Chapter 2006: During the Great Cold Period, Between Choices
The fourth year of Taixing.
Mid March.
North, north, north.
?The sky was dark and everything seemed upside down.
?The whipping wind roared past, cutting through all living things in the world like a knife, even rocks and soil were not spared. The dust swept up filled the sky, and visibility was no longer a hundred miles away.
In the sky full of wind and sand, three war horses ran wildly southward without their lives.
『We must get to Shitiao''ao before dark! 』
"quick! quick! Faster! 』
Just behind us, catch up soon! 』
Those who were chasing the three cavalrymen were not enemies, but worse enemies.
The people on the war horses roared, fighting against the heaven and the earth, and also fighting against fate. They all knew that in such weather, if they could not hide in a stone shelter from the wind before night came, there would be only one fate waiting for them!
?Have you ever seen an ice sculpture where people and animals froze to death?
Did you know that people smile when they freeze to death?
?The three of them met a group of shepherds.
A group of shepherds who were frozen to death on the road.
They were probably small tribes whose shepherds had just packed up their tents and were preparing to move to another place. Then they were suddenly hit by a snowstorm halfway along the way.
Blizzard.
A snowstorm in March.
?This group of shepherds had no precautions. After all, who would have thought that there would be a snowstorm in March?
Then there was no more 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 were rolling black clouds and devils roaring towards them.
Auspicious snow means a good year, but if it snows in March, it’s not auspicious snow...
To the south, to the south, to the south!
"quick! Faster! It must be reported to the Hussars General..."
…─=≡Σ(((*–-)つ…
Normally speaking, in the spring of March, the coldness of winter gradually disappears and everything recovers. The rain should gradually increase, and then you can see the buds emerging from the trees and the flourishing flowers, but now...
When he woke up in the morning, Fei Qian couldn''t help but frown.
It’s no rain again.
It has been a month without rain.
??Although Guanzhong has not shown any signs of drought for a while because of its perfect water conservancy equipment, this is not a good sign.
Fei Qian hurriedly ate the preserved meat, and then went to the city wall with Pang Tong and Xun You, who were also a little worried, and climbed up to take a closer look.
Chang''an, located in Sanfu, seems to be still noisy, but it has not lost its solemnity and solemnity. However, at the moment, in addition to these, it seems to have a different atmosphere.
There are some things that cannot be avoided if you want to avoid them. If you want to avoid them, they will not happen.
It''s like climate.
At this time, the spring breeze should be bringing warmth and the flowers are blooming, but now, when Fei Qian pressed his hands on the battlements, he still felt the coldness spreading from the bricks and stones.
?Looking far away, I didn''t see anything strange, but now that Fei Qian couldn''t see it, it didn''t mean that nothing had changed.
"Yesterday, I got a reward. In Pingyang Peach Mountain, the peach blossoms were as colorful as rain, but no new buds sprouted in March..." Fei Qian said slowly, "The period of great cold is not far away..."
‘During the Great Cold…’ Pang Tong repeated with a solemn expression.
Period of the Great Cold. This is the name of the small glacier climate that Fei Qian explained to Pang Tong and others. Otherwise, Fei Qian would have to explain what a "glacier" is, why it is "small", etc., so it is better to be straightforward like this.
Ordinary people may think that the peach blossoms are falling in a colorful way, which looks sad and beautiful, and they will not think of anything, but Fei Qian is different. He has always been wary of this climate and has been on guard against it.
Fei Qian stood at the city gate tower, looking to the north. He seemed to be able to see through the sky, the dark and gray clouds rolling on the gloomy sky. Screaming, laughing wildly, struggling to push the clouds accumulated in the extremely cold places southward...
Once this black dragon rolls up, it may sweep from Mobei to Guanzhong in just a few days...
Or, faster.
"Emperor Yi succeeded to the throne, and disasters occurred frequently... When Emperor Xin arrived, there was even a saying that "the poison from heaven will bring disasters to the Yin State"..." Fei Qian looked into the distance and said, "That''s why, to criticize heaven and insult ghosts, there will be disasters. of all peoples. Those who are superior must be cautious...Has Yinshan prepared all the things to keep out the cold? 』
In the Yinshan area, if the Little Glacier is coming, it will be the first area to be hit. For a period of time, when Fei Qian was developing Yinshan, he did not forget to prepare for the surprise attack of this "ferocious black dragon".
Pang Tong nodded, and then reported the quantity of supplies prepared to Fei Qian.
Little Glacier actually had signs.
Generally speaking, when Xiao Glacier officially opens, it is like an opera stage. It is impossible for the protagonist to appear right away. Instead, there are some opening programs, 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 came the inexplicable heavy rains in the summer. The prolongation of winter and the coldness of spring...
That''s why Fei Qian gave the examples of Emperor Yi and Emperor Xin.
?And these early droughts, floods, and locust plagues are just supporting roles.
