On the tenth day of July, yellow flowers gradually bloomed in the streets, as if the moonlight was condensed among the green leaves, attracting bursts of autumn wind, the scorching heat slowly dissipated, and the wheat in the long acres also turned yellow, and the one-year-old autumn harvest
That’s it.
But the farmers in Bingzhou don’t look good. This year’s spring came a little late, and there were continuous heavy rains in the summer. Although wheat seedlings like water, there is too much water. Many wheat seedlings in the low fields have been waterlogged, and the harvest is probably only last year’s.
70%, less than half of the good year before last.
Chen Chong received the news these days and was quite anxious. He had already made a calculation in Jinyang: the battles last year were huge. Even if he had made an agreement with Liu Yu in advance, the military rations would be divided between Youzhou and Bingzhou.
The consumption of grain and grass has been greatly reduced, but supporting 60,000 troops for nearly half a year still consumes a lot of inventory, and this year's consumption has suddenly increased.
First, Yunchang brought back nearly 70,000 refugees from Guanzhong, and they are now resettled in Henan County. Although Henan has a lot of fertile land, Dong Zhuo plundered all his savings. These refugees can only be supported by Bingzhou this year, and it will take at least two years to return to Henan.
Self-sufficient.
Secondly, Xuande is expanding his army in Jinyang. He failed to attack Dong at the beginning of this year, which led to another battle with Dong Zhuo after the autumn harvest. Although it is not known when the war started, it is obviously insufficient to rely solely on the existing military strength of Bingzhou. The army can be expanded.
Rice and grain are needed again, and after the expansion of the army, the labor force for farming has become less.
In addition, the counties in Bingzhou have been exempted from taxes for three years, and the taxes are basically re-taxed this year. The first year of tax collection has been such a bad year, and a slight surprise in tax collection may trigger civil unrest.
Chen Chong discussed this matter with Liu Bei. Liu Bei still wanted to go to Jizhou to buy grain. But Chen Chong heard the news that Han Fu, the shepherd of Jizhou, had given up his official position to Yuan Shao because he was afraid of Yuan Shao's power. Yuan Shao and Chen Chong had always been at odds, so he felt
It's better not to expect too much. So he planned to delay the salary of the officials in Bingzhou for a while, and then try to go to Xianbei of the Xiongnu to trade silk, cloth, salt and iron. Maybe he could buy some food to make ends meet this year.
Speaking of the Xiongnu, Chen Chong suddenly remembered that there was actually a lot of gold and silver seized at the Imperial Court of Meiji the year before last. So far, only half of it has been used, but in such troubled times, gold and silver are not as good as wheat. Chen Chong sent
When people ask about the market price of grain and rice, even if it costs a hundred dollars or one stone, it has a price but no market. The splendor of gold and silver is useless today.
Chen Chong simply paid his salary in gold and silver, and distributed the rice grains to the state officials at a discount based on the highest market price. They never starved to death and always had something to spend. After the government order was passed on, most officials had no objections.
This can be considered as solving this year’s problems.
But as a result, Chen Chong clearly felt that it was imminent to challenge Dong. Every time the matter was delayed for a year, tens or millions more people would die indiscriminately. For the first time, Chen Chong felt that he was so powerless, so he could only step up his efforts.
In order to prepare for war, two new weapons supervisors were set up in Lishi and Gaolang, and nearly 3,000 workers were recruited to make knives and arrows day and night.
On the other hand, Chen Chong is also moving the official office in Jinyang to Xihe County as planned.
Although he is now called Bingzhou Mu, except for the five Bingzhou counties directly under his jurisdiction, after the challenge to Dong, he actually manages Henan, Hanoi, and most of the Three Rivers area east of Hedong, and governs nearly eight counties. The bureaucracy of the state capital It also expanded to an astonishing level.
