Chapter 283 Luoyang Rice
Southern suburbs of Luoyang, on the banks of the Yishui River.

Xiahou Dun inspected the military settlement area with a smile on his face.

There is no shortage of water in Luoyang, and Luoyang was abandoned for a short time, so the water conservancy facilities were only slightly damaged.

There are fertile fields everywhere in the suburbs and far suburbs outside the city.

If it were not yet in turmoil, even if the Xiahou family's wealth was drained, it would not be enough to buy a thousand acres of fertile land near Luoyang.

Not to mention fertile farmland, even a mansion in the suburbs of Luoyang was not something the Xiahou family could easily purchase.

Dong Zhuo forcibly relocated the people of Luoyang to Guanzhong. Naturally, many people were unwilling to give up their ancestral heritage. The mansions in Luodu, even those in the suburbs, were considerable and huge wealth.

It is difficult to force the people to migrate with just swords.

Fires must be set to burn down all the houses and residences, so that the people of Luoyang will become disheartened and move westward.

So now Xiahou Dun is just cleaning up the ruins, obtaining materials from the ruins, and simply repairing the mansions, fortresses and manors in Luoyang City and its suburbs.

A small military outpost is a small manor or fortress.

In this respect, Xiahou Dun's place is similar to Guanzhong; but there are also differences. In Guanzhong, the hundred households are registered together with couples and families, while in Xiahou Dun's place, there are only scholar households.

On the bank of the Yishui River, Xiahou Dun looked at the rice seedlings in the paddy field and couldn't help but put his hands on his hips and said to Gao Qian, a general of a hundred men beside him: "This year, Luoyang produced more than a million dan of grain."

Gao Qian was from Chenliu, just in his twenties. At the moment, he was wearing sleeveless leather armor and standing on the ridge with his trouser legs rolled up, obviously having just started working.

Although Xiahou Dun's fighting skills were not very proficient, his spirit in farming was very pure.

He would also personally participate in the labor when building dams and expanding paddy fields.

After he lost one eye, he didn't like being called Blind Xiahou, so he went out less frequently.

Compared to the time when he personally carried soil to build ponds and dams, Xiahou Dun now prefers to stand on the car to supervise the progress of the project.

Seeing Gao Qian hesitate to speak, Xiahou Dun guessed what this young warrior from a humble family was worried about, and took the initiative to say: "We can't be bound by the fear of the powerful army of the Black Sima. If the Black Sima sends troops to attack, Cao Sikong will also send troops to fight against them. We have sufficient grain reserves in Luoyang, which will naturally be beneficial to the war."

Gao Qian nodded after listening to it, it seemed to make some sense.

Seeing that he had convinced the grassroots head of the village, Xiahou Dun smiled warmly, patted Gao Qian on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

Gao Qian walked with him for more than a hundred steps, and only after Xiahou Dun reached the roadside and got in the carriage and left did Gao Qian turn around and go back to the fields.

Several squad leaders who were close to him came over and discussed in a low voice.

A younger squad leader said, "This kind of grain is good. When the Black Sima's troops come, there is no reason to kill those who know how to grow grain."

The others laughed when they heard this and didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Another sergeant said, "General, they all say that General Zuo will lead his troops out of Wankou again. Will we, the Henan soldiers, have to go to Wankou to fight again?"

After hearing this, the others also came to see Gao Qian. In the battle of Wankou last year, General Zuo lured the enemy deep into their territory and almost wiped out all the Henan soldiers under Xiahou Dun.

Although they were called Henan soldiers, in fact they were mainly composed of Qingzhou soldiers, mixed with Xiahou Dun's fellow villagers and Henan Yin's county soldiers.

They were said to be soldiers of the Henan Yin county, but their native places were all from other states.

Just like them, they came from various counties in Yanzhou and are now assigned to Henan Yin to perform military garrisons. They are the county soldiers of Henan Yin.

"It probably won't happen this year. We have to be wary of the Black Sima in Guanzhong."

Gao Qian said, and then smiled: "If that's the case, we might as well go to Wankou for garrison."

Several squad leaders laughed awkwardly after hearing this. After all, the transfer order was final, so what room did they have to resist or refuse?

Whether they laugh or cry now, it will not change their fate.

Under the system of staggered conscription, soldiers were separated from their families for long periods of time, in a foreign land, and had to face powerful enemies...but there were no visible war dividends, so the morale of the troops around Luoyang was generally low.

