Cheng Ru entered his cellar early in the morning.
He carefully counted the wine jars placed in the corner and found that there were eight jars left in total. He was afraid that he would be "annihilated" today.
"Husband." His wife Qian came over and urged: "The commander is almost here, why are you delaying?"
"That's all, let's get them all moved out." Cheng Rui Fine Wine, these jars are his treasure, and it looks like he can't keep them today.
After coming out of the cellar, Qian dusted him off and complained: "I have been the governor of Yanzhou for more than four years. It's time to talk to the commander and move to another place. We don't dare to think about Lingzhou and Xiazhou.
Suizhou and Yinzhou have also just changed people, why not go to Guanzhong to find a place?"
"Where in Guanzhong?" Cheng Ru glared at his wife and said, "Two Jingyuan states? Three Xingning states? Is it possible? Li Yanling and Sun Ba both have their own brothers to settle, so how can there be so many places for you?
"
"Didn't you say that Li Yanling is leaving? If he moves to another town, wouldn't there be a chance?"
"Don't spread the news." Cheng Ru stroked his forehead, feeling really impatient of his wife's noise, and said, "Just talk about these things at home, don't gossip when you go out. Li Yanling is one of the senior Yuancong elders.
He is considered old. Whether he moves or not, the commander-in-chief has the final say, but he doesn't want to offend others."
Qian stopped talking.
She is very utilitarian, but not stupid. Although Li Yanling has not shown much ability in marching and fighting, his qualifications are unmatched, and the commander-in-chief is nostalgic. As long as he does not rebel, his position will be as stable as Mount Tai.
There was news a while ago that the imperial court might set up a town in Shaanxi to control the three prefectures of Shaanxi, Guo, and Hua. Li Yanling was going to move to Shaanxi. After hearing this, Mrs. Qian became interested and wondered whether her husband could go to Yan, Ning, and Qing.
The governor of one of the three states, Gan Gan, would be better than Yanzhou, which has a population of less than 20,000 in the entire state.
Cheng Ru returned to the hall.
Three sons and two daughters came forward to salute and say hello.
The Prince of Lingwu County was kind. When he took himself from Li Kan, he also brought his family and relatives with him, including more than a hundred people. Otherwise, he would have been slaughtered by that old thief for a long time.
Cheng Ru noticed that his two daughters were all dressed up, and his face suddenly darkened. Just as he was about to reprimand him, his wife Qian came over again and said: "I asked them to dress up. They are 13 or 14-year-old ladies, so...
It’s time to get married.”
The two girls blushed when they heard this.
Cheng Ru sighed and was too lazy to talk nonsense anymore.
"Your Majesty, the Marshal's honor guard has arrived." A staff member ran over panting to report.
"Let's go out and greet you." Cheng Ru brushed his sleeves and asked his wife Qian to check it carefully to make sure there was no dirt. He took a deep breath and led the children to the main entrance.
There were dozens of riders galloping on the street.
They shouted loudly and drove the onlookers as far away as possible.
Soon, four hundred soldiers walked over quickly.
Half of them were separated and stationed at the neighbors' homes around Chengfu. After a careful search, they set up defenses on the spot.
The remaining half of the people complained, and then entered the Cheng Mansion one after another, inspecting carefully and standing in every corner of the mansion.
He is as good as the emperor!
Cheng Ru thought to himself that the commander-in-chief really cherished his life and was so careful wherever he went.
Cars were approaching from afar at the end of the street, guarded by hundreds of soldiers, and flags and banners stood in great numbers, creating an astonishing power.
Cheng Rui heard that the commander-in-chief had expanded the number of his soldiers from six hundred to one thousand, and now it seems that his words were not false.
Wherever he goes, he is guarded by thousands of well-equipped soldiers. As long as he is not besieged by a large army, it is not that easy or even impossible for ordinary people to murder the commander head-on.
Wang Chongrong's death was due to his carelessness. The commander-in-chief learned his lesson.
"Cheng Dalang's mansion is in good repair." After holding Zhao Yu and Xiao Dai's hands out of the carriage, Shao Shude looked up and said with a smile.
Cheng Rui was a little nervous when he heard this. He was about to say something when he heard Shao Shude say again: "The people who follow me must be rich and noble. Cheng's governor's monthly salary is 60,000 yuan. This house is just right. It doesn't matter."
Only then did Cheng Ru feel relieved.
After the group entered the hall, Shao Shude sat down in the middle and Cheng Ru introduced his family members one by one.
