Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 373
In November of the 24th year of Jian'an, Liu Bei withdrew his troops and returned to Hanzhong.

Although the victory was great, the logistical pressure was too great.

Civil unrest has even occurred in the land of Yizhou.

You must know that the Cao Wei Group is extremely harsh on the people at the bottom.

There are countless examples of Cao Wei exploiting the common people in history, and giving birth to married women is regarded as a benevolent government.

Therefore, it is normal for the Cao Wei Group to have civil unrest after the emergence of the Cao Wei Group. Even during the Cao Wei Dynasty, rebellions occurred every year.

But the Liu Bei Group has a relatively loose and friendly policy towards the common people, except for a "straight hundred money" that is really helpless.

Therefore, there were few rebellions in the Liu Bei Group in history, and only aristocratic families, wealthy families, and Yi kings like Yong Kai, Gao Ding, Zhu Bao, Huang Yuan, Xu Ju, Gao Sheng, Ma Qin, Liu Zhou, and Meng Huo rebelled.

There is only one Mianzhu mountain bandit Zhang Mu among the rebels at the bottom, and this person is a bandit and robber, not an oppressed bottom class.

The rest are prefects from various places, wealthy families in Yizhou, and ethnic minority leaders in the southern area of ​​Yizhou.

It can be seen from this that the Liu Bei Group's suppression of the aristocratic family and its love for the people at the bottom, and the regime has indeed won the support of the people.

However, this battle not only led to several rebellions of aristocratic families in the rear, but even two counties of Shu County were overwhelmed and chose to kill officials and order uprisings.

This shows how much logistical pressure the Liu Bei Group is under and how serious the consequences are.

But luckily it's over.

After Liu Bei returned to Hanzhong, he immediately sent the army back to the counties, so that the counties could support the army on the spot without having to travel long distances to transport food.

Only Guan Yu and Xu Shu remained in Hanzhong, and Zhang Fei, Deng Zhi, Li Yan and others were sent to Liangzhou to pacify Xiliang.Then Pang Tong was ordered to return to Shu County, and Jiang Wan, Fei Yi and others went to Ba County to appease the local area and quell the civil strife.

He returned to the imperial court as a class teacher, went south from Micang Road in Hanzhong, and returned to Jiangzhou.Then Liu Bei followed Zhuge Liang's suggestion and carried out a comprehensive recuperation policy in Yizhou, sending the transferred corvée back to the original place, and issuing coins and materials for rewards.

A series of measures continued, although the consequences and hidden dangers brought about by this year's war have not been eliminated for the time being.However, due to the accumulation of the previous few years and the substantial increase in productivity, there is still sufficient food and grass in the rear, which can barely support the situation.

On the other side of Jingzhou, the impact of the flood is more serious, and the logistics pressure is almost entirely on the people of Yizhou, so that the people of Jingzhou have no corvee burden. However, the flood flooded Nanjun, Jiangxia, Xiling and other places, causing a lot of disasters. governance.

Fortunately, Nanyang was taken back. As an important food and grass area in Jingzhou, Nanyang was occupied by Cao Jun before. Cao Cao did not have time to relocate the people, and did not have extra troops to carry out large-scale massacres. However, the people in Nanyang suffered less military losses.

Therefore, after Nanyang was brought back, Shen Chen immediately asked Zhou Buyi, Cai Du and others to carry out local governance and quickly restore productivity. In addition, Kou Feng requisitioned grain and grass in Jingnan, and transferred civilians to labor to reduce the burden on Yizhou.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, the war between Jingzhou and Guanzhong finally came to an end.The three families have started their own internal politics, lightened corvee, reduced taxes, and worked on production, hoping to recover as soon as possible.

Yizhou Berkshire, Jiangzhou Hanwang Mansion.

Liu Beigao sat on the throne.

In this battle, Liu Bei dispatched more than 20 troops, including 40 on the northern line of Guanzhong and [-] on the southern line of Jingzhou, which cost countless money and food. More than [-] civilians and corvees were mobilized. The entire Yizhou was almost wiped out. null.

If it weren't for Zhuge Liang's hard support and difficult deployment in the rear, I am afraid that Liu Bei and Shen Chen would not have been able to wait for the day of victory, and there would have been chaos in the rear, which caused the collapse of the grain road and the uprising of the people.

