Fires broke out all over the five counties of Youzhou, and the farmland and pastures were filled with smoke and dust. Everywhere the land was burned by the flames, turning it black and gray.
Chen Wu, who is fifty-four this year, is sitting on the field ridge looking at the gradually extinguishing fire in the field, ready to take a breath. He can’t leave yet, and there are still sparks. He is not one of those young boys. It’s not good to be anxious. He has to calm down.
The Lord God of Locusts is passing through the border, which is very painful for the common people like us. Thinking of the several locust plagues he experienced in his early years, he felt cramps in his stomach.
Every time it's a close call.
When he was sixteen years old, he encountered the first locust plague. He remembered it most clearly and would not forget it for decades.
There was a severe drought in the first year, so everything the family could sell was sold, and the last few acres of ancestral property were not saved. Fortunately, all six members of the family were alive. Later, they were able to share the land of the patriarch and borrow a loan so that the seeds could be planted in the ground.
Seeing that the grains are all heading, who would have thought that the locust god would bring disaster? The sky is filled with locusts. They are so thick that you can't see the edge. They fly and rumble like thunder. The sound of the gnawing of kacha kacha is like biting at the tip of the heart.
superior.
The finger-thick locusts hurt me hard when they hit me, and I couldn't open my eyes when they swarmed. I couldn't get rid of them, and I couldn't stop them.
Beating the gongs and drums, crying and begging, it was all in vain. All the crops were eaten up, not even the weeds and leaves were spared, and not a trace of green was left.
The family of six ate up the food quickly along with the bark, grass and roots, just living there. Their father told them that this was how they survived previous disaster years.
But how long can it last?
A few days later, my mother went there, but they didn't dare to bury them. Those who were buried had to be exhumed the next day.
He followed his father all day long to look for everything that could be eaten. In the land that had been gnawed by locusts, there would be nothing edible left.
Many people were fleeing outside, and his father told him that those people would not survive because the locusts could fly faster than them.
Later, the younger sister died, then the elder sister, then the younger brother, and then the father.
He was the only one left and finally survived the disaster.
In the past, my father suffered like this, right?
What can the grassroots people in Guizhou do? They can only endure it year after year, and decades have passed.
Only last year.
General Anping came last year, so he could live like a human for one year. Although the general killed his clan leader, he didn't hate him at all.
This year the locust god is going to cross the border again. The general is really a god and he knew about it in advance. I heard that it was because the god gave a warning, so it must be the general's acquaintance.
I also know how to break it, saying that setting fire to the ground can break the disaster.
Then burn it.
He had cleared wasteland, and when clearing wasteland, the land had to be burned. Only after it was burned could crops grow. It turned out that this was the truth. The general was indeed a man of God.
After Chen Wu had rested enough, he went around the fields and destroyed a few sparks before heading home, where there was a new house built last year.
He walked with his back hunched and his hands behind his back, feeling satisfied.
There were many people like Chen Wu, very many, and the burning of wasteland went very smoothly.
Each county has officers and militia patrolling around, driving away wild animals, guarding against fires, and supervising the burning of wasteland.
Liu Xiang looked at the submissions from various places and found that the situation was better than he expected. While he was replying one by one, Tian Chou came in with several volumes of documents.
"Junhou, official documents of the imperial court."
"read."
"His Majesty issued an edict. In early February, there was a fire in Luoyang, which damaged the Nangong Palace. In addition, the land tax was increased by ten cents per acre. The various states and counties donated high-quality wood and stone materials to be transported to the capital for the construction of the palace."
Liu Xiangxin said, this dog emperor has no idea? The Han Dynasty is almost over, and he still wants to build a palace, he is really seeking death.
"Don't pay attention to it. Send an order to all counties. Anyone who dares to increase rents and taxes by clever names will be beheaded, their property will be confiscated, and their families will be demoted as slaves."
Tian Chou wanted to speak but stopped.
Tian Yu, who was sorting out documents beside him, asked doubtfully: "Your Majesty, if the emperor gives an order and we disobey, will he send troops to attack us?"
"The sky is high and the Emperor is far away. Your Majesty can't care about Youzhou. Let's hold it off for now. We won't plan until August. The road is not peaceful and bandits are rampant. We can't transport it out. There is nothing we can do."
The above plan is to collect taxes and report them to the court. The tax collection season in the Eastern Han Dynasty is in August. The population, land acres, and taxes collected must be reported, and then escorted to the central government or the border according to the imperial edict.
