Chapter 254: Soldier-Citizen Ratio Is Dingzhou short of salt? Not only is it lacking, it is extremely lacking. The salt is prepared by the Salt Administration Department. After the Zhongxiang explosion, salt has not flowed into the explosion area. Dongting Lake is a freshwater lake, and Zhong Xiang doesn't know how to produce it himself. Originally, he could do it a little sneakily, but as soon as Liu Qi arrived, he implemented very strict management. It would be better for the local area to be short of salt than to allow a grain of salt to flow into the rebel area. At this time, Zhong Xiang received news that a batch of salt would be transported to Tanzhou through Dongting Lake, half of which was military supplies to supplement the Forbidden Army. Although it is likely to be a trap, Zhong Xiang is also a person who can settle accounts. There are too many people eating salt now, and the most important thing is manpower. Taking risks is worthwhile. So a fleet of a thousand people set out. According to reliable information, soldiers from Jiangling were responsible for this escort. There are only more than a hundred soldiers in the first half, but in the middle, Xia Cheng and Liu Heng will send heavy troops to escort them. Therefore, the location of the kidnapping must be in the front section of the waterway, but how to avoid the eyes and ears of Xia Cheng and Liu Heng's water village? In the end, Prime Minister Zhong made a bold plan to use his soldiers' familiarity with Dongting Lake to conduct a blind voyage. Blind sailing means sailing without using fire, using the familiarity of the waterway to sail under the dim moonlight and extremely low visibility. Ouyang and Liu Qi did not expect Zhong Xiang to use this move. According to Liu Qi¡¯s original calculation, the fleet would be attacked in Yunmeng Shuizhe. Because there are waterways in all directions and the water is sometimes shallow and sometimes deep, non-experienced people would not dare to drive in that area easily. In order to avoid being exposed, the soldiers who were escorting the soldiers in the early stages had no idea that there was a scam and were caught off guard by Zhong Xiang¡¯s subordinates. Two points can be drawn from this incident. The first point is that the ability of the local soldiers to fight against the wind is really not very good. When they saw that there were many enemies, they all jumped into the water and ran away, leaving very few resisters. The second point is that none of the boatmen were harmed. According to the principle of not dismantling transportation vehicles when the two sides are fighting, the boatmen will cooperate with the rebels to deliver the goods to the designated location. This kidnapping, like many robberies in the Water Margin novels, is more textbook-like. Water Margin usually sells Mongolian sweat medicinal wine, and Zhong Xiang's methods are obviously much better. "This Zhongxiang is not simple." Liu Qi had already arrived at the gate of Dingzhou City. He was drinking tea with Ouyang Dazhang and couldn't help but praise him after receiving the report. Ouyang nodded: "No simple person can reach that position." "Report" a soldier came in and said: "General, sir, everyone in Dingzhou City is cheering." "I understand." Liu Qi sent an order: "Inform all ministries and attack in four days. "Be careful during this period." "Yes" Under the Dingzhou City, in addition to the nearly 10,000 people from Liu Qi's headquarters, there are also soldiers and warriors from the other west and south routes, with a total number of 30,000. They were led by their respective commanders and formed horns to protect the left and right wings of Liu Qi's army. Ouyang was curious: "What poison did you use?" "During the first war against Xixia, I had some contact with the Tubo army and got to know a herb that grew in their tribe, called Tripterygium wilfordii. It was also found near the Yangtze River. , but the poison is not strong enough. The more moist it is, the more poisonous it is. It turns out that the Tibetan people provide it to treat wounds. If applied to the wound, it will not fester, but it will be poisonous if it is applied for more than half an hour. , it is basically hopeless. Therefore, it cannot be applied for more than half an hour. Although the wound will not fester, whether it can survive depends on the soldier's physical condition. Only those who can survive without fever will survive." He smiled and said: "With such good things, I naturally had to bring more, so I bought a lot from Tubo, dried them in the sun, and took them to Yuzhou, but unfortunately there was no place to use them. This time I asked someone to take Tripterygium wilfordii Soak it in salt and process it again by the salt department people. But time is tight, because it still needs to be exposed to the sun for a few days, so it is soaked for one night, and the toxicity is not completely released. "That is, it is a chronic poison that slowly destroys the human body. Herbal poisons are much less toxic than animal and biological poisons, but they are cheap and available in large quantities. And the focus is on destroying people's immune function, rather than the other two categories which focus on the nervous system. Liu Qi was very interested in this kind of poison that could be used on a large scale. History records that he poisoned the Jin soldiers twice, which resulted in a massive defeat for the Jin soldiers. He is also one of the few famous generals in Chinese history who used such despicable