In the early morning of the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Chengwu, who was temporarily staying in the Commander's Mansion, returned to the Ordnance Bureau outside the city. He called the chief officer of the Baigong Bureau and had a quarrel, and asked him to strictly control the production quality without thinking.
By the way, let the soldiers deliver a new bed to the city.
Behind the screen in the inner room of the Marshal's Mansion, Bai Liuxi rubbed a little rouge on Fan Sanlang's face and decorated his hairpin, before Yun Jiaoyue stretched out the bronze mirror with a smile.
Fan Sanlang looked at his long-lost decoration in the mirror with joy in his eyes, but in the end he shook his head and took off his head and face bit by bit, saying: "Let's tie up the hair scarf."
Bai Liuxi and Yun Jiaoyue couldn't resist, so they had to let Fan Sanlang take off his head and face, and then went to the bathroom to wipe Liu Chengzong's body after taking a shower after morning exercise.
Because the bed was broken, none of them slept well last night. As long as one of the four of them turned over, the broken bed board would creak. After chatting for half a night, Fan Sanlang almost said the name Du Qiaoer, but still Before he could finish speaking, he was stopped by Liu Chengzong.
He said that the saviors were the reborn parents, and it was also filial piety to use the names of the reborn parents to establish a good life and become famous in future generations.
Tianbao prepared horses and a carriage outside the mansion. Today Liu Chengzong will take them to pay Fan Sanlang a grave, and then go to Xining.
There are two major events in the east and west of the Marshal's Mansion.
The first is the news sent by Chen Qindai, the magistrate of Haibei, through the post station. Many Mongols appear in the Qilian Mountains to the west in winter. It is said that Arslan died in Subei after escaping, but it is not known who was killed.
Second, his father Liu Xiangyu sent two messages one after another from Xining. One day earlier, he sent news that the food crisis in the Marshal's Mansion had been properly resolved, and one day later, he sent news that there might still be a shortage of food.
Liu Chengzong burned paper for Fan Sanlang at the tomb at the foot of the southeastern mountain of Juerwan, and then took his people to Xining City.
Along the way, he frowned and considered the situation.
Arslan took more than 2,000 Mongolian soldiers and a large amount of food and grass with him, which was almost a smaller version of himself when he moved west. It was normal for such a person to die in Subei, and it was an accident that he could gain a foothold like him.
Liu Chengzong estimated that Arslan probably died in civil strife. If he did not have the prestige brought by his move to northern Shaanxi in the Lion Army, civil strife would easily break out when he stationed along the coast of Qinghai Lake.
So he didn't think it was a big deal, but the news from his father from Xining was very strange.
The day before, he sent a letter saying that Li Tianyu was willing to contribute to the Marshal's Mansion, and he could use an earl in exchange for 100,000 stones of food and grass.
In the blink of an eye, another letter was sent the next day saying that I was afraid that food and grass were still insufficient, and he had to go to Xining to make a decision.
Liu Chengzong thought that for his father to pay so much attention to something, there must have been a big change and he needed to use troops?
In his heart, he was inclined to send troops to the east, but he was afraid of using force... There were thousands of hectares of fertile land in the Hehuang Valley, and it was not as safe as his own in the hands of others.
But there are many chieftain forts in the east, which is different from Kangning. The chieftains here are highly sinicized and look more like Han landowners than the Han landowners. They are also connected by patriarchal clans. They can send troops to the east without differentiation. With the military strength of the Marshal's Office, it will be difficult to move even an inch. .
It's not scary to be unable to move even an inch. Liu Chengzong has already attacked the city once in a serious manner. With some experience, he is confident that he can build forts one by one to reach the mouth of the river and face Lanzhou across the river.
The scary thing is that moving forward step by step will inevitably delay the farming season, destroy the fields, and cause the defenders to fortify their walls and clear the country... Then there is no point in conquering the Hehuang Valley.
