In the early spring of the eleventh year of the summer calendar, compared with previous years, after the establishment of Yancheng, the opening time of the early spring court meeting was postponed by several days.

In the conference hall, Su Yan, who was sitting in the main seat, took all the high-level Xia Guo officials in the conference hall into his eyes, unconsciously, Su Yan let out a few sighs in his heart, there are fewer and fewer old friends around him, the year before last Shan Song and Rabbit Shen died, last winter, the snake Zhi's body was getting worse and worse, and he finally survived the winter, but his body did not recover much, and it was obvious that the limit was approaching.

The five elders of the Xia Kingdom, Snake Wisdom, Hu Biao, Lu Yuan, Rabbit Shen, and Shan Song, now only Lu Yuan can accompany Su Yan for two more years.

Opening the documents of the household department, Su Yan can clearly understand the population changes of the Xia country, the end of the eighth year of the summer calendar, the total population of the Xia country has more than 165,200 people, the end of the ninth year of the summer calendar, the total population of the Xia country has reached more than 179,100 people, and the total population of the Xia country has reached 198,000 in the just ended ten years of the summer calendar, and it is about to break through the 200,000 mark.

In just one year, the population of Xia increased by nearly 20,000, and the people of Xia who made the greatest contribution worked hard to have offspring under the call of the king, followed by the three tribes who joined Xia last year, which increased the total population of Xia by more than 3,700 people, and the third was more than 2,000 people captured by the Annihilation Wind tribe, and the third trading fleet brought back a small number of people from afar.

Increasing population has always been the key development direction of the Xia country, only a sufficient population, in order to have enough labor force to speed up the development of the Xia country, such as the cattle and horses obtained from the grassland, the number of cattle and horses is larger, to a certain extent can make up for the shortage of labor.

This year, there are still eleven tribes waiting for the Xia army to conquer, and after conquering these eleven tribes, the total population of the Xia Kingdom can be raised again.

Su Yan quickly flipped through the documents handed over by the various ministries, asked questions directly where there were questions, and the person who handed over the documents answered, and after everything was over, Su Yan divided the various plans that needed to be carried out in the summer of this year, such as foreign wars, the construction of four new cities, the expansion of cavalry troops, and so on.

In just half a morning, the meeting ended, and the following time the ministries held a meeting, and finally the plans will be implemented throughout the country.

On the day when the ministers, city lords, and branch ministers of the Xia Kingdom gathered in Zhongjing City for a meeting, the two trading fleets of the Ministry of Commerce had already gathered the two armies in Zhongjing, and on the first day after the end of the early spring court meeting, the two trading fleets would carry the two armies on the expedition.

The two armies formed from the requisitioned field/battle armies and city defense armies from various cities of the Xia Kingdom were named the First Army of the Xia State and the Second Army of the Xia State respectively.

Legions, legions, names shouted quite loudly, in fact there were not many people in each legion.

The First Trade Fleet was responsible for transporting the First Army, which was led by Lu Chen, the current Minister of War, with a total of ten teams, five teams of field/war armies, and five teams of the city defense army, totaling more than 940 people.

The Second Trading Fleet was responsible for transporting the Second Legion, which was commanded by Shikachen's deputy, Serpent Mori, and was organized in the same way as the First Legion.

A legion has nearly a thousand warriors, even if it is a large tribe with a population of more than three thousand, it can be easily destroyed, and there are even small tribes with a population of less than one thousand in the two army targets, so naturally there is no need to send out all the manpower at once, Lu Chen and Snake Shou will dispatch the strength to adapt according to the population of the target tribe, and the soldiers of the two legions who do not go out on a mission usually participate in labor while training.

……

The Jianmu tribe, a medium-sized tribe with a population of about 1,400 people, is located on the south bank of the Yellow River in the east of the Xia Kingdom, and it takes nearly seven days to arrive by taking the fastest boat in the Xia Kingdom, starting from Zhongjing City.

Winter had just passed, and the entire Jianmu tribe was in a panicked atmosphere.

In the early spring of the previous year, the people of the Xia Kingdom sent an invitation to the Jianmu tribe, inviting the Jianmu tribe to join the Xia country in the form of a clan, so that the people of the Jianmu tribe could live a better life and no longer need to worry about food or being attacked by other tribes.

When the news spread in the Jianmu tribe, the ordinary people of the Jianmu tribe mostly supported their tribe to accept the invitation of the Xia country, they were very yearning for the happy and beautiful life of the Xia people, every time the clansmen who went to the Xia country as guests returned, they would gather together to listen to the tribesmen tell what they had seen and heard in the Xia country, and the Xia country was a beautiful world in their dreams, but it really existed.

