The Three Kingdoms Voyage

Chapter 286

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Emperor Liu Xie drove to Guangling with Empress Cao Jie and Prince Liu Xing, accompanied by Prime Minister Yang Biao and others.Cao Cao, king of Wei, was absent due to illness, and his son Cao Zhang, Sun Shao, king of Yue, Sun Quan, king of Wu, and Liu Bei, king of Shu, went out of camp for thirty miles to meet him.After a hustle and bustle, Sun Quan, the king of Wu, and Liu Bei, the king of Shu, took the lead, followed by Sun Shao, the king of Yue, and Cao Zhang, surrounded by the emperor's car, and drove to the camp that had already been prepared.Empress Xu of Wu and Queen Guan Feng of Yue accompanied Empress Cao Jie all the way. Prince Sun Feng of Yue and Prince Liu Xing hit it off. Sun Feng stuffed a piece of candy into Liu Xing's mouth, and Liu Xing became Sun Feng's wife Follower, seeing Prince Wu, Sun Li, who came with him, was envious.He has candy, but he can't be as unruly as Sun Feng, squeezed into the same car with Liu Xing in a big way, smiling so much that he can only cross his hands and accompany him cautiously.

"The concubine has no way to teach her children, and the queen laughed at her." Guan Feng apologized embarrassedly.

Empress Cao Jie smiled, waved her hands, and said generously: "It's okay, they are all children, so there is no need to talk about so many rules. Xing'er has been bored in the palace for a long time, and the other princes of His Majesty are all old. I can't play with him. I brought him out this time. It was a hard journey all the way. It is also a rare thing to have such a companion of a similar age. Prince Yue is very strong. It seems that he must be the same as King Yue when he grows up. A tiger general." Cao Jie couldn't help chuckling, "I forgot, his mother is also a tiger general."

Guan Feng smiled awkwardly. In front of the graceful Cao Jie, she was obviously a little cautious.But Cao Jie also caught her eye.Although Guan Feng didn't wear a war robe, but a gorgeous court dress, but she was well-known. There was a hero Lao Tzu who shocked China, and a hero husband who was a king. , the famous general with illustrious military exploits, even in a complicated dress, is still full of heroism. In the eyes of Cao Jie, who is used to seeing weak women, he has a sassy air.The two were about the same age, so they talked together very quickly, but Empress Wu Xu couldn't keep up, so she could only silently accompany her.

Welcoming the Son of Heaven into the camp and making arrangements properly, Sun Shao and others brought their officials and subordinates into the tent to meet them one by one. According to the current order, Sun Shao was at the end. When he entered the imperial tent, the Emperor Liu Xie and the Prime Minister Yang Biao smiled.After Sun Shao finished his ceremony, the emperor smiled and waved:
"Come on, Sun Qing, the ceremony is over, and we, the monarch and his ministers, are talking together. It's been more than four years since we bid farewell to Wancheng."

Sun Shao put on a look like I miss you to death, and said in a low voice: "The minister and your majesty have been separated for four years, three months and 21 days. Whether you are in Liaodong or Funan, you miss your majesty all the time. .”

"Pfft!" Before the Son of Heaven uttered a word, Yang Biao couldn't help laughing out loud. He walked up, kicked his feet up, and scolded with a smile, "Zhu Zi, I haven't seen you for a few years, and you're even better at acting."

Sun Shao didn't dodge, and bowed: "Mr. Yang, I haven't seen you for a few years. You are still so agile, and your footwork is still so sharp."

"Hehehe..." The emperor, who wanted to sullenly at first, couldn't bear it any longer, and smiled.Yang Biao is a rare person who jokes with others. Today is the first time the emperor saw him joking with Sun Shao in front of the emperor.He had known for a long time that Yang Biao and Sun Shao were very speculative despite their age difference, but he didn't expect the two to be so acquainted to this extent.In fact, he also wrongly blamed Yang Biao. Yang Biao didn't want to be so intimate with Sun Shao, but he knew that you are serious and Sun Shao is not, and the more serious you are, the more dishonest he is. It's bullshit.He said such things to the emperor as soon as he earned money today, obviously it was the same as before, and it was all useless to talk to him about the dignity of the king.

