Sure enough, after hearing Philip's words, Xia Ya just laughed a few times, and that strange look turned around on Philip's face, then raised his horse whip and slashed, and sneered, "You bastard, don't come and listen to me. I'm not confused, imitating those governors? Hmph, I'm just an armament commander now, but I don't have any government affairs, how can I get the money to be a warlord?"
After he finished speaking, he ignored Philip's strange expression and galloped down with a whip.
Sharba gave Philip an unhappy look, and snorted: "You are talking nonsense and annoyed Xia. If you talk nonsense in the future, be careful that I will tear your bones apart."
Dodoro also glanced at Philip, said nothing, and chased after him. Philip landed at the end, with a cautious face, but a cold smile in his heart.
Hmph, these two guys, one is a reckless man and the other is a philistine and clever person, neither of them has any real knowledge. There is no talent under Xia Ya. As long as I try my best to gain his trust, I will not worry about no way out.
※※※
The three of them continued on their way. Xia Ya never mentioned the issue of the peasant-military system. On the way, he encountered a village and town, and he had no interest in inspecting it before. He just ordered a few horses in a hurry and kept rushing along the way. What made Xiaya a little curious was that, at the end of the run, he occasionally stopped to look behind him on purpose, but he didn't find the sturdy big sister who was following him all the way. This made Xiaya relieved, and a little surprised: Could it be that she is in trouble? And back off? That's the best!
The four of them were busy, and they first arrived at Mesta, the capital city of More County. Mesta City is the most populous city among the four cities and six towns under the jurisdiction of More County, with a permanent population of more than 30,000. The business groups that traveled to and fro also had temporary workers who were looking for a livelihood in the capital city of this small frontier county. The population of this city remained around 50,000 all year round, and geographically speaking, Mesta City was a little farther from the border. It is also the best in More County in terms of safety. Due to geographical reasons, the city of Mesta is backed by mountains on one side and flat plains on three sides. The land is fertile and it is the center of the fertile grain-producing area, so every year, there are grains from all over the mainland. Businessmen come here to buy grain and sell it out, which stimulates the vitality of the city. The grain trade drives other industries in the surrounding area, especially the transportation industry is the most developed. The most popular in this city is the carts and horses, and the carts and horses drive At the same time, the timber industry required for the manufacture of carriages gradually prospered, and artisans from the surrounding areas gradually gathered in the city.
The current county governor of More County, Clinthia, is forty-six years old this year. He is a standard middle-level bureaucrat of the empire, and has no noble title, only a title of knight (the lowest title of this noble class has no fief , it's just a title of honor.), Xiaya had read this person's profile before he came. This Klinthia county guard has been in Moore County for seven years and hasn't moved his ass. His evaluation is: prudent and steady, and ability to pertinent. At the same time, this person is also a staunchly loyal official of the royal family.
I stayed in this small frontier county for seven years, and during that time I experienced the war with the Odins. In any case, the imperial army gathered at the frontier, collected food and grass nearby, and ensured the supply of military supplies without any mistakes, no matter what, The ability of this county governor is also worthy of recognition. After the war with the Odins, various final arguments for this war have been settled. The reward should be rewarded, and the spanking should be given, but this man worked hard during the war. The officials who tried their best to supply food didn't do any good - it can be seen that this county governor is probably not hard-working in the background. Otherwise, to be an official in such a small frontier county, so close to the frontier, and every war, Moore County bears the brunt, and has to provide food for the army, and be a man with trepidation (every war, More The counties are all front-line war zones, and the military headquarters of the war zones are all located here. Those big men from the imperial capital’s military headquarters will naturally not look at this small frontier county guard, but he will try his best to serve those big bosses.) So, In the eyes of the imperial bureaucracy, the official position of the county governor of More County is really not a bad job. It can be said that it has suffered a lot without winning face.
I haven't been able to move my butt after working for seven years. If there is no accident, I am afraid that Lord Klincia will die in this official position.
