The fleet sailed down the river, quickly left Guizhou, and arrived at the boundary of Wuzhou a few days later.

Standing on the bow of the boat, Zheng Lang looked at the green mountains and clear water, the Yellow River at this time Needless to say, the turbid waves were empty. The Yangtze River has to see, and the dry season in winter has not become very good, and it is covered with a layer of turbidity. Only when the water level is at its highest in summer, can I see a glimpse of the blue water of the river in spring. But the water is different, it is crystal clear, and if you have good eyesight, you can see the fish swimming at the bottom.

Several large ships sailed by, bringing up a layer of subtle white waves, like white clouds rippling on the blue waves, and instantly turning into pearls scattered in the world.

Zheng Lang suddenly pointed to the distance and said, "Zizhong, Ji Lu, come and see, that is the legendary miasma zone. ”

Tian Yu and Zhou Xin raised their heads and looked in the direction that Zheng Lang was pointing.

It was a swampy area by the water, with some dwarf trees, large reeds, and some meadows, and in this green there was a large mass of crystal water, and at this time, the swamp was shrouded in a faint mist, and if there was nothing, birds flew over the sky from time to time, and there was a crisp chirping. Quiet and beautiful place.

But the two of them looked at the light mist, and their faces showed solemn expressions.

Tian Yu suddenly remembered and asked, "Zheng Xianggong, why do you use the word legend?" ”

"Zizhong, in fact, most of the miasma areas in Guangxi and Guangxi are harmless, and the harmful thing is not the miasma, but the malaria caused by mosquitoes, some poisonous insects. The further south you go, the climate is hot, the grain is high, you can still have three seasons a year, and the fruits are sweeter than in the north. And then God didn't favor it, and gave you one side, and then made you lose the other. ”

The latter sentence is very philosophical.

"Poisons are scarce in the north, and after crossing the Yangtze River, a small number of poisons begin to live, such as bamboo leaf green and land snakes. But further south, there are more poisons, not only poisonous snakes. Scorpions, centipedes, spiders, giant bees, moths, some flowers and plants, sparsely populated, these poisonous areas gather. It has become a place of fear for mankind, and there are some corrupt areas, but you also have to look at it. You see, if you put up an embankment in that swampy area, you can drain the water in the low-lying area in time. After the time of the miasma has passed, ploughing and exposure to the sun will force the poison away, and the putrefaction will be burned, and there will be no miasma. ”

"It's too costly." Zhou Xin said.

"The price is big, but Ji Lu, if you look at it again, how big can that swamp be?"

Since Zhou Xin is among the ranks of good officials, he will not be an official who only reads dead books and works behind closed doors. Those who have gone up the mountains and down to the countryside have made a visual inspection and said, "There are about three or four hundred hectares of area...... Zheng Xianggong, cultivated land? ”

"That's right. That is, cultivated land, if the two Guangzhous are all developed like Hebei, at least one million hectares of cultivated land can be obtained, and most of them are three-season land, and the grain yield is high. The annual harvest of one acre of land can be between four and five stones. It can feed 30 or 40 million people. ”

That's a sane way of putting it.

The Song Dynasty said that Jiangdong Wei could produce seven or eight stones, but the actual average yield was far from what later generations could imagine. Don't say seven or eight stones, there is one three or four stones, with more than 600 million acres of cultivated land in the Song Dynasty, half of the grain can be eaten and half thrown away, and the price of rice can even fall to more than a dozen dollars a bucket.

The real high-yield fields are Jiangdong Wei and the intensive cultivation of cultivated land in Zhejiang and Zhejiang, and the output of the entire north and west is actually very low. Some low-yield areas are not even more than one stone, and there are a large number of barren land, mountains, slopes, and saline-alkali land, and a part of the grain and wine, feed the livestock, and seeds, and part of the land because of low income, or the owner of the land flees from the famine and is barren, and part of the land is planted with mulberry and hemp, and there are disasters, and these unexpected factors are added to it, and the yield of one mu of land may be barely one stone.

Therefore, Zheng Lang said that the harvest of one acre of land can reach five stones, and he did not say that it could feed 70 or 80 million people, but only said that it could feed 30 or 40 million people. …,

It was this number that had already surprised Zhou Xin and Tian Yu.

Zhou Xin opened his mouth wide and said, "Thirty or forty million people? ”

Tian Yu thought of another, more serious question: "Then what about the north?" ”

Not to ask the north, but to ask what the Song Dynasty should do. The forbidden army mainly stayed in the capital, and it was also necessary to maintain the population density of the capital, if the center of gravity of the entire Song Dynasty shifted to the south, it was not necessarily a good thing, and it could cause a disaster.

