For Andong Province, winter is actually a very busy transportation season.
The reason is that the transportation infrastructure is terrible.
The Protectorate Office established in the former Tang Dynasty has collapsed, and the Bohai people's business focus is also on the five capitals of the country. It is difficult to invest resources in construction of new areas. What's more, it also faces competition from the Khitan, and the local people are not very
obedient.
Only a fool would build the Andong Mansion well, wouldn't it be good to collect taxes?
The dilapidated roads and almost non-existent water conservancy facilities lead to flooding in summer and autumn, destroying the roadbed. Over time, the road becomes impassable.
Therefore, winter and spring are the peak seasons for transportation, and sleds are the main means of transportation.
Outside Lushun County, dozens of sleighs drove into an open space surrounded by a wooden fence.
Two clerks, one on the left and one on the right, one counted the quantity of supplies on the sled and the other was responsible for recording. The slave workers were responsible for sorting the supplies into different warehouses.
Slave labor did exist and was commonly used, and its source was prisoners of war.
The source of prisoners of war is very complicated. Not only the Khitans, but also the number of local prisoners of war is actually very large.
Don't think that Andong Mansion is a good place. The ethnic composition here is too complicated, including Han, Goguryeo, Mohe, Khitan, Xi people and other small tribes and ethnic groups that are difficult to distinguish - in fact, the person involved himself
It's not clear either - there are so many of them, it's hard to tell them apart.
The weakening of the upper-level ruling power has led to the rampant local separatist and semi-separatist forces. Although some of them are more submissive and aware of current affairs, there are also a large number of wild and untamable ones who need to be dealt with heavily.
Anton Mansion beat and pulled them, first hitting and then pulling.
Several large-scale campaigns were carried out to wipe out all the separatist cities and forts, and then adopted gentle policies on small and medium-sized forces, organized households into all the people, and implemented direct rule.
Those who resist household registration will be killed. Anyway, they are not in a hurry to expand their territory now, so they are just tossing around in the territory of four counties. More than 20,000 troops are stationed everywhere, and their control power is unprecedentedly high.
Liu Wei was sitting in the barracks next to the warehouse, sitting across from Wang Yanzhang and drinking.
The port has been frozen, and all that is consumed now is the inventory that was shipped before. The strength of Shuofang's raw roast is really suitable for the current weather.
To be fair, Andong Mansion is not too cold. But after winter arrives, there are always some days when the temperature will be unbearably low.
"The saint should have arrived in Denglai by now, right?" Liu Wei was the first to start the conversation and asked.
He "joined" too late and did not have time to make many contributions, so he might not have had a title. The saint took pity on them and believed that they were alone in Anton and deserved a generous reward, so he was granted the title of male from Shuyang County with a food seal of 300 yuan.
household.
As the de facto military leader of the Andong camp, Fu Cunshen joined the camp early and made certain contributions. Therefore, he was promoted to the title of Baoji County Bo and granted a thousand households with food.
Wang Yanzhang does not have a title, and his qualifications and achievements are too little. But he also has an advantage, because the saint is said to value him more, and it seems that it is not that difficult to get a title.
"Maybe he has returned." Wang Yanzhang took a sip of wine and said.
After saying this, the two of them fell silent.
In fact, they all know what the other person wants to say, but they don't want to take the initiative to break the layer of window paper.
After a long time, Liu Wei could no longer bear it and asked, "When does General Wang think I can return home?"
He is not like Wang Yanzhang, who is heartless. In fact, his family is across the sea, and he is really not interested in Anton, a place with nothing to do. He has long wanted to go back.
But Wang Yanzhang didn't seem to want to leave.
Liu Wei could understand his thoughts. The two of them were in different situations, so their choices were naturally different.
"I can't look back." Wang Yanzhang said.
"What did you hear again?" Liu Wei was surprised and asked.
Wang Yanzhang hesitated for a moment. However, after fighting side by side with Liu Wei for so many years, his feelings for each other were different, so he said: "I heard from Privy Councilor Hu that the saint wanted to form an army to suppress the border, and Anton Mansion was one of them."
This news is actually not a secret, but Liu Wei really doesn't know it - he has no one in the court, so what can he do?
"Yanbian Town Army? Six Towns of Later Wei Dynasty? Tianbao Ten Festivals?" Liu Wei asked in surprise.
"They probably came here as a mix." Wang Yanzhang wasn't very clear either.
Neither the Six Towns of the Northern Wei Dynasty nor the Ten Festivals of Tianbao seemed to be positive examples for the rulers of the dynasty.
The Six Towns Uprising severely damaged the Northern Wei Dynasty and eventually disintegrated.
Not to mention the ten festivals of Tianbao, the current world situation and social atmosphere are inseparable from it.
Bian Zhenjun, how dare you come like this?
