The palace was brightly lit, Li Quan set up a celebration banquet, and the generals and generals sat at seven or eight tables, toasting and changing lamps, and were drinking lively.

"General Han, please, General Wang, please." Li Quan drank a lot of wine and raised his glass again.

Han Shouzhong and Wang Xian toasted in return, and they already understood what Li Quan was thinking.

He only said that he was celebrating his achievements and only saying thanks, but he never mentioned the matter of joint operations in the future, and it was obvious that he was going to do it alone.

That's okay, Meng Jiucheng really doesn't want to be dragged by Li Quan with artillery and sappers running around, this is the backbone he has carefully cultivated, and he also points to them to cultivate more talents in the lecture hall!

Han Shouzhong and Wang Xian also knew Meng Jiucheng's big plan, and felt that this was what it was like to do big things. At a young age, they knew how to cultivate and envelop civil and military talents, and the two of them also secretly admired it.

Wang Xian knew that there was no need to fight anymore, and he could go back with the captured materials tomorrow, so he relaxed and began to taste the wine he drank, "This wine is really good." ”

Han Shouzhong thought so, and said with a smile: "I haven't drunk this kind of wine for a long time, I'm afraid that after drinking it today, I will think about it in the future." ”

Li Quan was stunned for a moment, then stopped and asked, "Why, the military discipline of your army is so strict, don't you even drink alcohol in your spare time?" ”

Wang Xian shook his head and said, "Li Shuai misunderstood. It's not that alcohol is not allowed, it's that Meng Shuai has banned alcohol and is not allowed to use grain to make wine. ”

You are not allowed to make wine from grain?! Li Quan immediately figured it out, it was a shortage of food. But this situation is everywhere, and I haven't seen anyone ban alcohol.

Besides, the officers and men in the army are already rude, and if you don't let them drink, won't you want to make trouble?

"Isn't there anyone against this?" Li Quan asked tentatively.

Han Shouzhong smiled and said, "At the beginning of Meng Shuai's uprising, he implemented this order in the place he occupied. At that time, there were fewer people and horses, and there was indeed a shortage of food, and it was more important to have a full stomach than to drink. When the territory became larger and there were more people eating, the food problem was not greatly alleviated, and the prohibition of alcohol continued. ”

After a pause, Han Shouzhong continued: "After a long time, everyone is used to it. It's not that there is no wine to sell in the market, and there is still fruit wine. If you want to drink it now, you can also buy good wine, but it is all sold from the Song Dynasty, and the price is relatively expensive. ”

"I see, Meng Shuai is clever!" Li Quan nodded, although he felt that this order could save a lot of food, but it was difficult to implement it in his own territory.

The key is that it can be implemented at the beginning of this habit, and it can also be seen that Meng Jiucheng is thoughtful.

"I'll be able to drink a lot, and I also want to thank Li Shuai." Han Shouzhong raised his glass and toasted, and said, "Tomorrow, our army will set off and return, and we won't have to send Li Shuai off." ”

"Why be in such a hurry." Li Quan said: "Could it be that Meng Shuai explained before leaving?" ”

Han Shouzhong blinked his eyes and said, "Meng Shuai didn't say anything special, but it goes without saying that our army wants to strengthen its defense on the Western Front. Liu Erzu's side, Meng Shuai is still not very relieved! ”

Li Quan nodded, and said along the way: "Since this is the case, then XX will not be forced to stay, so that Meng Shuai will not be at ease." But the send-off is still necessary, and tomorrow I will go to your army camp to make a trip for the two generals. ”

Han Shouzhong arched his hand and said: "Then there is Lao Li Shuai, thank you Li Shuai." ”

Li Quan laughed, raised his glass again, and drank it all.

………….

After breakfast the next day, Li Quan took the generals out of the city to see them off.

This is politeness, the second is gratitude, and the third is that Li Quan wants to buy some weapons and ammunition from the Red Turban Army, as well as a few binoculars.

Li Quan also knew that weapons and ammunition, and even binoculars, should be the secret weapons that the Red Turban Army relied on to win, and they might not be sold to him.

Moreover, even if it is sold, it is definitely not something that Han Shouzhong and Wang Xian can call the shots.

Therefore, Li Quan only revealed his intention to Han Shouzhong and Wang Xian, and the letter to Meng Jiucheng was the specific content of the discussion.

Farewell to the cold noise, Han Shouzhong and Wang Xian led the team to set off, nearly 10,000 prisoners, a large number of captures, the battle of Qingzhou, the Red Turban Army can be said to have gained a lot.

Among the prisoners, Zhang Lin and several other officials were missing, and Li Quan changed his mind, thinking that it was enough to send the cronies of Zhang Lin and other officials to the Red Turban Army. Zhang Lin and other officials may have some effect on him in raiding the surrounding counties and towns.

