Chapter 1338: The Han Banner (Twenty-Eight.) Old Friends Reunited
Mengchi, a small town back then, has now become the headquarters of the Third Military Region. Wang Jian certainly remembers this place. This was the last place they passed that was considered inhabited. Wherever the army passed at that time, this place was Nothing was left, not even people, because he had no heavy troops at that time. All the people here were robbed by him, carrying food and water for his army. These people could leave. Not even one out of ten people survived in the desert. In the end, during the battle with the indigenous forces in the desert, the tenth that survived was probably out of ten. There were really only a handful of people who could survive.
A brand-new city has risen on top of the ruins where it was when I left. Compared with that time, it is truly a sky and an underground city. The horizontal and vertical streets have all been hardened with cement. The houses on both sides of the street are of varying quality, some are built of stone, some are built of wood, and there are even a lot of thatched houses. They look a bit out of place, but they appear in the What Wang Jian saw in front of him was the vibrant vitality.
There are many people on the street, with mixed accents, coming and going in a hurry. There are many shops on both sides of the street. Even standing outside, you can see the dazzling variety of goods inside.
"It's a bit chaotic here, but the road from Mengchi to Jishi County has just been built this year, so supplies can be transported smoothly. The general doesn't know that the cost of transporting goods here is too high. 10% If the price of goods does not increase by three or four times, it will be a loss, but it is different now. With the road open, the price will naturally come down. Moreover, everything is lacking here, and those merchants are really smart. Ah, as soon as the road was opened, swarms of people came over. The land prices in Mengchi were soaring, and the rent of the houses was one price per day. This made our commander very happy. "Come here. An official from the Third Military Region who greeted him spoke with pride.
"Why are there all shops on the street?" Wang Jian asked curiously.
"This is the credit of our Deputy Commander Zhao." The official's interest continued, "A year ago, there were not many people in Mengchi, but as soon as the road construction started, Deputy Commander Zhao ordered people to start building houses here. Lu, we had a dispute with Commander He Xing about this. Commander Helan thought that money and food should not be spent so much, but in the end, under the insistence of Deputy Commander Zhao, we had no choice but to agree. Ah, who would have thought that as soon as the road was built, businessmen would flock in, and this house would immediately become a cornucopia. Now in Mengchi, all civil affairs are in charge of Deputy Commander Zhao. Commander Helan thinks that he is in charge of civil affairs. , Deputy Commander Zhao is much stronger than him."
"Didn't your Deputy Commander Zhao make a fortune?" Wang Jian asked with a smile.
The official glanced at Wang Jian strangely, "How can Deputy Commander Zhao make a fortune? These houses were built with money from the Third Military Region. They are also public property, and all income must go to the public. I heard that today The deputy finance officer has to send someone to review it, because Mengchi is developing rapidly and the rent alone brings in a lot of money every year. "
Niu Ben laughed: "It seems that our Minister Wang is trying to take advantage of you Mengchi again.
The imperial court's annual allocation to your Third Military Region is about to shrink dramatically before your eyes. "He has been in Jicheng for a relatively long time. He knows the style of the Finance Minister very well.
"Yes, the two commanders know it, but the headquarters doesn't care. According to this development trend, our Third Military Region will be self-sufficient in a few years. Just a little less every year, as long as it doesn't happen all at once It will be great once it’s cut,” the official said with confidence. "Commander Helan said that our Third Military Region cannot hold back the whole country and cannot be seen as a burden to the country. On the contrary, we should work hard and make our contribution to the country."
"Well said!" Mei Hua nodded repeatedly.
Wang Jian took a deep breath. Confidence, vigor and ambition are the reflection of this emerging city. He Lanxiong, a Huns, is one of the most powerful figures in the Han Dynasty today. However, what is worrying is that the Wang family has a deep hatred for the Huns. At the foot of Huolan Mountain, the blood of tens of thousands of Huns dyed the land red. . If He Lanxiong wants to embarrass him, this is a good opportunity. At this moment, there are only a dozen guards around him. The cavalry who came back with him, together with Meihua's cavalry, are now placed outside Mengchi.
Thinking about it more deeply, he felt at ease that he had come to have an appointment with Gao Yuan. He Lanxiong was not a brainless man. He would not ruin Gao Yuan's important events. At most, he would only humiliate himself. But he is different now. In spite of the panic when he fled in embarrassment, as Gao Yuan said, he is also someone who has expanded his territory and established a huge business. Even if he is not as good as Gao Yuan, he will not lose to He Lanxiong.
Thinking of this, I felt relieved. When I raised my head, I was startled. I just walked forward silently and thought about my thoughts. Unknowingly, I had walked a long way. A huge building stood in front of me. It is higher than the city wall of Xianyang.
The loud sound of the bugle sounded, and after a melodious melody was played, various musical instruments such as drums and gongs also sounded. Together with the bugle, they actually formed a piece of powerful and passionate music.
Wang Jian looked down from the tall building. On the huge square in front of him, soldiers stood solemnly, and a large group of people were walking towards him quickly.
"General, our Deputy Commander Zhao is here to greet you personally." The official accompanying him smiled.
