After sitting in the government office, Chen Yuanpeng said to Zhao Zi: "The officials have prepared a banquet to welcome the general, and they are in this back office."

Zhao Zi waved his hand: "There is no hurry to do this. Let's talk about the matter in Yizhou first."

Chen Yuanpeng sat down, and Zhao Zi said, "During the reign of Emperor Taizong, he sent envoys to Gaochang State. According to the records of Wang Yande, you have been guarding Yizhou since the Kaiyuan period and were the lords of this city. At that time, the imperial edicts and orders were all present, so how could this happen?"

Chen Yuanpeng said: "Yes, since I was a child, I have been passed down from generation to generation. The imperial edict is still in the government office, so I will take it for the general."

Zhao Zi said: "No need. When you go east to the capital, you will be sent to the court with me. Today, let me talk about how many counties and households there are under the rule of Yizhou. Since Gaochang in the west is no longer in charge of this place, what is the relationship with Yizhou now."

Chen Yuanpeng bowed: "Go back to the general, in addition to Zhoucheng, there are also two counties in Nazhi and Yidu, both not far from the west. Gaochang governs all parts of the Western Regions, and they are all sent to Yu Yue as the lord of one place, and there are still city lords below. Gaochang fought with the Black Khan in recent years, lost consecutive battles, lost Kucha, and retreated to Yanqi. His military power was weak, and he had not sent Yu Yue to Yizhou for many years, and the two countries had nothing to do with each other."

Speaking of this, Chen Yuanpeng thought for a while and said, "Now, the households under Yizhou are divided into more than 5,200 households, more than 3,000 households in Yizhou, and more than 1,000 households each. Of course, this is just the families around the city. As for the households that go deep into the desert, I don't know how many."

Zhao Zi said: "I don't know how many, do you mean more or less?"

Chen Yuanpeng said: "Of course it's less. The land around this is the best around the city, with water sources to irrigate. Living in the desert and having fewer water sources, of course, it's not too much land to plant. Without land, what can people eat?"

Zhao Zi nodded. He thought that it should be a minor one. In the past few decades, Yizhou has been relatively calm and there is no war. Most people should gather around the city. Households living deep into the desert generally have their reasons, and it is not convenient to move out for a while.

After asking about the large-scale household registration, Zhao Zi said again: "More than 5,200 households, I wonder how many troops there are in Yizhou? If there are too many, you can't afford it."

Chen Yuanpeng said: "There are not many real defenders. One state and two counties together have only six or seven hundred people. Of course, if someone comes to attack, Ding Zhuang will join the army, otherwise it will not be enough to protect the place."

When I entered the city, I saw Chen Yuanpeng's shabby appearance of the ceremonial guards and knew that there were not many defenders here. Whether it was Gaochang or Dangxiang, they were hundreds of miles away. As long as there were scouts, they found that the army was attacking, and it was time to collect them from the people.

After asking these questions, Zhao Zi had a basic understanding of the situation in Yizhou and said to Chen Yuanpeng: "Before the railway arrives in Yizhou, I would like to ask you to take your subordinates to manage the civil affairs here. I am a soldier, and I ignore the civil affairs in general. Do you understand?"

Chen Yuanpeng said: "It should be like this. It is September now. It is snowing in some places. To be honest, I can't walk far. My family's things will always be sold. Then I bring my money to the capital to find my father."

Zhao Zi couldn't help but smile bitterly. These families were really open-minded. Chen Ximing stayed in the capital, which must have been given benefits by the court, which was much better than his living in Yizhou. Chen Yuanpeng must have Chen Ximing's reply, rushing to sell his property and live in the capital. Compared with the two places, Yizhou is not even as good as the town next to Kaifeng, and living there is much better than here.

When I was guarding Yizhou from Kaiyuan, I can only hear this. After so long, the court has read the records and found that there was no general surnamed Chen in the Tang Dynasty. This is an excuse for the Tang Dynasty's forces to withdraw from the Western Regions and the local generals. However, the city is indeed in the hands of his family, and no one will pursue it.

Standing up, Zhao Zi and Chen Yuanpeng went to the Houya together to attend the reception banquet.

