On this route of dispatching troops from Hunan, the farthest stronghold actually controlled by the imperial court was Zhenyuan County, which according to later administrative divisions belonged to eastern Guizhou.
As a pioneer, Ye Tie naturally wanted to have a good relationship with Zhenyuan County officials.
He left the county magistrate and Zhao Ji to eat in the military camp. He raised a cup of tea and said, "Military laws are strict. During marching or fighting, you are absolutely not allowed to drink alcohol. I will replace the wine with tea and propose a toast to you two."
"I don't dare to be a general. It's our turn to respect the general." The county magistrate was a young scholar with a weak background and mediocre political achievements. He was thrown here when he was transferred.
Zhao Ji was extremely generous, and he had a cup of tea with Ye Tie.
Zhao Ji felt that he would inevitably die in Zhenyuan County in this life, but because of this, he became wantless. As long as he did not make principled mistakes, he was not afraid of offending anyone.
However, Ye Tie liked this kind of style and had already classified Zhao Ji as one of his own. After all, they were both leaders of the rebel army in the late Song Dynasty.
After everyone had a few mouthfuls of tea, Ye Tie finally got to the point: "Xi Zuo sent back a lot of military information, and I also accompanied the army and took merchants as guides. But you two are considered locals, so I have to ask you about it.
"
The county magistrate quickly explained: "I was transferred here last year."
"Then let me ask the old man," Ye Tie raised his glass to Zhao Ji, "If we continue to move forward, will the barbarians be obedient? If the barbarians are obedient, I, the pioneer, can go faster."
Zhao Ji spoke eloquently: "Although I have not continued to go west, I have been in contact with merchants every year. To go forward, I have to cross mountains and ridges. There are many snakes, insects, rats and ants along the way. If the weather is hot, I will easily get sick. Along the way.
Most of them are barbarian people who are relatively obedient and will only rob caravans in times of disaster."
"Although the front is called Jiangzhou (Kaili), there is no state city, only a local chief's village. The local magistrate of Jiangzhou is surnamed Wu, and I can't tell which tribe of barbarians they are. They have cultivated and multiplied there for generations."
"The barbarians in Jiangzhou have the most surnames Wu and Jiang. In the Tang Dynasty, the place was originally called Jiangzhou."
"Because there were often Han merchants passing by, Wu Maozhen, the local magistrate of Jiangzhou, could take the opportunity to collect business taxes, voluntarily donate his land, submit to the court, and get an official position. As long as the general did not push him too hard, Wu Maozhen would be willing to send troops to fight against Dali. After all, if
He had a falling out with the court and the government sealed off the trade routes. How could Wu Maozhen still collect trade taxes?"
Ye Tie nodded and smiled: "That's good."
The tasks he received were not only to build roads and bridges across mountains and rivers, but also to select suitable locations along the way to serve as grain and grass transfer stations.
By the way, find out the reactions of the barbarian chiefs along the way!
Ye Tie asked again: "If a thousand immigrants were left to thrive in Jiangzhou, how would Wu Maozhen react?"
"Either obedience or rebellion, is there a third way for him to take?" Zhao Ji said, "But do not grab the land that has been cultivated by the barbarians, otherwise it will be difficult for the Han and barbarian people to get along with each other in the future. If you have decided to grab those cultivated lands, then
We have to do it without stopping, find a crime to kill Wu Maozhen, and send troops to drive those barbarians into the mountains!"
"I understand," Ye Tie said with emotion, "It's a bit disrespectful for the old gentleman to stay here. It's a pity that we are a military commander, otherwise I would definitely help introduce him."
Zhao Ji smiled and waved his hands.
Although many barbarian leaders at this time had developed for hundreds of years, they were not the stubborn chieftains of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Take the Yang family of Bozhou as an example. The uncle and nephew have been fighting among themselves for decades, and their territory is far inferior to that of the Ming Dynasty. As a result, it was divided into two. Moreover, the court continued to exile criminals, and the proportion of Han people increased year by year.