means to defeat the enemy. In other words, he is one of the rare generals who will do whatever it takes to defeat the enemy. Just because of his methods, General Wu Jin was willing to confront him head-on. The method is to be extremely defensive. The most famous Battle of Shunchang was when 3,000 people used false surrender and poison to defeat 100,000 Jin soldiers, including the main forces of the Jin soldiers, Tie Futu and Guaizima. The Battle of Shunchang also became a terrifying day when Jin Bingtan changed his tone. The next year, they came again. Liu Qi poisoned him again. As soon as the Jin people came into contact and knew that Liu Qi was leading the army, they ran away. In the end, Emperor Jin had no choice but to conquer Liu Qi himself. There are very few poison experts in military history, so Dingzhou suffered. The next day, a spy came to report that there was a plague in Dingzhou City. Many people had dizziness and headache, palpitations and fatigue, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and distension, muscle pain, howling and struggling, numbness or twitching of limbs, and pain in the liver and kidney area. They were already dead. four people??Liu Qi smiled at Ouyang and said that the medicinal effect will last for four days, and it will be worse if they still eat salt. At noon on the fourth day, Liu Qi announced the siege. The city gate was broken open with little resistance. The city is filled with mourning. Half-dead people were struggling in the houses and on the roads. Not only was there no resistance in the city, there were not even people who surrendered. After the Forbidden Army moved in, they gathered their weapons and began to cook the all-purpose antidote. It is mung beans, honeysuckle and licorice cooked in a certain proportion. On the other side, people are organized to chase the deserters from the waterway. But they didn't expect the two armies to hear about the plague in Dingzhou and were unwilling to send people in. Upon hearing this, Liu Qi was about to stop treatment and concentrate his troops to pursue him, but was stopped by Ouyang. Ouyang said: "If you don't save them if you can, I'm afraid everyone will think you are a cold-blooded person. Although running the army is ruthless, the Song Dynasty is always based on benevolence. So you must save them, otherwise you will be in trouble." Liu Qi Shaking his head: "If we don't take this opportunity to eliminate Zhong Xiang, it will be even more difficult to do it again." Ouyang said patiently: "You have believed in me so many times, why don't you believe me again?" Liu Qi finally nodded: "Okay" So he sent an order to give up the pursuit and treat the patients in the city. Afterwards, the news never spread, and everyone really thought that a plague broke out in Dingzhou. So the imperial court greatly appreciated Liu Qi's attitude. I think he has a benevolent general style. Because of this incident, Liu Qi finally broke away from Han Shizhong's halo and became a general recognized by everyone. No one likes people like Bai Qi, whether they are his own people or enemies. On the contrary, everyone respects people like Liu Bei who have an aura of benevolence and righteousness. The local situation was also beyond Liu Qi¡¯s expectation. Because he gave up pursuit and instead treated the patients, the plague was brought under control, and the people of Dongting Lake were grateful. Everyone calls him Liu Gong. More cured patients were grateful to Liu Qi and were willing to lead the Song army to pursue Zhong Xiang. It took more than a month, until mid-October, when Song Jiang destroyed Zhong Xiang's last water stronghold and captured Zhong Xiang and a group of his wives and sons alive. Zhong Xiang Yang Mo's uprising army declared a failure. The evil government forces once again suppressed non-government armed forces. However, Dongting Lake¡¯s local economy, humanities, architecture, and cities have all suffered unprecedented damage. Five counties and one state in Tanzhou, and all five counties in Dingzhou were destroyed and burned. Business and economic paralysis will take years or even ten years to recover. The number of innocent civilians killed is even more shocking. Although Zhong Xiang was not the largest peasant uprising, it was the most destructive peasant uprising. The puppet regime's broad attack range is rare in ancient history. When Ouyang saw Zhong Xiang, he slapped him in the face. Zhong Xiang scolded: "Corrupt official" "I really don't have the strength to reason with you." Ouyang looked at the dragon robe next to him and said: "You are crazy about wanting to be the emperor. Please tell me, this corrupt official, why you want to be the emperor? Answer I am happy, let¡¯s forget it today. If you are not happy, I will let your sons and daughters die in front of you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhong Xiang sneered: ¡°Under the nest, there are still eggs.¡± ¡°You are indeed stubborn.