In early winter, the weather is getting colder.
Even though there is no snow in Chengdu, the cold that penetrates the body is still uncomfortable.
Xu Mu was not idle. While waiting for information, he went to Nanlin County.
"Longbow, how are you doing?"
This time, he did not bring Si Hu, but Gong Gou, who had just recovered from a serious illness.
"Don't worry, my lord, I'm fine." Riding on the horse, standing tall, Gongou smiled.
According to Chen Que, Gong Dog was a blessing in disguise. The toxins he ate from cooking snakes when he was young accumulated too much on his back, but they were slowly dissolved by the medicinal bath. Because of this, the hunched body began to slowly become straighter. Although he is not as good as a seven-foot tall man like Chao Yi, at least he is like a normal person.
"Long Gong, is there a woman you like? If so, I will teach you some methods. When I was studying, I would empty a drawer of love letters from women every day when I went to school."
"Lord, there is no..."
Xu Mu smiled and stopped asking. My younger brother has just transferred, but it will take a process after all. However, he is even more looking forward to Gongou's future performance. Simply, Gong Dog's Divine Gong Camp was increased to ten thousand people. Of course, most of them are new recruits and need some training.
"Lord, Seventy Miles Tomb Mountain has arrived."
Not far from Chengdu, there is the Tomb of the Martyrs, which is seventy miles away. In this battle against Cangzhou, loyal heroes such as Lu Xiu have been sent back to Chengdu, and the remains of Chen Jiaqiao who returned from Li Dushan are also buried here.
There are still many offerings of worship in front of the old friend's grave. Previously, from his king of Shu to the people of Western Shu, countless people came to pay their respects and mourn.
"Get the wine."
Xu Mu held the wine bowl, kept silent for a moment, and poured it in front of the tomb. Every Xishu soldier who died in battle will return here. If one day, he, the King of Shu, dies in battle, he will choose to rest here forever and gather with many old friends under the Yellow Spring.
The followers of more than a thousand people all bowed their heads and remained silent. Not far away, there were also many people who came to pay homage. Together with Xu Mu, they sprinkled the hot wine in their hands onto the tomb.
Putting down the wine bowl, Xu Mu raised his head and looked at the stretching tomb in front of him. In the bottom of my heart, I became more determined to compete for the throne. If I couldn't win, I would be sorry for these heroes who dedicated their lives to Xi Shu.
"Keep marching."
After rubbing away the melancholy between his brows and looking in the direction of Nanlin County, Xu Mu spoke in a solemn voice.
…
"My lord, my lord!"
As soon as they entered Nanlin County, the sound of Han Jiu's shouts could already be heard. Since Meng Huo's Pingman camp was to be transferred to Yu Wen's side, the defense of Nanlin County was also handed over to Han Jiu.
Although he is a reckless general, he has already studied the art of war hard. And the most rare thing is a loyal person.
According to Xu Mu's temperament, he would rather use a loyal and reckless man than a cunning and sinister person. This is also the reason why there have always been very few rebel generals in Western Shu.
"Han Jiu pays homage to the lord!" Han Jiu looked ecstatic, bowed to Xu Mu, and hurriedly beat Gong Gou's chest as a sign of happiness for a new meeting.
"Li Tao pays homage to the lord." Next to Han Jiu, there was a scribe who was over seventy years old and also paid homage to Xu Mu.
Needless to say, this is naturally Han Jiu's military staff. Xu Mu also heard about Li Tao. He heard that he was a close friend of Wang Yong and Wang Shenzhi. He was invited out of the mountain by Wang Yong and now serves as the Shenzhi of Nanlin County.
"Without courtesy." Xu Mu laughed, "I have been outside Shu for a long time. If you two hadn't been stationed in Nanlin, I'm afraid the tiger barbarians would have caused trouble again."
"Han Jiu, how are you doing recently?"
"Don't worry, my lord. The last time my lord besieged Cangzhou, the tiger barbarians tried to take advantage of the opportunity, but they couldn't attack the Nanlin Mountains at all."
The last time, when the Demon Queen planned to destroy the Six Barbarians, the Human Xiqiang actually also participated, but they were suppressed in the end.