Five years ago, the uncle of the native chief Yang died, and the imperial court sent an envoy to "condolence".
The result of the condolences was that the land was restored and a direct descendant of the Yang family moved their family to Hebei. The court was not generous with rewards and gave them 2,000 acres of land in Hebei, and also rewarded them with 3,000 taels of silver.
Nowadays, there is still a Yang family serving as local chiefs, but their territory is so small that there is no threat.
The Tian family in Sizhou was even more subdued, because the Tian family took advantage of the chaos in the late Northern Song Dynasty to expand wildly and more than doubled its territory. Therefore, more than half of the area under the jurisdiction of the Tian family in Sizhou is illegal!
Including Zhenyuan County, where Zhao Ji is located, also belonged to the Sizhou Tian family's territory, which was directly taken over by the imperial court's exile of criminals.
Also taken away were Tongren and Jiangkou.
Half of the area controlled by the Tian family fell into the hands of the imperial court. They did not dare to directly rebel, so they secretly encouraged the barbarians to cause trouble - mainly looting.
The convict immigrants in Jiangkou and Tongren were so disturbed that they had to fight almost every year.
Six years ago, a Han village was raided, resulting in hundreds of casualties, which finally angered the officials of the Third Division of Hunan Province. Eight thousand troops were sent out at once, under the personal command of Bai Qi, and all the barbarian villages within a radius of three hundred miles were evacuated.
A large number of young barbarians were captured and sent to the southern Hunan region to mine!
Sizhou Tian was so frightened that he kept his tail between his legs from then on.
…
After having enough tea and food, Zhao Ji returned to the city with the county magistrate, followed by several officers.
This is the lowest level county. Not only does it not have a county magistrate or chief registrar, it also has a small number of officials.
The young county magistrate was named Chen Guipu, and he sincerely praised: "The old gentleman is really a great talent. Not only is he proficient in the art of governing the people, but he is also very knowledgeable in military strategy. I heard someone say that the old gentleman is also good at calligraphy and painting, so how come he never sees me?"
The old gentleman paints?”
"Painting is a small path, so don't mention it." Zhao Ji waved his hand and said.
Chen Guipu asked again: "I heard that the Chief Envoy of Cochin Zuo also lived here for several years before. Does the old gentleman recognize him?"
"We know him, but we don't have a close friendship." Zhao Ji didn't want to mention that cousin.
In this world, his cousin is the only person who knows his whereabouts.
Chen Guipu didn't believe it. He asked the county officials and found out that Zhao Ji was very familiar with those exiled officials. Especially Xiang Zichen, the current chief envoy to the left of Jiaozhi. When he was exiled in Zhenyuan County, he and Zhao Ji were close friends.
.
As a small county magistrate without a backer, Chen Guipu wanted to go through Zhao Ji and get on the boat of Chief Envoy Xiang Ziyi.
Unconsciously, when he returned to the county town, Zhao Ji pointed to the messy houses and said, "It's time to build the city wall."
Chen Guipu shook his head and sighed: "It's difficult. The population of this county is too small, and there are still many barbarian villages that refuse to accept the king's rule. Where will the manpower and material resources come from to build the city wall?"
"This time is an opportunity."
Zhao Ji suddenly squatted down, picked up stones and wrote and drew: "This is Zhenyuan County, this is Juzhou... No, it should be called Guizhou now. This is Qianzhou, Sizhou, and Hunan is to the east... These roads can
March...do you see anything?"
Chen Guipu's eyes were full of confusion, but he didn't want to appear too stupid, so he praised: "The old gentleman is actually proficient in geography."
"I used to read maps when I lived in the Central Plains. When I came to Zhenyuan, I often chatted with passing merchants," Zhao Ji explained casually and continued, "After talking to the general named Ye Tie just now, I can probably guess that the imperial court wants to strengthen
Control over Guizhou, Qianzhou, Sizhou and other places.”
"Then what?" Chen Guipu still didn't understand.
