Three Kingdoms

Li Ru followed Fei Qian's gaze, nodded with a smile and said: "The general is indeed smart, indeed, this is the best strategy... However, although the road to capture Hanzhong is difficult, it is not difficult in fact, and it is difficult for people's hearts..."

Fei Qian frowned and said, "People's hearts?"

Of course, the people’s hearts here do not refer to ordinary people.

In the minds of most gentry children, ordinary farmers and ordinary people at the grassroots level do not have a "heart". They are like the memory time of a fish in the legend of later generations, which is only three seconds long, and is like weeds growing in the ground. If you cut it this year, you can still cut it next year. You can pay taxes once and pay taxes every year. There is no need to worry about it.

The people's hearts naturally refer to Hanzhong, or the gentry in Shu.

Li Ru pointed to the south and said with a deep look: "It's just a rice thief, it's easy to get it... However, the number of nobles in Sichuan is so complicated that it can be compared with Guanzhong... Are you ready, general?"

"This..." Fei Qian was stunned and speechless.

This...

Indeed, as Li Ru said, in terms of the suddenness of the battle, whether it is the nobles in Guanzhong or Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, based on common sense, they all feel that Fei Qian should basically focus on consolidating the results in Guanzhong. , definitely will not directly send troops south to attack Hanzhong without stopping.

The most important thing in military affairs is to be surprised, so Fei Qian raised his troops when most people didn't think that Fei Qian would go to war. From this point of view, Fei Qian had undoubtedly taken a certain initiative.

Not to mention anything else, in terms of soldiers alone, although it is inconvenient for cavalry to enter Sichuan, when it comes to infantry, Fei Qian's men are much higher than Hanzhong and Sichuan in terms of bravery and equipment.

However, the military initiative does not mean that Fei Qian will definitely evolve into an overall advantage in Hanzhong or even Sichuan...

Hanzhong, in fact, is like a smaller version of Guanzhong. To the south there are Jinniu Road and Micang Road leading to Bashu, and to the east you can go up to Yongzhong and go down to Jingxiang. It can be said to be a very important transfer station, that is, Central Sichuan. After taking Hanzhong, it is inevitable to start dealing with these people in Sichuan.

"There are scholars Yuan and Wenhe in Guanzhong, Zilong is guarding Wuguan, and Yuanzhi is guarding Zuofengyi and Tongguan. The place in Guanzhong has been initially decided... The rest of the matters can be done slowly..." Li Ru did not wait for Fei Qian. He answered and continued, "But during the general's trip to Hanzhong, one can get food and grass, but the other..."

Li Ru glanced at Fei Qian with a deep look.

From what Li Ru said, it seemed like he wanted Fei Qian to use Hanzhong as a training ground?

Let’s practice with the nobles of Hanzhong first?

Duan's calculations are far-reaching!

This is indeed the case. Pang Tong, Jia Xu, and Zhao Yun, plus Zuo Fengyi's Xu Shu and Ma Yan, are enough to build a relatively stable Guanzhong defense system in advance.

Zhao Yun was already leading his troops to Wuguan, taking over the defense, closing and defending the gateways of Jingzhou and Yuzhou to the southeast from Guanzhong. Although there were not many troops, Jingxiang and Yuzhou also did not have much desire to go back to Liu Bang's old ways. In the battle for Guanzhong, both Liu Biao and Yuan Shu have more important and attractive goals for them, so there is basically not much pressure on Zhao Yun's defense in this direction.

Pang Tong and Jia Xu stationed in Chang'an with some of their soldiers, as well as some of Li Ru's original Flying Bear Army cavalry. They mainly used their words to spit at each other with the Guanzhong nobles, which was relatively stable. There won't be much of a problem. After all, these guys in Guanzhong have experienced several turmoils now, and they just hope to spend a period of time smoothly. So as long as there is no serious conflict of interests, these people will not have any problems. Too much resistance.

As for Han Sui, Ma Chao, and the Longxi Qiang people, these scattered legions with basically nomadic habits, just like the Xianbei north of the Yinshan Mountains, are also facing the problem of entering the breeding period of livestock. Moreover, these Qiang people also suffered a lot in this battle. Han Sui, who was in Jincheng, needed to be appeased to some extent. Therefore, at this point in time, it was impossible for a large number of Hu cavalry to be willing to follow Han Sui. Then maybe Ma Chao launches an invasion battle again, Guanzhong Longyou can also put aside a paragraph for the time being.