"Northern...... Northern...... I'm trying to figure out a way, Zizhong, Ji Lu, if I have a plan to solve the food problem in the north, but it will cost tens of thousands of lives, do you think it's worth it? ”

"What's the solution?"

"There are several kinds of crops on the other side of the ocean, suitable for dryland planting, the yield is extremely high, often an acre of land can be harvested into five stones, ten stones, but tens of thousands of miles apart, there is not even an island in the middle to make supplies, and there are a large number of indigenous people living on the other side, not the indigenous people of the big island in the South China Sea, which are more dense than the indigenous people there, but the civilization is slightly more advanced, and it is more headache to deal with. The terrain is also far harsher than that of Lingnan, and there are many oceanic storms. To make a successful harvest, a minimum of ten fleets must be sent, each of which must remain at a few thousand soldiers to protect itself upon arrival. But I calculated that even if ten fleets of ships went, with the current technology of the ships and the dangers of the other side, they would have to find the seeds of these crops, and not just landing on one shore would mean success, and not only landing on one shore would mean success, and then there might not be a fleet to return safely. Do you think I should make this proposal? ”

"Mention ......" Tian Yu suddenly stopped.

At this level, Tian Yu is not stupid. How to mention?

Five stones and ten stones are tempting, but so many soldiers have to die, if they succeed, it will be better. If all ten fleets fail, even Zheng Lang's political future will be completely ruined.

Zhou Xin asked, "Is there really one?" ”

"Yes, the seafarers in the Nanhai of Hangzhou have said it," Zheng Lang retold the story he had made up.

"Yes, my dynasty is not the era of Emperor Yang of Sui," Tian Yu said with a wry smile.

Zheng Lang also shook his head and smiled. In that era, when I heard the news, I would ignore the sacrifice of tens of thousands of soldiers and go to look for it, but it didn't work in the Zhao Zhen Dynasty or the Zhao Dynasty, the Western Expedition failed, Song Shenzong cried bitterly for several days, and was so sad that he had a serious illness.

Is this a good time, or is it a sad time?

The three of them stood at the bow of the boat again and spoke.

In this line, Zheng Lang's intention is also to cultivate all-round warriors.

The all-round warrior is Zheng Lang's most objectionable place, before leaving Zhao Zhen discussed with the ministers in the capital hall, Zheng Lang asked one thing: "Is there an all-powerful talent in the world?" ”

Several people were asked inexplicably.

Zheng Lang said again: "No." Not only did I not have it in the dynasty, but neither did the previous generation. Xiao He can't do Zhang Liang's business, Zhang Liang can't do Han Xin's business, and Han Xin can't do Xiao He's thing. Why are Li Jing and Cao Bin in and out of the picture, and they are very low-key after they really enter the picture? One is the good character and knows humility, and the other is that they can't do what Wenchen wants to do by nature! ”

The novel statement surprised everyone.

Zheng Lang said again: "Another example is our dynasty, although the ministers have won a few battles, the essence is that the generals have made suggestions, although Han Qi, Fan Zhongyan and Pang Ji have flaws. It is considered to be a good job among the civil ministers, but if it is replaced by other civil ministers, it will only be worse. The real ancestral family law is that the civil ministers govern the country, and the military generals go out to fight, such as Pan Mei, Wang Quanbin and Cao Bin, and they are generals. After the war, he returned and took back the power of the generals. Lingnan is a special case, but if the generals are given more rights, they also need to be controlled, and the generals and generals must not touch the financial power and the government of the officials, if they want to touch, they will be recalled immediately, and so on. Will An Lushan succeed in realizing his ambitions? ”…,

You still have to use military generals, and you have to guard against it, but you can't guard against it too much.

Afraid of touching the entire Shidafu group, Zheng Lang didn't dare to say more, but just said the distribution of Di Qing's rights to the south.

In fact, no matter how the history books praise it, Han Qi and Fan Zhongyan's military attainments are actually still two hundred and five, half a jar of vinegar, far from Zhang Kang and Wang Shao and others. It is to fight in the Song realm, if it is to go to the Western Xia. Led by two men. I don't know what it will be like to fail. It's good, if you let Yu Jing, Yin Zhu, Ouyang Xiu and others lead the troops. It will be even worse.

Zheng Lang seems to be very close to this all-round warrior, but many places are not perfect, not to mention there is a golden finger, if the hard disk in his mind is pulled out, even if he is very conscientious, he may not even be as good as Yu Jing, let alone Fan Zhongyan.

But when I arrived in Lingnan, I was helpless.

