For several days in a row, official documents continued to arrive at Xiangyang Mansion. The sources are diverse and mixed. Since there was no authoritative information, Wang Xiaolie only knew that Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan occupied the court and issued various edicts. Lu Yihao and Zhang Jun were not ordered to do so. They stationed in Pingjiang to fight against Zhang Jun and Han Shizhong.
Wang Xiaolie stayed away from the southeast and was too lazy to pay attention to the chaos in Yangzhou. All official documents were discussed with Ji Ling, Wang Ruohai and Lu Qing. The three of them had no choice but to stay in Xiangyang Mansion temporarily and wait for the chaos to subside.
In late March, the four of them chatted with Chen Yuyi in the government office about the recent situation. Wang Xiaolie said: "Most of the soldiers and horses on the southwestern road of Beijing are stationed in Xinye. It was originally scheduled that I would be in Xinye on the 20th and Xiangyang on the 10th of each month. Miao and Liu rebelled, and I have been in Xiangyang for nearly 15 days this month."
Ji Ling said: "It's an emergency period, of course! Soldiers and horses are stationed in Xinye. As long as there is enough money and food, why bother with them!"
Wang Xiaolie shook his head after hearing this: "Sheren, I am a newly recruited soldier. I have to train day and night. If I don't take good care of myself, my time will be wasted. Now there are Jin troops watching outside and thieves inside, so there are no soldiers." How can it be done? Let’s do it this way, Xinye is not far from Xiangyang, I will get there first, and you can just stay in Xiangyang. If there is an emergency, I will return from Xinye.”
Ji Ling still refused. Wang Ruohai on the side said: "Soldiers and horses are the foundation of Zhizhi's life and cannot be ignored. We will wait until there is nothing to do in Xiangyang, so we will go with you and see how the training of soldiers and horses goes."
Wang Xiaolie wanted to refuse. Wang Ruohai said it right, soldiers and horses are the foundation of his life. Without an army, let alone being promoted to an official position, no one would take care of him at all. Logically speaking, if the army does not go to the battlefield, the army cannot be seen by others.
After thinking for a while, Wang Xiaolie agreed. He said: "It's good if you want to follow me to see nature. However, Xinye is a remote place, unlike here in Xiangyang, where everything is available. When you get there, the food and drink will be a little different."
After hearing this, Ji Ling hurriedly waved his hands and said: "I am an envoy from the imperial court, how dare I leave Shenyu? Just go to the supervisory court and the head of Lu, I will stay in Xiangyang. As soon as there is news, I will report to you here."
Wang Ruohai and Lu Qing agreed and did not force Ji Ling. The two knew that Ji Ling was a person who did not want to endure hardship.
After crossing the Han River, Wang Ruohai saw the constant traffic of boats on the Baihe River, a tributary of the river, and said, "Zhizhi, why don't you go by boat?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "Taking a boat is too slow. Going against the current to Xinye requires trackers to drag you all the way, which is very inconvenient. It is better to ride a horse. Even if you go slower, you will arrive the next day. When the army was stationed in Xinye, But there is a lot of open space there and it is convenient to get to the state capitals."
An important reason why Xiangyang is so important is that the Baihe River, an important tributary that connects the entire Nanyang Basin, joins the Han River here. Water transportation was of irreplaceable importance in this era, and Xiangyang blocked the south gate through Nanyang.
Xinye is located on the tributary of Baihe River facing the river. Water transportation can reach Tang and Dengzhou as well as Xiangyang Prefecture. It is convenient to transport military rations, and no matter where something goes wrong, the army can arrive quickly. To a certain extent, Wang Xiaolie chose Xinye because he chose a geographically central point.
It's almost April, the grass is growing and eagles are flying, it's the best time of the year. In the paddy fields on the roadside, farmers have begun preparing to transplant rice seedlings. On the high ground where water is inaccessible, the wheat seedlings have already fuzzed. Hemp, beans, millet and other crops are all green. From time to time, you can see a mulberry field, with women happily picking mulberry leaves, and from time to time, crisp singing can be heard.
Looking at the scene in the fields, Wang Ruohai praised: "Look at this scenery, it looks like Jiangnan!"
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "In terms of climate, this place is almost the same as the south of the Yangtze River. It was already a prosperous place during the Qin and Han Dynasties, but it was just wars in the past dynasties, the Pitang canal was in disrepair, and the population was sparse. It is not as good as before. If the canal can be reopened, there will be a lot of potential."
Wang Ruohai nodded repeatedly: "I was walking in a hurry a few days ago, so I didn't notice how rich this place is."
As they spoke, the three of them talked incessantly as they looked at the busy people on the roadside.
We started early the next day and arrived in Xinye when the sun was rising.
Wang Xiaolie said: "The newly built Xinye City is still in the north, and there is a Xinye City in front. Let's rest there, eat something, and get to Xinye City before dark. Things are happening now, and Xinye City is still lively."
In the system of the Song Dynasty, there should be townships and li below the county, as well as the administration established in the early Song Dynasty. Later, during the Baojia system, there was Baojia again. However, the most commonly used are town and city. A city is equivalent to a town. Most of the time there are no officials and it is just a market formed by private people.
Xinye County was abandoned early. At this time, the most important place in the surrounding area was Xinye City.
Xinye City has no city walls, just dozens of houses built on the street, doing various businesses. Several people entered the market and saw that it was crowded.
Wang Ruohai said: "It is rare for a market to have such a large population."
Wang Xiaolie said: "There were not so many people before. Recently, there has been a lot of construction and road construction around, and many new soldiers have been recruited, and this place has become prosperous. The merchants here are doing very well these days."
As he spoke, he pointed to a restaurant and said, "This is the best restaurant in the city. Let's go have a drink and take a rest."
