Chapter 217: Attack on the City
Su Ze put down his telescope and climbed up the earth wall. The soldiers who had luckily survived cried with joy, as they had finally earned their lives on the battlefield.
Su Deng, who climbed the wall first, was covered in blood. The soldiers who climbed the wall first were very excited. It was a great achievement to be the first to climb the wall, and the military judge would record their achievements truthfully.
After this war, they will all be rewarded, and their families in the rear will be granted more land. General Su’s promises will eventually come true, and this is the meaning of their fighting on the battlefield.
The defenders in the fort were in despair, as they knew the fate of the losers. It would be their turn to be organized into driving groups and driven to attack the next fort.
This is the battlefield. Emotions such as kindness and compassion must be abandoned. War is a life-and-death struggle. It is so cruel.
Hou Jing was born to be on the battlefield. He didn't care about the life or death of his subordinates, he only cared about whether he achieved his goal.
Before sunset today, the battle situation was exactly as Hou Jing had expected, and four more forts were captured.
Now there are only eight docks left to the new city.
The next step is to attack Xincheng. As long as Xincheng is captured, the shackles of the Qinzhou rebels that blockade Longxi will be broken. Su Ze can then lead his troops into Liangzhou and pursue Mozhe Dam's army.
According to the report from the scouts sent by Su Ze, the army of Mozhe Dam is now blocked in front of Mianyang County.
As long as they can break through the blockade of Xincheng and lead their troops into Liangzhou, they can join forces with Fu Shuyan to attack Mozhe Dati's army and annihilate the largest rebel force in Qinzhou.
But how to attack the new city is the issue to be discussed today.
It has to be said that the rebels in Qinzhou also made great efforts to prevent Su Ze from leaving Longxi.
The new city is located on the bank of the Wei River, with a mountain range to the north. It is in a very dangerous location sandwiched between the mountains and the water.
This time, Mozhe Dike mobilized all the craftsmen in Qinzhou to not only build a solid city wall, but also added a "women's wall" on the wall.
The wall on the city wall, that is, the daughter of the city wall, is called a parapet.
In addition, there is an urn outside the city wall, which is a small defensive city built on the protrusion extending outside the city wall. There are also defensive buildings such as arrow towers and city walls in the city, which are connected to the city wall and can be used specifically to attack siege weapons and the first soldiers to climb the city.
The last is the horse-blocking wall, which is a low wall used to defend against cavalry. Obviously, the Qinzhou rebels also knew that Su Ze’s cavalry was elite, so they specially arranged such a defensive setting.
In addition, the Qinzhou rebels, who had never made long-term plans, actually stockpiled food in the new city and diverted water from the Wei River into the city, preparing for a long-term confrontation.
This time the military meeting was to discuss how to attack the city.
Su Liang held a report and said with a heavy face: "In the battle of Xincheng, in order to attack the fort, the government soldiers had lost 10% of their strength, but they were scattered among many camps, so the morale of the army was not shaken."
Su Ze was silent for a while. If it was on the front battlefield, a 10% loss would be enough to shake the morale of an army.
The fact that these newly trained soldiers were able to bear such a heavy loss also shows the quality of the Longxi soldiers.
Many of these soldiers were farmers working in the fields with farm tools a year ago.
However, not all of these wounded soldiers died in battle. Some of them were injured and lost their combat effectiveness. Some were able to return to the battlefield after recuperation, while others suffered lifelong disabilities and had to leave the army.
But just attacking the surrounding forts consumed so many soldiers, Su Ze still felt heartbroken when he thought about it.
Su Liang added: "According to the general's military order, the soldiers who died on the battlefield should be compensated."
Su Liang said: "According to the general's promise, the soldiers were given land according to the Taihe age order, 'all men over 15 years old will be given 40 mu of land for growing grain, and women will be given 20 mu'. Those who join the army will be given an additional mu."
Su Liang added: "But the land in Longxi County is in short supply, so if the newly granted land is insufficient, either livestock can be exchanged for one cow for every 40 mu, or camels, donkeys, horses, etc. can be reduced in accordance with the rules. If you don't want to exchange livestock, then the land in He, Liang or Qinzhou can be granted."
Su Ze nodded. The land issue of the government soldiers was discussed by Su Ze and his advisers for a long time before they finally came up with a plan.
Historically, there was a hidden premise for the Northern Zhou Dynasty to implement the military system, which was that too many men died in the long war with the Northern Qi Dynasty.
The Guanzhong region has been plagued by constant wars since the Rebellion of the Six Garrisons. By the time Emperor Yuwen Tai implemented the reform of the military system, the population of Guanzhong had already dropped sharply.
