The Spring Festival in the fourth year of Yongjia (310) was as lively as ever.
It is true that we suffered an unprecedented severe drought last year. Although we harvested a crop of wheat 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.
If the territory is large and there is no one to control it, it is quite dangerous. Therefore, as long as the abilities of relatives are not too bad, they will generally use it.
Uncle Liu Shan is now the owner of Yushanwuwu 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 went to Yangzhai, Yangcheng and Luyang counties.
These five counties are also the focus of his operations at this stage.
There are no aristocratic families, or even if there are, they have been kept submissive, such as Du Dan and Du Yin brothers in Yiyang, and the Chu family in Yangdi, all of them have little strength.
His private manor and Wubao are spread across the five counties, making Shao Xun the largest manor owner in the five counties.
Following Liang and Luyang counties, Yangzhai County newly established the First Defense Fubing last year, bringing the number of Fubing households to 2,700 (on paper).
A large number of military family members live in this area and some counties and villages in Xiangcheng, and the number of local people who support him is increasing year by year.
All in all, 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. One was a commander and the other was a corps commander. It is not that they have not experienced battles. But the big scene of the battle between Jin and Hungary was not Xuzhou's annihilation of the feudal lords.
Yun, Shi Bing was comparable to the kind of petty fights he had during his rebellion.
The two of them usually assisted their father in management and trained the Yushanwu forts. They found that the combat effectiveness of these people was no worse than that of Xuzhou Shibing. They thought it was strange at first, but this time they finally understood: some bad battles, no matter how many times they fight,
It can't improve your combat effectiveness much. If you really want to improve it, you'd better experience more serious battles.
"The Huns are better at cavalry, and the nephew is better at infantry. When they are facing each other, they are still at a disadvantage." Liu Shan was a team leader after all, and his words hit the nail on the head.
My nephew did break through the siege of the Huns' cavalry and successfully arrived in Luoyang. But in the final analysis, the Huns were attacking and the Jin army was defending in this battle.
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, seeming to recall some memories from his youth.
At the end, he said: "Xiao Chong, Shao and Liu 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. What I haven't said yet, I will listen to you.
If any of the seniors and juniors here are dissatisfied, I will tell them. Just run this business well."
"Now we need the help of our relatives." Shao Xun said: "I 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."
"Uncle may have heard of Gou Xi. Gou Dao general held Qingzhou, punished severely, kept thousands of maids and dozens of concubines, indulged in pleasure, and was despised by the scholars. As a result, it was difficult to move in Qingzhou and he could not raise much money and food.
It is very difficult to raise an army. He kills a few people in a hurry to establish his authority, and then he is said to be cruel and murderous. At this time, the relationship between the Qingzhou nobles and Gou Xi has become very tense. If someone attacks, he is afraid that he will
Suffer a big loss."
"Actually, many nobles had done what Gou Xi did, and they were even more outrageous than him. But when a scholar kept concubines, it was called 'celebrity romance'. When Gou Xi kept concubines, it was called 'arrogant and extravagant.' Why?
Also? No one can cover up for him, say good things for him, or brag for him. This world is too unfriendly to ordinary people."
"I am a little better than Gou Xi, but I have also offended many scholars and been looked down upon by many scholars. There are countless people who want to torture me to death, and even more people want to see my jokes. But these people are still emboldened.
Because I want to use them and win them over. If I treat them harshly at will, it will soon be spread that I am a lustful ghost who sexually humiliated the princess. If I kill them, my reputation will be even worse."
Shao Xun talked a lot, and Liu Shan frowned when he heard it. But he had to admit that what his nephew said made 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 Liang, Luyang, Yiyang, Yangcheng, and Yangzhai counties. I've put a lot of effort into these counties.
, a lot of land and people have been taken over from the scholars and powerful people, but now their strength is very weak. The three counties of Jiacheng, Xiangcheng, and Fucheng are the places I am working on and transforming. These rear areas require the efforts of relatives.
Already."
