Chapter 92 The shrewd Liu Biao thanks Zhuyan Moyu for today
Chapter 92 The shrewd Liu Biao (Thanks to Zhuyan Moyu for the reward, I will add another chapter today)
Shen Chen's reply to Liu Bei did not actually instruct him or teach him what to do. He just exchanged pleasantries and told him that everything was fine and asked him not to worry about him.
In addition to this reply letter, he also prepared some gold, some silk and more than ten pieces of fish scale armor for Taishi Ci to send.
Yes.
Since the invention of the steel filling method, Huangmenting's steel production has become the highest in Jingzhou. In addition to manufacturing daily utensils and weapons and equipment, it can also make armors.
During the Han Dynasty, steel was state-owned. Due to the small scale of the state-owned enterprise, backward steel-making technology, and the inability to mass produce, the annual steel output was very low.
Before the introduction of the steel filling method in the Tang Dynasty, the total steel production in the two Han Dynasties was only tens of thousands of tons, which combined was not as high as the annual production in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The steel filling method is to mass produce steel.
To use an analogy, the steel frying method is equivalent to handmade products, and it may take several days or even half a month to make the finished product.
The steel filling method is mechanized production in the factory. You only need to heat the pig iron to mature iron, and then pour the molten iron into the molten pig iron to naturally merge into molten steel. There is no need to hammer and forge like before.
Therefore, after the emergence of this epoch-making technology, it brought brand-new changes to Dahan.
Huangmenting actually cannot consume that much steel, but it is difficult for them to sell it. Because steel itself is an extremely important strategic material, it is almost impossible to conceal a large-scale inflow into the market.
When the soldiers under his command used it, they could explain that it was bought from outside, but suddenly so much steel appeared on the market that even a fool could tell that something was wrong.
Once the princes from all walks of life learn that the annual steel output of just one township in Huangmenting can reach thousands of tons, I am afraid they will all go crazy.
Even Liu Biao coveted it.
Therefore, they can only process the steel privately.
The processing site is the back mountain.
When Cao Ren attacked Houshan, the blast furnaces, furnaces, and cave dwellings inside were destroyed and sealed, and all the tools were moved away.
Now that Cao's army has withdrawn, work has resumed, and weapons and equipment are being manufactured in batches.
Among them, fish scale armor appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and flourished in the Song and Ming Dynasties. It required a lot of steel, so it naturally became the first choice.
The main reason is that it is very flexible and light, not as thick and bulky as plate armor, and at the same weight, its defense power and defensive function are much stronger than the current plate armor.
The fish scale armor produced by Huangmenting is not a full-body armor, it only covers the front and back, with a total of 480 pieces in sixteen rows at the front and back, and weighs less than ten kilograms.
If it is a full body armor, the weight will be doubled, but it is still more than ten kilograms lighter than the Zha armor popular in the Han Dynasty.
In other words, twenty kilograms of fish scale armor can provide the same defensive power as more than thirty kilograms of plate armor. For generals charging into battle, the added advantage is more than one or two points.
Shen Chen also considered that Liu Bei would still have many tough battles to fight in the future. Although he suffered repeated defeats, what if he got injured?
So giving him some armor can increase his fault tolerance.
When Taishi Ci received these gifts, he was also very surprised by Shen Chen's handiwork. All these belongings were valuable, and the most important thing was that the armor was really precious.
Liu Bei didn't have many suits of battle armor until now, and he only had more than ten sets, which made Taishi Ci look at Shen Chen's financial resources with admiration.
On March 6, Taishi Ci said goodbye to Shen Chen and set off.
When he came, he was empty-handed, just a few people riding a few horses. When he left, he directly drove with two horses, brought a large box of gifts, and returned in a grand manner.
Shen Chen sent him to the north of Bishui, which was later Tanghe County, before setting off south to Xiangyang.
Xiangyang was only two days' walk from Huyang. The carriage started in the morning and basically arrived in the evening, so in the early morning of March 7, he arrived outside Xiangyang City.
