Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 497
The rainy season is approaching, the river is rising and the boat is rising, rushing across the north and south, where the mountains are green.

A big boat set off from Jiankang and went down the river. When it reached the confluence of Tushui and Dajiang, it joined seven or eight boats that had been waiting here for a long time, and went upstream along Tushui to the north of Dajiang. .

Tushui is an extremely important tributary in the lower reaches of the Dajiang River, flowing through the vast area between the Huai River and the Dajiang River.In ancient times when the transportation was extremely inconvenient, the unimpeded flow of waterways was the basis for the prosperity of a region.

After planning for many days, I have made up my mind to go north since the beginning of the journey.Today, Shen Zhezi finally crossed the river. Although the purpose of this trip was to deliver grain, grass and supplies to Du He, and to experience the situation in Jiangbei personally, and there were no thousands of troops accompanying him, Shen Zhezi was still quite excited.

Ever since the fleet sailed into Tushui, Shen Zhezi has been quite excited. He often stood on the deck and looked at both sides of the river, wanting to see clearly the great river and mountains on the north bank of the river!

Perhaps it is the effect of psychology, the scenery seen is obviously different from that of Jiangdong.Although what you can see is so far away, the mountains are green and lush.But if you are in Jiangdong, besides that, you can also see the boats passing by on the waterway, the urchins on the riverside herding cattle, the strong leaning over the fields, and even the rascals wandering and singing with sticks.

The scenery on both sides of the Tushui River is quite magnificent. The peaks are either towering or low, and the mountains are covered with forests. The green is so green and full of vitality.Thick soil layer, open plains, large blocks stacked on both sides of the waterway, weeds and weeds grow wantonly, the sprawling branches, thick green leaves, strong roots deeply inserted in the soil layer, with the plant's due The way to draw out the vitality contained in this land and spew it upwards!

Although the scenery is magnificent, there is something missing after all. Shen Zhezi can feel it without thinking about it. It is popularity!Looking far away, as far as the eye can see, it should be a rich and fertile land, with criss-crossed fields, chickens and dogs smelling each other, smoke from cooking, and continuous houses.

But what I see now is that the vegetation is luxuriant, but there is absolutely no trace of people.It's a little inaccurate to say that, there were still people neighing and talking on the shore, but it was Shen Zhezi's scouts this time, following the fleet along the river to guard.

This inevitably makes Shen Zhezi feel a bit boring. It's not that he doesn't love beautiful mountains and rivers, but no matter how beautiful the mountains and rivers are, no one thrives here, and after all, it still loses a bit of color.

Originally, this place should not be like this. Even if you came here last year, you should be able to see many people who live by the water and are active on both sides of the strait.However, due to the invasion of the civil war last year, it is difficult to stay out of this nearby area. A large number of people were either coerced by the rebels or expelled by the army of King Qin. Migration to other places, struggling to find a livelihood.

"An unjust war is really harmful to the people! It is unfortunate to win, and it is also unfortunate to lose. It is hard for the living, but it is difficult for the dead to escape."

The boat passed a slightly gentle bend in the river, and Shen Zhezi finally saw the traces left by the living on the bank slope. There should be a small farm, but the house has already collapsed, and only some fragments are left. The remnants of the wall are placed there abruptly, not submerged by weeds, and there are dense white bones that should be buried in the ground, but they are washed out by the rain, half in the soil, half pointing to the sky, it seems that the underground resentment is breeding and spreading, like a dysentery scar , ugly and shocking.

This time, Guo Songxing, who followed Shen Zhezi's guard, came over and sighed: "You don't have to worry about it. If you can grow up in the north, you will not be surprised after a long time. In such a barren land, the disappearance of people is only temporary, and soon there will be people here again." The new exiles come, dig the land, chop wood and build a house, survive the initial period, and wait for the next round of slaughter after they have cultivated some energy."

"In such a world, human life is like a weed. After a fire starts a prairie fire, it seems empty, but after the spring rain waters it, new shoots will always emerge. When I was young, I saw the hardships of people's livelihood and many tragedies. I was also suffering. But I was already beyond my powers, and I really didn't have the energy to protect too many villagers. Later, I became normal, and I tried my best to punish the evil, and I had no time for others. Always survive."

As if in response to Guo Song's words, when the boat passed a high hill, screams of panic came from the wilderness.When the scouts on the shore swept around, they found a group of more than [-] refugees collecting berries in the dense forest, both men and women, and there were even a few barbarians among them, all of them were disheveled and ragged, and they were running around the fields. Fleeing, soon disappeared in a barren hill.

Shen Zhezi couldn't help these people too much at the moment, and he was already a bit depressed in his heart. When he saw them one by one, they seemed to be frightened birds, fleeing in panic every time they saw the army traveling, and his mood would inevitably become even worse.

After pondering for a while, he suggested: "Why don't we raise our banner? If those people know that Master Wang has done it, they will be less disturbed. Although it is inconvenient to give them too much relief at the moment, if they want, they can also Follow the ship and go to the fort to settle down."