"I plan to leave the direction of Yangzhai, Yangcheng, Shenyuan Pass, and Taigu Pass to my uncle. There is no need to interfere with local government affairs. Just take care of Wubao alone. Outside of Yushanwu, there are other places in Yangguan.
gather that
To build a dock fort, we used the old earth city to build two docks on the left and right. The fourth battalion of the Qingzhou Tuntian Army has been stationed in Yangcheng. After the summer harvest, they were scattered and resettled, and they were organized into dock residents, one person per household."
"Every matter, big or small, in Yushanwu, Yangguan Zuowu, Yangguan Youwu, etc., is decided by my uncle with just one word."
After listening to this, Liu Shan was not happy about how many people or soldiers he could control. On the contrary, his heart was heavy.
My nephew has entrusted him with all the military operations along the way.
If there are thieves coming at Taigu and Sheyuan passes, he will lead three Wubao militiamen to go north to resist them. Even at a critical moment, they may even seize the pass city to block the enemy's way south.
"Okay." After taking a long breath, Liu Shan responded: "Don't worry, nephew. These two counties and two tests will not change the world."
The county magistrate is responsible for the government affairs, and the county officials are responsible for it. 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 thousands of men and women in these three forts, Yangcheng and Yangzhai counties would not be able to rebel.
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. There are less than 4,000 households, about 20,000 men, women, old and children, so Gancheng is the city.
Wubao, we are working in the fields nearby. Are you there?
Aren't there dozens of people gathered around me? Each of them claims to have extraordinary skills and a good fighting spirit. I will give you 500 more people. They are the Jinguyuan and Shaoyuan tribes that you have practiced in before. You can form your own army.
Take charge of these Hongnong people."
"Drill during the off-season, and I will distribute some of the captured equipment, so you can make do with it. As soon as there is a war, immediately use Gancheng as a screen and wait for reinforcements. At the same time, allocate some manpower to seize Yique Pass and control this thoroughfare.
Daodao. If you really can't hold on, you can withdraw them all, but Yique Pass cannot be withdrawn. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Shao Shen agreed with some excitement.
The 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 should restrain your men and don't let them mess around." Shao Xun also asked: "Don't let them move away at will."
"I know." Shao Shen is not stupid and he understood it as soon as he thought about it.
The commander of the Zhongwu Army is Yuan Yan, and its core force is the former Hongnong County soldiers. Although most of these county soldiers are the old troops of the second uncle, who knows if they have been won over by Yuan Yan. Controlling their families is more important than anything else.
Shao Shen usually makes noises and sounds reckless and fierce, but in fact he understands very well in his heart.
The second uncle had just talked with the Liu family for a long time, and it seemed that he also had a mission entrusted to him.
After this, it is obvious that we need to stabilize the rear area...
"Second uncle, are you moving to Chen County and not back to Liang County?" Shao Shen asked with some worry.
Shao Xun glanced at him in surprise and said, "I'm going there for a while to have a good time 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... don't want to go." Shao Shen quickly replied.
Are you kidding me? Without his second uncle, it would be a happy time to let the birds fly. He didn't want to be controlled by anyone.
Shao Xun gave him a treat and said, "You must not let your martial arts fall behind in your homework. If I come back, I will definitely check it out."
"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 in the next year. In this troubled time, you all have to take the lead. I have reached this point, and some things are inevitable for you.
It’s something to experience.”
"Okay." Shao Fan didn't say much and nodded calmly.
In recent years, his energy has been mainly focused on the management of Luoyang Sanyuan, which is generally quite 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 shy, which is a bit of a headache.
Shao Xun planned to give it a last try to see if this younger brother could get through the experience. As long as his talent reached an average level, Chen Jun would 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 you have an 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 officials and sergeants' families live, and it cannot be handed over to outsiders.
After digesting all twelve counties, we will take advantage of various opportunities and exploit every opportunity to expand outward.
By 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 move to higher positions.
To put it bluntly, it depends on how much appetite you have to eat.
To rule a place, you ultimately need officials to execute your will.
Talent is always the core.
Chapter completed!