Chapter 142 Lian County

After spending the night in Meiji, early the next morning, Chen Cheng led his army towards Linrong. It's already mid-September, and it takes ten days to get back to Linrong. From Linrong to Lian County, if it is not so urgent, it will take ten days. That is to say, when he arrived in Lian County, it was just in time for the autumn harvest.

The vicinity of Lian County was burned back and forth by the Huns, and it is estimated that there will be no harvest this year. The grain production of the two counties on the border will also be reduced a lot, and it would be good to have half of it. Because the Huns were blocked to the west of the Yellow River, Lingzhou next door was still able to harvest a lot of grain. I just don't know if they are willing to take out some to relieve Chen Cheng, the Liangzhou pastor.

As the saying goes: good money is hard to give. Before, they were able to hand over so many troops and money and food happily because there were Hun soldiers pressing the border, and if they were killed by the Huns, no amount of money could be saved. But now that the Huns have knelt, are the heroes of Lingzhou still willing to continue to send people and food?

Chen Cheng was not optimistic about this at all, so he had to rush back to Lian County before the autumn harvest.

Nearly 1,000 cavalry did not return along the road they had come, but crossed Gohara and Shuofang from some places further south. Although the army in Chen Cheng's hands was not large in number, it was full of momentum, passing through different places, just to deter those Huns who were about to move.

The effect is also very good, when seeing such a majestic army, the Xiongnu tribes along the way have become much more docile.

After returning to Linrong City, the army repaired for three days, and after Chen Cheng dealt with some local matters, especially after explaining that the local officials should do a good job in the autumn harvest, he immediately took the soldiers and horses south.

Liu Qian complained: "Why do I feel like we are marching all the time? Can't you just stop and rest for a few days? ”

Chen Cheng smiled: "When we get to Lian County, if there is nothing special, we can stay until next summer." ”

Liu Qian became happy and rode a pony to gallop happily in the queue. "Silver Bell" is very docile, unlike "Gollum". These days, "Gollum" has become more and more irritable. It is necessary to prepare a compartment for it at a time, otherwise it will bite other horses.

Chen Cheng didn't know how "Gollum" could become like this, and after asking a few Han and Huns who could raise horses, he came to the conclusion: Probably, perhaps, it may be the time to estrus.

Well, since that's the case, let's get him a few more beautiful mares, and he can give birth to a lot of ponies in the future.

The troops followed the route of the Huns' march and retreat to the south, and along the way, you can often see the white bones on the roadside. At the beginning, Liu Qian would still feel frightened, but the further south she went, the more white bones she saw. In the vicinity of several battlefields where the Liangzhou army and the Huns fought each other, the bones of men and horses, as well as fragments of weapons scattered around, can be seen everywhere.

At this time, Liu Qian was already unmoved, but felt a little strange, "Master, why is there no one to clean up these corpses?" ”

"Because it's too late."

Liu Qian sighed with emotion: "Fighting a war is really hard and dangerous. ”

"Hey, you don't understand that." Chen Cheng smiled on horseback: "For some people in this world, they have tried everything every day, and it is inevitable that they will ...... For those people, fighting a war is the most interesting thing in the world. ”

"Won't it?" Liu Qian said in surprise: "Is there anyone who likes such a hard thing as fighting?" Master, you're not lying to me, are you? ”

"Of course, I used to know a man surnamed Sun, and he said: Autumn is high and horses are fat, just to fight for recreation."

Liu Qian's eyes widened and asked, "Master." The one you said surnamed Sun can't be yourself, right? ”

"This is really not, that person's surname is Sun, but he is not called Sun Wukong, but Sun Chuanfang, the word Xinyuan, and he was once a well-known hero."

“......... Who is Monkey King? ”

The sound of hooves "rumbled", alarming the birds on both sides of the road. On the hill in the distance, there were cavalrymen waving red flags in their hands.

"Lord!" The soldiers rushed over, pointed to the place where the flag was waving, and said in a loud voice: "The person sent by General Lu to greet him has arrived." ”

Chen Cheng nodded and said in a loud voice: "Blow the horn and let the soldiers rest for a while." ”

The long horn sounded, and the officers listened intently for a moment, and then shouted, "Stop, rest in place!" ”

The soldiers jumped off their horses and led their horses down the roadside. They fed their mounts and spare horses first, and when the horses were almost finished, it was their turn. For cavalrymen, mounts are a second life, sometimes even more important than themselves.

It doesn't matter if you starve, you have to feed the horses first. In many cases, a little faster than a war horse can save their own lives. Besides, people can eat and excrete on horseback, and horses can't eat or drink when they're galloping.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the scout with the flag on his back came over on horseback under the leadership of his own soldiers. After seeing Chen Cheng, the scout turned over and dismounted, knelt down on one knee, and then said loudly: "Lord Qi, General Lu is waiting thirty miles outside the city, and sent me and others to lead the way for the lord." ”

Chen Cheng said with a pleasant face: "It's hard work, you can rest for a while, and then I will bother you to show us the way." ”

His appearance is developing in the direction of seriousness and fierceness, and if he doesn't make a pleasant appearance, it will make people feel intimidated when they look at it. However, the education he received since he was a child was that "there is no level of position, only the difference in the social division of labor", so he is not resistant to putting down his body at all.

The detective was a little excited, he fell to the ground and said in a loud voice, "No! ”

After resting for about twenty minutes, the team marched towards the south again, and after walking for about half an hour, they met Lu Fangbu, who was waiting there thirty miles east of the city. Lü Fang was one of the five captains of the Yue cavalry who followed Chen Cheng from Luoyang, and after defeating the Huns, he was sent to Lian County.

