Li Zhigao submitted a letter to Shuzhou requesting that a force of troops be stationed in Suizhou. Feng Liao, Han Daoming, and Han Daochang speculated that there must be a behind-the-scenes deal between Honglou and the Zheng family. Only then could the Zheng family agree to call Jingxiang Northeast on the north side of Hubei and Huangzhous.

The hinterland fell into the hands of the Huaixi Forbidden Army.

Tangyi is currently fighting fiercely with Huaidong and Prince Shou's Mansion, and has no intention of ruining the good things between Wan Honglou and the Zheng family. However, Feng Liao and Han Daoming feel that this is an excellent opportunity to fish in troubled waters, and they can take the opportunity to realize cotton cloth and cotton wadding.

Incorporate it into Qiu Fu and other purposes.

Feng Liao also sent someone overnight to carry the copy of Shuzhou's memorial across the river to East Lake and hand it over to Han Qian, and Han Qian's reply was sent back to Jinling City before nightfall the next day.

"Grandfather and other great lords are here, and it is as if we have met each other. I have learned about the letter from Shuzhou and thought about it. I thought that we should not take this matter as an opportunity to seek our own gain, so I drafted this letter to pass on

Your Excellencies, even if you don’t think about the great Chu State, the Shouzhou Army is currently the only major enemy of General Tangyi. We should do everything possible to contact all forces to weaken and attack it. Zuowu Wei Army or Zuo Longque Army,

If we can move a part of it to Suizhou and peek at the Shouzhou Army from the passes of Huaiyang Mountain and Tongbai Mountain, we will definitely put great pressure on the Shouzhou Army. We should not let it get mixed up and spare no effort to support it. Although

This discussion by the Marquis of Xinjin may be based on the idea of ​​​​uniting the party to defeat the different and establishing a foundation. Above the court, the princes and ministers must also have disputes. However, the nobles should speak loudly in the court and examine whether the standards for officials in the court should be reviewed.

It is beneficial to the Chu State, rather than all kinds of speculations. If necessary, this letter can be sent to His Highness King Shou, and I will also write to Tangyi to ask him..."

Han Daoming and Han Daochang were both elders, so Han Qian addressed them as adults in the letter.

Han Daoming, Feng Liao, and Han Daochang were all quite surprised when they saw the letter sent back urgently by Han Qian.

They did not expect that Han Qian not only disapproved of their fishing in troubled waters, but even asked them to persuade Shou Wang Yang Zhitang and others to spare no effort to support the Huaixi Forbidden Army to divide its troops and move to Suizhou, while ignoring Lu Qingxia, Li Zhigao and others' secret transactions with the Zheng family.

.

Of course, in the short term, it would be beneficial for Tangyi to divide the Zuo Wuwei Army or Zuo Longque Army into Suizhou.

The first is that the Huaixi Forbidden Army has relatively sufficient strength and should play a greater role. Containing part of the Shouzhou Army from the west flank can effectively alleviate the military pressure on Tangyi.

Secondly, even from the perspective of managing Tangyi, they should hope that the left and right wings can reduce the number of troops stationed as much as possible, which will further highlight the importance of Tangyi.

However, in the long run, it will be detrimental to them that the late Honglou and the Zheng family will be more closely aligned and the foundation will be deeper.

From this point of view, even if they do not stand up strongly to obstruct them, they should still fish in troubled waters and take the opportunity to seek some additional benefits; they can even take advantage of Emperor Yanyou's further chilling of Li Zhigao and the Zheng family to make more redemptions

Some of the trust of Emperor Yanyou.

But they didn't expect Han Qian's urgent reply to be so upright and upright.

However, Han Qian's attitude was so clear that Han Daoming, Feng Liao, and Han Daochang also acted according to his wishes. They went to see Shou Wang Yang Zhitang with a letter that night, hoping that Yang Zhitang would work together to promote the division of the Huaixi Forbidden Army and move it to Suizhou as soon as possible, so that part of the Shouzhou Army could be transferred to Suizhou.

