Northern Dynasties Imperial Industry

"The last general, Han Guo, has met Li Kaifu. He was also well-known when he opened the mansion. I feel really honored to be able to follow him to Beizhou this time. If there are any deficiencies in my duties here, please let me know. Don’t hesitate to teach me!”

When Li Tai and his party had just arrived at Shibao Fangcheng on the east bank of Luoshui River, another group of people caught up with them from behind. The leader was a strong middle-aged Hu general. When they approached, they crossed their arms and saluted Li Tai. And report yourself to your home.

Li Mu had made several suggestions to the Tai government before, hoping to resolve the matter and return to the government. Taking advantage of the Eastern Wei general's attack, Yu Wentai also decided to recall this confidant general, and it was this man who replaced Li Mu as the governor of Dongxia Prefecture. Han Guo.

Li Tai's troops had to consume a lot of food and grass every day in the countryside. Naturally, the sooner they could go to town, the better. They didn't wait for Han Guo to accompany them, and only left a message asking him to move north quickly.

"General Han, there is no need to be polite. You have been working for many years and have rich experience. The Lord specially asked you to go with me, presumably so that I can rely on wise men who have experienced the past. It is not appropriate to give you advice. Young people should work hard. I hope Being able to work with the general on a heart-to-heart basis and make great achievements together.”

Han Guo is also from Wuchuan Town. He once served as He Boyue's confidant. In terms of qualifications, he is far superior to Li Tai. This time he succeeded Li Mu as the governor of Dongxia Prefecture. In terms of official position, he is not Li Tai's subordinate. , but Dongxia Prefecture’s military must also be controlled by Li Tai. Yu Wentai has arranged an experienced and stable deputy for Li Tai, so Li Tai must treat others with courtesy.

Seeing that Han Guo and his party were only a few dozen people, he thought he was traveling lightly in order to catch up with his party, so he smiled and said: "In order not to miss the departure date, people and horses must not stop on the way. I will send some people to meet General Han. Ministry of rear division."

"Launcher? No, the old leader of Hedong Township, Quju, who has a humble position, stayed there, but dozens of slaves followed him to the town."

After hearing this, Han Guo was stunned for a moment, then quickly answered.

Li Tai was a little surprised when he heard this answer. He soon realized that Han Guo's situation was probably normal, and the powerful military leaders he had come into contact with before, including himself, had many subordinates, so they were considered to be in the world. alternative.

Although there are many powerful military leaders in troubled times, in the end, the majority are ordinary people with the same origins and circumstances.

For example, Han Guo himself was recruited by He Ba Yue because of his youth and bravery. He probably did not have many tribesmen, and his power was far inferior to that of Yuwentai, Duguxin and other powerful chiefs who already had many tribesmen.

Perhaps he had accumulated a number of soldiers and slaves during his many years of fighting in Guanzhong, but a single battle in the ninth year of Datong would have resulted in heavy casualties.

Li Tai had seen many local tycoons and generals who often had hundreds or even thousands of soldiers. He subconsciously thought that after Han Guo had been around for so many years, he must have at least thousands of soldiers. To be honest, this idea was a little bit meaty. .

In fact, it is very difficult to maintain a considerable private army for a long time.

And not everyone has a firm Lu ambition like Li Tai. Hui Hui is happy to arrange his troops among the six armies, which not only gives his subordinates an official position, but also enhances his influence in the army. force.

Some town generals who had not been able to obtain local official positions for a long time, because they had no way to participate in the allocation of local resources, had to disperse their tribes into prefectures and counties and become people who were assigned households. Only by dividing the land among households could they support their tribes.

Since Han Guo had no troops to retreat, the group continued on the road. Li Tai arranged for Han Guo to accompany his own troops, and asked about the latest situation in Hedong along the way.

Han Guo, who used to be the governor of Hedong County, was transferred back from Hedong recently. He naturally knew the situation there, but when it came to this issue, he was not very optimistic. He sighed and said: "I was shocked to hear that the bandits from the East were coming. People are fearful and fleeing is common. Many households wander to Guannai, western Henan and other places, and less than 23 out of 10 people can stay in their hometowns..."

The war's devastation to people's livelihood is undoubtedly huge. It is human instinct to avoid disasters and seek survival. However, according to Han Guo, the war has not officially started yet and the territory of Hedong is already in such chaos. It is difficult to say whether it is intentional or not.

The reason why the Hedong forces defected to the Western Wei Dynasty was naturally not because of Yu Wentai's good looks. On the one hand, it was the appeal of the Yuan and Wei legal traditions, and on the other hand, it was based on considerations of local interests.

