At the end of the fifteenth year of Jianxing, the state governance guards who had completed the training and the previous remnants of the state governance elite, totaling 8,000 people, set off from the state and arrived in Lingju under the leadership of Xie Ai, the new chief secretary of the Qiang Guard's Office.

After a series of renovations, the camp has been renovated. The Jianrui camp dug a complete drainage canal for the camp where the refugees were temporarily staying, and built simple toilets throughout the camp according to Li Yanzhi's vision. In addition, the soldiers of the Jianrui battalion were divided into several waves and went to the refugee camp in batches to be on duty.

Those who were willing to join the army in the Qiang tribe were also sent into the camp by the leaders of various tribes, and there were a total of 1,000 people. After several battles, the soldiers of Lingju County, although they suffered heavy losses, could not accommodate so many new soldiers. The Jianrui Battalion, which temporarily served as an engineering team, set up a battalion outside the city, and in order to prevent changes, the two battalions inside and outside were both the county army headquarters and the newly entered Qiang soldiers.

Although Li Yanzhi had the intention to immediately dismantle these tribal warriors into the army, the problems he faced were quite serious, and he had to be cautious. One is that these tribesmen are only a fraction of those who are fluent in Chinese. If they are dismantled and mixed now, it will be difficult to convey wartime orders, and major events will inevitably be delayed. The second is that if you show too much eagerness to annex and assimilate these tribesmen, you may provoke drastic changes.

Although the Qiang tribes moved inward earlier, and began to be influenced and assimilated by agricultural civilization earlier, there are still many differences in customs and habits. It will take a long time to fully assimilate. And the plan to break up these tribesmen into the army may have to wait at least for the middle and lower level generals to learn to use Chinese to convey and receive orders.

After Xie Aisuo led 8,000 people to Lingju, he set up camp outside the city on the north side for a while. At present, the new army's salaries, grain, grass, etc., are still directly supplied and transported by the state. After all, the current situation in Lingju County is not optimistic. The refugees are still living on the gruel provided by the county government. In order to prevent looting and other bullying incidents in the refugee camp, the camp was specially ordered to be on duty day and night.

After Xie Ai set up camp outside the city, he went to the county government before entering the city and met with Xin Yan, the county commander stationed here, and Shi Li Yanzhi, the head of the Qiang Lieutenant Mansion. Xie Ai put forward Zhang Yuanjun's idea, which was to turn Lingju into a fortress and station troops here. Advance can attack Longxi, retreat can ensure that Hexi is unharmed. However, Li Yanzhi frowned and said that this plan was inappropriate.

In his opinion, there is still a Jincheng County on the south bank of the river. It served as a bridgehead for Liangzhou to face Longxi, although it was lonely, but its position was far more important than that of Lingju County, whether it was offensive or defensive. In addition, the city wall of Jincheng has been increased and strengthened as early as 11 years. In the middle of this year, Liu Yin, who won the victory in Woganling, did not dare to attack, but chose to take a detour. It is precisely because of Liu Yin's choice that Lingju County has gained enough time to prepare for defense. The key and importance of Jincheng can be seen.

However, Xie Ai raised the common concerns of Chen Zhichong and Zhang Zhijun: "Jincheng is lonely in Henan, although the city is difficult to overcome, but there is a case. If the city falls, the thief will be able to cross the river calmly. If by then, it is impossible to defend the state and the military, where will the state rule be a barrier? The implication is that the county town must be fortified and able to block a considerable attack by the enemy.

Today's Lingju city wall has been strengthened to a height of about three zhang, and the previous thieves attacked on their backs, and it was also difficult to overcome all the way. Now that Zhang Yuanjun is determined to build and strengthen the defense of Lingju City, Li Yanzhi thinks about it, so he can only build the outer city, and add arrow towers, enemy platforms, corner towers and other defensive facilities in the inner and outer cities. And the construction of the outer city for Lingju County, which is more than two miles in radius, is obviously also a huge project.

When Li Yanzhi heard what Xie Ai said, he was shocked. After all, there have been several battles this year, and the treasury has long been empty. I am afraid that the money and food will not be enough to support the large-scale groundbreaking, when even said to Xie Aiyan: "Xie Zhushu, several battles in the middle of the year, now the county government treasury is empty, and it is difficult to supply the people who have fled from Longxi." There was absolutely no money to support the recruitment of men to build the outer city. It is a cold winter, and it is not appropriate to break ground at this time. ”

Xie Ai looked at Li Yanzhi and said in a deep voice: "Li Changshi has the right to rest assured, Zhang Yuanjun has made it clear that the defense of the Eastern Front is the top priority at the moment, and there is no room for negligence. The money, money, food, etc., cost of repairing the city, etc., are all borne by the state government. So that the king is concerned about the defense of the state and county, and said that the thief has suffered setbacks before, and it is impossible to give up, and he only hopes that we will repair the city, and wait for the battle. ”

