The lack of food in the northwest is a well-known thing in the world, but for the lord of a county, it is not difficult to prepare a hearty breakfast, although Chu Huan said that everything is simple after entering the city, not extravagant, not to disturb the people, and to make a big move, but Zhou Renkang still prepared a hearty breakfast early and sent people to send it to each courtyard.

He is a small county magistrate, Chu Huan is the governor of Xiguan Road, if it is changed to usual, he can't take his turn to pat himself on the back, and now the governor is temporarily resting in Qingtang County, this is a golden opportunity, Zhou Renkang will naturally not let it go.

Chu Huan was still washing, Zhou Renkang had already ordered someone to put breakfast on the table in the living room, the staple food was rice porridge and white steamed buns, but there were a lot of side dishes, which were very exquisite, Chu Huan came over and took a look, frowned slightly, and said, "Early in the morning, isn't it a little greasy?" I said I don't have to think too hard. ”

"The adults worked hard along the way, and the lower officials couldn't do their best, and they were ashamed." Zhou Renkang bowed and smiled: "This is a few special dishes in the northwest, adults look at this, this is crispy yellow mutton, yellow sheep is a specialty of our northwest, this is yellow sheep cubs, the meat is very tender, the master who makes this dish is also famous in the city, adults try it...... That is a wild boar meat boiled with milk sauce, delicious, with ** taste, adults must taste, this kind of small place, not as good as the capital, adults are more considerate! ”

Chu Huan knew that this breakfast had cost Zhou Renkang a lot of thought, breakfast was like this, if it was not stopped, the lunch would be even more amazing, and frowned: "Lord Zhou, do you know that there are hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the northwest?" ”

"This ......!" Zhou Renkang was a little embarrassed.

"Crispy yellow mutton, wild boar ...... cream!" Chu Huan sighed: "Lord Zhou, this is not a small place, and if you put it in the capital, you may not be able to eat these two big dishes." In fact, the official likes to eat, and often goes to the restaurant, but at this time and then, now the northwest is hungry all over the wilderness, we are officials, and we don't say how dedicated we are, but we also have to think about the people in everything, this breakfast cost a lot of silver, right? Look at this table of dishes, don't say that I am alone, even if there are five or six more people, then I may not be able to eat them all, why be so extravagant and wasteful? ”

"My lord has worked hard all the way, and the officials are ...... Xia Guan is just doing his best to make a snack. Zhou Renkang couldn't figure out what Chu Huan was thinking for a while, and he didn't know whether Chu Huan was really blaming, or pretending, lowering his head, and secretly speculating.

"There's no need to wonder if Ben Governor is pretending to be or not." Chu Huan seemed to see through Zhou Renkang's mind at once, "This official is not in the mood to fight with you. This bowl of porridge is left, well, leave a steamed bun for Bentu, and everything else will be removed for the time being...... By the way, did the lady send it over too? ”

"Sent it." Zhou Renkang hurriedly said: "The lower officials don't dare to slack off. ”

"Send them all down." Chu Huan sighed: "Tell Madame, it's what Ben Du meant." Don't move these dishes that have been removed, tonight you go and invite all the doctors of Sun Boliu over, and the governor will set up a banquet to entertain them, and there is no need to prepare another dishes, just these removed dishes are enough for a banquet in the evening. ”

Zhou Renkang glanced at Chu Huan, knowing that Chu Huan was not joking, he didn't dare to disobey, so he hurriedly asked people to withdraw, and was about to retire, but Chu Huan beckoned him to sit down at the table, drank porridge, and asked, "Lord Zhou, what is the situation in Xiguan Road now?" Even the imperial court is not very clear, you can talk about it, lest after the governor takes office, his eyes will be blackened and he will not know anything. ”

Zhou Renkang sat on the chair with half of his buttocks and asked cautiously, "My lord...... What do you mean by an adult? ”

"People." Chu Huan didn't look up, "When I passed from Qingzhou, I saw that there were still many people from Xiguan who were stranded in Beishan Road and did not return to their hometowns...... Do you know how many refugees have returned home? ”

"Ten out of ten, fifty percent back." Zhou Renkang said cautiously: "This is still because during the spring ploughing, many manors were short of people and hired long-term workers, so a large number of people came back." ”

"Oh?" Chu Huan finally heard something that lifted his spirits, "Xiguan organized spring ploughing?" ”

