Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Chapter 643: Seeking a great cause and farming in Sichuan

Qianqiuping, Hongya County, Jiading Prefecture, Sichuan, is a highland with quite a reputation in history. In 221 AD, the Tsing Yi Qiang commander Yong Kai and the Shu Prime Minister Zhuge Liang "negotiated peace" here, "turned conflicts into jade and silk", "forged swords into plowshares", and stopped the war. It was known in history as "the guest served Yong Kai".

According to Sun Kewang's order, Qi Sansheng, the general of the left conquest, reached a peace agreement with Larmu, the commander-in-chief of the Kangrong Guard Army, and then the general's palace was located here. He is discerning! Although this place is narrow and blocked by water on three sides, it only connects Li and Ya to the southwest. It can be called a natural city, which is easy to defend but difficult to attack militarily. There are also good stories about the peace talks between Zhuge Liang and Yong Kai, which can convey to the people the determination of the Ming Dynasty to turn conflicts into friendship and resume production; Economically, because Yang Zhan, a general of the Ming Dynasty, once farmed here, the agricultural foundation is good. With a little effort, grain production can be self-sufficient.

Food is extremely rare in Sichuan, which has been devastated by war. You must know that at this time, the fertile plains of Chengdu were deserted after repeated wars, and social production almost completely stopped; the Chongqing area was also similar; Baoning in northern Sichuan, southern Sichuan, and eastern Sichuan formed a vast no-man's land. Zhuang Yinghui, the political envoy to the left of Sichuan in the Qing Dynasty, wrote in his memorial: "The total amount of money and grain levied in Qiechuanbei is only more than 5,150 taels per year, and the salaries of civil servants total more than 8,000 taels per year. The amount of the entitlement is not enough to cover the annual salary of each official, so the food and salary of the officers and soldiers depend entirely on Shaanxi's transportation." Because of the difficulty in food and salary, after Wu Sangui defeated Liu Wenxiu, he left Li Guohan in northern Sichuan and the main force returned to Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province to get food. Although Jiading Prefecture is dilapidated, it is still somewhat inhabited and can barely produce some food.

Food and wages, food and wages, unless the problem of food and wages is solved, we will not be able to gain a foothold in Sichuan. Qi Sansheng, the left general of the Ming Dynasty, built a barracks here and contacted "there are officials and gentlemen in Sichuan" in an effort to establish the prestige of the Ming Dynasty among the remaining people in Sichuan. At the same time, he ordered people to explore the terrain and prepare military camps to reduce the burden on the people.

"Alas!" Qi Sansheng, who had just completed the peace negotiation with Weiguo, suddenly sighed.

"Doubt it? The commander-in-chief has successfully negotiated peace with the Wei State. The Ming-Wei Alliance is fighting against the Qing invaders. This is a good opportunity for Dapeng to spread its wings and develop Sichuan. Why are you sighing?" The speaker was in his thirties, wearing a green shirt and looking rich. Shen Junlang is Ouyang Zhi, the chief of the Ritual System Department of the Ming Dynasty Ministry of Rites and Liu Wenxiu's adviser.

Most of the troops entering Sichuan this time were the old troops of Liu Wenxiu, King of Funan of the Great Western Army. Although Liu Wenxiu was in Kunming, he could not let go of this army and wanted to manage Sichuan as his own base. He ordered Ouyang Zhishi to go to Sichuan and bring a message to Qi Sansheng, "The Holy Emperor ordered you to go on a special expedition to cut the Tongshu soil as the fundamental land. You should manage your life well and leave it as a way to separate the land and water routes in the future, restore Shaanxi and Henan, and make some plans." The cornerstone of the Central Plains." Big men have big visions, and King Funan, who lives in Kunming, has seen Sichuan's strategic position. General Qi Sansheng's residence was located here, partly because of Ouyang Zhi's influence.

"Alas! Mr. Ouyang doesn't know something. When I was negotiating with Weiguo, those Westerners were arrogant and unreasonable. They may be a trouble to China in the future. That's why I'm worried!" Qi Sansheng sighed.

Ouyang Zhi nodded solemnly, "What you are worried about is what I am worried about. That's why King Funan ordered us to farm in Sichuan and develop production as the foundation for restoring Shaanxi and Henan and defining the Central Plains in the future. We only need a good number of operations. Years later, when Sichuan recovers its vitality, it will not be difficult to use the wealth of the Land of Abundance to resist the Qing Dynasty and restore China!"

