Three Kingdoms

"General Zhengxi is young and talented, but he is so capable. He is really a blessing to us..."

"Exactly, if you are awarded the title of rice thief, it will be a blessing for Hanzhong!"

"..." The Hanzhong nobles were discussing and walking towards the outside of the military camp.

"Mr. Crouching Tiger, stay here for now!"

But this group of Hanzhong nobles had just walked out of the Chinese army's tent, and Huang Xu came over in a hurry and said loudly.

Everyone stopped and their eyes focused on Zhang Ze.

Zhang Ze seemed to have expected it, and did not go far at all. He just slowly followed the crowd of Hanzhong gentry. He did not show any surprise after hearing Huang Xu's shout, and he was very comfortable with the rest of the Hanzhong gentry. They held their hands together, smiled slightly, and after exchanging a few glances with each other, they followed Huang Xu calmly and returned to Fei Qian's Chinese army tent.

Fei Qian stood at the entrance of the big tent. When he saw Zhang Ze coming, he smiled and cupped his hands and said, "I have heard about Mr. Crouching Tiger's reputation for a long time. When I see him today, he is indeed well-deserved."

"Mr. Yinkun is so complimentary..." Zhang Ze heard Fei Qian's words and quickly said he didn't dare. Then he turned around and offered Fei Qian a hand again, "Compared with Mr. Yinkun first, I am like a firefly, how can I compare with Yinkun?" Sir, the bright moon is in the sky, shining brightly for thousands of miles..."

Just a polite word, you always have to say it.

At any time, polite words between people are like salt. No matter what kind of dish you are making, it is indispensable. Without it, the taste will inevitably be a bit lighter.

But if they are all polite words without any actual content, then it will be so salty that it kills people!

Therefore, Fei Qian and Zhang Ze complimented each other for a while, then fell silent for a while and smiled at each other...

Fei Qian naturally had his own considerations in leaving this "crouching tiger" alone.

It was indeed interesting. When Fei Qian heard this name for the first time, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. I don’t know if it’s because one river cannot accommodate two people, or if a dragon and a tiger fight, one will be injured. Anyway, in the history of the Shu Han Dynasty, Zhang Ze did not leave any name.

But at this point in time, Crouching Tiger is still a very important figure in Hanzhong.

According to the current Han Dynasty parlance, it is called the big family, the Zhang family of Nanzheng!

On the way to Hanzhong, Yang Song talked with Fei Qian in detail about the current situation in Hanzhong. The first one mentioned, and the most important one, was the Nanzheng Zhang family.

Zhang Ze of Nanzheng, whose courtesy name was Yuanxiu, served as the governor of five different places, including You Fufeng. He also served as the guard of the Qiang and the captain of the surrender. He led troops to quell the rebellions of the Yi and Banlong people, and thus He was nicknamed "Crouching Tiger" and also served as the governor of Liangzhou...

It's a pity that Zhang Ze's father and ancestors are not famous, and the other Zhang family's descendants are not strong enough. Otherwise, if the Zhang family in Nanzheng has such a number one figure, it will be enough to support a large world.

What is a rich family? It does not mean that you can call yourself a rich family if you have two extra bucks at home and then visit brothels and restaurants. That is just called a nouveau riche. Only someone like Zhang Ze, who enjoys a very high reputation in Nanzheng and has both overt and covert strength, can be called a big business owner.

Of course, above the big families, there are the big surnames, above the big surnames, there are the noble families, and above the famous families, there are the crown families...

What is the difference between a big family and a big family?

Population and geography.

A family that has not reached the point where there are hundreds or thousands of men and power spread across counties is embarrassed to be called a big surname; at least three generations above the big surname must have served as officials of more than 2,000 dan, and there must also be inheritance of Confucian classics in the family. Only those with a certain background can be called a famous family or a distinguished family...

As for the Guan clan, there are so many noble clans in the world now, but there are only two recognized ones.

Compared with the upgrade path of the nobles, fighting gods, magicians, etc. are all weak. After all, whether it is cultivating fighting spirit or magic power, it is only a matter of one person, while the upgrade of the nobles requires a large family and a large group of people. People have so many requirements that it is almost impossible to do it. The span of upgrading is even two or three generations, or even more generations. The difference in difficulty is like clouds and mud.

The Zhang family in Nanzheng is just about to be upgraded to a common surname. For Zhang Ze, taking this step with the Zhang family is his lifelong goal...

Understanding this, it becomes clear why Zhang Ze expressed his enthusiasm to help Fei Qian take down Nanzheng and kill Zhang Lu.

"I heard that Zhang Jun fought against Yue Bei, 'Zhu Yin's revolver, the sound of drums never stopped', and he defeated the rebellion of the barbarians in one fell swoop. Even now, thinking about it, my heart is still surging..." Fei Qian pondered for a moment, smiled and looked at Zhang Ze and said , "Mr. Crouching Tiger is indeed worthy of being one of the heroes of the Spring and Autumn Period after the liberation of Zhang..."

"General... this..." Upon hearing this, Zhang Ze's smile suddenly stiffened.

Fei Qian's words naturally have a different meaning.

Of course, the superficial meaning of the words is still good.

