Chapter 133 Recruiting
On the official road, teams escorting prisoners can be seen everywhere. Zheng Fan is riding a horse, with Siniang and A Ming beside him.
Jingnan Marquis indeed regarded Zheng Fan as one of his own. Even the funeral affairs of his family were left to Zheng Fan to handle. Zheng Fan spent a lot of time to put these things in order.
Siniang and A Ming accompanied Zheng Fan to the capital this time, but because Zheng Fan was riding in the Marquis of Jingnan's carriage when they set off, they followed him from a distance.
After Zheng Fan experienced the extremely exciting Twelve Hours of Yanjing,
A Ming and Siniang were recruited by Zheng Fan to go to the farm to help collect the corpses.
Although I did not personally participate in the purge of the clan, I could probably see clearly from the queues of prisoners on the official road that this purge took only ten days and a half. How big is the scale?
The people being escorted are basically young and middle-aged men. Even if they are a little older, there is no problem in being sent to the front line to become civilian husbands.
The Emperor Yan wanted to clean up the Great Yan clan, but he did not massacre them all. Of course, the top clan clan must be resolutely wiped out physically, but there are so many great Yan clan families that these were forcibly The prisoners labeled as "criminals" will move towards Yinlang County in the south under the will of Emperor Yan.
There,
It will be the front line of Yan's offensive,
and war will indeed consume a lot of materials, money, and food,
but the most direct consumable in war is human life!
Zheng Fan didn't know whether it was the same scene when Qin Shihuang recruited prisoners and civilian husbands, but when he saw it with his own eyes, he was still shocked by the scenes on the official road.
The army upheld the monarch’s will and began to wield their blades,
The entire Yan Kingdom began to carry out the most brutal and direct war mobilization under the order of Emperor Yan.
The huge land owned by the clans was naturally confiscated. The huge group of hidden households that originally belonged to the clans but not the country were re-enumerated by the imperial court. Most of them will continue to cultivate the original land. It's just that the main family has changed from the original family to a country.
In ancient times, the centralization process was a tug-of-war between the central and local governments competing for "land" and "population."
In the historical process that Zheng Fan is familiar with, it seems that every ancient dynasty that has created glory has centralized power before creating glory, so that it can concentrate its efforts on big things.
However, when passing by these prisoners, Zheng Fan could clearly feel the hostility of these prisoners.
The noble disciples who were originally aloof and aloof have now become prisoners.
In the political system of Dayan for hundreds of years, the Ji family and the aristocratic family have always ruled the world together. The children of these aristocratic families are, strictly speaking, the masters of the country of Dayan.
In fact, the balance between imperial power and aristocratic families has never been broken.
The imperial power was further shrunk because the late emperor succeeded to the throne with the support of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, and because of the late emperor's arrogant and luxurious enjoyment when he was in power. In fact, the noble families have never relaxed their guard against the expansion of imperial power.
But no matter how careful you are, no matter how scheming you are, they are no match for two words: naivety.
Emperor Yan naively believed that Faxiao, who had fought with him for chicken legs when he was a child, would not rebel when he was surrounded by a large number of troops, and accepted everything from Zhenbeihou;
Zhenbeihou naively believed that Emperor Yan was not testing him, He handed over the three hundred thousand Zhenbei Army to his majesty, and even worked as a plow himself, willingly plowing up the nobles who had existed in the land of Dayan for hundreds of years with the infamy on his back.
Jingnan Hou Tianzhen joined the fight between Zhenbei Hou and Yan Huang, and did not hesitate to massacre his entire family first to show his break with the past.
The emperor's suspicion and the boundaries between monarch and minister seemed not to be reflected in the three of them at all. The three naive guys worked together to turn this big Yan upside down.
Three heroes emerge from one generation, and these three heroes still stand together.
When the cavalry of the Zhenbei Army and the Jingnan Army came rolling in behind Emperor Yan that day,
the officials and nobles all felt a "thump" in their hearts at the same time,
They understood,
br>
The sky in Dayan has
changed!
It was like overnight, their wealth, status, and dignity were completely deprived of them. They were sent to the front line of southern Xinjiang by Emperor Yan to take up arms and atone for the "sins" they had suddenly committed. , fighting for the "freedom" that he originally had but lost overnight.