Turning south, taking money and grain from Hanzhong to feed back Guanzhong became a top priority to support the refugees gathered by Fei Qian to prepare for famine, grab seeds, and survive the lean year.

After all, the refugees are just settling down temporarily. Without sufficient food and grass support, it is impossible for these refugees to settle down again.

Although there are some grain and grass reserves in Pingyang, they are not much. At the same time, the people of Yinshan still mainly rely on grain and grass from Pingyang and Xihe for support at this stage. It will not be until this year's autumn harvest that the output of Yinshan will basically exceed consumption and there will be a surplus. , so basically speaking, it is unlikely that much food and grass will be transferred from Pingyang to Guanzhong at this stage.

Although a batch of grain and grass was mobilized and purchased from Wangyi in Hedong for emergency use, it could not last long. After all, the price of grain and grass now has increased nearly ten times compared to previous years. The price is already very touching. , if Wang Yi from Hedong had not worked very hard to coordinate in order to maintain cross-strait relations, otherwise, whether in terms of quantity or price, it would probably be a heavy value for Fei Qian.

Food and grass...

Why did those people who traveled through the past not need to consider the issue of food and grass? When they marched south and north, through mountains and forests, across grasslands and rivers, it was as if they were flat land. They didn’t need supplies and didn’t need to worry about morale. Even the newly joined natives would be willing to stay even if they didn’t have a bite to eat. Will you fight to the end without giving up?

As a result, when it came to my place, this food and grass became a major and extremely difficult problem that required me to travel back and forth every day?

Fei Qian couldn't help but sigh.

There are naturally two ways to take food and grass from Hanzhong. One is to plunder with force without hesitation and abandon the so-called "people's hearts." The second is to integrate the "people's hearts" and let the people of Hanzhong voluntarily and spontaneously devote themselves to the great revolution. Coming from career...

Not to mention Li Ru, Fei Qian had really only considered this battle from a military perspective before, and didn't think much about this issue. But since Li Ru specifically pointed it out, is there any mystery behind it?

It is easy to use force, but difficult to win people's hearts!

Fei Qian thought for a while, but couldn't think of anything for a while, so he smiled bitterly and shook his head and said, "I haven't made a decision on this matter yet... I wonder what Wen You has to say?"

"The general has always planned everything beforehand..." Li Ru laughed and said with a hint of ridicule, "...how can we have no plan for what happened in Hanzhong?"

"Plan it in advance? Wen Youmiao praised it..." Fei Qian said, "As things change, we can only make the best of the situation..."

Li Ru, who was in his leather robe, raised his head, glanced at it, clapped his hands and praised: "The general is too humble, and the four words 'make the best use of the situation' are enough... If the general follows this method, it will be possible..."

Regarding Zhang Lu, the current controller of Hanzhong, whether it is Xun Chen or Li Ru, their evaluations are almost the same, "a conservative, short-sighted", and he has no advantages anyway.

Zhang Lu's mother was a so-called witch with five buckets of rice. It was said that she was very beautiful and fragrant. So as soon as Liu Yan came to Sichuan, he invited her to his residence so that he could ask questions about his cultivation day and night. She should still be in Chengdu now, right?

Liu Yan, who was behind Zhang Lu, still had some reputation, so the noble nobles in Hanzhong recognized him with their noses pinched. As for loyalty, then hehe...

Not only Zhang Lu, but now most of the local princes are like this.

"Host and guest" was not just what Fazheng said to Liu Bei, but almost everyone was like this. Even in later generations, the love and killing of strong dragons and local snakes was still repeated repeatedly.

The situation in Hanzhong, and even Shuzhong, as Li Ru said, there are indeed contradictions in the distribution of interests, and such contradictions are opportunities for Fei Qian to take advantage of.

In fact, interests seem to always be unevenly distributed.

When Dong Zhuo entered Beijing, war broke out in the Central Plains. Many nobles went south to escape the disaster, and Yizhou was one of the main resorts. "Tens of thousands of families" of Sili, Feng Yi and Fufeng fled the chaos and entered Shu, and were known as "Dongzhou scholars". These people brought a large amount of population wealth, and at the same time created cultural and economic changes in Sichuan and Shu. Time: "The land of Shu is rich and prosperous, the customs are luxurious, the home of goods is prosperous, the marquis is served with jade and food, marriages are ruined, the family is depleted..."

