readytorunbook Chapter 122 Four prisoners make up one piece
Chapter 122 Four prisoners make up one piece
Shen Yi, who was stationed at Damu, received Guan Xing's order to immediately come to Wushang for a meeting. He was accompanied by tens of thousands of prisoners captured when Quan Cong was defeated, including three high-ranking prisoners: Zhou Xun, Quan Cong, and Zhuge Ke.
Upon receiving the news, Guan Xing personally went out of the city to greet them. After chatting with the three for a few minutes, he dropped them off in Zhang Cheng's courtyard.
He was there to pick up Shen Yi, not these three defeated opponents, so naturally he wouldn't be too polite to them.
Besides, we're all so familiar with each other, what's there to talk about? Instead of getting together and spouting hypocritical nonsense that even we ourselves don't believe, we might as well get lost and stop getting in each other's way.
The three men had a lot of opinions about Guan Xing's attitude, but they knew that protesting would be useless, so they had no choice but to follow the escorting soldiers to their new residence. Unexpectedly, as soon as they pushed open the courtyard gate, they saw Zhang Cheng sitting under the shade of a tree, leisurely drinking tea. His tea-making skills were even more proficient than theirs.
Zhou Xun smiled wryly and said, "What did I tell you? General Zhang has indeed come to join us."
Quan Cong and Zhuge Ke rolled their eyes at the same time. "Can't you just shut up?"
The three men approached Zhang Cheng dejectedly, bowed, and said, "Greetings, General Zhang."
Upon seeing the three again, Zhang Cheng's expression was surprisingly calm, his emotions unwavering. He said indifferently, "You've arrived. Would you like some tea?"
Quan Cong was taken aback by his calm demeanor and asked in surprise, "General Zhang, where is your fighting spirit? Are you just going to admit defeat like this?"
He had originally hoped that Zhang Cheng could defeat Guan Xing and rescue him, but unfortunately, Zhang Cheng was also captured.
Being captured is nothing, as long as you're not dead, you have a chance to make a comeback. But Zhang Cheng, what's the meaning of you acting like you've been beaten into submission by Guan Xing?
Don't you have any fighting spirit left? Are you still the Zhang Cheng and Zhang Zhongsi I know?
Zhou Xun, however, said understandingly, "It's not that we lack fighting spirit, it's just that Guan Xing is really good at fighting, and we really can't beat him."
When they were captured last time, they had the same thought as Quan Cong: they were captured because they were careless and didn't dodge. If they were to do it again, they would definitely be able to defeat Guan Xing and get revenge for being captured.
But what was the result? They were still captured.
Guan Xing gave them a chance, but they didn't seize it. Who can they blame?
Their recapture proves that they were truly lacking in strength, not just unlucky.
If you know you can't beat them, why struggle? Isn't it better to just accept your fate?
Zhang Cheng echoed, "Guan Xing is indeed formidable. I admit I can't beat him. Let's have some tea."
What else could Zhang Cheng say? This time he brought a full 50,000 troops, several times the size of Guan Xing's forces, and he had completely learned from the last lesson and made no mistakes, yet he was still completely annihilated by Guan Xing. What does that tell you?
This means that even if we do it again, the outcome will still be the same.
Moreover, Guan Xing gathered 40,000 to 50,000 prisoners in this battle. Once he has transformed these prisoners, they will instantly become a powerful warlord who controls the Jinqu Basin and commands an army of over 50,000.
How many troops would it take to defeat Guan Xing? At least 100,000, right?
Do you think Eastern Wu could still field an army of 100,000? Even if they could, would they still let Zhang Cheng lead the troops?
There's a first and a second time, but not a third.
So what could Zhang Cheng do but accept his fate? He poured a cup of tea for the three of them and sighed helplessly, "We have no chance anymore. Let's just wait patiently for Guan Xing's arrangements and news from Jianye."
"If nothing unexpected happens, when news of our defeat reaches Jianye, the situation in the world will definitely change drastically."
The four of them huddled together, sighing deeply, feeling that the tea in their cups was exceptionally bitter.
They were free, but Guan Xing was extremely busy, and the first thing he did was hold meetings.
Civil and military officials gathered in the main hall of the county government office. Xie Chong, Meng Jun, Gan Xun, Ji Jie, Shen Yi, Cheng Li, Ning Huan, Guan Yan, Wang Tao, Qian Yun, as well as the newly appointed assault team leader Xia Tong and steel plant director Feng Tiezhu were all present.
