The lack of food in the northwest is a well-known thing, but it is not difficult for the lord of a county to prepare a sumptuous breakfast. Although Chu Huan said that everything was simple after entering the city, no extravagance, nor was it allowed to disturb the people or make a big fuss, Zhou Renkang still prepared a sumptuous breakfast early and sent people to various courtyards. Chu Huan's side was even brought by two people.

He is the magistrate of the little county, Chu Huan is the governor of Xiguan Road. If it were normal, he would not be the one who flattered him. Now the governor is temporarily resting in Qingtang County. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so Zhou Renkang will naturally not let it go.

Chu Huan was still washing, and Zhou Renkang had already ordered people to place breakfast on the table in the living room. The staple food was rice porridge and white steamed buns, but there were a lot of side dishes, which were very exquisite. Chu Huan came over and frowned slightly, and said, "Is it a bit greasy in the early morning? I said you don't have to worry too much."

"I am working hard along the way, but I can't do my best to do my best, so I feel ashamed." Zhou Renkang bowed his body and smiled, "These are several special dishes in the northwest. Look at this, this is crispy yellow mutton. The yellow mutton is a special product in our northwest. This is yellow mutton, and the meat is very tender. The chef who makes this dish is also famous in the city. Adults taste it... The wild boar meat cooked in creamy oil is delicious and has a frankincense flavor. Adults must taste it. This small place is not as good as the capital, so adults are more considerate!"

Chu Huan knew that this breakfast took Zhou Renkang a lot of thought. If the breakfast was like this, it would be even more amazing if it was not stopped. He frowned and said, "Mr. Zhou, do you know that there are hundreds of thousands of refugees in the northwest?"

"This...!" Zhou Renkang was a little embarrassed.

"Crispy yellow mutton, creamy wild boar...!" Chu Huan sighed, "Mr. Zhou, this is not a small place. If you put it in the capital, you may not be able to eat these two dishes. In fact, I like to eat and often go to restaurants, but now there are hungry people in the northwest. Now, we officials don't say much about it, but we have to think about ordering the people in everything. This breakfast cost a lot of money? Look at this table of dishes, don't you say that I am alone, even if you add five or six people, you may not be able to finish it. Why do you have to waste it so extravagantly?"

"Sir, I worked hard all the way, the officials... I just did my best and did my best." Zhou Renkang couldn't figure out what Chu Huan was thinking for a while. I didn't know whether Chu Huan was really blamed, or pretended, lowered his head, and secretly speculated.

"There is no need to think about whether I am pretending." Chu Huan seemed to see through Zhou Renkang's thoughts at once, "I am not in the mood to talk to you. I will leave this bowl of porridge, and leave a steamed bun for me, and all other things will be temporarily removed... By the way, has the wife sent it over there too?"

"Sent there." Zhou Renkang hurriedly said, "The officials dare not neglect."

"Send everyone to withdraw." Chu Huan sighed: "Tell my wife that it is the meaning of this governor. Don't move the dishes you have removed. Tonight you go and invite all the doctors Sun Boliu to come. This governor will hold a banquet to entertain them without preparing other dishes. These dishes that have been removed are enough to hold a banquet tonight."

Zhou Renkang glanced at Chu Huan, knowing that Chu Huan was not a joke, and did not dare to disobey, so he hurriedly asked someone to retreat. He was about to take his leave, but Chu Huan waved his hand and asked him to sit down at the table, drank porridge, and asked, "Mr. Zhou, what is the situation in Xiguan Road now? Even the court is not very clear. Let's talk about it, so that the governor will not have any eyes after taking office, and he will not know anything."

Zhou Renkang sat half of his butt on the chair and asked carefully: "Sir... what do you mean by sir?"

"People." Chu Huan didn't look up, "I passed away from Qingzhou and saw that many people from Xiguan were stranded on Beishan Road and did not return home... Do you know how many refugees have returned to their hometown?"

"Of course of ten percent, only 50% came back." Zhou Renkang said carefully: "This is because many manors are short of people during spring plowing, and they hire long-term workers, so a large number of people have returned."

"Oh?" Chu Huan finally heard something that made him feel energetic, "Is the Xiguan organized spring plowing?"

