Three Kingdoms

It was already approaching dusk, and the setting sun slowly disappeared below the horizon, leaving only a few red clouds still lingering in the vast dusk.

"General," Li Ru suddenly said, standing beside Fei Qian, looking at the setting sun together, "Although there are many rebellions in Xiliang, they have no reputation for rebellion. Why?"

Fei Qian thought for a moment and said, "Rebellion against the officials rather than against the king?"

Li Ru nodded and said, "That's right."

The Xiliang rebellion has a long history.

Since the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Xiliang has not been very peaceful. After all, there will be an outbreak every ten years. However, Xiliang is so noisy. Is it like dealing with the Yellow Turban thieves who slaughter tens of thousands of people at every turn to build a capital? Not all of these Xiliang nobles were killed with a single stroke, which is also an interesting thing.

Who is willing to rebel at every turn?

The kind of people who clamor all day long to change the day, to plead for the people, to create the world, most of the time, are either fools or hammers. I am afraid that they will be captured and imprisoned by the thief Cao before even shouting a few slogans. Or beheaded directly.

The Han Dynasty has gone through three to four hundred years, and these three words of the Han Dynasty have become deeply ingrained. This is not only the concept of one person, but also the concept in the hearts of most people in Xiliang.

It is a fact that most people in Xiliang are unwilling to rebel, but it is also a fact that people in Xiliang did make trouble for a while with Bian Zhang Beigong, Han Sui, Ma Teng and others. However, in name, these Han people and Qiang people in Xiliang have indeed never explicitly expressed their opposition to the Han Dynasty. This is completely different from the Zhang Jiao brothers' "Heaven is dead and Huang Tian shall stand". In Xiliang When the fuss was at its most intense, it was just about "killing treacherous ministers and purging corrupt officials."

Xiliang is poor and barren, whether in animal husbandry or farming. Coupled with military disasters and constant wars, the officials acted perversely and imposed exorbitant taxes, which ultimately resulted in the decline of people's livelihood in Xiliang, poverty and wealth, and mourning everywhere.

So in the end a rebellion broke out.

The imperial court sent troops several times to suppress the rebellion, but most of the troops who came to suppress it were originally from Xiliang. They knew the real reasons for the rebellion in Xiliang, so in many cases, they focused on defeating and recruiting troops to surrender. There were not many beheaded people. Throughout the decades of the Xiliang Rebellion, there were only one or two beheadings of tens of thousands, and the rest were mostly thousands or even hundreds.

Li Ru let out a long sigh and said: "...the people are tired, but they can be well-off. Benefit this country, and use it to support the four directions. Don't be cunning and unscrupulous, be cautious and unscrupulous. Use style to curb the aggression of the invaders, and be honest and not afraid of the bright. Rou. He can be far and near to determine my king..."

Fei Qian was silent, speechless.

Daya Feiqian also knew this song, and of course understood what Li Ru meant. In fact, these principles have been made very clear as early as the pre-Qin period, but most rulers always habitually turn a blind eye when facing interests.

Once you serve as an official, you will plunder a place. Anyway, once the political achievements are achieved, just pat your butt and leave. Who cares about the flood behind? Xiliang was in such a situation. From a horse breeding land in the pre-Qin Dynasty, it eventually became a source of trouble, dragging down the Han Dynasty.

"...Therefore, if the general wants to pacify Xiliang," Li Ru turned to look at Fei Qian and said, "The combination of water and fire is the most critical. If the government is lenient, the people will be slow, and if it is slow, it will be violent; if it is fierce, the people will be disabled, and if it is weak, it will be weak. Give them with generosity. Tolerance is to relieve the fierce, and the fierce is to be lenient. Government is based on peace..."

Fei Qian shook his head and smiled: "This is easier said than done..."

Everything has two sides. The ancients have recognized this very early, and have always paid attention to and advocated seeking a special balance between these two opposite aspects.

That is moderation.

However, many people in later generations think that moderation is old-fashioned and outdated, so they oppose moderation and pursue perfection. Anyway, it is just a word. You can enjoy it as you please. Isn't it just a little extreme or a little extreme? What's wrong with it?

sure.

But don’t forget that taking it to the extreme will cause strong reactions.

This is the case in Xiliang. When recruiting people to surrender, they blindly use wide, and then they start to harvest when they see the crops in the field growing well. Once harvested, they don't keep their hands, and then they cut the leeks to pieces, and then the next one comes with a sickle. Those who came over suddenly discovered that these leeks were demonized...

However, it’s not the time to talk about governance yet, right?

This Xiliang doesn't even have a single horoscope.

Facing Fei Qian's helpless smile, Li Ru laughed hoarsely behind his leather robe and said: "It doesn't matter... as long as the general knows what he is thinking... The tribes of Xiliang are like chickens and dogs. It's very easy to get it. If nothing goes wrong, Jiang Zhongyi should be planning to cause chaos among the Xiliang tribes at this time..."

