Brother, stop curling up! You're curling up like the founder of the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 154: Settling Down Before Building a Career, Liu Bei Marries Wenji (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)
Showing courtesy for nothing is either cheating or stealing.

Even when Cao Cao sent someone to warn Liu Bei, Liu Bei would still believe him to some extent.

Zhou Bi?

Who is this?

However, it was just a casual acquaintance from Luoyang.

He even specially sent Qian Zhao to Chang'an, practically blaming it on Liu Bei with the lie that "there's no silver buried here, and the neighbor didn't steal it." No wonder Liu Bei didn't believe him.

There were too many flaws, and Liu Bei didn't want to dwell on them. Instead, he had Jia Xu invited in.

Upon entering and hearing the details, Jia Xu then looked Qian Zhao up and down: "Uncle, is this person truly an old acquaintance of yours? Just to be on the safe side, should we interrogate him first?"

Qian Zhao's expression changed, and she said angrily, "I have known Xuande since Zhuojun. How can we not be old friends? And who are you? Why do you want to interrogate me as soon as we meet?"

Liu Bei coughed lightly and said, "Wenhe, you mustn't do that. Zijing is indeed an old friend of mine. He didn't come here to harm me; he was just deceived by a villain."

He then said to Qian Zhao, "This is Jia Xu from Wuwei, Liangzhou. He used to be a clerk in Dong Zhuo's camp, a clerk who could hear confidential matters. As for his understanding of Dong Zhuo, he knows it better than anyone else here."

Jia Xu straightened his clothes and bowed to Qian Zhao, saying, "Since you are an old friend of the Imperial Uncle, please forgive my rudeness just now."

Qian Zhao returned the greeting, but wondered, "Why do you have doubts? I don't quite understand."

Jia Xu laughed and said, "It's very simple. This scheme of apparent promotion but actual demotion is quite complex, and Dong Zhuo doesn't have the wisdom to do it. Dong Zhuo is also a suspicious person, so he won't let irrelevant people know the details of this scheme, nor will he let irrelevant people deliver this edict."

"Therefore, this plan must have been proposed by Zhou Bi. Fearing that Dong Zhuo would discover his instigation, Zhou Bi must have sent a trusted confidant to Chang'an to deliver the imperial edict. You should be glad that you are a trusted confidant of the Imperial Uncle."

In the last sentence, Jia Xu's tone already carried a subtle threat.

In other words: You can mess with anyone, but don't mess with the Imperial Uncle. I'm still working for him. Trying to sabotage me? You want to die?

Qian Zhao suddenly realized what had happened and was filled with shame. He hurriedly apologized to Liu Bei, saying, "I was wrong to trust the villain and almost harmed Xuande. I have no face to stay here."

"Hey—" Liu Bei helped Qian Zhao up and laughed, "Zijing, what do you mean by that? It was not your intention to be deceived by the villains, so why are you ashamed?"

"You've become too foolish from all your studying. If you had stayed in Zhuo County with me back then, your reaction now would be to ask me for a wandering knight and then go back to Luoyang to beat up Zhou Bi."

Jian Yong also laughed and said, "Xuande has been looking forward to your arrival. You still want to find an excuse to leave? Now that you're in Chang'an, don't go back. How can a mere lowly Minister be worthy of your status, Zijing?"

"I am currently the Chief Clerk of Yongzhou, and I have the authority to make recommendations. Yongzhou is short of a Chief Clerk, and none other than Zijing can fill the position. What do you think, Xuande?"

"As Xianhe suggests," Liu Bei said without hesitation. "Zijing seems depressed and has lost the carefree attitude he had in Zhuojun. In my opinion, he's just overthinking things. Xianhe can take Zijing for a stroll around Chang'an. He'll get tired and stop overthinking."

Jian Yong knew that Liu Bei wanted to talk to Jia Xu, but did not want to neglect Qian Zhao, so he smiled and said, "Xuande, don't worry, I will make sure that Zijing regains his former carefree spirit."

The position of Military Officer was also one of the senior assistant officials of the state government. They were appointed by the state government itself, and only trusted confidants were appointed to this position. The principle was to have none but not to appoint the wrong person.

Since Liu Bei entered Yongzhou, he had not appointed a military officer, and now Qian Zhao was appointed to the position.