In Zheng Fan's opinion, they look very much like the barbarians under his command. The barbarians under Zheng Fan are from the criminal tribe, and their relatives are controlled by the big tribe, and they, They became cannon fodder and consumables for large tribes in battle.
The same goes for these prisoners. Their families are controlled in their place of origin or in the capital, waiting for them to exchange their military exploits for freedom.
From a chicken to a sparrow, then from a sparrow to an eagle, suddenly, it changes back to a chicken, and it is time to continue working hard to become a sparrow.
“The scale is huge.” A Ming said with emotion.
Zheng Fan looked at A Ming and nodded.
Although A Ming is a vampire, he is not very old, at least not that exaggeratedly old, and cannot be compared with Liang Cheng.
Zheng Fan knew better that Dayan was being boiled by three dreamers.
It is equivalent to Stud taking everything into account. If the next attack fails to achieve great results and the external development fails to achieve great success, this boiling water will most likely burn our own people.
This is a gamble,
Those three are gambling on the fate of the country.
Finally,
Zheng Fan and the other three stopped,
Nan Wangcheng arrived.
...
After the Jingnan Army withdrew from Nanwang City, Xu Wenzu finally experienced the feeling of being a commander-in-chief.
But before he could breathe the free and fresh air for long, the news from the capital scared him to the core.
Good guy, more than 300 kilograms of fat were piled directly on the ground. The followers around him took a lot of effort to help him up.
Immediately afterwards, the Marquis of Jingnan, who had returned with the evil spirit of slaughtering his entire family, issued an order, and the aristocratic families in Yinlang County were trampled by the iron hoofs of the Jingnan Army.
However, this is because a group of people were cleared earlier due to the assassination by the General Military Mansion. In addition, Yinlang County itself was the battlefield of the Qian Kingdom’s Northern Expedition a hundred years ago, so the climate here is not as rich as other places in Dayan. This second round of liquidation did not take much time.
Subsequently,
all materials from the imperial court began to be transported to Yinlang County, to the Jingnan Army, and to Nanwang City. The terrifying wealth accumulated by the family members for hundreds of years was confiscated by the imperial court. After that, he was immediately transported to the "war zone" by Emperor Yan.
This is a battle for the national destiny of Dayan!
After entering Nanwang City, Zheng Fan went straight to the General Military Mansion.
After receiving the notice from his servant, Xu Wenzu immediately came to the living room to see Zheng Fan.
Zheng Fan was drinking tea.
Looking at Xu Wenzu,
"Pfft..."
The tea overflowed directly from the corner of his mouth.
"Brother Zheng, Brother Zheng?"
Zheng Fan raised his hand to indicate that he was fine. In ancient times, there was no napkin here, so he could only wipe his mouth with his sleeve.
It’s Xu Wenzu’s current look that really catches people off guard.
It can be seen that Xu Wenzu is very tired, but he is not so tired that he loses his appearance, but is even more puffy and fat. Especially after the bags under his eyes are pulled down, he looks like a strong cartoon.
As for Xu Wenzu calling himself "Brother Zheng", Zheng Fan was not too alarmed. The sixth prince no longer called himself "lone" in front of him. It was normal for Xu Wenzu not to call himself "my official" anymore.
Zheng Shoubei also found it interesting that he had been pulling on the tiger skin of Marquis Zhenbei, but in the end it was Marquis Jingnan's coat that he actually wore.
But no matter what, after tossing and tossing, I finally managed to look like a human being, and I no longer have to grovel as frequently as before.
"Brother Zheng, come."
Xu Wenzu personally led Zheng Fan to his study room. Zheng Fan had been here last time.
In Xu Wenzu’s yard, there were people coming and going. Everyone was very busy, and it was no longer as deserted as last time.
After entering the study, Xu Wenzu closed the study door, walked to the Taishi's chair, and collapsed directly.
Zheng Fan had only heard that "women are made of water" before.
Now,
he has witnessed that as long as you are fat enough, you can also become made of water. of.
After Xu Wenzu collapsed and sat down, there were several waves rolling from his belly to his chin, and he could not calm down for a long time.
