"Qiu Shijun, have you really arranged a marriage for Shao?" Shao Shude asked softly while walking on the road to Suizhou.
"It's fake, just to stop Pei Shang's mouth." Qiu Weidao said calmly: "How can a wedding be a piece of cake? Of course, if you are serious about Shude, it is not a problem to help you find a daughter of an official in the capital. But, if you think about it carefully,
In short, Song Le is right in saying that the Zhe family of Linzhou and Suizhou are the best candidates for marriage. Don't worry, Zhe Silun's opinion is insignificant. Zhe Zong is a pragmatic person. Their family has Tuoba Dangxiang.
Our great enemy, Shude, aren't you the best marriage partner? As long as he sees that you have elite soldiers and can bring checks and balances to the Tuoba family, this bargaining chip will be enough."
"Thank you very much for your advice."
Indeed, for a military leader like him, marriage is not simply a matter of one person. To put it bluntly, this is politics and a major matter. Since he is determined to restore a stable and peaceful life to the people of the world, he cannot let himself do it.
She has a wild temper. It doesn’t matter what kind of character Zhe Silun’s sister is, what she looks like, or whether she is talented or learned. She has to marry even a pig. And this is also the common view or value of people in this era. Shao Shude does not
Don't intend to violate it.
On the ninth day of August, the army left Funing County and officially entered Suizhou. Yang Liang led a hundred people to escort Qiu Weidao to Xiazhou, while Shao Shude's troops went to Suizhou City. This is the junction of Longquan County and Dabin County in Suizhou.
In this area, you can reach Suizhou City by walking along the Wuding River and Qin Great Wall for a day's journey.
It was getting late, and the army stopped and started to set up camp. Shao Shude took his soldiers to inspect a nearby village.
Some children were playing by the stream near the entrance of the village. When they saw the large group of knights approaching, they fled away in fright. When they looked closely, they saw that the children were skinny and their clothes were shabby, and they couldn't help but be silent.
Are these the people under his rule?
Shao Shude turned over and dismounted, looking at the mountains and plains in the distance, and at the quietly flowing Wuding River. I once had an ideal, to let children grow strong, to let women avoid humiliation, and to let the elderly die a good death.
I want to climb high and look far away, and see thousands of lights. I want to visit mountains and rivers, and see pastoral songs.
It has been seven years, have the original ideals become dusty? Seven years have passed, have I felt at ease with the assimilation of the people around me? Seven years have passed, and the lives of the people have become increasingly difficult.
Is it happy to win a great victory on the battlefield? Is it happy to be awarded a high official position? Is it happy to be surrounded by beauties?
Helping relatives and friends around you is a small act of benevolence, so what is great benevolence and righteousness? Is there really no chance to change the fate of the people who are buried in the wilderness? The right to survive is the greatest human right!
"General, this is the border of Suizhou, and the people's life is actually pretty good." Seeing Shao Shude's silence, Zhu Shuzong said softly: "I just asked the guide, Longquan and Dabin counties are actually pretty good. Yanfu, which is farther away, is not bad.
, Chengping and Suide counties are even poorer. During the famine years, the people have to eat leaves to satisfy their hunger."
"People's livelihood is so difficult..." Shao Shude sighed heavily. Can such a life be considered acceptable? It is even poorer than Fengzhou and Zhenwu Army, let alone Hedong, which is known to be rich. With this kind of scorn, the military leaders are still
Is it fun to kill all day long?
Alas, I don’t have much qualifications to criticize others. I am getting bigger and bigger, my soldiers are getting more and more, and my warlordism is getting stronger and stronger. How much of what drives me forward is ideal and how much is selfish desire?
I'm afraid I can't even figure it out myself.
The night by the Wuding River is quiet and mysterious. The occasional neighing of a war horse always gets a response from the mountains. Throughout the ages, how many people with lofty ideals have had their ambitions unrealized here, and how many people in their spring boudoir dreams have buried their bones here in the wilderness. Nomadic and farming people
Is it a tug of war? Shao Shude smiled, no, there are rivers and land here, and this is the home of the farming nation. Ambition is illusive, start from the bottom first, Suizhou will not be in chaos again!
On August 12, the outline of Suizhou City was in sight, and officials from the state came out to greet it. Shao Shude climbed a high mountain nearby, pointed to a certain site of the Great Wall of the Qin Dynasty, and asked: "Where is the Tomb of Mengtian?"
A village elder who came to greet him respectfully replied: "Your Majesty, it is indeed Meng Tian's tomb, which is located in Erli of the state. There is also Fusu's tomb in the east of the state in Bali."
"Mengtian, Fusu..." Shao Shude murmured to himself.
Suizhou is also the county of Qin Dynasty. A straight road passes through here to communicate with distant places. I think back in those days, when hundreds of thousands of troops pressed north and the barbarians did not dare to look south, how amazing was that? Unfortunately, barbarians now also know how to make armor and forge soldiers.
Once you have learned the system of the Central Plains, and if rewards and punishments are clearly defined, you will be a formidable enemy.
"Enter the city!" Shao Shude put his hand on the handle of the knife and ordered.
******
"Welcome the envoy." Xu Hao and Chen Cheng, who came earlier, brought dozens of officials from the prefecture and the village to greet them, and the scene was quite decent.
With a smile on his face, Shao Shude returned the greetings to them one by one, and then entered the city surrounded by everyone.
Suizhou City is medium in size, built in the first year of Zhenguan, with a circumference of four miles and two hundred paces. The city faces the Wuding River and is surrounded by stone cliffs. It is very dangerous and solid, and it is an important frontier fortress.
