Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 557: Feudal System and Land Enclosure
On a relatively high mound.

Two hundred Tianping Army knights and less than ten Flying Tiger Army armored cavalry gathered together, surrounding Liu Huai and Shi Baiju.

The two men looked at the people fleeing at the foot of the hill and were speechless for a long time.

During this time, young and strong men kept walking out of the crowd and kneeling down to pay their respects to the hill from a distance.

Shi Baiju knew that this was not a worship of him, because his flag had now been lowered, and on the hill, there was only the flying tiger flag with wings growing from its ribs.

"Tell me, how did they know this Flying Tiger flag was mine?" After Liu Huai finished asking, he realized he had asked the wrong question. He lowered his head and thought for a moment before asking a more crucial question: "Tell me, how did they know I would save them?"

The answer is obvious.

Naturally, it was because the Tianping soldiers who had followed Liu Huai in battle trusted him and believed that he would accept these refugees. They also believed that he was capable of providing them with food and treating them fairly.

However, this obvious answer made Shi Baiju even more silent.

Because this answer naturally leads to another question.

"Why would these brave soldiers, who have proven their strength and loyalty on the battlefield, leave the Tianping Army and come to join me?"

Liu Huai's voice was a little cold and hard. He turned to look at Shi Baiju and said, "Xin Qiji, Jia Rui, and Li Tieqiang haven't been heard from since they left. Not even a letter has arrived. Yelu Xingge contacted me once, but there's been no further news either. Tell me the truth, have they all been executed by Chief Geng?"

Liu Huai has been inspecting the local areas these days, not only inspecting the growth of crops and water conservancy in various places, but also solving the problems of civil administration, salt fields, iron factories and the resettlement of officers and soldiers in the garrisons.

In Wei Sheng's words, this means cultivating internal strength first and then attacking external enemies.

Therefore, Liu Huai had never sent anyone to carefully investigate the situation of the Tianping Army. It was not until this time that he discovered that the situation seemed to be a little wrong.

Shi Baiju shook his head and said, "You are joking, Mr. Dalang. How could anything happen to them? If these people were killed, the Tianping Army would fall apart."

Liu Huai nodded. "Then why didn't Xin Wulang try to stop this situation? Could it be that he has lost his courage now?"

At that time, Baiju was silent.

Liu Huai frowned, turned around, and his expression became even colder: "At this point, do you still want to hide something?"

Shi Baiju shuddered and bowed again, "Sir, it's not that I want to hide anything, but there are so many complicated things going on that I don't know where to begin."

"Then just say them one by one, one by one."

"Yes." Shi Baiju organized his words: "Let's start with Brother Xin Wu."

"I believe that with Lord Dalang's intelligence, he should be able to figure out why Jiedu Geng sent Xin Wulang to serve under Lord Dalang and to accompany him south." Shi Baiju didn't keep him in suspense. "There was nothing we could do about it. The Tianping Army at the time was truly in disarray, with each commander acting on their own. Lord Dalang Geng couldn't hold his own, which ultimately led to the disastrous defeat at Mengshan."

"This was all personally participated in by the eldest son, and he also instigated what happened later, so there's no need to elaborate. Afterwards, with the support and acquiescence of us, Geng Jiedu began to centralize power. And the Fifth Brother Xin, who had the greatest achievements, had to temporarily leave the scene to avoid the limelight."

"Get to the point." Liu Huai waved his hand impatiently.

"Yes," Shi Baiju continued, "Originally, everything was going according to plan. After Jiedu Geng completely wiped out the Jin army in Dongping Prefecture, his prestige was already well-established, and he wasn't afraid of anyone anymore. But Fifth Brother Xin had accomplished such a great feat in Chao County, becoming famous throughout the country. He even returned with 7,000 elite soldiers."

"Lord, the Tianping Army currently only has a little over ten thousand men who can truly be called elite soldiers." Shi Baiju's tone became unusually sincere. "Brother Xin Wu has brought so many men with him. What do you think Jiedu Geng should do?"

Liu Huai wanted to say that if the situation were reversed, he would just be frank and take back the military power, and temporarily place Xin Qiji in the position of civil affairs until these troops were settled in various places and completely absorbed, and then let Xin Qiji continue to command the army.

There is a more direct way, which is to exchange the elite troops under his own command with Xin Qiji, forming a de facto rotation mechanism for the main generals in the war zone. How could there be a risk of warlordization?

But Liu Huai also knew that this was a certainty he could only have when he looked back from the perspective of a modern person.

He knew that Xin Qiji was a war advocate who had experienced the test of history, a scholar-official with a noble character, and a general loyal to Geng Jing.

He also knew that the economic base determines the superstructure, and that once the economic problems of ordinary soldiers were solved and they had normal organizational methods, it would be difficult for them to become warlords.

For example, Shandong East Road is now carrying out the military system reform of the Wei Suo. Many families of Wucheng Army soldiers have been settled on the vast Jiaolai Plain. The military records of these people are kept in the Marshal's Office, the arable land of their families is allocated by the Marshal's Office, and the oxen are allocated by local officials. The generals of the Wei Suo are responsible for reading orders and collecting taxes.

