The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 285

Liu Bei was indeed in a dilemma. He knew his own body, and it hadn't recovered since the Battle of Hanzhong. As for what supported him to live until today, even he himself was a little unclear.His son Liu Chan is already dead. Although Liu Bei is a bit protective, he is not stupid. He knows that although Liu Chan is not stupid, he is definitely not a smart person, and he will not be smarter than Liu Bei.Because of this, Liu Bei was very worried about him and wanted to choose a safe and reliable auxiliary team for him.Zhuge Liang is a smart man, but his desire for power is too strong. If he can't control it, it is almost inevitable to become a powerful minister. Of course, Liu Bei also knows that although Zhuge Liang is good at power, he is a scholar after all. He still understands loyalty, filial piety and righteousness. Possibly, usurping the throne is not enough.

If he was an outsider, Liu Bei sometimes felt that it would be a good thing for Zhuge Liang to be in power to assist Liu Chan.However, Liu Bei is not an outsider. He cannot bear that his son is a puppet in the hands of others. Therefore, the most important thing for him to pave the way for the Shu regime after his death is to find someone who can balance Zhuge Liang.

Originally, Guan Yu was the most suitable candidate. He has prestige and meritorious service. He is a veteran who can trust him. His loyalty to him is obvious to all. He can be the king of Shu.However, Guan Yu is too arrogant, so arrogant that he has a bad relationship with the emperor and his ministers. Others are very polite to him, but they are only polite. However, Guan Yu himself is still confused about the situation, and still feels that he is a well-deserved No.1 in Sichuan. Minister, a model admired by thousands of people, the chief assistant minister who does his part.

Guan Yu will not be Zhuge Liang's opponent, Liu Bei knows this very well, a person who despises his opponent, and even a very clever opponent, even if he is a real master, will never be the final winner.What's more, Guan Yu was too arrogant. He was stricter to the crown prince Liu Chan than his real father. Liu Chan was not afraid of his father, but his calf trembled when he saw Guan Yu.

Liu Bei didn't blame Liu Chan, because there were very few people in Sichuan who didn't tremble when they saw Guan Yu, and even those veteran officials were nervous when they saw Guan Yu, let alone Liu Chan was a child.However, Liu Bei also gave up Guan Yu because he also could not accept a general who was extremely domineering-even though he was very loyal.

If you don't accept it, you don't accept it. If Liu Bei kills Guan Yu, he can't do it. Guan Yu has been with him for 40 years. The friendship between them is just like what he said.He couldn't let Liu Bei kill his brother.Although some people made similar suggestions explicitly or implicitly, they were all rejected by Liu Bei without exception.

The best way right now is to wait for Guan Yu to die first, so as to complete the good stories of their monarchs and ministers, without leaving the root cause of the disease. It is a pity that although Guan Yu is two years older than Liu Bei, Guan Yu still eats well. The body is very good, in comparison, Liu Bei is much worse.Liu Bei was very worried. He probably hung up twice, but Guan Yu was still alive and well.

This is very troublesome, if you can't kill and can't kill, and you can't keep it, is there a third way?For this matter, Liu Bei was very entangled, and his body was getting worse day by day.

Seeing Guan Feng, Liu Bei regretted it very much. It was a foolish trick to marry Guan Feng to Sun Shao. If Guan Feng was the crown princess, whether it was Wu crown princess or Shu crown princess, the situation would be better than the current situation.But then again, who would have thought that Sun Shao, a guy with no future, would become a blockbuster.

"Yinping, I heard that you commanded the army in Rinan and cooperated with the Wu army to defeat the elephant soldiers of the Funan people. You are really majestic." Liu Bei held Guan Feng's hand and smiled kindly, clearly a gentle elder.Guan Feng smiled: "Rumours are limited to wise men. How can uncle believe these words? I am a girl, and fortunately my husband trusts me. Let me bring some troops to cooperate with Prince Wu in the battle. What is commanding the army? The essence of the battle is Zhuge Ke's command." of."

