Three Kingdoms: The Guan Family's Rebellious Son, Long Blessing Jing Xiang

Chapter 77 Shoot the man first, shoot the horse, capture the thief first, capture the king

Jingzhou is thousands of miles away from Chengdu.

At the normal speed of carriages and horses, it would take more than a month to go back and forth.

But at this moment... on the official road, the sound of horses' hoofs was being heard in a hurry. Facing the strong wind, one person and one horse shuttled through the vast mist like ghosts and ghosts.

The courier on the horse was already very tired, but that was the case with the six-hundred-mile express, and he had to persevere before arriving at the next station.

Because Yizhou was initially established, the post station from Jingzhou to Chengdu has not been fully established, and it is often only a hundred miles away to find one.

What's more, there are only horses in the station, and there are no messengers to replace them.

The knight on the horse had galloped for two days and two nights, but Youzi ran forward tirelessly.

The letterhead in the bamboo tube behind him was written by Ma Liang himself.

Zhuge Liang had instructed Ma Liang to report the latest situation in Jingzhou in the form of a text message every month or so.

In the final analysis, even if Guan Yu is unparalleled in martial arts, Zhuge Liang's temper towards him...you can't worry about it!

Of course, this text message sent by Ma Liang is much more important than before.

——Related to the battle in Hefei;
——Related to the demarcation of the Xiangshui River;
——It is also related to the ownership of the three counties of Changsha, Guiyang, and Jiangxia.

——It is even more related to the final direction of Uncle Liu's borrowing of Jingzhou!
Fortunately, everything is safe and sound.

The situation is developing in a positive and optimistic direction.

Under such circumstances, Ma Liang specially followed Guan Yu's instructions and wrote an extra one, that is-Guan Gong wrote a letter of guilt in Jingzhou.

Among them, the descriptions are the absolute protagonists in these events, except Guan Yu and the other two.

First, the mysterious Hong Qigong who is most likely to be a friend rather than an enemy.

Second, he was Guan Yu's fourth son, who accurately answered the direction of the Hefei battlefield in advance-Guan Lin and Guan Yunqi.

It is said that it is an urgent [-] miles, but there are many mountainous roads here, it seems that the knight can't travel so fast, he still needs at least two days' journey from Chengdu.

On the contrary, Chengdu at this time is not rejoicing everywhere because of Liu Bei's occupation. On the contrary... the undercurrent is surging, the waves are turbulent, and one problem after another is surfacing.

And this made Zhuge Kongming, who was in charge of everything, very sad and clouded.

...

In Chengdu, in front of General Zuo's mansion, there are capable guards standing tightly.

Seeing Zhuge Liang's arrival, they all knelt down on one knee, moving neatly, but didn't say a word.

Zhuge Liang raised his head and glanced at the plaque of "Left General's Mansion", stopped for a while, his mind calmed down a lot, his expression became sharp and solemn, and he quickly walked in the door.

Today's Zhuge Liang is named "Military Adviser General" by Liu Bei.

In addition, he was also ordered to "administer the affairs of General Zuo's mansion". The implication is that apart from Liu Bei, all internal responsibilities are placed on this 34-year-old young counselor.

Walking through the courtyard and entering the main hall, General Hanzuo's main seat was still empty, and Zhuge Liang sat in the position of military adviser.

The guard at the gate announced loudly: "Zu Shi!"

A dozen or so civil servants who had been waiting in line outside the door were all in uniform Han official robes, and each of them came in with bamboo slips, and they placed the bamboo slips on Zhuge Liang's desk one by one.

Zhao Yun, who was in charge of the internal affairs of General Zuo's mansion, personally brought a water cup, and only placed it on the table in front of Zhuge Liang, while the table in front of General Zuo of the Han Dynasty was still empty.

Zhuge Liang took a sip and asked Zhao Yun immediately.

"Why didn't the lord come again?"

Zhao Yun stepped forward and replied in a low voice: "Mrs. Sun, these days...I'm having trouble with my lord!"

Zhuge Liang raised his head suddenly, looked at Zhao Yun, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Is it because of Yizhou?"