Liu Xiang thought for a while and realized that Emperor Ling would ask for money, so he would ask for it, so he ordered Tian Chou: "Zitai wrote a letter of seal, saying that Xianbei is ready to move, bandits are rampant in the north, our army is exhausted, food, grass, and military pay are unsustainable.
, I hope the imperial court will allocate funds.”
You will definitely not be able to get money or food, but you have to ask for it and you have to have an attitude.
Who doesn't know how to ask for money? Just cry poverty.
It's almost March, and Huangfu Song's troop transfer documents haven't arrived yet. If he doesn't, the old man will be transferred to fight against the rebels in Liangzhou.
As soon as he leaves and Zhang Niujiao is raised, Chu Feiyan will raise troops. At that time, Liu Xiang will have to send troops to Jizhou privately. It will not be good for his reputation and he will not get supplies from Jizhou. This is not good.
If you can't take advantage, you will suffer a loss.
There is a hidden danger of locust plague this year. Even if he only saves a pound of millet, he will calculate that if the army eats an extra mouthful of Jizhou's grain, it will save a mouthful for the people of Youzhou. This mouthful may be a life.
He then ordered Tian Chou: "Send a message to Jizhou Mu that our army has prepared combat equipment and can send troops at any time. Ask him how many troops are needed? How to dispatch them? Most importantly, ask him how to arrange the logistics and supplies of our army."
Tian Chou is a good secretary, conscientious and does whatever he is asked to do. He is very good.
Liu Xiang saved a lot of paperwork, so he had a lot more time to plot against others.
As soon as His Majesty the Emperor Ling increased the money for palace repairs, and the court halls were added layer by layer, the common people had to peel off their skins, and the second wave of rebellion began, from Yizhou in the west to Jiaozhi in the south.
Not to mention the north, where millions of Montenegrin troops only gathered during this rebellion.
It would be a pity not to capture so much labor force, but he needs to hoard food to deal with the locust plague. How can he find a way to make a profit in Jizhou?
Or go to Qingzhou to get a vote?
Let Zhou Cangqian go back to his hometown, disguise himself as the Yellow Turban, attack the city, and plunder the powerful families? He is now the captain of the guard camp. With the combat power of the eight thousand soldiers of the guard camp, he can unite the Qingzhou Yellow Turban, and he can do a good job.
field.
It's just that the military strategy is insufficient. If you don't get wiped out by others, you will lose.
The weather was getting warmer and warmer, and Gongsun Zan on the eastern front didn't know if he would come again. The former army and the Wuhuan Colonel Guards did not dare to mobilize at will. Liu Xiang also thought of using Hu Qi to move Shanggu County.
Shanggu's condescending position always threatens Guangyang and Yuyang counties. If this nail is not removed, it will feel like it is stuck in one's throat.
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Taking advantage of this opportunity of disarmament, 2,000 Lulong Guards, 2,000 Banxi Guards, and 3,000 Zijin Guards have been formed and mobilized to their respective jurisdictions. After the spring plowing, they recruited civilians to start building the gates.
The jurisdiction of Zijingwei is Wuruan Pass, which has been changed to Zijing Pass by Liu Xiang.
The front army is still on the east front, the rear army is in Guangyang, the left and right armies are in Yuyang and Youbeiping, and the Chinese army is stationed in Beixin City.
The plan decided last year to build gates and guard the land and provide low taxes to support the people is almost completed. Although he is quite fickle, the people have no intention of rebelling. This policy can be considered relatively smooth.
Liu Xiang's understanding of the method of strengthening a country is very simple, just having enough troops and enough food.
Those fancy rhetoric and articles praising virtues are filling every corner of history books. Just read them, but don’t believe them.
The purpose and means must be clearly distinguished, so he looked for the words "enough food for the troops" and tried every means and means to achieve this goal.
This is his national policy, even though he doesn't have a country yet. Who said that if he doesn't have a country, he can't think of a national policy first?
It's like a chicken-and-egg debate. It's endless. You can't dwell on this and waste your brain cells. Anyway, he first thought of a national policy, and that's it.
It’s better to do less of those pragmatic things and be more pragmatic in your work.
Now, no matter what happens on the east, west, north, and west, there are troops who can take action, so his strategic focus this year is on the south.
The fat meat outside of Youzhou is just hanging there. If he doesn't take a few bites, his thoughts will not be clear.