Since Li Luo left Haidong, Sapler has sold three more batches of Jiangbei refugees. Cui Xiuning recruited another 30,000 recruits from the Jiangbei immigrants.

Together with Zhao Zhongxin's 5,000 Song troops, the total size of the Tang army exceeded 170,000. Among them, 30,000 are sailors and 140,000 are land divisions.

However, the number of troops could no longer be increased. Because the immigration program is finally over.

Together with the 300,000 immigrants from Henan and Jiangbei in the past few months, the total population of the Tang Kingdom reached 1.3 million.

The entire nine counties of Luoning County are full of immigrants. The plastered land in the eastern and southern plains of Haidong has been allocated.

Most of the displaced people in Henan and Jiangbei were trafficked by Sappler, and there was no surplus land in Haidong to accept new immigrants.

Therefore, the period of rapid expansion of the Tang Army ended.

Of the total population of 1.3 million, the standing army has 170,000, and the proportion is so frightening. So this model is not sustainable. In the past few years, eighty percent of the expenditures have been spent on the private property of Li Luo and Cui Xiuning, rather than the state treasury.

The total revenue of the state treasury was only a million taels last year, and it was impossible to solve the problem of military salaries alone.

Even this year, the treasury income of the Tang State is absolutely not two million, but the salary of the 170,000 troops is more than two million taels.

Even if all the surplus grain of the people of Haidong is purchased, it can only meet the needs of the army, craftsmen, officials and other groups who do not produce grain.

If it were not plundered by foreign countries, the Tang State would not have the money and food to raise troops at all.

Cui Xiuning flipped through the thick ledger, looked at every expense, and estimated how much expenditure would be needed this year.

It's really a mountain of gold and silver, and it can be dried up.

"Sister-in-law, how are you feeling these two days?" A crisp voice interrupted Cui Xiuning's thoughts, and Li Yuan, who was wearing a white dress and embroidered with a green gourd doctor logo on his chest, came to Cui Xiuning.

Li Yuan is eighteen years old, his appearance is even brighter and moving, and he is the county lord, and he is already known as a famous gynecology doctor, I don't know how many people are concerned.

But everyone knows that the king and his wife will never be sloppy about the marriage of the county lord. Ordinary people, don't even think about it.

Because Li Yuan studied medicine since childhood, she is very talented in medical skills, and she is inspired by the medical theories of later generations instilled by Cui Xiuning, plus a large number of clinical opportunities in Haidong Hospital, she is now a famous doctor, and even ahead of other famous doctors in many places.

Cui Xiuning took her sister-in-law's hand and sat down, "I don't feel any discomfort, but I feel more and more, it is different from the feeling when I was a child." ”

Li Yuan carefully checked Cui Xiuning's pulse, observed her abdomen again, and then put her ear on it to listen carefully, and said in a deep voice: "In the past few years, I have delivered more than 500 children with my own hands, and six of them are twins (twins). I look at my sister-in-law's pulse and appearance, but it is a bit like a twin. ”

"Really?" Cui Xiuning looked happy, twins. She knows that the probability of twins is only one percent, is it like her grandmother, giving birth to twins?

Her mother and aunt are twin sisters.

Li Yuan smiled: "If it's true, of course it's a great thing, but the little sister doesn't dare to conclude that it must be." ”

Cui Xiuning originally thought that the ancients didn't like twins and felt that twins were unlucky. It has been a few years since I came to ancient times to realize that this is pure nonsense.

Quite the opposite, actually. In the eyes of the ancients, twins were very auspicious, and the birth of a male was called "the joy of Shuangzhang" and the birth of a girl was called "the joy of Shuangzhu".

What Cui Xiuning didn't know was that Huo Guang and Xiahou were born twins, and they were also specially congratulated. Let's talk about "Dream of Red Mansions", there is also a congratulatory message of "raising a twin child in one child". Li Qingzhao gave birth to twins, and she also wrote a special article to congratulate her.

