Zhu Kui and Xi Zhicai sat opposite each other, with some food, wine and food placed on the banquet table. The two calculated the exact amount of food and grass they had.
"Sir, count the grain and grass you brought from Moling County, plus the grain and grass you received from Lujiang, and the grain and grass received from General Zhonglang. The total amount of grain and grass collected by the battlefield commander is more than 70,000 shi.
, enough to support your headquarters of 3,000 troops for more than a year, but if you add 60,000 soldiers, I'm afraid it can only last for one month. Maybe the general will ask Zhu Zhonglang again, he likes you very much, maybe he can
Open a wide net.”
Xi Zhicai said slowly after reading the record.
"Sir, I also know that it is calculated based on the ration of a soldier. A soldier consumes two tons of rations in a month, and 60,000 people consume 100,000 tons of rations in a month. Even if you save more, you and I both know how the food and grass in the army are. So Zhu Zhonglang
Only then will I agree with Huangfu Zhonglang's decision." Zhu Kui said helplessly with a prominent frown on his delicate face.
Xi Zhicai raised his head and stared at Zhu Kui's worried expression. His eyes were full of clarity, as if he wanted to see through the depths of his heart.
"Sir, you take these surrendered soldiers into your own hands, but you really can't bear their tragic deaths?"
Facing this sharp look, Zhu Kui responded calmly, not noticing anything strange at all: "This is natural, sir, why do you ask this? Most of them surrendered to me. I once said that those who surrender will avoid death. Now I will
As for the trap and killing, everyone in the world said that I, Zhu Kui, was a dishonest villain, so how could I have other intentions? Furthermore, this was also for the consideration of the imperial court. Killing the prisoners today will definitely shock the ant thieves, and they will fight back to the death, and then they will be suppressed.
It will be more difficult and not conducive to counterinsurgency."
Seeing Zhu Kui's affirmative answer, Xi Zhi looked at it for a long time and then said leisurely: "The enemies of Yingchuan are mountainous and densely wooded. When I was young, I often went into the mountains to hunt hares with my father. I knew that in autumn, in the mountains and fields,
It is rich in all kinds of fruits, and people often eat them to satisfy their hunger."
"Sir, what you mean is to lead the soldiers into the mountains to hunt and collect fruits to supplement their food needs."
"That's right, Sir, the Yuzhou area has basically been pacified. In addition to Zhang Mancheng from Nanyang Wancheng, there are still 100,000 rebels, but they are alone and there is no need to worry."
"This time we have completely wiped out the bandits in Yingchuan. There are no more enemies in this area. We can boldly send the logistics soldiers into the mountains to hunt and gather. Don't you have a large number of crossbows in your hands? If you hunt with this, you will have a sure harvest."
"Secondly, although the merchants in the city donated a lot of grain to the court before the war, the merchants are very profitable. They must have other granaries at home. If there is a way to buy some from them, they can at least get a month's worth of grain."
Xi Zhicai spoke out his suggestions in one breath, which he had thought about for most of the day.
Zhu Kui suddenly remembered that the Han Dynasty was no better than that of later generations. The forest trees were not polluted and destroyed, and the wild animals were everywhere. The vegetation was rich, and all kinds of wild vegetables must be abundant. When he was a soldier in his previous life, he had taken a field survival course, and he remembered the wild vegetables growing in the wild.
According to the method of identification, the food of nature is everywhere in the mountains and plains, and there is endless food.
"It seems that the young master has understood what I mean. If what I predict is correct, after a while, the army will be reorganized, and the two Zhonglang armies will set out again. They will first break the Yellow Turban of Chen Guo in the Bohai Sea, clear the Central Plains, and finally counterattack
Jizhou base camp on Taiping Road. At this time, the army will definitely leave a general to conquer Zhang Mancheng in Wancheng, so as not to disturb the rear. When the time comes, the young master will ask for orders to stay, and the 60,000 will be enough for his crimes, and the two lieutenants will have nothing to say.
explain."