"Actually, the Xinquan Army is already changing." Wang Yanzhang provided as much information as he could: "After the dismantling of Zhongwu and Huaixi Town, the total number of troops exceeds 20,000. The imperial court plans to send them to the border areas as a source of suppressing troops."
"The elite Zhongwu soldiers have been mobilized for a long time, and those who can fight are all in the Forbidden Army. The Huaixi Town Army does not seem to have any good results, and it is obviously not very good. Can these shrimp soldiers and crab generals guard the border?" Liu Wei asked.
"This time, that time." Wang Yanzhang said: "I have been in Bianzhou for many years. According to my observation, the soldiers under Liang Wang Quanzhong's camp are brave and good at fighting, like arms and fingers, but their descendants are not so strong. If Liang Wang recruits troops in the future,
If these children of sergeants are still used, the second generation of Liang Jun will definitely not be as good as the previous generation. The same is true for the Great Xia Forbidden Army. Now they are all warriors who dare to fight and fight, and are not afraid of death. But what about their descendants? If they don't go into battle to fight
, three generations at most, I don’t think it will work.”
Liu Wei was silent.
In an army that does not fight, promotion depends on seniority and connections. The capable cannot get up, and the mediocre are in high positions. The morale of the army deteriorates very quickly. In addition, if soldiers do not face life and death directly, soldiers cannot gain battle experience, which will affect their psychological well-being.
The army cannot be transformed and sublimated, and such an army is nothing more than an appearance.
A warrior is not only brave in martial arts, he is also very brave in spirit and has rich experience.
"The edge soldiers, even if they are just rotten fish and shrimps now, have been fighting with people in the bitter cold land for a long time, their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated." Wang Yanzhang said: "In the past, the saints migrated the people from Shu to the plentiful, and the victory was numerous.
There are always thousands of households. The descendants of these common people are soldiers, and they are also very fierce. General Liu, nothing in the world remains the same."
Liu Wei was taught a lesson by Wang Yanzhang, a "foolish man", but he was not angry at all. Instead, he asked humbly: "The Xinquan Army has been stationed in Yinshan all year round, and their families are also there. It is understandable that they are willing to be soldiers. Zhongwu, Huaixi
How can soldiers be willing to go?"
"If you don't agree, you will be dismissed." Wang Yanzhang said: "There are many soldiers in Luoyang, so it is not difficult to defeat them. In addition, the Huaixi soldiers should be obedient."
The Zhejia Army, which rules the army according to patriarchal laws, is always so different among the warlord armies. The same is true for the Weisheng Army who is still fighting in Jianghan.
"Besides, according to what Privy Hu said, there is a lot of money and food for the soldiers." Wang Yanzhang said, "Return the land so that your family can move there."
Liu Wei was thoughtful.
The town troops in different places should be different. The Yinshan area is not a good place, and there may not be so much land. If the pastures are allocated to the town soldiers, the court will inevitably subsidize part of the money and food.
What if we change to Andong Mansion? Liu Wei doesn’t know.
******
Across the sea, in Penglai Town, Shao Shude was also discussing with officials the restructuring of the Andong Prefecture's army.
"It is not an option to have Gui De and other troops stationed outside for a long time." Shao Shude said: "It can be done in one or two years, but it is hard to say in three or five years. This matter will eventually be resolved. Last time, the Privy Council proposed to reset the army.
The proposal is to change town soldiers to government soldiers, what do you think?"
"Your Majesty, no." Chen Cheng said first.
"What?" Shao Shude asked.
"Your Majesty." Chen Cheng replied: "The system of government soldiers began in the Later Wei Dynasty. By the Sui Dynasty, it had reached its peak, and then declined. In the early Tang Dynasty, due to the chaos of the Sui Dynasty, there were fewer people and more land, and the government soldiers had a slight revival.
, and later tended to deteriorate. Under Emperor Gaozong, the Empress Wu Dynasty gradually became unusable, and soldiers fled in large numbers, and their combat effectiveness declined. In the eighth year of Emperor Xuanzong’s Tianbao reign, the government army system was completely abolished. Government soldiers needed land and slaves."
In short, the combat effectiveness of the soldiers is directly proportional to the number of fields and tribes they own, that is, directly proportional to the economic strength.
In the later years of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, the soldiers in Guanzhong were no longer able to do well. There was too little land and too many people. The soldiers were poor and did not have the financial strength to practice martial arts and purchase equipment. They had changed from being out of production to directly participating in front-line agricultural production and working with the soil.
Tuan Xiangfu gradually approached, and naturally the fighting power could not be maintained.
Whether the harsh and cold border areas have the conditions to implement the military system is a matter worthy of discussion.