When Xiaya came to Mesta City, he didn't see the Krinthia county governor. He only saw a few civilian officials in the county in the county governor's house. After asking, he knew that the Lord Krinthia had gone downstairs. I went to inspect the progress of spring ploughing in the village.
This made Xia Ya feel a little more favorable towards the county governor who had never met before. No matter what, a person who is a local governor can pay so much attention to farming. He is also a dutiful person.
Of course, Xia Ya wouldn't think that the county governor was deliberately trying to lose face - he ran all the way, and the other party didn't know when he would arrive. After calculating the normal time, he should arrive in a month. So Xia Ya's arrival surprised all the officials in the Guntefu: Is this armament commander in such a hurry? Is something going to happen again
Mesta City is the capital of More County and the administrative center of a county, but Xi Ya has no luck staying in this prosperous and stable city.
He has to get Denzel City to take the job.
Historically, the local power structure of the empire has been divided between military power and political power. In Moore County, the Lord Crinthia is in charge, and Char is the leader. Moreover, the empire also has an unwritten rule: the seat of military affairs is generally not in the same place as the government capital.
This is not a legal provision, but an unspoken rule.
Originally, the garrison of More County was located in Denzel City, which was temporarily moved to deal with the battle of the Odins, and this time, it happened that Char, in addition to granting the position of the military commander of More County, In addition, he also served as a defensive consul of Denzel City. That is to say, although in Moore County, government affairs have to obey the orders of the Crinthia County Governor, but in the small town of Denzel City, Xi Ya is in the hands of the military and government affairs.
Moreover, the above order is also very obvious, implying that Char will set up the county garrison in Denzel City.
It is also the practice of the empire that the military officer of a county is also the chief administrative officer of the county garrison, and according to this practice, as long as Xia goes to Denzel City to take office, the county governor generally does not care about the affairs of Denzel City, as long as Xia Ya takes office Yabu rebels against the flag, or doesn't do anything resentful. Generally speaking, the county governor turns a blind eye to him. As long as you pay the taxes for one season, you are considered in Denzel City. When the door was closed, the whole city was playing hide-and-seek, and Clincia would not interfere.
Xia Ya didn't know much about the management of this officialdom, but it was Philip who explained it to Xia Ya. The more Xia Ya listened, the more he frowned. Finally, he couldn't help but look at Philip more, thinking: This guy I really have some knowledge. The people around me are all rough people who fight. This Philip used to be the leader of the samurai group, and he was not bad in the past. I think he has some means and scheming. It's just that this guy used to be a bad person, but he can't trust him too much, and he has to guard against him!
After a question, Xia Ya knew how many soldiers he had under his county military commander.
According to the imperial military system, a county's full strength is a mixed flag regiment of a local garrison. The banner regiment of the local garrison should have 3,000 people in full. The so-called mixed regiment is a mixed regiment of infantry and cavalry, unlike the central standing corps that strictly separates arms.
The troops on paper were distributed like this: six battalions of soldiers, each with three hundred and fifty men. There are a total of 2,110 combat strength, and in addition, there are transport logistics auxiliary soldiers and others in the flag regiment, a total of 900 people, these 900 people include a transport battalion and an auxiliary battalion. The transport battalion is responsible for logistics transportation, while the auxiliary soldiers are equivalent to miscellaneous soldiers. Building fortifications, building camps, repairing city walls, etc., are considered the category of engineers.
Of course, this is only the data on paper. In reality, there is not that much.
First of all, because of the collapse of the peasant-military system and the Tema military district system, half of the empire's land was divided up by the military districts, and the central finances were tight—these military districts only paid a little tax in a symbolic way, which was basically equivalent to a small country divided into local warlords. The loss of half of the country's territory in the center of the empire is equivalent to the loss of half of its fiscal revenue. With financial constraints, military spending is naturally scarce.
