After the army was dispatched, Shao Shude set off two days later.
He brought with him a large number of accompanying officials, palace servants, guards, as well as various materials and professionals - including many students from the Imperial College of Mathematics, Engineering, and Medicine.
In terms of staffing, this is less like a war and more like a comprehensive colonial development activity.
Sometimes Shao Shude doubts himself, is this necessary?
After the Tang Dynasty eliminated Goguryeo, it only moved the country's elite population away and then established Jizhou Prefecture there. Outside Linyu Pass, there was only one Zhengzhou, Yingzhou. However, the population of Yingzhou itself was also very small, and most of them were Mohe people.
, Khitan, Sogdian, Goguryeo.
Yingzhou is not so much Zhengzhou of the Tang Dynasty as it is a large trading place and military base.
The policy of the Ming Dynasty in the Northeast was similar to that of the Tang Dynasty. Direct rule was given within the border wall, and outside the border wall, it was restricted. You could take care of yourself and do as you pleased.
It’s not that no one has suggested that we implement a policy of restraining the Khitan and Bohai. We should check the household registration and the army, give them official status, and then Abaoji will suddenly become an official of Daxia, and the Khitan soldiers will also become Xia soldiers. Isn’t it good? Khitan soldiers
People may not necessarily recognize the officials you appoint. If you give in now, you will cause trouble in the future, and you will never have peace in the future, and you will spend countless money.
But he still wanted to give it a try.
Strategies of appeasement and restraint are certainly useful, but will they not rebel in the future? When they are in charge of themselves, they still have little contact with the mainland, so they just rebel if they say they rebel?
Furthermore, even if the prisoner is given, it must be given to someone with close ties to the mainland, such as his own son.
"After the people have suffered for so many years, I have to go through the hardships myself. There are some things that I don't feel safe leaving to others." During the rest of the march, Shao Shude said to Chen Cheng, Zhao Guangfeng and others.
But what he said was very unconvincing.
The colorful palace servants were making tea and preparing snacks for him, and the concubines were waiting silently on the carriage, showing their charming faces from time to time.
As soon as it was time to rest, Xiao Huangmen set up a tent and brought in tables, chairs and even beds. If you want to read, you can read, if you want to eat, you can eat. If you want to practice martial arts, go directly to the equipment rack to get weapons.
If you are tired, go back to the tent and take a comfortable nap - sleeping with a woman in your arms, even if you do nothing, will feel quite comfortable.
Shao Sheng, who is getting older, can no longer endure hardships like before. He doesn't even know which box he puts his robes in. Every day, he comes and reaches out for his clothes, and the smiling palace concubines and concubines take care of everything for him.
No wonder everyone wants to be rich and wealthy. Once you enjoy the life in this gentle countryside, you will have endless aftertaste.
"Your Majesty, we must guard against Abaoji's sneak attack this time." Chen Cheng said: "I feel that Abaoji was defeated so miserably last year. In order to restore his prestige, he must do something."
"Whether he comes or not, that's it." Shao Shude said: "By mid-to-late May, Rouzhou will camp and be ready. It's better if Abaoji doesn't come. If he comes, he will suffer a big loss."
"Your Majesty, the newly acquired land of the Seven Saints State is not popular among the people, so we should be careful. Someone may follow and cause chaos." Zhao Guangfeng then reminded.
"It doesn't matter, they jumped out and solved it together." Shao Shude said: "The Seven Holy States must be interested in protecting the Khitan people who are temporarily dormant, but they were able to defeat them last year, and they will be defeated this year."
While the three of them were talking, the Bodhisattva slave and Yue Liduo sisters came up with snacks.
Yue Liduo was four months pregnant, and her belly was slightly bulging. Shao Shude didn't want to take her on a tour eastward, but considering that Abaoji might go south, he felt like grass growing in his heart, so he took Yue Liduo with him again.
This woman, Bodhisattva Nu, is actually very interesting. She is obviously from the grassland, but her temperament is like that of a Han woman, or even worse, which is also strange.
When Shao Shude first came to see her, he was on the verge of death and cried non-stop. But in the end he was tempted by the devil's words. Shao Shude only said one thing: You are still young but have no heirs. What will you do when you get old?
The Bodhisattva slave's love for the child cannot be concealed. Now that Shao Shude is lucky, she can no longer block it with her hands. The pleasure during this period cannot be explained to outsiders.
