The early autumn rain and dew shyly escape from the branches and leaves that gave birth to it, and the waist of the grass is no longer so soft and green.
The rising sun drives away the bright moon, and enjoys the vast sky alone. The stars also avoid it, for fear of causing the rising sun to misunderstand, so they go to bed early.
Today is the day of the Qin court meeting. In the meeting hall, civil and military officials were arranged separately, and hundreds of officials gathered together.
It's still the same as before, some of the ministers recommended talents, some suggested rectification of the bill, and some asked for money.
After dealing with political affairs, Ying Zheng announced the news of Huan Jue's defeat.
All the ministers were pale and silent, observing King Qin's mood.
Ying Zheng did not publicly announce the next strategy he had just formulated with Li Si. He only stated that the war would continue and was far from over.
After the court meeting was over, he came to Wu Chan's palace and saw Wu Chan coaxing the little princess to move eastward and play on the cave.
"Husband, you are here." Wu Chan stood up to greet him.
Ying Zheng nodded: "I just finished the court meeting. I came over to discuss something with you."
"If you have anything to do, just give me your orders. Why discuss it?"
Ying Zheng smiled and said: "This matter involves the arrangement of Ghost Hands. How can I not discuss it with you, the clan leader?"
Immediately, he briefly talked about how he wanted to send some of his ghost hands to the Yin Mountains and bring some ice worms with them.
When Wu Chan heard this, he pretended to be angry and said: "The net cast by the king is too big. Our ghost hands are almost out of use. Besides, the place in Yinshan is not as good as the north. Not to mention the freezing cold, it is also close to foreign tribes. Without any guarantee, who would be willing to go?”
"That's what you said." Ying Zheng frowned and then asked, "Then what do you think we should do?"
Wu Chan said with a smile: "It's easy to say. With so many seed insects brought back this time, it can be said that the enthusiasm of ghost hands is unprecedentedly high. In addition, whether you have resettled the people, you want to recruit more ghost hands. No more words."
"Then I will ask the household officials to allocate more silver taels and give the old ghost hands more monthly salary." Ying Zheng said, "Let them bring more apprentices. If they are given more silver taels, they can be more active."
"You will have to spend a lot of money." Wu Chan chuckled, "It's great to come to Daqin. You must know that when we were in Jingjue, Guishou's salary was not too high, and it was more supported by faith. .”
"Not only that." Ying Zheng added, "I want Mengwu to expand its army again, so that the Meng family army can be expanded to 300,000, and then specially guard it in Yinshan to ensure the safety of the ghost hands there."
"Three hundred thousand?" Wu Chan said in surprise, "It's so much, and you're not afraid of spending all your money."
Ying Zheng smiled and said, "This 300,000-strong army is, firstly, to protect the Yinshan Mountains. Secondly, it is to prevent changes in the Xiongnu side. Furthermore, it can also accumulate reserve combat power for the hard bones to be gnawed in the future."
"That's true." Wu Chan said, "The strong bones you are talking about should be Qi and Chu, right?"
Ying Zheng nodded, but perhaps he had more than just these two countries in mind.
The two of them had almost finished their discussion and went out of the palace together to look for Thumb.
In the past few days, Thumb has been busy taking care of the two hundred seed worms, finally reducing the stress caused by their relocation and allowing them to adapt to the climate, temperature and environment here.
Seeing King Qin and the clan leader coming, he grinned from ear to ear.
The ghost hands who served the insect also came over and knelt down to pay their respects.
Ying Zheng quickly asked everyone to get up, and then asked about the placement of the icegu seed insects.
"Lord, don't worry. Once such precious seed insects are in our hands, there won't be any problems in their care." He patted his chest with his thumb and said, "We all offer them as offerings to our ancestors, but there is no trace of them. Don’t dare to take it lightly.”
Ying Zheng smiled and said: "How can I not know how attentive you are? The main concern is that the environment where they came is very different from here, and they are afraid that they will feel uncomfortable. Now it seems that the worry is unnecessary."
"My Lord has gone through so much trouble to bring back so many seed insects, how can we not worry about their safety." Thumb said, "As for us men, we can only wait helplessly, and we can't do much to help."
"Who said that?" Ying Zheng looked at Wu Chan and said, "Your clan leader didn't come with me on your behalf. If it weren't for her, how could she have brought back so many seed insects?"
This wave of favors was harvested well and pushed Wu Chan to a higher position.
Wu Chan smiled and said: "As the leader of the Jingjue clan, isn't this what I should do? Now that the breeding of insects has stabilized, King Qin wants you to set off and go to several places."
He saluted with his thumb and said: "Since the Lord and the clan leader have made arrangements, even if they are told, I don't know which places they are?"
Ying Zheng said: "Didao, Shangjun, and Jiuyuan, you divide the seed insects into four groups, and then leave one group in the north. The remaining three groups are placed in those three places respectively, and then use the fire eyes there to create as many as possible. Come out with some dense stones."
"No problem." Thumb responded directly, "We will pack up today and set off tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll let Meng Yi escort you to the Northland first, and then you can split up there."
After settling the matter regarding the ice Gu, Ying Zheng took Wu Chan to find Meng Wu.
After escorting Ji Fa back to Xianyang, Ying Zheng gave Meng Wu a secret order, ordering him to train the new Huben army with Wei Liao, who had just returned from Qi.
At the beginning, part of the Tiger Army was sent to the harem by him to become the imperial guard, and part of it followed him to ensure his safety at all times.
Obviously, he needs a tiger army that can really go into battle to kill the enemy.
Entering the training ground, I saw Meng Wu and Wei Liao training soldiers.