The local garrison below, because of the lack of military spending, rarely has a full staff. Therefore, although Moore County is located in the key area of the frontier, the flag regiment of the local garrison here is maintained at about 70% of the establishment all year round.
And this 70% is still "on paper"!
In the past, in this kind of non-brand army, there must be some traditional shortcomings in the army: eating empty quotas and drinking soldiers' blood!
The flag regiment that Char Ya took over currently has only 2,000 soldiers, four battalions of soldiers, and one of them is stationed in the capital city of Mesta—and this battalion stationed in the capital is actually It is already out of Xia Ya's control. This is also the official practice. When you come as an armament officer, it is equivalent to cutting a city out of the county and giving it to you, which means that the county governor has one less territory. In exchange, the battalion stationed in the capital is usually It's all part of the county sheriff's practice. No one can say that this transaction is a loss by exchanging one battalion for one city.
This is an official practice, and Xiaya can only recognize it by pinching her nose, but the problem is that the remaining battalions, the transport battalion and the auxiliary battalion, will be ignored. The remaining three military battalions are also far in number. Insufficient. There should be 1,000 soldiers in the three battalions, but the actual number is 500 or 600. The remaining human heads are just pages of names on paper. If you really look for them, it will be strange if you can find a ghost! It's just the annual military salaries, these empty salaries naturally flowed into the pockets of the middle and lower-class officers of the local garrison army.
There are even serious cases in some places. Some battalion officers have little power in the local area. Even their relatives and friends, the seven aunts and eight aunts, and the servants and cooks at home are all registered in the military roster. As a soldier, it is considered that every year the state spends money to support a large family...
And the remaining five or six hundred actual heads must be carefully selected to remove those old, weak, sick and disabled...
According to half of the elimination rate, it is not bad to be able to take out 300 people in the end.
After this settlement, Xia Ya sighed: "Damn, I really thought it was a fat poor man, after a long time, I only have three hundred men who can fight, three hundred people... It's like being demoted to a battalion officer. ."
After the bad debts are settled, there are naturally benefits.
The military officer of a county, then the peasants and soldiers of a county are also managed by him. The income from the farmland can be retained by him to supplement the military expenses, as well as the local police patrols, tax inspection prisons, etc., all belong to him. He manages.
There are 21 villages in four cities and six towns in Moore County, with a population of about 400,000. In theory, if the peasants and soldiers of the whole county are mobilized, it is entirely possible to draw a team of tens of thousands of people.
The farmland is owned by the state, and the income is used to support the troops. There is still a lot of wealth. Every year, there is a little surplus for Xia Ya to enrich the local defense military expenses.
In addition, police patrol prisons, and tax inspections - these are also very profitable. In a word: in Moore County, all those who wear weapons are under the control of Char.
After staying in Mestari for a long time, Xi Ya handed over the documents in the county governor's office in exchange for a county's military account booklet, and took people to Denzel City to take office.
Anyway, there is another piece of news that comforts Xiaya a lot.
Mad Dog Green has been in office a few days ago, as a battalion officer in the Moor County Regional Guard Flag Regiment, and the original Klinthia County Governor also met Green, knowing that Green is a well-known talent in the army, and originally wanted to use this talent. He stayed in the capital, Mesta, and asked him to lead the battalion in Mesta, but Green politely refused, and insisted on going to Denzel to take office. Although Klincia is a local official, she also knows some of the political situation of the empire, and knows that Green is an eagle-type figure in the imperial military. This eagle-type figure obviously came to this small frontier county and came in partnership with Xia Ya. Look at it this way. Come on, this Lord Xia Ya is also a figure valued by the Eagle Clan. Guessing this, naturally he didn't stop him, and happily let Green take office.
Green had gone to Denzel City ten days ago to take over a battalion.
This talented person who is recognized by the Eagle Clan as having the "capital of a famous general" is in the front line, presumably the military affairs in Denzel City should have been rectified by him.
