It snowed heavily in Huainan, and the newly renovated post roads were covered with cinders. Thousands of people and horses trampled on them, but they still left mud on the ground.

The township bureaus along the road requisitioned the labor of laborers overnight to repair the road.

Although the temperature will get colder in the next two days, and stepping on the turbid melting snow will freeze the road solidly for the whole day, the road needs to be smoothed out in time to ensure a continuous supply of materials for the subsequent use of vehicles and horses.

Fast shipping to Huangchuan.

However, the requisitioned labor force seems to be slightly more. There are hundreds of civilian laborers, holding wooden shovels and other simple tools, braving the biting cold, trampling on the snow to work in extremely difficult conditions, but few

It’s tiring to cry out.

Since the Tangyi Army regained the central areas of Huozhou and Shouzhou in the spring, they first abolished the status of slaves and slaves and directly confiscated the fields of wealthy families.

Those wealthy families who did not escape immediately were imprisoned as war criminals and sent to hard labor camps for rehabilitation.

The confiscated fields were allocated to poor tenant farmers and slaves who were actually cultivating them. Only these tenant farmers were needed. The slave families worked for the township secretary for three months in total during the off-farm period every year on road construction, canal construction, etc., and ten consecutive years of voluntary work were deducted from the income.

Yes; of course, these private households have young men who are eligible for military service, and even this discount is directly exempted.

The newly recovered counties will be exempted from this year's summer and autumn grain taxes and Dingkou tax.

And even if the land is measured and divided into acres, the new land tax that will be levied uniformly next year will only be less than half of what the Shouzhou Army collected in various ways before.

From now on, all the prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of Tangyi will be directly exempted from the heavy corvee.

At this time, when civilians are requisitioned to repair roads, the wages will be paid by the township secretary or directly offset against the new land tax levied next year after the land is allocated.

For the idle and strong laborers who stay in dilapidated shacks in the cold winter, participating in road construction can not only earn an extra income, but also save food for the family. How can they feel hard work?

In the summer and autumn, although the floods in Huanghe, Guanhe and other river basins were extremely serious, tens of thousands of households whose fields and houses were destroyed by floods were moved to northern Chaozhou and Chuzhou for resettlement, and the remaining households were not seriously affected by the floods.

Due to the impact of the epidemic, the summer and autumn grain harvests are relatively stable. If you save money and spend frugally, there will be absolutely no problem until the summer grain harvest next year.

There are even some families who are a little braver, and use some of their excess grain to buy a few new clothes for their families, or purchase a few handy farm tools, or buy two carts of lime, and hire young men from the same village to help.

After a few minor repairs to the dilapidated house, and a new thatched roof to protect it from wind and rain, life seemed to be getting better.

During the Battle of Wujinling, the Shouzhou Army forcibly recruited more than 30,000 civilians from Gaocheng and other counties to build roads, camp, transport grain and fodder, and even drove onto the battlefield as miscellaneous soldiers to consume the strength of the Tangyi Army. After the Shouzhou Army was defeated,

, except for a few of these civilian husbands who fled back one after another, most of them failed to return to their hometowns for more than two years.

These civilian husbands are all strong laborers. To their families, it is as if the main beam has collapsed. However, after this spring, 25,600 families will not only get in touch with their fathers, sons or husbands who have been separated for so long, but also

It was learned that they all officially became generals of Tangyi Army.

For the poor people struggling at the bottom, knowing that their families are safe and sound is already great news. Next, except for the land allotment given by the township secretary to the generals’ family members, it will all be allocated 15 acres per household without compensation.

During the five-year service period of the regular soldiers, the land tax was halved. In addition to being paid as regular soldiers from the spring onwards, each general was also given a supplementary salary of five cents for the auxiliary soldiers in the camp to prepare for their families.

can get better placement.

Winning the support of aristocratic clans will be quite complicated, but winning the support and support of the poor and slaves at the bottom who are struggling on the edge of survival is straightforward and simple.

Of course, this requires strong enough fiscal and tax revenue and the organizational strength of a large number of grassroots subordinates to support this.

Groups of soldiers and horses passed in front of the village, bringing not the depression and panic of the impending war, but hundreds of young adults running to the township office all day long, asking whether the government had any plans to recruit new soldiers.

Some of the civilian men who were forcibly conscripted by the Shouzhou Army during the Wujinling War were only sons, brothers, or fathers and sons who were conscripted into the army at the same time.

Regardless of whether it was to follow the tradition of passing on the family line or to ensure that households had young and strong labor force at home, after recovering the central area of ​​Huozhou after the spring, Han Qian ordered the reissue of the auxiliary military pay of nearly 3,000 generals to be returned home.

.

These people are even more eager to return to the camp.

