"Your Highness, Gaochang City is not small." Zhao Zaiqing came over and handed over the water bag.
Shao Siwu took it, raised his head and drank a few sips, saying: "It's great!"
There is a large farmland nearby, and farmers are busy planting winter wheat.
The climate in Gaochang is actually a bit weird.
Winter is very short, lasting up to three months, and it is not too cold. This can be seen from the fact that Gaochang has the winter capital here.
In the summer, Gaochang would be extremely hot, and the sun would be so scorching that it would make people dizzy, so the emperors and ministers of Gaochang went to Tingzhou, the summer capital, to escape the summer heat.
Winter wheat can be grown here. Considering the soil fertility, three crops every two years is completely feasible - in fact, this is what the locals have always done.
A circle of people had gathered outside the inn, all coming to watch the excitement.
As expected of a great dynasty in the Central Plains, their family wealth was abundant. This was the first time they had seen such a large-scale camel caravan: more than 1,800 camels, carrying various military supplies.
At the same time, there was also a lot of discussion, what on earth did Pijia Khan get so mad that he wanted to fight against the heavenly soldiers of the Central Plains?
What happened to the late king? He repeatedly robbed the horse of the emperor of a great country, but this time it is better, and it has attracted people to come and raise an army to question the crime. It doesn't matter if you die, it will cause the people to suffer. This is not kind.
The post station quickly prepared a large amount of hay, camel thorns and other fodder, and even prepared some grains, bran and the like to restore the camels' strength. Of course, drinking water was also indispensable.
After a while, another official named Huoshan Slave rushed over and directed the clerks to continuously count the materials and handle the delivery procedures.
The masters waited silently on the sidelines. As soon as the procedures were completed, they immediately took the supplies away on donkey carts, sorted them into categories, and put them into storage one by one for the army to use.
Shao Siwu watched quietly.
Water is taken from underground wells.
The well was very deep, and the reservoirs and reservoirs were interconnected through underground culverts. They could be used for drinking and for irrigating farmland. People at the time called them "wells and canals."
It is precisely this kind of irrigation system, coupled with the unique climate, that makes Gaochang become the existence described in the "Northern History" as "the land is stony, the climate is warm, the soil is fertile, and the wheat ripens every year".
"Although it is not as good as the Central Plains, it is also a rare familiar place in the Western Regions." Shao Siwu suddenly sighed with emotion.
Everyone knows that the most difficult part of the Western Expedition is the supply of materials. With a place like Xizhou that produces food as an advance base, Daxia's troops can be radiated to the Qiuci and Beiting areas, greatly increasing the deterrent effect on the natives.
If his father was willing to give him this piece of land, he would laugh even in his dreams.
Of course, he knew that this was impossible, because Gaochang was already the main state of the country, and even had a governor: Secretary Lang Cuicheng was appointed as the governor of Xizhou, and Cui Miao, the right supplementary, took over his position and always accompanied the saint.
.
"Just wait here and watch while I go to the city to interview the saint." Shao Siwu gave a few instructions, and then, surrounded by several guards, he prepared to enter the city.
"Your Highness, just go, it's not a big deal." Zhao Zaiqing was already sitting on the ground and said with a smile.
The postman brought food to him and the escorting sergeants, mostly biscuits, black beans and other common foods in the army. There were also a lot of melons and dates. As soon as they were brought to them, they were snatched away.
This kind of local specialty is a snack. Not everyone has it. It's first come, first served. Why wait if you don't grab it?
Shao Siwu smiled and nodded, and soon entered the city.
******
Shao Shude was also eating.
All the palace chefs had been driven away a long time ago and replaced by palace servants who came with them.
When the mutton dumplings were served, Shao Shude called his women to come and eat with him.
Queen Bohai's Gao family, Changhe's Queen Mother Meng's family, Khitan Ke Dunshu's Lu family, Gaochang's Queen Dowager Lian's family and Gaochang's Queen Ha's family. The latter looked miserable. Although she had not accepted the favor to serve, she had already put on a baleen bra——
Put on by the saint himself.
Seeing the five distinguished women, including the Meng family and the Shulu family, Shao Shude happily ate three large plates in a row.
"I don't know if I can use the mink fur I brought before going out." Mrs. Gao said to the side after finishing a plate and feeling full.
