Climbing Baishan Mountain, I felt the predicament of Emperor Gaozu when he was besieged by hundreds of thousands of Xiongnu troops.
Then Feng Junhou did not return to Jinyang, but left the mountain pass, continued north, and then turned west.
Seeing that his Alang was completely following the route he had taken last year, General Guan finally felt that something was not right.
Having slept with Feng Junhou for so many years, General Guan had already figured out his thoughts.
At this time, I noticed his weirdness and immediately became suspicious:
"Alang, didn't you say you want to invest three million yuan in Pingcheng? Why don't you stay a little longer and get to know him better? Are you lying to Governor Deng?"
As we prepare to enter September in the grassland in late August, there is already a faint hint of autumn.
The breeze blew a silvery wave on the far yellow and near green grass.
Feng Junhou, who was riding a horse, was looking far into the distance, admiring the endless grassland.
After hearing General Guan's words, he turned around and said with a smile:
"Why did Mr. Xi say this? I only said that I would build a new city in Pingcheng, but I didn't say that all those millions of dollars would be spent on a mere new city in Pingcheng."
The entire Datong Basin, and even most of the Taiyuan Basin in the south, is almost entirely covered with coal.
Coal is not the problem, the important thing is to find iron ore first...
Xinghanhui is not a charity, it definitely invests money only when it sees a profit.
Otherwise, it would be hard for him, the leader of the Xinghan Association, to explain to his brothers.
Even if the emperor comes, we can't let people go to the frontier fortress and spend money to build the city in vain, right?
There are no professional miners in my group, so I don’t know how to prospect for minerals.
What's the use of staying longer?
Besides, if the Bingzhou governor's office wants to make this money, it can't just sit there and wait.
Otherwise, the money would be too good to make.
After hearing Feng Junhou's explanation, General Guan became even more confused:
"In that case, why didn't Alang turn back as soon as possible and send people to Bingzhou to look for iron ore?"
Feng Junhou looked at General Guan's confused look and burst into laughter.
Even Li Mu lowered his head and pursed his lips.
When General Guan saw the two of them acting like this, he immediately raised his eyebrows.
"Don't be angry, Mr. Xi." Seeing Guan Hunu's expression, Feng Junhou quickly comforted him, "I am far inferior to Mr. Xi when it comes to marching and fighting."
"But when it comes to this business, Mr. Xi is far inferior to me."
"Business?"
Feng Junhou nodded:
"Isn't it just a business between the Xinghan Hui and Deng Jishi? Deng Jishi wants political achievements, and the Xinghan Hui wants to make profits."
"Now Governor Deng wants Xinghan Council to help him improve his political performance. Who do you think is more anxious?"
When General Guan heard this, he seemed to have remembered something and nodded thoughtfully:
"I see. From my point of view, both parties are anxious."
Feng Junhou was startled.
General Guan glanced at Feng Junhou:
"The Xinghan Hui failed to get too many benefits from Guanzhong, so it must be anxious to get compensation from Bingzhou."
"The governor of Deng is also getting older. It is estimated that the governor of Bingzhou will be his last local official. In a few years, depending on his age, he will probably return to the court."
Now that even the prime minister has passed away, there are not many old ministers left.
"With Deng's qualifications as governor, if he can make political achievements in Bingzhou in the next few years, he may not be qualified to rush for the position of three princes, so he is also anxious."
When Feng Junhou heard General Guan's words, he raised his thumb in approval.
General Guan was secretly proud of what he saw about Feng Junhou.
The first sentence was something she came up with on her own.
But regarding Deng Zhi, it was Zhang Xiaosi who analyzed it with her.
After all, Xinghanhui's Guanzhong enclosure was restricted, and the wife of the Feng Mansion looked at Zhang Xiaosi for a while.
Zhang Xiaosi had not yet officially married into the Feng family, and because he felt guilty, he had to stay in a low position for the time being.
Before leaving, he very flatteringly analyzed the situation of the governor of Bingzhou to General Guan to show his innocence.
"So Alang is competing with Governor Deng to see who can keep his composure?"
"No, no." Feng Junhou shook his head, "Didn't I say that this is a business between the Xinghan Society and Deng Jishi."
