Tiger Guards

Chapter 199 Jinyang New Day
On the top of Jinyang City, Zhao Ji paced.

This is more like an ancient city, rather than the majestic city of Shanxi that he imagined.

The east and south of the city are open, and only the area near Jinshuikou is a swamp.

In terms of expansion potential, Jinyang is no less than Pingyang.

He placed his hands on the loess parapet and gazed south. Pei Xiu, his steps weary, leaned his elbows on the parapet and turned to look at Zhao Ji: "Now that Taiyuan is about to be conquered, what is Yuan Si thinking?"

"Since there's no one around, Brother Qi still calls me Aji."

Zhao Ji turned his head to look at Pei Xiu: "Otherwise I will forget who I am."

Pei Xiu smiled, coughed twice and asked with a smile: "So, Aji, Taiyuan is about to be settled. What are you thinking about, Aji?"

"I'm thinking about how to deal with Jinyang if it's flooded in the future."

Zhao Ji patted the battlements. "This city went down in history because of its waterborne attacks. The Jin River is to the south, and the Fen River is to the north and east. It can be said that it is surrounded by water on three sides. If I use Jinyang as my base, I will definitely expand the city. From here, I will expand it seven or eight miles to the south, and ten miles east across the Fen River, for a circumference of forty or fifty miles."

Pei Xiu was silent for a moment, then said, "The manpower consumption is definitely not small."

“Manpower is what is in your hands; manpower that is out of control is the enemy.”

Zhao Ji calmed down and pointed north again. "Before crossing the river, I went twenty or thirty miles north. That place is located between the East Mountain and the West Mountain, with the Fen River in the middle. The terrain is slightly higher. If we build a large city, we can resist a water attack."

A narrow strip of sky stretching from north to south, with a massive city thirty miles long built in the middle... Zhao Ji couldn't help laughing as he mentioned this idea. "A larger city means more defenders. Building a city on the north side would require dividing troops to defend the west and east mountains, requiring even more troops. A prolonged defense will inevitably lead to loss. If the people aren't attached, what good is it to have all the dangers of the mountains and rivers?"

Making a split second decision, Zhao Ji raised his hand and patted the battlements. "We'll expand the city right here. Building upon this city, we'll first build a wall with sand. To the south, we'll reach Jinze, to the east, the Fen River, and to the west, Longshan. The danger of a water attack is like a sword hanging over our heads. If we're ever besieged, there's no point in stubbornly resisting."

Seeing that he was full of energy and seemed somewhat insincere, Pei Xiu asked, "Do you really want to expand Jinyang?"

"The Zhao family prospered because of this, and my expansion of this city is truly in accordance with destiny."

Zhao Ji said this, but he didn't want to waste manpower to build the city.

But there is really no other way. If we want to maintain external deterrence, we must have the ability to conduct expeditions at all times.

If you want to go on an expedition, you must have a stable core city.

Jinyang is a very suitable place. As long as Jinyang is not lost, the surrounding and outer cities will not dare to act rashly even if they want to rebel.

Moreover, the banks of the Fen River are conducive to irrigation. Simply developing and restoring the land near Jinyang can supply the city's consumption.

The ancient city of Jinyang is located on a slightly higher ground, making drainage convenient. After the first round of expansion, domestic waste can also be easily disposed of.

It would be a bit of a waste to discharge the garbage directly into the Fen River. For such a beautiful loess land, we should plan and build sewage pipes to divert the domestic garbage into Jinze.

Without chemical products, these domestic wastewaters ferment together to become water fertilizer.

The city was expanded and the population was relocated. To the south was Bingzhou's largest iron smelting base, and the East Mountain and West Mountain areas were good places for raising horses.

Jinyang's comprehensive development potential is even greater than that of Yecheng. When there are more than 100,000 permanent residents around Jinyang, it means that it has at least 10,000 permanent residents.

With more than 10,000 standing troops, we can suppress the Xiongnu and the Qiang people, popularize the laws, and govern them regardless of whether they are Han or Hu.

Assimilation can be completed in two generations.

As a member of the Zhao clan, wearing Hu clothing and riding and shooting are the ways of our ancestors.

