Chapter 311 Negotiation
The rebellion in Jingzhou spread like a prairie fire in a short period of time.
Perhaps it is because the Jin Dynasty's control has seriously declined, perhaps because there have been enough conflicts, or perhaps for other reasons. In short, the rebels are so powerful that they can attack cities and territories and are out of control.
Du Rui, the governor of Wancheng, gathered a large army and marched south from Wancheng to suppress Wang Ru.
The two sides met in Nieyang between Wancheng and Rangxian on September 20th.
Wang Ru was an officer and soldier in Jingzhao County and knew how to fight. He first sent the old, weak, sick and disabled to fight, arrogant about the enemy's ambition. Du Rui originally looked down on the refugee army, but after fighting, he gained the upper hand, and felt even more proud. He secretly thought that this was the refugee army he recognized, so the whole army covered it up.
Wang Ru sent troops to ambush on both sides of the road. When the officers and soldiers came after him, they set up an ambush and defeated Du Rui.
Hearing that Du Rui was defeated, Hou Tuo, a native of Jingzhao, led a refugee army to attack and occupy the empty Wancheng.
Feng Yi's native Yan Yi was operating at the junction of Xiangyang and Yiyang, burning, killing and looting wantonly, and the officers and soldiers could not control it.
The situation has completely collapsed.
On September 22nd, Wang Ru proclaimed himself the Great General and took charge of the two prefectures of Si and Yong.
Hou Tuo, Yan Yi and others regarded him as their master from afar and fought against the Jin Dynasty together, claiming vassal status under Liu Han.
"In other words, among the Jingxiang counties, Nanyang has completely fallen, and Shunyang has only secured the city." By the Suiyang Canal, Shao Xun put down a handful of beans, clapped his hands, and said.
Mi Zhi, who had just been appointed as Tongshisheren and was about to take office in the near future, nodded and said, "Does the prince have any strategy?"
"It's all a fool's errand made by the imperial court. Something!" Shao Xun snorted angrily.
The Silver Spear Army and the Yamen Army fought hard for two months before they wiped out the refugee armies from all over Yuzhou and prevented them from converging into a large force. Even so, the local area has still been greatly damaged, with a sharp decline in population and a large consumption of wealth. It will be difficult to recover in a short period of time.
Now that the Yamen Army has returned to Liang County, the Silver Spear Army is stationed in Yangxia and Chen County. They have rested for less than half a month and are about to go out again? You might as well tire me out!
"My father also thinks the same way." Mi Zhi sighed.
"Did Duke Mi send you here, or did Lieutenant Wang send you here?" Shao Xun asked.
“Before leaving, my father warned me repeatedly, and the Taiwei also said a lot of things.”
"A general manager bribed you?" Shao Xun was angry.
"The king always said that 'tolerance serves the country'..." Mi Zhi mustered up the courage to say.
The two are about the same age, but one is in a high position and is not angry and assertive, while the other is just under the influence of his father and has served as the king of Donghai and Tongshiren. Mi Zhi couldn't raise his head in front of Shao Xun, which was normal. This was not just a psychological suggestion for himself. He didn't have the confidence.
"What does the imperial court plan to do? Du Rui was defeated and Wancheng fell. Aren't there still mountain slips?" Shao Xun said: "Don't tell me that Jingzhou soldiers can't fight. When Liu Hong is here, rectify the troops and horses. , Conquered the east and west, quelled the chaos in Jingzhou, and captured Zhang Chang. Later, many Jingzhou soldiers were withdrawn from Yizhou. They have experienced the war. I don't believe that they can't fight. "
When Zhang Chang rebelled, there was a very good vacuum period, that is, a large number of soldiers from Xiangyang and Wancheng towns were transferred to Yizhou to quell the rebellion. Therefore, the situation was overwhelming, and it suddenly took the form of a sweeping force. Sima Xin, the governor of Jingzhou and the king of Xinye, , Yangyi, the governor of Wancheng, were defeated successively.
At the critical moment, Liu Hong picked up the defeated troops, practiced painstakingly, and slowly trained them into a fighting army, finally annihilating Zhang Chang.
