The Three Kingdoms: My Wife is a Great and Good Teacher

After entering Jicheng, Zhao Yun took Liu Zhaoqing and hurried towards the governor's mansion.

Although Jicheng is not as prosperous as Luoyang, it is the seat of a state after all, and is much more lively than Pingyuan where Liu Zhaoqing has lived for six or seven years.

Passersby on the road looked sideways when they saw Zhao Yun in white armor and on a white horse, and discussed curiously where this general came from, and who Liu Zhaoqing who was standing next to him.

Neither Liu Zhaoqing nor Zhao Yun stopped on the street. After arriving at the governor's mansion, they dismounted together.

After saying something to the guard guarding the gate, the guard hurried in to report.

After a while, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard from inside the mansion.

"It's been several days, and they actually found her? This is such a blessing. That little girl was the one Zhen Yi loved the most before he died. Sigh... Anyway, at least she's alive, that's good."

"Lord Bo'an, be careful with your steps. There is no need to be so anxious. Captain Zhao has already returned and he can't run away. The little girl from the Zhen family is also safe."

"No, Zitai, you are wrong. Didn't the soldier just say that there is a hero coming with us who you and I have been waiting for for a long time? How can I not hurry?"

……

A burst of discussion among middle-aged men was heard from outside the mansion, and then a long-bearded man in a red and black official uniform came into Liu Zhaoqing's sight. Next to him was a young short-bearded strategist in a gray right-fronted long gown.

The middle-aged man with a long beard who stepped over the threshold had bright eyes, a kind expression, but also dignity between his brows, and a noble demeanor. This man was Liu Yu, one of the nine ministers of the court and the governor of Youzhou, Liu Bo'an.

The short-bearded counselor next to him who had just talked to him was: Tian Chou, Tian Zitai.

"Lord Bo'an." When Zhao Yun saw Liu Yu coming out to greet him in person, he hurriedly bowed his head.

Liu Zhaoqing standing by also bowed and saluted to the most legitimate relative of the Han clan, saying:

"Zhao Qing meets Lord Bo An."

Liu Yu saw Zhao Yun nod slightly, then looked at Liu Zhaoqing and reached out to take his arms in greeting. He looked straight into his eyes and sighed softly, "Zhaoqing was personally conferred a title of nobility by the late emperor... You don't have to be so polite to me."

"You may not know that when I learned that the late emperor conferred the title of 'Marquis of Changping' on you, I was surprised at first, but then I was happy. When I was in Youzhou, I also heard a lot about your deeds in Luoyang. Now that I finally get to meet you, I am not disappointed. You are truly a promising young talent." Liu Yu stroked his beard, making no secret of his love for Liu Zhaoqing.

"In our remote Youzhou, we finally have another loyal Han minister, a hero who serves the country and the people. If the late emperor could see him, he would surely smile with satisfaction."

As he spoke, Tian Chou beside him also nodded, and then reminded: "Lord Bo'an, although the arrival of the Marquis of Changping is worth celebrating, please don't forget the main business."

Liu Yu came to his senses and immediately looked at Zhao Yun, who also turned towards the carriage at this time.

Then, a 26-year-old girl got off the carriage. She looked a little haggard and bowed slightly to Liu Yu.

"Zhen Mi, daughter of Zhen Yi, greets Lord Bo An..."

The smile on his face gradually disappeared. Liu Yu looked at Zhen Mi and felt relieved when he found that she was not injured. But when he thought of his friend's experience, he shook his head and sighed.

"Lord Bo'an, the attack on Zhen Mi and her father is not a simple matter. Zilong and I have obtained important intelligence and we must discuss it with Lord Bo'an immediately." Liu Zhaoqing spoke at an inopportune time, which was enough to show the importance of the matter.

Upon seeing this, Liu Yu immediately arranged for the two to go to his mansion for a talk with him, while Zhen Mi was temporarily placed in the mansion by Tian Choulai.

Zhang Liao and Lu Hong also went in to rest under the guidance of the servants in the mansion.

Soon after, in a simple living room, Liu Yu asked the servant to serve tea to Zhao Yun and Liu Zhaoqing, and then apologized: "Youzhou has suffered many disasters recently, so I can only offer tea to you. I hope Zhaoqing will forgive me."

Liu Zhaoqing quickly shook his head, and then went straight to the point and recounted to Liu Yu what happened between him and Zhao Yun and what happened afterwards.