Containing the past would prevent the Shouzhou Army from causing a fight on Han Qian's wedding day.

At this time, Prince Shou's Mansion was sparing no effort to form a naval force and expand defense along the river and coast east of Runzhou.

Even in the following memorial written by Chai Jian, the commander of the left Shenwu Army, he recommended Zheng Yu's son, Zheng Xingxuan, the deputy commander of the right Longque Army, to succeed him as the governor of Shaozhou. The intention of exchanging defense zones with Zheng was clearly revealed. However, the interests involved in the Shou Prince's Mansion are also minimal.

The traditional sphere of influence of Prince Shou's Mansion is in Yuanzhou and Hongzhou, and has no influence on Hunan or Jingxiang. The Shenling Division used to belong to the same lineage and reached a deal with the Zheng family to exchange each other's defense so that both parties can have more pragmatic management power. Yang Zhitang hereby Sometimes I am willing to hold my nose and recognize it first.

As a result, the opposition voice of Shen Yang and others became minimal. In late November, in addition to the official transfer of Zheng Xingxuan to take charge of Shaozhou, the Privy Council also quickly signed a formal order and led the Zuowu Guards to move to the northern part of Suizhou in the next few weeks. In order to be able to leave Huaiyang Mountain and go to Guangzhou and Huozhou to actively search for fighters.

Such a quick decision was mainly due to the internal turmoil in the Jin State that caused Liang Jun to gather on a large scale on the northern front. Therefore, this winter was also the best opportunity for the Chu army to adjust the defensive deployment on the northern front; Shen Yang and Yang Si did not pay too much attention to this matter. of entanglement.

What Han Daoming said in the political hall was shocking and pointed directly at people's hearts. He did not adjust the deployment of troops at the most favorable time. Could it be that he was so entangled and delayed that the main force of Liang Army's attention was diverted to the southern front again, and Da Chu then adjusted it? Can't dispatch generals?

It would take less than half a year for Zheng Hui's and Chai Jian's headquarters to complete all the defense changes. However, the Zuowu Guards commanded by Zhou Shu had withdrawn to the inner line of Shuzhou for repairs during this period, and they did not bear much responsibility on the Lujiang defense line. After receiving the order from the Privy Council, the defense mission was immediately dispatched from Shuzhou City in batches as quickly as possible.

Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses first took boats to the west along the Yangtze River in batches, landed at the south dock of Huangzhou City, and then followed the post road on the east side of Huangzhou City all the way north until they entered Yingshan and Lishan counties on the east side of Suizhou.

Tongbai Mountain belongs to the western foothills of Huaiyang Mountain.

On the east side of Tongbai Mountain, that is, between Tongbai Mountain and Huaiyang Mountain, the terrain is greatly affected by the large fault zone. The mountain boundary lines are particularly neat, and due to the erosion of flowing water, some wide ridges are formed in this area. River valleys and transverse mountains.

This is also another main channel for connecting Jingxiang and Henan outside the Nanyang Basin.

The three passes of Jingbei, Wusheng Pass, Pingjing Pass and Jiuliguan are located in the northern mountains of Yingshan County and Lishan County. They are the only way to invade the northeastern hinterland of Jingxiang via Guangzhou and Huozhou.

For a long time, because Xu Mingzhen led his troops to guard the middle and upper reaches of the Huaihe River, the three passes in northern Jingbei and Yingshan County and Lishan County in the south were all the hinterland of Chu, so the central government did not pay special attention to the city construction and defense here.

During the Jinling Incident, Suizhou was more influenced by Yueyang. The local government organized brave soldiers and civilians to garrison Wusheng, Pingjing and Jiuli Pass to block the Shouzhou Army from invading Jingxiang.

Of course, at that time, Xu Mingzhen's vision was completely attracted to the eastern front, and she had no intention of invading Jingxiang from the three passes of Jingbei and starting a conflict with Du Chongtao who was stationed in Xiangzhou and Zhang Wei who was stationed in Jingzhou.