Watching Qian Zhao and Jian Yong leave, Liu Bei's expression turned slightly serious. He looked solemnly at Jia Xu and said, "Wenhe, if I follow the imperial decree, I'm afraid I won't be able to return to Chang'an for a while."

"I will defend Chang'an for you, my uncle," Jia Xu declared confidently. Seeing that Liu Bei remained silent, he then changed his tune, saying, "Of course, I will accompany you to Luoyang first, and return to Chang'an after everything is settled there."

With a sigh, Jia Xu composed himself and asked, "Uncle, is it absolutely necessary to go to Luoyang?"

"We absolutely must go!" Liu Bei invited Jia Xu to sit down, then lowered his head and said thoughtfully, "Time waits for no one. Yongzhou is still too barren. Originally, I wanted to use Yongzhou as a base to control Nanyang and Hedong, and then take Yizhou, and observe the changes in the world."

"Unexpectedly, Yuan Shu suddenly launched a surprise attack on Guanzhong and was defeated by me, which allowed me to become famous in a short period of time; although Dong Zhuo occupied Luoyang, he could not intimidate Yuan Shao and others."

"This man is also cruel and suspicious. Who knows how much trouble he will cause in Luoyang? If he goes too far, he will destroy the prestige of the Han Dynasty."

"The current situation is not one of 'the Qin dynasty losing its throne, and whoever seizes it first becomes king.' Only by controlling Luoyang and supporting the emperor to punish the disloyal can we ensure that the prestige of the Han dynasty remains undiminished."

Jia Xu nodded and said, "For Imperial Uncle to have such an idea, he must have encountered a master during his trip to Nanyang. There is a famous scholar in Nanyang named Xu You, who is skilled in strategic planning. It must be this man who devised the plan for Imperial Uncle."

"Hmm, Ziyuan, hmm?" Liu Bei looked up in surprise and met Jia Xu's "I knew it" expression. He couldn't help but laugh and say, "Wenhe, this is a misunderstanding."

"Uncle, you misunderstand." Jia Xu chuckled. "I also have some connections with Guo Youzhi of Hanzhong. I won't go looking for Guo Youzhi of Hanzhong just because Xu You of Nanyang is plotting for you."

The implication is that Jia Xu only seeks trouble from Xu You of Nanyang, not Guo Youzhi of Hanzhong. As for who Xu You and who Guo Youzhi are, that's another matter.

"Sigh," Liu Bei didn't know what to say.

After all, Xu You had plotted against Jia Xu first, and Liu Bei had even gone along with it. Now that Jia Xu had seen through his scheme, Liu Bei had no choice but to accept it.

Knowing when to stop, Jia Xu changed the subject after confirming that it was Xu You who offered the plan, saying, "Since the Imperial Uncle intends to serve the Emperor to punish the disloyal, Chang'an is indeed not a suitable place to stay any longer."

"Since Dong Zhuo has already made his move, and Zhou Bi is also trying to instigate things, why don't you play along and pretend to agree to Dong Zhuo's request for now, and then enter Luoyang after the marriage?"

Liu Bei and Cai Yan have completed the six rites of marriage, and it is unknown when they will return to Chang'an after going to Luoyang. The marriage should indeed be arranged first.

Since we are vying for the throne, having offspring is essential.

Otherwise, those who followed Liu Bei, apart from his close associates like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, would have a bleak future.

If something were to happen to Liu Bei, his loyal followers in Guanzhong would also lose their future goals.

Therefore, those who achieve great things often start families and have children first, so that their followers will dare to fight to the death.

Even if he dies while following Liu Bei, his descendants will still enjoy wealth and honor.

Afterwards, Liu Bei and Jia Xu discussed in detail the various matters after arriving in Luoyang.

It wasn't until after dark, when Jian Yong dragged the exhausted Qian Zhao back, that the event finally ended.

Looking at Qian Zhao, who was exhausted but now seemed more carefree than melancholy, Liu Bei couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Xianhe, where did you take Zijing?"

Jian Yong laughed and said, "Spring plowing is in full swing lately, so I took Zijing to the fields. It seems that Zijing has been living a very comfortable life these past few years, and I guess he hasn't done any farm work for many years. His hands are already blistered after just one afternoon."

