Chapter 671 Planning for the South China Sea
Two days later, the Yuanshi battleship came from the lower reaches of the Wei River.

When the ship docked at Chang’an Wharf, Cui Yan waited in line with his suitcase.

Some officials and scholars disembarked in an orderly manner, and the guards waiting on the shore hoisted fuel and food materials onto the ship.

After supplies were replenished, Cui Yan and his companions were allowed to board the ship.

As soon as he got on deck and looked around, he saw a small boat nearby pulling out a long bamboo pole from the river.

A coarse silk flag was carried on one end of the bamboo pole, which gradually rose higher.

The guards nearby trotted away quickly, but they didn’t expect that the ship had already left the shore and was rowing towards the Yuanshi.

Inside the command tower, Black Bear looked at the crude flag with the Fang Tian Ji pattern painted on it, and said to Yang Jun and Jiang Jiong beside him, “He’s taking advantage of me this time. There will be more trouble for fishing boats and ferries where my warships are moored in the future.”

Jiang Jiong replied: “For the sake of the king’s safety, this is what I should do.”

Black Bear turned his head to look at the serious Jiang Jiong: “Do I have to abandon my boat and ride a horse to get in touch with the people?”

“I don’t dare.”

Jiang Jiong bowed slightly, still maintaining his usual attitude: “Your Majesty’s life is related to the safety of the country, please put the people first.”

“It is right to put the common people first, but I also want to know the condition of the common people, whether they are alive or dead.”

Black Bear turned his head to look at Yang Jun: “Send a letter to the police station, telling Xu You not to make a fuss.”

“Here.”

Yang Jun agreed readily without expressing any opinion.

After a while, Ju Hu was able to board the ship.

Inside the tower, Black Bear looked at Ju Hu and said, “If you want to see me, why do you have to resort to such a desperate measure?”

“You may not know, Grand Marshal, that since Xu Ziyuan took charge of the police department, police officers in various places have been wary and suspicious of our Hebei and Guandong people.”

Ju Hu also sighed, “The surrounding hundred households can also report to the Grand Marshal, but I can only move around within a ten-mile radius of the trading house, so it is difficult to ask for help from the surrounding hundred households. I asked someone to ask, but the hundred households also closed the door and refused guests on the grounds that it was not appropriate to travel outside the pass. If Cui Jigui had not passed by the trading house, I am afraid I would never see the Grand Marshal again.”

“Is it so strict?”

Hei Xiong frowned, he also knew that Xu You was only enforcing the law selectively, and the basis for enforcing the law was the order prohibiting officials and civilians from moving without reason in each county.

At this time, Yang Jun brought a tray of hot tea. Black Bear waved his hand gently. Yang Jun understood and went downstairs with the wooden tray.

Ju Hu held the tea bowl and blew on the tea soup: “Ever since the general was conferred the title of King of Zhao, the people of Hebei have been alienated. I came to see the Grand Marshal only to find a way out for my former master.”

He did not accept an official position in the State of Zhao, nor did he hold a position in the Jizhou Mu’s office. He is now a free man.

“I didn’t mean to kill him.”

Black Bear took out a gold fountain pen, unscrewed the cap, and wrote the three words “Suggestion Box” on a blank piece of paper. Then he said to Ju Hu, “Even this year, I have no intention of conquering Jizhou. Last autumn and winter, there was a lot of rain in various counties, and I am afraid that there will not be enough rain this year. I entrusted Cui Yan to deliver the message, just to persuade him to reduce military service so that the people can devote themselves to farming.”

Ju Hu was stunned. He looked at the black bear’s face carefully, then realized that he was being rude. He said hastily, “I misunderstood.”

“In my eyes, the people of Jizhou are also human beings. If more than half of them die of famine, wouldn’t that be my loss? At present, he is just acting as my agent. I will not treat him unfairly if he manages the people of Jizhou well.”

Black Bear did not hide the internal situation: “Since the performance evaluation last year, there has been a frequent turnover of civil and military officials under my jurisdiction. Now I am eager to use troops in Hebei. My favorite general is in Hanzhong, and Gan Xingba is busy digging Dizhu. If I were to conquer Hebei in the next two years, who would be the general?”

Ju Hu also nodded slowly. It was not that Guanzhong could not fight this war, but that there was a problem with the choice of commander.

In the previous Hehuang battle, the three armies advanced separately to open up their own battlefields and fought well.

