Three Kingdoms

In any case, in the four years of Taixing after the Yantie Conference, the court in Xu County actually entered a rather rare period of political stability.

Naturally, there are many factors that influence this, but fundamentally speaking, most people are actually busy, so they naturally have no time to talk about trivial things.

The common people have to take care of Zhuang He, the nobles are planning their fields, and the ruler Cao Cao wants to stabilize Jizhou. Xu County is somewhat relaxed here. It is not like the period when General Hussar attacked. There seems to be an atmosphere of unrest everywhere. , something might break out at any time.

The Jizhou Group collapsed, Yuan Shao died, and the Yuan family fell into pieces. But this does not mean that the Jizhou nobles will be immediately labeled as losers and beaten to the ground.

Overall, the gentry in Jizhou failed. Their agent, Yuan Shao, was eliminated. However, the gentry in Jizhou did not suffer much damage. Even after Yuan Shao's death, the three Yuan brothers had no time to pay attention to these rural tyrants due to the mutual disputes between them. These guys have more opportunities to control the place. After all, no one from above is in charge. So what to say or calculate in the countryside, of course, it is these nobles who have the final say.

Just like when some companies in later generations went bankrupt, their legal entities and a large group of people who worked in the company were naturally destroyed. However, this does not mean that their investors will also go bankrupt. There is no way that investors can still withstand the creditors. In the name of the company, the most critical things within the company were plundered in advance as compensation for its investment, and the remaining tables, chairs, benches, etc. were thrown to the next company to open a company at a reduced price...

So now the Jizhou nobles are negotiating with Cao Cao. No one wants to break up with each other, and no one wants to lose the initiative.

However, what is clear is that the Jizhou nobles and Cao Cao will eventually reach a certain degree of agreement. After all, there is at least the hussar general Fei Qian. Even because of Fei Qian, the integration of the Jizhou nobles and Cao Cao will be faster and faster. Smoother.

The Emperor and Empress Cao seemed to be getting more and more harmonious. As Empress Cao's belly grew bigger day by day, Liu Xie seemed to be a little more calm as a father, no longer blindly competing with the Cao Group, but with each other. There seems to be a more harmonious atmosphere underneath.

Of course, many people actually know that such a peaceful atmosphere may not last long.

It is very realistic. What is in front of us is the disaster situation in various places. Now everyone is providing disaster relief and busy replanting the fields, so no one has paid attention to the subsequent autumn harvest. If taxes are reduced and exempted according to the situation this year, and there is no war, then how much more will it be? To ease things up a bit, if we still want to maintain the original taxes, and even deploy civilians to assist in the battle, then...

But the question is, will Cao Cao stop fighting?

No one can say this, and it seems that from south to north, murderous intent is everywhere. Facing the inside of the court, Liu Xie showed some methods, which seemed to have some effect, but against this external threat, Liu Xie was powerless.

Although Liu Xie, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, had demonstrated his ability to coordinate conflicts and some political skills through the Salt and Iron Conference, he was still immature to these political veterans. Of course, for ordinary young emperors, immaturity is not a problem, because other emperors still have opportunities, can make mistakes, and have time to learn, but for Liu Xie, these learning opportunities are very costly. of.

Even the most optimistic royalists may not know whether the emperor Liu Xie can really transform into "Liu Xiu second". This is somewhat understandable. After all, the forbidden spells of the great mage Liu Xiu cannot be learned by anyone who wants to. These people placed more hope that Liu Xie could become another emperor, an emperor who was also young and turbulent and succeeded to the throne.

To be fair, in a country where the banner of the Han Dynasty has been flying for three to four hundred years, even though the status of Emperor Liu is somewhat shaken, many people will still leave a place in their hearts.

As for the current situation...

There is no way, in fact many things, or rules, have already broken down. For example, the simplest thing is that officials sent abroad in the Han Dynasty must have family members in Kyoto. Whether they are governors, governors, or state shepherds, their family members must stay in Kyoto, especially the eldest son, they must be in Kyoto!

Even during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, who was known for his mediocrity, Liu Yu was sent as the governor of Youzhou, leaving his son Liu He in Luoyang; Liu Yan was sent as the shepherd of Yizhou, and his son Liu Fan had to stay in the capital...

