Early March, Yanmen.
Winter in the North has not gone far yet, and the snow on the roadside has just begun to melt. It is still early for everything to recover.
More than ten miles south of Yanmen County, a group of dozens of people stopped on the left side of the road.
Yu Wenxin, the general manager of Daizhou, and Cui Shu, the governor of Yanmen County, stood side by side.
"The preparation of food and fodder is too slow. Our soldiers are almost here, but you have only half of the food and fodder over there. It's not going to work at this rate."
Yu Wenxin looked into the distance while complaining about Cui Shu.
The two have been working together in Yanmen County for two years, and they are already familiar with each other. Yu Wenxin is also a Shangguan, so he has no scruples when talking.
Cui Shu was a descendant of Wang Shichong. He came from a well-known family. He came to join him when he was in a poor situation a few years ago. He was quickly appointed. He was first appointed as the Prime Minister of Taiyuan County, and then promoted to the post of the Grand Administrator of Yanmen County. This is how fast the descendants of the family were promoted.
Cui Shu smiled bitterly at this time and said: "You have to be considerate of this. The edict arrived in a hurry. The reason why we were able to get all this food in a hurry is because the warehouses were quite abundant last year. Otherwise, I'm afraid you will kill me."
Waiting won't help.
Secondly, it’s not like you don’t know that the war in the south was in full swing last year, and the convoys transporting grain from Shanxi did not stop from the beginning to the end of the year.
We have to guard against Turks here and transport grain to the south. Winter has just passed and spring plowing is about to begin. How can we have so much grain and grass to feed the army? We have to raise money from many sources, and the general manager will give me at least ten more days to do it."
Yu Wenxin exhaled a breath of cold air and laughed. He had been in Yanmen for many years. How could he not know the affairs of Yanmen County? Now he was just forcing the county officials to work harder.
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"Okay, then I'll give you another ten days. If the army rises, if there is not enough food and grass, we will miss the big event and the credit of quelling Dou Jiande will have to be given to others. If you are willing, just go slower."
Cui Shu also smiled, "What the steward said is true, but you can't always rush me. If the three counties of Daizhou and the other two counties can hurry up, the matter won't be like this, right?"
Yu Wenxin smiled and said: "I have been urging you. Eight thousand people came from Mayi, all cavalry. If we had to guard against the Turks, we could have tens of thousands of troops in an instant. It's a pity that the accumulation of these years can't be taken lightly."
move.
Commander Lu on the other side of Loufan is not well-off either, and it is pitiful for him to send troops and food. I also tolerated him for ten days. Brother Cui, you are right under my nose, so you should press harder."
Cui Shu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he quickly changed the topic and said with emotion: "I really don't know my true face without being here. When I was in Henan, everyone there was called a hero, and Wang Shichong was also called a hero.
But when I came to Jin, I realized that we are all frogs in the well. We don't realize how big the sky is, how vast the earth is, and how empty the sea is. With only the resources of three prefectures and counties, we are enough to dominate the world and despise the ethics of others.
The general manager has great talents, and when he gets them, he becomes even more powerful."
The flattery was very comfortable, but Yu Wenxin's heart beat violently for a few times. His heart said that you spoke so carelessly, did you still think you were in Henan?
Thinking of this, I suddenly felt that the looks from the people around me were piercing.
It is true that he has been operating in Yanmen for a long time, and his authority has been established in the three counties. No one dares to resist him, but there are many old subordinates of Chen Xiaoyi here. What is even more frightening is that the emperor started his career here, and his prestige in the army is unmatched.
.
Especially the proud soldiers from Mayi, many of whom had served under the emperor, and their qualifications were no worse than Yu Wenxin's.
The Turks among them even consider themselves slaves of the whip of the god. If they are allowed to fight back to the north, they may be able to knock the god to the ground and let the whip sit on him.
Moreover, he can always feel the eyes from Jinyang here. Although Chen Xiaoyi is old, as long as he sits there steadily, no one in the counties will dare to act arrogantly.
Cui Shu had never met the emperor before and had no idea of his majesty. He probably thought that this place was just like Henan, where everyone was a grass-headed king.
Yu Wenxin twitched his cheeks with a smile on his face, "Brother Cui is so complimentary. Most of the reasons why I am where I am today are thanks to the blessing of the Supreme Being. Look around you. Who here has not received the favor of the Supreme Being?"
Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Jun Yan for two years. After this battle, I may go to the capital to report on my duties. Brother Cui has been an official for many years and is very talented. He probably won’t be able to stay here for a few years. We will meet again in the future. Maybe
It’s in Chang’an.”
He got along well with Cui Shu, and he tried to persuade him tactfully. Whether he understood or not was Cui Shu's own business.
Cui Shu was not stupid. After hearing these words, he immediately realized that he had said the wrong thing. He had stayed in Jin for three or four years. If he could not feel the omnipresent majesty of the emperor here, he would have seen a ghost.
.
He was stunned for a moment, and like Yu Wenxin, he looked around subconsciously, feeling that people's eyes were a little malicious, and a chill ran down his back.
He forced a smile and said: "What the manager said is that if we can get together in Chang'an in the future, we must have a drink with the manager..."
While he was talking, someone galloped up on his horse. When he got close, he rolled down his saddle and dismounted, and reported: "Report to the manager, Minister Qu Tu and his party will be arriving soon."