"Yes, yes!" Seeing the governor's eyebrows slightly raised, Zhou Renkang's stiff body seemed to relax a little, and moved his butt, "I don't know that most of the seven surnames in Xiguan who were wandering outside during the war had already returned to his hometown. Previously, the gentry from Beishan Road was also preparing to rent the land of our Xiguan Road. Half of the fertile fields that can be cultivated on Xiguan Road are almost in the hands of the seven surnames in Xiguan. The people from Beishan Road wanted to occupy the seven surnames in Xiguan... This matter almost happened, but just a few months ago, the seven surnames in Xiguan suddenly transported a large amount of grain from the inner gate. After returning, they informed the outside that in the past, any tenant farmers of Xiguan's seven surnames could still cultivate the land after returning home, and the seven surnames in Xiguan were provided with the seven surnames in Xiguan to ensure that they could not starve to death...!"

Chu Huan laughed and said, "So everyone ran home?"

"Xiaguan knows that people who have been related to the seven surnames of Xiguan have already returned to their hometowns and have planted grains." Zhou Renkang said: "This year, most of the grains on our Xiguan Road are used for grains. We have to survive this year and will be much better next year... But if we really have to survive until next year's harvest, we are afraid that many people will starve to death..."

Chu Huan knew this in his heart.

Although everyone from the government to the gentry was trying to get food, the food they got could not be used to provide disaster relief. Everyone knew that if the court had to deal with the crisis in the southeast, they could only temporarily throw the northwest aside. It was a luxury for the court to send a large amount of disaster relief food. Even if the officers and soldiers wiped out the Tianmendao Rebellion, the southeast of the empire was severely damaged, and civil unrest occurred in many places within the pass, which also led to the desolation of many fields. If the court wanted to recover its vitality in a short period of time, it could only be a dream. If the northwest wanted to rely on the court, it was unreliable and could only save itself.

The three Xiguan Roads are not places where grain is abundant. The self-produced grain has never been able to support the needs of Guanxi. They still need to transport grain from within the Guanxi every year. However, according to the current situation, even if there is surplus grain in Guanzhong, it will only be transported to the southeast instead of being transferred to the northwest. For the empire, the southeast is close at hand. The Tianmen Rebellion poses too great a threat to the empire's Kyoto. All the resources of the empire must be based on the war in the southeast. The northwest is high and the road is far away. In the empire, the Xiliang army has retreated. Compared with the situation in the southeast, the northwest will naturally have much lighter weight in the eyes of the imperial court.

Although the Beishan and Tianshan Roads were not directly damaged by the Xiliang Army, due to the influx of a large number of refugees, many refugees directly changed from refugees to bandits. In Tianshan and Beishan, they actually suffered indirect damage from the invasion of the Xiliang Army, but the losses were not as great as those of Xiguan Road.

The two roads of Beishan and Tianshan, tighten their belts and can make do with it, but the situation in Xiguan is obviously different. Three of the four prefectures of Xiguan were directly damaged, their houses were destroyed, their fields were destroyed, and their food and livestock were almost robbed. The dust was so clean. Xiguan knew from top to bottom that if future generations wanted to survive, they had to survive the current year. Most of the food obtained from outside was used as grain seeds. If they could not save grain seeds for farming, there would be no hope for the next year. If the food they obtained was used to fill their stomachs, everyone would have to wait for death next year.

If food is to be planted, the people can only survive this year. Before the harvest is coming, Xiguan will be in a state of shortage of food and fasting. The northwest is already bitter, and if there is too little food, starving people to death is essential.

"What about the Northwest Army?" Chu Huan frowned and said, "What is the situation of the Northwest Army now? The Northwest Army has always been on the Ningshan line..."

"Oh, it is said that the arrangements had been made before the death of the Old General Yu." Zhou Renkang explained: "Before the people of Xiliang came in, there were 100,000 defenders in Yanmen Pass. After the battle, there were only 30,000 to 40,000 remaining defeated soldiers. General Yu mobilized tens of thousands of guards from the pass and gathered the old subordinates of the Northwest Army. After the death of the Old General Yu, tens of thousands of soldiers of the Northwest Army had been transferred to the Yanmen Pass. The troops brought by General Yu from the pass are temporarily

They were still stationed in Ningshan before they had withdrawn. However, I heard a few days ago that the Northwest Army suffered too much loss and wanted to replenish troops. Yanmen Pass was not enough to rely on those tens of thousands of people. The people of Xiliang were capricious and I don’t know if they would come again. Therefore, the Guards are likely to be transferred to Yanmen Pass to replenish the Northwest Army’s strength... Governor General, this is also the official who heard them talk randomly, I don’t know whether it is true or false...!"

