On the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, the gongs and drums outside Yecheng were noisy, and the drums and drums were singing in unison.
Shaoxun, Marquis of Luyang, led his troops on the return journey.
The elders of Yecheng went out of the city for several miles to see each other off and said goodbye reluctantly.
Shao Xun covered his face with his sleeves and wiped his tears.
After a moment, he said loudly: "Everyone -"
The Yecheng elders slowly became quiet—no, it should be said that they were the elders from the three counties of Ji, Wei, and Dunqiu, and there were even some who came from as far away as Guangping, Yangping, Qinghe and other places.
The drumming also stopped.
The earth was quiet except for the whistling of the wind.
"To protect the country and the people, it is the shepherds who lead the troops. I will just lead the troops to appease the people. I will retreat when the job is done. You don't need to send me far away." Shao Xun said. After speaking, he looked towards Anping County in the north.
Ding Shao, the governor of Jizhou, did not come to Yecheng and stayed in Anping. Perhaps he wanted to avoid an embarrassment.
"Before I leave, I have a few words. I'll just say them for now, and you can listen to them. If you think they make sense, you may be able to implement them. If what I said is false, you can do as you please."
"The purpose of setting up troops in prefectures and counties is to guard against thieves and bandits. Yecheng is an important area, which is particularly important. The gifts of clothing and silk, as well as monthly grain and rice, must be paid in due time. If there is any default, the chief officials should discuss the punishment separately."
"There are many idle fields in the wilderness. Instead of abandoning them, it is better to help people. The refugees beg for work, which is to feed their families. They may be recruited and encouraged to farm. The grains and rice collected are used to prepare for floods, droughts, locusts, and military rations."
"The purpose of selecting officials and employing people is to optimize their abilities. Those who have made military achievements should be promoted to the right position to reassure their minds and encourage their ambitions."
"The king regards people as the country, and people regard food as the sky. If everyone is united, there will be a country and a family. Remember this."
After saying that, he bowed and bowed, mounted his horse and left.
"Farewell to Marquis Lu Yang." The Yecheng elder said sincerely.
What Marquis Lu Yang said before leaving was all true, which is particularly admirable.
Hebei has a lot of people, a lot of money, a lot of food, and there is also a lot of brave and capable warriors, but it is just a mess and it is difficult to unite, so it is bullied by others.
The way for Hebei scholars to become officials was not very smooth. Taifu Sima Yue paid more attention to Qingxu scholars, so that Hebei people received very few official positions.
The former governor, He Yu, was from Runan, and the current governor, Ding Shao, was from Qiao. Counting further ahead, Zongwang aside, Wen Xian was from Taiyuan, and none of Li Yi, Shi Zhan, Yang Huai, etc. were from Hebei.
This time, Wang Bin was given to him, but I'm afraid it was just a temporary measure when the situation was critical.
It is a pity that the Marquis of Lu Yang cannot come to Hebei. If he wanted to come to Yecheng, he would have a backbone, but now he can only go to Ji County Yu Gong more.
The strong wind was blowing, the flags were flying, and the long line of people could not see the end at a glance.
In addition to the sergeants, there are dozens of Hansu from the three counties of Ji, Wei, and Dunqiu. The children of scholars with small surnames may not be the main line, but there are more branches, but this is already a big one.
Progress has been made.
Compared with the scholars, there are more wealthy merchants in the three counties. They have no connections, so they stay in the local area and work as county officials. If they are lucky, they can become sergeants, but unless they meet by chance, it is difficult to become an official.
Considering that Liu Han's forces are constantly invading eastward, there is not much point in staying in Hebei. Why not go out and have a try, maybe you can make a fortune?
In short, this expedition to Hebei not only brought military victory, but also had many other overt or covert benefits.
Some benefits may not necessarily be realized now, or even never. But as long as the opportunity arises, they can always play some role.
Shao Xun has maximized the remaining value of the Battle of Yemagang and utilized it.
On December 18, the army arrived in the north of Luoyang City.
****
Wu Qian arrived at the station outside Daxia Gate with his eldest son Wu Yong and nephew Wu Li.
Accompanying them were hundreds of recruits who had just been recruited last month, mostly from Henan and Hanoi counties, and went south to Liang County with their families.
This year's new recruits were actually recruited in advance before the expedition. The more than 300 people recruited this time were mainly to make up for the vacancies caused by those who died in the Silver Spear Army or who were unable to return to the army after recovering from injuries.
There is also a vacancy in the Yamen Army, but this will have to be supplemented by the court - looking at the current financial situation, this may not be possible.