If you don't do anything, with the ability of Zhou Tian and the others, you will do no less than Yu Jing, or even better. However, anything can happen when they move, and they must have a deeper understanding of the two, and they must also be involved in a battle, so as not to be cowardly when an accident occurs.

On the ship, Zheng Lang often communicated with the two, and it was a process of learning from each other.

The boat went down the river at a high speed, and in the blink of an eye, the swamp was far behind. Tian Yu asked, "Zheng Xianggong, do we really only have this little force to recruit the barbarians?" ”

I don't believe it, as Yu Jing thought, Di Qing is a human, not a god. Zheng Lang is also a human, not a god, just a very capable minister. What can this little force do?

"Is that still a lie?"

"......" Tian Yu and Zhou Xin were speechless, do they really want to be gods?

Zheng Lang glanced at the expressions of the two, and said slowly: "To use an analogy, there are twenty fierce tigers on a mountain range, and I only take fifty soldiers up the mountain, but I can bring enough baggage vehicles to intercept, and enough strong bows and crossbows, swords, guns and spears, in the end, I win, or the tiger wins?" ”

"In this way, it is a mutual victory."

"Why?"

"No one has a smart ear for a tiger."

"Ji Zhen, Zhongye. Xue Rengui's army was defeated in Dafeichuan, some people say that Guo is to be sealed, some people say that it is the loss of geographical advantages and people, and some people say that it is about the absolute superiority of Qinling's troops. Wrong, resourceful. If a commander cannot give full play to the resources in his hands and overcome his shortcomings, he will make a mistake. Xue Rengui is a tiger, alone in the hundreds of thousands of Goryeo army in the killing, no one can stop, three arrows to pacify the Tianshan Mountain, but the wisdom is not as good as the Qinling, so for the Qinling insult. Lu Bu was known as the first fierce general of the Three Kingdoms, and he was able to kill a hundred Cao Mengde and Liu Bei in terms of bravery, but he was finally killed by the two. Without him, there is no resourcefulness. ”

"Jung Sang-ko......"

"Therefore, it is enough for me to have these hundreds of people in this battle, there are two reasons, one is the terrain?"

"Terrain?" Tian Yu was puzzled, in addition to the large plains near Guangzhou, the whole salt road is the continuous Qingyun Mountain, Luofu Mountain, Jiulian Mountain, Lotus Mountain, Wuyi Mountain, these super large mountain ranges, the mountains are reckless, the trees are luxuriant, what is the terrain advantageous?

Zheng Lang shook his head: "You don't understand, Taihang Mountain is not small, but can't my dynasty rule?" Wang Hua Zhiye. Starting from the northern tip of Guangzhou, to Xunzhou to Qianzhou, although most of them are tall and continuous mountainous areas, with dense mountain forests, most areas are more developed than other areas of Guangzhou, and Wanghua is also very popular. There were not many mountainous areas that were difficult for the imperial court to control, that is, the living areas that were parasitic to the barbarians were not as thick. This is not like Temo Dao, which is an area that cannot be controlled by the imperial court, and behind it is Dali. In addition to this 100-mile mountainous area, it is possible that the thickness is only a few dozen miles, and it cannot go south or north. And we can cooperate with the power of the south and the north. That's the advantage. The second is wisdom, there are very few born military strategists, even peerless generals such as Huo Quzhi and Wei Qing have been well educated since childhood, and then grew up step by step. Not to mention the military. In other respects, too, a saint like the Master sighed that he was not confused at forty, but at the age of forty, his incomprehensible knowledge gradually decreased. Just ask. Will there be famous generals in backward barbaric areas? A Nong Zhigao is already a masterpiece of a generation, and he has been able to grow up after many battles with Jiaozhi, and that's it. There is no thickness of the terrain, and there is not enough wisdom, so I use 900 soldiers enough. "What's the policy?" …,

"Use Pei's thrifty strategy."

"Pei Xingjian?" Both of them muttered.

Pei Xingjian is very similar to Zheng Lang, who can be literate and martial. The wisdom is a little weird. First Wenchen, it was very successful, and the real military fame was in his later years, but he was very sad and rushed to meet a more demonic character, Wu Zetian, because he was not right with Wu Zetian, he was bewitched by Wu Zetian Pei Xingjian's brother Pei Yan, and Pei Yan's two henchmen Cheng Wuting betrayed Zhang Qianqiao by Pei Yan's hand. And keep running. Exhausted, he died of illness. Another fierce man is also very sad about Qinling. Such a fierce general killed more than 400,000 Tang troops, and the demon Pei Xingjian didn't dare to compete with him, but let another woman kill Wulu.