Ming Yingzong even said to his uncle: "Uncle gives birth to twins, it is the blessing of the ancestors, and good deeds are rewarded." ”

In the Ming Dynasty, not only was it a great joy to give birth to twins, but if you gave birth to triplets, you would also be rewarded by the emperor. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty repeatedly decreed that women who gave birth to triplets were rewarded.

If Cui Xiuning gave birth to twins, it would really be a great joy for the Tang Kingdom.

"So, do you think it's a man or a woman?" Cui Xiuning couldn't help but ask.

Li Yuan frowned and said, "It's hard to say. Judging from the diet of the sister-in-law, it is easier to have a man. ”

Emotionally, Cui Xiuning hopes that this baby is a girl. But she knows her identity and her belly, which is related to the stability of the Tang Kingdom. Out of rational considerations, she still prefers to have a boy.

It would be great if this second child was a boy and it was really a twin.

The first child is twins, but it is not beautiful. After all, the eldest son is going to succeed to the throne, and if the younger brother looks exactly like him, it will be a trouble.

The second child is different.

Li Zheng has been thirteen months, not only has he been weaned early, but he will also stagger, and he will call her mother, Yan Duo's father, Aunt Li Yuan, and a few foxes Xiaohei, Xiaobai, and Xiaogray.

Every time the little guy calls his mother, Cui Xiuning's heart is happy.

But, he won't call Daddy.

Cui Xiuning has taught him many times, and he won't call him dad. No way, he is very unfamiliar with Li Luo, the number of times father and son have met is only a handful, since he was born, father and son have met less than ten times, can he be called father?

Since this little man was weaned, he rarely cried, and he became closer to Yan Duo. In the eyes of the little man, it seems that the eldest father comes first. The mother is second, the aunt is third, the fox faction is fourth, the stone coral is fifth, and the common maids and guards in the house are sixth.

As for Daddy Li Luo, I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with it, I don't know where it went.

Now, Li Zheng spends most of his time in the Taigong Courtyard, either with Taigong Yan Duo or playing with the foxes.

Foxes eat meat. Cui Xiuning was really afraid that the little guy would be hurt by the fox, so Cui Xiuning strictly ordered that there should be someone by the child's side at all times.

"Chan'er." Cui Xiuning suddenly called.

A pleasant-looking girl opened the beaded curtain and came in, "Madame, please give me." "This girl is Du Lie's daughter, Yan Chan's sister Yan Chan. After taking the women's examination last year, she was selected by Cui Xiuning to be a female official in the house, and her official position was called "General Affairs Book Order", which was eight products. In fact, it is the leading secretary of later generations.

"You and Coral go to the Firearms Bureau to see how the trial production of the ten-pound shell is going." Cui Xiuning commanded.

Now because she is pregnant, she is afraid that the roar of artillery will scare the child in her belly, so she has always sent Yan Chan and Shi Coral to the Firearms Bureau recently.

Since the mass production of small cannons with three-kilogram ammunition and light artillery with six-kilogram ammunition, Cui Xiuning finally guided the Firearms Bureau to set a plan for ten-kilogram artillery at the end of last year.

The shape of the ten-catty cannon is somewhat like the light Hongyi cannon of later generations, and some designs of the Hongyi cannon are adopted. This kind of artillery weighs 900 catties, has a barrel of 8 feet and a caliber of 3 inches, and has an effective firing range of nearly two miles.

However, several months have passed, and there is still no prototype that can be mass-produced.

The main thing is the cost.

Since the ten-kilogram ammunition is already a heavy firearm, each launch needs to be filled with a large amount of granular gunpowder, and the strength requirements for the barrel are far greater than those of the three-kilogram bullet and the six-kilogram shell.

The sample was cast entirely in copper, so it was successfully made. But you can't always use copper for mass production, right? That would be too costly.

Therefore, Cui Xiuning adopted the method of iron core copper body and two layers of clay mold casting. But this technique is more complex and has not been fully solved until now.

If you want to say that Cui Xiuning's official business is most concerned about now, it is firearms.