"Zhuge Ke?" Liu Bei frowned, and some doubts appeared in his eyes.The news he heard said that Lu Dai was in command, and Guan Feng led the Vietnamese army to cooperate. He subconsciously thought that it was for Sun Deng's fame, so Guan Feng, who actually commanded the battle, gave up the credit, but now he heard Guan Feng himself said that he actually commanded the battle It was Zhuge Ke, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.Zhuge Ke's father and son's status in Wu State is very delicate now. Zhuge Jin lost the battle with Gu Yong for the position of prime minister, but he did not fall out of favor. It can be said that the future is boundless.However, for Liu Bei, this is not good news. The weight of Zhuge Ke and his son has brought a very adverse impact on the balance of power in Shu.

"Yes, Zhuge Ke is a natural general." Guan Feng pretended not to see Liu Bei's worry, and talked freely, praised Zhuge Ke well, and finally said: "Uncle, the king of Wei is old, and now he is old. Basically regardless of government affairs, I leave it to my sons to take care of it. Although King Wu is in his prime, he also focuses on training the prince Deng. Why doesn’t his uncle bring A Dou out to practice? You need to know that good iron needs to be made by famous teachers, without experience in the world Young people, even geniuses, have very limited achievements. Wu Taizi Deng has experienced two wars, and now he is completely reborn."

Liu Bei fell silent.He is a person who has experienced the world, of course he knows this truth.But if he wanted to let Liu Chan and Sun Deng go out to practice, he was reluctant.Of course he knew that it was not a good thing for Sun Deng to be sent out for training by Sun Quan, but the result was very real. Just as Guan Feng said, after two training sessions, Sun Deng had changed from a piece of common iron to fine iron. Still very necessary.Is it for safety, continue to protect Liu Chan by his side, or is it cruel to send him out to experience the wind and rain?Liu Bei hesitated.

"Is it dangerous outside?" Liu Bei forced a laugh.

"Hehehe..." Guan Feng laughed softly: "Uncle, when you were at Adou's age, you had already fought against the Yellow Turban Bandits, right?"

Guan Feng's words immediately brought Liu Bei back to that era of passion and passion. He was out of his mind for a while, then nodded and said in a murmur: "Yes, that year, I also, your father, and your wing Uncle De, the school lieutenant Zou Jing begging for the Yellow Turban thief, I can’t remember exactly how many times he escaped from death. If it wasn’t for your father and Yide, hehe, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.”

"Uncle is a noble man, how can a mere yellow scarf hurt uncle." Guan Feng pulled out a hand, and gently patted the back of Liu Bei's hand, just like a junior comforting an old man: "If uncle didn't go through so many It is dangerous, how can someone like General Zhao follow him and make a career? A sapling that has not gone through wind and rain cannot become a towering tree."

"Rational, reasonable." Liu Bei nodded frequently, and Guan Feng's words immediately settled his thoughts.Experiencing the world is one thing, but on the other hand, it is to establish his own team. After two wars, Sun Deng accumulated a team including talents like Zhuge Ke, which laid a solid foundation for him to succeed King Wu in the future. Liu Chan If you want to be a king of Shu who can make his own decisions, you can't always hide under his wings.He glanced at Zhao Yun beside him, and said with a smile, "Zilong, do you think Yinping's words make sense?"

Zhao Yun said: "What Queen Yue said is true. It's just that the son of a daughter can't sit still. The lessons of the ancients are still reasonable. Experience is one thing, but safety issues need to be properly arranged."

Liu Bei murmured to himself, Zhao Yun never talked much, but he was always on point.If it is really necessary to arrange for Liu Chan to come out to practice, the safety is really a big problem.However, maybe while I can last a few more years, select some people from the younger generation to follow Liu Chan and protect Liu Chan, which not only ensures Liu Chan's safety, but also gives him the opportunity to exercise. This is the best way to achieve both.

It seems that this matter should indeed be considered.Liu Bei made up his mind, with a gratified smile on his face: "Yinping, how about letting Adou go out with you to see the world? You have loved him since you were a child, and now you are the queen of the Yue Kingdom. Surely there will be no problem taking care of Adou?"

Guan Feng smiled, and stretched out his hand to brush a strand of hair on the side of his cheek: "If uncle trusts me, I am willing to discuss it with the king. When the time comes, you can consult in person, and I am sure you will be able to find a good solution."