"Yes, yes, yes!" Seeing that the corners of the governor's eyebrows rose slightly, Zhou Renkang's stiff body seemed to be a little lighter, and he moved his buttocks, "My lord doesn't know, most of the seven surnames of Xiguan who were displaced during the war have returned to their hometowns, and the gentry of Beishan Road are still ready to lease the land of our Xiguan Dao, and half of the fertile land that can be cultivated in Xiguan Dao is almost in the hands of the seven surnames of Xiguan, and the people of Beishan Dao just want to occupy the fields of the seven surnames of Xiguan...... This matter was almost done, but just a few months ago, people with the seven surnames of Xiguan suddenly transported a large amount of grain from the Guannei, and after they came back, they announced to the outside that all the tenant farmers with the seven surnames of Xiguan in the past could still cultivate the land after returning to their hometowns, and the seven surnames of Xiguan would provide grain seeds to ensure that they would not starve to death......! ”

Chu Huan smiled: "So everyone ran home?" ”

"Xia Guan knows that the people who used to have a relationship with the seven surnames of Xiguan have all run back to their hometowns, and the grain seeds have also been planted." Zhou Renkang said: "Most of the grain in our Xiguan Road this year is used for grain seeds, so as to wait for the harvest next year...... It's just that if you really have to survive until next year's harvest, I'm afraid that many people will starve to death......! ”

Chu Huan knew this in his heart.

Although from the government to the gentry, are trying to get food, but the food they get can not be taken out to save their lives, everyone knows that the imperial court wants to deal with the crisis in the southeast, can only temporarily throw the northwest aside, for the imperial court will send a large number of disaster relief food, can only be a luxury, even if the officers and soldiers extinguished the Tianmen Road Rebellion, but the southeast of the empire suffered serious damage, and there were civil uprisings in many places in the Guannai, which also led to the barrenness of many fields, and the imperial court wanted to recover in a short period of time, it can only be a fool's dream, If the northwest wants to rely on the imperial court, it is unreliable, and can only save itself.

Xiguan Sandao, is not a place rich in grain, self-produced grain has not been able to support the needs of Kansai, every year also needs to transport grain from the Guannei, but according to the current situation, even if there is surplus grain in the pass, it will only be transported to the southeast, not transferred to the northwest, for the empire, the southeast is close at hand, the Tianmen Rebellion is too much of a threat to the empire's Kyoto, all the resources of the empire, must be based on the southeast war, the northwest mountains are high and the road is far away, in the empire is border, and the Western Liang army has retreated, compared to the situation in the southeast, The weight of the northwest in the eyes of the imperial court will naturally be much lighter.

Although Beishan and Tianshan did not suffer from the direct destruction of the Western Liang Army, because of the influx of a large number of refugees, many refugees directly changed from homeless people to bandits, and robbed houses in Tianshan and Beishan, in fact, they also suffered the indirect damage of the invasion of the Western Liang Army, but the loss was not as great as that of Xiguandao.

Beishan and Tianshan two roads, tighten their belts, but can also make do with the past, but the situation in Xiguan is obviously different, the three states of the four states of Xiguan have been directly destroyed, houses have been destroyed, fields have been destroyed, grain and livestock have been almost looted, the ashes are really clean, Xiguan understands from top to bottom, if you want future generations to live, you must first survive the current year, most of the grain obtained from the outside must be used as grain, if you can't save grain for farming, there is no hope for the coming year, If the food obtained is used to fill the stomach now, then everyone will have to wait for death.

Before the harvest of the next year, Xiguan will always be in a state of lack of grain and fasting, and the northwest is already bitter, and then there is a shortage of grain and less food, and it is indispensable to starve to death.

"What about the Northwest Army?" Chu Huan frowned and said, "What is the situation of the Northwest Army now?" Previously, the Northwest Army had always been on the front line ...... Ningshan! ”

"Oh, it is said that before General Yu died, he had already made arrangements." Zhou Renkang explained: "Before the Xiliang people came in, there were 100,000 defenders in Yanmen Pass, and after the fight, there were only 30,000 or 40,000 remnants of the defeated generals, General Yu Lao mobilized tens of thousands of guards from the pass, and the old troops of the Northwest Army were also collected, after the death of General Yu, tens of thousands of officers and soldiers of the Northwest Army have been transferred to the Yanmen Pass, and the men and horses brought by General Yu from the pass have not been withdrawn to the pass for the time being, and they are still stationed in Ningshan, but some time ago I heard the news that the Northwest Army has lost too much and needs to replenish the soldiers and horses. Yanmen Pass only relies on those tens of thousands of people, the Xiliang people are capricious, and I don't know if they will fight over, so it is very likely that the Weisuo Army will be transferred to Yanmen Pass to supplement the strength of the Northwest Army...... Your Excellency the Governor, this is also the ...... that the lower officials listened to them talk nonsense, and I don't know if it's true or not! ”

