It is now mid-June, and in a little while it will be July, and it will be the harvest season.
The central and northern parts of Anshang County suffered less from military disasters, so farming in these townships could barely proceed normally.
The grain harvest was imminent, and all officials related to agriculture at the county and county levels in the city were sent out by Yang Qing to ensure that the rice in each township and pavilion could be harvested smoothly.
Although it is possible to provide food rations for the military and civilians by exchanging money for food or farm tools, cloth, etc., this is not a permanent solution. Only self-sufficiency can make the military and civilians feel at ease.
Moreover, the collection of autumn grain is related to Yang Qing's subsequent arrangements. He needs this batch of grain to help him. By then, the full grain depot will be able to support a larger war.
Therefore, Yang Qing attaches great importance to this. In the past few days, he has also visited the two surrounding townships, and sent additional troops to the southern part of Anshang. Relying on the original Dingxiang, Ningxiang, and Hexiang camps, he established guard Anshang. The first line of defense to prevent sudden rebel attacks.
Although Yang Qing wrote a letter to Gao Ding to persuade him to surrender, he would not really believe that his words alone could persuade the barbarian tycoon to surrender with courtesy. In his letter, he showed more provocation. The meaning is to provoke this person to rule the army and come to fight again.
However, he did not expect the Yi soldiers to attack immediately. He had to wait until the autumn grain harvest was harvested to give him a breather, so he was worried these days. In addition to sending more troops outside, he also asked Wu Que to pay close attention. The movements of the rebels will be reported at any time.
Fortunately, Gao Ding was also busy licking his wounds, and nothing happened during these days, which made Yang Qing slowly feel relieved.
Although the official army won a complete victory in this battle, our own side still suffered some damage. More than two hundred soldiers died in the battle and needed to be compensated by the government.
What's more, soldiers who participated in the war also had to be generously rewarded, which was a huge expense. Fortunately, An Shang still had money saved in the city, so he could barely cope with it.
However, at this time of year, money is not as beneficial as food after all. In order not to let the soldiers feel cold, Yang Qing still squeezed out a batch of food from the poor food to reward the meritorious soldiers and provide compensation to the casualties.
Yang Qing also personally visited the homes of the wounded and wounded soldiers to express condolences, and made arrangements for the families of soldiers who had lost their livelihood. Men in the family could work in farm tool workshops and ironwork workshops, and women could also work in textile workshops. All food and clothing are distributed to level five workers.
The workers in several workshops established by Yang Qing are divided into levels one to eight according to their skill level. The higher level is the craftsman level, and they are divided into small craftsmen, medium craftsmen and big craftsmen. The higher the level, the monthly salary is also The higher.
As soon as the casualties and their families entered the workshop, the treatment they received as level 5 workers was already a favor from the government, enough to make others envious.
Of course, now that the entire Yuexi County has not been restored, with only the financial and material resources to build a city, the workers' treatment is mainly reflected in the amount of food. Once the rebellion is suppressed in the future, the workers' treatment will become more and more comprehensive.
This is also a pilot that Yang Qing intends to try. If there is an opportunity in the future, he will promote this workshop system and fully release the enthusiasm of Yizhou craftsmen in order to enhance national strength.
Everything was complicated, and Yang Qing did not have a moment of leisure after returning to Anshang. In addition to military affairs, farming, and commercial affairs, he also had to pay attention to the situation on the hidden front.
Since the Huo Jian traitor case was fully uncovered, Yang Qing was busy commanding and finishing the war, and had no time to ask Huo Jian about the follow-up situation of the case.
After Huo Jian was captured that day, Yang Qing threw him to Wu Que, asking him to interrogate him and squeeze out all the value of this guy.
Since returning to Anshang City, Huo Jian has been on a hunger strike without eating or drinking. No matter how Wu Que interrogated him, he would not answer or cooperate.
However, Wu Que did not force him to eat. For some reason, Huo Jian still survived, as if he had never gone on a hunger strike.
Wu Que and the others had not considered the reason for this in detail. Since Huo Jian would not be able to find a gap for a while, Wu Que would make a breakthrough from Huo Chang's side.
As Huo Jian's superior and elder brother, Huo Chang knew no less than Huo Jian, and he even knew more.
Wu Que did not use any punishment, but only made a few gestures in front of Huo Chang, and truthfully informed Huo Chang of the rich results of the battle, so that Huo Chang would answer all questions and know what to say.