He also shared his speculation about the alien races, thinking that they would likely become restless again in the near future.

Liu Yu frowned after hearing this: "This information is indeed very important. Although I didn't see the strange phenomenon of the thousand-mile yellow sky at night with my own eyes, I have heard about it. Although a fortune teller told me that the strange phenomenon does not mean anything, if the foreign race thinks that this is a sign of Hebei's prosperity, then their ambition to plunder will naturally expand. The Zhen family's misfortune may be due to this."

Then Liu Yu summoned Tian Chou and told him to draft a document asking the governors of all counties to strengthen their guard against foreign races, especially birds and beasts flying from the sky. If there is anything unusual, they should report it to Jicheng immediately.

Afterwards, he told Liu Zhaoqing and Zhao Yun that he needed to investigate the matter in further detail.

After hearing this, Zhao Yun also felt that Bo'an Gong's move was appropriate, but after Liu Zhaoqing hesitated, he asked Liu Yu if he had any idea of ​​going to the north to inquire about the news.

After hearing this, Liu Yu looked at Liu Zhaoqing in surprise, then hesitated for a moment, raised his beard and asked him: "Zhaoqing probably doesn't know... what the situation is outside the Great Wall now, right?"

"If I were to go out to gather intelligence, I would not be afraid if it was just a few tribes of Wuhuan and Xianbei, but the desert is full of yellow sand and ferocious beasts are rampant all year round, so it is not suitable to go out in a hurry." Liu Yu shook his head and said, "Even if I go, I have to at least make more preparations."

Hearing this, Liu Zhaoqing was silent for a moment and then nodded: "I understand. Lord Bo'an has been in Youzhou for a long time, so he has considered it more comprehensively than I do."

Although he said this verbally, Liu Zhaoqing still felt that he should go and see the situation of the alien race in person.

But obviously, Liu Yu was a cautious person and would not take that risk, so there was no need for Liu Zhaoqing to say anything more.

"Well, speaking of Zhao Qing's civil and military talents, I have also heard of them in Youzhou." Liu Yu said with a smile.

"I didn't expect that I could help Zilong find the daughter of my old friend before we even met. This finally made me feel better after being depressed for the past few days."

"If there could be ten or even a hundred people like you in the world, how could the Han Dynasty not prosper?" Liu Yu sighed again.

After saying this, without waiting for Liu Zhaoqing to reply, Liu Yu looked at him again, then moved his fingers on the armrest of the chair and asked, "Although it may be a little abrupt, there is still one thing I really want to know from Zhaoqing."

"Please speak, Lord Bo'an." Liu Zhaoqing replied immediately.

After thinking for a moment, Liu Yu expressed his doubts about what happened to the previous emperor in Luoyang.

This matter takes a long time to talk about, and Liu Yu was so anxious to ask Liu Zhaoqing about it when he first met him, so he certainly didn't care how long it was.

After sorting out his memories, Liu Zhaoqing told Liu Yu about his meeting with Emperor Ling and their subsequent interactions. He kept most of the information and only blurred a few details that would affect him.

Compared with the simple news of "the death of the previous emperor" announced to the world in Luoyang, what Liu Zhaoqing told was a detailed process that Liu Yu had never heard of. This was also one of the biggest reasons why he had always been looking forward to the return of Changping Hou Liu Zhaoqing to Youzhou.

Now, knowing that Liu Hong was not a foolish man, and that he had paid almost everything to kill the evil spirit that night, Liu Yu's heart was filled with regrets.

This regret finally turned into a sigh.

The person is gone, just like his deceased old friend Zhen Yi, there is no point in saying more.

What Liu Yu needs to do now is to fulfill his duties well.

He looked at Liu Zhaoqing and said, "The fact that the late emperor valued Zhaoqing so much is enough to prove Zhaoqing's ability. Since Zhaoqing came to Youzhou and is preparing to go to Changping, the vacant post of Changping County Magistrate will be filled by Zhaoqing."

After Liu Yu finished speaking, he looked at Liu Zhaoqing, who nodded.

But he noticed that Zhao Yun on the side frowned slightly.

"Lord Bo'an..." Zhao Yun suddenly spoke rarely.

Liu Yu pondered for a moment, then shook his head and sighed, "Zilong misunderstood. I have no intention of harming Zhao Qing. It's just that... the position of Changping County Magistrate and even Guangyang County Governor does require a capable person."

