Three Kingdoms: Heir of Wolong, my father-in-law is Guan Gong

The fall of Eastern Wu intensified the struggle for orthodoxy between the Han and Wei dynasties in the north and south.

Until before Ming Dynasty.

The conflict between the North and the South almost always ended with the North winning and the South losing.

Are the people in the South not tough enough?

Do not!
In Zhuge Qiao's eyes, there was only one reason why the North won and the South lost: the purpose of the northern expedition of the regime that was based in the south was almost always to resolve internal conflicts rather than to recover the Central Plains.

On military conflict.

In the past, there was King Zhuang of Chu, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, who drank from the Yellow River and awed all of China. Later, there was Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu, who destroyed Qin in Xianyang and divided Chu and Han into two.

They were all powerful and dominant figures of the time.

After seizing the counties of Jiangdong, who should be the governor of Yangzhou became a difficult problem that Zhuge Qiao had to solve urgently.

To become the governor of Yangzhou, one must not only be loyal to the Han Dynasty and be consistent with the Han Dynasty's Northern Expedition policy, but also have to have strong political skills to check and balance the officials, aristocratic families, powerful families, scholars, merchants, etc. in the various counties of Yangzhou.

At the same time, he must be proficient in military affairs, be able to train soldiers, deploy soldiers, observe the overall situation, and detect minor flaws, so that he can replace Sun Quan's strategic position in Jiangdong and cooperate with the two routes of Jingzhou and Chang'an in the Northern Expedition.

Whether in terms of origin and status, or fame and talent, they must be first-class in the world.

"Bosong, your request is too high."

"The prestige of having ability is not enough, the status of having prestige is not enough, and the ability of having status is not enough."

"Unless you invite Kong Ming to Yangzhou."

"But Kong Ming is the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty. If you let him be the governor of Yangzhou, it will leave the northwest empty."

"I can't recommend such a talented person!"

After hearing Zhuge Qiao's request for the governor of Yangzhou, Xu Shu shook his head repeatedly.

"Talents are hard to find." Zhuge Qiao felt quite a headache.

Man Chong of Hefei is not someone that ordinary people can deal with.

If the governor of Yangzhou is at the same level as Sun Quan, then there would be little significance for Zhuge Qiao to seize Jiangdong.

Ju Fu, a guard at the side, suddenly spoke up: "General, His Majesty has asked you to supervise the affairs of the three states of Jing, Yang and Jiao, why can't you stay in Yangzhou?"

"The people of Jingzhou are all loyal to the Han Dynasty, and the talented people are all loyal to the Han Dynasty. Whether you are in Jingcheng or not, it will not affect the overall situation of Jingzhou."

"With the general's current status, prestige, and talent, who in the world can compare to him?"

"Apart from the general, who else can deter Yangzhou from submission?"

Zhuge Qiao was slightly stunned, then clapped his hands and laughed: "Xiaoxing's words are very good, but I am confused as an official."

Ju Fu smiled and said, "The general has too high expectations of the talents in this world."

Xu Shu looked at Ju Fu with more appreciation: "Bosong, you are wasting General Ju's talent by keeping him by your side."

Ju Fu said modestly: "I feel no injustice in following the general."

Zhuge Qiao's mind raced, and he came up with a plan: "Mr. Xu is right. Xiaoxing, it would be a waste of your talent if you continue to stay with me."

"You just said a few words to relieve my worries, so you deserve a reward."

"People often say: Jiangdong soldiers are good at water but not at land."

"But I say that the warriors of Jiangdong are the best in the world."

"I intend to recruit elite warriors from Jiangdong to form an elite force capable of amphibious operations, with 10,000 men, named the Jiefan Army."

"Are you willing to take on this responsibility?"

Ju Fu said excitedly, "I will never let you down!"

Zhuge Qiao nodded and said, "Go back and draw up a plan. Write down clearly where to recruit soldiers, how much money, food and weapons are needed."

"The first time, I will try my best to satisfy your needs; the second time, you will have to exchange it for military merit."

"Tell Zhang Yi that from today on, he will be the commander of my personal guards."

Ju Fu left happily.