At this moment, Zhao Ji did not hide his ambition. The opportunity was right in front of him, how could he miss it?
Pei Xiu was filled with inexplicable emotion. He looked around and then turned to look at Longshan Mountain in the west. "When Emperor Wen was the King of Dai, Jinyang was the capital of Dai. Aji, I am worried that the court will follow Emperor Wen's example and make Jinyang the capital."

Seeing Zhao Ji pondering, Pei Xiu continued, "During the northern tour of Taiyuan, the court proposed to confer the title of Marquis of Jinyang on Duke Yuan Ming. At that time, Taiyuan's wealth was unknown. Now, I'm afraid that some people from Bingzhou will lobby the court officials."

Anyway, the Taiyuan clothing and etiquette were basically wiped out, and the scholars from all over Bingzhou no longer had a big brother.

If we persuade the imperial court to stay in Taiyuan, everyone will have great opportunities and can make a fortune.

Pei Xiu added, "Aji is strong and brave, and the Xiongnu are wary of him. Compared to Aji, I think the Xiongnu would be more willing to obey the court."

Zhao Ji narrowed his eyes after hearing this, thought for a moment, and said, "It's not surprising that the Xiongnu have such thoughts. It means they are not really afraid of me. If they really feared me, they wouldn't have the mentality of using a wolf to drive away a tiger. I will talk to Huo Qubing. If he disagrees, I will talk to Liu Bao. If Wang Rou can change the Chanyu, why can't I play with him?"

Only the Huns are difficult to control, even the old guys like Yang Qi are very tempted now.

But as long as they made this move, Zhao Ji didn't mind if they accidentally broke their shins under the wheels while riding in the car.

As it was getting dark, campfires were lit one after another. Xu Huang also came in a winding line, escorting the prisoners, with sparse torches in his team.

Zhao Ji raised his hand and patted Pei Xiu on the shoulder: "Let's go. After tonight, the new sun will rise for the people of Taiyuan!"

Military tents were set up everywhere in the city streets, and teams of Tiger Infantry soldiers camped on the streets for the night.

The residents in the city kept their doors closed, and from time to time, the Tiger Guards would patrol on horseback, strictly forbidding the troops from quarreling with the people in the city.

Only the doors of every household in the city with well water were opened for the soldiers to use.

The prisoners were concentrated in the military camp inside the city. The Hedong soldiers were willing to accept even the seriously wounded enemy soldiers. After cleaning up the battlefield, these prisoners and surrendered soldiers were escorted to the military camp inside the city.

In order to ensure that they have enough physical strength to work tomorrow, they were also given food rations.

Including Jinze and Wang and her in-laws who were captured by Xu Huang before, there were more than 11,000 military personnel in the city.

These people must be screened and then left in Taiyuan to build the city.

The captured Xiongnu Yicong were no exception. Although they were the easiest captives to convert, they were of no use to Zhao Ji. Zhao Ji was even more in need of cheap labor that only cared about food.

After a hearty meal, Zhao Ji came to the county magistrate's office, where most of the lightly wounded were accommodated.

The seriously injured and enemy wounded were left in the villages on the east coast, making it difficult to transfer them; young military doctors were the main ones who cared for and cured them.

Although he was called a military doctor, he was just an apprentice who had learned how to bandage wounds.

No matter how many times the teacher teaches, it is not as fast as practicing it yourself.

In the county magistrate's mansion, Zhao Ji visited every house. How could the lightly injured soldiers sleep?

Zhao Ji also comforted them one by one, saying that everything would be fine as long as their injuries were healed. Even if they were disabled, his Pingyang Marquisate could accommodate many people.

The injured Xiongnu volunteers were particularly moved, as this was a rare experience in the cruel nomadic life.

These volunteers later became the main population of Jinyang and Pingyang.

It was already late at night when Zhao Ji came out of the county magistrate's mansion and arrived outside the military camp.

In the military camp, the new recruits reorganized by Xu Huang took turns on duty to guard the prisoners.

With the prisoners present, the status of these recruits was elevated.

The camp was silent, with only the occasional barking of dogs.

Outside the military camp, five hundred-man Tiger Infantry troops camped here for the night, sitting around the fire to keep watch.

