Ancestor Bless: I built a thousand-year-old family

Chapter 717: The way of balance lies within

How stupid!
Qiao Wei felt that his heart was broken for the gentry of Jiangdong Wu County.

But no way.

When people live in this world, they naturally have identity labels, and others use their identities to distinguish friends and foes.

For example, nowadays the factions under various princes are generally organized based on regions.

Foreigners will naturally not be trusted.

And never want to enter the innermost circle.

After all, those families have been married to each other for hundreds of years.

For example, the Xiahou clan to Cao Cao was obviously a foreign surname, but they were clan generals. Xiahou Dun even had a higher status than the Cao clan, and they were almost a family member.

Families such as Yingchuan, Xunchen, Zhongguo and others were intertwined and united under Cao Cao.

The four major families in Jingzhou, Cai Kuai, Huang Pang, and Liu Biao were so angry that he became a household dog.

The same is true for the six surnames of Jiangdong.

Even Luo Shi is not exempt from vulgarity. Without many people supporting Luo Shi, it would not be possible to have the momentum it has now.

If you want to betray your origin and give up your identity, the price you have to pay is unimaginable, and you can't even destroy yourself directly.

Because even your ashes are not just your own, they have your origins and whereabouts engraved on them.

This is what is called—

Man is born free, but he is always in chains!

The relationship between Qiao and Luo can give Qiao a way out.

But if he still wants to show his political ambitions, he must keep the Six Jiangdong surnames. If he cannot keep the Six Jiangdong surnames, his Qiao family will eventually be squeezed out as well.

Perhaps he would be given a high status and then be marginalized politically, which Qiao Wei could not tolerate.

The reason why the other surnames are unwilling to pay this money is very simple. Their political ambitions are different. What they want is to defend their territory, not to open up frontiers.

In the hearts of these Jiangdong locals, although no one said it, they all had an idea, that is, how could Jiangdong unify the world?
Prince Chu is indeed very powerful, and now these Jiangdong talents are also very powerful, but together they are not as good as King Xiang.

At the beginning, King Xiang became the emperor, but he was defeated by Emperor Gao in just a few years. History books say that "the prosperity of his rise and the decline of his empire are unheard of."

In the land of Jiangdong, the secret story about King Xiang's failure has always been circulated, that is, King Jiangdong's lack of energy.

That's why King Xiang lost his destiny within a short period of time.

The people of Jiangdong, especially the people of Wujun, firmly believe in this rumor. In the past 300 years, this kind of thinking has been deeply ingrained in the hearts of almost every Wujun person.

Even if Luo Chu comes to Jiangdong, he can't change this thinking.

Since there is no hope of unifying the world, and since destiny does not fall on Jiangdong, why waste a lot of manpower and material resources on things that are meaningless to the family?
But in Qiao Wei's view, this idea is stupid.

People should not fight against the general trend. Now Luo Chu's subordinates are obviously more vocal about expanding their territory.

There are only two choices for the six surnames in Wu County.

The first is support and the second is opposition.

If you support it, you will naturally have to invest manpower and material resources. If it fails, there will be nothing to say, but if it succeeds, you will definitely get a lot of benefits.

If you oppose it, you will fall into confrontation. Those resources you want to save will only be wasted in the confrontation. This is the so-called internal friction.

Whether you support or oppose it, it is a loss to the family, so why not choose to support it?
The fruits of victory will not necessarily fall into the hands of the factions who preside over the battle. Aren't there many people who have had the fruits of victory stolen from them since ancient times?

Instead of being timid like this now, it is better to plan in advance how to hold the possible victory in your own hands.

For example, after capturing Jiangxia County, Lu Su was appointed as the governor of Jiangxia, which can be said to be a great victory for the exile faction.

What if the governor of Jiangxia is a person with the sixth surname of Jiangdong?
Isn’t this a great victory for the Six Surnames!
It's not like the six surnames don't have talents who can govern a county. Gu Yong's talent is enough to govern Jiangdong.

The head of the Lu family, Lu Kang, looked at the people around him and then at Qiao Wei. He pondered for a moment and recalled the Qilin son Lu Xun in his family.

