Chapter 283 Core Area
The Spring Festival in the fourth year of Yongjia (310) was as lively as ever.
It is true that last year we suffered an unprecedented drought. Although a crop of wheat was harvested in May, the losses were still considerable.
But the miserable life needs to be numbed by festive carnival, so this year is still very good.
On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Shao Xun entertained relatives at home.
The territory is huge and it is very dangerous if you don’t have people to control it. Therefore, as long as the abilities of relatives are not too bad, they will generally use them.
My uncle Liu Shan is now the owner of Yushan Wuwu and also serves as the military commander of Yangzhai County.
As a place that had been harmed by Wang Mi, the population of Yangcheng and Yangzhai counties was greatly reduced. Many nobles were killed and many escaped. Now they are in the hands of Shao Xun.
The student soldiers he trained not only enriched the grassroots officials in Liang and Yiyang counties in large numbers, but also mainly went to Yangzhai, Yangcheng and Luyang counties.
These five counties are also the focus of his business at this stage.
There are no aristocratic families, or even if there are, they have been kept submissive. For example, brothers Du Dan and Du Yin of Yiyang, and the Chu family of Yangzhai have little strength.
His private manors and forts are spread across the five counties, making Shao Xun the largest manor owner in the five counties.
Following Liang and Luyang counties, Yangzhai County established a new First Defense Fubing last year, bringing the number of Fubing households to 2,700 (on paper).
A large number of military family members are distributed in this area and some counties and villages in Xiangcheng, and the number of local people who support him is increasing year by year.
In short, these five counties are his basic base, and his control is relatively deep.
"My uncle went north to Shenyuan Pass last year. How did it feel?" Shao Xun poured him a bowl of tea with his own hands and asked.
Cousins Liu Fang and Liu Bin sat aside respectfully and listened silently.
Both of them are older than Shao Xun. They used to be soldiers in Xuzhou Shibing. One is a commander and the other is a corps commander. It is not that they have never experienced battles. But the grand scene of the battle between Jin and Hungary was not comparable to the small fights when Xuzhou wiped out Feng Yun and Shi Bing's rebellious army.
The two of them usually assist their father in managing and training Yushanwu Fort. They found that the combat effectiveness of these people was no worse than that of Xuzhou Shibing. At first they thought it was strange, but this time they finally understood: some bad battles , no matter how many fights you fight, it won't improve your combat effectiveness much. If you really want to improve it, you'd better experience more serious battles.
"The Huns are more powerful in the cavalry, and the nephew is more powerful in the infantry. When they are facing each other, they are still at a disadvantage." Liu Shan was a team leader after all, and his words were to the point.
The nephew did break through the siege of the Huns cavalry and successfully arrived in Luoyang. But in the final analysis of this battle, the Huns were attacking and the Jin army was defending.
The Huns can run away if they are defeated, but you can only die if you are defeated. This is the biggest difference.
"Uncle is indeed proficient in the art of battlefield conquest." Shao Xun praised.
“I’ve seen a lot.” Liu Shan shook his head, which seemed to bring back some memories of his youth.
At the end, he said: "Xiao Chong, the Shao and Liu families have been operating for many generations, but they have not made much achievements. In the end, it was you who opened up the situation. It is not easy to have the foundation we have today. I didn't say anything, uncle It’s all up to you. If any of the seniors and juniors in the clan are dissatisfied, I’ll tell them. You just have to run this business well.”
“But now we need help from our relatives.” Xun said: "My uncle must have noticed that this world is still dominated by the gentry. It is as difficult for ordinary people to take a step forward as to reach the sky."
"My uncle may have heard of Gou Xi. Gou Dao will control Qingzhou He had strict punishments and kept thousands of maids and dozens of concubines, and indulged himself in pleasure. As a result, he was despised by the scholars. As a result, it was difficult to move forward in Qingzhou, and he could not raise enough money and food to raise an army. It was difficult to kill a few people to establish his authority. , and was said to be cruel and murderous. At this time, the relationship between the Qingzhou nobles and Gou Xi was already very tense. If someone attacked, he would suffer a big loss."
"Actually, Gou Xi. What he did was done by many nobles, even more excessively than him. But when a scholar kept a concubine, it was called "celebrities' concubine", and Gou Xi's keeping of a concubine was called "extravagant and licentious". Cover him up, say good things for him, brag for him. This world is too unfriendly to ordinary people."
"I am better than Gou Xi, but I have also offended many scholars and been criticized by many scholars. People look down on me. There are countless people who want to kill me, and even more people want to see my jokes. But these people are still confident, because if I want to use them and win over them, the news will come out immediately. If I kill them because I am a lustful ghost, my reputation will be even worse."
Shao Xun said a lot, and Liu Shan frowned. But I have to admit that what my nephew said makes some sense.
To put it bluntly, if a scholar can do the same thing, you may not be able to do it.
"So -" Shao Xun changed the topic and said: "I need a rear area that fully supports me, and a group of people who will support me no matter what. Gou Xi falls short in this aspect."
"Xiao Chong, you mean Liang County..." Liu Shan asked.