"A plan to cause chaos?" Fei Qian turned his head to look at Li Ru with some surprise and said, "Is it possible that Wen You had made arrangements in advance?"

"General, don't be surprised. How could I not leave some tricks behind when I was born in Xiliang?" Li Rugong said, cupping his hands, "Before I entered Hanzhong, I had already told Zhong Yi that if there was a change in Xiliang, I could act accordingly..."

Without waiting for Fei Qian to continue asking, Li Ru pointed in the direction of Xiabian and continued: "What's more, this strategy of confusion... Haha, didn't the general actually use it for a purpose?"

Fei Qian chuckled, then waved his hand and said, "This is an accidental thought, not intentional."

Li Ru nodded and said: "It was an unintentional move, so it is impossible to guard against it. Seeing Han Wenyue leaving in a hurry, you can know that the general's strategy has worked... With just a hundred war horses, Han Wenyue's support can be cut off, which is a great deal..."

"Haha... In this way, it is indeed a good deal..." Fei Qian nodded and said, and then asked, "I wonder how Wenyou will arrange the chaos?"

Li Ru said: "Now that Han Wenyue wants to fight against the general, he must borrow the power of the tribes of Xiliang. However, the tribes of Xiliang usually have no subordinates, have complicated thoughts, and dirty things are common. Unless it is a matter of life or death, they will definitely Unable to work together, this is one of them. In the early years of Han Wenyue, Han was no more than a small official in Jincheng, so he relied on being able to get his current position by borrowing swords from both sides and taking advantage of the situation. However, the Xiliang tribes did not benefit, so gaps must arise. This is the second one. What about the third one..."

"The rebellion in Xiliang in the past was just to seek stability through chaos. Now that Xiliang has deviated from the court, there is no harsh government and corvee, and there are no cruel officials. Is there any reason to rebel again?" Li Ru said lightly, as if It's like saying something very common and simple like one plus one equals two, "Therefore, if Han Wen makes an appointment to raise troops to press the general, he is asking for death..."

Fei Qian nodded, and then said: "...But what if the Han Wen agreement ends here? Well... I understand... So there must be a battle in Qishan..."

"Exactly. However, General, it is easy to defeat the Korean army, but it is difficult to conquer Xiliang..." Li Rugong cupped his hands and said, "After the defeat of Han Wenyue, the general should not rush into Xiliang. It is best to still stick to Guanzhong..."

Fei Qian took a breath, nodded slowly, and said after a moment of silence: "Wen You, to be honest, Xiliang is difficult to determine. There are many factors involved, but there is no straight line from east to west, which makes it difficult for soldiers to transport food and supplies... ...Therefore, if you want to pacify Xiliang, you need to build a road first... There are many treasures in the Western Region, but it is ridiculous that some short-sighted people in the court regard them as useless... If there is a straight road, one will be convenient for garrisoning, and the other will be accessible. Merchants, the three of them..."

"Straight Road? Western Region?"

Li Ru frowned and followed Fei Qian in looking to the west, pondering and thinking...

…………………………

Qishan, in the era of Brother Zhu, was naturally in his mind, but at this point in time, he didn't get much attention. He was just a transit point and didn't have much special significance for the time being.

During the period of the war between Wei and Shu, the most critical factor why Qishan was important was that it was bordered by Hanzhong to the south, Tianshui to the north, and Xiliang to the west. All waterways and dry roads converged here, effectively strangling the throat of Longshu. , the key point to march into Guanzhong.

However, now, the entire Han Dynasty is still nominally one. In addition, Hanzhong is under the control of Zhang Lu and has no contact with Guanzhong or Xiliang for a long time, let alone any conflict. Therefore, Qishan This place just has a slightly special meaning in Fei Qian's mind. As for others, this place is not as important as Fanxudao or Yangping Pass.

Around Qishan, there are three roads that can continue northward, reach Longyou, and return to Guanzhong.

The first road is the Yangxi Valley Road.

From Qishan Mountain to the West Han River, turn to the southwest, about fifty or sixty miles away, is Lidian. Li's store is not a store, but a county town. And in the northwest of Lidian, there is a river, Yangxi, which winds for about two hundred miles and leads to Tianshui. After reaching Tianshui, you can go straight down the Weishui River and enter Youfufeng, or you can go west along the Weishui River. Arrive in Longxi. This one is the longest, but relatively easy to walk.

The second road is called the wooden door road.

Starting from Qishan and heading north along the mountain, you can reach Lucheng. Lu City is not big. There are three gates in the east, southwest and northwest. It is named because the land is rich in lu soil. There are many salt wells in this place. Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, salt officials have been set up here to drill wells to extract salt. The area is long and narrow.

