"General Fu, how is this army doing?" In the pasture at the foot of Helan Mountain, Shao Shude pointed with his riding whip from afar.
He was referring to the Leopard Riding Capital who was returning east to Xiazhou.
After saving for more than half a year, the eight major workshops in Lingxia have accumulated a large number of horse armors and scorpion armors. The number of people with horses, horses and armors has reached 368, and the scale is getting bigger and bigger.
Shao Shude's ultimate goal was to turn thousands of people in the Leopard Cavalry into armored cavalry. One iron kite, plus three thousand horses. In the Xixia Li Yuanhao period, it was of this size and could not afford any more.
"Commander, if the leopards and cavalry are all brave, then you are brave. However, if both men and horses are wearing heavy armor, and one person is equipped with three horses, it will cost a lot." Fu Cunshen said: "If you raise too many, support the military affairs department and provide military envoys to the officials of the Yamen.
I have to look for the commander to cry for help."
Shao Shude laughed when he heard this: "It's just a thousand horses, I really can't afford more."
With one man equipped with three horses, mobility is no longer an issue, but logistics is a big problem. Moreover, it goes without saying that there is indeed a lack of horses suitable for heavy cavalry at this time.
In later generations, Qinghai Cong was used in Xixia. It was larger than grassland horses and had good endurance, load-bearing ability, and climbing ability. It was suitable for the Xixia environment. However, Shao Shude was still not satisfied with this kind of horse, which was his original intention of setting up horse administration.
"General Fu, what do you think of these horses?" After galloping to a horse pen, Shao Shude pointed to dozens of tall horses and said.
The horse administration has been in its fourth year. In fact, there were some tall horses in the pasture. This was an accident. Maybe the recessive gene played a role, but due to various reasons, their traits were not passed down stably. These dozens of horses are all
It is a male horse. For three consecutive years, its offspring are either not tall enough at the shoulders, have a bad temper, or have poor endurance. In short, they have various defects.
These horses were actually the failures eliminated by the horse administration. They may not have failed themselves, and they may be said to be of high quality, but their offspring were not good enough and were no longer qualified to continue breeding offspring as stallions, so they were given away.
A group came to Lingzhou.
Yinchuan Ranch is still continuing to breed. This can only depend on luck. There is no way. The matter of introducing fine horse breeds from the Western Regions and even the Middle East has not yet been revealed. Kang Fujin has promised to try his best to find it, but Shao Shude does not want to put his hope in it.
When it comes to him alone, I have to take action myself.
However, let’s control Liangzhou first.
Fu Cunchen looked at those big horses intently. If the number of horses is large, there will always be some big horses with good shoulder height. If such horses are seen by the warrior leaders, they will definitely snatch them down first.
Directly used as a soldier's mount.
But Marshal Shao is really very patient. Just like his three-crop rotation agriculture, he suppressed his desire to ride good horses and let these horses be bred until he failed to produce offspring that met his expectations for three consecutive years.
He completely gave up and transferred him back from the pasture, castrated him and served as a war horse.
At the Yinchuan Ranch, there should be some good horses that are eligible for further breeding. The Marshal's horse administration is still going on, it's really amazing.
Thinking of this, Fu Cunzhen bowed and said: "The commander-in-chief can do what others cannot. This great cause of horse administration will definitely succeed."
Shao Shude smiled and said: "I need some luck. General Fu should pick one of these horses. There are only thirty or forty horses, and they are not enough for a leopard to ride on, so I will use them to recruit warriors."
Fu Cunshen also laughed after hearing the words "recruiting warriors". The commander-in-chief treats people with sincerity, almost saying that he appreciates you and wants to recruit you. To a certain extent, Fu Cunshen was also recruited.
And paid a big price.
But he didn't feel disgusted when he heard what the Marshal said. After living in Lingxia for so many years, he also had eyes to see whether a person really had great ambitions and was doing the right things for this ambition.
Fu Cunzhen was willing to be recruited by the commander.
"Weng Gao has been asking for the position of Liangzhou Jiedushi, and the town has also been asking Shuofang Town to allocate money and food." Shao Shude asked someone to open the horse pen, then turned to Fu Cunshen and said: "Shuofang Jiedushi Li Shao
I have the right to observe Hexi. I learned that there are few soldiers in Hexi and it is difficult to control the disease, so I plan to send an army to escort the money and grain westward."
"Just this horse, it has been trained." Shao Shude pointed to a particularly powerful horse, and then ordered his soldiers to bring the horse's horse certificate, casually flipped through it, and said: "Three generations in a row, this horse has been born.
They are all ponies, but he is the big horse."
"Thank you, Marshal, for the reward." Fu Cunshen saluted again.
All warriors love horses, so how can they not accept the gift? Anyway, he is already willing to serve the commander-in-chief, so he might as well accept the reward generously in the future.
"Give me another pair of silver saddles." Shao Shude ordered his soldiers to bring a pair of exquisite saddles.
