At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 286: Raising troops to march south, turning against the guests

Inside the post house, several Han attendants fell in a pool of blood.

"General Qi, there is one missing person in the Han mission."

After hearing this, the commander of the imperial guard hurriedly went to check the body and found that one person was missing. He hurriedly sent people to search everywhere, but the last Han man could not be found.

It wasn't until two hours later that I accidentally learned that a Han man left the capital on horseback last night.

The commander of the Imperial Guard reported the matter to the leader of Piao Piao Kingdom. The leader could not help but frown slightly and said: "The Chu State envoy was not killed last night, so why did someone leave overnight?"

The commander of the imperial guard said: "Maybe there is something temporary."

The leader of the country always felt uneasy in his heart. He always felt that something was not right about the Chu delegation that came this time, but he could never find where the problem was.

Logically speaking, even if the envoy from the higher country is arrogant, he comes from a land of etiquette and should not be so arrogant and domineering.

But the messenger he saw didn't know whether to live or die, as if he was deliberately irritating himself.

He looked at the commander of the imperial guards with a sad face and said, "I always feel uneasy, as if I have overlooked something."

However, the commander of the imperial guard said nonchalantly: "With my Buddha's protection, Piao will be invincible on this land!"

The king asked: "What if the King of Chu learns that the envoy has been killed and sends troops to attack us?"

The commander of the imperial guard smiled and said: "The king is overly worried. The huge empire in the north has fallen into civil strife and is now torn apart. Chu State has nothing to worry about."

"Even if the Chu State wants to attack our Piao State, there is a Shan State in the middle. The climate here is hot, the mountains are densely forested, and poisonous insects and ferocious beasts are rampant. The Han people simply cannot stand it."

"It's okay if he doesn't come. If he dares to come, he will never come back!"

After hearing the words of the commander of the imperial guard, the leader of the Piao Kingdom was slightly relieved, but after thinking about it, he still said: "Send elite cavalry to hunt down the escaped Han, and we must not let him return to Chu alive."

Nanzhong Governor's Mansion.

The man with a tired face fell to the ground, wailing loudly, and said: "The leader of the Pyu Kingdom is cruel and despises the majesty of our country. He first sent people to kill all the Shan soldiers who were guarding us, and then massacred the entire regiment."

"If I hadn't escaped quickly, I probably wouldn't have come back alive. Please ask the Governor to avenge the death of Pao Ze!"

Xiang Hong was furious when he heard this. He immediately stood up and shouted: "How dare you, a small barbarian country, kill my envoys and insult the prestige of our country!"

Fazheng immediately said: "South Vietnam killed the Han envoys and slaughtered them into nine counties; King Wan killed the Han envoys and hung his head on the North Tower; North Korea killed the Han envoys and killed them immediately!"

"The king of Loulan came back to kill the Han envoys. Fu Jiezi went deep into Loulan and killed them on the spot. Jiezi told everyone in Loulan: The king is guilty of the Han Dynasty. The emperor sent me to kill the king. I should replace the prince who is hostage in the Han Dynasty. The Han soldiers have just arrived, don't do it. If you dare to move, if you move, the country will be destroyed! Jiezi will return with the king's head."

"The Chanyu of the Zhizhi killed the Han envoy Gu Ji, Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou ran thousands of miles to attack, beheaded the heads of the Zhizhi, killed the Yan clan, the prince, and the famous king, and killed 510, 45 people, and surrendered more than a thousand people. . The heads of all the people were beheaded and hung in the barbarian mansions as a sign to thousands of miles away."

"Anyone who offends a strong man will be punished no matter how far away he is!"

"If the small barbarian country of Piao dares to kill the angels of our country, the governor can report to the lord and raise an army to destroy them and slaughter all the people of Piao to show the power of heaven!"

Xiang Hong accepted his words and immediately ordered people to rush to Xiangyang to report the matter to Zhou Qi, and also brought a letter from Fazheng.

Xiangyang, Palace of the Prince of Chu.

After Zhou Qi listened to the messenger's narration and read Fazheng's handwritten letter, he couldn't help but have a strange look on his face.

Previously, Xiang Hong requested to send an envoy to Piao. Zhou Qi thought he was going to spy on the military situation, but he didn't expect that he actually sent the envoy to die on purpose, and then found an excuse to send troops to destroy the country.

Zhou Qi could guess with his toes that this was definitely Fazheng's plan.

What excites Zhou Qi the most is that Fa Zheng’s letter also tells about the fact that Piao and Shan are rich in rice, war horses, and cattle. If they can be wiped out and these things are used for their own purposes, Chu will definitely become stronger. rise.

Zhou Qi has long known that Indochina Peninsula produces rice and can harvest three crops a year, making it an excellent place for growing food.

But he didn't know that there were war horses and high-quality cattle there, both of which were livestock from the Chu State.

He read in detail Fazheng's plan to destroy the Piao and Shan kingdoms, and couldn't help but sigh: "Fa Xiaozhi has a plan by ghosts and gods!"

