Excluding the Khitan soldiers, Nianhan only had at most 60,000 to 70,000 gold soldiers on the western front, which Wang Xiaolie could deal with. Adding in the Khitan troops, the number more than doubled to nearly 150,000, which meant that the number was full of ambition but not enough strength.
Insufficient military strength means not only insufficient numbers of troops, but also insufficient combat readiness materials. Wang Xiaolie tried his best, but he could only ensure that he could dispatch no more than 150,000 troops when he attacked Taiyuan Mansion. No more supplies would be available. This is an objective restriction and there is no way around it.
Standing up, Wang Xiaolie said: "Let's eat. Think about this again and think of more solutions."
What can be done? Only time can be used to close the gap. In two or three years, the newly occupied areas can be stabilized and local mobilization capabilities can be increased. At that time, it would be possible to have a military advantage.
Wang Xiaolie stayed in Jinzhou for three days, then transferred from Xizhou to Shizhou.
The day we arrived in Shizhou was the fourth day of December and the first day of April 9th. The cold wind howled while walking on the road, but it immediately felt warm as soon as they entered the river valley, making Wang Xiaolie mistakenly think that he was back in Luoyang. In fact, the temperature in the valley is also low, it's just an illusion after coming down from the mountain.
Jiang Min and Zhang Jun led a group of civil and military officials to welcome Wang Xiaolie out of the city early, and saw Wang Xiaolie bowing politely.
Looking at the two of them, Wang Xiaolie said: "Thank you for your hard work. This place is the northernmost state we currently occupy, and the winter is difficult."
Jiang Min said: "We are soldiers. We only know how to obey orders and obey orders. Whether we are cold or not is another matter."
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "Okay, okay! It's best if you can understand."
Zhang Jun said: "The supplies provided by Xuanfu are sufficient, and winter is actually not difficult. We have also thought of many ways, and some places are still as warm as spring."
Wang Xiaolie looked at Zhang Jun and said with a smile: "Whether it's hard to be sad in winter doesn't depend on you, but on your soldiers. The most important thing is that they can be fed and clothed. Don't let your soldiers be cold and hungry. It is difficult to withstand the cold wind of winter. Otherwise, you will never be able to atone for your sins!"
Zhang Jun saw Wang Xiaolie's serious attitude and said hurriedly: "I understand!"
"Let's go, let's see how well the soldiers are living!" Wang Xiaolie took a big step, leading the way.
Zhang Jun glanced at Jiang Min, shook his head secretly, and followed quickly.
Shizhou is located in the north, and buildings such as sheds cannot withstand the cold wind in winter. Outside the city, regardless of the military or civilians, all the houses were replaced by earth-made houses. Most people have dug cellars on the cliffs, some simple and some more complex.
Wang Xiaolie pointed to the cellars and asked, "Although these cellars can block the cold wind, are they convenient for people to live in them?"
Zhang Jun said: "Living there is nothing more than eating and sleeping, so what's the inconvenience? However, these cellars were dug too tightly and it was difficult to cook. Now the military prepares them for the people to eat. Although Fermi , but much more convenient.”
Wang Xiaolie couldn't help but frowned after hearing this: "What should we do if some people eat more and some eat less? How can adults and children tell the difference? What if I want to eat tofu today and meat tomorrow? Don't say this is a trivial matter, life is Made up of these little things.”
Zhang Jun said: "Then there is no other way. The people who cook here have all counted how many adults and how many children there are, and they will not be wrong. If you feel that the food in the army is not to your taste, you can make it yourself. Is that good? Well, it depends on each person’s skill. Dad Yan’s cellar over there was built with great care, and there is a special place for cooking. There are people cooking almost every day, so it’s no surprise.”
Wang Xiaolie nodded: "This is also a way."
After thinking for a while, he asked again: "Do people eat for free?"
Zhang Jun said with a smile: "We originally wanted to make it free, but then we thought about the many disadvantages of free, so we changed it to a fee. We charge a nominal fee. Now they charge five cents for a meal. Of course, you can add meat and other ingredients. You just have to pay extra for fish and the like. When we first built the pits, we used work as relief to give them wages. And for people who really don’t have money, the government will give them enough money to eat."
Wang Xiaolie looked around and saw Zheng Gangzhong, who was newly arrived here as the judge. Asked: "Zheng Tongpan, is this enough money for the government?"
Zheng Gangzhong said: "That's enough. Xuanfu was worried that he didn't have enough money, so he gave him 100,000 guanhuizi when he came. Fortunately, here on Hedong Road, most places have huizi, which is very convenient. It's just that it's too hard to use huizi for a while. If there are too many, prices will rise very quickly.”
Wang Xiaolie said: "This is unavoidable. But you can't take it lightly and let it go. The so-called saying skill, if you have too many meetings, you have to find a way to take it back. You discuss this matter with the supply and marketing cooperative and transport it to sell well here. When the goods come, take the huizi back. When the huizi is taken back, the prices will fall."
Zheng Gang said yes.
Along the way, most of the people lived in caves, while the soldiers lived in houses made of earth. This is inevitable, after all, the military has the same requirements.
After walking for a while, Wang Xiaolie asked: "These people can't all be supported by the army here. They must have their own production and life after all. What does the army think about this? Where will they go in the future?"
Zhang Jundao: "We have considered that the simplest way is to camp in the fields. Recently, we have worked with Zheng Tongpan to survey the surrounding land to see where it is suitable to build villages. We want to wait until spring comes to select the people and go to those places to open up wasteland. . The government can loan them seeds and farm tools and pay them back in the autumn."
Wang Xiao hunted Zheng Gangzhong and said, "There are mountains everywhere here. Is there enough land?"
Zheng Gangzhong said: "We have checked various riverbanks, and it should be enough. However, Shizhou is crisscrossed by mountains, and most people have gathered in Shizhou, so we can't accommodate any more people. We thought, it really can't be done. The surrounding areas Counties can also house the population.”
After Wang Xiaolie heard this, he turned around and looked around. He shook his head and said: "There are mountains everywhere here, which can't support people."
After that, he walked forward. He saw a military camp nearby and said, "Look at how the soldiers live."
Several people felt anxious and hurriedly followed.
When the guards saw these many people coming in, they looked very nervous and hurriedly saluted.
An officer came running quickly. When he arrived in front of Wang Xiaolie, he performed a military salute. Asked: "Who is coming? Why do you want to enter the military camp?"
Jiang Min came up and said: "Wang Xiaolie, the Xuanfu envoy of the West Jing and Henan Road, took a group of officials to visit the military camp. I am Jiang Min. You should recognize me, right?"
The officer nodded and said: "I know. I'm sorry that I can't accompany you because of my duties. You go in and an officer will explain it to you later."
After saying that, he took a deep breath and turned around to leave.
Jiang Min said: "When we enter the military camp, the officers on duty must register. Don't be offended by Xuanfu."
Wang Xiaolie said with a smile: "What's so weird about this? These rules were originally set by me."