“It’s not just Liang County.” Shao Xun nodded and said, “In fact, it’s all in Liang, Luyang, Yiyang, Yangcheng, and Yangzhai counties. I’m in these counties. I have worked hard to acquire a lot of land and people from the scholars and powerful people, but now their strength is very weak. The three counties of Jiacheng, Xiangcheng and Fucheng are the areas I am working on and transforming. In the rear, we need the help of our relatives. "
"In the direction of Yangzhai, Yangcheng, Sheyuan Pass, and Taigu Pass, I plan to leave it to my uncle to take care of the local government affairs alone. Wubao is enough. In addition to Yushan Wudao, we can build Wubao in the direction of Yangguanju. We will use the old earth city to build two Wubao on the left and right. The fourth battalion of the Qingzhou Tuntian Army will be stationed in Yangcheng until after the summer harvest. So they were scattered and resettled into Wu people, one person per household. "Everything in Yushan Wu, Yangguan Zuowu, and Yangguan Youwu was decided by my uncle." ."
After listening, Liu Shan was not happy about how many people and soldiers he could control. On the contrary, my heart is heavy.
My nephew has entrusted him with all the military affairs along the way.
If there are thieves at Taigu and Shenyuan Pass, he will lead the militiamen of three Wubao to go north to resist them. Even at a critical moment, it may be necessary to seize Guancheng and block the enemy's way south.
"Okay." After taking a long breath, Liu Shan responded: "Don't worry, nephew. These two counties and two passes cannot change the world."
The county magistrate and county officials are responsible for the government affairs. He only needs to organize the production of the three forts, train the young men during the slack season, and guard the checkpoints during the war.
With the presence of tens of thousands of people in these three forts, it is impossible for Yangcheng and Yangzhai counties to betray. After talking with his uncle, Shao Xun found an opportunity to talk with his eldest nephew Shao Shen and his third brother Shao Fan.
"After the Spring Society Festival, you go to Gancheng." Shao Xun looked at his eldest nephew and said: "Hongnong has a group of soldiers and civilians who have withdrawn, less than 4,000 households, men and women. There are about 20,000 people, old and young, using Gancheng as a fortress and farming nearby. Aren't you surrounded by dozens of people who claim to be very skilled and brave? I will give you 500 more people. It's the Jinguyuan and Shaoyuan tribes that you have practiced before. You organize yourself into an army and take charge of these Hongnong people."
"Drill during the off-season, and I will distribute some of the captured equipment. , you make do with it. If there is a war, immediately use Gancheng as a screen and wait for reinforcements. At the same time, allocate some people to seize Yique Pass and control this thoroughfare. If you really can't hold on, you can withdraw all of them. Queguan cannot be withdrawn. Do you understand?”
“I understand.” Shao Shen agreed with some excitement.
Second uncle is letting him take charge of his own business.
"There are many people in Ganchengwu who are the family members of Zhongwu Army officers and soldiers. You restrain your men and don't let them mess around." Shao Xun also asked: "Don't let them move away at will."
"Got it." Shao Shen was not stupid and he understood it as soon as he thought about it.
The governor of the Zhongwu Army is Yuan Yan, and its core force is the former Hongnong County soldiers. Although most of these county soldiers were from the second uncle's old army, who knows if they were won over by Yuan Yan. Controlling their families was more important than anything else.
Shao Shen usually makes noises and sounds reckless and fierce, but he actually understands very well.
Second uncle had just talked with the Liu family for a long time, and it seemed that they also had a task entrusted to them.
After this, it is obvious that we need to stabilize the rear...
"Second uncle, are you going to move to Chen County instead of back to Liang County?" Shao Shen was a little worried. asked.
Shao Xun glanced at him in surprise and said, "I'm going there for a while to do some business and then come back."
"How long will it take?"
"If nothing happens in the west, most of the time will be spent there in the next few years. Why, you want to go too?" Shao Xun asked.
"No...I don't want to go." Shao Shen quickly replied.
Are you kidding? Without his second uncle, it was a happy time to let the birds fly, and he didn't want to be controlled by others.
Shao Xun gave him a treat and said: "You must not fall behind in your homework and martial arts. If I come back, I will definitely check."
"Yes." Shao Shen replied honestly.
Shao Xun nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Shao Fan and said: "Third brother, I will go to Chen County with me after the year. In this troubled time, each of you will have to stand up for me. I have reached this point today. , there are some things you must experience."
"Okay." Shao Fan didn't say much and nodded calmly.
In these years, his energy has been mainly focused on the management of Luoyang Sanyuan, which is generally pretty good.
After Luoyang Sanyuan retreated to the south, he continued to manage more than 3,700 households in Caiguanzhuang Nanyuan. He had enough experience.
Next, he also needs to hone his ability to deal with local nobles and powerful people.
But his personality is too introverted and too shy, which is a bit of a headache.
Shao Xun plans to give it one last try to see if this younger brother can get through it. As long as the talent reaches the middle level, Chen Jun will have someone available.
Of course, Shao Xun also has some relatives, most of whom are from the Shao clan, and there are still dozens of them.
If there are some talents among these people, it will really help him a lot.
He has a very clear plan for the future.
To put it simply, you can eat as much as your appetite.
The number of relatives and student soldier cadres is limited, and they will be used first in the five counties currently under control and the seven counties in Xiangcheng County that are slowly being digested.
This area is the core area of his rule. In the future, there will be a large number of government troops and a land equalization system will be gradually implemented. It is also the place where the families of officials and sergeants live, and it cannot be handed over to outsiders.
After all twelve counties are digested, various opportunities will be used to expand outward.
At that time, the number of student cadres will be increasing. The first group of people have also been rotating in county officials, Wubao, and Houfu for many years. Their experience and abilities have improved, and they can go to higher levels. position.
To put it bluntly, you still have to eat as much food as you have an appetite.
To rule a place, you need officials to execute your will.
Talent is always the core.
(End of this chapter)