Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 87: Disunity
"Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding..."

At the beginning of the third hour on February 14, before leaving Shandan, Zhang Huaishen, accompanied by Liu Jilong, came to the craftsman workshop in Shandan.

The sound of blacksmithing was heard constantly in the workshop. It might be very noisy to others, but it was very pleasant to the two of them.

Technology is productivity, and in today's era, metallurgical technology is undoubtedly one of the most important technologies.

More than a hundred years ago, Li Bai wrote the poem "The furnace fire illuminates the sky and the earth, red stars are mixed with purple smoke" in Qiupu, where metallurgy was developed in the Tang Dynasty. Although Shandan is far inferior to Qiupu today, its scale is not small either.

Although Liu Jilong did not understand metallurgy, through brainstorming and his observations, he eventually transformed Shandan's earthen blast furnace and blower.

As a result of the transformation, the craftsman's workshop, which originally produced 20,000 kilograms of iron per month, now produces 35,000 kilograms per month.

The craftsman's workshop, which once covered an area of two acres, has been expanded and now covers an area of twelve acres. The number of craftsmen has also increased from more than thirty to eighty-four today.

"Your workshop is almost catching up with the workshop in Zhangye."

Looking at the busy scene in front of him, Zhang Huaishen was very satisfied, and Liu Jilong also asked curiously:

"Zhangye has a large population, so it shouldn't be difficult to recruit a few hundred craftsmen..."

"Hmm?" Zhang Huaishen glanced at him, with a hint of helplessness in his tone.

"Zhangye's iron depends entirely on your supply. If the iron material is insufficient, it will be useless even if we have more craftsmen."

"This time, you didn't catch some foreigners to work as miners. I feel a little regretful."

Seeing him say that, Liu Jilong quickly explained: "The 6,000 Han people in Shanzhou might arrive at any time. I was worried that Ganzhou might not have enough food, so I didn't capture the foreigners as slaves."

"Besides, there are quite a few people rescued this time. I plan to return the elderly, the weak, the women and the children to the farming industry, and the able-bodied men to mining and armor making."

"When Shandan harvests in autumn and the warehouses are full of grain, it won't be too late to capture captives and slaves and start mining."

Liu Jilong was reluctant to kill those foreigners, but the problem of food was before him.

If this problem is not solved, he would rather spend money to feed the Han people than to feed the foreigners.

If there are too many foreigners, there will be chaos, but if there are more Han people, it will only make Shandan more stable.

"I know." Zhang Huaishen expressed his understanding. At the same time, he looked at the armor-making craftsman and raised his chin to ask:
"You have more than sixty armor-making craftsmen. I'm afraid you can make six hundred armors a year."

"Although Zhangye took 80,000 to 90,000 kilograms of iron from you, most of it was used to make farm tools, and only a small amount was used to make armor."

"Dunhuang has increased the number of troops in Ganzhou to 25 regiments. Zhangye has already started recruiting and training soldiers, but there are still more than 1,200 people without armor."

"In addition, Suzhou, Guazhou, Shazhou, and Yizhou also have more than 3,000 soldiers without armor, and nearly 30,000 civilians who have not yet used iron farm tools."

"Before the autumn harvest this year, I hope you can recruit some foreigners to work as miners and increase the output of iron materials."

"If we can equip our nearly 5,000 light soldiers with armor sooner, we can recapture Liangzhou sooner."

Zhang Huaishen recounted the difficulties of Hexi, and Liu Jilong felt ashamed after listening.

He was sure that Shandan in history could not produce as much iron as it does today, but even so, it would take at least two years of high-load operation to meet Zhang Huaishen's needs for iron.

If it were the previous efficiency, it would take at least three or four years.

If you think about it this way, improving productivity is far more important than conquering cities and territories.

Historically, it took Zhang Yichao and Zhang Huaishen seven years to accumulate enough wealth for the Eastern Expedition. Now, with the Hexi plow, water-powered wheelbarrow and improved blast furnace, they have shortened the time from seven years to two years.

At this rate, they should be able to launch an eastern expedition in two years.

If there are more soldiers and armor than in history, the speed of recovery will be faster.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong only hated himself for not studying hard in school in his previous life.

"You only regret not having enough knowledge when you need it..."

While sighing, Liu Jilong also made a promise to Zhang Huaishen: "Don't worry, Governor. I will manage Shandan well."

"Yeah." Zhang Huaishen nodded, and then continued to visit the workshop with Liu Jilong. Finally, he walked out of the workshop and headed towards the west gate.

