Chapter 134
Chapter 134
Zhang Hongyan, 39 years old this year, is the General Zhenwei stationed in the Western Regions, a honorary title of the fifth rank.
With a transfer order from the capital, he was transferred from the Western Regions to the southwestern border, becoming the commander of Zhennan Pass and Ning'an Prefecture, a fourth-rank military officer.
General Zhang came all the way here without daring to delay at all.
The Tianqi Kingdom had enjoyed peace for a long time, with seldom any wars, so military generals like them basically could not advance in careers based on their military exploits.
This opportunity is really rare nowadays.
Therefore, he cherishes it very much.
When they arrived at Zhennan Pass, General Zhang couldn't help but sigh: "It's really a magnificent pass."
Most people who come here will only feel that Zhennan Pass is grand and ancient.
But an experienced person like General Zhang would observe the terrain first.
I think how glorious it must have been when the former General Zhennan was stationed here and was given the title of a real general.
The General Zhennan mentioned here is naturally the one who has passed away.
The General Zhennan was formerly known as General Lai, simply because he was called the general by his surname.
But after Zhennan Pass captured Ning'an Prefecture, he directly bestowed the title with the local name, and everyone called him General Zhennan.
The same is true for his descendants.
Even if the descendants of General Zhennan committed a crime, they would only be escorted to the capital and detained, and their lives would be safe.
Of course, most of the others were beheaded.
In addition to the descendant of another soldier, who was also the prefect of Zhennan Pass at that time, that prefect was demoted to another place as a county magistrate. In fact, he also benefited from his father and grandfather's influence.
Any military general would envy such a situation.
Only by going to the battlefield can one have military merit and be treated favorably by future generations.
It's good that General Zhang hasn't been so exaggerated, otherwise he would definitely ask why it's so peaceful now.
General Zhang arrived at Zhennan Pass and was greeted by officials. He looked again and saw that the leader was wearing a scarlet official uniform and looked handsome.
The famous Ji Zhuangyuan and Ji Zhizhou?
He came to greet me personally?
Isn't that a bit too polite?
Since Ji Zhizhou was so polite, General Zhang also dismounted early to appear less overbearing.
General Zhang said, "I have seen that the soldiers at Zhennan Pass are well-trained and their rotation is timely. It is really hard for Prefect Ji to take on so many responsibilities."
These words are both a thank you and a temptation.
The imperial court was anxious to send military generals because it was afraid that the local civil officials would gain both political power in one hand and military power in the other, and would become addicted to both.
General Zhang was naturally worried about this as well.
Ji Yuan smiled and said, "I do have many responsibilities. We have a lot of things to do at Zhennan Pass. When General Zhang comes, I will feel relieved."
As the prefect of Ji Yuan was a fourth-rank official, he naturally had to call himself a subordinate to General Zhang.
When the two met, they both felt relieved.
General Zhang felt that Ji Yuan was knowledgeable and interesting, no wonder he could pass the imperial examination and become the top scorer.
Ji Yuan felt that there were finally professionals in charge of the military power, otherwise he would have felt uneasy.
After all, this is the border, and without a real general guarding it, there are bound to be omissions.
He is a dabbler, Wu Renhao is a complete novice, so a general with long experience at the border is the most reliable.
After lunch, everyone went their separate ways.
But Wu Renhao’s stay or departure is very embarrassing.
With Wu Renhao's abilities, it would be a good idea for him to stay in the army.
But he is Ji Yuan's good friend, and if he stayed here rashly, it would seem like he was a spy deliberately planted by Ji Yuan.
Wu Renhao also knew this and said directly: "It's good to stay with you. I really don't want to care about those interpersonal relationships."
Wu Renhao is also "pitiful".
When I was in Beijing, I experienced too many such interpersonal relationships.
However, when General Zhang saw Wu Renhao, he still looked surprised and even hesitated to speak.
With such stature, he is truly a talented general.
General Zhang thought that this was Ji Yuan's confidant, so it was not appropriate to keep him for long.
As fate would have it, both parties felt regretful.
This also shows that the transfer of military power this time was very smooth.
Officials of all ranks in Zhennan Pass, and even various chambers of commerce, breathed a sigh of relief.
Their Lord Ji is as reliable as ever!
I always feel safe following him.
Others thought it was safe, but Ji Yuan frowned as he looked at the situation in Ning'an Prefecture. He would be going back to Ning'an Prefecture soon.
He used to think that the situation in Zhennan Pass was complicated and he needed to stay in Zhennan Pass as much as possible.
But the situation in Ning'an Prefecture seems to be more complicated now?
Last year, Ning'an Prefecture's household statistics showed a total of 48 villages and about 280,000 people.
This year, Ning'an Prefecture's Liu Tongzhi went to inspect as usual.
Surprisingly, I discovered that there were suddenly five or six more villages in the mountains of Ning'an Prefecture, with a total population of nearly 20,000 people.