Yu Wenxin looked around and said: "I'll say it again. Shangshu Qutu came here under the imperial edict, and will later be appointed as the general manager of Daizhou. I hope you can help me a lot, and don't let the people of Daizhou suffer from hardship again."
Everyone, led by Cui Shu, bowed in response.
…………………………
Qu Tutong and his entourage came on horseback with great momentum, but they looked a little embarrassed. Even Qu Tutong himself was covered with dust, and he was so tired that he couldn't stand still.
Apparently they came all the way from Chang'an without stopping in the middle.
We met the principal, exchanged greetings for a while, then gathered together and returned to the county town.
When he came to the city, Qu Tutong looked up at the city and said to Yu Wenxin: "Back then, Khan Bi Khan led his army south to surround Yang Guang here. When we heard about it in Chang'an, we all wished we could lead our troops to come to the rescue. Now many years have passed.
, it seems that not many traces have been left here.”
Yu Wenxin smiled and replied, "I came to the south, destroyed more than 30 cities in Yanmen, replaced the state officials, and suffered countless people. Yang Guang left, leaving only a mess."
Manager Chen and we worked hard to rebuild, and today we have restored some of the old views. In fact, as long as the minister takes a closer look, he can see traces of knife and ax cuts and blood stains on the city wall."
Cui Shu also said next to him: "Yang Guang's unrighteousness has affected the whole world. If it weren't for the supreme leader who led his army to fight to the death with the Turks and drove them away from the Great Wall, if the minister came today, I am afraid that all he would see was a pile of ruins.
That’s it.”
Cui Shu came from Henan. He turned quickly and spared no effort to remedy the situation.
Qu Tutong nodded. He was in Chang'an and had never served in the north. He didn't know much about Daizhou. He only knew a little about the situation here from the documents exchanged by the Ministry of War.
Daizhou was an important source of recruits for the Tang army, and there were horse ranches such as Yunnei Racecourse. There were many Turkic tribes in the north of Daizhou, and it is said that they were all captured by the emperor when he led his army to fight against the Turks.
These are all things on paper, and Qu Tutong is not convinced.
There are actually many rumors, but Qu Tu is well versed in the army and is known for his calmness in military use. It is natural to doubt those rumors, because it is difficult for him to imagine that the emperor led a lone army in a town to fight against hundreds of thousands of Turkic cavalry.
scene.
Outside Yanmen City, there were a series of military tents. Flags of various colors were flying over the tents. The sound of people shouting and horses neighing could be heard all the time. The army gathered quickly.
This was obviously due to the official system of the former Sui Dynasty, and the geographical location of Daizhou determined that each county was ready to welcome the arrival of war at any time and had the ability to respond quickly.
When entering the city, Qu Tutong did not observe the traces of the war on the city wall. He just said to Yuwen Xin: "When will General Manager Yuwen plan to raise troops? It should be soon, right?"
Yu Wenxin shook his head slightly and said: "It will take half a month. The main reason is that the food and grass are not ready yet, and the time to use the troops is not right. The cattle and sheep in the north are thinning, and the spring plowing season is coming soon, so we cannot delay it.
If it had been left to summer, it wouldn't be a big deal if I hadn't boasted to the Minister, and an army of 100,000 within half a month would not be a big deal. Even if the Khan comes back at the end of the month, we can stop them in Mayi."
Qu Tutong looked sideways, not knowing whether what he said was true or not. Daizhou's strong war mobilization ability was not reflected in the Ministry of War's paper.
Yu Wenxin knew that Qu Tutong didn't believe it, so he continued: "If Shangshu stays here for a long time, he will understand that in the border area, martial arts are common and all the people are soldiers.
In order to prevent the Turks from coming south, the Supreme Lord also took great pains. When fighting against the rebels in the south, he tried several times to recruit soldiers from Daizhou to join the war, but in the end he gave up.
After nearly ten years of rest and recuperation, it has become what it is today, and everyone is looking forward to it, hoping to do the hard work for the Supreme Being and repay the Supreme Being's kindness."
Qu Tutong said in surprise: "So when the Supreme Being went south, he didn't try his best?"
He asked more tactfully, because it was said in Kansai that the emperor's army marched south with the help of the Turks, so that he could easily defeat Li Yuan and finally enter Chang'an City.
Moreover, not long after the emperor entered Chang'an City, the Turks sent envoys to Chang'an, expressing their intentions for a good alliance very clearly and substantiating their previous statements in disguise.
Yu Wenxin sneered, with a sense of superiority. He said to himself that it was no wonder that the Supreme Master destroyed Li Yuan and Xiao Xian within a few years. The people in the south had been fighting among themselves for a long time, so they thought that all the heroes in the world were like them...
"The Supreme Southern Expedition is led by Daizhou's powerful troops, who have never formed an army with soldiers... This time I am recruiting troops before the spring plowing, probably because I want to complete my achievements in one battle.
The minister will have to work harder this year. There is nothing in Mayi. Women and children can also herd cattle and sheep. Although there are pastures in Yanmen and Loufan, most of them are farming. Once the army leaves, they will definitely be involved in spring plowing.
It seems that some ministers are busy with the matter."
Qu Tutong smiled and said, "With Manager Yuwen in front of me, how dare I descend?"
Although he said this, he actually felt heavy in his heart. Yu Wenxin had transferred so many people, horses, food and grass to leave him a mess, so he had to look carefully at Daizhou's case files before he could make a decision.
Better decisions.
This chapter has been completed!