Chapter 766 Cross-Strait
In the third month of the lunar calendar, the pasture has just turned green.
In the Nanshan Mountains, the people have finished their spring plowing and are preparing to graze cattle, sheep and horses.
The wind in the mountains is a bit cold. After the migrating birds have had enough rest, they flutter their wings and fly north, passing over the boundless land.
Nanshan, commonly known as "Beishan" by Guanzhong people, runs from east to west, as if inlaying an edge on the southern edge of Henan, which is spectacular.
Both sides of Nanshan Mountain and even the basins and river valleys in the mountains have always been areas where agriculture and animal husbandry intersect.
Some people farm, some graze, and some are involved in farming and animal husbandry.
Some people live a very prosperous life, almost as fertile as the Central Plains.
But most of them have a very difficult life. The harvest from one acre of cultivated land is only a little over a hundred kilograms (about fifty kilograms in modern times). After deducting the seeds, the income is extremely limited. Therefore, it is necessary to convert the hillside grassland that is not suitable for farming. Take advantage and increase your income.
To the north of Nanshan and to the west of the Yellow River, there is a large area of hills and river valleys, which is a rare and good agricultural area.
Whether a piece of land is good or not depends not only on the soil, but also on the climate.
When Guanzhong suffered from drought for many years, although Shangjun suffered from drought, the disaster was actually not as serious as Guanzhong.
There has been enough rain in recent years, and the pastures have grown vigorously, making the land more vibrant.
After Shi Le arrived, the agricultural quality here greatly increased.
The clear sound of horse hooves sounded, and in the spring breeze, Shi Le came to the river bank.
The soldiers unsaddled the horse, loosened its girdle, and led it to collect its sweat.
Shi Leze came to the river, picked up the cold river water, and washed his face.
Spring has not come long and the river is freezing cold. Shi Le couldn't help but shudder and then laughed at himself: "I'm old."
The name of this river is Papaya River. As the name suggests, there are everywhere on the nearby mountains. Papaya (Bernata).
In the pre-Qin Dynasty, there was a saying that "give me papaya and give me Qiongju in return", among which "papaya" is this thing.
After washing his face, Shi Le climbed up to a high slope, overlooking the farmland in the valley, and praised: "A good place."
"It's a pity that there are too few." Zhang Jing looked around and sighed: " Among the continuous mountains, only the valley is the flattest. The Papaya Plain only has more than 300 hectares of land, which can only be used as land for a thousand families. "
This large area is large enough, but Suitable areas for farming are limited and fragmented.
For example, the place in front of us called "Papaya Plain" has only opened up 300 hectares of fields. Perhaps there is still some potential to be tapped, but if it lasts until it dies, it will double to 600 hectares, and that’s the end of it.
It is incomparable to the endless plains in Hebei.
In this way, the population is actually relatively scattered.
Build a stronghold in this mountain basin and house hundreds of families; build a fort in that valley plain and house more than a thousand households. The people were scattered among the rolling mountains hundreds of miles north and south.
Grazing is much more convenient than farming.
This is said to be a mountainous area, but in fact there are no particularly high hills, and gentle slopes can be seen everywhere. After the rain, the grass grows wildly, making it a good place for grazing.
To survive better here, it is inevitable to develop both farming and animal husbandry. Pure farming or pure grazing are both too fragile.
"Don't be anxious." Shi Le glanced at Zhang Jing and smiled: "This place is not good in every way, but there is one good thing. The people are poor and strong and good at fighting. You have also seen the hundreds of soldiers I have newly recruited. How about it? ?”
“Simple, brutal, and brave,” Zhang Jing said with a bitter smile.
It is precisely because these villages and tribes are so barbaric that they sometimes do not give him face, and he has been humiliated several times.
Fortunately, the leader still submits to the court. If you are not polite, you are not polite. Just be obedient.
Shi Le has moved to the other side of the hillside.
There are many "holes" dug here, or "cellars" to be more precise.
Cellars are used to store grain. This is a local custom and has been this way since ancient times.
A single grain cellar is not large. The small ones can store several thousand dendrobiums of grain, while the large ones can store 30,000 to 40,000 hu of grain. The average is more than 20,000 hu of grain.
Seven grain cellars have been dug here, which can store a total of 160,000 dendrobiums of grain. However, only a little more than half of them are currently stored, which is relatively empty.
There are green trees and grass slopes outside the valley cellar, which cannot be seen from a distance.
In fact, most of the valley cellars are relatively hidden and can only be found with the guidance of local people.
The customs here are indeed very different from those in the Central Plains.
"From now on, these grain cellars will be the capital to fight against the Shao thieves." Shi Le climbed to the top of the grain cellar, grabbed a handful of grass sprouts that had just sprouted, and said.
Zhang Jing’s face didn’t look very good.
How can this place compare with Yecheng? But the matter has come to this, and it is useless to sigh.
“Ming Gong is here.” Diao Ying, Cao Pingle and others came over and said with a smile.
“The beautiful mountains and rivers are so majestic!” After climbing up and looking far into the distance, his unruly scholarly habits kicked in and he laughed.
Cao Pingle looked at him like a fool, then shook his head, minding his own thoughts.
"Ming Gong, the three hundred and twenty-two new families have been settled. In the next few days, spring plowing will be carried out. Mr. Liu has sent seeds, farm tools, and more than a hundred cattle. Plow horse." Diao Ying sat down and said.
“How many papayas are there in the original place?” Shi Le asked.
"Nearly 1,100 families, most of them are our own people." Diao Ying said: "The newly arrived Di Qiang can also farm, so it won't hinder anything."
