I cleared my throat and began my first speech of this era.

"The vast number of Yunnan officers and soldiers, you are all good. In this arduous counterinsurgency battle, you have all made indelible contributions, and this marshal first expresses his heartfelt thanks to you on behalf of the imperial court. With the joint efforts of all our officers and men, we cleanly and neatly eradicated Sun Decheng's rebel forces and won a brilliant victory. ”

"This is the credit of all the soldiers, the court will not forget our contributions, and the common people will also be grateful to us, because we have brought them a stable and happy life, so that they will not suffer from the suffering of the sword soldiers and the fatigue of mourning."

"Before the reward of the imperial court is issued, our Yunnan Xuanfu Embassy will reward you first, and each officer and soldier will be rewarded according to the contribution made, ranging from more than ten to hundreds of dollars, although the money is not very much, but as long as you remember that what we are doing now is a great thing for the benefit of the country and the people, and it is worth our hard work. As a soldier who is committed to the stability of the frontier, there is no doubt that as long as we study hard and train hard to defend our homeland and country, we will receive more rewards in the future. ”

"The so-called 'raising soldiers for a thousand days and using soldiers for a while', the imperial court gave us generous salaries, not to let us eat, drink, have fun, and covet enjoyment, but to require us to have the ability to defend our homeland and protect our people. All soldiers must keep in mind our aim, that is, 'order is like a mountain, order and prohibit, study and train hard, and defend the homeland and the country'. ”

"I would also like to emphasize here that no one can do anything that harms the interests of the common people and the prestige of the imperial court under any pretext. Any act of perverting the law for bribes, oppressing, or harassing the people will be severely punished and will not be tolerated or connived at once the commander knows about it. ”

Before I finished speaking, I saw that there were people who were talking to each other, there were hippie smiling faces, and there were even more boos from time to time in the four rounds, as if they were rushing to the market in the downtown area, and they didn't take me, the supreme governor of Yunnan, in their eyes at all.

Alas! Is it useful to tell these so-called ruffians these great truths? In the chaotic times of the five dynasties, Yunnan has always been outside the world, almost not affected in the slightest, and the will of the soldiers who have settled here has almost been exhausted.

As the saying goes, the arrogant soldier is a fierce general, and what he says is true. Innumerable historical facts show that when these armed soldiers have made some achievements, if they do not receive the rewards they deserve, or if they do not reach the level of satisfaction that makes them satisfied, they are often not far from military rebellion.

There are living examples in front of you! The Later Tang Emperor Li Cunmiao, after receiving the world, vigorously rewarded those actors, eunuchs, and imperial relatives who did nothing, but was stingy with rewards for the soldiers who had made meritorious contributions to the war, and recklessly and vigorously cut the feudal domain.

Until his brother-in-law Li Siyuan was forced to rebel, his soldiers could no longer command. Not only did the command not move, but also turned against each other to besiege the palace.

In the arduous journey of founding the country, Li Cunmiao, who was eloquent and strategic, was able to conquer and fight, but was finally killed by the rebels. It's only been a few years, and it's really sad that this situation has evolved.

This vivid example shows that these soldiers and ruffians who are mixed with you and eat together are not something that can be bought with a little favor. Look at one by one, compare with each other, even if it is a cronie who lives and dies in tribulation, it is not good to treat any one slowly.

Look at these people in front of them, who are busy in the camp and full of meals all day long, they may not make much effort to go into battle with guns, and if the rewards of the officials are not in place, I am afraid that they will immediately turn their faces and be ruthless.

Judging from their mental state, where there is still a little bit of being a soldier, it seems that it is impossible to rectify without effort.

But I also know that now is not the time to make a big rectification. These people also have some credit in the counterinsurgency, and I will not take drastic rectification measures, it is best to be like Zhao Kuangyin to have a bloodless cup of wine to release the military power, as long as they are given enough benefits and they are satisfied with the efforts I have made, this problem can still be resolved peacefully, otherwise a careless mutiny may provoke a mutiny with unpredictable consequences.

Therefore, I deliberately pretended to turn a blind eye to their unscrupulous actions, and instead encouraged them to do so, and then announced the disbandment of the team.

Out of the barracks, Jian Zheng and I, Lin Yi, with Lian Jun, Zhuang Qian, Yue Chang, Ling Feng, and more than a dozen personal soldiers, a group of more than ten horses rushed to the direction of Songyang, since I decided to set up a pass near Songyang, I always have to make a field trip to decide, this is my itinerary has long been formulated.

