HLnovel Chapter 74 Acquiring Tens of Thousands of Young and Strong Captives? Is Su Yu Planning to Establish
Chapter 74 Acquiring Tens of Thousands of Young and Strong Captives? Is Su Yu Planning to Establish
"Sir, let's go quickly!"
Qiao Rui grabbed Yang Hong's arm and hurriedly led him toward the perimeter of the camp.
But before the two had gone far, Dian Wei followed them.
Yang Hong felt much more at ease.
Qiao Rui's martial arts skills were average, but Dian Wei was an absolute fierce man.
With Dian Wei protecting him, Yang Hong still had hope of escaping the inferno!
"Dian Wei, come and lend a hand!"
Qiao Rui called out urgently.
Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Dian Wei's lips.
Under Qiao Rui's expectant gaze, Dian Wei punched him away!
Dian Wei didn't hold back at all with this punch; it was aimed entirely at Qiao Rui's face!
"Pfft!"
Like a dolphin tumbling over, Qiao Rui fell to the ground and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Dian Wei...you?"
Yang Hong was shocked.
In an instant, he thought of an answer that seemed unbelievable, but was extremely apt.
Perhaps... Dian Wei was an undercover agent from beginning to end!
"Bang!"
Dian Wei struck Yang Hong on the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.
Poor Yang Hong, who thought he had escaped Cao Cao's camp, has now become a prisoner of Cao Cao's camp again.
Qiao Rui lay helplessly on the ground.
A short, wiry figure approached from a distance and beheaded him.
The visitor was none other than Yue Jin.
Yang Hong still had value as a prisoner, but Qiao Rui had little value left.
Winner takes all, loser for Kou.
Qiao Rui wasn't very capable either; Cao Cao's camp wouldn't make a difference whether he was there or not.
Le Jin and Dian Wei naturally wouldn't waste their energy capturing him alive; instead, they would simply behead him in exchange for battle merits.
Amidst the raging fire, the Yellow Turban soldiers scattered in all directions, and no one paid any attention to the battle situation on Yang Hong and Qiao Rui's side.
While Cao Cao's army was far fewer in number than the Yellow Turban soldiers, the Cao army's soldiers were still numerous.
However, under the command of Cao Cao, Su Yu, Bao Xin, Zhao Yun, Cao Ren, and Yu Jin, Cao Cao's soldiers were divided into several armies and surrounded the various exits of the camp.
"You think you can stop me?"
Liu Pi snorted coldly and fearlessly slashed at Zhao Yun with his broadsword.
"Kong!"
The strong wind generated by the chopping motion lashed out at Liu Pi.
But clearly, the strong wind was because Liu Pi's strike missed its mark!
Suddenly, a chill appeared behind Liu Pi.
"Pfft!"
Zhao Yun's Dragon Gallant Silver Spear, like a long snake, pierced into Liu Pi's chest!
Liu Pi stared wide-eyed, using the last of his strength to turn around and look.
Zhao Yun's face remained as calm and composed as ever.
the other side.
Gong Du, Liu Pi's good brother, never encountered an opponent as formidable as Zhao Yun.
But by sheer accident, he stumbled into the firing range of Xiahou Yuan's archers!
Xiahou Yuan's eyes gleamed, as if he had caught a lost lamb.
A big wave of his hand.
A volley of arrows rained down on Gongdu.
Poor Gong Du was shot into a pincushion on the spot.
Unlike Liu Pigong, their experiences were different.
Sun Lang weaved through the chaos of the army and bumped right into Dian Wei, who was carrying Yang Hong and was heading back to Cao Cao's side!
"you you……"
Sun Lang was terrified.
Before he could react, Dian Wei's halberd had already fallen to his left!
Sun Lang was cleaved in half at the waist, his blood splattering all over the ground.
The large number of defeated Yellow Turban soldiers were unaware that three Yellow Turban leaders had already been killed in the blink of an eye.
The only two who managed to escape in the chaos were Guan Hai and Zhao Hong.
