If we take the human sea route, Wenyuan can gather tens of thousands of people in a short time with the food in hand, and then support the war with war, and it will develop like a snowball, but what can it do? A bunch of people holding wooden sticks and wearing ragged clothes
It’s just a rabble, and the huge logistical pressure will eventually force Wenyuan to plunder everywhere like locusts, destroying the economy of every place it goes and leaving more people without a living plan. Wenyuan doesn’t want to see this situation.
He doesn't even want to become a sinner of the Chinese nation. If possible, he even hopes that fewer people will die in this troubled world.
Therefore, it has become a top priority to purchase armor and weapons for the troops.
Like doctors, there are also some craftsmen in the army, but the skills of these craftsmen are very poor and they can only make some simple farm tools. After all, who would be willing to work as a soldier if they were really skilled! Wen Yuan had no choice but to go to the iron factory in the city.
Shop around and see if you can find a craftsman who can make high-quality ordnance. I'm willing to pay a lot of money to hire him.
Hebei is a land rich in iron resources, and iron smelting technology is also quite advanced. Handan in Zhao State has been a famous iron production base since the Warring States Period, so it is not difficult to find craftsmen. Wen Yuan visited several iron shops in the county and also returned
After looking at several carpentry shops, we found a few craftsmen with superb skills. Without saying a word, Wenyuan incorporated them into military households. Not only was each household given fifty acres of land, but they also agreed to build a piece of craftsmanship for each household.
Qualified ordnance will also be rewarded with rewards. The generous treatment is enough to make these craftsmen with meager incomes extremely happy.
After solving the problem of craftsmen, the matter of raw materials will be much easier to handle. The iron ore veins are found in Quyang, only more than 30 miles west of the city, at the junction of Zhongshan, Changshan and Julu counties, which is later Hebei
There is a natural high-quality mineral vein in Gaocheng City, and it is connected by a flat official road, which is very convenient. The only pity is that it is already winter, and mining in the wild is not easy. We can only wait until the weather gets warmer next year.
Wenyuan didn't want to wait, so he had someone post a notice to purchase all the iron ore and discarded ironware in the county.
Five days later, after some searching, more than 7,000 kilograms of pig iron were obtained. Wen Yuan hurriedly ordered the blacksmith to start making a batch of iron leaves to be made into armor in the future.
I packed up and prepared to go to the county town to mention to the prefect about going to Yecheng. By the way, I asked for a batch of emergency supplies that the county government promised to provide for recruiting troops.
On December 15th, Wen Yuan left Zhang Jiao to sit in the county seat, and rushed to Julu County with only a dozen of his own cavalry.
When passing by Yang's County, Wen Yuan found that although the city gate was open, the defense was obviously much tighter. A group of civilians were still practicing in the west of the city in the cold weather. They were all shivering from the cold. People entering and leaving the county had to accept it.
Not to mention the meticulous interrogation, there were also several times more patrols on the city tower. Wen Yuan smiled jokingly. It seemed that the incident in Yangjiabao really frightened the county officials, and they all used their strength against the fundraising group.
Wen Yuan led his entourage around the city. He did not want to be delayed on the road in such a cold weather. After galloping all the way, Wen Yuan finally entered Julu County before dark, revealed his identity, and rested in the post.
, I bought some gifts in the city on the second day to decorate the facade, and went straight to the prefect's office to pay my respects.
Speaking of which, this is not the first time I have met Guo Prefect Wen Yuan. When he first arrived in Julu, he was very kind to him. Now that he is officially under Han Fu's account, he has become his immediate superior. This time he pays homage to him.
Wen Yuan felt that he must be cautious.
"Liao, see the prefect! Let your Majesty respond in person, it will be a death sentence for Liao!" Seeing the prefect coming out of the house to greet him, Wen Yuan hurriedly knelt down and bowed.
Guo Dian saw that Wen Yuan's courtesy was thorough, and he reached out to more than ten of his followers, who were also carrying fruit wine, pigs and sheep. He hurriedly took a few steps to help Wen Yuan up and said with a smile: "Why does Junyi need such a big gift? Please get up and follow me quickly."
Let’s talk about it.”
