Han family achievements

Chapter 570 Return
Liu Bian looked at Sima Yi, who was bowing his head, with deep eyes and a faint light flashing. Then he smiled and said, "You are still wronged. I, the palace commander, cannot be wronged like this. You go to Jingzhou and be Guan Yu's military advisor."

Sima Yi immediately thought of Yangzhou and Yuan Shao, and said solemnly: "I obey your order."

Xun Yu seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that Yuan Shao is ill."

Liu Bian continued to pace forward and said with a smile: "Last year, Yuan Shao vomited blood when he withdrew his troops from Nanhai County. It is said that he was injured by miasma and was depressed. He needs to be recuperated."

Xun Yu knew that the emperor in front of him must know more than him, and said while thinking: "Your Majesty, this year, I think it is not the time to use troops against Yangzhou."

Xun Yu is in a difficult situation now.

The 'New Deal' has been implemented for ten years and now it has finally achieved some results. The common people have had a respite and the morale of the government and the public has improved. It is at a critical stage of recovery. If the court were to use troops again, it would not only require countless young and strong men, but would also have to draw away the little money and grain that had been accumulated with great difficulty.

In Xun Yu's view, the imperial court has already gained absolute advantage, and it is only a matter of time to put down the rebellion. There is no need to rush and they can just wait a little longer.

But the reality was that countless people in the court and the country, both civil officials and military generals, were eager to send troops to Yangzhou as soon as possible to kill Yuan Shao while he was ill.

He has recently received nearly a hundred letters of "advice" from officials from both the government and the opposition, all of which were harsh and convincing.

The reaction of the military generals was even greater. Not to mention the Lieutenant Generals from all over the country, even Liu Bei, who had been dismissed from office for many years, wrote a letter to the emperor. Guan Yu, the Lieutenant General of Jingzhou, had been conducting large-scale drills in Jingzhou, and would approach the counties of Yangzhou from time to time, making Yangzhou nervous. Similarly, the imperial court was also uneasy, fearing that a war of conquest would really be triggered.

Liu Bian looked towards Liangzhou and said, "The Grand Marshal has given me a new suggestion. He is confident that he can completely recapture the Three Qiang within three months."

Xun Yu's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Your Majesty, I disagree!"

The biggest problem of Liangzhou does not lie with Ma Teng, Han Sui and Song Jian, nor is it whether they can conquer it, but what to do after conquering it?
This place is vast and sparsely populated, with a mixture of Hu and Han people, making it extremely difficult to govern. After conquering it, not only will a large army have to be stationed here, but a large amount of money, food, and energy will also have to be spent to consolidate it. For the current court, this is completely not worth the cost!

Tian Feng, Sima Yi and the others also looked solemn, and judging from their expressions, they also disagreed.

Liu Bian looked at Liangzhou and said, "The Grand Marshal said that if we take Liangzhou, we can capture Yizhou within half a year."

Xun Yu thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, it is not so easy to conquer the Three Qiang. After conquering them, the court will not be able to conquer Yizhou again. Yizhou is full of dangers, and the roads to Shu are difficult to travel. A forced attack may not be effective in three to five years. For Yizhou, my idea is to use both soft and hard tactics, coercion and inducement, and take a long-term view."

Xun Yu looked at Liu Bian's noncommittal profile, turned around to look at the people following him, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Pan Yin understood what was going on and quietly slowed down to stop everyone except Xun Yu, Tian Feng and Sima Yi.

After walking for a while, Xun Yu said, "Your Majesty, Yizhou has numerous natural defenses, is easy to defend but difficult to attack, has thousands of miles of fertile land, has not been in war for many years, is peaceful and tranquil, and has hundreds of thousands of soldiers under armor. It is not suitable to attack by force. If you really have to attack, I request that Liu Bei be the commander-in-chief and the Grand Marshal be in charge of the center."

Liu Bian frowned, understanding what Xun Yu meant, and said, "Are you saying that Cao Cao should not enter Shu?"

Xun Yu nodded and said, "Yes. Liu Xuande is kind and loyal to the world. He is the most suitable person to attack Liu Zhang."

Liu Bian said "oh" and could not deny it.

Cao Cao was ambitious, and everyone in the world could see it clearly. But did Liu Bei really have no ambition?
Xun Yu did not say anything more. The emperor in front of him was a very thoughtful person. If he said too much, it would cause some unnecessary "backlash".

Tian Feng looked thoughtful and said, "Your Majesty, I agree with the Prime Minister. If we really want to attack Yizhou, Liu Xuande is the most suitable. Yizhou still has many loyal and upright people who are loyal to the court. We just need to cooperate with them, and there may be miraculous effects." Liu Bian turned to the direction of Yizhou, thought for a while, and said, "Many years ago, the Imperial City and the Yellow Gate and Northern Temple Prison sent many people to Yizhou, and we can use them when the time comes."

Sima Yi's expression became more respectful.

Your Majesty has made such secret matters known in public, so the expedition against Yizhou is not far away.

Xun Yu understood the same thing and couldn't help but worry.

Liangzhou and Yizhou are not easy places to conquer and pacify. This is an extremely arduous and challenging task for the Han court that has just recovered!
Should we talk to Cao Cao?
The emperor in front of us cannot be persuaded, and perhaps the only one who can stop this is Cao Cao.

"His Majesty!"

Pan Yin suddenly ran up and said happily, "There's news from Rinnan that they found traces of Zhou Yu's fleet."

Liu Bian opened his eyes and asked excitedly, "Are we in Rinnan?"

Pan Yin said: "It's the news from the Imperial City. They just saw the fleet, but there is no specific information yet."

Rinan County, located south of Jiaozhi County, was the southernmost part of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bian narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling his heart beating anxiously, and said: "Send a letter to the Imperial City Palace, asking them to continue tracking. If they do find Zhou Yu's fleet, find a way to contact him and ask him to settle down in Zhuya Prefecture first, rest up, and then go directly north to Wujun. Then send an order to Sun Quan, asking him to go to greet him in person on my behalf, and the princess will go with him."

"I obey your order!" Pan Yin said hurriedly.

Liu Bian didn't expect Zhou Yu to come back so late, but he finally came back. He was so excited that he could not suppress it. He paced back and forth and said, "Prime Minister, please write a letter to Shi Xie in person and ask him for help. By the way, Zhuyazhou, is there any problem there?"

The so-called Zhuyazhou is the future Hainan.

Xun Yu was not as excited as Liu Bian. From the beginning to the end, he opposed Zhou Yu's decision to go out to sea with 20,000 men.

Two thousand naval troops and a large amount of money and food are very likely to be gone in the vast ocean and never return.

Most importantly, what to explore?

However, this is already a thing of the past. Xun Yu said: "Your Majesty, the population of Zhuya Prefecture is less than 50,000. I think it will not be a big problem for Zhou Yu to enter Zhuya Prefecture. However, I suggest that Yizhou is more secure."

Yizhou was the future Taiwan Island.

Liu Bian nodded and said, "I passed by there when I went there. I won't go there this time. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. I want to see Zhou Yu. Ask Sun Quan to welcome Zhou Yu to Luoyang as soon as possible."

"Yes." Xun Yu actually didn't understand in his heart what his majesty was going to explore at sea, and why he was so excited to hear that Zhou Yu was back?
His Majesty is no longer the young man he used to be. He rarely shows his joy and is intimidating without even getting angry.

As for the rumors outside about "learning from Qin Shi Huang and seeking longevity", Xun Yu did not believe them at all.

(End of this chapter)