The World of Yellow Sky

Chapter 259

Finally one thing is done.

Xu An put down his brush, but after finalizing the military merit award system, there was another problem that Xu An also needed to solve.

This question is like a whip, driving the Yellow Turban Army forward and fighting.

This problem is the problem of money and food.

If Xu An wanted to ensure that his troops could resist the encirclement and suppression of the Han army and still have the ability to advance, he would inevitably need to maintain a large number of troops in order to maintain an advantage over the Han army's encirclement and suppression.

But precisely because of this, the Yellow Turban Army was under enormous financial pressure.

So this is why Xu An took down Shangdang County and formulated a strategy to capture Hedong County.

Not only for the sake of planning to merge the state in the future, but also for the large population and the thousands of miles of fertile fields in Hedong County.

Since ancient times, there are almost two points to solve financial problems, one is to increase revenue, and the other is to reduce expenditure.

Regarding these two points, when Xu An made plans to attack Hedong County in Shangdang County, he already had a plan.

Surrounded by powerful enemies, all heroes will rise together. In the near future, the uprising of the Yellow Turban Army in Qingyu is imminent. Xu An must strengthen his strength and win his foundation.

So Xu An made a plan early on, and this is what his teacher Zhang Liang taught him. Take one step and see ten steps, you can't just focus on the immediate, you must have a long-term vision, and you must plan first when doing things.

Open source and reduce expenditure.

The first is Kaiyuan. In the three counties of Hedong, Shangdang, and Bingzhou, there are many lands suitable for cultivation, and there are also wastelands that can be reclaimed.

So Xu An is going to do five things:

First, promulgate laws and regulations to encourage reclamation. All reclaimed wasteland belongs to the reclaimer and is tax-free for one year.

The second is to collect the land of powerful aristocratic families and lease it to landless peasant households, charging [-]% of the tax. If you lack farm tools, rice seeds, and cattle, you can rent them from the Yellow Turban Army.Rent is also charged for renting, which is included in the tax.

Third, collect wealth from powerful families and use it as military capital.

Fourth, cattle breeding and horse administration have existed since ancient times, and the law to protect farming cattle, whether it is "Qin Law" or "Han Law", has laws to follow.

And not only the Qin and Han dynasties, but almost all the laws of ancient China strictly prohibited the arbitrary slaughter of cattle.

If you want to slaughter farm cattle, you must go through strict slaughter standards and approval procedures. Privately slaughtering farm cattle is a felony.

This is all because China has been an agricultural country since ancient times, and "iron plows and cattle farming" must ensure that there are enough cattle to meet the needs of agricultural production.

Increasing the number of cattle will also help improve the efficiency of farming.

The Yellow Turban Army now has no shortage of land to cultivate, but a shortage of people and farmers who can cultivate land.

Fifth, update farm tools, improve farming efficiency and irrigation efficiency.

Although Xu An had never farmed the fields himself, when he was a child, he had seen farming tools, curved plows, and waterwheels in his hometown in the countryside. He had seen all of these.

And just in the history of middle school, there are also records of tools that can increase farming efficiency, and Quyuanli is one of them.

These tools have impressions in his mind.

After the open source is completed, it is throttling.

To reduce expenditure, Xu An's first thought was to disarm.

The money and food that Xu An pays to the Eagle Wolf Guard is just the money offered as a reward for the scouts, as well as the daily expenses of the Eagle Wolf Guard.

As for the clerks who work in cities and towns, basically the salaries given to them are not enough to meet their food and clothing, and there is not much left over every month, so the expenditure is not much, and the bulk is still in the army.

So what Xu An thought of was disarmament.

He needs to support so many troops now, and he can maintain such a large army in the short term by plundering powerful properties, but is it true that he really learned from the rogues in the late Ming Dynasty, roaming around, plundering all directions, and maintaining supplies?

If he really did this kind of burning, killing and looting, how is he different from the barbarians, and what is he talking about in the world of Huang Tian.

Born from the same root, they are all poor people, but they want to kill their compatriots to help the five chaos?

So disarmament is imperative.

However, the matter of disarmament can only be done step by step, so Xu An first set up the soldiers camp and sharp warrior camp, and now he added the Xiaoqi camp, and then set up the trap camp.

Now Xu An's idea is to reduce the nearly 6 troops under his command to 6, and maintain a standing force of [-].

Then the remaining soldiers were reduced to garrison soldiers, following the example of the military garrison practiced by Cao Cao in history.