Different from ordinary clansmen, most of the high-level people of the Jianmu tribe are unwilling to let the Jianmu tribe join the Xia Kingdom, they are the high-level of the Jianmu tribe, in the Jianmu tribe, they have the highest status and the greatest power, after the Jianmu tribe joins the Xia Kingdom, everyone can live a better life, but as the high-level of the Jianmu tribe, they will no longer have such a high status, nor will they have so much power.

Of course, this is the opinion of the high-level members of the Jianmu tribe, in fact, after each tribe joins the Xia Kingdom in the form of a clan, the initial leader and the high-level of the tribe still have a relatively high status, and when the clan is completely integrated into the Xia Kingdom, it will be arranged according to the individual's own conditions, and those who are gifted and capable will be promoted, and those who are not talented and incapable will be demoted.

All tribes that join the Xia Kingdom can accept it, but the high-level people of the Jianmu tribe are too cautious and worried about the Xia Kingdom than other tribes, worried that their status will not be guaranteed after joining the Xia Kingdom, and they are worried that the tribe will be arbitrarily slaughtered by the Xia Kingdom after joining the Xia Kingdom, and they are worried that they will ......

Even if the Jianmu tribe threatened the Jianmu tribe with war in the early spring of last year, and wanted the Jianmu tribe to join the Xia country, the high-level people of the Jianmu tribe still didn't have much idea of joining the Xia country, as for the ideas of the ordinary clansmen who occupied the vast majority of the population of the Jianmu tribe, they could hardly have much impact on the high-level people, and it was the high-level people who led the future of the tribe, not the ordinary clansmen.

This is an era when the strong are respected, those who can become the top of the tribe are the strong, and the ordinary people are the weak, and the weak naturally have to rely on the strong and obey the orders of the strong.

The Jianmu tribe was reluctant to join the Xia State, and was afraid that the Xia State would really send troops to attack the Jianmu tribe, the total population of the Jianmu tribe was only more than 1,400, and it was far from being the opponent of the Xia State.

In fact, after being threatened with war by the Xia Kingdom after last spring, the high-ranking members of the Jianmu tribe discussed it several times and began to prepare for the move.

Before moving, you have to prepare a new home, if you leave directly with all the clansmen, there are too many troublesome things, and even the Jianmu tribe will die out little by little.

However, choosing a new home to build a new home is not a simple matter, it requires a lot of manpower and a lot of time, and the Jianmu tribe itself is only a tribe that has just met its own food needs, and it is impossible to mobilize many people to build a new home.

At this time, the high-level people of the Jianmu tribe changed their minds, some people thought that the Xia country was a friendly tribe, the two sides had been in contact for so much time, and they were very friendly to the Jianmu tribe, and the threat of war last year was just the words of the Xia people, and it was impossible to really send a large army to attack the Jianmu tribe, and there was no need for us to move.

After learning about the troubles of building a new home and moving, more high-level officials supported this remark that the Xia Kingdom would not send a large army to attack the Jianmu tribe, and even the idea of the Jianmu leader wanting to move was shaken.

Although the Jianmu tribe did not completely give up the idea of building a new home and moving, it would take several years to build a new home to meet the needs of the Jianmu tribe, and the ultimatum was approaching, and the Jianmu tribe still lived in the area on the south bank of the Yellow River that had lived for more than 100 years.

The people of the Jianmu tribe said that the Xia country was a friendly tribe and would not send a large army to attack the Jianmu tribe, but everyone was still a little panicked about this matter in their hearts, especially when the deadline had expired, and the army of the Xia country could come at any time, and many people were terrified to the extreme.

There was a high-level thought that the leader proposed that the Jianmu tribe move away for a period of time and then move back after a while, but the Jianmu leader rejected this matter, because that would cause the Jianmu tribe to delay spring ploughing, and spring ploughing and fishing are the two main ways for the Jianmu tribe to obtain food.

So everyone in the Jianmu tribe was frightened and wanted to get through this time quickly, as long as the army of the Xia Kingdom did not come during this time, it meant that the Xia Kingdom would really not attack the Jianmu tribe.

On that day, the fleet of the Xia Kingdom once again appeared in the field of vision of the Jianmu tribesmen fishing on the bank of the river.

"They're coming! They're coming! The army of Xia is coming! The Jianmu tribesmen shouted in a panic.

The leader of Jianmu also had some fear in his heart, but he was not as panicked as the clansmen, maybe the Xia fleet was just passing by, or maybe the Xia fleet came to give him a New Year's gift?

Anyway, the leader of the Kenki began to direct his people to make some preparations, and all the clansmen who could fight gathered together, and a total of nearly six hundred people were gathered.

The Jianmu tribe has more than 30 bronze weapons, and the people holding copper weapons are wearing rattan armor from the Xia Kingdom, and the other hand is holding a rattan shield from the Xia Kingdom.

The thirty or so of them are the strongest force of the Jianmu tribe, and it is precisely because of them that the Jianmu tribe has resisted the food war for several years in a row.