"Alas... not only Yizhou..."

Zhao Yun didn't answer in detail, but just let out a long sigh.

In later generations, in many "deductions" and "storytelling", the relationship between Liu Bei and Sun Shangxiang is often described as a concubine.

The stories of "Nanlu Temple" and "Zhou Lang's ingenious plan to secure the world, lost his wife and lost his army" are even more well-known.

These all show Sun Shangxiang's admiration for Liu Bei and his enthusiasm for marrying a hero.

But in fact, things backfired.

There is a saying in "Three Kingdoms · Shu Zhi · Fazheng Biography" - "The master is in Gong'an, and he is afraid of Cao Gong's strength in the north, Sun Quan's pressure in the east, and fears that Mrs. Sun's life will change under the elbow and armpit in the near. Postscript."

You need to know that the "armpit" is the closest place to the heart, and it is also the most dangerous place.

It can be seen from this... Liu Bei is worried about Cao Cao and Sun Quan during the day, and at night, he is especially worried about the person sitting on him on the couch. This feeling is unspeakable.

Zhao Yun is most aware of the sadness here.

In "Three Kingdoms", Pei Songzhi also specifically quoted the record in "Biography of Clouds"-"Mrs. Sun is proud of her sister-in-law, and she often has Wu officials and soldiers, and she is lawless.".

And Liu Bei did build a "Mrs. Sun City" for Sun Shangxiang in the "West of Public Security City".

In name, placing her and her female soldiers here is actually a separation of husband and wife, and her affairs... can't be managed at all!

And it was "Yizhou" that further broke the relationship between Liu Bei and Sun Shangxiang...

This can be traced back to the year when Sun Quan followed Zhou Yu's plan of "destroying Guo by false means" and asked Liu Bei's attitude if he wanted to take Yizhou.

Liu Bei said bluntly: "Both Gu and Liu Zhang are relatives of the Han family. How could you bear to betray righteousness and take Xichuan? If you take Shu from the eastern Wuduan, I will go to the mountains with my hair scattered, and I will not break my trust in the world."

The implication is that both Liu Zhang and I are relatives of the Han family and half brothers. You, Soochow, want to take over my brother's territory, and even if I, Liu Bei, live in seclusion, I will never lose my trust in the world.

At that time, Sun Shangxiang was moved by Liu Bei and persuaded his elder brother Sun Quan to give up his plan to attack Yizhou.

But who would have thought that Sun Quan had no idea about Yizhou.

But turning around, Yizhou was conspired by Liu Bei. Sun Quan was so angry that he was half dead, and Sun Shangxiang's attitude towards Liu Bei also changed from flat to extremely disgusting.

Now that Xichuan is in charge, because "Liu Bei borrowed Jingzhou and refused to return it" and "Guan Yu, who demarcated the Xiangshui River, could not fulfill the contract", Sun Shangxiang often quarreled with this husband who was more than 30 years older than him. Liu Bei's life was not easy. .

"Mrs. Sun is the youngest daughter of Sun Jian. She was spoiled since she was a child, and she is proficient in [-] martial arts. People in Jiangdong are known as 'Gongyao Ji'. Now because of Jingzhou, Sun and Liu have a lot of quarrels. It must be quite difficult for my lord to have this wife!"

Zhuge Liang let out a sigh of emotion, and immediately raised his hand, "My lord can't sleep well at night, let him have a good rest, let alone this..."

Zhuge Liang drank the water in the water cup in front of him and said loudly.

"let's start!"

Immediately a civil servant reported back: "Cao Cao captured Hanzhong and went south to Bashu at any time. The people in Shuzhong are panic-stricken. The lord wants the soldiers to stand by and go north to fight against the powerful enemy at any time. But... the army is in a hurry, and there is no money to fight against the enemy. !"

"That's not right!" Zhuge Liang raised his eyes, his bright eyes were full of suspicion, "Isn't there a million shi in Liu Zhang's treasury? How could there be no food to fight against the enemy? Why?"