Xi Zhicai was indeed the counselor Cao Cao relied on most when he started his army. His series of strategies made him feel relieved.
"What Mr. Zhang said is true. Since we are going to conquer Zhang Mancheng, we must select the best and eliminate the weak, select the strongest and build a new battalion. As for those who are old, weak and disabled, I will provide them with some food and grass, teach them how to survive in the wild, and send them to the south of the Yangtze River."
Go, I have many contacts with major business houses in the Jiangnan area, and I can ask them to open a warehouse for relief. I think they will give it a small amount of money. Jiangnan has not been ravaged by the Yellow Turbans, and it accepts some refugees. I don’t think it will affect anything.”….
Zhu Kui smiled, stood up after speaking, and bowed deeply to Xi Zhicai: "This is Kui's bow to Sir on behalf of the 60,000 soldiers who surrendered. Thank you very much, Sir, for your grace in life."
"It can't be done, it can't be done, it must be done." Xi Zhicai quickly stood up and stopped his tendency to bow down.
In the woods outside the east city of Changshe, birds are chirping, chasing and playing with each other on the branches covered with green leaves. The sunlight shines on the ground through the gaps between the branches and leaves, reflecting the mottled shadows of the trees. A few are round and furry.
The mountain rabbits were busy going back and forth in the grass, searching for their favorite food. Everything was so quiet and peaceful.
"Crack, crackle..." There was a sound of branches breaking in the bushes, and a team of about twenty people came out, breaking the tranquility in the forest.
"Sir, after watching this along the way, it turns out that as he said, there are countless wild fruits and wild game all over the mountains and plains. I took a bite from the river I passed just now, and it turned out to be fish fertilizer from paddy fields."
A young man dressed in Confucian shirts said with a smile, this group of people was Zhu Kui and his group who had gone into the mountain early to investigate.
"Yingchuan River is close to the mother river and is the center of the source of the Han Dynasty. It is full of natural beauty."
"Zhicai just saw that you collected a lot of weeds along the way, young master, but why?"
Xi Zhicai looked at the plant in Liao Hua's hand from behind and asked.
"Does Yuan Jian know what I mean?" Zhu Kui asked Liao Hua instead of answering.
"When I was not a member of the Yellow Turbans, my family was poor and I often ate wild weeds, such as this one."
Liao Hua expressed his guess.
Zhu Kui smiled, took the plant from Liao Hua's hand, and explained: "This herb is called dandelion, and it can be cooked and eaten raw. Others, such as purslane, wisteria, bracken, etc., can be collectively called wild vegetables, and they can be eaten raw."
For food. I ordered the soldiers to take some samples, and then asked them to collect more food and grass."
Xi Zhicai obeyed and looked back and forth carefully at the wild vegetables picked by Zhu Kui. Sure enough, some of them were eaten by the elders in the village when he was young, but most of them were common in daily life, but they thought they were weeds and were not known to be edible. In fact, these are
With the knowledge brought by Zhu Kui from his previous life and two thousand years of cultural accumulation, humans have thoroughly studied almost all wild plants on land. Which plants can be eaten and how to eat them are introduced in every book, and even some TV movies often involve them.
In this regard.
"Young Master, you are indeed very knowledgeable and knowledgable about farming, but your ambition and talent are not as good as yours."
"Sir, you are too modest. This city is just a small town. How can you compare with your master's wealth of knowledge and great talent in governing the country?"
Zhu Kui said that he is right. During the Han Dynasty, scholars were farmers, industry and commerce. Although farmers were ranked behind the scholars, their status was similar to that of merchants, or even worse. Few scholars liked it. Scholars often dismissed them as heretics and small ways. The scholars with great talent were poor.
Everyone knows a little bit about his background, and he doesn't reject it. If he were a scholar from an aristocratic family, he would have dismissed Zhu Kui's actions long ago.
