Xian Sun of the Ning Mansion of the Red Chamber

Chapter 174 Jade in the Dungeon Nobody Asked

"Speaking of the forts in my Datong Town, there are actually more than 52 forts. Originally, there were 72 such forts. They were connected to Xuanhua Mansion in the east and Yajiao Mountain in the west, stretching for 640 miles. In addition to the five enclaves outside the pass, they constitute The defense system of our Datong Town. However, since the Xuanlong Dynasty, for decades, there has been no major war between Dagan and the Huns. Many fortresses have been abandoned due to disrepair. The first year of Jiade At that time, there were 63 such fortresses, but now there are only 52 left.”

Speaking of the defense system of Datong Town, Ma Mingluan seemed to be excited, and said in detail one by one: "So that adults know, our defense system of Datong Town is vertical and horizontal. First of all, relying on the Great Wall to form a horizontal linear city wall from east to west. The defensive body, followed by the 72 fortresses distributed in depth and echelon defense."

As he said that, Ma Mingluan suddenly stepped forward, pulled out the short blade at his waist, and drew on the yellow ground beside him, saying in his mouth: "Looking at the terrain, the vertical and horizontal defense system is roughly divided into three levels. The first echelon, also known as Jichong Fortress, is distributed in Weiyuan City, Youwei City, Zhuma Fort, Desheng Fort, Hongci Fort, Xinping Fort, Datong Town and other first-line areas; the second echelon is also called Cichong Fortresses, such as Zuowei City, Yanghe City, Shuozhou City and other fortresses. The last step is close to the Inner Great Wall. As a buffer area for Yanmen and other passes, there are Weizhou City, Guangchang City, Lingqiu City, Guang Lingcheng, Hunyuan City, Yingzhou City, Shanyin City, Huairen City, Mayi City and other relatively large cities."

Looking at the distorted terrain on the ground, Jia Ying couldn't help but look at the guard in front of him a few more times. Based on this alone, he can see that Ma Mingluan is more than enough to be a guerrilla.

Don't underestimate the words on paper. The homework on the map can also show a general's three-point ability. Not every middle and lower-level general will seriously study these, let alone talk about them in a clear and well-organized way.Don't forget, this Ma Shoubei was born in a low-level military family. He joined the army at the age of 15, and it is difficult to read, let alone draw a topographic map out of thin air.

"When the number of soldiers was the largest, Datong Town alone had 13 soldiers and 770 horses."

After hearing this, Jia Ying asked curiously, "How many soldiers are there in Datong Town today?"

Ma Mingluan replied without hesitation: "Now there are eight guards and seven guards in Datong Town, with a total of more than [-] soldiers and more than [-] horses."

"Which five enclaves are they? How are they doing now?"

"Besides the Great Wall, there are five other cities, Yulin, Dongsheng, Yulin, Guihua, and Yunchuan, but they are all places of imprisonment. Apart from each of these places being guarded by a thousand-household station, most of them are those who have taken refuge in us. These are the places where the naturalized tribes trade with the barbarians outside the pass." Ma Mingluan replied.

Jia Ying heard the words, and suddenly asked: "Speaking of the mutual market, I am a little confused. Although the imperial court allowed the opening of the border trade, the business here in Datong Town is too prosperous. Over the past two days, I have seen many The military households in Datong Town neither do daily drills, nor farm land, but engage in merchant affairs, and some even serve as guards for some commercial firms, is this the case all year round?"

Hearing this, Ma Mingluan took a deep look at Jia Ying. He has been accompanying him for the past two days, and he can see clearly where the missions have gone. I don't know how this young adult knows. these.

Also, this adult is so concerned about this matter, could it be that he has some ideas?
"My lord, the border towns are poor, not to mention the lowest-level military households, but also the frontier soldiers. It is difficult to support themselves only by the food and salaries allocated by the court, let alone the wives, children, and families who are still in the village. That's why Every time when the border trade is prosperous, there will be some soldiers and military households relying on the merchants from the north to earn some money for living, and the General Military Office will turn a blind eye to this."

As he said that, Ma Mingluan gave an apologetic laugh and said, "Speaking of which, when I was young, I also did this job."

Ma Mingluan raised his eyes to observe Jia Ying's expression, and said with a smile uglier than crying, "My lord, in the final analysis, the frontier army is suffering!"

Jia Ying glanced at Ma Mingluan, chuckled lightly and said, "Okay, don't sell yourself in front of me. I just want to know some facts, and I don't mean to cut off your money."