This scared Liu Tongzhi, who thought that he had underestimated the number of people he had counted last year and that they had been left behind when the canal was being repaired.
But if you ask carefully, you will find the problem.
Although these people's accents are very similar to theirs, there are still some differences.
Some older clerks said, "The accent of Jingguo!"
After this was shouted out, the other party immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.
After asking, I found out that these people were not living well in Jingguo, and seeing that the lives of the people in Ning'an Prefecture not far away were getting worse and worse, they simply came here with their families.
There are so many mountains in Ning'an Prefecture, so why wouldn't they go anywhere?
The people of Jing country ran to Ning'an Prefecture by themselves?
Yes, on the one hand, Jing State's farming continued to be as rough as ever, and on the other hand, there was the exploitation of the Jing State's royal family.
On the other hand, the people of Ning'an Prefecture in Tianqi Kingdom are living better and better lives.
Everyone knows how to choose.
But this is a population of nearly 20,000, which is equivalent to 20,000 people's tax revenue.
If Jingguo knew about this, he would definitely be furious.
But then again.
Ning'an Prefecture and Jingguo are originally very close, and there are mountains nearby. Even in modern times, it is easy to find a loophole and sneak past.
Not to mention the ancient times when there were no clear dividing lines.
These one or two thousand people have become a hot potato.
They generally did not have enough to eat, their clothes were tattered, and they were jealous of the clothes worn by other villagers in Ning'an Prefecture.
The more I read, the more I wanted to stay in Ning'an Prefecture.
Some smart ones even wanted to send their children to state schools and join the lumberjack club themselves.
Liu Tongzhi understood that this matter was of great importance, and he rode his horse as fast as he could to pass the news to Ji Yuan.
Ji Yuan also had a headache watching this.
Let’s go back and deal with it. This matter may be big or small, but it cannot be ignored.
On the fifth day of July, Ji Yuan explained everything at the Zhennan Pass Yamen and prepared to return to Ning'an Prefecture immediately.
But before he left, General Zhang, who had not been seen for a few days, came over.
After General Zhang arrived at Zhennan Pass, he thought he would face a group of guerrillas. He had heard about what the Zhennan General had done.
But unexpectedly, the soldiers here had all been reorganized, and the monthly military pay was paid as usual, and there was not even any one who was drawing a salary without doing anything.
If you ask, it was the credit of Ji Zhizhou and his confidant Wu Renhao.
Not to mention daily life, even the soldiers' families could be arranged to work in local rubber workshops, so the local soldiers had a strong sense of honor.
Apart from the fact that they need to work harder on training, in other aspects, this team is simply the dream team of every general.
The guards brought by General Zhang all said, "We have never seen soldiers treated like this in the local area. I want to bring my family over."
Although General Zhang was a little confused, this was all a good thing, not to mention that Ji Zhizhou had already delegated his power.
At this point, General Zhang felt that he was lucky to have come to such a nice place.
Although there may not be any military achievements, at least everyone is safe.
Who knows, he heard something else.
Ning'an Prefecture is going to build a road.
The road from Ning'an Prefecture to Zhennan Pass can naturally be built.
But the road from Ning'an Prefecture to the other two places is absolutely impossible!
Absolutely not!
Not his policy towards Ji Yuan.
But for safety reasons, this is absolutely not allowed.
Originally, the matter needed to be discussed after consultation between the subordinates of both sides, but General Zhang thought that since Ji Zhizhou was so polite, he might as well go there in person.
Ji Yuan was a little surprised to see General Zhang coming over, and asked, "Is there anything the soldiers can do for you?"
"The confidants you brought with you still need the household department to do the statistics, and the military pay for the past few months on the road will be paid as soon as possible."
The eyes of General Zhang's confidants lit up.
real!
During the time they were on the road, they were indeed considered people of Ning'an Prefecture, but they were not counted as such in most other places.
General Zhang glared at them, but asked another question: "Master Ji, are you going back to Ning'an Prefecture?"
Ji Yuan was the prefect of Ning'an Prefecture and was the acting prefect of Zhennan Pass.
General Zhang also heard that a new prefect would take over Zhennan Pass, and it seemed that he had already been appointed.
Of course, after spending some time together.
I still think that Ji Yuan is the best person to be the magistrate of Zhennan Pass.
Ji Yuan nodded.
There was nothing to hide, he really wanted to go back.
Although General Zhang admired Ji Yuan, he had to say something: "Should Ning'an Prefecture build a road with Changyan County and Yonglin County?"
There is nothing hidden about this matter.
Many people in Dianzhou Prefecture know about it.
General Zhang was quite distressed: "Master Ji, you are confused."
"Ning'an Prefecture has no strategic location to defend. If three roads were built in Ning'an Prefecture, leading to Zhennan Pass, it would be good. Zhennan Pass has been a strategic pass since ancient times."