In fact, due to the continuous autumn rain, the Shu Road has been like Li Yan in history. He was unable to follow up due to heavy rain and obstacles. Liu Bei on the front line was almost out of food for more than ten days.

It was also Zhuge Liang who made a decisive decision and immediately chose to change the road, letting the peasants and auxiliary soldiers rely on people to carry the burden, and send it from the most difficult Bashu Road to Xicheng County, Shangyong County, which is later Ankang City, Shaanxi, and then from Xicheng to Tangluo Road. to Guanzhong.

This trip is the most difficult and dangerous, because although the Bashu Road and Tangluo Road are not as exaggerated as the Meridian Road, the whole journey is almost full of cliffs, and there are few roads to walk.But it is also rugged and difficult, extremely dangerous.If you are not careful, you may step on the air, fall under the cliff, and be smashed to pieces.

Hundreds of civilian husbands and auxiliary soldiers transporting food and grass in the rear died on this road, which shows the difficulty of it.

Therefore, Zhuge Liang has made great contributions to sitting in the rear.

The first thing Liu Bei did after returning to Jiangzhou was to reward his meritorious deeds and lay the foundation for rewards and punishments for this battle.

In the main hall of the Han Palace, Zhuge Liang sat first under Liu Bei's right hand, followed by Fazheng, Jia Xu, Ma Liang, Zhou Lin, Li Hui, Yang Yi, Liao Li and others.

The No. 1 general on the left is Ma Chao, and the rest Wei Yan, Pang De, Zhang Ren, Yan Yan, Huang Quan, Lei Tong, Yang Ren, Ma Dai and others sit comfortably.

Currently Shen Chen is in Jingzhou, Huang She, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Gan Ning and other generals are all there.But Zhang Fei went to Xiliang, Pang Tong returned to Shu County, Guan Yu and Xu Shu continued to stay in Hanzhong.

Therefore, only Zhuge Liang, Fazheng, Jia Xu, Ma Liang, Ma Chao, Wei Yan, Pang De and others are the heavyweight civil servants and military generals.

Liu Bei looked around, his eyes resting on Ma Chao for a while.

Logically speaking, if Ma Chao was allowed to return to Xiliang, Xiliang would be regained much faster than Zhang Fei.

But he couldn't let Ma Chao go.

In history, he was very wary of Ma Chao, only giving high status but little real power.

So it would be stupid to send Ma Chao back to Xiliang.

In case Ma Chao rebelled, with his prestige in Xiliang, he could raise hundreds of thousands of Qiang people with a single call. Wouldn't it be letting the tiger go back to the mountain?
Therefore, Liu Bei must keep Ma Chao by his side all the time, and at the same time said that this is to show his importance.

But of course these things cannot be stated explicitly.

At this moment Liu Bei glanced at the people below, then raised his head and said: "Everyone, we have won this battle."

"Hahahahaha."

Many advisers and generals below all smiled and cheered.

Liu Bei got up, bowed his hands and saluted everyone: "This time we fought against Cao Cao and Sun Quan, and we all won. It is all thanks to your help, all thanks to the hard work of the soldiers of the three armies, and all thanks to the hardships of the millions of people in Yizhou. I am very grateful. I just want to thank you for this.”

Everyone stood up quickly, and said in return: "The king of Han is serious."

"Everyone, sit down."

Liu Bei smiled and waved his hands, motioning for everyone to sit down.

After everyone sat down, Liu Bei said with a smile: "Now the general situation has been established and the overall situation has been settled. However, the war has just subsided, and there are constant turmoil in the rear. The people are struggling to live. We still need to comfort the people."

Zhuge Liang said: "What your majesty said is very true. The people are suffering. It is time to stop the war, stop the swords and crossbows, cultivate good fields, and support the people's livelihood. In the land of Yizhou, at least for a few years, there will be no more wars, and no more wars. Call out civilian husbands and corvees."

"Ah."

Liu Bei nodded and said: "This matter will be handed over to Xiangguo, Prime Minister Zhong, Prime Minister You and Doctor Yushi. The governance of Yizhou is entirely up to you."

"only."

Zhuge Liang, Fazheng and Jia Xu bowed their hands.

