The scenery of the north is filled with ice for thousands of miles and snow for thousands of miles.

In the north of December, there are both a terrifying north wind that makes people feel intimidating and beautiful scenery under the ice and snow.

People always long to see beautiful things. This seasonal change allows Li Yuan to see the magical charm of nature. The endless river turns into a road in a blink of an eye. The once green grassland has become a white ocean. Sometimes, one or two wild wolves that come out to feed in hunger.

After inspecting Hedong County, Li Yuan's car drove from the Fen River to the south to the mouth of the river, passing Changzhai, Quwo, and Jinyang, and then continued northward to reach the sparsely populated Yunzhong County.

This time, when he went north, the army built Sima Yin and did not follow him. The Sima family in Hedong was not calm. Sima Mao had been in charge of tribe affairs for five years. In some important positions, he was arranged by his confidants. If Sima Yin wanted to fully master the family, he still needed to carefully select and train the children in the tribe.

At the same time, Sima Yin stayed in Hedong and had more important tasks, including coal mining and transportation, and the plan to build an iron smelting workshop. These must be realized in the new year. Sima Yin, who was oppressed by his opponent from Handan and Xiping, dared not relax at all.

There are rules for each line.

In the field of military construction, there was a great craftsman Guo Zong in Handan, and the famous Wu and Yue in Xiping. The descendants of Mrs. Xu, the famous master who created the famous Fish Intestine Sword, supported it.

In comparison, although Sima Yin also has master-level craftsmen like Mo Shi, as for the iron smelting industry, it is different from each other.

Iron and stone ore.

Coal stone mine.

Raw materials and fuel, the two most critical factors that improve iron smelting technology, were finally solved. Dabing Ship Sima Yin was very excited. He was immersed in the joy of catching up with his opponents in the smelting field, and no longer had the intention to follow Li Yuan north to "travel around the mountains and rivers".

Jinyang.

Located in the center of Jinzhong Pandi, the Fen River passes through here, surrounded by a newly discovered open-pit coal mining fault zone, which is also the capital of the former Jin State. After preliminary surveying the topography, landforms, transportation and other conditions, Sima Yin decided to build the third branch of the Qin State's military construction here.

Unlike the iron and stone mining areas in western central and western Han, which have inconvenient transportation and few people, Jinyang has natural and cultural conditions. The fertile land here is thousands of miles away, and the food and fodder that feeds thousands of people does not need to be transported from Guanzhong. The only difficulty that needs to be overcome is how to quickly transport the iron and stone mined upstream of the Jushui River to Jinyang.

The difficulty of this journey is not the Guanzhong and Hedong counties, which have two major arteries, namely the Wei River and Fen River waterways, but whether the widening project of Chencang Road can be completed as scheduled.

As early as after the discovery of the iron ore of Jushui, Guan Yue, the iron chief in charge of iron and salt affairs of Qin State, planned a huge project to build a second highway "Ji Road" across the Qinling Mountains.

In the past four months, nearly 6,000 prisoners on the battlefield have been working hard to dig among the mountains of the Qinling Mountains day and night. In the era when gunpowder was not invented, they burned the huge rocks with torch, and then cooled the stones with cold snow water again and again. This adopted the original principle of thermal expansion and contraction, allowing the huge rocks to gradually separate and disintegrate.

After many hours of uninterrupted opening, the road conditions of Chencang Road have improved greatly from north to south to Jushui. Although carriages are still inaccessible on a section of roads, on most mountain roads, the accumulation of power can replace manpower and become the main means of transportation.

Sima Yin was confident that under the operation of the powerful central machine of Qin, the traffic problems in Chen Cangdao would not be a bottleneck.

——.

Sima Yin was left to continue his smelting technology research, and Li Yuan's car continued to head north.

Along the way, the new Hedong County Magistrate Su Jiao escorted the whole process. His carefulness made Li Yuan look at the "Feng Zhang Fei" in the Qin army with admiration. Finally, under the escort of the border cavalry, Li Yuan arrived at the northernmost border of Qin.

Jiuyuan.

This famous city on the frontier is located at the foot of the towering green mountains, at the eastward flow of the Hetao Plain. After Meng Tian’s army expelled the Huns, tens of thousands of border residents cultivated and grazed here, built cities and fortresses, making the abundant Hetao area another pasture for the Qin State after Longxi.

The arrival of Shenwu Marquis Li Yuan made the border soldiers in Jiuyuan very excited. Although they had given up their independence and defected to Li Yuan's command for a while, the border soldiers always felt a little uneasy and regret.

This kind of uneasiness exists not only at the general level, but also at the ordinary soldier level.

The reason is very simple.