I already hope that with the help of Lin Qingliang, I will realize my first step plan, which is to improve the formula of cement and put it into production as soon as possible, so as to make good preparations for the construction of Songyang Pass.

So our first destination was Linjiabao. And Linjiabao is only about fifty miles away from Ningzhou, and it only takes an hour to arrive on horseback.

Our sudden visit made Lin Qingliang overjoyed, and hurriedly invited us into the living room and instructed the maid to serve tea.

Since Lin Zongyi is still in the old mansion of the Lin family in Ningzhou City, Lin Qingliang is the owner here. After a little greeting between the two sides, I explained my intention to the point and asked him to come to Ningzhou to make cement for me.

Although Lin Qingliang was a little surprised at first, after a little hesitation, he still happily agreed to my request, and decided to rush to Ningzhou tomorrow to discuss the preliminary preparations for making cement.

Seeing Lin Qingliang happily agree, I knew that the matter was half successful, and I had a bottom in my heart. At this time, it was past noon, and we were unceremoniously Lin Qingliang's guests. Drinking fine wine and tasting the taste of the mountains, the fatigue of these two days seems to be swept away.

The most curious person is Jian Zheng. He was very interested in seeing everything here, especially the design and construction of the house, so he pulled Lin Qingliang and kept asking questions. Until I figured it out, I still felt a little incredible, and I kept being amazed.

After lunch, everyone was full of wine and food, said goodbye to Lin Qingliang, and the group waited for more than half an hour to come to the checkpoint post close to the boundary of Songyang.

Songyang County is the territory of the Great Yi Ning Kingdom, and of course we can't rush over it. Thirty miles east of Songyang County is already the land under the jurisdiction of Yunnan of the Han Dynasty, and an official road winds through between the two mountains, connecting Songyang County in the Great Righteous Ningguo and Ningzhou in Yunnan.

There are checkpoints in Yunnan at the intersection, and there are lofty mountains and dense deep mountains and old forests on both sides.

At the outpost at the intersection of the mountain road, responsible for checking the commuters and pedestrians, a watchtower was built on the higher part of the mountain on both sides of the hill for lookout, and if you look around from there, you can see the situation within ten miles nearby, and it can be said that this place is the westernmost border of the Han Dynasty.

The sergeant on duty at the outpost was a little surprised to see what we were wearing, but he quickly understood, and hurriedly invited the sentry officer here to meet me.

This sentry officer's name is Lian Yong, who is in his thirties, and at first glance he is a loyal and honest person. He has been on duty here for more than five years, and when he learned that I was the Yunnan Xuanfu envoy, he hurriedly stepped forward to pay respects.

I encouraged them with my appreciation, inquired about the situation of the garrison here, and learned that the garrison of this post was only seventy or eighty people, and the main task of this post was to check the passing business travelers and guard against the enemy, to collect a certain amount of customs duties from passing goods, and to have special scouts to reconnoiter the enemy situation at any time.

After listening to Lian Yong's introduction to the personnel on duty at the outpost and the checkpoints, as well as the surrounding situation, I can only say that I am quite satisfied. Although there are fewer defenders here, although the sparrows are small and well-equipped, this kind of vigilance and scout arrangement is still relatively feasible at present, but if there is a major change in the situation, or if it is attacked by a large group of enemies, this point of manpower will not be able to deal with it.

In order to better observe the situation here, I had brought a high-powered military telescope with me, and when I took it out of my horseback bag, everyone was a little surprised. Some people have seen it, but they don't know why, and they don't know what the guy in my hand is for.

I knew what they were thinking, so I deliberately sold it, hung it on my chest, and led everyone up the stone steps to the lookout post on the mountain.

Standing on the top of the mountain, facing the spring breeze of hunting, I suddenly felt that my mind was wide. Although the location of this outpost is actually not high, only about two or three hundred meters, this height is indeed the most prominent in the vicinity. My many hiking experiences have taught me to look for the best terrain in the mountains in order to have a full view of the surrounding scenery.

And the choice of the location of this watchtower should be said to be just right. Standing here, the large area of land to the west can be seen at a glance, and if there is a wind and grass, it will not escape the eyes of the lookout post. It can be said to be a very ideal observation point. However, the sight is limited, and it is urgent to be equipped with a special telescope to achieve the best effect.

I nodded secretly, this place is indeed a rare pass location, if it is built on the mountain, it does not need much defensive strength, it can play the role of defending against danger and blocking the enemy's large-scale attack.