Since the Jin army broke into Ruzhou last year and the defenders fled, there have been no officials here. There are strong men everywhere in the territory, and there is chaos. Wang Xiaoye returned to his hometown and became the magistrate of Ruzhou, becoming the first official in the past two years.
Outside Zhuma Ruzhou City, Wang Xiaolie looked at the city wall with an unspeakable feeling in his heart. This is my hometown, and it will also be the place where I really start in this world. Many stories start from here.
Wang Zhong and Shao Ling came out of the city early to greet Wang Xiao in front of his horse hunting team.
After the ceremony, the elders in the city came to offer wine, and Wang Xiaolie ordered the army to enter the city.
Entered Ruzhou City and sat down at the county government office. Wang Xiaolie asked Wang Zhong to go do other things first, leaving Shao Ling behind.
Wang Xiaolie asked Shao Ling: "You have been in Ruzhou for a while. How is the situation inside the territory now? I heard that there are many rebels in this area."
Shao Ling said: "The people from Xiaoshe are right, the territory of Ruzhou is indeed too chaotic. There are two big forces now, which should not be underestimated. One is Wang Jun in the north of the state, who claims to have tens of thousands of troops and is quite powerful. Still There is Niu Gao in Lushan County. Although there are not many people, Niu Gao is very good at fighting and is popular among the surrounding areas. If we want to stabilize the place, we must first deal with these two people."
Wang Xiaolie nodded and asked, "What are the origins of these two people?"
Shao Ling said: "Niugao was originally an archer from Lushan County, and he was brave. When the Jin soldiers arrived in Ruzhou and the officials left, he recruited the villagers and gathered to defend the country. Now Lushan County and the entire Lushan Pass are Niu Gao's sphere of influence. There are not many people under his command, it is said that there are more than 200 people. Wang Jun was originally from the military academy. After the headquarters was collapsed, he fled to Ruzhou and gathered people in Uggai Mountain. It is said that he has tens of thousands of people, but there should not be that many Soldiers."
Wang Xiaolie said: "The Jin soldiers came south for a year or two and gathered tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. Is Wang Jun an immortal? When I left Luoyang, Lieutenant Lu specifically asked to pacify the place. Ruzhou is right between Wanluo and is the foundation of the world. The land cannot be chaotic. In your opinion, what should we do with these two forces?"
Shao Ling said: "Niu Gao has always been submissive, so you can try to recruit him. Wang Jun is different. He relies on the strength of many people. He will not listen to anyone's words and has no choice but to take it forcefully. Umbrella Mountain is his foundation, so he can't attack it. easy."
Wang Xiaolie thought for a while and said: "Let's do this. No troops will be sent out within ten days. Send someone to tell Wang Jun and Niu Gao that if they obey the order, they can be given official positions and reorganize their army. If they don't obey, then We have no choice but to fight! In these ten days, select some capable local people to go to the two places to find out the news. How many people do they have, what is their fighting strength, and what kind of food and grass they have. It is necessary to find out. There is a saying in the art of war. Know yourself and the enemy, and you will not be in danger in a hundred battles. March. The most taboo thing in a war is not knowing the truth about the other side, as this can easily lead to mistakes."
Shao Ling crossed his hands and said yes. Since arriving in Ruzhou, Shao Ling has been leading troops to guard the city. He also pays attention to inquire about the surrounding news, but they are all rumors.
Wang Xiaolie naturally knew the importance of information, and the memories of his previous life exaggerated it a lot. This era is different. The collection of intelligence is very primitive. Those who pay attention to information are only asking merchants and travellers. It is very rare to actually send someone to spy on the enemy.
After asking about the major forces in the territory, Wang Xiaolie added: "How many households are there under the rule of Ruzhou now? How much grain is harvested in a year? We now have more than a thousand people, and we all have to rely on the local government to solve the problem. Unlike before, there are still Other ways to come.”
Shao Ling said: "Before the war, Ruzhou had less than 50,000 households and a population of about 160,000 to 160,000. After the war, there are now about 30,000 households and a population of 100,000. It is summer and autumn now, and the people can still survive. If winter comes , strongmen are everywhere, it’s hard to say.”
When the Jin army attacked, they directly killed and kidnapped the population, not many of them. But without order and bandits everywhere, the population will quickly decrease. This winter is the first winter after the Jin army retreated. If order cannot be restored, many people will die. Robbers not only kill people, but more importantly they steal things. How can people survive if they lose their supplies?