War is a meat grinder. The rebellion in Qinzhou had not lasted for a year, but the population of Qinzhou had already decreased by 30%. If the war continued, the scene described in history books as "only one in a hundred households left, and a thousand miles of barren land" would occur.
Under such circumstances, the land was vacated and the population was much smaller, so the policy of granting land to the government soldiers could be implemented.
However, when Su Ze implemented the military system in Longxi County, Longxi County did not have so much land.
Su Ze knew very well that the Zhechoufu system had to be combined with the land grant system to play its greatest role.
If we simply set up a Zhechoufu and order the soldiers to train during their slack season, this would increase the burden on the soldiers.
Without the land allocation system, soldiers would not fight for you.
Because Su Ze marched quickly, the Qinzhou rebellion did not sweep across Longxi County, and Longxi's population loss was not as great as it had been in history.
The land in the Longxi Plateau is also scarce and barren, and there is not enough land available for granting farmland.
So in the end, Su Ze used Su Liang’s solution.
If the land granted was insufficient, livestock would be granted instead.
Livestock are labor force; horses, cattle, sheep and camels are important assets for farmers.
If they were unwilling to take livestock, Su Ze would mobilize them to go to Hezhou or Liangzhou, or promise them land in Qinzhou.
Hezhou and Liangzhou are vast and sparsely populated. Su Ze is developing the Hehuang Valley and the plains south of Dunhuang, where there is enough land to be granted.
However, according to the report from Longxi County, although a lot of mobilization work was done, most people were unwilling to grant land from other states.
This is normal as farmers are attached to their land.
This is a sense of insecurity that is rooted in the nature of farmers.
Before traveling through time, Su Ze could not understand the farmers' obsession with the land, but now he can understand it.
This is a fear of famine that is rooted in the blood.
In "The Ming Dynasty", the rice fields were replaced with mulberry trees, and the exploitation of corrupt officials was eliminated. If we look at this matter alone, why do the people still disagree?
In theory, changing grain planting to cash crops with higher added value can generate more profits, and using these profits to purchase grain is the most advantageous option.
This model seems reasonable to modern people, but it is unacceptable to farmers.
The land produces food, even if the yield is lower and the tax is higher, but as long as there is food at home, people will not starve to death. But if rice is replaced with mulberry trees, the mulberry trees planted cannot be eaten, which is equivalent to relying on others for food security. For farmers, it is equivalent to entrusting their lives and property to others.
What if the merchants can’t transport the food?
What if food prices rise?
What if the silk grown from replacing rice with mulberry leaves cannot be sold?
It’s better to grow crops, at least you can survive.
The same goes for relocation. The people are on their own land, surrounded by relatives and neighbors. They are familiar with growing crops on their own land and understand the climate and soil quality of the land. Even if there is less land and the grain yield is lower, as long as people are not starving to death, no one is willing to leave their homeland.
Therefore, several large-scale migrations and developments in history were all completed during periods of war. On the one hand, people left their homes to escape the war, and on the other hand, population migration was completed by granting land through military merit.
It is unrealistic to attract people to cultivate the land simply by granting more land.
Su Ze offered the soldiers a choice between livestock compensation and granting land, and only then did he solve the problem of granting land to the thirty Zhechou Prefectures.
This is also the reason why he did not have the spare energy to establish more Zhechoufu in Longxi County, because the money on hand was simply not enough.
Therefore, what Su Liang was worried about was the issue of compensation for the injured and dead soldiers.
Su Liang added: "According to the agreement made before the general went to war, those who died in battle will be given 80 hu of millet and a piece of white silk."
"If there are adult males in the family, the land granted shall not be taken back but shall be transferred to others; if there are no adult males and the wife does not remarry, the land shall be given to the wife first, and then to the son after the males reach adulthood."
"If there are no male children, half of it will be given to their fathers and brothers to provide for them with sacrificial land."
This one is also easy to understand. The land grant system is that land is granted to adults and can be recovered after death. If someone dies in battle, the land will be recovered. In this way, no one will fight to the death on the battlefield.
It is only natural for a father to pass the land to his son after he dies in battle.
Underage males would be temporarily granted to their wives, but this clause required the wife not to remarry before her son came of age. This would definitely be criticized in modern times, but it was still very meaningful in this era. It was a protective measure to prevent soldiers who died in battle from being eaten up by others.
In fact, in ancient society, things like "chastity arches" were sometimes a form of protection for women.
In "The Peacock Flies Southeast", after Liu Lanzhi was divorced, she was forced by her brother to remarry.