When Yan Chan and Shi Coral left, Cui Xiuning said to Li Yuan with a smile: "Little sister, we have been married for two or three years. Your brother and I have never treated you as an outsider. We naturally care about your life's work. ”

When Li Yuan heard this, his face immediately turned a little crimson.

To be honest, she's not too small. At the age of eighteen, if he was in the Central Plains, he would have married a long time ago. Even if the law of the Tang Kingdom stipulates that she must be at least seventeen years old to marry, she has reached the age of marriage.

Cui Xiuning saw her look and asked with a smile: "I heard that you have a crush, who is it?" ”

Li Yuan's face changed suddenly, becoming a little pale, and he said in a little panic: "Sister-in-law, I..."

This can't help but let her not panic, you must know that a woman's marriage follows the words of the matchmaker on the orders of her parents, and without the arrangement of her brother and sister-in-law, how can she make a private agreement with others for life?

Therefore, although she has a very good impression of the man, and the man is also a "gentleman" to her, she can only be polite and polite, and dare not go beyond it in the slightest.

And the man also knew that the identities of the two were very different now, and he could only "ask for it, and he couldn't think about it", except for writing a love poem, he didn't do anything else.

But Cui Xiuning asked the Special Investigation Bureau to check the details of the man. Originally, Cui Xiuning felt that Li Luo would not agree to Li Yuan marrying the man, but after finding out the man's identity, Cui Xiuning felt that there was a play.

This man's name is Yang Hanming, twenty-two years old, born in Banzhou Yang, and has a great background. Although Banzhou Yang is a big toast, he is a real Han man, and his ancestral home is Taiyuan.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Yang Duan led the army to conquer Nanzhao, and since then he has guarded the area of Banzhou and evolved into Tusi. By the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, it had ruled Banshu for 400 years.

Many people think that Tusi is a barbarian chieftain, but in fact, it is a big mistake. The most powerful Tusi, such as Banzhou Yang, Yongshun Peng, etc., were all Han officials. Their ancestors suppressed the barbarians and stayed there. (similar to Zhao Tuo)

However, these people never considered themselves barbarians. The barbarians are just serfs under their rule.

Yang Hanming is the eldest son of Yang Bangxian, the Xuanfu envoy of Banzhou in the Yuan Dynasty, and the eldest grandson of Yang Wen, the pacification envoy of Banzhou in the Song Dynasty, and was originally the rightful heir of Banzhou.

Cui Xiuning knew that the Banzhou Xuanwei Division, which ruled northeastern Guizhou and southern Sichuan, was one of the most powerful Tusi in Chinese history.

The Yang clan of Banzhou has a force throughout northern Guizhou and southern Sichuan (half of Guizhou Province, half of Chongqing, and some parts of Sichuan), with millions of Miao and Han tribes under his command, and 60,000 or 70,000 elite soldiers. It is the strongest toast today. Moreover, he is very autonomous, and he does not listen to the announcement.

So, Yang Hanming is a real prince, but how could he end up in Haidong?

Because, his grandfather Yang Wen was loyal to the Song Dynasty. The famous Diaoyu City was built by Yang Wen, and he also sent troops to assist the Song Dynasty in defending Sichuan.

After the death of his ancestor Yang Wen, his father Yang Bangxian succeeded to the position of Tusi and surrendered to Meng Yuan six years ago. Although Yang Hanming was a sixteen-year-old boy at that time, he opposed the rebellion against the Song Dynasty and even tried to prevent his father Yang Bangxian from surrendering to the Yuan by grabbing the class and seizing power. It's a pity that it failed.

Yang Bangxian was furious, not only deprived him of his identity as heir, but also instigated by his stepmother to attempt to execute him.

Yang Hanming managed to escape from his prison, left the southwest, and went to Fujian, where he became a homeless and traveled to Haidong.

He remained incognito for several years, and only resumed his name when he arrived in Haidong. Because Yang Hanming was born as a noble son, he was able to write poetry and songs, so he was selected in the imperial examination last time and was appointed as a county prince.

