Before the news in the capital reached Xuanda University, Yu Dayou had already arrived in Shuozhou and took office.
Shuozhou Guard is not at the forefront of Datong Town's defense system, but it is actually very important.
At this time, to the west of Datong Town, the defense line consisting of Pinglu Guard, Yulin Guard, Yunchuan Guard, Jingping Guard Qianhu Post and other forts and piers mainly defended against enemy soldiers coming from the direction of Hetao. .
To the north is the direct entrance to Datong. Almost due south of Datong Town is Yingzhou, which already belongs to the hinterland of the south.
Shuozhou Guard is located in the southwest of Yingzhou, and there are two thousand-household settlements in Mayi and Shanyin in the middle of Yingzhou. They are distributed along the Sanggan River.
Shuozhou, Mayi, and Jingping formed a corner.
Although they are in the hinterland, there are still many troops stationed there, just because this is the upper reaches of the Sanggan River.
People and horses cannot live without water. If the Mongolian cavalry attacked with a large army, one route would be to attack Yanghekou from the tributary of the Sanggan River just north of Datong. If you take this route, you will encounter the town of Datong, southwest of the Baishan Mountain on the riverside - this is a solid nail.
The other route is to enter from the West Road, Shahukou, Koujingping and Shuozhou. If we gain a foothold here, we can push all the way to the entire Sanggan River Basin area of Datong Town, and even follow the Sanggan River to bypass the frontal defense of Xuanfu Town and reach Juyongguan. Or instead of attacking Juyong Pass, they can go south to Yuzhou, and then take Feihuxing, one of the Eight Passes in Taihang, to Laiyuan. Then they can pass through Puyinxing and attack the relatively easy Zijin Pass or continue south to attack and defeat them. Maguan.
This kind of thing has happened once before, that is, the Tumu Fort Incident. At that time, after the Oara army defeated the main force of the Ming army, they attacked Zijingguan along the above route, thus avoiding the edge of Juyongguan.
Datong Town is actually not easy to defend, because the mountains around Datong are relatively gentle, and the Great Wall defense line is not very easy to use. Zhang Wenjin has always advocated building the Xuanning Five Forts because the section of the Great Wall due north of Datong is no longer functional.
The Ming Dynasty was also very aware of this situation, so south of the Shuozhou, Mayi, Shanyin, and Yingzhou lines, the section where Datong Town and Shanxi Town met continued to the northwest of Beijing, and there was an inner Great Wall.
From west to east, there are passes such as Piantou Pass, Ningwuguan, Yanmen Pass, Pingxing Pass, Daoma Pass, and Zijin Pass.
You see, there are Shahu Pass, Yanghe Pass and other passes farther north, but the three outer passes are Piantou Pass guarding the Yellow River Valley, Ningwuguan guarding the Luliang Mountain Road, and Yanmen Pass guarding the Xinzhou Basin. The three inner passes are Juyong Pass, Zijin Pass and Daoma Pass - after passing them, you will reach the capital.
The three outer gates are the gates, and the three inner gates are the bedroom doors. What about Datong Town and Xuanfu Town outside Waisanguan?
courtyard. Although many people were assigned to guard the garden, it was actually a vegetable garden with broken walls and vegetables stolen by foreign enemies for many years.
Now, Yu Dayou looked at the "vegetable farmer leader" in front of him with a chill to his bones.
"Commander, this is the busiest time right now! No matter what, we have to wait until May to finish harvesting the wheat!"
Standing in front of him were the officials from Shuozhou Guard who came to see him.
From him below, there are two commanders and commanders of Shuozhou Guards, four commanders and ministers, two governors and governors, and five commanders of Qianhu.
The speaker was one of the Qianhu, named Yu Shouke.
The answer was Yu Dayou’s question about training.
He continued with a smile: "Commander, I'm a member of your family. It's hard for me to talk to you, so let me report to the commander. You came to Shuozhou to help Datong Town prepare military supplies. Northwest. Bianjingping, and Mayi in the northeast, are the elite soldiers deployed by the Commander-in-Chief. They are guarding the Qianhu Station, and we are all preparing for the Qianhu Station, be prepared, be prepared."