After he finished speaking, he saw Guo Song, and even Xiao Yuandong, who was walking with him, all had strange expressions on his face, and realized that he must have said something stupid.He smiled sheepishly, and said, "I also know that Master Wang's banner may not have much appeal in Jiangbei. Even if they can't trust them, at least they can live in peace, right?"

Xiao Yuandong heaved a long sigh after hearing the words, and said: "Last year, when I set foot in Jiangbei for the first time, I originally thought of it like a son-in-law. Not long after crossing the river, I set up a banner. After walking for a long time, nearly a thousand people came to greet me. Yu, at the beginning we were greatly encouraged. We did not expect that the banner of Wang Shi would have such a great appeal in Jiangbei, so that Meimeng could gather more than [-] people within ten months and create a great situation in Nantang. Used by the consort..."

"Those people traveled with the team, and at the beginning they were quite peaceful. They didn't make trouble and make noise, and they didn't ask for too much. They only needed a little food every day to survive. But after a few days with the team, there was a night of mutiny. Alright, let’s loot most of the luggage that accompanied the camp. Killed but couldn’t be killed, blocked and couldn’t be stopped, and at dawn, not only were there not any refugees left, but the luggage was almost robbed.”

Shen Zhezi was a little stunned when he heard this. He knew about it. Du He suffered a big loss not long after he crossed the river. At that time, he had already returned to Wuzhong Township. Collect food and rush to help.However, in that letter, Du He only said that he was greedy for meritorious deeds and was looted by rioters, but he didn't say much about the details.

Listening to Xiao Yuandong's talk now, I realized that these rioters were actually recruited by themselves.If it is said that when encountering a well-organized armed force, it would be unfavorable to fight and throw away the luggage and pay back, but it is really difficult for Shen Zhezi to be cheated by a group of fleeing refugees.

After Guo Song heard the words, he also sighed: "The situation in the North is indeed like this. People's hearts are treacherous and impetuous. Those small people have suffered a lot, so they no longer want to trust others, let alone entrust their lives to others. In previous years, Li At the beginning of Shijun's town, because he couldn't bear to see the poor people wandering and suffering, and even provided military food for relief, there were a lot of people who depended on them, and they became very popular for a while. But if there was a shortage of food or a defeat in the war, these small people would immediately disperse and disperse. It hurts especially deeply."

"Jie Nu also knows that the small people are easy to be attached to, so they deliberately kill more people in the four fields, and drive the small people to various docks to attach themselves to. Some docks have too much room, and they collapse without fighting after the food is exhausted. Some Then they were brought into the enemy captives, and were attacked and destroyed by internal and external attacks. In the early years, the towns also suffered from this, and exiles came to vote. If they did not accept them, their feelings would be unbearable, and their righteousness would not be manifested. There are many hidden dangers!"

"Yeah, I waited for the defense in Nantang to no avail. Although there were still many exiles who came to vote, they did not dare to let go of it after learning the lesson earlier, and more soldiers were sent to guard the planting, but still Inevitably, some exiles fled privately with the distributed grain tools, and they were repeatedly prohibited."

When Xiao Yuandong talked about this festival, his face was full of helplessness. When he was in Jiangdong in the past, he always felt that after crossing the river, he could do it freely, and there would naturally be a lot of opportunities to make meritorious deeds.But after arriving, I found that there are obstacles everywhere, hands and feet are tied everywhere, not only to worry about Jienu's attack, but also to face the rejection of the local Wubi master, and even those seemingly poor wanderers are hard to guard against.

Regarding the situation in the Northland, Shen Zhezi also had a rough idea, and often heard it from other people, but he didn't have a deep feeling for the details.Listening to the two talk about this verse now, I can't help but feel a headache.

The problems mentioned by these two people are not enough to show that human nature is despicable or noble.When the flames of war are frequent and precarious, the trust between people is gone.Gentlemen, military leaders and fierce soldiers naturally have a special way of survival. Of course, ordinary people also have the freedom to survive. Whether it is short-sighted or cunning, at least doing so will allow them to see the chance of survival in front of them.

"Is there any way to make Xiaomin Guyi stay forever?"

Although he already knew the answer in his heart, Shen Zhezi still asked without giving up.

"Naturally, there is. The villagers trust each other, guard themselves, and do not accept outsiders. Or expand the tribe privately, plunder the surrounding area, imprison those exiles, and serve them as horses and cattle. If you are gentle, then Taking in a large number of widows, recruiting exiles and strong men to marry them, and waiting for them to settle down and have children, and then drive them..."

Guo Song is a mighty general in the north, and he has a unique expertise in Wubi management. Many methods of controlling personal freedom are just spoken and talked about.

Shen Zhezi listened carefully, but still couldn't help being disappointed.These methods are used to manage Wubi in order to survive and pay back, but it is far from enough to accumulate enough power to conquer and defeat Jienu and enter the world.

