Meng Chang thought that Zhang Zhao was asking for food to hoard military supplies, but in fact, Zhang Zhao had been preparing for ten years to enter Guanzhong.
A large amount of food was hoarded in Qinzhou, Yuanzhou and Xiazhou, enough to supply tens of thousands of Liang troops for a year and a half.
However, there is both bad news and good news about the coming famine in Guanzhong.
The bad news is that preliminary statistics show that the number of cultivated acres is not 70%, but just over 50%.
This is despite the fact that Jingzhou, Yuanzhou, Pizhou, and Heningzhou are basically stable. In Yaozhou, which is the worst, less than 10% of the people have completed farming.
The good news is that after natural and man-made disasters, Guanzhong lost a full 200,000 people last year due to hunger, war, and disease.
The current population of Guanzhong is roughly estimated to be only about 1.1 million, which means there are 200,000 fewer mouths to eat.
What a 'good news! '
In fact, what Zhang Zhao didn't know was that the great natural disaster that hit Guanzhong in history was far more serious than it is now, and it was followed by the rebellions of Wang Jingchong and Zhao Siwan and He Zhanzheng's surrender to Shu.
Especially Zhao Siwan's rebellion in Chang'an. Before his rebellion, there were hundreds of thousands of people in Chang'an City. By the time Zhao Siwan surrendered, there were only more than 10,000 people.
It was not until the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty that the population of Guanzhong recovered to about 1.7 million.
"Your Majesty, the envoys from the Kingdom of Shu have arrived in Qinzhou. The Lord of Shu, Meng Chang, indeed agreed to borrow grain, and then requested that the ancient plank road be widened and the Xiegu River be dredged."
Zhang Zhao sneered. The rich second generation would always underestimate the cruelty of war without being severely beaten.
In Zhang Zhao's view, for Shu to be able to unify the world, only two conditions must be met.
First of all, the rulers of the Central Plains must be small masters of death like the Second Emperor of Qin and Emperor Yang of Sui.
Even a fool like Emperor Hui of Jin could not do it because the ministers would stop him.
Second, the ruler of Shu must be at least as good as a once-in-a-lifetime hero like Liu Bei.
Otherwise, there would be no drama at all, because the lack of war horses in Shu is even more exaggerated than in Jiangnan, and the elite mountain soldiers are completely useless in Guanzhong.
There is a naval force, but it cannot be used at all. After the Han River is diverted, the cost of transporting grain and grass will be terrifying.
"Go and inform He Ning and ask him to meet the Shu envoys in Qinzhou, and tell him that there are signs that the Khitans have entered the Pass. He has already gone to Tongguan in person.
Also, don't let Shu envoys pass through Qinzhou. Any businessmen coming from Shu must be carefully screened. Anyone who is involved with Shu must find reasons to delay their entry into Guanzhong. "
After Guo Tiance went down, Han E, the mountain chief of Qi Minyuan, was summoned to the palace.
Zhang Zhao couldn't help but smile as he looked at this fat old man.
Because he is really capable, since Han E arrived in Liangzhou, the level of the agricultural science pilots in Liangzhou has been greatly improved.
With his grafting technology, Liangguo's melon and fruit output has more than tripled.
Han'e also developed interplanting technology adapted to local conditions, which increased the land yield per mu in Liang and Lanzhou by more than 20%.
Zhang Zhao was preparing for large-scale promotion. As a result, the agricultural production in Guanzhong was in poor condition, so Zhang Zhao had to recall Han and E back to Guanzhong.
"Han Weng is tired from the journey. I shouldn't have asked you to come in such a hurry, but Han Weng should know something about the situation in Guanzhong."
Zhang Zhao sighed as he spoke, "If we were in Hexi, we could pretend we couldn't see it, but now that we're in Guanzhong, we can't ignore it. These are hundreds of thousands of human lives!"
Han E was over sixty years old. He was really overwhelmed by the rush from Liangzhou to Chang'an. He was even more uncomfortable coming to see him so late.
But after hearing Zhang Zhao's words, the old man couldn't help but feel in awe.
"I am sixty-four this year. In the past, when all the ancestors of the great dynasty were alive, I never saw such love for the people. Although I am tired now, it is my duty to the people of Guanzhong. Do you dare not do your best?"