How many years did Liu Hong die? Is the Jingzhou army abolished?
These are not temporary recruits, but veterans who have a lot of war experience and have been in the army for many years. Shao Xun estimated that even if he was not as capable as the Silver Spear Army under his command, it was still a strong second-tier army. But he was defeated by someone?
No, they are still there, it’s just that the commander Shan Jian is not a human being.
"Shan Dudu originally planned to send troops to conquer in person. Later, when he heard that Du Rui was defeated, he hurriedly withdrew his troops and did not dare to go out." Mi Zhi said: "He will still be in Xiangyang and fly to the court to ask for help."< br>
"Absurd!" Shao Xun laughed angrily: "After we had already sent out the army, when we suddenly heard of the defeat, we were so frightened that we retreated hastily. By avoiding the battle in this way, our morale was also destroyed. Shan Jilun is really good at leading troops."< br>
Mi Zhi also sighed, having nothing to say.
He has only led a family branch and has never commanded an army, but even so, he knows that Shan Jian's behavior is extremely harmful to morale. As the commander-in-chief, he gave the soldiers a hint: the enemy is very strong and we cannot defeat it.
"Your Majesty, the Taiwei asked me to inquire. How long will it take to lead the Silver Spear Army south to quell the rebellion? How much food will it cost?" Mi Zhi asked again.
“Does the imperial court have money and food?” Shao Xun sneered, squatting down and continuing to look at the beans.
The first batch of grains sown has begun to be harvested.
The joy of harvest enveloped everyone, and everyone truly felt hope.
The second batch of beans will be harvested in a few days. There are soybeans, adzuki beans, mung beans, black beans, and various other miscellaneous grains. Basically, you can plant whatever seeds you have, as long as you have time. Don’t worry about the harvest, just plant it all at once.
Refugees from various battalions and teams no longer even live in their crudely built adobe houses, but live in the fields with their bedding, guarding these crops that are about to be harvested with a pious gaze. food.
People who have never experienced famine cannot understand their feelings.
Shao Xun often visited the fields and talked with these refugees, and he was deeply moved by this.
It is said that he often kills his enemies, but he prefers to see the joy of harvest, just like he was carefully checking whether the beans were full.
"Your Majesty, the disaster in Jingzhou has been light this year and there is still surplus food." Mi Zhi said: "After the army goes south, the mountain governor and Wang Shijun will do their best to protect the army."
" That's fine." Shao Xun shook his head and said, "There are Wang Ru, Hou Tuo and Yan Yi between me and the king. Who will send me food?"
"Isn't that right?" Do you want to?" Mi Zhi was a little anxious.
"Let me ask you, if the Xiongnu goes south to Luoyang, who will resist it?" Shao Xun asked.
"Will the Huns definitely come?"
"Originally not necessarily, but after hearing about Wang Ru's rebellion, they will definitely come. Even if we fail to win in the end, it is still good to try our luck, in case we win Where are you?"
"This..." Mi Zhi didn't know what to say.
Indeed, after Wang Ru's rebellion, Jingzhou's corruption will definitely divert a lot of energy from the court, which is suitable for them to go south. Even if Luoyang cannot be taken, it is still good to plunder the surrounding areas.
Looting again and again weakens Luoyang's war potential. As long as you persist, you will see results one day.
"You!" Seeing Mi Zhi looking lost, Shao Xun sighed, stood up and patted his shoulder, saying, "Let's go, walk around with me."
Mi He followed behind in a daze, silently thinking about his thoughts.
"Your Majesty." Seeing Shao Xun approaching, the refugees from all the camps fell to the ground one after another.
“If you have the energy to flatter me, why not take good care of the crops.” Shao Xun scolded with a smile.
Everyone stood up one after another, and a few boldly answered: "Your Majesty is the spirit of the Taibai Star that has descended to earth. If we pay our respects, we can also get some immortal energy."
Shao Xun Shaking his head and laughing.
Sometimes he feels that this is a world of gods and ghosts. How come people at that time were so keen on these things?
