Chapter 83 Pre-War Planning
Black Bear picked up a pen and calculated that he would be self-sufficient in food in the future.

The cloth needed for this clothing can be directly robbed from Cao Cao.

He had settled the account in his mind, but the food gap caused by the growing population weighed heavily on his mind.

This feeling of being controlled and dependent on others made him feel embarrassed and insecure.

Black Bear looked at Liu Ye and said, "Just go and talk to Lu Chang according to my terms. If he is willing, he will be the commander of the auxiliary battalion. After three years of service, I will transfer them to Nanyang County."

Liu Ye frowned: "Captain, are we going to give it to Nanyang County for nothing?"

"Liu Xuande's old officials have taken over Nanyang County. They will definitely ask me for these prisoners. It's not easy to keep them for three years."

Black Bear couldn't help but chuckle as he spoke: "Liu Xuande has fallen to this point, we can't ask him for a ransom, right?"

Gan Ning on the side said, "General Qu, we can't give it to Liu Xuande so easily. Either give him money and food, or lend him to Zhao Zilong."

"Excellent!"

Black Bear clapped his hands and his eyes lit up. He asked Liu Ye with a smile, "What else do you have any doubts, Chief Secretary?"

"Captain, they were captured on the battlefield. How can we let them go so easily?"

Liu Ye made a rough calculation and said: "To recruit them as auxiliary soldiers, each person would cost 3,000 coins per year for rice, 300 coins for salt, and 2,000 coins for cloth, a total of more than 5,000 coins."

"Even if we calculate the wages for a strong laborer, the monthly wages are only 400 coins, which means the total annual wages are 4,800 coins."

"The wages are barely enough to cover food and clothing expenses. If we return it to Nanyang after three years, won't we still lose some money?"

He had obviously made some deliberate miscalculations. The monthly wage for a privately hired laborer was four hundred yuan because it was the slack season for farming.

The four hundred coins earned had to be used to pay taxes and buy daily necessities, which provided extra supplement for the family.

But it is not far-fetched. After all, if there is a slight fluctuation in food prices, the price will double.

Our biggest weakness is that we cannot be self-sufficient in food and have to rely on Jingzhou.

Liu Ye continued, "In my opinion, if we support and employ them for three years until they are familiar with each other, and then transfer them to Nanyang, the loss will be great. In today's world, food is the most important thing. Now Nanyang Liu Xuande is short of food. After a few years of management, there will definitely be enough food."

He looked at the black bear and said, "We can either use it for a short period of two or three months and then hand it over to Nanyang. This way, the captives' families and friends will have no complaints, and Liu Xuande will have no reason to blame them. The captain can also reduce his dependence on rice and millet in Jingzhou."

Liu Ye had previously wanted to recruit and train Lu Chang and his 700-plus people, but now he just wants to use them as temporary workers.

Seeing Black Bear's intention, Liu Ye observed Gan Ning again and said, "Instead of transferring it to Nanyang, it would be better to transfer it to Xiangyang before winter. In this way, the food expenses for the next few months will be provided by Xiangyang, and there will be a lot of surplus."

"At the same time, if we make friends with Liu Zhennan, it will be easier to obtain food and fodder."

He was unwilling to give Liu Bei an advantage and was prepared to exchange it for more food from Jingzhou.

If Liu Biao took these more than 700 people and used them to bribe the people of Nanyang, I believe Liu Biao would be able to offer a better price.

Now that his own side was determined not to redeem the prisoners easily, Liu Biao's repeated attempts to redeem the prisoners would make it easier for him to gain the support of the prisoners and the people of Nanyang.

Black Bear listened and nodded slowly. Everyone was eating the food in Jingzhou.

There is no need to give face to Liu Bei at this time. Even if you do, Liu Bei may not dare to accept it.

Since it was decided to buy out the captives in the short term, Black Bear said, "I will work with Jingzhou to make this happen as soon as possible, so the matter of advancing to Wuguan Road cannot be delayed."

As he spoke, Black Bear turned his head and looked at Gan Ning: "Xingba?"

"The humble position is here."

"Xingba's troops will be strengthened to 800 men, named Jinfan Front Camp, to be our vanguard, waiting for an opportunity to capture Shangluo and Luo counties. Especially the Shangluo Commander, who is stationed at the Shangluo Fortress, and must not be neglected."

"Here!"

Gan Ning bowed in agreement. He was no longer the Sima of the Separate Department, but now the Sima of the Jinfan Army in the Front Camp.

Black Bear went to look at Xu Lin again. Xu Lin took a deep breath and was eager to try.

Their eyes met, and Black Bear smiled and said, "Xu Lin."

"The humble position is here."

"I will now transfer you to be the commander of the left battalion, Sima Lin, and the soldiers I left in Qingzhou will make up the number of your battalion. Train well, and follow me to Wuguan Road in a month."

"Here!"

Xu Lin clasped his fists tightly, very excited.

Although he was a battalion commander under the colonel before, he actually had no direct jurisdiction.

Xu Lin is fundamentally different now than before.

Black Bear's eyes fell on Zhang Ding again: "Zhang Ding is the core Sima, temporarily commanding 300 infantry and cavalry."

