Tiger Owl

Chapter 245 Bu Zhi's Report on His Duties
Bu Zhi led his army back in triumph, and Gan Ning organized the people outside the city to sing and dance to welcome the army back from the south.

Bu Zhi also relinquished his military power and resigned from his temporary post, continuing to serve as Sima.

Inside the council hall, Gan Ning convened an emergency military and political meeting, where Bu Zhi gave a report on the Battle of Jiaozhou.

Gan Ning and the seven members of the council all participated in the report, and even Xu Shu, who had just returned from Queyue City an hour earlier, participated.

Bu Zhi gave Gan Ning and the others a general account of the Battle of Jiaozhou. He had written a detailed report on the battle beforehand, which everyone had read, so the details could be summarized. The focus was on reporting the post-battle arrangements.

"May I ask, Commander Bu, is there any news about Shi Xie and his family?" Lu Su asked.

This is a question that everyone is concerned about. The Shi Xie family has too much influence in the three counties of Jiaozhi. They actually escaped, which makes everyone very worried. Will Shi Xie make a comeback?

Bu Zhi bowed slightly and said, "I have roughly grasped the whereabouts of the Shi Xie family. When our garrison was seizing ships in Jiaozhi County, they found that three large ships were missing. After investigation and questioning, it was confirmed that about a hundred members of the Shi Xie family boarded the ships in the middle of the night, and the three large ships headed east."

Gan Ning nodded and said, "Therefore, Bu Sima's speculation in the report that the Shi Xie family fled to Lin Yi Kingdom is not accurate."

Bu Zhi nodded, "Indeed, it's inaccurate. My guess was wrong!"

Gan Ning pondered for a moment and then asked, "Then where would the Shi Xie family have fled to?"

Jiang Wan smiled and said, "I believe that Shi Xie's family fled to Ye City to join Cao Cao. He knows that with their family alone, they cannot possibly rise again in Jiaozhi County. They will definitely seek help, so they can only join Cao Cao. Their only value is that they have a great influence in Jiaozhi or Jiaozhou. Cao Cao will keep them and use Shi Xie to stabilize Jiaozhou after his army recovers it."

Jiang Wan's analysis made a lot of sense, and everyone agreed. Gan Ning thought for a moment and asked Bu Zhi, "To put it another way, if Shi Xie were still hiding in Jiaozhi County, could he make a comeback?"

Bu Zhi smiled and shook his head. "The possibility is slim. We should thank Shi Xie for doing a lot for us. In order to recruit an army, Shi Xie confiscated all the weapons and armor of the civilians. The condition for my release of prisoners of war was the confiscation of all weapons and armor. So the civilians in Jiaozhi County have no weapons at all. If Shi Xie wants to make a comeback, he can only fight against us with bamboo swords and rattan armor. There is no chance for him to make a comeback."

Bu Zhi's explanation relieved everyone. Lu Su then asked, "What should be done with the surrendered troops from Jiaozhou?"

"All the surrendered soldiers from Jiaozhi County have remained in Jiaozhi County, but the generals at all levels are all our people. There are a total of 6,000 soldiers. In addition, for the more than 30,000 surrendered soldiers from Jiaozhou, I will implement a three-thirds system: release 30% of the old and weak soldiers to go home, leave 30% (10,000 surrendered soldiers) to Zhang Xi to garrison Cangwu County, and take the other 30% (10,000 elite soldiers) back to Chaisang."

Jiang Wan then asked, "May I ask, Commander Bu, have all the scholars who were stranded in Jiaozhou returned?"

"Most of them are willing to come back, and there are also some talented people who have become accustomed to Jiaozhou. I hereby appoint them as officials in Jiaozhou."

Gan Ning nodded and said to Jiang Wan, "When we retreat from Jiangbei, there are a lot of officials who need to be resettled. We should try our best to make proper arrangements for them, especially in terms of their living conditions, and resolve their worries."

"Please rest assured, Lord Chu, I will personally handle this matter!"