After entering the restaurant, a waiter came forward to greet them and led several people to the second floor.
Restaurants in the Song Dynasty, as long as they were slightly larger in size, were all decorated according to the specifications of Fanlou in Kaifeng Prefecture, which was regarded as Fancheng style. In later movies and TV dramas, most of them are of this style. As soon as you enter the door, you will find the lobby, and the second floor will be the private rooms, mostly like this.
Several people entered the attic, opened the windows, and looked at the scenery outside the window. The willow trees along the road are covered with green, the catkins have drifted away, and the air is fresh. There is a blacksmith shop at the head of the town and a carriage and horse shop next to it, where people come and go. Among the crowds of people on the street, a few people were selling cherries in baskets, and a few fishermen were looking for people to buy them with some big fish. There are also nearby farmers who bring home-grown vegetables and put them on the roadside.
Under Wang Xiaolie's rule, guilds were abolished, there were no fanmen, small businesses were effectively tax-free, and commerce was particularly prosperous compared to other places. Xinye City is not within the city and has no government-run businesses, making it particularly lively.
After watching for a while, Wang Ruohai sighed: "I haven't seen such peaceful days for a long time. I came back from Henan Prefecture a few days ago and passed by Ruzhou for two days. It was the same. Compared with other places under the rule of government, , is extremely prosperous. However, I see that you don’t have a guild here, many businesses don’t charge taxes, and you have to raise an army, where do you get so much money?”
Wang Xiaolie shook his head gently: "Where is the money? To be honest, I have been holding on for the past few months, and my savings are about to disappear. I cannot afford to support the army like other armies. We can only recruit soldiers from the private sector, exempt them from forced labor, and give them a few pennies to buy some sundries. If there are families without land, the government will organize them to open up wasteland, so that they don't have to be customers - "
"That's farming? At this time, farming is a good thing. But without a salary, how many people are willing to be soldiers?" Wang Ruohai is very familiar with the military and political system and history. When he heard Wang Xiaolie's words, he knew what he meant.
Wang Xiaolie said: "Actually, it is not farming. When we serve as soldiers in the army, we do not tattoo people, but only print books. And it is agreed that if they are just ordinary soldiers, they will only serve in the army for five years. If they are recruited again after five years, they will be Efficacy. After returning home from service, these people's forced labor service will also be cancelled, which is a lifelong benefit. If there are any errands in the status, these people will be used first."
Wang Ruohai thought for a moment and shook his head: "Although these benefits are tempting, who is willing to believe them?"
Wang Xiaolie couldn't help but sigh after hearing this: "What the prison said is good, how can the people believe it? In fact, although it has been implemented locally, many people still don't believe it. There is no other way but to follow the example of the soldiers, All those who are qualified will be recruited into the army. If someone evades military service, the local authorities will severely punish him. In times of trouble, many things cannot be helped."
Lu Qing said: "There are many rules in the army. You must fight to the death if you go into battle. How can the soldiers feel at ease when they are forced into the army and have no salary?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "So the new recruits here must go to the new barracks. After three months of training, they will be divided into various armies according to their academic performance. At the same time, the local government must act in accordance with the system. Those who join the army must Give preferential treatment. If you desert military service, you will be severely punished!"
Wang Ruohai asked: "What's the effect?"
Wang Xiaolie said: "The initial effect was not good. In the past few months, it has gradually stabilized and has become much better. In my opinion, when the grain is harvested in May and June, the people will really benefit, and then we can truly win the trust of the people. No. It is difficult to win the trust of the people."
Wang Ruohai nodded and said nothing. He understood in his heart that Wang Xiaolie recruited a large number of new soldiers to expand his army. Although he had the desire to resist the Jin soldiers, he could not escape his over-ambition. Compared with other generals, Wang Xiaolie was in a gray area between the official army and the bandits.
It's nothing. Especially with the recent mutiny between Miao and Liu, and Zhao Gou being deposed, it seems normal for the people leading the troops to do this. At the turn of the Song Dynasty, the Miao and Liu rebellions were not particularly serious and were quickly put down. But the mutiny had a huge impact. It had a profound impact on both Zhao Gou and court officials. After the mutiny, the whole world became a mess, with gangs of thieves everywhere. Zhao Gou had to go against his will and waver between the main and the main battle. With the help of Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, Zhang Jun and others, it took several years to put down the rebellions in various places.
In Wang Xiaolie's previous life, he always thought that during the Jianyan period and the early Shaoxing period, the main opponent of the Song army was the Jin army. Not really. Facing the Jin army, except for a few battles, the Song army simply fled. Their main opponents are rebels from various places. After the rebels were put down and several large armies were formed, they really had the confidence to fight against the Jin army.
Several large armies were able to fight against the Jin army, and with the addition of Qin Hui, Zhao Goucai made peace with the Jin army. Two conditions, one is indispensable. Without a large army, the Jin army will not make peace. Without Qin Hui, Zhao Gou could not completely eliminate and overwhelm the Zhuhe faction. Later generations always underestimated Qin Hui, and some even thought that Qin Hui was just a tool of Zhao Gou, "how can a mere cypress satisfy his desires?" Of course it's not that simple. Qin Hui's status was high enough, his wife Wang's network was large enough, and Qin Hui had enough talent for peacemaking. Only when various conditions converged did a historical situation emerge.
When the Song Army was not strong enough to fight the Jin Army, even if the Jin Army was willing to make peace, they just regarded Zhao Gou as another Liu Yu and as their own puppet. At this time, the imperial court actually did not have strong control over the military under its rule.
The Miao and Liu rebellions sounded the clarion call. On the one hand, the Jin army was greatly confident and vowed to capture Zhao Gou and search the mountains and seas. On the other side, a large number of generals lost their respect for the imperial court and occupied their respective territories, and the troubled times truly began.
