Chapter 1 When the Leader Calls You Over

When your leader calls you over to tell you that he wants to discuss something with you,

if you naively believe him and think you can sit down and discuss it with him, then you are too simple, too naive.

In fact, General Zheng wasn't ignorant of this principle, but he really didn't want to leave his old nest.

What kind of situation is this?

I just finished building Cui Liu Fort, and now I have to go to Shengle.

I just finished building the new city walls of Shengle, and now I'm being transferred to Xue Hai Pass?

Am I a general leading troops to fight, or the Country Garden of Great Yan?

But even if you have more dissatisfaction, the moment Tian Wujing said that sentence, this matter was already set in stone.

Actually, no one cares whether you are willing or not.

This sentence describes the current relationship between the Jingnan Marquis and the Shengle general, but doesn't it also have a deeper meaning?

Zheng Fan fell silent and didn't resist, because the door to resistance was already blocked.

Tian Wujing looked at Zheng Fan and continued:

"Xue Hai Pass is a good place."

"My Lord, that was before."

Even if you plan to accept your fate, you still have to say a few words of grievance, right?

You can't be kicked out of your old nest and then shamelessly say, "My Lord is wise."

In the past, Xue Hai Pass itself was a strategic pass. The reason why Zheng Fan's Shengle army was able to successfully defend it was also due to the advantageous terrain of the strategic pass.

The barbarians hated it, but the reason why they couldn't completely destroy it was first, because the Barbarian King called a timely halt, and second, because the city was too sturdy.

The foundation was deep, the city bricks were thick, and the scale was huge. It would take a lot of effort for the barbarians to tear it down.

It can be said that even if you expand the newly built Shengle City several times, it is difficult to compare with the scale of Xue Hai Pass.

Because Xue Hai Pass is not only this city, but also a defense line stretching out, with many military forts similar to Cui Liu Fort and satellite towns.

Its status and scale are similar to Tumanch City, which I saw in Beifeng County.

After all, it was a strategic pass built by the Jin people with the strength of the entire country. How could it be bad?

And although it is called a "pass," the space inside the city is definitely not small and can accommodate a large population.

Originally, sitting in Xue Hai Pass, doing business with the barbarians in the snowy plains while extending trade routes to the Chu Kingdom, and undertaking trade from the Jin Kingdom, the Yan Kingdom, and even the West, would definitely be very profitable.

But now, after a war, the barbarians are not people who understand long-term management, but a group of hungry wolves who are desperate, almost turning this place into a wasteland.

You should know that later, the barbarians couldn't even catch the Jin slaves nearby, and couldn't even find cannon fodder to attack the city, and the "food" was gone.

It can be seen to what extent the population here has fallen.

Most importantly, this place will inevitably be a place of frequent wars in the future.

The Yan Kingdom has a quasi-military control system over the Three Jin lands. If you are stationed here, the imperial court may only give you half of the money and food, and you have to make up for the rest yourself.

This is a潜规则(qian gui ze - unspoken rule) in other places, because the imperial court also knows that you must have a lot of extra income, in short, don't pretend to be pure and honest.

But the fatal thing is that once the war starts, not to mention you sending troops, you have to bear the expenses when troops from other places come over, just like last time when the Jingnan Marquis led troops to the snowy plains, Shengle City provided grain, supplies, and laborers.

Therefore, you are equal to taking over a seemingly huge but actually empty shell, and you have to prepare for a large group of poor relatives to come to you to sponge off, eating and taking.

"You have to look at the long term. Shengle is too small after all."

Tian Wujing looked at Zheng Fan calmly,

and continued:

"This Marquis's marquisate should be moved from Li Tian City to Yingdu. The imperial court has to take half of Li Tian City and Qu He City to assign civil officials."

Qu He City and Li Tian City were respectively the "capitals" of the Helian family and the Wenren family. According to the Jingnan Marquis, the pure military control of these two places will end, and a situation will be formed in which two highest officials, one civil and one military, will govern together.

This also conforms to the current trend. Civil officials manage the local area, and generals manage the military, but because of the political environment of the Yan Kingdom, the situation in which civil officials overwhelm military generals like in the Qian Kingdom will not occur for the time being.

But in this way, you will definitely not be comfortable.

After being separated from economic and livelihood power, how can you train troops? How can you develop with peace of mind? How can you expand your army? How can you carry out your own ideological and political construction?

In comparison, it seems very logical for the Jingnan Marquis to move into Yingdu;

First, it is to stabilize the local people's hearts, second, it is to deter the snowy plains and the Chu Kingdom, and third, it can continue to erode and disintegrate the Cheng Kingdom's basic plate, making it merge into the Yan Kingdom faster.

"You can go to Qu He City and Li Tian City, but are you willing? Yingdu is naturally impossible for you. There are only a few places in the Three Jin lands that can be considered lucrative. Could it be that you want Yu Pan City?

There are still tens of thousands of Chu troops trapped in Yu Pan City. After several battles, it has long been empty.

Xue Hai Pass, first, the location is dangerous. Up, it can contain the snowy plains, and down, it can approach the Chu border.

As a general, one should not be afraid of fighting, but of having no battles to fight.