This is the idea of Zhou Tian and the others.

Zheng Lang doesn't think so, people have strengths and weaknesses, conspiracies, court disputes, and political framing and exploitation, which are the strengths of Wu Zetian and Wulu, but the military is their shortcomings. It is one thing that regulates one thing, and it restrains Pei Xingjian and Qinling. It's not that the sum of the wisdom of the two daughters must be better than Pei Xingjian and Lun Qinling. If you forcibly compare who is more demonic, it is really not good to compare, just like Guan Gong vs. Qin Qiong, who can tell a long or short point.

Pei Xingjian only had three battles, and the first battle was eating, drinking, and playing, so he caught Li Shaluo and Ashina. The second is the first battle of Montenegro, the grain cart ambushed the troops, so that the Turks did not dare to attack the grain, and launched a positional war with the Turks in Montenegro, so that the Turks could not continue, resulting in civil strife, killing the Khan Ashina mud to surrender, and the big leader was captured alive in his duties. The third war was the battle of Daizhou Shenkou, first to provoke Ashina Funian and Ashdewenbo to discord, and then to send surprise troops out of Jinshan to capture Ashina Funian's family, and forced Ashina Funian to capture Ashina Wenbo and surrender by his own son.

The three wars have been recorded in detail in the history books, but when you think about it carefully, you still don't understand why you won. Just like Chen Qingzhi, thousands of people crisscrossed hundreds of thousands of Hu people, fought dozens of battles, defeated hundreds of thousands of Hu people, and they were unscathed, which is unreasonable. Even if thousands of soldiers have the ability of Xiang Yu, they can't do it, but they have done it.

Let's put it more popularly, Li Bai's poems are well written, but who can learn?

These three battles were fought too miraculously to be learned. What examples can we learn from?

Zhou Xin asked: "Could it be that Zheng Xianggong also got Li Weigong's war strategy?" ”

Zheng Lang laughed: "Ji Zhen, that's a legend, even if Li Weigong has a war strategy, his attainments may not be as good as Sun Tzu's Art of War, Sun Tzu's Art of War has long been popularized, you have seen it, I have seen it, I don't know how many people have seen it, but how many people have become famous generals?" ”

"What's that?"

"Don't divulge it, you'll see it then."

Zheng Lang was like a joke, but Yu Jing on the other side was a little anxious.

Although he is a little unhappy with Zheng Lang, he knows Zheng Lang's status in the emperor's heart, don't look at the imperial court and let himself, Zhou Tian and the two of them share Zheng Lang's power. This is because the emperor doesn't want to make a bad example because of Zheng Lang, not because he doesn't trust Zheng Lang.

If something happens to Zheng Lang, he will also be seriously implicated.

Zheng Lang said with a grin, I was sure, and Yu Jing was a little unconvinced. This is a fierce man who is "not afraid of death", has been on the front line for several battles in the northwest, and even uses himself as a bait. Then he was bold and really ran to the Khitan. But there is no error? How dangerous the Khitan party is, they can't come back after only a few hours. Fortune is great. What if there is a mistake?

But the official university level crushes people to death, not only the official university, but also the qualifications are deeper than themselves, and the knowledge is also great, not to mention the prestige. On that aspect, he can't suppress this strongman. But the courage is too great, and nine hundred people dare to go deep into the territory of the barbarians. No, the more I thought about it, the more scared I became, so I wrote down what happened and handed it to the capital with a fast horse.

It has nothing to do with me. I was persuaded. …,

At this time, Sun Wei had already returned to the court as a privy deputy envoy, and Yu Jing also had merit and served as a waiter in the Ministry of Works, but the other person, Zhao Zhen smiled bitterly.

Zheng Lang.

At this time, Zheng Lang held various official positions. Officials, errand officials, concurrent officials, and museum officials, all of them have reached the top together, and there is no reward for them.

Zhao Zhen thought of various historical examples in the past. At this point, it means that the suppression has begun, otherwise what to do, or there is only one way, kill!

However, Zhao Zhen is not this kind of person, and Zheng Lang's indifference to official positions also reassures him.

Not only is there no reward, but on the contrary, many ministers have said that it will not work. Zheng Lang served as the pacification envoy of the two roads, and held all the military, political and financial powers, which was not in line with the family law of the ancestors, and Zheng Lang would not endanger the security of the Song Dynasty once this case was opened. But what if future generations misunderstand?

Zhao Zhen had no choice but to let Zhou Tian and the others divide Zheng Lang's power.

