Chapter 2006 During the Great Cold, Between Choices


    Taixing four years.


    Middle of March.


    North, north, north.


    The sky is dark and everything seems to be upside down.


    The blowing wind whizzed past, cutting all living things in the world like knives, even rocks and soil. The dust that was swept up filled the sky, and the visibility was already less than a hundred steps away.


    Among the wind and sand all over the sky, the three war horses galloped southward desperately.


    『Before dark, you must arrive at Shitouao! 』


    "quick! quick! Hurry up! 』


    『Just behind us, catch up! 』


    Those chasing the three cavalry were not the enemy, but even more so.


    The man on the horse roared, fighting against heaven and earth, and also fighting against fate. They all knew that under such weather, if they could not hide in the sheltered stone cave before nightfall, then there was only one fate waiting for them!


    Have you ever seen ice sculptures where people and livestock were frozen to death?


    Do you know that people will smile when they are frozen to death?


    The three met a group of shepherds.


    A group of shepherds who were frozen to death on the way.


    It was probably the small tribe whose shepherds had just packed up their tents and were about to migrate to another place, and then there was a sudden snowstorm on the way.


    Blizzard.


    Snowstorm in March.


    This group of shepherds had no defenses. After all, who would have thought that there would be a snowstorm in March?


    And then there''s nothing and then...


    They must bring this terrible news back. This is their responsibility and their mission. They are the northernmost tentacles of the Han people and the northernmost guard posts. And behind them, there are tumbling black clouds and roaring devils.


    Auspicious snow is a good year, but if it snows in March, then it is not auspicious snow...


    Go south, go south, go south!


    "quick! Faster! It must be reported to the Hussar General...』


    …─=≡Σ(((*–-)つ…


    Normally speaking, in March of Yangchun, the coldness of winter gradually disappears and everything recovers. It should be that the rain is gradually increasing, and then you can see the buds and blooming flowers on the trees, but now...


    Waking up early in the morning, Fei Qian couldn''t help frowning.


    It was no rain again.


    It is already January without rain.


    Although the land in Guanzhong has not shown any signs of drought because of the perfect water conservancy equipment, this is not a good phenomenon.


    Fei Qian hastily used up the preserved food, and then he and Pang Tong and Xun You, who were also worried, went to the city wall and looked from afar.


    Chang''an, located in Sanfu, seems to be still noisy, but it is also solemn and solemn. However, in addition to these, it seems to have a little more special atmosphere.


    There are some things that cannot be avoided if you want to avoid them. It is not that if you want to avoid them, they will not happen.


    It''s like the climate.


    At this time, it should be the spring breeze bringing warmth and a hundred flowers blooming, but now, when Fei Qian pressed his hands on the battlements, he still felt the coldness spreading from the bricks and stones.


    In the distance, I didn''t see anything unusual, but now that Fei Qian can''t see it, it doesn''t mean that nothing has changed.


    『Yesterday I got the news, Pingyang Taoshan, the peach blossoms are as colorful as rain, and there are no new sprouts in March... 』 Fei Qian said slowly, 『The period of the great cold is not far away...』


    "The period of great cold..." Pang Tong repeated with a dignified expression.


    The period of great cold. This is the name of the climate of the small glacier that Fei Qian explained to Pang Tong and others. Otherwise, Fei Qian would need to explain what a "glacier" is, why it is "small", etc. It would be better to be so straightforward.


    Ordinary people may think that the peach blossoms are colorful and beautiful, and they don’t think of anything, but Fei Qian is different. He has always been vigilant against this climate and always on guard.


    Fei Qian stood at the city gate tower, looking to the north, and seemed to be able to see through the sky, see the black-gray clouds rolling in the gloomy sky, piling up continuously, and then bursts of cold wind seemed to be blowing sharply. Shouting, laughing wildly, struggling to push the clouds piled up in the extremely cold place to the south...


    Once this black dragon rolls over, it may take only a few days to sweep from Mobei to Guanzhong...


    Or, faster.