"Duke Yang, I really invite you to watch the show this time." Sun Shao smiled, "In order to relieve His Majesty's boredom, I have put a lot of thought into it, and I have prepared more than a dozen entertainment programs alone, to ensure that Your Majesty will feel comfortable physically and mentally. "

"You don't want to take your Majesty down to be ridiculous, do you?" Yang Biao looked at Sun Shao warily.

"How is it possible?" Sun Shao raised his chest, "I am a decent person."

The emperor was baffled and didn't know what they were talking about, but he was very interested in what Yang Biao said was absurd, but he was embarrassed to say it.

"Your Majesty has traveled for a month, and it's not easy to get here. Your Majesty, you should really make Your Majesty happy." Yang Biao put away his smile, pulled Sun Shao aside and sat down, staring into Sun Shao's eyes and said: "You made a lot of money in Funan. His Majesty has given you both states. You won't just send them away with a boatload of gifts, right? I heard that Queen Yue gave her father Guan Yu a boatload of gifts. Treasures, [-] stones of white rice, are much more than what you gave to His Majesty."

Sun Shaoyi said, "Why, Your Majesty also wants [-] shimi? You shouldn't be so nervous, right?"

The emperor smiled awkwardly: "Mr. Yang, Sun Qing has always been loyal to the court, and there is never a shortage of tributes. Let's not talk about this kind of family ugliness. Give me some face."

Yang Biao was silent for a moment, then raised his head and said to Sun Shao: "In my opinion, you have done a good job, and I should not reach out to you again. However, the other three kings have gone too far. King Wei has not even reached out to you for this year. The tribute was not delivered, and the kings of Shu and Wu were also dealing with errands. They were either short of catties, or delayed. Look, the horses driven by His Majesty are not as good as the horses of Cao Zhang’s cavalry. How decent is this, Son of Heaven Where is your majesty?" By the end, Yang Biao was already very unhappy.

Sun Shao also put away his smile. After thinking for a moment, he raised his head and looked at Yang Biao: "Mr. Yang, you have already told me some of the things you said in the letter before, and I have heard some of them from other channels. , I saw His Majesty’s car driving today, and I understood everything. The three kings of Wei, Shu and Wu did not behave properly, and they really shouldn’t. However, I want to remind Yang Gong of two points. First, these things are family scandals, and we cannot As a result, there is a lot of trouble, and at that time, the court will probably be even more ashamed."

Yang Biao and Tianzi glanced at each other, and nodded in unison. They thought it would be useless to do so, so they refrained from saying anything.There is no way to find Sun Shao. Among the four kings, only Sun Shao really puts the court in his heart.

"Second, although I am one of the four kings, there was an unwritten rule when I became the king. I, the king of Yue, was the last one, and the king of Wei, who was the first, didn't come this time. What I want to say, I'm afraid no one will listen to me, so..."

Yang Biao glared at Sun Shao: "I know what you want to say, but you also need to know that it's not that His Majesty is reluctant to bear the honor of the General, it's the King of Wei who wrote that the General can't be appointed outside, and wants you to go to Luoyang to be the General. , are you willing to go?"

"Maybe I will go in the future, but not now." Sun Shao said with a smile, "I still want to fight for His Majesty for a few more years."

"That's not it." Yang Biao said along the way.

"However, I have a more suitable candidate for the general, please consider it. This person is famous all over the world. If he can be the general, I believe that everyone will be convinced, and no one will dare to be perfunctory in the future. Don't take Your Majesty seriously."

"Oh?" The emperor and Yang Biao were both surprised: "Who is it?"

"General of Shu, Guan Yu."

"he?"

"That's right. General Guan fought in Wancheng and helped the building to collapse. He has made great contributions to the country and his family. Moreover, General Guan has become a famous hero with illustrious military exploits. If he is appointed as the general, I think that no matter whether it is Wei or Wu Shu Be afraid of three points."

