After coming to Lanzhou, although Qin Mubai also had his own private office in the governor's mansion, most of his work was related to the governor's mansion, so he spent more time in the governor's mansion in Lanzhou.
Today was as usual, when he was discussing spring plowing and land reclamation with Lanzhou Governor Xiao Liang and others, a guard named Baiqi from the Governor's Mansion came to report that brothers Xue Wanche and Xue Wanjun, with some generals, rushed in aggressively. He went to the Governor's Mansion and loudly questioned the Governor Qin Shubao, and they were all trying to force him into the palace!
When Qin Mubai heard this, he felt a little angry. He dropped what he was doing and immediately rushed to the Governor's Mansion, which was only one street away.
There were indeed many people standing in the meeting hall of the Governor's Mansion. Although it's not like the pawn said he was trying to force his way into the palace by force, the smell of gunpowder is indeed strong. Loud roars can be heard even from a distance.
People in the army are different from the officials in the court. They speak loudly and directly, and it is common for them to roar. However, it is indeed excessive for the Xue brothers to gather so many generals to make trouble and surround Qin Shubao!
Above the main hall, Xue Wanche is on the left and Xue Wanjun is on the right. Behind the two brothers are six or seven generals each. Most of them are frontline field commanders with fiery personalities. Most of them have followed the Xue brothers for many years and are accustomed to fighting. generation. With a large number of people, it seems that they don't intend to give much face to Qin Shubao, the general and commander-in-chief. There were many people talking and talking passionately, and the quarrel was fierce.
Qin Mubai suppressed his anger and listened outside for a while. These people were arguing and arguing. The focus of the argument was: why they did not launch an attack for so long and instead insisted on defending the city. This is nothing more than self-indulgence, but they actually let the entire army of 50,000 go to farm - we are warriors who kill the enemy, not farmers who cut the seeds!
Faced with the indiscriminate bombardment from this group of generals and colleagues, Qin Shubao's reaction was surprisingly calm. Not humble, not arrogant, nor talkative. As still as water, with eyes like a falcon, he quietly watched these people perform with his hands stroking his beard, almost without saying a word.
Everyone made a fuss for a while, but found that Qin Shubao didn't respond at all. Instead, he was beating drums in his heart, as if he also realized that there was something wrong with him, so he gradually became quieter.
Xue Wanjun clasped his fists and said: "General, if you are not rude to the generals, you must dare to do the following. However, the general is very confused about the orders issued by the Governor's Mansion. The officers and men of the three armies are not in good morale. If you don't give If you come up with a reasonable explanation, the general will be afraid that the soldiers will change their minds, which will be very bad!"
Qin Shubao looked at Xue Wanjun, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, his long gray beard trembled slightly, and said, "Is the quarrel finally over?"
Xue Wanjun and others' expressions changed, knowing that they were rude first, they hurriedly clasped their fists together: "I am rude to you, general, I hope you will forgive me!"
Qin Shubao stood up, put his hands behind his back, walked slowly to the middle of Xue Wanjun and others, and said leisurely: "You have been in the army for not more than a year and a half. You don't know what a military order is?"
"Yes, the last general knows." Xue Wanjun, who seemed to be the leader of the generals, replied with clasped fists, "Military orders are like mountains, and they are only followed by orders."
"Then what are you doing here?" Qin Shubaofeng narrowed his eyes with a hint of murderous intent, stared at Xue Wanjun, and said in a deep voice, "My order has been issued, but I can't change it? You guys, are you trying to force me into the palace?!"
"I don't dare!" Xue Wanjun and others clasped their fists in unison and responded hurriedly.
At this moment, the smell of gunpowder in the hall suddenly became stronger. Although Xue Wanjun softened his words, he was obviously not convinced and insisted: "The last general has just said it. It's not that we are unwilling to carry out military orders. It's just that the military's will is what the soldiers want. I am willing to farm, but I am willing to go into battle to kill the enemy! Moreover, it has been more than three months since the general led his army here, and not a single soldier has been used. The Tubo people occasionally come to provoke and cause trouble, and the governor's office has strictly ordered them not to come out. The generals are holding fire in their hearts, vomiting blood, and have no way to vent it! Now, they are not allowed to go into battle, but they are asking us to take off our robes and go to farm... In this way, the general can still obey the order. He has no complaints, but it is difficult to protect the soldiers under his command, how do they feel? "
"Are you threatening me?" Qin Shubao's voice was cold, and he walked up to Xue Wanjun and stared into his eyes. Because he was slightly taller than Xue Wanjun, he lowered his head in a condescending manner and said almost to his face, "Do I have to explain everything to you, general?"
Xue Wanjun was pushed in front of Qin Shubao so aggressively, and he seemed to be unable to hide his anger. He refused to retreat and said in a deep voice: "I will never dare to commit an offense. However, public anger is difficult to commit, so I ask the general to think twice. Please be sure to give me Give me a reasonable explanation!”
