Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chapter 607: North First, South Later
First north then south, first Yuan then Cao.

In the eyes of Liu Zhang, a time traveler, there were some inappropriate points in Xun You's proposal to first take Hebei and then Central Plains. After all, in the historical battle between Yuan and Cao, it was Cao Cao who had the last laugh, while Yuan Shao ended up vomiting blood and dying.

But history is history, and today's specific operations must be based on actual conditions. Judging from the current situation in the world, Xun You's suggestions are indeed very appropriate.

First of all, among all the princes in the world, from the perspective of strength, the only one who could compete with Liu Zhang fairly was Yuan Shao. Others such as Cao Cao, Liu Biao, Sun Ce and others were inferior to Liu Zhang in terms of hard power.

Secondly, among the territories ruled by various princes, only Hebei had the same geographical advantage as Liu Zhang. Hebei, like Guanzhong, was a golden corner that could block three sides and defend one side. The Central Plains occupied by Cao Cao was just a grass belly.

Third, the emperor was in Xu, and the ancestral temples and the country were preserved there. Although Liu Zhang had the idea of ​​replacing him, he was afraid to send troops to Xu Du and go to Luoyang as his strength was not overwhelming and there were still other princes who could compete with him.

In addition to these three reasons, Liu Zhang speculated that the reason why Xun You made such suggestions was mostly due to historical limitations and narrow vision.

And you know, in the history well known to scholars at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, those who annexed the world from Guanzhong and created imperial careers included the Pre-Qin and Former Han Dynasties, and those who started troops from Hebei, wiped out the heroes and proclaimed themselves emperors included Emperor Guangwu of Han.

However, in Xun You's eyes, there was no one who could raise an army from the Central Plains and lay the foundation for the empire. Therefore, Xun You valued Hebei over the Central Plains, and thought of Hebei first, ignoring the weak Cao Cao and the Central Plains.

Of course, Xun You did not abandon the Central Plains. After all, in the Battle of Guandu last year, Cao Cao proved that he had the strategy and strength to dominate the world. Therefore, Xun You used the Central Plains, which was surrounded by four warring states, to intentionally lure Liu Biao, Sun Ce and others to harass Cao Cao and make Cao Cao feel uneasy.

As for Liu Zhang, although he valued Cao Cao for historical reasons, he did not overly value or worry about Cao Cao because Cao Cao commented on Li Erfeng, saying that he had more than enough talent as a general but not enough talent to lead a chariot.

'Yecheng.' Liu Zhang silently thought of this city which was famous during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The important cities in the world today are Chang'an, Luoyang and Yecheng. Now Chang'an and Luoyang are in his hands. He only needs to capture Yecheng and annex Hebei, and the heroes will be subdued.

By then, even if Cao Cao had the power of the sky, he would not be able to escape from his Five Finger Mountain and would eventually be captured by him.

If one wants to capture Yecheng, one must first capture Shangdang. Shangdang, the battlefield of the Battle of Changping between Qin and Zhao, is about to stir up another wave that will attract worldwide attention.

Spring plowing has just begun and there is still some time before summer harvest. Liu Zhang has no intention of mobilizing troops now. He plans to wait until after the summer harvest when there is enough food and grass to support him for a year-long military campaign before making plans.

The battle for hegemony over the world cannot be decided in a month or two; it is often a protracted process, measured in years. Without three to five years and several major wars, the fate of the world will indeed be hidden in the fog and unknown.

However, during this period of time when Liu Zhang was storing grain and waiting for the right opportunity, he did not do nothing. In preparation for the future war, he made personnel adjustments in order to better cope with the complex situation in the future.

First of all, Henan Yin is a frontier position facing Cao Cao. He transferred Huang Quan from Hanzhong Taishou to Henan Yin. This was a promotion and a manifestation of his heavy use of Huang Quan. Henan Yin is an important position, and he could only feel at ease with Huang Quan, his confidant, guarding it.

Next were the counties bordering Shangdang, such as Hedong and Taiyuan. He ordered Ma Chao to station in Hedong and, together with Hedong's prefect Fa Zheng, conduct an advance survey of the situation in Shangdang County in preparation for the future march into Shangdang.

As for some other minor personnel arrangements, Liu Zhang, with the help of advisers such as Wang Shang, Xun You, and Jia Xu, handled them one by one to perfection.

Just when Liu Zhang was preparing for the future war, he received a message that Yuan Shao sent Liu Bei to conquer Liaodong. The apparent reason was that Liaodong Governor Gongsun Du was harboring evil intentions and was not loyal enough to Yuan Shao. But in reality, Liu Zhang smelled the scent of brothers fighting, because it was Shen Pei who advised Liu Bei to conquer Liaodong. In the competition for the successor of Hebei, Shen Pei stood for Yuan Shao's favorite Yuan Shang, not the eldest son Yuan Tan.

But the relationship between Yuan Tan and Liu Bei is well known to the world. When Liu Bei was the governor of Yuzhou, he recommended Yuan Tan as a talented person. The two were the recommender and the recommended person, which was a close relationship. Shen Pei sent Liu Bei to Liaodong, most likely to get rid of Yuan Tan's arm.

Liu Zhang guessed that Yuan Shao also knew the real reason, and Yuan Shao agreed to it. It was probably because Yuan Shao disliked Yuan Tan and did not want Yuan Tan to get too much help. Secondly, although Yuan Shao trusted Liu Bei, Liu Bei was a talented person, so Yuan Shao must be suspicious of him.

It is just like in history when Liu Bei surrendered to Liu Biao, and Liu Biao placed Liu Bei in Xinye. On the one hand, he wanted to use Liu Bei to resist Cao Cao, but on the other hand, he was afraid of Liu Bei. It was a state of using but also fearing him.

Now that there was an opportunity to send Liu Bei away, Yuan Shao agreed without hesitation and sent Liu Bei to Liaodong. It would be best if Liu Bei could take Liaodong, but if he couldn't, Liu Bei could only stay in Yan, away from Yecheng, the political center of Hebei.

"Wandering around, being suspected by others." Liu Zhang lamented Liu Bei's fate.

……

At the gate of Luoyang city.

"Fu Jun."

A group of officials of all ranks from the Yin of Henan gathered here today and respectfully saluted Huang Quan who arrived in Luoyang.

Huang Quan looked serious and nodded in response. Although he was only thirty years old and could not be considered mature, he had been in the positions of chief clerk and county magistrate for many years, and he had developed an aura of authority that others did not dare to underestimate.

After a brief conversation with a group of officials, Huang Quan looked around Luoyang City, the former capital of the Han Dynasty.

In terms of the circumference of the city, Huang Quan thought that Chengdu was inferior to it, and the height of the city wall was even more incomparable to any city Huang Quan had ever seen. After all, it was the capital of the Han Dynasty, and its width and height were both first-class.

After taking a quick look at the outskirts of Luoyang City, Huang Quan stepped into the city. As soon as he entered the city, he felt a sense of desolation. Broken walls were everywhere, and there were few neat and complete houses.

'Dong Zhuo.'

Huang Quan knew the reason. At that time, Dong Zhuo was forced by the Guandong coalition forces to move west to Chang'an, and Luoyang was burned down. The remaining images have not been cleaned up until now. Once you enter Luoyang, you can see the brutal and poisonous scene of Dong Zhuo at that time.

Everything is new. From today on, Huang Quan has an idea in mind. He plans to get rid of the bleak scene of Luoyang in advance.

(End of this chapter)