I have a fortune book

Chapter 217

Baishazhou, this kind of connected plain, is the most suitable terrain for human settlement.

Now that the environment has changed benignly, it is indeed a reasonable and good strategy to carry out early intensive development in the fields.

In addition, Yan Luo proposed to develop the salt industry, and he also thought of it with Zhou Bai.

In the past, the world was unified, and the Ningjiang River connected to the Tianjiang River, and the Tianjiang River connected to the ocean.

With smooth water transportation, it is very convenient for dragon boats to travel between the inland and the coast. Even Dingzhou does not have to worry about cheap sea salt.

Bei'anli County is less than a hundred years old, and its political resources are naturally insufficient, and there is no support from the central government.

Therefore, the governors and county guards of all dynasties did not think about wasting manpower and material resources to develop salt production in Baishazhou, which is really a limitation of the system.

If Zhou Bo can take over Biancheng County and unify the northern part of Dingzhou, then the development of salt mines, salt wells, and salt ponds will be a success.

In the era when all countries are coexisting, sea salt will not be so cheap if it enters the inland area.

Under the control of the monopoly of salt and iron, only iron can do it. If the salt-producing land can be actually controlled, the salt area can also be monopolized, and the tax revenue will be greatly increased.

"The Yantiefang will be in touch with you. As the only civil affairs officer in Baishazhou, you must assist in matters related to farming and opening up salt."

"Write a report and submit it to the governor's office for discussion, and then set the development regulations." Zhou Bai nodded slightly, expressing his approval of Yan Luo's words.

But that's all, it still depends on the next performance, Baishazhou is a good place to display your talents.

"Here." Yan Luo bowed in response, obviously understanding Zhou Bai's meaning, and didn't say much.

At this time, He Zhiwu, after listening to the question and answer of the two, seemed to think of something, but he hesitated to say something.

Zhou Bai frowned, and said in a deep voice, "I'm open to talk, and I can say anything."

He Zhiwu hurriedly apologized, hurried to the roadside not far away, pulled out a few grasses and came back.

Holding the green grass, he explained: "Going back to the governor, I have been surveying the field in the past few days, and found that this kind of pasture has grown in many places after the spiritual transformation, and it has a tendency to grow densely."

"There are 120 war horses in the guard camp. Each horse has been fed and tested, and there is no rejection. It can be used as a staple food."

"What is the specific impact? It may be necessary for a professional groom in a carriage and stable to identify and raise it for a period of time."

Zhou Bai took the pasture and looked at it carefully. It was purple in color, smelled of vanilla, green and tender, and contained a very faint aura.

This era is the era of aura recovery. The level of aura in the entire Tianyuan Continent has risen to more than one level, and countless lives are striving hard for the leap.

However, even though the content of aura has far exceeded that of the past, there are still very few creatures that can undergo spiritual transformation.

Most of the animals and plants have some changes in appearance, but they are still mortal things due to the influence of the environment, and there is no aura left in their bodies.

It is very rare for the newly-born pasture grass in Baishazhou to retain a trace of aura in the leaves, and it belongs to the plant population with evolutionary potential.

Zhou Bai had a certain judgment in his mind, so he called to the Jiaoma strolling in the distance: "Xiaojing, come here."

Came here on tiptoe, thinking it was a good thing for the owner to ask it to eat grass, and immediately became unhappy.

Hot white air was blowing out of its nostrils, but it refused to open its mouth, as if eating some pasture would be ill-treating it.

"You're also a horse, why are you being hypocritical? Let's test it out and see if it has any effect on ordinary war horses." Zhou Bai smiled angrily, and slapped the horse's head.

Xiao Jing had no choice but to open his mouth to eat, but the taste was unexpectedly good.

Soon it communicated with its mind, and told Zhou Bai stumbled that this is a spiritual grass, which is very suitable for ordinary war horses.

But it is not suitable for jiaoma who need to eat meat. At most, it can only be used for dessert after meal, to eliminate food.

After listening to Xingjing's appraisal, Zhou Bai knew that this pasture might be useful for Jiaoma as well, it was good fodder.

Zhou Bai drove away Xingjing, turned back to He Zhiwu and asked, "You mean to build a ranch in Baishazhou to raise horses?"

He Zhiwu took a deep breath and replied: "The governor is wise, as far as the general knows, there are no large-scale pastures in Bei'an and Ruinan, and Baishazhou is located in the south of Cangshan Mountain, which is just right."

"There are many plains in the northern region. If the governor wants to dominate the northern region, it is inevitable to form a larger cavalry. Buying war horses in the early stage can be called a stopgap measure, and there must be pastures for breeding war horses later."

"Golden, Xianbei and other prairie countries are full of ambitions. Once they have the opportunity, they will definitely go south. We must guard against it."