Although central Sichuan is known as a fertile land thousands of miles away, it is still limited after all. Therefore, these foreign "Dongzhou scholars" are inherently opposed to the native Yizhou nobles. Can the conflicts and various disputes over the distribution of interests be reduced?

"Liu Yizhou is respectful in front but arrogant in the back. Many people in Yizhou are dissatisfied..." Although Li Ru huddled in his leather robe, he seemed to understand and control the situation in the surrounding area. He said slowly and carefully, "Liu Yizhou He was ordered to go by the king, but because of the blocked road, he was stranded in Jingdong... Actually, it was not the road, but the military chaos in Sichuan... At that time, the Yizhou rebels Ma, Zhao and others gathered in Mianzhu, calling themselves Yellow Turbans, and they gathered together. He first killed the Mianzhu Order, then killed more than 10,000 officials and civilians in Sichuan, then destroyed Luo County, and then destroyed Shu County and Qianwei. He claimed to be the emperor, with tens of thousands of people... But Liu Yizhou was helpless and was in a dilemma..."

"...Yizhou engaged in business, captured the officials and people, and got more than a thousand people. They raided Ma and Zhao and broke them out in a few days to clear the state boundaries...Liu Yizhou was able to get in...Haha, but Liu Yizhou just stopped the horse carriage, so he He moved to Mianzhu, appeased the rebels, performed small favors, and plotted different schemes. He asked others to kill the powerful king, Li and more than ten people in the state to establish his authority..."

At this point, Li Ru stopped and looked at Fei Qian with complicated eyes.

Fei Qian pondered for a moment and nodded silently to Li Ru. He now somewhat understood what Li Ru meant.

Li Ru smiled inside his leather robe and nodded slightly. Since Fei Qian understood, there was no need to elaborate anymore...

Moreover, for this problem, there really won’t be any clear plan for a while. We can only stick to the four words of “making the best use of the situation.” However, the balance and strength of guidance will depend on Fei. It's time to dive in.

Well, now, let’s break Hanzhong first!

……………………

The sky gradually darkened, and the rain that had completely covered the sky and the earth gradually decreased, and it was sprinkled every bit, which was very unpleasant.

Lying on the bed made of hay, Er Mazi, the commander of the Shenling Military Village of Tangluo Road, was mistaken, it was Master Qingxu. He had just finished eating his breasts, stretched out his waist, and let out a contented groan.

For those who seek immortality and Taoism, the air here on Tangluo Road is as legendary as it is full of spiritual energy. The mountains and rivers here are beautiful, the grass is deep and the forests are dense. Taking a breath of the fresh air full of oxygen and negative ions will instantly make you feel cool and comfortable from the outside to the inside...

Refreshing the soul, nothing more than that.

But similarly, it not only refreshes the lungs, but also the hands, feet, and joints of the body...

Why do many Taoist priests in later generations still practice martial arts in deep mountains and rivers? In fact, part of the reason is not that they like martial arts, but because they can't do it without practicing!

There is a lot of moisture and dew in the mountains, and the place where you sleep may not be very dry. Maybe it will accumulate year after year and you will suffer from arthritis. If you don't practice Qigong to strengthen your body and remove the moisture, how can you do it?

Therefore, these "refreshing" breaths in Tangluo Dao are a burden rather than enjoyment for people like Er Mazi, well, Master Qingxu who have no martial arts habits.

Even if he serves as the leader of the military camp, Taoist Priest Qingxu still doesn't want to practice martial arts.

No matter what kind of martial arts you practice, the most important thing is to cultivate immortality...

Wrong, the most important thing is not to practice martial arts or to become an immortal, but to find a way as soon as possible to get out of this "wonderland" place with "beautiful mountains and clear waters"!

Damn it, whoever wants to stay in this shitty place can come. Anyway, I, well, I don’t want to stay here anymore...

Infinite Heavenly Lord!

Taishang Laojun is here, so I will comply with Xiaodao's request. Xiaodao will definitely worship it every year, and the gift of three animals will never be lacking...

Taoist Priest Qingxu muttered silently in his heart.

At the wooden and stone house where Taoist Master Qingxu rests, two younger Taoist boys are on duty at the door.