Xu An unfolded the dossier sent by Wei Lu, and examined it carefully.

Those tyrants in Shangdang County who were unwilling to surrender were all beheaded by the Yellow Turban Army. After the Han army who wanted to counterattack in Hedong County was repelled, those tycoons in Hedong County who had been hiding in Wubao, except for a few , Either fled to the south of Hedong County, or walked out of Wubao and chose to surrender.

If the deeds of the tyrants recorded in these files were in accordance with the standards of the Shangdang County Zhongyinglangwei, then most of the tyrants in Hedong County would be fined and confiscated some fields and money at most, and they would not have ransacked their homes.

A stern look flashed in Xu An's eyes.

"Wei Law."

Hearing Xu An's shout, Wei Lu immediately lowered his head and replied, "The subordinate is here."

Xu An pointed to the bamboo slips on the side, and said coldly: "You don't need to pay attention to the dossiers and the investigation information. These powerful families have obtained huge sums of money, raised their servants, hidden soldiers in their houses, and built Wubao. Which family is not full of money? blood."

Xu An suddenly thought of something, so he asked.

"The Taoist hall in Hedong County should be built, right?"

Naturally, Wei Lu knew what Xu An was going to ask, and immediately replied: "The construction has been completed, and according to the public order, the eldest sons of all the powerful and powerful in Hedong County are all studying in the Taoist Hall of Pingyang City."

"Exactly." Xu An nodded, and ordered: "Now Liu Pi has an important matter, you take care of it for me."

"The tyrants of Hedong County vainly tried to resist our heavenly soldiers, and lived in Wubao to resist stubbornly. They didn't put down their weapons and chose to surrender until the Han army retreated. It also caused us a lot of trouble."

Xu An took out a Tiger Talisman made of fine iron and dyed khaki, and put it on the desk. "This tiger talisman is my certificate. With this tiger talisman, you can mobilize troops and horses in Hedong County, and let other generals cooperate with the eagle and wolf guards."

"Hedong County's powerful forces are deeply rooted. You must be fully prepared before you strike with a thunderbolt, otherwise Hedong County may be in turmoil again for a period of time."

Wei Lu took over the Tiger Talisman, the matter is indeed of great importance, Wubao is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it often takes several times the number of troops to besiege and capture.

There are a lot of people who are powerful, bold, and hide their armor. Wei Lu once participated in the siege of Wubao in Shangdang County.

The severity of the attack on the part of Wubao was no less than that of Gaodu City. Those patrons and family members supported by the powerful were even better equipped with weapons than the Han army.

Fortunately, it is a felony to hide armor privately. Although these powerful forces are not small, the armor is only made secretly.

Otherwise, even if they attacked Wubao, they would consume a lot of the Yellow Turban Army's strength.

Wei Lu solemnly agreed: "I will live up to the entrustment of Duke Ming."

Chapter 2 Sixty Embroidered Messenger

In the fourth year of Zhongping (187), more than 100 years have passed since Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu swept Liuhe, annexed the eight wastelands, and wiped out the world.

The imperial palace in Luoyang always looks majestic and sacred in the daytime, high above and magnificent, which makes people feel a sense of admiration from a high mountain.

Team after team of Han soldiers in sharp clothes patrolled around the palace with due diligence, guarding the safety of the palace, protecting the emperor of the Han Empire, and protecting the emperor of the Han family who was ordered by heaven.

It was these Han men who were loyal to the Han family that made many young people not dare to spy on the imperial palace.

But at night, when the entire land of China enters darkness, the majesty and sanctity of the imperial palace during the day turns into mystery and solemnity... and a hint of terror...

In the empty hall, under the dark palace walls, and in the silent palace, there seemed to be something surging under the dim lights. Only occasionally when the guards walked by would they make slight noises.

In the Hall of Houde, the lights were quite dim, and several old eunuchs in the hall stood quietly under His Highness.

Liu Hong's complexion was pale. He just drank a bowl of hot soup, and the hot soup flowing into his throat made his body a little more comfortable.

Before the parade ceremony, Liu Hong had already contracted a cold. Although the court doctors did their best to treat him, but after many days, there was still no improvement.

The serious illness entangled Liu Hong, making the once energetic and drunken emperor of the Han family no longer look like before.

"Jian Shuo..."

Liu Hong closed his eyes and rested for a while, then looked around.

"The minister is here."

