The abandoned inn, the mottled courtyard walls, the deep night, and the intermittent lowing of wild beasts outside the courtyard walls. These uneasy factors made Fang Chongyong and his party very vigilant. Three of the group were on duty with crossbows, while the others were sitting on the ground around the campfire.
Changing shifts every hour is no different from marching.
"Why is Luomenyi so desolate? It's actually not that far from Chang'an."
Pei Xiu asked a question that was stupid on the surface, but actually very meaningful.
"Everyone ran away, that's all."
Fang Chongyong answered casually, still closing his eyes to rest. Pei Xiu talked more when he wasn't on duty, not because they and the others cared about her, but because they really didn't dare to entrust their lives and wealth to a stickman who had no experience in surviving in the wild.
In half an hour it was time for Fang Chongyong to change his shift. With his eyes closed and concentrating, he was too lazy to gossip with Pei Xiu.
"Everyone ran away? There was no war, so why did they run away?"
Pei Xiu was stunned and didn't understand what Fang Chongyong's words meant.
"Because I can't live my life, what else could it be?
When I was the governor of Shazhou, a small farmer's family there could only divide the land into less than 40 acres, which was far less than the 100 acres required for equal land. Their annual harvest is about 40 shi. The situation in Guanzhong is similar, but Longyou will only be worse.
Rice is cheap in Chang'an, and the grain produced by farming cannot be exchanged for much, but the required farm tools and daily oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar need to be purchased. With this coming and going, life becomes even more difficult.
If things go on like this, what are these people still doing farming in their hometowns? They sell their land to local powerful people, and then go to Chang'an and do some casual work to make up for it. "
Fang Chongyong said angrily.
Many things that are expressly prohibited by law are not a problem as long as there is huge and urgent demand! There are always ways to get around those "obstacles."
Fang Chongyong believes that it is easy to make Brother Ji's life happy, but it is difficult to make the lives of people in the Tang Dynasty easy.
Fang Chongyong has been in Datang for many years, and he basically "researches" wherever he goes. Then Fang Chongyong sadly discovered that even without land annexation, Datang's current economic model would be difficult to continue.
Actively or passively adding variables is the call of the times, and no one can stop it.
Because in the small-scale peasant economy, the land owned by an ordinary farmer in the Tang Dynasty during the Tianbao period was far less than the amount of equal land. The land equalization system requires 100 acres, but in fact the average is probably less than 40 acres.
And even without land annexation, this average number will become smaller and smaller.
40 acres of land. Judging from the current productivity, the output from the fields can no longer support a family of five!
That is to say, under the most ideal situation, a small farmer's family with no disease or disaster and good weather must have someone working on the sideline for a long time, or even working as a hawker to support the family, in order to maintain the family.
This is the pressure that continued population growth puts on the land! It doesn't mean that it can be solved by changing the emperor.
Therefore, for the farmers in the Longyou area with barren land, there is a very straightforward question before them: Since it is not easy to get along here, should I go to Chang'an to seek a living?
The output of the land in Longyou was less and life was more difficult. Since the Kaiyuan period, population mobility in the Tang Dynasty has been intensified and population control has been relaxed. The life of the local wealthy and powerful families is just like that. Everyone has poor land, and the landlord's family has no food surplus.
Do these people who come from small farming families have a better chance of winning when they go to Chang'an to seek life?
The situation near Luomenyi is very typical.
Because the place is poor and the local people cannot survive due to economic pressure, they have no choice but to migrate. The specific destination is Chang'an. A few people became Long March athletes and their whole families guarded the border.
As a post station, Luomen Station requires supplies from surrounding villages. There was no one around, and the sources of fodder for the horses, rice, flour, grain and oil, fruits, vegetables and meat needed for cooking in the post station were all gone.
If you don't discard it, are you still waiting for things to be sent from Chang'an to maintain it?
Therefore, the question asked by Pei Xiu seems easy to answer on the surface, but in fact it is a deep-seated social and economic crisis in the Tang Dynasty that is gradually erupting! How can there be a solution then!
Even if it was Fang Chongyong's previous life, the world more than a thousand years later. The poverty in Longyou area cannot be solved because the roads are rugged and more than 90% of the area is mountainous. Due to inherent shortcomings, the return on investment here is very low.
At that time, with the blessing of advanced agricultural technology, it was still like this, let alone the Tang Dynasty now!
This is a typical "Matthew effect". Those who have little will be taken away, while those who have more will become richer. The low food prices in Chang'an have caused "blood-sucking", causing resources in Guanzhong and areas close to Guanzhong to continue to be tilted toward Chang'an.
Therefore, the weakest places were the first to go bankrupt, and the situation around Luomenyi, which was close to Guanzhong and had very poor land, was the first to appear like a "deserted village with no human habitation for a hundred miles". If the price of grain in Chang'an is high, then these places can also deliver grain to Chang'an or the government's Changping warehouse in exchange for more money, so that their lives can be above the subsistence line.