The two ministers came forward to salute, and then let King Qin and the princess into the inner hall.
"How do these newly recruited soldiers perform?" Ying Zheng asked.
Meng Wudao: "They are all good young men. According to the king's instructions, the people recruited this time are all young men between the ages of twenty and twenty-five. They are full of strength and full of blood."
"Yes." Wei Liao said, "As soon as I heard that the king had launched a war for unification, the young men all signed up enthusiastically. We selected 30,000 people from them and are training day and night in the form of a tiger-fighting army, striving to become the king as soon as possible. Make an effort."
"Well done." Ying Zheng said with a smile, "But after thinking about it these days, I still don't have enough manpower."
"What the king means is..." Meng Tian said.
"Expand the army!" Ying Zheng said in a firm tone, "This time we don't need to limit ourselves to just the few counties around Xianyang. We need to recruit troops nationwide."
Wei Liao frowned, cupped his hands and said, "I hope the king will give you more details."
Ying Zheng said: "You all know my thousand-year plan. Apart from Liu Bang, among the four ministers, only the Meng family currently has an army, and my plan is to let these four ministers guard the four directions respectively."
"The Sima family is in the east, the Li family is in the west, the Zhao family is in the south, and the Meng family is in the north."
"Each of these four families must have at least 300,000 troops. Added together, the number is 1.2 million!"
"This, so many!" Meng Wu said in shock.
Wei Liao was also shocked.
Wu Chan looked at Ying Zheng in disbelief.
But yes, looking at the world, no country has an army of more than one million.
Let’s not talk about the distant past, but just talking about the Spring and Autumn Period, there were so many small countries, and the total population of many small countries was less than one million.
After the three families were divided into the Jin Dynasty, they entered the Warring States Period. Small countries were gradually annexed, leaving seven big countries.
Although the total population of each country has increased, no country can continue to afford the expenses of supporting an army of one million.
Most of the time, if there is a big battle and the army needs to be expanded, soldiers are usually recruited temporarily. When the war is over, it is time to go home to farm, and those who herd cattle, return to their profession.
Among the current countries, Great Qin has the strongest national power and naturally the strongest military strength, but it has never reached a million people. How can they not be surprised.
"Don't be impatient, just listen to what I have to say." Ying Zheng continued, "This army of more than one million cannot be recruited at once. If we recruit them all now, they will all be ready by the time they are put to use. You’re an old man, how can that be done?”
Meng Wu and Wei Liao were relieved.
"Listen carefully. When I finish speaking, you have to put forward your suggestions." Ying Zheng said.
The two close ministers nodded together.
Ying Zheng cleared his throat, and then continued: "This first wave of military expansion is to recruit three hundred thousand new soldiers throughout our Daqin territory. After simple training, they will be brought to Yinshan for Meng Tian to continue training, and Protect the elite people who build the Great Wall there and the hired workers who go there."
"These 300,000 people will be stationed in the Yinshan area from now on. They can marry and have children there. They can marry exquisite women. If they get older, they can stay on the grassland forever. They can even establish their own kingdom in the future. "
Meng Wu and Wei Liao were both shocked, and Wu Chan opened his mouth wide.
"Don't be surprised. Only in this way can we truly build a barrier of practical significance between China and Beidi. If no one guards the Great Wall, it will be just a high wall and cannot stop anyone." Ying Zhengdao , "Wait until the Zhao Kingdom is captured, then reorganize its surrendered troops, and then expand to the next three hundred thousand."
"By analogy, every time a place is conquered, the troops will be reorganized until the strength of each vassal reaches 300,000."
"The troops stationed in the future can still be adjusted temporarily. The most important thing right now is the expansion of the Meng Family Army."
Ying Zheng finished speaking in one breath, but Meng Wu and Wei Liao were unable to answer.
It is an unimaginable thing to expand a private army to 300,000 people. How much trust does this require from the monarch to his ministers?
Moreover, there is no need to return to the country in the future, and they can reproduce for generations outside the Great Wall. Over time, a brand new nation or even a country may be derived.
"If you don't speak, I'll take it as your acquiescence." Ying Zheng said.
Meng Wu came back to his senses, cupped his hands and said: "Meng Wu will definitely do his best to complete the army expansion, but if he is permanently stationed in Yinshan..."
Ying Zheng stood up and came to Meng Wu's side.
Meng Wu quickly stood up to greet him, and in an instant the eyes of the monarch and his ministers collided.
From King Qin's firm eyes, Meng Wu saw trust and entrustment.
"General Meng, don't forget my plan." Ying Zheng said, "You, the Meng family, are responsible for finishing the work among the four great ministers, and you are also dealing with the most powerful nomadic tribes in the north. Perhaps the Huns will one day decline in the future. Go down, but who can guarantee that another nation will not replace the Xiongnu and invade China."
Meng Wu is not like Meng Tian or Meng Yi. The two brothers often travel with Ying Zheng, see many secrets, and understand Ying Zheng's thoughts better.
After all, he is in his fifties. Meng Wu's personality tends to be steady. He must think deeply before taking action.
Although he knew the content of Ying Zheng's thousand-year plan, he did not expect it to come so soon. In his mind, the future plan was still early and should be implemented by his two sons or even his grandson.
But his overly loyal belief prevented Meng Wu from having any doubts about King Qin’s words. He handed over his hands and said: "If I accept the order, I will definitely lead a powerful Meng family army for the king, build the Great Wall, guard the country, and protect China for thousands of years." His safety is in danger!”
"Very good." Ying Zheng held out three fingers, "In three months, I will see the 300,000-strong Meng family army formed."
Meng Wu: "..."