When Luo Chu first entered Jiangdong a few years ago, Lu Xun had already shown his talent and intelligence. After these few years, Lu Kang was full of praise for Lu Xun.

Lu Xun is very different from most of the Lu family's children. He can draw inferences about anything he does. At a young age, he is already smarter than most people in his family. He is also very calm and has an upright character, although he is not Lu Kang's. Son, but Lu Kang believed that it was Lu Xun who could prosper the Lu family in the future.

Lu Xun had his own views on the situation in Jiangdong. Just a few months ago, when Lu Kang was examining Lu Xun, Lu Xun replied eloquently: "Master Chu governs Jiangdong by doing nothing.

He stabilized the situation in Jiangdong and prevented Jiangdong from falling into internal strife, and then did not express any strategic actions.

Whichever faction has the upper hand, he will act in accordance with the ideas of that faction.

But he has outstanding talents. Whether it is offense or defense, he can do it flawlessly.

But he is unwilling to make some choices himself, but needs to be pushed. He puts the right people in the right positions based on this.

Today's general situation in Jiangdong is different from when Gongzi Chu entered Jiangdong.

At that time, Jiangdong was said to have six counties in Jiangdong, but in fact there were only two counties, Wu County and Kuaiji County.

Of course, Jiangdong at that time was dominated by our Jiangdong, but now Jiangdong has taken back Jiujiang, Lujiang, Danyang County, and Yuzhang County. Scholars from these counties also occupy high positions in Jiangdong.

Wu Jun's status in Jiangdong has inevitably declined.

Later, Jiangxia County was captured, and Lu Su became the governor of Jiangxia. This was a terrible thing. Those officials from the exile system who had no foundation in the first place got a place to stay.

We once said that the south of the Yangtze River is Jiangdong, but in today's Jiangdong, the three counties in the north of the Yangtze River are becoming more and more powerful. On the contrary, among the four counties in the south of the Yangtze River, there are still countless mountains and rivers entrenched, restraining the power of our old Jiangdong.

The Xiao family of Lanling and the Han family of Huaiyin went south.

Although they have a good relationship with our six surnames, it is more likely that they will strengthen the power of the main war faction.

Because once Jiangdong hopes to become stronger, they will definitely hope to return to their homeland. After all, Yangzhou and Xuzhou are so close.

Especially the Han family in Huaiyin, which is right next to Jiangdong. How could they not want to go back?
Moreover, although Gongzi Chu ruled by doing nothing, judging from his continuous introduction of foreign nobles into Jiangdong, he may not have had the idea of ​​achieving great things deep in his heart.

Families should make plans early. "

A young man's voice kept echoing in Lu Kang's ears. He suddenly realized that Lu Xun's guesses were correct. What Xiao Han said today proved that they had chosen another path after all.

Young Master Chu's words today also slightly revealed some of his true thoughts deep in his heart.

What should Lu do?

Qiao Wei slowly opened his eyes, and Lu Kang suddenly said loudly: "Young master, we are all fellow villagers from all the counties in Yangzhou. I once served as the prefect of Lujiang. It is really sad to see the scene today.

Mrs. Lu of Wujun is willing to donate her medicinal materials. "

Lu Kang's sudden voice immediately startled the other families, and then they saw Lu Kang winking at them, and Qiao Wei also looked at several people from time to time.

Except for Gu Yong, the others didn't know what happened.

Among the six surnames in Wu County, Gu Yong is a rare talent. He has been thinking about the future path these days.

Not long ago, he made up his mind to move closer to Luo Chu. As long as he didn't let the Gu family's children die, the rest of the money and food would be a waste.

Unexpectedly, Lu Kang was faster than him. As soon as Lu Kang said this, although the heads of the other three families didn't know what happened, they clasped their fists and bowed to each other almost at the same time.

Willing to donate medicine and food to provide disaster relief to the three counties in Jiangbei.

Zhou Yu and others narrowed their eyes slightly, with deep fear in their eyes. These six Jiangdong surnames are really like the same spirit.