Today its state capital structure is as follows:
Don't go to work for Kong Rong, Congzhou Animal Husbandry Ministry;
In charge of governance, he was engaged in Yao Gong and was responsible for wealth, grain and silk writing;
Bing Cao is in charge of Tai Shi Ci, Wu Meng is in charge of Gao Zhun, and Dian Jun is in charge of Qin Yi Lu, who is in charge of military affairs;
Xu Shu is in charge of Xihe, Chen Qun is in Taiyuan, Yu Fan is in Yanmen, Meng Jian is in Dingxiang, Shi Tao is in Shangdang, Linghu Shao is in Henan, Wang Ling is in Hanoi, and Fan Xian is in Hedong. It is illegal for each county to be in charge; < /p>
Sun Qian was engaged in literature, Liu Yan was engaged in advocating learning, and he was in charge of academic affairs in prefectures and counties;
The main bookkeeper, Jian Yong, recorded all the affairs of the family and the provincial documents;
Wang Xiang, the chief of the gate pavilion, is in charge of the main gate of the state; Yu Fan, the master of Gong Cao Shu, is in charge of selection; Tao Qiuhong, the master of filial piety classics, is in charge of testing scriptures; Zhang Shi, the law master, is in charge of Ping Lv; Wen Li, the master of Yue Ling, is in charge of seasonal temple sacrifices; the master of book Cao Shu is Zuo Xu Qian, chief bookkeeper;
There are also other secretaries and assistants in Dian County, each with a total of 871 people.
Except for the county officials and their subordinate officials who are still patrolling various places, all the remaining personnel in the state capital will move to Yuanyang. However, Chen Chong considered that the background of the state capital personnel is complicated and the move to the state government has a great impact. Bai Bo, the third commander, may have other intentions. Therefore, he planned to make a long-term plan and first station the state capital in Lishi. After discussing with Han Xian and others, he would then move to various official offices within one month to show his importance.
For this reason, Chen Chong specially summoned officials with more than a hundred stones in the state capital and warned them one by one.
Chen Chong was very satisfied with the Xu Shu people from Xihe who took office with him. They had traveled around in the past few years and had experience in chores and general affairs. They had been with the Baibo Army for a long time, and they also knew how to control the situation. Chen Chong I only encourage them to continue working hard and engrav their names in the annals of history.
However, Chen Chong had to explain more to the late students such as Xu Qian, Wang Xiang, etc., and the talented people recruited from famous families in the prefecture and counties, such as Wang Ling, Zhang Shi, etc. He told them: "Now we will move to Yuan Yang, in the name of upholding justice for the country, is actually mainly anti-customer. Baibo's soldiers and civilians have not been under the jurisdiction of the state capital for a long time. After entering the city, I am afraid there will be many dangers. However, you must suppress your anger and treat others with kindness and sincerity."< /p>
Many people sincerely agreed, but Kong Rongda disagreed with it. He retorted to Chen Chong in public: "The temperament is born in nature, how can it be covered up by hypocrisy? How people behave in the world, good, good and evil, are all natural, why should there be such a thing? Hypocritical?" Finally, he added, "Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you."
This was an accusation of Chen Chong's hypocrisy, but Chen Chong didn't take it seriously. Kong Rong had always been famous for being difficult to get along with in the court. He had been appointed as the governor of Wuyuan by Dong Zhuo before, but Dong Zhuo couldn't stand his daily ridicule, so he pretended to be in public office. He came to the frontier to suffer hardships.
Naturally, Chen Chong would not deal with it like this. He had not yet recovered Wuyuan County, so he asked Kong Rong to take over temporarily. However, Kong Rong did not like to take matters into his own hands, and most of his affairs were handled by Jian Yong. Even so, Kong Rong also complained from time to time.
, His speech today was just an ordinary complaint. But someone like Chen Qun, who treated others with such generosity, could not help complaining about him in private. Chen Chong said with a smile to his clan brother: "Kong Wenju is a man of character, upright and aboveboard, and never hides anything in his heart.
It's like looking in a mirror, a gentleman should encourage himself when he sees it, but a villain will think about his destruction when he sees it. I have long been accustomed to it."
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The words reached Kong Rong's ears, and he accepted them calmly. He laughed and said this when talking about Xuan: "The dragon head can get used to it, but it won't be as bad as Wang Mang's. I can't say that because of my advice, there will be another one in the future."
Where is the name of Duke Zhou?" When everyone heard this, they were all stunned.
But in the west of the river, Han Xian and others did not reply for a long time. Chen Chong did not want to rush, but time was tight, and a later date might have a greater impact on the subsequent war. After thinking about it, he decided to use Zhongyuan
In the name of the festival, envoys were sent to invite Han Xian, Yang Feng and Hu Cai to come to Lishi for a banquet.
The three agreed to go to the banquet, but the envoy who came back said to Chen Chongyan: "Han Shuai, Yang Shuai looked quite different when they talked to me. Only Hu Shuai smiled and talked calmly. I don't know why?" Chen Chong had expected this. He
He smiled and said, "It's good if you are willing to come. Now that we are asked to cut flesh, it is human nature to be entangled. But I have been working with him for three years, and we have a close relationship. They will understand the general idea."<
/p>
On the afternoon of July 14, Chen Chong went out to greet Han Xian from five miles away from Shiwuli to show his respect for Han Xian and others. At two o'clock in the morning, the group appeared on the horizon, and Chen Chong rode forward to meet the leader.
