Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 174 Asking for help
Golden wings swept across the Taihang Mountains and flew straight towards Jinyang.

Zhang Xian's Residence.

Zhang Xian, having just finished a set of stances, sheathed his halberd and exhaled.

Kaka.

With a flap of its wings, Flashy Yellow descended from the sky and skillfully landed on his shoulder.

A roll of paper was tied to his foot.

"Good bird." Zhang Xian raised his gleaming yellow chin and picked up a strip of fresh meat from the side to feed it.

To ensure the transmission of information and the smooth flow of government orders, Shanhuang made a fixed daily trip between Qiangyin and Taihang.

The government orders taken from Jinyang were also brought back some trivial matters and troubles from these places.

He untied the scroll of paper at Shanhuang's feet, opened it, and took a look.

This glance made his expression turn serious.

"Go play by yourself." With that, he tossed the flashing yellow toy and headed out of the mansion.

"Summon Xun Yu, Wang Lie, and Chen Ji for a meeting! All officials of the rank of registrar and above in Jinyang City, come to the county office to await orders!"

"promise!"

The county soldiers guarding Zhang's residence immediately bowed.

Zhang Xian walked hurriedly, the secret letter in his hand being delivered by Xiahou Lan from Weize Pass.

The number of refugees has reached 30,000, and there is also the matter of Lu Zhi requesting assistance.

Following his summons, many officials who were originally on leave rushed to the main hall of the county government.

Within three quarters of an hour, a hundred people had gathered in the main hall of the county government office.

Zhang Xian sat firmly at the head of the table.

Xun Yu was on the left, Wang Lie on the right, and Chen Ji was standing with his head bowed, already reporting on Zhang Xian's problems.

"My lord, Jinyang originally had 327 officials. Since Xun became the prefect, 200 of them have been dismissed. With subsequent recruitment and promotions, there are now 679 officials at all levels. In February, 1,200 candidates were recruited, but most of them are still in training."

Zhang Xian listened as the main hall was already filled with people.

He nodded: "Select two hundred officials from Jinyang to go to Baijingbao first and await Han Ji's arrangements."

"Yes, sir!" Chen Ji bowed.

Xun Yu, seeing the growing number of people in the main hall, also cupped his hands and asked Zhang Xian.

"Is my lord going to mobilize manpower?"

Zhang Xian nodded and handed him the letter from Taihang: "Lu Zigan has asked me for help. Should we respond?"

Xun Yu quickly glanced at the urgent report from Weize Pass, and then handed it to Wang Lie.

Wang Lie also finished reading, his white beard trembling slightly, and said with emotion: "Brother Zigan is loyal to the country and carries out the northern expedition with imperial authority. Now he is in trouble with food supplies. If Julu is lost, Jizhou will collapse, and the Yellow Turbans will surely invade Bingzhou to the west... This food must be saved!" He looked at Zhang Xian, his eyes filled with the earnestness of scholars and officials to share the national crisis.

The officials below held their breath.

Zhang Xian tapped his knuckles on the table, his gaze turning to Xun Yu: "Wenruo, what do you think?"

Xun Yu's fingers were constantly calculating, and the total number of various resources in his mind was rapidly surging.

He stopped pointing and stood up, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect. “I believe we should save him. Lu Zhonglang’s siege of the Yellow Turban main force and Guangzong is a matter of national importance. It is also because of Lu Zhonglang’s actions that our Taihang Pass is safe. Supporting Lu Zhonglang will show the court our Bingzhou’s attitude and leave a good reputation among the Qingliu.

Last year, Taiyuan Prefecture alone had a full granary, and Lüchi County alone received several million shi of grain. Even if some grain were sent out as aid, it wouldn't be a big deal. Besides, given Lu Zhonglang's reputation, since he promised to return double the amount, he couldn't possibly be lying. Therefore, Yu thought this matter was worthwhile.

Zhang Xian stopped tapping his knuckles on the table and looked into the hall: "Where are the people from the Ministry of Works?"

"My lord!"

A man stepped out from among the officials and bowed respectfully.

Zhang Xian looked at him: "How much longer will the construction of the Taihang Mountains take?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, Chief Clerk Han's reply letter mentioned that communication with others would be possible in half a month at the latest."