At this critical moment of political expression, he actually did not forget to help other families. Even though they did not know what was going on, they chose to advance and retreat together without hesitation, even if their interests might be damaged.

This kind of political alliance is really terrifying to the extreme. It can be said that a needle cannot penetrate it and water cannot pour it in. If one person achieves enlightenment, the six surnames will ascend to heaven.

Qiao Wei slowly stopped cursing his allies in his heart. Fortunately, these people were not extremely stupid.

Qiao Wei turned his attention to Luo Chu. The two looked at each other and nodded slightly, without attracting anyone's attention.

Regarding Luo Chu's thoughts, only Qiao Wei and Xiao Qiao in Jiangdong now know, and no one else knows.

Qiao Wei's message to Luo Chu was very simple. No matter what the six surnames of Wu County think in their hearts, they will always be your solid backing and your power to rely on in anything you do in Jiangdong.

We people don't have much ambition, unlike those outsiders.

Luo Chu received these signals and expressed satisfaction with the influence of the Qiao family. With the six surnames of Wu County, his position in Jiangdong would be indestructible no matter how it changed.

After the six surnames from Wu County expressed their stance, the rest of Yangzhou's second-rate gentry naturally agreed.

They are said to be second-rate gentry, but in fact, in the eyes of the Central Plains gentry, these Jiangdong gentry, namely the Zhou family in Lujiang and the six surnames in Wu County, are noteworthy and can be regarded as gentry.

After all, a gentry is not just about having an official position, but also having family inheritance of Confucian classics, etc. Otherwise, even if you have achieved the status of the Three Lords and Nine Ministers, it will be nothing more than a shooting star.

Especially nobles like the Xiao Han family.

Yes.

The second Xiaohan family, or the five surnames and seven families, are usually called nobles because they have been prominent for a long time and have a title that is not easy to change for 300 years. They are different from these noble families who rely on official positions to pass down their families.

As for Luo Shi, let’s not mention it.

In the eyes of many people, although the Luo family has the title of Duke, it is like a royal family.

Most of the nobles in Jiangdong are just ordinary powerful people, at the bottom of the contempt chain.

Although the performance of the six surnames of Wu Jun today was a bit scary and dissatisfying, the final result was good. Luo Chu stood up, raised the wine cup high in his hand, and then said loudly: "Jiangdong is harmonious, in this world What difficulties are there that cannot be overcome?

Is there anything in this world that the heroes of Jiangdong cannot defeat?

Please drink this glass of wine to celebrate today. "

Everyone could see that Young Master Chu was very happy. When the three heads of the Chu, Zhu and Zhang families in Wu County saw this, they broke out in a cold sweat and even the hand holding the wine master was trembling.

How could Gongzi Chu suddenly change his original promise to them?
Didn’t Young Master Chu just want to destroy Jiangdong?
Could it be that just getting Jiang Xia changed Young Master Chu's mind?

Countless thoughts flashed through their minds, but fear arose from them.

One of the scariest things for nobles is not being able to figure out the true thoughts of their faction bosses.

The noble clan is strong, but also weak, especially in troubled times, when a family can be destroyed in a matter of seconds.

The fourth and third princes of the Yuan clan in Runan, if Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu hadn't run so fast, they would have been killed by Dong Zhuo's regiment in Luoyang City.A warlord holding a knife in his hand really wants to destroy a family. It's really simple as long as he wants to die together.

Not to mention a family, or even an entire state's gentry could be destroyed.

Families such as the Xiao family and the Han family have to leave Xuzhou because they are worried about the destruction of their families.

Even a prominent family like Erlu in Qingzhou had to ostensibly submit to Yuan Shao because they wanted to give Yuan Shao face and could not openly oppose it.

Luo Chu was invited to Jiangdong by the Six Surnames of Wu County. Since entering Jiangdong, he has been strict with the Six Surnames of Wu County, but he has not done any real harm. Instead, he has helped the Six Surnames to eliminate some bad apples and guided the Six Surnames to a higher level. .

But now, the three of them are almost on the opposite side of Gongzi Chu. Fortunately, there are still people who can guess what Gongzi Chu is thinking.

