Chapter 48 Harem Plan
There is a large garden in the county government office, covering an area of two mu. Several pavilions of varying heights are scattered around the pond. A wisp of fragrance floats in the water and rocks of the pavilions, making the sound of the piano seem to float in the air, as if flying in the clouds. The turbid air in my chest is swept away.
Zhang Xuanning and County Magistrate Zhu Li both listened patiently for a while.
At this time, a week had passed. If it were a report, it should have been submitted long ago. However, there was no movement in the entire Kuaiji County. No one acknowledged or denied Zhang Xuanning.
This was indeed beyond everyone's expectations, but when you think about it, it is actually natural.
The real reason was that there was only one army of the Zhechoufu in the county, with a strength of no more than a thousand people. It was not easy to attack Zhang Xuanning's army, which already had six hundred people.
Secondly, Zhang Xuanning, under the name of Shi Wuji, was appointed as the commander of the imperial guards personally appointed by the emperor. Although he occupied a county as his fief, he did not break into the city or kill the county magistrate. Although he was unruly, he did not cross the bottom line. After all, such things were common in the past, but they became less common after the country was pacified.
Therefore, what to do must be reported to the higher authorities.
As soon as Li Bo stopped playing the zither, County Magistrate Zhu Li asked, "Master Shi, how should we handle this matter?"
Zhang Xuanning stepped forward and smiled, "Master Zhu is the county magistrate. I only train my soldiers. You only need to prepare food and grass. You can handle all these matters. You don't need to ask me. Also, is the barracks ready? If it is, I will live in it."
"The military camp has been built, but your residence has not yet been completed. However, since Lord Shi said so, I will obey your order." Seeing that he was telling the truth, County Magistrate Zhu Li nodded and went out.
Watching him leave, Zhang Xuanning smiled again and asked Li Bo: "Uncle, you have a long history in the officialdom. How do you think the county should deal with this?"
"You did a good job. You didn't interfere with the daily life of the county at all. You only asked about the soldiers' pay. Although it was very heartbreaking and almost emptied the county warehouse, it also made people feel half relieved. The county will probably strengthen its military and alert, and report your matter directly to the higher-ups. However, as long as you don't take any extreme actions, I think they will probably maintain an attitude of neither admitting nor denying."
" What do you mean by excessive?"
"If we expand the army too much, we will attack other counties or abolish the original government offices altogether." Li Bo said with a smile.
"Well, I am a commander of the army. According to the military system, I can have 1,000 or 1,200 soldiers. A little more is fine, but too many is not okay. Since I am subject to the laws of the court, I must maintain this level. Besides, 1,000 soldiers will not pose much threat to other counties."
"As long as you maintain a thousand men, don't attack other counties, and don't abolish all government offices, the counties won't fall out with each other, and they will definitely ask the court for punishment. Even if the court immediately orders people to capture you after knowing it, it will take two months to go back and forth, which is almost enough. Moreover, if it is delayed, it is not surprising to take two more months. After all, you have not been recognized as a rebel for killing officials. I think the biggest possibility is that the court will order you to lead the troops immediately and return to Chang'an to discuss the right and wrong."
Zhang Xuanning nodded and smiled, saying with sincere admiration: "Uncle Shi really hit the nail on the head. I sent the county magistrate Zhu Li to recruit soldiers for me. I know that he pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed me. But as long as he does not openly oppose me, I can borrow the power of the government and send people to recruit soldiers on my own."
"My dear nephew, you are really confident. I wonder how many you have confessed?"
"According to the court's laws, my maximum authority is six regiments at this time, with 1,200 soldiers. However, there are other logistical matters, so 1,500 is not too much. I have recruited 1,800 young and strong men this time. Although it is a bit too many, it can be called elimination and selection. First train and then select." Zhang Xuanning sneered: "I have established six regiments, and appointed the original sergeants as temporary instructors to train them. Each batch lasts for one month, and selects the bravest ones. I think that when the court's order is issued, our army can be trained. Although they are not elite soldiers, they are also sergeants."