As Zhao Ji passed by, he saw several people standing up. Zhao Jian took the lead and bowed, "Yuan Si."

"Brother, how do you feel?"

Zhao Ji put his hand on Zhao Jian's shoulder, hugged him and sat down in front of the campfire.

Zhao Jian felt a little uncomfortable and inexplicably excited.

Then he sat down and said, "I never thought that this battle would go so smoothly and we could defeat the enemy in one battle."

He kept his tone as low as possible, but he was very emotional.

Zhao Ji just smiled and said, "In fact, our fight was very dangerous. There was no room for error. We were already giving it our all."

Zhao Yuan, who was sitting on the other side, asked, "I gained two levels today. What can I get promoted to?"

"If you can catch my arrow, my second brother will be able to become a squad leader."

Zhao Ji turned to look at him and said, "After Taiyuan is pacified, I want to form an alliance with Zhang Yang. Brother, do you think A Rui can do it?"

Old Zhao named his next generation with the character for gold. Zhao Jian's eldest son's nickname is A Rui. If he is named later, it will be Zhao Rui, which is the naming method based on the five elements.

Zhao Ji didn't find it strange. There were families that named their children in reverse order of the five elements, and there were people whose grandfathers and grandchildren, and fathers and sons used homophones or synonyms.

A young man with a wild imagination and abnormal behavior will sooner or later become a father, grandfather, and the head of a family.

Therefore, the naming methods of many families are not exactly the same, and there are many strange and novel ways.

"Marry Zhang Yang?"

Zhao Jian was completely unprepared and asked, "Is A Rui staying home or going to Hanoi?"

"Zhang Yang's daughter is here in Hedong. I plan to send Arei and the others to stay with Grandpa. The education of children and nephews cannot be left to the family. Grandpa has no shortage of good teachers here, and they can teach them carefully."

Zhao Ji then looked at the second brother and said, "In exchange, I want you to serve as a military officer in Zhang Yang's army. Forget about the rank of squad leader. If you go there, you'll be a captain or even a captain."

The number of troops under his command is definitely not large, but it is necessary to reflect Zhao Yuan's status.

Zhao Yuan immediately became troubled and asked, "Should I go alone?"

"Henei is a place of war on all sides, so it's best if you go alone. Zhang Yang won't treat you unfairly. If you wanted to take a concubine, you could have one. The salary Zhang Yang gave you could support you. If you go to Henei and advance your official rank, you will also make a contribution to Hedong, and the officials will be convinced."

Zhao Ji spoke calmly. He didn't think the second brother would dare to refuse. The second brother had already been smoothed out by Zhao Ji.

Zhao Jian was afraid that the two would start fighting again, so he immediately tried to persuade them: "This is a good thing. My second brother represented Hedong and was held hostage in Henei. He has indeed made great contributions, just like Chu Long said to the Queen Mother of Zhao."

Zhao Yuan didn't understand the meaning of 'Chu Long sleeps with the Queen Mother Zhao', but since the boss had already spoken, he nodded, thought for a moment and asked, "How many years?"

"Two or three years, maybe. You can go home and visit your parents every year. Zhang Yang's situation isn't good. When you go to Hanoi, just follow Zhang Yang's orders. Don't make any friends, or he'll misunderstand you."

Zhao Ji patted the second brother's shoulder and sternly warned him, "Zhang Yang has come with me to Taiyuan. He has not interacted with the court officials or the heroes of Taiyuan. I'm afraid I'll become suspicious and spark internal strife. Zhang Yang has a kind heart, and I'm even more worried that the rebels will deliberately try to make friends with him and lure you into rebellion. If that happens, I won't make things difficult for Zhang Yang. You can return to be the squad leader."

Zhao Yuan didn't like Zhao Ji's tone, so he didn't say anything and just remained silent.

Seeing that he didn't ask any more questions and didn't express any clear objection, Zhao Ji stood up and led a few guards to patrol in the distance.

Zhao Jian stood up and wanted to follow and ask something, but his team leader Hu Ben was standing there, so Zhao Jian had to stop.

Watching Zhao Ji walking towards the campfire in the distance, illuminated by two torches.

(End of this chapter)