Meng Chang thought that Zhang Zhao was asking for food to hoard military supplies, but in fact, Zhang Zhao had been preparing for ten years to enter Guanzhong.
In Qinzhou, Yuanzhou and Xiazhou all stocked up a large amount of grain, enough to supply tens of thousands of Liang troops for a year and a half.
However, there is both bad news and good news regarding the coming famine in Guanzhong.
The bad news is that preliminary statistics have come out. The number of cultivated acres is not 70%, but just over 50%.
This is still a situation where Jingzhou, Yuanzhou, Pizhou, and Ningzhou are basically stable. In Yaozhou, which is the worst, less than 10% of the people have completed farming.
The good news is that after natural and man-made disasters, last year in Guanzhong, the number of people reduced by a full 200,000 due to hunger, war, and disease.
The current rough population statistics of Guanzhong show that there are only about 1.1 million people, which means there are 200,000 fewer mouths to eat.
What a 'good news!'
In fact, what Zhang Zhao didn't know was that the great natural disasters that hit Guanzhong in history were far more serious than they are now. Later, they experienced Wang Jingchong, Zhao Siwan's rebellion, and He Zhanzheng's surrender to Shu.
Especially Zhao Siwan's rebellion in Chang'an. Before his rebellion, there were more than 100,000 people in Chang'an City. By the time Zhao Siwan surrendered, there were only 10,000 people left.
It was not until the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty that the population of Guanzhong recovered to about 1.7 million.
"Your Majesty, the envoys from the Kingdom of Shu have arrived in Qinzhou. As expected, Meng Chang, the Lord of Shu, agreed to borrow grain and then asked for the widening of the ancient plank road and the dredging of the Xiegu River."
Zhang Zhao sneered. The rich second generation would always underestimate the cruelty of war without being severely beaten.
In Zhang Zhao's view, in order for Shu to unify the world, only two conditions must be met.
First of all, the rulers of the Central Plains must be small masters of death like the Second Emperor of Qin and Emperor Yang of Sui.
Even a fool like Emperor Hui of Jin could not do it because the ministers would stop him.
Second, the ruler of Shu must be at least as good as Liu Bei, a once-in-a-lifetime hero.
Otherwise, there would be no drama at all, because the lack of war horses in Shu is even more exaggerated than in Jiangnan, and the elite mountain soldiers are completely useless in Guanzhong.
There is a naval force, but it cannot be used at all. After the Han River is diverted, the cost of transporting grain and grass will be terrifying.
"Go and inform He Ning to meet the Shu envoys in Qinzhou, and tell him that there are signs that the Khitans have entered the Pass. He has already gone to Tongguan in person.
Also, don’t let Shu envoys pass through Qinzhou. Any merchants coming from Shu must be carefully screened. Anyone who is involved with Shu must find reasons to delay their entry into Guanzhong.”
After Guo Tiance went down, Han E, the mountain chief of Qi Minyuan, was summoned to the palace.
Zhang Zhao couldn't help but smile as he looked at this fat old man.
Because he is really capable, since Han E arrived in Liangzhou, the level of the agricultural science pilots in Liangzhou has been greatly improved.
Thanks to his grafting technology, Liangguo's melon and fruit output has more than tripled that of the past.
Han'e also developed intercropping technology adapted to local conditions, which increased the land yield per mu in Liang and Lanzhou by more than 20%.
Zhang Zhao was preparing for large-scale promotion, but the poor agricultural production conditions in Guanzhong forced Zhang Zhao to recall Han and E back to Guanzhong.
"Han Weng is tired from the journey. I shouldn't have asked you to come in such a hurry, but Han Weng should know something about the situation in Guanzhong."
Zhang Zhao sighed as he spoke, "If we were in Hexi, we could pretend we couldn't see it, but now that we're in Guanzhong, we can't ignore it. These are hundreds of thousands of human lives!"
Han E was already over sixty years old, and it was really hard to bear the rush all the way from Liangzhou to Chang'an. It was even more uncomfortable to come to see him so late.
But after hearing Zhang Zhao's words, the old man couldn't help but feel in awe.
"I am sixty-four this year. In the past, when all the ancestors of the great dynasty were alive, I never saw such love for the people. Although I am tired now, it is my duty to the people of Guanzhong. Do you dare not do your best?"