"This silver is produced in Gaolan County." Shao Shude said: "This year it has produced about three hundred kilograms, and next year it will produce more than a thousand kilograms, but that's it. I originally wanted to find copper, but unfortunately it was not available.
There are some in the mine, but they are so few that they are not worth mentioning. In addition to silver, more than ten kilograms of gold and copper are obtained in the mine a year, which can be used for many purposes!"
The Lanzhou Copper Mine turned into the Lanzhou Silver Mine, which has to be said to be a great irony.
But it would be great if you were like the Silver Mountain of Potosi in South America, where the entire mountain was made of silver, but unfortunately it's not.
One pound of silver, cast into silver dollars (about 30 grams, 90% silver, 10% base metal), is only 20 pieces. Even if a thousand pounds of silver is produced annually, it is only 20,000 silver dollars a year. This is a huge amount for an individual.
Wealth, but for a regime with a population of more than 1.8 million, it really means nothing.
There are nearly a hundred silver mines recorded in the country, some have ceased production, and some are still producing silver.
The place with the largest output should be Yinshan in the east of Leping County, Raozhou. "Yuanhe County Map" records: "More than 100,000 taels of silver are produced every year, and the tax revenue is 7,000 taels of silver."
This silver mine produces approximately 10,000 kilograms of silver every year.
The last time Zhu Quanzhong went to Weibo to buy grain, he brought 10,000 taels of silver to the local government. There were also silver mines in Henan.
But overall, silver was still not enough to serve as currency, not even copper, so silk had to be used as currency of large denominations.
The gold and silver produced by the dynasty were mainly used to make gold and silver utensils. For example, during the Tianbao period, the gold bran sent as tribute by the Helong prefectures was used to make gold and silver utensils and then rewarded to the ministers.
Shao Shude used some of the silver produced in the Gaolan Silver Mine to make silver saddles, which he used with his horses to recruit warriors.
The rest were cast into silver coins locally and then transported to Lingzhou for storage. As for how to use them in the future, there is no clue yet.
The shortage of metal currency is so severe that the shortage is huge!
In the land of Lingxia, the property of a farmhouse in Lingxia is about sixty yuan, calculated based on the homestead, fields, cattle, sheep, and household items. Not counting the tribes, and counting the 200,000 households, the total social
The wealth is about 12 million yuan, so at least two million yuan of copper coins are needed to circulate in the market.
In fact, it is not enough. Generally speaking, other situations must be considered. For example, if other aspects of wealth have increased in value, or the overall economic scale has expanded, then money needs to be supplied. Insufficient money supply is the ultimate deflation.
When the country was prosperous, only a few pennies were paid for a fight of rice, which was caused by a huge increase in grain production and an increase in total social wealth, but a serious shortage of money supply. This situation was unfavorable to farmers, because they always needed copper coins in their lives.
At that time, a bucket of grain could be exchanged for dozens or even a hundred fen, but now it could only be exchanged for a few fen. Their wealth had shrunk.
It is also necessary to consider the constant "loss" of copper coins. For example, some people make copper coins into copper utensils, and some people hide them at home and no longer use them. Therefore, a large number of new copper coins need to be invested every year. Because the more peaceful the season, the "loss" of copper coins increases.
more.
The price ratio of gold and silver in the imperial dynasty was about 1:5, which has always been relatively stable. As for the price ratio of gold and copper, "Fan Yang Lu Zhongyuan... When gold is expensive, he gets eight thousand for two." Lu Zhongyuan, a native of Fanyang, when the gold price rose,
When gold is sold in Yangzhou, one tael is worth 8,000 qian. Converted into silver, a pound of silver is worth 32 qian.
If Lingxia completes the silverization of its currency, it will immediately need 100,000 jins of silver, which is the two million silver coins minted by Shao Shude, and it will only be possible to replenish a considerable amount of silver every year. Even if silver is the mainstay and copper coins are the supplement,
, reducing the demand for silver a little is still far from enough.
This is a dead end, and Marshal Shao is thinking of other ways.
The silver saddle was quickly installed and looked quite impressive.
"General Fu, in a few days, a certain general will send the Shunyi army to rest in peace, lead more than 3,000 infantry and cavalry people to the west, and transport a batch of money and silk to Liangzhou. Liangzhou Town has urged it several times, and this time
I agreed." Shao Shude said: "A certain person's money is not so easy to get. There should be more than a thousand soldiers and generals on the Liangzhou side, most of them are the descendants of the 2,500 Yunzhou soldiers. This generation has guarded the border for the country for many years.
, I won’t do it if I can, I’ve already told An Xiuxiu about this, and he has agreed.”
Fu Cunshen listened patiently.
"There is no shortage of land in Liangzhou, but there is a shortage of manpower to cultivate the farmland." Shao Shude continued: "The new batch of people from the imperial court who went to Hewei to reclaim wasteland, a total of more than a thousand households, are basically from Guanzhong. There are also eight prisoners from all walks of life in the world.
More than a hundred people were supposed to be sent to Huizhou, but were intercepted by a certain order. These more than a thousand households in Guanzhong, plus 800 prisoners, will be escorted into Liangzhou by you and others."