Historically, there are about four Little Ice Ages, namely the late Yin and Shang Dynasties, the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the late Tang Dynasty, and the late Ming Dynasty. Of course, because it is difficult to preserve historical data, let alone the Yin and Shang Dynasties, some records and historical materials of the Little Ice Age of the Eastern Han and Tang Dynasties are not as detailed as those of the late Ming Dynasty, so some people believe that the real Little Ice Age was at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Glaciers, but there were none in the late Han Dynasty and the late Tang Dynasty.
The Little Glacier does not only come for one year, nor is it a disposable item, but it will come over and over again, constantly tormenting the people in this land. Not to mention the cold winter, the delayed recovery of the temperature in the spring, and then the heavy rain in the summer, and then in the autumn. Due to drought, patches of crops died on a large scale because they could not adapt to climate changes, leading to the extinction of agriculture and animal husbandry. In order to **** increasingly scarce resources, humans began to kill each other, and catastrophes naturally occurred.
In the traditional view, the collapse of a dynasty is often the responsibility of the emperor and ministers. It is due to political stupidity and corruption, the collective inaction of the upper political groups, and the chaos in the government, which ultimately puts a dynasty on the path of no return.
But this concept is not comprehensive.
There is one thing that is far more terrifying than politics, economy, or even the military, and that is climate, and climate is something that, to a certain extent, even modern people cannot contend with, 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 entering the Taixing period, the temperature has continued to drop, and late spring cold has occurred from time to time. This time, it seems more obvious and terrifying.
Normally speaking, March is the time when all things start to grow and grow rapidly. However, in the Yinshan Mountains, the wind is still freezing, as if winter is lingering and trying to come back to the world.
Now it has spread to Pingyang.
If we ignore it completely and let it go, then it is inevitable that large-scale crops will die due to this, and what follows soon will be soil erosion caused by the death of vegetation, and natural droughts will become more frequent. In addition, Locusts derived from the autumn drought further deepened the destruction of vegetation, and eventually fell into a huge vicious cycle.
In the face of the cold, although Fei Qian has greenhouse technology, glass is still very troublesome. Even with Fei Qian''s bonus, it is still not easy to bake. There is no large-scale use, and it can only be made near Chang''an. Some small-scale installations in areas are out of reach for most ordinary people.
They can only consider measures to keep warm that are less effective but more troublesome, such as building sheds to shelter from wind and snow, setting up fire pits to maintain temperature, etc. Zhuang He who was close to the fire source was mostly roasted to death, while those on the edge were , and will freeze to death due to lack of warmth. Only those areas that are not far or near can survive. It''s like the earth, it can''t be too close or too far from the sun.
?Of course, even though there are a lot of losses, it is much better than all of them freezing to death in the late spring cold. It''s just that animal husbandry is a big problem. Zhuanghe can still be preserved to a certain extent, but the grasslands in the wild are not easy to manage.
Fei Qian was thoughtful while listening to Pang Tong Xunyou’s report.
The problem is already obvious and serious.
News from Yinshan Mountain has revealed that many pastures in the north of Yinshan Mountain do not sprout new grass in time in spring. 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 had not sent some coal and kerosene in advance to resist the frost, it is impossible to say that more cattle and sheep would have froze to death.
Yufuluo of the Southern Xiongnu personally went to Yinshan City to ask for help and got some coal. This temporarily solved the problem of keeping cattle and sheep warm, but he still faced the problem of shrinking pastures. And it is obvious that this trouble seems to have just begun and is far from over.
In this way…
Some things have to be chosen.
?Fei Qian had to start to weigh things up.
“The order goes down...” Fei Qian exhaled slowly, “The military in various places is temporarily repairing, focusing on helping the people build shacks and digging deep canals to prevent natural disasters! 』
"ah? Pang Tong raised his eyebrows, quite surprised, but quickly nodded and said, "My lord, this move will greatly benefit the people and is the best!" 』
?Although the title of "people''s soldiers" in later generations was not a joke, in the Han Dynasty, Fei Qian was not unprecedented in using soldiers to assist the people, but he was also the first to do so.
All civilians must first focus on disaster prevention. All civil engineering projects have been suspended and soldiers must be replenished. On the one hand, this will speed up the process, and on the other hand, it will naturally stabilize people''s hearts.
?Of course, another aspect of the human heart is sinister and greedy.
"Shi Yuan, I have given you a scepter..." Fei Qian looked back and said, "If anyone takes advantage of a natural disaster to gain personal gain, ignore the overall situation, and force the people to sell their fields... Once verified, they will be killed without mercy!" 』
Pang Tong Zhengrong raised his hands and responded: "I obey the order!" 』
?When a natural disaster strikes, it is often the time when big landowners celebrate the most. Just like the stock market crash in later generations, retail investors mourn but institutions are fed up.
People''s selfish desires never end, and Fei Qian naturally cannot place his hopes on the so-called "benevolence and morality" of these gentry and landlord classes. Those who should be warned in advance should be warned. If someone really dares to make a fortune by taking advantage of natural disasters and commit crimes against the wind, he should not do so. The weirdo would use it to scare the monkeys.
In addition to domestic problems, Feiqian also has external problems.