Looking around Baisha Town, there is no end to the horizon, and the rich greenery on the white soil exudes the breath of life.

Zhou Bai laughed, patted He Zhiwu on the shoulder and praised: "Hahaha, Dashan, Baishazhou is so big, so let's go along with farming and animal husbandry. Next, you will cooperate well with Yan Dianshi, and try to build Baishazhou into a fortress." Jiangnan."

In his eyes, the ability to jump out of one's own limitations and maintain a broader horizon is an essential element of great talent potential.

He Zhiwu was taken aback for a moment, and then saw that Yan Luo was congratulating him, and he didn't understand that he was going to be promoted.

During the time waiting for the main force to catch up, Zhou Bai didn't check the construction work of this simple city too much, except Zhou Bai wandered around on the tiptoe.

Because the governor's government did not invest much resources before this.

You know, at the beginning Chu Kai was just a garrison with the head of the cavalry, and the Baisha garrison only had 100 people from his headquarters.

Later, the governor's office asked Zhou Bai for instructions, and it was clarified that the administrative level of Baisha Town was above the township level and below the county level, a special "deputy county level", and then additional troops and resources were sent.

The number of soldiers and horses in Baisha Town reached 500 in the first battalion, and clerks were also stationed in the mansion to assist Chu Kai in handling affairs.

It's just that there are too few outsiders passing through Baishazhou, and these civil servants haven't played any role yet.

It wasn't until Yan Luo, the first civil official in Baisha Town, arrived that he followed him to start registering the resources and land of Baishazhou.

Zhou Bai walked through a field not far from Baisha Town, and happened to see a few civil servants leading a dozen soldiers, surveying the new field in full swing.

This was a very normal scene, but Zhou Bai always felt that their strength was stronger than that of the current officials in the Governor's Mansion.

It was very familiar, and suddenly he understood that this was the energy that he used to accumulate in Pingcang and create a foundation with one heart and one mind.

A single spark can start a prairie fire, the whiter the paper, the easier it is to spread ink...

Looking at the air, I saw that the Baishazhou was vast, and there was white air rising from the originally barren land.

Looking at its future weather, it seems that it can provide no less basic luck than any piece of mature fertile land.

In particular, an area centered on Baisha town has been preliminarily developed, and the rising white gas is like gurgling water smoke without stopping.

Not long ago, there was actually a cloud and mist connection in the sky above Baisha City, and they were continuously providing air support to the central governor's office in the distance.

It is a surprise to have this experimental area, which can be compared and verified with other administrative counties.

What these ordinary clerks and soldiers didn't know was that because of them, Zhou Bai decided to upgrade the administrative level of Baisha Town after the founding of the country.

That night, the army gathered in Baisha Town to rest, and Chu Kai also returned in due course.

Zhou Bai didn't sleep in the town guard's mansion, but lived outside the city in the large tent of the Chinese army. Because of Chu Kai's report, the place was still brightly lit in the middle of the night.

Chu Kai is an old subordinate and a promising cavalry leader. Since he was transferred to the deserted Baisha Town, he has been conscientious and has no complaints.

"The marching route, the last general has gone through it all, and he can take the lead... Shazhou City is estimated to be guarded by only one battalion of weak soldiers, and there is no sign of development in the surrounding area. It seems that they have not noticed the changes in Baishazhou... Passed Shazhou City is Hougang County..."

The relevant information was quickly reported, and a group of generals and staff officers spoke out from time to time, asking for more detailed information, and then adding to the previous plan.

After midnight, the big tent was emptied, leaving only Chu Kai and Zhou Bai.

"It's been almost a year. Those old brothers of yours have fought in the battlefield and made many military exploits. Now they are all higher than you, the eighth-rank town guard. How do you feel?" Zhou Bai looked at Chu Kai with a half-smile.

Chu Kai didn't change his face, and replied seriously: "If you say that you don't feel a sense of loss, you are deceiving yourself, but the lord went to Tian Muzhong to pull me out, and Chu Kai should die to repay me."

"I knew from the beginning that you sent me to guard this place, there must be a deep meaning, at least now it can be used as a transit station for food and grass."

Zhou Bai could naturally hear the sincerity in the words, without any falsehood.

Since he is a loyal minister and good general, he should be promoted.

"Chu Kai, has your martial arts improved this year?" Zhou Bai asked a little abruptly.

Chu Kai didn't understand why, but out of absolute obedience to Zhou Bai, he immediately beat his chest and saluted, saying very confidently: "The last general has always regarded himself as a cavalry general, and now he thinks that he is not inferior to any thousand men on the grassland. long."

Commander, this self-evaluation can be said to be very high for a cavalry general in the Central Plains. Both left and right bows are basic skills.

Sitting on one side, coupled with the accumulation of official energy, is there a tendency for natal life to change?

