Chapter 309 Three major problems, Jiaozhou development plan

Huaiyin County, Guangling County.

A month had passed since Jia Xu made the plan, and no news had come back.

During this period, Jinmao traveled by boat, traveling along the Huaihe River directly to various places in Yuzhou.

Generals such as Sun Ce, Liu Bei, Xu Huang, and Wen Pin completed the task perfectly, leaving only small groups of bandits in Yuzhou that had not yet been wiped out.

After Yuan Shu fled, the counties and prefectures no longer put up much resistance.

After many wars, Yuzhou suffered severe population loss, leaving behind a lot of unowned farmland, which made Jin Mao have no time to deal with the powerful aristocrats and tyrants.

Most of the gentry in Yuzhou were very sensible and kept their minions to themselves and did not dare to come out to disturb.

In order to fill the gap in manpower for farming, Jin Mao ordered his generals to wipe out the bandits in the counties and capture young and strong men to farm the land.

This will be a long and arduous task.

Because Sun Ce arrived early, he achieved results the fastest. He reduced the more than 10,000 men under his command to 2,000, and incorporated the rest into the military garrison sequence.

For this purpose, Jin Mao specially set up a new camp, and Sun Ce was temporarily appointed as the captain of the military farm. He could select elite troops from the military farms in various states to make up a total of 4,000 people.

The treatment of these 4,000 people is the same as that of the main camp, but everyone must undergo review and testing before being promoted.

Otherwise, Sun Ce, the captain, would be dismissed immediately.

Most of the soldiers in the military farms are prisoners, refugees, and bandits, so not everyone can be stuffed into the main camp.

In response, Sun Ce patted his chest and promised: "I will definitely live up to the trust of my lord!"

Jinmao gave Sun Ce a two-year probation period, and if there were no problems during that period, he would be made a regular employee.

After all, the Tuntian Army had no combat missions unless the enemy invaded the territory or the five main battalions were all wiped out.

With the rapid increase in the number of troops, it is imperative to expand the main elite forces.

First, increase the number of people in each of the first to fifth battalions to 6,000.

As a result, the army, including the Imperial Guards, had a total of 33,000 people.

And after the team is expanded, soldiers with sufficient seniority and merit as imperial guards will be transferred to the main battalion as officers.

These personal guards are in great demand, and every captain in the battalion is vying for them.

Taking into account that He Qi had been sent out for many years and had not provided any reinforcements to the Fifth Battalion, Jin Mao specifically ordered He Qi to come back to report on his work and take 6,000 main forces to Jiaozhou to replace the original 2,000 elite troops.

In order to appease the people, Jin Mao will incorporate all 2,000 main force soldiers sent out into the Imperial Guard, and this will become a routine in the future.

In the future, Jin Mao plans to turn the Imperial Guard into a training camp for the entire army. Every officer who is about to be promoted must return to the Imperial Guard for further training before taking up his post.

Of course, grassroots officers do not have this opportunity. At least only captains or even garrison commanders have the opportunity to pursue further studies.

As the army expands, the navy must naturally also be expanded.

Considering that most of the soldiers in Jingzhou were good at water, they selected the elite from them.

The first thing to do is to replenish the 10,000-man navy of Yizhou.

Secondly, the naval forces of Jingzhou, Yangzhou and Yizhou will unify the recruit system.

In the future, new recruits entering the army will be assigned to the army or navy according to their personal wishes, and the elite soldiers of each main camp will only be selected from here.

In addition, Jingzhou has recruited 50,000 soldiers, and the next place to recruit soldiers is Yizhou, also with a number of 50,000.

But it's not time yet.

By the next year, that is, the fifth year of Chuping (194), Zhou Yu should have almost taken control of the entire Yizhou, and the people would be in favor of him.

After this batch of soldiers is recruited, the next batch of soldiers will be assigned to the military farming army.

