Liu Yan sat on the chair and looked at everyone present. His heart was full of thoughts. On the left and right sides of his head were Dai Jingbin, the urban management officer of Qianhu Station, and Tian Huixu, the battalion officer. Next, they were Chen Xun, Wang Yue, and Zhang Yi. , Wang Bo, Miao Shao, Xu Ming and Shen Tuo, as well as the town governor Xun Jingyun and Baihu Song Gongming.
After Liu Yan announced the issue of military expansion, he sent someone to call Tian Huixu to discuss the matter.
Most of the people present were Liu Yan's confidants. It could be said that the affairs of Qianhu City were under control. This felt good.
After everyone discussed for a while, Tian Huixu didn't know what he was thinking. Dai Jingbin, Chen Xun, Wang Yue, Zhang Yi, Wang Bo, Miao Shao, Xu Ming, and Shen Tuo were all in high spirits. They are all Liu Yan's now. Under the confidants, the city of thousands of households is under the control of the Shangguan. They will naturally benefit from it. Seeing the bright future, are they happy?
Only Xun Jingyun, the governor of the town, still sat rigidly, his face seemed to have the same expression for thousands of years, and he did not show any complacency because of his promotion to Qianhusuo City.
Slowly glancing at everyone, Liu Yan said: "I have invited you all here today to discuss the affairs of the field camp in Qianhusuo City in the coming year. The Chinese New Year is about to come. How should Qianhusuo City be organized next year? Everyone needs to Let’s discuss it carefully.”
"Now that the military expansion has been decided, the military establishment after the expansion will be determined today."
Everyone immediately cheered up after hearing this.
Liu Yan then took out the army expansion plan he had drawn up:
First of all, Liu Yan adjusted the strength of the original sentry. Each sentry had three flags, and changed it to two flags, one flag bird gunman, and one flag spearman. This made it easier to command the battle, and the number of people in each sentry was also reduced. It was reduced from one hundred and eighty-seven to one hundred and forty-five. The commander of the sentry is called the commander-in-chief, who is served by the chief flag officer. The commander of each flag is called the flag commander, who is served by the small flag officer.
Each small flag officer has four additional guards, and each chief flag officer has a team of guards and a team of night guards. In addition, officers at all levels have different numbers of messengers and drum and buglers.
Then, Liu Yan added a general organization to each post. The seven sentry troops were all expanded into seven generals. Each general had two posts. Each general was led by a hundred-household official, called a hundred generals, and was guarded by a flag. He Yiqi stayed up all night, as well as a certain number of messengers and trumpeters, so the total number of soldiers and horses was 416.
The total strength of the Seventh General was directly expanded from more than 1,300 to 2,912, more than doubling the number!
At the same time, Liu Yan also ordered Xun Jingyun, the governor of the town, to join the army and be assigned a guard to be responsible for maintaining military discipline.
An additional banner of baggage troops was added to each headquarters, and twenty craftsmen, medical officers, and veterinarians each accompanied the army.
If these troops are included, the number of troops under Liu Yan's command increased to more than 3,700, quadrupling the number! In addition, Chen Xun and Wang Yue's Baihu officials were directly reorganized and appointed as Baihu officials.
After everyone listened to Liu Yan's explanation and saw the expansion plan drawn up by Liu Yan, Chen Xun, Wang Yue, Wang Bo, Zhang Yi, Miao Shao, Xu Ming, Shen Tuo, and Xun Jingyun looked happy and took charge. Tian Huixu, the official secretary of Yingcao, also smiled. The more troops there are in Qianhu Station in front of Xiahe Village, the greater his authority will be and the more things he can do.
However, some people were happy and some were worried. At this time, Song Gongming was transferred by Liu Yan to the Qianhu Office in front of Xiahe Village as a Baihu Official. He was not only responsible for the business of the soap workshop, salt drying field, and wine shop, but also served as the grain and grass officer, responsible for the entire Xiahe Village. The matter of money and food for thousands of households in front of the village.
After Song Gongming heard Liu Yan's army expansion plan, he looked embarrassed. He calculated it carefully, then clasped his fists and said, "Sir, do you think this army expansion is too fast?"
When Chen Xun and others heard this, they all stared at Song Gongming, but Song Gongming still had the attitude of "I am doing this for your own good."
"oh?"
Liu Yan smiled and said, "Song Baihu will tell you in detail."
Song Gongming said: "My subordinates have just calculated that if the army is expanded this time, the monthly military pay will be more than 6,740 taels, and about 5,600 shi of food and grass will be needed. Such consumption will benefit thousands of households." It brings tremendous pressure.”
Everyone was stunned when they heard how much money and food had been spent after expanding the army.
