The Emperor is Above

Chapter 230: Changes in the Osawanomin

"A large-scale exodus of the barbarians from the Jiming Lake?"

Taishu Bingxin and Liangqiu Juzhong were shocked. This was really unexpected.

Bai Ze was more anxious than the other two. As the captain of the rear camp of the middle division, in addition to the 3,600 middle division soldiers under his command, he also had to take on the responsibility of commanding 50,000 national militiamen.

Although Xing Boyun was the general of the 200,000 troops mobilized by the Marquis of Xing, the eldest son of the Marquis of Xing did not have the ability to lead a large army and could only serve as a general in name only.

The attacking armies were each led by four captains of the Central Division and the City Guard. Bai Ze was the actual commander of this 50,000-strong army.

He was so anxious that his eyes were blazing with anger. "The people from all tribes in Jiming Lake fled at the same time, so they must have been connected to each other. When did we find out that the people started to flee? Where did they flee to?"

The leading Eagle Guard said solemnly: "Captain Bai Ze, the actions of the various tribes of the Jiming Lake people were very sudden. There was no sign before, and no connection between them was found.

However, after nightfall last night, the various tribes of people within the thousand-mile-wide marsh suddenly moved together, scrambling to rush out of the Jiming Marsh and flee in three directions: south, east, and north. A rough estimate is that there were at least 200,000 people."

Having said this, the Flying Eagle Guard hesitated for a moment, and under the urging of Taishu Bingxin, Liangqiu Juzhong, and Bai Ze, he continued:

"According to the plan, the two captains Yu Beihai and Mu Cangwu occupied several important places such as Longju Mountain, Black Eagle Ridge, Dashaba, Huludao, etc. yesterday, blocking the 20,000 to 30,000 wild people who were fleeing north.

Bai Ze Du Lieutenant, your army was too slow along the way, and there were no soldiers to stop the several key locations you were responsible for occupying, resulting in 50,000 to 60,000 barbarians fleeing from here to the east of the great lake."

"What the hell -"

Bai Ze's face suddenly turned dark. He didn't expect that the biggest responsibility lay with him.

What annoyed him even more was that Xing Boyun was the one who took the blame. If it weren't for the interference of the eldest son of Xing Hou, the army would have marched straight from Luqiu into the depths of the swamp and would have reached the designated location long ago, and such a big omission would not have occurred.

Taishu Bingxin certainly understood Bai Ze's difficulties. He said with a gloomy face, "Even if the army didn't arrive in time, the two captains Yu Beihai and Mu Cangwu were assisted by the two black armor cavalry commanders Xing Shuming and Huan Taiyu. Didn't they immediately send troops to pursue them?"

The Flying Eagle Guard felt the rage of the three men and lowered his head cautiously and said, “Just as Commander Taishu said, the two captains Yu Beihai and Mu Cangwu discussed with the two commanders of the Black Armor Cavalry and divided their forces to urgently pursue the fleeing Daze people.

But even with the addition of the southern city guards led by Captain Qiu Yuan, as of this morning, they have only caught up with and captured less than 50,000 wild people, most of whom were the elderly, the weak and the sick who were deliberately abandoned. The remaining 130,000 to 140,000 wild people have all fled into the surrounding wilderness, ponds and swamps. "

"Thirteen or forty thousand wild people escaped?"

Liangqiu Juzhong asked sternly, "Hasn't your Excellency already mobilized the nobles and officials around Jiming Lake to lead private troops to intercept and prevent the wild people in the lake from escaping?

Moreover, there are the city guards of Hengshui City, Huangchi City, and Gaoyang City, with a total of more than 5,000 troops. Even if the number of the Daze barbarians is too large to be stopped, they only need to intercept them for an hour or two, and more than 100,000 barbarians will not escape, right? "

The Eagle Guard replied in a low voice: "Commander Liang Qiu may not know that the escape of the Daze people was planned and assisted by the Black Wind Tribe and the Cat Ghost Cult.

The Black Wind Tribe even sent out two priests as guardians, leading dozens of high-level totem warriors to participate. In addition, there was also a cat ghost god priest leading the cat ghost god servants to launch sneak attacks everywhere.

The city guards of the three cities who set up an ambush to the east of Jiming Lake, as well as the 30,000 private armies of various nobles and ministers, suffered heavy losses in their sneak attacks and violent assaults.

Even the two city lieutenants of Hengshui City and Huangchi City were killed by the Black Wind Tribe, the city lieutenant of Gaoyang City was seriously injured, and the three city guards lost more than 30% of their troops. "

Hearing this, Bai Ze, Tai Shu Bing Xin, and Liang Qiu Ju Zhong gritted their teeth and said angrily, "It's the Black Wind Tribe and the Cat Ghost Sect again. After suffering such a disastrous defeat, they still refuse to give up and stir up trouble everywhere."