Feeling very guilty, he euphemistically wrote a decree. Zheng Lang wrote a letter in reply, saying that His Majesty's favor and trust are the greatest reward for his ministers, and if he is worried about the reward, he will not be rewarded. Princes and ministers will be wary. On the contrary, it is inconvenient for the minister to act in Lingnan.

What a touching saying, as long as grace is reward. Let Zhao Zhen sigh for a long time.

Therefore. Zheng Lang stayed away from the court, and his status in Zhao Zhen's heart did not decrease but increased.

After receiving Yu Jing's complaining recital, Zhao Zhen was worried, summoned the prime ministers, and asked with concern: "Is Zheng Lang's trip dangerous?" ”

Pang Ji was also at a loss, he had never been to Lingnan, but he had been in the northwest for a long time, and he knew a little more or less about military affairs, nine hundred people, how to exterminate these unruly and unruly barbarians?

Zhao Zhen turned to Wang Yaochen and Sun Wei again, and the two also knew a little about military affairs, and asked, "What do Wang Qing and Sun Qing think?" ”

Wang Yaochen muttered, "It's a bit risky. ”

Sun Wei also shook his head: "At least the minister can't do anything." ”

These barbarians must be suppressed, otherwise they will rebel again and be in turmoil in several ways. But only 900 people, the number of troops is too small.

Fu Bi is even worse militarily, and Liu Xin and Gao Ruone are all worried.

Zhao Zhen had no choice but to turn to Liang Shi.

Liang Shi was pondering, and suddenly raised his head and asked, "Your Majesty, who is deeper in military attainments, Zheng Lang or Di Qing?" ”

"Di Qing," Zhao Zhen said exactly.

Zheng Lang has done a self-analysis of this, on the long, I grew up in the Gewu economy, few people can compare with me, and few people can compare with me economically, Confucianism is okay, and Fan Zhongyan, Hu Ming, Ouyang Xiu and others are almost the same, but there are several ministers who are more proficient than me in the governance of officials, but they are not as good as me economically, I can give the people a richer life, and all the shortcomings are covered up under this premise.

It seems to be a modest statement, but Zhao Zhen thinks about it carefully, it is true, Zheng Lang has been the prime minister for several years, and he has grown up in this economy, and with a sufficient economy, he can implement all kinds of good governance. There are still many shortcomings, but a handsome cover a hundred ugliness, all defects are stoned to death with money, and what disasters are heaped with money, so the country has been ruled for several years, if it is not for the Khitan and Western Xia, it can be comparable to Zhenguan and Kaiyuan.

As for the military, Zheng Lang also repeatedly mentioned that in the military, I am also a shortcoming, fortunately I can use people, dare to use some generals, and listen to appropriate strategies, which has achieved several great victories. The real military level is not as good as Di Qing, not as good as Zhang Kang, not as good as Wang Xin, and not as good as Chong Shiheng.

Or to put it modestly, even if it is true, it will employ people, and it will use the most appropriate strategy, which is also a kind of military ability.

But at this time, several major generals followed Di Qing to Temo Dao, Zheng Lang did not have a general available in his hands, only nine hundred soldiers could be used, and he was acting alone, so Zhao Zhen himself was not very sure.

raised his head, stared at Liang Shi and asked, "Liang Qing, what do you think?" ”

"Your Majesty, the minister thinks that Zheng Lang's military talent is far above Di Qing, if you don't believe it, Your Majesty will wait and see." Speaking of which, his eyes deliberately swept over Pang Ji, Zheng Lang is the prime minister, integrating the rights of the East and West Governments, Liang Shi has no choice, this kid is too fierce, I can't afford to provoke him, but Pang Ji is the prime minister, Liang Shi is not convinced. Zheng Lang's trip to the Qianyan Road this time allowed him to see a great opportunity, a great opportunity to pry Prime Minister Pang!

ps: I drank too much wine during this time, Kunlun Guan section, I plan to increase the interest of the story, but I drink all day long, and I am worried that it does not match the overall style, after all, this book has become a very rigorous novel, if the plot is too mysterious, it will become a failure. How to choose, under the impact of alcohol, the head is stuck. Headache splitting, in addition to socializing, reading Yanda's new book, a little precipitation for a few days, may have a serious impact on the subscription, but the income does not matter, resolutely not let the book have any indiscriminate movements, I think it is worth it. I don't dare to promise anything, it's an apology. From today, the New Year is completely over, and the update is back to normal. There are no accidents, it is more than 10,000 words. as compensation.

PS: I would like to ask you one more thing, after treating Artemisia annua with ether, how to preserve its medicinal effect under the conditions of the Song Dynasty. If there is anyone who knows how to do it, please give me advice.