Moreover, only the Marshal's Office and the Jiedushi Mansion had the power and channels to gather them together. Huyan Nanxian only had the power to command troops in battle. If he wanted to gather troops privately, he would have to send trusted people to notify each village and town one by one, and he would not be able to hide it from anyone.

Although Geng Jing also took over the military power, he only registered the military roster at most. In essence, it was still the organizational form of a large army with small military leaders, and no institutionalized military system was formed.

"Fifth Brother Xin and the others knew this was a taboo, but they didn't want to embarrass Jiedu Geng. Therefore, they've been staying at home for the past few months, refusing even ordinary banquets or letters." Shi Baiju recounted the news he knew, sighing at the end, "This is really putting Fifth Brother in a difficult position."

Liu Huai nodded, feeling strange in his heart.

Geng Jing seemed like a very decent person back then, but now it seems that he is a bit lenient on the outside but cautious on the inside.

It is not known whether it is power that alienates people or power that stimulates their nature.

"As for Yelu Xingge, although his life was not easy, he was still helped by Geng Jiedu a few months ago."

At that time, Baiju and Yelu Xingge disliked each other and had some hatred. At this time, they seemed to be gloating when talking about it.
"On top of the original quota, Jiedu Geng gave him a lot of food and even returned a batch of war horses. It was a bargain for him."

Liu Huai thought that his letter had worked, but after just nodding twice, he felt that things might not be that simple.

War horses were strategic materials these days and everyone was in short supply. Even if Geng Jing was persuaded by his letter, at most he would give the Khitan tribe more food. How could he possibly return the war horses that he had exchanged for oxen?
unless……

"Xiao Xiao, tell me the truth. Is Jiedu Geng planning to send troops after the autumn harvest?" Liu Huai folded his arms and asked seriously, "Attacking Jinan or Damingfu?"

Warfare and hunting have something in common, and only when you are about to hunt will you want to arm your hounds.

Shi Baiju's face changed, but he immediately sighed: "I can't hide it from Dalangjun, that's right, and the current situation is exactly caused by the upcoming battle."

As he spoke, Baiju pointed down the hill, where the official road still streamed with refugees. "Lord, it's truly bold of you to allocate 7,000 soldiers to the Tianping Army. Furthermore, the actual gold and silver rewards are also substantial, without any skimping. No one can complain. But the key is that these 7,000 soldiers are so elite, it's truly a dilemma."

"If it were just ordinary troops, we could withdraw some to the local areas and select a few elite soldiers, and the matter would be resolved. If the troops were small, only two thousand, then it would indeed be a small matter, and they could be distributed among the generals as personal guards, which would be considered beneficial to both the generals and the subordinates. But it has to be seven thousand... seven thousand people."

As he spoke, Shi Baiju shook his head repeatedly.

"So, Jiedu Geng devised a plan. He wanted to gain prestige by fighting the Jin bandits and keep this army firmly under his control." Liu Huai's face was as gloomy as water, and he said coldly, "Or perhaps, if he had a darker intention, I could say he wanted to waste these 7,000 troops on the battlefield. Is that true or not?"

Shi Baiju shuddered again. "Lord, I can guarantee that Jiedu Geng would never have such thoughts. These are troubled times. How could he disdain the elite soldiers under his command?"

Liu Huai nodded: "Go on."

Shi Baiju wiped the sweat from his forehead. "But there's a problem with sending troops: money and food are insufficient. Furthermore, those officials who support Geng Jiedu must be appeased with benefits. So, Mr. Kong proposed a solution." "Classify some of the people as tenants and annex their land as rewards for the generals, so they can contribute to the battle."

Hearing this, Liu Huai's eyes narrowed, and he slowly turned his head to look at Shi Baiju: "And then Jiedu Geng agreed?"

"Geng Jiedu initially disagreed, but eventually relented, saying he could allow the people to surrender voluntarily." Shi Baiju's voice trailed off, "Then..."

Liu Huai sighed deeply: "Then things got out of control, right?"

Shi Baiju was also silent for a moment before he bowed again and said, "No one is wiser than you, Lord."

Things have always been like this. If you dig a hole above, you can dig a river below.

It is said that it is a voluntary contribution, but even in later generations, there are too many things that are voluntary, let alone now?

The county magistrate has taken a fancy to your land. If you don't offer it, do you believe that horses of unknown origin will trample on your fields? Do you believe that thugs will come to cause trouble? Do you believe that masked thieves will break the legs of your strong laborers?

Faced with these precarious situations, ordinary farmers have very few options.

This opening soon turned into a carnival for local tyrants to plunder land and population.

It was not just the local tyrants who participated in this carnival. The generals of the Tianping Army also quickly joined in and transformed themselves into big landlords.

Moreover, the timing was too clever. It happened to be the harvest season for grains and beans. The crops that farmers had been busy working on for months could be directly stored in the government warehouses and the cellars of the rich, but these farmers got nothing.

Isn't Geng Jing afraid of rebellion by doing this?
Not afraid.