In this way, the number of troops will exceed 200,000. If the county soldiers who retreated to the rear are counted, the number will probably reach a terrifying 300,000!
If we recruit some cavalry, the army will be more than 300,000!

These are all professional soldiers, not peasant soldiers who have not left their jobs.

When that time comes, the world will be at peace.

However, in order to support such a huge army, the annual consumption of food and supplies would be an astronomical figure.

Based on the calculation of 2 shi of grain per person per month, 300,000 people would consume 7.2 million shi of grain per year!
Although Yizhou and Jingzhou are both large production areas, they cannot withstand such consumption.

If we take into account military pay, pensions and other benefits, the amount will double.

Fourteen million four hundred thousand shi of grain!

This is a fixed annual consumption. It is not a big deal in a year with good weather, but if it is a disaster year, the harvest will drop sharply and the army will have no food to eat. Even if Jinmao's prestige is high, it will greatly affect morale.

Therefore, at present, the four states can only support 200,000 professional troops.

In order to feed an army of 300,000, on the one hand, it is necessary to develop areas such as Jiaozhi County that can produce three crops.

On the other hand, at least half of the North China Plain, that is, the entire area south of the Yellow River, needs to be occupied.

This is a daunting task and it will not be as easy as before because the water resources in the Yellow River are very scarce. The water is abundant only for six months a year. For the remaining half a year, it is a big problem for the people to get water, let alone sail in.

At that time, the role of the navy will be reduced to a minimum, and the army cannot rely solely on infantry to advance. The further north you go, the more obvious the role of the cavalry will be.

In other words, the north naturally has a suppressive effect on Jinmao. If you want to unify the Central Plains, in addition to restricting the development of Yuan Shao and other princes, you also need to vigorously develop cavalry.

But cavalry is not so easy to train.

The skilled cavalrymen all belong to other families. It will take at least one year and three years to train them to achieve great success.

In addition, war horses were another big problem.

The first and second batches of war horses had grown old and were no longer able to carry out heavy tasks on the front lines, so they had to retreat to the second line, delivering messages or even pulling carts.

This made it difficult for Jin Mao's cavalry to exceed five thousand in number.

The border city can only provide less than a thousand war horses every year, which is a drop in the bucket and is even less than the number of eliminated war horses.

Five thousand cavalrymen may sound like a lot, but after a big battle there won't be many left, and the royal guards alone took up three thousand horses.

Even though the Strong Crossbow Battalion does not need very good war horses, they still need war horses that are close to retirement.

To sum up, there are three major problems that must be solved in the future.

food!

War horse!

Border guards!

August of the fourth year of Chuping (193).

Above the Yangtze River.

He Qi, the captain of the Five Battalions and the governor of Jiaozhou, led a hundred of his trusted followers on a large transport ship, and the person who greeted him was Yu Fan.

The two men are from the same hometown, He Qi is from Shanyin and Yu Fan is from Shangyu. Their hometown dialects are almost the same, and they have worked together in their early years, so they have more topics to talk about and it won't seem abrupt.

Yu Fan had already been in mourning for his father for three months and was able to come out to work. The task of welcoming He Qi was volunteered for by Yu Fan.

"Gong Miao (He Qi's courtesy name), I didn't expect Jiaozhou to be so wealthy."

Yu Fan was still the blunt-tongued man, "Looking at you, more than a hundred people wearing gold and silver, I want to rob you, not to mention my lord!"

He Qi had been away from home for four years, and his skin was tanned. The sun in Jiaozhou was not gentle, but his face did not look much older, but the temperament of a superior was getting stronger. "You are joking, Lord Yu." He Qi was more confident than before, and said, "If the lord likes these vulgar things, why not take them all out?"

Yu Fan had previously served in Qu'a County and was well aware of the power of food coupons, which was no less powerful than the Wuzhu coins. He guessed that his lord would definitely want to promote this policy.

But how can food preserve its value like gold and silver?