Qian Zhao's expression changed, and she retorted rudely, "Xianhe, how dare you say that? You want me to pull weeds with my bare hands? Is that tilling the land? That's clearing wasteland!"

"Is there a difference between tilling the land and clearing wasteland? No, they're both agricultural activities. You're even cursing me now. Sigh, you don't appreciate my kindness!" Jian Yong sighed dramatically.

"Xuande, let's catch up tomorrow. I'm too tired today, I'm going to take a nap." Qian Zhao was listless and grumbling at Jian Yong, completely losing the "strangeness" and "estrangement" she had when she first arrived.

Liu Bei's smile froze again, his tone filled with resentment: "Wenhe, Zhou Bi is a man who cannot be allowed to live. Find an opportunity to kill him for me."

If it were merely a matter of instigating Liu Bei and Dong Zhuo, Liu Bei wouldn't care much; on the contrary, he would be grateful to Zhou Bi for giving him such a good reason to enter Luoyang.

He schemed against Qian Zhao, deceived her, and almost made her leave out of shame. In Liu Bei's eyes, this was a death sentence.

"Then let Zhou Bi die for the sake of the Imperial Uncle's great cause." Jia Xu's tone also turned cold.

After finalizing the plan to enter Luoyang, Liu Bei summoned Cai Gu and informed him of the imperial edict to enter Luoyang. Cai Gu exclaimed in surprise, "If Imperial Uncle enters Luoyang, will the wedding be held in Chang'an or Luoyang?"

"Let's stay in Chang'an," Liu Bei said without hesitation. "Although Lord Cai is in Luoyang, I cannot let Wenji enter Luoyang and risk her life. I will explain the reason to Lord Cai once we arrive in Luoyang."

Cai Gu also knew that in times of war and chaos, everything should be kept simple. Liu Bei was already giving the Cai family a lot of face by allowing the process to proceed according to the etiquette of a feudal lord for half a year.

If Liu Bei were forced to go to Luoyang just because Cai Yong was there, and this delayed his important business, then he would be pushing his luck.

"As you wish, Imperial Uncle." Cai Gu said no more and went to make the preparations.

soon.

The news of Liu Bei's upcoming wedding spread throughout Chang'an, and Zhang Fei, who was far away in Ji County, rushed back to Chang'an.

"Third Brother is already working hard guarding Hanyang County, so just send someone to deliver the gifts." Liu Bei was also moved when he saw Zhang Fei, who looked travel-worn.

Zhang Fei grinned and said, "How could I not come to my brother's wedding? Don't worry, brother, the Qiang people have become much more obedient since they were beaten up last year. Several Qiang leaders even asked me to deliver gifts after hearing that you're getting married."

He then had his attendants place several packages on the ground and open them, saying, "This package contains yak felt blankets, which are warm in winter and cool in summer; that package contains salt from the Western Sea, which the Qiang people collect from the salt lake."

"The 'Double Happiness God' carved from deer antlers has been blessed by a Qiang shaman. May it bring my elder brother and sister-in-law many children and much happiness!"

"The sword of the Qiang chieftain of Shaodang is said to have slain a hundred wolves! I think this thing has a strong killing aura and can ward off evil spirits."

Guan Yu, standing to the side, stroked his beard and shook his head: "Third brother, how can a murder weapon be displayed at a wedding?"

Zhang Fei glared and said, "Second brother, you don't understand. This is the custom of the Qiang people! Offering a knife means submission! It means that from now on, this Qiang tribe will only listen to our eldest brother."

Guan Yu paused in stroking his beard. "My third brother has spoken today, and I am speechless."

Liu Bei suppressed a laugh and accepted the gift: "Good! I accept the Qiang chieftain's kindness! Third brother, please pass on my message: all Qiang tribes who are willing to abide by the laws of the Han Dynasty are citizens of Yongzhou, and I will treat them all equally!"

Then, Liu Bei sat on the package called "West Sea Salt," carefully squeezed it, and licked it with the tip of his tongue. He couldn't help but ask with delight, "Third brother, did the Qiang tribe that sent the West Sea Salt collect this salt themselves?"

Zhang Fei nodded: "They collected it themselves, and it was also brewed by their own clan using a secret method. I asked them, and they said their ancestors participated in the production of official salt, so they know how to brew green salt to remove its toxicity."