Hearing Liu Hong's call, Jian Shuo quickly walked a few steps and held his outstretched arm.

"What time is it?"

With the support of Jian Shuo, Liu Hong stood up slowly. The illness made him weak, and his once sober mind began to become dizzy.

Jian Shuo supported Liu Hong, and replied, "It's about three o'clock to go back to the country."

"The country's health is not yet healed. After drinking hot soup, please rest earlier."

Jian Shuo looked at the weak Liu Hong, his eyes were slightly red.

"Can't sleep."

Liu Hong shook his head lightly and rejected Jian Shuo's proposal.

"It seems that I haven't seen the stars at night for a long time, let me go out for a walk."

Liu Hong showed nostalgia on his face, and said with a smile: "I still remember that when we were in Jiedu Pavilion, the queen mother took me to look at the stars all over the sky in the courtyard, it was really gorgeous."

Jian Shuo respectfully agreed.

Then he lowered his voice and told several old eunuchs guarding in the hall to fetch their clothes. ?

"Wait for the country, it's windy at night, put on a cloak before leaving the hall."

Liu Hong nodded, but did not refuse this time.

Soon the clothes were brought, the gate of Houde Hall was opened, and more than ten soldiers stood outside the hall respectfully, waiting for Liu Hong.

Liu Hong put his clothes on his body, refused Jian Shuo's support, and walked out of Houde Hall slowly.

Jian Shuo followed closely behind Liu Hong, paying attention to Liu Hong's physical condition nervously, not daring to neglect.

A group of people walked out of the Hall of Houde, Liu Hong was escorted by more than a dozen armored soldiers and walked slowly in the quiet palace under the night.

Liu Hong came to an open space and stopped. The guards around him also dispersed, standing guard in the aisles around them. Although the palace was heavily guarded, they still did not relax in the slightest.

The emperor's safety is above all else.

"Time flies so fast."

Looking up at the stars all over the sky, Liu Hong couldn't help sighing with emotion.

Jian Shuo is the only one beside him now, and he is not hiding any of his emotions.

"In the blink of an eye, it has been almost 20 years..."

Liu Hong was slightly distracted, as if just yesterday, he was living carefree in Jiedu Pavilion.

Now he is the emperor of the Han Dynasty, the emperor of the Han Dynasty.

Above the court and in the temple, there seemed to be endless things to do, and those courtiers would always find all kinds of things.

There was a stern look in Liu Hong's eyes. He came to the throne when he was young, and he hated those party members who pointed fingers in front of him.

It's a pity that the sudden arrival of the Yellow Turban Army disrupted Liu Hong's train of thought, forcing him to lift the party shackles.

Now news of Liangzhou rebellion, Bingzhou rebellion, Xiongnu rebellion, and rebellion in the interior from time to time made him have to rely heavily on party members.

The power of the party members became stronger and stronger, and Liu Hong began to feel a little powerless. This is one of the reasons why he established the Xiyuan Forbidden Army and appointed Jian Shuo as the captain of the upper army.

Liu Hong felt a little danger from these important ministers and generals who were supporting troops outside, as well as the rebellions that sprang up in various places.

He needs an army that can protect him, an army that is loyal to him, and the forces he can control, relying solely on the Northern Army makes Liu Hong feel powerless.

Moreover, he adopted Liu Yan's proposal not long ago and strengthened the authority of the state pastor, which is also a hidden danger.

But right now, rebellions are breaking out everywhere, and this is also a helpless move. You must know that mobilizing the army and annihilating the rebels will consume a lot of money and food.

Although Liu Hong is addicted to pleasure, he is not completely ignorant of government affairs and local affairs. He has almost all the power in the court that he should grasp firmly in his hands.

Locally, Liu Hong knew that those powerful families, that is, those sanctimonious party members, also had considerable influence. Strengthening the power of the state pastor should be able to quickly wipe out the rebels everywhere.

After the rebels are extinguished...

Slowly recovering power and gathering it in the central government, he collected a lot of money, enough to support his expansion of the army, even if the powerful ministers had a heart of disobedience, he could defeat them one by one.

"Cough-cough-cough-"

Liu Hong coughed violently, and even his body trembled.

Jian Shuo hurried forward and patted Liu Hong's back lightly, trying to make Liu Hong feel a little more comfortable.

The cool wind blowing also dispelled the sweltering heat in the air.

Liu Hong stopped coughing, and the air flow made him feel a little better.