Chapter 1097: Go straight down the river and go eastward by boat
Chapter 1106 Go straight down the river and go eastward by boat
The rich and vast Taohuang River Basin.
Countless hard-working Tibetan and Han people are cultivating the fields.
Most of what is planted in the fields is millet and broomcorn millet, which were domesticated by ancestors from dogtail grass; near rivers, even rice is planted.
The Ban people were surprised to find that the Han people first piled up straw and burned it in the fields, and then flooded the rice fields with water. The weeds in the fields withered, but only the rice could still grow.
The river in the upper reaches carries sand and soil and irrigates the fields by the river. In addition to the fields, Tibetan and Han children also collect snails and clams by the river, and fishermen go to the river on rafts and boats to fish or ferry.
The Han people brought advanced farming techniques and seeds from the Central Plains, allowing the Ban people who had lived here for thousands of years to taste what rice was.
In addition, the Han people also planted many kapok trees. They picked cotton wadding from the kapok trees, removed the seeds, and then weaved it into cloth.
The Han people called it Beiji cloth and sold it to the Western Regions and Xixia. Sometimes they also wore it themselves.
The Han people were not only good at farming and weaving, they were also good at controlling water. They also built dams and canals along rivers, dredged river valleys, and dug wells, which not only prevented disasters but also irrigated more acres of land.
Five years ago, Zhang Yue's war against the Qing Tang brought not only blood and fire, but also civilization and exchanges.
This time when Xihe Road attacked Lanzhou, He Guan, the magistrate of Minzhou, dredged the waterways and used the Tao River water transportation to transport the grain and grass needed by the army of more than 100,000 people to Lanzhou.
The ship was loaded from outside Minzhou City, sailed along the Tao River, then changed to another ship and traveled sixty miles overland, and then loaded the ship to transport the grain to Lanzhou City.
He Guan's political achievements did not stop there. He built the Guangli Canal in Minzhou. He changed the practice of levying civil service and instead adopted the policy of paying according to merit. Han people, old and young, built the canal and irrigated more than 10,000 fields.
Are.
After the completion of the Guangli Canal, He Guan established a convention to prohibit local powerful men from seizing the canal, so that all people could enjoy it.
Canals can benefit the people, but they can also harm people. In the Western Xia Dynasty, they dug a seven-level canal to flood Lingzhou and harmed the people. In the Song Dynasty, they built a canal to cultivate fields and benefit the people.
He Guan was already the magistrate of a state before he was thirty years old. He was promoted to the rank of introduction envoy, ranking horizontally.
I don’t know how many generals he envied.
Now that Lanzhou has been captured and rewards are given based on merit, He Guan is afraid that he will be promoted again.
At the foot of Lanzhou City, He Guan thought that this place was a treasure land, a place more suitable for farming than the Tao and Huang River valleys. He Guan was confident that he could cultivate more fertile land here, and he had a comprehensive plan in his heart.
While He Guan was thinking carefully, he saw Li Xian coming on horseback with more than a hundred cavalry.
"I've seen Jingzhi!"
He Guan turned over and bowed down. Li Xian helped He Guan up and said, "We came to you specifically to discuss. Lanzhou has been captured. According to your Majesty's original order, we must either cross the Yellow River north to capture Liangzhou or go south to capture Lingwu.
Attack the place where it must be saved. Do not wait and move forward, as it will interfere with national affairs."
"But now, according to what Tong Guan reported, the Qing Tang Dynasty has withdrawn its troops from Liangzhou City, and Xixia has dug a seven-level canal to flood Lingzhou. I plan to let Li Hao guard Lanzhou and march eastward to reinforce the troops on the Jingyuan Road. What do you think?
?”
He Guan said: "That's why Zhang Jinglue must be saved."
Li Xiandao: "But after two months of siege in Lanzhou, the army's food supplies have been exhausted. If these soldiers and horses march eastward, where will the food come from?"
He Guan said: "According to the economic system, there is nowhere to adjust the grain for a while, but now the wheat is ripe. Our army can buy grain in Huizhou. As long as the price of transporting grain is added, we can easily obtain enough grain for the army from the local area."
"
"At the same time, the Tao River is connected to the Yellow River, and Lanzhou is now conquered. Mengchong, which used to transport grain, can be used as a troop transport ship for soldiers to sail eastward."