"This is a fine gift." Liu Bei said with a pleased expression, "Go back and tell Zhang Ji to cooperate closely with this Qiang tribe. However, the salt has not been completely detoxified and still needs to be processed using a secret method. Third Brother can bring the relevant secret method back with him when he returns to Ji County."

The mining and production of salt and iron in the Han Dynasty had a long history, and the famous "Discourse on Salt and Iron" even appeared during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

However, in Liu Bei's view, these mining and processing methods were too crude, and the salt circulating in the market was also of various kinds, some of which were extremely toxic.

There are often cases of people getting sick from eating substandard salt, and others who can't afford salt at all.

After Liu Bei entered Yongzhou, he also surveyed the various salt-producing areas in Yongzhou. However, many salt-producing areas were abandoned and unusable due to the war in Guanzhong and migration. Re-mining would waste too much manpower and resources.

Yongzhou's main focus remains on agriculture and water conservancy.

Now, the Qiang people have presented Liu Bei with a great gift.

The mining was left to the Qiang people; Liu Bei only needed to remove the toxicity of the salt from the Western Sea to make it edible.

Indeed, it was beneficial to have Jia Xu use relatively peaceful strategies like "psychological warfare".

If the first fifteen of Jia Xu's sixteen strategies for pacifying the Qiang were actually used, let alone sending gifts, it would be considered reasonable for the Qiang people not to cause trouble.

What Liu Bei wanted was to subdue and awe, not to exterminate and slaughter his entire clan.

As long as you sincerely submit, you are a member of the Yongzhou family.

Liu Bei would share some of what he had with the Qiang people, and of course, the Qiang people would also share some of what they had with Liu Bei.

Many people came to give gifts, and Liu Bei accepted them all.

For ordinary people, marriage is simply marriage; for Liu Bei, marriage was not only a personal matter, but also a matter concerning Yongzhou.

The number of people and the influence of those who sent gifts also reflected Liu Bei's prestige in Yongzhou.

Even the Qiang people of Hanyang Commandery now ask Zhang Fei to send them gifts, which shows that Liu Bei is now in a position of power and influence both inside and outside Yongzhou.

March 7th.

Liu Bei completed the final of the six rites and formally married Cai Wenji into his household.

Since Liu Bei and Cai Wenji's parents were not in Chang'an, some of the formalities were simplified.

In the bridal chamber, candles burned and the lamp burned eternally; the night passed without a word, only soft murmurs remained.

Three days later.

Liu Bei abandoned the pleasures of women and selected civil and military officials to go to Luoyang.

Zhang Fei was to guard Hanyang Commandery, to help Liu Bei pacify the various tribes in the west, and to defend the border. He returned to Ji County.

When Liu Bei returned to Luoyang, he was going to contend with Dong Zhuo, and he would definitely take Guan Yu with him.

Think about it.

Liu Bei decided to appoint Jian Yong, the Chief Clerk, to take over as Governor of Yongzhou, and to work with Yan Zhong, the Chief Administrator, Qian Zhao, the Chief Military Advisor, Liang Yan, the Chief Consultant, and Yang Kuo, the Chief Recorder, to jointly manage the affairs of Yongzhou Prefecture.

Zhang Yang, who was stationed in Chencang, was transferred back to Chang'an.

Of the eight colonels of the Yongzhou army, apart from Zhang Fei, Zhang Yang, and Huangfu Jianshou, the other colonels, such as Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, and Dian Wei, along with their troops, were to be taken away.

Chen Dao, Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, and Fa Zheng also accompanied Liu Bei.

The strategist only brought Jia Xu with him.

Liu Bei left another letter for Xu You, instructing him to return to Chang'an and then proceed to Luoyang to await orders.

Since he was going to fight against Dong Zhuo and also needed to serve the emperor to command the disobedient, Liu Bei would inevitably have to take away his most elite civil and military officials and troops.

To prevent Chang'an from being without a capable general, Liu Bei once again entrusted Huangfu Song with the task of guarding the city.

Having guarded the city so many times, Huangfu Song had grown accustomed to it. Moreover, his sons and cousins ​​were all under Liu Bei's command, and if war broke out in Chang'an, he couldn't simply stay at home in retirement.

After making all the arrangements, Liu Bei bid farewell to everyone and led his army eastward.

Luoyang, here I come!

I'm coming to conquer the world!

(End of this chapter)