He looked at the ground again and said, "Zhang Heipi has a big appetite. What else are you going to plant?"
"Grow some turnips, I heard they can still grow in winter." Zhang Heipi replied: "I have never planted them before. If they can grow, the king will send troops in winter and the horses will have fodder."
Turnips. It is a very good feed that can be eaten by humans, cattle and sheep, and horses also like to eat it.
Forage is scarce in winter, so it would be really good to have turnips to supplement.
"Keep it for yourself. It's enough if you have this heart." Shao Xun praised: "Don't plant too much. Planting both beans and turnips will waste the soil and delay next spring's plowing. But it’s hard to say whether it’s a loss or a gain, you have to know it.”
“I don’t care,” Zhang Heipi replied.
Shao Xun waved his hand and said: "It's time to go to work."
After that, he led Mi Zhi forward again.
There was a locust plague this year. Even the winter wheat could not be harvested completely, resulting in considerable losses. Therefore, most of the crops under his jurisdiction have been replanted in June, and harvests can begin in September.
Winter wheat will not be planted this year, as the main purpose is to conserve soil fertility. After next spring, we will plant millet.
The collection and resettlement of refugees is also in progress.
Up to now, more than 280 camps (more than 28,000 households) have been resettled, widely distributed in Chen, Yangxia and Wuping counties.
During the Yuzhou refugee rebellion, some fortresses, powerful and even low-level nobles were destroyed. Some people also moved south, freeing up a lot of land.
The next step is to replace the land in depth and resettle as many people as possible so that they can settle down and live and work in peace and contentment.
This is Lu Zhi’s current main job.
The credit is not only the passion and generosity that broke through on the battlefield, but also the tedious and meticulous work behind the scenes.
If you do this well, you will have continuous victories on the front line, and only then will Shao have the opportunity to show off in front of the minister.
"I heard that Guangling Duzhi gathered a batch of grain to be shipped north this year?" Shao Xun suddenly asked.
“I don’t know this.” Mi Zhi said in astonishment.
He really doesn’t know.
"Guangling was only burned with grain and grass, and all the ships were sabotaged. It was not destroyed by Qian Pu." Shao Xun said: "The shipment only started in mid-September. This batch of grain may not be delivered to Luoyang in time. . Not as good as——”
"The Lord wants to..." Mi Zhi seemed to understand, but was very shocked.
The batch of grain shipped from Guangling Duzhi came from Jiangdong counties, Xuzhou, and Qingzhou counties (transported from the south of Yishui River). After being collected in Xiapi and Pengcheng, it either passed through Honggou, The water flows into the Yellow River or directly into the Bian Canal. Taking into account the time required to collect money and grain, this batch of grain can probably be transported into the capital before the Yellow River freezes.
But what if a war breaks out? This is difficult.
"How about we stop the transportation when it reaches Junyi, and I will take care of it for the court?" Shao Xun said: "Most of what Guangling Duzhi Yamen transports is old grain. If I return the new grain next year, I will treat it as a loan. "
"Borrow?" Mi Zhi thought about the word carefully and felt something was wrong.
"Stop thinking about it, go back to Wang Yifu to discuss it." Shao Xun said: "I have always been trustworthy, and I will pay back whatever I borrow, and I will never break my promise."
"The court borrowed money Are you willing to send troops if you have enough food?" Mi Zhi asked.
"Of course." Shao Xun smiled.
This is the condition he offered.
If the court agrees, he will help quell the chaos.
If the court does not agree, he will actually send troops to quell the chaos.
Now he is just deceiving the court to see if they are willing to pay real money.
Of course, there are many smart people in the court. Maybe they are not human beings, but they are not stupid. They can probably see Shao Xun's plan.
But in the world, seeing things through without telling them is nothing more than bargaining.
Anyway, this batch of grain may not be transported to the capital in time. Instead of being plundered by the Xiongnu halfway, it is better to give it to me for safekeeping first.
The pressure on the court is unprecedentedly huge, and there is room for negotiation. It just depends on whether they are willing to cut off the flesh.
(End of this chapter)