Of course, Han Shouzhong and Wang Xian didn't know about this matter, and they wouldn't care if they knew. Anyway, these captives are used as coolies, and after two or three years of heavy work, they may wear off their wildness and become the subjects of the base area.

"Does Meng Shuai mean to vote for Song?" Wang Xian quickened his horse's speed slightly, half a horse's head behind Han Shouzhong, and asked.

Han Shouzhong turned his head slightly, slowed down his horse's speed, and said slowly: "The situation in the future is very likely to be the three kingdoms of Song, Jin, and Mongolia. No matter which country it is, it is stronger than us. Needless to say, there is a way to go, and we will not take refuge. The rest of the Song and Mongolia countries, which one would you prefer? ”

Wang Xian thought for a while and said, "It is better to take refuge in others than to be the king of yourself." ”

Han Shouzhong shook his head and said, "The wood is beautiful in the forest, and the wind will destroy it." If he establishes himself as a king, he will be the opponent of the Song, Jinmeng and the Three Kingdoms, and he is very passive! Meng Shuai thought about it for the long term and would never do this. ”

After a pause, Han Shouzhong said again: "Actually, it's nothing to vote for Song, not only can you get the aid of money and food, but it's not much different from self-reliance." ”

"What if the Song court wants to transfer Meng Shuai and us to other places, or send a large number of officials to seize power?" Wang Xian thought about it a lot, and obviously didn't quite agree with Han Shouzhong's statement in his heart.

"Hehe, if that's the case, we also have a way to deal with it." Han Shouzhong didn't care, in his opinion, Meng Jiucheng was not a character who could be controlled by people for a long time, and there would never be the kind of situation that Wang Xian considered.

Wang Xian opened his mouth, and finally stopped chattering.

In fact, including Yang Miaozhen, those generals and officials who later joined forces all had similar ideas. hopes that Meng Jiucheng can be called the king of the system, just like Yang An'er.

But most of the people on Meng Jiucheng's side disagreed with this, although they didn't say it. Moreover, Meng Jiucheng is also constantly conveying to everyone that he does not want to be called the king of the system.

Han Shouzhong and Wang Xian led the men and horses, and only arrived in Weizhou three days later.

Meng Jiucheng and Yang Miaozhen personally greeted him, and Meng Jiucheng, who had already received the Pegasus Express, had already read the list of supplies and was very happy.

With this batch of captured materials, not only the combat effectiveness of the Red Turban Army has been improved, but Meng Jiucheng can also speed up his vision of the navy and free up funds to buy ships.

There is no need to elaborate on the condolences, rewards, and celebrations, and Meng Jiucheng stayed in Weizhou for a few days before setting off for Muling Pass.

After the Red Turban Army took over the defense of Muling Pass, it was faced with two choices: one option was to hold on to the west flank with heavy troops and ensure the safety of the western flank; The other option is to use Mulingguan as the backing, westward to Yiyuan, and close to Laiwu.

After Li Quan's subordinates occupied Linqu and occupied Qingzhou, the threat from the north was lifted, and the significance of the heavy defense of Mulingguan was greatly reduced, and westward expansion seemed to be a natural choice.

It's just that Meng Jiucheng doesn't want to act too early, and he doesn't want to mobilize troops from other places. In this way, the more than 4,000 horses stationed in Mulingguan appeared to be a little thin, with more than enough defense and insufficient attack.

Therefore, Meng Jiucheng transferred 5,000 troops from Weizhou, and asked Han Shouzhong and Wang Xian to select the strong from the captives to fill the shortfall.

In this way, the mobilization of troops scattered elsewhere was minimally avoided and the loss of money and food was reduced.

At the same time, Meng Jiucheng transferred Wang Min and Yan Tong as military advisors and commanders, preparing to occupy the Yimeng Mountains first, and then continue to expand westward by infiltrating and encroaching.

"Meng Lang, Li Quan wants to buy weapons, and you haven't made a final decision yet?" Yang Miaozhen brushed away a strand of hair that was blown by the wind in front of his forehead, and said, "Why don't you take Liu Erzu as an example and supply gunpowder bullets." At most, plus the pine cannon, it will be enough. ”

Meng Jiucheng nodded with a smile and said, "What the lady thinks, how can I not know?" I had already thought about it, so I sent a letter to Li Quan as the lady said, and sold him weapons and ammunition to a limited extent. In addition, I have to send some people to teach them how to use it. ”

"Yes, I have a powerful weapon, but I can't use it, Li Quan probably didn't think of this, right?" Yang Miaozhen saw that her husband agreed to her suggestion, and she was in a good mood and smiled happily.

