Chinese New Year

Chapter 506 Wait and see what happens
The northwest sky was overcast with lightning and thunder.

After the strong wind blew, the ground was filled with the smell of moisture. The bamboos, trees, flowers and plants that had been listless began to sway excitedly in the wind, as if cheering for the sweet rain.

In the garden, the boy just picked up the pottery pot and was about to water the fruits and vegetables, but he ran back happily and said in a thick Kansai accent: "It's raining."

The old man was sitting on the ground, slowly weaving a mat. Hearing this, he looked up and smiled with satisfaction.

This is Pingyang, the county where the Han capital is located, and also where they live.

Since they were captured by King Liu Yao of Zhongshan in the sixth year of Yongjia (312), they have lived here ever since, growing fruits and vegetables, herding cattle and sheep, and making tools for the emperor.

After defeating the Tuoba Xianbei last year, the imperial court drove some people to the mountains of Xihe and Taiyuan counties to reclaim wasteland and graze livestock.

There are more than 80,000 men and women in Chang'an, who are basically scattered in the four counties headed by Pingyang. This has greatly enriched the population of the Han Dynasty and also made the goods on the market increasingly abundant - there are naturally many Chang'an citizens and handicraftsmen.

This year the King of Henei attacked Guanzhong, but he did not capture many people, only about ten thousand in total. Most of them were sent to the old place of Fen River at the junction of Xihe and Taiyuan. While they were cultivating farmland, reeling silk and weaving cloth, they also built city fortresses and repaired post roads. Their life was quite hard.

“It’s not easy.” The old man sighed and continued to weave mats with his head down.

Another gust of wind blew up, and the doors and windows that were not closed tightly were rattling.

A woman ran over and closed it tightly.

Soon, heavy rain began to fall.

Looking from the ground, the dark clouds almost covered the entire sky and earth, enveloping Pingyang, Hedong, Xihe, Fengyi, Shangjun, Hongnong, Shangdang and other places.

Most areas of Guanzhong and the two counties of Hanoi and Henan also benefited from the rain, but the vast lands of Hebei and Henan were not benefited by the rain. One can't help but say hello to this evil God, why do you like to play jokes so much?
But God has his reasons.

Guanzhong and Bingzhou have been suffering from drought for many years, why can't they have a chance to enjoy the cool weather?

"The emperor is back." Someone wearing a straw raincoat hurried into the garden and whispered.

Some people were indifferent and continued to do what they were doing.

Someone glanced at him and nodded slightly.

Someone called him over and asked about the situation in a low voice.

Chang'an had a population of 80,000, so of course there were many scholars and powerful people. The capable and prestigious ones had long been pardoned from being officials, and were now managing the local areas for the Han Dynasty and encouraging farmers to cultivate crops.

But the number of official positions is limited after all, and at this moment there are still many people doing menial work in the official gardens. These people generally have a strong desire to talk and are more concerned about the situation in the outside world.

"Did you catch a fish?" someone asked with a smile.

"It was caught, two large carts were taken, and the emperor asked Chen Yuanda to distribute them to the officials and soldiers accompanying him."

Catching fish but not eating them and giving them away instead, this habit is incomprehensible to ordinary people, but it is understandable to scholars who have no worries about food and clothing.

"You've only been gone for one day, why are you back? Is it because of the rain?"

"Not likely. In the past, even when there was thunder and lightning, the emperor would still squat by the river and watch people fishing. This time, something must be wrong."

"The war in Guanzhong, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone nodded. This was the easiest to guess.

A while ago, the King of Henei attacked near Chang'an, but was ambushed from the rear. Fengyi was in chaos, and the east bank of the yellow river was once warned - yes, their garden is not located in the Fenshui River Basin, but in Pi County on the east bank of the Yellow River. This time, Emperor Liu Cong did not watch the fish in the Fenshui River, but brought a large group of people to the Yellow River to fish.

Maybe it’s not all about fishing.

Near the Yellow River ferry, high-ranking officials and nobles gathered. The emperor personally met with the chieftains of the Hexi tribes and the leaders of the Fengyi Di and Qiang. He then dispatched their troops and gave them local commands, thus barely stabilizing the chaotic situation.

At present, it is heard that the Guanzhong troops that attacked Fengyi have been defeated.

When the news came, everyone sighed and lamented.

In the midst of outrage, some people even lamented, why didn't Liu Cong stay in Pingyang?
When he was in Pingyang, he drank, took medicine, and played with women. After a long time, even the strongest body was ruined.

Like now, running around everywhere, meeting with officials, comforting the military and civilians, supervising military farming, and deploying battles, he really looks like a real emperor.

Of course, I was just complaining in my heart.

Shao Xun was rising in Henan and his reputation was growing. How could you expect Liu Cong to indulge in pleasure and drunkenness without hesitation? Was it possible?

"How long can Guanzhong hold out?" Someone asked with a deep sigh and a look of despair.

"If those two from Yuzhou and Liangzhou are willing to send troops, there is still hope. If not, it will be difficult."

"Yuzhou is unlikely, it's out of reach. But Xiping County Duke still has a little chance."

"Forget it, just live your life well and stop thinking about it. The Xiongnu are the main force attacking the pass, not a secondary force. I don't think they will survive this year."

The rain got heavier and heavier, gradually forming a stream.

Everyone was worried and their enthusiasm for work was much reduced.

After a while, several officials came to inspect the place, and the group of people perked up and continued to work hard.

******
Liu Cong stood at the foot of a tall building, looking at the heavy rain that filled the sky and the earth.

"It's raining so hard that even horses can't run. Why is Tuoba Yilu trying so hard?" Liu Cong slapped the window frame with both hands, saying irritably. A group of officials and clan members stood in the house.

