Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1438 Dissatisfaction
At Wuzhangyuan, north of Hanzhong, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians are using various machines to level the mountains and widen the road to Hanzhong.

Although this may take more than two years, it is not an unacceptable option for them. After all, building roads is only a little tiring, and it is much safer than fighting in a war with an uncertain fate.

Now, as the pressure to pacify the world has decreased, the Jin army has gradually begun to try to transform, from its original wartime system to a semi-professional system, that is, soldiers can take care of construction tasks while fighting.

In addition to combat skills, the soldiers of the Jin army also received relevant training in paving roads and bridges, farming and land reclamation, and mining and surveying. This model, which only existed in later generations, is now being prepared and used on this team that is about to end the troubled times.

If we talk about similar examples in this era, the military farming system is one of them, but the one that really took the lead was the border army system of Liangzhou.

Over the past few hundred years, because Liangzhou was not valued by the central government, the border residents of Liangzhou suffered from invasions by foreign tribes such as the Xiongnu and Qiang. Therefore, while grazing and farming, the border residents of Liangzhou were forced to organize into small groups to maintain their own safety.

When the men of Liangzhou went out to fight the enemy, the women in the village practiced martial arts for defense. Everyone knew martial arts, and the tradition was passed down from generation to generation. The trend of practicing martial arts became more and more popular, and eventually powerful people in Liangzhou emerged, with the ability to destabilize the world.

By the time the Han Dynasty discovered the threat posed by the powerful Liang Province, it was already too late, so it could only adopt measures of both recruitment and suppression. However, in the end, the power of Liang Province played a key role in promoting the fall of the Han Dynasty.

At that time, the three northern states, Liangzhou, Bingzhou and Youzhou all produced brave generals and strong soldiers. This was because they had faced foreign enemies for generations and the people were martial. The soldiers who came out were more powerful than those recruited from areas that had been peaceful for a long time, especially when facing a dimensionality reduction attack when they were on the battlefield for the first time. This was also an important reason why Zhang Liao was able to defeat the 100,000-strong army of Jiangdong with only 800 soldiers and horses.

Hundreds of people can have such power, not to mention the millions of people in the northern border areas who practice martial arts. This is also the reason why the North has always fought against the South in all dynasties.

On the other hand, although the North can defend the border, if it turns its spearhead, it will become the most troublesome destabilizing factor for the Central Plains dynasty.

Whether in wartime or peacetime, how to deploy border troops is the primary issue that must be faced. Yuan Xi knew the lessons of the feudal forces, so in order to make the existing hundreds of thousands of Jin troops adapt to the new era, he began to transform the army in advance on purpose.

This was the reason why Yuan Xi suppressed the powerful people in Liangzhou before. He had no prejudice against ordinary people living in Liangzhou, and he knew that they were forced to learn martial arts to protect themselves. If the imperial court could not protect the people and forced them to survive on their own, then it would be the imperial court's dereliction of duty.

Therefore, on the one hand, Yuan Xi used diplomatic means to appease the forces around Liangzhou and negotiate with the Xianbei Qiang people. On the other hand, he used force and division strategies to suppress the foreign races with ulterior motives, thereby ensuring long-term stability on the border. The ultimate goal was to ensure that the people would have a stable living environment in the future.

The problem now is the restructuring and transformation of the army. Wei now only has Yizhou and half of Jingzhou left, and Jin no longer needs to maintain the original number of troops, so Yuan Xi instructed Zhuge Liang to turn the process of attacking Yizhou into an improvement attempt for a smooth transition.

The soldiers of Jin State slowly advanced towards Hanzhong while building roads and bridges and cultivating land. Compared with a rapid surprise attack, this leisurely approach brought great pressure to the Wei government and the people.

The people of Wei were in a panic and wanted to find a way out. They now believed that they could not confront Jin head-on, so they naturally looked to Hannan as a breakthrough point.

After Sima Yi and Xiahou Shang retreated to Hanzhong, the Wei court had a very heated discussion and finally decided to let Sima Yi guard Hanzhong, while Cao Zhen and Xiahou Shang concentrated the remaining elite forces and began to move eastward from Hanzhong Road to attack Shangyong Fangling.

Together with Xiahou Dun who went east from Chengdu and along the river to Baidi City, the Wei State deployed most of its troops in the three counties of Jingzhou. The purpose was to find a breakthrough from the Hannan State and find a way out for the Wei State.

As a result, the pressure on Hannan Kingdom increased greatly. With Guan Ping in charge of Shangyong, they could still resist for a while, but Xiahou Dun's advance by water put great pressure on Changsha County downstream, so much so that Liu Chan urgently recalled Guan Yu, who was attacking the Nanman, and asked him to lead the navy to meet Xiahou Dun's army.

Guan Yu received a message saying that Xiahou Dun was about to arrive in the Linjiang Kuiguan area, so he led his soldiers directly over the mountains and across the ridges towards the Baidi City in Zigui.

The two armies met in Badong, and after several battles, they came to a standoff. Xiahou Dun was good at internal affairs, and his logistics and soldiers were much more sufficient than Guan Yu's army, while Guan Yu was good at battle formations. The two sides went back and forth, and a temporary balance was formed.

When the news reached Changsha, Liu Chan was extremely worried. He said to Xu Shu, "Prime Minister, the Wei army is so powerful that even General Guan cannot defeat them. If they make a mistake, will our Hannan Kingdom be in danger?"

Xu Shu was also annoyed. He said, "The current situation in Hannan is most likely caused by Jin. This is a plan to drive the tiger to devour the wolf. It is too insidious!"

Liu Chan asked in confusion, "Why did the Prime Minister say that?"