Xia was anxious in her heart and couldn't wait to leave Mesta with her and rush to Denzel City.
Denzel City is the city closest to the frontier. From Mesta to Denzel City, it took a day to get there.
This is the second time that Xia Ya has come to this small frontier town. She traveled all the way through the night. When she arrived at Denzel City, it was in the morning. Although everyone was a little tired, under the rising sun, looking at the end of the road in the distance, that The outline of the city wall of a small city is gradually clear. This city wall built according to the standard of a military fortress seems to be sprinkled with gold in the rising sun. The imperial eagle flag flutters on the far city wall, and the farmland and wilderness on both sides are still lingering. Looking at the morning fog, Xiaya couldn't help but feel a little warm in his heart. On the one hand, he could see Green immediately. On the other hand, looking at this prosperous town that he had seen before, he couldn't help being eager: In the future, This is Lao Tzu's lair! !
The four of them rode their horses along the road and came to the bottom of the small town. They looked up at the city wall. The eleven-meter-high city wall was majestic. Because it had just experienced the war of the Odins, this was the military headquarters of the front-line theater, and the city wall had just been repaired. Appears majestic and sturdy.
Although it was early in the morning, because it happened to be on the frontier trader road, the city gate was already crowded with a lot of passing caravans waiting to enter the city. Outsiders with accents from all over the world were shouting and shouting. Many of them wore exotic clothes, and some of them were obviously tall Odins. At this moment, the two countries had just fought a battle, and these Odin merchants dared to Coming to Byzantium to do business seems bold enough, but the people around Odin merchants avoided them, and some locals looked at them from a distance and spat fiercely.
When Xia Ya saw the crowded city gate, her brows furrowed. With so many people queuing to enter the city, why is the speed of release at the city gate so slow
He relied on his height and strength, and a strong man like Sharba to open the way, and quickly crowded in front of the crowd. At this look, Xi Ya was suddenly furious!
I saw that under the city gate, although the city gate was wide open, there were two sharp wooden horses taken out from the military camp under the city gate, blocking half of the place under the city gate. Under the city gate were dozens of officers and soldiers wearing local garrison uniforms and armor, standing there lazily, all with a smile on their faces, with a serious look on their faces, led by two older officers, more It was one with a greedy face, and the other with greedy eyes. Sitting at a table, any business group from the past had to register before entering the city—this was in line with the imperial decree.
It's just that these guys are obviously hurting the public and private. Two officers are sitting there with arrogant faces, one is playing with a horsewhip, and the other is holding a mimeographed seal, a common document in the past caravans and chambers of commerce, These two people are responsible for comparison and verification, and then release.
But Xiaya watched for a while, but her face was ashen.
These two bastards were sitting there, and they just glanced at the documents handed over by others, and did not verify much, but they made an arrogant look, and then they were picky, those caravans in the past were all It's a person who is used to traveling around the world, why don't you understand the meaning? Someone came up, and when they handed over the travel documents, there were some hard and shiny things hidden in their sleeves, and they were quietly stuffed into the officer's hands.
The soldiers guarding the city were quite straightforward. Those who gave bribes waved their hands to let them go. Those who refused to pay bribes deliberately made things difficult, detained their motorcades, and a group of soldiers immediately rushed forward like wolves. A car was turned over and over again and carefully checked, and some packed boxes of goods were also turned over in a mess.
As a result, the speed of release will naturally be much slower.
Seeing that the city gate was blocked and the anxious caravans lined up behind them complaining, everyone dared not scold these officers and soldiers who were greedy and demanding bribes, but had no choice but to scold those caravans who were ignorant and refused to hand in bribes.
Xia Ya watched it for a while, but couldn't stand it any longer, so he strode away from the crowd and rushed up, seeing a caravan leader who was rubbing his hands and hid a few hard coins in his sleeves and handed them over. , Xia Ya stepped forward and held down the businessman, pulled him back, stood at the table, and looked down at the two officers sitting there coldly.