"Okay! Then I will appoint Han Weng as the left minister of the Ministry of Industry, in charge of the Tuntian and the Second Division of the Water Ministry, and all the students of Qi Minyuan will be mobilized by Han Weng.
If you need a doctor of agriculture, please report to Prime Minister Zhang, and he will coordinate the recruitment from Hexi and Longyou prefectures. A severe famine in Guanzhong this year is a foregone conclusion, but if one can be saved, it will be one. "
Although it is already April, if you want to rush to plant some crops, you can still do it. After Han E took the order, Zhang Xichong and Cao Yuanzhong walked in.
"I leave it to Zhang Weng to carry out seed grabbing, disaster relief, military service, and relocation of victims to Shu in Guanzhong. Food for the army has already been prepared, but the people in Guanzhong cannot save everything."
If so, is there any way to save the people in Guanzhong at this time? Indeed there is.
That is to leave only 10,000 elite troops, send the army back to Longyou and Xia Sui in Hexi Province, and then use military rations to relieve the victims.
But Zhang Zhao would not do this, because it would be equivalent to handing over the Central Plains to Liu Zhiyuan.
Today we have saved more than 100,000 people in Guanzhong, but in the future we may have to sacrifice the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers to do so.
The catastrophe in this pass was not caused by Zhang Zhao. If he did, how could he be worthy of the warriors who fought bloody battles for him?
Therefore, it was impossible for Zhang Zhao to use military rations to relieve the victims, so after arranging for Zhang Xichong, Zhang Zhao specially summoned his father-in-law Cao Yuanzhong.
"The supply of the army must not be careless at all. No matter what happens, military rations cannot be mobilized for other purposes under any circumstances. Anyone who dares to pay attention to military rations must do so in accordance with military law."
This is a curse, because Zhang Zhao has taken measures to love the people in recent years, and he is afraid that some officials below him will make a mistake and forcefully requisition food to relieve the victims.
Don't think that such things would not happen in the Five Dynasties. The character and ethics of officials largely followed the emperor's character. If things went wrong, there would be a few stupid people, so Cao Yuanzhong was told not to return to Xiazhou. Stay in Chang'an.
His two daughters were all married to Zhang Zhao, one was the queen and the other was a county lady who was in need. After Zhang Zhao left, only Cao Yuanzhong could control the situation.
At the end of April, after Zhang Zhao arranged everything, he issued a recruitment order in Guanzhong in the name of General Tiance's Mansion, calling on the heroes of Guanzhong to join the army to conquer Khitan.
The name Tiance Mansion simply shouldn't poke too much into the hearts of people in Guanzhong.
For a time, all the brave men in Guanzhong rushed to tell each other, completely unlike the way they used to avoid the strong men in the past.
Especially when Zhang Zhao entered Guanzhong last time, the people of Wugong, Xingping, Qianxian and Xianyang who had received his favor were extremely enthusiastic because they trusted Zhang Zhao.
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In the past, the poet Du Fu described the place where Ye Niang and his wife saw each other off, and Xianyang Bridge was no longer visible in the dust, but today it is a different scene.
Seven thousand men from the sixteen states of Guanzhong gathered here. Although they were armed with inferior weapons and carried weak hunting bows, everyone was working hard and enthusiastically.
In addition to these young men, there are also more than 400 long-standing evil thieves who have come down from the mountain.
Zhang Zhao did not kill them all, but incorporated them all into the clan. Those who survived and made meritorious services were completely eliminated, and those who did not survive naturally did not need to be held accountable.
On the Xianyang Bridge, people from the Ministry of War were assessing the young men in Guanzhong, and based on their strength, they were given a small number of stomachs and weapons.
Although most of the gifts were leather armor and iron knives, they were extremely precious.
A burst of cheers came from Er, it must have been someone who came out. An incredible warrior will be given an armored horse.
Sure enough, amidst the cheers, a strong man as tall as a double-walled ape came out. Behind him was a tall Hexi folded horse, with a set of cloth-covered iron armor on the horse's back.
Of course, it is only for strong men now and will be returned at the end of the war.
Unless he can make a great contribution and obtain an official of the 48th rank, ninth rank, Zhongyi Lang or above, it will be possible to give it to him.
