Chapter 310: Veteran, general rank!

end of August.

He Qi was not in a hurry to take over Jiaozhou.

Firstly, the construction of 6,000 main forces to guard the border is a huge project. Secondly, the development of Jiaozhou also requires a huge amount of logistical materials, which requires a lot of preparation time.

In the past few days, leaders from various states have come to Huailing County one after another, and He Qi has a premonition that something big is going to happen.

In fact, this is just a year-end summary.

However, He Qi had not participated in it for many years and was very unfamiliar with it.

As for why it is held in the middle of the year instead of the end of the year, it is because this matter is indeed important and urgent. If we arrange it early, we can prepare early.

The main issue is food.

In a bumper year, Yangzhou's annual output could reach over 30 million shi, Jingzhou's over 50 million, and Yizhou's estimated output could reach a terrifying 60 million shi!

The three states together have 140 million shi, and 60% of it is enough to support an army of 1.8 million for a year!
Converted to ordinary people, if a family of five does not starve to death and consumes ten stone of grain a year, that can feed 14 million households and 70 million people a year!
But that is an ideal situation without natural disasters, man-made disasters, diseases or insect pests.

Under normal circumstances, a year is considered a good year if we can get half the harvest. But if there is a flood or a locust plague, even 30% of the harvest may not be achieved.

The original population of the three states was only 12 million, and such a high output was enough to feed everyone.

However, the number of people who fled south and those who came down from the mountains totaled seven or eight million, causing the food reserves to be stretched in an instant.

Therefore, Jinmao convened leaders from all parties to discuss how to reinforce dams, repair canals and dredge rivers while having sufficient labor.

The main problem in the south is still flooding, especially since experts predict that the better the weather this year, the worse it will be next year.

In other words, next year is likely to be a disaster year.

If the flood can be controlled within a certain range, next year's harvest will not be affected, nearly 20 million people will not go hungry, and the situation will not be chaotic.

Therefore, in addition to the four provincial governors, the participants in this meeting included the prefects of each county, as well as some military generals who were in charge of military farming.

Xi Zhicai, Gu Yong, Zhou Yu, He Qi, Sun Ce and so on.

At this time, if a powerful bomb exploded here, the South would be completely paralyzed and at the mercy of others.

But that is not going to happen.

The only worry was that Cao Cao would suddenly turn around and lead his men to attack Huailing County.

Therefore, the defense of Huailing County was extremely strict.

The Huaihe River Navy blocked the Huaihe River, and Gan Ning led three battalions of 4,000 main forces and 6,000 combat soldiers, a total of 10,000 people, to camp outside the city.

Three thousand imperial guards controlled the entire city, and any despicable person who dared to show up would be killed on the spot without mercy.

Thus, a magical scene took place in Huailing County.

When Cao Cao was alive, the people were terrified, fearing that they would suffer misfortune if they contradicted Cao, and in the end they did suffer misfortune.

When the Southern Army controlled the city, they killed many rioters in order to establish their authority, and the people stayed indoors. But now, people even leave their doors unlocked at night.

After living there for a month, people were surprised to find that Huailing County was in better condition than ever before.

Even though the control in and out of the city is very strict, the people are happy to accept it.

Even many nobles and powerful people outside the city couldn't help but want to move in and live there for a few days after hearing about it.

But Jinmao is not a landlord. Without a note from the City Lord's Mansion, he can't come back in after leaving the city or enter the city from outside.

For a time, the public security in Huailing County became the only good story in this chaotic time. Later, Jinmao relaxed its control, and the people all missed those days.

Of course, these are all things to follow.

this day.

He Qi came to the meeting wearing a vermilion military official robe. The governor was a civil official, but He Qi preferred to think of himself as a military officer.

Along the way, He Qi saw many unfamiliar faces. He had been away for so long that he didn't even meet a familiar face. He Qi couldn't help but sigh that the world has changed.

"At the beginning, there were only a few people under the lord's rule, but now there are 24 county governors alone!"

He Qi was filled with emotion. At that time, the position of county magistrate was as distant to them as the ultimate goal in life.

In just a few years, all of his old comrades had been promoted, and many new people had also taken up positions. Even he himself had become a governor-level figure.

In the past, there was no difference in status between the county magistrate and the governor, only in their functions.

Now that Jinmao's rule is divided between civil and military affairs, the Inspector is naturally superior to the County Magistrate. It is impossible to establish a provincial governor, and Jinmao will not allow one.

The provincial governor is the highest position at present, followed by the captain of the main camp, and then the prefect of each county. As for the county magistrate and the like, except for a few outstanding talents with outstanding political achievements and abilities, others are not qualified to come here to hold a meeting.