"This does not include the expenses of the Firearms Supervisory Manufacturing Office and the Armor Supervisory Manufacturing Office to provide military equipment. If all are calculated, the monthly military expenditure of Qianhu Station will be around 8,000 taels, and this is only in normal times. Once there is a war, the military expenditure will be more than 10,000 taels!"
Since Liu Yan planned to expand the army, he naturally thought of spending money and food, so he said: "In that case, what is the monthly income from the industry in Dapanbao? Can it cover the military expenses?"
Song Gongming was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Now Dapanbao's monthly income is about seventeen thousand taels, so supporting military expenses is no longer a problem."
"What about the rations? Can the rent collected from various places, plus the military money and food allocated by the superior officer, be enough?"
Song Gongming said with some embarrassment: "It's enough, and there should be some surplus every year."
"That's good."
Liu Yan said: "The hundreds of households in the Song Dynasty devoted themselves to saving money and food for the sake of thousands of households. Their intentions are commendable, and I have made a note of it in my mind. However, the expansion of the army is imperative, so there is no need to discuss this matter. Each sentry will follow Starting tomorrow, with the assistance of Tian Baihu, the official secretary, we will begin to recruit young and strong military households to expand our troops."
Chen Xun, Wang Yue, Wang Bo, Zhang Yi, Miao Shao, Xu Ming, Shen Tuo and Tian Huixu clasped their fists together to accept the order.
Currently, in addition to Wangjiazhuang and Guzhen, the Hundred Household Offices under the jurisdiction of the Qianhu Office in Xiahezhai now have three Hundred Household Offices: Zhaojiaying, Zoumaling, and Fengjialing. The management officers of these three offices did not come to the meeting today. , he just came to report on his duties when Liu Yan took up the post of defense officer.
Liu Yan has made up his mind to get rid of all the team officers in these areas. Liu Yan has seen all these people. They are all mediocre people who eat empty wages and drink the blood of soldiers. He will not use them.
Liu Yan immediately announced the deployment locations of each general:
Zhang Yi's troops were transferred to the Zomaling Hundred Household Station, and Zhang Yi was also transferred to the team officer of the Zomaling Hundred House Station;
Wang Bo’s Department is still stationed at the Inspection Department of the ancient town;
Chen Xun led his troops to station in Wangjiazhuang and served as the team officer of Wangjiazhuang Hundred Households Office;
Wang Yue led his troops to garrison in Zhaojiaying and served as the team officer in charge of the Zhaojiaying Hundred Households Office;
Shen Tuo led his troops to station in Fengjialing and served as the team officer of Fengjialing's Hundred Household Management Office.
Miao Shao and Xu Ming were stationed at Qianhusuo in front of Xiahe Village. As Liu Yan's direct troops, they guarded Qianhusuo City.
"You will lead your troops to set off in three days. When you take up your new posts, you will present the official document issued by Qianhu and abolish the team officers in each area. You will also begin to eliminate the old and weak soldiers to rectify the government affairs and expand the military strength as soon as possible."
"Got the order!"
Then Liu Yan said to Chen Xun: "Chen Baihu will go back to Wangjiazhuang tomorrow and notify the Firearms Supervision Department and the Armor Supervision Department to start transporting the necessary military equipment to the Qianhu Station in front of Xiahe Village and the Ancient Town Inspection Department. Don’t be lazy.”
When Chen Xun heard that he could return to Wangjiazhuang and reunite with his wife Chen Jiangshi, he immediately accepted the order with a smile and clasped his fists.
"In addition, the war horses needed by each ministry must also be purchased vigorously, no matter the cost!"
As for the designations of each commander, Liu Yan still retained the original designations of front, rear, left, center, bodyguard commander, and cavalry commander.
After discussing the army expansion, Liu Yan called Dai Jingbin from one hundred households and said: "We have finished talking about the army, now let's talk about the farming."
Dai Jingbin served as the officer in charge of the villages as the officer of 100 households, responsible for the entire farming affairs of the 1000 households in front of Xiahe Village. His face was full of loyalty and courage, and he said loudly: "Don't worry, sir, I will sacrifice my life for you." Even if we are to save our lives, we must also manage the farming affairs of Qianhusuo City, and I can guarantee that the amount of grain collection in the coming year will definitely be much higher than this year."
Seeing what Dai Jingbin said, the two defense officers and patrol inspectors Zhang Yi and Wang Bo also hurriedly stood up to express their stance.
Liu Yan smiled and said: "Well, I am very pleased that you sirs are diligent in state affairs."
Then Liu Yan motioned for everyone to sit down and mused: "The soldiers and civilians in the city with thousands of households are suffering very hard. I thought about the reason why the farming was not working. I decided to follow the example of Wangjiazhuang and implement the new policy of farming everywhere."