Hearing that Xie Ai decided that the state government funded the repair of the city, Li Yanzhi breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Xin Yan, who had been silent, and then turned to Xie Ai: "I have just thought about it, if the source of the money and grain is finalized, the labor will not have to be bothered. Nowadays, among the displaced people outside the city, the Longxi households and the Diqiang tribe live together, and the young and strong laborers abound, and they can be used to build the city, which can solve their worries about food and clothing, and provide a large number of laborers for repairing the city. Cash-for-work is a dilemma to solve, so why not? ”

Xie Ai pondered for a while, then raised his head and said, "I also thought about this method before, but I saw many Qianghu in the camp of the homeless people. I was afraid that if I acted like this, I might get elbows and armpits, so I gave up. I don't know what kind of magic Li Changshi has to avoid this kind of situation? ”

Li Yanzhi nodded and said: "The worry of the master book is not unreasonable, but the previous Qiang Hu tribe has investigated these Qianghu tribes and learned that their sources are complicated, some live near Di Daozuo, and some live far away in Longxi and Nan'an. These tribes include Di people, Qiang people, and so on, but similarly, they have all been taken by thieves before. The tribe's winter rations, cattle and sheep have all been looted. ”

"Previously, I was afraid that these tribesmen would carry swords and pick quarrels and provoke trouble, so I led an army to confiscate their swords. At first, these Qianghu were reluctant to hand over their swords, so I thought of a compromise to make those who were young and strong and unwilling to surrender their swords join the army. One should be treated, compared with the lieutenant general of the army. When it comes to the future or the eastward expedition to attack Liu Zhao, the Qianghu people are all angry, and in a few days, there are no less than 1,000 people who have entered the camp as soldiers, and the Qianghu camp is young and strong, and almost all of them are empty. ”

Xie Ai heard Li Yanzhi's words, thought about it carefully, and then nodded solemnly, then thought about it, and asked: "Since this is the case, the time to repair the city can provide food, so that everyone can feel at ease." However, if the outer city is repaired, how should Changshi properly settle these Longxi households and Qianghu? ”

Li Yanzhi pondered for a while, and then replied: "Before the fall of Yongdeng, Suming Mansion has not yet had time to transfer the households in the city. After the capture of the city, the city was massacred and plundered. Yongdeng is a county, dozens of rooms and nine empty. After the repair of the outer city is completed, a part of it can also be resettled in our county, and those who cannot be resettled can move to Yongdeng, choose the ownerless land to cultivate, or buy cattle and sheep to graze, and so on. In this way, the livelihood of the displaced people can be solved, and the army is filled with many soldiers. What is the main book? ”

Xie Ai got up with a smile and arched his hand: "Since Changshi has thought so carefully, he must be able to recruit laborers as soon as possible." Later, I should go to the camp with Changshi to recruit laborers. How much labor to collect, and then report it to the governor, please ask the king to collect money, food, goods, etc., ......"

Li Yanzhi bowed his hand respectfully: "After that, there is a lot of communication with the state government, and there is a lot of labor in the master book." I thanked you in advance. After that, Li Yanzhi and Xin Yan got up together, led Xie Ai, and walked to the county government together. The three of them left the county government, and more than a dozen guards who came with Xie Ai accompanied them as a team. After a while, Qin Dayong, who was patrolling at the entrance of the street, also led more than 20 sharp soldiers of the Zhanfeng Battalion to protect the left and right.

The guards on both sides are all from the military, and after being cultivated in the camp for a long time, they unconsciously have a competitive energy. The guards behind Xie Ai were all selected from the guards, and they were the best. And Qin Dayong's soldiers are all soldiers who have experienced battle formations and have many lives on their hands. Although he is not the kind of top person who has been selected, but standing with the state governors and guards, he naturally exudes a kind of awe-inspiring and murderous aura.

This time I went to the refugee camp, and the chief secretary sent by the governor came in person. Although the situation in the camp has long been settled, and all the weapons left in the camp have been confiscated, for the sake of safety, Li Yanzhi still instructed Qin Dayong to go to the camp and beat drums to concentrate the troops. Li Yanzhi, Xie Ai, Xin Yan, and others waited outside the camp for only a quarter of an hour, and the soldiers in the camp were already lined up neatly and left the camp one after another.

Xie Ai was deeply shocked by the high level of organization of the county soldiers. He looked at the camp, although it was not too big, but if it was replaced by the state governor's guard, it would definitely not be as quick as the Li soldiers. The three of them marched towards the south gate under the escort of dozens of their respective guards, while the battalion soldiers of the Li Department dutifully followed behind them.

