaocanghe have been going on almost non-stop. Even in the harsh winter, various preparations are in progress.
Building houses to keep out the cold, building cave dwellings, and building dams. When spring comes, the main work becomes to reclaim land and plant wheat and other crops. When summer comes, the settlements in the entire valley The outline gradually takes shape, and the wheat fields follow the river. In this part of the river valley, Stretching for hundreds of acres on either side, a suspension bridge connects both sides of the river. Farther away, a breeding area for war horses and various livestock is gradually outlined. Several watchtowers on the top of the mountain have been built, but with more than 10,000 people in the valley In terms of daily life needs, the truly necessary work is far from meeting the standards.
Along the way, a child named Hou Yuanyong was chattering to Zhuo Xiaofeng about the changes in the valley. The roadside was bustling with people, and men pushing carts and carrying earth and rocks passed by from time to time. past. He had been out for less than a month, and many places in the valley were already very different for Zhuo Xiaofeng. For half a year, the Xiaocang River has been growing in size almost every day. Especially after the dam was formed, the speed of change was even more dramatic.
From time to time, people also say hello to Zhuo Xiaofeng. Most of the young people who were in the "Yongle Youth League" and "Zhengqi Club" in Hangzhou have become low-level managers at this time, distributing and coordinating here. Work. When passing a slope, the vehicle dragging earth and rocks got stuck in the mud. Zhuo Xiaofeng and Hou Yuanyong went over to help push it. A young man also came over and said casually: "Brother Zhuo, Chen Xing and the others , held a Mohui, and are recruiting people everywhere.”
"Mo Hui?" Zhuo Xiaofeng frowned. At this time, soldiers were coming and going around. Several men beside the cart also shouted for strength. Zhuo Xiaofeng followed the "Ah——" sound and pushed the cart out of the mud pit. He said to Hou Yuanyong: "Find some marl boards to fill this place." Hou Yuanyong nodded and left. He said to the young man who came over to talk: "I just came back. I don't know what happened yet. I'm going to see the teacher first, and we'll chat later in the evening."
The man nodded: "I know, I just want to tell Brother Zhuo first."
Then Hou Yuanyong dragged a dustpan of gravel and planks from the side, and the three of them filled the mud pit before continuing to move forward. Although he had just come back and never mentioned it again, Zhuo Xiaofeng could guess a thing or two about things like Mo Hui.
After leaving the capital and moving northward, Wurui camp settled down in Xiaocanghe. After getting out of the initial confusion, he began to build Xiaocang River. During this period, Ning Yi spent a lot of effort. Not only did he fully control the construction of the entire valley, he also gave many lectures every day on cultivating talents.
This kind of lectures can be roughly divided into three categories: one is to tell the craftsmen about the principles of all things and the investigation of things; the other is to teach the managers in the valley the knowledge of manpower arrangement and the concept of efficiency. , and the third is to tell a group of disciples, children and even some relatively quick-thinking officers in the army about some of their own ideas, analysis of current affairs, speculation on the overall situation, and what people should be like.
Including when arranging work for others, he would try his best to explain it to the government officials around him in a simple way when he could explain why it was arranged in this way. Such things, including the first two lectures, for Ning Yi, are a crash course to instill modern science and modern management as quickly as possible and cultivate such talents. Only the third course has a long-term, argumentative course. It feels different, but in the eyes of others, it is naturally different. These things will be considered to be the embodiment of Ning Yi's own philosophy.
Attach importance to rules, efficiency, attention to things, emphasis on employing people, emphasis on craftsmen, emphasis on businessmen, not despising lowly industry, emphasis on personal self-discipline and awakening... These things are naturally different from the Confucian system itself. Especially since more than half a year ago, except for the first few trips out, Ning Yi has been in charge of Xiaocanghe and arranged everything almost personally. During this period - until now, Xiaocanghe's operating efficiency is amazing. The horror of heart palpitations, from the first stroke Lines, preparations were made, and later dams were built and fields were reclaimed. Until now, the valley is like a giant beast, swallowing up earth and rocks every day, leveling the ground, and turning desolate places into houses. And this change The speed seems to be increasing.
Have you ever seen such an efficiency before?