¡± Ouyang asked Liu Qi: "What do you think?" "According to the law, the corpse must be cut into pieces in seven days." Liu Qi said: "Do you still want to turn waste into treasure?" "That's right." Ouyang said with a smile: "This We found the guy's dragon robe, but his property was never found, and his eldest son Zhong Ziang's whereabouts were unknown. "Liu Qi said: "The traitor is still determined to make a comeback." When we broke through the last water stronghold, we found that he was missing. Zhong Ziang also has several personal guards. What's missing is that the treasure Ouyang estimated to be worth millions is missing. After understanding, when he was in Dingzhou, Zhong Xiang secretly transported the wealth to a place in Dongting Lake. It is said that more than thirty craftsmen were recruited, but no one has ever seen the soldiers and craftsmen who transported it. That's why Ouyang was so interested in meeting Zhong. As expected, Zhong Xiang's dead duck has a very tough mouth. But Ouyang couldn't kill Prime Minister Zhong, otherwise the court would be unhappy. "Zhong Xiang is a man of insight, perseverance and courage. Ouyang knows that some of his methods are of little use to him. When he was thinking about how to deal with it, Liu Qi said: "Sir, I think this money can't be withdrawn. I can only ask the bank to pay attention." Ouyang said: "I don't see this million dollars, I'm worried about Zhong Ziang There will be trouble in the future. " "If this is the case, I have a plan. " The next day, the Suppression General Headquarters issued an announcement offering Zhong Ziang a reward of more than one million yuan. On the tenth day after the announcement, Zhong Ziang's head was delivered to Prime Minister Zhong. Zhong Xiang said in disbelief: "Impossible, they will not betray Zi Ang." They were referring to several personal guards. "They really won't." Liu Qi said: "I also admire such heroes who are not moved by money. But they won't, their families will. As soon as the reward is posted, there will be guards soon."??Families contact us and we also provide the guardians with their living habits. There are those who love gambling, those who love drinking, and those who love sex. There was also a man who had an affair with his sister-in-law, a widow. The woman found us and said that as long as we helped them change their household registration, fly far away, and not hurt his man, she would take us to find the passionate guard. " Ouyang added: "The guard was worried that his sister-in-law was often beaten by his elder brother. He once sneaked into the house privately and there was no secret about his wife's love. Although he did not tell his sister-in-law where he was hiding, he agreed to meet again at a time. Crazy men and women. After we captured the guard, he refused to kill him at first. Finally, under the tenderness of his sister-in-law and the influence of suicide, he finally agreed and took us to the hiding place. " "Women, haha, women" Zhong Xiang is crying. "Men conquer the world for women, and women conquer men for the world. Ouyang patted Zhong Xiang's cheek and said, "Boy, the power of love between men and women is much more powerful than you imagine as a man who only knows how to play with women." General Liu, what if you don¡¯t have a sister-in-law? " "That may take some time. Guards are human beings too, and they always think about their families. You may not be able to come out this year, but what about next year? It will come out one day after all. "Liu Qi said with a smile: "I didn't expect that the credit would fall on us. " Zhong Ziang's head represents the official end of this bandit suppression. Liu Qi is a member of the Tokyo Forbidden Army. Of course, he cannot stay for a long time. He escorted Zhong Xiang's family on the road the next day. Ouyang stayed for a few more days, mainly to contact businessmen, landlords and officials. Study some ways to protect the local area. At the same time, the Yangping Business Association donated 800,000 yuan, more than half of which was used to fund local restoration and compensation for the deceased businessmen registered in the business association, and the other half was used by the civilian militia for a total price of 300 yuan. The interest-free loan of 10,000 yuan helped Dongting Lake restore basic commerce. This move was well received by Zhao Yu and the court officials. At the end of November, Ouyang left Dongting Lake and went to Beijing to pay the order under the protection of hundreds of imperial troops. The Song Dynasty, Jin Dynasty, and Song Dynasty maintained a state of confrontation with each other. The Song army also tried to use the Dihe River. However, due to Yelu Dashi's instructions, the north waterway of the Dihe River could not be navigated, and the troops and equipment had not been adjusted in place. In addition, the Hangzhou fleet suffered heavy losses in the early stage, so it was necessary. It took time for the Liao to borrow troops, and there were enemies on both sides, so the Jurchens did not take the initiative to attack. Although they had already broken up with the Liao, Zong Han continued to fight. Restrict subordinates from attacking. Looking at the wars between Xixia, Song and Liao, the purpose is rarely to destroy the other side. Most of them are fighting and fighting, and everyone is fighting. We are all used to this rhythm, but knowledgeable people know that next year will be the most important year for the military operations of the three countries. But there have been some changes in strategy. Although Yelu Chun has a strong wife, he still has a military. After listening to Yelu Dashi's advice, he gradually detached the Jinzhou army to Dadingfu and Tongzhou, avoiding the Jinzhou battle that the Song Dynasty had prepared for a long time. Yelu Dashi believed that Jinzhou was close to the sea and the Liao army had no fleet and could not bear to be attacked on both sides. Retreating to the inland can also weaken the advantage of the Song Army. Returning to Tokyo to pay the order, this time was an exception. There