The border army was once the most elite army of Qin. In the eyes of these arrogant soldiers and generals, they had always had only themselves and no one else, but suddenly, they found that they had become abandoned sons who were loved by no one.

Wang Li, the general of the border army, led his generals out of the city to greet him. After the general who was over 40 years old, his temples began to turn gray, but his hands were rough but strong.

"Mr. Shenhou, you are just sick and come to Jiuyuan. I really feel sorry for you." Wang Li hurriedly said when he saw Li Yuan getting off the carriage with a haggard expression.

"General Wang is so serious. This time I went north, this time, I also ordered the imperial court to send condolences to the soldiers of the army who were fighting against the enemy on the front line. Compared with the soldiers of the border army, my carriage and horse are harder, so what is it?" Li Yuan waved his hand and said with a smile.

"The Lord of God is so good. Here are several generals from the border army, Yang Wengzi, Yang Zhengwei, Meng Qingyu Meng Zhengwei--!" Wang Li said as he introduced the other generals around Li Yuan.

Yang Wengzi and Meng Qingyu belong to the old senior generals in the border army. Although his position is not high, he has served in the border army since his ancestors and is very popular with soldiers. Meng Qingyu's ancestors were also a famous general in the history of the Qin State: Meng Mingshi, the Qin State general in the Battle of Monster Mountain.

"Last time, Yang Wengzi and Meng Qingyu met the Divine Marquis!" Yang and Meng said loudly on one knee.

"Get up quickly, the weather is cold, don't freeze your knees. In the future, our army will go on the grassland, but we still need two more horses to fight!" Li Yuan smiled and helped them up and said.

"Thank you, Marquis of Shen." Yang and Meng replied loudly.

As long-time generals who had experienced the most difficult period of the border army, they were inexplicably grateful to Li Yuan for lending help when the border army was in trouble. From their expressions, Li Yuan could see that the respect of these two people was not false, but a kind of respect from the heart.

Perfect day.

Accompanied by Wang Li of Li of Li, he went to the border army garrison outside Jiuyuan City. A large number of middle and lower-level generals and soldiers were waiting there early and preparing to undergo inspection.

Winter on the stuffed one.

It was extremely cold, and the heat exhaled by the border generals and soldiers had just left their mouths and formed solidified ice beads. Under the command of the generals and officers, the border troops were practicing the most important military formation for the Qin army to fight.

The role of the military formation is not only its power, but also to enhance the collective combat awareness between soldiers and soldiers. The mutual trust and mutual support between comrades on the battlefield are the guarantee for an army to maintain strong combat effectiveness.

Looking at the border army in front of him, Li Yuan was in a state of peace. He was guarding the northernmost territory of Qin. They were not only the brutal Huns, but also many difficulties and tests from harsh climatic conditions.

Stay away from relatives.

Stay away from prosperity and hustle and bustle.

Eating dry food that is difficult to swallow, drinking snow water on the ground, and wearing armor clothes that are almost frozen into ice lumps, these Qin soldiers guarding the border strictly abide by military discipline under such harsh conditions and spread their blood on this land that was seized from the hands of the Huns.

"Da Qin, Da Qin-!" The slogans shouted by the soldiers of the border soldiers were loud and loud. This was the voice of a group of men who were fearless of difficulties and hid their hardships and fatigue in their hearts.

Today, facing the envoys from the Xianyang court, they have to use their most intense shouts to prove their existence and the glory of the border troops.

"Da Qin!" Li Yuan stared at the mysterious and dark-bottomed crow floating high beside him, and his heart was also filled with excitement.

Perhaps, one day, these border soldiers patrolled the grassland and never came back.

Perhaps, one day, they encountered heavy storms and snow, hungry and hungry in the temporary military tent, waiting for the arrival of the supply team behind them.

Or perhaps, on the boring and monotonous days of guarding the border, these vibrant and strong soldiers gradually grew old and eventually became a bone in the wilderness.

For the revival and strength of the Qin Dynasty, it was not just me who fought desperately, nor was it me who were following me all the time. In this far north, the soldiers of the border army were also sprinkling their blood for this ideal.

"The whole army, conquer the team."

"Next, please give me advice from the Lord of God--!" Wang Li, the leader of the border army, stood on the military exercise stage with excitement and said loudly.

Under the gaze of thousands of soldiers of the border, Li Yuan straightened his body and walked to the front of the stage step by step, looking at every corner and every soldier in front of him.

"Border soldiers, thank you for your hard work! Before, I, Li Yuan, didn't know the bitter cold in the border area, so I have not cared enough. Now, I announce three new orders--!"