Xu Shu asked again: "Bo Song is going to be in charge of Yangzhou, who are you going to put in charge of Jingzhou?"

Zhuge Qiao pondered for a moment and said, "Jingzhou is an important place, so we must be cautious."

"Ma Liang has made great contributions to government administration, so he will remain as the governor of Jingzhou and there is no need to replace him."

"As for the commanders of the army, whether it's Guan Ping, Liu Feng, Guan Xing, or Deng Zhi, none of them have enough prestige."

"Mr. Xu, why don't you take on the job first?"

Xu Shu chuckled: "Bosong, at my age, are you embarrassed to let me do this?"

That is, Xu Shu not only had to assist Zhuge Qiao in handling important military and political affairs in Jiangdong, but also had to travel frequently between Jing and Yang.

Zhuge Qiao said without hesitation: "Mr. Xu, it is precisely because you are old that I give you the opportunity to repay His Majesty's kindness."

Xu Shu sneered, "You are just like Kong Ming. You rarely speak the truth. To repay His Majesty's kindness, I don't have to travel back and forth between the two places."

"Why don't you let your father-in-law return to Jingzhou? His Majesty is faking his death anyway. He can come to Jingzhou for a vacation and let the general handle some important matters to relax."

Zhuge Qiao clapped his hands fiercely: "Mr. Xu, this is a good idea. I will write a letter to my father-in-law and ask him to be the governor of Jingzhou for a year!"

Xu Shu was stunned and said quickly: "Bosong, this is your own idea, not mine. Don't write that it was my suggestion."

Zhuge Qiao smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, are you still unsure about the way I, Zhuge Qiao, act?"

Xu Shu secretly sneered: It's because you are the one who is doing it that I am worried!
While chatting.

The messenger from Jingcheng arrived.

The person who came was Zhuge Qiao's cousin Zhuge Wang.

"Brother, there is a secret order from His Majesty." Zhuge Wang took out a silk book.

Zhuge Qiao took the secret decree, unfolded it, and stood up suddenly, asking in surprise, "Where is your majesty now?"

Zhuge Wang said: "It's in my brother's mansion."

Zhuge Qiao's face was serious: "Did anyone notice?"

Zhuge Wang shook his head: "Your Majesty came incognito, no one noticed."

Zhuge Qiao breathed a sigh of relief and said to Xu Shu, "Mr. Xu, I will leave Jiangdong affairs to you for the time being. I have to go back to Jingcheng."

Xu Shu also looked solemn: "Don't worry, Bosong, I know the seriousness of the matter."

The clever Xu Shu had already guessed that the Majesty mentioned by Zhuge Qiao and Zhuge Wang was not Liu Chan in Chang'an.

But it was Liu Bei who faked his death and lived in seclusion in the imperial mausoleum!

Zhuge Qiao did not delay and boarded a large ship to Jingcheng with Zhuge Wang, Zhang Yi and more than a hundred personal guards.

More than ten days later.

Zhuge Qiao arrived in Jingcheng safely and met Ma Zhong before arriving at the mansion.

"Are there any suspicious people approaching Jingcheng?" Zhuge Qiao asked in a serious tone.

Ma Zhong shook his head: "Don't worry, General. There are no suspicious persons on the three floors inside and outside the mansion."

Zhuge Qiao then quietly entered.

Ma Zhong saw Zhang Yi and asked, "Boqi, where is Xiaoxing?"

Zhang Yi said: "Xiaoxing has been ordered to form the Jiefan Army. Now I am the general's personal guard."

Ma Zhong congratulated him and said, "It won't be long before Boqi will be able to form a new army on his own."

Zhang Yi said modestly: "Compared to the three of you, I am the most clumsy. I just want to stay with the general for a while longer."

Ma Zhong patted Zhang Yi on the shoulder and said, "If you are clumsy, there will be few who are not clumsy. I said the same thing before!"

While reminiscing about the past, Zhuge Qiao came to the inner courtyard.

In the inner courtyard.

Four old men in plain clothes were gathered together to study the characters on the cards.

"What is the Southern Barbarian Invasion? When has our Han Dynasty ever been invaded by the Southern Barbarians? Bo Song's card is not rigorous at all."