As for the Hedong Shiliu that Li Tai came into contact with, such as Liu Min, Xue Shen, etc., although they were subordinates of the Bafu, in their hearts they still considered the interests of the local area before the interests of the Bafu.

For example, Liu Min got into trouble with Li Tai and was sent back to his hometown. While recruiting rural soldiers, he was also responsible for the implementation of the salt introduction system. This matter did not go smoothly, although the salt from Hedong was imported into Kansai. Shiohiki has been co-ordinated, but other places are still uncontrolled.

Although this is also related to the territorial scope of the Western Wei Dynasty, it also reflects that the Bafu's ability to control the powerful people in Hedong who control salt interests is still very limited. This is just a small dispute over interests. If it rises to a higher level, it will undoubtedly make the cost of trust higher.

Now that the war is about to begin, Han Guo, the prefect who has been in the town for several years, has been recalled by the Bafu and transferred to another place. Regardless of what calculations the Bafu has, the message sent by this incident alone is a bit intriguing.

If more people from Hedong can be introduced into the pass through the military pressure of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, it will not only directly strengthen the Bafu itself, but also correspondingly weaken the local power of these Hedong tycoons, thereby strengthening control over Hedong.

But at the moment, Li Tai had no time to lament the fate of the people east of Hedong, and speeded up his journey along Luoshui.

As a veteran of Wuchuan, Han Guo was also proficient in military affairs. What amazed Li Tai most was his deep memory of the geographical environment.

Because he had traveled in and out of northern Shaanxi along the Luoshui line before, he knew the mountains, rivers and terrains along the way very well. Even after several years, he still knew the bridges and roads very well, just like a human navigation.

However, because the Luoshui coastline has been greatly improved under Li Tai's management in recent years, Han Guo often made many mistakes in what he said, which made him feel slightly embarrassed, but at the same time he couldn't help but said to Li Tai with admiration: "No wonder the Lord wants to entrust Li Kaifu with great power. In the past years, most of the civil and military people in this village were doing nothing, and it was difficult to spread blessings every time they were full. Li Kaifu managed the famine and built the town, and the people's livelihood was prosperous. It’s really surprising!”

Li Tai did not dare to boast that he was an able minister in governing the world, but it also depends on who he compares with. Compared with these Beizhen warriors who are keen on destruction but incompetent in construction, he is really too versatile.

Just the changes in the scenery in the lower and lower reaches of Luoshui River made Han Guo amazed and dizzy. When they actually entered northern Shaanxi, Han Guo couldn't help but widen his eyes when he saw Luochuan Fangcheng, which Li Tai focused on running. , asked in disbelief: "Could it be that such a majestic city was really built within the short period of time when Li Kaifu entered the pass?"

If he didn't still have the previous landforms around Luochuan in his mind, he would really not believe it.

Li Yunxin and others who were also in the team heard Han Guo's fuss and sighed, and felt that this man was really a bit inexperienced. The city in front of them was less than half the size of Sifang City, so how much effort could the general spend? If we can really attack Jinyang City later and build a larger city next to Jinyang, that will be worthy of admiration.

Li Tai resigned from his previous post at the beginning of the year, and the military affairs of the three defense cities did not add new governors, but were handed over to the jurisdiction of the prefectures and counties.

Luochuan Defense is located in Beihua Prefecture and is managed by his cousin Cui Quan. Therefore, the personnel arrangement is not much different from the one before Li Tai left. Li Dao, Pei Hong and other old subordinates are still in charge here.

Knowing that Li Tai had led a large group of troops to enter the country, these old subordinates were also busy traveling more than ten miles away to greet him. They were naturally sighing after seeing Li Tai. Then looking at the majestic troops behind him, they couldn't help but smile. : "When the Grand Governor returns to this place again, some of his old subordinates will no longer be hesitant. They will definitely follow the Grand Governor and create even more extraordinary achievements!"

After Li Tai heard this, he burst out laughing. He felt as happy as a fish in water when he returned to the northern Shaanxi that he missed so much.

To the south of Luochuan Fangcheng, Cui Quan was already waiting here. When he saw Li Tai walking towards him, he raised his hand and pointed to the Fangcheng behind him and said with a smile: "Finally, when Boshan returns, I can unload a load." I'm worried, please go to the city and check it out to see if I live up to my trust?"

"Of course I can trust my cousin, but it's too early for him to let go of his worries. This time he returns to town and has another appointment, so he really has no time to stop here. The evil guest passing by asks for a drink and food, and he invites the person in charge. Landlords, don’t be stingy. If you have any delicious food, please bring it over quickly. Don’t hide it!”

