After much trouble to trick Cui Xiao away, Chen Tang felt like her bottom was on fire, jumping up and down, looking for a blank scroll, picking up a pen and dipped it in ink, and quickly wrote a lot. While holding the scroll to warm the fire, she was still mumbling.
"A letter can contain too few words, it is more convenient to use the Bluebird to send messages..." Using the Bluebird to send messages, one can write two to three thousand words, and there is no need to worry about having no place to write even if she is talking endlessly. Letters are heavy and difficult to use, and are also inconvenient to send. It's a pity that the Bluebird has a limited distance for sending messages. The more content there is, the more literary energy is consumed per kilometer, and she can't afford it.
Her papermaking workshop was finally put into use.
The craftsmen experimented countless times in the past two years, and explored various material ratios, and finally made fine paper, but the production was limited and the quality control was not very stable. At present, part of the output of the papermaking workshop is given priority to supplying the official libraries of various places, arranging a large number of people to re-copy local chronicles, files and collections, and gradually replacing the difficult-to-preserve scrolls with paper carriers that are easier to preserve and carry. The other part is given to Xu Jie to sell in exchange for more research and development funds...
Even though Chen Tang was the county governor, he was reluctant to use paper-based office work.
In most cases, letters are written on bamboo slips.
She carefully checked the letter to Qishan, making sure there were no typos that Qishan would find fault with, then she closed it, rolled it up, tied it in a special way, and wrapped it in a layer of special clay. After the clay dried, she stamped her monogram on it.
If the clay seal is damaged, the contents of the letter may be leaked, but this letter is leaked, as long as Cui Shanxiao has not seen the original, everything will be fine. Except for a few key points, the rest of the content is her passionate greetings.
"Someone—"
She called out.
Yang Ying, the personal guard on duty today, jumped down from the beam.
Chen Tang handed her the letter and said, "Find someone to pass this letter back to Sibao County and hand it to the chief clerk Qi Yuanliang. Go quickly."
Yang Ying took it with both hands, and Chen Tang remembered something else.
"Shengmei, haven't contacted Gongcheng for a while?"
Yang Gongcheng is Yang Gong.
Yang Ying's father, an old left-behind father.
Yang Ying's eyes softened: "I sent a letter home three months ago."
Chen Tang counted the time backwards with her fingers. At that time, the Battle of Crossing the River had not yet begun. She said, "It's too long to contact once every three months. It doesn't matter if I write a letter to Yuan Liang. You can also write one to your father and send it back with it."
Yang Ying said: "Thank you, my lord."
"Who will be the next replacement?"
Yang Ying said: "My lord, it is Zhizong."
"Oh, I see."
Chen Tang's personal guards were not large. In peacetime, they were in groups of one or two, and in wartime, they were in groups of four or eight. One group would be on duty for twelve hours at a time, and they would take over on time at noon every day. On the surface, they were supposed to protect Chen Tang's safety, but in reality, if they encountered an assassination, it was hard to say who would protect whom. For them, being on duty was more like taking turns to rest.
These people are actually the confidants that Chen Tang is going to train. When the situation stabilizes in the future, they will be sent to various places to garrison and command troops. The most important task for following Chen Tang is to observe and learn.
Of course, how far one can go in the end depends on one's own ability.
Chen Tang carried the map that Qin Li had worked on overnight and went to the government office for a morning meeting. When she arrived, the small hall was already full of people. She exchanged greetings with everyone and then sat down: "I accidentally found a treasure last night, and I would like to share it with you."
She asked Lu Ji and others to open the map completely.
Except for a few people who knew about it, no one else knew what was on the cloth. When the cloth was fully unfolded, the content caught their eyes instantly. Chen Tang said, "As you can see, this is the details of Huang Xiguang's troops stationed and deployed, and this is Zhang Yongqing's. From the map, the actual number of troops of the two families has increased to 300,000, which is roughly the same as our previous estimate. It is estimated that 60% of them were temporarily recruited in the past few months... The pressure is much less than expected..."
The data in this map is very detailed.
The map maker seemed to be afraid that viewers would not understand it, so he included all kinds of data, making it so simple that even laymen could understand it. But because of this, some people who were unaware of the map began to doubt the source and authenticity of the map.
Many of their generals had fought in wars all their lives, but they had never seen a map that was so eager to feed them.
"My lord, this map... I have never seen anything like it in my life. Are you being fooled?" Wei Shou almost pressed his eyes against the map. The more he looked at it, the more frightened he became. It even drew the attack route, marked the enemy's weak points in defense, and briefly provided several feasible strategic plans. My lord actually called this a map? Don't lie to him that there are few battles.