Wen Yuan stood up and said: "Liao has been taken care of by the prefect in Julu for a long time, and he is always grateful but has nothing to repay. As the year draws to a close, Wen Yuan has prepared some small gifts, and I hope you will accept them."
As he spoke, he waved his hand behind him, and Zhang Yu came forward with a gift list in hand.
"Two hundred gold..." Guo Dian seemed to have the habit of reading out words. He squinted and just read the first line of the gift list. Suddenly he realized something was wrong and hurriedly ordered his subordinates to accept the gift. He had already smiled on his face.
Flowers bloomed.
"Wen Yuan is so polite! Come on, come on, follow me to the back hall to talk. Come, prepare a banquet and serve tea!" With that, he took Wen Yuan's arm and entered the government office together.
After the two of them finished reciting the ceremony, they sat down separately in the back hall as guest and host. A servant served them tea, and the two of them first talked about some official clichés.
Wen Yuan picked up the tea cup and took a sip, and couldn't help but praise: "Good tea!" Not to mention that the trend of tea drinking had not yet become popular at this time, and the popularity of tea was only spread among the upper-class scholars. It was Wen Yuan who traveled through time in his previous life.
He was only twenty-one years old. What kind of tea culture did he know at this age? It was just that the tea was fragrant and tasted much better than boiled water. Only Wenyuan was so talented.
Guo Dian said with a smile: "If Wen Yuan can stay here for a long time, it won't matter if I invite Wen Yuan to drink tea every day. But when Wen Yuan comes here, I'm afraid he might have something to do."
Seeing Guo Dian speaking so kindly, Wen Yuan chuckled and said, "Your Excellency, you are worthy of being born in the military. You speak cheerfully and honestly, I am here to collect debts."
"Oh? Why are you talking about debt collection?"
"Previously in Fanzhou, the county issued a document instructing each county to recruit regiments to practice self-defense. Now I have finished recruiting troops in Quyang. Wen Yuan came here to report to the prefect and ask the treasury to allocate military supplies, food and pay."
Guo Dian smiled and said: "This is easy. Tomorrow I will ask the county magistrate to allocate food, wages and weapons, and they will be delivered within ten days."
Wen Yuan cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, Lord Taishou, but I still want to say goodbye to Lord Taishou!"
Guo Dian was shocked and said: "Why did Wen Yuan say this?"
Zhang Jia then told Han Fu that he had ordered Xin to be an envoy, and that he had agreed to join Han Fu's account.
Guo Dian nodded and said: "Han Shijun is kind to others and has the demeanor of a gentleman. How can a young hero from Wenyuan live in a remote county for a long time? Now I am under Han Shijun's tent. In the future, the great roc will spread its wings. The future will be limitless.
.”
Wen Yuan pretended to be sad and said: "Although a certain person is not talented, he has been in charge of Quyang for more than four months. He thinks he is worthy of the people in the county. I feel sorry for him. The banditry in Quyang alone has not been leveled. A few days ago, Liao Bian led
The army exterminated the bandits in the territory. However, due to the lack of weapons and armor, the army suffered a lot of casualties in several conquests. There were only two thousand soldiers under the Liao command. Although they wanted to kill the bandits, they felt that they were outnumbered and their strength was insufficient. Recently, the Liao army gained another
The news is that the Black Mountain bandits want to lead a large army to invade our territory, but I hope the governor will send good generals quickly, mobilize more troops and horses, and make early preparations!"
"Black Mountain Bandits!?" Guo Dian was lowering his head to drink tea when he suddenly heard the word "Black Mountain". His hands trembled and the teacup shattered with a click.
The Black Mountain bandits have invaded the country. Guo Dian has been frustrated and at a loss for the past few days. Although the Black Mountain bandits are bandits, they are known as millions. They are entrenched in the valleys of Jibin and Erzhou, ravaging several states in Hebei and Hedong, and counties in various places.
Repeated attacks have been unsuccessful, and the bandits are even more rampant. Recently, I heard that the imperial court has vague intentions of recruiting peace, but the imperial court is still unable to suppress the bandits, let alone the thousands of troops in Julu County.
Therefore, what Guo Dian is most afraid of hearing is the word "Black Mountain".