After spending the night in Meiji, Chen Cheng led the army towards Linrong early the next morning. It was already mid-September, and it would take ten days to return to Linrong. If it were not so
Hurry, it will take ten days. That means that when he arrived in Lian County, it would be just in time for the autumn harvest.
The Huns near Lian County were burned and killed, so there is probably no harvest this year. The grain output of the two neighboring counties will also be reduced a lot, and half of it would be good. Because the Huns were blocked to the west of the Yellow River,
Lingzhou next door can still harvest a lot of food. I just don't know if they are willing to use some to help Chen Cheng, a Liangzhou herdsman.
As the saying goes: Good wealth is hard to give away. In the past, they were able to hand over so much money and food easily because the Huns were pressing down on the border. If they were killed by the Huns, no matter how much money they had, they would not be able to keep it. But now
The Huns have already knelt down, are the powerful people in Lingzhou still willing to continue to provide people and food?
Chen Cheng was not optimistic about this at all, so he rushed back to Lian County before the autumn harvest.
Nearly a thousand cavalry did not return along the road they came from, but crossed Wuyuan County and Shuofang County from some places further south. Although the number of the army in Chen Cheng's hands was not large, it was full of momentum.
Passing through this place was to scare the Huns who were ready to make a move.
The effect was also very good. After seeing such a majestic army, the Huns tribes along the way became much docile.
After returning to Linrong City, the army repaired for three days. After Chen Cheng took care of some local matters, especially after instructing local officials to do a good job in the autumn harvest, he immediately led his troops south again.
Liu Qian complained: "Why do I feel like we are marching all the time? Can't we stop and take a good rest for a few days?"
Chen Cheng smiled and said: "When we get to Lian County, if there is nothing special, we can stay until next summer."
Liu Qian became happy and rode the pony happily in the queue. "Silver Ling" has a very docile temperament, unlike "Gulu". These days, "Gulu" has become more and more grumpy. Every time he wants to
Prepare a special compartment for it, otherwise other horses will be bitten.
Chen Cheng didn't know how "Gulu" became like this. After asking some Han and Huns who knew how to raise horses, he came to the conclusion that it was probably, maybe, it was in estrus.
Well, since that's the case, let's find some more beautiful mares for it, so that it can give birth to a lot of ponies in the future.
The troops went south along the route of the Huns' advance and retreat. Along the way, they could often see numerous bones on the roadside. At first, Liu Qian was still frightened, but the further south, the more bones she saw.
. Near several battlefields where the Liangzhou Army fought against the Huns, human and horse bones can be seen everywhere, as well as weapon fragments scattered around.
At this time, Liu Qian was not moved at all, but felt a little strange, "Master, why are these corpses not taken away by anyone?"
"Because it's too late."
Liu Qian lamented: "Fighting is really hard and dangerous."
"Hey, you don't understand this again." Chen Cheng smiled on the horse: "For some people in this world, they have good food and clothing every day and have tried everything, so it is inevitable...
...For those people, fighting is the most interesting thing in the world."
"No way?" Liu Qian said in surprise: "Is there anyone who likes such a hard thing as fighting? Master, you are not lying to me, are you?"
"Of course, I used to know a man named Sun, and he once said: The autumn is high and the horses are fat, and it is a good time to fight for entertainment."
Liu Qian's eyes widened and she asked: "Master, the person surnamed Sun you mentioned is not you, right?"
"That's not true. That person's surname is Sun, but his name is not Sun Wukong, but Sun Chuanfang, whose courtesy name is Xinyuan. He was once a famous hero."
"...Who is Sun Wukong?"
The "rumbling" of hoofbeats startled the birds on both sides of the road. On the hilltop in the distance, a cavalryman was waving a red flag in his hand.
"Lord!" The soldiers rushed over, pointed to the place where the flag was waving, and shouted: "The people sent by General Lu to greet you have arrived."
Chen Cheng nodded and said loudly: "Blow the horn and let the soldiers rest for a while."
The long horn sounded, and the officers listened attentively for a while, and then shouted loudly, "Stop and rest where you are!"
The soldiers jumped off their horses one after another and led their horses down the roadside. They fed their mounts and spare horses first, and after the horses had almost eaten, it was their turn. For cavalry, their mounts were the second item.
Life is sometimes even more important than themselves.
It doesn't matter if you are starving yourself, you have to feed the horses first. Many times, if the war horses run just a little faster, they can save their own lives. Besides, people can eat and excrete on horseback, and horses can
While driving, there is no way to eat or drink.
After waiting for about ten minutes, the scout with a flag on his back came over on horseback under the leadership of his own soldiers. After seeing Chen Cheng, the scout turned over and dismounted, knelt down on one knee, and then said loudly: "Your Majesty, Lord Qi."
, General Lu is waiting thirty miles outside the city, and has sent us to lead the way for our lord."
Chen Cheng said with a pleasant expression: "Thank you for your hard work. You should take a rest first. I'll ask you to guide us later."
His appearance is developing in a serious and fierce direction. If he doesn't look friendly, people will feel intimidated. However, the education he received since he was a child is that "there is no hierarchy of positions, only social division of labor."
Different", so I have no resistance at all to letting go of my body.
The scout was a little excited. He prostrated himself on the ground and said loudly: "No!"
After resting for about twenty minutes, the team headed south again. After walking for about half an hour, they met Lu Fang's tribe waiting there thirty miles east of the city. Lu Fang was a Yueqi Wu who followed Chen Cheng from Luoyang.
One of the captains was sent to Lian County after defeating the Huns.
