stubborn thief

Chapter 663: Vast and Boundless

Xi'an City.

Liu Shizi passed Yuecheng at Andingmen and walked along West Street.

Soldiers from the First Brigade have set up defensive guards on both sides of the road between the densely packed government offices and residential houses.

In front of the queue, Zhu Cunji, the illegitimate son of the Prince of Qin, wearing a burqa and carrying a sword, was riding a black donkey and leading the way.

As he walked, he turned around and introduced: "General, on the left are the City God Temple, Chang'an County, and the Censorate. Behind them are the Imperial Examination Hall, Yongfeng Warehouse, Tuntian Road, and Xun Censorate."

"There are also the poorhouse and Louze Garden in the northwest corner of the city."

After that, Zhu Cunji waved his hand again and introduced to the right: "On the south side of West Street are the Education Department, Yichuan Prince's Palace, Yongshou Prince's Palace, Qianwei, Military Equipment Bureau and Miscellaneous Manufacturing Bureau, as well as the Tea Inspection Office, all of which are government offices."

Zhu Cunji's current job is to serve as a guide for Liu Chengzong.

He worked very hard.

This is part of Qin Fan's plan.

As early as when Liu Chengzong besieged the city, the old King of Qin had already decided the future fate of his sons in order to continue the vassal state.

Crown Prince Zhu Cunji wanted to escape under an assumed name and try to get to Beijing.

The illegitimate son Zhu Cunji went to seek refuge with Liu Chengzong, while Zhu Cunqi stayed in the Qin Palace with the old King of Qin to guard the city as a defensive army.

In short, there are three means and one goal, which is to allow the Qin vassal state to continue at all costs.

As a result, before Xi'an was captured, the defenders in the city came to the palace to capture people, so that the Qin vassal clan started their escape plan in advance.

The prince, who had originally planned to escape from Xi'an under an assumed name, was captured by the rebel soldiers as an ordinary scholar because he was too successful in hiding his identity. He eventually died in a struggle between two groups of rebel soldiers over the spoils.

The old Prince of Qin and Zhu Cunqi, who stayed in the palace, successfully turned themselves into prisoners.

Only Zhu Cunji, who had originally planned to surrender to Liu Chengzong, left the palace and rushed to the battlefield south of the city.

Among the Ming troops defending the city who were fleeing northward, he was successfully captured by Ren Quaner's vanguard troops as a rebel.

When he was captured, Zhu Cunji was still shouting: "I am the prince of Qin, you can't kill me!"

The soldiers really thought he was a rare treasure, but when he was sent to Ren Quaner, they found out that this kid was just a bastard son of the Qin clan, not a prince.

But this is not a problem for Ren Quaner.

Because Zhu Cunji was quite brave, he was not afraid even when facing Ren Quaner's gaze, and he even remained tough.

"I have already surrendered to the Marshal, so can't I become a prince?"

This sentence was the correct code for Ren Quaner, so he regarded Zhu Cunji as his close friend.

  You are so right. The prince of Qin is nothing. Let the Marshal appoint you as the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty!

With Ren Quaner's strong recommendation, Zhu Cunji became Liu Chengzong's local guide into Xi'an city.

With the sound of horse hooves, Liu Chengzong looked at the government offices on the north and south sides of the street and was full of curiosity about the street planning of these two.

To be precise, this was the first city Liu Chengzong saw.

In fact, this strange feeling did not only happen to Liu Shizi. The trusted generals who entered the city with him all had this strange feeling to some extent.

The densely packed government offices and residential houses on both sides of the road were enough to confuse them.

Because this solid and majestic city, which was built in the third year of Hongwu and had a circumference of forty miles, did not have any military planning at all.

Who are the people behind Liu Chengzong? They were born in border areas, in Yansui, Ningxia, Gansu, Yan'an, Guyuan, and Xining.

Everyone has a military background to some extent, and all the scenery they see and hear is related to war.

War is not a distant legend that has never been seen, but an inherent part of life or the world as they know it.

So much so that, until they entered the city of Xi'an, they had no idea that they had never seen a real "city".

The cities they were familiar with were all fortresses with military functions.

The large fortresses of Eastern cities are not only reflected in the external defense facilities such as the moat outside the city, the towering city walls with protruding battlements, and the numerous arrow towers and enemy towers.

There were also T-shaped streets and dead-end alleys where the city gates were not opposite each other and the roads were not connected, which were used to guard against charges and set up defenses, as well as crooked paths and turns for ambushes, so that the enemy could still be driven out after the city walls were lost.

However, Xi'an City had none of the arrangements for war in these cities.

This is a city that truly makes them feel at home.

The four city gates are opposite each other, and two ten-mile-long streets divide the city into four parts. Standing at the west gate, you can see the east gate, and standing at the north gate, you can see the south gate. The layout is so simple that you don't even need to turn when running a horse.

Government functions became more centralized.

In the northwest, there are large areas of government offices.

In the southwest, the main offices were auxiliary offices such as the Education Commission, Tea Inspection Commission, Military Equipment Bureau, and Miscellaneous Manufacturing Offices.