When Li Xian heard this, he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Can we travel along the Yellow River?"
He Guan laughed and said: "Lanzhou is even connected to Lingzhou and Taiyuan. In the Tang Dynasty, six shipping envoys were set up in Lingzhou, and grain and grass were transported upstream from Taiyuan to Lingzhou City."
"However, the water from Huizhou to Lingzhou is shallow and can only be transported by raft. If you go to Mengchong, you can go from Lanzhou to Huizhou Wulan Bridge, which is 250 miles downstream of Lanzhou."
Li Xian was overjoyed when he heard this and said: "This can save a lot of time."
He Guan said: "Not only the Tao River, but also the Huang River can be connected with the Yellow River. After taking Lanzhou and marching in the future, the soldiers and grain ships can go from the Tao and Huang Rivers to the Yellow River, and then go down the river. Not only will they reach Huizhou, but also Jingyuan Road,
Even march eastward to Lingzhou City!"
The biggest shortcoming of the Song Army was logistics. If the Yellow River water transport could be used to transport grain and troops, it would save time and effort.
Li Xian was overjoyed and said: "Great, I will report this to the court!"
…
In front of the emperor.
Zhang Yue's second day as prime minister.
He was informing the emperor that he was setting up the Lanhui Xihe Economic Strategy and Appeasement Department, and he was also leading the memorial for the Xihe Economic Strategy and Border Defense Finance Department.
This was something he and the emperor had planned before Zhang Yue paid homage to the prime minister, and it was implemented today.
Zhang Yue said to the emperor, Wang Gui and Yuan Jiang: "Your Majesty, after the capture of Lanzhou, the situation has changed."
The official said: "I wanted to conquer Lanzhou for a long time, but I had been conquering the Qingtang Dynasty before, so I couldn't completely fall out with Xixia! Now I think it's too late."
Zhang Yue smiled and said: "Your Majesty, as long as you do it right, it is never too late."
"Today, Xixia is still immersed in the joy of defeating the soldiers and horses on the Yanyan Road and repelling the soldiers and horses on the Jingyuan Road. They really don't know that the victory or defeat has shifted to the side of the Song Dynasty."
As soon as these words came out, Feng Jing and other ministers raised their heads slightly when they heard the words. Although some ministers objected in their hearts, no one dared to refute it on their faces. Instead, they all showed respectful and listening expressions on their faces.
The official said: "Sir, please speak!"
Zhang Yue immediately held a wat tablet and painted at the imperial collapse and said: "In my opinion, what is the strategic position of Lanzhou in the Song-Xia campaign?"
"That's Xiangyang."
"Since ancient times, if you want to operate the Yangtze River defense line, you must first defend the Jianghuai and Jingxiang areas."
"Why Jingxiang is important to the Yangtze River Defense Line is because it is on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
"So since ancient times, the North has always started to destroy the Jiangnan Pian'an regime from Jingxiang. If Jingxiang is not lost, Jiangnan will have a chance to rise again. If Jingxiang is lost, the Jiangnan regime will not survive."
Yuan Jiang said: "When Emperor Taizu destroyed the Southern Tang Dynasty, it was because the Southern Tang Dynasty did not have the danger of Jingxiang, so he defeated it."
When Yuan Jiang mentioned the Southern Tang Dynasty, Zhang Yue remembered that his Zhang family had also been a minister of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Zhang Yue wondered if Yuan Jiang's words were sarcastic, but then he thought that Yuan Jiang's ancestor Yuan Dezhao was the prime minister of Wu Yue, and immediately
I realize that I am too sensitive.
Zhang Yue used the decorations on the royal couch to tell the enemy and ourselves: "Lanzhou is located in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, and the Tao River and Huang River meet the Yellow River near Lanzhou."
"As long as our army has a firm foothold in Lanzhou, it can control the Tao River Basin, Huang River Basin and the lower reaches of the Yellow River."
"Since I was appointed as the Xihe Road Manager and Strategic Envoy, I have successively served as the Xihe Road Manager and Strategy Envoy, all of whom have cultivated fields in the Taoshui River and Huangshui River. Once Lanzhou is captured, grain and grass can be loaded on ships from the Huangtao River and the two rivers, and transported to the lower reaches of Hui River via Lanzhou.
state."