Wang Jian turned over and dismounted, and the person coming from the opposite side was getting closer and closer. Sure enough, it was Zhao Xilie. He was also a powerful figure in Zhao State at the time. He also had several acquaintances with Wang Jian. Zhao State, who was able to fight against Qin State in the past, finally became He did not escape the fate of destruction, but he did not expect that Zhao Xilie would suddenly change and become a high-ranking official of the Han Dynasty. When he heard Niu Ben talk about these situations, Wang Jian was very emotional.
"Welcome back, General Wang!" Zhao Xilie smiled broadly and bowed his fists in salute. Wang Jian is not an officer under the Han Dynasty, but a guest, and Zhao Xilie's identity is not under Wang Jian, whether in the past or present. Naturally, he will not salute Wang Jian, but a large group of people following Zhao Xilie , they all gave Wang Jian a military salute in unison. Although most people in the Third Military Region did work that had little direct contact with the army, in the headquarters, almost all the positions at the top and bottom were He is appointed by an officer and practices military law.
"Brother Zhao. We meet again. How are you?" Wang Jian returned the salute and asked.
"Thank you, Brother Wang, for caring about me. I'm in great shape now. Look, my belly has grown. I couldn't fit into the previous armor, so I didn't wear it today, just to make Brother Wang laugh." Zhao Xilie smiled.
"Your Majesty, he..." Wang Jian asked tentatively.
"Oh, my father has now retired to live in seclusion in Dayan Lake. Many good friends live there, and my father is living a very happy life there. I went to visit him some time ago, and his face was all red. He thought I was disturbing him. He only lived there for one day and then drove me back!" Zhao Xilie said, paused, and then said: "Brother Wang, I also went to pay homage to General Wang's tomb in the past few years. While you are away, in fact, those old friends who live by Dayan Lake will still go to toast us during the holidays. "
Wang Jian shuddered, as he was fleeing for his life. As long as there are no bones left of my father, those Han people will probably cut off my father's head to show their power. Every time I think about this place, I feel pain in my heart. Only when the cow ran to him did I get the exact news. My father committed suicide and ordered his soldiers to set the house on fire. But the fire was quickly put out by the Han troops who came over, and his father's body was not humiliated, but was buried properly by Gao Yuan, and the pain in his heart was finally put down.
"Wang Jian must thank you all for your kindness this time." Wang Jian said sincerely.
"The shores of Dayan Lake are extraordinary now. The king will meet you there this time. You will definitely see them by then." Zhao Xilie said with a smile: "But since you have come to my place, you naturally have to spend a lot of time there. God, now the road from our place to Dayan County has been built, and the ground is poured with cement. You don't need to ride a horse when you go there. I have prepared the best four-wheel carriage for you. You will arrive in a few days. ”
"Meng Chi, the changes have been too big." Wang Jian looked up at the building behind Zhao Xilie.
Zhao Xilie nodded, "Compared to when you left, it is naturally very big. Brother Wang, what do you think of this building?" He turned around, stood side by side with Wang Jian, and said to Wang Jian proudly.
"I have never seen a building like this." Wang Jian said honestly.
"This is built of reinforced concrete. It has four floors. Brother Wang, there are thousands of people working here. This building is the brain of our Third Military Region." Zhao Xilie said.
"Rebar, cement? Isn't this cement used to pave roads?" He pointed to the ground.
"Of course, cement can both pave roads and build buildings. The strength of a building built with cement is much better than an ordinary city wall. Brother Wang, the trebuchet may be able to penetrate the city wall, but it will never be able to penetrate this building. The wall of the building. Because he uses steel as his bones and cement as his flesh and blood." Zhao Xilie stepped on it with his foot.
"When I first heard Niu Ben talk about Mengchi, I thought there would be a majestic city here." Wang Jian looked around and said with some confusion. "Why not build a city? Since there are such good things, wouldn't it be impregnable if we built a city?"
"The king said that the human heart is a wall, so we Han people no longer build city walls, and even the walls of Jicheng have been torn down." Zhao Xilie explained.
“The human heart is a wall?”
"Yes, the people's hearts are like a wall. The king said that when people's hearts are united, they are an indestructible city wall. There are tens of millions of people in the Han Dynasty, and their collective will is the city. If the people's hearts are scattered, no matter how strong the city wall is built, it will eventually be destroyed. What a bad day." Zhao Xilie said with emotion, "What the king said makes sense."
Wang Jian stood stunned for a moment and sighed, "Where is Commander Helan? I should go and see him. I also understand that Commander Helan still has feelings for me, or I should go and apologize to him. "
Zhao Xilie shook his head: "Brother Wang, don't blame me. Commander Helan is not holding back, but there is a little trouble under his control. He rushed to deal with it. It's not that he deliberately neglected Brother Wang. I'm afraid Brother Wang has been in trouble for the past two days." I won’t be able to see him anymore, but Commander Helan will definitely hold a banquet to see you off when you return.”
Wang Jian was astonished. Although Zhao Xilie said that something happened was a trivial matter, but the top officer of the Third Military Region of Labor came forward, it was definitely not a trivial matter. However, it was someone else's internal matter, so naturally it was not easy for him to inquire about it. (To be continued...)