Chapter 246 Wei Ke Gu
The white plague on the grassland corresponds to the locust plague among farming peoples.
This time, the scope of the white disaster was not limited to the Six Towns. From the vast sea to the grassland, and then to the northern territory of the Northern Wei Dynasty, all suffered from heavy snow disasters.
However, in Hedong, Henan, Guanzhong and other areas of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the winter was warmer than in previous years, and there was even no snow in the Yangtze and Huaihe River basins this year.
The climate in Liangzhou is also very good this year. Due to the obstruction of the mountains in the north and south of the Hexi Corridor, Hexi did not suffer from a snowstorm. Instead, there were several rains near Dunhuang, and even some oases showed signs of recovery.
Su Ze was a little puzzled. The North had clearly emerged from the Little Ice Age, so why was it experiencing such a severe snowstorm?
Su Ze called over Su Xiang (the astronomy student who likes to brag), who pinched his beard and said:
"When yin and yang meet, there will be wind and rain. This year, it is because the yang is strong and the yin is weak that there is a white disaster in the north."
Lu Xiuning, who was standing behind Su Ze, thought that this guy was making a dirty joke, so she turned her head away and spat, but Su Ze understood what Su Xiang meant.
In meteorological terms, the power of the warm and humid air flow is too strong, and the control of the cold current in the north is too weak, resulting in the rainfall belt of the cold and warm confrontation being pushed to the northern region, causing large-scale snowfall.
This is the drastic climate disturbance that occurred when the entire Earth emerged from the Little Ice Age and became warmer overall.
Su Ze could only say that the Northern Wei Dynasty was also unlucky. The meteorological disasters it encountered in the last years of the dynasty were indeed rare in a thousand years.
The areas controlled by Su Ze also suffered from the white disaster.
The northern part of Hezhou, the eastern part of Liangzhou, and especially the Gaoping County area controlled by Yu Jin, all suffered a certain degree of snow disaster.
The worst hit was Gaoping County, which was a livestock breeding area. The white disaster caused Hu Chen's tribe to stop their rebellious activities.
However, with the food that Su Ze had brought in in advance, Yu Jin directly opened the granary in Gaoping City and distributed food to the nearby tribes.
His timely assistance brought back some of the tribes that had followed Hu Chen in the rebellion, and stabilized the tense situation in Gaoping.
But in Liuzhen, life was not so good.
After inspecting his livestock yesterday, Gao Huan followed Sima Ziru to check on the tribes around Huaishuo today.
The results were all terrible. Some tribes were suddenly hit by a white disaster, and a large number of livestock froze to death in the storm. Many tribes had already started to freeze to death due to lack of fuel.
Livestock is an important means of production on grasslands.
This not only means that livestock are the providers of meat and milk on the grasslands, but also includes the manure of horses, cattle and sheep, which is also the most important fuel on the grasslands.
Without their livestock, some tribes didn't even have enough fuel.
Sima Ziru accompanied Gao Huan in inspecting several tribes, and the situation was not optimistic.
In the past few years, the Six Garrisons have not been at peace and have been robbed several times by the Rouran people.
And these are all the tribes close to the town. Gao Huan didn't dare to think about what the tribes far away from the town are like.
Sima Ziru rode his horse after Gao Huan and said:
"He Liuhun, please ask the town commander to release grain for disaster relief."
In the last Battle of Wuchuan, Gao Huan and Sima Ziru both made military achievements. After Li Chong commended them for their merits, both of them were promoted to military commanders of Huaishuo.
After the Battle of Wuchuan, Heba Duba requested to return to Wuchuan. Although Yang Jun, the commander of Huaishuo Town, was reluctant to let him go, he also knew that Wuchuan was the root of the Heba family, so he allowed Heba Duba to take his eldest son and second son back to Wuchuan, and left his youngest son Heba Yue in Huaishuo.
Yang Jun now relies heavily on Gao Huan and Sima Ziru. Sima Ziru wants to advise Yang Jun to open the town granary to provide relief to the people.
Gao Huan sighed and said, "It's difficult to be a governor. The last time the Rouran invaded, the town granary was opened. There is not much food in the town granary this year. It is not enough for the people of Huaishuo to eat."
Sima Ziru said with an unpleasant expression:
"Can't we ask Pingcheng for disaster relief?"
Gao Huan shook his head and said:
"Pingcheng has also suffered a disaster. Ziru, you also know the court's attitude towards the Six Garrisons. Even if they decide to provide disaster relief, it will be too late by the time it reaches the Six Garrisons."
Sima Ziru said:
"Aren't the officials in the court afraid that the Six Towns will be in chaos?"
Sima Ziru often traveled among the Huaishuo tribes and was well aware of the resentment of the soldiers and civilians of the Six Garrisons towards the imperial court.
In addition, there are believers of the true king who preach among the herdsmen.
The True King called on the people to overthrow the imperial court and incited them to rebel everywhere. After this white disaster, if the imperial court could not come up with disaster relief measures, how many tribes would become believers of the True King?
Gao Huan did not expect that the situation in the Six Garrisons would still fall into the abyss after he defeated the Rouran people at the cost of his life.