"The Governor doesn't know much for the time being." Chu Huan frowned, the transfer of troops is a matter for the Ministry of War, the Ministry of War is worried that the Xiliang people will go and return, from their point of view, it is not unreasonable, but Chu Huan knows in his heart that the Maha brothers of Xiliang are fighting to the death, and the gorgeous and cunning Concubine Gusa, the nine divisions of the Western Liang have been divided, and the civil strife is fighting, even if the Maha Zang is outstanding, if he wants to suppress the civil strife and seize the power, it is not something that can be completed in three or two years, according to Chu Huan's speculation, the Xiliang people will not be able to come to the original even within five years.

Zhou Renkang said with a smile: "However, the Weisuo army is also sitting and eating military food in the pass, so it is better to be transferred to the front line of Yanmen to guard the territory and defend the territory." The imperial court was unable to rescue the people, but the supply of the Northwest Army was always in short supply. ”

Chu Huan asked: "The grain and grass materials of the Northwest Army are all supplied by the imperial court?" ”

"It's always been like this." Zhou Renkang said: "The four major warehouses of the empire, Chen Yangcang on the Xishan side, have always been reserved for the Northwest Army's military rations, and there is no problem with the supply of the imperial court...... However, now there is no grain in the Northwest Guancang, so it can only be transferred from Chen Yangcang......! ”

Chu Huan sighed secretly, Zhou Renkang is a small magistrate, he only knows that the supply of the Northwest Army is transferred from Chen Yangcang in the Guannei, but how does he know that now Chen Yangcang is already empty, when Chu Huan was in the household department, he had reviewed the inventory of the four major warehouses, the four major warehouses, the Jiping warehouse that supported the red refining power in Liaodong was insufficient, and the Xiaoling warehouse in Hebei was used to support Han Santong to fight the Qingtianwang, although the Jinling warehouse still had grain in stock, but he did not dare to move easily, precisely because the Jinling warehouse could not move easily, so the household department once transferred grain from Chen Yangcang, Chen Yangcang had been supporting the northwest against the Western Liang before, and he couldn't support it for a long time, plus some of it was transferred to the southeast, it was already empty, and the Northwest Army was waiting for the military rations sent from Chen Yangcang, but how did they know that Chen Yangcang had no grain to send.

Chu Huan knew that this kind of thing must not be revealed, he was a household servant before, and it didn't hurt to know that Chen Yang was empty, but if it was known by others, especially by the Northwest Army, the consequences would be unimaginable, and the army's heart would move, and the consequences would be disastrous, Chu Huan only begged the court not to be too confused, only thinking about the southeast, if he forgot to transfer grain to the northwest border, the Northwest Army would be defeated, and he would be a little unable to hold on.

Although the Northwest Army has always been short of food and food, once even some Northwest soldiers starved to death, but the imperial court still sent military rations to the northwest intermittently, even so, I heard that the Northwest Army's heart is not very stable, if they really know that the military food is completely broken, it is strange not to pick up a knife to rebel, when the soldiers are to eat food, now they don't want to eat, if they can't even supply the food court that lives, those men in the Northwest Army will not think about working for the court.

Chu Huan didn't want to say more on this issue, and asked: "The Northwest Army has been transferred back to Yanmen Pass, has Yanmen Pass begun to be repaired?" ”

"It's not that easy." Zhou Renkang said with a wry smile: "Your Excellency the Governor, the people of Xiliang have done a lot of evil, Yanmen Pass has been dismantled by them for several months, a good moat checkpoint, it was destroyed by them, the ruins and broken stones, Xia Guan also heard a few days ago, now even children can climb over Yanmen Pass in the pile of rubble, and if you want to restore the Yanmen Pass dozens of miles long to the way it used to be, it takes a lot of manpower and material resources to ......!" He reluctantly smiled: "The court has not allocated the money, and no one can move it." ”

"Then how will the Northwest Army garrison?"

"This subordinate has heard of it, before the death of General Yu, he ordered the Northwest Army to build a dock fort in Yanmen Pass, and the dock fort is built with earth and stone, and now the Yanmen Pass is full of dock forts, I heard that thirty-six dock forts will be built, and a dock fort will be built every few miles, and a camp will be built on the edge of the dock fort, and the Northwest Army will be divided into thirty-six battalions at that time, but the specific situation, the lower officer does not know a lot ......!"