"Why is my snake spear here too?"

"I want to know, what does this Maicheng have to do with me? Why am I surprised by Maicheng?"

"The fire of Yiling burned away all my life's energy? I have never been defeated in Yiling, where did the fire come from?"

Looking at the strange symbols on the nameplate and the lines on the back of the nameplate, both Fa Zheng, Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Liu Bei were confused.

Guan Yu took out another card with the words "Zhuge Qiao, the Dragon of Flying Clouds" written on it, as well as the four words "determine the strategy", "complete the plan", "natural wisdom" and "assist the Han".

"Bo Song is quite good at boasting about himself. Kong Ming only called himself Crouching Dragon, but Bo Song actually called himself 'Flying Cloud Dragon'."

"I think Bo Song is arrogant."

"You must know that an arrogant army will be defeated."

"When Bo Song comes back, we must encourage him well. Don't think that you will be invincible just by destroying the fake Wu."

Zhang Fei threw the signboard away, stood up and said, "I don't care whether Bosong is arrogant or not!"

"I just want to know why Bo Song has never met my daughter even though she has been here for so long!"

"Does this mean you look down on my daughter?"

Zhuge Qiao had just stepped over the threshold when he heard Zhang Fei's voice and retracted his foot.

"Father, why don't you go in?"

Behind Zhuge Qiao, Zhuge Pan, who was carrying a basket, looked at Zhuge Qiao, whose half leg was hanging, in surprise.

Before Zhuge Qiao could speak, Zhuge Pan came into the inner courtyard carrying a basket and said, "Grandfather, my father is back and is just outside the door."

Zhuge Qiao's cheeks twitched involuntarily.

next moment.

Zhang Fei ran to Zhuge Qiao, rubbing his hands, smiling: "Bosong, is my daughter virtuous?"

"Of course she is virtuous! How could she not be virtuous? Xingguo has already said that his sister is as virtuous as his aunt." Zhuge Qiao spoke without hesitation.

Zhang Fei paused, staring and asked, "If she is so virtuous, why don't you even want to see her?"

Zhuge Qiao said righteously: "Third General, etiquette cannot be abolished! If I meet in private, won't people say that I, Zhuge Qiao, don't know etiquette?"

Zhang Fei snorted coldly: "When you were in Jiangling, did you ever think about the etiquette that cannot be abolished? How many times have you asked Guan Xing to deliver the message?"

"You are obviously partial to one and look down on my daughter."

Just when Zhuge Qiao was unable to hold back, Guan Yu arrived at the right time and said, "Third brother, Bosong is respecting you and being polite. You should understand Bosong's good intentions."

Zhang Fei bared his teeth: "Second brother, do you mean that Bo Song doesn't respect you anymore?"

Guan Yu raised his head and said: "When Bosong violated etiquette, I punished him a lot."

Zhuge Qiao was embarrassed and did not want to get involved in the "dispute" between Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: "Father-in-law, three generals, I'd better see His Majesty first."

Zhang Fei snorted coldly, let Zhuge Qiao go, and muttered quietly: "What's the point of talking about etiquette? As long as both parties are willing, why bother about red tape?"

"Didn't I ride my horse and rob him even though Xiahou Yuan was so opposed to it?"

Zhuge Qiao came before Liu Bei and bowed solemnly: "Your Majesty."

Liu Bei put down the card in his hand and said slowly: "Bosong, there is no need to be polite. I am not the emperor now, but just an old man who is idle at home."

"Yunchang and I are like brothers. You are Yunchang's son-in-law, so you can just call me uncle."

Seeing this, Zhuge Qiao changed his address and said, "I wonder why you came to Jingcheng to look for me, uncle?"

Liu Bei said with a smile: "I heard that Bo Song had taken all the land in Jiangdong and Sun Quan had fled to Kuaiji and his whereabouts are unknown. I was so happy that I couldn't hold back my temper."

"I have fought with Sun Quan for decades but failed to destroy him. Now Sun Quan has suffered repeated losses at the hands of Bo Song and finally had to flee to Kuaiji."