"Here!"

Zhang Ding answered loudly and kowtowed, which attracted many people's attention.

Black Bear's eyes fell on Xuan Liang at this time: "Xuan Liang is the grain supervisor of the rear camp, assisting the chief secretary in managing the storage and transportation of grain and equipment for the entire army."

"I humble my position and take orders."

Xuan Liang also bowed deeply, and after standing up, he restrained his expression and his face flushed.

Although he was transferred away from the front line, his position became more and more important.

At this time, Black Bear went to see the nervous Chen Yang again: "Chen Yang is in charge of the camp and all the craftsmen. I allow you to recruit apprentices. One craftsman can be paired with three apprentices. Currently, we mainly focus on repairing armor and equipment."

Chen Yang hurriedly stepped out of the line and kowtowed, then listened to Black Bear's detailed instructions: "You are not good at fighting, so listen to the ideas of the craftsmen more often. If you are interested, you might as well learn the skills of carpentry and blacksmithing. Once you have learned the skills, you can get twice the result with half the effort when directing the craftsmen, which is beneficial in the long run."

"Yes, I understand. I dare not disappoint Marshal Qu's kindness."

Chen Yang also kowtowed, his excitement taking a long time to subside.

Finally, Black Bear went to see the guest general Wang Wei. He only had 200 men before, and Liu Qi would give him more than 500 men when he evacuated this time, making up the number of a battalion.

Wang Wei also slightly turned sideways and bowed: "Captain Black?"

"Sir Wang, just discipline your troops. I have an agreement with the Prince of Chengwu Marquis that I will not use you easily. But the military situation is unpredictable, and I have to risk my life, not to mention you."

"Yes, I will finally understand."

At this time, Black Bear went to see Liu Ye and said, "The Chief Secretary should negotiate with Lu Chang. If he agrees, we will arrange for them to go to Nanxiang County to build a dock, cut wood and build boats."

Food cannot be eaten for free, and there is no point in keeping these people in Xi County.

Xi County will be returned to Nanxiang County sooner or later. From now on, we will control Shang County at the northern end of the Danshui canal transportation route. Nanxiang County is the transit station, and Xiangyang is the southern end.

As long as he can gain a foothold in Wugu Road, the deserted Xi County will regain its vitality.

The people here simply fled to the nearby mountains and fields. With the outer barrier here, they will return to their hometown to resume production and live and work in peace and contentment.

Therefore, we have invested too much manpower in the construction of Xi County, which is actually like helping others.

The most important thing now is to repair armor and equipment, reorganize the army, and wait for the next batch of manpower reinforcements.

Before the next batch of manpower arrives, the entire group will temporarily move to Nanxiang County. However, before moving to Nanxiang County, it is best to first capture Shang County, the northern end of the canal transport route.

The meeting was over and Black Bear prepared to go home for dinner.

Gan Ning quickly caught up with him and asked in front of the ox cart: "General, if we send troops to attack Shang and Luo counties, how will we deal with the reinforcements from Guanzhong?"

"What does Xingba mean?"

"I want to tire out the enemy. Wuguan is now in name only. There are less than a hundred soldiers stationed there. It can be easily captured."

As they walked, Gan Ning said, "I want to take Wuguan and then deploy troops to the south of Shangxian, forming a siege to force Guanzhong to rescue Shangxian."

"It is four hundred miles from Chang'an to Shangxian, of which three hundred miles are mountainous."

"And our army is stationed in the south of Shangxian County, repairing the wharf, and can transport grain from the southern township. The waterway is 300 miles long, and although it is upstream, a thousand men transporting grain will be enough for five thousand men."

"If reinforcements are sent from Guanzhong, the people of Shangluo and Shangluo will flee and their food supplies will be scarce. The soldiers from Guanzhong will be trapped in the food supply route, and the officials and people of Shangluo will also suffer from the collection of grain and corvée labor."

"In this way, the officials and people of Shangluo will naturally dislike Guanzhong. Even if they are not inclined towards our army, they can remain neutral and wait and see the outcome."

"Once we defeat the troops in Guanzhong, the officials and people in Shangluo will be intimidated and Guanzhong will have no troops to use for a while. Moreover, they will lose their courage, which will be beneficial to our army's subsequent advance."

Gan Ning calmly described his plan: "If Guanzhong does nothing, the officials and people of Shangluo will be disheartened, and these two counties will be easily taken."

Black Bear thought for a moment and asked, "Is Xingba planning to attack Wuguan immediately?"

"Yes, the Battle of Bowangpo will soon spread to Guanzhong. Instead of waiting for Zhong Yao to recruit troops to garrison the pass, it is better to seize it first."

"Otherwise, Zhong Yao will recruit warriors from the two counties. Even if our army defeats the Shangluo defenders, it will offend the people of Shangluo, which is not good for the long run."

Gan Ning concluded: "The enemy of the general is Zhong Yao and the generals of Guanzhong, not the officials and people of Shangluo. The people of Shangluo are resolute and resolute. The general has the rice and millet of Jingzhou. He can select the best and strongest people to train them into an army. They will definitely be sharp warriors. Why should he be afraid of Guanzhong?"