Hearing Zhuge Liang's doubts, the official said truthfully: "The attack on Chengdu in the past was not smooth. In order to boost morale, the lord promised the soldiers, 'If the matter is settled, all the things in the treasury will be left alone'!"

Zhuge Liang knew about this matter.

——If the matter is settled, there will be no predictions for all the things in the treasury!

This means that if Chengdu is breached, Liu Bei will not take a cent of the finances in the government warehouse, and the big guys will take whatever they want, and he will never intervene.

It is also this ill-considered promise that makes the money and food in the treasury occupied by the soldiers of the various armies.

What's more, there have been occasions when the soldiers were in a mess and scrambled for property.

It can be seen from this that as the master of the people, you can eat indiscriminately, but you can't talk indiscriminately!

call…

Hearing this, Zhuge Liang exhaled, this matter is not big or small, but it is extremely troublesome to deal with, and it must be discussed with the lord before making a decision.

My lord...

Zhuge Liang looked at the empty main seat again, and it was inevitable that he would feel sad for a while.

"continue…"

Zhuge Liang waved his hand.

Another civil official reported: "Nowadays, the prices in the counties and counties of Yizhou are extremely unstable. Many local clans are hoarding. The price of food was once extremely high, and the people complained... There are faint voices in the market that Liu Huangshu's rule is not as good as Liu Zhang's rule. !"

"Is it the price?" Zhuge Liang moaned softly.

He knew that prices were regulated by local princes.

But it is often not by coercive means to regulate prices, but by commercial means.

This goes back to the previous problem. The money in the treasury was robbed by the soldiers. No money?How to regulate prices?This is a skillful woman who can't cook without rice!

"Continue!" After only hearing two questions, Zhuge Liang's expression became dejected.

No. 3 civil official stood up, cupped his hands and said: "Yizhou is initially determined. How to distribute the large number of barren fields under the chaos of war? This is also mentioned repeatedly by you civil and military officials. It seems that the Lord intends to allocate the most fertile fields and houses in Chengdu. Distributed to the meritorious soldiers, and the list has been drafted!"

This time, without waiting for Zhuge Liang to speak.

A clear voice came from outside the house.

——"When you draw a bow, you should be strong, and when you use an arrow, you should use it long. When shooting a man, shoot a horse first, and when capturing a thief, first capture the king!"

Accompanied by this voice, a handsome young man in his early 20s walked in slowly. He spoke gracefully, bowed his hands to Zhuge Liang first, and said in his mouth: "I pay homage to the military master!"

It was Ma Liang's younger brother Ma Di who came.

"Youchang is here." Zhuge Liang raised his hand, motioning for Ma Di to sit down.

Ma Su knelt and sat on the side seat.

He is a small master in name, but in fact, he has a mentorship with Zhuge Liang, and Zhuge Liang thinks highly of this disciple.

"Shoot people first, shoot horses, capture thieves first, and capture the king first. It seems that you have something to say."

Zhuge Liang looked at Ma Su gently, as if deliberately giving this young man whom he valued a chance to show off.

"Yizhou is initially settled, and a thousand things are waiting to be done. There are countless problems, but the bow should be used to strengthen, and the arrow should be used to be long. If you blindly focus on those 'little things', you will inevitably miss it. Great festival."

These words made Zhuge Liang's eyes brighten.

Ma Su continued to speak eloquently: "In Yizhou, there are only two urgent matters. One is that Cao Cao will occupy Hanzhong and go south at any time. How should our army deal with it?"

"The second is Jingzhou. I heard that the situation in Jingzhou is changing rapidly. Jiangdong has already tried to launch a surprise attack on Jingnan. I also heard that a notice in Jiangling City jumped out, linking the ownership of the three counties of Changsha with the battle in Hefei. If Hefei wins in Eastern Wu, then the three prefectures of Changsha will belong to Wu, so the lord and the military adviser should have made plans early!"

Don't look at Ma Su as young, but he can talk with eloquence and reason...

Zhuge Liang nodded approvingly, and he sighed: "You Chang is right."