Manpower was used to fly Kongming lanterns into the sky, and a dam was built within a few days, and then the river was stopped. After the dam was formed, the landscape of the Xiaocang River changed significantly in a short period of time. Using human power to fight against the mighty power of heaven and earth is so shocking in the eyes of everyone. With the support of these things, some people have long said that Mr. Ning's inheritance is very similar to the philosophy of ancient Mohism. With the existence of the Yongle Youth League and the Zhengqi Association, there were already several small groups composed of young officers such as the "Huayan Society" within the Xiaocanghe Army. Now that there is another Mo Association, naturally It's not a surprising thing.
Going out of the residential area and walking along the road to the other side of the valley, there are still figures running around on the road. Looking back, the muddy street seems to be full of vitality. .
At this time, Xiaocanghe was naturally facing huge problems. Every day, in the small square of the settlement, someone would bring news from the outside world, the urgency of the Central Plains, and the battle situation of the 100,000-strong Xixia army. There will also be people in the square announcing the progress of Xiaocanghe's various matters, but anyone who is interested can see that Xiaocanghe is facing threats of annihilation from all aspects.
The threat from Xixia is one of them. As long as they gain a foothold in the northwest, the first thing Xiaocanghe will face is the problem of being unable to develop around them. This does not include the question of what Xiaocanghe will do when the Xixia people take the initiative to attack Xiaocanghe.
The food problem is even more of a top priority. The reclamation of wasteland in the valley is already going all out for the ten thousand people in the valley. But the tools are not abundant and time is tight. In this spring, about a thousand acres of farmland were added to the mountains along the river valleys. Wheat was planted, and it looked endless. However, in a practical sense, the land here was already barren and had just been cultivated. If a thousand acres of land were planted, If it is good, it may be able to feed a thousand people, but if it is a thousand soldiers, they will still be malnourished.
Xiaocanghe currently relies on blood transfusions from Qingmuzhai. However, Qingmuzhai itself has insufficient arable land, so it relies on blood transfusions from outside. However, once the power of the Jurchens and Xixia people is stabilized, even if they do not consider being beaten, what this area will encounter is a real disaster.
Therefore, even though Xiaocang River seems to be full of vitality at this time, many people understand its problems, and the countdown never stops at any time. In the situation where the Jurchens, Xixia, and the world are beginning to decay, the Xiaocang River has tentacles that must be stretched out and roots that must be rooted. This is not sailing against the current, but completely sailing on the edge of the waterfall. As long as there is a slight hesitation, it will be doomed.
A loud shout of "Ah——" came from the front. It was the scene of army training by the river valley in front of the road. Even though a lot of labor replaced the daily physical training, each team still had battle formation training once every three days. Zhuo Xiaofeng looked at the scene of troops arrayed and firing guns below, and turned to the road ahead. Farther away was Xiaocanghe's military and political conference hall halfway up the mountain. From a distance, there are just two rows of simple wooden houses, but at this time they also have a quiet and solemn atmosphere.
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As spring turns to summer, in April of the second year of Jingping of the Wu Dynasty, the Jurchens who invaded the south have squeezed out all the available resources in Bianliang City. After plundering the things, he appointed Zhang Bangchang as the emperor and established the Chu regime. He then escorted more than 100,000 people including Emperor Jingping of the Wu Dynasty, the Queen Mother, the Queen, noble ladies in the palace, women of dignitaries and civilians, and craftsmen to the north one after another.
In the northwest, Emperor Li Qianshun of the Western Xia Dynasty began to expand to the surrounding areas after recovering several cities such as Qingjian and Yanzhou. He pushed his troops towards Qingzhou and Weizhou and recovered two hundred miles of Hengshan. At this time, the north of the Yellow River in the Wu Dynasty had fallen into a short-lived "terrain" situation. Jurchen, the de facto ruler, had not had time to digest this area. The newly established Dachu regime was unjustified and the emperor Zhang Bangchang himself After the Jurchens withdrew their troops, they immediately took off their yellow robes and imperial titles. They did not go to the main hall of the palace to work and behaved in a well-behaved manner. He had no intention of controlling political affairs in the north. This also led to the government north of the Yellow River entering into a situation where they could do whatever they liked. state.