"For business, it's natural to shop around."
General Guan frowned: "What do you mean?"
Feng Junhou pointed to the west: "Xi Jun, do you know what is there in Wuyuan County (later Baotou)?"
"What? It can't be iron, right?"
Feng Junhou slapped his thigh: "Absolutely! At the foot of Yinshan Mountain in Wuyuan County, there is a large area of iron ore."
Li Mu, who was just listening next to him, couldn't help but look up when he heard what Feng Junhou said.
"There is coal in Pingcheng and iron in Wuyuan?"
General Guan subconsciously turned around and looked behind him. Pingcheng was already hundreds of miles away.
She said with some hesitation:
"Then...is this too far? How will Alang use Pingcheng's coal to smelt Wuyuan's iron?"
Feng Junhou chuckled: "Who said I want to use Pingcheng's coal to smelt Wuyuan's iron?"
General Guan didn't understand even more: "Then Pingcheng..."
"Pingcheng's coal is used to smelt iron from Bingzhou, and Wuyuan's iron is naturally smelted from Jiuyuan's coal."
If I remember correctly, Taiyuan, Datong, and Baotou in later generations were all industrial base cities.
For a so-called industrial base city, coal and iron are indispensable.
The coal mines in Taiyuan and Datong are more famous than the iron mines.
Baotou is more famous for its iron mines than its coal mines.
The iron ore in Baotou is famous for being large in quantity and easy to mine.
Don't think Feng Junhou was horrified by the idea of General Guan's "constant labor force".
But if he could really find a coal mine near Wuyuan County, Feng Junhou would say it would be "really fragrant".
We must follow General Guan's idea and capture all the barbarians around Jiuyuan to work as miners.
As long as there are enough manpower, the steel output of Bingzhou alone will be able to crush the entire Han Dynasty.
Tangshan can hide its steel production, but I can’t?
More importantly, the quality of the coal mines in Taiyuan and Datong is much higher than that of the coal mines in Hanzhong, Shu region.
If you can find anthracite coal in Bingzhou, you will make a lot of money.
Even if you can't find anthracite coal, it's good to find high-quality thermal coal!
If the current iron smelting technology could be improved, steel could be made directly.
Even if steel cannot be smelted directly, the quality of iron smelted from high-quality coal is much higher than that of iron from the interior of the Central Plains.
For this era, it is simply a cheating artifact.
If our dream could come true, it would be just around the corner if all the Han generals and soldiers had a Hundred Refined Sword or a Horse-Zhanping Sword.
Think about it, on both sides fighting each other, the Han soldiers were all wearing armor made in Wuyuan and brandishing magic weapons made in Bingzhou.
When the enemy slashed at the big Han soldiers, it was just a white mark.
When a big Han soldier cuts an opponent's body, he will make a big hole to bleed.
That scene was too beautiful to imagine.
In the past, there was one Han as the five barbarians, but in the future there will be "one Han as the five thieves." How wonderful is that?
Whether it is the Taiyuan Basin or the Hetao Plain, as long as it is developed, it can be turned into a grain-producing area and can provide enough food for industry.
This is the effective use of land to produce wealth.
What land in Guanzhong does the imperial court and the royal family want?
Give, give, give!
How much is it worth?
Thinking of this, Feng Junhou couldn't help laughing:
"So as long as the news about the iron mines in Wuyuan County is released, it will not be us who will be anxious then, but Governor Deng."
Although the Jiuyuan Governor's Mansion theoretically belongs to Bingzhou, if there are political achievements, Huo Yi will definitely take the first credit.
Besides, Huo Yi is from the imperial palace.
As long as the background is strong enough, the boss will not dare to take away the credit easily.
If there is no background, then there is a high probability that you can only look at other people's backs.
Huo Yi is a member of the emperor, who dares to take credit?
At most, Deng Zhi would just follow behind and get the glory.
Zhan Guang's merits are not enough to support him to take up the position of Three Dukes.
Knowing that Feng Junhou had this original plan, General Guan wanted to keep a straight face, but in the end he couldn't help but laugh:
"After all, Governor Deng is also the master of Deng Weizhe (Deng Liang). What would Deng Weizhe think if he knew that you were plotting against his master?"