And Huaishuo is the best among the six towns.
Huaishuo is the governor's town of the three eastern and western towns of the Six Towns. Yang Jun, the town commander, is the governor's town commander and has the power to distribute materials among the three towns.
Yang Jun himself was one of the few good officials among the six garrisons.
He himself has noble character, prestige in Huaishuo, and treats his subordinates very well.
The last time the Rouran people passed through the border, Yang Jun was the only commander among the six towns who opened the town granaries and released grain.
But even so, the situation in Huaishuo was already very bad.
Gao Huan couldn't imagine what the situation was like in the other five towns.
At this moment, a personal soldier of Yang Jun rode towards Gao Huan and Sima Ziru.
"General Gao, General Sima, the town generals are summoning you!"
Gao Huan and Sima Ziru looked at each other, then spurred their horses to catch up with their personal guards. Yang Jun had already sounded the military drums in the town's mansion and summoned all the soldiers to discuss matters.
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The same thing also happened in Wuchuan Town.
Wuchuan Town General Lou Poqiang was still feasting and having fun in his mansion after the entire Wuchuan Town was hit by a white disaster. It was not until two powerful military leaders, Yuwen Gong and Heba Duba, broke into the mansion that Lou Poqiang beat the drum to gather his generals and discuss the white disaster.
But after gathering the generals, Wuchuan Town Commander Lou Poqiang still looked hungover and sat in his seat in Zhenjiang without saying a word.
Yuwen Gong coughed, and Lou Poqiang seemed to wake up. He looked around and said:
"What is there to discuss? The town barn has just been repaired after it caught fire last time. There is no food inside. Even if we want to provide disaster relief, there is no food."
When Lou Poqiang said this, he was actually feeling resentful.
When the disaster struck, the military commanders and generals present cried out to the court to open the granaries to provide relief, but they were also the ones who emptied the granaries and burned them down.
Now that a disaster has occurred, you are clamoring for yourself to provide disaster relief?
Where in the world can there be such a good thing?
The military leaders of Wuchuan spoke up one after another, but Lou Poqiang only gave one answer - "No food."
Yuwen Gong knew that this matter would not lead to any conclusion, so he brought up another topic:
"In the tribes north of Wuchuan, traces of the traitor Wei Kegu were found."
When Wei Ke Gu was mentioned, Lou Poqiang sobered up.
Wei Ke Gu's origins remain a mystery, but he is active in the three eastern towns. He claims to be the messenger of the true king and has won over many tribes.
Just last year, Wei Ke Gu gathered a group of tribes to rebel, which was suppressed by Yu Wen Gong led by Lou Po Qiang, but Wei Ke Gu still escaped.
From then on, Wei Kegu was on the top of Wuchuan's wanted list. But this guy was very active, and the government troops just couldn't catch him.
Lou Poqiang said angrily: "Send troops to capture this traitor! I reiterate the order of the town commander's office. If anyone protects Wei Kegu again, this town commander will never tolerate it!"
The next few topics were still a time for arguing with each other, until the building was broken and the Qiang were exhausted, the soldiers finally dispersed.
Yuwen Gong took Heba Duba to his home to drink, while Yuwen Gong's youngest son Yuwen Tai was taken to Dugu Ruyuan's house.
Dugu Ruyuan risked his life to break through the siege to deliver a letter last time. Based on his military achievements, Lou Poqiang allowed him to inherit his father's position as the chieftain of the tribe when he was only seventeen years old and not yet an adult.
Dugu Ruyuan is only eighteen years old this year, but because of his handsome appearance and unique dress, he is called "Dugu Lang" by Wuchuan.
The demeanor of Dugu Ruyuan who wore his hat tilted as he went out of the city to seek help was imitated by many people in Wuchuan Town, which started a trend of wearing hats tilted in Wuchuan. People called Dugu Ruyuan "the man with the tilted hat".
Even Heba and his son, who had made great contributions and returned to Wuchuan, were overshadowed by Dugu Ruyuan.
The heroes of Wuchuan were all proud to be able to make friends with Dugu Ruyuan.
However, Dugu Ruyuan only had a good relationship with Yuwen Tai, the youngest son of the Yuwen family, who was only fourteen years old.
After the meeting, the older generation each held their own small meetings to discuss matters. Yuwen Tai and Dugu Ruyuan also held their own small meetings.
The topic of discussion was naturally the situation in Wuchuan.
Dugu Ruyuan drank tea, looked at the heavy snow outside the window and said:
"The court will not provide disaster relief, and the six towns will be in chaos."
Yuwen Tai was just as his nickname suggested, with dark skin and a constant frown, looking like a little adult.
Yuwen Tai also agreed with Dugu Ruyuan's judgment that chaos in the Six Garrisons was almost inevitable.
After Jiangyang King Yuan Yi came to power, the situation in the court became further unbalanced.
One result was that officials began to degenerate further.
All officials were thinking about plundering the local area and getting promoted after collecting enough bribes to offer to King Jiangyang.
The same is true for the Six Garrisons.
Wuchuan and Huaishuo are the better ones among the six towns.