We grow food for ourselves and also for other friendly troops who come here.

Although they fought bravely for the imperial court, their families still had to pay household taxes and land rent.

The morale of the lower ranks of Cao's army became increasingly low, and the morale boost from the Battle of Guandu had begun to fade significantly.

The dream of following Cao Cao to unify the world and gain various war dividends was also shattered one after another.

They are enduring hardships now but will not receive long-term and substantial rewards in the future, so there is a tendency for the grassroots of Cao's army to lie low.

Ordinary soldiers and servants have no future at all and are lazy by nature. They only do what they are told to do and cannot be expected to take the initiative to do anything.

The key is grassroots military talents like Gao Qian, whose enthusiasm and endurance are waning.

After Gao Qian sent a few squad leaders to the fields, he went to find the two soldiers who were supervising the work at the edge of the field.

The military system of Cao's army was relatively chaotic. At the grassroots level, the ranks of the hundred-man generals were different because of their origins, affiliations, and natures. They could be called the hundred-man generals, the governors, the capital governors, the hundred-man governors, and the garrison commanders. At the next level, there would also be differences between the soldier governors and the team officers.

For example, under Zhang Liao, the grassroots are garrison commanders and team officers; under Yu Jin, they are supervisors and soldiers.

Basically, Zubo is the end of the promotion limit for the Shihu. Forget about colonel or general. It is difficult for a soldier from a Shihu to even become a general of a hundred men.

When Cao's army considered the long-term political impact, they naturally would not simply consider how to increase the combat enthusiasm of the soldiers from a military perspective.

The upward path was blocked and there was no school education for samurai, so even if a samurai made great contributions, he would not be able to do the work of a soldier or a baron due to the limitations of his own culture.

Unless they have a learning foundation and the ability to study on their own before being registered as a scholar-household... such people will be directly absorbed by the military farming institutions and stay in the local area to serve as military farming officials. They will have no chance of serving in the army, being transferred far away, or fighting on the battlefield. They will take another official career path.

Therefore, the scholars who were conscripted and settled in various counties lacked cultural knowledge and self-study ability. Life in the army was hard, and there was no centralized cultural enlightenment and teaching. They watched their path to advancement being blocked. How could these scholars fight for Cao Cao?

The resistance and perfunctory attitude of the samurai would naturally lead to more stringent military discipline and accountability system. Not to mention the samurai, even the high-ranking officials just lived day by day and did not dare to consider any long-term development plans.

I just hope that Heida Sima's soldiers will not launch a surprise attack on the military settlements on both sides of the Yishui River, but should attack the military settlements on both sides of the Luoshui River nearby.

As for the future, Gao Qian really hadn't thought about it.

As a small garrison commander under the command of Henan Yin, with less than eighty garrison soldiers under his command, he felt that he did not deserve a bright future.

Xiahou Dun went south along the Yi River and arrived at Yique Pass where he stayed overnight.

There were only more than 300 soldiers stationed at Yique Pass, and these soldiers had to grow their own food.

After a brief rest, Xiahou Dun crossed the Yishui River to the west bank and led his team of officials to climb Longmen Mountain to view the remains of Bai Qi's ancient battlefield in Yique.

Xiahou Dun gazed into the distance with one eye, thinking and recalling the internal calculations of the Han-Wei coalition during the Battle of Yique, and he felt more and more that it was very suitable for the current situation.

He alone could not resist Gan Ning, not because Gan Ning was such a good fighter.

Instead, Gan Ning had already stockpiled many large ships east of Shaanxi and Tianjin, which meant that the elite troops in Guanzhong could join the battle by ship at any time.

The western defense line formed by Dagu Pass and Xiaopingjin Pass is meaningless, but you have to defend it.

If it is not defended, Gan Ning can easily occupy it. With the front-line stronghold, Gan Ning's troops can harass the plains and fields west of Luoyang; Guanzhong has no shortage of cavalry.

Therefore, if left unchecked, Gan Ning would most likely graze his horses directly on the west bank of the Yi River and the south bank of the Luo River.

Not only do they herd horses in the wild, they also organize armies and bring their horses to military settlements to eat food!

It is not possible for the current Henan Yin to completely keep the enemy out.

At the very least, an elite naval force is needed; only by blocking the naval force in Guanzhong will there be room to discuss the significance of the Dagu Pass and Xiaopingjin Pass defense lines.