"As for the original gangsters, I promised to train with them and even allow them to go back, but now, they just don't dare to do it. You know, they cut off the hands and feet of the original boss and the official, which is a capital crime. It is only because my identity is unknown at this time that the county city did not punish their families. If they go back, they will be courting death."
"Of course, they were not so smart at the beginning. As soon as I relaxed the rules, some of them ran back home. They didn't know that if they stayed here, their families would be fine. Once they went back, they would be dealt with immediately. Hehe, this is their fate. Now they have to follow me desperately, but at this time, I don't need them. Therefore, they must learn military regulations before they can join the army. Those who have martial arts skills can teach soldiers martial arts. I don't want ordinary people. I only want the poor ones to do odd jobs."
Li Bo laughed loudly and admired. You have to know that Zhang Xuanning had a shallow foundation. His most powerful point was to take advantage of the situation. If he had not had 500 people on that day, he would not have been able to seize the county easily. But now, if he used gangsters as the backbone, he would be courting death - not to mention that they were not fit to be soldiers, they were gangsters of the same blood and had close relations with the people in Kuaiji City. Maybe someone could fan the flames .
Now, with various types of personnel mixed together and regular rural soldiers as the backbone, the army can become regular.
After laughing, he continued, "However, I am surprised that you only plan to train six groups. I thought you could recruit thousands!"
"If I can recruit thousands of people, then I don't need to prove my rebellious intentions, and passers-by can know it. I haven't captured the county city yet. With the wealth of the county warehouse, they can immediately gather tens of thousands of people to deal with me. That would be bad. At least now, although the county is on guard and has trained more people, there is no large-scale expansion of the army." Zhang Xuanning said with a wry smile: "Besides, my foundation is too weak. With these 1,200 people, I have almost used up my capital. I can't control more. Of course, if I have already captured the county city, I can give it a try. Now I'd better follow the plan!"
Li Bo looked into the distance and said thoughtfully, "That is indeed the case. Seeing you act in this way, I feel relieved. However, if the court has an order, it will most likely require you to go to Chang'an. Will you go?"
Zhang Xuanning exhaled, "I have thought about this question, and I have explained the reason very clearly. If I don't go, I will almost have trained my army by then, so I must prepare for the next few months. Once the relationship breaks out, I will immediately attack other counties, and even invade Kuaiji City, so I must prepare for a rainy day."
Li Bo nodded, stood up and said, "You see things very clearly. Under the current situation, if you return to Chang'an, you will accomplish nothing. Even if you escape death, you will not be able to become an emperor. At most, you will be a general and enjoy wealth and honor."
He added: "You have broken with the imperial court, so what title do you have to act under? In any case, a mere lieutenant commander is totally unfit for use."
Zhang Xuanning had also considered this question, and he said without hesitation: "My foundation is still very shallow. Before the foundation is established, I cannot be called a king. At most, I can consider the title of Duke or General Manager. I can first be called the General Manager of Yuezhou. When I unify the four counties of Kuaiji, establish a military and political system, and intend to expand outward, I can be called a Duke."
"Yes, that's true. If you are crowned king, your status will be completely different. You will be recognized by the people around you and even the whole world. You can be called the general manager first. There are countless general managers in the rebel army. You can use them without attracting too much attention. This is Wuyue land. You can be called the Duke of Yue in the future."
"I still like the title of Duke of Wu, but for now, the Governor of Yuezhou is also good. With this title, you can build more armies and manage counties. It should also attract heroes from near and far to join you." Zhang Xuanning smiled calmly and said, "We can fight and consolidate while rebuilding the military and political system, but I think it will take two years to have the potential to sweep across the south. Only then can we be called Duke of Wu and seize nearby counties."