"What if I don't give it?" Qin Shubao asked.
Xue Wanjun responded quickly and quickly: "Then general...it is difficult to guarantee whether the morale of the army will mutiny!"
"How dare you!" Qin Shubao shouted in a deep voice, his anger bursting out!
The sound of a sword being unsheathed suddenly sounded in the hall, and the hundreds of mounted guards heard the sound and moved forward with their swords. Xue Wanche and others who had been watching from the side also reacted immediately. Many of them held their hands on the handle of the knife and just had to pull it out!
The sword is on the verge of breaking out!
At this time, Qin Mubai walked in.
"Back off!" He shouted sharply, and all the knights sheathed their swords one after another. They glanced at the Xue brothers and others coldly, and then retreated.
Xue Wanche and others also put away their sword-holding hands and gave Qin Mubai a symbolic fist: "I've seen the young general."
"Major General" is a new title given to Qin Mubai after he came to Lanzhou. Since both father and son have the surname Qin, the title "General Qin" is inevitably confusing. Qin Shubao was the general, so Qin Mubai was called the young general.
"Father, Commander." After entering, Qin Mubai first saw the military salute, and then said, "Don't General Xue and others want to explain? Please allow the future to explain to them!"
"Huh!" Qin Shubao sneered without comment, walked back to the handsome chair, sat down, and drank tea by himself.
Arrogant and arrogant, he takes advantage of the weak rather than the strong. This is the typical Qin Shubao style.
Now, the target of the Xue brothers' siege has instantly turned to Qin Mubai. Because they knew that these decrees were actually written by Qin Mubai. The purpose of this trip was not to compete with Qin Shubao to see if he was good or bad, but to target Qin Mubai.
"Young General, you came just in time." Xue Wanjun said with a half-smile but a sharp tone, "We are very puzzled by the decrees issued by the Governor. You are the Governor of the Governor's Office and are in charge of government affairs and people's livelihood. These decrees should be It came from you, right?"
"Yes." Qin Mubai smiled and nodded.
"Then why did you make such a decision?" Xue Wanjun frowned and said sternly, "Fifty thousand troops, hot-blooded warriors - big eyes and small eyes followed you to farm and weave mulberry trees! Do you mistake Lanzhou for Xiangzhou?"
"What's going on in Lanzhou, what's going on in Xiangzhou?" Qin Mubai smiled instead of getting angry, and said calmly, "The soldiers and civilians in Xiangzhou are human beings, but the soldiers and civilians in Lanzhou are not human beings. They don't need to eat or wear clothes?"
"You... are obviously sophistry!" Xue Wanjun hit a big nail, his anger grew more and more, and he gritted his teeth and said, "We have traveled thousands of miles to send our troops here just to drive away the barbarians and kill the enemy for the country. We farm and raise mulberry trees. That’s what farmers and women do! How can I, the general, follow suit? It’s really unreasonable!”
"What General Xue said is absolutely true!" All the generals agreed, "The Tibetan cavalry often harassed the herdsmen, plundered the herdsmen, burned and looted the villages, and they were extremely vicious! At this moment, we must fight bravely to kill the enemy to protect the country and the people. , how can you just sit back and watch, and instead go farming and raising mulberry trees and doing things like sheep and cattle with a clear conscience!”
"Everyone, please calm down first." Qin Mubai suppressed his anger and said calmly and calmly, "Let me ask you first, how much food do you still have in the army?"
Xue Wanjun sneered: "You are responsible for allocating the army's food and grass, but you come to ask us?"
"I have to say it yourself. Do you never care about food, so you can't tell me why?" Qin Mubai didn't get angry, but looked at him with a smile.
Xue Wanjun suppressed his anger for the time being and replied: "This general will command more than 15,000 soldiers and horses on the front line of Shancheng, including 20,000 horses and more than 15,000 infantrymen and horses. There are still more than 30,000 stones of grain and grass left."
"That's a total of 35,000 mouths, waiting for food?" Qin Mubai smiled lightly and said, "There are only 30,000 stones of food and grass left in total. On average, each person and horse have less than one stone of food and grass. Even if one person and one horse have one, A hundred kilograms of food and grass, enough for a few days, I guess you don’t need to tell me - the food and grass will be exhausted in less than a month, right?”
"So what?" Xue Wanjun sneered, "Is it possible that you will no longer allocate food and grass to us?"
"Of course not." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "However, there are only less than 200,000 stones of food and grass left in Lanzhou's treasury. How much can I allocate to you? I asked General Xue Wanche, Liangzhou's military and civilians are better than Shancheng More front lines, right?”
"Yes." Xue Wanche replied lukewarmly.
"Lanzhou has more than Shancheng and Liangzhou." Qin Mubai said, "So, how should we distribute the two hundred thousand stones of food and grass? I would like to ask the generals for advice."
