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, and 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, and is spectacular.
The basins and valleys on both sides of the Nanshan Mountains and even in the mountains have always been an intersecting area of ​​agriculture and animal husbandry.
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 fertile soil of the Central Plains.
But most of them have a very difficult life, and the harvest from one acre of cultivated land is only a little over a hundred kilograms (about fifty kilograms in modern times), excluding seeds, and the income is extremely limited. Therefore, it is necessary to utilize the hillside grassland that is not suitable for farming to increase 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 consecutive years, Shangjun was admitted to be in drought, but the disaster was actually not as serious as Guanzhong.
There has been enough rain in recent years, and the pastures have been able to grow vigorously, making the land more vibrant.
After Shi Le's arrival, the agricultural quality here greatly increased.
The clear sound of horse hooves sounded, and Shi Le came to the river bank in the spring breeze.
The soldiers unsaddled the horse, loosened its girdle, and led it to collect its sweat.
Shi Le came to the river, took the cold river water, and washed his face.
Spring had not come long and the river was 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 papayas (Papaya) everywhere in the nearby mountains.
In the pre-Qin Dynasty, there was a saying that "give me papaya and repay you with Qiongju", among which "papaya" is this thing.
After washing his face, Shi Le climbed up a high slope, overlooked the farmland in the valley, and praised: "A good place."
"It's a pity that there are too few." Zhang Jing raised his eyes and looked around and sighed: "Among the mountains, only the river valley is the flattest. The papaya plain only has more than 300 hectares of land, so it can only be granted to a thousand families.
"
This large area is large enough, but the area suitable for farming is very limited and relatively fragmented.
For example, the place called "Papaya Plain" in front of us has only opened up 300 hectares of farmland. There may still be some potential to be tapped, but if it is exhausted, it will double to 600 hectares, and that will be the end.
It is incomparable to the endless plains in Hebei.
As a result, the population is actually relatively dispersed.
A stronghold was built in this mountain basin, housing hundreds of families; a fort was built in that valley plain, housing more than a thousand families, and the people were scattered among the rolling mountains hundreds of miles north and south.
Compared with farming, grazing is much more convenient.
This place is said to be a mountainous area, but in fact there are no particularly high mountains, and gentle slopes can be seen everywhere. After the rain, the pasture grows wildly, making it a good place for grazing.
If you want to survive better here, it is inevitable to develop both farming and animal husbandry. Pure farming or pure grazing are too fragile.
"Don't be anxious." Shi Le glanced at Zhang Jing and said with a smile: "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 enough to fight." Zhang Jing said with a bitter smile.
It is precisely because of these copycat tribes that they are so barbaric that they sometimes do not give him face and have been humiliated several times.
Fortunately, the leader still obeys the court. If you are not polite, you are not polite. Just be obedient.
Shi Le had already 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 big, and the small ones can store several thousand dendrobiums of grain, while the large ones can store 30,000 to 40,000 hu of grain, with an average of 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 outside the valley cellar, covered by grassy slopes, and cannot be seen from a distance.
In fact, most of the grain 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 it has come to this point, 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 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. We will start plowing in the next few days. Mr. Liu has sent seeds, farm tools, and more than a hundred cattle and horses." Diao Ying.
He sat down and said.
"How many papayas were there in the original period?" Shi Le asked.
"There are nearly 1,100 families, and most of them are our own people." Diao Ying said: "The newly arrived Di Qiang can also farm, so they won't hinder things."
The newly arrived Di Qiang were from Wudu. Last year, Shao Xun was doing disaster relief, and the Huns were not idle. Liu Can sent people to attack Wudu, Longxi, and Yinping counties, and finally captured all of Longxi County, and was defeated in Wudu.
The Di leaders of the Xianwang, Yang Nandi and Yang Jiantou, led their troops to surrender and the two counties were pacified.
Liu Can named Yang Nandi 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.
In the past year, a lot of things happened in Qinzhou, 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 control of the newcomers is definitely not as good as that of Zhang Shi, let alone Zhang Gui.
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 again.
"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 let out a breath.
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 conquered by the prince with a single blow 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 the governor of Shuofang was also "undertaken" by the prince of the supervising state. In theory, he belonged to the prince, although the prince did not have any good intentions.
"Don't think so much. Baitu County, Papaya Plain, Qibao Mountain and other places are my foundation. The land reclamation commission per mu last year was too small, and it may not be much this year. After next year, the court will not give any more
We have distributed the salary, and we have to rely on ourselves for everything." Shi Le stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Go and meet the leaders."
The group of people soon left the Papaya River and disappeared 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 drums and horns that became more and more exciting.
In an instant, more than 3,000 people rushed down from the mountain.
Archers, sword and shield bearers, spearmen and a large group of soldiers armed with wooden poles, long Ke axes and other blunt weapons cooperated with each other, fast or slow, fighting with thousands of other people arrayed at the foot of the mountain - of course, point
That's it for now, don't really fight.
"It was a bit chaotic at the beginning, and it became even more chaotic later on." Shao Xun commented, "There should be some Shile veterans in the Yellow Head Army, right?"
Chen Yougen, the shogunate's left commander who came with him, took a look 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 saying that, he smiled and said: "Just like when I traveled north and south, there are hundreds of brothers who rely solely on their bravery and lack of rules. They can still fight when they encounter soldiers who cannot stand the fight. If they encounter veterans who have been fighting for many years, they can still fight.
No matter how brave you are, it's useless. If you have courage, others' courage is not bad either."
Being able to say these words, Chen Yougen's level has indeed reached a high level, which is completely different from what he was more than ten years ago.
However, when this kind of army that dares to fight and fights encounters the corrupted soldiers in the last years of the dynasty, it is still possible to win by relying on the desperado-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.
"We still need to practice more." Shao Xun's eyes turned to another hilltop, where thousands of soldiers were learning how to plant a hedgehog to stabilize their camp.
This is the meaning of military training.
The Yellow-headed Army men were passionate and loyal to him. It would be a pity if they could not temper themselves and go to the battlefield hastily or 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 was early April, and the hills on the other side were 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.
Among the interlaced 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 of the mountain.
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 fields, and drinking.
Here, there is 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."
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 was turbulent and not suitable for a large army to cross westward. Therefore, the people on the other side were not too panicked when they saw the army here. They only sent people to monitor it and did not take much action.
"Let's go meet those chiefs." Shao Xun said again: "See where there are opportunities."
Chapter completed!