Wang Xiaolie stood on the mound and looked at the crowd gathered in the open space by the Ru River in front of him. Bustling and chaotic. After a long time, Wang Xiaolie asked Yang Shen beside him: "How many people are here? Are they all kiln workers?"
Yang Shen crossed his hands and said, "Go back to Xiaosheren. There are more than three thousand people here, all kiln workers in the mountains. There are still many people who stayed in the mountains and have not come over."
Wang Xiaolie frowned: "It's almost autumn, why are there people still living in the mountains? Do they have food?"
Yang Shen said: "The mountains are all made of dirt. Some people have opened fields in the mountains. It's time to harvest grain, so naturally they won't leave."
Wang Xiaolie nodded and said nothing.
There were six to seven thousand households of kiln workers in Ruzhou during the Taiping Festival, which was a very large number. When the Jin soldiers came, some fled south, some were kidnapped, and there were still four to five thousand households left. This is a huge amount of manpower that can do many things if it is well organized.
In this era, the Central Plains region was full of wastelands. With hands and feet, it is impossible to starve to death as long as you are properly organized. The biggest problem of the Song Dynasty now is that after the Jin army invaded, grassroots organizations in a large number of areas disappeared. If the people are unorganized, their farmland will be robbed, their work will not be sold, and the people will have no way of living. With grassroots organization, society will soon recover.
Of course, the most important thing is to block the Jin army coming from the south.
After a long time, Shao Ling hurried over. Xiang Wangxiao said to Xie Shashou: "Xiaoshe people, most of the people who were sent out have returned."
Wang Xiaolie asked anxiously: "How?"
Shao Ling said: "On the plains on both sides of the Ru River, most of the people have fled, and less than 30% of the people are left. However, in the villages in the surrounding mountains, the Jin soldiers have not arrived, and most of the people live in peace. However, strong men are everywhere and looting everywhere, and many of them cannot live anymore."
Wang Xiaolie asked: "Where has the most open space?"
Shao Ling said: "From Ruzhou down along the Ru River, due to the Jin army's attacks and plundering, plus the plundering of the population, there is the most idle land."
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "Okay. Then take Jiaxian and Baofeng counties as the center, select idle land and resettle these people. Yang Shen, please count how many people are willing to farm in the past two days. Let's They can rest assured that the land and seeds are provided by the government, and they only need to put in the effort. If they grow food, they will always have enough to eat."
Yang Shen crossed his hands and said yes.
Wang Xiaolie said: "Whether we can settle these people well is the key to whether we can gain a foothold in Ruzhou. The army is a fish, the people are water, and fish cannot live without water. Without the support of the people, the army is a fish without water. , a tree without roots.”
Yang Shen and Shao Ling said yes together. But in their hearts, they didn't quite agree with Wang Xiaolie's words. There are many people. Wherever you go, can you still lack worthy people? As long as there are soldiers and food in hand, one is strong.
The army is a fish and the people are water. As long as the fish-water relationship exists, the army can develop and grow. Without the support of the people, the army is like a fish out of water and cannot last long. Wang Xiaolie learned this principle from his previous life. The most important task when arriving in Ruzhou is to let the army sink its roots deeply into the people of Ruzhou. With the support of the people, the army can continue to thrive. With the protection of the army, people can live and work in peace and contentment.
This principle is very simple, but very few can do it. The most obvious example is that during the Anti-Japanese War, both the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army expanded rapidly while fighting the Japanese army. Not only the number of troops increased, but more importantly, the base area expanded and the reserve troops expanded. The national army used the method of recruiting young men. The Eighth Army of the Anti-Japanese War recruited no less than ten million men, about half of whom died on the road and did not go to the battlefield. The effect of both is obvious.
During the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War, Sichuan recruited 3 million men. Some people say that the Sichuan Army's war of resistance is of great significance, and even say that there is no army without Sichuan. But not to mention the three million strong men, how many actually went to the battlefield, and how many died on the road. There are so many strong men who are simply immature children. They should not go to the battlefield.