    "Emperor Yi succeeded to the throne, and disasters occurred frequently...During the time of Emperor Xin, there was even a saying that "the poison of the sky will bring disasters to the Yin state"..." Fei Qian looked into the distance and said, "That''s why, the heavens and ghosts are blamed on the top, and disasters are on the bottom. of all peoples. Those who are superior must be cautious... Have you ever prepared everything to keep out the cold in the Yinshan Mountains? 』


    Yin Mountain area, if the small ice river came, then it was the first area to be hit. For a while, when Fei Qian was developing Yin Mountain, he did not forget to prepare for the surprise attack of this "ferocious black dragon".


    Pang Tong nodded, and then reported the quantity of prepared materials to Fei Qian.


    Little Ice River actually had signs.


    Generally speaking, at the opening of the official Little Ice River, it is like an opera stage. It is impossible for the protagonist to appear as soon as it comes up, but there are some opening programs first, such as drought and heavy rain.


    As early as the Zhongping period, there was a nationwide drought. Of course, in the end, this severe drought also caused a nationwide disaster, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out. Then, the inexplicable torrential rain in summer. The extension of winter, the late spring cold...


    That''s why Fei Qian cited the examples of Di Yi and Di Xin.


    And these early droughts, floods, and locust plagues are just supporting roles.


    Historically, there were about four Little Ice Ages, namely the end of the Yin and Shang Dynasties, the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the end of the Tang Dynasty, and the end of the Ming Dynasty. Of course, because of the difficulty in keeping historical records, the Yin and Shang dynasties will not talk about it. Some records and historical records of the Little Ice River period in the Eastern Han and Tang dynasties are not as detailed as those in the late Ming Dynasty. Glaciers, but not at the end of the Han Dynasty and the end of the Tang Dynasty.


    The little ice river does not only come for one year, nor is it a one-time item, but it will repeatedly torture the people on this land, not to mention the cold winter, the delayed rise in temperature in spring, and then the heavy rain in summer, followed by autumn Due to the drought, patches of crops died on a large scale because they did not adapt to the climate change, leading to the extinction of both agriculture and animal husbandry. In order to rob increasingly scarce resources, human beings began to kill each other, and a catastrophe naturally occurred.


    Among the traditional views, it is believed that the downfall of a dynasty is often the responsibility of the emperor and ministers. It is political fatuousness and corruption.


    But this concept is not comprehensive.


    There is one thing that is far more terrifying than politics, economy, or even the army, and that is climate. To a certain extent, even modern people cannot compete with climate, let alone ancient times.


    China has always been a traditional agricultural country, food is the most important thing for the people, the stability of agriculture is the stability of the country, and the stability of agriculture lies in the stability of the climate. Since the beginning of the Taixing period, the temperature has continued to drop, and cold springs have occurred from time to time. This time, it is more obvious and terrifying.


    Normally speaking, March is supposed to be the time when everything in spring is bright and starts to grow rapidly. As a result, in the Yinshan Mountains, it is still cold and windy, as if the lingering winter is trying to come to the world again.


    Now spread to Binh Duong.


    If you ignore it completely and let it go, then it is inevitable that large-scale Zhuanghe will die as a result, and then there will be soil erosion caused by the death of vegetation, and natural droughts will become more frequent. The locusts derived from the autumn drought further deepened the destruction of vegetation, and eventually fell into a huge vicious circle.


    In the face of the cold, although Feiqian has the technology of greenhouses, the glass is still very troublesome. Even with the addition of Feiqian, it is still not easy to fire. It can''t be used on a large scale, and it can only be used near Chang''an. For most ordinary civilians, there is no way to use the erection in some small-scale areas.


    We can only consider less effective but more troublesome measures to keep warm, such as building huts to shelter from the wind and snow, setting up braziers to maintain temperature, etc. Most of the Zhuang He who was close to the fire source were roasted to death, while those on the edge , and will freeze to death because of lack of warmth, only those areas that happen to be not far or near can survive.


    It’s like the earth, it doesn’t matter if it’s too close or too far from the sun.