Qing Yi, who had been listening attentively, laughed and said, "The Black Wind Tribe's high priest is indeed worthy of his reputation. He just suffered a great loss and now he wants to regain his face. The wild people of Jiming Lake were also amused. They were bribed by the Black Wind Tribe and the Cat Ghost Cult with a little inducement, and the 200,000 young and strong main force became the scapegoats of the Black Wind Tribe.

Even if these 200,000 young and strong men were annihilated and the high priest's strategy completely failed, the Black Wind Tribe could also accept a large number of wild people and increase the population of the Black Wind Tribe by more than 100,000. "

Taishu Bingxin said with a depressed look on his face: "Sergeant Guqiu Yi, the Black Wind Tribe and the Cat Ghost Cult spent so much effort to make the barbarians of Jiming Lake flee, they must have gone to join the Black Wind Tribe.

Although most of the 130,000 to 140,000 people who escaped were women, children, and teenagers, with less than 30,000 young and strong people among them, this made it more suitable for the Black Wind Tribe to integrate them.

Besides, a teenager can grow up in a few years, and women are a valuable resource for the barbarians to increase their population. The Black Wind Tribe has a population of nearly 500,000, and they have a blood feud with the Xing Kingdom. How can you laugh?"

A population of 500,000 may not seem like a lot, but some of the small countries and vassal states in the Great Shen Dynasty now have a population of only a few hundred thousand. Even the State of Xing, the second most powerful country in the Northern Wilderness, has only eight million people.

"Commander Taishu, there is no need to be angry. The large-scale escape of the people from the Jiming Lake is not entirely a bad thing." Qing Yi analyzed with a smile.
“It is true that the army’s slow progress caused 130,000 to 140,000 barbarians to flee, which increased the population of the Black Wind Tribe by a large amount, making it more difficult to wipe out in the future.

But on the other hand, the wild people of Jiming Daze, a century-old cancer in the capital area, were completely eliminated without any effort.

From now on, the capital will no longer have any internal or external troubles, and can safely dredge the river, build water conservancy projects, and reclaim the wilderness. Grain production can be increased by at least ten times."

"Very good, very good, Sergeant Guqiu Yi said it well!"

Liang Qiu Juzhong nodded excitedly and agreed, "The 500-li area around the capital is one of the few fertile lands in the country, but unfortunately, due to various factors, it is impossible to cultivate it.

Now that there are no more looting and harassment from the wild people in the Jiming Lake, all we need is a little water conservancy work, and with the many farm tools invented by the senior officials, the capital area will surely become a major granary in the future.

Especially the wasteland around Jiming Lake, you see, this land is so fertile, once it is cultivated, it will be as rich as the land of fish and rice in the Central Plains!"

"It would be great if it were so. At least the soldiers wouldn't have to worry about going hungry in future battles!" Bai Ze was not in a very good mood. After all, he would definitely be punished for the escape of the wild people. However, Qing Yi's description still made him full of hope for the future.

Qing Yi smiled and denied it, saying, "I'm afraid that the Jiming Lake cannot be reclaimed, otherwise the millions of animals that gather here every year will go crazy. If tens of thousands of giant rhinos, saber-toothed elephants, blue rhinos, and woolly rhinos go crazy, I'm afraid no one can stop them.

The monarch should not only not allow the people to reclaim the Jiming Lake, but it would be best if he also designated a boundary to protect the lake and allow the nobles, ministers, and people to hunt according to the "Law of Hunting".

Taishu Bingxin interrupted, "Sir Guqiu Yi, what you said makes sense, but if we don't relocate the people to cultivate the Jiming Lake, I'm afraid it won't take many years for the wilderness to be inhabited by people again, and in a few decades it will inevitably become a major threat to the capital."

"Haha, Commander Taishu, even if we don't cultivate the land, we can still get rid of the barbarians." Qing Yi said confidently.

"The Jiming Lake is a thousand miles wide, but it can only support more than 400,000 wild people. This means that there are not many places suitable for survival, and the population it can accommodate is limited. We only need to seize this part of the living space, and the wild people will never be able to enter it again.

First, they chose strategic locations and important transportation routes to station troops in the vast swamp, and then they exiled prisoners and their families to choose various places to settle and cultivate the land.

It can provide nearby food and vegetables for the garrison troops, and it can also occupy the living space of the wild people. However, there are many beasts and fierce birds in the swamp, so whether to do so is up to the king. "

"Oh, it's hard to decide!"

Taishu Bingxin, Liangqiu Juzhong and Bai Ze sighed in unison and looked back at the unconscious Xing Boyun. It seemed that the army had to return before it even set out to attack.

(End of this chapter)