The two of them were about to receive the money, but suddenly they saw a person squeezed in front of them, and they frowned. One of them raised his eyelids and looked at Xiaya. First, I felt a chill in my heart.
After all, Xia Ya is a person who has experienced war. He has extraordinary strength from the beginning, and he was killed several times from the dead. At this moment, when he gets angry, he naturally brings a dignified power. It seems that it is quite a bit. The style of the former domineering general Adric is gone.
"What, what!" An officer shrank his neck, but when he saw that he was surrounded by his subordinates, he couldn't help but get angry.
"Enter the city!" Xia snorted.
"Line up at the back." The officer frowned and raised his chin: "Quickly dodge to the side, if you dare to disturb the order, I will arrest you!"
In order to facilitate the journey, Xia Ya did not wear armor, but a robe, otherwise, these officers would not dare to be so presumptuous if his mountain armor was exposed.
"Disturbing the order?" Xia Ya was furious, and suddenly stepped forward, pressed the table with both hands, and lifted the table. Amidst the officer's exclamation, with a bang, a table directly smashed an officer down. Now, the other one scrambling to the side, rolling on the ground with a gray face, before getting up, seeing one of his comrades being crushed under the rotten table with blood on his face, he immediately screamed: "Come here. Grab it! Grab it! Grab it!!"
Dozens of soldiers around him immediately pulled out their weapons and surrounded them. Looking at the appearance of these people, they were all smiling and roguelike, just like street gangsters. Where can there be a soldier for a long time
Xia Ya saw that he was angry and full of anger. The two defending soldiers who rushed to the front were grabbed by the neck one by one and lifted up by his neck, and threw them towards the city wall from a distance.
With two bangs, the two rogue soldiers slammed into the city wall, and suddenly they fell to the ground and vomited blood. Some of the people beside him were arrogant with their swords raised, and some were just like local ruffians. They put on military uniforms to eat and eat. Seeing that Xi Ya was so arrogant, he just hid behind the ghosts and threatened him. He didn't dare for a while. Step forward.
Xia Ya didn't care about so many. He rushed into the crowd of rogue soldiers, punched and kicked, and killed seven or eight in a moment. Fortunately, he was merciful and did not kill people with ruthlessness, but these people also They had to break their legs and feet, and the rest shouted, dropped their weapons, and swarmed the city in a hurry, shouting as they ran: "The robbers are attacking the city! Run!!!"
Xia Ya was so angry that she almost vomited blood!
Is this Lao Tzu's lair? Is this Lao Tzu's army? !
Mad Dog Green! What the hell are you doing here for so many fucking days! !
Seeing that Xia Ya alone drove away dozens of officers and soldiers guarding the city gate, the caravan passers-by who were waiting to enter the city suddenly cheered loudly, shouting loudly for a while, some shouting "Good fight", some more. It was shouting, "These bastards should be killed with a knife!"
However, two veterans came over with seriousness, quickly grabbed Xiaya, and persuaded him kindly: "Young man, hurry up! You've stabbed a hornet's nest, and they'll gather people out in a while, you're going to suffer!"
Xia Ya snorted, thanked the other party for their kindness first, and gritted her teeth: "Are all the defenders in this city so bastards?"
Some of the businessmen next to them frowned and complained helplessly: "I haven't been so arrogant before, although I used to get some benefits occasionally in the past, but I can still live. It was said that it came from Osgilia, and the backstage was very hard. After the Green Battalion Officer came, he intensified. All the scoundrels on the ground were recruited into the army by him. Switching and setting up cards at the gate of the city and openly asking for bribes, we dared not to speak out. At this moment, the other battalions stationed in the city saw that Green had made a fortune, and they all followed suit. They all colluded with Green. This is the case at the gate of the city, these rogue soldiers are even more ruthless than robbers!"
As soon as he said this, he immediately attracted the attention of others, and for a while there was a lot of anger, and the garrison in the city was scolded with blood.