"Revolver Zhu Yin, the sound of the drums continues", blood stained the wheel on the left, and the drums urging the battle still refused to stop. What a brave performance...

But what Fei Qian really wants to say is just this on the surface?

At that time, when Zhang Ze was serving as the prefect of Yuebei, although he had been in battle, he was not as brave as Jie Zhang in the Spring and Autumn Period.

The surname Zhang has many ancestors and several sources, and Jie Zhang, a senior official in the Spring and Autumn Period of Jin, is one of them. Therefore, Fei Qian said that Jie Zhang was the ancestor of Zhang Ze, and that Zhang Ze did not insult Zhang Hou. There is nothing wrong with reputation.

Zhang Ze is also a person who has served as a high-ranking official with two thousand stones, so it is impossible that he has not read Zuo Zhuan. When Fei Qian mentioned it, Zhang Ze understood the article he was talking about...

Battle of Tartar.

People shouldn't be too stupid. If they can't turn their heads quickly, they will be betrayed sooner or later, so they can only do grassroots work, because there are few benefits involved, and they are all physical work, so no one will have any thoughts.

Once there are more benefits, people will naturally think more about things, and those who are not clear-minded will inevitably suffer losses, especially at the political level.

Zhang Ze was silent for a while, then raised his hands and said: "General, I'm very grateful... You have done your duty, and you have received the emperor's favor. You are frightened and trembled, 'even if you meet the deacon, you dare not disobey it'..."

The person opposite is a smart man.

Fei Qian and Zhang Ze both confirmed this almost at the same time.

Previously, Zhang Ze emphatically asked Fei Qian whether he had complied with the emperor's edict in public. He really just asked, and then he could join the great revolutionary road without hesitation and spare no effort to deal with the strict and harsh measures of the Five Dou Rice Cult. A blow?

Do not make jokes.

Does Fei Qian have an edict from the emperor?

No, if there was, it would have been taken out long ago.

However, Zhang Ze acted as if he didn't know, and still pushed Fei Qian to the side of righteousness, and then said that he would obey the so-called "king's order" and was willing to cooperate. What he said was actually a statement. If Fei Qian was different from Zhang Lu and did not follow Zhang Lu's path, but followed the original "king's order" political model of the previous Han Dynasty, he would be willing to cooperate...

What's more important is that Zhang Ze also showed his own strength in a subtle way!

The hidden meaning behind Zhang Ze's previous heroic words of "when the time came, he sent righteous and brave men to offer the door" is that in the territory of Nanzheng, someone can turn his hand to make clouds, and naturally he can turn his hand to make rain!

But this sentence is so euphemistic that even people who don’t understand it may think that Zhang Ze is simply surrendering to show his merit...

Before Zhang Lu, the prefect of Hanzhong was Su Gu.

Well, strictly speaking, there is also a Zhang Xiu. Zhang Xiu killed Su Gu, and then Zhang Lu killed Zhang Xiu.

When Su Gu was the governor of Hanzhong, he made no serious mistakes. It was just that he was unwilling to succumb to Liu Yan, so he suffered an unreasonable disaster.

At the time of Su Gu, the entire Hanzhong area was no different from the other counties and counties in the Han Dynasty. It was also governed by county guards, and the rich families were in charge of the local area. This model also complemented each other. Even after Su Gu was killed by Zhang Xiu , his chief secretary, Zhao Song from Nanzheng, perhaps to repay Su Gu's gratitude, perhaps to quell the rebellion, or perhaps so that he could be promoted to the boss, he also led a raid on Zhang Xiu's camp and almost killed Zhang Xiu. , ultimately outnumbered and died on the battlefield, creating a "good story".

Later, Zhang Lu, who was originally just Zhang Xiu's deputy, suddenly rose up in rebellion for unknown reasons, killed Zhang Xiu, seized Zhang Xiu's soldiers, horses and followers, and merged him into the main Hanzhong. There must be something hidden in the shadows about what happened. trade……

It's just that these things, or the negotiated deals, changed after Zhang Lu took office. It may be some conflicts of interest that eventually led to Zhang Ze and Zhang Lu's cooperation, and eventually they parted ways.

But Zhang Ze alone could not fight against Zhang Lu. In other words, although the conflict between Zhang Ze and Zhang Lu existed, it was still within the tolerable range. Therefore, Zhang Ze did not take action and had to take the risk. He killed a thousand enemies and lost eight hundred to himself in a confrontation with Zhang Lu...

But Fei Qian's arrival suddenly changed the situation in Hanzhong.

Zhang Ze had an opportunity. He could use Fei Qian's hands to get rid of Zhang Lu without spending too much effort. All he had to pay was just some men lurking in Nanzheng. Even if Fei Qian had a brave soldier, Even these manpower may not be lost much.

Why not do it?

Therefore Fei Qian mentioned the Battle of Qin.

During the Battle of Qin, in addition to Jie Zhang, there was also the ruling minister Chuoke.

At that time, in order to avenge Qi's humiliation, Chuoke, the ruling minister of Jin, took advantage of Lu and Wei's request for help and urged troops to attack Qi. This led to the Battle of Qi.