Bu Zhi's report lasted for more than an hour. After the report was completed, Gan Ning met with Bu Zhi separately.

Gan Ning invited Bu Zhi to sit down and said with a smile, "Actually, I've already covered everything I needed to say in my report. What I wanted to ask about is Jiaozhi. I know that it's a vast plain formed by the red river, so the agricultural conditions there should be quite good!"

Bu Zhi nodded. “It is indeed very good. It is the largest plain I have seen in Jiaozhou. The land is fertile and the water and heat are plentiful. It is simply the best place to grow rice. With our agricultural technology, we can harvest three crops a year. If we make full use of it, this plain can feed an army of 100,000.”

"How many rice seeds did you bring back?" Gan Ning asked again.

"The two thousand shi of rice seeds are all of very high quality, with a yield of seven or eight hundred jin per mu. We can sow them in the spring, and they will mature in June. Then we can rush to plant a late rice crop, which will increase our grain production by 40%."

The rice varieties from Koji and Champa are exactly the same. Introducing this high-quality rice variety to achieve two rice seasons can indeed greatly increase grain production.

"What else?"

Gan Ning then laughed and asked, "What other high-quality agricultural products are there?" "There are also oilseeds. Jiaozhou has a high yield of tung oil. If we transport the abundant tung oil from Jiaozhou here, we can completely solve our kerosene supply problem."

At this point, Bu Zhi suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "May I ask, Lord Chu, have the salt officials returned?"

Gan Ning nodded. "They've all come back. Instead of choosing Hepu County as the site, we finally decided to boil salt in Nanhai County. Now we can finally be near the sea and have a stable source of salt."

"Yes! The seawater in Hepu County is good, but transportation is inconvenient and the population is too small, making it difficult to recruit laborers. It is indeed not suitable."

Gan Ning stood up and said with a smile, "Bu Sima, go back and rest for a few days. When you return, I will entrust the matter of rice seeds to you. You will personally take charge of this important matter."

"I understand the humble position!"

Bu Zhi bowed and left.

After resting for a while, Gan Ning instructed, "Please summon Military Advisor Xu to see me!"

Not long after, Xu Shu hurriedly walked in. He had just arrived in Chaisang to report the situation in Queyue City to Gan Ning.

"This humble servant pays respects to Lord Wu!"

"Strategist, please have a seat!"

Gan Ning smiled and invited Xu Shu to sit down, then asked, "What is the current situation in Queyue City?"

"Reporting to Lord Chu, the moat has been dug and is thirty zhang wide. One hundred and fifty giant catapults have also been installed. The city gates, drawbridges, and water gates have all been replaced. Next, we will train the army, and try to conduct training in a realistic combat manner."

"How exactly do you train for real combat?" Gan Ning asked with a smile.

Xu Shu laughed and said, "General Huang has set up fifty catapults on the east bank of the moat to launch a night attack on Queyue City and organized soldiers to train in firefighting. In addition, we have also arranged giant catapults for counterattacks. I must say, this kind of combat training is very effective. General Huang is indeed amazing."

Gan Ning nodded. "Is there anything else you need?"

"have!"

Xu Shu took out a document and handed it to Gan Ning, saying, "These are the various supplies we are lacking. We hope to replenish them as soon as possible!"

Gan Ning carefully examined the various supplies needed, which were all available in the Chaisang warehouse. He said to Xu Shu, "The supplies are all in the warehouse. I will request that they be moved overnight and we set off early tomorrow morning. The situation is urgent, and the strategist may also have to leave with us tomorrow."

"No problem, I will depart tomorrow."

Xu Shu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "And there are military prostitutes too!"

"It's all arranged. We'll set off together tomorrow."

Military prostitution was common during the Three Kingdoms period. It was not about forcing respectable women; it was actually a profession or a way of life. Wars resulted in too many men dying, leaving a large number of widows. Many helpless women turned to military prostitution to earn a living and a sum of money for their retirement.

Xu Shu rose, bowed, and took his leave.

(End of this chapter)