Ruzhou's current population of 100,000 is only equivalent to a large town compared with later generations. Even if we include the elderly and the weak, the maximum number is 150,000, which is really too few. Although it is mountainous, Ruzhou still has quite a lot of arable land. In later generations, the population under Ruzhou's jurisdiction now numbered six to seven million. Ruzhou in the Song Dynasty has always been a place with a lot of idle fields, which is different from that of later generations.
What is the most important thing about choosing this area as your base? The first is to have land, fertile land; the second is to have a population. What Wang Xiaolie is particularly concerned about is how many people are in this area. With people, there is everything.
How many households are there in Ruzhou? Therefore, people like Wang Jun and others claimed that they had tens of thousands of troops, but no one took them seriously.
After hearing Shao Ling's introduction to the situation, Wang Xiaolie added: "At this time, Tian Ming Xia Ci, headed by Ru Ci and Jun Ci, are all near Ruzhou. How are the kiln mouths now? The world is in chaos, and the kiln workers have lost their livelihood. Where did you go?"
Shao Ling said: "There are two places where porcelain is fired in Ruzhou. One is in the mountains twenty miles south of the city. It was not plundered by the Jin army. Now some of the kiln workers have dispersed, and many others have fled to the mountains and are still gathering nearby. Now It's not easy to starve to death due to the weather. The official kiln is in Baofeng County. It was attacked by the Jin army last year. Most of the kiln entrances were abandoned and the kiln workers fled in all directions. Speaking of this, it is still a problem for these kiln workers how to survive this winter. "
Wang Xiaolie nodded. These kiln workers, if not properly placed, will be a factor of instability. Why are there so many strongmen in Ruzhou area? It has a lot to do with these kiln workers. They lost their livelihood and could only gather together to make a living.
After thinking for a long time, Wang Xiaolie said: "In addition to dealing with Wang Jun and Niu Gao, the most important thing is to settle the kiln workers. I will send people to organize the kiln workers for this matter, so that they cannot be hungry. Okay, you Go down first, let’s freshen up, and discuss things together later.”
Shao Ling said goodbye and went out. Wang Xiaolie just washed up and sat at the table, closing his eyes and thinking about Ruzhou.
In later generations, Ru porcelain became very famous, so you should know that this is the important place for porcelain making in the world. The official kiln is in Baofeng County. The kiln mouth is not large, and the porcelain produced is of the highest quality. It is mainly supplied to the royal family. Folk porcelain is produced near Ruzhou, with many kiln entrances and at least several thousand kiln workers. The movements of these people are directly related to the safety of Ruzhou. Once the kiln workers can be settled, they can help themselves. If you don't settle well, don't think about settling nearby.
Now that the world is in chaos and there is no market for porcelain, we have to find a way out for the kiln workers. What to do? Of course it’s farming. In this era, is there any better job than farming? Wang Xiaolie shook his head. We must first plant the land well and have enough food before we can talk about anything else.
After standing up, Wang Xiaolie came to the front hall and ordered the generals here to be called to discuss together.
Everyone took their seats. Wang Xiaolie said: "The first thing Lu Taiwei sent us to Ruzhou is to ensure the safety of the road south to Dengzhou. Two things, one is to pacify Wang Jun and Niu Gao as soon as possible, and the other is to appease the kiln workers. The prosperity of porcelain in Ruzhou has affected many people. There are roughly thousands of kiln workers in this state. If we add the households who make a living from porcelain, it will be even more. If these people cannot settle down, how can they have peace? Sun? Yang Shen, in the past two days, you can lead your troops to the Kongtong Mountains in the south to see how the kiln workers are doing there. If there is insufficient food, transport some military rations there first, so as not to let them starve."
Yang Shen crossed his hands and said yes. Then he asked: "Xiaoshiren, give the kiln workers military rations, what should we do?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Seeing that the autumn grain harvest is about to begin, why worry about food? Ruzhou governs five counties, can't it support a thousand soldiers and horses?"
Several people said yes together.
Wang Xiaolie added: "In addition to the five counties under his current rule, Jiaxian County also belonged to Ruzhou in the past. Jiaxian County is on the bank of the Ru River and is the east gate of Ruzhou. There is no room for error. There are no officials in Yingchang Mansion now. We can’t leave Jiaxian alone and we need to investigate together.”
Shao Ling said: "Xiaoshiren, you are now the magistrate of Ruzhou, and it is your duty to pacify the people under your rule. Jiaxian County is not under your rule——"
Wang Xiaolie waved his hand: "At this time, there are so many things to care about. There are no officials in Yingchang Mansion now, so we can only take care of it temporarily."