"That's your business!" Xue Wanjun said impatiently, "After talking in a roundabout way for a long time, what exactly do you want to say? If you don't have food and grass, you won't go to the court? What does the Ministry of War do for food? Isn't it just to provide food and grass to the front line? "?"
"Yes, these things should be the concern of the Ministry of War. I don't need to bother you." Qin Mubai said, "But have you ever calculated that it takes at least two months to transport a stone of grain and grass to Lanzhou? . In addition, it is good to have 30,000 to 40,000 shi left over from Taicang, Chang'an. In addition, there are also cold clothes and bedding for the soldiers, which are all supplied by the barren land of Lanzhou. There is almost no self-reliance. Well, if the Tubo people come, they will be driven back tomorrow. The defense will always be passive. If the Guanlong defense line is large, where can you defend it? To the east, a group of enemy cavalry from the west infiltrated, burned, killed, and looted for a while, and then ran away. Our army tried hard to catch up, but they cut off a few heads and ran back happily, thinking that they had made a great achievement. , can this really break the Tibetan people’s muscles?”
"What do you mean by that?" Xue Wanjun couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, "Are you doubting the combat capabilities of this general and his subordinates?"
"No." Qin Mubai said, "General Xue is well known to the world for his bravery and skill in fighting, which frightens the enemy. However, the general is eager to achieve success, but short-sighted. He only thinks about killing the enemy today and does not think about tomorrow. The troops stationed in Lanzhou The lifeblood depends entirely on the supply line behind them. Isn't this a fatal barrier that restricts our army's combat effectiveness? The reason why the Tubo people are good at guerrilla warfare and are so erratic is that they dare to do this. They knew that our supplies were insufficient and we were unable to carry out expeditions to attack their nests. Therefore, they often came to harass and plunder, and then retreated to Dafeichuan to garrison. We knew that they were stationed in the hinterland of Dafeichuan and Tuyuhun. In the final analysis, the inability to conquer and destroy is not limited by supplies. No matter how brave the soldiers are, they can't fight on an empty stomach, right? If the supply line can be shortened from 1,400 miles to dozens of miles, even carrying a granary with them. Go fight, why should you be afraid?”
"Oh, after talking for a long time, is this the reason why you ordered the fields to be planted with mulberry trees?" Xue Wanjun was not convinced, but sneered, "I said that I am short-sighted, but yours is really long-term. All 50,000 troops went to farm and raise mulberry trees. Now, who will defend us? If the Tibetans invade at this time, won’t all the newly opened mulberry fields be destroyed?”
"When you are free, you work as a farmer and when you are a soldier, why bother?" Qin Mubai replied, "Farming and raising mulberry trees are of course temporary. All the income from the farmland and mulberry orchards goes to the army, and there is no harm to the people. . Our army is self-sufficient, which not only saves money for the Tang Dynasty, but also provides food and grass quickly, so we no longer have to worry about supplies. The army's combat effectiveness will definitely increase and it will not be difficult to win another battle. ”
"It sounds wonderful." Xue Wanjun said, "However, farming and raising mulberry trees is not a day's work? Planting trees and opening up pastures is not the work of years! - You plan to let us, an army of fifty thousand, How long will you stay in Lanzhou?”
"As little as one year, as long as five years, you will definitely see results!" Qin Mubai replied decisively.
"This is unreasonable! Before the war starts, we have to farm for five years!" Xue Wanjun became angry and said bitterly, "We are all war-stricken people. We would rather return home wrapped in horse leather than be a mud-legged general who farms and raises mulberry trees!"
At this time, Qin Mubai's face also darkened, and he said coldly: "I have explained everything that needs to be explained. If you still have questions, please come and ask in private, and I will answer them patiently. If you really don’t want to do what you’re told, then just do it!”
Xue Wanjun's eyes widened: "We are here to suppress the bandits and kill the enemy, and we have nothing to do with the follow-up supplies! In short, we will never dare to obey the decree of farming and raising mulberry!"
"After talking for a long time, you still want to disobey military orders?" Qin Mubai smiled coldly, "As the saying goes, be polite before fighting. I feel that I have said everything that needs to be said and explained everything that needs to be explained. General Xue will be aggressive again , I have to deal with business matters!"
"What do you dare to do? You dare to tie me up!" Xue Wanjun was furious and yelled, "General, I will give you a copy of this book now! It has been more than a hundred days since you came to Lanzhou, and you have been neglecting your duties all day long, leading officials and officials with you. Traveling around in the mountains and rivers! You don’t want to use troops to retreat from the enemy. You only want to cultivate mulberry trees and defend yourself. You are clearly trying to support the invaders and enrich yourself with soldiers! "
"General Xue wants to join me? Okay, let's go!" Qin Mubai smiled coldly, completely unconcerned, "Yes, I wish you could do it!"
"We'll see!"
Xue Wanjun snorted, glared at Qin Mubai angrily, grabbed his shirt, and strode away. The others also glared at Qin Mubai with ill intentions and walked away angrily.