The war in Nanyang did not cause any disturbance to Jingzhou. Historically, Liu Biao did not participate in this battle. Therefore, even if Cao Cao and Zhang Xiu fought vigorously, it seemed that they had nothing to do with him and remained stationary.
However, he didn't do nothing. In addition to asking Zhang Yunwenpin and others to pay attention to defense, he also sent people to Nanyang every day to check the latest battle reports.
When he learned that Cao Cao had withdrawn his troops, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and sent Deng Hong to Rangcheng to conclude an alliance with Zhang Xiu.
But now Deng Hong has completed his mission brilliantly and returned to Xiangyang with Shen Chen to return his life to Liu Biao.
The sun is just right today, it is late spring, and there are countless ships on the Han River. The docks in the north of Xiangyang City are densely packed with ships.
In the distance, on the vast plain to the east of the city, green and yellow wheat is floating in the fields. It will be mature in two months.
In the spring breeze, Deng Hong and Shen Chen's boat docked at Jiang'an Wharf. There were no telephones in this era, and no one knew they were coming, so no one answered the call at the wharf.
But there was no need for anyone to pick them up. The ship they were on was a big ship and they could board carriages. More than twenty carriages disembarked one after another. There were thirty or forty servants and fifty guards, carrying large and small bags of New Year's goods. The queue was even bigger than last year. To grow stronger.
The convoy drove all the way into the city. When the soldiers at the city gate saw the sign saying "Don't drive away" from the Zhou Mufu, no one dared to intercept it and went straight into the city.
When passing by Central Street, Deng Hong said goodbye to his wife and asked her to take her son and family back to the mansion first. He and Shen Chen were going to the Prefectural Mufu Mansion to report the news to Liu Biao as soon as possible.
The grandfather and grandson parted from Mr. Cai on the street, and the servant drove the carriage to the governor's mansion.
Soon they arrived at Liu Biao's mansion.
When he learned that Deng Hong had returned, Liu Biao immediately summoned him, and they were led to the side hall in the backyard, where Liu Biao was the only one sitting on the main seat and looking at the bamboo slips.
"Ming Gong."
"Your Majesty."
Deng Hong and Shen Chen each have different names.
Because Deng Hong was Liu Zhengpi's subordinate, he called his superior Ming Gong.
Shen Chen has no direct relationship with Liu Biao, so he uses the honorific title.
"Youshuo and Shen Xiaolang are back?"
Liu Biao looked at the two of them with a smile and said, "The ones who came back this year are much later than in previous years."
Deng Hong said helplessly: "Cao's army attacked Huangmenting, and Hong had no choice but to attack."
"It's okay, it's okay, I don't mean to blame you."
Liu Biao put down the bamboo slips in his hand and asked, "What's Zhang Xiu's answer?"
Deng Hong replied: "Both have been settled."
"Ah That's good."
Liu Biao nodded and said: "When Cao's army attacks this year, Nanyang will probably suffer a lot of damage."
Deng Hong said: "The damage is indeed considerable. People in various counties around Wancheng and west of the Dabie Mountains have been displaced. I am planning to tell Duke Ming about this."
“How is local governance?”
Liu Biao was quite concerned, not because he really cared about the people, but because he cared about his own property.
In recent years, he followed Shen Chen's strategy and used all the refugees from Guanzhong and the captured Runan Nanyang Yellow Turbans to farm fields.
The farming areas are located on the east and west sides of Nanyang. For example, the refugees from Guanzhong are mostly placed in the west of Nanyang, close to Wuguan in Danshui, Shunyang, Nanxiang, Liguo, Champion, Wudang and other counties.
The Runan Nanyang Yellow Turbans are mostly arranged in the areas east of Nanyang and west of the Dabie Mountains, that is, Duyang, Wuyin, Biyang, Pingshi, Xinye, Huyang and other places.
Most of the harvest from farming in these places was to be handed over to him, Liu Biao. Now that Cao's army was attacking, he naturally wanted to know whether the property was damaged.
Deng Hong looked a little confused: "I'm afraid it's not satisfactory."
"Why?"
Liu Biao frowned. Since he started farming the year before last, he has been able to harvest millions of grains and grass every year.