Originally, he was a little dissatisfied with such an appointment, but after Chen Cheng revealed to him that he planned to make this place the focus of future operations, he put aside his resentment.
"Greetings, my lord!"
Chen Cheng jumped off the horse, helped him up, and said: "It's the autumn harvest time now, and we need people everywhere. Why are you here in person? Just send someone to greet you."
Lu Fang stood up and said: "My lord, what you said is wrong. The autumn harvest is very important, but is it more important than the lord himself?"
Chen Cheng smiled and said, "We can wait until we get to Lian County to discuss anything."
Lu Fang looked surprised, then fell silent, and rode to the front to lead the way. According to the Han system, there is one post for five miles, one pavilion for ten miles, and one post for thirty miles on the traffic highway. There was originally a post here, but
When the Huns invaded, the post station was burned down. After Lu Fang led his troops back to Lian County, he sent people to repair it and stationed a small number of soldiers and horses to guard the surrounding areas.
Of course, the soldiers stationed here also need to cultivate their own fields and graze. Most of the fields here in Lian County were destroyed, but after defeating the Huns, a lot of livestock were captured, and allowing the soldiers to graze here can also alleviate some of the problems.
Pressure in the military.
Starting from the inn, we walked south along the highway for another hour and arrived at our destination. Lian County had been under siege by the Huns for more than ten days. The walls and the city were full of traces of the war. The residents in the city were very
In the huge city, except for a few people who were lucky enough to escape the massacre, there were only soldiers brought by Lu Fang.
Not all the ruins in the city have been cleaned up, but the streets and main buildings have been repaired to some extent. Chen Cheng asked Zhao Yun to lead the army to station in the military camp, while he moved in with more than 20 soldiers.
He entered the mansion prepared by Lu Fang for him.
After sitting down in the room, Chen Cheng asked the soldiers to retreat, and then said: "Okay, what's the matter that makes you eager to go thirty miles out of the city to see me?"
Lu Fang immediately prostrated himself on the ground and said: "My lord, County Magistrate Xu of Lingzhou said that the rain this year was not good, and in order to support the war against the Huns, too many manpower were recruited, resulting in no one to take care of the fields. This year's harvest will be more than
It was much less last year..."
Chen Cheng listened to Lu Fang expressionlessly for a long time. After he stopped, he put a smile on his face and asked: "In other words, we will not collect any taxes in Lingzhou this year? Xu
Has the county magistrate said how much can be handed in this year?"
Lu Fang said: "County Magistrate Xu said he could hand over 10,000 stones."
"What?" Even though Chen Cheng was mentally prepared, he was also shocked by this number. "Did you make a mistake? Did you say that one hundred thousand stones was replaced by ten thousand stones?"
If one can receive 100,000 shi of grain, judging from Lingzhou's population and the number of fields, it would be a level of one tax per ten, which is similar to the taxation in the early Eastern Han Dynasty. Although there was a tax of "one tax per thirty" in the early Han Dynasty,
era, but that only counts land taxes. Adding up all other items, the real tax rate should still be between 10% and 20%.
Of course, this is the tax received by the imperial court, and the burden on the people should be greater than this. Just like in the Central Plains now, the tax on the surface is not too much, but if it does not collect 50% or more of the grain, it will
It can be considered good governance.
Lu Fang was also helpless. He shook his head and said: "There is no one hundred thousand stones. County Magistrate Xu said that there are only ten thousand stones."
Chen Cheng suppressed the anger in his heart and said slowly: "What did Yan Changshi say?"
Yan Zhong has been preparing money and food in Lingzhou. Without him running back and forth, Cheng Yi would never have been able to confront the Huns on the west side of the Yellow River for so long.
Lu Fangdao: "This..."
Although he is the chief general under Chen Cheng, Yan Zhong is Chen Cheng's mastermind. If Lu Fang has the greatest military exploits among the generals, then Yan Zhong's contribution is enough to be worth several Lu Fang. If it were not for
Yan Zhong worked hard for Chen Cheng, not to mention Cheng Yi and Yang Qiu, even the powerful locals in Lingzhou might not be so easy to bow to him.
Lu Fang hesitated for a while and said: "There are some rumors in Lingzhou recently, related to Yan Changshi. I wonder if my lord knows about it."
"Well?" Chen Cheng raised his eyebrows and asked, "What are the rumors?"
Although there was no one else in the room, Lu Fang still lowered his voice and said: "I heard that Yan Changshi's nephew has made a marriage contract with Han Sui's daughter, and the marriage will be consummated before winter."
"Haha," Chen Cheng said with a smile: "How could there be such a rumor? Yan Changshi looks down on Han Sui very much, so why would he let his nephew marry Han Wenyue's daughter?"
Lu Fang said with a serious expression: "I'm afraid this is not a rumor."
"Lu Qing thinks too much."
"Lord," Lu Fang's expression became more serious, "Yan Changshi once sent Yan Xing to Hanyang. After Yan Xing returned to Lingzhou, there was indeed a beautiful girl in his residence."
"...You sent someone to monitor Yan Changshi?"
Lu Fang's face changed slightly, and he hurriedly defended: "No, some soldiers went to Lingzhou to buy things. I overheard someone talking about it, and reported it when they came back. I thought it was a serious matter, so I sent someone to inquire about it.
It was never intended to spy on Lingzhou officials!"
Chen Cheng sat on the chair and thought for a while, then said: "I understand, you send someone to inform Yan Changshi and tell him that I will go to Lingzhou the day after tomorrow to discuss matters with him in Liangzhou."