After thinking for a while, Zhou Qi immediately summoned Wang Can and ordered him to write an essay to criticize the thief.

Ever since he asked Wang Can to write a petition against Yuan, Zhou Qi had fallen in love with Wang Can, the talented seventh son of Jian'an.

Wang Can eloquently wrote more than a thousand words, not only detailing the arrogance of the Piao Kingdom and the crime of killing the envoys of the Chu Kingdom, but also sternly announcing to the world that the Chu Kingdom must not be humiliated, and those who humiliate will perish!
Even Zhou Qi felt passionate after reading this memorial. He immediately praised Wang Can for his outstanding literary talents. After rewarding Wang Can, he sent an envoy to Nanzhong. On the one hand, he allowed Xiang Hong to lead the army to the south, and on the other hand, Du Ji, Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong and Zhang Hong cooperated with Xiang Hong in using troops against the south.

Nanzhong, Dudu Mansion.

When Xiang Hong received the message sent by the King of Chu, he couldn't help but cheer up and said to Fazheng: "My lord really allowed me to wait for the southern expedition, and he also asked someone to write this message!"

Fazheng received the petition and after reading the contents, he smiled and said: "Such literary talent and style must be written by Wang Zhongxuan!"

Xiang Hong said: "I will spread the message throughout the south and central area, and then launch an army to conquer the south!"

At this time, many barbarian tribes in the south were still building county towns in a prosperous manner. When the message to punish the thieves was spread, the barbarians from all tribes became furious.

Although they are barbarians, they have already surrendered to the Han Dynasty and can be regarded as Han people. Just like the ethnic minorities in China in later generations, they also have love and awe for this huge dynasty.

Especially now, Zhou Qi has promulgated a series of policies that are beneficial to the barbarians, and also allows the barbarians to register their household registration, giving them the same rights and status as the Han people.

Moreover, through the propaganda of the masters sent by Zhou Qi, all the barbarians also knew that they had the same ancestors as the Han people, and they were all descendants of Yan and Huang. They also respected and loved the newly established Chu State from the bottom of their hearts.

Nowadays, the Piao Kingdom, which is just living in the south, dares to kill the envoys of the Chu Kingdom. This is not only a slap in the face of the Chu people, but also a slap in the face of the barbarians from various tribes living in the Chu Kingdom.

In addition, Zhou Qi had previously promised that all barbarians with registered residences could go into battle to kill the enemy. As long as they could kill the enemy, they could be promoted to a high official position and given the title of wife and son, just like the Han people.

If they were allowed to fight with the Han people, these barbarians would be in awe and maybe a little afraid.

Now, the governor of Nanzhong is preparing to launch an army to attack the Piao Kingdom, which immediately makes these barbarians who have been gearing up and want to make achievements very happy.

Although they don't know much about the Pyu State, they also know that the Shan State adjacent to Yongchang County is only slightly inferior to the Pyu State.

Just a few barbarian tribes in the south of Yongchang County can turn the northern Shan country upside down. Even if the Piao country is slightly stronger, how strong can it be?
This further intensified the barbarians' contempt for Piao.Therefore, when the news spread throughout Nanzhong, the barbarian chiefs of various tribes, regardless of the homes that were being built in full swing, almost all came to protect the Nanzhong Governor's Mansion in person and asked for battle.

Even Meng Huo and the Barbarian King Gaoding came to see Xiang Hong, hoping to participate in the battle to wipe out the Pyu Kingdom.

After all, persimmons are weak, and wars against the Han people are not easy to fight, but wars against barbarian states such as Piao State can quickly gain military merit.

"Captain, my lord has promised us before that when the southern expedition begins, he will definitely use the warriors from our tribe."

"Now that Piao State dares to kill our envoy from Chu State, I am willing to mobilize all my tribal warriors to help the governor to destroy Piao State!"

Gao Ding, as the Barbarian King, was the first to speak, looking at Xiang Hong with eager eyes.

After Gao Ding finished speaking, the chiefs of the other tribes also asked for battle.

Seeing how enthusiastic everyone was, Xiang Hong immediately stretched out his hands and pressed down. After everyone calmed down, he said: "Now in Nanzhong, the primary purpose of building cities and cultivating fields for your tribe should be, so Each tribe cannot send too many warriors to participate in the battle, so as not to affect the progress of city construction and next spring plowing."

"You select a warrior out of 100 people according to the population. There are only 5000 people in total to follow me in the southern expedition."

"Anyone sent must be a warrior in the tribe."

After hearing Xiang Hongzhi's words, the chiefs of the tribes with large populations naturally smiled, but the chiefs of the small tribes were dejected.

Gao Ding said: "According to the statistics of the four county guards in Nanzhong, the population of each tribe of our barbarians has exceeded 50. Even if we pick one out of a hundred, I am afraid there will be more than [-] soldiers and horses."

Xiang Hong said: "I only need five thousand soldiers and horses, and you will choose the best after you select one from a hundred."