Liu Bei's eyes flashed, he nodded in agreement, but he didn't take it seriously in his heart.He just said that, of course it is impossible to send Liu Chan to Sun Shao as a hostage on his own initiative.He had a gossip with Guan Feng, Guan Feng briefly introduced Funan to him, Liu Bei listened with great interest, the situation in Shu was different from that of Wei and Yue, but somewhat similar to that of Wu.To the east is the state of Wu, to the north is the state of Shu, to the south is the smoky southern Xinjiang, and to the west is the Daxue Mountain. The space for his development is very limited. Of course, it is not so easy for others to attack him. It was also because of this that he dared to start a war with the State of Wu over Zhang Yi's affairs. Although he could not control Yizhou County for the time being, he could not let the State of Wu reach out.

"Yinping, I heard that both Zang Ba and Sun Guan have a deal with Yue State?" Liu Bei talked for a long time, and finally got to the point.

"Yes, they are trading partners with our country of Yue." Guan Feng smiled and said, "Linzi's silk and Xuzhou's iron are very popular commodities. Xiangyi's embroidery and Chengdu's Shu brocade are directly comparable to Linzi's. Although the quality is high, the quantity is far behind. I have always wanted to ask my uncle, why Chengdu’s brocade has been famous for a long time, but it has never been as good as Linzi’s?”

Guan Feng asked the question knowingly.There are many places where there are sericulture in Dahan, but the places famous for silk weaving are Linzi, Xiangyi and Chengdu.Linzi is famous for its silk, and it was known as the world's most famous silk dress in the early Han Dynasty, while Xiangyi is famous for its fine embroidery, which has always been supplied to the royal family and ministers. Of course, the quantity is not as good as Linzi. Later, in terms of industrial base, it is incomparable with Linzi.What's more, the reason why Linzi is so prosperous now is that the new loom funded by Yue State also has a lot of credit.

However, Liu Bei didn't know this, and he was also wondering why the Shu Brocade was so famous, but the trading volume had not been increasing, and he couldn't get more money for him.

"This... I don't know too much." Liu Bei said very troublesome: "Chengdu is now full of silk from Linzi, and the merchants in Shu can't compete with the merchants in Qi. The means by which Chinese merchants make money are endless, and I, the King of Shu, are terribly poor now, are you helping uncle?"

Guan Feng chuckled: "Isn't inviting uncle here just to discuss this matter?"

"Is this the matter?" Liu Bei was also a little surprised. He only knew that the emperor wanted to mediate for them, but he didn't expect that there was such a thing as doing business.If I knew this was the case, I would let Zhuge Liang come.But he was relieved immediately, the Mi family was born as a businessman, and they can also do business.

Liu Bei immediately called Mi Zhu over and asked them to negotiate with Sun Shao.Mi Zhu and his son had dealt with Sun Shao when they were in Wancheng, and they got along well. Mi Wei also taught Sun Shao's men how to ride. When we meet again this time, Sun Shao is very polite, including Cui Qian and others. Many of them came forward to say hello to Mi Wei, and jokingly called him a teacher, making Mi Wei very embarrassed.However, this is also conducive to the subsequent negotiations. Mizhu has no other skills, but his housekeeping skills are in dealing with people and things, and he quickly talked warmly with Sun Shao and others.As soon as they sat down to talk, Zang Ba gave a gift in a fun way.He told Mi Zhu that the ancestral graves of the Mi family in Qu County, Donghai were well protected, and those damaged by the Yellow Turban thieves in the past few years were also repaired. Zang Ba also found some members of the Mi family and asked them to return to their hometowns to sit and take care of ancestral grave.Upon hearing this, Mi Zhu's tears came down, and he couldn't make a sound, and expressed his thanks to Zang Ba repeatedly.But Zang Ba said that this was an order from His Royal Highness the King of Yue, and it was also handled by the East China Sea Governor Su Chuleg.Mi Zhu knew that the sea to the east of Qu County was Yuzhou Mountain, which was now renamed Lianyungang, and it was the seat of the governor of the East Sea of ​​the Yue Kingdom. He firmly believed what Zang Ba said, and thanked Sun Shao again.