Zhou Bai's eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked at the top of Chu Kai's head. A scarlet red spear pierced through the harassing soldiers around him, as if he was about to break through the army.

"Chu Kai listened to the order, and you are now appointed as the deputy commander of the horse army, and you will lead [-] cavalry as the forward, and set off first at midnight."

"Here we go, one is to attack and take Shazhou City, and the other is to cover the periphery of the border town, so as not to scare the snake!"

When Chu Kai walked out of the big tent with the horse army tiger talisman, he still hadn't recovered from his senses. He was stunned for a moment, and then knelt outside the tent with red eyes and kowtowed three times.

One year after being "distributed" to the frontier, he became one of the few high-level generals in the entire army, and shocked both inside and outside Baisha Town.

This made many middle- and lower-level officers who were usually honest and unknown, full of confidence again, and Yan Luo, who had not slept all night, was also excited.

Don't be afraid of being buried when you work under the governor.

……

After that, the army marched all the way west on Baishazhou, without any accidents, but the marching route was endless and without landmarks, which was quite boring.

If it weren't for the forward's sentry to report the news from the front from time to time, many soldiers might think they went the wrong way.

After accompanying the main force on the eight-day march, Zhou Bai had a deep understanding of why Biancheng County and Bei'an County were connected by land, but they were separated by heaven.

The distance was too long. If it wasn't for the logistical support at all costs and the water sources were marked in advance, even if Baishazhou was no longer a bad place, it would be difficult to lead an army across.

On August [-]th, when it was only one day away from Shazhou City controlled by Biancheng County, Chu Kai lived up to expectations and brought good news to Zhou Bai.

The defenders of Shazhou City did not expect that there would be an enemy surprise attack in the east of Baishazhou, so they were rushed down.

After learning that they were not Jin people, the defenders also decisively chose to surrender. Just from the performance of this small town, Zhou Bai saw the attitude of the people in the border town.

Perhaps, they don't mind having a different monarch on top of their heads?

Biancheng County is named after the city wall stretching hundreds of miles on the northern border.

In the later period of Daxu, the national strength declined, and the national policy of expansion was changed to defensive and conservative. It was not until Emperor Xiangxing ascended the throne that this conservative style reached its peak.

In order to prevent the continuous bloodletting of the grassland nomads on the northern border, all frontier states have taken corresponding defensive measures, and the construction of the Great Wall is the most common method.

Biancheng County was renamed because of this. Before the Great Wall was built, it was just an ordinary military prefecture like Cangbei County, with no livelihood development at all.

Of course, until now, Biancheng County is still the poorest county in Dingzhou.

After Daxu changed to a national policy of defense and stopped expanding northward, the population of Biancheng County lost a lot. Today, there are five counties in one county, with a population of less than 50.

However, they couldn't afford to raise more. The time when Biancheng County would convert pastoralism to farming was not far away, and the land was not fertile enough.

On August [-], the Anbei Army entered Shazhou City.

This city corresponds to Baisha Town, which also serves as a checkpoint and transit function, and it is usually a place that no one cares about.

After Zhou Bai saw the defenders here, some of the messengers who understood the good news were embarrassed by his praise.

It is really not difficult to take down Shazhou City. There are more than 100 soldiers, all of them are sallow, emaciated, unkempt, and they don't look like soldiers.

After asking, I found out that they only ate one meal of porridge a day, not to mention defending the city, it was lucky that they didn't starve to death.

And even so, none of the defenders of Shazhou City were willing to leave, just because the ordinary people in the rear were even more miserable.

Biancheng County is a forgotten corner. The imperial court and state government don't care about it at all. It has been destroyed by several natural disasters and man-made disasters. It is already in a state of collapse.

Being in the same border county without the Ningjiang River flowing through it, Bei'an County was able to withstand severe floods and droughts without much loss because of its good foundation and Zhou Bai's advance arrangements.

The city and county over there can only rely on who they can rely on, and they can only resist stubbornly. They belong to the imperial court in name, but in fact, the central government and the state government don't care about it.

Half a year ago, the governor of Biancheng County abandoned his official position and left. Now Biancheng County is jointly governed by several big families, and only they can barely have food and strength to maintain the most basic order.

According to the defenders, only one warship landed in Biancheng County, and it is still attacking the county.

The county once wanted to join Lu Ding, hoping to get help, but was ruthlessly rejected.

Because of the famine in Biancheng County, 50 mouths is really a bottomless pit. Once accepted, it will definitely hinder the progress of Lu Ding's strategy of attacking Dingxi.

Hearing that Zhou Bai wanted to take down Biancheng County, the more than 100 defenders were not only not angry, but all rejoiced and wanted to lead the way.

When the continuous grain trucks appeared outside Hougang County, without firing an arrow, the soldiers and civilians descended from the city.

(End of this chapter)