"They really don't understand that." Meng Jiucheng said: "I thought that if I had a weapon, I could use it, and anyone could give full play to its maximum power." ”

Yang Miaozhen bowed slightly, and said: "Now those artillery and engineer backbones are all taught by Meng Lang, how much work has been spent and how much hard work has been suffered?" These are not known to outsiders. ”

Meng Jiucheng smiled bitterly and said, "There are too few people who are literate and can count, and if you want to teach, you can't find too many qualified students." ”

"Isn't Meng Lang promoting that or something, universal education!" Yang Miaozhen was relieved: "There is also a night school in the army, and in time, our Red Turban Army will definitely be the army with the largest number of literate people." ”

Meng Jiucheng smiled and nodded, but he was not as optimistic as Yang Miaozhen thought.

People and horses marched through towns and villages, but they were strictly disciplined, and they did not dare to leave the team without permission, and dared to disturb the people.

Every time he passed through the villages and towns, Meng Jiucheng carefully observed, especially in the villages and towns, to see that there were no signs. Sometimes he also called the village chief and the mayor of the town to ask about it.

Although the people are less literate, and although the government's financial resources are not enough to fully implement free education, it does not prevent Meng Jiucheng from adopting a flexible approach.

The gentleman who sets up notice boards in villages and towns, and the villagers publicize the hyphenation of characters is not only a lecturer who explains the notices to the villagers, but also a village teacher who teaches children to read and write for free.

In this way, the people's news will not be too closed, knowing that the army is still fighting, the war is related to them, and the army is still defending this rare and stable life.

At the same time, the government was able to recruit teachers as quickly as possible by granting subsidies or exemptions from taxes.

Meng Jiucheng is also ready to give Mr. Jiaoshu the title of Tongxiucai and Tongju and a specific headscarf, and give them the treatment of not worshipping officials.

You must know that in the Song Dynasty, Xiucai was not considered an official fame, and was usually just an honorific title for scholars; As for lifting people, it is not a lifelong system, and the state is qualified to raise children within three years. If the three-year period has passed, you will have to retake the exam.

That is to say, in the Song Dynasty, only if you were a jinshi, that is, if you passed the provincial examination held by the Ministry of Rites, you could get ahead and become an official.

And Meng Jiucheng directly fixed the fame of Xiucai and Renren, and gave it to Mr. according to the time of teaching. In the future, when choosing officials, teachers with fame will have the opportunity to refer to them directly.

In that era, the imperial examination was the only way to gain fame, but how many people could be on the list? There are many people who have turned gray in their hair, but they are still not in the first place. However, Meng Jiucheng's method has made many people find a new way.

Needless to say, the economic concessions are the plaques awarded by the government, as well as the fame that cannot be imagined for a long time, and the treatment that matches the fame, which is enough to make the hearts of the scholars moved.

Of course, there should be people who want to oppose Meng Jiucheng's measure.

What is a meritorious name, it is a court name*! How many scholars study hard, and they can't get one after hardships, how can some guys who are only worthy of teaching private schools deserve it?

But Meng Jiucheng is ready to push it under pressure in the next step.

The advantage of this is not only to popularize education to the people at the bottom, but also because of the gratitude and hard propaganda of those who are only worthy of teaching private schools, so that Meng Jiucheng has also gained a good reputation among the people at the bottom.

Reading and literacy, being able to write and count seems to have little to do with the war and the quality of the army. But that usually refers to the war of cold weapons, but with artillery, with catapults, technical arms in the army are indispensable.

But a literate soldier who can count is also more accurate and rapid in the comprehension and execution of orders than an illiterate; When learning combat skills, it is also necessary to comprehend them faster.

While walking, Meng Jiucheng has satisfactory places, and there are also unsatisfactory villages and towns.

Others may not understand why Meng Jiucheng did this, but Meng Jiucheng believes that this is a manifestation of the soft power of his ruling area.

If the billboard can publicize the promulgation of government decrees, the movements of friends and enemies, and the recent fighting in a timely manner, it will be tantamount to a disguised increase in mobilization capacity.

The smooth flow of government orders from top to bottom is itself a point of inspection for whether the government is efficient and responsive.

In fact, Meng Jiucheng did not just pay attention to this inspection. Every time he travels, he does his best to observe the situation in various places.

Just looking at the reports from various places, Meng Jiucheng felt that not all of them were credible, and the trick of deceiving the small has a long history in China.

Not to mention anything else, that is, the emperor, Chrysostom Yuyan, wielding the power of life and death, is not often kept in the dark and deceived by his subordinates?

In the future, the territory is bigger, and I can't walk by myself, I'm afraid it will be the same as those guys who are high up and listen to carols every day!

The reason why Meng Jiucheng is so attentive and observes the situation in various places in such detail is that he does not imagine that many rising forces and figures in history have made a "rise and fall".