Chapter 79 Five-Year Plan Following Jia Xu, Cheng Yu began to report the military situation with a serious expression. "As for the military, our army has now successfully expanded to an elite division of 12, with countless militiamen scattered throughout the villages. And with the full assistance of Hutian, the overall quality of the soldiers has once again been qualitatively improved..." Cheng Yu said. After saying this, Cheng Yu looked at Zhang Niu with admiration in his eyes. Now, he, Yu Jin and Zhang Niu have formed a perfect military training iron triangle. Although they did not directly command troops in battle, the huge improvement in the strength of Tian Ze's army made by these three people was even more crucial and important than the roles played by Xu Rong, Guan Yu and others. After the talents of these three people are unlocked, they can fully bless all soldiers and comprehensively improve the quality of the soldiers in many aspects. Cheng Yu’s “Tenacity” talent improves endurance and resistance, while Yu Jin’s “Guarding the Army” talent improves willpower and organization. Zhang Niu's talent is called "Mingzhi", and its effect is even more powerful. It not only completely retains Zhang Niu's original talent effect, but can also greatly enhance the soldiers' firm belief. He also inherited some of the talents of Zhang Jue and Zhang Liang, which can effectively stimulate the potential abilities of the soldiers and significantly improve their recovery ability, giving them the opportunity to break through their physical limits and recover faster after being injured or tired. When Tian Ze learned about this, he was also amazed. He never expected that his unintentional move not only unexpectedly resulted in a "magic weapon" that could attract the Yellow Turban refugees, but also fortunately he gained a great general who was good at training troops.
No one knows what mysterious means the brothers Zhang Jue and Zhang Liang used to stimulate Zhang Niu's talent to such an astonishing level. If they had not passed away so unfortunately at an early age, Tian Zezhen would have liked to communicate with them in person to discuss the mystery. It’s a pity that this precious opportunity no longer exists. "Also, we have initially explored some experience in the method of the five schools of the Northern Army to condense talents through the army, but if we want to truly perfect it, I'm afraid it will take a long time." "We currently have relatively ample time, but we must attach great importance to this matter. If we can successfully condense the legion's talents, our military strength will surely make another huge leap forward." Tian Ze said with a serious expression and tone. He had witnessed with his own eyes the amazing combat power displayed by the five schools of the Northern Army during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. In comparison, most of the Liaodong Army's troops are inferior, and this is when the five schools of the Northern Army have no general talent bonus. If the imperial court had equipped itself with a few powerful generals, even the strongest troops under Tian Ze might not be able to defeat them. The superposition of general talents and legion talents, as long as they are properly matched, will not only increase combat power by simple addition, but will also increase exponentially. "Don't worry, my lord. I will try my best!" Cheng Yu made the promise solemnly with an extremely firm tone. After the three stewards finished their reports, the civil and military officials began to report on their respective work progress in turn, and Tian Ze commented on them one by one. Finally, after everyone finished their reports, Tian Ze solemnly opened the core theme of the meeting. "Five-year plan!" Strictly speaking, this is the second five-year plan carefully formulated by Tian Ze. "The situation in the world has not changed yet. Within the territory of the Han Dynasty, we can only be trapped in this small area of Liaodong and it is difficult to expand inward. Therefore, we can only go outward." Dong Zhuo had not yet rebelled and the imperial court had not yet collapsed. Tian Ze could not dare to act rashly at this time. If he was labeled a traitor, it would be bad. Who would dare to surrender to him? At that time, the attraction of refugees would be greatly affected, and the speed of development would be restricted. Tian Ze raised his hand and pointed forcefully at a huge and detailed map of Liaodong on the wall. "The main purpose of outward development is to expand the territory, settle refugees, stabilize the border defense, and prepare for the future development of the Northeast Plain." Today, the territory of the Han Dynasty has basically been expanded to its achievable limit. There are various complex and difficult objective reasons why the many ethnic minorities around Liaodong have not been completely conquered.
For example, the distance was too far, making it difficult to transport food and grass and inconvenient for effective governance; the environment was too harsh, with an extreme lack of fertile arable land and an abnormally cold climate. A country like Goguryeo, which was established with great difficulty in the mountains, would not have much practical value even if it was conquered with great effort. It was difficult to settle Han people there, and it was difficult to educate the local ethnic minorities. The Han Dynasty once tried to bring it under its control and educate its people, but failed. After being educated by the Han people, these ethnic minorities gradually understood the basics of civilization and copied and imitated it, but they were wild and difficult to tame, and instead developed ambitions to rebel against the Han and establish their own states, which led to the present-day Goguryeo. But for Tian Ze, now he can only set his sights on the surrounding ethnic minority areas, and the many difficulties faced by the Han people are not difficult for him to solve. "My lord, now is indeed the best time to send troops. Firstly, our current situation has no choice but to conquer foreign races. Secondly, there are many refugees in the Central Plains, and they can just be resettled." "The sooner we start, the easier it will be for the future development of the Northeast Plain." Chen Gong advised quickly with sharp eyes. He was well aware of the grand ambitions hidden deep in Tian Ze's heart. The vastness and fertility of the Northeast Plain had made them salivate for a long time. No matter how difficult the reclamation process is and how much time and energy it takes, no one will let it go easily as long as there is a glimmer of opportunity. Because once it is successfully reclaimed, this place will become a prosperous place that is no less than the once glorious Guanzhong Plain! This five-year plan is to lay a solid foundation for the successful capture of the Northeast Plain in the next step. Therefore, after Tian Ze brought up this matter, the person who rushed to the front and actively responded was not Cheng Yu, who used to like to shout for war and killing, but him, who was always calm. He has to fight against foreign races. If anyone poses a potential threat to the Northeast Plain, he will fight to the death. Seeing that Chen Gong was on the same side as him, Cheng Yu excitedly said, "Gongtai is right." "Although the Liaodong Plain is difficult to develop, its topographical conditions have unique advantages. It is surrounded by continuous mountains, but there are some gaps, which are not impossible to plug." "As long as we carefully build the Great Wall checkpoints and vigorously construct Wu Fort, we can successfully plug those gaps and accommodate tens of millions of people to live and work here in peace and contentment!" "But the prerequisite is that these vital mountains must be firmly in our hands. We must never allow those ethnic groups that rely on fishing and hunting to live here at will. Otherwise, the Liaodong Plain will continue to suffer frequent invasions." Xun You said calmly. "In addition to building checkpoints on the Great Wall and setting up numerous forts, a certain number of troops must be stationed and patrolled in the surrounding mountains and ridges." Goguryeo is an obvious example. It was able to survive in a poor and barren land by plundering the surrounding areas, with the focus on Liaodong. It gradually expanded and eroded the Liaodong region, and gradually became a major threat to Liaodong. (End of this chapter)