The navy plus the garrisons at the pass and Luoyang would require at least 30,000 people!

In order to ensure that these 30,000 troops can be stationed normally on the front line, nearly 20,000 troops must be stationed in the eastern part of Luoyang, including Yique and Hulao Pass.

Only with 50,000 men could he have the confidence to resist Gan Ning.

It’s not that Gan Ning is good at fighting, but that Black Bear is always ready to bring elite troops from Guanzhong to reinforce Gan Ning.

The terrain of Guanzhong is high, so Black Bear could reinforce Gan Ning very quickly; however, the terrain of Guandong is lower than that of Luoyang, so even if the army had to walk or take a boat, they would have to go upstream!

By attacking from a high position, we have great advantages in logistical supplies and military reinforcements.

Xiahou Dun did not feel that he was qualified or capable of commanding an army of 50,000 to garrison Luoyang; but if Luoyang was lost, Cao Cao could not afford the huge political risks.

Because, Black Bear might really give Luoyang to Yuan Shang, and might even cooperate with Yuan Shang to establish another emperor.

So when Black Bear returned triumphantly to Guanzhong, Xiahou Dun felt it was a difficult situation.

The only thing that could be done was to actively increase food production and reduce the food and fodder pressure when Cao Cao's main army came to reinforce.

If possible, Xiahou Dun would not mind using the grain produced in exchange for a ceasefire agreement for a period of time.

It cannot be said that he was begging for a ceasefire by using food. A more accurate statement would be that he was reselling and smuggling military rations, which was a problem of his personal morality and ethics.

Xiahou Dun looked out at the ancient battlefield with a serious expression.

In the Battle of Yique, Bai Qi defeated a larger force with a smaller one and killed 240,000 men in battle. From then on, the gates of Han and Wei were wide open, and there were no mobile forces to defend against them, so the territory of Qin expanded rapidly.

Back then, the area around Luoyang was the core area of ​​Han and Wei, and Bai Qi was alone in the deep territory.

After annihilating the 240,000-strong coalition army of Han and Wei in one battle, they immediately captured more than 60 cities in a large area including Hedong, Henei, Nanyang, and Wankou.

But now, Nanyang is in Liu Bei's hands, and Hedong is in Hei Xiong's hands. Our side has given up the north bank of the Yellow River, so Henei is divided into two and is divided between Hei Xiong and Yuan Shang.

The Heluo area is actually a salient for our side.

There was no such thing as Gan Ning advancing alone into the deep, but because of the special significance of Luoyang, his side had to defend it to the death.

This is like the nose ring of a plowing ox. Even if the old ox knows that it is being led to the slaughterhouse, the nose ring is too painful and it cannot break free, so it can only be pulled to the slaughterhouse step by step.

For some reason, he began to doubt whether there was something wrong with his plan to use the emperor to control the princes.

The people of Hebei and Yuan Shao had similar plans back then, but Yuan Shao strongly vetoed them. Did he realize the hidden dangers involved?

It is easy to say that abandoning the emperor, but look at Li Jue and Guo Si, and then look at Yang Feng and Dong Cheng.

Now we are firmly bound to the emperor. Losing the emperor is like pulling out your spine!

Luoyang cannot be lost at all. Xiahou Dun thought about it and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Seeing this, his chief secretary Wu Zhou advised: "Why should you be discouraged? In my opinion, the left general and the Grand Marshal are not of the same mind. There are many variables in this re-emergence of war, and not all of them are bad."

Wu Zhou was from Zhuyi, Pei State. Her family had been officials of the 2,000-stone variety for generations and enjoyed a distinguished reputation in the four states of Yan, Yu, Qing and Xu.

Last year, when Black Bear passed through Xia Pi several times, the magistrate of Xia Pi was Wu Zhou. As a result, Black Bear never had the chance to take action. Preventing Xia Pi from falling was the job of the county magistrate.

But the black bear passed through Xia Pi several times and stayed there. Anyone could conclude that the black bear at that time wanted to attack Xia Pi.

But Wu Zhou saved Xia Pi!
So when Xiahou Dun rebuilt his army, Cao Cao promoted Wu Zhou to be the Chief Clerk of Jianwu General.

The name Wu Zhou also has a good meaning for defending Luoyang.

Also because of the experience in Xia Pi, Wu Zhou had some confidence.

(End of this chapter)