"This is a personal expedition for Tibet, Abaoji is not the focus. If it is just a war, I won't even come, just leave it to Fu Cun for trial." Shao Shude said: "I have more important things than fighting, you two should help me with the details.
.”
"Yes." Chen Cheng and Zhao Guangfeng agreed at the same time.
After the rest, the ministers dispersed and continued their journey. On April 15, they passed through Changxia Palace and arrived at Ximi County, Husheng Prefecture.
****
Shao Shude stood on the grass and looked at the meandering Shaoleng River (Shaolang River), feeling satisfied.
It was his first time to visit this area. He originally thought it was a sandy area where birds didn't poop, but now he found that it was quite rich in water resources.
What can I say about this river? The river bed is extremely irregular. It is very wide in some places and only a thin bunch in other places. The river is actually very shallow, and there are many woods and reeds on both sides.
Maybe a large group of people came, and the birds in the forest flew high and disappeared into the sky.
The teenagers who were catching clams by the river also dispersed and hid in the woods. However, their actions made the guards even more alert, and they went into the woods to search, scaring them into shouting and running away in panic. There were young children, and even
He fell to the ground, crying.
Shao Shude laughed loudly when he saw it, and asked people to reward the children with some cheese and dried meat, and then sent them away.
"Grandpa!" The eighth prince Shao Duanfeng rushed over from the city to greet him.
"How many households are farming land now?" Shao Shude asked.
"There are more than 2,300 households cultivating land along the margin of the river, with about 900 hectares of land. Millet seeds have been planted this year," Shao Duanfeng replied.
"The scale is not small anymore." Shao Shude was very satisfied. His son was not ignorant of everything, but he still had some understanding of the situation in the fiefdom.
"Don't expand the planting scale at will." Shao Shude said: "You can plant wheat instead, but a thousand hectares of cultivated land is enough, and you don't have many people now. Have you asked the locals whether the water in Shaolengchuan has decreased?"
"I've asked." Shao Duanfeng said, "They all say that the river water has decreased in recent years, and some swamps have dried up and become overgrown with grass."
"There is less rain, and water is used up for farming." Shao Shude nodded and said: "Try to maintain it first. If you have spare energy, you can build a pond. The weather will get colder and colder, and the rain will get heavier.
Master, be prepared for this."
"Yes." Shao Duanfeng responded.
Shao Shude patted his shoulder with satisfaction.
Hachiro prepared the two questions for today's exam in advance, which was very good.
Chuck should also have provided a lot of help. Wang Fu is a good choice.
"Your Majesty..." Chen Cheng was confused.
Shao Shude glanced at him and said, "Go sit over there first and chat slowly."
He has appointed Tielin Army envoy Fu Cunshen as the commander of Shenzhou's camp. He does not need to worry about military affairs. His work is mainly focused on the economic layout of Liaodong.
The palace servants laid out curtains and carpets on the floor, and Shao Shude, Chen Cheng, Shao Duanfeng, and Zhang Ce sat opposite each other.
Queen Shuxian, He and her daughter stood up and saluted, and then called on the palace servants to serve them tea.
Chen Cheng didn't have much favorable impressions of this woman.
He is a free-spirited man who is greedy for wealth and honor, so he does not hesitate to push his daughter into a pit of fire.
Some people have no choice, such as Yu Lu Jiangu, mother and daughter Yue Liduo, while others have a lot of choice, such as Zhang Hui, the daughter of the Chu family has to be named a princess, and the He family can actually do it. But what, what!
However, his face did not show the slightest disgust. On the contrary, he smiled and was very polite.
"Your Majesty." After the tea was served, Chen Cheng cleared his throat and said, "I have the honor to listen to your Majesty's teachings and learned that the weather has turned colder and the rain has decreased. Over the past ten years, it has indeed been cold in winter, although it does happen occasionally.
Repeatedly, but after all, it is much colder than ten years ago. The rain is also getting scarce, which may be detrimental to farming in the long run. I dare to ask Your Majesty, if the bitter cold places like Seven Saints and Bohai Kingdom will no longer
So what if it's livable? Is it necessary to go to war?"
"It's not like that." Shao Shude smiled and said: "No matter how cold it is, we can still farm. What's more, it will be decades before the real cold."
Chen Cheng pondered for a moment and then said: "Your Majesty is wise and wise, and what he said should be correct. However, a large army will cost countless people to conquer. Is it worth it?"
"Chen Qing should know that I have made up my mind." Shao Shude said.