There were hundreds of sergeants in the city, led by a ten-year-old general named Zhen Xu. There were also some small forts and villages in strategic locations outside the city, each with dozens to more than a hundred people. In the south of Chengping, Suide
Near the second county, there is a battalion of more than 500 soldiers. This is the entire regular force of Suizhou. The total number does not exceed 1,500, all of which are local garrison troops. Last time, Xu Hao brought 500 old soldiers from Heyang.
Now Shao Shude has brought more than 3,000 people from Tielindu. These are field troops. Adding the two together, the number has exceeded 5,000. How to support them? This is a problem.
Shao Shude looked at the village elders and celebrities at the banquet and thought to himself. I am afraid it would be inappropriate to distribute donations as soon as he took office. Do he really want to go to those party "illegal immigrants" to ask for money and food? Shao Shude said calmly.
Drinking wine, occasionally chatting with people, and secretly observing which people are from well-off families, can solve my urgent needs.
It was too late to start renovating the local economy. Thousands of sergeants were spending a lot of money and food every day. Now he could finally understand the feeling that Hao Zhenwei had when he was walking on thin ice. If Tielin City hadn't been so cohesive, he would have been convinced by the sergeants.
Otherwise, life would be even more difficult.
After the banquet was over, Shao Shude called Chen Cheng directly and asked about the current treasury situation.
"My lord, the imperial court issued a batch of money and food this year. It is currently in Xiazhou and has not yet been distributed to the states and counties. Now the commander-in-chief is Zhuge Shuang. I heard that my lord has an old relationship with him. You might as well go and urge him to get this part of the money and food back.
, maybe support for a few months." Chen Cheng has been living in Suizhou for a while. Although he has not officially obtained an official position (this requires the appointment of a commander), no one dares to look down upon him, and he easily obtains great power in the state. In some cases,
Still very understanding.
"Where has Huang Chao gone?" Shao Shude suddenly asked an irrelevant question.
Chen Cheng was startled, but soon understood, and said: "We have arrived in Henan, and I heard that the officials and generals in the imperial court are at odds with each other. There are constant internal fights, and there are few troops. It may be difficult to stop Huang Chao."
Henan originally had many soldiers, but to encircle and suppress Li Keyong in Hedong and to block Huangchao in Jiangnan, a large number of troops were mobilized. Now Huangchao broke through the heavy siege of the government troops and entered the hinterland of Henan, which was empty of troops, and suddenly felt like a vast sea and sky.
Moreover, the local officers and soldiers were still killing each other. Xuzhou soldiers were ordered to fight against Huang Chao. When they passed by Xuchang to camp, they were placed in a camp. The soldiers complained about the poor reception conditions and almost caused trouble. Later, they were arrested by Jiedu envoy Xue
Xue Neng could be appeased. When the Zhongwu officers and soldiers who had sent troops to attack Huang Chao heard that something was going on in Xuchang, they hurriedly returned and killed more than 2,000 Xuzhou soldiers. Not only that, they also accused Xue Neng of using Xuchang's money and food to appease the Xuzhou soldiers, and then killed his whole family.
.
When the Zhongwu Army made such a fuss, nearby towns and states panicked, fearing the insurrectionary attack, and recalled their troops one after another. The blockade against Huang Chao was suddenly riddled with holes and was ineffective. Now if Huang Chao wants to enter the customs from Henan
There were few people to stop them, and all the towns were sweeping the snow in front of them.
Now that Huang Chao has entered Henan, the money and food transported to Guanzhong has been reduced. If he enters Guanzhong again, he will still have more money and food! I don't know, this may be the last time that the imperial court helps the various parties in Guan Nei Dao to suppress and raise the army. I will ask for it in the future.
How blessed.
It seems that I am going to Xiazhou. One is to visit Zhuge Shuang, the other is to ask for money and food, and the third is to obtain official status for a group of subordinates. I have become the governor, old brother, can you forget?
With this batch of money and food, plus what is left in the treasury, it is estimated that it can support him for more than half a year. After this half year, I am afraid that the people of Suizhou will no longer need to continue to support his army. Looking at this trend, what will happen then?
Unfortunately, Huang Chao has already entered Guanzhong, and the imperial court will definitely issue an order to summon all the soldiers and horses from all over the world. Xia Sui Town will definitely send troops as well, so we can go to Guanzhong and have enough food.
After all, he still has selfish motives. Shao Shude laughed at himself, "If you don't need to be raised by the people of Suizhou, why don't you need to be raised by the people of Guanzhong? Soldiers and horses from all towns gather in Guanzhong, and with Huang Chao's rebel army, there are always hundreds of thousands of horses. How does this mean to the people of Guanzhong?"
Not a catastrophe?
"Don't ask the people for food this year." After a long time, Shao Shudecai told Chen Cheng: "The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. The people are already suffering, and there are suddenly so many sergeants. Let them rest and recuperate for a year.
.In the coming year, I am afraid that the envoy will be near Chang'an."
"Your Majesty, Marshal Zhuge still has to make the decision on this matter." Chen Cheng said seriously.
Shao Shude was stunned at first when he heard this, and almost cursed when he thought about it. He had never been a local leader, so he took it for granted. Suizhou is an important grain producing area in Xia Sui Town. Do you mean that if you don't collect grain, you won't collect grain?
Where is Marshal Zhuge in Xiazhou? In the fourteen counties of Xia Sui, even the two counties under Tuoba Sigong have to pay tribute to cattle, sheep, and green salt. Otherwise, how can the Marshal support his army?
"This world!" Shao Shude sighed, unable to do anything.