The intention was to use Shangluo counties as bases. If they could defeat General Guanzhong, they would fight. If they couldn't, they would retreat and wait and see how the battle situation changed.

"Then Xingba will wait for the opportunity to act. In the next few days, I will lead most of the troops to migrate to Nanxiang County."

"The water of Xishui is shallow, and it may be difficult to sail in June and July. It is a good opportunity that we have so many people now, and we can tow the empty boat to Nanxiang County together."

"It will only take three to five days to settle the people and gather boats. I will arrange for Xu Lin to go north along the Dan River to transport food for Xingba."

Black Bear thought about it and made a promise to Gan Ning: "In five days, Xingba can send troops without worry."

"With Commander Qu's help, I have nothing else to worry about."

Gan Ning knew that he, the general, had to cover for him, so he said, "I will bring half a month's worth of food and fodder, and will set out on the 8th or 9th of the month. The food must be delivered to Shang County before the 25th of this month."

"Xingba, rest assured, food and reinforcements will not be delayed."

Black Bear also made a promise, reached out and patted Gan Ning's arm hard, and Gan Ning nodded solemnly.

Black Bear personally participated in the 300-li water journey, sailing during the day and resting at night, and it would take at least three days to reach Shang County.

If the Chinese troops obstruct, defeat them.

If the Danshui River is not suitable for water transport, there is still time to withdraw and take the Wuguan Road for land transportation.

After reaching an agreement with Gan Ning, Black Bear got on the carriage and went home.

The black bear lowered his head and entered the thatched cottage, where Zhen Mi was cooking minced meat porridge in a hanging pot.

There is no wind in the thatched cottage, so it is safer to use fire in a small area.

If it happens outside a thatched hut, with a slight breeze and sparks flying, as long as one thatched hut is set on fire, the surrounding thatched huts will hardly be spared.

Therefore, most people eat from a big pot, and fireworks are prohibited in living areas.

Only Zhen Mi could use fire in her residence.

To avoid accidents, she used charcoal here.

Black Bear ate three bowls of minced meat porridge before he looked through his accumulated marching notes.

Zhen Mi washed the pots and bowls, sat down beside him with a bamboo basket and looked over, only to see pages of notes being sorted out by Black Bear.

The paper was bought at the Xiangyang market, just ordinary bamboo paper.

What surprised Zhen Mi was the simplified Chinese characters on the paper. Because of her knowledge of regular script, she could recognize the simplified Chinese characters at a glance and make a rough guess.

Zhangcao is a type of calligraphy used to write official documents, which effectively improves the efficiency of official documents.

Seeing this systematic simplified text, Zhen Mi was surprised and secretly curled her lips.

I am increasingly questioning Black Bear's origins. How could a girl from a good family learn such a thing?
The black bear was holding a piece of bamboo paper, which contained information related to grain transportation.

Whether Liu Bei was marching to war, or the Nanxiang County Magistrate Yi Ji was transporting grain for him, the rice was transported in bulk.

When Liu Bei was on the march, except for the dry food that the soldiers carried with them, which was pounded, fried and packed in dry food bags, all other food was loaded on grain carts for transportation.

A grain truck is a vehicle with a fixed length and specifications, a fixed volume, and the amount of grain it transports is naturally also fixed.

By counting the number of grain carts of various types, it is easy to calculate the amount of grain transported.

Regardless of the vehicle or ship, there will inevitably be inconvenience and waste during loading, unloading and distribution.

Black Bear wanted to make cloth bags of fixed styles to transport food.

This improves loading and unloading efficiency, reduces waste during transportation, and also makes it convenient to use road servants to transport grain at night.

Nowadays, "cloth" specifically refers to linen. If something is specifically mentioned, it will be written explicitly, such as "ramie cloth".

Linen was made for people to wear, and it lacks the coarse linen used for rough sacks that Black Bear Memory has.

Therefore, we cannot produce such large sacks in the short term, and can only produce smaller sacks.

Otherwise, given the thinness of today's linen, it will break if you put too much food in it.

One shi weighs 120 Han jin, but in terms of grain, one shi refers to volume.

One stone of barley weighs 13 kilograms, and wheat weighs a little more; rice weighs about 14 kilograms, and rice grains weigh about 18 kilograms.

When making bags, the larger the volume, the more materials are saved.

Therefore, we will first make a batch of bags with a capacity of one stone for transitional use, and then consider making large coarse hemp bags after entering Guanzhong.

For such a heavy weight, it would be best to use a shoulder pole when transporting it at night using a road servant. If a shoulder pole is not possible, then just carry one bag on each shoulder.

Black Bear thought for a while, took out a new stack of paper, and prepared to write when Zhen Mi took the initiative to help him grind the ink.

Then, Zhen Mi saw the black bear summon a big white goose, but the big white goose only had time to call once before it disappeared.

And in the black bear's hand, there was left a brand new goose feather.

Suddenly, Zhen Mi remembered the white goose feather ornaments on the heads of the Taoist soldiers standing guard outside.

(End of this chapter)