Chapter 224

【You issued an edict to vigorously promote farming in the lands of Bozhou and Xuzhou.】

【A lively late spring sowing began in full swing.】

【The people in the two prefectures who did not want to be transferred and displaced were gathered by you again, gathered on the land divided in Xuzhou, and began to farm.】

【The fertile soil that had been abandoned due to the Northern Wind's policies in the past was reclaimed and regained its vitality.】

【Broken roads were cleared again.】

【In Xuzhou, a new city was built, and a granary named "Taicang" was cast.】

【Zhang Zhong led the soldiers to build dams, open paddy fields, raise fish and shrimp, and graze cattle and sheep on the vast grasslands of Bozhou.】

【The 200,000-strong army also began competitions in the army to see whose yield per mu was the highest, and the fields were bustling with activity.】

【In the blink of an eye, it was golden autumn again.】

【The sky was high and the clouds were light, and the air was cool and refreshing!】

【You and Lu Yu strolled along the paddy fields of Xuzhou; the rice had grown to knee height, and the rice ears were bending their waists.】

【The Xuzhou Plain, the famous granary of the Northern Wind, was carefully divided into neat farmland.】

【But seeing the golden rice ears, continuous and endless, the wheat waves rising and falling, the soldiers were also busy in the fields, with smiles on their faces.】

【A scene of autumn harvest joy!】

【Bozhou is located on the edge of the northern lands, with vast grasslands, so you built four major pastures here, moved countless cattle and sheep from the Yan region, and sent caravans to transport large quantities of tea to meet the needs of the army and the people.】

【In this way, fresh milk and mellow tea could be filled in the treasury, all stored in "Taicang."】

【The 200,000-strong army rotated in batches, some busy with agricultural affairs, others sharpening their weapons and organizing training.】

【Six months passed in a flash.】

【You and Lu Yu stood side by side, followed closely by Feng Haiping and Xie Ling.】

【An old farmer was bending over to work, and suddenly hearing that His Majesty had arrived, he hurriedly pulled his legs out of the mud, ignoring his messy clothes, and ran over hurriedly.】

【The dark-skinned old farmer hurriedly said: "Zhang Zhong, greets Your Majesty and all the generals!"】

【He came to the field ridge and bowed respectfully.】

【You nodded with a smile, looking at the harvest scene before you.】

【The rice on this plain was harvested for five full days before it was barely finished, which shows the abundance of the harvest.】

【Zhang Zhong contributed greatly to this; whether it was selecting seeds, sowing, or transplanting, he did it all himself.】

【"Zhang Zhong, you have made a great contribution this time; what reward do you want?"】

【The dark-skinned old farmer heard this, hurriedly wiped the black mud from his hands, and kept saying he dared not:】

【"No, no, no!"】

【"His Majesty has already given the old farmer enough."】

【"Our family has been people living in the fields since my great-grandfather's generation. My grandfather was a tenant farmer for a big family, and my father was also a tenant farmer; he almost couldn't even take a wife. By my generation, I was actually enfeoffed as a marquis; this is simply smoke rising from the ancestral grave!"】

【While speaking, the dark-skinned old farmer's face showed panic and self-satisfaction.】

【How many men travel thousands of miles to seek enfeoffment!】

【An old man in the fields carrying a hoe actually achieved it under the scorching sun.】

【You nodded and said in a gentle tone: "Then I will write a book for you, record all your agricultural experience, and let your name be passed down for generations."】

【When the old farmer heard this, he trembled with excitement, especially the four words "passed down for generations," which were simply a fantasy to him.】

【He hurriedly knelt down, his voice choked with sobs: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness; the old farmer has no regrets in this life."】

【"Go and get busy."】

【Zhang Zhong was already cautious, and seeing that everyone present was a big shot, he dared not be negligent and felt like he was on pins and needles.】

【Hearing your order, he hurriedly took his leave.】

【Feng Haiping handed over the records of Taicang from the past few days; the total amount of grain was over 80,000 shi, which was an exciting number, and it had not been fully counted yet.】

【Fighting, especially long-distance expeditions, is the most testing of logistics.】

【"For an army of 100,000, marching a thousand miles, the expenses of the people and the offerings of the public cost a thousand gold a day, causing internal and external turmoil, and 700,000 families are unable to work."】

【This is not a lie; if you want to mobilize 100,000 people for a long-distance expedition, you need 700,000 families to stop agricultural production to supply military needs.】

【Because the people and livestock transporting grain also consume grain on the road, and they must prepare rations for the return journey.】

【A civilian worker pushing a cart loaded with grain consumes grain on the way back and forth, and only the remaining part can supply the soldiers at the front.】

【The grain that a civilian worker can deliver to the front line is extremely limited; about twenty civilian workers are needed to supply the grain for one soldier at the front line.】