"I am not sure about it for the time being." Chu Huan frowned. It was the matter of the Ministry of War. The Ministry of War was worried that the people of Xiliang will return. From their perspective, it was not unreasonable. However, Chu Huan knew in his heart that the Maha brothers of Xiliang were fighting to the death, and the beautiful and cunning concubine of Gusa. The nine tribes of Xiliang have been divided and civil strife and fighting. Even if Mahazang has outstanding talents, it is not something that can be accomplished in three or two years if he wants to suppress civil strife and seize power. According to Chu Huan's speculation, the people of Xiliang were unable to come to the Central Plains even within five years.

Zhou Renkang smiled and said, "But the guards are also sitting in the pass and eating military rations. It is better to be transferred to Yanmen to defend the territory. The court is unable to rescue the people, but the supply of the Northwest Army is not as short as possible."

Chu Huan asked: "The food, grass and supplies of the Northwest Army were all supplied by the imperial court?"

"It has always been like this." Zhou Renkang said: "The four major warehouses of the empire, Chen Yangcang on the other side of the Xishan Mountain, have always reserved military rations for the Northwest Army. There was no problem with the supply of the court. Sometimes, due to special reasons, the court would transport grain from the local government warehouse in the northwest to the Northwest camp, and then replenish it from the Chen Yangcang... However, now there is no grain stored in the Northwest Guancang, so it can only be transferred from the Chen Yangcang..."

Chu Huan sighed in his heart that Zhou Renkang was a small county magistrate. He only knew that the supply of the Northwest Army was transferred from Chen Yangcang in the pass, but he didn't know that Chen Yangcang had been empty now. When Chu Huan was in the Ministry of Revenue, he had read the inventory of four warehouses. Among the four warehouses, Ji Pingcang, which supports the Chili Power Refining in Liaodong, was insufficient grain. Xiaoling Cang in Hebei was used to support Han Santong to fight against the Qingtian King. Although the Jinling Cang still had grain storage, he did not dare to move easily. It was precisely because the Jinling Cang could not move easily, so the Ministry of Revenue once transferred grain from Chen Yangcang. Chen Yangcang had been supporting the northwest to fight against Xiliang for a long time, but it had been unable to support it. In addition, some transportation to the southeast was already empty. The Northwest Army was waiting for the military rations sent from Chen Yangcang, but they didn't know that Chen Yangcang had no grain to deliver.

Chu Huan knew that such a thing must not be revealed. He was the Minister of Revenue before. It would be fine to know that Chen Yangcang was empty. However, if others knew about it, especially the Northwest Army, the consequences would be unimaginable. If the army moved, the consequences would be disastrous. Chu Huan only asked the court not to be too confused and only thought about the southeast. If he forgot to transport grain to the northwest border, the Northwest Army would be defeated, but he would be a little unable to hold on.

Although the Northwest Army has always been short of food and food, and once even the Northwest soldiers starved to death, the court still sent military rations intermittently to the Northwest. Even so, I heard that the Northwest Army was not very stable. If they really knew that the military rations were completely cut off and they would not raise their swords to rebel, it would be strange. To be a soldier to eat food, now they do not want to eat enough. If the court cannot even provide food for the living, the men of the Northwest Army would not think about working for the court.

Chu Huan was not good at talking about this issue and asked: "The Northwest Army was transferred back to Yanmen Pass. Has Yanmen Pass started to be repaired?"

"It's not that easy." Zhou Renkang smiled bitterly: "Governor General, the people of Xiliang have done many evil things. Yanmen Pass was demolished by them for several months. A good natural barrier was destroyed by them. There were ruins. A few days ago, the officials heard that even children could cross Yanmen Pass in the pile of rocks. To restore Yanmen Pass, which was dozens of miles long, to the same appearance, it would take a lot of manpower and material resources...!" He smiled reluctantly: "No one could move without placing the money in the court."

"How do the Northwest Army guard the troops?"

"I have heard of this Xiaguan. Before General Yu passed away, he ordered the Northwest Army to build a dock fort in Yanmen Pass. The dock fort was built with earth and stone. Now there are dock forts everywhere in Yanmen Pass. I heard that thirty-six docks would be built, and a dock fort was built every few miles, and a camp beside the dock fort. The Northwest Army would be classified as a 36th battalion. But what is the specific situation, the Xiaguan didn't know much about it..."
Chapter completed!