In the Battle of Songshan, thousands of child soldiers served their country loyally. While praising them, how many people will ask who organized these dolls into the regular army and sent them to the battlefield. On the front lines, let these dolls charge into battle. The country has not yet reached the point where it is at the end of its rope. Adults are hiding in safe places, but they are sending children to the battlefield. What is the future of such a war and such an army?
If the army and the people are harmonious, if this is achieved, the army will have a bright future. If you can't do it, just like other armies, it will be difficult. Wang Xiaolie knew that the current background of the times was different from that of later generations. Later generations cannot simply copy the methods, just learn them spiritually.
Looking at the noisy crowd in front of him, Wang Xiaolie felt a headache. It is not easy to organize these people. After thinking for a long time, Wang Xiaolie said to Yang Shen: "The literati who joined the army during Kaifeng, go and pick out some suitable ones. Let's record the names of these people clearly, divide them into groups, and make statistics clearly. Shao Ling, you go to Jiaxian County Between you and Baofeng, check the land and prepare to divide it into people for reclamation."
Yang Shen said: "Xiaoshe people, these people are kiln workers, and many of them don't know how to farm at all. If you let them farm, will they -"
Wang Xiaolie said: "How many people in the world don't know how to farm? As long as you teach, there will be very few people who can't learn. Don't worry, as long as we are well organized, have all the tools, and all the cattle, the fields will be cultivated. .”
Shao Chou said: "But where can we buy cattle at this time? The road to Jingnan is not smooth."
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "When the war is in chaos, where can we buy cattle? We can only find a way ourselves. Collect private cattle, build a pasture, and raise them ourselves. As long as we have all the people and a way, we can always raise cattle. "
Shao Ling and Yang Shen said yes.
Thinking about it in Wangxiao Lie, there should be many ways to raise cattle. In fact, not only cattle, but also large livestock such as horses, donkeys, camels, etc. can be raised by oneself. But if you let others take care of it, things will be difficult. I have a thousand troops, how can I have so many people? As for the right people, that's even harder. This shows the importance of cadres. With cadres, many things can be started easily by pointing out the direction. Without cadres, even if you know things clearly, you will have nowhere to start.
Thinking of this, Wang Xiaolie could only shake his head helplessly. Everything is difficult at the beginning, as difficult as reaching the sky. In this era, it is not easy to train cadres. Of course, future generations will not be easy either. When it comes to literacy rates, the late Qing Dynasty a thousand years later was not much better. But cadres need more than just literacy. It is far easier for good cadres to teach the right people to read than to choose from those who are literate.
Seeing smoke rising from the kitchen in the distance, Wang Xiaolie said: "We can't delay these two things for a moment. You have to do it immediately. How much food do we need to eat in a day for more than 3,000 people? We are not afraid that they will eat too much. We are afraid that they will eat so much." There is plenty of food for nothing to do. Remember, except for the army, we cannot feed idle people. As long as everyone works, there will be enough food and clothing."
Yang Shen and Shao Ling felt that the word labor was unfamiliar, but after thinking about it, they understood what it meant. However, the two of them could not figure out the profound meaning of Wang Xiaolie's words. Where is there so much to do when everyone is working?
Wang Xiaolie added: "Everything we do must start with organizing people to reclaim wasteland. You organize the people and choose a good place. I will personally guide them to build a village. Where Zhuangzi is built, how many people there are, and how much land , how to farm is all knowledge."
Shao Ling looked at Yang Shen and shook his head slightly. What knowledge is there in this? Most people in the world have been farming for generations, so why do they still need teaching from others? Not to mention that Wang Xiaolie had been studying with his father since he was a child. How did he know this?
Wang Xiaolie smiled and said nothing more. These villages are not just about farming, but more importantly their production system, where the means of production belong, and their organizational form. It is necessary to keep the people fed and clothed, to produce more food, and to facilitate recruitment. Why isn’t he knowledgeable?