Most people left the palace and before Luo Chu walked to the threshold, Qiao Wei walked up and asked in a low voice: "Xian son-in-law, when are you going to announce that matter?
This kind of thing should be done sooner rather than later. If there are too many interests bound together, then you will be in a dilemma, and you will not be able to do whatever you want. "

Luo Chu also whispered: "Father-in-law, don't worry. This kind of thing should not be done sooner rather than later, but at the right time.

Today's Jiangdong is still part of the Han Dynasty. This kind of thing is not easy to do. I am waiting for an opportunity. This opportunity should come soon. Some people are already ready to make a move, and some people are already deeply restrained and can no longer tolerate this. political order. "

After hearing what Luo Chu said, Qiao Wei knew that Luo Chu had something in mind, so he nodded and said: "Since you have your own rhythm in your heart, I won't say anything more.

This damn plague accumulated for three years and was completely eliminated in one day. The three counties of Jiangbei were actually completely eliminated by this plague in a short period of time, and Jiangdong's plans were all affected. "

Luo Chu also felt helpless when he heard this, and even had a rather absurd idea in his heart, that is, is there really no kingly Qi south of the Huaihe River?
Why did such a great plague suddenly sweep across the south when it was clearly in the midst of an outbreak, causing a large number of casualties and interrupting the upward trend?
In this world without destiny, there are still such coincidences.

Both Cao Cao and Luo Chu were busy licking their wounds and recovering their strength damaged by the plague, and Liu Bei could not escape either.

The only good thing is that Xuzhou is not completely downstream like Jiangdong.

Liu Bei's biggest loss was that the army encountered a plague, which caused many soldiers to die in the plague. He did not even dare to lead his soldiers back to Donghai County for fear of bringing the plague back to Xuzhou.

Just like this, he carried it forcefully until Luo Xuan made the medicine to treat the plague, but one-third of his soldiers were killed or injured.

That's horrible!
It is simply comparable to the casualties caused by fighting Cao Cao for several years.

"God won't bless me, Liu Bei!"

When Liu Bei finally returned to Xuzhou, facing Luo Qi and others, he was silent for a long time and only said this sentence.

There is endless poignancy in the words.

Mi Zhu, Zhang Fei and others didn't know how to comfort Liu Bei. After all, he was so unlucky. Liu Bei led the army to travel, even if it was just to die, he lost one-third of his troops and gained nothing. Cao Cao obtained Runan.

But this cannot be blamed on Liu Bei. It can only be said that it is destiny, so it makes people sigh and sigh.

"All the gentlemen are here!"

At this moment, someone suddenly said loudly, and everyone's eyes lit up. If anyone could persuade Liu Bei, it would only be Young Master Qi.

Everyone hurriedly opened a wide road. Luo Qi came on horseback, hovered, then got off the horse, cupped his fists and said, "Mr. Xuande."

Liu Bei held Luo Qi's arm with both hands and was speechless. Luo Qi said: "Qi understands what Mr. Xuande is thinking. Who did Qi Qi bring to you?"

As he spoke, he turned sideways and let out an elegant-looking middle-aged man. When Liu Bei saw him, he immediately said in surprise: "Yuanlong!"

It was Xuzhou Chen Deng and Chen Yuanlong. He and Liu Bei had known each other for a long time. The two were from the same school to some extent. In this era, they had a very close relationship.

"Mr. Xuande, I haven't seen you for many years. How are you?"

Chen Yuanlong's face was full of smiles. He bowed respectfully to Liu Bei. He was 1 willing and in favor of Liu Bei's appointment as Xuzhou Shepherd.

Liu Bei held Chen Deng's arm with one hand and said in surprise: "Yuanlong, when I entered Xuzhou, I wanted to look for you, but your father-in-law said that you are not in Xuzhou and I don't know where you are. It's a pity. I didn't expect to come back now." .

But I am willing to help, if I get you, even if I lose my troops this time, I can barely comfort myself. "

Chen Deng burst into tears almost instantly when he heard this, bowed down and said: "Meng Shijun will not give up, Chen Deng pays homage to my lord!"