The standard of clothing, food, housing and transportation for the soldiers of the Tangyi Army was much higher than that of the poor people at the bottom of the world.

Meritorious service will be rewarded. If you can survive several literacy classes, you can be appointed as a military attache, and then you can be appointed as an official when you return to the local area. Even though this is a bit far for ordinary generals, after the service period, you will be included in the reserve force.

You can also enjoy half the salary, and after you retire from the reserve force, you can still enjoy part of the salary until you are old.

For the children of Huaixi who have been struggling on the edge of survival for decades, where can they find such good things?

Even as a civilian accompanying the army, he can enjoy the benefits of being an auxiliary soldier in the camp, which is better than being idle at home in the cold winter and unable to find a living.

In order to alleviate the huge pressure on military resources, Han Qian could not expand his troops without limit, and had even been thinking of reducing the number of active troops. However, at this critical time, in order to ensure the rapid expansion of troops and horses in a short period of time, he

Possibly, at the same time that Su Lie, He Liufeng, and Tan Xiuqun were transferred to the west, the Government of Zhizhi ordered the various township departments to recruit 100 to 300 new road construction workers in addition to the original construction plan.

Currently, the government has jurisdiction over 27 counties and 189 townships. Through this method, nearly 40,000 young people are actually in a state of semi-mobilization and semi-preparation for war.

Almost half of these young and strong laborers are distributed near the post road that starts in the north of Chaozhou, passes through Anfengzhai, Gaocheng and goes to Le'an and the north side of Huaiyang Mountain.

This post road has a long history and is currently the main land passage from Chaozhou and Chuzhou to Huangchuan and Le'an. Along the way, it crosses many waterways that originate from the northern and northeastern foothills of Huaiyang Mountain and flow into the Huaihe River and Chaohu Lake.

There are ferries and pontoons along the river, as well as inns and inns every twenty or thirty miles.

Anfeng, Gaocheng, Yincheng, Xinjing and other major cities in Shouzhou, central and southern Huozhou and northern Chaozhou are all located near this post road, which is the most densely populated area in central Huaixi.

Along this post road, after crossing the Huanghe River to the west, you will reach Le'an City, which is only 60 miles away from Luoshan City to the east.

Less than forty miles north along the Huanghe River from Le'an City is Huangchuan City, where the old government of Guangzhou was located.

Huangchuan City is divided into two parts, the old and the new, east and west, standing across the Huang River, forming horns with each other. The defensive situation is excellent, but Le'an City is closer to Luoshan, so the troops and horses that will be mobilized to the west wing will naturally be assembled in Le'an.

In addition to the post road in the north of Huaiyang Mountain, you can go from the upper reaches of Longtan River valley to the upper reaches of Feishui River in the south, then enter the Baishui River valley via the Huazhufeng plank road, and pass through the newly built road in the hinterland of Huaiyang Mountain, you can directly enter Huang

Go upstream and then down the Huanghe River to enter Le'an City.

This newly constructed passage that has been built over the past two years is narrower and more tortuous, but as a supplement, this passage can allow the manpower and materials in Huaiyang Mountain to be fully utilized, and at the same time, it is not afraid of the obstacles on the north side of Huaiyang Mountain.

The passage may be cut off by the incoming Shouzhou Army scouts, and it can also conceal the gathering and mobilization of the Tangyi Army, which is even more significant.

Groups of troops gathered in the direction of Le'an, and in Le'an County, Kong Xirong was one step ahead in building a group of barracks and fortresses on the west side of the county.

In mid-November, when Lin Jinhou Li Changfeng, Minister of Industry Zhou Yuan and others strongly refuted Han Qian's memorial urging a quick settlement of the Luoshan garrison within one month in the court, He Liufeng was the chief general and Su Lie was the deputy general.

The 12,000 elite soldiers and horses of Tangyi's forward army have already stationed themselves in a camp on the east bank of the Gushui River, which is only less than thirty miles away from Luoshan City.

Dushanyi, one of the core camps of the Zuo Longque Army on the west bank of the Gushui River, is only 500 steps away from the main camp of the Tangyi Forward Army, which is actually equivalent to facing each other across the Gushui River.

After the forward army arrived at the east bank of the Gushui River, it did not stop and wait for further orders before taking action. Instead, it divided troops and horses to spread along the east bank of the Gushui River, occupy and control many places where it was easier to cross the river - the Xiangbei Army was at

Hundreds of people were organized across the river bank to cut through the river ice every day, so that the Gushui River was not completely frozen even in late November.

In addition, Han Bao, who was transferred to serve in front of Kong Xirong's tent after returning from Heshuo, and Wang Zang were also incorporated into the forward army this time. Each led more than a thousand elite infantry and advanced directly into the two flanks of the valley in the upper reaches of the Gushui River.