Yu Dayou knew this.
Usually, there are five offices under one guard, and they are all called Beiyu Qianhu House. Although the Qianhu Guard Station is similar to the Beiyu Qianhu Station in terms of number of troops and officers, it is directly subordinate to the Dusi and has its own independent garrison area.
Now, Jingping Road Guards General Liu Kai is stationed at Jingping Qianhu Station, and Mayi Qianhu Station is also guarded by guerrilla general Li Jian.
But are the Shuozhou guards really just farmers, and the generals all supervisors?
"Commander, you are the top military scholar appointed by His Majesty. You have been awarded such a high rank that I have never heard of. Everyone in your humble position knows that you want to train troops and perform meritorious service to repay the emperor's favor." Ai Xingzhi, one of the commanders of Shuozhou Guards, said with a flattering smile, "Commander Don’t worry, although the rations are heavy, the Shuozhou Guard still has an elite force. There’s nothing we can do about it. As a rule, the border guards are divided into three points for guarding and seven points for garrison. But the border troops are seriously deserting, and our Shuozhou Guard still has an elite force. , it is already extremely rare. The command of martial arts is unparalleled and the strategy is unparalleled. With this elite army, command and recruit and train family soldiers, Datong will have no shortage of opportunities to win and make achievements!"
He said it was a matter of course, and Yu Dayou nodded slightly: Not only were the border troops fleeing their country seriously, they also had a lot of vacancies. So does Shuozhou Guard really have a thousand elite soldiers as he said?
Seeing him nod, more people spoke.
"With the news that the commander is coming to Shuozhou to guard the city, the subordinates have already posted notices inside and outside the city. The commander only brought one royal guard and one military advisor to Shuozhou. Now there are many heroes both inside and outside Shuozhou and even in Shanxi and Shaanxi. Scholars come here one after another because of the reputation. To be honest with the commander, the subordinates have already received invitations from many people, and they are all as good as ten! If the commander doesn’t believe it, the subordinates will call them here.”
"The sages, gentry, and wealthy households in Shuozhou are also looking forward to the commander taking the time to meet him. I am afraid that the commander will be tired all the way, so I want to ask the commander about his arrangements first..."
"I heard that the commander was not married yet. Shuozhou, Yingzhou, Taiyuan, Fenyang...everywhere was in trouble. When I heard about it, I laughed so hard that I didn't even urinate and take a photo. The commanding Tiangang God general came down to earth and collapsed. There is a wealthy businessman who doesn’t know how much he weighs. What kind of status do you want to ask someone to marry you? "
"..."
Seeing that Yu Dayou's expression did not change, the generals sitting in the main hall gradually began to become bolder.
They spoke very directly, as if they were so straightforward in the military.
They all praised Yu Dayou with admiration, as if they were deeply proud to serve under Wu Zhuangyuan.
They also said very directly that Yu Dayou grew up in Fujian, so he still needed someone to take care of him when he came to Shuozhou. Servants, servants, food, accommodation, and daily necessities should all be given to the "boss" as a congratulatory gift to the number one scholar.
Yu Dayou has been listening quietly, and even a smile gradually appeared on the corner of his mouth, and it seems that the atmosphere is getting more and more harmonious.
Then he nodded: "I understand. There is only one army. The important task of defending the enemy does not lie with Shuozhou Guard. Is the wheat here harvested in May?"
"Yes!" Yu Shouke replied, "Last year the Tatars came here and destroyed a lot of wheat seedlings. Fortunately, it snowed, and the remaining wheat grew well. Now, it's time to start planting potatoes. It's the season. These foreign potatoes are a good thing. Before Mr. Zhu returned to Beijing, he asked someone to get a lot of seeds from Shanxi and Shaanxi..."
"How heavy is the mission of our Shuozhou Guard to collect grain? How many crops are there in total now?" Yu Dayou seemed a little confused. "Isn't there a lot of money in Datong every year? How much can our Shuozhou Guard get? Why does the grain harvest have to support Datong Town? , I, the Shuozhou Guard, still have another salary?"