However, Chang'an's grain is transported by water from all over the country, especially Hebei, which has a developed water system and vast farmland. How can agriculture in the Longyou Mountains compete with agriculture in Hebei?
In other words, the cost of growing food for the people in Longyou is higher than the price of food in Chang'an. Instead of farming, they might as well go to Chang'an to buy grain. However, they have no money to buy food. Instead, they have to sell the food produced in the fields at a price lower than the cost in exchange for daily necessities. In the long run, the only way to go is bankruptcy.
To put it bluntly, the low-priced grain transported to Chang'an through the canal suddenly ruined the lives of these mountain people.
If this situation is caused by a local tyrant who is running rampant and tyrannical in the countryside, then killing this family can alleviate the problem. But now the problems faced by the people in Longyou are much more complex and almost unsolvable.
"According to you, if the people of Longyou don't farm the fields, their lives will be better?"
Pei Xiu asked in disbelief. What Fang Chongyong said was completely deviated from the education she had received.
But she could vaguely feel that Fang Chongyong's statement had some truth to it.
There are countless small merchants and hawkers in Chang'an City. Many people push a flatbed cart and set up a stove on it to do business. The technical content of Hu cake soup cakes and the like is not high.
These people may not have a worse life than farming at home after working hard for a year. Even if you have not seen these vivid examples with your own eyes, you have heard them many times.
So where do these small traders and hawkers come from?
The answer can be found without asking.
Pei Xiu already understood.
"That's what you said, I didn't say that."
Fang Chongyong closed his eyes and waved his hands. He was cautious about his words and actions. There were many things he couldn't say directly.
"Ouch!" "Ouch!" "Ouch!"
The howling of wild wolves in the mountains came from outside the yard!
Everyone stood up alertly. Even Pei Xiu, the stick, held his sword tightly and looked around.
The people in Longyou area can migrate, but the wild wolves in the mountains cannot! The vitality of these wolves is very tenacious. Even more than a thousand years later, traces of wolves can still be seen from time to time in the countryside of Longyou.
In the Longyou area of the Tang Dynasty, there were numerous Qiang tribes with "wolf" as their totem.
"Fang Yushi, we seem to be surrounded by wolves here."
He Changqi, who was on duty at the door, retreated to the yard and spoke to Fang Chongyong in a low voice.
"This is a wolf calling his companions. You retreat and stay by the fire. It seems there is no way to sleep tonight."
Fang Chongyong ordered everyone.
Behind the fire were the carriages and horses on which they were riding. The target of the wolves may not be people, but maybe those restless horses.
The night was dark, and objects could no longer be seen a few meters away from the fire. In the darkness not far away, pairs of "bright" eyes were constantly moving. Their bodies are not visible at all, and they can only detect the location of these wild wolves through their flashing eyes.
They kept wandering outside the courtyard gate, seemingly unwilling to come in at all. Fang Chongyong felt that the low courtyard wall seemed unable to stop the footsteps of these wild wolves. These wolves don't want to enter the yard because they don't want to be killed. They are waiting for the opportunity.
"what to do?"
Pei Xiu came over and asked softly.
"Be constant in the face of ever-changing conditions, be careful and alert, and the wolves will retreat after dawn."
Fang Chongyong said in a deep voice, his voice was not too quiet and almost everyone present heard it.
Those "swimming" eyes in the darkness were swaying back and forth non-stop. But what is very strange is that not a single wild wolf has entered the yard. They seem to be constantly looking for loopholes, and will not take action if there is no loophole.
As long as the wolves don't disperse, Fang Chongyong and the others won't be able to sleep. Each one of them is holding an exquisitely crafted crossbow in his hand. When the target is within five steps, it can hit almost anywhere, and its reaction speed is extremely fast, making it a powerful weapon against wolves.
As a result, the wolves lingered outside the yard for two hours, until the sky turned white, and then retreated with the howl of the wolf king, leaving no one behind.
After the wolves retreated, Fang Chongyong and his group felt that their whole bodies were drenched in cold sweat. They were all so tired that they almost collapsed, and their calves were shaking almost when they walked. This group of wild wolves is very cunning. If they don't have a chance, they won't attack and would rather continue to starve.
Although this kind of enemy is just a wild animal, it is also terrifying and respectable.
Fang Chongyong and the others packed up their things without saying a word, rode horses and drove cars, and headed straight to the west of Longxi County. The dangers along the way were beyond imagination. Fang Chongyong felt that it was necessary to use his authority to update his equipment in Longxi County.
…
In a certain "entertainment room" in the Huaxianhui Building, Emperor Li Longji of the Tang Dynasty was swinging some kind of "wooden pole" in both hands. This was the polo club he was good at when he was young. The end of the club is an arc-shaped structure, which is also the part where the polo is struck.