"Okay! Then I will appoint Han Weng as the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, in charge of farming, the second department of the Ministry of Water, and the students of Qi Minyuan, all will be mobilized by Han Weng.
If you need a doctor of agriculture, please report to Prime Minister Zhang, and he will coordinate the recruitment from Hexi and Longyou prefectures. A severe famine in Guanzhong this year is a foregone conclusion, but if you can save one, it will be one."
Although it is already April, if you want to rush to plant some crops, you can still barely do it. After Han E took the order, Zhang Xichong and Cao Yuanzhong walked in.
"I leave it to Zhang Weng to carry out seed grabbing, disaster relief, military service, and relocation of victims to Shu in Guanzhong. The food for the army has been prepared for a long time, but it is true that we cannot save all the people in Guanzhong."
Is there any way to save the people in Guanzhong at this time? Indeed, there is.
That is to leave only 10,000 elite troops, send the army back to Longyou and Xia Sui in Hexi Province, and then use military rations to relieve the victims.
But Zhang Zhao would not do this, because it would be equivalent to handing over the Central Plains to Liu Zhiyuan.
Today we have saved more than 100,000 people in Guanzhong, but in the future we may have to sacrifice the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers to do so.
The catastrophe in this pass was not caused by Zhang Zhao. If he really did this, how could he be worthy of the warriors who fought bloody battles for him?
Therefore, it was impossible for Zhang Zhao to use military rations to relieve the victims, so after arranging for Zhang Xichong, Zhang Zhao specially summoned his father-in-law Cao Yuanzhong.
"The supply of the army must not be careless at all. No matter what happens, military rations cannot be mobilized for other purposes under any circumstances. Anyone who dares to use military rations must pay attention to it and do so in accordance with military law."
This is a curse. Because of Zhang Zhao's love for the people in recent years, he was afraid that some officials below him would make a mistake and forcefully requisition food to help the victims.
Don't think that such a thing would not happen in the Five Dynasties. The character and ethics of officials largely followed the emperor's character. If things went wrong, there would be a few stupid people, so Cao Yuanzhong was told not to return to Xiazhou.
Stay in Chang'an.
His two daughters were all married to Zhang Zhao, one was the queen and the other was a county lady who was in need. After Zhang Zhao left, only Cao Yuanzhong could control the situation.
At the end of April, after Zhang Zhao arranged everything, he issued a recruitment order in Guanzhong in the name of General Tiance's Mansion, calling on the heroes of Guanzhong to join the army to conquer the Khitans.
The name Tiance Mansion simply shouldn’t touch the hearts of people in Guanzhong.
For a time, all the brave men in Guanzhong rushed to tell each other, completely unlike the way they used to avoid the strong men in the past.
Especially when Zhang Zhao entered Guanzhong last time, the people of Xingping, Qianxian and Xianyang who had received favor from him were extremely enthusiastic because they trusted Zhang Zhao.
.
.
In the past, the poet sage Du Fu described the place where Ye Niang and his wife were seeing each other off, and Xianyang Bridge was no longer visible in the dust, but today it is a different scene.
Seven thousand strong men from the sixteen states of Guanzhong gathered here. Although they were armed with inferior weapons and carried weak hunting bows on their backs, everyone was working hard and enthusiastically.
In addition to these young men, there are also more than 400 long-standing evil thieves who have come down from the mountain.
Zhang Zhao did not kill them all, but instead incorporated them all into the clan. Those who survived and made meritorious deeds were completely eliminated, and those who did not survive naturally did not need to be held accountable.
On the Xianyang Bridge, people from the Ministry of War were assessing the young men in Guanzhong, and based on their strength, they were given a small number of stomachs and weapons.
Although most of the gifts were leather armor and iron knives, they were extremely precious.
A burst of cheers came from Er, it must have been someone who was a great warrior, and was awarded a good horse with iron armor.
Sure enough, amidst the cheers, a strong man as tall as a double-walled ape came out. Behind him was a tall Hexi folded-eared horse, with a set of cloth-covered iron armor on the horse's back.
Of course, it is only for strong men now and will be returned after the war.
Unless he can make a great contribution and obtain an official of the 48th rank, ninth rank, Zhongyi Lang or above, it will be possible to grant it to him.