"How to get to Changyan County and Yonglin County?"
"If someone takes over Ning'an Prefecture, they can directly attack those two places from two directions!"
General Zhang has been stationed at the border for many years and has certain practical experience. He knows how to fight just by looking at the map.
Ning'an Prefecture really has no strategic location to defend and can be easily captured.
In the past, you could only take the Zhennan Pass road, but now you have two more options.
“This road must not be repaired.”
"Please order Lord Ji to suspend this matter."
The minor official Chai Feng was the first to panic.
pause?
How do I pause?
Changyan County, Yonglin County, Lord Ye, and Lord Cheng are all working hard on this matter.
How can you just stop it?
If they really stop, then where is the reputation of Lord Ji? Will anyone still listen to Lord Ji in the future?
Ji Yuan was not surprised to hear this.
He had already thought about it when the road was to be built.
And what happened recently in Ning'an Prefecture made him more certain of that idea.
Ji Yuan looked at the people around him and said to General Zhang, "Please come into the study and discuss in detail."
Talk in detail?
When he arrived at Ji Yuan's study, Ji Yuan took out a map from his sleeve.
This map is incredibly detailed.
If Prime Minister Li were here, he would certainly recognize that this was a change made on his map, with many detailed details added.
General Zhang's pupils trembled.
This map?!
How did the era come about?
But Ji Yuan’s next words shocked him even more.
Ji Yuan pointed to the location from Ning'an Prefecture to Jing State and asked, "How far do you think it is from here?"
Needless to say, it is even clearly marked on the maps of the era.
Only three hundred miles.
If the army marches quickly, it will arrive in less than five days.
Ning'an Prefecture has no strategic location to defend and no troops stationed there, making it an easy target.
That's why he refused Ning'an Prefecture's request to build more roads.
See Mr. Zhang answer.
Ji Yuan continued, "You are the commander of Zhennan Pass and Ning'an Prefecture. Protecting the safety of Ning'an Prefecture seems to be within your responsibility."
That's what I said.
But the soldiers and generals from both places were all at Zhennan Pass.
Wait a minute.
What does epoch mean?
Ji Yuan said directly: "Ning'an Prefecture is the farthest border of Tianqi State, so it should be garrisoned by the Tianqi State's troops."
General Zhang frowned.
There are only Ji Yuan and General Zhang here, and Ji Yuan has dropped another bombshell piece of news.
"I think that Jingguo may have some ideas about Ning'anzhou in Tianqi."
"If we can send troops to attack in time, or even defeat Jing State, it will be a great achievement."
Do you have any ideas about the land of Tianqi? !
Send troops to attack?!
A great achievement?!
Every time Ji Yuan said these words, they touched the heart of a general.
General Zhang couldn't help but ask, "Really?"
Ji Yuan thought of the nearly 20,000 people who had fled from Jing State, as well as the people of Ning'an Prefecture who were becoming increasingly wealthy, and nodded, "Really."
It would be fine if Ning'an Prefecture had always been so poor.
Now that you are rich, don’t your neighbors worry about you?
Just like General Zhang said, Ning'an Prefecture has no strategic location to defend, so if the enemy wants to rob it, they can rob it, and Ning'an Prefecture can do nothing about it.
Now that more people from Jing country have come to Ning'an Prefecture to settle down, it will definitely make the Jing country even more angry.
After Ji Yuan arrived in Ning'an Prefecture, he realized this thorny problem.
At first, he thought that General Zhennan could help.
Later, I realized that if General Zhennan was still here, Zhennan Pass would be destroyed as well.
That’s what happened next.
From the very beginning of the era, the plan was to have the soldiers from Zhennan Pass garrison Ning'an Prefecture and become the military arsenal of Ning'an Prefecture.
When General Zhang arrived, he originally planned to talk slowly.
I didn't expect General Zhang to be so perceptive and directly discover the problems with the three roads.
Ji Yuan even pointed to the three roads and said, “If the army is stationed in Ning’an Prefecture, Changyan County, Zhennan Pass, and Yonglin County, it will no longer be a road paved for the enemy.”
"It's the logistics route of Tianqi State."
"With three roads for transporting food, why worry about not winning the battle?"
General Zhang followed Ji Yuan's line of thought and looked at it in the opposite direction.
If we stay in Zhennan Pass, Ning'an Prefecture will be a piece of fat meat, waiting for others to bite it.
But if he went to garrison in Ning'an Prefecture, his team would be a sharp blade, and the three routes behind would provide a steady supply of blood.
The security of Ning'an Prefecture can be better guaranteed.
Or, could he gain real military merit like the General Zhennan?
When General Zhang and Ji Yuan came out of the study, they were almost laughing out loud.
Ha ha ha ha.
This general has also come to this day.
No more words.
He was originally the commander-in-chief of the two places appointed by the imperial court.
It is only natural to send people to garrison Ning'an Prefecture!
Clean up!
Set off!
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