The fields watered by blood will surely reap a bumper harvest the year after next, but the Marshal's Mansion will not be able to handle the lack of food next year.
Approaching Xiningwei, Liu Chengzong went down to the camp to observe the exercises just in time for the Zhenhai camp.
The soldiers of Zhenhai Camp are quite special in Xining. Like Fuqiang Fort, the soldiers here are all Ming Dynasty officers. In the past, the general was chieftain Qi Guoping.
However, Zhenhai Camp normally experienced a power struggle. This struggle lasted for fourteen months, longer than Liu Chengzong's southern expedition. It officially ended with the Battle of Guide when Zhenhai Camp went south.
For fourteen months, Liu Chengzu and Qi Guoping chased each other around Zhenhai Camp's military rations, equipment, and welfare. The two tried their best to fight, and at one point they were inseparable.
Liu Chengzu distributed grain to the Zhenhai Camp, and Qi Guoping asked for wages from the Zhenhai Camp. Lanzhou actually shipped money once; Liu Chengzu vaccinated the soldiers with pox, and Qi Guoping found someone to bribe the vaccination master. Liu Chengzu wanted to send troops south to fight, but Qi Guoping refused to let him. The army leaves camp.
It wasn't until the imperial court sent troops to block Lanzhou's defenses that Qi Guoping lost the confidence to fight... How could he afford to support 1,500 battalions without the support of the imperial court?
In the end, there was no other way. Qi Guoping, like Li Tianyu, went home to rest.
Now the person in charge of the camp is Xining Guard Qianhu Feng Rui.
Whoever can ask the Xining Guards to provide food will be the leader of the Zhenhai Camp. In this matter, Feng Yu can do it but Qi Guoping cannot.
Therefore, when the news of the Generalissimo's parade was announced to the whole camp by the ordering soldiers, Liu Chengzong had just walked into the camp gate when he heard the voices of the camp soldiers shouting "long live the mountain".
Qi Guoping thought about inciting soldiers to seize Xining City, but not only the soldiers were unmoved, but the officers were also unwilling to go to war.
The soldiers in the camp were well aware of the struggle for power between the Marshal's Mansion and the chieftain, but everyone was happy to see the results. They not only opposed Qi Guoping's use of troops against Xining Guards, but also opposed Liu Chengzong's use of force against Qi Guoping.
Everyone is smart. Who doesn’t like the days when food is distributed today, wages are distributed tomorrow, and cotton-padded jackets and bedding are distributed the day after tomorrow.
Even if Liu Chengzu wins, as long as Qi Guoping is not dead, they will not be in arrears with their military rations, and they will even get wages that they have never seen before.
Feng Lun said to Liu Chengzong during the camp drill: "They are all veterans and good soldiers, no worse than the Yulin soldiers, but they are tired of being owed pay and arrears. It is useless for us to say anything to them, and it is useless for the court to say anything to them. We can only With one stone of grain and one tael of silver per month, you can practice as much as you want, and move to wherever you want."
Liu Chengzong smiled and understood very well. This was the epitome of the emotional change of the imperial army, and it was a completely good sign for him.
Things are going on the right path for these camp soldiers, that is, whose food they eat, whose silver they take, and whose words they listen to.
The army is different from the common people. The army is recruited by the court. It is natural for the soldiers to eat food. But when the court cannot do this, the army will still move forward along the inertia until they encounter another possible choice.
Liu Chengzong is another possible choice.
However, it seems that only the Liu family and his son know about things in the east. Feng Rui knows nothing about it, but he mentioned that Gao Xian in Pingliang Mansion was looking for a needle in a haystack.
Gao Xian originally stayed in Pingliang Mansion to recuperate from his injuries. After recovering from his injuries, he stayed there to practice some martial arts. Later, he asked Han Xiaowang to help him send people to find his mother-in-law in Shanxi. She still hasn't found her. Some time ago, she asked Lanzhou The palace sent a letter to me. I wanted to go west, but I heard that the imperial court had locked up Lanzhou Pass.