In this way, each tribe selected elite warriors to join the army of the Southern Expedition.

In the end, Xiang Hong selected [-] Han people and [-] barbarians. The generals he led included Fazheng, Li Hui, Gaoding, Meng Huo, E Huan, Wutu Gu, A Hui Nan, Dong Dana and others, totaling seven Thousands of soldiers and horses marched southward in mighty force.

At the same time, the governors of the four counties wrote to Xiang Hong one after another, saying that the county had to build a new city and settle the barbarians who came down the mountain. Food and grass were in short supply, so it was difficult to allocate too much supply for the army to fight for a long time. They also asked Xiang Hong to speed up the battle.

They are not delaying, it is indeed the case. At least within two or three years, Nanzhong may not be able to make ends meet in terms of food and grass.

They were able to mobilize some food and grass to supply the army with a short-term expedition south, which has fully proved their political ability.

never thought.

Xiang Hong's reply to the four people said that it was only necessary for each county to provide the food and grass for the army to arrive in the Shan Kingdom, and they did not need to provide subsequent food and grass.

The four of them knew the elegant meaning after hearing the string. They had roughly guessed Xiang Hong's plan, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, Nanzhong is indeed not suitable for large-scale use of troops. Whether it is the transfer of grain and grass within the territory or the recruitment of warriors from various tribes, it will have a great impact on building cities, building houses, and cultivating farmland.

Nowadays, Xiang Hong has only mobilized [-] soldiers and horses, of which [-] Han troops came from the Hunanzhong Governor's Mansion, which is equivalent to a loss of only [-] labor forces.

This number seems to be not small, but when it is scattered throughout the four counties of Nanzhong, it is nothing.

In the Shan Kingdom, the capital is Sagaing, and the palace is the main hall.

During this period, the leader of Shan State was often in a state of uneasiness because the envoy from Chu State who had gone to Pyu State to mediate the war was killed, and even the elite guards he sent out were also massacred.

He was not only distressed that his soldiers were massacred, but also worried that after the Chu envoy died in Piao, the King of Chu would be angry with him.

Just when the leader of the Shan Kingdom was worried, his trusted ministers suddenly rushed in with joy on their faces, holding a message in their hands.

The upset leader of the Shan Kingdom frowned slightly when he saw this, and asked: "Is there anything that deserves you to be so happy?"

The minister smiled and said: "After the king reads this letter, he will know the reason."

The leader of the Shan State received the appeal and looked at the Chinese characters throughout. It was not difficult to read it. This was because the Shan State was a vassal state of the Han Dynasty. The leader of the Shan State had been canonized by the Eastern Han Dynasty, so he naturally had to learn Chinese characters.

After he read the contents of the message, his sorrow immediately disappeared, and he said with joy on his face: "It is indeed the style of the previous dynasty. Anyone who dares to kill the Han envoy will be killed no matter how far away he is!"

The minister took out another letter and said: "This is a letter sent by the Governor of Nanzhong of Chu State. Please ask the Lord to read it!"

The leader of the Shan Kingdom hurriedly took the letter. After reading the content, he could not help but frown slightly. He raised the letter in his hand and said to his close ministers: "The Governor of Nanzhong led seven thousand troops south to wipe out the Pyu Kingdom. , we need to provide food and troops, and the troops will be under the command of the Nanzhong Governor, what do you think?"

Providing food and grass is nothing. The Shan country is located in Indochina, and rice is harvested three times a year, so there is no shortage of food.

It would not be a problem for them to supply the food and grass needed for a mere seven thousand soldiers and horses for several years.

But the latter one, the governor of Nanzhong asked for the command of the Shan army, but the leader of Shan hesitated.

The confidant minister pondered for a moment, and then said: "Our country is small and the people are weak. The total number of soldiers and horses in the country is only [-], which may not be as large as one county in the previous country."

"This time, the governor of the country personally led the troops to conquer Piao. Although it was because Piao killed the envoys of Chu, the fundamental reason was to help us resist Piao."

"Most of the Han generals are familiar with military literature and are brave and good at fighting. It is the best choice to give the army to their command."

"What's more, after they wipe out the Piao Kingdom, they can't leave their hometown and station their troops here, right?"

"At that time, the leader of the country can annex Pyu, and it will be easy for our Shan country to double its strength."

"Compared with the abundant harvest, what is this little effort?"

Although the leader of the Shan Kingdom was moved, he still hesitated: "I'm worried that after handing over the command of the army to them, if the Governor of Nanzhong wants to do harm to me, how should I deal with it?"

The confidant minister smiled and said: "The king thinks too much."

"The previous dynasty was a state of etiquette, and we are their vassal state. How could the governor of Nanzhong do such a thing?"

"If they really want our land in Shan country, they can just send troops to snatch it. Why do they need to do this?"

After hearing this, the leader of the Shan Kingdom was completely relieved, and then said: "In that case, then agree to the governor's request. You can reply to the letter for me, and I will start mobilizing the army and food and grass right away!"

(End of this chapter)