Yang Jun, the commander of Huaishuo, had a high reputation among the six towns and was also relatively honest.
People like Lou Poqiang have a good reputation in the Six Towns, because at least he doesn't make trouble.
Among the six towns, the most inhumane one is the general Yuzhen of Woye Town.
Yu Zhen was the brigade commander of the Yueqi Battalion when Su Ze was in the Yulin Army.
He and Yu Jin are both from the Yu family, but compared to Yu Jin, a distant branch, Yu Zhen is the nephew of Yu Zhong, a powerful official who once held great power in the court, and is a direct descendant of the Yu family.
Yu Zhong also supported Empress Dowager Hu, so he was not executed after her fall, and his family was not liquidated.
After Yu Zhen had a brief stint in the Yulin Army, he was transferred to Woye Town through the power of his family.
However, the Yu family has declined, and Yu Zhen has to walk the rest of the way alone.
After Yu Zhen took office as the magistrate of Woye Town, he began to dig the land.
In fact, among the six towns, Woye Town was originally considered a prosperous military town that surpassed Wuchuan and Huaishuo.
The other five of the Six Towns are all located in the northern grassland area. The soil in these areas cannot support farming and can only be used for grazing.
Only Woye Town, located in the Hetao area where the Yellow River turns, has large tracts of fertile land.
Even if these lands are not cultivated, the grass growing there will be much more lush than other places.
The last time the Rouran invaded, they mainly attacked the three eastern towns headed by Huaishuo and Wuchuan. Woye Town was relatively safe.
But even so, Woye Town experienced several famines, which was naturally all Yu Zhen's "credit".
Yu Zhen's perverse actions also made Woye Town a key area for activities of the "True King" and his followers. It is said that the True King is now in Woye Town.
Yuwen Tai's face was wrinkled. Seeing Dugu Ruyuan's calm and unhurried look, he couldn't help but say:
"Qi Mi Tou (Dugu Ruyuan's name), are you really not worried at all? If the Six Towns are in chaos, where will we go?"
Yuwen Tai's judgment was similar to Dugu Ruyuan's, but his father and brother thought he was exaggerating.
In the place of Liuzhen, evil people like Zhen Wang and Wei Kegu would always show up every now and then.
In short, the resentment of the military and civilians of the Six Garrisons towards the court was the breeding ground for these evil people.
Yuwen Gong had suppressed countless rebellions, and Wei Kegu was just a more troublesome demon.
Even Yuwen Gong and Heba Duba had reached a tacit understanding and deliberately boasted about Wei Kegu's influence in front of the town commander Lou Poqiang, so as to use Wei Kegu to intimidate Lou Poqiang.
Dugu Ruyuan said:
"Black Otter, whether the Six Towns are in chaos or not is not something we can control. As for the general trend of the world, all we can do is go with the flow and not be swept too far by the rapids."
But the younger Yuwen Tai said:
"Qi Mi Tou, I don't think so! We have to fight for things in this world. Only by fighting for it, we won't regret it even if we fail!"
Dugu Ruyuan sat sideways on the couch, without any reaction to Yuwen Tai's bold words.
Although the two are good friends, they have great differences in their attitudes towards life. They have debated this topic many times, and naturally neither of them can convince the other.
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The fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the second year of Zhengguang, Luoyang.
This year is the first year of Emperor Yuan Yi's reign, and the Lantern Festival is even more spectacular than in previous years. Craftsmen have been busy making lanterns since before the New Year. The most eye-catching lantern is a huge one in the shape of a Buddha statue.
This lantern Buddha statue uses 5,000 sheets of Luoyang paper, which is produced by Su Ze's paper mill. The craftsmen not only have to paste the paper on the lamp frame, but also dye the paper.
The standing Buddha with a lantern holds a Buddhist seal in his hand and has a compassionate look on his face. The face of this Buddha statue is exactly that of Jiangyang King Yuanyi.
Because of this lantern, Jiangyang Wang Yuanyi promoted Mu Shaoyou, the Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Works, to the Chief Supervisor of the Imperial Works.
You should know that Mu Shaoyou is an old party member of Qinghe King Yuan Yi, and once assisted Qinghe King in building Yongning Temple.
But even so, Prince Qinghe did not make Mu Shaoyou the legitimate heir. He actually got the long-awaited opportunity to be the legitimate heir by bribing Yuan Yi and making this lantern Buddha statue.
A night banquet will also be held in the palace today, but Empress Dowager Hu fell ill after the New Year's Eve banquet and is staying in the Xuanguang Hall to recuperate today.
Princess Chenliu deliberately entered the palace early and walked into the Xuanguang Hall under the guidance of the eunuch.
When she saw Princess Chenliu, Empress Dowager Hu's eyes lit up.
I didn't think there was anything special about my late husband's sister before. Empress Dowager Hu doted on Prince Qinghe, and loved his relatives as well. Among Emperor Xuanwu's sisters, she loved Princess Lanling more, who was Prince Qinghe's half-sister.
But since she was imprisoned, all the royal family members and ministers avoided her, only Princess Chenliu often took the risk to visit her.
(End of this chapter)