Yu Shou laughed and said: "Ai Tong knows this best. Of course, we have to have salary money. Nowadays, it is all in exchange for silver. But the money cannot be eaten. The food in this camp is arranged by Datong, but even if it is only for the peripheral There are so many troops in Datong, but they are far from enough."
Ai Xingzhi gave him a figure: Shuozhou Wei now has a total of 1,938 hectares of farmland, but the land in Datong is barren, and only more than 20 dan can be harvested from one hectare of land in a year. This grain is the total output. According to the system, one portion of the land for military members is fifty acres. The guard station provides farm tools and seeds. The guard station also collects tax grains, which are called field grains. Nowadays, the rule is to pay once every three years, and pay one dou and two liters per acre. For fifty acres, that is six shi.
A farm of 50 acres would cost a total of six dan in three years. Each acre of land would be worth four buckets of grain per year. It didn't seem like a heavy burden.
Yu Dayou nodded: "In other words, our Shuozhou Guard has an average of almost 8,000 shi of food per year."
"Exactly!" Ai Xingzhi sighed, "Nowadays, those in the frontier army who have a small family can get eight dou of food per month; those who don't have a small family can get six dou of food. We, the Shuozhou Guards, are not sentry troops, let alone have no food. The whole guard If you die, you should be paid more than 40,000 taels a year. How can you eat eight thousand shi of grain every year? Nearly two thousand hectares of farmland, plus more than 10,000 taels of silver as salary. This is the wealth of my Shuozhou Wei family. That gift of coats and shoes , it just depends on luck.”
"I understand. I heard that last year's salary and reward money for the Shuozhou victory have been distributed?"
"Exactly. Although I, the Shuozhou Guard, have no great merits, I have been rewarded with one thousand four hundred and ninety-three taels of silver by my officers and soldiers. Commander, please take a look. The soldiers received their silver paintings and account books here."
Yu Dayou took the things in his hand and looked through them slowly.
In the room, some of the other people drank tea, some looked at each other, and they all waited quietly for Yu Dayou to speak.
After a long time, Yu Dayou closed the book, looked at them and said: "Since I came to Shuozhou with the emperor's favor, I still have to straighten out the guard affairs first. Let's do this. I will command the elite troops tomorrow. Take a look. The guards are stationed in the fields, and the soldiers are small. I, the commander, have to visit first to understand the situation of the guards. For many other chores such as city walls and defenses, my command committee, Mr. Zhao, will patrol first and ask Ai Tongzhi to arrange them. .”
"Don't worry, Commander."
Yu Dayou was silent for a while and then said: "This commander is here for the first time, so I will take care of your thoughts first. Since the local elders and rich people, and the prefect of Shuozhou have already written a letter, why don't we meet together."
Seeing Yu Dayou opening his mouth to accept their thoughts, he felt happy for a while.
Yu Dayou then just smiled and told them about the scenery of Shuozhou and Datong, as well as the past events of the border guards over the years.
When he finished the meeting and returned to the backyard, he only saw Zhao Benxue venting his anger on the dummy with a straight face.
Even after coming to Bian Town, he is now practicing two-handed swordsmanship with his disciples.
"Zhengchuan hasn't come back yet?"
Zhao Benxue shook his head, put away his wooden sword, walked to the stone pier in the courtyard and sat down: "What can you tell about his unfamiliar face? I'm afraid how many people are staring at him."
Yu Dayou smiled: "It's a good thing to keep an eye on him. If you keep an eye on him, you won't be able to keep an eye on others."
"You don't have to wait for them to come all the way here to surrender to you." Zhao Benxue finished drinking the water and looked at him, "That elite soldier must be their servant. He not only gets a share of pay, but also only listens to them. If you want to train troops, There are no new tricks. To train soldiers, you need to be paid. If you want to recruit servants and private soldiers like them, you will not be clean."
Along the way, Zhao Benxue gradually became more talkative.
When people have no real hope, they can just study it lightly as knowledge.
If you really get a chance, you will worry about gains and losses, and it will be difficult to nourish your Qi freely.
Now, Yu Dayou is more calm.
"Didn't you already know about these situations before you came here?"