The six hundred people of the Jianmu tribe gathered in an area more than ten zhang away from the river bank under the leadership of the leader, waiting for the arrival of the Xia country fleet or waiting for the Xia country fleet to leave, and they wanted to use their own weapons to defend their homeland.

The leader of Jianmu held his body and shouted loudly: "Everyone stand up, we must show our determination and strength to defend the tribe to the Xia people, even if the Xia people dare to attack our tribe, we can repel the Xia people, and it is best to scare the Xia people back." ”

The words of the leader of Jianmu gave the clansmen a lot of confidence, but there were still clansmen in the crowd who trembled, the strength of the Xia Kingdom had already been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, even if there were ten Jianmu tribes together, they were not the opponents of the Xia Kingdom.

Soon, the fleet of the Xia Kingdom lined up on the bank of the Yellow River corresponding to the Jianmu tribe, slowly stopped, the thick planks extended to the riverbank, and groups of Xia soldiers poured onto the riverbank.

"Quick, the sword and shield men are in front, the longbowmen and archers are in the center, and the pikemen are in the back." A captain commanded himself in a loud voice a squad of fighters.

Not long after, the five teams of the First Legion lined up in the riverbank area, and the First Legion of the Xia Kingdom and the six hundred people of the Jianmu tribe looked at each other from a distance of more than ten zhang.

The neat and solemn First Legion of the Xia Kingdom made the leader of Jianmu feel a huge pressure, but the leader of Jianmu continued to shout to the clansmen around him to keep everyone calm.

"Go, send a few people to persuade the Jianmu tribe to surrender." Lu Chen issued an order, and then two sword and shield soldiers guarded the official of the Ministry of Commerce who was responsible for contacting the Jianmu tribe to persuade the Jianmu tribe to surrender.

"Our army of Xia Kingdom has arrived, and now your Jianmu tribe has only two choices, lay down your arms, or war, your Jianmu tribe is not the opponent of our Xia Kingdom, lay down your arms is life, and if you choose war, you will die!"

The leader of Jianmu did not order the clansmen to attack the three approaching Xia people, the Jianmu tribe really did not dare to take the initiative to attack the Xia country, and the Xia country had enough strength to destroy the Jianmu tribe.

"Please give our tribe a few days to think about it." The leader of Jianmu gestured and said that he still wanted to continue to delay time, as long as he delayed a little longer, maybe the matter would pass like this, the Jianmu tribe would not need to move, and the Xia Kingdom would not attack the Jianmu tribe.

"No, our Xia Kingdom has given your tribe two years, and now it is the last time, your Jianmu tribe must make a decision now, and it is up to you to decide whether to live or die."

The leader of Jianmu hesitated, trying to delay time, and the officials of the Ministry of Commerce who were in charge of persuading him to surrender had already seen that the Jianmu tribe was really unwilling to surrender, so he left directly with the two sword and shield soldiers who protected him, and returned to the first legion array, and the officials reported the situation to Luchen.

"Since the Jianmu tribe is unwilling to surrender, let's go to war." Luchen made the final decision.

"Brothers and sisters, don't be afraid, they are not as many as us, as long as we show enough decision and strength, the Xia people will definitely retreat."

The leader of Jianmu is still cheering for the clansmen, and the departure of the three Xia people has made Jianmu hand understand that this battle is inevitable, and now the leader of Jianmu regrets it very much, why don't you move, but stay here, is the Jianmu tribe going to end? No, the Jianmu tribe will definitely repel the Xia people.

Lu Chen: "Forward!" Press it up. ”

Trample! Trample! Trample!

The First Army of the Xia Kingdom moved forward step by step, and the distance between the two sides was slowly narrowing.

Ten zhang

Nine zhang

Hachijo

Leader of the Solid Wood: "Shoot me an arrow, shoot an arrow for me." ”

In the next moment, nearly a hundred archers from the Jianmu tribe shot nearly a hundred arrows at the array of the First Legion of the Xia Kingdom.

"Take care to protect your face and neck." The enemy's arrow rain was about to attack, and the commanders and commanders in the first legion of the Xia Kingdom opened their mouths to remind their subordinates.

Su Yan had already planned to cast the face armor to protect the faces of the warriors, but it would take some time, and the material was iron, and the weight of iron was a little lighter than copper.

Bang! Bang!

The arrows of the Jianmu tribe slammed into the bronze shields in the hands of the sword and shield soldiers, and a small number of arrows also fell on the longbowmen and short archers behind the sword and shield soldiers, and the leather armor was very good at defending against the arrows, and almost did no damage to the First Legion.

Seven zhang

Six zhang

Five zhang

Lu Chen: "Longbowmen, prepare, take out the enemy with a bronze weapon for me." ”

The arrows fired from the longbow were like lightning bolts that pierced the bodies of the warriors of the Jianmu tribe with bronze weapons.