Although Pang Tong was not here, he returned to Shu County. Now the main territory of Yizhou is Shu County, Ba County and Hanzhong County, and the population is also concentrated in these three counties.

Therefore, what Liu Bei meant was to let the four people manage the northern part of Yizhou well and recuperate in order to restore the vitality of Yizhou.

After finishing speaking, Liu Bei looked around again and said: "Xiaoqing wrote that he has recovered the entire territory of Jingzhou and drove Cao Cao and Sun Quan out of Nanzhou. Although Jingzhou has been greatly affected by this turmoil, Xiaoqing said that it was mostly a flood. As a result, the counties of Nanyang, Zhangling and Jingnan are still relatively stable, and next spring, when Jingzhou harvests grain and grass, it will also be able to mobilize the labor force, and he hopes that I will send troops to attack Wu at that time, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty, I agree."

Fazheng got up immediately and said: "Jiangdong's vitality has been greatly injured in this battle. The army has lost seven or eighty-eight, and it is difficult to resist anymore. Cao Cao also lost troops and generals. It is not easy to hold the land of Henan without losing it. It is impossible to fight again." There are troops rushing to help Sun Quan. But we only have Yizhou which suffers from internal conflicts, and Jingzhou is not bad, so we can send troops to attack Wu."

"Ah."

Liu Bei nodded slightly, then looked at Zhuge Liang and said, "Kong Ming, what do you think?"

"The minister also agrees."

Zhuge Liang said: "Xiaoqing once said, "It is advisable to pursue the poor with the remaining bravery, not to become famous and learn to be the overlord. "To beat a snake, you have to hit seven inches, and to cut grass, you have to get rid of all the roots. After this battle, Jiangdong was on the verge of collapse. Sun Quan's internal rebellion must continue. If he can send troops at this time, he should cooperate with the inside and outside, and taking Jiangdong is as easy as turning the palm of his hand."

This is the strategy that Shen Chen and Zhuge Liang formulated for Liu Bei to divide the world between the north and the south. Although this strategy was proposed by Lu Su in history, Shen Chen and Zhuge Liang are obviously pioneers and have been working hard for the implementation of this plan.

Now is the time.

Sun Quan was abolished, Cao Cao was unable to send troops, and the gods in Jiangdong were hard to save. If we don't take advantage of this time to wipe out Jiangdong in one fell swoop, when will we wait?

"The minister also agrees."

"Seconded."

"Seconded."

Ma Chao, Jia Xu and others stood up one after another. Ma Chao did not have the right to speak independently, while Jia Xu did not want to speak.

But now that Zhuge Liang and Fazheng all agree, it is naturally impossible for them to object.

Seeing that everyone thought it was okay, Liu Bei said: "That's it, let's leave today. Kong Ming, Xiao Zhi, Wen He, Ji Chang. You stay here and discuss the first issue of the battle's merits."

"only."

The generals withdrew one after another, and the civil servants stayed behind.

Liu Bei summoned several important civil servants to the backyard, and he walked in front. It happened to coincide with the recent light rain in Jiangzhou, and the rain was falling down the eaves, soaking the cobblestones in the courtyard.

They walked down the corridor. Liu Bei looked at the banana tree in the courtyard and said to Zhuge Liang, "Kong Ming."

"Ok?"

"Who do you think contributed the most to this battle?"

"My lord's contribution is the greatest."

"Haha."

Liu Bei smiled and said, "I thought it was you who deserved the most credit."

Zhuge Liang thought for a while, then nodded and said: "Yes, I have the greatest contribution."

"Xiaoqing is next, what do you think?"

"Naturally."

"Ah."

Liu Bei nodded.

The two continued to walk forward.

As Liu Bei walked, his face suddenly became melancholy, and he said with a little sadness: "For the matter of defeating Wu, Xiaoqing hopes that I will conquer it myself, take Yunchang with me, and let Xiaoqing take over Guanzhong, Kong Ming, what do you think... I don't know why , I feel a little bit uncomfortable."

"The subject knows what the lord is suffering, but Xiaoqing is not wrong. If the lord made a mistake, Xiaoqing would blatantly criticize the lord, but the lord has done a good job. He knows how to measure. Now that you are a monarch and minister, you should also follow the etiquette."