Sun Shao said a few words modestly, and then sat down to discuss business.He first asked Mizhu to introduce the main projects of the merchants in Funan, and then he talked about the limited trading volume in Shu. He suggested that Mizhu think about it carefully and find out the reason why the trading volume in Shuzhong is not increasing. .Mi Zhu sighed, saying that the reason is actually simple, there are roughly two reasons.First, the strength of merchants in central Shu is not as strong as those in Wuyue and Wei, and they have always been at a disadvantage in the competition. Many merchants have been in trouble while the business in Weiyue has developed rapidly in recent years. The scale has gradually shrunk, and many people have even been reduced As the agent of Weiyue merchants.This is already the case in local competition, where is the financial resources to develop outward?Second, Shu and Wu have always been in a semi-hostile state. If businessmen from the Kingdom of Shu want to go to the Zhuya area, they must first go by land and pass through Jiaozhou, or by water, passing through the great river and then entering the sea. No matter which way they have to pass The territory of Wu State.The state of Yue is notorious for its protection of businessmen. The people of the state of Wu dare not provoke them. The people of the state of Wei are so powerful that they would not dare to provoke them easily. The only people who can be provoked are the merchants of the state of Shu.The merchants of the Shu Kingdom were already in a competitive disadvantaged position, and if they were blackmailed by the troops of the Wu Kingdom along the way, there would be no profit. As time went by, the trading volume would naturally shrink.

Not only that, but in the past few years, due to the lack of profitability of local businessmen, the outflow of copper coins has also been very serious, and money shortages have occurred in Chengdu many times.What is different from the past is that now all these copper coins have flowed out. Even if you want to make big money to get the copper coins back, it is basically impossible. Businessmen in other places do not accept big money at all. Everyone knows that big money is a lie. It was useless, so I issued a lot of money several times, but in the end it was nothing.

After hearing this, Sun Shao scratched his head a little. Businessmen were blackmailed by the garrisons everywhere. Such things happened everywhere, but the situation in Wu State was the most special, because Wu State adopted a different system of raising soldiers from the other three countries.Wu’s soldiers are closer to private soldiers. Most of the support for these soldiers is funded by the generals themselves. Some of them are produced by the food towns bestowed by Sun Quan, and some come from business. Other businessmen are competitors to them. They will definitely spare no effort to attack, Wei and Yue do not dare to provoke, and most of Wu's own businessmen have a deep family background. At this time, only Shu's businessmen can be bullied.

"Mr. Zizhong, you have also seen it." Sun Shao said sincerely: "This time Wu and Shu are fighting against each other. Although it is just a confrontation, there have been some small frictions, and there is no real fierce battle, but Wei Guo is already eyeing it. Cooperation will benefit both. I don't need to say this, you all understand the truth. I can't help you with the matter of Wu, but since the king of Shu has condescended to come here, why not go further and go to Jianye to discuss this matter with the king of Wu ? If the two sides can reach an agreement, such a thing will not happen again in the future, it might not be a good thing."

Mi Zhu hesitated a little, he knew that Liu Bei's psychology was actually very weird.The four kings of the Han Dynasty, he only obeyed Cao Cao, the king of Wei, because Cao Cao was the strongest, and he would never be his opponent for the rest of his life. , will only bring him benefits, not harm, but he doesn't think highly of Sun Quan.Maybe it's because people always want to find someone who is not as good as themselves to balance. Liu Bei was very upset about bowing his head to Sun Quan in order to resist Cao. This may be the reason why he repeatedly teased Sun Quan later.It seems that it is not an easy task for him to bow his head to Sun Quan at this time.

"General Zuo paid three visits to the thatched cottage for a scholar back then. Now, for the benefit of the Kingdom of Shu, it is not difficult to show favor to the King of Wu." Sun Shao said with a smile: "Don't worry, I will mediate from it. If you think about it, the King of Wu will not." Embarrass him. Our four kings are the four pillars of the great man. No one is stronger than the other, and no one is weaker than the other. We should support each other, not tear each other down." Sun Shao paused for a moment, then said: "I There is a big plan that requires the cooperation of the four countries. Since we want to be partners, I certainly don’t want everyone to have any grievances. If there are conflicts, it’s better to talk about it.”

