When Liu Bei heard the conversation between the two, he frowned, and interrupted and asked: "If tens of thousands of troops all feed on meat, how many cattle and sheep will be needed? I'm afraid that all the cattle and sheep in Yongliang and Liang will not be enough to feed the army. Months, right? Although Xiao Nao’s idea is good, its specific implementation is not realistic.”
Fazheng smiled and explained: "Your Majesty, don't be anxious. Food can be grown and harvested, and cattle and sheep can naturally be raised. The Qiang and Hu people in Yongliang and Liang are good at herding but not good at farming. We can use their strengths.
Although the water and grass on the north bank of the Yellow River are plentiful, successive battles have wiped out the herdsmen. Now the Qiang and Hu can be moved to the grassland, and a large pasture will be formed in less than two years. During this period, some grain will be stored to make compressed grain, and the expedition to Wuwei will be fully prepared. Not too late. "
"The original idea of Xiaozhi was that he didn't know whether it would be easy to relocate the Qiang and Hu people. If it triggers a civil uprising, the gains would outweigh the losses." Liu Bei's expression remained solemn.
Pang Tong raised his hand and said: "General Ma has a high prestige among the Qiang and Hu. The three counties of Tianshui, Longyou and Jincheng are not as good as the grasslands for grazing, but we must be wary of Cao Zhen sending troops to attack and the scattered Huns."
"Shi Yuan is absolutely right. Gaoping (Guyuan) is more than 300 miles away from the Yellow River, and there is not even a decent city around it. Wouldn't it be dangerous if it encounters an enemy attack? If the whole group moves to the vicinity of Lingzhou, it will first be far away from Wuwei. It’s further away, and secondly, it’s too close to the Xiongnu in Shuofang, which will inevitably cause conflicts due to grazing.” Liu Bei looked at the sand table and analyzed.
"The location of Lingzhou is really inappropriate. There is a lack of city supplies and rest between Gaoping (Guyuan) and Wuwei. Your Majesty can choose a site here (to the west of Zhongwei) to build a city. On the one hand, it can be used as a base for the expedition to Wuwei, so as to collect grain and grass." It can be stored here, and secondly, it can protect the herdsmen who have moved there, and it can also solve the hidden danger of Cao Zhen and the Huns attacking." Fa Zheng put forward his own idea.
"This plan is very clever. After the northwest counties are recovered, a post station and a wharf will be set up in this city to connect passing caravans and messengers. It will kill several birds with one stone." Pang Tong praised the plan.
Although the two military advisors reached an agreement, Liu Bei did not seem so optimistic and has not yet made a final decision.
Fa Zheng saw this and asked: "Your Majesty, do you still have concerns?"
"The plan of filial piety and uprightness is not incomplete, but the manpower, financial and material resources needed to build the city are immeasurable. We don't know when the population of Yongliang will recover. If we frequently use force inward to deal with Cao Zhen, when can we leave Tongguan eastward?" Liu Bei He was worried that Cao Zhen would take too long, and his invasion of the Central Plains would be out of reach.
"Your Majesty, it's complicated. In the past, when General Lan built Guangzhou City, he slowly replenished it while building it. It didn't happen overnight. He also mobilized soldiers to build the city. Why don't we follow Ziyu's method?" Pang Tong smiled leisurely.
"Shi Yuan should be more clear." Liu Bei became interested.
Pang Tong nodded lightly to Fazheng, then stroked his beard and explained: "The scale of this city does not need to be too large, and the city walls do not need to be as high as Chang'an. It is enough to withstand the wind and sand on the grassland, so the construction difficulty is not high and the construction time will not be too long." Soon, Zilong will probably have enough people to recruit, your Majesty just needs to ensure food."
"When Shi Yuan said this, he suddenly became enlightened. It seems that this plan is really possible?" Liu Bei looked at Fazheng in surprise.
Fazheng agreed with a smile: "This is what I mean. It will definitely not work to mobilize troops. In addition, building cities, cultivating fields, and grazing animals will take time, so there is no need for all soldiers to stay on the front line. Your Majesty can withdraw part of Chang'an, and if there is a war in the Central Plains, troops can be sent to respond." , it will not be too late to send troops to Hexi (Hexi Corridor) when the time is right.”
"Good." Liu Bei nodded, "Old General Huang is old and cannot stay at the frontier for long. I have to withdraw him."