Zhao Ji said: "Zhenyuan County, where we are located, is located in a strategic location. Once the garrison is dispatched, it can control all directions, especially the march route from Hunan to Guizhou. County Magistrate Chen can take the opportunity to report to the court, please send troops in Zhenyuan County
If we garrison the army and bring in soldiers and their families, won’t we have a population? Then apply for more immigrants to come here. At that time, the money for building the city wall can be allocated from military expenses, and soldiers, immigrants, and naturalized barbarians can all be used to build the city. This matter
If it is done well, the county magistrate will also take credit for it."
Chen Guipu hesitated: "Is this possible?"
Zhao Ji smiled and said, "You'll know after you try it."
Chen Guipu looked forward and backward, but finally could not resist the temptation of making meritorious deeds, and couldn't wait to run back to the county government office to write the memorial himself.
Zhao Ji took a stroll home.
He had no land in Zhenyuan County, mainly because the population was too small and he could not recruit many tenants. In the first few years after arriving, Zhao Ji was exhausted from reclaiming wasteland. Later, when he had a stable income, he sold the land he cultivated.
He didn't feel bad at all about selling his property.
When tenants cannot be recruited, whoever likes to plant can do it. Zhao Ji can't go to the fields anymore anyway.
The children don’t plant seeds either.
His so-called "eldest son", who kept his name anonymous, is already eighteen years old this year. He personally taught him how to read since he was a child, and he was awarded the title of scholar at the age of fifteen. Although Zhao Ji failed to be transferred due to meritorious service, when he became a formal official, he
The imperial examination qualifications of his descendants were restored.
Zhenyuan County belonged to the territory of Guizhou in later generations, but now it belongs to Yuanzhou Prefecture in Hunan.
His son, who was a scholar at the age of fifteen, was admitted to the Yuanzhou Prefectural School and was a student in an inner house with food and accommodation provided.
I am about to graduate from the Imperial College. If I graduate with excellent grades, I will have the opportunity to go to Luoyang Taixue with food and accommodation included. If I am not admitted by Taixue, I will need to work hard to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi.
The "eldest daughter" is also married, to the son of a prison official, and the marriage contract was made to her son-in-law as a matchmaker.
The prisoner has been transferred out for meritorious service and is now serving as a county magistrate in Hubei, and his daughter has also been married to him.
"My husband is back."
Mrs. Zeng welcomed Zhao Ji in with a smile, holding a feather duster to sweep the dust off him.
"Daddy!"
The ten-year-old daughter rushed forward.
Zhao Ji reached out and patted his daughter's head. She was born when he was in his fifties, and Zeng was also an advanced maternal age at that time.
There is also a fourteen-year-old son in the house, who is studying and reviewing his homework.
Zhao Ji ordered: "In the next two months, there will be troops and civilians crossing the border. Remember to watch your children and don't run around."
"I can spare it," Zeng said.
Zhao Ji took out another paper bag from his arms, put it on the table and said, "General Ye, please have dinner. I will bring back some meat."
Mrs. Zeng said with a smile: "The two little ones are very lucky."
Zhao Ji has not been living well these years. His salary is not much, and Zhenyuan County is not very prosperous. He also has to support his wife and children. Moreover, his two sons are studying. Although he does not have to pay for tuition fees, he only needs pen, ink, paper and inkstones.
It always costs money, and you have to pay for books on various subjects.
Now we are finally a little more affluent. The eldest son is studying in the government and is provided with food and accommodation, which can save the family a lot of expenses.
The sun was about to set, and my wife and children were eating in the main room. The two children were rushing to eat the meat, and their mouths were full of oil.
Zhao Ji sat under the eaves and watched the sunset, feeling depressed and not sure what he was thinking.
"hiss!"
Zhao Ji suddenly gasped in pain, and quickly stood up and covered his lower back.
This was a problem acquired during the first few years of exile. The hard work of cultivating wasteland made Zhao Ji secretly shed tears many times at night.