He had a lot of things to do in Zhangye and couldn't stay in Shandan for too long.

The purpose of this trip to Shandan has been achieved, and it is time to return to Zhangye.

Without much conversation, as the two men walked out of the west gate, Zhang Huaishen left Shandan City with more than a hundred elite cavalrymen and more than two hundred civilian laborers who were herding the herds.

Looking at his receding back, even though 10,000 sheep were taken away, Liu Jilong still had a smile on his face.

"If you take away my 10,000 sheep, you must at least give me 100,000 shi of rice..."

He was thinking in his heart, not knowing whether Zhang Huaishen would turn back and whip him if he knew his thoughts.

Ten thousand sheep are not worth one hundred thousand shi of rice, let alone in Hexi, even in Jiangnan. This guy really dares to think so.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong also brought Cui Shu and others back to the city.

Shandan's development was on the right track, and more than a thousand rescued people were assigned new jobs after Liu Jilong's arrangement.

The old, the weak, women and children trained the captured oxen and horses, and drove them to use Hexi plows to reclaim wasteland.

Able-bodied men were commissioned to mine iron ore, which more than tripled the output of iron ore.

Time passed, and when March arrived, more than 4,000 soldiers and civilians in Shandan began the massive spring plowing work.

However, shortly after the spring plowing began, Shang Bibi took the initiative to find Liu Jilong.

"Huh...huh..."

"Eat slowly, eat slowly."

In the pergola in the field, Liu Jilong, dressed in cloth, spoke to comfort her, while the one eating heartily in front of him was Shang Bibi's eldest son Shang Moyan.

Although Shang Moyan was ten years older than Liu Jilong, he was too well protected by Shang Bibi, so he was not as reliable as Zhang Chang, Liu Jilong's subordinate, in doing things.

After escaping, Shang Bibi realized that she could not simply protect her two children, so she often asked Shang Moyan to act as a messenger between the Shanzhou Army and the Shandan Army.

“This stir-fry is so delicious!”

Shang Moyan was holding a bowl as big as a human face, which contained wild vegetables and wild bird meat fried in soybean oil.

Although it doesn't sound very good, after being fried in an iron pan, it tastes better than most dishes of this era.

Shang Moyan had been eating roasted and stewed lamb in the camp for most of the past six months. Naturally, he became addicted to the sudden taste of stir-fried dishes.

"Okay, okay, I'll have someone send you an iron pot later."

Liu Jilong looked at him with disdain, not understanding how Shang Bibi raised this boy to be like this.

"Thank you Guo Yi..."

Shang Moyan ate while expressing his gratitude. Liu Jilong watched him finish his lunch and then pushed a bowl of tea to him.

"Tell me, why did your father ask you to come here?"

"My father..." Shang Moyan picked up the tea and drank it in one gulp without saying a word. Afterwards, he clicked his tongue a few times, as if he was savoring the taste.

He burped before he slowly said, "My father said that the ancient road in Qilian Mountain will be accessible in half a month, so I would like to ask you, Guo Yi, to lead the elite cavalry to Shancheng with him."

"If possible, my father would like to escort 10,000 dan of grain to Shancheng first."

After Shang Moyan said this, he touched his belly, and Liu Jilong understood Shang Bibi's thoughts after a moment.

After all, Shang Bibi abandoned Tuoba Huaiguang and Shanzhou in order to escape.

Although Shanzhou was defended afterwards, it was all thanks to Tuoba Huaiguang.

Although Tuoba Huaiguang openly welcomes Shang Bibi to return and take charge of the situation, Shang Bibi has no idea of Tuoba Huaiguang's strength.

That's why he wanted to bring himself along to show his strength.

If he could lead the soldiers to help him, he would be able to hold his position better.

After thinking it through, Liu Jilong looked at the wilderness in front of him.

In the wilderness, nearly a thousand people were driving oxen and draft horses to pull the Hexi plow, constantly turning over the wasteland.

Many of the plains near Shandan City are alluvial plains formed by the erosion of the Dan River.

This kind of plain doesn't have too many rocks, so it's not slow to clear the land.

However, the oxen and draft horses, which had just been captured more than half a month ago, had not yet been trained to be obedient, and from time to time the oxen and draft horses would go on strike and go crazy.

In response, patrolling soldiers would use lassoes to lasso the mad oxen and draft horses until they were exhausted and then release them. After repeating this several times, some oxen and draft horses became obedient.