After understanding this point, Shen Zhezi also understood why after the Yongjia Rebellion, most of the Hu people galloped in the Central Plains, but few Han people were heroic.It's not because the martial arts are too weak, but because of the lack of an effective means of mobilization and organization.

The Hu people usually have tribes as soldiers, which means that Qijia occupies an absolute dominant position at the beginning, and has a considerable number of loyal military forces.Take advantage of the turmoil to move around, accumulate wealth, and plunder people, and things will happen soon.

However, the social organization of the Han people did not have this advantage. With the family and clan as the unit, their own mobilization power was already at a disadvantage, and they also had the habit of settling in one place, relocating again.

Although a wealthy Wuzong family like the Shen family has the mobilization power to mobilize tens of thousands of people, on the one hand, a large part of them seem to have no war experience at all; .

As for the ordinary people who were forced to disperse, although they also gave birth to armed groups like the beggar army.However, the Qihuo Army itself is full of contradictions and factions, and the leader is also facing the same situation as the head of the Beifu Army, that is, there is no clear political goal.

The consequence of not having a goal is that there is no long-term plan for doing things at all, and you can only move between factions and be used as guns and be controlled by others.For example, Li Nong of Later Zhao, who had a background in the begging army, first served as a general of Later Zhao, and defeated a Northern Expedition launched by Chu Po for Later Zhao, which caused Chu Po to die of worry and anger.

Later, Li Nong strongly supported Ran Min's betrayal of Zhao, but Ran Min killed Li Nong without hesitation in order to obtain help from the Eastern Jin Dynasty.But at that time, Ran Min had already assumed the title of emperor, and the Eastern Jin Dynasty had neither reason nor obligation to assist him.

It is also a great irony that Li Nong ended his confused life because of such an impossible appeal.Of course, there were many reasons why Ran Min killed Li Nong, not only because Li Nong had enmity with the Eastern Jin court, but also because he was a threat to Ran Min.In short, it is ignorant to live and ignorant to die.

Having a clear political objective is crucial for an armed group.At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Bei was the biggest military leader in exile. Liu Bei had a clear political goal and moved around in all directions, almost half of China, but his subordinates have always maintained a very high cohesion.

Of course, even if a begging army leader like Li Nong has a political goal, it is of little significance, because it is impossible to get the support of the Han Wubi master.During Liu Bei's fleeing, he has been paying attention to his contacts with wealthy and famous people. For example, after receiving Kong Rong's distress letter, he said excitedly: Kong Beihai actually knew that Liu Bei existed in the world!The so-called uncle is not a bargaining chip he was born with, but a result of hard work.

The current situation in the Central Plains is much more complicated than that of the Three Kingdoms period.The ravages of the Hulu did not make the Han people unite and share the same hatred. This is the limitation and helplessness of the times. Gaomen is unwilling to lower his figure to cater to the public, and the public has lost trust in the court Zhengshuo's legal system.It is meaningless and useless to look at this era from a purely moral perspective.

Although Shen Zhezi had foreseen that the Northern Expedition would be difficult and he would stick to it, he sent Du He across the river early, but he still had no good idea on how to clean up the scattered hearts.If it is completely intimidated by punishment, it will force the people to flee, and if it is completely based on kindness and righteousness, it will be like Du He who has been robbed of food, and he can't laugh or cry.

Since you can't figure out the problem, you might as well leave it alone for the time being, and you will always find a solution.When he came across the river this time, besides gaining a deeper understanding of the situation in Jiangbei, he also wanted to have a little contact with the vagrant commanders and wall masters in the vicinity, hoping to find an entry point to communicate with them.

Although Shen Zhezi's status as a son-in-law is more solid than that of Liu Huangshu, the aspirations of the people in the Eastern Jin Dynasty are not the same as those of a strong man.The edicts of the imperial court are nothing in the eyes of those Wubi masters, so what kind of bird is he, a son-in-law?

But if you want to manage the situation in Jiangbei, you can't get around these people, and getting in touch with them early can pave the way in advance.Once Shen Zhezi enters Taiwan, he won't have much free time for a long time.He even had a premonition that the next time he left the capital, it might be the time to formally lead his troops north.

Although his status may not be respected, Shen Zhezi is not sent to his door to be slapped in the face.The situation he managed in Jiangdong in the past few years is the bargaining chip for this time he went north to talk and communicate with those dock masters.

　I could have written more, but I struggled for a long time on why Ran Min killed Li Nong. After looking through the information for a long time, I found out that Li Nong was actually related to Chu Po's death.Moreover, after Ran Min killed Li Nong, he asked the Eastern Jin Dynasty for help. At least this superficial logic is valid.As for the deeper level, it may be that Li Nong's strength has indeed threatened Ran Min, and there is too little information to make a conclusion.I saw a point of view saying that because Li Nong is a traitor, there is no more information, so I will not discuss it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)