"What are the benefits of transporting food by ship?" Zhang Yue looked around and said, "This statement is self-evident!"
The officials and ministers all nodded in agreement.
The benefits of water transportation can save hundreds of thousands of labor costs for civilian transportation!
Zhang Yue said: "In the future, the section of the Yellow River from Huizhou to Lingzhou will be dredged, and military rations can be transported directly to Lingzhou City by ship."
"In the Tang Dynasty, when Guanzhong encountered bad years, grain could be transported from Hehuang to help."
"At that time, grain was transported by land from Hezhou to Lingzhou, and then transported by ship from Lingzhou to Guanzhong. But now, after hundreds of years of changes, this waterway is close to maturity. I once went to Huizhou to see the Yellow River
, this section of the river has abundant water, enough to carry small boats, bamboo rafts, and wooden rafts."
"In the future, when we conquer Xixia, every 50,000 to 60,000 troops will be followed by hundreds of thousands of civilians. This will become a thing of the past."
"Gas ships transporting grain can replace civilian labor! In time, we can take a boat from Lanzhou directly to Lingzhou."
The officials thought that this was what Zhang Yue said in the "Pingxia Policy" presented to him the day before he paid homage to the Prime Minister. The power of using troops lies in building a high-altitude building. After capturing Lanzhou, he used waterways and supplies to seize the upper reaches of the Western Bandits.
Temporary control of his country.
Zhang Yue said confidently: "I can assert that after the capture of Lanzhou, if the wise people of Xixia cannot realize this, their country will be destroyed in less than three years."
Xixia will be destroyed within three years!
Zhang Yue made bold words.
Feng Jingdao: "What Prime Minister Zhang said is that some knowledgeable people in Xixia will realize this and fight for Lanzhou with all their strength!"
Zhang Yue said: "Yes, from what I have seen, all the kings of the Western Xia Dynasty were not ordinary people. Although the Empress Dowager of Liang is a woman, she is also a hero among women. The other generals such as Renduoyading are all famous generals."
"So if we want to compete with Xixia, we need to be one step ahead in everything, anticipate the enemy first, and seize the opportunity!"
The officials and other leaders all nodded. What is strategy? Let others follow your lead, instead of you following others.
Zhang Yue said: "I thought that we should set up a Lanhui Xihe Economic Strategy and Appeasement Department, with Lanzhou and Huizhou as the basis, to manage the whole road, further delegate power, transfer elite soldiers and generals from all over the world, and send money, grain, and silk to Lanhui.
"
"Let Xixia break his limbs every time he attacks this."
In the past, it was the Xihe Road Economic Strategy and Appeasement Department, and now it is the Lanhui Xihe Zhiji Department. Although the name has changed, the meaning has changed.
In the past, the strategic focus of Xihe Road was Xizhou and Hezhou, but now it is changed to Lanzhou, Huizhou, and then Xizhou and Hezhou. As for Huangzhou, Minzhou, Taozhou, Tongyuan Army, etc., there is no mention.
The official asked: "Who will be the envoy?"
The candidate for the Production and Construction Department, Zhang Yue, was originally scheduled to be Zhang Zhi, but now it can only be given to Li Xian.
Although Li Xian was a eunuch, one good thing was that he knew military affairs and was willing to give opportunities to those below him. He was more than ten times better than Wang Zhongzheng.
In Zhang Yue's eyes, although you are an official, it doesn't matter as long as you are really capable.
The most fearful thing is that there is no loyalty and no ability. This is why the officials appointed Wang Zhongzheng and Gao Zunyu was defeated.
Zhang Yue didn't say anything. Since he had formulated his own strategy, he didn't want anyone to interfere, otherwise his hands would be stretched too far. In the end, the prime ministers discussed for a while, and the officials personally decided that Li Xian would be the one.
When the discussion was over, all the ministers left one after another, and Zhang Yue stayed behind to give a speech.
The official said: "Among all the ministers, you are the only one with such farsightedness. I am really happy to have you assist me after Shu Guogong resigned as prime minister."
Zhang Yue did not look arrogant because of his ambition, but said: "Your Majesty, setting up the Privy Council in the Sixth Route of Shaanxi and Hedong is the first step, setting up the Lanhui Xihe pacification system is the second step, and there is the third step!"
The official said: "Please come and tell me."