Hearing this, Liu Zhaoqing realized that there seemed to be something wrong with this "Changping County Magistrate".

"Lord Bo'an...how did this come about?" Liu Zhaoqing asked in confusion.

Liu Yu didn't say anything, he didn't know how to start.

Seeing this, Zhao Yun, who was standing next to him, hesitated for a moment and then explained to Liu Zhaoqing on behalf of Liu Yu.

"To put it simply, Changping is now almost... a deserted city."

Chapter 156 Three Requests 3K

"Empty city?"

Liu Zhaoqing frowned, then looked at Liu Yu. It sounded like he was really trying to trick him, and how could a city be empty?

What kind of trick is Liu Yu playing? This possibility should be very small.

As for this great uncle of the Han emperor, regardless of whether he had any other thoughts about his coming, Liu Zhaoqing still trusted Liu Yu's character.

Even if he doesn't take special care of me and actively help me to expand within his sphere of influence, he will not do anything to "harm" me, a "loyal minister of the Han Dynasty entrusted by the late emperor" and a "famous poet and writer for all ages."

Liu Zhaoqing hoped that Liu Yu could explain the matter more clearly: "Could Lord Bo'an explain it in detail?"

Liu Yu saw Liu Zhaoqing looking at him, stroked his beard, hesitated for a while, and then said:

"This is not a secret, but Zhao Qing has been in Pingyuan for many years and probably hasn't been back to Youzhou for many years. He doesn't know much about the situation in Youzhou."

"Since the first year of Zhongping, not only has Jizhou suffered disasters year after year, but there has even been a Yellow River riot. Youzhou is not doing well either. The yellow sand in the northern part of the Great Wall has become increasingly rampant in recent years. Although I can lead troops to resist the enemy and persuade the foreign tribes to keep most of them from invading our territory, the disasters of heaven cannot be my enemy..."

"Disasters are frequent, and some Wuhuan and Xianbei tribes have not yet been civilized and often invade the border. There are also many ferocious beasts from outside the Great Wall that come to invade on the yellow sand. The people in the north are not having an easy time."

Zhao Yun, who had been in Youzhou for more than a month, also knew some of the situation. He nodded slightly and added, "In fact, there are very few places in the northern part of the Great Wall that lack water. However, due to frequent disasters and invasions, the fertile land in the north has gradually become deserted..."

Liu Yu sighed again: "Yes."

"People depend on the land. Without farming, they can't eat, and they have no money to support their families. Naturally, they will be forced to leave their hometowns and seek a living elsewhere."

“Although natural disasters have improved a lot in recent months, the farmland and people are gone.”

Liu Zhaoqing was silent for a moment, then said, "Since the farmland was eroded by natural disasters such as wind and sand, why didn't Lord Bo'an gather people to repair half of the road outside the city and reclaim the land in the north?"

"Now that the disaster has disappeared, then the most important thing is to resume production at this time, right?"

"That's true, but... recovery also requires manpower and financial resources." Liu Yu said.

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Zhaoqing understood.

He frowned and asked, "Mr. Bo'an means that... no one wants to go back?"

Nodding helplessly, Liu Yu continued, "Unlike the states in the Central Plains, most of the population in the northern part of the Great Wall is concentrated in a few areas, such as the southern part of Guangyang County, the southern part of Yuyang County, Zhuo County, etc. These places are relatively safe."

Liu Zhaoqing pondered and said, "But this population distribution is unreasonable. The resources in one place are limited. If we don't open up the wasteland, Youzhou will not be able to become strong..."

"Zhao Qing is right." Liu Yu nodded. "This is Youzhou's problem, and it's also my biggest headache. All development depends on population, but Youzhou's population just won't increase."

"For example, Guangyang County is the seat of the entire Youzhou government, but its population is less than 30% of the wealthy counties in Jizhou. The counties in Liaodong combined are less than half of Guangyang. Youzhou is too poor and has too few people."

"A few years ago, with the help of Zhen Yi and others, I was able to relocate people to the northern frontier, control disasters and reclaim land, but the situation in the northern frontier has become increasingly complicated in recent years, and the situation in the world is even more so."

Liu Yu shook his head: "So, even if I really want to restore it to its original state, I can only have the will but not the power."