When recruits and veterans meet, although their equipment and uniforms are the same, their temperaments are completely different.
After experiencing successive battles, the more than a thousand people in the first three buildings of the Silver Spear Army have become standard veterans. They are skilled, well-equipped, and experienced. They even have an arrogance cultivated from years of winning battles.
The more than a thousand people in the fourth and fifth buildings are slowly transforming into veterans, and there are still some people who have not completed complete training in various equipment. In another year or two, if they fight a few more battles, they will become elites
A veteran.
Buildings 6 and 7 have average combat effectiveness and still need to work hard.
Shao Xun took these people to Jingu Garden that day and walked around Shao Garden.
The Qingzhou Tuntian Army's first battalion of 5,000 men was stationed in Jingu Garden, the second battalion was stationed in Shaoyuan, and the third battalion was 2,000 men in Pan Yuan. After planting grains in May, they harvested them in August and September.
Overwintering wheat was also planted, and it was growing pretty well. After all, the land they were farming on was not really raw land, it was even mature land with complete water conservancy facilities, but no one wanted it.
The fourth battalion of 5,000 men was stationed in Yangcheng.
The 5,000 men of the fifth battalion and the 3,000 men of the sixth battalion were cultivating wasteland in Guangchengze.
Jizhou's field army has been reduced to a battalion of 6,000 men, and they are cultivating fields in Guangchengze.
This attack on Shile brought back more than 7,000 prisoners, who will be organized into the second and third battalions of the Jizhou Tuntian Army and continue to open up wasteland in Guangchengze.
"The garrison army is very good at supporting itself. Can the guests of Jingu Garden manage them?" Shao Xun looked at the unkempt men and asked his eldest nephew Shao Shen who was coming over.
"If you're hungry and full, you'll still be alive. Even if you want to rebel, you don't have the strength." Shao Shen said nonchalantly: "There are five thousand people in one camp, but in fact they have died of illness and exhaustion."
"Leave all the grain harvested in autumn to them. You can watch the distribution and don't let them eat too much, but don't treat them harshly on purpose." Shao Xun ordered.
"Okay." Although he didn't understand why his second uncle was so kind to the prisoners, he still agreed.
"Are those all your people?" Shao Xun asked, pointing to the dozens of young men carrying knives and bows in the distance.
These are the so-called "evil boys". They are usually very vicious and brave, but when they see the Silver Spear Soldiers, they are so frightened that they dare not even breathe.
"We are all hunting companions together," Shao Shen said nervously.
"You should have your own team, otherwise you won't be able to control the people." Shao Xun touched his head and said, "Don't practice too hard, banker. They are civilians, not soldiers, so they must be moderate."
"No." Shao Shen breathed a sigh of relief and agreed loudly when his second uncle did not investigate him about hanging out with the evil boys.
Shao Xun smiled and patted his ear and neck.
Shao Shen likes to dance with guns and sticks, and has been practicing martial arts in recent years, riding horses and shooting.
The bad boys who hung out with him were not good birds, and some even injured more than one person.
Shao Shen dictated the official positions to them, and the evil young men happily agreed, and then they practiced being a banker in Shao Yuan, Jingu Yuan, and Pan Yuan.
In fact, I practiced pretty well, and when I picked up the weapon, I looked pretty good at it. At least I could frighten the captives in the field.
Overall, it saved Shao Xun a lot of troops and a lot of things.
Before I knew it, my eldest nephew was also able to help.
On the 19th, Yu Min, the servant who received the news, came to Jingu Garden.
"Your Majesty stationed troops at Daxiamen yesterday, and the news spread throughout the city in an instant. Even the emperor was alarmed and asked repeatedly." Yu and Shao were sitting at the highest point in Jingu Garden, overlooking the fields below the mountain.
Forests, rivers, manors and city walls expanded his mind. Yu Min told interesting stories about the capital: "Mi Zihui, the captain of the Sili School, went into the palace to report that Yan Junhou was returning with his troops. He was in a hurry and could not pass through in time.
This is why I was so surprised."
"When I returned from the squadron, there was no response from the counties of Henan and Luoyang. They did not send anyone to inquire or inspect the seals. When we passed Mangshan Mountain, the Imperial Army did not seem to be aware of it and allowed me to drive straight in." Shao Xun said: "This is how it is.
If you relax, if the Xiongnu army surges forward, the princes of Luoyang may not be able to escape in time."