The emperor didn't say a word, but glanced at Yang Biao, with a little anger in his eyes.Sun Shao suggested that Guan Yu should be the general of the court. There is no problem with the candidate. Guan Yu has made great achievements in the court and his name is also well-known. It is reasonable to be the general, but Sun Shao's mention of it means that he is different from Cao Cao.Didn't you say that generals can't be appointed as generals? Okay, I recommend someone who can go to Luoyang to serve. Anyway, I don't want your Cao family to be a general.The problem is that you and Cao Cao don't like each other, and you can't play tricks on the general of the court.Are you in charge of the general?
Yang Biao let out a sigh of relief: "General Guan is indeed suitable, but the choice of the general is not trivial, and we need to discuss it with the other three kings. King Yue, what do you think?"

Yang Biao was very worried. Sun Shao made great efforts for the alliance in the East China Sea. He proposed that his father-in-law Guan Yu be the general. up.Unexpectedly, Sun Shao was very polite. Upon hearing this, he laughed and said, "Mr. Yang's words are justified. Such an important matter should naturally be discussed with the kings. Your Majesty is able to open up his views and follow the good advice. Raise your hands for it, no, raise your hands and feet for it."

Yang Biao was annoyed and funny, and glared at Sun Shao: "The front is like a sentence, but there is a clue behind it. You, the king of Yue, are somewhat disrespectful."

Sun Shao said with a sneer: "I am the general Fuyi, dealing with barbarians all day long. I can't talk about the rules, I can't do anything, I'm used to it, I'm used to it."

"Forget it, tell me first, how are you arranged these days?"

Sun Shao took out a list from his pocket and handed it to Yang Biao with both hands.Yang Biao read it again, then passed it to the emperor.The emperor took it over and saw that there were plans for these days listed on it.Today's arrangement is a pick-up, an audience, a gift, and then a welcome banquet in the evening.Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, the emperor hosted a banquet for everyone to eat - of course, these Sun Shaos have been arranged, but it's up to the emperor to come forward - a feast for the emperor and his ministers.The day after tomorrow is the first day of the first lunar month. The ministers first pay New Year's greetings to His Majesty, and present New Year's gifts, and then rewarded by the emperor.The main event begins on the second day of the first lunar month, with a military parade, first the cavalry of Wei, and then the infantry of Wu and Shu.On the third day of the first lunar month, it was the naval review, and the emperor was invited to go out to sea on the giant ship of the Yue Kingdom, to watch the naval exercises, and to cruise the vast sea area of ​​the Han Kingdom...

The long list was written in a long list, and it was full until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.The Son of Heaven couldn't help feeling a little worried. He came to ask for money, but now he wanted a reward. Although it was symbolic, if it was too little, it wouldn't look good.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I have already discussed with the kings, and I guarantee that Your Majesty will not be stretched." Sun Shao said confidently, "And when His Majesty leaves, he will return with a full load."

The Son of Heaven looked at Sun Shao suspiciously, although he didn't quite believe it, but he had no choice but to nod in agreement.Sun Shao sat for a while and said that he would arrange a banquet for the evening, so he left first.Yang Biao and Tianzi sat bored for a while, and they both raised their heads at the same time: "The candidate for the general..." Then they were stunned, looked at each other for a while, and laughed again.

"Your Majesty, it is appropriate for Guan Yu to be the general. Shu King Liu Bei and Yue King Sun Shao will definitely be satisfied, and the tribute from the Kingdom of Shu will be guaranteed in the future."

"Well, General Guan has made meritorious service in the court, and he should be appointed as a general." The emperor said yes, and said with some concern: "But can the King of Wei agree?"

Yang Biao smiled: "Since the king of Yue said it so confidently, he probably has passed his anger. What I am worried about is that not only the candidate for the general has already been decided, but also other people."

The Son of Heaven sighed for a long time, and shook his head sadly: "Little Luoyang, it's not up to me to decide."

Yang Biao shook his head slowly: "Your Majesty, why do you have to do this? The mutual compromise of the four kings is the basis for the continuation of the great man. Don't be afraid of them compromising with each other, but fear that their family will dominate. Among the four kings, Wei Wang is the most tyrannical. This time The Son of Heaven went on a hunting tour, and the four kings met for an alliance. He dared to say that he would not be sick. His arrogance can be seen. The general was appointed by Guan Yu, and Shu and Yue were united. If anything happens in the future, the King of Wei may have to think about it. Even if the three princes are all appointed by the four kings, it may not be a bad thing. Your Majesty, the meaning of the republic lies in this."