Guan Xing, sitting at the head of the table, was about to speak when he saw Ji Jie hesitate and decisively asked, "Old Ji, just say what you want to say. We're all family, no need to be reserved."
Ji Jie said, "General, now that Zhang Cheng's entire army has been wiped out, and the governor of Kuaiji, Chunyu Shi, only has two or three thousand men left, Shanyin and even the surrounding counties are undefended. Should we take this opportunity to send troops to recover the entire territory of Kuaiji?"
During the last attack, Wu's army surrendered before he even arrived at the battlefield, which left Ji Jie somewhat resentful. He wanted to continue his campaign and make new contributions.
Guan Xing understood his feelings and smiled, "What you said makes sense, but now is not the time to send troops. Our gains this time are too great, and we need to digest them first. Otherwise, blind expansion will lead to internal instability and create huge hidden dangers for ourselves. You have served as a county magistrate, so you should understand this principle."
"I understand your desire to contribute to the court, but Jiangdong has not yet been pacified, and Jingzhou has not yet been recovered. There's plenty of time ahead. Are you afraid there won't be any more battles to fight?"
He also wanted to take Shanyin as soon as possible and then head north to join Guan Yu, but ideals had to yield to reality. The reality was that he hadn't even stabilized the Jinqu Basin, so how could he dare to launch a campaign rashly?
If you go to war at this time, what will you do if there is fighting on the front lines and rebellion breaks out in the rear?
You have to eat one bite at a time, and do one thing at a time. Like a greedy snake, you start out weak and can only gradually grow stronger by nibbling away at things. Only when you grow into a behemoth can you rampage around.
Ji Jie bowed and said, "This humble general understands. It was my oversight. Please forgive me, General."
Guan Xing gestured for him to sit down and said, "Today's meeting will focus on two topics: the restoration of people's livelihood and the reorganization of the new army. Let's talk about people's livelihood first. The land in Wushang and Damo counties has been allocated, but the land in Zhuji and Shan County still needs to be allocated."
"In addition to allocating land, we also need to reclaim wasteland. We can't rely solely on our military settlements for wasteland reclamation; we also need to mobilize the masses. If we want the people to participate in wasteland reclamation, we must address their concerns."
"What are the people's concerns? They are afraid that once the land is cultivated and ready for planting, someone will suddenly appear and steal the fruits of their labor. Therefore, we must prevent such behavior from happening halfway through. Lao Xie, what are your thoughts on this?"
Xie Chong said, "We can start from two aspects. First, issue land deeds so that the people can claim the wasteland on their own. Then, personally hand over the land deeds with the county government's seal to the people to clarify the ownership of the wasteland."
"Secondly, we can increase the people's enthusiasm for land reclamation by rewarding them with farm tools. Promoting new farm tools is also one of the county government's tasks. I originally wanted to distribute the farm tools directly to the people, but you said that you were afraid that the people would not cherish them if they got them easily, so we cannot distribute them directly. The people have to spend money to buy them."
"I agree with the first half of the general's statement, but I don't quite agree with the second half. The local people are so poor that they can't even afford to eat, let alone buy anything else. How long will it take for us to wait for them to save up money to buy farm tools?"
"Therefore, my suggestion is to distribute farm tools as rewards for land reclamation. Those who adopt two acres of wasteland can receive a hoe, those who adopt five acres can receive an extra shovel, and those who adopt ten acres can receive a curved plow. This way, we can not only motivate the people to reclaim wasteland, but also promote the use of farm tools, killing two birds with one stone."
"Furthermore, wasteland needs to be cleared for at least three years before it can be cultivated. Therefore, I suggest that no taxes be levied on reclaimed wasteland for five years. Otherwise, if we have to pay taxes before we make any money, no one will be willing to do it."
Guan Xing laughed and said, "Old Xie, I didn't know you knew about bundled sales. We'll do it your way. You can bring Zhang Ming along too. He's literate and was a general. He should be a good helper for you."
The Han army is currently lacking in talent, so there's no reason to leave Zhang Ming, who is literate and has served as a colonel, unused.
Although Guan Xing intended to give Zhang Ming an important position, he did not plan to let him lead troops. He was afraid that Zhang Ming would become the next Zhang Cheng, so after thinking it over, he decided that it would be better to transfer Zhang Ming to a civilian position.
Xie Chong nodded and said, "No problem."
Guan Xing continued, "The matter of allocating land for reclamation will be entirely entrusted to Lao Xie. Director Feng, have you finished getting the blueprints for your loom yet?"