Liu Yan looked at everyone with bright eyes and said: "I am determined to inventory the wasteland of each fort. After the statistical inventory, we will recruit soldiers and civilians to reclaim it. All soldiers and civilians in the city with thousands of households can allocate fifty acres of land, and the government will help them Build a well-irrigating water tanker and rent it to cattle and farm tools, just like Wangjiazhuang, and get a year's free grain."
Except for everyone in Wangjiazhuang, the rest of them were surprised by Liu Yan's big hand. Not only to reclaim wasteland, but also to help them build well irrigation water trucks and rent cattle and farm tools. How much money and food will this cost?
Dai Jingbin said in a trembling voice: "Sir, are you saying that each household will be given fifty acres of land, and then they will also be given an ox, and you will also be asked to help them build a water tanker for well irrigation?"
Liu Yan said: "Exactly, each household has one water tanker for irrigation and one cattle for farming. This is the most ideal. At worst, three households need to be given one cattle for farming."
Based on the situation in northern China in ancient China, one cattle, five or six people, and fifty acres of land was the most common allocation scale for small-scale peasant economy, and it was the only scale. In order to maintain the livelihood of a family of five or six. If the population exceeds this number, the family will have to split up to make a living. If the number of land is less than this, the land will need to be farmed to make a living. Therefore, this is the most basic bottom line for survival.
Dai Jingbin was dumbfounded. Not counting Wangjiazhuang, there are now more than 3,000 households in the city of Xiahe Village with hundreds of households under it. If each household rents one oxen, 3,000 oxen will be needed. . Even if every three households were given one oxen, thousands of oxen would still be needed, which would be too expensive.
From the early Ming Dynasty to the mid-Ming Dynasty, the price of cattle in the Ming Dynasty was three taels of silver per head. However, by this time, the price of cattle had soared to more than eighty taels of silver per head. Although it has fallen back now, it still costs six taels per head. These are hundreds or even thousands. A plowing ox, a well-irrigating water tanker, various agricultural tools, etc. Where can the money, money and food come from in a city with thousands of households?
Dai Jingbin sneered and said, "Sir, this, this number is really too big, I can't do anything about it!"
Liu Yan said: "Master Dai, don't worry, I will naturally find a way to solve it."
Dai Jingbin was still dumbfounded, and even Tian Huixu and the others present were stunned and in disbelief. Only the people in the original Wangjiazhuang looked calm. They had full confidence in Liu Yan. Liu Yan said that there was a way to do it, and there was a way to do it.
However, while Dai Jingbin was surprised, he also remembered another thing. He said hesitantly: "Sir, military households have new fields to divide, so do the officers of each fort have fields to divide?"
Liu Yandao: "Of course, ordinary military households can allocate fifty acres of land, and officers have even more land to allocate. I have decided that each of the officer households with 100 households or less can allocate 100 acres of land, and those with more than 100 households can allocate 100 acres of land. Each household can be divided into one hundred and fifty acres of farmland. Of course, whether ordinary soldiers or officers, once the grain-free period is up, they must collect grain per mu, and no one is exempt."
In Liu Yan's decision, after counting the wasteland in each fort, the military households would reclaim it themselves. After each household reclaimed fifty acres of land, it would be registered. Finally, well irrigation and water trucks would be built for them in batches and farm tools would be rented to cattle. wait. The standard for each household is four to seven people. No matter how many people you have in your household, you will still be allocated the same land. As a result, those large families who wanted to divide their fields had to divide the households themselves. Liu Yan believed that this would help curb clan power.
Except for the Qianhusuo City, Wangjiazhuang, and Ancient Town Inspection Department areas in front of Xiahe Village, each with an estimated population of two to three thousand, most of those military households do not have land. From Qianhusuo in front of Xiahe Village to Wangjiazhuang, there are estimated to be 100,000 acres of wasteland that can be reclaimed. From Qianhusuo City to the Inspection Department of the Ancient Town, there are estimated to be 150,000 acres of wasteland that can be reclaimed.
The essence of the fields of the thousands of households in front of Xiahe Village were all concentrated in these areas, and the remaining cultivated land was scattered in the remaining towns in Jiaonan County in later generations. The land in those places will be discussed later. But the land in front of us can already meet the needs of all the military households in Qianhusuo City, and refugees will be recruited to cultivate it in the future.
In addition, Zhaojiaying is also an important production place of timber. There are also a large number of coal mines in Zoumaling to the northwest. These will be important resources in the future.
Liu Yan planned to build Qianhusuo City in front of Xiahe Village as a military base, Wangjiazhuang as a military production base, Dapanbao as a money base, the Ancient Town Inspection Department as a trade base, and the rest as raw materials. supply base.
In this way, Liu Yan built the entire Xiahe Village's front thousand households into a basic base that can be internally circulated and self-sufficient, and completed the preliminary construction of his own base!
Some people died, but not completely...