Food will rot and spoil, but gold and silver will last for thousands of years!

Since Jiaozhou produces a lot of gold and silver, we must definitely prepare more.

"Remember what you said today!" Yu Fan said bluntly, "I would like to thank Gong Miao on behalf of my lord."

He Qi's face was filled with dissatisfaction. Even though Yu Fan was such a person, his long life as a superior had made him unable to see himself clearly.

Yu Fan saw through He Qi's thoughts at a glance, and for the sake of his fellow villager, he suggested a reminder: "My lord, you are now a general, and you are in charge of 20 million people!"

"Gong Miao, please don't forget how you ended up in such a remote area like Jiaozhou!"

The implication is that if you, He Qi, don't restrain yourself, the lord will not take personal feelings into consideration, and all your previous efforts will be wasted, at best you might even lose your life!

He Qi was shocked and thanked Yu Fan repeatedly: "Thank you, Lord Yu, for reminding me. Qi almost caused a disaster of killing people!"

Yu Fan waved his hand and said, "I am just reminding you because we are from the same hometown."

Seeing He Qi being so sensible, Yu Fan whispered again: "Although Jiaozhou is remote, it is full of treasures!"

"The lord intends to develop this place, Gong Miao will make great contributions!"

He Qi's eyes lit up, and he thanked him again, "Lord Yu's kindness will never be forgotten!"

Yu Fan then smiled and explained, "Now the lord's subordinates are divided into the Yangzhou faction, the Jingzhou faction, the foreign faction, and the Yizhou faction that is taking shape."

"Zhou Yu considers himself the representative of the Yangzhou faction."

Yu Fan snorted coldly and said, "But he is from Jiangbei. How can he represent the people of Jiangnan like us?"

He Qi didn't expect that in just a few years, his home had become unrecognizable to him. He couldn't help but keep everything Yu Fan said in mind.

"However, Jiangbei does not know that Zhou Yu is a talented boy. Moreover, Sun Ce has emerged as a new force and has become a major military commander. There are also outstanding people such as Gu Yong and Lu Xun."

Yu Fan sighed and said, "However, there are few people in Jiangnan, only you, me, Kan Ze, Ling Cao, and Dong Xi. Now Ling Cao has retreated to the second line, and Dong Xi and Kan Ze have no ambition to make progress."

He glanced at He Qi and said, "You, Gong Miao, are the only one left in Jiangnan who can carry the banner."

"Whether the Yangzhou faction will have the final say in the future, Jiangbei or Jiangnan, depends on whether Gong Miao can develop Jiaozhou into a treasure land."

He Qi suddenly realized that there was such a thing. He did not doubt that he was involved and he couldn't help but feel a desire to win.

Zhou Yu was the governor of Yizhou, and he was also the governor!
Moreover, He Qi has more experience and more contributions, so he may not necessarily lose to Zhou Yu. Just as Yu Fan said, as long as he can develop the land of Jiaozhou, he will be able to surpass Zhou Yu.

"Thank you, Lord Yu, for your guidance." He Qi bowed again and said, "I will keep it in mind."

Yu Fan smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming with the light of a wise man, and continued: "Gong Miao, the land of Jiaozhou is far and desolate, but it contains endless potential.

The mountains and rivers there are beautiful, the products are abundant, and with the benefits of the South China Sea, if it is well managed, it will surely become another prosperous place in our Han Dynasty.

However, the road to development is not an easy one and requires courage and strategy to overcome numerous difficulties.”

“You must remember that the first priority is to stabilize the people’s hearts, implement benevolent policies, and win the hearts of the people.

There are many ethnic groups in Jiaozhou with different cultural customs. We need to treat them with tolerance and use both kindness and severity so that they can live in harmony.

At the same time, we will strengthen border defense, prevent foreign invasions, and ensure peace in the area.”

“Furthermore, developing agriculture, building water conservancy projects, and encouraging farming are the foundation of a country.