Because he used the interests of these people to feed his own base.

Geng Jing's base can help him suppress the rest.

To describe this scene in a very academic way, it is feudalization.

The system of enfeoffment and establishment at every level is feudalism.

Geng Jing's tactics are common in the history of ancient and modern times, both in China and abroad. The most typical example is the Qing army's act of grabbing land in northern Zhili after entering the pass.

Although this resulted in horrific consequences, it also allowed the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty to gain a firm foothold in the interior. Ordinary soldiers were transformed into small landlords in the interior, and naturally they would fight for a good life.

According to Gu Cheng's "History of the Southern Ming Dynasty", the reason why Li Zicheng, the King of Rebellion, could not defend Beijing was because he was too soft-hearted and did not quickly plunder the land and population to complete the feudalization, which caused his own camp to become alienated.

In the feudal era, such things happening can only be said to be in line with the historical trend, and for the rulers, the benefits are enormous.

The shogunate gave privileges to the samurai. In modern times, the shogunate surrendered, but the northeastern feudal lords continued to fight with the new government. The Tokugawa family finally got four dukedoms and continued to serve as officials in peace.

After William the Conqueror conquered England, he established the feudal system in England by dividing the land. In order to protect their own aristocratic rights, the British nobles continued to support William's descendants and make them the new kings.

During the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang made his base of centurions and thousand-household officials so strong that no one dared to complain even when he raised his butcher knife and slaughtered countless heads of the literati and officials. Even more than a hundred years after the founding of the country, there were still military generals and civil officials like Qi Jiguang and Sun Chuanting, who came from hereditary centurions, who stepped forward and sacrificed their lives for the country.

Even Liu Huai, didn't he give many economic and political benefits to his base through the distribution of land and the establishment of military garrisons, allowing them to become small landlords and live a good life?
It's just that the means are milder, the purpose is clearer, and the people in various places are not harmed.

In just a few breaths, Liu Huai had explained Geng Jing's behavior clearly through the knowledge of later generations, but it did not prevent him from becoming furious.

"Go back and tell Geng Jiedu that he is undermining his own foundation. If he doesn't stop, defeat will be imminent!"

After Liu Huai finished speaking in a cold voice, he lowered his head and thought for a moment.

Do I have to fight Geng Jing to the death right now?

Regardless of the autumn harvest or the Jin Dynasty, let’s first discuss who is superior among our rebel army?
After suppressing his anger, Liu Huaifu said to Shi Baiju, "Also, Xiaoshi, I personally ask you to tell that Mr. Kong..."

Shi Baiju quickly said, "Kong Duanqi..."

"Tell Kong Duanqi." Liu Huai's expression was stern. "I am very angry about this matter. I will definitely punish him. As for how to punish him, it depends on how he makes amends."

Shi Baiju was stunned for a moment before nodding: "Master Dalang thinks long-term, I can't compare to him."

Although the fire was started by Geng Jing and Kong Duanqi, it was obviously completely out of control by this time.

Just as the outcome of the war was decided by the commanders and captains after the melee began, the outcome of Dongping Prefecture and Yanzhou is now decided by the local tyrants and middle and low-level military leaders.

The current situation is no longer something that can be stopped by Geng Jing simply shouting "stop".

Because the local residents have a hundred ways to coerce ordinary people, and the Tianping Army's supervisory methods are almost powerless to deal with this.

Liu Huai’s meaning was very simple. I am very angry and I will definitely bring up old scores. If you continue to be rampant, when I use a knife to punish you, don’t cry out for injustice.

This kind of threat is very simple, and whether it works or not depends on whether the person being threatened is afraid.

But in Shandong, who isn’t afraid of Liu Dalang?
If you are not afraid, then fine, why don’t you go and capture the Jin emperor too?
With this threat, the lives of the people in Yanzhou, Dongping Prefecture and Tai'an Prefecture might become much better.

"Lord Dutong, if that's the case, I'll take my leave."

Seeing that the topic was over, Shi Baiju wanted to bow and leave, but Liu Huai raised his hand to stop him: "Wait, left and right, strip him of his armor."

As he spoke, Liu Huai took the whip from the side of the war horse's saddle.

Seeing that the Flying Tigers were really about to strip off their commander's armor, Shi Baiju's personal guards were instantly anxious. They forced themselves to suppress their fear and were about to step forward to stop them, but Shi Baiju scolded them: "Back off! What do you know? This is the eldest son being nice to me!"

As he spoke, Shi Baiju took off his armor, revealing his white tendon muscles. He turned around and showed his back to Liu Huai.

Liu Huai naturally didn't hold back. He swung the whip and whipped the man hard twenty times.

Shi Baiju's fair back instantly became red, swollen and bleeding, but he just gritted his teeth and said nothing, letting big beads of sweat fall from his forehead.

"Let's go." Liu Huai put away the whip: "You'll take care of yourself from now on."

"Thank you, young master." Shi Baiju put on his clothes with a grin, then hurriedly jumped on his horse and left with his personal guards without looking back.

(End of this chapter)