stubborn thief

Chapter 24 Self-help
Master Liu seemed to know where the thief was going.

Liu Chengzong knew many people, and they all predicted the direction of the spread of thieves.

Earlier brothers Liu Chengzu and Cao Yao had predicted that Wang Zuohang would go to Yaozhou and Tongzhou, which are located in Xi'an Prefecture in the south.

However, that was their view as veterans of saving others by themselves. Liu Chengzong saw that his father also expected the direction of the thieves' activities. He immediately showed great interest and asked, "My father thinks that the thieves will leave Shaanxi?"

"Rogue, this name is good!"

Liu Xiangyu nodded his head: "Today's northern Shaanxi, the poor can't live without being thieves, they can only be thieves, and my father thinks that these thieves are not thieves, but mobile thieves."

"There is a steady stream of poor people in northern Shaanxi. According to what I have seen and heard when my father is a tax officer, northern Shaanxi can be a place for thieves to recruit troops, but there is no food to support them. Within a thousand miles, the place that pays the most food and lacks troops is the first place in Pingyang, Shanxi. ."

Pingyang Mansion, located in the southeast of Yan'an Mansion across the Yellow River, was called Hedong in ancient times.

"When the thieves are strong and there is no way to raise troops in northern Shaanxi, they will enter Jin in a big way, and this is the opportunity for northern Shaanxi to save themselves."

Jiang was still old and hot, and Liu Chengzong had never thought about self-help. After listening to Liu Xiangyu's analysis, he would have a clearer understanding of the next development of the peasant army.

The peasant army is truly invincible. It doesn't mean that the peasant army can be victorious in every battle. They can't win. Against the official army, they can't win even a single battle.

But as long as the objective conditions for their survival remain unchanged, there will always be a steady stream of new troops joining the peasant army.

Liu Xiangyu explained the reasons very clearly. The peasants would starve to death, and the officers and soldiers would not be paid.

The former turned the common people into bandits, the latter militarized the refugees.

This kind of environment does not change. Even if the official army has the fiercest fighting ability and can destroy the rebel army a hundred times, the rebel army will still resurface a hundred and one times in this kind of soil.

Corruption makes administrative efficiency low. The imperial court has to collect 20 taxes, and the money collected from local people has reached one million.

At this time, Liu Xiangyu was still trying to save himself.

"How does my father save himself?"

"When the thieves entered Jin, the imperial court should have recovered from the fact that the emperor's sage will exempt the Qin land from taxes, and issued an edict to relieve disasters; my gentry built trenches and fortresses, built water conservancy facilities to irrigate, and all townships and counties accepted refugees. When the thieves return, they will have their own physical place, and they will not cause chaos again."

What Liu Xiangyu said is very simple, and the reason is very simple: we Shaanxi peasants have always been honest, and as long as there is still a bite to eat, they will never be proud of making trouble.

At the same time, he also had great hopes for the court, expecting the court to provide disaster relief and tax exemption.

But in Liu Chengzong's eyes, this is completely an illusion caused by the difference in receiving information.

What his father saw was that the people of Heilongwang Temple Mountain were not easy to live, but last year they built a water conservancy project, and the land can still be planted this year. No concept at all in my head.

The biggest and biggest damage was that the entire village fled into the mountains and disappeared.

Therefore, he believes that the court has not provided disaster relief until now, and as long as it frees up its hands for disaster relief later, the matter can still be solved.

Liu Xiangyu single-handedly preserved this Xingpingli like a paradise, as if all the villages had a little bit of care and had the power to return to the sky.

But this was already the result of his two sons serving as soldiers in the fort, and what he saw and heard along the way told him.

For other gentry, the high-walled compound they lived in was a side wall, which blocked all the barbarians outside the side wall who were licking their hair and drinking blood. It was difficult for normal gentry and officials to know what was going on in northern Shaanxi today—even if they were in northern Shaanxi.

"Father, if you want to build a fort, build it now; if you want to train soldiers, it is best for all the people in Xingping to be soldiers. My son has calculated that there are 50 people in each team, and the young and strong in [-] to [-] can form five more teams."

"Similarly, four teams of healthy women can be formed; the remaining children above [-] can also be formed into three teams."

"These twelve militia teams are combined into one team to organize the mechatronics. The mechatronics team drills every day, and the minzhuang team drills three times a day. The mechatronics train for 24 days and the minzhuang team trains for [-] days a month."

"Even if they repair the castle, it is easier for them to follow orders, and they won't be too flustered to find the captain in case of trouble.

In fact, the normal training of Minzhuang has this effect. It is practiced for six days a month, so that Minzhuang can understand the order and become familiar with the camp. If he does not panic when he finds a leader, even if the training is fruitful.

After years of accumulation, they will also have unusual military common sense, which can adapt to the needs of being incorporated into the regular army during wartime.

Liu Chengzong put forward such a suggestion, and he also had a deeper plan. He raised his finger and pointed to the military book he was reading, and said, "I can still pick out the literate people from the villagers, and teach others to read in the afternoon of the group exercise, and I will teach them when the new book is compiled. them."

"My father also said that there is no shortage of troops in northern Shaanxi, and it is easy to recruit troops. As long as the strong people learn this, the situation will get worse in the future. They can also recruit troops on the spot, and they can all be captains after a little training."

This kind of goal was a bit grand, and it attracted Liu Xiangyu's attention.

Even if the healthy women's team and the boy's team are not counted, there are 300 people in the single machine soldier combined with the Minzhuang Sixth Team. If the situation changes one day, half of the damage will be lost, and there will be more than 100 captains.

If you gather the refugees, a team of 50 people is [-] militiamen, which is more than a full battalion.

A standard battalion in Daming is usually three thousand in size.

Liu Xiangyu was a little moved. These were things that had been prepared in advance. If the situation was so bad that they needed to form a battalion, then the situation must have been reduced to the time when the imperial court had no time to manage the place and arbitrarily arrange soldiers.

From this point alone, he could feel that his son was far more pessimistic about the next development of the current situation than he was.

"It's really going to get to that point, I'm afraid it's too late to prepare..." Liu Xiangyu shook his head and said, "I have to discuss this matter with the clan elders before making a decision. There are a few things that you need to do later."

"The earthwork, wood and stone needed to build the village, let Chengyun find a kiln, you and Chengzu have been looking for a place for the past few days to see where the village is suitable, and measure the location to calculate the required materials and labor."

"There are also the weapons of the mechanic. Yan'an Guard only sent four bird guns, but he could still ask for some three-eye guns, quick guns, etc., but there is not enough gunpowder, and the big event will be missed."

With that said, Liu Xiangyu searched among the books piled up on the tabletop, took out a few sheets of paper sandwiched in the middle of the book, and handed it over, "I've been thinking about it, I'd better use a crossbow to deal with the thieves, and even The crossbow is the best."

On the blueprint that Liu Xiangyu handed over, it was the structure of a repeating crossbow. He said, "Go find a carpenter and make one first. If it is suitable, make more and teach the people to exercise."
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Note: For private private individuals such as vests, side cards, torches, artillery pieces, flags, belts and other weapons that should be banned, one stick is eighty, and one class is added to each; The sin-stopping rod runs for a hundred miles and three thousand miles.

Those who are not fully accomplished will not be considered, and they will be ordered to serve as officials.

The bows, arrows, spears, knives, crossbows, harpoons, and forks are not prohibited.

——"Daming Law, Bing Law, Military Administration, Private Collection of Prohibited Weapons"

(End of this chapter)