【Therefore, war is ultimately a battle of population and economy.】

【Fortunately, after this harvest, plus the existing stored grain, cattle and sheep, and the rich aquatic products of Bozhou, it is enough to support 400,000 troops through the cold winter until next spring.】

【The grain problem is solved, so the next step is how to take the original Chongcheng.】

【In the original Chongcheng, a total of 500,000 troops are stationed; although they have stored grain, the daily consumption of 500,000 big mouths is even more astonishing.】

【What's more, the 80,000-strong army supported by Qianyuan relies entirely on the Northern Wind for their food and clothing, which undoubtedly increases the burden of logistics.】

【Lu Yu suddenly threw a stone from his hand, which happened to hit a sparrow flying in the sky.】

【He smiled and said: "Brother, look, this bird is so fat!"】

【Sparrows love to eat rice the most, and this sparrow that was hit was obviously also just full.】

【You smiled and said: "Autumn is long and birds are fat; that's exactly it."】

【At this time, Xie Ling asked: "Your Majesty, we put all the grain in Taicang; isn't it too obvious?"】

【The grain of the Yanbei Army is all placed in Taicang in Xuzhou, and carts of grain are transported into "Taicang" one after another every day.】

【Anyone who knows a little bit about military strategy knows that "troops and horses move, but grain and grass go first."】

【Grain and grass are the lifeline of the army.】

【The Yanbei Army is so blatantly exposing the location of the grain and grass.】

【The intention is to lure Zhou Tiancheng out of the city, but will such a simple strategy really work?】

【You look at the direction of Taicang; there are still convoys transporting grain into Taicang city.】

【"Military affairs are about deception!"】

【"Therefore, when able, feign inability; when using, feign not using; when near, feign far; when far, feign near."】

【The way of using troops lies in constant change and surprise.】

【Clearly good at fighting, but pretend to be weak to the enemy; originally prepared to use troops, but pretend not to be prepared to fight.】

【"Empty means real, real means empty; our granary is in Taicang, which is unquestionable and has never been hidden."】

【Feng Haiping pondered in his heart; now the grain depot of the Yanbei Army is set in Taicang, where not only the grain and grass of the 200,000-strong army led by Huo Hai are stored, but also the supplies transported from the Yan region.】

【Once lost, the consequences will surely be heavy losses, and their northern expedition will surely fail.】

【With such great fanfare, although Xie Ling was a little worried, the Prince of Yan's years of decision-making and vision had long proven that he would not make mistakes.】

【Feng Haiping could not help but worry about another aspect and asked: "If Zhou Tiancheng still stubbornly defends and does not come out, how should we deal with it?"】

【In Taicang, we have heavy troops guarding it; do they dare to leave the city easily?】

【For the past six months, although there were fewer than 3,000 sentries left on the west bank of the Zhi River, Zhou Tiancheng had been slow to send troops to wipe them out.】

【Even, only a few scouts left the city to inquire about news; the army, let alone tens of thousands, did not even have 3,000 leave the city.】

【The situation in Yancheng was the opposite; the Prince Wu Long of Qianyuan often had friction with the large army led by Huo Hai.】

【The original Chongcheng was like an old tree; for six months, it watched them farm and harvest, but it remained motionless.】

【You were not in a hurry, looking at the crops in front of you, and said slowly: "Seeds are planted in spring, and the harvest is in autumn. Let the seeds grow for a while; they need time to mature."】

【You smiled and added: "Or, we can add a handful of firewood to them to make the situation more intense."】

【Faced with this situation, you decided...】

1. Organize a military meeting every ten days among the 80,000 troops in Taicang City, and the middle-level generals of the Yanbei Army must attend. (Hint: A major rout may occur, resulting in heavy losses!)

2. Do not organize meetings and let things develop. (Hint: The northward advance may be dragged until next year to be resolved.)

3. Organize a military meeting every ten days among the 50,000 troops in Taicang City, and the middle-level generals of the Yanbei Army must attend; each meeting will secretly have people swap out and return to their posts. (Hint: It may advance the northward progress.)

4. Participate personally. (3/3)

The large cauldron trembled slightly, and faint blue subtitles appeared on it.

Yu Ke looked at the four options above.

Exclude the last one, participate personally.

He strongly suggested that options that cannot be chosen should not appear.

As soon as Yu Ke had this thought, the fourth option above disappeared.

"So smart!"

It made him want to shout.

"Cauldron, Cauldron, are you there?"

It seems that every simulation, this ancient-looking cauldron evolves.

Looking at the three options above, synthesizing them.

If this kind of "military meeting" is not organized, things might drag on until next year.

It is best to solve things early.

