Chapter 326 Tools
There are many soldiers and horses in Shu now.
Among them, there are more than 20,000 people stationed at Dajianmen and Xiaojianmen to prevent foreign enemies from invading Sichuan along the Golden Bull Road. This is the main elite of Sichuan.
In addition, there are more than 20,000 people stationed in various places to ensure local security, but the combat effectiveness of this part is questionable.
These nearly 50,000 tribesmen are provided by Shu County’s finances and are organized regular troops.
Of course, the regular army is also divided into three, six, and nine grades.
Of course those stationed at the Big and Small Jianmen are given first-class treatment. Those who maintain local security and want to be popular and drink spicy food must make their own decisions. The government will give them His salary and silver are the kind that he can't starve to death without having enough to eat.
Putting aside these, he is a private soldier of a wealthy family.
These private soldiers cannot be announced to the public, but they are an open secret.
Like King Ji Li Shen, he can only have 500 guards in name, but in fact he has a well-equipped guard of 3,000. The Tang family, the largest wealthy family in Shu, has more than 5,000 private soldiers. People, these people are usually stationed in various mansions and manors of the Tang family. Once something happens, they can assemble into an army very quickly.
There are also some families that cannot support too many people, but hundreds of people are still necessary.
It doesn’t seem like much, but if you count the entire Shuzhong, the number is staggering.
Of course, these armed forces, whether public or private, legal or illegal, are all acting in vain.
The equipment of the underworld is not as sophisticated as these people, and the organization cannot be said to be very strict, but their combat effectiveness cannot be ignored, because there are enough of them, and with the deliberate involvement of people over the years, these forces have become An important part of Shu.
After Zhang Songlin returned to Shuzhong, he quietly contacted the small and medium-sized clans and underworld forces.
Because these forces have always been the targets of attack and oppression in Shu.
Just like this time when donations were forcibly distributed, the Tang family said they donated the most, so his family took 500,000 taels, but everyone knew that this was just a change from left hand to right hand. , the only ones who really contribute money are little people like them.
As for collecting taxes again, it can only be a routine operation. This time, King Ji thought that the Wei clan's rebel army might attack Shuzhong, so he levied an additional tax to protect the country and the people, worth one hundred cents per person.
Over the years, there have been countless inexplicable taxes and fees.
In the eyes of outsiders, King Ji was greedy and arrogant, regardless of the life and death of the people, and collected money just for his own enjoyment. But in the eyes of those who are thoughtful, the most essential thing can be seen through a series of superficial phenomena, but it is Ji. Wang and the Tang family had great ambitions, hoarding grain, armor, money and food, training soldiers, and recruiting talented people, all in order to one day be able to compete in the world.
"How many of our people have entered the city?" Zhang Songlin asked.
“Nearly five hundred people have already entered the city!” The visitor said: “They have all been settled. When needed, they can be gathered together as quickly as possible.”
"Arrange the brothers on the mountain to mix among the refugees. The government will definitely launch a large-scale recruitment in the near future to bring in as many of our people as possible. Most of these people will be incorporated into the local garrison by then. If we really attack the city, it will be of great use!"
"It's hard to imagine how we can break in all at once!" The visitor was not as optimistic as Zhang Songlin, "The Big and Small Jianmen Pass is really great! One man is in charge of the barrier, and ten thousand men cannot open it. Moreover, King Ji has been pretending to be a pig and eating the tiger. The Shu soldiers are not weak at all. With just a few soldiers and horses, their morale is probably not much better. How can we win this battle? What?"
Zhang Songlin glanced at the other party and said: "This is not something we have to worry about. We just need to do our part according to the agreement. Since the other party said it, it will be fine. The army will definitely come to Chengdu at the beginning of the month, so we will prepare accordingly.”
The visitor nodded: "Zhang Bingbu, there is another news. I need you to find a way to confirm it."
"What news?"
"King Ji went to Qingcheng Mountain. There is Rumor has it that he invited the headmaster of the Longmen Sect, Taoist Master Mingran, to come down the mountain to help in the battle. Master Mingran is an innate master, and he has high moral standing and is quite popular in Shu. If we really want to go to Jianmen Pass, we need to let our people go. Be careful!"
"This news is really important. When the innate masters cooperate with the army, the power will not only be doubled!" Zhang Songlin nodded: "But we don't have to worry too much, because We also have innate masters in the army!”
Zhang Songlin has not returned to Shuzhong for many years, and it is not easy for someone like him to go back casually. The family members who stayed in Shu were far from politically sensitive, mainly because their knowledge could not reach that high level due to past class restrictions.
For people like Zhang Songlin, they soon discovered something was wrong after returning.
As time goes by, more and more clues can be seen, and it is slowly understood what the other party is thinking.
After the death of the emperor and the prince, Li Shen also tried to win over Zhang Songlin. The lobbyist's words were very cryptic, but for smart people, it would be clear with a little guidance.
But Zhang Songlin became increasingly angry.