Ten miles north from Lucheng, there is a fork in the road, with a river valley in the northwest direction. This river is called Chouni River, which leads to the second road, Mumen Road; in the north direction, it leads to the third road, Tietang Gorge Road.

Go upstream along the Choni River and go north for about twenty or thirty miles until you reach the Mumen Valley. After passing the Mumen Valley, it becomes a lot more open. You can go northwest from the Jihe River and reach Shanggui, and then turn to Tianshui or go eastward. Guanzhong.

Except for Mumen Valley, this road is relatively open elsewhere. Of course, this openness is only for marching. If it is used as a battlefield, it is still a bit narrow and is not conducive to the cavalry's sudden advance.

The third road is called Tietang Gorge Road.

As mentioned earlier, the fork in the road ten miles north of Lucheng, less than thirty miles to the northeast, the mountain becomes steep again, and you need to turn east. Here, there are towering cliffs on both sides, winding valleys, and the West Han River rushing through the valley. , the momentum is amazing, the cliffs on both sides are as black as iron, hence the name Tietang Gorge. Continue north from Tietang Gorge, cross Yunwu Mountain, and then go north to the outside of Shanggui City. This road is the shortest, but the most difficult to walk. It goes over mountains and ridges and the road is narrow.

Han Sui immediately led his soldiers to garrison Qishan. The soldiers were busy cutting down trees and building camps.

"Despite Zhengxi's young age, his strategy is indeed outstanding. This plan is really good. If you are not careful, everything will be lost... But now that you have withdrawn from the debate, Zhengxi's plan will be useless. ..." Han Sui put his hands on the table, stared at the map spread out on the table, and said with a rather complicated emotion, "This Zhengxi... But if Zhengxi wants to enter Longxi, there is no way around it. Open this place... Let's see what the response is to Zhengxi..."

Ever since he learned that there were indeed quite a few war horses in the Diren's stronghold as Ma Chao said, Han Sui did not dare to continue chasing Fei Qian.

I was so frightened that I ran away all night.

One of the important reasons why Han Sui has achieved his current status in Xiliang over the years is that Han Sui is cautious by nature and avoids doing risky things as much as possible. Just like when he learned that Jincheng was in trouble before, he would rather believe that he had it. Unbelievable, he led his troops back to Jincheng. This is even more true now. With the Di people who have a major doubt on his side, how can Han Sui continue to chase south without hesitation? If the Di people really send troops and cut off his retreat, wouldn't it be completely over?

Even if they don't continue to pursue, stationing in Xiabian is extremely risky. Although Xiabian is also a key point on the road, on the one hand, we have to resist Fei Qian's troops, and on the other hand, we must be careful about Xiabiandi. If we are not careful and are attacked from both sides, it will be a big problem, so it is better to retreat directly. Stationed here in Qishan.

"My uncle has been on the battlefield for a long time, so how could he fall into Zhengxi's little thief's plan? But by retreating here, didn't we give Zhengxi and the Di people a chance to join forces?" Ma Chao stood on one side and looked at the map. Said, "Why don't you pacify the Di people's stronghold first?"

Han Sui lowered his head and looked at the map without looking up. He sighed and said, "Well, after all, the Di people and Wang Clan have known each other for many years... Although I don't know the reason, I don't want to break off the friendship for many years..."

Although the words are very beautiful, the actual reason is that although the Di people are small in number, they are good at fighting in the mountains, and most of the Di people's fortresses are built on the mountains. It is very troublesome to attack them, so they simply Pretending not to know anything, they retreated overnight.

However, Zhengxi's advance without retreat also confirmed Han Sui's suspicion. If there was no connection between Zhengxi and the Di people, how could Zhengxi lead the army in such a careless manner?

Unlike Ma Chao's habit of not taking revenge overnight, Han Sui considered himself a gentleman, so it would not be too late to settle Di Ren's debt after he defeated Zheng Xi.

Ma Chao glanced at Han Sui, then turned his attention to the map and said: "The little thief who conquered the west has sent soldiers to Guanzhong. I think the reinforcements should arrive soon. I don't know..."

Just as he was mumbling something, something came to him. Halfway through Ma Chao's words, he heard a commotion outside the camp. The soldiers reported that General Gong Ying had urgent military information!

Han Sui suddenly raised his head: "Pass it in!"

The last ray of light at dusk swayed at the door of the big tent, as if making a final struggle with the night. When the stalemate was reaching a stalemate, a soldier staggered in and fell to the ground with a thud, breaking the balance of light and shadow...

Han Sui's eyes widened, looking at the blood on the soldier's face. The corners of his mouth twitched. The words he was about to ask seemed to be blocked by something, but his heart couldn't help but rush to It sank, as if falling into an endless abyss, dark and lightless.