Liu Bei laughed loudly, then turned to everyone and pointed at Chen Deng and said: "Everyone, this is my old acquaintance. Chen Deng and Chen Yuanlong were born in the Chen family of Xuzhou. He was both civilized and martial. There were few people in the world who could defeat him. Today I get him." With your help, we are much closer to achieving great things."

Seeing that Liu Bei changed his confusion and suddenly became excited, everyone was even more curious about Chen Deng.

Xuzhou nobles and powerful people are no strangers to Chen Deng. After all, unlike wealthy businessmen like the Mi family, the Chen family is a real noble family. If it weren't for the two great gods of the Xiao Han family in Xuzhou, the Chen family would be considered the leader of the noble clan, and The status of the Yingchuan Xun clan among the Yingchuan gentry was almost the same.

Chen Deng's statement to Liu Bei today is a shot in the arm for the entire Liu Bei force.

It shows that the current crisis in Xuzhou has not affected the Xuzhou nobles' confidence in Liu Bei. The entire Xuzhou is still united around Liu Bei to overcome the difficulties.

Yes.

Let’s overcome the difficulties together.

Now anyone with political wisdom can see that the current situation in Xuzhou is very dangerous.

After Liu Bei and others entered Donghai County, they immediately held a special political and military meeting in Xuzhou to discuss matters related to Xuzhou.

Liu Bei sat on the main seat, followed by Luo Qi, Mi Zhu, Chen Deng, Liu Ye, Sun Qian, Jian Yong, Liu Yan and other civil servants. Although Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and others did not know much about these things, they were also beside them. Take a seat.

Only Lu Shen and Tai Shici, who were stationed far away in Taishan County, did not come here, but those two could not move lightly, and they would just inform the results later.

Liu Bei's face was quite solemn and he said solemnly: "Everyone, the situation in Xuzhou now is extremely dangerous. I wonder if you have any solution."

Except for Zhang Fei and other generals, everyone else looked solemn.

Xuzhou has been a battleground for military strategists since the Zhou Dynasty. Ji Zhao also returned to Haojing after attacking here.

The biggest battle was the battle between Emperor Gao and King Xiang at the end of Qin Dynasty, which could almost be said to determine the ownership of the world.

This place is indeed important, connecting the north and the south, but the biggest problem is that it is a flat area with no mountains and rivers to separate it, making it easy to attack and difficult to defend.

If you want to rely solely on Xuzhou to defend your foundation, it can basically be said to be a dream. Liu Bei was able to sit firmly on Diaoyutai before because Cao Cao occupied Yanzhou and Yuan Shu occupied Runan. The two were the biggest rivals.

No matter who wants to attack Xuzhou, Liu Bei can form an alliance with another person, but now that Cao Cao has obtained Runan, he now has complete Yanzhou and Yuzhou, and the entire western part of Xuzhou is under Cao Cao's gaze.

Cao Cao could now attack Xuzhou unscrupulously from any direction, while Xuzhou had to defend against a thousand-mile-long defense line.

This is completely impossible!

Although Liu Bei is not good at other places, he is still very good at fighting, so when he said that Xuzhou is in danger now, it is really not an exaggeration at all.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Luo Qi said slowly: "Mr. Xuande, none of the four battlegrounds in Xuzhou can be defended, but fortunately, Taishan County and the Yinghou Kingdom are in our hands.

As long as Taishan County is defended, opponents from the north will not be able to enter Xuzhou. Even if they want to enter through Langya County, Taishan County can cut off their food routes. The north is safe and the east is the sea, so they have no worries.

The only thing we need to worry about is the west and south. The southernmost part of Xuzhou is Guangling County. Guangling County is connected to Jiujiang County and Wu County. However, Wu County and Guangling County are separated by the Yangtze River and it is not easy to travel. The only thing we need to worry about is Jiujiang. county.

But what if we think about it from another angle?

Runan County is connected to Jiujiang County, Lujiang County and Jiangxia County, and since Yuan Shu, it has always included Jiujiang and Lujiang counties north of the Yangtze River.