"This fake Wu is just like Yuan Shu's fake Zhong in the past. He looks strong on the outside, but is actually empty on the inside."

"The destruction of the fake Wu is so refreshing!"

Zhuge Qiao said: "It is all because of my uncle's great fortune that the pseudo-Wu was destroyed today."

Liu Bei waved his hand and said: "Bosong, please stop flattering me. Without Bosong, how could I destroy the false Wu?"

"Just like what you wrote on this plaque: The fire of Yiling burned away all my life's energy."

"If Bo Song had not gone to Jingzhou, Jingzhou would have been stolen by the villain Lu Meng, and Yun Chang would have been defeated and fled to Maicheng."

"And in order to avenge Yunchang and recapture Jingzhou, I will definitely raise an army to attack Wu."

"If we go through Xichuan to attack Wu, we will be blocked in Yiling." "I guess the fire in Yiling was prepared for me."

Liu Bei was very confused about these signboards at first, but after looking at them for a long time, he found that these signboards were very similar to the situation before Zhuge Qiao went to Jingzhou, so he made some guesses.

Zhuge Qiao said quickly: "These words were carved when I was drunk. Don't take them seriously. Please forgive my disrespect, uncle."

Liu Bei laughed: "I am not a mean and ungrateful person, and I can't learn the saying 'the power of heaven is unpredictable'."

"But this sign is quite interesting. If we change it, it will allow the common people to understand us better."

"If it spreads widely, it may be more effective in calming people's hearts than ordinary manifestos."

Chat for a while.

Liu Bei asked about the main business: "Now that Bo Song has destroyed the fake Wu, what are your plans for the future?"

Obviously.

Liu Bei came to Jingzhou not just because he was happy.

Zhuge Qiao understood what he meant and said, "I intend to stay in Yangzhou, supervise the military and political affairs of Yangzhou, and wait for an opportunity to take Hefei."

"But if I leave Jingcheng, there will be no suitable people to guard Jingzhou and mobilize the civil and military forces of Jingzhou to the north."

"I wonder if my uncle has anyone to recommend?"

Liu Bei pointed behind Zhuge Qiao and said, "If Bosong wants to go to Yangzhou, Yunchang can be sent to guard Jingzhou."

Zhuge Qiao was in a dilemma: "My father-in-law is old, it is not appropriate to let him guard Jingzhou."

Liu Bei had already seen through Zhuge Qiao's intentions: "Bosong, you know better than me who is suitable to guard Jingzhou in the Han Dynasty."

"You asked me this on purpose, don't you want me to recommend Yun Chang to guard Jingzhou?"

Zhuge Qiao stopped playing dumb and said, "I can't hide my thoughts from my uncle."

Neither Liu Bei nor Zhuge Qiao actually said it clearly.

Zhuge Qiao knew it.

Liu Bei came to Jingzhou in person, and he must have seen that Zhuge Qiao was unable to cope with the tasks in Jingzhou and Yangzhou.

If Zhuge Qiao was in Jingzhou, Liu Bei would propose that Guan Yu go to Yangzhou; otherwise, Guan Yu would stay in Jingzhou.

Wherever Guan Yu is, Liu Bei will be there!
In name it was Guan Yu's Northern Expedition, but in reality it was Liu Bei's Northern Expedition.

By then, Jing and Yang will cooperate in moving north, and Jiang Wei and others will provide support in Luoyang, and the possibility of a Northern Expedition will be even greater with the three routes advancing simultaneously.

Guan Yu had no objection to this arrangement.

As long as Liu Bei needs help, Guan Yu will spare no effort to help Liu Bei.

Fa Zheng proposed that Guan Ping be appointed as the governor of Jingzhou in public to confuse the pseudo-Wei monarch and his ministers; in reality, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Fa Zheng would be in charge of the entire Jingzhou military affairs.

In this regard.

Zhuge Qiao also agreed.

As long as there are people in Jingzhou who are good at using troops, Zhuge Qiao can go to Jiangdong with peace of mind.

Before departure.

Zhuge Qiao was alone with Zhang Fei's youngest daughter Zhang Huang for several hours.

