"Meng Qi, your Ma family once controlled all the counties west of Wuwei. Do you know anything about the current Western Region?"
Ma Chao shook his head in embarrassment and could only give Liu Zhang an apologetic look.
"My lord, Zhangye County, Jiuquan County, and Dunhuang County are vast and sparsely populated. The three counties combined have less than 100,000 people. Xihai County is even more miserable. There is only one county in the whole county with less than 5,000 people!"
"After my father recruited the best troops, he did not leave any troops stationed in these places. Our Ma family's power is mainly in Wuwei."
So that’s it!
Liu Zhang finally understood why Ma Teng could always raise tens of thousands of troops. It turned out that he had captured all the young men from other counties!
Now the problem comes, when Ma Teng occupied these counties, there were less than 100,000 people.
Now that so much has been squandered by Ma Teng, how many people are left in these counties?
"My lord, do you want to re-establish the Western Region Chief Historian's Mansion?"
Cheng Gongying seemed to understand Liu Zhang's intention and quickly asked questions.
"good!"
Liu Zhang did not deny that the Western Regions Changshi Mansion was of great significance, and it also took into account an important principle.
"I want to restart the Silk Road. Only by developing the economy can we have a steady stream of military resources!"
The war is not a struggle between two separate parties, but more of a competition of national strength!
To put it simply, war is about money!
Perhaps this era does not have such a thorough understanding, but as a time traveler, Liu Zhang is naturally familiar with the essence of war.
In today's era of cold weapons, there is an insurmountable problem in fighting wars, food and grass logistics.
But doesn’t buying grain and grass require money?
As long as the Silk Road is restarted, the connection between Chang'an and the countries in the Western Regions and even further places will be greatly deepened.
With the prosperity of the Silk Road, the source of the Dawan horses is naturally not a problem.
"My lord wants to restart the Silk Road, but there is a problem that he has to face."
Cheng Gongying's words successfully aroused Liu Zhang's interest.
"What problem?"
"First, we must completely eliminate the entire Qiang ethnic group, and second, migrate the population to the four counties in Hexi."
From ancient times to the present, it is absolutely impossible to develop a place without a population.
Liangzhou, Youzhou, Bingzhou, Yangzhou, and southern Yizhou, why are these places always so backward?
A big problem is the sparse population.
The reason for the sparse population is also very simple. It is often harassed by alien races.
The government and the army were unable to protect the survival of the people. In order to survive, the people had no choice but to leave their homes.
As time goes by, more and more people leave, and the border population becomes smaller and smaller.
As the population decreases, a series of problems will follow!
Even if there are no people left, what can we do to resist the invasion of aliens?
At least in Liangzhou, the largest foreign ethnic group is the Qiang people, followed by the Di people.
However, the Di people mainly engage in farming and their current threat is much smaller than that of the Qiang people.
In the history of the Han Dynasty, the Qiang people rebelled and surrendered many times, and the entire race was capricious.
During the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty and more than twenty emperors, they were unable to completely quell the Qiang rebellion.
With the Qiang people causing trouble in Liangzhou, the Silk Road was destined to be full of ups and downs.
However, in Liu Zhang's plan, the Qiang people were a problem that he must completely solve.
Especially with the "help" of Han Sui, more than 400,000 Qiang people were wiped out in the first battle, and almost the entire main force of the Qiang people was eliminated.
The only problem is the migrating Han people. Without people, it will still be difficult to develop.
"In this battle of Yuzhong, the main force of the Qiang people was wiped out, even if it means massacre of the entire Qiang people!"
Ma Chao was startled by Liu Zhang and quickly stopped him.
"My lord, no!"
Ma Chao's mother was still among the Xianling Qiang, how could he watch Liu Zhang massacre the entire Qiang tribe!
Liu Zhang smiled and gave Ma Chao a reassuring look.
"Don't worry, Meng Qi. I was just making an analogy."
"It is only a matter of time before the Qiang people completely surrender, but it is more troublesome to migrate the Han people."
It is really difficult to relocate people. Almost no one is willing to take the initiative to migrate, let alone the border areas where wars are constantly happening!
After Liu Zhang unified the entire Yizhou, he had a population of more than three million. Even if he occupied the two prefectures of Yongliang and Guanzhong, the population would hardly exceed five million.
How does such a population base migrate?
"My lord, on the one hand, you can take care of the Qiang people, and on the other hand, you can send more troops to Dunhuang County, and then occupy Yumen Pass, giving a hint to the countries in the Western Regions and letting them know the name of General Hanwei."
"After taking control of Yumen Pass, you can try to start the Silk Road, and then through the influence of Yumen Pass, you can gradually regain control of the Changshi Mansion of the Western Regions."
The food must be eaten one bite at a time, and the road must be walked step by step. Cheng Gongying knows very well that haste makes waste.
Today, Liu Zhang cannot waste too much energy on the issue of the Western Regions, so he can only take things slowly and down-to-earth.
Liu Zhang glanced at Cheng Gongying approvingly. Cheng Gongying's strategy was very consistent with Liu Zhang's current situation.
"Mr. Chenggong, I would like to appoint you as the governor of Dunhuang, and also be responsible for the affairs of the countries in the Western Regions. What do you think?"
Liu Zhang felt somewhat indebted, especially on the way back to Yuzhong.
It can be said that after Cheng Gongying surrendered, he was going to be "exiled" by Liu Zhang before his buttocks were warmed up!
The position of governor seems to be entrusted with important responsibilities, but it also depends on where the governor is!
For example, before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the Nanyang Prefect had more than two million people under his command, while the Xihai Prefect had less than 5,000 people under his command!
Dunhuang County is located in the far west of Liangzhou. It is not only remote, but also sparsely populated. It is almost no different from exile.
If you were arranged like this because you were pregnant, you would inevitably feel a little disappointed.
Liu Zhang has no choice. What this position needs now is an all-round talent.
It would be too wasteful to send counselors such as Liu Ye and Lu Su or generals such as Zhang Liao and Xu Huang.
After all, there are countless wars to come, and the reconstruction of the Western Region Changshi Mansion cannot be completed in a short time.
Cheng Gongying is exactly the best candidate.
He is both civil and military, and although he has not reached the top level, he has made achievements in all aspects.
It's just that the governor of Dunhuang is not a good job, and he will be far away from Liu Zhang's political center.
In the long run, development will inevitably be restricted.
After all, Cheng Gongying had just surrendered. Liu Zhang could not force the appointment due to circumstances or reasons, and everything had to be based on Cheng Gongying's own opinions.
Cheng Gongying did not answer immediately. He could hear the helplessness and apology in Liu Zhang's tone, and he was also thinking in his heart.
Once you nod and agree, it is not a task that can be completed in a few years.
The construction of the Western Region Changshi Mansion is likely to take ten or even decades.
"Mr. Cheng Gong, congratulations! You were entrusted with an important task by your lord just after you surrendered!"
Cheng Gongying looked at Ma Chao in shock, and was immediately offended by Ma Chao's words, as if he couldn't agree even if he didn't agree!
Everyone could see that Dunhuang Governor was not a good choice, except Ma Chao!