    Of course, although there are many damages, it is much better than freezing to death in the cold spring. It''s just that animal husbandry is a big problem, and Zhuanghe can still preserve some, and the grassland in the wild is not easy to manage.


    Fei Qian was thinking while listening to Pang Tong Xunyou''s report.


    The problem is obvious and serious.


    According to the news from Yinshan Mountain, many pastures in the north of Yinshan Mountain have not germinated new grass in time. Although there are mountains in the south of Yinshan Mountain, the temperature has dropped a lot, and some cattle and sheep have even been frozen. Death, if Fei Qian hadn''t sent some coal and kerosene to resist the frost in advance, more cattle and sheep would have been frozen to death.


    The Southern Xiongnu Yu Fuluo personally went to Yinshan City to ask for help, and got some coal, which temporarily solved the problem of keeping cattle and sheep warm, but still faced the problem of shrinking pastures. And it is clear that this trouble seems to have just begun, and it is far from over.


    Thus…


    Some things have to be traded off.


    Fei Qian had to start to measure up.


    『Send the order...』 Fei Qian breathed out slowly, 『The military in various places will be repaired for the time being, and focus on helping the people build huts and dig deep canals to prevent natural disasters! 』


    "what? Pang Tong raised his eyebrows, quite surprised, but quickly nodded and said, "My lord''s move will benefit the hearts of the people, and it is the best!" 』


    Although the title of "people''s soldiers" in later generations is not just for fun, but in the Han Dynasty, Fei Qian was not unprecedented in using soldiers to assist the people, but he was also the first one at the moment.


    All civil servants and people''s power must first focus on disaster prevention, all civil engineering is suspended, and soldiers are replenished at the same time. On the one hand, it speeds up the process, and on the other hand, it naturally stabilizes people''s hearts.


    Of course, another aspect of the human heart is sinister and greedy.


    『Scholar Yuan, a scepter was given to you...』 Fei Qian looked back, and then said, 『If someone takes advantage of natural disasters to take advantage of their own interests and force civilians to sell their fields in vain...Once it is verified, they will be killed without mercy! 』


    Pang Tong solemnly clapped his hands and replied: "The subordinate obeys the order!" 』


    When natural disasters come, it is often the time when the big landlords celebrate the most. Just like the stock market crash in later generations, a crowd of retail investors mourned, but the institutions were full of food.


    People''s selfish desires are endless, and it is naturally impossible for Fei Qian to pin his hopes on the so-called "benevolence and morality" of the gentry and landlord class. Those who should be warned in advance should be warned. Guai Feiqian will use it to make an example to others.


    In addition to domestic problems, Feiqian also has external problems.


    As the current site is all inland, Feiqian is actually quite eager to have an outlet to the sea, and Yuyang is obviously more in line with this demand. It has salt and iron, and is close to the sea. If you get Yuyang, then it means After two or three years of operation, Zhuofei Qian can form a naval army, start to try transoceanic trade, and even launch long-range naval strikes.


    but now…


    Xun You looked up at Fei Qian, then at Pang Tong.


    Pang Tong frowned slightly.


    Xun You hesitated for a moment, coughed again, and asked, "Master, what about the remote north..."


    This issue was discussed by Fei Qian and Pang Tong Xunyou before, but Fei Qian has never made up his mind.


    Fei Qian was silent for a while, then sighed.


    Pang Tong and Xun You glanced at each other, and then fell silent, obviously helpless.


    In the distance, many people have already started to ram the wooden piles with flying hammers. The huge sound of ramming and labor chants can be clearly heard even standing on the city wall.


    There are many people, the original benefit should be powerful.


    is powerful enough to change some tragic fates,


    It’s like this piece of land in Guanzhong. At the beginning, it must have been the world of wild animals and a garden of birds, but now Feiqian is standing here, but he can no longer hear the roar of wild animals and the noise of birds.


    This is a question of advance and retreat.


    The wild boars wandering in the wilderness disappeared, and so did the leopards hiding in the grass. They had to avoid far away and walked into the mountains and forests to give up the fertile land to humans.