There are actually many Great Yan generals, but there is a big gap between generals. Being a Shengle general doesn't sound impressive. When this war is over, in three or two years, who will remember you?

A knife that is not sharpened will rust, and a person who does not stand in front of the stage will be forgotten."

This can be regarded as Tian Wujing speaking from the bottom of his heart.

If it were someone else, he would be promoting them and asking for a place for them to be stationed. Not only would they not be grateful, but they would dare to be picky?

Are you getting carried away, or am I, the Jingnan Marquis, unable to lift my saber?

Only when facing Zheng Fan would Tian Wujing say a few more words.

"It's true that Xue Hai Pass is now a wasteland, but isn't General Zheng the best at management? You can manage a small Shengle in an impressive manner. Here, if you rebuild Xue Hai Pass, it will really be amazing in the future.

If you hadn't made the greatest contribution to this eastern expedition, at other times, even if you wanted to sit in the position of Xue Hai Pass General, it would be difficult for this Marquis to push you up.

You are good at creating things and like trade. There are a lot of things from the Shengle workshop in the shops in Li Tian City.

You want those 20,000 barbarian prisoners of war, and this Marquis can give them to you, but if you still want..."

The Jingnan Marquis pointed north,

and said:

"There are plenty on the snowy plains."

Slaves, labor, if you lack anything, go to the snowy plains to catch them.

Anyway, after this battle, even if the Yan people don't launch a northern expedition to the snowy plains for the time being, the snowy plains have already been severely damaged and it will be difficult to cause trouble again.

In the past, the snowy plains barbarians' slave trade was booming.

Zheng Fan believed that if he let the Blind Man handle this matter, he could completely use the routines that the Westerners used on the black uncles.

Zheng Fan nodded,

and his tone softened a little.

He said with emotion:

"My Lord, what you said is true, and this subordinate knows your appreciation and promotion of this subordinate, but..."

"For the first three years, Yingdu will be fully responsible for supporting the money and food needed by your Xue Hai Pass."

Zheng Fan's eyes lit up.

"Other places can lack a little, and you can find ways to make up for it yourself, such as your Shengle City, but Xue Hai Pass, the location is dangerous and the relationship is important. With the disaster of the barbarians in front, neither the imperial court nor the people of Jin will want to come again.

This is the difference in location.

I heard that when Wujiang led his troops on the eastern expedition, you also went to him to ask for food and military pay. Although there was a deliberate excuse, everyone actually knows that the military needs of Shengle cannot be fully met.

But when you sit on the Xue Hai Pass city wall, you can directly write to Yingdu and write to the imperial court, and they dare not refuse.

Not to mention money and food,

people, officials, war horses, official positions,

one item after another,

Even, you can ask for an exorbitant price. All the merchants who go out of your Xue Hai Pass can be exempt from taxes in the Three Jin lands and the Yan lands."

The more Zheng Fan listened, the brighter his eyes became.

Damn, is Old Tian teaching me how to be a warlord?

Tian Wujing looked at Zheng Fan's face, shook his head, sighed, and continued:

"The talents of the world, one point is in the grass, and nine points are in the court. Whether it is the way of civil or military affairs, what is important is to sell to the emperor's family.

Many things, you accumulate yourself, you scavenge yourself, spend all your efforts, and are busy, busy, busy, and maybe it's just this little bit, it's better to directly ask the imperial court for it.

When it's given over, it's the imperial court's, but after using it for a long time, it becomes your own.

This Marquis thinks, General Zheng should not need to be taught how to change the law, right?"

"This subordinate is foolish, but will ponder day and night, and dare not trouble the Marquis again."

This statement is actually very taboo.

Tian Wujing is also almost setting an example with his own actions.

Who did the Jingnan Army originally belong to?

It was the imperial court's Jingnan Army.

Tian Wujing took over the title of Jingnan Marquis from the former Jingnan Marquis more than ten years ago.

You should know that unlike the Zhenbei Marquis, the Zhenbei Marquis is hereditary, but the Jingnan Marquis before Tian Wujing was actually more like an official position than a title.

In more than ten years, Tian Wujing directly branded the Jingnan Army with his own mark.

Weapons, armor, money, and food were all provided by the imperial court;

But looking at it now, half of the Zhenbei Army has been eaten by the imperial court, but the Jingnan Army has become a truly independent mountain in the Great Yan military.

Even when the First Prince led the imperial mandate to launch the eastern expedition, the Jingnan Army generals dared to ignore him directly.

Zheng Fan was indeed a little touched in his heart. Being able to make Tian Wujing say these words shows that he doesn't want himself to have any grudges in his heart and hopes that he will take over this place in a down-to-earth manner.

"My Lord, this subordinate understands. This subordinate will definitely not fail your expectations and will guard Xue Hai Pass well. It's just that this subordinate is worried that if this subordinate spends several years of effort to rebuild Xue Hai Pass, and you want this subordinate to change places again in the future, wouldn't this subordinate lose out..."

Tian Wujing interrupted Zheng Fan,

smiled,

and said:

"If you manage it well..."

After a pause,

Tian Wujing's eyes showed a hint of contemplation,

"Who would dare to let you move again?"