If a meeting is organized, it must be "secretly deployed," and the meeting should start by secretly letting people return to their posts.

Exclude the first option, as there is a possibility of a major rout.

Then there is only one option.

Yu Ke did not agonize and chose directly.

3. Organize a military meeting every ten days among the 50,000 troops in Taicang City, and the middle-level generals of the Yanbei Army must attend; each meeting will secretly have people swap out and return to their posts. (Hint: It may advance the northward progress.)

Following your choice, the simulation continues.

【You gaze at Feng Haiping and say slowly: "From today on, a military gathering must be held in Taicang City every ten days."】

【"All centurions and above in the Yanbei Army must be present, and this matter should be quietly expanded."】

【"As for the specific arrangements for this matter, it should be done delicately, so it will be handed over to Shui Yin to handle."】 You then ordered.

【Upon hearing this, Feng Haiping understood immediately after hearing the beginning.】

【Xie Ling's eyes also flashed, showing a situation of understanding.】

【At this time, Lu Yu flicked the stone in his hand casually, accurately hitting a sparrow that was carefully foraging for rice in the fields.】

【He smiled and suggested: "Brother, why don't we stew a pot of sparrow soup tonight?"】

【You look in the direction of the original Chongcheng of the Northern Wind and say slowly: "Okay, then let's stew a pot of sparrow soup."】

Original Chongcheng, inside the City Lord's Mansion.

Another military meeting is being held nervously.

Six months have passed since the Yanbei Army first retreated.

Recalling that time, the Yanbei Army divided its troops into two places on both sides of the Zhi River, which was a heaven-sent opportunity that could have allowed the original Chongcheng to take the opportunity to attack and disrupt the Yanbei Army's formation.

However!

Zhou Tiancheng, Tuoba Shuchao, and other high-level military officials decided not to pursue, fearing that there was a trap.

Developing to the present, it seems that they missed a great opportunity in vain.

The Yanbei Army was allowed to withdraw safely to Xuzhou and Bozhou, and the military intelligence that followed was that Lu Chen wanted to farm in the two prefectures!

At first, everyone thought this was nonsense!

Unexpectedly, a month later!

The Yanbei Army actually started farming in full swing and reclaimed the originally abandoned fields.

Although the Northern Wind had ordered these farmlands to be abandoned three years ago and transferred the people.

But the two prefectures were the granary of the north after all, with vast plains and fertile land; it only took half a month of sorting out to restore some of the old scenes.

In the blink of an eye, six months have passed.

During these six months, the Yanbei Army farmed and grew grain in Xuzhou and Bozhou.

And the original Chongcheng, like a dormant giant beast, had been watching and had not taken any substantial action.

Multiple meetings also only discussed without making decisions, and in the end, they could only remain stationary.

Now that it is not busy farming after the autumn harvest, they have no opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Watching the Yanbei Army successfully harvest a full granary of rice and welcome a harvest.

The hall still maintained two rows of formations; one side was Zhou Tiancheng's confidant generals, and the other side was the Northern Wind court "Inspector" officials led by Tuoba Shuchao.

In the main seat, Zhou Tiancheng sat like a mountain.

Zhou Yong had already stood up to report: "Commander Zhou, news has just been received that the grain harvested by the Yanbei Army this time is enough to support them through this year, and even the grain for next spring is worry-free."

Upon hearing this!

An old general said indignantly: "The land of Xuzhou, the grain produced every year through canal transportation, is enough to support the entire capital."

"Bozhou is the most fertile place for aquatic products in the Northern Wind, but now Lu Chen has picked up a bargain in vain."

After hearing this, Tuoba Shuchao also fell into deep thought.

If the grain can really support them until next spring, then the Yanbei Army will probably not withdraw this year, and next spring, they can sow again.

In the original Chongcheng, every soldier needs to consume four catties of rice a day; 500,000 troops, plus the 80,000 Qianyuan elite soldiers in Yancheng, the grain and grass supplies needed every day are simply an astronomical figure.

These are all the family assets that the Northern Wind has worked hard to accumulate over the years.

His elder brother Tuoba Shuyi is in the rear, managing the country's finances and the logistics dispatch of the original Chongcheng, knowing deeply that war ultimately depends on national strength.

Initially, he thought Lu Chen was on a long-distance expedition, and the logistics line would be long, and the loss would be huge.

Unexpectedly, Lu Chen adopted the strategy of farming, which solved the big problem of grain in one fell swoop.

This Lu Chen is really no small matter.

Zhou Yong continued to report: "The grain and grass of the 400,000-strong Yanbei Army are all stored in Taicang, and there are 80,000 heavy troops guarding them closely."

"The grain transport teams are endless, transporting to Taicang, stretching endlessly, and cannot see the end."

(End of chapter)