"Sir, actually, Kui thought about it all night last night. In fact, as long as there is enough salt, we can rub it on raw meat and expose it to the sun, so that it will not rot easily. The fish caught in the water can also be treated in the same way.
Although there will be a lot of strange smell in the camp by then, it won’t be a problem to save it for ten days and a half. What do you think, sir?”
Xi Zhicai said awkwardly: "Since you have an idea, you just have to execute it. Besides, Zhicai knows very little about this matter."
Zhu Kui nodded and said, "Well, I have gained a lot today. I had a great swim with my husband. It was really a pleasure." He looked at the sky and said, "It's already noon, let's go back."
Back in the city, Zhu Kui summoned Wang Qian, who often traveled in the Central Plains, and was responsible for most of the affairs of Wang's business in the Central Plains.
"Wang Qian, do you know how many merchants there are in Changshe County? How many rice merchants are there?"
Wang Qian lowered his head and thought for a while before replying: "The largest rice merchant in Changshe County is Fangjia Rice Shop. The owner is Fang Shanfu. He is a pretty good person and he doesn't have any bad comments in the city."…
"Previously, Huangfu Zhonglang confiscated a lot of grain and grass from these merchants, but the merchants are all cunning people. I guess there must be many private warehouses at home. Go check it out for me."
"Well, I'll report back to my lord tomorrow." After Wang Qian finished speaking, he saw Zhu Kui waving his hand and retreated on his own.
That night, Wang Qian went to visit another trading house in the city, the Han family. The Han family mainly sold private salt. The so-called salt and rice, the two are the easiest to get acquainted with. The owner of the family, Han Lin, was very surprised to see Wang Qian's arrival and was very polite.
After taking him in, it turned out that Wang's Trading Company under Zhu Kui had been a slave of water bandits and had connections with trading firms in various places. Moreover, Wang's Trading Company and Zhao's Trading Company had experienced illicit salt trading together, so Wang Qian was also involved in Han Lin's business.
They were very familiar with each other. They chatted deeply for three hours that night before leaving.
In Fang Mansion, Fang Shanfu sat alone in the back hall early in the morning, sipping fragrant tea, leisurely. Outside the city, Bocai was defeated, and Changshe gradually returned to its former peace. Although the imperial army was still stationed outside the city, Fang Shanfu and others had already guessed
Not long after, the Northern Expedition will continue. The same fat figure, which looked thin a few days ago, looks round and round again today.
At this time, the housekeeper rushed over and broke the leisurely atmosphere with an urgent voice.
"Sir, it's not good. A military master came with his troops and said he wanted to visit the master."
"What?" Fang Shanfu's left hand trembled and the tea spilled out.
"Didn't I already donate 300,000 yuan in food and grass before? Why are you here again?"
Fang Shanfu was smart enough to understand that what made people miss him was the food in his rice warehouse. When Huangfu Song was collecting food, a school captain also came to shout at him.
"What should we do?" Fang Shanfu kept pacing in the back hall anxiously.
"Master Fang, why is Zhu so reluctant to see me when he comes to visit? Are you bullying me when I'm young?"
A group of soldiers in armor filed in. The bright swords and guns made the Fang family tremble. The leader was none other than Zhu Kui, who was in armor. His shout just now was not loud, but there was already a sense of majesty.
Along with him came the ferocious-looking Guan Hai.
That day, when Guan Hai came back after buying wine, he learned that Zhu Kui had called him and went to see him. However, he was scolded by Zhu Kui. He also revealed to him Huangfu Song's intention to kill and surrender his soldiers, and at the same time assured him that he would protect his life.
Subjugate them, but the subjugated soldiers themselves need to stay on their own terms and not let others take advantage of them.
Zhu Kui's move completely conquered the heart of such a fierce yellow turban general. He was no longer subdued by force before, but he came to bring him out again today to show that he valued him.