Liu Chengzong scratched his head, feeling troubled by this matter, and asked Feng Rui to write a reply to Gao Xian, asking him to stay in Pingliang for the time being until the Hekou was captured.
When Liu Chengzong entered the Yamen of Xining City and saw his father, Liu Xiangyu was not as urgent as in the letter, and explained in detail the ins and outs of Li Tianyu's willingness to provide food and grass.
"He wants to bet all his wealth and life on us." Mr. Liu lifted his beard and chuckled: "One hundred thousand stones of grain were transported from Gongchang, Lintao, southeast of the Yellow River. One, two, five, and one stone is not enough, and it will offend him. A lot of people."
Liu Chengzong thought about this, shook his head and said: "Big, I don't think this is something to offend many people. Regardless of whether it is transported from Lintao or Gongchang, including the foot price, the price of grain is less than one tael per stone. No one will do business at a loss, so it’s not his turn to offend.”
But he didn't expect Liu Xiangyu to have any surprises. He said categorically: "Yes, he has controlled the grain market in Xining for many years. No matter how he transports the grain, we can buy it in Xining with one or two and a half yuan of silver."
Liu Xiangyu said: "If the grain merchant is dissatisfied with the price, he can use fur to offset the price. Add one sheepskin to each stone. Gold and silver cannot be added. One hundred and fifty thousand taels will definitely kill you. This is not in Juerwan. The gold and silver cannot come back after they are taken out. "
As he spoke, Liu Xiangyu shook his head and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter how much food can be transported in, it is important to be able to transport it in; it doesn't matter how much food there is, the most important thing is to let Li Tianyu, who is trapped in the gap, leave the Hehuang Valley."
"Let Li Tianyu leave Hehuang?"
Mr. Liu nodded and said: "If Li Tianyu doesn't transport food, he will be the first to die. If he doesn't want to die, he must first scare the officers and soldiers at the mouth of the river. If the food is to be transported in, the general at the mouth of the river will not let go... General Putting food in itself is more important than how much food is put in."
Liu Chengzong understood his father's plan in the blink of an eye. Li Tianyu was a touchstone. Whether he could get the grain in was his father's test of the fighting will of the front-line officers and soldiers guarding the Yellow River in Lanzhou.
"My father means that if food can be put into Lanzhou, even if it is only 10,000 shi, it will mean that the army is unwilling to fight, or that they are not ready."
"Yes." Liu Xiangyu continued: "And Li Tianyu did this. Regardless of whether he can bring in the grain or not, it doesn't matter what he thinks. Everyone on the other side of the Yellow River will think that he is doing something for you. The officers and soldiers in Lanzhou will fight He will also suffer disaster if he enters the river valley.”
"So father thinks that he will really join us?"
Mr. Liu nodded first, and then shook his head. He was not so sure in his words: "I can't say yet. Let's see if he goes to pay you a New Year greeting. If he goes, he will probably ask for a place to stay. He can go anywhere, such as Wulan Mountain or something like that."
"Wulan Mountain won't work." Liu Chengzong shook his head decisively and said: "There are salt pond fields and small towns in Wulan Mountain. I am planning to set up a military fort with 1,200 households there, but there are many places in the south and north of Shanxi or Shanxi and even the Chuidan Oasis. OK."
When Mr. Liu heard about the Guaidan Oasis, he thought that his son was more ruthless than me, so he advised: "The south of the mountain and the north of the mountain are enough. At least, I have been able to farm some land in the past few years. What will I do if I just throw away the Guaidan."
Liu Chengzong nodded, he just said it casually, and then asked: "Then what does father mean when he says that even if he transports food, it may not be enough?"
At the mention of this, Mr. Liu was very happy. He raised his hand and gently hammered the table, and said mysteriously: "The opportunity to march eastward has arrived... The people in the east have asked the Marshal's Mansion for help."
"Ask for help? What do you say?"
