Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2629 The Poisonous Strategist Offers a Plan, on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace
Li Shimin was constantly monitoring the movements of the Jin army.

After the Qin government in Youzhou was defeated, hundreds of thousands of Jin troops remained in the north. Instead of withdrawing, they began to reorganize their forces.

This unusual sign immediately made Li Shimin's heart sink.

"Your Majesty, why not relocate all the people from the various prefectures of Youzhou to the rear? If we can get there before next spring, there will definitely be enough time!"

"At the same time, we should make good relations with the grasslands in advance, just in case!" Li Yishan offered his advice directly.

The current situation in the three northern provinces is insufficient to supply the grain and provisions for the hundreds of thousands of Jin troops.

In other words, if these troops stay for one more day, they will need to transport an extra day's worth of provisions from the Central Plains or Siyong.

When transporting grain over long distances, 70% of the grain is lost en route.

The Jin army, under such pressure, stationed its troops in the north. If they weren't being watched closely, then something fishy was going on!

Therefore, Li Yishan directly offered this plan.

"Li Yishan, winter is almost here!"

"You've come up with this plan, don't you think you'll be struck by lightning?" Li Guangbi glared fiercely at Li Yishan and shouted.

He sometimes wondered why these military men, who were used to seeing battles, would not do certain things, or even dare to think about them.

However, these seemingly weak and powerless scholars, who may never have killed anyone with their own hands, did things that disgusted, ruthless, and even chilled us to the bone.

Even under normal circumstances, one or two out of ten migrants might die. And this is under the condition of a slow, disciplined, and planned migration.

If someone like Li Yishan compresses the time into just a few months, three out of ten people are likely to die along the way.

Given that winter is approaching, it's questionable whether even half of the ten will survive.

Therefore, Li Yishan's seemingly casual remark represented a devastating loss of life.

Li Guangbi could figure out Li Yishan's ulterior motive, which was the same as the Manchu Qing's previous large-scale looting of the two prefectures north of Youzhou: to artificially create a false impression of peace.

When Li Yishan proposed this plan, he must have already prepared for the possibility of abandoning these counties as a last resort, using this method to extend the Jin army's supply line.

However, Li Guangbi still instinctively resisted this scheme.

This is not only because it concerns the people of several counties, but also because the plan was based on the premise that they could not defend these counties from the very beginning.

Before the fight even begins, you've already set this premise for yourself, which has already dampened your spirits by a third of it.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Yishan's plan is brilliant!"

At this moment, Li Longji cast his vote in favor.

The profession of strategist basically has no high moral standards.

However, the job of an emperor is simply a competition of who can lower their standards the most.

Whoever has the lower bottom line is the one who can thrive in this profession.

Clearly, Emperor Li Longji, as a famous emperor, had no bottom line in this regard.

"Moreover, in my humble opinion, it would be sufficient to relocate people under the age of forty!"

Li Longji not only cast his vote in favor, but also offered his supplementary opinions.

Those over forty were considered elderly in ancient times. To put it bluntly, these people were basically of no value in the eyes of the ruling class.

Only the strongest and most capable men can be incorporated into the military when needed, and can serve as a sufficient labor force.

As for women and children under the age of forty, they were also kept behind, naturally to strengthen control over these people. Children, in particular, represented the future.

Even on the grasslands, there is never any reason to abandon a child, let alone in the Central Plains.

At this moment, Li Shimin began to carefully consider the matter.

He was indeed somewhat tempted by the suggestion. However, given that it concerned the lives of countless people, it was impossible for him to make a decision in a short period of time.

…………

Luoyang, a thousand miles away.

Although it's only almost winter, the wind is already biting and the chill in the air is ever-present.

But at this very moment, the Bronze Sparrow Terrace was brightly lit, and Li Xiang was naturally enjoying the romance and beauty of nature.

Tongquetai, this palace originated from a temporary palace built during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han. However, it was renovated by Li Xiang this year, and not long ago, Li Xiang also changed its name.

On the vast high platform, a pool of spring flowers was steaming with wisps of heat, and their rich fragrance permeated the air.

This is a huge swimming pool, about twenty paces in diameter. Underneath the pool, palace servants are constantly heating it with charcoal to maintain the water's temperature.

Li Xiang swam freely in the pool, enjoying the comfort of the hot spring.

During the three years of the pandemic, Li Xiang was extremely worried and could hardly sleep well every day.

During the subsequent five-year recovery period, he was busy with political affairs every day for the first few years, and it was only in the latter part of the five-year recovery period that he was finally able to have some leisure time occasionally.

Now that the great battle in the north has ended, it doesn't mean that the Jin army's chariot can stop.

However, this at least means that he has wiped out all the warlords in the Central Plains, and Li Xiang can finally stop and relax for a while.

Isn't one of the purposes of being an emperor to enjoy life?

I've fought wars for most of my life, what's wrong with enjoying myself once in a while?
After swimming back and forth, Li Xiang lay back on the rest area by the pool, enjoying the fruit served by the palace maids.

Just then, he heard the sound of women laughing. Li Xiang looked up and saw a group of beauties chatting and laughing as they entered the main hall and arrived at the poolside.

These are some of the contestants from this year's talent show, as well as some of the spoils from the Northern Battle, which Li Xiang added to the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

People like Ni Chang, Lin Wan'er, Ye Ling'er, Liu Ying, and Zhang Chunhua were the descendants of prisoners of war in this battle.

Among them, the older ones were Liu Ying and Zhang Chunhua, who were already in their thirties. Apart from some being given as rewards, such as Qin Yanzhi from the Qin clan, who was given to Li Mu by Li Xiang.

The rest were casually sent to Tongquetai by Li Xiang.

As one of the two main generals in the Northern War, Xue Rengui had already taken a Su Daji for himself, so Li Xiang simply arranged one for Li Mu as well, which was fair.

Although Li Xiang had never met Su Daji, Qin Yanzhi was likely far less beautiful than Su Daji. However, Qin Yanzhi was, after all, nearly ten years younger than Su Daji.

Although they were all secondhand, people in this era didn't care about such things. Even the emperor didn't pay attention to them, let alone his subjects.

In fact, Sima Yi in this life never went to the Central Plains, so naturally his life was completely different from Zhang Chunhua's.

Zhang Chunhua became the second wife of Liu Rengui, a general of the Han Dynasty. After Liu Rengui's death, she naturally could no longer control her own life.

Of course, there are also people like Qin Banruo, whom Li Xiang doesn't think much of, and it wouldn't be appropriate to bestow the reward upon her, since she's too old, already nearing forty.

Therefore, Li Xiang sent him away to guard Qin Zheng's tomb.

Li Xiang showed basic respect to most of the opponents who fell along the way, as if it were a final act of courtesy.