Liu Yu was not an incompetent person. As a legitimate relative of the Han royal family, he had risen step by step from low-level positions. When he was still the governor of Youzhou, he had traveled to most of the land in the northern border.

Even he said that life in the northern frontier is very difficult nowadays, so there is no doubt that something big must have happened in the northern frontier.

And more importantly, Liu Yu couldn't make up his mind.

The population of Youzhou is only smaller than that of the prefectures and counties in the Central Plains, but for example, in places like Zhuo County, even though there have been disasters for years, the population is at least over 400,000.

As long as some people are forcibly relocated to the northern frontier, production in the north can be restored.

However, that group of pioneers were destined to pay a heavy price. Almost everyone in Hebei knew that Liu Yu loved his people, and it would certainly be difficult for him to make a decision to force the lives of the people to restore the territory.

Liu Zhaoqing slowly stood up and came to a wall on the left side of the living room, on which hung a map of Youzhou drawn on cloth.

"Nowadays, Guangyang from the north to Changping, Yuyang from the north to Yuyang, Youbeiping from the north to Xuwu... the population is already sparse." Liu Yu also said at this time.

Looking at the map, Liu Zhaoqing was surprised for a moment, then said, "In other words, all the territory of Youzhou outside the Great Wall has been lost?"

"Yes." Zhao Yun nodded and said, "It's not just about the alien races that are causing the disaster, it's actually more about the ferocious beasts."

"Lord Bo'an has limited soldiers. Although Yanshan can block ordinary yellow sand, it cannot block ferocious beasts, and can even serve as their hiding place. Therefore, our soldiers can only retreat to the Great Wall. Only in this way can we protect the safety of most of the people in Youzhou."

After listening to this, Liu Zhaoqing tilted his head to look at Liu Yu. After thinking for a while, he asked the question in his mind: "Why doesn't Lord Bo'an force tens of thousands of people to move to these places? That way, not only can the local land be governed, but also the northern border defense can be restored and the defense line can be pushed to Yanshan."

"I have thought about it, but as Zilong said just now, it is too dangerous outside the Great Wall." Liu Yu's beard moved slightly, and he spoke with a helpless look.

"After discussing with Tian Chou and others, I feel that the migration will be too costly. Not only will it cost a lot of money, but many of the already small number of people will also die. More importantly, it will also increase the cost of our border defense. Youzhou is not a wealthy state."

Standing there, Liu Zhaoqing put his hands behind his back, looked at the map on the wall, and gradually understood.

The reason for all this, after all...is that there are not enough people and soldiers.

With enough population and army, any invading alien races or harmful beasts can be dealt with.

As for the management of land, I wonder if Liu Yu ever thought that the army could actually farm, which was the "military farming system" that existed before Emperor Wu.

However, "military farming" requires very high quality of the military personnel. Not only do they have to know how to farm, but they also have to guard against invasions from the border.

We are not fighting against bandits or rebels. There are strong foreign tribes in the northern border who can come riding on birds and beasts, as well as ferocious beasts hiding in the yellow sand.

Obviously, there are too few talented people in Youzhou, and there are not enough soldiers to build a row of "Military Farm Great Wall".

Moreover, Liu Yu always adopted a conservative strategy on the border.

If one can educate and appease the people, there is no need to suppress them by force; if one can win the hearts of the soldiers with benevolence, there is no need to use strict laws to train strong soldiers who can march thousands of miles to the north.

This can stabilize the hearts of most people in Youzhou and "protect the people", but it cannot "secure the country".

This is also why, although all knowledgeable people in Hebei knew that Liu Yu was of orthodox blood and loved his country and his people, very few outstanding people came to join him.

However, Liu Yu's shortcomings are equivalent to advantages for Liu Zhaoqing.

Liu Yu had no ambition to dominate, and he trusted himself very much, and he also attached great importance to his people.

Then Liu Zhaoqing just needs to take advantage of the situation, even if he becomes powerful in front of Liu Yu, because his fundamental interests do not conflict with his. Even if there are advisers around him at that time, his character will not allow him to do anything.

This contact not only gave him a general understanding of the current situation on the border, but also gave him a full grasp of the character of Liu Yu, the governor of Youzhou.

In fact, this biggest worry has been eliminated here.

"It seems that what I need to pay most attention to now is to restore Changping and resist external disasters." Liu Zhaoqing said softly and smiled.