It was raining heavily, and sometimes the rain and mist would drift into the eaves and hit the Taoist robes, but the two Taoist boys remained motionless, looking at their noses and mouths, with solemn expressions.

How can we say that Taoist Master Qingxu is also a Taoist, and he also has to look like a cultivator. Naturally, he must be clean and decent. How can he live with those poor ghosts, soldiers, and gangsters every day? How can he reflect the style of a cultivator? instrument?

Therefore, Taoist Master Qingxu found such a beautiful place outside the original military village and built a wooden house elsewhere. The wooden house was built on a small stone platform on the mountainside. Along the stone platform, a thousand steps away on a winding stone and mud path, was the original Shenling Military Village on the Tangluo Road.

As for why a Taoist priest became the leader of the military village, this has to do with the policies currently implemented by Zhang Lu in Hanzhong.

Speaking of which, Zhang Lu is actually a grandson...

Really a grandson.

Let’s start from Zhang Daoling’s side.

Zhang Lu’s Five Pecks of Rice religion is actually called the Way of Zhengyimengwei, also known as the Way of the Heavenly Master, and was created by Zhang Ling. Zhang Daoling's original name was Zhang Ling. He probably felt that he had attained the Tao, so he added the word "Tao" to his name. This is similar to the Germanic officers in World War II who added "Feng" to their names, which made them three points more noble. .

Zhang Ling was from Peiguofeng, and he was originally a college student. Later, probably in the National Library of the Han Dynasty, he read a lot of little yellow books, well, it was Huang Lao's books, so he gave up his position as a court official and went to Looking for traces of the gods...

Later, during the reign of Emperor Shun of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Ling ran to Shu. He felt that this was the most spiritual place in the world, so he went to Heming Mountain and claimed that he had received orders from the Supreme Lord and was named a Heavenly Master by the Supreme Lord. Founded the Tao of Heavenly Masters.

Because you need to pay five buckets of rice to join the sect, and there is no seven-day unconditional return system, nor does it participate in any national three-guarantee regulations, so customers who have had a bad experience criticized it as a five bucket of rice thief, or rice thief for short.

Of course, people in Tianshi Dao don’t think so.

Since ancient times, apprentices from all walks of life must have a meeting ceremony. This is the minimum rule and etiquette. Confucius accepted disciples and also practiced cultivation, that is, ten strips of bacon, but why not call Confucianism "the bacon religion"?

This is obviously the slander of Tianshi Taoism by these disciples of Confucian classics...

When Zhang Ling first established Tianshi Dao, he practiced medicine and preached in Bashu, and many poor people became believers. After Zhang Ling's death, his son Zhang Heng succeeded him; after Zhang Heng's death, his son Zhang Lu still taught his way, collectively known as the "Three Masters", namely "Heavenly Master" Zhang Ling, "Successor Master" Zhang Heng, and "Xie Master" Zhang Lu.

Now Zhang Lu calls himself "Master Master" and implements a political system of independence in Hanzhong. As the supreme leader of Tianshi Dao, he also serves as the prefect of Hanzhong. He has established a complete Taoist class structure. Newcomers to Taoism call him " "Tao people"; those who have been in Taoism for a long time, have profound faith, and have certain strength are called "offering wine"; those who have many leaders are called "jitou big offering wine".

Unlike the Han Dynasty court, Zhang Lu's army, or the unit under the jurisdiction of the civil affairs, was not a village, but a "governance". He established the "Twenty-Four Governance" in Hanzhong, and used wine sacrifices as the leader, with full authority to manage the administration and military affairs. , religion and other matters...

Therefore, it is not surprising that in Tangluo Road, a Taoist Priest Qingxu became the supervisor of Shenling Military Village.

Moreover, because Tianshi Dao implemented such a policy, various conflicts arose in Hanzhong, and the name "rice thieves" spread throughout the world. Who can blame them?

Of course, Taoist Priest Qingxu in the small military camp on Tangluo Road can't pay much attention to it. He can eat a full meal and then sleep comfortably on a dry bed. The greatest enjoyment at the moment.

As for the future, let’s get some sleep first and then talk about it!

However, such a meager amount of pure enjoyment was quickly broken...

During the continuous rain, a soldier in tattered clothes stepped on the muddy water from the military camp on the mountain road, rolled and crawled along the stone steps, and ran to the front of the wooden house. He said out of breath: "Report... report... it's true, real person, there is... someone... crawling, climbing up..."