This used to be an iron law that could not be changed. If an expatriate official dared to escape with his eldest son, he would be in trouble. He was either rebelling or treason. If the court did not send troops to arrest him immediately!

But what now?

Cao Pi followed Cao Cao everywhere. As for the hussar general Fei Qian, there was only the word "hehe" left.

Once a rule is broken, it's hard to stand it up again!

Therefore, rules are very important!

Rules cannot be broken!

What were the rules of the Han Dynasty? It represents the broadest interests of the gentry!

What are the rules of Han law? It is to protect the interests of all noble children from infringement!

Just like if a merchant dares to sell an ordinary duck as a noble duck of a nobleman, he must have ruined the brand of the merchant who sells the duck. Random confiscation of the house will never be forgiven, but on the other hand, if the nobleman deliberately smashes the craftsman, even if it is If he is disabled, he will only be compensated two hundred yuan at most...

The first thing a new local official should do when he takes office is to summon the village elders and assure the local powerful people on the spot that he will not get along with anyone who can't get along with the noble local powerful people! The people...well, the local tyrants don't care about anything. They won't arrest them if they can, and they won't move if they can! Always answer your call, don't disturb anything, don't miss your call, be there whenever you call...

No matter how bad it is, you still have to show that you will show the courage and responsibility of a big local official when facing problems, conflicts and pressure! Worried about the local tycoons, choked up by the plight of the large rural households...

This is the rule!

These are the "rules" that as a member of the Han Dynasty and a high official of the Han Dynasty, you should have and understand!

As a result, there is now a nonsense "Law of Loan Order"...

Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when the nobles, ministers, and officials borrowed money from the common people, it was already usury. The more was 100%, the less was 50%, and the least was 20%. Therefore, this "Law of Loans" Five percent, what the hell is that? Is there such a thing? !

Fei Qian, the special hussar general, has water in his head?

The emperor eats the nobles, the nobles eat the common people, the common people eat the soil, the soil eats...well, don't worry about what the soil eats, isn't this an iron law anyway? Kill to pay for life, debt to pay for money, isn't this a rule that has not changed for thousands of years?

Five percent?

Those people in Shanxi are so pitiful...

Regardless of whether it was Jizhou or Yuzhou, while these Shandong nobles were indignant, they also felt some pity for the Shanxi nobles, which was probably similar to the feeling of sadness for the death of a rabbit and a fox.

There was a lot of confusion for a while.

Jizhou, Yuzhou, various discussions in groups.

Wine shops, manors, all kinds of noisy sounds.

The smell of meat, the charm of tea, and the stretching of the neck in the curtain.

"God has done evil." It can still be violated. Self-inflicted evil. Can’t be fooled...aha...』

"Do evil!" Do evil! 』

"Everyone listens to something!" After this incident, Guanzhong will be in chaos! 』

"There will be chaos!" There will be chaos! 』

"The hussar's behavior is foolish and unethical, and will bring about his own destruction..."

"Destruction!" Perish! 』

After getting high, the nobles' faces were flushed. They hugged the young and tender girl who had just been sold in the past few days. They were in high spirits and raised their glasses and laughed loudly, as if they had foreseen the day of the hussar general Fei Qian's demise. ,coming soon!

I thought it was really a "Hussar", but it turned out to be "Dong Zhuo"! A calm, thoughtful, and powerful hussar is undoubtedly worrying and scary, but if the previous definitions are removed and only pure strength and chaotic mind are left, then he is nothing more than a warrior. !

A warrior!

That being the case, what else is there to worry about?

If that's the case, what else is there to be afraid of?

Haha, come on, raise your glass!

And it’s better to drink!

……o（^.^）Y!!Y（^.^）a……

Nanzhong.

Dianchi Lake.

The place where Liu Bei garrisoned his troops.

"If you want to enter Jiaozhi, you must first pass through the gate of hell!" Liu Bei said in a deep voice, "We must fight here!" 』

The Gate of Hell is not the illusory barrier in religion, but an unavoidable dangerous barrier before Liu Bei and others.

Detour, of course.

But if Liu Bei makes a detour, but Shi Xie can walk in a straight line, and then Shi Xie raids Liu Bei's rear, and the detour is only halfway done, should he continue to advance, or return to rescue?