It turns out that during the lean season this summer, dozens of people from Nianbo and other places in the east of Xining came together to borrow food from Xining Wei.
At that time, Lazun's subordinates had not yet poured into Xining, and the Marshal's Mansion was very rich in food and grass. The matter was not even reported to the Wei Yamen, and the matter was settled only after Deputy Qianhu congratulated Zijie.
This He Zijie was the leader of bandits in Ningzhou at the earliest. He was also born in poverty. He knew that the people's life was difficult during the lean years. Anyway, the rations for dozens of people were not much. After discussing with his soldiers, he gave one person from the army rations. Squeeze out a bite and take some food to help these poor people.
Essentially, it was just for emergency use. They happened to have it, so they didn't expect anything in return. They only counted it as long as they survived.
But in this era, things tend to slowly get worse, just like their days in northern Shaanxi, they never get better.
Then in autumn, the Marshal's Mansion found that the population had surged, and food and grass might not be enough by next year; and the situation of the people in the Hehuang Valley was not much better.
This was a chain reaction. Xining found that there was not enough food, so it had to buy food from the market. The large purchase of food reduced the stock of food on the market. Just as the people were finishing the food supply for the court, the government and the army blocked the river mouth.
Grain prices in the Hehuang Valley soared, and all kinds of monsters appeared in the process. Grain prices varied day by day, and loan interest rates became higher and higher. At one time, grain prices rose to as much as one stone of white flour and two taels of silver.
This price is not high compared to the price of food in northern Shaanxi, but the extreme situation in northern Shaanxi is such that even the rich cannot survive. It is different in the Hehuang Valley. The original nine yuan and one stone of food has doubled. The people all survived.
Farmers cannot profit from the increase in food prices. There are not many homesteaders in the Hehuang Valley, and the tenant farmers are struggling to get enough food. Last year's food debt has not been repaid during the New Year, and they have to borrow food for planting in the spring. It has become a vicious cycle. They simply cannot I can't stick to the step of selling grain at a high price.
What's more, even for self-cultivating farmers, many fields in Hehuang are planted with oil-extracting cash crops. The rise in food prices has not caused an increase in oil prices.
"More farmers came to the Marshal's Mansion and asked to lend rations to grow grain." After Liu Xiangyu finished speaking, he looked at Liu Chengzong and said: "Fire is cooking oil, and here is the opportunity to completely control the Hehuang Valley."
Liu Chengzong could hardly contain his smile. This was when someone gave him a pillow when he was really sleepy. He dreamed that the common people and the gentry, the tenant farmers and the landlords, the servants and the chieftains would be separated.
The turmoil caused by grain prices is the best opportunity. On the surface, the various classes are as close as fish in water, but they are separated by a gap of two taels per stone in grain stores.
He took several deep breaths, then managed to regain his composure, and said seriously: "Father, some time ago, Zhou Tongzhi of the Navy Yamen told me something, saying that I am not a Donglu or a Xilu, so there is no need to act violently. If you practice benevolence and righteousness, you can win over the hearts and minds of the people in Hehuang. I think he is right."
"The Marshal's Mansion is really not good enough to act in a peaceful place where there is no disease or disaster."
After Liu Chengzong finished speaking, he raised his hand and changed his expression, and said seriously: "But in places where food is scarce, we are the most methodical people in the world... The chieftain in Xining has many eyes and ears, so his father selected a few farmers who asked for food and sent them to Club Bay.”
"I will select people to make a plan and prepare two armies, one in the open and one in the dark. This year during the Chinese New Year, we will let the chieftains choose sides. In the spring of next year, our team will lead people to riot throughout the river valley, and at the same time, one army will quickly push to the mouth of the river to seize it. Take the opportunity to prevent the court from intervening."
Speaking of this, Liu Chengzong couldn't hide his excitement. He had never organized such a large and rigorous operation, and only had three months to prepare: "If everything goes well, maybe it won't delay the people's descent in the valley next spring." kind!"