"Which generals will your Majesty intend to keep to lead the Western Expedition?" Seeing that Liu Bei was about to withdraw Huang Zhong, Pang Tong immediately asked who would be the commander-in-chief of the Western Expedition.
Liu Bei replied seriously: "Zilong is the general of Zhenxi and the governor of Liangzhou. Who else could he be? I owe him something in Shu, so I will leave the battlefield of Xiliang to him."
"In this case, I suggest that Yide and Meng Qi can gradually recall Chang'an and leave Deng Shizai to farm in Jincheng." Pang Tong suggested.
Liu Bei nodded lightly, "Yi Deke was recalled together with General Huang. Meng Qi also wanted to mobilize the Qiang and Hu herdsmen to move north to the grasslands. It won't be too late to return to the capital when the matter is completed. However, Shi Zai left the capital not long after his wedding. Now he will If I stay in Jincheng to farm, Xiaoqi (Chen Zhen) will probably complain about me."
At that time, Liu Bei mentioned Deng Ai's marriage. Pang Tong and Fazheng recommended the daughters of Chen Zhen and Huang Quan respectively. Because Deng Ai was a disciple of Lantian, the marriage meant making friends with foreign relatives. In addition, Huang Quan and Lantian were not familiar with each other. When asked by Liu Bei, After some hesitation, Chen Zhen's daughter was finally given in marriage to Deng Ai.
Chen Zhen and Deng Ai were both from Nanyang. They already admired the pragmatic Deng Ai and did not think much about Lantian's relationship. They were happy to talk to Liu Bei and happily promoted the marriage. However, Deng Ai had been married for less than a month. , he was ordered to escort the grain and grass to Tianshui to report, and his daughter was taken back to Weiwei Mansion to live.
"A man's national affairs are of paramount importance. Xiaoqi (Chen Zhen) will explain to you. Their father and daughter should understand Your Majesty. I don't know how long Shizai will be in Jincheng farming. Xiaoqi can wait until the spring warms and the flowers bloom, and send someone to send his daughter there." Let’s go to Jincheng for a reunion.” This was not a problem in Pang Tong’s eyes.
"Shi Yuan is still thoughtful. Since the date of Shi Zai's return from farming has not yet been determined, Jincheng will not bother the two masters. The military and political affairs of the county will be left to him. I will issue an edict tomorrow and appoint Deng Ai as the governor of Jincheng." Liu Bei said to Deng Ai in his heart. After all, he is a Lantian student, and managing a small border county is no problem.
Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei have regained a large area of Yongliang territory in the past few months. There are vacancies in important positions such as governors, county magistrates, governors, and county magistrates in various counties. Liu Bei temporarily selected some officials from Chang'an to fill them, resulting in a shortage of personnel in various yamen in the capital. Becoming nervous, he thought that by waiting for the group of officials from Soochow to arrive in Beijing, the shortage of personnel should be alleviated.
There was a bumper grain harvest in Guanzhong, and the two-front war between Yongliang and Yongliang went smoothly. The Han Dynasty, which allowed Liu Bei to renew his life, ushered in an auspicious New Year. The residents of Chang'an were busy walking around the streets in the first month. Many people spontaneously came outside Weiyang Palace. , kowtow to the emperor towards the palace wall, and express gratitude for the peace and prosperity of the country and the people.
Compared with the joyful atmosphere in Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty, Luoyang, the capital of the Wei state in the east, was shrouded in depression.
Overseas, Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor brazenly, and Sun Quan of Eastern Wu was destroyed by Lantian. In addition to still being unable to help Cao Zhen, Wei also lost Nanxiang County.
Several important ministers in the country passed away one after another last year, including Grand Sima Cao Ren, Taiwei Jia Xu, Shizhong Wenhui, Taichang Xingyong, Yueqi Colonel Xunwei, and Liangzhou Governor Zhang Ji, whose death was not reported to the Central Plains.
Wei Emperor Cao Pi has been troubled recently, especially the death of his spiritual support Jia Xu, leaving Cao Pi with no one to turn to for advice, and the legendary 'Wuhou' Sima Zhao has become a useless man. Even if Sima Zhao can really turn the tide, this The child is only twelve or thirteen years old, so it will be difficult for him to become a major leader in the short term.
(End of chapter)