The goal that the forces occupying Runan County naturally hope to achieve is, after all, not difficult to capture north of the Yangtze River.

Compared with Jiujiang, Lujiang and Runan County, their strength is inferior.

In this case, Jiangdong is also extremely wary of Cao Cao. If it weren't for this plague, Jiangdong and our army should be fighting Cao Cao's army in Runan County at this moment.

If we can send a letter of alliance, knowing our interests, and voluntarily attract Cao Cao's firepower to Jiangdong, after Cao Cao learns about it, he will definitely throw a trap and dare not lead an army to attack Xuzhou.

As long as Cao Cao does not raise a large army, it will not be difficult for us in Xuzhou to unite and defeat his partial army.

The current Lord of Jiangdong is Qi's younger brother. He is talented and knows the pros and cons, so he will definitely agree to our suggestions. "

Liu Bei's eyes lit up. Luo Qi's method was actually a change of the previous three-party check and balance. It was just that Yuan Shu died and a new person was used to check and balance.

Checks and balances?

Liu Ye suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and he said with excitement: "My lord, I just thought of something from the young master's strategy.

If you are still worried, it is better to sign an agreement with Yuan Shao. He will withdraw half of his troops from Qingzhou, and we will withdraw half of our troops from Taishan County.

This will definitely put more pressure on Cao Cao. "

?

What does this have to do with Yuan Shao?
Only Luo Qi and Chen Deng understood what Liu Ye wanted to say. Chen Deng explained to Liu Bei in a deep voice: "My lord, what Duke Yang means is that the war between Jizhou and Youzhou is now at its most critical moment. If a new force attacks at this time.

Then Gongsun Zan will be defeated.

If Yuan Shao gets Youzhou, his next target will definitely be Cao Cao, because he can't attack from Taishan County, so he can only attack Henan and Yanzhou, which are Cao Cao's territory.

This is another strategy to drive away tigers and devour wolves, but it is a bit difficult to implement. The most important thing is that we don't know where the war in Youzhou has progressed. "

That's it!

After listening to Chen Deng's explanation, Liu Bei understood.

This was actually the previous judgment of Cao and Liu on the situation in the Central Plains, that is, they joined forces to fight against Yuan Shao. Unexpectedly, Yuan Shu, a loser, was suddenly defeated, even faster than Yuan Shao could defeat Gongsun Zan.

As a result, Cao Cao got a big advantage.

The plague prevented others from peeking at Runan, and Luo Xuan also directly cured the plague. It has to be said that God seems to be on Cao Cao's side, and he has caught up with all the good things.

Alliance with Luo Chu to check and balance Cao Cao, this is one of them.

The powerful Yuan Shao forced Cao Cao to join forces with him. This is the second one.

This was the idea that everyone gave Liu Bei. The so-called way of uniting vertical and horizontal lines, but Liu Bei shook his head and said: "You can't do this. Gongsun Zan is my brother. It's just that I can't help him now. How can I unite with Yuan Shao?" What about trapping him?
Besides, since there is a need for checks and balances, why not join forces with Gongsun Zan to check and balance Yuan Shao?
Then join forces with Yuan Shao to check and balance Cao Cao.

There are also Liu Biao in Jingzhou and Zhao Hong in Nanyang, also on the side of Runan County.

The combination of vertical and horizontal that you just mentioned can completely expand the scope.

I once heard that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in Zhou Dynasty, there were political strategists who were born to unite the countries either vertically or horizontally. Can't this be the case now?

Cao Cao may be stronger now, but isn't the way to unite the weak to suppress a strong one?

When the plague is completely over, wouldn’t it be nice to start looking for allies to help each other? "

Luo Qi felt a little surprised that Liu Bei could think of this, but since Liu Bei proposed it, there is no problem in implementing it in advance.

----

A plague in the eighth year of Jian'an's reign was devastating to the southern economy. From historical data, it can be concluded that for two whole years, the southern princes did not conduct large-scale military operations. This was unimaginable in troubled times. The plague objectively delayed the outbreak of the Second Zhuxia War. ——"History of War in the Late Eastern Han Dynasty"

(End of this chapter)