After saying that, he took another look at his old friend who had been with him for decades, and secretly said that Lao Chen had always supported his various policies, and now he found an opportunity to ask again. It seemed that beneath the surface of support, he still had ideas in his heart.
So he asked back: "Now the household registration in Beidi is no less than 20 million. How long does Chen Qing think it will take for it to double?"
"It will take thirty or forty years," Chen Cheng said.
"Thirty or forty years is not a long time." Shao Shude said: "After thirty or forty years, the Northland can actually still be maintained. Even after seventy or eighty years, there will be no problem. But if you don't have long-term worries, you will have short-term worries. I will always
Think long-term. Now that the new dynasty has been established, it is full of vitality. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are sweeping across the four directions, and there is no enemy. If we don't take advantage of this moment to build more places, when will we wait?"
In fact, this is Shao Shude's real idea.
Daxia has Guanxi, which has been stable for twenty years and has a growing population, Henan, which has recovered for ten years and its population is gradually improving, and Hebei, which has preserved most of its essence. This is both a strength and a worry.
Military force and national power often cannot be achieved at the same time.
Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had military force but no national power. He could not forcefully eat Goguryeo's millions of people with tens of thousands of Tang people, so he had no choice but to migrate.
Wanli of the Ming Dynasty had national power but no military force, so the legend of the Battle of Lao Nusarhu was achieved, and Liaodong lost control.
The threat of the Malthusian trap requires more resources to hedge, otherwise his dynasty will implode earlier than other dynasties. Therefore, Shao Shude decided to go deeper and take advantage of the fact that he has the strongest national power in all dynasties since the founding of the country.
Sweeping across all directions and occupying more land. Just as he had been taking advantage of the low cost to overhaul the palace city, after the early days of the founding of the country, many things could not be done, or even if they were done, the costs would increase.
"On the other hand, I want to control the grassland. If I don't have Liaodong, I only have Yinshan. What do you think?" Shao Shude asked again.
"It's like losing an arm." Chen Cheng sighed.
"The Yingzhou and Andong Protectorate of the former Tang Dynasty were mostly located on the coast of southern Liaoning. Although the land was fertile, they were harassed by the Khitan and Xi people in Liaoze to the north. I set up the Seven Saints Prefecture in Liaoze to shield Yingzhou.
, Andong Prefecture, Shenzhou and other places are threatened, so we can cultivate with peace of mind, and the people live and work in peace and contentment." Shao Shude said: "Also, the Daxianbei Mountains stretch across the north and south, isolating Yong'an Palace, Qishengzhou and the grasslands to the west. This is
A natural barrier. But if Seven Saints State and Yong'an Palace want to maintain it for a long time, they must rely on a stable money and food base, which is Bohai State."
Bohai is a country with half mountains and half plains. It is quite interesting to say that the southern part of the country is mountainous, but it is cold. There are many "mature Jurchens" who have migrated inland, but the Xingkai Lake Plain with a higher latitude, due to various
The reason is that the climate is relatively warm and humid, and agriculture, fishery, and animal husbandry are all more developed. This can be seen from the archaeological remains of later generations - the distribution of city sites in Bohai Kingdom is obviously more in Xingkai Lake Plain and Suifen Valley.
But to the north and west of the Xingkai Lake Plain, there are barbaric "nurses", which is a big threat. When the Bohai Kingdom moved its capital to the north, it was actually based on the policy of "the emperor guards the country's gates", and his courage can be said to be excellent
.
And these Jurchens, or Heishui Mohe, are actually the threats that Daxia will face in the future.
Although people may be obedient now, times have changed and it's hard to tell.
In the early years of the Liao Dynasty, which leader would dare not dance? But in the last years of the Liao Dynasty, Aguda stopped dancing.
"Let's go back to what happened just now." Shao Shude said: "I want to enclose a large area in advance, whether it is Liaodong or the south. I want it. There are so many dynasties with registered residences when the country was founded. It is rare in ancient times. If this is not the case,
If you dare to try, why should I fight? Just go home and take care of the children."
"Your Majesty is far-sighted and far-sighted, and I cannot compare with you." Chen Cheng cupped his hands and said.
Shao Duanfeng listened with a solemn expression.
He half understood this kind of grand strategic matter, but he felt it was very powerful. At the same time, a strange feeling arose in his heart. It turned out that his fiefdom protecting the Holy State was only a barrier between Liaodong and Liaoxi.
Thinking about this, I feel a little disappointed.