Then, he unfolded the scroll, spread it on the table, and continued, "There are three important things that must be done at the same time. The first is to train soldiers and establish a foundation. I will do this personally. The second is to establish trade routes to import food, soldiers, and armor. To dominate the world, it is not enough to rely solely on self-sufficiency. We also need to import from outside. Fortunately, this place is an important coastal area, and Kuaiji Port is also an important port, so we can transport it. I would like to ask my uncle to help me with this matter. How about it?"
Speaking of this, we have to talk about Zhang Xuanning's strategic considerations. The geographical location of Kuaiji County has been mentioned. The Juzhang County that has been chosen now is also the location of the port. It controls Kuaiji Port, so it can fight, retreat, and trade. Just based on this point, we can see his talent and strategy.
In fact, the ancients had very strict control over military books and geography, and did not allow them to be passed on. This was also natural. Therefore, many rebel armies had no strategic thinking ability at all, and they just ran wherever they went.
Even people like Li Zitong and Du Fuwei, who were born smart and had excellent innate conditions, had not received systematic training. Therefore, the trajectory of their rebellions was mostly chaotic. At least in the early stages, they did not understand many key points, and thus missed countless opportunities. Later, when they gained more experience and matured, they lost opportunities again.
Think about it, if Zhang Jue, Li Zitong, Du Fuwei and later Li Zicheng had a deep understanding of military strategy and geography from the beginning, instead of relying on their own talents to slowly comprehend them, what heights could they have achieved?
"Don't worry, nephew. I will accomplish this. I can also let you go out to sea when the time comes." Li Bo understood immediately that this was to fully utilize the advantages of Haikou. Once the battle situation was unfavorable, they could just take the opportunity to leave by ship. There was no possibility of being surrounded.
Being able to fight, defend, and retreat, this is a strategic consideration. With this, no matter how dangerous or unfavorable it is, it seems dangerous but is actually nothing. Without this, even if the situation is favorable at the moment, you may fail in the battle and have no way out.
"And the third one?"
"The third point is actually related to the second point. We have ships in the south and cavalry in the north. If we want to plot against the south, we must build a navy. But we don't have the opportunity right now. However, there are many large and small sea fleets along the coast. When they become powerful in the future, we can take advantage of them. Now we can just build a small fleet. I have summoned Gao Zhandao for this matter. He was a pirate before, so he should know something about the navy. I don't know if he is willing to come. If he is, you can give him an important task. If not, forget it."
Li Bo nodded to show that he understood. People like Gao Zhandao were not very talented, so they would only have these few opportunities. If he came, when there was a shortage of talent, he would of course be the first commander of the navy. Although he might not be in charge of the navy in the future, relying on his early qualifications to establish the navy, he would surely enjoy glory, get a high position, and be granted a title of nobility. But if he did not come this time, he would be a small figure all his life.
Seeing that everything had been settled, Zhang Xuanning also came out and rode into the city under the protection of ten personal soldiers.
In fact, there are remote areas in the county town where military camps are newly built. Beyond the houses and streets, the view suddenly opens up, and under the setting sun, a military camp appears before your eyes.
Everything can be done for you, but the formation and control of the first batch of soldiers must not be done for you. It is rare in the world to find someone like Xiaoqiang who even entrusts the training of the first batch of soldiers and generals to others. Zhang Xuanning took a deep breath and rode in.
At that time, many soldiers came to greet them.
Zhang Xuanning dismounted and saw that his former soldiers had become instructors and had begun training groups of strong men in the most basic physical exercises, namely running and standing at attention. It was possible to apply this kind of modern training, although the effect might not be particularly special.
After a patrol, time passed quickly. The afterglow of the setting sun finally disappeared over the horizon, and the sharpness of his inner strength enabled him to sense the breathing of countless people and the sound of cooking dinner.
"Are there enough military rations?" He turned and asked Zhang Yi.
"Most of the people in the county warehouse have been moved in. With 2,000 of us, it won't be a problem to satisfy them for half a year."