Ma Mingluan saw that his family's small thoughts could not be concealed, he smiled awkwardly, and continued: "However, my lord, the situation this year is indeed somewhat different from previous years."

Jia Ying's heart moved and said, "Oh? How should I say it?"

Ma Mingluan frowned slightly and said: "One of these is that the border trade this year seems to be much more prosperous than in previous years. Not to mention anything else, the opening time of the mutual market this year is nearly one year earlier than in previous years. According to people from Wushujisanwei in Guihua City, the number of tribes going south this year began to increase in May, and some tribes even tried to gather at the border, but for some reason, they suddenly died down. You must know that in the past five or six years, the most prosperous season for the mutual market has come after August, and from October onwards the barbarian people on the grassland will prepare for the winter.

The second is that the final general discovered that there are fewer cattle and sheep for exchange this year, more gold, silver and jewelry, and the trading volume of horses is surprisingly small.My lord, there is actually an upper limit to how many cattle, sheep and horses a tribe can support on the grassland. It doesn't mean that the more livestock the better, because the pasture allocated to each tribe is limited.There are more livestock in the tribe, and there is not enough pasture. If the livestock eat up the grass roots, their pasture will be abandoned in the coming year.Therefore, these tribes on the prairie are happy to exchange their extra cattle, sheep and horses with me. "

Jia Ying looked at Ma Mingluan and asked curiously, "Why do you know so much about things on the grassland?"

Ma Mingluan smiled and said: "Your Excellency, I don't know that Wuqi Ashi, the leader of the Wushuji Sanwei Department, and the last general are sworn brothers, and he told the last general a large part of these things. Moreover, the last general At the age of 21, he was selected into Yebushou and lived on the grassland for a period of time.”

After hearing this, Jia Ying looked at Ma Mingluan with a hint of respect.

Not all sentries can be called night-timers.

Each pier on the border has a sentry, called "Dunye" or "Zhiba", which is mainly responsible for the task of standing guard on the pier and its surrounding areas.And Shao Ye is the best among them. They stay away from piers, towers and border forts, go deep into camps and even deep into the grasslands to inquire about the enemy's situation, and sometimes it takes as long as half a year to leave. , also known as the catcher.

These nights are not harvested, and they walk on the road of catching and being caught all year round. They are the most dangerous type of arms in the frontier army.

Lived on the grassland for a while.

It might be easy to say, the customs of Han and Hu are different, and the difference in appearance is not small. If a Han soldier wants to survive on the grassland without being discovered, it is not so easy to think about it.

This Ma Shoubei should have a trace of barbarian blood, which Jia Ying noticed just now.

Jia Ying turned her gaze to the north, looking at the towering Great Wall, recalling what Ma Mingluan said just now.

In May, when I was calming the chaos in Huguang, Chili Batuo knocked on the side, Wang Ziteng was forced to return to defense, and the tribes on the grassland began to move south.
These tribes going south should have lost their pastures, otherwise May is the best time for grazing. At this time, wars are usually not waged.

There are many tribes going south, which shows that the competition within the Huns royal court is fierce.

The reason for their competition is nothing more than two points, one is population, and the other is pasture.

There are fewer cattle, sheep and horses for exchange, which means that the grassland pastures are not growing well this year and cannot support so many livestock.This is a vicious circle. When there are fewer livestock, there will be a shortage of food, and if there is a shortage of food, the population will be reduced.

The royal court of the Huns would not allow the various tribes to kill each other wantonly. The hatred should be controlled within a certain range, which is most conducive to the rule of the royal court.

Then the only way left is
"Talent!"

When Jia Ying looked at Ma Mingluan again, his eyes couldn't help but shine.

"Did you not report this matter?"

When Ma Mingluan heard the words, he was refreshed first. Jia Ying asked this question, which showed that he understood the meaning of his words, and he also recognized it in his heart.

But then he smiled bitterly and said: "My lord, the last general's words have no real evidence, they are all conjectures, even if they are said, no one will believe them. Moreover, this does not explain any direct problems."

Jia Ying nodded when she heard the words. In this era, what Ma Mingluan said already involves the deep application of the art of war.

Just like the generals in ancient times, they can infer the number of the enemy based on the enemy's food, stoves, and tents.

Veteran farmers who cultivate the land, at the beginning of spring, can judge whether this year is a good year or a disaster year according to the amount of snowfall and the degree of humidity of the soil.