Zhang Yue said: "Does your Majesty remember the allusion to the debate between Sima Cuo and Zhang Yi?"
The official nodded.
Zhang Yue thought to himself that he would once again set the tone for Ping Xia.
Zhang Yue said: "Your Majesty, Zhang Yi advocated attacking Han at that time. Those who competed for fame were in the court and those who competed for profit in the city. They went straight to the king's industry."
"But Sima Cuo advocated attacking Bashu because 'those who want to enrich the country should expand its territory; those who want to strengthen its army, should enrich its people; those who want to be king, should expand its virtues. If the three capitals are prepared, the king will follow them.'
understand Zhang Yi’s point of view.”
"Sima Cuo advocated taking over Bashu, expanding its strength, and then turning around to seize the king's property."
"Zhang Yi's strategy went straight to the king's industry, and he thought that Sima Cuo's plan was too far away from the king's industry. Sima Cuo thought that while the situation was still unclear, he should go to Shu first, not to stay away from the king's industry, but to get closer."
"The subsequent debate among historians around Sima Cuo and Zhang Yi mainly centered on the dispute between name and reality."
"This is Zhang Yiwu's name, Sima Cuo is pragmatic."
The official said: "Is this what Qing Jin said in admonishing me, 'seeking the Tao for the sake of technique', rather than 'seeking the Tao for the sake of the Tao'?"
Zhang Yue said: "What your Majesty said is absolutely true. The 'Wang Ye' is the 'Tao'. If you don't have enough strength and knowledge, it will be difficult to rashly go straight to the 'Tao'."
"I have always advocated that we should do what we can within our capabilities first."
"As for attacking Xia, destroying Xia is the 'Tao'. It seems that there is really no final solution at present, so we must use Sima's wrong method of attacking Bashu and get closer to the goal step by step. This is to accumulate small victories into big victories."
The official said: "I understand."
Zhang Yue said: "In addition, I also extended another meaning."
"Does Your Majesty know that things were over after the Qin Dynasty captured Bashu? No, Bashu has been in constant rebellion and disasters. Later, the Qin Dynasty implemented a system of prefectures and counties in Shu, and appointed Li Bing as the county guard. Li Bing controlled floods in Shu, and the biggest
His greatest political achievement is the construction of Dujiangyan."
"In the end, Shu became a kingdom of abundance and became the capital of the Qin Dynasty."
"Capturing Lanzhou is not the end, but the beginning. Your Majesty will still run Lanzhou."
"This is the purpose of establishing the Xihelan Council."
The official nodded.
Zhang Yue said: "If you want to run a place, you must still win people first. I would like to take the Qin Dynasty as an example. The reason why Qin was able to conquer the world was that it paid attention to farming and water conservancy. It used Li Bing to build Dujiangyan and Zheng Guo to build Zheng Guo Canal. This is what Qin did."
Good governance.”
"Zheng Guo was discovered by the King of Qin that it was Korea's secret work, and he was about to be killed. But Zheng Guo said that I built this canal. It would only extend the life of Korea for a few years, but it would make Qin's contribution to the ages."
"Not only did King Qin not kill Zheng Guo, he also named the canal after him, which shows how generous King Qin is."
"I believe that if your Majesty wants to conquer the world, he must first acquire people and be able to employ them!"
"I recommend a talent to Your Majesty. This person is Li Bing of the Song Dynasty, Zheng Guo."
The official asked: "Who is this person?"
Zhang Yue said: "This person knows where to go in Minzhou!"
The official said: "I have heard of his name a long time ago, and I am going to make use of it!"
Zhang Yue spared no effort in recommending talents. As long as you had talents, he would never hide them and would recommend them to the emperor as soon as he discovered them.
After recommending He Guan, Zhang Yue left.
…
At this moment, He Guan was riding a Mengchong boat down the Yellow River from Lanzhou to Huizhou.
Following He Guan, there were tens of thousands of soldiers and horses from Xihe Road riding small boats, rafts, and rafts.
The army marched down the Yellow River in a mighty manner, and the soldiers of the Song Army took boats to march eastward, which had the meaning of "a thousand miles of rivers and tombs returned in a day".
At that time, Li Xian left Li Hao to garrison Lanzhou City, and he personally led his army south to join forces with Wang Hou of Huizhou, and then went north to rescue Mingsha City.