Mi Zhu asked: "What's your plan, your majesty, that you want the four countries to join forces?"

Sun Shao smiled strangely: "Overseas treasures are like a mountain, and I can't swallow them alone, so I have to form a group to grab them. Are you interested in Shu? If you are not interested, then forget it. I don't care about the affairs between Wu and Shu."

Mi Zhu's eyelids twitched, and he pondered for a moment.Among the four countries in recent years, the country with the fastest development is Yue.The King of Yue had no interest in the war in the Central Plains. He had used troops abroad for many years and gained a lot, which made everyone envious.Now he wants to take everyone together to make a fortune. With Yue's strong sea power, it is indeed very attractive.Among the four countries, both Wei and Wu are bordered by the State of Yue. It is very convenient for them to cooperate, but the State of Shu is isolated from the State of Yue. The presence or absence of the State of Shu does not have much impact on the State of Yue, but in this way, its strength is inherently weak The Shu Kingdom was soon forgotten, which must be the result Liu Bei did not want to see.

"I'll report it to the king immediately, and ask His Royal Highness the King of Yue to mediate." Mi Zhu discovered the pros and cons and didn't dare to let it go easily.

"Don't worry, I can't mediate. There is Wei Guo and the emperor." Sun Shao said confidently: "Your general is my father-in-law, just for his sake, I can't just sit idly by." .”

Mi Zhu was taken aback, smiled wryly, and left in a hurry.

After listening to Mi Zhu's return, Liu Bei smiled wryly.The reason why he has such a headache for Guan Yu is because Sun Shao is doing trouble inside.Now Sun Shao used these words to remind him not to do any harm to Guan Yu, he was both annoyed and helpless.Sun Shao is Guan Yu's son-in-law. From his point of view, he is indeed selling Guan Yu's face, otherwise he would not have to pay attention to Shu.

Leaving Guan Yu behind, Liu Bei thought for a long time, and he followed Sun Shao's suggestion. First, he sent Mizhu to Jianye. Jin met Sun Quan.At this time, Sun Quan and Liu Bei did not have a lot of psychology. He also felt that the discord between Wu and Shu would be harmful to both sides. Zhuge Jin and Mi Zhu discussed the relevant details, and finally he took the initiative to rush to Guangling to meet Liu Bei.Of course, his name is not to meet Liu Bei, but to meet the emperor—the new year is approaching, and the emperor's car will soon arrive at Guangling.

The days before the arrival of the Son of Heaven were the busiest days in Guangling. The Wei, Yue, Wu, and Shu countries all had their own thoughts, and they all wanted to get more benefits from the upcoming alliance. Putting all the unpleasant things aside, the most obvious is Liu Bei and Sun Quan, former allies and enemies not long ago. They appeared in pairs in front of Sun Shao and Cao Zhang, as if they were a pair of lovers in love, not An enemy who just fought a battle not long ago.

For their behavior, Sun Shao just laughed it off, and Cao Zhang scoffed at it. He didn't bother to sit with such a person, and would hang out with Sun Shao or his subordinates when he had time. At the same time, he ordered people to take Sun Shao Shao's proposal was quickly sent back to Yecheng. Before the emperor arrived, Cao Cao's reply arrived, with only eight words: wait and see what happens, and seek fame and fortune.

Cao Zhang understood, this is Cao Cao's agreement not to fight for the general, but he can't let it go in vain, he has to use this false name in exchange for sufficient benefits.And the most substantial benefit, of course, is that the State of Yue subsidized his Northern Expedition.

One night before the arrival of the Son of Heaven, Sun Shao hosted a banquet and invited Cao Zhang, Liu Bei and Sun Quan to eat. There were no other people, only the four of them sat together.When the wine was half drunk, Sun Shao put down a wine glass and made a suggestion. As soon as he said it, the faces of the three people changed. They put down their wine glasses at the same time and lowered their heads.

(End of this chapter)