Rebels from Anning Palace were expelled

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After the area south of the Yangtze River, the Shouzhou Army was trapped in a dilemma of food shortage for a long time, and was unable to compete for the three passes of Jingbei and expand into Jingxiang territory. Then many wars broke out since the end of last year, and it has not been able to spare any effort to go west.

Therefore, the gap between Huaiyang Mountain and Tongbai Mountain is mainly defended by Suizhou local soldiers and horses, and it has not yet fallen under the control of the Shouzhou Army.

Zhou Shu took over the defense of Yingshan County, Lishan County and Jingbei Pass, and could see Guangzhou and Huozhou from the north of Tongbai Mountain, which was of great significance.

As soon as there was any movement in Shuzhou, the Shouzhou Army was also adjusted accordingly. Almost at the same time, a large number of troops and horses went to Wusheng Pass, Jiuli Pass, and the city north of Pingjing Pass at the fastest speed to build up defenses to prevent the left flank.

The Wuwei Army will take the opportunity to attack Guangzhou and Huozhou this winter.

Guangzhou and Huozhou are currently the areas where the Shouzhou Army's agricultural production is well maintained, and they are also the lifeblood of the Shouzhou Army...

…………

…………

Time flies by so fast, and it’s the twelfth lunar month in a blink of an eye, which is also the last month of Yanyou’s third year.

On the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, with less than four days left before the wedding of Han Qian and Wang Jun, broken snow fell from the lead-colored sky, and a sailboat sailed north along the Yuxi River.

The more than ten-mile-long river between Ruxu Mountain and Qibao Mountain has been repeatedly dredged and silted out for nearly a year. Even though it is the twelfth lunar month of winter, the water level of Chaohu Lake is at the lowest time of the year.

Boats can also quickly enter and exit Chao Lake via the Ruxukou main channel without any hindrance.

In addition to the dredging of the river, the river embankment post roads on both sides of Ruxukou have also been built. Some newly built courtyard-style villages are located on the river beach. There are thousands of young and strong men and women taking advantage of the shallow water of the river to carry their bodies on their shoulders.

, excavate loads of river mud and lift up the embankment.

"This river can already be used by large boats in the coldest month of winter. Why do we still need to continue to excavate the river beach on this side?" Accompanied by Han Daoming, Han Daochang and many Han family children, Han Wenhuan personally crossed the river to East Lake to preside over the wedding this time.

With white hair, he was standing on the bow of the ship with the support of his escort. He saw the situation on the river beach and asked Feng Liao in confusion.

"There is only one opening of Yuxi River in the lower reaches of Chaohu Lake. The openness of this opening directly determines the scale of flood discharge in Chaohu Lake in summer and autumn, and the subsequent reclamation of Chaohu Lake around the lake is also closely related to this." Feng Liao explained.

"Reclamation around the lake?" Han Daochang and his eldest brother Han Daoming looked at each other, secretly pondering the wording behind Feng Liao's words.

In addition to accompanying his father to East Lake to host the wedding this time, he has also traveled back and forth across the country many times in the past year, but he came and went in a hurry, and many things were only briefly understood. He thought that since everyone around Han Qian already had the knowledge of Huanhu

The idea of ​​reclamation means that Han Qian's next goal is not only limited to Chuzhou City, but also means that Chaozhou City has fallen into his sights, right?

Only by taking into account Chaozhou City in the north of Chaohu Lake can we claim to be encircling the lake to reclaim Chaohu Lake.

Or perhaps because of this, it is currently in Tangyi's best interests to switch defenses between the Left Shenwu Army and the Right Longque Army, and to lead the Left Wuwei Army to garrison Yingshan, Lishan and other places on a weekly basis.

After all, only Zhou Shu led the Zuowu Guards to go north from between Tongbai Mountain and Huaiyang Mountain, open a new remote battlefield in the south of Guangzhou and Huozhou, and divert more Shouzhou troops to the west of Huozhou.

Only then can it be possible to regain the land of Chaozhou and the city of Chuzhou.

Was it for this reason that Han Qian asked them to support the behind-the-scenes deal between Wan Honglou and the Zheng family without hesitation?