Patriots who still care about the Wu Dynasty account for the majority in various places. Bandits and rebels in various places also use the name of defending the Wu Dynasty. However, among them, various forces have begun to seek a way out for themselves. It has also begun to move quickly. Among them, in addition to some well-established clans and armies, Tian Hu's power also surged during this period. At the same time, after the influence of the Wu Dynasty faded, several Tubo tribes under the vassal kings also began to move toward the land to the east.
At this time, the rebel army that had just begun to take root in Xiaocang River was in a strange state. If you look from the back to the front, this army that relies on Ning Yi's powerful operational capabilities actually seems to be walking on a sharp edge. on the tip of the knife. To put it more seriously, this army that rebelled after the regicide had no way forward and no way to retreat. It can be maintained, in the general direction, for three reasons. One is the obvious external pressure and the Central Plains land that is about to collapse and collapse - the people in the Xiaocang River Valley must realize this and communicate with Ning Yi's men internally. The propaganda power is also directly related.
Secondly, it is the result of strong planning and employment capabilities along the way. The amazing work efficiency in the valley has fed back to the workers themselves to a certain extent, resulting in higher efficiency and more people. The higher the sense of surprise and accomplishment in my heart. In particular, the completion of the Xiaocang River Dam gave people an indescribable sense of satisfaction, and also further promoted the efficiency of everyone in doing other things.
The third reason is due to the publicity of the achievements of Ning Yi and others and the gradual formation of personal worship. Everyone knows about the difficulties faced by Xiaocanghe. However, before that, when Ning Yi was a guest in the Prime Minister's Mansion, he He has spent thousands of pounds to start a war with the world's grain merchants. These things are relatively clear to everyone who followed him in the original Bamboo Chronicles. At this time, Ning Yi sent a large number of people out to contact various merchants and constantly manipulated the strings. In the minds of everyone, this was naturally a manifestation of his attempt to use commercial power to solve the food problem. At this time, the world is in chaos. It is difficult to do this. However, the inner demon has no tricks to control people's hearts. When he was in the prime minister's house, he was even known as the "God of Wealth". At least when it comes to business, most people But they all have almost blind confidence.
These factors that promote the continued operation of Xiaocanghe are intertwined. The loosening of each link may lead to the overall collapse, but during this period, the whole situation operated strangely like this. At the same time, on Ning Yi’s personal side, in early April, Yunzhu, who was pregnant in ten months, gave birth to Ning Yi’s third child and first daughter. However, due to dystocia during delivery, the child was , both the mother and the child were in extreme weakness. The little baby ate very little on weekdays and often continued to cry in the middle of the night. Many people felt that this child was destined to be ill-fated and might not be able to raise him. Big.
The situation outside is still deteriorating at this time. With the return of Zhuo Xiaofeng and others, the intelligence brought back showed that the Tiger King Tian Hu, who was thousands of miles away, was actively uniting Zonglianheng and some of the original Wu Dynasty clans. The tentacles extend to the northwest area. They also tried to maintain trade routes, and even opened up connections with Xixia and Tubo. It can be seen that all of this is preparation for facing the Jurchens in the future. Looking at their methods and the conflicts that began to arise between the two sides, Ning Yi seemed to be able to see the figure of a woman on Tian Hu's side.
Even under ideal conditions - even if Xixia has not reached out to the northwest for the time being - it is difficult enough for Wuruiying to open up this area of commerce. At this time, the chaos of the demons has entered an almost impossible state. On the Xixia side, in April, Li Qianshun had already heard the names of the regicides from Wuruiying. He sent an envoy to ask for Xiaocanghe's submission. At this time, he was heading towards the mountains where Xiaocanghe was located. Prepare to tell Xiaocanghe's future fate: either surrender or destruction.
The Xixia army of one hundred thousand came to pacify the northwest. Now that it has entered their field of vision, if they do not surrender, there will be a war in the future.
Our story begins here again, plunged into this summer time. This is a calm, dull summer that is difficult to survive without mutual help...
I was originally going to post it last night, but I revised it today before I dared to post it. This is the end of the review-style advancement of the second half. Next, we enter the plot^_^
Happy New Year everyone.
(End of this chapter)