According to the current progress, Shandan can reclaim at least 10,000 to 20,000 acres of new land each year.

Although the grain yield of the new land is low, it will naturally increase after two or three years of cultivation.

This is the current speed when Shandan has only more than 3,000 people. If the 6,000 people from Shanzhou can be brought over, the speed and area of land reclamation will double or triple.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong turned to look at Shang Moyan and said, "Go back and tell the governor that after the spring plowing, I will personally lead 500 elite cavalry to escort him back."

"But we need horses to open up wasteland here, so I asked him to transfer light soldiers and horses to serve as laborers to pull horses and food."

"Okay!" Shang Moyan nodded repeatedly. Seeing this, Liu Jilong ordered a soldier to get an iron pot.

Soon, an iron pot with a diameter of two feet was brought. Shang Moling happily tied the iron pot to his guards and set off on the return journey with them.

Seeing his happy look, Liu Jilong felt quite happy.

Only the two brothers Shang Moyan were mediocre enough, so he could benefit the most by supporting Shang Bibi.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong stood up and walked towards the fields, joining the team in the land reclamation.

However, when he led the Shandan army and civilians to work hard for development, a new round of crisis broke out in the Helong area due to drought.

The people in the thirteen states of Helong and Hehuang had already been displaced because of the war between Shang Bibi and Lun Kongre. In addition, Lun Kongre's massacre after his unsuccessful attack on Shancheng caused a large number of tribes to feel insecure and scramble to flee the Helong area.

Although Lun Kongre had a large number of troops, as the looted herds were exhausted, the morale of the generals in each state was in turmoil, and the country was only one step away from collapse.

A month ago, Lun Kongre made a bold statement that he would go to Chang'an to borrow 500,000 troops from the Tang Dynasty.

The generals did not think that he could borrow troops and horses. What they wanted was that Lun Kongre could ask the Tang Dynasty to do business with them and exchange cattle, sheep and horses for food to resolve the disaster.

But the fact is that apart from fighting, the heat-phobic people can do nothing else.

He postponed the trip to Chang'an from February to March. As April was approaching, the generals from various states who were entrenched in Hezhou and waiting for Lun Kongre's response could no longer sit still.

On this day, they gathered again in the Hezhou Jiedu Yamen, waiting for Lun Kongre to give them a reasonable reply.

Among all the generals, Shang Yanxin, with the strength of more than 4,000 elite cavalry, sat in the first seat on the left, and the other generals from various states took seats in other positions.

Although they sat down, everyone was restless and looked towards the corridor from time to time, waiting for Lun Kongre to appear.

Among them, Shang Yanxin belongs to the more urgent group.

He looked towards the corridor almost every few breaths, and the reason he was so anxious was mainly because Hezhou was his territory.

During these days, troops from various states gathered in Hezhou, and they basically relied on him to allocate food to ensure the supply of food and fodder.

However, with the spring plowing season approaching, there is no rain, and other rivers except the Yellow River have either dried up or reduced their flow, which is not enough to irrigate the farmland.

If this continues, he will be defeated before all the other states are defeated.

"Shang Yanxin, do you think Dalun will not want to go?"

Sitting next to Shang Yanxin were Qiliben from Linzhou and Weizhou.

The two are not as strong as Shang Yanxin, but they also have one or two thousand armored soldiers to support them.

Before this meeting, the two found Shang Yanxin, and with Shang Yanxin as the leader, they prepared to confront Lun Kongre.

If Lun Kongre was unwilling to go to Chang'an, then they should unite and find their own way out.

There were many generals who thought like them, so this meeting was of vital importance.

"Wait a minute."

Shang Yanxin was still a little afraid of Lun Kongre's strength, so he waited patiently.

About half an hour passed, and when they were about to lose their patience, Lun Kongre's figure finally appeared.

Compared to half a month ago, he now looks much more energetic.

He sat in the main seat with his arms and legs spread out, then glanced at everyone.

Under his gaze, the crowd, who were originally a little impatient, gradually calmed down.

Lun Kongre's brutality had long been deeply rooted in people's minds. In addition, his own army had thousands of armored soldiers and tens of thousands of light soldiers, so no one dared to show up.

"Humph!"

He snorted coldly, and everyone looked a little embarrassed.

"I know you can't wait, but don't worry, I have already contacted the Tang officials in Qinzhou, and they will be coming to Chang'an soon."