It is only a mile away from the city gate, and it occupies a huge area, although it is shabby, but it has become orderly under the repair of the county soldiers, and the camp that reveals vitality appears in front of everyone. On the makeshift low wooden fence wall, the soldiers of the Jianrui battalion are patrolling back and forth to ensure the stability of the camp. The cacophony that reached everyone's ears was mixed with the cries of children and the shouts of adults. In addition to this, there was the occasional shout or two, and most of them were the footmen of the village or the barefoot doctors who were returning to their old jobs in the camp. Looking at the scene in front of him, Xie Ai couldn't help but smile faintly.

The three of them and the battalion soldiers behind them marched into the camp one after another, and as the battalion soldiers entered the camp, the noise was obviously much quieter than when Fang had just heard it outside the camp. Li Yanzhi sent his corporal to spread the word and summoned the elders and tribal leaders of various sects to come and speak. In a short time, these men came one after another. They all looked at Li Yanzhi, Xie Ai, and Xin Yan with a flattering face.

At this time, it was the time for the camp to distribute porridge and rice, and Li Yanzhi led the entourage to escort and came to the porridge shed with the old officials of the sects. The faint glow of the fire between the stoves appeared and disappeared, and wisps of green smoke floated out from the flue next to the stove from time to time. Outside the porridge shack was crowded with homeless people waiting for the porridge. The county soldiers shuttling through the crowd were trying to maintain order and sternly discourage a few displaced people who wanted to take the opportunity to squeeze forward. Even if those who were reprimanded were angry, they could only swallow their anger when they saw a large circle of soldiers in armor and knives outside the porridge shed.

Li Yanzhi walked to a big pot, took a horse spoon from the hand of the soldier who made porridge, scooped up a spoonful of sparse rice soup, and put it in front of him to study it carefully, only to see a handful of boiled corn grains floating in the rice soup. He poured the rice soup back into the pot, stretched out the spoon again, and scooped another spoonful of rice soup from the bottom of the pot.

Li Yanzhi handed the spoon behind him, causing many clan elders and clan leaders behind him to look at it, sighed, and said, "Now there is a shortage of grain and rice in the county, and it is really difficult to maintain. I had to give gruel for relief, barely enough to eat...... Alas, the people who suffer together in the war are the people of the world......"

When the clan elders and clan leaders behind him heard Li Yanzhi's sigh, they were all sad. Secretly sighing, there are also people who flatter, saying: "Lingju Ming Mansion in a county, can transfer grain from the treasury to help us, I am really grateful, we and other small people, trekking here, just to survive." Nothing more than to ask for. ”

Li Yanzhi sighed again and said, "Although we and other county officials have done their best, they still can't help but make the people under their rule hungry and uneasy. However, at the moment, he specially sought the state ruler. So that Jun Yan happened to build an outer city in this county. The state can allocate grain and rice, but you need to raise people to build the city. In this way, the villagers may be able to mix and be full. But I don't know what the ranking means? ”

Li Yanzhi said that the state management of grain and rice may be adjustable, and listening to the ears of these clan elders and tribal leaders, a different look has already appeared, and when he heard that Li Yanzhi had solicited their opinions, he nodded again and again, stating that this matter is feasible.

"It's winter, it's freezing cold, and it's not time to break ground. However, the state government is pressing, and it is necessary to recruit manpower in the ranks, and it is also necessary to recruit middle-aged laborers. The distribution of porridge and rice is based on the progress of repairing the city, and how much each person completes the affairs is distributed. In view of the fact that it is winter, I can ask the envoy for another batch of cloth and winter clothes to help the people here survive the cold winter. However, the progress of repairing the city must not be delayed. ”

Xie Ai interjected at the right time, saying that he would inspect the project and the workload of each person, and then distribute porridge and rice, which made many leaders dispel the idea of using the old and weak to make up for the number. Looking at the gradually sad faces in the crowd, Xie Ai added: "If you belong to the labor force to complete a lot of affairs, you can naturally receive more porridge and rice, as for whether you eat it yourself or take it home to support your family, we will not care." ”

Looking at the gradually recovering looks of the old officials in front of him, Li Yanzhi said with a smile: "When the people in the camp finish eating this porridge, you will go and ask." If there were laborers who came to build the city on a voluntary basis, they counted them one by one, and then compiled their names into a book and reported them to us. When the state governs the money and grain into the warehouse, there will be laborers to organize labor and break ground. ”

After talking to these clan elders and tribal leaders, Li Yanzhi handed over the affairs of the camp to Liu Jiwu to take full responsibility. He led the soldiers in the battalion to return to the county seat with Xin Yan and Xie Ai. When I walked to the left of the south gate, I saw a flying horse coming, and when I walked in front of everyone, I stopped my horse more than ten steps away. Li Yanzhi looked fixedly, but it was Liao Rulong.

I saw Liao Rulong turn over and dismount, sprint a few steps to Li Yanzhi's side, and whispered in his ear for a while, but Li Yanzhi's face had changed drastically, he glanced at Liao Rulong, turned around and confessed to Xin Yan and Xie Ai, and immediately followed Liao Rulong, entered the city and rushed towards the camp.