The new Di Qiang are Wu All people. Last year, Shao Xun was doing disaster relief, and the Huns were not idle. Liu Can sent people to attack the three counties of Wudu, Longxi and Yinping, and finally captured all of Longxi County. In Wudu, they defeated the Di leader Yang Nandi and Yang Jiantou, who called themselves the wise kings of the left and right. The two leaders surrendered, and the two counties were defeated. put down.
Liu Can named Yang Duryodhana the "King of Wudu" and left a force of troops to guard Wudu City. The army returned with prisoners and trophies.
The Di people who were moved to Shangjun were the spoils of war during the conquest of Wudu.
A lot of things happened in Qinzhou in the past year, but it was difficult for them to spread to the east.
Sima Bao is dead.
Zhang Chun and others were attacked and killed by Chen An, who had surrendered to Liu Han, and Sima Bao was subsequently killed.
Civil strife broke out in Liangzhou and Zhang Shi was killed. The news that came was very confusing. Shi Le and others did not know the details. They only knew that Zhang Shi was dead, but the new ones were the Zhang family.
However, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the prestige of the Zhang family is weakened from generation to generation. The newcomer's control is definitely not as good as Zhang Shi's, let alone Zhang Gui's.
It is impossible for Liangzhou to mobilize troops unless others take the initiative to attack.
"How is the emperor?" Shi Le was silent for a while and then asked.
"I'm extremely ill and can't get out of bed anymore. I'm afraid I won't be long." Diao Ying said.
Shi Le breathed out.
Whether the emperor dies or not actually does not affect the overall situation. Gein's power has long been transferred to the hands of the prince.
The fourteen counties of Kansai were captured by the prince with one sword and one shot, and had nothing to do with the emperor.
As early as the moment when the emperor lost Pingyang and defeated Pujin Pass, the Han Dynasty had already entered the Liu Can era.
His position as Shuofang Prefect was also awarded by the Prince of the Supervisory State. Theoretically speaking, he belongs to the prince, although the prince has no good intentions.
“Don’t think so much. Baitu County, Papaya Plain, Qibao Mountain and other places are my foundation. The harvest per mu of land reclaimed last year was too small, and it may not be much this year. After next year, The imperial court will not give us any more money. We have to rely on ourselves." Shi Le stood up, clapped his hands and said, "Go and meet the leaders."
The group left quickly. Papaya River disappears into the mountains.
******
On the hills on the east bank of the river, flags are everywhere, and the sound of drums and horns is endless.
Suddenly, a red flag hung on the top of the mountain, followed by drum horns that became more and more agitated.
In an instant, more than three thousand people rushed down from the mountain.
Archers, sword and shield bearers, spearmen and large groups of soldiers armed with blunt weapons such as wooden poles and long Ke axes cooperated with each other, fast or slow, fighting with thousands of other people arrayed at the foot of the mountain. Tuan - of course, only when ordered, not really fighting.
“It was a little chaotic at the beginning, and even more chaotic later on.” Shao Xun commented and said: “There should be some Shile veterans in the Yellow Head Army, right?”
The ones who came with the car Chen Yougen, the left Sima of the shogunate, looked at it and said: "The art of killing has deteriorated. I stay with the new soldiers all day long, and the more I fight, the worse I get."
After speaking, he smiled and said: "It's the same as when I traveled all over the country. , hundreds of brothers, all relying on blood and courage, without any rules, can fight against soldiers who cannot fight, but if they meet veterans who have fought for many years, no matter how brave they are, it is useless. His courage is not bad either.”
Being able to say these words, Chen Yougen’s level is indeed higher than it was more than ten years ago.
However, when such a daring and courageous unit encounters the corrupted soldiers in the last years of the dynasty, it is still possible to win with their outlaw-like fighting style.
After fighting a few battles that you don't even know how to win, you can quickly recruit captured regular troops and strengthen your studies. Over time, you will definitely improve.
"You still have to practice." Shao Xun's eyes turned to another hilltop, where thousands of soldiers were learning how to plant a hedgehog to stabilize the camp.
This is the meaning of military training.
The yellow-headed soldiers are passionate and loyal to him. If they can't temper themselves, it would be a pity to go to the battlefield rashly and die.
Shao Xun turned around, glanced past the soldiers who were practicing making siege equipment and building temporary pontoons on the bank of the Yellow River, and looked towards the other side.
It is early April, and the hills on the other side are covered with green grass.
The white clouds are so low that when viewed from a distance, they almost stick to the top of the mountain.
Amidst the interlacing green and white, horses, cattle and sheep roamed, and from time to time, the singing of shepherds could be heard.
There are also vigilant eyes staring at this side in the mountains.
Behind the mountain forest on the other side, there seems to be an earthen castle, vaguely visible.
The Loess Plateau is generally dry, but there are places with abundant rivers, such as Papaya Plain.
First of all, this is an area with relatively abundant precipitation along the Yellow River.
Secondly, there are many rivers flowing through the four seasons.
Finally, there are many earth springs emerging from the ground, with a large amount of water, which can be used for herding horses, watering the ground, and drinking.
Here, there will be a famous name in later generations: Fugu.
"Shi Le is very courageous, he has advanced all the way here. A few dozen miles further north is the pasture of the Dugu tribe." Shao Xun said with emotion.
"Your Majesty, aren't you here too?" Chen Yougen disagreed: "How can the boundary be so clear? The shepherd has come here to graze, could it be his land? Where is the land deed? I didn't see it."< br>
Shao Xun patted Lao Chen on the shoulder and laughed: "Have a good night and cross the river to see how Shi Le's business is doing."
The water in front of us is very fast and not suitable. The army was crossing west, so the people on the other side were not too alarmed when they saw the army here. They only sent people to monitor them without taking much action.
“Let’s go meet those chiefs.” Shao Xun said again: “Look where there are opportunities.”
(End of chapter)