Yu Min sighed a little. It is said that the Forbidden Army has been in force for several years, and its combat effectiveness should be getting stronger and stronger. But looking at the current situation, there seems to be no progress. I don't know how the generals manage it.
"The reward given to you by the imperial court has come down, but the edict has not yet been officially issued. Do you want to hear about it?" Yu Min asked.
"I was about to ask for advice."
"I was promoted to the title of Duke of Luyang County and was granted a title of 1,800 households."
"It's not important to live in a city or something." Shao Xun became more energetic after hearing this and asked, "Can I open a mansion?"
Yu Min chuckled and said: "It's impossible to open a mansion. But don't be impatient, just listen to me slowly."
"In the third year of Xianning (277), all the princes and princes were ordered to return to the country, and they were reorganized into towns and led the troops with lieutenants. Pingyuan, Runan, Langya, Fufeng, Qi became a big country, Liang, Zhao, Le'an, Yan, Anping,
Yiyang is a sub-state, and the rest are small states. Prefectures, marquises, and county magistrates are also similar to the system of small states."
"But that was in the early years of the country. Nowadays, officials and subordinates follow the size of the country and there is no customization. However, the system established by Emperor Wu has never been abolished."
"A closer look shows that in addition to the prime minister or the internal history, the king of the country has a teacher, who was later changed to Fu. He also has a friend and a literature person, all of whom are sixth-grade officials. This is the official of Qingwang."
"There are also two ministers of the kingdom, namely Lang Zhongling, and one big farmer each, both of the sixth grade." - The principality system is imitated from that of a small country, but there is no lieutenant. On the basis of the principality, the princes minus one big farmer, so strictly speaking, Shao
When Xun was a county marquis, he had no power to purchase large-scale farmers or manage local finances.
"In addition to the three ministers, there are Dian Shu Ling, Dian Temple Ling, Xue Guan Ling, Dian Wei Ling, Shepherd Chief, Dian Fu Cheng, Ye Zhe, Zhong Dafu, etc., each with their own duties..."
Yu Min introduced a lot of things eloquently, and Shao Xun's eyes lit up. This was much more formal than the county magistrate, as if he had jumped to a higher level - it is true that he could not open a government, but as a county magistrate, he could have attributes.
Being an official is equivalent to opening a government in disguise.
Then he became a little confused and asked: "There are many ministers in the court, do they all have these subordinate officials?"
"How is that possible?" Yu Min laughed and said: "In terms of kingdoms, when kings go to the country, they will appoint subordinate officials. If they don't go to the country, there will be a hundred guards for the big country, eighty for the secondary country, and sixty for the small country. That's it.
.The princes and princes of counties are treated as small countries. If they do not join the country, they will only have sixty guards."
"Then can I, the county official, take over the country?" Shao Xun asked.
"If you want to join the country, you can join the country. If you don't want to join the country, just do it." Yu Min looked at him and said seriously: "According to the system, the prime minister of Lu Yang, the prime minister, Fu, You, Wen Wen, and the three ministers of the country have the same rank.
Officials were all appointed by the imperial court
Selection and appointment are supported by the imperial court. Nowadays, it is impossible for the imperial court to elect officials, and it is also impossible for the imperial court to provide officials and troops for you. You should act according to your ability, hire your own staff, and report to the imperial court. There should be no serious problems at the chancellery.
"
At this point, Yu Min seemed to sigh unintentionally: "Wen Jun's niece is so lucky. She can marry with the courtesy of the Duke of the country and be given a red dress by the emperor. Many daughters of the royal family cannot be so beautiful."
Shao Xun understood and immediately said: "Wenjun and I have known each other since we were young, and our love has been extraordinary. After our separation, we have thought about her day and night, and I would not marry him other than Wenjun."
Yu Min nodded with satisfaction.
He was also worried that Shao Xun would change his mind midway, so he checked again.
Now that I have received a clear answer, I have more solid reasons to work hard for Shao Xun in court.
"In the past few days, I will write a few more letters and send people to take them to Yingchuan." Yu Min added: "After the new year, some Yingchuan Junyi will go to Liang County. You can test them and see if they can be used.
If you use it, forget it if you can’t use it.”
Shao Xun understood.
After he had just stated that he would definitely marry Yu Wenjun as his official wife, Yu Min returned the favor and introduced Yingchuan scholars - most of whom he had reviewed when he was the commander of the county - to take up the post.
This is more than just a "job", it actually indicates a political leaning.
From now on, Yingchuan, a place with outstanding people and wonderful people, opened its door to him.
Chapter completed!