"How are you going to break the situation?" Zhao Benxue looked at his proud disciple.
"I'm in a hurry." Yu Dayou sighed, "Wait for Lu Bing and his ten personal guards from the same department who have entered the Jinyi Guard to come over, and wait for Tang Shunzhi to come over."
"You want his help?"
"The town here is complicated and they are watching me so closely. Why don't we first understand the real situation with Wei Snake." Yu Dayou looked at it with a clear mind, "Besides, that is Mr. Futai after all. He is not only in charge of food and salary, but also praises military affairs, and even patrols the constitution. The right to ask questions. The situation in Datong cannot be broken by one person. If you want to harvest winter wheat, you have to harvest it first. After all, it is also food."
"Zhifu." Zhao Benxue stared at him, "This is a dye vat, you have to stick to your heart!"
"I know that Your Majesty wants you to be by my side to guard against my arrogance and impatience." Yu Dayou said with a smile, "Don't worry, sir, I understand your Majesty's intention of asking me to surrender to Shuozhou. The biggest problem in Bian Town has always been Money and food.”
…
Tang Shunzhi had just passed Datong and was marching to the outskirts of Huairen County south of Datong.
"Is this Zhenzihai?" He looked at the vast misty waves not far away.
"Futai, this is the Zhenzi Sea. The carp in the Huairen Zhenzi Sea are unique in the world."
The governor had no formal subordinates. When he arrived in Datong, Tang Shunzhi only had two more staff beside him, except for the model general who traveled with him.
One is an old friend from the past, and the other is a local who has lived in Datong for a long time introduced to him by Yang Yiqing. Two people are just lifting people up.
"The cultivated land by the lake seems to be quite fertile." Tang Shunzhi pointed there on his horse, "I heard that the sea from Zhenzi is fifty miles away?"
"It doesn't exist anymore," said Hou Anyong, a Juren who was born in Datong Lingqiu. "Today, Zhenzihai has a circumference of more than thirty miles at most."
"Oh? Why?"
"Fields, people live there." Hou Anyong pointed to the mountains in the distance, "The border towns banned woodcutting, but they did not prohibit the cultivation of mountains and fields. There are more and more farms in Datong, but less and less grain. I am in Lingqiu I heard that Datong reported ten disasters in five years. During the Yongle period, there were more than 130,000 Datong defenders. Today, they are about 80,000. Counting military households, if one household counts four people, the number is three to four hundred thousand. From Futai, we know that Datong How many military camps are actually there?"
"Yan Ran has an account in mind?"
Hou Anyong said angrily: "Forty thousand hectares is more, not less! One hectare is one hundred acres, and the grain of the field is only 200 shi per year. Forty thousand hectares is eight million shi! Ten million shi is enough. We don’t know yet! Not to mention the exploitation by generals, military households actually hand over more grains for farming. General He, you were still the commander of the Shuozhou Guard last year, don’t you think so?”
He Xun was silent for a moment, and then said: "I was recommended by General Staff Yang, and I was selected to go to the capital competition just three months after arriving at Shuozhou Guard. It is impossible for me to intervene in Shuozhou Guard, and I can only train my own soldiers. I As soon as we left Datong, Zheng Minghui, a fellow commander, took over the command. After the great victory at Shuozhou, he officially took over. I am now the staff general of the Xuanda Governor's Model Battalion. I really dare not say whether Mr. Hou's words are right or wrong."
"You were awarded the general's flag by His Majesty! Is there anything you dare not say?" Hou Anyong was a little angry.
Tang Shunzhi also looked at He Xun, and then smiled.
Along the way, he listened to Tang Shunzhi and others discussing the situation in Datong, and it was obvious that he was feeling uneasy as his head was as big as a hemp.
What's more, Hou Anyong is talking about the fundamental problem of Bianzhen now?
"Futai, there are only about 80,000 generals in Datong! The imperial court is still worried about the food and wages of the border towns every year, and tens of millions of dollars a year cannot feed Datong! If things go on like this, how can border troubles be eliminated?" Hou Anyong said fiercely.
Tang Shunzhi was silent for a moment, and then burst into laughter: "General Staff Yang said that you call yourself Yan Ran, always have the desire to break the stone, and have the generosity of Zhao. It is true."