"In addition, the setting up of the former Tang Dynasty soldiers Zhechongfu generally followed the principle of 'raising the people in the pass to attack the four directions' and 'emphasis on the inside and light on the outside'." Chen Cheng continued: "There are 289 Zhechongfu on Guan Nei Road and 166 on Hedong Road.
, Henan Road 73, Hebei Road 51, Longyou Road 33, Shannan Road 15, Jiannan Road 11, Huainan Road 9, Jiangnan Road 7, Lingnan Road 6. Since the former Tang Dynasty established its capital in Chang'an, it started from Hedong, so Guanxi,
The Second Road in Hedong is a strategic area for the government's troops. The population of Hebei is several times that of Guannai Road, but the number of Zhechong Prefecture is only one-sixth. Your Majesty is wise, and you can see the true meaning of this."
Shao Shude nodded slightly.
He understood what Chen Cheng meant. The soldiers of the government had land and slaves in the local area, purchased their own weapons, and participated in regular training organized by the Zhechong government. Their economic relations and social connections were all local. The influence of the imperial court was actually limited, and
The further away from the ruling center, the lower the influence.
Both Sui and Tang Dynasties started in Guanzhong, and the number and distribution of Zhechong Mansion explains everything.
If you implement the military system in Andong Mansion, are you sure you can control it?
In addition, who is in charge of the government troops? Is it appropriate? This is also a question.
Times have changed a lot, and now the recruitment system is the mainstream. Professional warriors are paid to work hard, and this is what they eat. For them, fighting is natural and there is nothing to say.
But this was not the case for the government soldiers. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, wars were extremely frequent, and the government soldiers were often drafted into battle. The economy gradually went bankrupt, so they fled in large numbers, and some even resisted the government recruitment and refused to go into battle.
After all, they are not professional soldiers. They do not receive military pay from the court, and all the expenses for the expedition are borne by themselves. They can tolerate the few battles, but they will not be happy if the battles are frequent. The opposite is true for recruiting troops. The recruitment of troops in the Xuanzong Dynasty even required
He was "good at starting border provocations" and took the initiative to force the Hu people to rebel, and then went on a campaign to seek rewards from the imperial court.
The pursuits of the two are different.
"Andong Prefecture has a lot of land. If one person is granted a hundred and fifty acres of land and is allowed to recruit troops to cultivate it, it may save a lot of expenses. Nowadays, the court's expenses are not generous, and the people of the Central Plains are already desperate for food." Shao Shude thought.
After much deliberation, I still tended to grant land in Andong and rebuild the imperial army, so I asked: "During the former Tang Dynasty, I heard that there was a 'fish book system' for dispatching imperial troops?"
"Back to Your Majesty." Deputy Privy Envoy Wang Bian said: "The governor of the state where the government soldiers are located has a copper fish talisman, and the single Zhechong governor also has this talisman. To dispatch the government soldiers, you need an imperial edict, and the governor of the state and the governor of Zhechong must present the fish talisman.
Only when the talisman is used can the line be completed, this is called the fish script."
Within the jurisdiction of a state, there is often more than one Zhechong Prefecture, and each Zhechong Prefecture has its own captain, which means it is divided very finely. There are two prefectures and seventeen prefectures in Guannai Road, with an average of fifteen per prefecture.
Zhechong Prefecture and Zhechong Prefecture do not govern each other and are relatively independent. This is a means of restriction.
"We will try it out in the four counties of Andong Prefecture first." Shao Shude finally made up his mind and heard him say: "After Denglai has a strong household registration and developed maritime trade, the connection with Andong Prefecture will naturally become closer, and the imperial court will be more majestic.
It will also spread to the past. Let's do this. First, ask among the returned troops. If you are willing to stay in Anton, you can move your family there and be granted a land of 150 acres per ding. In the first five years, the court continued to give rewards, and the rewards were the same. Five
After the year, it will be transferred to the jurisdiction of Zhechong Prefecture. If the land cannot be cultivated, let them capture Buqu by themselves."
Unlike the Longwu Army, the Guide Army is relatively loyal to Shao Sheng. It seems to be a good idea to use them as a pilot first and proceed step by step.
"In addition, the Anton Prefecture must also immigrate to Shibian as soon as possible." Shao Shude added: "For this matter, you have to come up with a charter. Under the condition of ensuring the transportation of military supplies to the Andong camp, the migration will be carried out in batches. What is the source?
Just deploy it from the Central Plains. Don’t be too radical and prioritize ensuring operating expenses.”
"I obey the decree." Everyone responded.
The Khitan thought that the Xia army came to attack them, and the Bohai people thought that the Xia army came to reinforce them, but they all misunderstood.
In fact, the Xia army came to occupy territory. The war against the Khitans was not a high priority, and they had to serve the politics of the Anton government. They did not understand this, and they would naturally be dumbfounded in the future.