Li Tai smiled and exchanged greetings with his cousin, while waving hello to the people coming out from behind.

When he accurately called out the names of those people, many people said with excitement: "Your Majesty actually recognizes the common people! How lucky you are that I actually remember you..."

Judging from this tone, the two parties must have been separated for at least more than ten years, but in fact, from the time Li Tai returned to Beijing to report his merits last year to now, it has only been more than half a year.

The reason why everyone feels this way is of course because Li Tai's own status has improved tremendously in just over half a year. Although his identity was already enough to intimidate everyone present before, now it has increased. Even if everyone is not aware of the specific changes, they subconsciously feel that they should show higher respect.

Li Tai was also dumbfounded by the exaggerated compliments of these people. He ordered Li Dao to lead the Longyou soldiers to the camp outside the city and then he entered the city with everyone.

Today's Luochuan Fangcheng no longer has a large army stationed there as before. It only retains a part of the Xiangqu armed forces and Jihu slaves to maintain material exchanges with Guanzhong.

Part of the original garrison at Fangcheng retreated to Shangyuan or went to Chang'an, and some were transferred to Heishui Fangcheng along the newly built canal to guard the official and private farmland along the Kuli River.

This place has also become an absolute regional center, attracting both Han people and Jihu people from various states in northern Shaanxi to gather here.

At the banquet held in honor of Li Tai, Cui Quan half boasted and half sighed, saying that it was a pity that the Jihu people did not organize households and grant land to them. If the Jihu tribes from the country could be reorganized, what would he do? The governor of the state will surely compete for the best political achievements this year.

After hearing this, Li Tai was moved in his heart. He is now also the governor of a state who is proclaiming government by the people. He also participates in this performance evaluation. If he can come out on top...

However, he soon gave up this idea. Suizhou, where he was about to take office, was already a desolate area with almost no basis for people's livelihood. Moreover, the powerful chiefs in the territory were accustomed to relying on Xiazhou to rule Wancheng. They wanted to obtain fundamental gains in the short term. Very difficult to reverse.

Moreover, with the support of the examination system and printed official documents, the political performance of the Guanzhong states is getting better and better. The results that were among the best in the past have only been at the middle level in recent years.

Now that Li Taibing has a strong horse and a strong horse, he just wants to make achievements. There is really no need to change the track rashly to win the reputation of being a capable minister and an official.

Although the farming affairs in Heishui Fangcheng are developing well, they still do not have the ability to provide a large amount of food and grass supplies to the army. Therefore, Luochuan Fangcheng is the last large base on this trip that can obtain sufficient supplies.

Therefore, Li Tai stayed here for a few more days and asked his troops to carry sufficient supplies of food, grass, ordnance, and waited until mid-August before continuing to march eastward.

At this time, there was already a harvest scene on both sides of the Kuli River. Before Li Tai had time to appreciate it carefully, the impatient Li Mu, who had been waiting for a long time, had already led his team to meet them.

"I have followed your instructions before departure, Boshan, and most of the staff I have appointed are those you recommended to me. Whether things are done well or badly is up to you to judge. Even if things are not as expected, you cannot blame them. Come on to my head!"

After meeting, Li Mu first shied away his responsibilities, leaving Li Tai speechless. Then he greeted Han Guo and said: "I was supposed to wait for General Han at the state capital and hand over state affairs, but things here are simple. There is no need to worry about it anymore. The only thing that needs special attention is the farming issues along the Kuli River, but with Blackwater Fangcheng taking care of it, there aren’t many things that really need to be handled by the state government personally..."

After listening to Li Mu's description, Han Guo couldn't help but take a deep look at Li Tai and Li Tai. Eye.

Whether it is Li Mu in front of him or Cui Qian from North China before, their words and deeds are quite meant to praise Li Kaifu. Perhaps Li Kaifu is really the core of all kinds of personnel here. Or maybe the two Fang Bo governors deliberately exaggerated to imply that they should not rush to fight for power.

No matter what the situation is, looking at the current situation, if you want everyone here to go smoothly, it is extremely necessary to get along with Li Tai in harmony.

Han Guo is not a person who likes to fight for power. Although he will not be easily convinced, he will always obey Daxingtai's arrangements. Since he is under Li Tai's order, he can rest assured to provide assistance.

Moreover, he was deeply aware of the great changes in the northern states along the way. If all of this was caused by Li Tai, then Han Guo would also be full of expectations for the next collaboration.