Han Daochang made random guesses in his mind, and soon noticed several beach piers on one side of the Ruxukou River. He could see some small cargo ships transporting bundles of newly harvested red sugarcane ashore.

The villages on both sides mainly accommodated the refugees affected by the disaster, and they were far from wealthy enough to eat sugar cane. Han Daochang guessed that this kind of red sugar cane should be transported ashore to plant sugar cane fields. He asked Feng Liao with great interest: "Xuzhou

I didn’t grow this red sugarcane originally, but I heard that Han Qian has promoted it vigorously in Xuzhou in the past two years, and now he probably wants to increase the scale of planting in Tangyi - but I don’t know what the reason behind it is?"

"The Marquis said that the common people in the world were sallow and thin, and malnutrition was extremely common. However, it is unrealistic to think that everyone in the world would have meat to eat. However, eating more sucrose can also replenish calories and strengthen the body. Therefore, the Marquis proposed Xuzhou

, Tangyi, within two years ordinary households must meet the standard of five kilograms of cane sugar and granulated sugar per capita per year, so the planting of red sugarcane in Xuzhou has expanded in the past two years. Red sugarcane likes moisture but cannot tolerate waterlogging, and the climate here in Tangyi is still

It is not as warm and humid as Xuzhou, and the riverside and lakeside are prone to waterlogging, so it is suitable to cultivate paddy fields. Currently, we are mainly considering planting some in Ruxu Shanxi and the slope valleys in the south of Shanxi. We will see if the situation will be further promoted in the coming year..." Feng Liao asked.

Han Daochang only knew that wealthy people often drank water made with malt sugar as soup. He also knew that there were large families in southern Zhejiang and Lingnan who grew cane and pressed sugar for profit.

However, Han Daochang was secretly surprised when he heard Feng Liao say that Han Qian had clearly proposed to increase the per capita sugar consumption in Xuzhou and Tangyi to such a high level.

You must know that the old father likes to eat caramel soup every once in a while, but he may not be able to eat five or six kilograms of caramel in a year. He doesn't know how Han Qian can be called Tangyi. Ordinary households in Xuzhou can do it.

Eat five or six kilograms of candy every year?

Ordinary households are extremely poor, not to mention the slaves and slaves who depend on the wealthy and noble families.

Sugar was still a luxury product in this world, and the management requirements for sugarcane fields were much stricter than those for ordinary farmland. It was only grown by large families in southern Zhejiang, Lingnan and other places, and the scale was quite limited.

However, what Han Daochang didn't know was that the sugarcane fields cultivated in Xuzhou in recent years have proved that as long as the fertility of the land is sufficient, one acre of sugarcane fields in warm areas such as Xuzhou and even further north to both sides of the Yangtze River can be squeezed.

A hundred pounds of good candy.

From this point of view alone, cane sugar is just like cotton cloth. It is far less luxurious than the world imagines. It’s just that the current sugarcane field cultivation capabilities have not yet reached this level of refinement.

However, like soap made from tung oil, sucrose is not an indispensable necessity in the lives of poor households today, and it is more difficult to promote than cotton cloth.

Therefore, among the bulk commodities currently exported by Xuzhou, sucrose, like soap and other commodities, is not the focus for the time being. Han Qian is currently mainly trying to increase the sugar consumption within Xuzhou and Tangyi as much as possible.

In this world, a sufficient supply of meat was still too luxurious, but now Han Qian is in the army and ensures that each general can have more than two kilograms of sucrose supply every month. This provides sufficient supply for the generals to maintain good physical strength in combat and training.

of protection.

In addition, laborers who engage in heavy manual labor such as working on river embankments or building fortification walls will also be provided with more than a pound of sucrose every month.

These two items alone will almost

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The more than 5,000 acres of sugarcane fields under the direct jurisdiction of the Bureau of Industry and Construction in Xuzhou and the annual output of approximately 4 to 50,000 kilograms of sucrose from the sugar pressing factory are consumed.
To be continued...