"Hey, Mr. Xi, what you said is wrong." Feng Junhou waved his hand, "Brothers still want to settle accounts openly! I promised millions and gave them away anyway."
"Since Governor Deng is Weizhe's master, he should put more effort into this matter. This is a mutually beneficial thing."
Compared with Feng Junhou taking Mei to visit the grassland, Governor Deng learned that Feng Junhou did not return from Pingcheng, but continued to lead his troops into the grassland.
There was a bit of a gaffe on the spot:
"Junhou said he wanted to visit the hometown of Jiuyuan?"
"Back to the general, it's true that the prince said that there may be iron ore in Wuyuan County, and he wants to go and have a look."
"Iron mine?" Deng Zhi became anxious upon hearing this, "How did he know there was iron mine in Wuyuan?"
It doesn’t make sense!
The Jiuyuan hometown has been a place left by the Han Dynasty to guard the southern Xiongnu for hundreds of years.
If there really is iron ore in that damn place, how can the Han Dynasty safely leave it to the Southern Huns?
How did Feng Junhou know something that no one knew for hundreds of years?
Could it be that he really is the King of Ghosts, able to see through Yin and Yang and know things in the world?
These questions just flashed through Deng Zhi's mind.
Because right now, he has more important things.
"General Zhu, look, this..." Deng Zhi turned his head and looked at a middle-aged man next to him with a look of embarrassment on his face, "What a coincidence."
The man called General Zhu was none other than Zhu Ju who had come thousands of miles away from Soochow.
This man was Sun Quan's son-in-law, who was once praised by Sun Quan as "both civil and military".
It is a pity that in the past few years, because he was implicated in the Yinfan incident, he was dismissed from office and confined at home. It was not until last year that he resumed his official position.
This time he was commissioned by Sun Quan and came to the Han Dynasty to learn cavalry tactics.
I never thought of taking a boat from Jianye to Jingzhou, then taking a boat from Jingzhou to Yong'an, passing through Jincheng from Yong'an, and then going north from Jincheng to Hanzhong.
When he arrived in Hanzhong, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty regretfully told him that Feng Junhou now had to guard Guanzhong and could not leave lightly.
So if you want to see him, you can only go to Chang'an yourself.
The Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty has passed away. It is understandable that General Feng, the most famous general of the Han Dynasty, is guarding the key points.
So Zhu Ju said goodbye to the little fat man, left Hanzhong and headed north to Chang'an.
Unexpectedly, when he arrived in Chang'an, he took out the edicts from the emperors of Han and Wu, and was informed that Feng Junhou had gone to Hedong for inspection.
Secretary Zhang Da, who was in charge of Chang'an, informed Zhu Ju that Shangdang was in urgent need, so Feng Junhou had gone to Hedong to supervise the war.
The war is urgent, and this is understandable.
So Zhu Ju turned east and crossed the river. When he arrived east of Hedong, Jiang Wei, the general of the Han Dynasty's expedition to the west, regretfully informed that Feng Junhou had gone north to inspect Bingzhou.
It is understandable that Bingzhou was initially decided and patrolled to calm people's hearts, so Zhu Ju could only continue to pursue northward.
Now Governor Deng of Bingzhou told him that Feng Junhou led the army into the grassland...
For several months, Zhu Ju traveled by water, by mountain roads, and by horseback along official roads.
From east to west, from south to north, and from west to east, there are not tens of thousands of miles, but thousands of miles.
A good-looking man from an aristocratic family turned into a slovenly man with a beard on his face.
At this time, he learned from Deng Zhi that he rushed to Jinyang non-stop, but still failed to catch up with Feng Junhou, and his mood almost collapsed.
"How is it possible, how is it possible!"
A mouthful of droplets spurted out of his mouth and directly touched his beard, which had not been properly groomed for months.
Zhu Ju was trembling all over and looked at Deng Zhi in disbelief:
"President Deng, Junhou Feng...could they be avoiding me on purpose?"
Deng Zhi looked at Zhu Zhi, who was covered in dust and with a face full of vicissitudes of life, and was murmuring in his heart at this moment:
Could it be that Feng Junhou really didn't want to teach the Wu people how to fight on horseback, so he deliberately avoided seeing him?
