Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 538: Xiang Army
Zhao Zhen naturally knew that in the main world, people still used rush mats, but few wore straw sandals. Compared with the main world, his fantasy world was different. Most of the ordinary villagers wore straw sandals.

The next day, Lu Zhuocheng delivered the rhizomes of cattails as agreed. I don't know how many people Lu Zhuocheng hired to go into the water, but the bundles of broadleaf cattail rhizomes weighed roughly 5,000 kilograms.

When Zhang Jun arrived with the lion-headed goose, Zhao Zhen asked Ji Xuan to pay the money and hurriedly thanked Lu Zhuocheng. Zhao Zhen took the lion-headed goose, broad-leaved cattail, and the spiritual materials purchased by Ji Xuan and returned to the fantasy world.

Eight hundred lion-headed geese suddenly found themselves in an unfamiliar environment, and they kept cawing. In Zhao Zhen's residence in Linqu City, there was a commotion, and many of the female riders who were guarding the place, as well as Yu Baosi's men, were beaten.

Fortunately, Zhao Zhen had practiced [Tame Birds] before, and after a long time, he slowly drove these lion-headed geese out of the city. He temporarily found two farmers in Linqu City who had raised geese, and let them graze outside the city. He also arranged a group of soldiers to look after them.

As for the rhizomes of Typha latifolia, Wu Yong came up with an idea after asking clearly. He asked the soldiers to set out from Linqu, either by boat or by truck, and to scatter them along the banks of major rivers in the territory, such as the Mi River, Wenshui River, Yishui River, Weishui River, Gushui River, Jishui River, Sishui River, and the Yellow River.

The official spread the word along the way and found broad-leaved cattails for the people. When the cattails grew up, he did not stop the people from picking them, thus benefiting the people.

Unexpectedly, when the broadleaf cattails grew up in the summer, the people harvested them and wove them into mats and straw sandals. They found that compared with ordinary cattails, they were not only strong, but also much easier to weave because of their wide leaves. The people called this broadleaf cattail "Mengchang Cattail". The people's morale was greatly improved.

After Zhao Zhen returned to Linqu City, he settled the lion-headed goose and called Wu Yong, Zhu Wu and Liu Hui Niang. The four of them sat together in the pavilion in the back garden and asked someone to lay out vegetables, fruits, and wine.

Zhao Zhen spoke first, "Student, have you had any idea about where the generals on the road should go these days?"

Wu Yong heard this and said, "Sir, I have discussed this with Brother Zhu Wu, and I feel it is very difficult."

"You tell me now, it doesn't have to be decided today." Zhao Zhen said.

Wu Yong heard this and asked, "Sir, do you also want to set up a wing guard?"

Seeing Zhao Zhen nod, Wu Yong continued, "In this case, the local county governors can only mobilize the garrison troops. The troops incorporated into the imperial guards can only be mobilized by order of the prime minister. The difficulty for my brother Zhu Wu and I is not other things, but that there are too many heroes who are good at fighting under the prime minister's command, and we don't know how to arrange them."

Zhao Zhen laughed and said, "If it weren't for the bravery of my brothers, how could I have risen from a village official to a lord in charge of an entire region?"

Zhu Wu said: "If it weren't for my husband's painstaking efforts to recruit us, I'm afraid most of us would still be wandering in the green forest now."

After that, Wu Yong continued, "According to the regulations, in addition to the imperial guards and the garrison troops, there are also local soldiers, foreign soldiers, native troops and archers. The only foreign soldiers that can be counted are the Hui people led by Harlansheng in Qingzhou..."

"No, classifying Harlansheng's troops as foreign troops is not conducive to unity. Select the best and strongest soldiers from his troops and organize them into a royal guard. The rest will be sent back to their hometowns to serve as local soldiers or archers. They will not be prohibited from enlisting as government servants or local soldiers, or from studying for the imperial examinations. They will be treated the same as ordinary farmers. Zhengyi Village and Three Villages will also be dispersed to different places."

Zhu Wu heard this and said, "I'm afraid Harlansheng and the other two are unwilling. Moreover, I heard that the customs of these Hui people are very different from ours. If they are scattered everywhere, there may be many conflicts, and a good thing may turn into a bad thing. Sir, you are worried that they may not be able to integrate into Liangshan, so you can't act too hastily."

"It would be better to let Haransheng, Sha Zhiren and Mian Yixin lead a group each, with one group staying in their hometown and the other two groups dispersed. They can all be settled in Yizhou and Mizhou. The three Hui groups can also be divided into several villages for settlement. Those who are good at farming can build villages in fertile fields, and those who are good at shepherding can be settled at the foot of the mountain." "Brother Zhu Wu is right, but I thought it was too simple." Zhao Zhen said as he motioned Wu Yong to continue.

"Since there are no foreign soldiers, the local militia, native troops, and archers can be determined based on the needs of each place. There is no need to rush to decide. Let's talk about the garrison first." Wu Yong said.