"Hey! It turned out to be Zhao Silang of Qishan. I heard that he was a master of horse-riding skills, and he was able to come and go freely. In the past, Captain An Shenqi sent 200 soldiers and couldn't catch him. Unexpectedly, he went down the mountain and joined the army.
**Zhao Silang is a famous bandit and horse thief in Guanzhong. Many people have heard of his reputation even if they have never met him.
Immediately, a group of young men gathered around him curiously, wanting to see what this legendary horse thief looked like.
Zhao Silang didn't hide it at all, but felt a little proud.
"You have seen clearly that I am Sai Qin Qiong and Zhao Silang. In the future, I will follow the king to fight in the north and south, and I will also be granted the title of Duke. From now on, you fools will kneel down and kowtow when you meet a certain family."
After everyone heard this, there was a burst of curses, and the admiration just now disappeared.
Many of them, also nicknamed Sai Qinqiong and Xiao Qinqiong, were immediately eager to try and go up to ask for advice.
Where is The Complete Heroes of the Tang Dynasty most popular? Why do so many long-standing horse thieves come out to join the army?
Just look at the young men around you and you will know that Sai Qinqiong and Hei Luocheng here have not only one thousand but also eight hundred.
Half of them come here for Zhang Zhaorenyi's reputation, usually attracted by the complete biography of heroes of the Tang Dynasty.
On the first day of May, Zhang Zhao left Yin Yaozi to lead one battalion in Hanhai Town and two battalions in Xiongwu Town with 3,000 men to guard Qinzhou.
Liu Zaisheng led one battalion from Yingyang Town and two battalions from Feng'an Town with 3,000 men to guard the Qizhou rear.
He personally led Han Shandu, left and right Yulinwei, Hanhai, Yucheng, Wuwei and other main elites.
According to tradition, 4,000 united archers and 6,000 Yicongxiao cavalry were recruited as auxiliary troops.
Including the 7,000 Guanzhong men who provided their own weapons, the total army was 65,000.
Among them were 30,000 cavalry, 35,000 infantry, more than 80,000 mules and horses, and 1,000 boats, marching eastward along the river by land and water.
When setting off from Guanzhong, Zhang Zhao issued a proclamation against thieves in Chang'an City.
This is not a message like the last one, but a real message to attack the Khitans.
In his statement, Zhang Zhao referred to the heroic words of later Zhu Hongwu in his Northern Expedition to the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, saying:
"Since ancient times, emperors have ruled the world, and they have always lived in China to control the barbarians, and the barbarians have lived outside to serve China. It is unheard of to say that the barbarians live in China and control the world...
The Khitan barbarians, the vassals of this great dynasty, surrendered and then rebelled again, showing no loyalty...
When the dynasty declined, servants took precedence over the family masters, and barbarians stole Chinese artifacts.
Chuili only pretended to be the emperor, and his son Yao Gu went even further. He appointed the son of Hua Xia with Di Yi, which made people and gods angry...
At this time, the fortune circulates, the saint is born, the city of Dunhuang, the first title of Emperor Taizong of the great dynasty, the land of Hexi, inherits Huo Piao and Yao Jieyong...
After the great dynasty was loyal and loyal, Zhao continued to uphold the loyalty of his great ancestor Yi Chao Gong. When the civilization was in danger, he gathered brave men from all ethnic groups to bring the Han style back to the land of his ancestors.
Fu Li Shu, reward farming and weaving, open trade routes, restore the ten thousand miles of Kansai territory...
I originally wanted to recuperate and recuperate, waiting for the Holy Lord of the Central Plains, and return to my country to be loyal and loyal.
However, the barbarians invaded from the south and brutally tortured our people. The evil atmosphere filled the Heluo River and spread their poison to the territory of Kyushu...
Now we are raising a righteous army to eliminate the riots, punish the people and punish their crimes, spread the message to all directions, and jointly attack the Khitans...
The teacher of benevolence and righteousness has committed no crime in the autumn. He rewards the loyal and righteous people and punishes the rebellious ones. Every town is strong and capable, and all of them come and go. Do not forget their ancestors.
He said: ‘Expelling the northern barbarians and reviving the great dynasty, let’s see if the barbarians can survive for a hundred years!’”
This chapter has been completed!