The three sons all seem to have a background in martial arts, and their hands are full of calluses. One is serving as a military academy in the state army, and one is serving as deputy regiment training envoy. It is said that he just returned from Luziguan with the local regiment soldiers after completing their garrison period a while ago, and there are
A person serves as a warehouse governor in this state. He does not have a hierarchical official position, but it can be regarded as a position of real power.
The two daughters were young, wearing makeup and beautiful skirts. They blushed and bowed, then stepped aside. From time to time, they peeked at Shao Shude, but quickly lowered their heads after being discovered.
Cheng Rui was a little embarrassed.
Zhao Yu, who was sitting next to Shao Shude, whispered something into his ear, and both of them laughed.
Cheng Ru became more and more embarrassed.
I have to take care of my old wife in the evening. The two side wives beside the handsome man are so dazzling. Compared with them, my daughter is like a chicken meeting a phoenix. It's so embarrassing!
"Cheng Dalang, please sit down. Aren't you tired of standing?" Shao Shude pointed to the seat next to him and said with a smile: "We have met each other. You can go about your business. I will have a few words with Cheng Shijun.
talk."
Everyone bowed and left.
"The number of household registrations in Yanzhou has increased in recent years, and many party members have come down to the mountains to farm. The governor has done a good job." Shao Shude said: "Yanchi has launched service, and the state has arranged it in an orderly manner. This is a good official."
"The commander-in-chief is still working hard and setting the rules. I just can't wait to act according to the rules." Cheng Ru replied.
The place with the richest salt resources in Shuofang Town is actually Yanzhou, followed by Youzhou, then Fengzhou, Lingzhou, and Xiazhou with very few, almost negligible.
Salt profit, which used to be stable at 200,000 yuan per year, has increased in recent years, reaching 2.67 million yuan. Apart from the factors of population growth, it has also taken away some of the market for salt in the river.
After all, Shuofang's army was the largest force in the northwest at this time. The stronger the military, the stronger the influence, and it would also promote business.
In another ten or eight years of development, as long as Marshal Shao is determined, he can even seize the entire market of Hezhong Salt in Guanzhong.
For such an important industry, the local government naturally had to actively cooperate with it. Cheng Rui had always treated it as a major event and kept an eye on it personally, not daring to be careless.
"There is no need to be too modest." Shao Shude smiled and said, "Have you been working in Yanzhou for your fifth year? Have you ever thought about moving?"
Cheng Ru was shocked and secretly thought that his wife had guessed correctly that the place was going to be moved.
"But it depends on the commander's orders." Cheng Ru replied.
"I just got the news that Li Xiang, the governor of Jinshang Jiedu, passed away. Li Bai, the son of Li Xiang, has been appointed to stay in the post. However, there is some instability in the army. Some people support the appointment of Li Tong, the governor of Shangzhou, in the post." Shao Shude said: "Both of them are named
I am a worldly uncle, and I am in a dilemma, I don’t know which one to support."
Cheng Ru suddenly realized it and said: "In order to avoid the two Lis from fighting and hurting the brotherhood, why not move the town?"
"That's what I mean." Shao Shude sighed: "The gold merchants are poor, but they have been stable for many years and have not been affected by the war. There are also transfer houses to transfer goods. Today there are more than 20,000 households and more than 120,000 people, which is more than during the Kaiyuan period.
Sheng. If you want to move to another town, you need a good place to go, and you can’t wrong my two nephews."
Cheng Ru pretended to think for a while and suggested: "Why not move the town to Yingning or Jingyuan?"
"I'm afraid it won't work in Jingyuan. After moving 5,000 sergeants and surrendering more than 17,000 troops, the household registration has declined greatly. Xing Ning is not bad. The land of the three states has been stable for decades. It is indeed better than the gold merchants."
Shao Shude said: "If Li Bai is willing to move the town, he should be the commander-in-chief. I like you for the post of governor of Shangzhou. Are you sure you can do it?"
"I wonder what the commander-in-chief wants his subordinates to do after going to Shangzhou? To organize the army? To organize the civil affairs?" Cheng Ru asked.
"There is no need to organize the army. I plan to hand over the post of Wuguan Defense Envoy to Wang Yu, the Dingyuan Army Envoy. He is an old general of Li Xiang. Most of the troops in Jinshang Town are Chao troops. They are acquaintances with Wang Yu. He has gone and since
Can subdue those generals." Shao Shude said: "Shangzhou also has a population of 50,000 to 60,000 people. Cheng Dalang's departure has two major events."
"Commander, please give me instructions."
"First, renovate the road from Dachangguan to Shangzhou. This road was opened in Jinglongzhong, and the roadbed still exists. However, it rains in summer and the river water swells, soaking the road surface. We need to think of ways to renovate it." Shao Shude looked at it.