At the same time, local resources were used to develop handicrafts and commerce to promote economic prosperity. Especially maritime trade,

Jiaozhou is close to the sea and can be connected to overseas countries. If we can open up shipping routes, it will surely bring endless wealth to our Han Dynasty."

"Finally, we need to cultivate talents and open up new avenues for them. Although Jiaozhou is far away, it also needs the prosperity of culture and education to achieve long-term development.

You can set up schools, recruit famous scholars, teach and educate, and train a group of loyal and talented officials and generals to lay a solid foundation for the long-term development of Jiaozhou."

Hearing this, He Qi's mind suddenly became clear, and he was full of confidence and anticipation for the upcoming challenges.

He knew very well that this was not only a battle for the development of Jiaozhou, but also a test of his personal ability and wisdom.

He nodded solemnly and said, "Duke Yu is right. Qi will definitely go all out and live up to your expectations. When Jiaozhou prospers in the future, I will personally report the good news to Duke Yu."

Yu Fan nodded with satisfaction. He patted He Qi on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Gong Miao, you are the pillar of our Han Dynasty. I believe you will live up to everyone's expectations and manage Jiaozhou in an orderly manner, becoming another shining pearl of our Han Dynasty."

The two smiled at each other, and their trust and expectation of each other reached its peak at this moment.

He Qi stared at the river, and a clear blueprint and plan already appeared in his mind.

He knew that although the road ahead was full of unknowns and challenges, as long as he moved forward courageously, nothing could stop him.

Yu Fan on the other side silently said in his heart: "Don't blame me, Gong Miao, Jiaozhou cannot be left without a garrison."

"But Liu Bei is a common man who loves the prosperity of the Central Plains and is unwilling to go to Jiaozhou to take over. I can only let you down."

There was another sentence that Yu Fan did not say in his heart.

Jinmao actually wanted him to go to Jiaozhou to develop it, but Yu Fan also admired the prosperity of the Central Plains. Who would want to go to such a remote place?

The area spans thousands of miles and the population is only over one million. Isn't this just associating with wild beasts?

You have to know that Yu Fan’s father, Yu Xin, is the governor of Rinnan County in Jiaozhou. How could he hide the situation there from him?
He Qi's fleet sailed north along the Han Canal all the way to Huaiyin County, and then changed horses to Huailing County.

Jin Mao agreed to Cao Cao's request and exchanged the previous 200,000 grains for Huai Ling County. When Cao Cao sent Pengcheng out, he would release Chen Gong and Xun Chen.

As for more support, Cao Cao would need to hand over the entire Xuzhou to others.

Send troops to station?

It’s too little, Jinmao wants the whole Xuzhou!
Although Xuzhou also experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion and many major wars, it was much better than Yuzhou.

The whole Xuzhou has seven salt and iron producing areas in Guangling County, plus five in Yuzhou, Luoyang and other places, which makes a total of twelve salt and iron producing areas!
Together, it is more than Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Yizhou and Jiaozhou.

This is why there are so many noble families in the north.

In this era, salt and iron industries are much more profitable than any other industry.

Huailing County, county government office.

Jin Mao was worrying about the successor to the governor of Jiaozhou, but he didn't expect He Qi to take the initiative to stay in Jiaozhou, which made Jin Mao very happy.

"Gong Miao Dayi!"

Jin Mao smiled and held He Qi's arm and said, "I have also matched you with two great talents."

"Buzhi, Buzishan!"

"Zhang Zhao, Zhang Zibu!"

Bu Zhi was young and energetic, and he took the initiative to ask to go to Jiaozhou to make achievements.

Zhang Zhao is an old fox. Why would he give up his job as a county magistrate and go to Jiaozhou to suffer?

Zhang Zhao is not stupid, but Jin Mao values ​​Zhang Zhao's ability in internal affairs, which will definitely help He Qi a lot.

(End of this chapter)