You must know that in history, Cao Cao only captured more than 100,000 people of the Yellow Turbans in Runan, and gained more than one million hu of grain during the year when he was stationed in the fields.
And he got the Yellow Turbans from Nanyang in Runan and the refugees from Guanzhong, totaling more than 300,000, and he gained more from farming than Cao Cao.
With such a huge amount of wealth at stake, of course he was interested.
Deng Hong said: "When Cao Cao came, people everywhere fled in panic. All county and county officials, big and small, abandoned their posts and left. The fields were left unattended for nearly a month, fearing that production would be greatly reduced."
"This Cao Cao"
Liu Biao rubbed his temples and felt very unhappy. He thought to himself, "If you come to conquer Zhang Xiu, then conquer Zhang Xiu. Why are you trying to scare his farmers?"
As a result, his harvest this year may be greatly reduced.
Deng Hong smiled bitterly and said: "There is nothing we can do about this, but now that Cao Cao has left, most of the people and officials who fled have returned. I believe that after farming again, we should still be able to harvest some crops."
"It's been almost a month since I've taken care of my farmland. How many percent will I have when the wheat is ripe?"
Liu Biao waved his hands in a depressed mood and said, "Let's skip this year's harvest and let the villagers keep it for themselves. I hope it won't be necessary for the government treasury to transport grain and grass to Nanyang."
Deng Hong and Shen Chen looked at each other and said at the same time: "Ming Gong (envoy) is benevolent and righteous."
"Um."
Liu Biao responded, then suddenly remembered something and asked: "I heard that when the county magistrates learned about Cao Cao's attack, they all surrendered?"
"Forehead"
Deng Hong hesitated and said: "It's true that it's just my colleagues who are helpless."
Liu Biao sneered: "They are just a bunch of capricious people."
Historically, when Cao Cao came, a large number of officials in Nanyang surrendered to Cao Cao. As soon as Cao Cao left, they immediately turned to Zhang Xiu and Liu Biao.
It's just that they are the wallflowers, but they have caused Liu Biao to lose this year's tax revenue.
In the past, Liu Biao believed that there was no danger to defend the Nanyang Basin, and he really couldn't defeat Cao Cao and didn't want to fight hard, so he gathered all his troops around Xiangyang.
But now Liu Biao in Nanyang has a large amount of farmland, which can provide him with millions of grain and grass every year.
At that time, one hu of dendrobium was equal to one stone. In peacetime, one stone of millet cost 220 five baht. In times of war, it now costs 1,000 yuan.
In some places, the price is even 5,000 yuan or 10,000 yuan. During the severe drought in Guanzhong a few years ago, the price of grain was 500,000 yuan per stone, and the price skyrocketed.
Even based on 220 qian in peacetime, Liu Biao can get about 3 million shi of grain from Nanyang every year, which is nearly 700 million qian when converted into 5 baht.
Many people think that Jingzhou is rich, but in fact it is not that rich. Jingnan area, which is Hunan in later generations, is still a barren land, and only Changsha County is slightly better.
Most of the area in Jiangxia in northern Jingzhou is Yunmengze, and there are not even a few county towns. Therefore, the richest places in Jingzhou currently controlled by Liu Biao are actually Nanyang County and Nanjun.
If he loses Nanyang, his strength will be greatly reduced, especially now that Liu Biao has far more demand for the Nanyang Basin than in history.
Now the news coming back from the front line told him that except for the cities in the west of Nanyang far away from the battlefield, including the counties controlled by Zhang Xiu, most of the other counties surrendered to Cao Cao when Cao Cao's army came.
You must know that most of these counties are to the west of the Dabie Mountains, that is, to the east of Nanyang City in later generations, the county towns in Biyang, Sheqi, Tanghe and other places were cities owned by Liu Biao, and the local officials were also sent by Liu Biao.
As a result, when Cao Cao came, everyone surrendered, and there were a lot of farmland in these places, which were his private property. How could Liu Biao keep it on his face?
