Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 33: Difficult Transportation
It was the eighth day of the second month of spring, shortly after dawn.

The sound of horse hooves coming from the north broke the tranquility of the plain.

Gongsun Zan's messenger arrived again, bringing news that a large convoy was about to arrive.

The next day, Liu Bei led some soldiers north to take over Bohai County, which was adjacent to Pingyuan.

Tian Kai, the clerk in charge of the transportation, came to greet him immediately.

"Mr. Liu, I haven't seen you for a few years, and you've become more handsome and majestic." Tian Kai, wearing a military hat and with rosy cheeks and a short beard, had a distinct Youzhou frontier air. He bowed as he came up and then laughed loudly.

"I haven't seen you for many years, but Mr. Tian is still as charming and elegant as ever!" Liu Bei replied with a smile.

The two men were reunited after a long separation. Almost all of Liu Bei's military horses were purchased and transported by Gongsun Zan and delivered to Pingyuan by Tian Kai, so they were familiar with each other.

In Chonghe County, Bohai, the two couldn't help but chat.

It was all thanks to Yuan Shao. After much thought, he felt that it was not the right time to become enemies with Gongsun Zan, and finally fulfilled his promise and temporarily gave Bohai County to the other party.

This would make it easier for Liu Bei to transport the purchased meat through Bohai Sea.

It is inconvenient to transport livestock, and fodder is consumed on the road, so they are simply slaughtered and dried in the north before transportation.

Fortunately, Qingzhou is close to the sea and Liu Bei controls sea salt, so he was able to pickle so much meat. He used a lot of salt and Gongsun Zan's reputation as a deterrent and purchased it from the Wuhuan and Xianbei people.

Referring to the practice of these Xianbei and Wuhuan when buying horses, I don’t know how much rotten meat was put in to make up the number, but the two counties were short of food and there was nothing they could do for the time being.

I'll wait until I have a chance to send troops there to settle the score.

The thief law in the Han Dynasty clearly stipulates: "Those who eat dried meat, sell fake meat or rotten meat, poison, injure, or cause illness to others shall be punished as thieves."

Since they are within the Han territory, they should be treated according to Han law, no matter if they are Xianbei, Wuhuan or Xiongnu.

Liu Bei looked towards the river, thinking that once the fishing industry developed, the burden on food would be reduced.

What we lack is time. As long as we have enough food, we can go anywhere in the world.

After all, reality is different from games. Food and fodder cannot be transported with just two clicks, so there is no need to worry about the food route.

In fact, in order to save food consumption, large and small granaries should be built in various places for easy access.

The current staple food is mostly husked and fried rice, millet and wheat, whichever is more convenient.

If you are in the camp, you can use a pot and a steamer to steam rice, and pair it with bean soup, meat soup and sauce. This is the staple food for the day to fill your stomach. Each meal requires one-third of a dou of grain, and this amount can be doubled during wartime.

However, Liu Bei thought that there was more wheat now, so he could grind it into flour and make naan. This would not only increase the variety of military rations but also make them easier to carry. The only disadvantage was that he would easily become thirsty.

But baked naan can be kept longer.

If a surprise attack is still needed, you can make naan bread with holes in it and let the soldiers carry it on their backs, thus reducing the burden on the civilians to transport supplies.

When he thought of transportation, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh.

No better horses were added. The horses previously purchased in Youzhou had all been castrated by the Wuhuan and Xianbei people. They did not want others to breed foals, perhaps because they were afraid of risks or wanted to monopolize the market.

However, it is extremely difficult to raise too many horses.

If the horses in a horse farm only eat straw and grass, they will be weak and not gain weight. They need to be fed more bean feed, wheat, soybeans, etc.

The food and fodder consumption of a horse is more than six times that of a soldier.

Liu Bei previously raised more than 600 war horses, plus a large number of draft horses and pack horses, which was equivalent to raising 6,000 more freelance soldiers. Although cavalry is very comfortable to use, only those who raise them know the bitterness.

Even if it doesn't move, it consumes a lot of grass, and if it runs, it will accumulate even more.