Then he sighed again: "According to the records, there are only 17,582 hectares of farmland in Datong. Depending on the year, the amount of farmland is about one and a half million shi. The monthly rations for 80,000 generals, and then To add grain, more than 3 million shi of grain was needed a year. When the grain was insufficient, the imperial court allocated salary silver to Datong, with an average of 500,000 taels per year. According to the price of grain in the Ming Dynasty, one tael of silver should buy three or four shi of grain. When they arrived in Datong, One tael of silver can only buy more than two stones."
He looked at Hou Anyong: "If Datong has so much food a year, where does that food go?"
"Why does Li Fuda, whom Mr. Guo interceded with, have so much wealth? The rich land of Fenhe River in Zuowei, Taiyuan, is good for farming." Hou Anyong stared at Tang Shunzhi, "Futai, I admire you very much for your talent and ambition. With all due respect, Datong and this town are now a deadlock. Eighty percent of the soldiers who can fight are private soldiers of generals. Without these soldiers, Datong is useless. To support these soldiers, generals must have money and food. Salary It’s clear, where does the money and food come from? Cutting off the benefits of collecting grain, empty wages, false claims for wages, and splitting accounts for private markets, the elite soldiers in the border towns collapsed, and the northern captives marched straight in!"
After saying that, he snorted and looked at He Xun again.
After a pause, he continued: "Not just one person is like this, but most of the border towns are like this, and they have been like this for nearly a hundred years!"
Tang Shunzhi nodded: "I know this, General Staff Yang and Wang Shangshu know it, and His Majesty also knows it. A victory in Shuozhou, and there is no reason to set a precedent in Bianzhen."
"If things go on like this, how can we defend ourselves against the enemy? How can we talk about expelling the Tartars? I call myself Yan Ran, and I am just trying to comfort myself by admiring the martial arts of the Han Dynasty and lamenting the current situation."
The newly arrived civil and military champions are all learning about the actual situation in Datong in their own ways.
Tang Shunzhi comforted him: "Don't be in a hurry, Yan Ran, don't be in a hurry."
"Hey." Hou Anyong sighed, and then asked, "The king oversees the stability of Taiqi Bian Town and does not want Futai to interfere in food and salary matters. Now Futai is going to Shuozhou, but he is talking about food and salary matters. What on earth is this? "
Tang Shunzhi replied seriously: "I have no dispute with Dutai!"
Both aides looked at him.
"Really, General He?"
He Xun's scalp was numb: "Put the table, I don't dare to lie."
One is the Governor of Xuanda, and the other is the 20-year-old Jingbian Bo and the Governor of Xuanda. He Xun is very puzzled as to why the emperor's new appointment to him is Tang Shunzhi's general of the pacesetter battalion.
Tang Shunzhi held up the reins and shook: "There is no dispute! The governor is in charge of the distribution of food and wages, and I am in charge of raising food and wages. Since Yan Ran said that there is actually so much food in Datong Town, I am going to find it. He Shen General, how about going to Shuozhou Guard, which you are familiar with, to look for it first?"
"...Why does Futai need to ask about the bid?"
"I don't know what's going on now that Yu Dayou has arrived in Shuozhou?" Tang Shunzhi smiled with interest, "We two civil and military champions who jointly submitted a petition to fight will gather in Shuozhou again, and there will be no other counselor, the former commander of Shuozhou Guards. Make it lively."
Hou Anyong's eyes flashed: "Futai, how can we raise food and salary? Why go to Shuozhou to break the situation? When I follow Futai, I have to explain everything carefully."
"Let's go and have a look first, then we'll talk, and we'll have a look before we talk." Tang Shunzhi glanced at the Zhenzi Sea again, "Since Datong is the only place in the world, are there any carp from the Zhenzi Sea in the inn ahead?"
"...Of course there is. Futai, with your dignity as Uncle Jingbian, why do you come to Datong? Tell me."
"You have to practice, let's taste the flavor of the border town first!" Tang Shunzhi licked his lips, "I have a great appetite!"
(End of chapter)