The Son of Heaven gave a wry smile: "Mr. Yang's words are reasonable, but I have been thinking too much."

"The top priority is to decide on candidates as soon as possible, and collect their tributes, so that they won't be able to reward them when they get it." Yang Biao was also a little disappointed. Without the due tribute, the honor of the court was actually exchanged for money. What is the difference between this and Emperor Xiaoling who sold his official position back then?It's just that there's no price tag.

Yang Biao acted immediately, and sent someone to invite Cao Zhang first. In order to prevent Cao Zhang from being rude, he first notified the empress Cao Jie of the matter.Sure enough, seeing the sulky-faced Empress Cao Jie present, Cao Zhang, who was going to play a scoundrel and wanted a little more, became honest, and didn't dare to say a fart. He should be appointed as the general, and then he recommended Gu Yong, the prime minister of Wu, as Yushi Zhongcheng, saying that Gu Yong was upright and dignified, and he was the candidate that Mr. Cai Yong liked.Yang Biao and the emperor had already prepared, but they didn't say much. As usual, they just studied and studied.

Then Liu Bei was invited, and Liu Bei knew very well that this was a discussion between them. All parties felt that the person who had a headache and was difficult to deal with was pushed to the court. It seemed that he was promoted, but in fact, he quietly resolved the trouble.For example, Guan Yu, if you want to get rid of his position as a general, he will probably go crazy, but now it is different, if you let him go to the court as a general, that is a promotion, and he will be very happy .Gu Yong of Wu State was a thorn in Sun Quan's heart, but now that he was appointed as Yushi Zhongcheng in the imperial court, that would be a promotion, even if Gu Yong had opinions, he couldn't say anything.

Liu Bei first thanked Guan Yu for his kindness, and then recommended Zhang Zhao of Yue State to be the Taiwei.Next was Sun Quan. Sun Quan was hypocritical, and then recommended Cao Zhang as the chariot general.

After turning around, the generals of the court, the generals of the chariots, the Taiwei and the doctor Yushi all had their masters.The reason why Gu Yong was not allowed to be the prime minister directly, but temporarily served as the prime minister of Yushi Zhongcheng, seems to have given Yang Biao face.

The emperor and Yang Biao were both speechless, but they couldn't find a suitable reason. Of course you don't have to listen, but you have to think about it. The result of not accepting it is that you have to go back empty-handed. I want to take it.Although he felt humiliated, the emperor calmed down when he thought about the days he spent with Cao Cao.Now at least I have to discuss it with him. At that time, Cao Cao was not so polite, and directly submitting the table was equivalent to a decision, so the emperor nods.

Whether you like it or not, the matter is settled like this, and a rule is established invisibly. From now on, the affairs of the court will be discussed and handled by the four kings, and each of the four kings will recommend a spokesperson to serve in the court. unspoken convention.

The emperor immediately issued an edict, worshiping Guan Yu as the general, Cao Zhang as the chariot general, Zhang Zhao as the Taiwei, and Gu Yong as the Yushi Zhongcheng. The imperial edict and printing were processed immediately and sent to everyone quickly.Then the four kings, who had their wish fulfilled, presented a generous gift list together, which relieved the urgent need of the emperor.As usual, the King of Yue, Sun Shao, made the most generous move. He placed all kinds of things in a row, and finally sent a huge ship, which was used by the emperor to inspect the navy.According to the rules, the things used by the emperor cannot be used by others. Even if they are rewarded to you, you can only keep them at home as offerings, and you cannot really use them for yourself.Sun Shao, who had already considered this problem in advance, simply sent the emperor a building boat, but it was flat-bottomed. Otherwise, it would be a question of whether the emperor could get the boat to Luoyang.

Looking at the full camp of gifts, and the money, food and tribute that the kings promised to send as soon as possible after the next year, the emperor felt mixed feelings, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, everything.Fortunately, since he ascended the throne, he has not enjoyed Gan Gang's arbitrary scenery, and he has become more or less used to this kind of life under the fence. After being depressed for a while, he also accepted his fate.When he attended the reception banquet at night, he talked and laughed happily again, and his face was normal again.

