At the end of September, most of the officials attending the imperial meeting had arrived in Xianyang.
Sihai Palace.
Sangong, Meng Tian and Wang Ke were sitting in the palace. I glanced at a few people and asked, "General Meng, how is the Northland doing now?"
Meng Tian cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, now the Xiongnu have been destroyed, the Northern Hus have obeyed, and the surrounding areas of the Northland have been pacified except for the Dayue clan. The Western Region has surrendered, and the Dayue clan no longer dares to intrude on the border, and there is no war."
I nodded and asked with a smile: "That's very good, but there are still 300,000 troops in the North. Excluding the 20,000 transferred to Hexi, there are still 280,000. The monthly consumption of food and grass is not a small amount. What are your thoughts?"
Everyone was stunned and instantly understood what I meant.
Li Si glanced at Meng Tian without leaving any trace. Meng Tian changed his mind and said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, I thought there were too many Qin troops in the north, but there are still Da Yueshi and Hu Jie looking at the northwest, and the Huns have just been pacified. There is a risk of rebellion, I think, should I let a part of the Qin army in the north go to the Xiongnu?"
I watched him outline the plans for the Huns discussed at the beginning of the month, and finally said: "So there is no need for the Qin army to go to the grasslands. That would have no benefit except increasing the consumption of food and grass."
Meng Tian had a clear mind and immediately raised his hand and said, "In this case, we can send part of the border troops in the north back to the main army, leaving only part to garrison the Great Wall. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Seeing that there was nothing unusual about his expression, I was very satisfied and continued: "This method is feasible. How many people do you think is appropriate to leave to guard the Great Wall?"
"With Wu Jian's cavalry in the north, I think one hundred thousand people are enough!" Meng Tian thought for a while and reported a number.
When it comes to the safety of the Great Wall, he should not report the number of people casually. I agreed: "Just in case, it is better to leave more people and let 120,000 people be stationed on the Great Wall. As for the remaining 160,000, there is no need to return to the division and disband. , Now the area of Jiuyuan County has increased suddenly, and there is a lot of land suitable for farming. I have set up many counties, but there is a lack of farming population. I want the 160,000 Qin army to imitate Lingnan and colonize the area. What do you think?"
The border army in the north is different from that in Lingnan. There are no large-scale threats in Lingnan and can be easily settled. However, there are threats from nomads in the north. Previously, the Qin army specialized in fighting and was not engaged in farming. Although there were prisoners who built the Great Wall on the spot. Settlement, but this only slightly alleviated the need for grain and grass, most of which still needed to be supplied by Ganquancang.
I had this idea before, and Sima Li had also proposed it, but at that time the threat from the Huns and barbarians was still there, and even with the Great Wall to defend it, colonization was just a recipe for death. Now that the conditions are ripe, it should be implemented as soon as possible to reduce the burden on the court.
Moreover, those who are stationed on the spot are still part of the Qin army. This will not make Meng Tian think that I am deliberately reducing his military power, which is more acceptable.
Naturally, the Three Dukes have no objections. Who dares to stop the emperor from wanting military power? Meng Tian did not see any dissatisfaction, and immediately accepted the order: "Your Majesty is wise! This move can open up the Nine Plains, and at the same time reduce the number of Qin troops and leave elite soldiers. I think this move is feasible!"
I nodded and continued: "In addition, 10,000 loyal, young and smart soldiers will be drawn from 120,000 people and stationed in Ganquan. Except for Wang Ke, you all already know the existence of musketeers. Now the creation of firearms Although it has stopped, the improvement of firearms and the training of musketeers are still continuing without slackening at all. I want these ten thousand people to go to Ganquan to learn the use of firearms and combat methods!"
Zhang Han nodded slightly. He was in charge of Rewufang. He naturally knew that I was not satisfied with the power of the muskets. Those people were working hard to improve the muskets and at the same time, they were casting more powerful artillery!
Meng Tian also had no objection and said yes.
"However, there are many problems involved in the settlement of 160,000 Qin troops. The most important thing is, where do the women come from!" I have been thinking about this matter since the Huns were destroyed. As early as after returning from the inspection, Ge Yue and Baichong We have already started to prepare farm tools and cattle. It is not difficult to solve these things with hard work, but women cannot make them with hard work...
Wang Ke, who was in his fifties and slightly dim-sighted, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty wants to choose a concubine?"
"???" I had a question mark on my head, frowned and looked at him, and said in a deep voice: "Chief Wang, did you hear clearly what I said before? Are you going to Jiuyuan County to choose a concubine?"
Seeing my displeasure, Meng Tian quickly complained: "Your Majesty, don't blame me. When Commander Wang was young, he injured his ears while fighting in various places, and his hearing is not very good!"
Then he approached Wang Ke and said in a low voice: "Wang Commandery, your Majesty means to marry the Qin soldiers who are stationed in the field!"
Wang Ke suddenly realized what he said. He stood up and bowed and said: "Your Majesty, forgive me. I misheard your Majesty's words and should be punished!"
I frowned and waved my hands, ignored him, and continued: "What do you think about this matter?"
Feng Jie was the first to speak: "Your Majesty, I think we can move slaves to the north to increase the population!"
I shook my head and objected: "Slaves all belong to their own people. If the imperial court forces them to be released and moved to the north, I'm afraid it will cause dissatisfaction. If the imperial court spends money to purchase them, it will lead to the prevalence of human trafficking. This is inappropriate."
Li Si thought for a while, then raised his hands and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you move those prisoners over?"
I thought about it and nodded in agreement: "Yes, but how many prisoners are there? Women are even rarer, so I'm afraid it's just a drop in the bucket. We need to find another way."
Wang Ke understood what he heard this time. He narrowed his eyes slightly and cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, you can move the girls from the female clan to the north. I believe the number can be enough."
Don't talk about me, everyone frowned when they heard Wang Ke's suggestion. No matter how old and dim Wang Ke is, he won't be like this, right?
I was really a little angry this time, and said in a deep voice: "Wang Ke! The soldiers of the Qin army have fought countless battles for our great Qin. Who is not a meritorious official? How can you insult his reputation by a daughter-in-law? What are your intentions!"
Wang Ke was startled and stood up again to accuse him: "I am stupid, I am stupid, please atone for your sins!"
I look ugly, the head of a county would actually want to let Qin soldiers marry prostitutes! Not just stupid, but downright stupid! Let’s not talk about reputation first. There are no contraceptive measures in this era, let alone safety measures. Those prostitutes have contracted many diseases. Letting them join the Qin army is digging their own graves!
I don’t want to have children yet, and the measures I took with Taoyao and Li Shiyun are just some of the tricks for later generations... Let alone having an affair with those women from the concubine, I don’t dare to touch even a woman like Taoge who only sells her art but not her body. !
"Wang Ke! Get out. Don't come in unless I tell you!" I kicked him out directly.
I had never paid much attention to this old man before, so I looked at Meng Tian strangely: "General Meng, where does this Wang Ke come from? How can he be so stupid and ignorant of the general situation when he can be the governor of a county!"