In the southeast, literature flourished. Near the Dongzi Temple were the county schools and archery fields of Xianning and Chang'an.

To the northeast are the Qin Palace and the Shanchuan Sheji Altar.

In between, there are several princely palaces of the Qin clan in Yongshou, Yichuan, Yongxing, Heyang, Weiyang and Baoan, as well as a large number of houses of artisans, military personnel and civilians.

In addition, outside the east gate of the city, there is an expanded Dongguo New City across the moat. There are no government offices there. It is mainly the market and shops of Shilipu. There is only one official office for collecting commercial taxes.

But for Liu Shizi, that government office was basically useless.

After all, the taxes collected outside the East Gate in the past were from goods shipped west from Tongguan or from merchants from Shaanxi shipping east.

Now this banknote pass is useless.

Emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce is sometimes the cause, but Liu Shizi's Marshal's Office was more straightforward. The cause was that there was no one, the process was government-run monopoly, and the result was emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce.

The streets in Xi'an are very long, but Liu Chengzong enjoyed walking them very much.

Because the administrative buildings in this city are much more complete than the administrative departments of his Marshal's Office, and they can all be used.

As they walked, the Yu Lin Lang of the Marshal's Mansion took notes, and soon they were able to make a blueprint of the city.

Not long after, the group entered the Qin Palace.

Long before Liu Chengzong entered Xi'an Prefecture, he received a message from Ren Quaner, in which he took over the prefecture and sent troops to blockade the Qin Palace, waiting for him to return and enter the city.

However, before Liu Chengzong entered the city, he had already sent the Huben Camp into the Qin Palace to clean up the houses and property, and clear out the side halls.

The Tiger Guards worked efficiently. When Liu Chengzong entered the palace, they came forward to report: "General, the palace has been cleaned up."

Liu Chengzong nodded immediately, and went straight to the side hall with a group of officers to hold a military meeting.

The city of Xi'an was strange and new to him, but the palace city was not. He had already been to the Prince Su's Palace in Lanzhou, so there was nothing special about the Prince Qin's Palace, which was of the same standard.

It is also a double city with an outer wall and an inner palace wall. Entering from the Lingxing Gate on East Street, there are the Mountain and River Altar and the Sheji Altar to the west, and the Qin King’s Ancestral Temple to the east.

After the second wall is the Duanli Gate of the palace wall. In front of the gate stands a pair of bronze lions, which are extremely beautifully cast.

In the palace, there are bamboo forests and study halls in the east, and the West Garden in the west. Along the central axis of the front hall are the Chengyun Hall, the Royal Palace, the Round Hall, and the Cunxin Hall. The harem consists of two sleeping halls in front and back, as well as a large back garden. Generally speaking, these palace complexes and hundreds of side rooms can meet all of Liu Shizi's needs.

East side hall.

A map of the Marshal's Mansion was hung in the hall, and a long table was put together temporarily for the officers and soldiers of the Marshal's Mansion to sit on both sides.

Several maps of Xi'an were spread out on the long table, and Yulin Lang, who was holding a pen and grinding ink, walked among them, adding a few strokes to the city map from time to time according to orders.

"Six yamen were built on the east and west sides of Duanli Gate, and the northeast, southeast, and southwest triangles of the city were changed into three general yamen."

Liu Chengzong pointed his scabbard at the northeast corner of the city map: "Xi'an rear guard will be changed to the headquarters of the first field brigade, and will be stationed in a large camp."

Then he pointed to the southwest corner and said, "The Prince's Palace of Yichuan has been changed to the headquarters of the Second Field Brigade, with a permanent camp."

Finally, he pointed to Xi'an Zuowei in the southeast corner and said, "Change this to the Guannei General's Office and give it to Zhang Tianlin, who will also be stationed in a large camp."

Zhang Xianzhong stood up and said, "General, it is inconvenient to station these three camps in the city."

Liu Chengzong did not take it as an offense and nodded, saying, "I know. Let's follow this rule first. There is a training ground outside the city to the west, and not all of them will be stationed in the city."

He knew what Zhang Xianzhong meant. The Marshal's troops were training all day long, firing guns and cannons, and their cavalry and infantry were galloping. There was not enough room in the city for them to maneuver.

But he was really unwilling to set up a special force to defend the city of Xi'an.

Because the number of people who entered Xi'an with him was already more than 30,000, according to a little calculation.

This large camp has more than 15,000 people, but in addition to them, Liu Shizi also plans to station the Yulin and Huben camps outside the walls of the Qin Palace.

Not to mention that he had to move his family here, the academy, children's camp, and eight ordos in Hehuang had to be moved to Xi'an.

Adding the various administrative personnel in the Marshal's Office, 30,000 can only be said to be a conservative estimate.

Thinking of this, Liu Chengzong slowly shook his head, and then asked: "How are the arrangements for the people who are migrating out going?"

"Reply to the commander... uh, Marshal."