He just muttered that as an important minister of the Han Dynasty, even if Deng Governor knew that this matter was true, he could not admit it:
"General Zhu, you are worrying too much. You don't know that when the Han Dynasty first returned to Guanzhong and Bingzhou and other places, everything was in chaos. In addition, there are powerful enemies peeping from the east."
"Feng Junhou was entrusted by the Emperor of the Han Dynasty to guard important places. How can we take it lightly?"
"A few days ago, the Shangdang thieves refused to surrender despite the danger. The king sent General Wei and personally led the troops to Hedong to respond, and then they captured Shangdang."
"After the initial decision was made to go to the party, Feng Junhou didn't even have time to go on inspection, so he went directly north to Jinyang."
"He didn't stay in Jinyang for more than a few days. He didn't even have time to rest before he left the fortress immediately. This shows the heavy responsibility on his shoulders."
Hearing Deng Zhi's words, Zhu Ju felt even worse.
This Feng Mingwen is indeed a character.
After Zhuge Liang's death, this person not only helped the situation settle down as quickly as possible, he was even able to send troops to attack Shangdang.
After going up to the party, the entire Bingzhou was considered to have fallen into the hands of the Han Dynasty.
After entering Guanzhong, although I was in a hurry, I could see that many places had begun to resume production along the way.
It can be seen that this person has extraordinary means whether he is using the army or governing the people.
Just thinking about what he had experienced in the past few months, Zhu Ju felt a little sad and angry:
Hearing that this person has always been known as the King of Ghosts, I had already expected that he would be a difficult person to deal with, but unexpectedly I underestimated how difficult he was.
As soon as he thought about this, Zhu Ju became more and more unconvinced, and the more he wanted to see this person:
"Prefect Deng, would you like to ask if you can send someone to accompany me out of the fortress and into the grassland?"
"Absolutely not!" Deng Zhi was shocked when he heard this and quickly rejected Zhu Ju's silly and bold plan.
"General Zhu doesn't know something. There is a big difference between the outside of the Great Wall and the Han Dynasty. Even if the king is famous among the barbarians, he still has to bring elite soldiers and strong generals before he dares to patrol the Great Wall."
"Otherwise, when the Hu people outside the Great Wall see that there are few generals and soldiers, they will often turn into horse thieves, relying on their familiarity with the terrain, roaring in and roaring away, making it difficult for people to guard against them."
The Shangdang has resigned, and the Wei thieves who want to come to Youzhou and Jizhou do not have the courage to cross the Taihang Mountains to provoke them at this moment.
Therefore, even if Feng Junhou takes away three thousand elite cavalry, which will make Bingzhou's military strength slightly tight, it is not a big deal.
But if more troops were sent to escort Zhu Ju, it would really cost Governor Deng his life.
He wouldn't dare to gamble like that.
He didn't care whether Zhu Ju would encounter horse thieves on the grassland, but if Bingzhou didn't have enough troops, it would be a big deal.
"Besides, even if I send troops to accompany General Zhu out of the fortress, not to mention whether he will get lost in the desert without spies who are familiar with the road, even General Zhu may not be able to catch up with Feng Junhou in the end."
Zhu Ju frowned: "Why?"
If it were not for Deng Zhi's mission to the State of Wu, he was unanimously praised by the monarchs and ministers of the State of Wu, and his character would be considered excellent.
I'm afraid Zhu Ju already suspected that Deng Zhi was colluding with King Feng Gui to stop him.
"General Zhu, don't be impatient. Just listen to me. From Wuyuan County to Guanzhong, there is a highway called Qin Zhidao. It was built during the reign of Qin Shihuang."
"Although it is hundreds of years old and may be damaged, it can still be used for military purposes."
"If my guess is correct, after inspecting the Jiuyuan Governor's Mansion, Feng Junhou should go south from Wuyuan along the Qinzhi Road and return to Chang'an via Shangjun."
Is this so?
After Zhu Ju heard this, he fell into deep thought.
If this is really the case, then it means that I have come full circle again?
Thinking that he had traveled such a long distance in vain, Zhu's son-in-law couldn't help but feel a little secretly resentful:
Feng Guiwang who entered his mother's house...is he walking his donkey?