Chen Tang smiled and said, "The map was provided by a righteous man who is in Cao's camp but his heart is with Han. This man can be trusted!"
Wei Shou couldn't take his eyes off the map: "Hero?"
"For his safety, his identity cannot be revealed for the time being to avoid him getting hurt. After this battle is over, I will formally introduce him to you all." She unilaterally announced that Qin Li was his and Wu Xian was a thing of the past.
Below, Gu Chi, Cui Xiao and others all had strange expressions on their faces.
The more Wei Shou listened, the brighter his eyes became. He rubbed his hands in excitement. If the lord had not been framed by a honey trap and the righteous man really existed, then he would have made a fortune! He further asked, "Lord, are the painter and the righteous man the same person?"
Huang Xiguang actually has such a capable person under his command
Not only Wei Shou, but others also mistakenly believed that the "righteous man in Cao's camp but with his heart in Han" mentioned by Chen Tang was on the enemy's side, either Huang Xiguang's people or Zhang Yongqing's people. Only in this way could the deployment of the two armies be understood so clearly.
It also makes sense logically. After all, who would have thought that the righteous men were not under the enemy's command but under the ally's command
Shen Tang nodded: "Yeah."
Wei Shou said: "This person is very talented."
Chen Tang smiled and said, “This is indeed a great talent.”
Wei Shou chuckled. Chu Yao, who was not far away, knew what he was planning when he heard his laugh, and a sneer appeared on his lips. As expected, Wei Shou wanted such a partner. Not considering the lord, Gong Xichou who refused to lead the army, and Chu Jie who loved to guard Yonggu Pass, Wei Shou was the only one left in Shen Tang's account. He had the longest experience and the strongest strength, so he would be considered first when leading troops to fight in the future.
In other words—
That righteous man could be a bound military strategist! With the ability to draw such a detailed map, what war can't be fought? What war can't be won? Wei Shou could almost see the scene of military merits flying into his pocket continuously. With more military merits, the military budget for each quarter would also be larger, the soldiers under his command could eat more, train longer, and there would be surplus food to recruit soldiers to expand the scale!
This is a positive cycle!
Although he had not seen the hero in person, just by looking at this move, he unilaterally decided that this person must be better than Chu Liangliang! He had a hard time asking Chu Liangliang for the five virtues of a general. He did not consider at all that this hero might already have a bound general.
Wei Shou's wishful thinking made Gu Chi's ears hurt.
Of course, some people expressed their incomprehension.
It's not that I don't understand why this righteous man "abandoned the dark and joined the light" and defected to his master, but I don't understand why the master changed his mind at the last minute? If our army has the geographical advantage of Chaoli Pass, we can retreat or defend, and we can also delay Huang Lie's soldiers who are short of food to death.
Delay it for a while and weaken their fighting power.
The enemy's status declines, which in turn increases your own status.
This was also the countermeasure they had discussed before.
Chen Tang was reminded of bad memories, and pursed his lips and said, "I received information from that righteous man before, and sent troops to attack a camp. Huang Xiguang's troops were short of food, so they tricked refugees into using them as military rations. But they already have 300,000 soldiers..."
Implications—
How much can 300,000 soldiers eat
How long can the two states of Yan and Qian, which have already suffered a disaster, last
It won't last long before it will be eaten into a deserted land. Chen Tang worked so hard to cultivate Yumai, reclaim wasteland, and build riverbanks... all for the purpose of creating a stable environment to accommodate refugees. Without refugees, what's the point of having open space
At this time, a man said in a calm and cold-blooded tone: "Mr. Chen, as long as Huang Xiguang's forces are destroyed, even if Yan and Qian states are emptied out, as long as there is peace here, there will still be a steady stream of refugees moving here from other places."
As long as there are enough fields to cultivate and enough food to eat, the lost population can be replaced. On the contrary, if we send troops now, our side, including our ally Wu Xian, will only have 100,000 people. 300,000 against 100,000, even if 60% of these 300,000 are prisoners and temporarily recruited refugees, it will still cause heavy losses to our side. Every extra life of our elite is a good thing, isn't it
After they eat up all the refugees, they will turn around and eat themselves, or mobilize all their forces to fight a decisive battle with their own side before that. As long as they use the least cost to hold on to the most pressured wave, it is only a matter of time before Huang Xiguang and others destroy themselves.
Maybe two months, maybe half a year...
After this person finished speaking, the whole hall fell silent.
