Johime Three Kingdoms

Chapter 479 Chapter 468 Making something out of nothing
Liu Zhang felt very innocent.

It was April in the capital at this time, but Liu Zhang couldn't feel any warmth. It was rare that he didn't order someone to go to the ice bank to get ice to cool off every day.

It turned out that during the first lunar month of the third year of Xingshun, Liu Zhang received news from the court and learned that the court finally ordered Zhang Lu to stop attacking Yizhou; and that Bajun's blockade of caravans heading to Chu State had also been Initial results have been achieved, and the price of Sichuan salt has steadily rebounded...

Although he knew that Zhang Lu would not obey the court's orders so easily, Liu Zhang felt secretly happy when he thought that Zhang Lu's request to found a country was rejected.

And after blocking the exchanges between Bajun and Chu, the price of Sichuan salt picked up again. The reason why Liu Zhang "boycotted Chu goods" before was partly because Chu salt was too ferocious.

Not only is the quality high, but also... when it is shipped from the coast to Bajun, the price is actually at an advantage, which makes the salt sellers in Xichuan want to vomit blood!

In fact, it is not surprising that the price can be so low-the cost of Chu salt is very low, and the "salt tax" induced by the salt program and salt is only high, and the exported salt is tax-free.

Selling salt internally is part of the tax, and selling salt externally is an additional plunder from the outside world. Bai Tu can naturally calculate this account...

Even though Liu Zhang didn't understand that "salt" was actually "tax", he still knew that his annual income was greatly affected because of Chu Salt.

Even if Liu Zhang could not completely control the salt in Yizhou, the impact on Yizhou Prefecture was not small, so Liu Zhang united with several Xichuan families and began to block the inflow of Chu products.

Even at the suggestion of Zhang Yan, Marquis of Zheng, horses and other items that had been blocked in Yizhou no longer flowed to Chu.

Now that Zhang Lu has been rejected as a marquis and the influence of Chu State on him has gradually disappeared, he should have been twice as happy. However, at this time, shocking news came from Chu State!

In the Chu Kingdom, the talk of Shu has changed recently. It seems that... Chu people are beginning to be afraid of themselves?
Liu Zhang thought at first that this was three times the happiness - it must be because my previous attempts to keep a low profile were exposed, and everyone discovered that I was so wise and powerful that even my enemies trembled...

Therefore, Liu Zhang ignored Zhang Song's warning to him at that time and resolutely decided to cooperate with the propaganda of this gust of wind in Yizhou!
Let those idiots know that I, Liu Zhang, am the existence that scares the state of Chu and makes the King of Chu terrified all day long. Don't make troubles, let alone say that I am incompetent and cowardly behind my back. That only shows that you have no vision!

Liu Zhang himself could not wait to read the rumors about him from Chu State every day, and even... enthusiastically ordered people to collect the news from Chu State.

Sometimes Liu Zhang himself wondered - Do I really have a hundred thousand cavalry?
However, it didn't take long for the situation to change further. Chu's fear gradually sublimated into hatred and even fighting spirit...

Liu Zhang's initiative to pay attention was wrong, and he got the news in a timely manner.

More than a month after the New Year, Liu Zhang heard that the people of Jinling stopped Bai Tu's chariot and asked Chu to go to war with Yizhou. Bai Tu and the people bowed three times and returned the favor, and finally killed the chariot and vowed to march westward. A matter of competing for a fight.

Liu Zhang:? ? ?
Liu Zhang was completely confused.

Aren't you afraid?

Why do the weak fight?If you don't fight, you won't die, don't you understand?
Liu Zhang couldn't understand Chu Ren's brain circuit at all, and was vaguely panicked - the direction of things seemed to be beyond his control!

It was also because of the delay in this news that when Liu Zhang heard about it, Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong had already joined forces in Yiling, and began to shuttle through Xiling Gorge, approaching Zigui County.

The road construction plan has been carried out for nearly three years, and the speed of troop deployment within Chu State has been greatly improved...

Yiling is not the border of Jingzhou. What really counts as the "border" should be Zigui County where Bai Tu visited during his western tour - that is, Zigui where Li Yan served as the county magistrate before.

Historically, the reason why Lu Xun faced Liu Bei at Yiling was because Zigui and the Yidao west of Yiling were strategically abandoned by Lu Xun, and Liu Bei crushed them all the way without any major war.

From Yidao to Zigui, we are already in the "Xiling Gorge", the easternmost of the Three Gorges. When we drove to Zigui County, Bai Tu was delayed a lot of time.

To the east of Zigui is the more dangerous and narrow Wu Gorge, and Qutang Gorge. The west entrance of Qutang Gorge is the pass from Jing to Yi, "Qutang Pass", also known as "Kuimen".

To the west of Kuimen, there is a mountain city built using the dangerous terrain at the foot of Kuimen Mountain and echoing Qutang Pass - Baidi City.

After the Battle of Yiling, Liu Bei's army was not only burned by Lu Xun, but even the retreat to Kuimen was cut off by Sun Huan. He could only retreat back to Kuimen over the mountains and ridges, and died of stagnation and illness in Baidi City.

When Liu Bei took Yizhou, it was Zhuge Liang who broke through Qutang Pass with Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, and then fought and won many times...

In comparison, the terrain of Xiling Gorge is better, and it is the border of Chu State. The roads have been barely repaired. After Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong met, they quickly began to move towards Zigui.

When Liu Zhang heard that the Chu army was really showing signs of gathering, Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong had already left Zigui, crossed Wu Gorge and Qutang Gorge all the way, and "knocked" outside Kuimen.