Ren Quaner stood up, clasped his fists, smiled awkwardly, and then said, "There are more than 50,000 starving people, surrendered soldiers, and clan members. This year, we will build a camp outside the city, and the food rations will be distributed to all counties in the prefecture."

"When spring comes, we will move to other places. The hungry people will move to the ownerless wasteland in the prefecture, and the surrendered soldiers will move mainly to Guyuan, Jingning, and Pingliang. The clan members will need grain from various places to feed them for another half a year."

As he spoke, Ren Quaner took out a letter from the table and said, "The old master has replied. This group of people will first move to Lanzhou and Hehuang area to learn a little, and then be sent to Gansu in the summer to support Tianshan."

To be honest, Liu Chengzong didn't want to support these clan members for even a single day.

But there is no way. The mountains and rivers are far away. At present, the Marshal's Office controls the territory. Apart from Xi'an Prefecture, only the Hehuang Valley, which has been operated for many years, can support the influx of population.

After he nodded, Ren Quaner added: "The brigade's lieutenant general Zhu Danyu is currently recruiting people from the surrendered soldiers and starving people to go to Tianshan."

Liu Shizi nodded heavily: "This is serious business. We need to let Jin Chanzi do a good job and make sure to choose the right person."

Although all people are transferred to Tianshan, different people have different uses.

Women from royal families go to Tianshan to live a good life.

Of course, this statement depends on the status of the Lady of the clan, and the days of those Lady Lords are certainly not what they used to be.

But this was already the most merciful approach for Liu Chengzong. At least following the Tianshan Army, his life would be much better than what was casually promised to the common people in the inland areas.

Liu Shizi also needs their lifestyle and knowledge as nobles to increase the influence of the Marshal's Office there.

If the Tianshan Army went over there, not only would they not be able to spread the king's rule, but they would be almost assimilated by the Oirats. This would be too embarrassing.

The bandits, robbers, brigands, gamblers, hooligans, prisoners and useless clan members were the men sent by Zhou Riqiang and Dai Daozi.

Throw away garbage.

Send these people over there, give them knives and guns. Siberia is a vast land with a lot to offer, so just go over there and try your luck.

Of course it would be better if you have the ability to survive, but if most of them die, it can be considered as getting rid of harm to the people.

As for Shatai's surrendered generals, soldiers and military households, they were the professional backbone for the development of the Northwest in Liu Chengzong's eyes.

Liu Chengzong has already thought about how to use this group of people.

Send the bad guys over first, organize a night expedition team, and scout the way ahead; behind them, Shatai's surrendered generals and troops will serve as the vanguard camp of the Tianshan Army to attack cities and capture strongholds.

After conquering the land, these military households occupied it, formed guards with the local people, strengthened military support, and spread agricultural technology.

Finally, the princesses went to the Tianshan Army and the military households of the garrisons to get married and have children, thus ensuring cultural advantages and bringing a little royal shock to the barbarians.

There are certainly pros and cons to doing this, but the disadvantages are negligible in Liu Chengzong's view, that is, the newborns are all the descendants of Emperor Taizu.

But it's a poor place, and without the logistical support of the Marshal's Office, we can't come back even if we want to.

The benefits are huge. The biggest advantage of women from royal families is that they are highly educated and literate.

A mother who is literate can ensure the education of her children.

After ten or twenty years, when these children grow up, they will be able to completely absorb the language, writing, and customs north of the Tianshan Mountains.

On this basis, it doesn’t matter whether they are in the same group with Zhongyuan at that time. Of course, it would be best if they could be in the same group, but it doesn’t matter if they are not.

Since we can't collect taxes anyway, it's enough for us to be able to trade and exchange what we have and support each other occasionally.

"In that case, there is no need to rush to send them there. Just wait for Zhou Riqiang to come back and let him take the person back personally. Before that."

Liu Chengzong looked at Ren Quaner and said, "Just follow my idea and settle Hehuang so that they can learn more about how to survive in the ice and snow."

After saying that, he turned around and looked at the map of the Marshal's Mansion hanging behind him.

Batur Hun Taiji, Liu Chengzu and Zhou Riqiang of the Tianshan Oirat.

Subadi, Gunbu and Shuolei from the northern part of the desert, and Yang Qi, Wang Chengen, He Huchen and Cantu from the southern part of the desert.

Guru, Baiyan and Lazun from U-Tsang; Liu Guoneng, Liu Jiusi and Muya from Corning.

After taking over Shaanxi, the Marshal's Office had the greatest prestige and power. It was a good time to summon all subordinates and allies to Xi'an to participate in the event.

Even if they are not allies, they can still send messages to call them together. As long as people come, they can establish an alliance.

Of course, powerful nations cannot have alliances.

Either they are not really strong, or they are not real allies.

The Marshal's Office is an unquestionably powerful force, and this alliance is naturally the latter, which is just a nice way of saying it is a vassal.

But... Liu Chengzong raised his hand and scratched his eyebrows in distress, pointing to the corner of the map: "Gather them and schedule them to come next summer?"

Isn’t this too fucking big?

good afternoon!