PFC Chapter 244: One County, Two Systems
Chapter 244: One County, Two Systems
Zhang Mo's idea was based on the "one country, two systems" policy of the previous life, with some slight adjustments. To put it simply, it was to lease the land to the bandits. However, given that the bandits were unruly, they were allowed to implement their own stronghold system and still obey Zhang Yan's orders. The government only collected rent from the land and did not care about anything else.
"We can select cities located in Puyinxing, Jingxing, Fukouxing, Chenguanxing, and other important roads leading out of the mountains, and set them up as buffer zones, where officers and soldiers can be stationed alongside bandits. This will effectively prevent other bandits from entering Bingzhou and plundering."
Lu Bu said, "This is a bit inappropriate. If the road is garrisoned by both government soldiers and bandits, and another bandit group wants to pass through, and the bandit soldiers want to let them pass, but the government soldiers won't, won't the two sides start fighting?"
"Also, the garrison officers and soldiers must remain vigilant at all times. If they are accidentally killed by the bandits, this place will completely become their territory. Moreover... I don't think the bandits will trust the government. They will worry that we are luring them into the city so that we can wipe them out in one fell swoop."
Zhang Mo said, "As for how to gain the trust of the bandits, we need to work with Zhang Yan. As long as we can convince Zhang Yan, this problem will be easily solved. If that doesn't work, I, Juyi Village, will set an example. And the first point you mentioned is the only requirement for the bandits under the "One County, Two Systems" policy, which is that no other bandit troops can be allowed to enter Bingzhou."
Zhang Mo estimated, "Assuming one county can accommodate 20,000 people, the nine counties I've encircled can recruit 180,000 bandits, and almost all the bandits near Bingzhou can be recruited. If this method is feasible, after Henei County is governed properly, a few areas in the south can also implement this system. The remaining Black Mountain bandits are basically near Jizhou, and they can only attack Jizhou."
Zhang Mo's method was also inspired by what Jia Xu said last time about surrounding the enemy from all sides and forcing them to surrender. Since it is not possible to surround them from all sides at the moment, then he would first semi-surround them and drive the other bandits to Jizhou.
"As for the question of maintaining vigilance, this is a basic quality that a soldier should possess. Can they not maintain vigilance when they are stationed in other cities?"
Zhang Mo took a sip of tea and continued, "Assuming we recruit 20,000 bandits per county, there are about 3,000 young and strong men here, and about 2,000 armed and combat-ready bandits. The number looks large, and you should be aware of their combat effectiveness. When the time comes, the number of garrison officers and soldiers will be arranged according to the specific conditions of each county. I think 500 soldiers per county is more than enough. I can send 10,000 people from Juyi Village and divide them into two counties, stationing them on the Taiyuan and Shangdang roads respectively. With my people in these two places, we can ensure that nothing goes wrong."
As she spoke, Zhang Mo's mind opened up, and more and more ideas came to her mind. "The big bandit tribes in Heishan, such as my Juyi Village, now have a population of over 30,000 and can occupy an entire county. But there are not many such large villages. Many small and medium-sized villages actually only have a population of a few thousand or tens of thousands. I think two or three villages can form a county. A group formed by combining them will definitely not be as united as a group that originally belonged to the same family, so the possibility of them causing chaos will be lower."
"But I think if the land yields enough for them to eat and they no longer have to work on the edge, many people will choose to settle down, especially the elderly, the weak, women and children. If the land isn't enough, I can open a few more factories to provide them with employment opportunities."
The new tax law implemented by Zhang Mo is to ensure that ordinary people can have enough food to eat. The same applies to these leased counties. After deducting the land rent, the bandits must be able to have enough food to eat. In this way, after three to five years, these people will be able to completely become good citizens, and it will be much easier to conquer them one county at a time.
However, this idea is simple to say but not easy to implement. First of all, it is difficult to convince Zhang Yan. Zhang Yan is not a fool. He will see that the farming bandits will become Lu Bu's men in the future. This will give his Black Mountain bandits a chance to survive, while also weakening his own strength.
Lu Bu said, "It sounds like a good idea, but so many farm tools, waterwheels, and seeds are a huge expense. We still have the money we looted from Mei County last time, but we need to go out and buy grain. I'm afraid we won't be able to come up with so much money. Besides, there are still some civilians in these counties. We can't let them mix with the bandits. Moving them to the nearest county will also cost money."
"I have money. I'll pay for it first. It's just a one-time investment. I can almost make it back in two years of rent. But facilities like water wheels and canals can be used for a long time. We don't have to provide all the farm tools. Some villages also have cultivated land, so they will bring some of their own."
"You want to use your dowry and betrothal gifts?" Lu Bu frowned slightly, obviously disagreeing.
"That's right. Just keeping that much money won't generate any small profits. Only by spending it can it create new value. Consider it a loan from me to the government. If you feel bad about it, I'll charge you some interest. Once this plan is finalized, you can write me an IOU in the name of the government."
Even brothers have to settle accounts clearly, let alone he is not a blood brother. Zhang Mo is unwilling to donate her own private money to the government for free, even though this government is owned by her husband.
Moreover, Lu Bu's own money and the government's money must be kept separate. He cannot use public funds for personal purposes. Naturally, the private money he paid in advance should also be returned by the government. Public and private affairs must be clearly distinguished.
When Lu Bu heard her say it was in the name of the government, he understood. His brows relaxed. "Alright! Consider it a loan from the government. If this goes through, I'll let you collect an extra year's rent as interest after I've recouped my investment."
After the two men discussed the issue of Heishan, Lu Bu went to the military camp to arrange the troops to go to Shangdang. Zhang Mo stayed in the earth building to write down the "one county, two systems" plan. In addition to the major strategies discussed with Lu Bu, there were many details that needed to be considered. For example, some of the nine counties had been occupied by Heishan. If they could not use force to take them back, they could only be given greater preferential conditions. There was also a biggest problem, how to convince the big bandit leader Zhang Yan.
Zhang Mo wrote down the plan and problems one by one clearly, and copied them twice. One copy was sent to Hedong County to Jia Xu, and the other she took to the school to show Lu Zhi, asking the two of them to check whether there were any omissions or inappropriate places, and at the same time help think about how to deal with Zhang Yan.
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In the military camp outside Jinyang City, when Lu Bu arrived, Hua Xiong, Xu Huang and Cao Xing were already waiting in the general's tent.
This morning, as soon as Lü Bu arose, he sent word to the barracks. All three knew they were to march south of Shangdang to quell the remnants of the Baibo rebels. Cao Xing, with a subtle glance at Xu Huang, who sat across from him, was the first to offer his services. "My lord, let me go. I will quell this bandit army within half a month."
Cao Xing felt a little unhappy that Xu Huang took away his two thousand soldiers as soon as he arrived.
Although the lord said at the beginning that the 3,000 Baibo surrendered soldiers would be temporarily handed over to me, it would not be a big deal to transfer 2,000 of them now. If the lord had divided the 2,000 among Li Li, Song Xian, or other Simas, I would not have said anything. However, Xu Gongming had no military merits and no military position. He just went out for a trip with the lord's wife and was promoted to Sima when he came back. It really doesn't make sense.