Was the Battle of Qin fought for the Jin State?

Of course, if there are no personal grievances and hatreds mixed in, the Battle of Qin may not be able to be fought. Just like now, if Zhang Ze does not have personal grievances with Zhang Lu, he may not have the heroic words to dedicate the city. .

The words Zhang used to answer are even more interesting. The sentence "Even if you encounter a deacon, you would not dare to disobey it" can be understood positively or negatively...

"Mr. Crouching Tiger is unparalleled in his loyalty, and he also has knowledge of latitude and longitude. It would be a pity to disappear in the countryside... If the rice thief is killed..." Fei Qian smiled, lightly knocked on the table, and said something serious. Matter, "... I wonder if you, sir, would like to be appointed as the governor of Yizhou?"

Hearing this, Zhang Ze couldn't help but look at Fei Qian with wide eyes, and repeated: "History of Yizhou?"

"Exactly." Fei Qian said calmly.

The so-called governor of Yizhou is naturally a position that can only be found under the governor of Yizhou or the shepherd of Yizhou. There is no such position under ordinary prefects of counties and counties. Moreover, Fei Qian emphasized that it is Yizhou, not Yizhou. The long history of the General's Mansion in Zhengxi can only explain one thing, Fei Qian has intentions in Sichuan!

But where in central Sichuan is so easy to fight?

Zhang Ze, who had served as a prefect in the southwestern frontier, knew that the war in this mountainous area was completely different from the war in Guanzhong. Can the mountainous area and the plain area be the same? Don't look at your general who conquers the west, traveling freely in the northern pass, but Once you enter the mountain forest, you may not be able to use your fists!

What's more, both Jinniu Road and Micang Road are dangerous and dangerous. Being able to pass through Tangluo Road successfully does not mean that you can successfully pass through Jinniu Road or Micang Road!

Was Fei Qian, the general who conquered the West, so overwhelmed by the current victory?

Zhang Ze looked at Fei Qian and was silent for a long time before saying, "General, you want to attack Sichuan and Shu?"

Unexpectedly, Fei Qian shook his head and said meaningfully: "If Hanzhong is settled, I will return to Guanzhong... As for the matter of Sichuan and Shu, it will naturally be decided by the people of Sichuan and Shu..."

Oh, I see……

Zhang Ze asked: "I wonder who the general wants to represent as the governor of Yizhou?" The discord in Shu is already known to everyone, and it is natural for General Zhengxi to take advantage of this.

He is indeed a smart man. Fei Qian smiled slightly and said: "A certain person...Mr. Crouching Tiger will naturally know by then..."

"This..." Zhang Ze almost choked up his blood, "General... if you don't know who is in charge, how can you take charge rashly?"

Fei Qian laughed loudly and said: "How can everything in the world be perfect before it can be done? Mr. Crouching Tiger has always been brave in planning, but now it is difficult for him... huh?"

Under the Prefecture Governor or the Prefecture Mu, the three positions of Biejia, Changshi, and Chief Registrar are basically the three giants. It quite means that the three powers are separated, and each has its own emphasis. If the Prefecture Prefect and the Prefecture Mu are compared As for the commanders in the army in later generations, Biejia is like the deputy commander, the chief secretary is the commander's secretary-general, and Changshi is like the chief of staff. Although there may be some inaccuracies, it can be understood in this way. .

Therefore, the post of Yizhou Governor can bypass the unspoken rules of the Han Dynasty that local people are not allowed to serve as local military and political officials, and provide Zhang Ze with a broader stage, which is Zhang Ze's most urgent need at the moment.

Of course, the premise is that Zhang Ze cooperates, and I don’t know who to cooperate with yet...

"General..." Zhang Ze gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "I wonder when someone will know?"

In fact, saying this sentence means that Zhang Ze is quite interested in this position. Of course, there is a price to pay to get this position...

Fei Qian nodded and said slowly: "Mr. Crouching Tiger will know when I decide on Hanzhong..."

That's it, I understand.

Zhang Ze nodded. Although he sat still, in fact, at this moment, his heart was like a river. He was constantly calculating the gains and losses, and even spots of sweat could not help but appear on his back.

Even if Zhang Zehe served as the governor in more places, even if he was higher than Chang Shi, and served as the nine ministers of the imperial court, it would not necessarily bring about the rapid expansion of the Zhang family in Nanzheng. This is his own personal experience, so how could he not know it?

It is not easy to convert the fame gained from afar into concrete benefits in one's hometown. As it is said in later generations, a magistrate who ruins his family and a county magistrate who destroys his family is definitely not a joke...

Therefore, the Nanzheng Zhang family is just the Nanzheng Zhang family. If you want to expand your family's power to Hanzhong or even other places in Sichuan, and become the Hanzhong Zhang family, or the Shuzhong Zhang family, now is an opportunity, a Excellent opportunity!

After a long time, even though he knew there were too many uncertain factors, Zhang Ze still took a deep breath.

I can't help it, this bait is too fragrant...

If Fei Qian can really do what he said, if he hesitates a little today and misses the opportunity, wouldn't it be a lifelong regret?

No matter what, no matter what, swallow it first and then talk!