"To be honest, sir, it's okay for me to lead troops in war, but I really don't know how to go about farming." Qi Sansheng scratched his head and cheeks, looking as honest as a farm boy back then.

"Haha, don't worry, Commander, I have already made a plan for Commander." Ouyang Zhi stroked his beard coolly, with only a feather fan in his hand, and slowly said, "First of all, you have to choose the address of the farm, I have ordered Shen Xunwei, a famous scholar in Shu, led people to survey areas suitable for farming and draw maps. Secondly, we need enough troops to ensure local stability. We have soldiers. If the population is insufficient, we can let sergeants take turns to farm. Thirdly, we need to invest a lot of food, seeds, and cultivated land first. Cattle and farm tools are the foundation of farming. Without these materials, it is like drawing cakes to satisfy hunger. Therefore, your top priority is to go to the country's leader and allocate supplies from Yunnan and Guizhou to support your farming and raising troops." Qi Sansheng pondered for a long time, "We are all old members of King Funan. I'm afraid the king may not support us."

Ouyang Zhi laughed and said, "You underestimate the courage of the king. This person is also a hero and will definitely agree."

The big man has great courage. Like Liu Wenxiu, Sun Kewang also saw the importance of Sichuan and wanted to use Sichuan as a strategic base to attack Baoning (Langzhong) from the north and join the Kuidong Thirteen in the east to attack Hubei. Is Sichuan's army Liu Wenxiu's old army? so what? Just find a way to divide and disintegrate them and seize their military power.

Sun Kewang regarded the farmland as a great opportunity for him to infiltrate his power into Sichuan, and he made it happen with a stroke of his pen. At the same time, he also ordered Qi Sansheng: The location of the farm should not be too far away from Yunnan, so as to avoid the Qing army from attacking and being unable to rescue; it is better to choose an area with less damage and basically able to raise food on the spot to reduce the burden on the court; Only when we have established a foothold and have no worries, can we gradually advance towards Chengdu and Chongqing.

After reading the emperor's approval, even though they belonged to different factions, Qi Sansheng, Ouyang Zhi and others admired Sun Kewang's talent.

A large amount of grain, seeds, cattle, and agricultural tools were transported from Yunnan and Guizhou. Of course, as a hero, Sun Kewang would never just send supplies. He also sent a group of prefects, tongzhi, prefecture and county magistrates to serve in Sichuan, euphemistically called to help Sichuan farmland.

"Commander, the students visited Jiading, Chengdu, Mahu, Meizhou, Qiongzhou and other places, and found that the best place for farming is Chengdu. The soil near Chengdu is fertile. By reclaiming wasteland and farming, one can be self-sufficient in one year and grow in two years. If you are ready to feed Shu soldiers with Shu grain, why worry about Sichuan uncertainty? Next are Jiajiang, Emei, Jianwei, Hongya and Rong counties in Jiading. In the past, Yang Zhan once farmed in these five counties, which is also a land of plenty; thirdly, Sichuan Xingdusi's Jianchang, Huichuan and other places also have a large number of wasteland suitable for farming; for the rest, Chongqing, Tongchuan and other places are too close to the Qing army, and Mahu, Wumeng, Zhenxiong, Wusa and other places have too many chieftains. Although there are wasteland, Reclamation is not easy." Shen Xunwei, a famous scholar in Sichuan, pointed at the map and talked eloquently. Famous people are also human beings, and they also have selfish motives. He is from Huayang County, Chengdu Prefecture. His father was the magistrate of Huayang County, so he naturally made Chengdu the first choice for farming.

Qi Sansheng was not stupid. He immediately understood what he was thinking and said with a smile: "The king of the country has decreed that the land for farming should be close to Yunnan. Chengdu is still far away from Yunnan. I see that the land for farming is in Jiading and Sichuan." Weiningbo Gao Chengen and Luo Xiong, the commander of the capital, were stationed in Jianchang and Huichuan of Sichuan Xingdu Division; general Di Sanpin of the post-rescue campaign was stationed in Rong County, Jiading Prefecture, and Yang Wei, the commander-in-chief of Pinglu Camp, was stationed in Jiajiang and the commander-in-chief of Huaiyuan Camp. Soldier He Tianyun is stationed in Emei, and the general in charge of the Chongqing army, Zheng Shoubao, is stationed in Qianwei. As for Hongya's farm, I will do it myself."

(End of this chapter)