All this information was slowly pulled out by Cui Xiuning's special spies to approach him. Even, Cui Xiuning sent someone to Banzhou to verify the truth.

This person hates Meng Yuan, and he is a Han Chinese, and he is not short of talents, and he is also a decent person. And judging from the fact that he seized power to prevent his father from rebelling against the Song Dynasty and descending to the Yuan, this person is not a pedantic person.

Of course, Li Yuan doesn't know the details of Yang Hanming. She also thought that Yang Hanming was just a showman who was a county magistrate.

Cui Xiuning has met Yang Hanming, and he is also a talent. Otherwise, Li Yuan would not have a good impression of him.

If this person becomes Li Luo's brother-in-law and helps him regain the position of Tusi, then he can not only help the Tang army seize Sichuan, prevent the southwest Yuan army from going north, but even help Li Luo recover the southwest.

Many of the southwestern toasts are married to each other. Yang Hanming's uncle is another big Tusi Yongshun Peng (in Hunan).

As long as it is used well, Yang Hanming is enough to be worth 100,000 troops, and even 100,000 troops may not be able to replace his role.

Therefore, after Cui Xiuning inspected for a few days, he decided to agree to this family business. Of course, this matter still needs Li Luo's consent.

"Little sister, what are you nervous about?" Cui Xiuning smiled and patted Li Yuan's hand affectionately, "His name is Yang Hanming, right?" My sister-in-law heard that this person became a county official at a young age, and he is not ambiguous in official affairs, he is a good candidate, and he is a good match for you. ”

What the? Li Yuan was stunned.

Sister-in-law doesn't object?

Suddenly, Li Yuan couldn't help but show a hint of surprise, but his face turned even redder.

"Sister-in-law, this, this is too sudden, isn't it? Little sister, little sister ......"

Cui Xiuning pretended to be suddenly enlightened and said, "Oh, looking at your appearance, it seems that I don't like it." Since you don't like it, forget it. Just as if my sister-in-law didn't say it. ”

Li Yuan suddenly became anxious, and hurriedly said, "No, no... Ahem, the little sister only follows the orders of her brother and sister-in-law. Sister-in-law and brother said that it was ......"

Cui Xiuning knew that she was thin-skinned and no longer teased her, but she was afraid that she would be worried, so she simply made it clear: "Since the little sister does have a heart for him, then the sister-in-law also agreed." But in this matter, you still need your brother's nod. ”

Li Yuan was happy in his heart, and nodded shyly and obediently: "But please let my sister-in-law decide." ”

Cui Xiuning said: "Well, I have to summon this Yang Hanming once, and then help you check it." You are the county lord of the Tang Kingdom, and you may be the county lord and princess in the future, so you can't be sloppy. ”

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Li Yuan said very movingly.

On the third day, Cui Xiuning finally summoned Yang Hanming of Lanxi County under the pretext of asking about official affairs.

"Weichen Lanxi County Cheng Yang Hanming, meet Mrs." Yang Hanming bowed meticulously. Because he was born in a noble family, his temperament is obviously different from others, not only elegant, but also quite elegant.

Cui Xiuning just didn't know his identity, and asked some official questions casually, but Yang Hanming answered them fluently, obviously quite attentive in official business, and did not have the problem of young people's frizziness.

At the age of sixteen, this man seized power, and it was evident that he had learned a lesson and became solemn and calm.

Cui Xiuning observed the words and felt very satisfied.

After a few words of encouragement to Yang Hanming, Cui Xiuning rewarded him with a few catties of sugar, and ended the summons.

This person is not only related to Li Yuan's happiness, but also related to the strategic plan after the army is raised, and he must not be taken lightly. Cui Xiuning wrote a letter to Li Luo on the same day and forwarded it through Luo Yu's sailor.

According to the intelligence, Yang Hanming also likes Li Yuan very much. Since the two are in love, it is very good. Otherwise, with Cui Xiuning's character, she could not bear to sacrifice Li Yuan's happiness for political interests.

This person is qualified to be Li Luo's brother-in-law.

PS: Heart congestion......

Qingyi literature