was no direct audience. From morning to evening, Ouyang did not announce to the merchants in front of the palace that Tong Guan had returned. He has not come out since he entered in the morning. As soon as Ouyang arrived at the post house to register, someone came from the palace to announce his appearance. In Ouyang's impression, the emperor rarely announced his ministers during dinner, unless there was something important. They talked about the Xixia war, logistics support, and the deployment of the imperial army all night. Ouyang thought something big was going on. Zhao Yu was a little tired, but he was in a good mood when he saw Ouyang. "What are you drinking?" " "Tea bar. "There are no good drinks. There is no Coke, beer or coffee. Should we consider luring the Hangzhou fleet to sail to South America, hoping that I can have a cup of coffee in my lifetime? Zhao Yu waved, and Jiu Eunuch went to make it himself. In fact, Ouyang didn't like Jiu Eunuch very much. The tossing of the food made me feel a little nauseous, but I couldn¡¯t explain why. ¡°It was done well this time, and the courtiers greatly praised it. The most rare thing is that something can be accomplished without destroying any troops. I am considering whether to arrange for you to be the generalissimo. " "Your Majesty is in a good mood today. " "Of course, you Royal News don't know that yet, right? " Zhao Yu said: "The Eight Dilie tribes of the Wugu Dilietong Army Division in Western Liao Dynasty established themselves as kings and connected with the south and northwest military roads. The Liao Kingdom's retreat has been cut off, and in the future it can only retreat to Tokyo. " Ouyang asked: "What else? " "Also, Liao Prime Minister Li Chuwen contacted Tong Guan privately and prepared to defect to Song Dynasty. There is one more big thing. Zhao Yu pointed at the map in front of him: "Come and take a look." " "Well" Ouyang walked to Zhao Yu. Zhao Yu pointed at the map and said: "The Hangzhou Fleet is transporting the main force of the Hebei Military Road to??Green River is within the territory of Korea. " Ouyang was shocked: "Your Majesty, you want the two sides to start a war? "The past of the Yalu River is the Changbai Mountain Department. If you occupy the Changbai Mountain Department, you can threaten Huanglong Mansion. "Yes. Zhao Yu nodded: "I am going to appoint Yue Fei as General Zhenhai. He will land from Suzhou in the south of the Jurchens, disturb the Jurchens' dispatches, and threaten Liaoyang Prefecture, the capital of Jin." " Ouyang couldn't help but be a little confused: "Why did your Majesty suddenly" " Wanyan Wu Qimai is a wise king. Over the past year or so, as there has been basically no fighting, the Jurchens' life has improved a lot. Tong Guan said that they could not be allowed to improve and must be given less medical treatment, less medicine and less food. " Zhao Yu said: "I deeply feel that it is reasonable. Now it is difficult for Liao and Jin to start a large-scale war again. Therefore, the Hebei military route will be transferred to the Yalu River. It does not necessarily have to be a fight. As long as they gather their troops and give up production, it will be enough. They were forced to support war with war and compete with the Liao people for population, wealth and food. This is a plan to drive away wolves and swallow tigers. " This is really not bad. There are nearly hundreds of thousands of people on the Liao side, including the main force of the Northwest Army and the main force of the Yongxing Army. They can not only defend, but also attack. Zhao Yu said again: "After the spring begins, I will recruit another 100,000 forbidden troops. Supplement Hebei East Road. Take a look at this information compiled by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household Affairs. " Ouyang opened the information, which contained statistics on the production survey and the upper limit of military strength. Zhao Yu pointed to this item and said: "The current problem in various places is that there is less land and more people. According to statistics, the ratio of the total number of Forbidden Army troops to the total population is one to forty. As long as there is no civil strife, our Song Dynasty can completely maintain this base of troops, which will not only not damage production, but also contribute to stability. If necessary, it can be increased to one to thirty without disrupting production on a large scale. "The main purpose of Wang Anshi's army recruitment policy is not to meet the needs of troops, but as a way to resettle the landless, which can greatly alleviate social conflicts. " Ouyang pinched his fingers, and one to forty meant that an army of over 1.3 million could be set up. According to the ratio, the forbidden army can reach nearly 800,000. If it is one to thirty, it can reach 1.8 million. According to the Liao people's configuration, the population of 9 million and the palace army of 400,000 are one. The ratio of 1.2 million Jingzhou soldiers is close to one to five. Under Xixia and Jurchen's policy of all-people soldiers, the ratio reached two to one. During World War II, Germany had more than 10 million troops and a population. Only 60 million, which is one to six. PS: The example given to Wang Xiaoer in the previous chapter is inappropriate. I would like to apologize. I would like to thank the readers for their support. PS2: You can ignore that paragraph. As compensation for subscribing, the number of words in this chapter will be longer. .