    What is the scariest animal in the world?


    The answer is people.


    Fei Qian cannot discuss this issue from an academic level, but can only judge from the reality in front of him. People can''t fly, they can''t run horses, their claws can''t compare to tigers and leopards, their jaws can''t even compare to wild boars, but everything around them is the territory of humans, and no animal can compete with humans.


    And what is the scariest thing among human beings?


    The answer is hunger.


    Fei Qian still remembers the scene where refugees were everywhere in Chang''an, and the wilderness looked like walking corpses, even the bark and grass roots were dug out, and the scene where a piece of pancake could be exchanged for a human life.


    『Retreat! 』


    Feiqian sighed.


    『My lord is wise...』Xun You said, cupping his hands. Xun You''s suggestion is to be more conservative.


    『My lord, think twice! ’ Pang Tong frowned and said. Pang Tong meant to take some risks.


    Xun You is not wrong. Xun You is speaking from the perspective of people''s livelihood. After Yuyang is captured, not only must Yuyang be maintained, but also if the weather turns bad, there will inevitably be a large-scale refugee population. To bear the new huge pressure, and under such circumstances, to continue to maintain a long supply line is to seek a dead end, it is better to abandon Yuyang and stabilize yourself first.


    Pang Tong is not wrong either. Pang Tong considered it from a strategic point of view. Yuyang is undoubtedly the foothold of Youbei. With Yuyang, the whole Youzhou can be regarded as revitalized, and if the climate in Guanzhong is like this, then Jizhou and Yuzhou will also suffer from the same disaster. , and abandoning the capture of Yuyang at this time, not only will all the foreshadowing before be wasted, but it will also be equivalent to giving Cao Cao time to breathe.


    The right to choose belongs to Feiqian.


    Fei Qian finally chose to be conservative.


    So far, Fei Qian is not reconciled to retreating when he has an advantage, but the problem is that he must defend if he is defeated. If he does not defend, then why bother to fight? But if you really want to keep Yuyang, at present, it will be a very difficult thing.


    Obviously, after capturing Yuyang, Yuyang cannot quickly restore self-sufficiency. At least one or two years, that is, one or two seasons of harvest, there is no way to do it, so a lot of supplies must be needed in the early stage.


    Whether these supplies of grain and grass soldiers are transported from Yinshan to Changshan, then from Changshan to Yuyang, or from Shangdang to Taiyuan, then through Taihang Mountain to Changshan, and then to Yuyang, even though the journey is far away on weekdays, it is not It is unacceptable, but if there is a comprehensive disaster and the north and south are in trouble, it is necessary to squeeze out money and food for long-distance transportation...


    Another problem is that the climate of the small glacier affects not only Feiqian, but also the nomadic peoples in the desert. Under the conditions of hunger and cold, if Feiqian wants to maintain the safety of such a long supply line, how much energy will be devoted to it? manpower, materials, money?


    『Retreat. The reason is that where Zilong Zhongda came from, a certain self-will write a letter to tell..." Fei Qian waved his hand and said. Although doing so is indeed quite depressing, but what can be done? Keep people first, as for Yuyang, there will naturally be opportunities in the future. If you can''t keep people, even if you take Yuyang, you may lose it in the future.


    The more you are in a high position, the more cautious you have to be.


    After all, a piece of paper will involve thousands of families.


    Some things, even the deepest pain or memory, will gradually fade and become blurred with time, and one day you may not be able to remember anything, leaving only a scar, but desire, It will not disappear with time, and it may even become more and more thirsty and stronger.


    Fei Qian wants to control the greed of the gentry and landlord class, and at the same time control his own desires, but it is still quite difficult to make such a choice.


    It is difficult to choose, but it must be chosen. After all, between the choices is the whole world.


    This time it may be a nationwide climate change, and Guanzhong Sanfu is naturally impossible to avoid, and it may even affect the land of Sichuan and Sichuan. Ok. Fei Qian suddenly thought of certain people, who might be responsible for breaking the situation in the Little Ice Age in the future...


    (end of this chapter)