In a secret cell, Wu Que looked at Huo Chang sitting in the cell with a serious face. As the conversation progressed smoothly, he couldn't help but think, this guy really understands the principle of being a good man who knows the current affairs. This person is so cooperative. , but I don’t know how to deal with him.
"According to you, the Yizhou surnames leading the trouble this time are mainly the Yong family, the Meng family, the Cuan family, and your Huo family?" Wu Que asked.
Huo Chang nodded and replied affirmatively: "Exactly. Among the three families, Yong Kai from the Yong family, Meng Huo from the Meng family, and Cuan Xi from the Cuan family are the leading figures here."
"According to someone's knowledge, Yong Kai is a descendant of Yong Chi, the founding hero of the Han Dynasty, Shifang Marquis. In the fourth year of Yuan Kang, the Yong family moved from Guanghan to the Dianchi area and lived in Nanzhong. As a leader of the Nanzhong surname, he He is a very prestigious person, and the imperial court has always known him and is quite familiar with him, but I don't know who Meng Huo and Cuan Xi are." Wu Que asked again.
According to Yang Qing's wishes, Wu Que interrogated Huo Chang and Huo Jian, mainly to learn from them the purpose of the rebellion, the deployment of troops, and the personality and temperament of the leading figures.
Huo Chang thought for a while and replied: "The Meng family is originally a Han surname, but their family has lived in Nanzhong for a long time, and has lived and intermarried with Yi people for more than two hundred years. It is somewhat unclear whether their family is Han or Yi. .
"Now the head of the Meng family is Meng Huo. He is of mixed Han and Yi descent. Not only is he very famous among the Han people in Yizhou County, but what is even more commendable is that he is generous and fair in dealing with people. He is very popular among the Yizhou people in the south. It is also very prestigious, and many Yi people are vying to follow him."
"Yong Kai also valued Meng Huo. At the beginning of the rebellion last year, he sent Meng Huo to go deep among the barbarians, and falsely told him that the government planned to force 300 black dogs. Three thousand pieces are worth three feet. Since Meng Huo was well-known, the barbarians believed it to be true and obeyed Meng Huo's orders, thus responding to Yong Kai."
When Wu Que heard this, he thought that Soyi might also have the intention to rebel, and it was not because he simply misunderstood Meng Huo's lies.
He nodded and said, "I see. What kind of family is the Cuan family?"
Huo Chang is now on a dark road. He knows that since he has confessed, he must confess thoroughly, so that he can have a chance to survive.
Therefore, he replied without any concealment: "The Cuan family is somewhat similar to my Huo family. I hope that this rebellion can give the imperial court a separate and independent position in Yunnan, so that the big surnames can be ruled for a long time and maintain long-term interests. You can have your own world in this troubled world."
Wu Que sneered and said: "You guys think it's quite beautiful. Don't you know that the whole world is the king's land, and the shore of the land is the king's ministers?"
Huo Jian saw that Wu Que was a little angry and quickly responded: "Yes, yes, these powerful men are arrogant and do not know the destiny. They are really destroying themselves."
"You can think so, it seems there is a way out." Wu Que calmed down and said, "Now let's talk about how many people you and the others have."
Huo Chang said: "Yes. The main rebel surnames in Nanzhong are still four families including us, especially the Yong and Meng families who have the largest number of people. As far as Chang knows, the Yong family has more than 4,000 men and horses, and the Meng family has more than 3,000 people. , the Cuan family and my Meng family each sent more than 2,000 troops, and the rest of the small and medium-sized tycoons sent more than 3,000 troops."
"So, the total number of rebel surnames is nearly 15,000." Wu Que said coldly.
"Exactly."
"What about the weapons and equipment of these people?"
Huo Changxiao smiled and said: "Generally speaking, they are similar to those under the command of Yi Wang Gaoding, but far inferior to the majestic appearance of my Yuexun officers and soldiers."
Wu Que sneered and said, "That's natural. Who is the prince of my family? He has elite soldiers and strong generals under his command."
Huo Changqi smiled and said: "Yes, it is extremely stupid for villains to resist the heavenly soldiers without knowing their destiny."
Wu Que said: "As long as you know, go on and tell me everything you know so that someone can plead with the Lord on your behalf."
"promise."