Zhuge Liang said seriously: "Although Xiaoqing said that feudal kings will eventually be eliminated by history, wise kings should not hope that every descendant will be wise, and talented officials should not expect every generation of kings to be noble. Virtue and ability. But now that the protagonist is wise, he should follow the track of history. As for later, a more suitable system and higher productivity are needed to advance history."

Shen Chen had discussed these words with Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, Pang Tong, and the others, as well as with Liu Bei.Any feudal king has to face a reality, that is, the nine sons of the dragon are different, and we cannot expect every emperor to be a good emperor. We need to accept the emergence of playful emperors like Han Huan and Han Ling.

Once a fatuous and playful emperor appears, it will be a devastating blow to the dynasty.People like Song Huizong belonged to the famous emperor's crumbs, and directly brought down the huge Northern Song Dynasty.

So Liu Bei recognized Shen Chen's thoughts and theories, because he knew very well that what Shen Chen said was right.

If he wanted the Han Dynasty to last forever and the dynasty to last forever, then he would not choose to be suspicious of Shen Chen, but would work with Shen Chen and Zhuge Liang to find a way to make the dynasty last longer and make the people's lives better. Well, the way to make the officialdom less corrupt and dark, so that future generations will have wise emperors and virtuous ministers will come out.

Liu Bei has been supporting them to move forward, and this kind of support is sincere and spare no effort. He hopes that he can maintain a continuous close relationship with Shen Chen, Zhuge Liang and the others, so that this friendship between monarchs and ministers will always be preserved. .

But when he received Shen Chen's letter a few days ago, he couldn't help feeling a little bit emotional.

There are three main things in Shen Chen's letter.

First, many heroes were recommended, such as Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Gan Ning, Wenpin, Lu Chang, Zhang Xiu, Zhou Buyi, Cai Du, Deng Ai, Huang She, etc., and greatly praised them.

The second is that he believes that the first credit for winning this battle should go to Zhuge Liang.

The third is to hope that Liu Bei will conquer Jiangdong, which has been disabled by him, and hope that he will guard Hanzhong on behalf of Guan Yu, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei will attack as generals.

There are a few other trivial matters not to mention.

These three things actually contain a truth, that is, to give credit.

Shen Chen knew that his contribution this time was really too great, it was almost impossible to seal it, and it was hard for Liu Bei to do it, so he gave up all the credit, even for eliminating Jiangdong, he gave Guan Yu and Zhang Fei the peaches.

Such good intentions made Liu Bei not only gratified, but also sighed, and couldn't help but feel sad.

Liu Bei said to himself countless times in his heart that he is not Liu Bang, nor is Shen Chen Han Xin.Even if one day Shen Chen wanted to turn against him, he would go to the front of the battle and ask him why he turned his back on him.

He obviously treats Mr. Xiao wholeheartedly, and has never been suspicious or distrustful, so why does he feel that he will be suspicious of him because of his great achievements?
But Zhuge Liang's words still made Liu Bei realize that perhaps Shen Chen was thinking of him.

Because people's hearts are complicated, even if Liu Bei could trust Shen Chen wholeheartedly, what would the other courtiers think?
Especially Guan Yu.

Always arrogant.

Even if Guan Yu is serving Shen Chen.

But if the credit is not as good as that of Shen Chen, there will inevitably be some grudges.

So Shen Chen's self-deprecating credit is not because he is afraid of Liu Bei's suspicion of him, but because he is afraid of people's hearts.

After figuring this out, Liu Bei felt much better, and was moved even more, and said to Zhuge Liang, "Kong Ming."

"Ok?"

"If one day I die, the country will be entrusted to you and Xiaoqing."

"."

Zhuge Liang was silent for a long time, then slowly bowed and saluted, "Wei."

　I came back late today, and I was exhausted from climbing the mountain to worship the ancestors, and it was too uncomfortable. There is only one chapter, but don’t worry, it will be updated every day for today and every day after that.Last month, it was delayed for a few days because of the problem of moving, but the update is still diligent, everyone believe me, when I wrote before, I always gave myself a day off, but I haven’t given myself a day off for two months. Even when there are few updates, at least one chapter of 4000 words per day, character guarantee, work hard to code, and write better works to give back to everyone.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)