Reincarnation in the Three Kingdoms Era with a System

Chapter 622 622: 622 Wei Yan

Bingzhou was harsh and cold, unlike Xiliang. While Xiliang also had deserts, it at least had the Silk Road, allowing it to connect with the Western Regions and exchange for supplies.

But Bingzhou was truly helpless. To the north were the Xiongnu, to the east the Xianbei and Wuhuan, and Bingzhou was also occupied by three deserts stretching for hundreds of miles, requiring nearly a month to traverse on foot alone.

An army clad in black armor was marching along the mountain roads. This force started from Hangu Pass, followed the border into the Taihang Mountains, then continued along roads, bypassing the periphery to Shangdang County, and then along the Great Wall until reaching Yanmen County.

This was the safest route, avoiding straying too far from the Great Wall, as they risked getting lost in the desert.

The Great Wall was undoubtedly one of the treasures left by the Qin Dynasty. With the Great Wall, nomadic tribes dared not plunder wantonly.

However, it was the people outside the Great Wall who suffered greatly, lacking much protection and destined to be victims of plunder. "Master Zijing," Gan Ning said, bowing slightly to Lu Su, "Our lord has ordered us to deal with the Xiongnu tribes along the way. However, to this day, we haven't seen any, and we cannot venture further. What do you suggest?" Lu Su's reputation was well-known, and Gan Ning held him in high regard.

Lu Su stroked his beard. He had been introduced by Zhang Chun and had some suspicions about Lu Ming's ambitions.

This Governor of Liangzhou now controlled the Three Auxiliary Regions and even conquered Hanzhong. This was not something a governor should be doing.

Was he planning to take Yizhou and then establish a kingdom?

As a top strategist, Lu Su was not merely a diplomat, but a thoughtful and astute strategist. After Zhou Yu's death, he still succeeded Zhou Yu as governor, demonstrating his capabilities.

Lu Su was actually pondering the reason for this order, because supporting Bingzhou needed to be done as quickly as possible.

Their orders were to capture the Xiongnu and Wuhuan tribes along the way and then send them to the Three Auxiliary Regions.

This seemed like an intentional attempt to stockpile people, but were these foreign tribes truly useful?

"General Xingba, we'll do whatever Zhu Gong says. I suspect these tribes have evaded the army. Nomadic peoples are inherently prone to migration; we can't catch them. This journey seems more like a warning to others, to tell these tribes that when the Han army arrives, they shouldn't resist, or they'll face annihilation!" Lu Su couldn't understand, but he had some guesses, though he didn't voice them.

"Large-scale water conservancy projects require a large population, and these tribes' populations are just right." These words came from Wei Yan, a man with a resolute face and a small mustache.

He had resigned from his official post in Changsha and traveled thousands of miles to Xiliang to establish his career.

Historically, Zhuge Liang even said that Wei Yan had a rebellious streak, which was an exaggeration. Both Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang had their strengths. Liu Bei, much like his ancestor Liu Bang, possessed a remarkable ability to recognize talent. Zhuge Liang, however, held a ministerial mindset, while Liu Bei viewed things from a monarch's perspective.

Liu Bei had said that Ma Su was unfit for important tasks, and the Battle of Jieting proved this.

Liu Bei, on the other hand, said that Wei Yan was capable of great things, and then entrusted him with the crucial strategic location of Hanzhong.

Wei Yan lived up to expectations, holding Hanzhong firmly and giving Cao Wei no chance. Neither Zhang He nor Cao Zhen could breach Hanzhong, demonstrating his keen eye for talent.

Lu Ming was similar. When Wei Yan arrived, he didn't treat him differently, simply summoning him, discussing matters, and telling him that his official rank was directly proportional to his abilities.

This suited Wei Yan perfectly, instantly inspiring a sense of loyalty and a willingness to die for someone who understood him.

"Wen Chang is right. Then my troops will proceed according to plan, attacking wherever we see anything. What do you all think?" Gan Ning was also feeling a bit overwhelmed. He was perfectly capable of charging into battle, but these delicate tasks were beyond his capabilities.

"General, is it possible that this is an opportunity for us to accumulate military merit? Our lord hasn't said when he'll reinforce Yanmen County. In my opinion, this reinforcement will primarily focus on plundering people!" Wei Yan offered a different suggestion. He was always bold; the bolder the man, the greater the harvest!

Gan Ning was silent for a moment, his eyes flickering. He certainly longed for promotion.

If they captured Yizhou, they could launch an attack from Jiangyou and retake Jingzhou, allowing him to return home in glory.

"Wealth and honor not returned home are like wearing brocade at night."

Turning to Lu Su, he asked, "What do you think, sir?"

"It's alright." Lu Su was also somewhat puzzled, as Lu Ming's actions were indeed somewhat perplexing to him.

Even as a scholar, he found Lu Ming's methods difficult to comprehend.

With a larger population, management became more difficult, and consumption increased significantly. Food alone was an insurmountable hurdle.

Chang'an City.

Lu Ming didn't bring his mother over, instead allowing her to remain in Didao for a while longer.

He needed to depart. Supporting Bingzhou was secondary; plundering people was the most important task.

The powerful clans in Liangzhou had been largely eliminated, and the Three Auxiliary Regions were also under his control. He was arresting and executing a number of powerful figures, regardless of their connections.

Killing them would bring peace. Those with good reputations could be spared.

He was collecting farmland, gathering refugees, arranging for them to work in workshops, and reducing the chances of uprisings.

Potatoes and sweet potatoes can be planted regardless of the season, but the harvest may be poor if they are not planted in the corresponding season.

However, even a poor harvest is better than abandoning the land.

Fertilizer technology has been improved. Using manure and other materials, fertilizer can be produced.

Fertilizer is a powerful tool, greatly increasing crop maturity time and yield.

It's no exaggeration to say that even using traditional methods to produce fertilizer, rather than professional industrial fertilizer, can increase the yield of the same acre of land by two to three times!

That is, if one acre can feed ten people, then with fertilizer, it can feed twenty to thirty people—how incredible!

Furthermore, there is the dragon-bone waterwheel invented by Ma Jun, which can draw water from lower elevations to higher elevations, achieving high-level irrigation through just a few cycles.