I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 631: Liu, Guan, and Zhang: Thousands of Peach Blossoms Bloom for You (Part )

Outside Luoyang City, as the population of the outer city gradually increased, the land in the outer city became more and more expensive.

Recently, there has been a rumor among the people that Liu Biao, the governor of Henan who had just taken office for a year, had taken a fancy to the land of the Imperial College. He brought Lu Jin, the magistrate of Luoyang, to visit the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, hoping to exchange it for a piece of land nearly three or four times the size of the Imperial College, which was nearly twenty miles away. Liu Biao also promised that the Imperial College would not have to bear any cost of building the school buildings.

But in the end, he was decisively rejected by Wang Shang, the chief academic officer of the Imperial Academy, who was born in Guanghan County of Yizhou. Hearing that Liu Biao was still not giving up, he came to him again. This time Wang Shang did not refuse, but directly invited Cai Yong, the Duke of Rites. And then, nothing happened.

No one cared how this story got out, but when people discussed it, they inevitably thought of a large peach forest only two or three miles away from the Imperial College. Liu Biao dared to take over the Imperial College, but did not touch the peach forest, which naturally aroused people's imagination.

However, some well-informed people said that the reason why peach trees were planted there was because the people of Luoyang have lived a prosperous life in recent years and are no longer satisfied with just filling their stomachs, and peaches are suitable for growing around Luoyang.

Some people also say that this is because the emperor of today, influenced by the Taoist teacher, advocates the way of nature and deliberately left it there. This peach tree is just like the willow trees beside the road, both for the way of nature. According to a saying that came from nowhere, it is called "increasing the green area of ​​the city."

Some people even speculated that this peach forest was a formation, set up by the historian who returned after touring many places for many years. As for the purpose, there are many different opinions, some say it was to pray for peace and prosperity for the country, and some say it was to pray for longevity for the emperor. In short, this peach forest is not simple.

However, for those who really know the inside story, rather than "I have a relative", this matter is actually very simple. This peach forest was indeed planted under the instruction of the emperor, but it was not for any messy purpose. The emperor just gave it to Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei on a whim.

It was not uncommon for the emperor to give gardens and houses to his ministers, but it was special to give a garden to three meritorious ministers. If someone had a dark heart, he might think of the story of killing three men with two peaches.

However, Liu, Guan and Zhang, the parties involved, did not have such worries.

Especially Liu Bei.

It was mid-spring at this time, and the peach blossoms in the peach forest were already in bloom. The three of them sat under a nearby peach tree that was in full bloom, drinking wine and reminiscing about the past.

Not far away, human voices can be faintly heard. The peach forest is not closed - of course, this is an exception when the peaches are about to ripen.

The three men didn't care about it. They were not stingy people. Even if the peaches were ripe in the future, they didn't mind if the people of Luoyang came to pick them.

However, Liu Bei looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, who had changed a lot from what he remembered, and felt very emotional for a moment: "Counting the time, I haven't seen Yun Chang for five years and Yi De for seven years."

As soon as Liu Bei said this, he suddenly realized that time had flown by. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were governors of Shuofang and Beidi respectively, and they could still see each other every few months. Even if they didn't meet, letters were very convenient, except when the roads were blocked by heavy snow in winter. However, he was in Nanzhong and could not get away. On the rare occasions when he returned to the court, he missed the two of them.

After not seeing each other for many years, the friendship between the three people has not only not faded, but has become stronger with the passage of time.

Zhang Fei couldn't help but drink a glass of wine when he heard this, and laughed out loud: "Finally, we have waited for this day of reunion!"

Liu Bei nodded and suddenly said, "We should be celebrating our reunion, but I acted like a child. I deserve to be punished."

Zhang Fei said, "Brother, I'm afraid you want to drink this good wine from your hometown?"

Guan Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud when he heard this.

The three chatted for a while, but inevitably talked about political affairs. Zhang Fei said loudly: "Brothers, you have heard that after the emperor gave us the Peach Garden, an official from the Taiwei Mansion wanted to impeach us for being proud of our achievements, but was scolded by the Taiwei Gong, so he never brought it up."

Guan Yu couldn't help laughing and said, "As long as we stick to our original intentions, it's enough. A little slander is nothing to worry about."

He turned to Liu Bei and said, "Brother, you will not return to Nanzhong after your return this time, right?"

Liu Bei nodded: "If nothing unexpected happens, I will stay in Luoyang as an official."

Zhang Fei was delighted: "In this case, it will be more convenient for us to meet each other. Brother, you can finally enjoy happiness after suffering so much."

Liu Bei nodded at first, but then shook his head and said, "Although life in Nanzhong is difficult, I have been governing there for a long time. When I return to Beijing, I often think of the old days in Nanzhong in my dreams at midnight."

