Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 137: Plunder
The biggest bottleneck of Lanling is its population. Although there are more than 10,000 people in the eight buildings, after deducting the elderly, women and children, less than half of them are young and strong.

In this era, land is not a problem; the problem is the lack of population.

Qingzhou, north of Lanling, was occupied by Piluhun. The political situation was relatively stable and the people's hearts were firm. Even Murong Chui was a little afraid of him. If Liu Daogui wanted to develop, he could only target Zhai Wei.

Fortunately, the eight buildings are a combination of farming, warfare and animal husbandry. Everyone is trained in battle formations, and men, women, young and old can all go into battle. Together with slaves, they can form an "army" of ten thousand people.

After the spring plowing was over, Liu Daogui built cavalry while waiting for the battle in the north.

However, Murong Chui was like a skilled and experienced hunter, keeping his troops in Liyang.

Zhai Wei gathered a large number of troops and stationed them south of the Yellow River to set up a defense line.

The Yellow River was flowing abundantly at this time of year, almost like a natural barrier, and it was difficult for the Xianbei cavalry to cross the river, so the two sides were in a stalemate.

"I don't care what methods you use. There is only one goal, to come back alive, and then the property, livestock and slaves," Liu Daogui looked at the 472 cavalrymen in front of him.

These people were the best selected from the soldiers, most of them were from Yanzhou and Yuzhou. They were cavalry when they were on horseback and infantry when they were dismounted.

Each person had two horses, carrying ten days' worth of food, mostly salt, millet, and beans, which could be eaten by both humans and horses. In addition, there were five pounds of salted fish, which, in special circumstances, would be eaten raw by cutting it with a small knife.

A long spear, a ring-handled sword, a bow and crossbow, and bamboo armor. A few elite soldiers are equipped with iron armor.

The 472 cavalrymen were divided into four groups, with Liu Guangzhi, Mao Dezuzu, Wang Yuande and Wang Zhongde as generals, and Xu Changming, Gou Zhong, Yin Shan and other trusted subordinates as deputies.

Liu Zun and Liu Heibi were impulsive. They would become jealous and lose their temper easily when they met the enemy. No matter how many enemies there were, they would rush forward roaring and shouting. With only two thousand people, they dared to clamor to capture Yanzhou.

Liu Daogui did not dare to let them lead the troops alone, so he kept the two of them by his side.

A cavalry was created in this way.

There is no time to train them. We follow the previous principles, fight to support war, and learn war in war.

They don't seek to capture cities and plunder, but only focus on plundering, preserving themselves, and accumulating experience.

Now it is the end of March, and there is grass to replenish, so the war horses' food consumption is not that great.

As for where they want to go, that is their own business. As long as they don't go south and harm the people of Huainan, it's fine.

"Don't worry, soldiers, we will definitely return safely!" Mao Dezuo was extremely excited. For these northerners, they could finally return to their homeland.

"Go." Liu Daogui pointed to the north, his blood boiling in his heart.

This was also considered to be the fulfillment of the promise. A small Northern Expedition was launched.

Four hundred and seventy-two riders, more than nine hundred war horses, rushed north like wild geese, then split into four groups, heading in four directions...

Although spring plowing is over, it is still busy.

For rice, there must always be water in the fields. Too much water will lead to more pests and diseases, and the rice seedlings will suffocate in the water. Too little water will cause the rice seedlings to wither and die.

Farmers have to stay in the fields all the time, applying fertilizer, removing insects, and driving away birds and beasts.

Farming is not an easy job. Plowing is just the beginning. If you want to harvest, you need to put in more effort.

However, the eight buildings have already formed a scale and system. Farming is one of the innate talents of the Chinese people. They are diligent and pay more attention to the crops in the fields than Liu Daogui.

There are various kinds of labor during the day, and patrols at night to drive away wild animals.

Mount Nichu was basically under complete control. Zhao Yuan built five pastures and raised a large number of pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese. Chicken eggs and duck eggs were also good things.

Without meat, the food consumption was too high. The soldiers' physical fitness couldn't keep up, and many children were still growing. Li Damu's fleet could catch two to three thousand kilograms of seafood every month. With larger ships, the fish caught were also larger than before, often weighing hundreds of kilograms.

Other ingredients such as kelp, hair algae, and seaweed are also becoming more and more common.

These sea "vegetables" can be preserved after being dried and can be eaten by just soaking in boiling water, which is very convenient.

"The boat is still too small and cannot withstand the wind and waves, so we dare not sail far. If the tower ship was still there at that time, I would dare to go to Japan and Baekje to do some business with no capital." Li Damu still misses the tower ship.

After drifting on the sea for a long time, people's mental outlook has also changed. Their eyes are sharp and they look like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, ready to fight for their lives at any time.

Liu Daogui smiled and said, "Don't worry, there will be some in the future. This time we asked you to come back to expand our navy. From now on, you will be the leader of the navy."

We will be staying in the Jianghuai area for a long time in the future. We need cavalry and navy. The scale does not have to be large, but we must have them.

Li Damu was delighted. "That's great. To be honest, I also feel that I'm short of manpower."

"Go to Langya County and select the men yourself. First, get some people together. For now, use small boats to fish near the coast. You can slowly add larger boats later."

They are called navy, but they are actually fishermen.

However, all things in the world are connected. Farming and warfare can be integrated, and fishing, hunting and war also have many similarities.

People who work all year round have good physical fitness and combat skills.

The Qin army cultivated land while annexing the six kingdoms and unified China, while the Han army cultivated land all the way into the Hehuang Western Region.

Most of the time, nomadic peoples are beaten by agricultural and pastoral peoples.

"Leader... sounds like... a bandit leader." Li Damu complained.

"Just make do with it for now. Don't you see I'm just a soldier?" Liu Daogui was also full of resentment. With the territory and strength he controlled now, he was no less than a prefect of a county.

But there is no way these days, the upward channels are almost blocked.

The noble families took turns to be in charge, and it was difficult for the common people to get ahead.

However, Liu Daogui felt that this situation would soon be broken. The infighting among the noble families became more and more intense, and the Wang family of Langya was the first to draw their swords.

If there is a first such thing, there will be a second one.

Moreover, the conflict between Wang Gong and Sima Daozi was only temporarily resolved and was not fundamentally solved.

According to the tradition of the Jin Dynasty, one person from each side must fall.

To a certain extent, this was also because the Jin Dynasty could not expand and could only engage in involution. The essence of involution is to compete with each other for living space, and the same was true for the aristocratic families.

Previously, Wang Dao, Huan Wen, and Xie An had maneuvered around and implemented land reform. After Xie An, there was no one among the aristocrats who could step up and stabilize the situation, and even their ambitions were lost...

On the other hand, in the north, after rounds of fighting, those who survived were all heroes.

Leaving aside the Murong and Yao families, Tuoba Gui of the Wei State in Daibei implemented strict internal reforms and transformed himself from a tribal leader to a monarch. In just five or six years, he annexed the Dugu, Helan, Tiele and other grassland tribes, unified the south of the desert, and defeated the Rouran and Gaoche.

Even the forces in the Helong area such as Li Hong, Qifu Guoren, Tufa Litan, and Juqu Mengxun were quite powerful and had made their own achievements.

In essence, the South is not much different from the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Two hundred years have passed, and the substance remains the same.

(End of this chapter)