After Xu Huai listened to Zhou Jing and others report some secrets before and after the fall of Bianliang in the jingshe, he went to the camp commander Shiyuan with Liu Qiong'er and Zhou Jing; Shi Zhen, Yu Chengzhen, Zhuang Shouxin and others were sitting with some people.
Talking in the government office.
Seeing Xu Huai coming, an old man accompanied by Shi Zhen, Yu Chengzhen, and Zhuang Shouxin walked to the corridor to greet him, bowed and saluted:
"The old man Ding Chong has seen a handsome man who ignores past grudges and relies on others to support him. Ding Chong will never forget it..."
"Mr. Ding is so polite!" Xu Huai returned the courtesy.
Ding Chongnai was a little-known experienced clerk in the Taishi Bureau (Si Tianjian). He was over sixty years old at this time and had retired from the Taishi Bureau and no longer served. However, he was in charge of astronomy and calendar testing in the Taishi Bureau.
But he is a rare master of astronomy and arithmetic in the world.
Ding Chong had good relations with Yu Chengzhen, Zhuang Shouxin and others, and they were all important figures recommended by Shi Zhen to Xu Huai to recruit and be of great use to Chushan.
Yu Chengzhen and Zhuang Shouxin went through hardships and came to Chushan during the first southern invasion of the Chihu people.
Ding Chong's journey south experienced twists and turns.
When the Chihu people invaded the south for the first time, in order to beg for a peace truce, the imperial court planned to sacrifice more than 3,000 musicians, craftsmen and other people of all kinds, as well as a group of clan girls who were paid in exchange for silver, as sacrifices to the Chihu people.
In the end, it was abandoned because the main war faction temporarily restored the decline in the court after the Kenggong Incident.
Afterwards, the Chihu people quickly withdrew their troops.
The soldiers and civilians of Bianliang and the generals of the DPRK who survived the disaster all mistakenly believed that the crisis had been resolved, and mistakenly believed that the Red Husbands would not be able to invade south again in a short time.
Before the Chihu people invaded the south again, the southward passage was open for a period of time.
At that time, most of the officials in the government could not pay the full amount of tribute. Many ministries, ministries, craftsmen and officials stayed in Bianliang, and it was difficult to make a living. If they really wanted to leave Bianliang, no one would stop them.
However, most people thought that the situation would improve, and some craftsmen who had originally agreed to go south to Chushan also changed their minds temporarily.
Although Ding Chong was one of the few masters in astronomy and arithmetic in the world, he could not overcome the shortcomings of hesitation in his temperament. In addition, his family objected, and Shi Zhen and Yu Chengzhen wrote letters twice after the Chihu people's first southern invasion.
People invited him to come to Chushan with his family, but he declined.
Perhaps if it were someone else, even if they would not accuse people like Ding Chong of being indecisive, they would not waste manpower and material resources on people like Ding Chong.
However, Xu Huai knew that the small pond in Chushan Temple was shallow and he was not qualified to show off.
At the same time, Xu Huai knew better that after the fall of Bianliang, most of the craftsmen and craftsmen fell into the hands of the Red Husbands. In order to survive, they would still choose to serve the Red Husbands.
At that time, these people will be much more helpful to the Chihu people in ruling the Central Plains than some surrendered troops.
Therefore, in July and August last year, although Xu Huai focused his main thoughts and energy on raising funds to attack Taiyuan, he still made some arrangements in Bianliang.
It is a pity that the Chihu people invaded the south again, and Bianliang fell so suddenly and quickly.
Most of the deployments made in Bianliang failed
For example, after the fall of Nanxunmen, Princess Jing and his son, as well as Zhu Hang's father-in-law, Prince Longshou, etc., immediately fled to the imperial city, what could Chushan's manpower lurking in Bianliang do?
After the soldiers captured Bianliang City, before the imperial city was finally captured, the entire city searched for craftsmen and craftsmen. Chushan's manpower deployed in Bianliang only had time to help a limited number of people such as Ding Chong and their families to make small changes.
They first lurked in the chaotic Bianliang City, but it was not until early March that the soldiers relaxed their guard over the city, and then they went out day and night to escort them to Chushan Mountain.
Ding Chong experienced disaster twice and felt even more guilty for rejecting Chu Shan's warm invitation.
Dozens of craftsmen and their families who went south this time settled in Huaiyuan first. Ding Chong rushed to Zhouqiao to meet Xu Huai. It was mainly Shi Zhen, Yu Chengzhen and others who recommended Ding Chong to be the governor of Zhouxue.
Give up and be honest.
Chushan has not attracted many great craftsmen and craftsmen in the past year, but the sons and nephews of Yu Chengzhen, Zhuang Shouxin and others have been passed down to their families, so the team of craftsmen in Chushan has been greatly improved in the past year.
At least in terms of iron ore mining, smelting, armor, ordnance casting, Chushan can be said to have reached first-class standards in this world.
However, Xu Huai felt that this was still not enough. At least the inheritance and development of craftsmanship should not be limited to masters and apprentices, or fathers and sons. Therefore, he insisted on building a new craftsman's studio in Zhouxue. In addition to systematically cultivating craftsman talents, Xu Huai felt that this was not enough.