The lively days passed quickly. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the emperor inspected the cavalry of Wei and the infantry of Wu and Shu. Fifteen thousand cavalry set up a formation outside Guangling City, and staged a joint attack of infantry and cavalry in front of the emperor. walkthrough.The drums were rumbling and roaring, and the [-] soldiers who had just run in for more than ten days, under the command of the new cavalry general Cao Zhang, looked good and had a bit of prestige.However, when they thought of the naval inspection the next day, everyone was a little absent-minded.The tactics of joint attack by infantry and cavalry are already very familiar to the Han people, even if the emperor has never fought a war, he still knows a little bit.However, the tactics of the navy made them very fresh, especially in the past few years, the navy of the Yue Kingdom had criss-crossed the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Their impressive record has already whetted everyone's appetite.

The cavalry drill ended with sparse cheers. Cao Zhang was very depressed, but Sun Shao seemed very happy. He leaned over to Cao Zhang and said, "Ziwen, have you ever imagined that one day you will have such a joint cavalry battle?"

"I thought about it, when I was dreaming." Cao Zhang said directly.

"Hahaha..." Sun Shao said with a heartless smile: "Dreams are the motivation. You work hard and get rid of the Xianbei people as soon as possible, and I promise to help you realize this dream. Can the soldiers of Wu go to the Western Regions?" It’s very possible, but I’m sure about the infantry of the Shu Kingdom. Not to mention more, 2 people will definitely be fine.”

"2 people is enough. It shouldn't be a big problem for me to send [-] to [-] cavalry. As long as you can guarantee my food and supplies, I will definitely be able to regain the Western Regions and fight until Dashi." Cao Zhang said with a bad smile. : "His Royal Highness, don't break your promise and get fat."

"I mean what I say." Sun Shao curled his lips: "Don't point at me all the time. Whether it is Guanzhong or Hanzhong, they are all famous granaries. Since you are going to prepare for the Western Expedition, start preparing now. Transport grain for thousands of miles. After all, it’s better to get food nearby. Find a chance, let’s talk about new farm tools, by the way, where is your brother Zijian now?”

"In Hanzhong."

"Is he going to go out with you?"

"Maybe." Cao Zhang was very surprised: "Why, what are your plans?"

"What plans can I have?" Sun Shao curled his lips: "I'm just wondering why Cao Zijian, who almost put Zhang Fei away back then, hasn't moved at all recently."

"Hey, he, like you, doesn't want to fight a civil war anymore." Cao Zhang looked around and said quietly, "He's just waiting to go west with me."

"Really?" Sun Shao was very surprised, then rubbed his chin and smiled again: "It seems that I finally have a comrade."

"Of course." Cao Zhang puffed up his chest, not to be outdone, and said, "It's not just Zijian, I think so too. Although your article is crudely written, the words are not rough. Brothers kill each other, just fight again and again. It’s meaningless to win a lot of battles. It’s better to kill foreigners. To tell you the truth, my father also praised you, and he also said, if it weren’t for getting old, the matter of the Western Expedition would not have fallen on my head. up."

"The ghost believes your father." Sun Shao rolled his eyes: "That old thief's ten words are not half true. Fortunately, I still respect him so much, and he didn't even come to praise me. Next time Then send someone to deliver fish oil, you see, I won’t give him some medicine.”

"Your words are wrong." Cao Zhang said with a smile: "My father is coming, is there still a chance for you, King Yue, to show his face?"

"Bah!" Sun Shao spat, "If I want to show my face, why do I have to give it up? I'll show you tomorrow. I earned my own face. Be careful with your eyeballs, don't fall out of fear." Can't take it back."

"And—" Cao Zhang raised his voice, with a look of disdain on his face: "I already knew about your tricks, isn't it just that the boat is bigger and faster, and you still have the ability to pull it ashore? "

"I can't get on the shore, but being on the shore doesn't mean I'm safe." Sun Shao sneered: "Tomorrow, I will let you see what science and technology are the primary productive forces."

(End of this chapter)