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both felt the same way. Their experiences in Shuofang and Beidi were different from before. The two of them, along with the officials and soldiers, had worked very hard, if not from scratch. It was like their second homeland. If they were asked to leave the two places suddenly, they would definitely feel reluctant.

"In that case, that official... called Deng Dang, right? What he said is also true. We must reflect on ourselves from time to time." Liu Bei emphasized.

"Brother, you are becoming more and more cautious." Zhang Fei complained casually. "This is a good thing. You and I are trusted by His Majesty. There are so many eyes watching us inside and outside the court. We should be cautious." Guan Yu said with narrowed eyes. At this time, he suddenly thought of something, turned his head and looked at Zhang Fei and asked, "Yide, didn't you do anything to Deng Dang?"

Zhang Fei immediately shook his head and thought to himself: I just secretly threw some mud at his doorstep at night.

Guan Yu felt that after the incident of being demoted to join the army, Zhang Fei had become much more stable and would not do anything too outrageous, so he did not think much about it and continued, "Ping'er entered the Imperial College last year. A few days ago, he told me that Deng Dang's brother-in-law was also in the Imperial College. I think his name was Lu Meng, and they had always been at odds with each other. But let's leave this matter to the children to handle on their own."

"We still didn't throw away enough mud." Zhang Fei murmured.

"What did you say?" Guan Yu asked.

"Nothing." Zhang Fei immediately shook his head.

Liu Bei, who was sitting between the two men and heard all of Zhang Fei's whispers, just smiled and said nothing.

After a while, he continued, "The court intends to use the two counties as the basis, divide some of Liangzhou and Bingzhou, and combine the already controlled Xianbei tribes to establish a new Shuozhou. You must be aware of this, right?"

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both nodded.

Liu Bei emphasized: "I am staying in Beijing this time to help you set up Shuozhou. After all, Shuozhou not only includes the newly recovered land, but also involves Liang and Bing. The Xianbei outside the Great Wall should still be controlled as a vassal. In the future, Bingzhou and Youzhou will need to follow the example of Shuozhou."

"Your Majesty summoned me yesterday and expressed his intention to divide the Xianbei into different groups and govern them separately, by setting up a Protectorate in each state to govern the Hu people outside the Great Wall, just like the Protectorate of the Western Regions in the past."

Liu Bei only needed to mention it once before Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both understood.

In recent years, they have learned about the habits of the Hu people outside the Great Wall. Under the nomadic custom, the Hu people need to migrate frequently, and it is impossible to count the population and collect taxes like the Han people. Even the silage that has been improved over the years can only allow them to settle down in the winter, but that usually means heavy snow blocking the roads. Therefore, the best way to count their population is the mutual trade organized by the court.

What Liu Bei said was not a new topic.

Then the three of them discussed their future plans. Of course, the main participants in the discussion were Liu Bei and Guan Yu. Zhang Fei's greatest contribution was to tell them that if they kept boiling the wine without drinking it, the aroma would dissipate.

Just like that, after an unknown amount of time, a group of people came over from a distance. The leader bowed and said loudly from a distance, "Excuse me for bothering you. May I ask if Lord Zhang of Beidi County is here?"

"What do you want from me?" Zhang Fei asked immediately.

At this time, the man who spoke first had already walked over. He was not in a hurry to answer Zhang Fei's words, but bowed and said, "I am Zhuge Liang, the magistrate of Luoyang County. Today, the county temple received a report that a clerk from the Deng Mansion of the Grand Marshal's Mansion accidentally fell into a mud trap set by thieves when he went out and fell off his horse. According to the investigation of the police, someone saw Mr. Zhang carrying a bucket of things passing by Deng's house..."

Zhang Fei immediately felt a pair of eyes looking at him. Thinking of what he had just said, even he felt a little ashamed.

"Yes, I did it."

Everyone present was stunned for a moment, and their eyes were focused on Liu Bei who was speaking.

Liu Bei said frankly: "I persuaded Yide to return last night, but the more I thought about it afterwards, the angrier I got, so..."

Zhang Fei was anxious and was about to speak, but he felt Liu Bei, who had already stood up, gently nudged him with his foot. In the end, he chose to keep quiet.

"But I am not angry for myself, but for the millions of people in Nanzhong, and for the officials who have worked hard in Nanzhong for many years..." A gust of wind blew, and Liu Bei said with emotion against the backdrop of the falling peach blossoms around him.

"The leg of Deng's official was broken." Zhuge Liang said calmly.

"How should the punishment be?" Liu Bei stopped sighing and asked immediately.

"I'm afraid this matter is beyond the power of a county magistrate like me." Seeing Liu Bei admit his mistake, Zhuge Liang said earnestly, "I have heard about what Lord Xuande did in the south from my uncle. Don't worry, I will definitely try to reduce your sentence."

Liu Bei did not beat around the bush and said directly, "Thank you, my dear nephew." He then signaled Guan Yu and Zhang Fei not to make trouble and followed Zhuge Liang happily.

(End of this chapter)