Because he is a Shu native.
King Ji Li Shen has been in Shu for thirty years, but he never thought about building Shu properly and benefiting Shu. Instead, he only regarded Shu as a tool to achieve his ambitions. After decades of continuous exploitation, Shu was In the land of abundance, even a full meal has become a luxury for the people.
The money rotted in the treasury, and the food was not taken out for some fake disaster relief until it became moldy. However, there were so many weapons, armor, bows and crossbows that there was nowhere to store them. If King Ji really regards Shu as his Dragon Hidden Land and manages it carefully, hoping to one day use this place as a base to compete for the world, then Zhang Songlin might be tempted and follow him.
After all, Li Shen is also a son of a dragon and a phoenix grandson with pure blood.
But Li Shen never cared about the land of Shu, and big clans like the Tang family helped the tyrants and destroyed the countryside, just to achieve their family's dream of becoming the top family like the Wei family.
With such a fierce hero, compared to Li Dachui from outside the Pass, the gap was immediately obvious.
Li Dachui also had the intention to fight for the world, and he made it clear to Zhang Songlin. However, the prerequisite for Li Dachui to fight for the world was to defeat Bei Yuan first, and Li Dachui also brought the bitter cold in everyone's mind The land was managed step by step to become a paradise.
Only people like this are worth following. And now it seems that Li Dachui really has the foundation to achieve great things. At worst, he can return to the outside world and become the king outside the country.
If you win, you will own the world, and if you lose, you can be independent. If you have to choose someone to follow, isn't it obvious who to choose?
Meizhou, Pengzu Mountain.
Huang Biao carried a huge wooden bucket on his shoulders all the way up the mountain road. The bucket was full of water, with a tung tree leaf floating on the water.
The mountain road is rugged, but the water in the bucket on Huang Biao's shoulder is stagnant. This bucket of water weighs at least three to four hundred kilograms, but Huang Biao has enough strength to move, and his martial arts skills are obviously very good. Level.
Several rice fields appeared in front of him. The rice seedlings grew lush and green, but the fields were dry. It was the time when the rice seedlings were filling. If there was no water, a year's hard work would inevitably be in vain. .
So Huang Biao took a group of strong men to the foot of the mountain to collect water to irrigate the fields.
This group of people is still somewhat famous in Shu.
The Meishan bandits defeated Meizhou local troops in several raids, leaving their helmets and armor behind and their teeth everywhere. Once the government dispatched elite troops, the Meishan bandits immediately broke into pieces and disappeared without a trace. Then during the attack of the officers and soldiers, they accurately found the weak spots of the officers and soldiers and carried out precise strikes, leaving the officers and soldiers in a state of confusion.
To be able to do this, it is obvious that the Meishan bandits also have people outside.
With no gains from the campaign and the possibility of losing troops and generals, the Shu army immediately gave up their thoughts on meritorious service. Anyway, there are many bandits in Shu, and there are no more than others. As long as they They don't attack cities and seize territory, but occasionally go down the mountain to raise food, engage in kidnappings and extort money, etc. It has nothing to do with the overall situation, so let them go.
The Meishan bandits have survived peacefully for many years in such a strange environment.
It has been five years since Huang Biao took over the Meishan Bandits.
But his true identity is a spy from Heibingtai.
The Meishan bandits are just one of several groups controlled by Hei Bingtai in Shu.
Like them, there are also some bandits in Shu who are controlled by King Ji Li Shen and some aristocratic families.
Anything that is inconvenient for famous families and officials to do is done by these bandits.
Over the years, without some background and background, becoming a bandit has been an impossible task!
I walked to the edge of the paddy field, reached under the bucket with one hand, and held the edge of the bucket with the other hand. I poured the water into the field easily, watching the cracks in the paddy field slowly heal, and watching the mud silt out. There were actually loaches or eels sticking their heads out among them, and bubbles popped up on the water. Huang Biao couldn't help but laugh.
From the beginning, when I was not familiar with farming, to now I am able to do all the work in the fields, it only took a few years.
Of course, along with farming skills, there is also martial arts cultivation.
Up in the mountains, in addition to farming, there is training, and then there is the battle of wits and courage with officers, soldiers, and peers. This martial arts and mental acuity are also improving at the same time.
Meishan bandits not only work as bandits, but also farm on their own.
Speaking of which, Huang Biao fell in love with days like this, but it seemed that these days were coming to an end.
Looking at the subordinates behind him, carrying large buckets and small basins of water step by step, Huang Biao just hoped that he would have the opportunity to return to Meishan to harvest this season's rice.
We are about to go down the mountain, but this time we go down the mountain not just for a small fight, but for cooperating with the imperial army to take over Chengdu Mansion, which means we have to go head-to-head with our opponents.
Not to mention the serious elite officers and soldiers, the few colleagues who work for Prince Ji and the Tang family are also at a very high level. It is really uncertain whether they can come back alive.
(End of this chapter)