"The wing troops are called standing troops, but they are actually miscellaneous soldiers in various prefectures. Their main tasks are to build cities, make weapons, build roads and bridges, transport grain and reclaim wasteland, and serve as guards and escorts for officials. They generally do not train or fight. For example, the court has set up road-building troops, river-building troops, bridge-road troops, and bridge-ge troops, which are used to build roads and bridges and lay plank roads. Ninghuai troops and river defense troops manage rivers. The infantry troops deliver official documents and letters. The shipyard troops, shipping troops, shipbuilding troops, and shipyard ironwork troops build all kinds of ships. There are also special loading and unloading troops, water transport troops, and craftsmen troops in the city of Bianjing. Other prefectures also have wing troops such as kiln troops, mining troops, garrison troops, and water mill troops, which are responsible for firing kilns, planting fields, and grinding wheat."

"Except for Liangshan Prefecture, the rest of the local garrison troops have been disbanded. After the prefectures and counties report, they will be established as appropriate. The largest unit now is Liangshan Prefecture's [Repair Camp], which has 3,500 craftsmen and laborers of various kinds. Now it can be promoted to an army. The [Repair Camp] is responsible for building post roads, adding houses, and tidying up city walls and official residences. It was originally managed by Xiao Tongpan, but now it is supervised by Liangshan County Magistrate Wang Gongren. It is better to appoint one person to lead the [Repair Camp]. After discussing it, we recommend two people for you to choose. One is the [Nine-tailed Turtle] Tao Zongwang brothers, and the other is Miss Jin's father, Mr. Jin."

Zhao Zhen heard this and said, "I'm afraid these two people are not suitable. Tao Zongwang only wants to fight in the battlefield. Now he is very successful in the [Golden Spear Capital]. If he is allowed to take over the [Repair Army], it may hurt his ambition. As for Cui Lian's father..."

Liu Hui Niang said, "Sir, although Sister Cui Lian's father was born a musician, he has traveled a lot and has seen the world. He is also good at managing accounts. Maybe you can give it a try. Besides, the construction work in Liangshan Prefecture is almost done. From now on, the [Repair Army] must be divided into five battalions and go to various prefectures to lead the labor and build roads. Each battalion also needs to promote a capable general to cooperate with the prefecture chief."

Zhao Zhen listened, and after a moment's silence, he said, "Even so, I am a little worried about letting my father-in-law take the position alone. So, let Xu He's Erlang, Xu Weisheng, who has a rich family background in learning, be made the Du Yuhou to assist."

After deciding on the [Repair Army], Wu Yong continued, "The second largest wing army is the 3,000 troops under Li Zhong and Zhou Tong stationed in Linqu City. These troops are all government troops from Qingzhou and Weizhou. They first surrendered to the Qingzhou bandits and were later captured by you in Laiwu Prison. They also helped in the attack on Linqu a few days ago. However, these soldiers are not well trained and their equipment is not sophisticated. They also have no skills. Let's discuss and select the 1,000 most elite soldiers to join the Imperial Army, and send the rest back to their hometowns. What do you think, sir?"

"Yes, that's right. If it weren't for Li Zhong and Zhou Tong, these captured soldiers would have been sent to the mines to do hard labor. Now that they have returned home, they can restore the population." Zhao Zhen said.

"The other is the [Heqing Army] commanded by [Lively Flashing Woman] Wang Dingliu and [Thin Eel] Dong Er. They are responsible for digging harbors, repairing waterways, and opening rivers. This army currently has only 800 people. We think it will be expanded to 2,500. Not to mention Liangshan Water Margin, the rivers in other prefectures also need to be repaired."

After listening to this, Zhao Zhen nodded again.

"The rest of the wing troops are scattered, and the military equipment supervisors and gatekeepers are in two cities, supervised by Hou Jian, Yang Tengjiao, Bai Waerhan, and Tu Long. Cao Zheng's [Skinning Office], Meng Kang's [Shipyard Camp], Jin Dajian's [Printing Workshop], Zhu Fu's [Wine and Vinegar Workshop], and Zheng Tianshou's [Back Garden Workshop] each have wing troops and gatekeepers, responsible for the entrance control of each workshop. The Xiaopingshan Horse Farm where Duan Jingzhu and Huangfu Duan are located also has wing troops raising horses. The wing troops in these places must also be reorganized and trained."

"We think that the [Shipyard Camp] should be renamed the [Ship Service Army], which will have 2,000 shipbuilders of various types, 500 soldiers to guard the wood and iron warehouses, and the dock gate. Meng Kang and Ye Chun will still be the commanders and the Du Yuhou."

"The craftsmen in the [Skinning House], [Printing House], [Wine and Vinegar Workshop], and [Back Garden Workshop] are also organized into the wing army. These places are now in the South City. In addition, 500 guards are recruited and supervised by Cao Zheng, Jin Dajian, Zhu Fu, and Zheng Tianshou."

"As for the Xiaopingshan Horse Farm, the same is true. The herdsmen who train and breed horses are also organized into a wing army, the [Qi Ji Camp]. Together with the two wing army battalions guarding the horse farm, they are all supervised by Duan Jingzhu and Huangfu Duan."

"Not counting the garrison troops that will be reported by the counties and prefectures in the future, plus the craftsmen, there will be more than 10,000 garrison troops in Liangshan Prefecture alone." Zhao Zhen said after pondering for a moment.

(End of this chapter)