"Hey! It turned out to be Zhao Silang of Qishan. I heard that he was a master of horse-riding skills and could come and go freely. In the past, Captain An Shenqi sent 200 soldiers and couldn't catch him. Unexpectedly, he went down the mountain and joined the army. **Zhao Silang is one of the most ruthless bandits and horse thieves in Guanzhong. Many people have heard of his reputation even if they have never met him.
Immediately, a group of young men gathered around him curiously, wanting to see what this legendary horse thief looked like.
Zhao Silang didn't hide it at all, but felt a little proud.
"You have seen clearly that I am Sai Qin Qiong and Zhao Silang. In the future, I will follow the king to fight in the north and south, and I will also be made a prince. From now on, you fools will kneel down and kowtow when you meet a certain family."
After everyone heard this, there was a burst of curses, and the admiration just now disappeared.
Many of them, also nicknamed Sai Qinqiong and Xiao Qinqiong, were immediately eager to try and go up to ask for advice.
Where is The Complete Legend of Heroes of the Tang Dynasty most popular? Why do so many long-standing horse thieves come out to join the army?
Just look at the young men around you and you will know that Sai Qinqiong and Hei Luocheng here have not only one thousand but also eight hundred.
Half of them come here because of Zhang Zhaorenyi's reputation, and they are usually attracted by the complete biography of heroes of the Tang Dynasty.
On the first day of May, Zhang Zhao left Yin Yaozi to lead one battalion in Hanhai Town and two battalions in Xiongwu Town with 3,000 men to guard Qinzhou.
Liu Zaisheng led one battalion from Yingyang Town and two battalions from Feng'an Town with 3,000 men to guard the Qizhou rear.
He personally led the main elites such as Han Shandu, Left and Right Yulinwei, Hanhai, Yucheng, and Wuwei.
According to tradition, 4,000 united archers and 6,000 Yicongxiao cavalry were recruited as auxiliary troops.
Including the 7,000 Guanzhong men who provided their own weapons, the total army was 65,000.
Among them were 30,000 cavalry, 35,000 infantry, more than 80,000 mules and horses, and 1,000 boats, marching eastward along the river by land and water.
When setting off from Guanzhong, Zhang Zhao issued a proclamation against thieves in Chang'an City.
This is not a message like the last one, but a real message to attack the Khitans.
In his statement, Zhang Zhao referred to the heroic words of later Zhu Hongwu in his Northern Expedition to the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, saying:
"Since ancient times, emperors have ruled the world. They have always lived in China to control the barbarians, and the barbarians have lived outside to serve China. It is unheard of to say that the barbarians live in China and control the world...
The Khitan Hulu, the vassals of this great dynasty, surrendered and then rebelled again, showing no loyalty...
When the dynasty declined, servants took precedence over the family masters, and barbarians stole Chinese artifacts.
Chuili only pretended to be the emperor, and his son Yao Gu went even further. He appointed Di Yi as the son of Hua Xia, which made people and gods angry...
At this time, the luck circulates, the saint is born, the city of Dunhuang, the first title of Taizong of the great dynasty, the land of Hexi, inherits Huo Piao and Yao Jieyong...
After the great dynasty was loyal and loyal, Zhao, adhering to the loyalty of his great ancestor Yi Chao Gong, gathered brave men from all ethnic groups at the time when Wenhua was in danger, so that the Han style could return to the land of his ancestors.
Welcoming the common people, rewarding farming and weaving, opening up trade routes, and restoring the vast territory of Kansai...
I originally wanted to recuperate, wait for the Holy Lord of the Central Plains, and return to my country to be loyal and loyal.
However, the barbarians invaded from the south and brutally tortured our people. The evil atmosphere filled the Heluo River and spread their poison to the territory of Kyushu...
Now we have raised the righteous army to eliminate the riots, punish the people and punish their crimes, spread the message to all directions, and jointly attack the Khitans...
The teacher of benevolence and righteousness never commits any crime. He rewards the loyal and righteous people and punishes the rebellious ones. All the heroes from every town came and returned, never forgetting their ancestors.
Said: "Expelling the northern barbarians and reviving the great dynasty, let's see if the barbarians will have a hundred years of luck!" '"