Although it was not Zhuge Qiao's original intention to marry two wives, given Zhuge Qiao's current status, it was unrealistic for him to marry only Guan Feng.

For Liu Bei.

The more children Zhuge Qiao has, the closer the Liu and Zhuge families will be.

Just like the Cao and Xiahou families, both were families of meritorious officials in the early Han Dynasty. Because of intermarriage from generation to generation, the two families finally became indistinguishable from each other.

No matter how things change, the era in which Zhuge Qiao lives is still an era of hereditary rule.

There will be no fundamental changes in the system because of Zhuge Qiao's arrival.

Zhuge Qiao also had to follow the rules of the times.

For now.

Consolidating the monarchical regime of Liu Bei's lineage is the most suitable for the current productivity environment.

As for the future, that is something to be considered in the future.

It is better to let Liu Bei's descendants continue to be monarchs than to give the throne to the Sima family who are eager to eat meat.

Zhuge Qiao left both Wang Ping and Ma Zhong in Jingzhou.

Except for Zhao Lei and Dong Hui of Jiangxia County, the Jiangxia navy followed Zhuge Qiao to Jiangdong.

There was almost no change in the civil and military affairs of Jingzhou.

Zhuge Qiao set the seat of government of Yangzhou in Jianye.

Although Jianye was completely looted by Man Chong, the city gates were not severely damaged.

It’s not that Man Chong doesn’t want to, but that there is no time.

A relatively complete city, coupled with vast and fertile fields.

This is much simpler than when Zhuge Liang was in charge of Liang Province.

"I am sending this edict in the name of General Zhuge Qiao, the Han Assisting General."

"In the counties and towns of Wu and Danyang, if there are mountain people who are willing to come down from the mountains and settle in Jianye, they can be given land, houses, money and food, and settle in Jianye."

"The land and houses are limited, first come first served."

"If anyone pretends to be a mountain man, his property will be confiscated and he will be exiled."

"Note: Those without a registered permanent residence are called mountain people."

The bold and domineering manifesto came from Zhuge Qiao's pen.

Xu Shu was suspicious and asked, "Bosong, if those without a registered permanent residence are hermits, then it would be difficult for the scholars and common people who come to Jianye to distinguish their true identities."

Zhuge Qiao didn't care: "True or false is not important, people are the most important."

"As long as they claim to be stateless, I will allow them to settle in Jianye as 'stateless'."

"If anyone wants to obtain land and property and then regrets it, and then claims to be from a certain place, their property will be confiscated and they will be exiled. There will be no favoritism!"

"I just want people!"

"No matter if they are mountain people, or common people pretending to be scholars, or tenants or servants of aristocratic families, as long as they are 'mountain people', they are the good children of Jianye in the future."

In troubled times, does your real name matter?
unimportant!
According to the family tree, Zhang Liao's surname was not even Zhang.

In an age of survival, what is the point of inheritance?

Seeing that Zhuge Qiao was prepared, Xu Shu stopped trying to persuade him and had hundreds of copies of the manifesto copied and posted in the counties and towns of Wu and Danyang.

Simultaneously.

A large number of soldiers were also dispatched to guard the manifesto and explain it to those who came to inquire.

The benefits of land and houses, coupled with Zhuge Qiao's reputation, led to an endless stream of "undocumented people" heading to Jianye.

During wars, there are the most refugees.

If someone offers land and houses, it is like pie falling from the sky.

Although everyone knows that pie in the sky is not delicious, the refugees don’t have so many thoughts.

It’s good enough to have something to eat, why bother about the taste of the pie?

Prosperity, people suffer; death, people suffer.

These eight words are not just forced expressions of sorrow for the sake of writing new words, but a true portrayal of the society in troubled times!
Zhuge Qiao could not change the reality of rise and fall.

All Zhuge Qiao could do was to meet the people's basic needs for food, clothing, housing and transportation as much as possible within the rules of the times.

Thanks to Zhuge Qiao's series of measures that benefited the people, Jianye gradually regained its vitality, and more and more people came to visit.

The mountain people hid in the mountains to avoid heavy taxes and heavy labor service, not because they really wanted to live a poor life in the mountains.

same.