But the number of Yellow Turban soldiers following behind them was at most ten or twenty thousand.
Of the more than 200,000 Yellow Turban rebels in Qingzhou, most of them, except for those who were unfortunately killed, chose to surrender to Cao Cao's army.
Looking at the prisoners scattered all over the ground, Cao Cao was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.
So many prisoners, even though many of them were old, young and wounded.
But most of them can be described as young and middle-aged.
It is important to understand that population was the most important resource for feudal dynasties in ancient times.
During the late Han Dynasty, due to the limited population, a large amount of land was not exploited, or it had been exploited but had been abandoned for a long time.
The living conditions of ordinary people at this time were completely different from those during the later Ming and Qing dynasties.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the population experienced explosive growth, the gap between the rich and the poor became too large, and the problem of land annexation became extremely serious.
However, farming techniques have not been further improved, and the economy remains largely small-scale farming, resulting in a severe shortage of arable land.
At the end of the Han Dynasty, the population decreased sharply due to years of war, natural disasters and epidemics.
The problem facing the people is not a lack of land to cultivate, but rather an abundance of land and a shortage of people, with much of the land being abandoned.
This is why various warlords formed their own "military agricultural colonies," which were essentially cultivating land in the name of the government.
For example, Deng Ai was originally a soldier who garrisoned farms.
Despite having his household registration forcibly relocated, he quietly farmed the land in Runan for twenty years.
He was incredibly lucky and gained the favor of Sima Yi, who ordered him to lead a large number of garrison troops to cultivate land in the Huai River region.
Subsequently, he gradually became an indispensable and important figure under Sima Yi.
at the moment.
Even if Cao Cao did not incorporate these prisoners into his army, but instead made them serve as garrison soldiers.
This will also represent a qualitative leap in the military strength of Yanzhou!
Having grown accustomed to a life of careful planning, Cao Cao was momentarily at a loss as to how to deal with these prisoners.
At the crucial moment, Su Yu stepped forward.
After consulting with Cao Cao, Su Yu spent several hours directing Cao Cao's soldiers to carefully select the captured Yellow Turban soldiers.
Ultimately, 80,000 able-bodied young men with healthy hands and feet and strong physiques were selected from among them.
Su Yu glanced at the group of young men and nodded in satisfaction.
The hundreds of thousands of people who were not selected by him were either injured and unable to go to the battlefield in the future, or they were too old or physically weak.
Cao Ren presented Su Yu with a large megaphone.
Su Yu immediately announced a major piece of news to the 80,000 carefully selected young and strong prisoners!
"Gentlemen, the governor is willing to give you a chance."
"As long as you choose to surrender, you can choose to become a military colony soldier or a regular soldier!"
"Once you surrender, your families will be properly taken care of."
"Also, what are the garrison soldiers?"
"It means military settlement!"
"You will not only receive a certain amount of military pay each year, but you will also receive 50% of the harvest from the farmland!"
Upon hearing this, the young men and women all looked shocked.
Is a 50% tax a lot?
In fact, collecting only 50% tax during the late Han Dynasty was considered low.
Historically, Cao Cao typically exploited his garrison troops by taking 80% or 90% of their produce. (80% in wealthy areas, 90% in poor areas)
Yizhou, known as the Land of Abundance, only collected 50% tax during the reigns of Liu Yan and his son Liu Zhang.
Sun Quan's side has always collected 70% of the taxes.
The Shu Han also had a share of 60% to 70%.
There was no other way; in an era of low productivity, food production was naturally low.
With wars breaking out at the drop of a hat, the imperial rulers had no other way to make money except by raising taxes.
thus.
Su Yu's offer to collect only 50% tax and provide these garrison soldiers with annual stipends left them bewildered.
Did happiness come so suddenly?
But they didn't know.
The reason Su Yu reduced taxes was actually because he had a way to increase grain production!
As land generated more revenue, Cao Cao's tax income did not decrease.
The money in the hands of the common people and the soldiers who settled there will also increase.
It's a true win-win situation!
……