Therefore, those who attended the meeting were later collectively called "Hidden Dragon Ministers", a title that countless talented and ambitious people admired.

"He Gongmiao?"

At this time, a sturdy general wearing fish-scale armor shouted in surprise: "It's really you!"

He Qi looked carefully and wondered who else it could be but Dong Xi.

"Haha!" Dong Xian said a few words and then walked over laughing. Regardless of the sour smell on his body, he gave He Qi a bear hug.

"I heard you've been back for more than half a month, why don't you come to see the brothers?"

He Qi said helplessly: "I am entangled in trivial matters."

Dong Xian naturally knew it, but he just said so.

"Let's go!" Dong Xi took He Qi's hand and said, "I'll take you to meet the old brothers."

At that time, the old brothers who were of the same period as He Qi and the other two either retired and enjoyed their lives, or those who remained in the army were all officers.

Even those who are still in the Imperial Guards are all garrison commanders, marquises of Qujun, and at the very least, team leaders.

It’s not that He Qi didn’t want to meet them, but Yu Fan had already reminded him that he dared not get too close to these old brothers to avoid being mistaken for forming a clique for personal gain, at least not in public.

After all, Jinmao hates this the most.

"Wait a minute, Yuan Dai." He Qi quickly stopped Dong Xi and said, "After the meeting, there will be plenty of time to reminisce about the past. We can't delay things."

Dong Xi did not doubt him and said with regret: "It's a pity, but you are right, the lord's business is more important. Then I will take you to the meeting hall."

There is no need to refuse things that are convenient for you.

The two walked and recalled the past.

Four or five years have passed, and the days of training together have become the best memories.

Dong Xi sighed softly and looked towards the rising sun in the distance. The golden light sprinkled all over the road ahead of them, as if it also gave the memories a layer of warm color.

"I remember that at that time, we always got up before dawn and ran around the school field for more than ten laps. The sweat soaked our backs, but it couldn't extinguish the passion and dreams in our hearts. Thinking about it now, that purity and persistence are really precious."

"Yes," He Qi continued with emotion, "Time flies, and in the blink of an eye we all hold important positions, with heavier responsibilities on our shoulders, and that simple happiness seems to be fading away.

But every time when the night is quiet, I still think of the days when we fought side by side. That brotherhood will always be my most precious treasure."

At this moment, a voice of disappointment came: "Dong Xi! You bastard!" "You don't want to be a lieutenant of the main battalion, but insist on being a small-time marquis of Qu Jun of the personal guard!"

"I've never seen anyone as afraid of death as you are!"

The person who came was Ling Cao, who had retired from the 1st Battalion and now became an instructor in the new recruits' camp. Although he didn't develop any other skills, his tongue became more and more vicious.

Dong Xi looked at Ling Cao, who was swinging his left arm, and said with a shameless smile: "I know my own limitations and I won't cause trouble for my lord."

"I don't care!" Ling Cao waved his intact right arm and said, "The captain of the first battalion, Zhou Yu, will soon be promoted to the position of governor of Yizhou. This position will be vacant, and you have to take it!"

The First Battalion was a team led by Ling Cao himself, and there was a special feeling among them.

Especially when he heard that the combat effectiveness of the First Battalion had declined severely recently, not to mention the Second Battalion, even the Third and Fourth Battalions were inferior, Ling Cao was very anxious.

It’s like your own child, who obviously has great talent, but is unable to recover after being injured. As a parent, how can you not be anxious?

Dong Xian's work was a bit rough, but he was a good trainer. Ling Cao was worried about handing over the battalion to someone else.

"Kun Tao, what nonsense are you talking about?" Dong said with a serious face, "Only the lord can decide who will be the captain of the first battalion. Even if I want to go, I may not be able to become one."

Ling Cao rolled his eyes and said, "As long as you ask, how can the lord not agree?"

Dong Xi is stubborn.

Ling Cao had been in the recruit camp for a long time and had a very bad temper. He immediately cursed, "You son of a bitch!"

"If I wasn't injured, would you have gotten your turn in the first battalion?"

Then, Ling Cao said in a rogue manner: "I don't care! Either you go, or Dian Hongxing goes!"

Dian Wei was the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards. Nominally, he was at the same rank as the captain of the main battalion, but the Imperial Guards were naturally one rank higher, at the same rank as the provincial governor. It would be strange if he agreed.

Unexpectedly, Dong Xian smiled mysteriously and said, "You said it, don't regret it!"

Suddenly, Ling Cao became uneasy: "Dian Hongxing is going to be demoted?"

"What is he thinking? Is his brain broken?!"

Dong Xi smiled without saying anything, and Ling Caoyou became so anxious that he started cursing.