The tenant farmers and servants did not really want to be slaves to the wealthy and powerful families.

Except for those who were lazy and sold their land and houses, most of the tenant farmers and servants had no choice!
Faced with Zhuge Qiao's "robbing people" behavior in Wujun and Danyang counties, many powerful families also wanted to oppose it.

however.

People from big families like Gu Yong were forcibly relocated to Yecheng by Zhuge Ke, and the remaining small fry would never amount to anything.

Zhuge Qiao simply wooed and suppressed the group of aristocratic families who tried to rebel.

The means are as tyrannical as ever.

Those who refused to obey would have their property confiscated and they would be exiled.

Among these wealthy families whose property was confiscated, tenant farmers, servants and other slaves were taken to Jianye.

Those who should be divided up should be divided up, and those who should be divided up should be divided up,

Zhuge Qiao usually lived in the military camp, and all government orders were issued from the camp.

Even the powerful people who wanted to send assassins to kill Zhuge Qiao could not find any opportunity.

Just a few months.

The rebellious forces in Wu County and Danyang County were wiped out.

As for the more distant places such as Yuzhang, Luling and Poyang, Zhuge Qiao mainly adopted a policy of appeasement and sent Zhuge Jin to supervise the three counties to stabilize the people's hearts.

Zhuge Qiao's focus was not on governing the Jiangdong counties, but on seizing Hefei!
Most of these trivial matters of governance were assigned to local areas, under the overall jurisdiction of Xu Shu and the civil and military officials of the provincial governor's office.

Hefei.

Sun Quan attacked for more than ten years, and finally succeeded by chance because Cao Pi deliberately gave up.

After more than ten years of reinforcement by the Pseudo-Wei, Hefei City had become a strong city that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

According to historical records, Zhuge Ke mobilized 200,000 soldiers and civilians to attack Wei. Wei's gatekeeper Zhang Te led 3,000 people to hold Hefei for more than a month.

The strength of Hefei City is no less than that of Jiangling City in Jingzhou.

September, the seventh year of Zhangwu.

Zhuge Qiao spread the news that he had gathered 100,000 soldiers and civilians and was going to come to Jiangbei to hunt in person.

Simultaneously.

A large number of warships were lined up at Ruxukou, as if they were planning to take Hefei.

The news reached Hefei.

Man Chong quickly submitted a petition to Cao Rui, requesting the mobilization of troops from Yanzhou and Yuzhou to resist Zhuge Qiao.

If the opponent is Sun Quan, Man Chong would also consider using only the troops in Hefei and Shouchun to resist.

But since his opponent was Zhuge Qiao, Man Chong did not dare to be careless.

A Zhuge Qiao who has never been defeated since his debut.

A Zhuge Qiao who could make the new Han emperor Liu Chan order him to supervise the three states of Jing, Yang and Jiao.

A Zhuge Qiao who can mobilize Jingzhou and Yangzhou and advance troops on multiple fronts.

Zhuge Qiao, who had governed Yangzhou for only half a year, dared to come to Jiangbei to hunt.

This is enough to make Man Chong be fully prepared to deal with it!

Man Chong did not doubt Zhuge Qiao's ability, nor was he stupid enough to think that Zhuge Qiao had no food to support his troops.

Although Sun Quan was defeated, the money and food in Jiangdong were still there.

Man Chong was able to rob a large amount of money and food, and Zhuge Qiao was also able to raise a large amount of money and food in Jiangdong.

Cao Rui also did not dare to neglect.

After receiving Man Chong's memorial, he immediately ordered the troops from Yanzhou and Yuzhou to march south, under the unified command of Sima Yi in Chen County.

From west to east.

There are Cao Xiu of Xiangcheng in Yingchuan County, Wen Pin of Xinyangcheng in Yiyang County, Sima Shi of Xiyangcheng in Yiyang County, Jia Kui of Lu'an Houguo in Lujiang County, and Man Chong of Xincheng in Hefei.

And Sima Yi who was personally stationed in Shouchun!

Obviously.

Sima Yi did not take Guan Ping in Jingcheng seriously, and focused on Zhuge Qiao in Ruxukou. (End of this chapter)