After thinking for a moment, Liu Biao looked at Shen Chen and said, "Shen Xiaolang, how do you think these capricious people should be dealt with? How should Nanyang be completely controlled by me?"
Shen Chen knew that Liu Biao was going to ask him for advice, and there was no way to hide his clumsiness at this time, because Liu Biao was not a fool. If you still fooled him after knowing your true identity, he would definitely be unhappy. Once he was unhappy, it would be difficult for the family in Jingzhou. Mixed up.
So after pondering for a moment, Shen Chen said: "Your Majesty, since ancient times, people have sought good luck and avoided disaster, and there are no soldiers and horses guarding Nanyang. When the officials saw that Cao Cao's army was coming, it was understandable that they abandoned their posts and left. But if they surrender to Cao Cao, , that’s a big problem.”
"what is the problem?"
Liu Biao asked.
Shen Chen said: "People like to be attached to the strong. They did not abandon their positions but chose to surrender to Cao Cao. This shows that in their eyes, the commander is weaker than Cao Cao. They believe that Cao Cao can occupy Nanyang, so they surrendered to Cao Cao. Is this true? Isn’t it a very serious problem?”
"Of course it is."
Liu Biao felt really uncomfortable after hearing this. Those officials he appointed felt that they were weaker than Cao Cao?
Who can be happy?
Shen Chen added: "This is all because you are too benevolent. Nanyang is an important place guarding the Central Plains, with countless fertile fields and numerous small towns. How can there be any mistake? We should expel these incompetent and mediocre officials and replace them with those Only with promising and capable officials can we send troops north to garrison Ye County to defend Nanyang."
"Is that so?"
Liu Biao began to think.
He was considering whether this plan was feasible.
It doesn't matter if people are replaced, the key is to garrison troops in Ye County.
Ye County is the rear area of Xuchang and the gateway to Nanyang.
Sending troops from Ye County can directly threaten Yingchuan, and Cao Cao cannot allow him to station troops there.
Zhang Xiu stationed troops in Wancheng, Cao Cao was not at ease, let alone Ye County?
Therefore, it is very likely that as long as he dares to send people, Cao Cao will definitely come to conquer it himself.
Shen Xiaolang’s purpose is not pure.
Liu Biao narrowed his eyes and looked at Shen Chen. He wanted to drag himself into the quagmire of war with Cao Cao.
However, Liu Biao was not angry either. He and Cao Cao had a hostile relationship to begin with, and the two sides were meant to fight. It was just that he did not want to have a large-scale direct conflict with Cao Cao.
Secondly, the Deng and Shen families in Huangmenting had a blood feud with Cao Cao. Although Cao Cao lost many men this time, the Deng and Shen families were definitely eager to destroy Cao Cao.
Therefore, there is nothing wrong with wanting to use his strength to continue sending troops against Cao Cao.
However, this conflicts with Liu Biao's current strategy. Both Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue, as well as himself, believe that it is inappropriate to have a conflict with the north before the decisive battle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao.
So after thinking for a moment, he looked at Shen Chen with a smile and said: "Shen Xiaolang is very famous in Nanyang this time. I heard in Xiangyang that you annihilated Cao Cao's powerful generals Cao Ren and Le Jin. Although you are young, , but he is a young hero, are you willing to become an official?"
Shen Chen's heart trembled, and he quickly said: "The boy's moral character is shallow, and he is not yet able to serve the envoy. Please allow me to study for a few more years. In the future, when I am crowned, the envoy will not refuse to obey my orders."
"Um."
Liu Biao nodded and said: "Scholars should raise their hopes. You are still young and it is not a good thing to be too superior. I will remove the garrison in Ye County. I will transfer Gan Ning to Wuyin. Then Deng Mao performed well this time. Instead of surrendering, I will assist you in repelling Cao's army, and let him be the magistrate of Nanyang County. Wang Yi will be the governor of Nanyang, and I will make my own arrangements for the rest of the counties."
"Ming Gong (envoy) is wise."
Deng Hong and Shen Chen looked at each other again and bowed at the same time.
Liu Biao is still very shrewd. It may not be easy to trick him into joining the chariot.