Li Yuan said this and paused vigorously. Seeing the soldiers of the border army listening carefully one by one, he said again: "First: From now on, all the soldiers guarding the border will be exempted from taxes from parents, wives and children; Second: The soldiers guarding the border will have a vacation opportunity every three years to go home and reunite with their relatives; Third: The food and fodder supply of border soldiers is provided to the entire army. I have already made the post station return to the court. I believe that everyone will not only eat enough, but also eat well-!"

"Long live the God Marquis, long live the God Marquis!"

Hearing Li Yuan promised this in front of thousands of soldiers, the border troops were already filled with joy, and the even more excited soldiers couldn't help but shout the words "Long Live".

Tax reduction and exemption are the key to maintaining survival for a family that has lost its main labor force. Li Yuan hopes that this measure will make the soldiers of the border no longer care about their relatives at home, but focus more on training and combat.

Let border soldiers enjoy annual leave, a system that is equivalent to the family leave of the People's Army soldiers in later generations, is now implemented in early Qin Dynasty. The effect of Li Yuan is still unknown, but at least, this is a humanized attempt. Li Yuan wants to gradually release the homesickness complex of border soldiers by giving border soldiers a hope.

As for the last improvement of food, it was a natural measure after the Qin Dynasty's harvest in the new year. In the third year of the Qin Dynasty's New Calendar, the Guanzhong area was calm and there was no war. With the further promotion and trial planting of wheat, dredging of canals and reclamation of wastelands, the agricultural production in Guanzhong achieved a qualitative leap, which gave enough accumulation in the Qin State's prefecture and treasury.

After Li Yuan's speech, the inspectors returned to the military camp in a row. Compared with the uneasiness he was when he came, these soldiers of the border were obviously energetic and their morale also increased.

In Jiuyuan City.

Li Yuan temporarily stayed in Wang Li's county government.

After the inspection, Li Yuan kept summoning Wang Li, Yang Wengzi, Meng Qingyu and other frontier generals to discuss military affairs. At the same time, he solicited opinions on the next development direction of the Jiuyuan border army.

"The Lord Shen, the last general, did not dare to take such favorable treatment without any achievements. He also asked the Lord Shen to take back his life." As soon as Wang Li entered the door, he looked at Yang and Meng and said respectfully.

"Why, do you think the border troops are not worthy of enjoying it, or do you think they will become the target of public criticism, and you dare not accept it." Li Yuan asked with a straight expression.

Wang Li was stared at by Li Yuan, and immediately sweated on his forehead and said quickly: "The general only thinks that when it comes to military achievements, our border army is inferior to other troops--!"

"Why are you so stupid after the General Wang and the Sect? This army is so stupid. The army here guards the border and expands the territory for our Great Qin Dynasty and fights against the strong enemy. If you demoted yourself so much, wouldn't it be a shame for the soldiers outside to listen to them?" Li Yuan scolded without hesitation.

Li Yuan felt sorry for Wang Li and angry at his rigid thoughts.

After the defeat of Julu, although Wang Li changed, the intensity of this change was far from enough, or in other words, there was still a considerable gap with what Li Yuan asked for.

Among the Qin generals, there were veterans, including Zhang Han, Xin Sheng and others, and the younger generation included Han Xin, Luo Jia, Jiang Yu and others. Only the Mesozoic generals were short of each other, Wang Li and Su Jiao were the only two. Due to their personality, Su Jiao had no problem commanding a medium-sized war, but if they were to coordinate and coordinate the command and adjust a battle, they were afraid that they would be unable to reach their power. This made Wang Li even more important. Li Yuan hoped that he could break out of the shackles of the border army as soon as possible and consider the problem from a deeper level.

Wang Li's face turned red when he was scolded by Li Yuan. After being stunned and silent for a while, he gradually tasted the taste from Li Yuan's words.

"The God Marquis is trusted and will never let down his expectations." Wang Liqiang suppressed his excitement and said repeatedly.

Seeing that Wang Li finally understood something, Li Yuan nodded and said, "General Wang, don't worry. If the three measures just now can be implemented in the border army and can be improved in the combat effectiveness of my border guards, then these measures will be promoted in the other armies. If not, they will be invalidated. Therefore, the general has a heavy responsibility on his shoulders. I think Luo Jia, Han Xin, Jiang Yu and others are all staring at the border army?"

How to create momentum for competition among the troops under his command is a difficult problem that has troubled Li Yuan.

Today, after seeing such a mighty frontier soldiers, Li Yuan had a whim and decided to use the frontier army as the catfish that stirred a pond of still water. Compared with many generals from his own personal troops, Wang Li's border army system is undoubtedly more suitable as a hidden competitor.
Chapter completed!