"Brother Zheng, I have lost weight because of exhaustion..."
"Yes."
Zheng Fan does know that work that consumes too much energy like staying up late can easily make people tired. The body is puffy and fat.
“Oh, this is the first time I have been this tired after being an official for half my life.”
“It is not easy for adults to work hard for the country.”
"Let's not talk nonsense. Brother, I just want to take a breather by talking to you. You don't know how many government orders my military commander has to issue in a day, you bastard!"
Massive supplies and prisoners were escorted to Yinlang County in wave after wave. Everything needed to be handled by Xu Wenzu, the commander-in-chief of Nanwang City.
I don’t know whether it’s because I’m worried that someone will hinder me or something else, but the vacancy of the prefect of Nanwang City has never been filled.
But from what Zheng Fan saw along the way into Nanwang City, although the city seemed a bit bloated, it could be said to be in good order.
This is enough to reflect Xu Wenzu's ability. Perhaps the reason why the court transferred him here was because of his ability to handle complicated work.
Xu Pangpang did live up to the court's expectations.
Perhaps, life is like this;
Zheng Fan still remembers that when he was in Hutou City, Xu Wenzu was still discussing with himself what he should do after the Zhenbei Army rebelled. Dedicate the city.
At that time, most of Xu Wenzu’s energy was actually focused on political struggles and standing in line. In short, he was more like a bureaucrat than an official. But now, although he is tired, he can It felt like he was still in good spirits.
You don’t have to think about intrigues, you can just focus on doing things down-to-earth, which is also a kind of enjoyment.
"I already know about the matter in the capital, hahahahaha..."
Xu Wenzu laughed.
The two people who were thinking about the plan of the Hou Mansion below did not expect that in the end, their Hou Ye and Emperor Yan were wearing the same pants. This was the most dreamy result, but at the same time, it was also the best result. .
Dayan does not have to face terrible internal strife and civil war. Instead, it can mobilize all its forces to carry out the largest and most expensive external development in a century.
"Sir, Xiaguan has just returned from the capital and has not returned to the fort yet. I came here to see you first."
Xu Wenzu pointed at Zheng Fan, and he naturally guessed Zheng Fan's purpose.
"Don't worry, I'll keep it for you. We are our true people."
Zheng Fan nodded, although he didn't understand why he had become the lackey of the Jingnan Marquis. You and Xu Wenzu are on your own terms, but if Shangfeng takes the initiative to establish a relationship with you, you will never ruin the atmosphere foolishly.
"Although the Huo family in Huwei County is a family with a century-old tradition, this family has a strong tradition of martial arts. All the children of the Huo family are martial arts disciples.
Brother, I didn't treat them like that. I broke them up and didn’t assign them to them. They just stayed here, just for you.”
The prisoners were escorted over, and naturally not all of them were used as civilian husbands. They were actually more equivalent to reserve troops, or they were enriched into local troops.
The Jingnan Army has its own 50,000 rear camp reserves, and as elite as the Jingnan Army, blind expansion can only lead to a decline in its combat power, so the Jingnan Army did not absorb many prisoners. , and it was turned to the military stations of the forts and villages in Yinlang County to absorb them.
Anyway, local security forces are used as cannon fodder most of the time. Let’s see if they can make gold.
Let’s take a guess with some dark thoughts. Isn’t it because the imperial court escorted the criminals from the wealthy families to fight on the front line to deliberately consume them?
If they don’t die and stay in the country, they will be a hidden danger.
"How many people are there in the Huo family?"
"More than seven hundred people."
According to tradition, there is a high probability that the prisoners of these families will be broken up and distributed to the refugees in one place. During the placement, we will also pay attention to spreading them out, let alone members of the same family.
But fighting or not breaks up actually has advantages and disadvantages. If you can't suppress them, these people will gather together to resist you, and even one of them may even stay behind if you don't make others feel happy. He no longer has his family members, and it is also possible to defect directly to the enemy country.
But if you can suppress them and tame them, it will be difficult for the seven hundred and one family members to collapse and run away after being thrown into the battlefield, and their resilience will be greater.
"Okay, I want it, armor, ordnance, food and grass, these..."