At this time, He Qi, who had been treated as a transparent person, said: "Can't the governor of a state concurrently serve as the captain of the main battalion?"

"Is this true?"

Dong Xi and Ling Cao immediately put aside their argument and looked at He Qi.

"Don't worry." Dong Xian said carelessly, "The Lord will arrange everything for you."

Ling Cao looked hot-tempered, but he was actually very considerate. He noticed He Qi's concerns and said, "The situation in Jiaozhou is a little different. However, since the lord wants you to take 6,000 men with you, there will generally be new candidates for the lieutenants."

He Qi frowned and hesitated, "If I don't want to be a politician and just want to lead the army, will the lord..."

He Qi didn't say the rest, but even Dong Xi could hear the worry in his voice.

"Good brother Gong Miao!" Dong Xian patted He Qi's shoulder and said, "You would rather give up the post of governor and become a lieutenant. How could the lord not agree?"

Suddenly, Dong Xian received a death stare from Ling Cao. Isn't this the example of voluntary demotion?
Dong Xian pretended not to see it and comforted He Qi, saying, "At the beginning, the lord wanted me to be the captain of the main camp, but I refused and begged to return to the personal guard."

"Look! Does my armor look good?"

"This is a new piece of armor produced this year."

He Qi felt a little relieved after hearing this. He would rather work with this group of reckless men than deal with the annoying government affairs.

"The Yuan Dynasty was right. Although government affairs were heavy, they could not compare to the excitement on the battlefield."

He Qi smiled slightly, his eyes flashing with a desire for unknown challenges. "Besides, the position of captain will allow me to get closer to the soldiers and understand their sufferings and needs, which will undoubtedly be of great benefit to leading troops in battle in the future."

Ling Cao felt the same way. He raised his left hand dejectedly and said, "I have asked to fight many times. If it weren't for this arm that got in the way, why would I have retreated to the second line?"

The other two immediately comforted Ling Cao.

"Hey, you guys are all here." The socialite Liu Bei passed by and tried to join in the conversation in a familiar manner, but was met with ruthless silence from the three men.

Liu Bei didn't care at all and said to himself: "I heard that the first battalion is expected to merge with the cavalry battalion and form an independent army. This is a great thing!"

This sentence immediately piqued the interest of the three people, especially Ling Cao, "Why haven't I heard of it?"

He Qi and Dong Xi both looked at Liu Bei.

"I also heard it from hearsay." Liu Bei said seriously: "My second brother Guan Yu was the captain of the fourth battalion, and Zhang Yide was the captain of the second battalion. They both served under Zhou Yizhou."

These words immediately made the rumor more real, and the three of them suddenly realized that what Liu Bei said might be true.

"My two brothers are unruly and have never submitted to anyone in their lives, but they have submitted to Zhou Yizhou."

He Qi and the other two nodded in agreement. There were so many amazing things about Zhou Yu that it was impossible to describe them all.

"I also heard from them that Zhou Yizhou is going to propose to the Lord to change the first battalion into a cavalry unit and form a separate army!"

He Qi and the other two were shocked and found it difficult to look away.

Liu Bei said with emotion: "From now on, there will be no more First Battalion Captain, but First Battalion General!"

"Only a general can lead an army alone."

General?

general!

He Qi and the other two suddenly realized the crux of the problem. Only those with the rank of general officer can be called general. This is the consensus of the entire army.

People were not very interested in the so-called general positions in the Han Dynasty, but the ranks of generals under Jin Mao were different.

This is not only a recognition of status, but also a symbol of honor.

At present, there is no general officer in the entire army!
The highest military rank at present is the fifth-level colonel. Zhang Fei, Huang Gai and other captains of the main camps are at this level. Of course, Guan Yu and Sun Ce are excluded.

According to Jin Mao's definition of the rank of general, if a colonel wants to be promoted to general, he must not only have sufficient merits, but also pass the assessment to achieve the achievement.

This was one of the main topics of the meeting, and it was also the reason why He Qi and the other two believed what Liu Bei said.

What the three of them didn’t know was that the protagonist of this discussion was not the First Battalion, but the Fifth Battalion.

That’s right! It’s the Fifth Battalion where He Qi is!

Because its location is too remote and transportation is inconvenient, Jinmao decided to train it into a separate army, separated from the main force, with a complete process from recruit selection to promotion.

Of course, this does not mean that He Qi can become the only general in the entire army, but that he will be the only general in the entire army who can participate in the assessment!

Whether or not one can pass the assessment naturally depends on how loyal He Qi is, not how strong his ability is.

After all, anyone who can climb to the position of captain of the main battalion cannot be that bad in ability.

He Qi naturally didn't know about this.

All I can say is that He Qi's luck is too strong to be able to win this prize.

(End of this chapter)