There were less than 500 families in Yizhou City, with a sparse population. The elders and gentry were all excuses, but in fact they were just a few wealthy families. In addition to the several officials who followed Chen Ximing to Beijing at that time, there were a total of twenty or thirty people sitting in the back yamen. According to the custom, there was a carpet in the middle, with melons, fruits, wine and vegetables, and the host and guests sat on both sides. Zhao Zi, Chen Xizhi, Chen Yuanpeng sat on the seat, and the rest sat down below.

It was cold at this time, and charcoal fires were lit around, and it was roasted warmly. Zhao Zi and everyone were having fun drinking and eating meat.

In Shengzhou City, Du Zhongxiao sat in the government office, looked at the documents handed over by Zhao Zi, and said to Fu Bi on the side: "The total population of Yizhou is only more than 5,000 households, and it is indeed not large. This has been peaceful for decades and there is no war. It seems that there are fewer households in the Western Regions than expected."

Fu Bi said: "It's true. I heard that the Western Regions are full of yellow sand. Only where the mountains are backed and where the rivers pass by can there be a source of water. Only with water can you farm and it can you continue to form a series of lines in the desert, called Green Prefectures. These Green Prefectures are where the trade routes pass by."

Du Zhongxiao said: "The Western Regions are vast and there are still places where there is no shortage of water sources. The population should not be so small. Judging from Yizhou, how many people in the entire Western Regions are only? Can there be 200,000 households? I think, I'm afraid there are not so many."

Fu Bi said: "It should be that there is no. I don't know what Heihan is there. I just look at Gaochang, and there are only tens of thousands of households."

Du Zhongxiao said: "Only people can have soldiers. They only have so many people, how many soldiers can they have? Zhao Zi's troops are 50,000. If the railway is connected to Yizhou, wouldn't it be unrivaled? I originally thought that when the railway is opened, I would lead a large army to go. Now it seems that it is necessary to say something."

Fu Bi said: "Before the army arrives, the power there will definitely not disappear. The place is too large, so a large army still needs to be stationed. Anyway, if the railway is connected, there is not much difference between the 50,000 army and the 100,000 army. As long as you don't leave the railway too far."

Du Zhongxiao nodded and said, "This year, he ordered Zhao Zi to clarify the situation in Gaochang. If possible, his army does not have to be stationed in Juyan. You can station along the road and help the railway troops build roads. If this railway is built too fast, there will inevitably be many hidden dangers. Please modify it slowly in the future."

Fu Bi said yes, and called the clerk to write a reply to Zhao Zi. He had arrived in Yizhou. One of the important things was to figure out what Gaochang was thinking about, whether it was an enemy or a friend. The two places were six or seven hundred miles apart, and although the distance was not close, they were much stronger than Shengzhou.

Du Zhongxiao handed the official documents to Fu Bi, stood up, and said, "The Western Regions are thousands of miles wide, but the population is only considered a large state, which is indeed very different from the Central Plains. It is just that Hequ Road has a small population, but it is not because the place is not developed, so it is not that people cannot live in it. It is not that the court wants to enter the Western Regions. It is not a simple matter. A railway connecting the inside and outside, but this railway is not easy to build."

Fu Bi said: "It is true. The mainland has built a thousand miles of construction, and the population on both sides of the road is millions, but the Western Regions may only have tens of thousands of households, and even less than ten thousand households. If there are no business travelers, it would be a loss to build railways to the Western Regions now."

Du Zhongxiao said: "It is a pity that it needs to be built. Only when the railway is connected can it be connected with the Central Plains. Just like the city lord of Yizhou, why did he be willing to sacrifice Yizhou and live in the capital after entering the capital? He took the railway on the road and knew that this road would be built to Yizhou, which could not be stopped. In the future, the most important thing in the Western Regions was to build railways and connect several important places with railways."

Speaking of this, Du Zhongxiao smiled and shook his head: "It seems that the troops stationed in the Western Regions in the future should be mainly Yingtianxiang Army. Too many warriors will be useless. It is really a good idea to form a railway-building army in the court."

Fu Bi nodded: "Yes, as long as there is a railway, it is easy to get it. As long as there is a railway in the Western Regions, many cities can go down without fighting. The future of the Western Regions depends on the progress of the railway construction. However, Jieshuai, the railway now takes the north line and there is no population along the route, which is not a long-term solution. If you get several counties in Hexi in the future, you still have to build a southern line to get it."
Chapter completed!