Xia Ya was surprised when she heard it!
Green? !
Green? ? ! That mad dog Green? !
The one who silently salutes in front of the statue of the Duke of Osgilia, that rigorous soldier who is not afraid of warlords and dignitaries! ! How did it become so unbearable as soon as it came out of the imperial capital and came to the place? !
Could it be that the arrogance he had in front of him before was all fake? !
Xia Ya was furious, went up and grabbed the officer who was smashed to the ground, lifted him up, and shouted, "Say! Which battalion are you from! Who is your commander!"
The officer vomited blood, and under the majesty of Xia Ya, his legs were already trembling, and he stammered and said: "I, I am the first battalion, and the leader of the battalion is Master Green..."
"Damn it!" Xia threw him to the ground, her heart burning with anger.
At this moment, I suddenly heard a commotion in the city, followed by footsteps, and a group of soldiers rushed out, armed with swords and weapons, and the leader was a tall warrior wearing a battalion officer's leather armor. And the weight loss, it is Green who has not seen for many days.
Green was wearing the uniform of the army, and he was immediately different from the depressed soldier he saw in the imperial capital, and his whole body burst out with a compelling heroic spirit and expression. As soon as he saw Xia Ya from a distance, Green laughed, looked back and shouted, "All the weapons! Hahahaha!"
There was a kind-hearted person next to him and quickly persuaded Xia Ya in a low voice: "Run! This guy is very powerful!"
Xia Ya stood there, his eyes fixed on Green, Green strode up, and opened his arms to hug Xia, but Xia turned sideways to avoid, stared at Green coldly, gritted his teeth and said, "Green, What a mad dog! You've been here for so many days, and what you've done is so fucking beautiful! As soon as I came here, I saw your tricks!"
Green's expression remained unchanged, he smiled slightly, and shouted to the "soldiers" behind him who were arrogant and not good at first glance: "Be honest, don't make mistakes! This is our new armament commander, Baron Xia Ya. My lord! You've all fucked up your weapons, come up and salute!"
As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the surrounding area. Someone next to him made a statement accusing the army in the city, and his face turned pale with fright. I thought that these officers and soldiers were a nest of snakes and rats. If so, I'm afraid I'm going to be unlucky!
Many people saved these thoughts and retreated into the crowd one after another.
Xia Ya stared at Green, gritted his teeth and whispered, "Don't give me a fucking talk! Green, what kind of bullshit are you doing here! If you don't tell me clearly, I don't care what your origins are, and military law cuts you off. your head!"
Green saw that Xiaya's eyes were full of anger, and it was obvious that he was really murderous, but he was not in a hurry, smiled slightly, and lowered his voice: "This is not the place to talk, go into the city, I will tell you slowly ."
After a pause, seeing that Xia Ya's expression was still full of hostility, Green sighed: "Reckless boy, don't you still believe me? Listen to me once, and I will naturally explain to you when I look back, and then you will fight or kill. , or whatever you want."
Xia snorted. Although he was annoyed in his heart, he still had some expectations after all: a character that both Ruhr and Adric admired so much, and how could he behave like Green in the past, how could he act so unbearably? move
Finally, he was persuaded by Green. Green took Xi Ya and walked into the city, randomly instructing a few officers under his command to take over the guarding of the city gate and maintain order.
Xia Ya took a few steps, but suddenly stopped and shouted, "Sharba!"
Sharba responded immediately.
"I'm in the city, stay here and stare!!" Xia Ya said coldly, "Give me your eyes wide open! If anyone here dares to mess around again and ask for bribes, the one with the left hand will chop off the left hand. The one with the right hand chops off the right hand! If someone makes a mess, just chop off the head and come to see me!"
Sharba immediately straightened up in response, drew his sword and stood at the door with a swipe.
After Xia Ya finished speaking, his murderous eyes swept across Green's soldiers, and everyone was immediately afraid.