Commander Han Xian and Commander Yang Feng greeted each other and said with a smile: "I haven't seen you for more than a month, so I miss you two very much."
Han Xian and Yang Feng were dressed in military uniforms and wearing bamboo hats. They raised their hands and responded: "We have been taken care of by the dragon head for a long time. How dare we disobey when the dragon head calls us?"
Chen Chong glanced around and asked the two of them: "Why don't you see Hu Shuai? I should have invited him to the banquet."
After hearing this, Han Xian replied: "Old Hu, it's not a coincidence. Yesterday when I was riding my horse, my horse was frightened and my foot was injured. Now I am recovering from my injury in the mansion. I can only ask the two of us to apologize to the dragon head."
At this point, he pointed to a bruise on his lower jaw and said to Chen Chong: "Even my horse was surprised at that time, and it hit this and suffered a lot."
Chen Chong was very sorry about this, so he expressed concern: "I have some plasters for treating bruises at home. Han Shuai can try it. If it works, Han Shuai can also give some to Hu Shuai for me."
After saying that, both of them smiled, and Chen Chong turned on his horse to lead the way for them.
This banquet was held in a jujube forest by the waterside of Xichuan, and all the high-ranking officials of the state government attended the banquet. However, due to food shortages, the banquet was filled with ordinary food, and the most sumptuous one was venison grilled on the spot. However, recently
There was not enough salt, which caused the roasted venison to have a strong smell. Only the wine tube was enough, but the wine tasted bland. Many guests who drank good wine were dissatisfied. Chen Chong explained to them: "Wine-making is a waste of grain and rice. This year
The harvest in Bingzhou is tight, and it is no longer convenient for the state government to hold wine and food. This is probably the last time for drinking this year, so please cherish it!"
Speaking of this, Chen Chong's face showed sadness again, and he said sadly: "I am holding a banquet today because I don't want to enjoy this time with you. But when I think about Dong Zhuo's death, nearly 20,000 soldiers died for the country, how can I be happy?
Are you getting up?" Upon hearing this, everyone was surprised. They put down their cups and listened to Chen Chong continue speaking.
"Today is the Ghost Festival. In Taiping Dao terms, today is the day when the earth official pardons sins. It is also the day when the underground palace opens its doors. All the ghosts in the world will leave the underground palace. The ghosts with owners will go home, and the ghosts without owners will wander around.
I have heard from Master Daliang that they will save the souls of the dead that night and hold a grand ceremony in the Taoist temple to pray for good fortune. Ordinary people will light river lanterns to illuminate the way home for the souls of the dead."<
/p>
He actually sent people to take out about 500 river lanterns, turned around and walked up to Han Siam and Yang Feng, and asked them: "I am not a member of the Taiping Church, but I think Han Shuai also puts out river lanterns every year in Huanyang."<
/p>
Han Xian was a little embarrassed. He replied: "Shuai Guo does this every year, but I joined the army because of the pressure of life and not as a member of the Taiping Church."
This was beyond Chen Chong's expectation, and he immediately lowered his head and sighed: "Then please spare Guo Shuai one more time. The days are long, and I really don't know when I can win in front of his tomb!"
At this time, there was a full moon in the sky. Chen Chong poured all the remaining wine into the Xichuan water and beat the water moon into broken flowers in the ripples. Everyone quickly lit up all the river lanterns and carefully placed them in the water. The water flow was gentle, and the flowers bloomed.
The golden fireworks drifted slightly on the water. When they disappeared from sight, people felt as if a group of souls had disappeared with them.
After the banquet, Han Xian and Yang Feng came to say goodbye. Chen Chong stayed the night with them. They exchanged pleasantries and declined. Chen Chong then asked again: "Ten days later, I plan to come to Yuanyang to receive the meritorious service from the Cao Government Office.
I wonder what you two think?"
Han Xian smiled and replied: "The dragon head has an order, how dare you disobey it? I, Cao, will sweep the couch and wait."
They returned to Yuanyang that night and hurriedly found Zhang Ji and said to him: "Time is running out for us and we can't delay it any longer! The general said that the imperial soldiers will come to meet us, but I don't know when it will arrive?"