It looks a bit like Fang Chongyong's hockey stick in his previous life, except that the end is more curved.
The workmanship of this polo pole is quite exquisite, and the material is also very unusual. It is not just a piece of wood, but a "composite wood". The production method is somewhat similar to the polo pole. It has extremely high strength and good toughness. , not easy to break.
"The Anren Army wants to trick the Tibetans into surrendering?"
Brother Ji waved his club and asked Fang Youdedao, who was bowing and saluting.
"Back to the saint, that's true."
Fang Youde said bravely.
He knew that he was being manipulated by Fang Chongyong this time, but he had no choice. It was related to Datang's border defense. Even if he was manipulated, he had to do this.
"It's nonsense. The Tubo people are extremely cunning. How could they be fooled like this? It's just that the Anren Army is arguing about military pay."
Brother Ji sneered, obviously not taking the letter Fang Chongyong asked Cen Shen to write seriously.
"Let's do this. The winter clothes of the Anren Army will be reissued for one year first. I will let the court think of a way to see if we can supplement the military pay for the Longyou Army."
Brother Ji tried the club in his hand again. He didn't know if it was an illusion. This polo club that used to be the most handy now felt much heavier, and he felt tired after swinging it for a few times.
"Thank you saint for your grace."
Fang Youde crossed his hands and bowed, having nothing to say.
Brother Ji's reaction was as expected. Neither did they fully replenish the Anren Army's military pay, nor did they play any new tricks to "faint surrender" against the Tubo people. In fact, it's not that Brother Ji doesn't want to deal with Tubo, but that once the war breaks out, a large amount of money and silk from Chang'an and Guanzhong will be supplied to the border towns.
That will inevitably reduce Brother Ji's quality of life. So if you can avoid fighting, it’s better not to fight as much as possible.
It's just that Fang Youde is worried that Brother Ji probably doesn't know what will happen to the Bian Zhenqiu people if they are cornered.
Tang Dezong Li Shi treated his meritorious troops harshly when he was pacifying the feudal town, which led to the Jingyuan Mutiny. The serious consequences of this incident were, to some extent, even more severe than the Anshi Rebellion.
With the Anren army today, don't you know that there are more arrogant and powerful generals behind them?
"How is the recruitment going now in the Twelve Shence Capitals?"
Brother Ji changed to a lighter polo pole, weighed it in his hand and asked.
"Go back to Saint, the soldiers have been recruited."
Fang Youde saluted and said.
"Oh? Your movements are quite fast, so what is the combat strength of Shence's armies?"
Li Longji asked with interest.
"Back to the saint, the Shence Army does not have much combat power now. Weichen plans to train the troops by reorganizing them and eliminating them at the same time.
The twelve cities of Shence do not necessarily need to be fully staffed. It is better to have a shortage than to overfill. "
"Well, then...how should Long Wujun deal with it?"
Li Longji asked hesitantly.
"Back to the saint, the Longwu Army can move its base to Chengdu Prefecture and station in Shu. At the same time, it can reduce the size and control the establishment to less than 7,000 people."
Fang Youde said calmly.
The average number of frontier troops in Datang's border towns was between 5,000 and 7,000. The main force of the field army was more than 10,000, and the troops directly under the imperial court such as the Chishui Army and the Jingsai Army exceeded 20,000.
Fang Youde's suggestion demoted the Longwu Army from the Central Forbidden Army to the ordinary border town frontier army, freeing up the Forbidden Army establishment for the Shence Army.
It’s like vacating the cage for a bird!
I have to say, this is indeed a good approach. Because the Longwu Army itself was established under the strong promotion of Ji Ge, its origins are quite "unusual" and it did not follow the path of the Beiya Forbidden Army in the past.
He came from private recruitment and went to the border army. This can be considered a strange arrival and a humble departure.
Fang Youde's suggestion made Li Longji dumbfounded. He put the polo stick aside, patted the opponent's arm and said: "Quan Zhong, I plan to reopen Lingyan Pavilion and add some heroes to it. The specific number is still unknown. Undecided, but you’ll be number one!”
Brother Ji had a smile of eager expectation on his face, but Fang Youde was just in a daze, as if he was so shocked by the news that he couldn't say a word.
The meaning of Lingyan Pavilion may be glory for Brother Ji.
But for Fang Youde, this was not the case at all. His feelings were much more complicated.
In his distant memory, Zhu Quanzhong also entered Lingyan Pavilion, and the meaning really made everyone fall into silence at that time.
Now that Fang Quanzhong is about to enter Lingyan Pavilion, is this the fate of the name "Quanzhong"?
"Quan Zhong, what do you think? Are you unwilling?"
Brother Ji asked in a bad tone.
"Wei Chen, thank you Saint for your love."
Fang Youde knelt on the ground and bowed to the ground.
(End of chapter)