Everyone including Chen Tang's eyes were on him.
This is a stranger, an old minister of the Xin State who was rescued before. People do not share the joys and sorrows of others, and it is difficult for those in high positions to empathize with ants. Chen Tang drew a cross on this person in her heart. She had an impression of this person and remembered that he was quite capable at work, but she did not expect that his values were so different from hers. To be on the safe side, it is better not to let him touch power, which is too cold.
Chen Tang asked him, "In a way, what you said makes sense and is very rational, but do you know how long it takes to conceive a child? A woman is pregnant for ten months, and giving birth is like stepping half a step into the gates of hell. Even if the child is born, the chances of raising it alive are small. A couple can give birth to eight or nine children in their lifetime, and some may give birth to more, but only three or four may actually grow up. Although they are just one of the countless living beings, and are no more than ants in the world, they have indeed lived for dozens of years."
It takes more than ten years from infancy to adolescence.
It takes more than twenty years from infancy to adulthood.
From infancy to old age, it takes longer.
This time is enough for the current country to go from establishment to collapse. It is normal to change nationality once or twice in a lifetime. This time is the weight of their life! These are living people, not a speck of dust that can be easily described.
Chen Tang: "I cannot agree with what you said."
Yes, the thing the world lacks the least is refugees.
But the refugees coming later will not be the same as the ones in front of us!
Realizing that Chen Tang was unhappy, the man's face changed slightly, and he found a way to change the subject. Chu Yao used his peripheral vision to remember the man's face, and then smiled and led the topic to the deployment of troops. Many people in the hall also behaved in a similar way.
Gu Chi listened to the inner voice and sneered in his heart.
Didn't this fool pay attention to the backgrounds of the people present before he spoke? According to his words, more than half of the people present were expendable and could be seen coldly as military rations. He was a man of talent who could offend more than half of his colleagues with just a few words.
He shouldn't be here, he should be under Huang Lie's command.
I guess Huang Lie would like his ruthlessness and decisiveness.
My master doesn't like this kind of food.
An hour later, the formation for this battle was basically finalized, with Wei Shou as the commander of the central army. It wasn't that they trusted him too much, but several capable and qualified people didn't want to take the position. Especially Gong Xichou, how could it be fun to be the commander of the central army as opposed to fighting a general
He was thrown into the vanguard position by Shen Tang.
Although Chen Tang is the lord, he also loves to be a pioneer.
After that, we arranged the left and right armies, finalized the three-army formation and the necessary formation words, and stepped up the training of the soldiers according to the words to ensure that the front line would not fall behind. Although the pressure on high-level combat power was reduced with the addition of Wei Shou and others, the scale of Shen Tang's army was also expanded. What was most lacking now was the middle-level generals. After all the arrangements, it was still stretched.
Chen Tang: “…”
When it comes to the turn of the literati, there is no need to worry.
Not only was it easily full, but there was also an overstaffing.
Finally, she waved her hand and arranged more assistants.
Friendly reminder - If you can build a good relationship with them, you might be able to spare one or two more generals with five virtues.
Limited quantity, first come first served!
When the long and boring meeting was over, the sunset in the sky had already turned the sunset into a magnificent color. Chen Tang did not forget to remind the logistics to give the soldiers extra meals, all the food was provided, and meat was also provided. After eating and drinking enough in the past two days, it was time to kill the enemy!
As the wartime orders were issued, the various parts of the war machine began to operate again. Except for the newly recruited soldiers and captured laborers, all other elite troops were drawn back from wastelands and riverbanks, and the common people under his rule sensed some kind of message.
"The war is about to begin again—"
"Alas, how long has it been quiet..."
The lives of the common people in Chaoli Pass were relatively stable. Chen Tang also redistributed the land to them and rented and sold them a grain called Yumai at a low price. He said that it could mature before the autumn harvest, was delicious and had a high yield, so they would not have to worry about food this winter.
Since there is no other choice, the common people can only give it a try.
As they watched the crops they carefully tended sprout and grow day by day, they began to feel hope for life again... Perhaps, life would really get better and better? But this joy was too short-lived, and the flames of war that had been quelled were ignited again!
"Will the people outside the pass break in?"
“It’s hard to say…”
"What should I do with these twenty acres of wheat? This is the lifeblood of my family, who have been taking care of it for a month or so. Sigh, what a miserable life."
"Why are you howling? Isn't this the case in every family of ours?"
As soon as they heard that a war was going to break out, the villages closest to Chaoli Pass took action and every household packed up their belongings and waited.
If something goes wrong, run away!