In addition, he also hopes that Chushan will have a platform for discussion and research when it comes to difficulties in construction, casting of armor and weapons, unlike in the past where it was purely dependent on craftsmen pondering and accumulating alone.
A person like Ding Chong, who was good at arithmetic, calendaring and astronomical mapping, seemed to have no direct help to Chushan's rapidly developing armor and ordnance casting, but what he was good at was precisely this.
The basis of everything.
Among the craftsmen who went south this time, there were still one or two people who wanted to drag their families to Xiangyang to settle down, but Xu Huai did not stop them.
Although Ding Chong did not have such a profound understanding of the situation and his temperament was somewhat indecisive, he still had some scholarly energy and decided to stay in Chushan this time.
There was an inspection department before Zhouqiao, which only built a rammed-earth city wall about six miles outside the town.
At this time, Xu Huai will move to the headquarters and the prefectural courtyard in Zhouqiao, and the main force of the Chushan Army will also be stationed there to prepare for war. The previous small town, which was only six or seven hundred steps deep, is definitely not enough.
The reason why it was named Zhou Bridge at this time is that Luye Creek originated from the depths of Jinniuling and flowed into the Huaihe River from its northwest foot. In the previous dynasty, the local Zhou family built a stone bridge, and the Zhou family had already crossed Luye Creek.
The people are scattered, but the stone bridge is still intact to this day.
In the lower reaches of Luye River, the west bank is the most open. Zhouqiao City was also built on the west bank. Now it is necessary to build a walled city on the east bank, close to the steep Jinniu Ridge and the south bank of Huai River, which is easier to defend and harder to attack. It will serve as the headquarters, state courtyard and
For use in camps.
Of course, at the same time, we need to build a small city with a perimeter of three to four miles on the other side of the Huaihe River, build a wharf, and ferry boats to the north and south sides. When conditions permit, even
We still have to build a pontoon bridge before a complete defense system can be formed here.
Now, in addition to squeezing out some space in Zhouqiao to build samurai residences and ensuring that Xu Huai can also directly lead the training of grassroots generals, other state education departments must be moved to Xinyang City.
A simple banquet was arranged at noon. Su Laochang and Yu Chengzhen accompanied Ding Chongxian to Xinyang. Xu Wujiang, Xu Wuqi, Zhou Jing and others also went their separate ways. Xu Huai also went to the east bank of Luye River in person to inspect the site for the new city.
I specially took Liu Qiong'er with me on horseback out of the city, passed the stone bridge, and came to the east bank of Luye River.
At this time, the spring light is already bright, the mountains and rivers are green, flowers and plants of various colors are blooming, and the breeze is blowing, bringing a warm feeling.
The place where Xu Huai and the others stood was the beach of the Huaishui River in front of a stone cliff.
After the Huai River passes Zhouqiao, it flows into Tongbai Mountain. The river opens up, and the water surface is churning with white waves. It is also extremely clear. There are several fish boats lying on the water, looking very leisurely and contented.
The official road going south from Queshan, Zhenyang, Xincai, Shangcai and other cities crosses the Huaihe River from the mouth of Shixi River at the eastern foot of Jinniuling and goes to Luoshan, Xinyang and other cities.
Therefore, there were not many refugees pouring in near Zhouqiao, and it seemed that they were not seriously affected by the war.
"How long can I enjoy such leisurely contentment?" Liu Qiong'er couldn't help but sigh while sitting on the saddle, looking at the fishing boats on the Huai River.
"It's much better than King Lu rushing south!" Xu Huai stretched and said with a smile.
The picture that once flashed in his mind was that King Zhao Guan of Lu was most likely going to Xiangyang to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor. He was thinking of using Xiangyang as his foundation and relying on the wealth of the southeast to contact the remnants of the Heshan and Shaanxi armies to resist the Red Husbands.
Strategically speaking, this can be said to be a very correct choice.
Now King Jing is heading to Xiangyang to open a government office and make final preparations for his ascension to the throne. There does not seem to be much difference in strategic choices, but the situation is definitely better than this historical trajectory that has never happened, or has deviated from it.
More makes people more optimistic.
If history had not changed, even if King Lu could go to Xiangyang and successfully ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, even if he did not have to face the main force of the Chihu people for the time being and get a few months or even a year of breathing space, under such a hasty situation, Lu
It is impossible for the Wang family to build a complete line of defense in Jingxiang and Jianghuai.
The best situation is that Huainan, Jingxiang and other places are lost, and we can barely hold on to the Yangtze River line in a short period of time. If Huainan, Jingxiang and other places are lost, Heluo and Shaanxi will also be isolated. Sooner or later, they will be lost.
matter.
Now, they can get a few months of breathing space. If the Xuanwu Army, Xiaosheng Army and Xuanwei Army can be successfully and completely expanded, they will be able to build a relatively complete line of defense along the Huaihe River. At the same time, they can also coordinate the defenses of Heluo and Shaanxi.
.
Liu Qiong'er, Shi Zhen and the others were worried, but they did not see a worse and more desperate situation, but Xu Huai's mood was much more relaxed, and it can be said that he turned all this around...