Therefore, to open the gate of hell is to pry open the gate of Jiaozhi.

All the way south from Sichuan, across the Lushui River, passing through Dianchi Lake in the hinterland of Nanzhong, and then winding along the valley, you will reach Guimen Mountain and Longgouling. In the 17th year of Jianwu's reign, General Ma Yuan of Fubo of the Eastern Han Dynasty led more than 20,000 troops to conquer Linyi. He also passed through this pass and once erected a monument calling it the Ghost Gate, which shows how dangerous it is.

Guimen Gate is located between two mountains. It is built with huge rocks to form a city wall that is three feet high, five feet thick, and more than ten feet long. It is surrounded by Guimen Mountain and Longgouling Mountain on the left and right. The mountains and rocks stand on the wall, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Between the two mountains, there is only a flat land about two or three miles long where troops can be stationed. In the narrow valley in front of the pass, there is not enough space to accommodate a large number of people and horses to form a queue. That is to say, no matter how many troops there are, the number of inputs is limited. Under the consumption, even if the army blocks the pass, it can often only wait and sigh.

With such a dangerous pass, the Jiaozhi Kingdom can always be on the edge of the Han Dynasty's territory, as if it's still far away...

It is almost an impossible task to conquer such a pass. It can be said that since the official establishment of Guimen Pass, it has never been forcibly breached. With such a dangerous pass to rely on, after years of recuperation, Jiaozhi Shixie was basically not afraid of the conquests of Liu Bei and others, and even scorned them.

Even these powerful people in Nanzhong can't help but have some doubts in their hearts. Although they have obtained a lot of benefits after Liu Bei's operations, and they are also eager for more benefits, when they got the news about the ghost gate , they couldn't help but have some doubts about Liu Bei.

Even if the hussar general attacks such a dangerous pass in person, he will probably have to hesitate again and again...

So Meng Yan was also a little hesitant.

Do you really want to fight? This casualty is probably...

Meng Yan was in his prime, and although he was not very tall, he was brave and fierce, and was quite famous in Nanzhong. As for Meng Huo, at this moment, he was still Meng Yan's younger brother.

This time, Nanzhong's powerful people, led by Zhu Timengyan, have gained some profits and obtained some official positions. Naturally, they have to exert some strength. However, everyone knows that this strength is not without a bottom line. After exceeding a certain limit, it will Needs to be re-evaluated. And Meng Yan, in the name of assistance, ensured that the investment made by Nanzhong's powerful men in Liu Bei would not be lost.

Liu Bei was very calm. The reason for his calmness was that he had no way out and could only move forward.

"Xiu Ming, how are those people under your command?" Liu Bei seemed to notice Meng Yan's hesitation, turned his face and asked Meng Yan.

"Please don't worry, General. Meng Yan cupped his hands, opened his eyes and said, "As long as the general gives the order, our warriors will definitely charge forward and never retreat." 』

"Um. "Xiuming's subordinates, of course I don't have any worries..." Liu Bei said slowly, "It's just that Shiweiyan is currently opening up the fields, gathering people's hearts, and pretending to be benevolent to the world. Of course, people with a discerning eye know that he is just a lie, but It’s hard to guarantee that someone will be deceived by him... maybe someone will tip him off..."

Meng Yan's eyelids twitched and he said quickly: "General, don't worry!" My subordinates are all sensible and will never collaborate with the enemy! 』

"That's good..." Liu Bei smiled gently, "If all the news is leaked, how can we be so quick and unexpected?" 』

Meng Yan nodded, also smiled, and then said: "What the general said is true, but if we advance like this, let alone the front of the pass, even if we go a hundred or two hundred miles, we will be discovered by the defenders of Guimen Pass... What, how? Can't you say that soldiers are noble and quick? 』

"There's nothing wrong with this matter, it's just a matter of using indirection to be straightforward, avoiding the truth and attacking the false. Liu Bei said lightly, "Xiuming will see it soon..."

Meng Yan laughed, nodded, and said nothing more.

Then there were some matters related to military affairs, but basically there were no major objections. After determining how to cooperate with each other in the short term and what to do, Meng Yan left.

Guan Yu looked at Meng Yan's retreating figure and sneered.