"Follow your orders," Fu Cunchen responded.
"During the attack on Fengzhou, you performed many meritorious deeds. I will promote you to the post of Yuhou, the capital of the Tianzhu Army, commanding two thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry to go to Liangzhou."
"Thank you, Marshal, for your cultivation." Fu Cunshen thanked him immediately.
He did not ask Yuhou Guo Qi, the current capital of the Tianzhu Army, where he was going. The commander-in-chief had his own arrangements, so he just had to obey his orders.
"The Anhui and Rest Department will temporarily stay in Liangzhou to garrison. Your department will return after escorting the people, prisoners, and some money and food. I will send a second group of people there," Shao Shude said.
Regarding Liangzhou, his idea was to focus on political and economic offensives, supplemented by military offensives. He would first control the power of the imperial court there, and then find a way to deal with Aimo.
In this way, it is very important to obtain the power to observe Hexi. Li Shao is still not qualified, and Shuofang is not too strong. Shao Shude has already made a plan in his mind, that is, he will restore the old system of Tianbao period, eliminate the Nan army, and Shuofang army.
The four towns of Tiande Army and Zhenwu Army reestablished Shuofang Town and administered the ten prefectures of Xia Sui, Yin Youling, Yan Hui, Feng Sheng and Lin, and he personally served as the governor of Shuofang.
Anyway, now there are two people in the world who can take charge of two towns, breaking the precedent. Zhu Quanzhong is still seeking to serve as the military governor of Fengguo (Caizhou), one person can take charge of three towns, and Marshal Shao can take charge of four border towns. It seems that this is also the case.
That makes sense.
Back in those days, Li Guochang and his son only wanted to occupy the two towns of Zhenwu Army and Datong Army at the same time, but they were mercilessly mobilized by the imperial court to encircle and suppress them. But after Chao Chao rebelled in Guanzhong, Li Keyong appointed Ren Xin as the acting observer and Yanmen Jiedu envoy.
, Li Guochang was appointed as Daibei Jiedushi, and it was all given by the imperial court.
Afterwards, Daibei was dismissed, Yanmen was divided into two regions, Li Keyong was appointed as governor of Hedong, and his younger brother Kexiu was appointed as the envoy of Zhaoyi Festival. These were two big towns, Xiongzhen, and the two brothers were in charge of each other. The court was still holding its nose.
agreed?
Recently, Zhu Quanzhong also led the two towns of Xuanwu and Huainan, and he no longer even needed a fig leaf.
This is how the rules were broken bit by bit, and the prestige of the Tang Dynasty was also exhausted bit by bit.
Shao Shude's plan to merge the four Guanbei roads does not look so eye-catching, and Zhu Quanzhong has been asked to pioneer the path.
The new Shuofang Jiedu envoy, the Liuzhou Water Transport Envoy, and the vassal envoy will definitely be indispensable. In addition, the legacy of the old Shuofang Town must also be inherited, such as serving as the Hexi Observation Envoy and legitimately intervening in the internal affairs of Liangzhou.
Aren't you all loyal ministers of the imperial court? A certain person is the Hexi Observer, inspecting and supervising the affairs of the military and civilians in Liangzhou Town. This is the power granted by the imperial court. Do you want to listen?
Weng Gao, who has the army as his backing and money and food as lubricant, has yet to obtain the position of Jiedu envoy. As a defense envoy of Hexi Province, it is not certain who can speak well when facing the observation envoy.
Marshal Shao thought for a while, and decided that this matter must be handled as soon as possible. Taking advantage of the favorable opportunity that the wind in Chang'an is favoring him, he will implement it first. If it is delayed for another year or two, it will definitely not be as easy to handle as it is now.
Well, if you want to do something, you must give gifts. The middle-ranking official will give one, and the court will also give one.
Of course it is possible to force others to do things by force alone, but it is not always that reliable. Give some gifts, and people will be more motivated and proactive, and things will be done more beautifully.
The imperial court is also poor now, so it will give a thousand horses, ten thousand sheep, and some rare skins. The saint can use them to reward ministers and concubines, and improve Shao's reputation. With such a multi-pronged approach, the problem should not be
It would be too big.
After taking over all the capital of the imperial court in Liangzhou, we can use this as a basis to recruit the Momo people. It may be necessary to fight, but with Liangzhou as a foothold, the difficulty of fighting will be much reduced.
Hey, if you can use it, that would be great. The natural cavalry are mainly Han people, although they may not speak Chinese and are completely Tibetan. But it doesn't matter, their clan leaders and chiefs are
They should know the origins of their ancestors. With this bond, they can use this as a step to compromise various interests.
Don’t believe it? Several imperial courts in the Five Dynasties set up Liangzhou towns, and some even sent troops to Liangzhou. But after the founding of the Xixia Kingdom, Xi Mo no longer recognized it, and in the end they still had to conquer it through military force.
Hope everything goes well.
At the end of the Xiantong period, he accepted the imperial title and sent troops to attack Nanzhao. Those people should not have died, and there should be some discussion.