Cheng Ru, who was listening solemnly, said: "Secondly, bring a group of cattle to Shangzhou to develop production. I heard that many people in Shangzhou farmed fields too roughly, and the harvest per mu was only seven or eight dou.
It's really too low. Renovating roads and saving more money and food, can Cheng Dalang be sure of these two things? If he is good enough, it is not impossible to be appointed deputy envoy of Jiedushi in a town."
"You should do your best to not miss the commander's attack plan." Cheng Ru immediately stood up and responded.
"Sit down." Shao Shude nodded with satisfaction.
It's so easy to talk to smart people.
The two gold merchant states are in a critical position. If he had a choice, Shao Shude would rather trade the three states of Xingning.
In fact, he was already preparing to report to the imperial court to combine the Jin, Shang, and Fifteen Counties in the three prefectures into one town, to make unified planning, coordinate local resources, and make good use of these 160,000 to 70,000 people as a base for conquering Shannan East Road.
The renovation of the mountain roads opened by Cui Shi was also for the war effort.
The transportation cost of Shangshan Road is too high, and because the imperial court needs to use this road to transport goods from the southeast, the transportation volume is also limited. Then, the semi-abandoned Shimen Road must be used, otherwise how can we support the frontline campaign?
This is like a person who needs to do strenuous exercise, but a section of the blood supply vessel is particularly thin and the blood flow rate is still slow. At this time, if two blood vessels can run in parallel and supply blood at the same time, the dilemma will be greatly alleviated.
Zhe Zongben had already set up a stronghold at Xiaojiangkou, and brought a thousand children of the Zhe family and a thousand soldiers from Junzhou to garrison.
The Xingyuan soldiers arrived in Shangzhou last winter and stopped after the snow started to fall. They waited until the rivers thawed this spring before taking some grain and grass from Shangzhou and sailing down to Xiaojiangkou to join Zhe Zongben.
After hearing that Feng Xing's attack was defeated, the Jinzhou soldiers had returned to the town.
The remaining troops of Fengxiang Army are still escorting grain, grass and equipment between Guanzhong and Shangzhou. The reason why they have not gone south yet is because Junzhou cannot afford more troops and horses, so they should stock up on grain and grass for a while first.
.
Such traffic conditions are really unfriendly to war. If you cannot plunder enough supplies from the enemy, it will inevitably develop into an intermittent war, that is, after fighting for a period of time, you will run out of supplies and have to retreat to rest and wait for a while.
After sufficient supplies, the second wave of offensive continued.
This easily gives the enemy a chance to adjust!
"The imperial court intends to set up towns in the three states of Jin, Shang and Jun. I would like to appoint Commander Li Yanling as the military envoy. Wang Yu will lead the Dingyuan army southward and serve as the defense envoy of Wuguan. I will also make Zhezong the commander of all the troops and horses in Qiuchi, Shannan.
I am also the governor of Junzhou and coordinates the military affairs of Jin, Shang and Junzhou. Li Yanling is in charge of the people, Zhe Zongben is in charge of the army, and Cheng Dalang went to Shangzhou. I should know what to do."
"The subordinates only follow the lead of Commander-in-Chief Li," Cheng Ru said without hesitation.
In fact, there is nothing to hesitate about. The gold merchant place is a bit out of the way. The commander-in-chief has established a system of separation of military and political affairs. He must not want the Zhe family to carve out a large piece of territory in Shannan after occupying the four states of Fengxiang.
Connected with Fengxiang.
Think about it, Fengxiang Town's subordinate state, Yangzhou, is to the east of Jinzhou, so the location is quite subtle.
Li Yanling has no problem with his loyalty, and he is also tactful, sensible, and aware of all kinds of inside stories. With him as the governor, there will be no constraints on Zhe Zongben's military operations, nor will the relationship get out of hand.
Employing people is really very particular!
"The three sons who just got married are all strong and brave. I wonder if they can serve in the army?" Shao Shude asked again.
"They all serve in Yanzhou and have never joined the Yamen Army."
"That's a pity." Shao Shude said with regret: "The eldest son can continue to stay in Yanzhou. The second son can go to Xiashiyi to serve in the army, and it will not be a problem to fill a military academy. Yao'er will go to Shaanzhou and continue to be the warehouse governor. Wei Han
Li Tangbin, the envoy of the various passes and fortresses, is about to lead his army eastward, and both of them have the opportunity to make contributions."
"If the two sons can go to Shaanzhou to make meritorious deeds, it is because the commander-in-chief thinks highly of them and dares to disobey him!" Cheng Ru responded loudly.