"Lord, please see, Nanlin County has begun to produce grain." Han Jiu spoke hurriedly, probably as a sign of comfort, after learning that the granary was burned.
Xu Mu looked up and found that in the newly built Nanlin County, the newly resettled refugees and the people who took the initiative to move in had successfully opened up wasteland in the area outside the county. Following the outside of the county, the fields and ridges had been divided, and the waterwheels had been set up. They just waited. In the spring of next year, rice fields will be planted.
Among them, there is also a small part of the cotton field, which is surrounded by mud walls, and there are troops stationed nearby to guard against spies.
"Li Tao, are there any problems with the dug river?"
Knowing that if he asked Han Jiu about this kind of thing, he would definitely be asking about loneliness, so Xu Mu directly asked his staff member Li Tao.
Li Tao's voice was excited, and he raised his head and said with high spirits, "Don't worry, my lord, the diversion river is already unobstructed. With the waterwheel and your lord's urea fertilizer stone, I am also confident that after next year, the rice and cotton in Nanlin County will be , there will be a great harvest.”
It was not an easy task for the ancients to open up wasteland. Not only is it very tiring, but it may not be successful. Even here in Nanlin County, it took more than two years.
But if it succeeds, the entire Shu state, not only the Central Sichuan Plain, will be able to produce grain, but Nanlin County will also become a major grain-producing county.
Previously, Xu Mu had done the best division. The nine counties in central Sichuan are rice and grain production areas, while the three counties in southern Sichuan are places of trade.
Each is prosperous and each has its own ambition.
Even, Jia Zhou once said with a smile that after Shuzhou became prosperous and conquered thirty states in the world, all of them could be located here.
"Lord." Li Tao paused and suddenly spoke again.
"I have another plan... Perhaps, my Shu state is in the south, and we can open a channel directly to the states in the South China Sea."
After hearing this, Xu Mu looked surprised.
You know, if you go to the Nanhai states now, you have to detour through Chuzhou in Dongling. In the past, there was no scruple about being an ally with Zuo Shiren. But it's different now. Xishu and Dongling are already becoming rivals. Therefore, Zuo Shiren will be on the Chuzhou side to strictly guard against the entry of people from Xishu.
"Don't worry, my lord, I have already sent people to set out from the Nanlin Mountains to avoid the tiger barbarian settlements and see if they can reach the South China Sea states. If successful, we can open a passage in secret."
"Li Tao, I'll leave this matter to you. If it succeeds, I will give you a lot of rewards... In addition, how many tribes of tiger barbarians are there outside the Nanlin Mountains?"
This matter is one of Xu Mu's important matters when he came to Nanlin County. Although he was driven out of Shuzhou, the tiger barbarian's turmoil never stopped.
"Lord, there are probably about a hundred tribes. The young and strong army is about 30,000 people. But when the tiger barbarians fight, all the people are always involved."
Compared with the previous two years, there are already less than half of the people.
"My lord, are you going to attack the tiger barbarians again?"
"There's no rush." Xu Mu shook his head. As long as Human cannot attack Shuzhou, there will be plenty of opportunities.
Outside the Nanlin Mountains, there is a swampland with barren land and scarce prey. If the tigers want to thrive, they will inevitably be hindered at every turn.
Of course, if we defeat the tiger barbarians, there will probably be a second round. However, at least wait until the situation in Xishu is stabilized.
"Han Jiu, where are the soldiers sent to open up wasteland?"
"There are more than 10,000 people."
In successive battles, Xi Shu captured many surrendered soldiers. According to regulations, they will be sent to Nanlin County for land reclamation and reconstruction first. It will only be reactivated after it is completely owned by Xi Shu.
"Lord, is there going to be another war next year?" Han Jiu asked hurriedly. As per his temperament, he has never liked staying in Nanlin County.
Li Tao hurriedly reached out and tugged at Han Jiu's robe and armor.
"Nothing." Xu Mu paused and said with a serious expression, "After next year, Western Shu will compete with the various princes in the Central Plains for power. Everyone, make preparations early."
Han Jiu and Li Tao looked at each other, with expressions of fighting spirit on their faces.