As Feiqian, whose current territory is all inland, is actually quite eager to have an outlet to the sea, and Yuyang is obviously more suitable for such needs. It has salt and iron, and is close to the sea. If you get Yuyang, it means After two or three years of operation, Feiqian can form a maritime army, start trying transoceanic trade, and even conduct long-range naval strikes.
But now…
Xun You looked up at Fei Qian, and then at Pang Tong.
?Pang Tong frowned slightly.
Xun You hesitated for a moment, coughed again, and asked: "My lord, so far north..."
?Fei Qian and Pang Tong Xunyou had discussed this issue before, but Fei Qian had never made up his mind.
Fei Qian was silent for a while and sighed.
Pang Tong and Xun You glanced at each other, then remained silent, obviously helpless.
?In the distance, many people have begun to pound wooden piles with flying hammers. The huge pounding sounds and labor trumpets can be heard clearly even from the city wall.
The original advantage of having more people is that it is powerful.
Powerful enough to change some originally tragic fates,
Just like this land in Guanzhong, it must have been a world of wild beasts and a garden of birds at the beginning, but now that Fei Qian is standing here, he can no longer hear the roars of wild beasts and the noise of birds.
This is a question of advance or retreat.
??The wild boars that were wandering around in the wilderness disappeared, and the leopards hiding in the grass disappeared. They had to hide far away, go into the mountains and forests, and give up the plump land to humans.
What is the scariest animal in the world?
The answer is people.
?Fei Qian cannot talk about this issue from an academic level and can only judge it from the current reality. Humans can''t fly, they can''t run like horses, their claws can''t compare to tigers and leopards, and their teeth can''t compare to even wild boars. But everything around them is human territory, and no animal can compete with humans.
What is the most terrifying thing among human beings?
The answer is hunger.
??Fei Qian still remembers the scene in Chang''an when refugees were everywhere, looking like walking corpses in the wilderness. Even the bark, grass and roots were dug out, and a piece of cake could be exchanged for a human life.
『Retreat the troops! 』
Fei Qian sighed.
"My lord is wise..." Xun You said, cupping his hands. Xun You''s suggestion is to be conservative.
My lord, think twice! Pang Tong said with a frown. Pang Tong meant that he could 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 protected, but if the weather turns bad, a large-scale refugee wave will inevitably occur. The Sanfu area in Guanzhong will Under new and huge pressure, under such circumstances, continuing to maintain a long supply line is asking for death. It is better to abandon Yuyang and stabilize ourselves first.
?Pang Tong was not wrong either. Pang Tong considered it from a strategic perspective. Yuyang is undoubtedly the foothold of Youbei. With Yuyang, the entire Youzhou can be regarded as revitalized. And if the climate in Guanzhong is like this, then Jizhou and Yuzhou will also suffer the same disaster. , and if you give up conquering Yuyang at this time, not only will all the previous preparations be wasted, but it will also give Cao Cao time to breathe.
The choice belongs to Feiqian.
Fei Qian ultimately chose to be conservative.
Fighting until now, Fei Qian is not willing to retreat when he has an advantage. But the problem is that after defeating, you have to defend. If you don''t defend, then why bother to fight? But if we really want to defend Yuyang, it seems that it will be a very difficult thing at present.
Obviously, after the capture of Yuyang, Yuyang cannot quickly return to self-sufficiency, at least within one or two years, that is, one or two seasons of harvest, so it must require a large amount of supplies in the early stage.
Whether these supplies of grain and grass are transferred from Yinshan to Changshan, and then from Changshan to Yuyang, or from Shangdang to Taiyuan, and then from Taihang Mountain to Changshan, and then to Yuyang, even though the journey is long on weekdays, it is not It is unacceptable, but if there is a comprehensive disaster and both the north and the south are in trouble, money and food must be squeezed out for long-distance transportation...
Another aspect of the problem is that the climate of the Little Glacier affects not only Fei Qian, but also the nomadic peoples in the desert. Under the hardship of hunger and cold, if Fei Qian wants to maintain the safety of such a long supply line, how much energy will it have to invest? Human, material and financial resources?
Withdraw troops. The reason is that when Zilong Zhongda was there, someone wrote a letter to tell him..." Fei Qian waved his hand and said. Although doing this is indeed quite depressing, but what can I do? Keep people first, and 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 higher you are in a high position, the more careful you must be.
After all, a single order can affect tens of millions of families.
Some things, even the most profound pain or memories, will slowly fade and become blurred over time. In the end, one day you may not be able to remember anything at all, leaving only a scar, but desire. It will not disappear over time, and may even become more and more thirsty and intense.
Fei Qian wanted to control the greed of the gentry and landlord class under his rule, and at the same time he also had to control his own desires, but making such a choice was still a very difficult thing.
It is difficult to choose, but it is necessary to choose. After all, between the choices, there is the entire human world.
?This time it may be a nationwide climate change, which is naturally impossible to avoid in Sanfu, Guanzhong, and may even affect Sichuan and Shu. Um. Fei Qian suddenly thought of certain people. Who knows that the way to break the Little Ice Age in the future will fall on these people...
(End of this chapter)