At the beginning of this year, Liu Cong reformed the government.

First, sixteen generals were appointed to command the imperial guards, each in charge of 2,000 men, totaling 32,000 infantry and cavalry, to be led by the princes.

The Left and Right Sili were appointed, each in charge of more than 200,000 households, and one Nei Shi was appointed for every 10,000 households.

He also appointed left and right assistants of the Chanyu, each in charge of 100,000 tribes - this time the Huns were also included.

From this we can get a glimpse of the Huns' population. Without taking over the western half of Guanzhong, Liu Han directly governed nearly 500,000 households and 2 to 3 million people of Jin - this obviously does not include the population directly governed by Shi Le and Cao Yi, because if added together, the number would be far more. But it is hard to know whether the population controlled by Wang Mi was included, as the Liu Han court's population data was obviously not reported to outsiders.

The number of the Hu people is 200,000.

Luo is a tent, a traditional unit of measurement. It could hold as few as one or two people and as many as a dozen or twenty people. Based on an average of five or six people, there were no less than one million people, of which the Huns accounted for about half and the other half together.

The number of 200,000 soldiers with bows and arrows was obviously not entirely an exaggeration, although they were completely unable to support the battle of 200,000 cavalry.

After that, there were a series of appointments and transfers of officials. The most important of them was to appoint Liu Can as prime minister, general, and recorder of the Secretariat, and to promote him to King of Jin. He was no longer the King of Henei, but the One-Character King, and was being trained as an heir.

Liu Yi, there is a high probability that he has no chance, anyone with a discerning eye can see that.

"Do you want to withdraw troops from Guanzhong?" Liu Cong asked when no one spoke.

Grand Marshal Zhu Ji stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, you may want to dispatch some troops to help. After the rain stops, Liu Kun and Tuoba Yilu will surely make some moves, so we need to be prepared."

"How many people will be selected?" Liu Cong asked.

"You can just draft 6,000 imperial soldiers, and 10,000 Di and Qiang people in Guanzhong. As for the tribes in Hexi, Your Majesty, please decide."

"Who is the commander?"

"The King of Zhongshan is fine."

Liu Cong nodded and said, "Let the King of Zhongshan be the commander, and have the Wuhuan of Youzhou send out troops together to attack Tuoba from both sides."

The Youzhou Wuhuan were a recent defector. Nominally they were part of the 100,000 tribes under the jurisdiction of Chanyu Zuo Fu, but that was only in name only. No one could guarantee whether they would be obedient or not.

"Every time we attack Guanzhong, we are never satisfied. There are always people attacking from behind." Liu Cong clenched his fists, looking unhappy. He said, "Last time it was Liu Kun and Tuoba, and this time it was them again. They are really going too far."

After the change in national policy, the Han Dynasty's strategic focus has shifted to Guanzhong, but the rear is always uneasy.

The Tuoba Xianbei were so hateful that they harassed him at every turn, tying up a large number of troops and giving the generals of the Jin army in Guanzhong a chance to catch their breath.

After hearing what Liu Cong said, everyone felt helpless.

When the previous emperor first founded the country, he had only 50,000 cavalrymen, and Tuoba Xianbei attacked in large numbers, causing the previous emperor to suffer several defeats. Later, he managed to gain a foothold and repel Tuoba Xianbei.

Ten years had passed since the founding of the Han Dynasty, but Liu Kun and Tuoba Yilu were still harassing the country from behind.

Although they have not yet been able to pose a life-or-death threat to the Han Dynasty, they are still a nuisance and must be taken seriously.

"I heard that Shao Xun has marched north in a large force, has conquered Chaoge, and is heading straight for Yecheng. What do you think?" Liu Cong asked again.

"Your Majesty." Grand Minister of Civil Affairs Ma Jing stepped out and said, "There are many troubles in the country. You may ask Generals Anxi and Zhenyuan to be more vigilant and just defend their own borders. Shi Le defeated Wang Jun in the north and returned with a great victory. He is still full of vigor. You may wait and see what happens."

"Your Majesty, I also think that we should wait and see what happens." Taibao Ren Yi said.

"I second the motion." said Taifu Wang Yu.

"I second the proposal."

……

Seeing that all the ministers agreed, Liu Cong suddenly laughed.

If Shi Le saw that the important officials of the court had this attitude, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood.

But "wait and see" is indeed the best option nowadays.

Hanoi and Anping are important strongholds of the imperial court north of the Yellow River. As long as Shao Xun does not launch a major attack on these two places, it is better to wait and see. After all, the war in Guanzhong is raging, and fighting may break out in Taiyuan again, so there is really no time to spare.

Only after pacifying Guanzhong could the court shift its focus back to the east.

At least, we have to repel the offensive that Liu Kun and Tuoba Yilu are about to launch. Otherwise, it will be difficult to have the energy to do other things.

It is said that there are 200,000 soldiers who can draw bows and arrows, but soldiers who can draw bows and arrows also need to eat.

If you can avoid levying it, then don’t do it. After all, it costs money.

Using the court's money and food to fight for Shi Le, it seems that the war situation has not yet reached this point.

Furthermore, Liu Cong was also angry.

In the past two years, the tributes from Shi Le and Cao Yi have become less and less, and the wealth and goods remitted to Pingyang have greatly decreased. They must be taught a lesson, otherwise they will really think they have grown strong.

"Let's do this first." Liu Cong waved his hand and said, "Return to Pingyang after the rain stops. Let Yongming (Liu Yao) have an audience with the emperor before he takes office."

(End of this chapter)