Liu Zhang, who realized later, was reminded by Zhang Song and ordered Bajun to be on guard and guard!
"The prefect of Bajun is General Yan... General Yan is always strong and strong, comparable to Huang Zhong, the fierce general of Jingzhou. Wu Lan and Lei Tong are both leaders of the younger generation, not weaker than Sun Ce and Zhou Yu of Jiangdong.

Yes, immediately ask Wu Lan and Lei Tong to lead troops to Jiangzhou, and they must intercept the Chu army! "Liu Zhang said to himself with some ecstasy.

Zhang Song: ...

Zhang Song was a little suspicious that this guy was already suffering from hysteria - but it could also be seen that deep down in Liu Zhang's heart, he should understand that he was making things out of nothing, secretly making things up, imagining them out of thin air, and fabricating them out of thin air...

So after a long time of bragging, the final order was to "hold on", rather than to actually go down the river and massacre Jingjing and Chu.

Zhang Song also silently told himself in his heart: I am a national scholar, I am Yan Zi, you are Duke Lin, Duke Zhuang, Duke Jin, and I can also assist you. I am not afraid of pitfalls, I am not afraid of pitfalls, I am not afraid of pitfalls...

You can vaguely hear that when Zhang Song was ordered to leave to deliver the order, Liu Zhang was still mumbling "rumors" from Chu State, comparing them one by one to convince himself to calm down!

Liu Zhang's subordinates and generals are definitely not comparable to Chu. Before that, Bai Tu and Xia Houjuan used their brains all night long to make up random things. It is by no means comparable to Chu and Wei.

However, the configuration of Yizhou Prefecture at this time is indeed not weak. Even after Bai Tu intercepted countless Hus and kept countless talents who should have flowed into Xichuan in Chu State, it is still stronger than Jingzhou Prefecture in its heyday. .

It is even comparable to the Marquis of Qi Liu Bei. Even if it is slightly inferior, it is still better than other Yonghou, Saihou, Gongsun Kang, Zhang Lu and others...

Perhaps in terms of force, no one under Liu Zhang could defeat Ma Chao, Ma Teng's son, and in terms of intelligence, no one could defeat Zhang Yan's counselor Sima Yi.

However, it is rare to have both civil and military personnel. From the generals and ministers who can oversee the overall situation and command the three armies, to the county officials at the grassroots level, Yizhou is not lacking, and the whole is very stable.

Although it is precisely because of stability that Liu Zhang's transformation into a warlord was not complete, and his control over the counties under his rule was weak, this was not the main reason for Yizhou's weakness. The most prominent problem was Liu Zhang's incompetence. It dragged down the civil and military forces of Yizhou...

For example, Yan Yan, the prefect of Bajun at this time, said that he was evenly matched with Huang Zhong. It was certainly nonsense, but it was not just talk!
Yan Yan himself is also good at holding on, but because he didn't take too many precautions before, Yan Yan was still sitting in Jiangzhou City, the seat of Bajun.

Don't look at the novel. After Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang broke through Kuimen and divided their troops, they seemed to arrive in Jiangzhou the next day to fight Yan Yan.

In fact, "going up the Shuo River and conquering Badong" is by no means as simple as saying.

From Qutangguan to Jiangzhou, even if there are two points and one line, the shortest distance, you have to pass through the five counties of Yufu, Quren, Linjiang, Pingdu, and Zhixian...

No matter in history or now, if Bajun was strictly defensive from the beginning, it would be difficult for the Jingzhou Army to enter.

However, no matter whether it is history or the present, there is no "if" - when Yan Yan received the urgent report from Qutangguan, the order from Chengdu had not yet arrived in Jiangzhou!
In fact, since the Chu State occupied Jingzhou, Yan Yan had repeatedly requested permission to expand his army in Bajun, especially at Qutang Pass.

However, neither Liu Zhang nor the nobles in Yizhou care about this matter. The Yizhou government is unwilling to increase the expenditure, and the wealthy families in Berkshire are even more opposed to Yan Yan's transfer of Jiangzhou's soldiers and horses to Qutangguan—— After all, the richest area in Ba County is the Jiangzhou area, and this is their foundation.

The reason why Qutang Pass is now more guarded than the Qutang Pass that Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei attacked in history is mainly because we have to beware of caravans trading privately between Bajun and Chu!

Quren County is a big salt-producing county—the well salt is produced. Due to technical reasons, the cost is much higher than that of sea salt in Chu State.

Therefore, the powerful and powerful families in Badong support the "boycott of Chu goods".

Even the Gan family, who was still living in Ba County after all, did not dare to offend against this public outrage. After being held down twice, he no longer thought about it.

In contrast, what the wealthy families in Shu County hate even more is Jiangdong brocade - similarly, this kind of brocade is not only of higher quality, but also of extremely low cost, which greatly affects Shu brocade.

Gan... was even more afraid to speak in this regard. After all, when Jiangdong Jin started, Gan sent many weavers to Gan Ning.

It is precisely because the quality of Jiangdong brocade is so high that no one suspects that the Gan family is collaborating with the enemy. After all, the Gan family does not have that kind of technology. Not top-notch!
As for the matter of establishing a branch family in Jiangdong, it is common among aristocratic families, and no one insists on it.

The "boycott of Chu goods" did cut off some people's financial resources, but generally speaking, it was in the interests of most of the wealthy families in Yizhou, so it was implemented so efficiently in Yizhou.

However... trying to block Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong's attack with just some anti-smuggling troops is obviously a fantasy!
(End of this chapter)