With the experience of the Hehuang War, if a battle breaks out in Hebei, it will probably be handled and dealt with in the same way. The merits of the commander-in-chief and the generals of the division are very considerable, how could they be given to ordinary officers?
Guanzhong has now passed the initial stage of survival, and at that time it is necessary to unite everyone to overcome the difficulties together.

It also survived the phase of rapid expansion, when everyone had opportunities.

Now that we are not waging war against other countries, the distribution of existing stocks will be particularly intense.

Therefore, those who do not have the initiative in allocation will tend to start wars. As long as the war is won, many positions for them will naturally be vacated, and they can also be promoted.

For example, Gan Ning, does he want to fight in Hebei now?
The Battle of Hehuang was a turning point, and now Gan Ning was no longer anxious.

His route has already been planned. In the future, he will be the vanguard general who will enter Shu and sweep the southwest. He will then be stationed in Yizhou for several years, and finally lead his army down the Yangtze River to decide the ownership of Jingzhou in one battle.

Not only does he want to return to his hometown in Yizhou in fine clothes, he also wants to return to his hometown in Jingzhou in fine clothes!
If the war in Hebei breaks out, Gan Ning’s promotion and appointment path will change.

Ju Hu only reluctantly believed this possibility, but the black bear had a bad history of attacking its allies.

Although the targets of the attack were the Huns, it was still an eyesore.

Now they are urging Hebei to reduce military service…Ju Hu always feels uneasy and very insecure.

Seeing Ju Hu’s expression, Black Bear didn’t want to waste any more time. “Xu You has worked hard for me since he surrendered. Mr. Zhengnan has also taken me in and entertained me. I will not allow Xu You to persecute Mr. Zhengnan’s entire clan. But the land of Jizhou is no longer suitable for Mr. Zhengnan’s clan.”

As he spoke, he took a piece of paper, picked up a pen and wrote a letter to Shen Pei.

He took out his private seal “Huang Chao Jushi” and covered it with it. He folded it and sealed it with lacquer himself, then handed it to Ju Hu: “Go to Jiaozhou. Yuan Shang has been training the navy in Bohai for several years. I will give him a few more years. By the time the pillars are drilled through, it will be too late to leave.”

Ju Hu took the letter with both hands and said, “Grand Sima, is there no place for me to stay in this country?”

“Jiaozhou is also within the sea, and Qiongya Island can also be considered within the sea.”

Black Bear calmly advised: “Lu Yi conquered the Shanyue and obtained hundreds of thousands of men and women. He also selected the best and strongest soldiers to train them. Now he has no less than 30,000 elite soldiers. He has opened up four counties and established Guangzhou. You are going too late. I am afraid that the governor of Jiaozhou will be expelled by Lu Yi.”

Yuan Tan had already begun to warn him and ask for help. The local Han tyrants in Jiaozhou recognized the imperial court and the Han emperor.

The Jian’an court had no emperor, but the Huangchu court in the southeast had an emperor and the imperial seal. Lu Yi was making great strides to expand southward, which put a lot of pressure on Yuan Tan.

He was afraid that when he woke up, the local Han warlords in Jiaozhou would surrender to the Huangchu court and kidnap him.

In Jiaozhou, Yuan Tan just lived a rough life there.

The living environment there was too comfortable, the local people were lazy, and the Han nobles lacked the spirit of struggle.

Many things can be dealt with perfunctorily, and Yuan Tan shouldn’t be too serious about it.

If he takes it too seriously, the local Han tyrants may send him a rebel army of 100,000 strong.

The people of Jiaozhou will never be able to understand the hyperactivity of the northern officials and people in storing food and fuel for the winter, and they simply cannot stop.

As for Jiaozhou, as long as you can move your hands and feet… at least there are endless green plants to eat.

Even things like clothes can be ignored to the greatest extent possible.

Although Yuan Tan liked life in Jiaozhou very much, if Lu Yi and the Shanyue soldiers were about to attack him, Yuan Tan planned to abandon Jiaozhou and enter Shu from Nanzhong.

Send people from Hebei to Jiaozhou and let Yuan Shang replace Yuan Tan… When the number of people from Hebei who go there reaches a certain scale, the people from Hebei will re-stimulate the production enthusiasm of the local Han officials and people in Jiaozhou.

Batches of people starved to death in the north. If a group of hundreds of thousands of immigrants really arrived in Jiaozhou, they would go crazy, and the natives would follow suit.

(End of this chapter)