Xu Shu sneered, "Jin State captured Wuzhangyuan but was not in a hurry to attack Hanzhong. This is obviously to give Wei State a chance to catch its breath and find another way out."

"Now that Wei sees that Hanzhong is not threatened for the time being, it will naturally try to find an easy way to break through. The two exits in the south of Han will become Wei's best choice."

"Because of the superficial morality, Jin State could not directly send troops to attack Hannan, so it came up with this sinister plan. It is really a hypocritical hypocrite!"

Liu Chan heard this and said, "What should we do now?"

Xu Shu gritted his teeth and said, "We can only block it!"

"Stop the two armies of Cao Wei and make them return empty-handed. When the Jin army approaches Hanzhong in a year, the Wei army will have no choice but to withdraw to resist." "If Hanzhong is lost, Chengdu will also be lost, so Wei will definitely defend Hanzhong with all its strength. At that time, our opportunity will come. As long as we find a way to break through Baidi City and capture Chengdu, we can persuade Wei to surrender, and Hannan will be able to occupy Jingyi. In the future, we can spy on Jiangdong and divide the world with Jin."

Liu Chan opened his eyes wide in surprise, "So this is what the Prime Minister is thinking?"

"But our Hannan forces are not strong. The road to Chengdu is very dangerous and there are many checkpoints. What can we do..."

Xu Shu said confidently, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Yizhou is not a monolithic entity. We have already written secret letters to the officials of the Han Dynasty to arrange for an uprising at that time!"

"I have made preparations for both scenarios. On the one hand, I will secretly send a letter to the State of Wei, pretending to form an alliance with them. In the name of sending troops to help, I will send troops to approach Chengdu, and then take the opportunity to attack and seize the pass!"

"If this plan fails, we will have to rely on General Guan's bravery to attack the pass and cooperate with the Yizhou nobles to attack from both inside and outside. Then we will be able to capture Chengdu with unstoppable force!"

"As long as we persuade the Wei royal family to surrender, the Wei army in Yizhou, including Hanzhong, will surrender to us. At that time, if the Jin army continues to attack Hanzhong, it will be equivalent to attacking Hannan, and there will be no legitimate excuse!"

Liu Chan worriedly asked, "What if they really fight?"

Xu Shu sneered, "That's because the surrendered soldiers of the Wei army are blocking the way. We can take advantage of the Duke of Shanyang's status as the former emperor of the Han Dynasty to issue a manifesto to the world, denouncing the Jin State for its perfidy and letting morality stand on our side!"

"Nowadays, there are definitely more people who miss the Han Dynasty than the king thinks. When the time comes, the king will call for it and all parties will respond. It will definitely cause great chaos to the Jin State, and the restoration of the Han Dynasty is just around the corner!"

Liu Chan was also touched by Xu Shu's words and couldn't help but stand up and said, "I am so lucky to meet the Prime Minister!"

"If the Prime Minister has anything to do, I will definitely support him with all my strength!"

Xu Shu thought for a moment and said, "Although Your Highness has not yet reached the age of twenty, the Emperor does not need to wait until then to get married."

"Your Majesty can recruit more women from the Jing and Yi clans into the palace to win over your support."

Liu Chan hesitated and said, "But before my father passed away, he asked me to choose a queen. Shouldn't I choose from the descendants of my two uncles Guan and Zhang?"

Xu Shu said, "She is just the queen. Just follow the words of the previous king."

"But there is only one queen. Now that General Zhang has passed away, it is clear that General Guan is more worthy of being won over. Your Highness should know how to choose."

Liu Chan was hesitant after hearing this, and said, "The girls from both families are still young, so it will take a few years for them to get married, right?"

Xu Shu said: "There is no need for a formal marriage, just arrange the marriage first."

Seeing Liu Chan's hesitation, he thought about it and understood, and said, "Your Highness, have you heard about the beauty of the girl from the Zhang family, so you are reluctant to let her go?"

Liu Chan's secret was exposed, his face flushed, and he was speechless. Seeing this, Xu Shu said, "Your Highness, don't worry. If you can't be the principal wife, being a concubine is not a disgrace. The Zhang family is now an orphan and a widow. How can they not be satisfied with the status of a concubine?"

"Your Majesty, please send your eunuchs to discuss this matter. There is absolutely no reason for them to refuse."

Liu Chan was overjoyed when he heard this and said, "Let's follow the Prime Minister's advice!"

The next day, the eunuch went to Zhang Fei's house and told Lady Xiahou what Liu Chan meant. Lady Xiahou heard it and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but marriage is an internal matter of the Zhang family. I dare not take the initiative. I must discuss it with the elders before I can give a reply."

"I hope the eunuchs will report back to the king and give him a few days' grace. Once the clan has a result, I will personally report to the king."

After hearing this, the eunuch naturally assumed that Xiahou had agreed, so he smiled and said, "Then we will wait for good news from Madam."

After Lady Xiahou sent the eunuch away, her face became uncertain. She was furious, thinking that her husband died in the battle, leaving behind such a precious daughter, who was going to be a concubine?
If Xiahou had stayed in Changsha, she might have only had this choice, but last year, she happened to meet Yuan Xi.

However, Yuan Xi specifically mentioned this to Zhang at the time, saying that he had heard that Zhang had a daughter and that he also had several good-for-nothing sons. If Xiahou was willing, he could choose one of the sons to be made a king and let Zhang's daughter marry him as his principal wife.

So in comparison, Xiahou family naturally felt unbalanced. Being crowned king of Jin was not necessarily worse than being in Hannan, but being an official concubine was much worse. Does the king look down on the Zhang family so much?
(End of this chapter)