Speaking of this, he looked back at the clerks, "As You Chang said, there are priorities. If you have memorials from Jingzhou and Hanzhong, report them first..."

This... Zhuge Liang blurted out what he said.

A group of civil servants looked at me and I looked at you, and they all fell silent, as if... there was no report from Hanzhong and Jingzhou.

Of course, the words of Hanzhong are justifiable.

Cao Cao had just captured Hanzhong, so he would definitely take a break, but Jingzhou... It's been a long time, and the text message from Baimei Maliang has not come for a long time.

It seems that since Guan Yu refused to implement the "Xiang River delimitation" agreement, there has been no news from Jingzhou.

The more he thought about it, the more Zhuge Liang could not help frowning.

——"Yun Chang! 』

Zhuge Liang sighed secretly...

Ever since he left Jingzhou, his biggest worry was Yun Chang.

This worry, Zhuge Liang will appear every day.

Yun Chang's aloof and conceited temperament has always been a major hidden danger in Jingzhou!
With this in mind, Zhuge Liang got up slowly, and his tone suddenly became more serious: "Wait down, if there is an urgent case from Jingzhou, report it to me as soon as possible. No matter when!"

- "Here!"

All the civil servants stood up to answer.

On the other hand, Ma Di, he pursed his mouth, his eyes were shining brightly, he was also pondering...

How will the current situation in Jingzhou develop?
Can the three counties of Changsha, Guiyang, and Jiangxia survive?

...

...

Gangneung City…

In the morning light, the thin shadow of the sun penetrated into an earth temple on the outskirts of the western city.

Ten cauldrons were set up in the courtyard, and the hot porridge in the cauldron was stirring constantly, emitting the tangy aroma.

Undoubtedly, these fragrances can make the stomachs of hungry people churn more;

It can also make the weather-beaten people feel the warmth under the cold autumn wind!
Surrounding the cauldron are homeless beggars and refugees dressed in rags.

They are the lowest and most pitiful people in this era.

At this moment, their eyes were staring longingly at the porridge in the cauldron. They hadn't had such thick porridge for half a year.

First, everyone shared a bowl of porridge...

The beggars and refugees who had eaten their fill turned their heads to the gate of the Earth Temple one after another.

There, I don't know when a platform was erected.

Although there are some leaks, but it is surrounded by mountains and rivers, which has a special style.

at this time…

The familiar beggar leader walked up to the high platform with bold and unrestrained steps under the eyes of everyone looking forward to it.

The beggars in the audience whispered.

"Look, brother Lu's clothes and complexion... are completely different now. With the right person, life is looking forward to."

"Yeah, I don't know...Did Brother Lu mention us to Mr. Guan? Doesn't anyone of us want to have something to look forward to?"

"You shouldn't be asking. If Brother Lu hadn't mentioned us to Mr. Guan, then...so much porridge fell from the sky?"

While whispering, the beggar's head had already walked onto the high platform.

He opened his voice and shouted: "Brothers, I called you here today, not just for porridge!"

"Let me tell you a great thing, our more than 2000 beggars, from now on, have a backer!"

This is out of the way...

These beggars opened their mouths one after another, "So the Fourth Master Guan agreed to be our backer?"

"Hey, that's the son who made Guan Gong write a 'crime letter'. If it's him...that's...that's..."

"Finally made it out, made it out..."

"However, Fourth Master Guan is a thief, Cao Cao, and an official. Will he...will he take us a group of beggars?"

The discussion is getting louder...more and more complicated.

It was the beggar leader surnamed "Lu" who signaled the big guy to be quiet.

He hastily continued to shout: "Don't get me wrong, don't get me wrong, our backer is not the Fourth Young Master Guan..."

"Our backer is stronger than the Fourth Master Guan, he... he is the old man 'Hong Qigong'!"

"The old man said that from now on, we will do the work, and he will take care of the food. If he has a mouthful, we will never be hungry!"

"We are no longer the beggars who are bullied by others, we have a name when we get together!"

"From now on, we will be called the 'Gang Gang'!"

...

...

(End of this chapter)