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In the third year of Xuanwu, on the fourth day of August, there was a strong wind, at the border of Changhe River, at the Chu army camp...
"It's dinner, it's dinner, get in line, everyone has a portion!"
The burly cook held a long-handled rice spoon, banged the rice porridge full of rice porridge, and shouted loudly to greet the Chu soldiers in the camp to eat.
Soon, a large group of Chu soldiers crowded in front of the camp, braving the strong wind, waiting for their meals.
"Pooh!"
Looking at the dense crowd, the cook spat on the ground, then opened the lid of the rice bucket. Suddenly, a burst of hot air drifted away in the wind, making the hungry soldier's eyes bulge and his Adam's apple rolling.
The Chu army had two meals a day, still following the lifestyle of the previous dynasty. Today's lunch was a large bowl of white rice porridge per person, two yellowed multigrain cakes, and a plate of pickles.
Compared with the food standards of the Han army, it can be said that the food of the Chu army is not comparable at all. They may not be able to eat meat and fish once a month, let alone meat and fish every meal.
However, compared with the previous dynasty, the old army deducted food and wages and was much more powerful than the old army, which could not even afford two meals a day. In addition, the two provinces and counties of Qing and Hu under the rule of the Chu State were already important grain-producing areas, so the Chu army of 200,000 went out to fight. It's okay for the army to have a full meal.
It’s just that it’s impossible to eat well…
Just as the soldiers of the Chu army had received their meals and began to find a place to have lunch in small groups, another group of armored lieutenant generals strode to a huge tent in the camp.
There are also several large buckets placed in the tent, which contain dry rice, pork stewed cabbage, fresh fish and boiled eggs.
Compared with ordinary Chu army soldiers, the food standards for lieutenant generals were much better, and they had enough food and water for almost every meal.
After the Chu State passed the Famarting Reform, both civilians and military officers had extremely strict hierarchies, and anyone who exceeded them would be severely punished.
Therefore, when those soldiers who could only eat porridge and pickles saw the generals eating meat, they didn't feel anything was wrong. They thought they were all poor and could not blame others. They only hoped that through one battle, they could accumulate military merit and rise to the upper class so that they could change their current situation. status.
The direct consequence of Fa Yang's reform was that all commercial activities in the Chu State declined. Only a few merchants could do business with merchants from all over the Yangtze River with the permission of the Chu State.
The dissemination of cultural knowledge was also prohibited. The people were basically illiterate and were required to move only within a certain range. They had no way of knowing the changes in the outside world.
All the people had to do throughout the year was to work day and night in the fields, and then pay high grain taxes to the court. Often, at the end of a year, 10% of the harvest would be confiscated by the court, leaving only 10%. Just a hand-to-mouth existence.
In just over two years, Fa Yang's five strategies to control the people have penetrated into the bones of every common person in the entire empire, and no one dares to complain.
If you want to change your situation of being neither human nor ghost, you can only join the army and conquer.
One thing to mention, except for the tens of thousands of garrisons guarding Tiandu, the soldiers of the Chu State did not receive a penny of military pay. If they wanted military pay, they could only exchange for military merit, and military merit could only be calculated based on the enemy's head.
However, it was precisely this kind of policy that deceived, humiliated, weakened, and exhausted the people that allowed the Chu State's military strength to achieve a qualitative improvement.
A Chu army major finished his bowl of porridge, then naturally looked to the other side of the river, and said unconsciously: "I heard that the Han army on the other side has meat to eat every day. As long as they serve for two or three years, they can I wonder if it’s true to buy a house, land, and marry a wife?”
Another soldier passing by heard this and said hurriedly: "Why, are you envious of their life? It's all a lie. Didn't you listen to what the Prime Minister said?
The emperor of the Han Dynasty was not in the right position, and the land in Jingbei suffered from drought for many years, and many people died of starvation. How can we be like us now, with rice porridge to eat every day, so be content. "
The principal sighed: "These are all one-sided words made by the Prime Minister and others. How do we know how others are doing..."
The soldier heard this and said hurriedly: "Be careful what you say. If the superiors hear this, you will be in big trouble."
The principal lamented: "It's really ridiculous. Now you're not even allowed to say what's on your mind? It's really uncomfortable to hold it in."
The soldier patted the principal on the shoulder, turned and left without saying a word, leaving the principal alone looking at the other side of the river in a daze.
A quarter of an hour later, the principal returned to the gang camp with the bowl in hand. He didn't want to be stopped by two law enforcement officers as soon as he put the bowl down.
"Are you Du Ergou?" a law enforcement officer asked in a deep voice.
When the young colonel named Du Ergou saw the law enforcement officer, his heart suddenly tightened and he hurriedly lowered his head and said, "The young one is Du Ergou. I wonder what the two of you want to do with me?"
When the law enforcement officer heard this, without saying a word, he grabbed Du Ergou's arms from the left and right, pressed hard, and bent him down.
This sudden blow made Du Ergou groan in pain and shouted repeatedly: "Two generals, what are you doing?"
The law enforcement officer replied coldly: "Du Ergou, you are spreading rumors and shaking the morale of the army. Now follow me to see the Prime Minister, let's go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Du Ergou was escorted to the commander's camp in the middle of the military camp amid heart-rending shouts.
As soon as he entered the main tent, he was kicked to the ground by two law enforcement officers. He looked up and saw the soldier who had been joking with him standing timidly in the tent.
Not long after, Fa Yang walked out of the tent with a serious look on his face. Without even looking at Du Ergou, he sat directly in front of his handsome desk, picked up the tea cup and swiped the tea lid a few times, and asked casually: " Are you Duergou?"
Du Ergou broke out in a cold sweat, lowered his head and said repeatedly: "The younger one is Du Ergou. Prime Minister, I am wronged. I really did not spread rumors to shake the morale of the army!"
Fa Yang chuckled lightly, looked at the soldier and said, "He said he was unjust. Could it be that you are deceiving the truth?"
The soldier hurriedly knelt on the ground and bowed his head: "I don't dare to deceive the Prime Minister in the slightest. Du Ergou was still questioning what the Prime Minister said in the camp, and he was full of yearning for the life of the enemy.
You said that the Han thieves on the other side could get married and own land after serving for two or three years. I also said that everything you said in the army was one-sided. You can only believe it if you see it with your own eyes. "
When Du Ergou heard this, his face turned pale. He never expected that this guy would catch him and report him after just a few complaints.
"What else do you have to say?" Fa Yang's cold eyes looked directly at Du Ergou.
Du Ergou immediately kowtowed: "Prime Minister, I was wrong. I was really wrong. I was just saying casually. Please spare me for once. Please spare me for once."
Fa Yang winked at the guard at the side, and the guard immediately took out a ten-ounce silver ingot from his arms and threw it in front of the soldier who reported it.
The soldier was overjoyed when he picked up the silver and thanked him profusely: "Thank you, Prime Minister, for the reward. Thank you, Prime Minister, for the reward!"
Fa Yang waved his hand gently: "It's none of your business, go out first."
"Young man, please retire." The soldier heard this and left with a lot of gratitude. These ten taels of silver were enough to cover the expenses of his family of five for two to three years.
Under the rule of Fa Yang, in order to prevent the people from uniting against the court because of dissatisfaction, they spent a lot of money to encourage neighbors to expose people who were dissatisfied with Chu's government. This also included the Chu army barracks.
It is said that human nature is inherently evil. Under the trend of petty profit, the suspicion and distrust between the military and the civilians has reached an unprecedented height.