"Where are the clothes?"
"Most of the winter clothes have been prepared."
"Very good, then starting tomorrow, I will personally train until the New Year!" Zhang Xuanning retracted his gaze and said firmly that other matters could be ignored and temporarily entrusted to others, but the formation of the first batch of real troops must be presided over by him.
He has the power of life and death, promotes his confidants, selects his cronies, cultivates his own authority, and adjusts the rank and order of the entire army at any time to establish his supreme power. It is at this time that he has the final say.
Of course, you can also take advantage of the opportunity to practice martial arts in order to further eliminate the remaining evil spirits.
No matter what, this world is not a simple historical world after all. The existence of martial arts has brought many variables and changes in the rules. Although he laughed at Xiaoqiang's unwise decision to abandon the army and run away to take risks, he also knew that he still had to make three long journeys.
The first thing, of course, is to transport back Yang Gong’s treasure. This requires that I complete my training before I can take a group of people to transport it.
The second is to go to Pegasus Ranch and meet Lu Miaozi. The importance of Pegasus Ranch is no less than Yang Gong's treasure. He is determined to get it, and meeting Lu Miaozi is even more necessary.
The third is that he must go to the Song clan once, sweep across the south, and even unify the world. Basically, he cannot do without its support. Of course, if it really doesn't work, there are ways, but if he can get its cooperation, his chances of winning will be much greater. He has already planned to marry Song Yuzhi as his wife, who will also be his queen in the future, and Shang Xiuxun can be one of his four concubines.
The harem system must have only one queen, followed by four concubines (noble concubine, virtuous concubine, virtuous concubine, and virtuous concubine), then imperial concubines, and as for the others, I really don't want to have any more, as they already have too many titles.
This was not just a dream. The status and influence of Song Yuzhi and Shang Xiuxun determined that this would be the outcome for them. If it was Song Yuzhi, it would be fine because there would naturally be other daughters to replace her. However, Shang Xiuxun was the only daughter who controlled tens of thousands of horses. Her husband and son would definitely inherit this huge power. Therefore, no monarch in the south would let her marry someone else. At least that's what Zhang Xuanning thought.
Therefore, for strategic reasons, these two women actually had no other choice. Otherwise, even if they married someone else, they would be dead in the future. Zhang Xuanning did not hesitate to kill the husband and take the wife, or kill the couple together.
These are three long-distance missions that must be carried out. You have to leave the base camp and cannot bring many people with you, so your martial arts skills are very important. If you are not careful, you will be surrounded. If your martial arts skills are not good, then all your troubles will be over.
Well, as for the Dongming Sect, there is no need to go there in person, but it is inevitable to propose to Madam Dongming and marry Shan Wanjing as one of the four concubines. Although Shan Wanjing's importance is slightly lighter, considering that he is developing in the south, it is almost enough. If the Dongming Sect disagrees, it will be cutting off itself from Zhang Xuanning. If Zhang Xuanning is powerful, he can only choose to uproot this force with navy and weapons.
If it is convenient for him, he can also consider getting the imperial seal. If he can assassinate or surround one or two holy monks, or even kill them all, it will be a great thing. He will not wait until he is noticed and attacked before considering how to solve the problem. If he doesn't take advantage of this time before attracting attention and secretly get rid of a few old monks, what is he waiting for?
Well, maybe we can form an alliance with the Evil King, but in that case, Shi Qingxuan will have to become one of the four concubines. Alas, in ancient times, being a monarch, marriage was really not free. Now the positions of the Queen and the four main wives are almost full. Fortunately, these women are all stunningly beautiful, so they are reluctantly accepted into the harem. Otherwise, it would be too hard.
After seriously considering these issues and deciding to include them in the plan, Zhang Xuanning withdrew his thoughts and focused his attention on the current military camp.
Now, we are concentrating on military training, nothing else.