Originally, he was still a little dissatisfied with such an appointment, but after Chen Cheng revealed to him that he was going to make this the focus of his future business, he let go of the resentment in his heart.

"Meet the Lord!"

Chen Cheng jumped off the horse, helped him up, and said, "Now is the time of the autumn harvest, and we need manpower everywhere." Why are you here in person? Just send someone to greet you. ”

Lu Fang stood up and said, "The lord's words are wrong, the autumn harvest is very important, but is it more important than the lord himself?" ”

Chen Cheng smiled and said, "If there is anything to wait until Lian County, we will talk about it." ”

Lu Fang looked surprised, then fell silent, and rode forward to lead the way. According to the Han system, there is a post in five miles, a pavilion in ten miles, and a post in thirty miles on the traffic avenue. Originally, there was a post here, but when the Huns invaded, the post was burned down. After Lu Fang returned to Lian County with his troops, he sent people to renovate this place and stationed a small number of soldiers and horses to guard the Quartet.

Of course, the soldiers stationed here also need to cultivate their own fields and graze. Most of the fields here in Lian County were destroyed, but after defeating the Huns, a lot of livestock were captured, and the soldiers were allowed to graze here, which could also relieve some of the pressure on the army.

From the post station, walk south along the avenue for another hour to reach your destination. Lian County once held out under the siege of the Huns for more than ten days, and the city walls and cities were full of traces left by the war. There were very few inhabitants in the city, and in the huge city, except for a few civilians who had escaped the massacre, there were only soldiers brought by Lu Fang.

The ruins of the city have not been completely cleared, but the streets and main buildings have been repaired. Chen Cheng asked Zhao Yun to take the army to the barracks, and he took more than 20 personal soldiers to live in the mansion prepared for him by Lu Fang.

When he sat down in the room, Chen Cheng asked his soldiers to retreat, and then said, "Okay, what is there that makes you can't wait to go out of the city thirty miles to see me?" ”

Lu Fang immediately bowed to the ground and said: "My lord, the magistrate of Lingzhou Xu said that the rain is not good this year, and in order to support the war against the Huns, too much manpower has been requisitioned, resulting in no one taking care of the fields, and this year's harvest will be much less than last year........."

Chen Cheng listened to Lu Fang expressionlessly for a while, and after he stopped, he put a smile on his face and asked, "In other words, we can't collect any taxes in Lingzhou this year?" Did County Magistrate Xu say how much he could hand in this year? ”

Lu Fang said: "County Magistrate Xu said that he could hand over 10,000 stones. ”

"What?" Rao is Chen Cheng was mentally prepared, but he was also shocked by this number, "You're not mistaken, are you?" Did you say that 100,000 stone became 10,000 stone? ”

If you can receive 100,000 stone of grain, according to the population and the number of fields in Lingzhou, it is the level of ten taxes and one, which is about the same as the tax in the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, although there was an era of "thirty taxes and one", it was only counting the field endowment. When everything else is added, the real tax rate should still be between 10% and 20%.

Of course, this is a tax received by the imperial court, and the burden on the people should be greater than this. Just like the Central Plains now, the taxes on the surface are not too much, but if you don't collect fifty percent or more of the grain, it can be regarded as good governance.

Lu Fang was also very helpless, he shook his head and said: "There is no 100,000 stones, as County Magistrate Xu said, there are only 10,000 stones." ”

Chen Cheng suppressed the anger in his heart and said slowly, "What did Yan Changshi say? ”

Yan Zhong had been preparing money and grain in Lingzhou, and if it weren't for him running back and forth, Cheng Yi would not have been able to confront the Huns on the west side of the Yellow River for so long.

Lu Fang said: "This ........."

Although he was the chief general under Chen Cheng, Yan Zhong was Chen Cheng's mastermind. If Lu Fang is the most meritorious among the generals, then Yan Zhong's merits are enough to be worth several Lu Fang. If it weren't for Yan Zhong running back and forth for Chen Cheng, let alone Chengyi Yang Qiu, even the local Haoqiang in Lingzhou might not be able to bow down so easily.

Lu Fang hesitated for a while and said, "Recently, there are some rumors in Lingzhou that are related to Yan Changshi, I don't know if the lord knows about it." ”

"Huh?" Chen Cheng raised his eyebrows and asked, "What are the rumors?" ”

Although there was no one else in the room, Lu Fang still lowered his voice and said, "I heard that Yan Changshi's nephew has made a marriage contract with Han Sui's daughter, and the marriage will be completed before the winter. ”

"Haha," Chen Cheng said with a smile, "How can there be such rumors?" Yan Changshi looked down on Han Sui very much, how could he let his nephew marry Han Wenyue's daughter? ”

Lu Fang said with a serious expression: "I'm afraid that this matter is not a rumor." ”

"Lu Qing thinks too much."

"Lord," Lu Fang's expression became more and more serious, "Yan Changshi once sent Yan Xing to Hanyang, and after Yan Xing returned to Lingzhou, there was indeed a beautiful girl in his residence. ”

“.......... You sent someone to spy on Yan Changshi? ”

Lu Fang's face changed slightly, and he hurriedly explained: "No, there are soldiers who went to Lingzhou to buy things, and I overheard someone talk about it, and I reported it after I came back." The minister thought that the matter was serious, so he sent someone to inquire, and he definitely did not intend to spy on the Lingzhou officials! ”

Chen Cheng sat on the chair and thought for a while, and said, "I know, you sent someone to report to Yan Changshi, and said that I would go to Lingzhou the day after tomorrow to discuss the matter of Liangzhou with him." ”

"No!"