Liu Lanzhi came from a relatively wealthy family. If she were an ordinary citizen, her husband would have died in battle, not only would her parents’ family but also her husband’s family would have tried to sell her off.
This is the cruelty of reality. Many people are unwilling to remarry for the sake of their underage children, and will not be tolerated by their parents-in-law. If a widow has no family, her entire family will definitely be wiped out.
Therefore, when the law stipulated that a wife could not remarry, she would own the land granted to her husband who died in battle. This increased the economic value of the widow. In this case, the woman would have the confidence to fight against her parents-in-law and parents.
If she does not remarry and raises her children to adulthood, the family can continue to get the land, and the parents-in-law will not sell their daughter-in-law for a small dowry for remarriage.
The land owned by the daughter-in-law is related to the future land grant to her grandson. If her family wants to take her away, her husband's family will not agree.
As for those who want to abandon their underage children and remarry, the government will not stop them, as long as they give up their husbands and grant them land because they serve in the army.
Su Liang added: "With so many casualties, the military will have to spend a lot of money again."
Hearing this, even Hou Jing, who treated ordinary soldiers as the least, fell silent.
They were used as bargaining chips on the battlefield to consume soldiers, and they were a huge burden on the military government.
Su Ze said firmly: "Pay, you must pay!"
"The promised compensation to the people must be paid in full. I will write to Ling Chuo later to urge him to ensure that the compensation is paid to the families of every soldier who was injured or killed, and that no clerks embezzle it!"
Su Liang nodded and said, "Rice, grain, silk and cloth are easy to deal with, but the main thing is the promised land, cattle, donkeys, sheep and other livestock. These need to be shipped over from Liangzhou as soon as possible."
Su Ze said: "I will write a letter to Madam An right away, asking her to organize a caravan from Hexi to transport the livestock to Longxi."
Su Liang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Su Ze was so determined to provide relief to the soldiers. He was also shocked when he calculated. The war had just started and such a large sum of money was paid out. Although part of it was the part that had been promised to the soldiers but had not been fulfilled, it was still enough to make people shocked.
If Su Ze does not admit it, or if not admitting it is the norm in this era, then the land grant order from the Taihe period would be like a piece of waste paper, and there would be no new land to be granted.
But Su Ze gritted his teeth and was determined to pay, which showed that he was a man who could accomplish great things and was willing to pay the immediate short-term price.
Su Liang became even more certain that his brother's choice was correct.
The prelude to a military meeting took up a lot of time, and Su Ze finally turned the topic back to attacking the new city.
"We are about to attack the new city. What do you think?"
At this moment, Hou Jing and Murong Shaozong immediately stepped forward and said in unison: "General! I have a plan!"
Then the two men looked at each other again, and Hou Jing realized that it was Murong Shaozong who spoke, and he took a step back unwillingly.
If it were someone else, Hou Jing would definitely not give up the credit for offering advice, but Murong Shaozong taught him the art of war and was both his teacher and friend, so even a man as rebellious as Hou Jing could only take a step back.
Su Ze smiled and glanced at Su Liang, who stood up and said, "Both lieutenant generals have ideas. Why don't you write them down and offer them to the general?"
Hou Jing and Murong Shaozong's eyes lit up, and naturally a clerk brought them pen and ink. Murong Shaozong wrote a word on his palm, and Hou Jing also wrote a word on his palm.
The two of them came to Su Ze together, looked at each other and opened their palms at the same time.
When Su Ze and Su Liang saw the words on their palms, they couldn't help but laugh in tacit understanding. Sure enough, they wrote the same word.
Murong Shaozong and Hou Jing also smiled at each other.
Su Ze pointed at Hou Jing and said, "You will be a general in the future, how can you show your handwriting to others when it's so ugly? I will punish you to go back and copy the military book three times. This time, Murong Shaozong will lead the army!"
Hou Jing looked at the words on his hand that looked like earthworms crawling, and his face rarely turned red. He crossed his hands and acknowledged Su Ze's military order.
After the generals left, Su Liang said to Su Ze: "General, Hou Shenjin has made too many contributions recently, and he really needs to be checked."
Su Ze sighed and said, "This guy is too utilitarian in fighting. He has offended many people in his quest for merit. Only Murong Shaozong can suppress him."
Su Ze was also somewhat helpless. He now had too few generals under his command. Although he intended to check and balance Hou Jing, he was still too powerful.
The middle level is too concentrated, which is not good news for a group. Su Ze thought of Yu Jin, the governor of Gaoping County, and realized that he still had too few talented generals under him.
But what lies before Su Ze now is the new city on the banks of the Wei River.
How can we capture this city at a lower cost?
(End of this chapter)