The enemy was terrified when they saw Zhao Yun's cavalry, but Liu Bei was the only one who felt sad when he saw the expensive horses that he had raised with real money and were so powerful that the auxiliary soldiers who were responsible for cutting grass could curse their mothers.

If it weren't for the benefits of sugar and salt, I would have collapsed long ago.

Liu Bei murmured: "I still need to find another way out, do more business..."

"My lord, Kong Rong, the Prime Minister of Beihai, sent someone to deliver a secret letter." Liu Bei had just returned, and his confidant Liu He came up and whispered something, then handed the letter to Liu Bei.

Tian Kai very tactfully stroked his beard and walked aside, stopping his chat with Liu Bei. He looked at the scenery of Pingyuan County and could not help but nodded slightly. The green mountains seemed completely different from the border of Youzhou.

Gongsun Zan sent him here specifically not only to maintain his friendship with Liu Bei, but also to discuss how to attack Yuan Shao together to avenge new and old grudges.

On the other side, Liu Bei opened the letter and read it quickly, then smiled and shook his head, knowing what was going on.

Yuan Shao recommended Zang Hong to be the governor of Qingzhou. Now he entered Qi County and wanted to send people to take over Beihai County, but his suggestion was directly rejected by the famous scholar Kong Rong.

Kong Rong replied bluntly: "I have already submitted a petition to the emperor to appoint Liu Xuande, who pacified the Yellow Turbans, as the governor of Qingzhou. What merits have you made to deserve to be the governor of a state?"

This made the people sent by Zang Hong very embarrassed.

Although he worked for Yuan Shao, Zang Hong was also considered a righteous man. After being scolded by Kong Rong, he did not get angry, but instead sent someone to apologize.

Zang Hong claimed to be the governor of Qingzhou, but more than half of the counties in Qi county did not obey his orders.

The officials in neighboring Le'an and Jinan were very clear about who had the final say in Qingzhou. On the contrary, the officials in Donglai County next to Beihai seemed to want to curry favor with Yuan Shao. People from the two sides frequently traveled back and forth, all passing through Beihai.

This made Kong Rong, the Prime Minister of Beihai, somewhat worried, and he detailed his concerns in a letter.

Finally, he asked Liu Bei how his teacher Lu Zhi was doing recently.

Hearing that Lord Lu had come to the Qingzhou Plain, many Confucian scholars in Beihai and Donglai were eagerly waiting to see him. Now that the war in Qingzhou has subsided, Kong Wenju decided to welcome Lord Lu by bowing for ten miles to see him.

Liu Bei put away the letter and couldn't help feeling amused. Now Pingyuan, Jinan and Le'an in Qingzhou were all in his hands.

Although Qi County had not yet sent anyone to take over, all the counties west of Linzi had obeyed his orders.

Although Beihai had not yet openly gathered the county soldiers, Kong Rong had already compiled various account books and registers, such as household registration, cultivated land, and taxes, and took the initiative to present them to Liu Bei.

These things are things that counties need to report to the state.

In the past, the governor Jiao He would receive the letters, check and organize them, and then report to the court. But now the emperor is far away and the government is controlled by Dong Zhuo, so no one knows whether they have been delivered.

For the governor who holds real power in a region, the words of the imperial court can go in one ear and out another.

After all, traitors are now in control of the government. If we send taxes and money to the court, wouldn't that be aiding and abetting the tyrant?
We can only put them in the treasury first and wait until the world is at peace. It will not be too late to transport the money, grain and cloth to the court later.

Moreover, with money and food in hand, he could recruit soldiers and welcome the emperor back from Dong Zhuo. This is what a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty should do.

Many provincial governors and prefects, in front of their staff and guests, faced northwest and silently told the emperor how loyal they were to the country.

It’s a pity that Dong Zhuo was so powerful that the ministers were powerless. In a few years, they could turn defeat into victory.

　感谢李所应当、20221121125629351、和谐法神、20220122133424950、YH、、20211210073632236、Frefight、20180501111726080、20171106090453663，书友们的月票！感谢书友 20211129045712227的打赏！以及全部书友的推荐票，和追读与热情评论。谢谢你们！
　　
　
(End of this chapter)