When he said this, his eyes revealed a fierce look: "This time when I come to the court, I will ask the Tang Dynasty for 500,000 troops to kill Zan Xinya, Shang Moling and these lowly slaves, and ask the Tang Dynasty to confer me the title of Zamp, and set the capital in Weizhou... Who dares not to obey?!"

After these words were spoken, Weizhou Qiliben's face suddenly turned ugly, and Shang Yanxin signaled him with his eyes not to act rashly.

Seeing this, Qiliben of Weizhou smiled and bowed, saying, "If that's the case, then it looks like I have to rush back to Weizhou to build a palace for you, the Zamp!"

"Humph!" Lun Kongre did not respond, but looked at Shang Yanxin:
"Shang Yanxin, I heard that Zan Xinya is going back to Shanzhou?"

"Yes, Zanpu." Shang Yanxin said humbly:
"He has formed an alliance with the Han slaves in Hexi and is preparing to return to Shanzhou to continue to oppose us."

"But once you, the Zanpu, invite the Tang army, Zan Xinya's death will come!"

Shang Yanxin said this, and Lun Kongre felt very comfortable.

"Well... I will be entering Chang'an in May. You guys should prepare well."

After he finished speaking, he stood up and walked towards the inner hall of the yamen, and it seemed that he was not going to greet everyone.

Upon seeing this, everyone left the yamen with grim expressions, and the beggars of Linzhou, Weizhou and other places followed Shang Yanxin back to their residences.

In the courtyard, the three met in the main hall. Among them, Weizhou Qiliben had an ugly expression on his face: "Why does he think I will give Weizhou to him!"

“No hurry…” Shang Yanxin took a deep breath, thinking of the scene where Lun Kongre used a spear to kill a baby and waved it, and said calmly:
"I want to see if he can really go to Chang'an to invite 500,000 Tang troops. If not..."

Shang Yanxin narrowed his eyes, then looked at the two beggars from Linzhou and Weizhou: "When the time comes, please help me expel this guy."

"Of course!" The two nodded in assurance, and Shang Yanxin felt relieved seeing this.

He was not worried that the two would stab him in the back. After all, the people of the entire Helong region were in panic. Once Lun Kongre could not get support from Chang'an, the Qiliben states that supported him would abandon him and look for a new way to make a living.

"By the way, is Shang Bibi really going back to Shanzhou?"

Qiliben from Linzhou couldn't help but ask Shang Yanxin, who nodded and said, "Didn't you notice that Mangluo didn't come today?"

The Mangluo that Shang Yan was referring to was Qiliben from Guzhou, and he did not show up in the yamen today.

Upon hearing this, the two beggars looked at each other and realized that what Shang Yanxin said was true.

"Humph..." Shang Yanxin snorted coldly: "There is not much arable land in Guzhou, and the people mainly rely on livestock to feed themselves."

"From the beginning of summer last year to now, it has rained only a few times in Guzhou. I'm afraid the livestock and food have been eaten up by now."

"If Lun Kongre can't provide food, then Mangluo will naturally not continue to follow him."

"Shang Bibi wants to return to Shanzhou, but Shancheng was defended by Tuoba Huaiguang, and Tuoba Huaiguang is not willing to give up Shanzhou so easily."

"During the time Manglao was in Hezhou, Tuoba Huaiguang had been trying to persuade his followers to surrender. If he doesn't go back, Guzhou might even be ruled by Tuoba..."

Shang Bibi explained the reason why Mang Luo was in a hurry to go back, and Linzhou Qiliben also nodded and said:

"This Tuoba Huaiguang is exactly the same as Shang Bibi. I heard that he has been sending people to lobby the generals of the cities in Hehuang these days. Not only did he recover Huangshui, he also captured Longzhi."

"Don't worry about them!" Weizhou Qiliben waved his hand and said, "I only care about whether Lun Kongre can borrow enough food from the Tang Dynasty."

"If we can't borrow it, then we'll go rob it ourselves!"

"Yes!" Linzhou Qiliben also agreed, and the two of them looked at Shang Yanxin.

Shang Yanxin nodded and said, "That's good. Let the Tang Dynasty see our strength first, and then sell us for a good price."

"It's settled!" The three of them nodded, raised the wine bowls on the table and drank them all in one gulp.

While the three were planning to betray Lun Kongre, the other states' Qiliben were also thinking about how to break away from Lun Kongre.

Compared to them, Liu Jilong and Shang Bibi set out on the road to Shanzhou...

(End of this chapter)