"During the coldest period, you can wear it in the morning and evening. At noon, I have to take it off for you," Shao Shude said.
Gao's face turned red and he spat.
Yue Liduo glanced at her quietly. Women are so fickle.
Queen Bohai, who was on the verge of death and felt like the sky was falling after being touched by the saint, is now able to spend the night with the saint - the saint does not necessarily need a woman to serve him at night, but he must sleep with a woman in his arms. This is considered public.
It's a secret.
Gao, this woman who became very weak and sensitive after receiving her husband's divorce letter, now spends the night with the saint every night.
The palace people brought melons and fruits.
Gao picked up a horse milk grape, peeled it, and looked around with the corner of his eye. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he quietly handed the grape to Shao Shude's mouth.
Shao Shude deliberately smashed the bar and made a loud noise, attracting everyone to look over.
Gao's face was like a piece of red cloth and he wanted to escape, but was held in Shao Shude's arms and unable to move.
"Your Majesty, King Zhao is here." Han Quanhui lowered his head and said softly at the door.
Shao Shude nodded, and after eating the fruits slowly, he asked the woman to retreat, and then called the man in.
"Grandpa." Shao Siwu bowed and saluted.
"Sit over here and let me have a look." Shao Shude looked at his son's face carefully and said.
The eldest brother has been in the west for a long time, and even the younger ones live in Dunhuang.
Since the year before last, he has led the Silver Spear Army, Shaguazhou soldiers and other Tibetan soldiers to continuously raid Yinzhou. Although he failed to capture the city, many tribes surrendered to the imperial court, or at least no longer remained loyal to the Gaochang Uighurs.
This credit is actually not small. Zang Dubao also mentioned that he believed that King Zhao cleaned up various ministries in advance, which greatly reduced the threat to the grain road and at the same time made Gaochang internal morale low and doubtful about whether he could win.
During this process, the boss experienced exposure to wind, sun, and sleeping in the open air. He became a lot darker and became more energetic.
Shao Shude grabbed his hand, opened his palm, looked at it, and said with a smile: "The cocoon is very thick, and the effort is not lost."
"When you are in the army, you dare not teach your sons to look down upon you." Shao Siwu replied.
Shao Shude looked at his son carefully again.
Dalang looked very calm, obviously that was what he was thinking in his heart.
You have been looked down upon by others before, and you are a normal person if you can understand your shame and then act bravely.
Some people are noble and noble, and when they are looked down upon by others, they are not only shameless and courageous, but use their strength to make others change their minds. Instead, they want to deal with the people who looked down on them to vent their anger. This is abnormal.
"What do you think about the current situation in the Western Regions?" Shao Shude asked.
Shao Siwu hesitated for a moment and said, "I want to go to the west and have a look."
"Why do you think this way?"
"What it's like west of Gaochang is all just hearsay. If you don't see it with your own eyes, you won't know for sure."
"What do you want to see?"
Shao Siwu composed himself and decided not to hide anything, so he said: "From household registration, fields, to customs, education, etc., everything."
"Tell me more specifically."
"For example, this is Gaochang." Shao Siwu said: "During the Gaochang period of the Qu clan, 900 hectares of land were cultivated. In Gaochang, the Uighur cultivated more than 1,400 hectares. There are about 10,000 households in Xizhou. Each household only has a dozen acres. Even if
If you are one year old and mature, how many officials and soldiers can you support?"
"Let's talk about the people. What's the atmosphere like? Are they good at fighting? Are they bathed in kingship? Do they believe in Buddha or Mani?"
"Even regarding transportation and commerce, you have to walk around and take a look before you can have an idea."
"What do you think of Xizhou?" Shao Shude asked.
"It's very good, and there is even a possibility of going further. However, I think there may be better places in the west. It may not be as good as Gaochang at the moment, but it will develop better in the future."
Shao Shude nodded.
He remembered that in later generations, Turpan did not account for a high proportion of the population in Xinjiang. But, he was sure that Gaochang's household registration must be among the best in the entire Western Region.
Moreover, Gaochang’s potential has yet to be further unleashed.
He vaguely remembered that during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, Lin Zexu went to Turpan to preside over land reclamation and expanded dozens of karez channels.