In such a hilly, forested land with crisscrossed ravines, why declare war first and then march in?

Is it true that you should swear an oath first and then march forward together with the army?

When the three Liu Bei brothers went to the battlefield to fight against the Yellow Turbans, they would sneak into the village and shoot... Well, they had to take the oath to kill the Yellow Turbans by surprise. Otherwise, with the hundreds of men they had back then, they would have really swaggered through the city. From the front, what is it but a fool?

Besides, the gate of hell is so dangerous and everyone knows it’s difficult to fight, so who would really attack it head-on with soldiers piled up?

If you want to defeat the devil, you must use means...

Liu Bei stroked his beard and said: "Nanzhong has no intention to fight..."

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and said proudly: "Without these Nanzhong people, I can conquer the ghost gate!" 』

Liu Bei laughed and said, "It is April now. If it gets hotter and hotter as usual, mosquitoes will definitely be infested in the mountains and forests, making it difficult to prevent them... But now, haha, it's God's help..."

Guan Yu squinted his eyes, and a cold light bloomed in his eyes, "If after defeating the ghost gate, this person is still two-faced, don't blame Guan for taking the opportunity to kill him!" 』

Liu Bei patted Guan Yu on the shoulder and said nothing.

When they come up, they engage local powerful people, and when they meet each other, they capture and kill them. There are many people who do this, such as Sun Jian. But what will happen to Sun Jian? When Sun Jian faced Dong Zhuo in the tent of Captain Zhang Wen, he had nothing else to say, "Kill!" 』So if a time traveler likes to kill without thinking, joining the Sun family is the right thing to do.

The reason why Taiwei Zhang Wen did not kill Dong Zhuo at that time was not because Zhang Wen liked Dong Zhuo or was weak, but because Zhang Wen knew that killing Dong Zhuo would inevitably lead to chaos!

Just like now, Liu Bei and others also know that Meng Yan has slacked off in marching to Jiaozhi, but if Meng Yan is killed right away, I am afraid that Nanzhong, which has just established a new order, will immediately have new problems!

Liu Bei knew that Meng Yan and others were not very enthusiastic about Jiaozhi.

Of course, this is nonsense. After all, these powerful people in Nanzhong have stayed on this territory for at least several decades, and there are many who have spent hundreds of years. If someone has had such a far-sighted vision, Nanzhong’s desire for Jiaozhi If the speed is slightly higher, it won't be Shi Xie's turn to do anything.

The handsome men in Nanzhong seemed to be walking sideways, calling the shots on their own territory, but in the eyes of Liu Bei and others who had seen the big world, they were just a group of gangsters, as long as they left their own territory and went outside the mountains. , it doesn’t even count.

Just like Shi Xie, he is still a figure in Jiaozhi. If he gets the Central Plains...

hehe.

Scholars like Xie seem to be quite good, but in the eyes of many people, they are just like clowns and not worth mentioning. This is not a slight, but a general trend. If the north is uneasy, then Shi Xie can be relatively peaceful. If once the Central Plains is pacified, Shi Xie will inevitably have no choice but to bow his head and wag his tail immediately. For such a small country to compete with the Central Plains, it is undoubtedly a daydream.

In fact, this is indeed the case. Most of those who were sent to Jiaozhi by the Eastern Han Dynasty were guys with full-level verbal skills. These people were very powerful in boasting, but their skills were sparse. Otherwise, they would not have been sent to Jiaozhi. . Naturally, these people still mainly talk in Jiaozhi. On the one hand, they hate the Central Plains extremely, and on the other hand, they extremely long for the Central Plains. This finally creates an extremely contradictory cultural atmosphere in Jiaozhi.

Can't go up, can't go down. Arrogance and inferiority are mixed together.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Cham people killed the Xianglin County magistrate of Rinan County in the Han Dynasty and became independent from the Eastern Han Dynasty. They occupied most of the original Rinan County and established the so-called "Champa Kingdom" with Brahmanism as the state religion. It is bounded by Hue County in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Then, Shi Xie couldn't defeat such a big treasonous person twice, so he just gave up and pretended that he couldn't see it...

How does this make the three Liu Bei brothers think highly of Shi Xie and his like?

Liu Bei looked at the south and said: "This time, it depends on the method of the third brother..."