"Half-moon."

Zhang Xian murmured, shaking his head: "It's been too long. Lu Zigan can only hold out for another eleven or twelve days at most." "Are there any people at the Granary Office or the Post Office?"

"My lord!"

"My lord!"

Two more people stepped forward and bowed.

"I hereby order your two departments to transport 400,000 shi of grain to Weize Pass and replenish the passes along the way."

"Furthermore, the postal service has dispatched an urgent message: 1,000 cavalrymen from the Qiangyin Jiaqi Army and 2,000 infantrymen from various battalions of the Duliao Camp to return to Taiyuan!"

"promise!"

The officials from both departments bowed and accepted the order, then quickly withdrew.

"Wenruo, how many troops did Qiangyin send in their reply last year?"

Xun Yu stood up: "Last year, we repeatedly transferred junior officers from the Jiaqi Army. Each time, we replenished the ranks with several times the number of new soldiers. Now, the Jiaqi Army has a total of 7,500 soldiers, all of whom are under the command of Huang Zhong, the Commandant of Duliao."

"The transfer of those three thousand people is not considered a major blow."

Zhang Xian got up from his chair and stretched his limbs.

"Wenruo".

“Yes,” Xun Yu said, bowing.

"I'll leave Taiyuan Prefecture to you and the Prince. I need to make a trip to Weize Pass; there are already tens of thousands of refugees gathered there. I'm worried that Shilin and Brother Lan won't be able to manage so many people."

"Once the soldiers who have been transferred back to Taiyuan, have them stationed in the Xihe County area and keep a close watch on those grassland people!"

"promise!"

"The rest of you! Each of you shall perform your duties. Taiyuan Prefecture is also in your hands; there is no room for negligence!"

Zhang Xian walked out of the hall, where more than a hundred officials bowed and clasped their hands in unison: "We will obey Your Majesty's orders!"

After leaving the county government office, Zhang Xian immediately returned to the Zhang residence.

In the workshop in the backyard, a suit of armor was propped up by an armor rack, and there were several boxes of armor plates he had made by hand on the workbench next to it.

This armor set is the result of many iterations, with several pieces featuring game-specific characteristics mixed in with the armor plates on the chest, neck, and abdomen.

[Characteristics: Enhanced [Sturdy] effect! Increased defensive attributes! Added a slight [Cushioning Resistance] effect!]

There weren't many of these armor plates, so he focused on using them to protect vital areas.

He assembled this armor piece by piece by himself so that it could be stored in the cargo compartment for easy carrying.

After a year of hard training, his strength attribute has increased to ten points. In addition, the combat sub-skill [Great Strength] will add an extra point to his strength, so his strength attribute can be considered to be eleven points.

The increase in strength is accompanied by an increase in carrying capacity; eleven points of strength bring the carrying capacity to 122 jin.

If he could make full use of those 122 jin, he would be at the pinnacle of individual combat prowess in this era, bar none.

However, he still has more than 122 jin of armor and weapons, and his armor and weapons together weigh just over 100 jin. Even so, he is an invincible force.

With the help of a medicine kitchen and the added benefits of rare medicines, it's no exaggeration to say that a single rider can break through the ranks of several hundred or even a thousand elite heavy infantry.

He was organizing his weapons and armor.

On the other side, Jinyang Warehouse was also allocating supplies, personnel, and vehicles.

Four hundred thousand shi of grain is a lot; the convoy of carts carrying it would stretch for miles.

Of course, not all of these provisions were used to support Lu Zhi.

Lu Zhi's request is actually not much, around 20,000 shi (a unit of dry measure). For now, we can have the grain delivered to Weize Pass in batches.

A shipment of several thousand shi (a unit of dry measure) at a time can boost the morale of Lu Zhi's troops and reduce the pressure of transportation.

Zhang Xian's main reason for transporting 400,000 shi of grain to the Taihang Mountains was to replenish the passes.

Once the Taihang Mountain project is completed, he plans to resettle a group of displaced people and cultivate land near these passes to reduce future logistical pressure.

Once those dangerous spots in the Taihang Mountains are completed, Jizhou will be a smooth road for Zhang Xian!
(End of this chapter)