Not everyone has such ability.

Moreover, no matter what it is, one must pay attention to a basis. Just relying on some specious inferences really can't explain anything.Even Jia Ying at this time was a little uncertain, let alone convincing others.

"In the past, if the barbarian wanted to be sidelined, what season would they generally choose?"

Ma Mingluan replied without hesitation: "When autumn comes, it is best after the autumn harvest."

Jia Ying looked at Ma Mingluan again, and asked with a chuckle: "With your ability and qualifications, you are enough to be alone, why?"

Ma Mingluan said with a bitter face: "My lord, the general's background is low, he has no connections and no rich family resources. Being able to defend is already an extra favor from the Shangguan. How dare he ask for anything else."

This is a bit insincere.

Jia Ying smiled slightly, but didn't say much, and slowly walked forward.

A trace of disappointment flashed in Ma Mingluan's eyes who fell behind him. Although he defended Weiyuan City, Weiyuan City, as the fortress in Fort 52, was guarded by guerrillas. He was just an official of thousands of households commanding thousands of people That's all.

He spent half his life in the military camp, knowing nothing but fighting, if no one appreciates him, he doesn't know how many years he will have to stay in the garrison position, and when will he be able to realize his wish of commanding an army.

After hesitating for a while, Ma Mingluan gritted his teeth, as if he had made a decision, walked quickly to Jia Ying, untied the cloth-wrapped weapon from his waist, held it in his hands, and bowed deeply Said: "My lord, the last general once captured a treasured sword belonging to Prince Zuo Tuqi of the Xiongnu, and I have the courage to dedicate this blade to my lord!"

As he spoke, he lifted the cloth covering the weapon, revealing a golden treasure knife with a red gemstone inlaid on the hilt, and six gemstones of similar shapes and sizes inlaid on the golden scabbard. One can tell at a glance that the identity of the owner of the treasured sword should be extremely honorable.

Jia Ying raised her hand to hold the handle of the knife, twitched her hand casually, and shouted, "Xi'er!"

Xi'er, who was standing by the side, heard the words, turned around and drew a long knife from the guard's waist, and touched the machete in Jia Ying's hand.

Click!

The weapon in Xi'er's hand snapped at the sound.

"Good knife!"

Jia Ying couldn't help admiring, and finally shook her head regretfully and said, "It's just that the appearance is a bit tacky."

The scabbard made of jade and gold inlaid with precious stones, its original owner must be so flirtatious, I am afraid that others will not know his status is noble, and it is strange not to be targeted with such a saber on the battlefield!
Clang!
Jia Ying put the blade back into the scabbard, looked at Ma Mingluan in front of him with a trace of curiosity and asked: "You will not be rewarded if you don't get rewarded, so the precious blade is dedicated to me. You want me to do it for you?" what?"

A look of joy flashed in Ma Mingluan's eyes, and he said: "If there is a chance to meet the golden face of Prince Beijing, I will be grateful!"

Jia Ying chuckled, shook her head and said, "I never make a living for others, you have found the wrong person, take back your treasured sword."

"My lord." Ma Mingluan wanted to say something more, but found that Jia Ying's footsteps had already quickened his pace, and he was walking away into the distance.

Just kidding, Jia Ying is not so confused as to offend Deng and his son for a knife.

He is really optimistic about Ma Mingluan in his heart, but it doesn't mean he will definitely do something for him.

The most important thing is, what does Ma Mingluan think, does he seem so greedy for money?Or does he feel that he is young and easily seduced by treasures?

Ha ha!

There is no hair on the mouth, if it is there, it will be looked down upon.

But Jia Ying really doesn't want to grow a beard!Wouldn't it be nice to be a handsome boy who pleases girls?
Besides, it's hard to come across a talent, so why push it to others?
However, for someone like Ma Mingluan who is both capable and ambitious, it may not be easy for him to be under his command!

That being the case, let's just let him hang out, and what happens in the future depends on the fate between each other.

The most important thing right now is to persuade King Beijing to leave Datong Town as soon as possible. Staying here makes me feel uneasy.

After returning to the Commander's Mansion, Jia Ying first went to see Shui Rong, not knowing what the two of them had said. The next day, Shui Rong hurriedly ended his inspection tour of Datong Town and set off for Taiyuan Mansion.

At the same time, Ye Baichuan, who was already in the camp of the Western Army, also sent a messenger to urgently deliver it to King Beijing.

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(End of this chapter)