"Don't worry!"
Xu Wenzu stretched out his hand to signal Zheng Fan to pull him up, and said at the same time:
< br>"below If people say I am biased, I am biased. Anyway, I am fat and thick-skinned, hehe. "
In fact, Zheng Fan's Cuiliu Fort is not short of food, grass, weapons, armor, and war horses. But this thing, Anyway, the more the merrier.
"Thank you, sir."
"Hey, hey, don't show up, but don't show up. I'm betting on you. You must give me a voice. Seeing the war. It's about to start. To be honest, brother, I have no choice but to go into battle!"
"..." Zheng Fan.
The image of Xu Pangpang charging on a war horse appeared in Zheng Fan's mind.
Then a group of people hid behind Xu Wenzu to avoid arrows while charging...
Or, during the city defense battle, Xu Wenzu was directly used as a sandbag and thrown behind the city gate to resist the enemy's attack...
Of course, these situations will basically never happen. If the Dayan army really arrives at the company To the point where even Pangpang has to charge, the country is really not far away from being destroyed.
Xu Wenzu will definitely be there when he goes to the battlefield. He is the commander-in-chief and it is impossible not to lead the army. But what he is doing now is to build his own direct lineage based on his relationship with Zheng Fan.
If Xu Wenzu knew that the Shatuo stone that smashed his carriage was now lying in Cuiliu Fort, he would probably...
"Xiaoguan, I will live up to your high expectations." ! ”
Zheng Fan really doesn't mind saluting loudly and sincerely when someone gives you such a big face and such great benefits.
…………
After leaving the General Military Mansion, Zheng Fan came to a school ground in the city under the leadership of a close lieutenant sent by Xu Wenzu.
The school grounds were crowded with people, and there were many prisoners guarded inside. Some of the prisoners were shackled, but most of them were not restricted. They were just enclosed in various areas.
On the outside of the school grounds, there are soldiers armed with crossbows on guard.
Inside, there were many military chiefs and secretaries walking back and forth.
A Ming, who was following Zheng Fan, whispered to Zheng Fan:
"It looks like a livestock market."
"Yes." Zheng Fan nodded. agree.
“My lord, if this battle does not go smoothly, then there will be big problems in the Yan country.”
"Yeah."
Zheng Fan also felt it. Before, he expressed admiration for the great courage of Emperor Yan and the two princes, but now, he truly felt this great courage. There are signs of volcanic eruptions underneath.
Maybe, there was only one Zheng Fan in the Yan Kingdom before, but now, Emperor Yan has personally created countless Zheng Fans.
If there is a problem in the war against Qian, and at the same time something happens to one of the three Yanhuangs, then these people with revenge and anger in their hearts...
You know, in this world, Most of the elites carry the label of being a powerful person.
If one fails, it will be a new round of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.
"Master Zheng, the Huo family is over here."
The school captain assigned by Xu Wenzu led Zheng Fan to a fence.
Behind the fence, there is a group of people sitting, and you can clearly see the order that comes with them.
At this time, a person in the crowd stood up and walked over on his own initiative. His eyes fell on the captain, and finally, on Zheng Fan.
He shouted in a very unruly tone:
"Oh, who wants to buy us back!"
"Presumptuous!"
The school captain immediately scolded.
Zheng Fan did not bother to get angry at the other party's unruly attitude. First of all, he believed that no matter how unruly the group was, it would not have big problems after being handed over to Liang Cheng and Blind Bei for reform.
Secondly, Zheng Fan's attention was attracted by the fence next door, just like when he first noticed him at the funeral of the former commander-in-chief Xiao Dahai.
The other person was leaning there, seemingly in a daze.
Zheng Fan didn't pay attention to the Huo family's prickly head. Instead, he walked to the fence on that side, stretched out his hand and knocked,
"Brother Zuo?"
That one After hearing this call, the person's body trembled first, and then he turned his head and looked at Zheng Fan.
His hands immediately grabbed the fence with excitement,
and shouted to Zheng Fan:
"Brother Zheng, no, no, no, Mr. Zheng, Mr. Zheng, you can do it, you can do it." Okay, take me, take me!" (End of Chapter)