After Zuo Zongtang came over, he dug karez wells to further expand the area of cultivated land that could be irrigated. I don't know how much land there was at that time, but it must be much more than it is now - in the thirteenth year of Guangxu's reign, Turpan had 313,000 acres of cultivated land and no wasteland.
The land is 38,700 acres, with a total of 351,700 acres, which is equivalent to about 404,500 acres in the Tang Dynasty, or more than 4,000 hectares.
But then again, what Dalang said is right. Gaochang's lead is only temporary, and there is a lot to do in the west.
"I will give you the remaining 5,000 men from the Luoyan, Pinglu, Hengye, Guangjie, and Jinqian armies. Wangjuzi's barbarian troops will number 1,500, and the Fengguo army will have more than 4,000 infantrymen."
I'll give it to you too, a total of more than 11,000 cavalry." Shao Shude said: "Go to Beiting, Zhu Jin will come to report, and there is a tribal rebellion, you go and help him bring peace."
After the Luoyan Fifth Army captured Gaochang, there were still about 8,000 people left. A few days ago, about 3,000 people were willing to stay as town soldiers, but now only 5,000 people can be mobilized.
As a force that had been reorganized three times, the Luoyan Army added 10,000 Wu and Yue warriors after pacifying Huainan, and its total strength reached 20,000, which was the peak in history.
Three thousand men were mobilized during the expedition to Yunnan. They returned a while ago, and the remaining men were scattered and replenished in various departments of the Forbidden Army. Obviously, the two thousand men who went on this expedition will not go back. There are currently fifteen thousand men left in this army, and they are currently stationed in the camp.
Rest in Hebei.
The Pinglu Army had about 24,000 men at its peak, and there were still 14,000 left before the expedition to Yunnan. The 3,000 men who went on the expedition had just over 2,000 left when they came back, and they were also dispersed and replenished into various departments of the Forbidden Army.
Another 2,000 men were dispatched for the Western Expedition, but they were basically not allowed to return to the army, leaving only 9,000 in the army.
"I obey," Shao Siwu responded calmly.
"Do you know how to do it?" Shao Shude asked.
"The first priority is to capture the morale of the army." Shao Siwu replied.
Shao Shude nodded with satisfaction and said: "As long as you understand. Go ahead. What good fortune you will have in the future depends entirely on you."
"By the way, you only have one wife and three concubines now, right?" Shao Shude asked again.
"yes."
Dalang's first wife is the daughter of Zhang Huaihai, and they have a son and a daughter. Among the three concubines, two are from the rich Dunhuang families, such as the Suo family and the Yin family, and the other is the daughter of the Liu family in Changping, Hebei.
"After you graduate from Beiting, I will make the decision and let the Yao family and the Lian family choose two well-educated and legitimate women to be your concubines." Shao Shude said: "They are all local snakes, and they have many connections in the Western Regions.
It's good for you."
When Shao Siwu heard this, his eyes turned red and he choked with sobs: "Thank you, Master."
Shao Shude came over, gently touched his son's shoulder, and sighed: "If I, the father, don't take care of you, who will take care of you?"
Although he can't control the things underneath and often vents his perverted desires on his wife, the children he gives birth to are his children, so of course he has to worry about their future lives.
Even if the vassal king was entrusted to the Seven Sacred Prefectures on the grassland, he had to be supported by almost 10,000 households. Isn't that bad? Moreover, it was very close to the prosperous and prosperous Hebei, and he could reach Beijing in a few days by horse. It really can't be said that he was treated harshly.
It is impossible for them to be supported by ten thousand households in the capital. Moreover, they are under surveillance and have no freedom. The second generation will be demoted to the title of Duke, and by the time they get out of the fifth service, they will be just county officials.
But Dalang was really treated a bit harshly when he went to the Western Regions, and his prospects were even worse than those in Yunnan.
Many native officials in the south can be passed down for hundreds of years and have very good stability. But here in the Western Regions, there is great chaos and a very poor security environment. When people like Li Tangbin and Lu Huaizhong were granted the title of Duke or Prince there, everyone was worried.
Those who ignore you think that you are just trying to kill the donkey and want to clean up the old ministers and nobles.
Therefore, Shao Shude feels a little guilty towards Dalang and doesn't mind helping him more - while he is alive, he can help as much as he can.