Launch a clearing campaign against the cottages in the upper reaches of the Gushui River.

Last autumn and winter, when Kong Xirong led his troops into the mountainous area on the northern slope of Huaiyang Mountain and launched a riot by the poor and slaves at the bottom to resist the oppression and exploitation of the wealthy families, they were only limited to the area east of the upper reaches of Huanghe River.

The mountainous area in the upper reaches of the Gushui River is close to Jiuli Pass and Lingshan Camp controlled by the Xiangbei Army. It is quite far away from Wujin Ridge. Moreover, the mountainous area along the Gushui River has a relatively flat terrain and is easily attacked by the garrison troops of Huangchuan and Le'an.

Therefore, last year, when a large-scale uprising was launched among the poor and slaves, they did not extend their tentacles to the mountainous areas along the upper reaches of the Gushui River.

Although the Gushui River is the boundary river between Luoshan and Le'an and Huangchuan counties, the upper reaches of the Gushui River, Xuanxi Bay, Gaohuadian Port and other places are traditionally affiliated with Luoshan County.

At least before Wei Qun went to Da Chu as an envoy to propose that the Shu-Chu coalition attack Guanzhong, Han Qian did not think about engaging in a military confrontation with Li Zhigao. He even sent only a small number of sentries to the east bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Gushui River and did not build a fixed camp. Naturally,

There is no attempt to control the mountainous areas upstream of the Gushui River.

However, after Han Qian made up his mind to abduct the Wen clan members to Tangyi, the Gushui River became more important in the West Wing, and the West Wing's attitude towards the mountainous area upstream of the Gushui River also changed fundamentally.

Just two or three months ago, Kong Xirong was not limited to repairing several permanent camps along the east bank of the Gushui River. Kong Xirong also dispatched hundreds of capable men to sneak into the mountainous area of ​​​​the upper reaches of the Gushui River near Jiuliguan to make secret contacts and encourage copycats.

The lower class poor and slaves there.

Now when it's time to harvest, the elite soldiers and horses of Han Bao and Wang Zhi went directly into the mountains and knocked down the strongholds one after another. Those who disobeyed started riots from within and cooperated with the outside to forcibly conquer the strongholds, abolish the old system of slaves and maids, suppress the powerful people, and

As quickly as possible, tens of thousands of poor people and slaves in this area were mobilized, two townships were established, two thousand elite troops were recruited, and the number of soldiers and horses was expanded to more than 4,000. They were stationed at Jianzi Ridge out of the Gushui River, east of Xiangbei.

Junlingshan Camp is only about 20 miles away from the gorge, threatening the flanks from Jiuli Pass to Lingshan Camp and from Lingshan Camp to Luoshan City.

In the cold winter, the streams and rivers are dry, so it is easy to block the upper reaches of the Gushui River.

At the same time, a large amount of lime, stone mud, green bricks, strips of stone and other construction materials were continuously transported to the Jianziling Gorge mouth through thousands of mules and horses from Huangchuan, Le'an, Yincheng, Xinjing and other places.

Hundreds of able-bodied laborers were cutting down trees in the nearby mountains.

Such a big move is obviously not just about building two camps at the mouth of Jianziling Gorge and connecting them with a pontoon bridge.

From the mouth of Jianziling Gorge to the north, thousands of people were recruited along the east bank of the Gushui River to repair the abandoned river embankments and roads on the east bank regardless of the severe ice and snow.

…………

…………

"Does Han Qian really want to rush to repair the dam at the mouth of the gorge?"

Xu Jing stood on a gentle slope and asked sadly and angrily.

He looked at the river ice on the north side of Jianzi Ridge after it had broken. There was no flow under the ice. Hundreds of people had built a low fence in the river and filled it with earth and rocks to block the small amount of water seeping down.

The river is flowing, but in the river below the fence wall, countless people are clearing out the silt from the river bed.

Looking at the camp on the east bank, hundreds of mules and horses are constantly transporting bricks and stones to pile up. It is obvious that a formal weir dam is to be built in the river below the simple fence wall.

At this time, Han Qian did not hesitate to recruit thousands of civilians to build weirs and dams on the upper reaches of the Valley River. His sinister intentions are self-evident.

During the Battle of Wujin Ridge, the main force of the Shouzhou Army was concentrated in the narrow valley between Wujin Ridge and Meitang Mountain, which was more vulnerable to the impact of the upstream floods. However, after leaving Jianzi Ridge, the west bank of the Gushui River was a flat plain.

To use the flood to reach the Xiangbei Military Camp twenty or thirty miles away and build it on the outskirts of Luoshan City, it is necessary to use weirs and dams on the upper reaches of the Gushui River and the mountains on both sides to store more than ten times the amount of water. Then it is necessary to build

Taller, more formal weirs.
To be continued...