Han family achievements

Chapter 596 Failure
The sixth year of Jian'an, early April.

Hanzhong.

The small main hall was packed with people.

Liu Bian sat in the main seat, with Dian Wei, Huangfu Jianchang, and a group of imperial guards standing on both sides of him.

On both sides of the hall, on the right side are Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Sima Lang and others; on the left side are Xun You, Xu Shu, Kuai Liang, Zhang Ji and others.

As soon as they sat down, Cao Cao said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, the army is divided into three routes. Xiahou Yuan, the commander of the central army, will lead 20,000 troops along the official road, enter Tongguan, and head straight for Jicheng. In the north, Zhao Yun will lead Zhu Ling and other generals, with a total of 15,000 troops, to go out of Hedong, cross the Yellow River and go up. In the south, Zhang He will lead 8,000 cavalry, go out of Wancheng, bypass Wuguan and Lantian, and make a big detour to go behind the enemy's back and try to wipe out the rebels in Jicheng!"

Liu Bian said nothing, but glanced at the crowd calmly.

Xu Shu, Kuai Liang and others looked thoughtful, looking at each other from time to time, but did not say anything.

This was a strategy that had been decided long ago, and stating it publicly now was merely a "notification" rather than a discussion.

In fact, the army had set out many days ago, and no one knew where it was now.

Liu Bian slapped his thigh to break the silence, and said with a loud laugh: "Okay, then it's settled. I and the other nobles will stay in Hanzhong and wait for good news from the generals!"

"I'm waiting for the order!"

All the civil and military officials raised their hands in response.

Liu Bian smiled, looked around, then stood up and left.

As soon as Liu Bian came out of the side door, everyone began to look at each other and whisper.

They seemed to be cautious, greeted each other, and left in twos and threes.

Xu Shu originally wanted to look for Liu Bei, but he saw Liu Bei being led away by the eunuchs, so he had to give up.

As soon as he turned around, Kuai Liang came up to him and asked with a serious look on his face, "Xu Beijia?"

Xu Shu and Kuai Liang were old friends, so he asked, "Does Kuai Liang have anything to say?"

Seeing that there was no one else, Kuai Liang said directly: "Liangzhou has a complex terrain, stretching for two thousand miles. There are more than ten tribes with hundreds of thousands of soldiers. With Han Sui as the commander-in-chief, although there are no dangerous passes, the rebels are widely dispersed. The government troops have to advance hundreds of miles, or even thousands of miles to fight a decisive battle with the rebels. Not to mention that it is difficult to keep up with the food and supplies, what should we do if we are ambushed or surrounded?"

Xu Shu did not participate in the formulation of this "expedition strategy", but as Liu Bei's trusted aide, he was naturally very clear about the pros and cons. He pondered and said, "Kuai Biejia's concerns have long been considered by the officials of the court. There is no need to worry."

Kuai Liang looked at Xu Shu's expression and it didn't seem like he had 'thought about this'.

An isolated army penetrates hundreds or thousands of miles deep into the enemy's heartland, without sufficient support or food supplies. Once it encounters a setback, the consequences will be disastrous!

The emperor led the army in person and all the officials gathered together. A small figure like Kuai Liang could only express his uneasiness through Xu Shu.

Smart people speak only when necessary, and do not overdo it.

Kuai Liang didn't say anything more, but discussed other things with Xu Shu.

The two men paced back and forth, discussing everything from the expedition to Liangzhou to domestic affairs.

On the other side, Liu Bian stood on the top of Hanzhong City, looking towards Jiange.

Standing behind him were Dian Wei, Huangfu Jianchang, Huang Zhong and others. Liu Bei came hurriedly and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty."

Liu Bian put his hands behind his back and said, "Mr. Liu, I heard that you have made some progress in continuing the family tree?"

Liu Bei bowed his head, looked humble, and said with a smile: "Yes, Zong Zheng said that they have found some clues and are verifying them." Liu Bei said it lightly, but in fact he was secretly alert and uneasy in his heart.

Whether or not he can continue the family tree is not a big problem for ordinary people, and he does not care about the head of the clan. But he is continuing the family tree for the royal relatives and the royal family!
Prince Jing of Zhongshan was the son of Emperor Jing and the brother of Emperor Wu. It was three or four hundred years ago, and the Han Dynasty adopted a system of demotion. Prince Jing of Zhongshan had countless descendants. Up to now, let alone Liu Bei, there are no outstanding figures in the previous few generations. It becomes very difficult to trace back.

Since it was a matter concerning the royal family, the Zong Zheng was very cautious and wanted definite evidence. After investigating for several years, he still could not fully confirm Liu Bei's "self-claim".

The reason why Liu Bei was uneasy was that whether he could continue his family tree and become an 'official' member of the Han royal family, the descendant of King Jing of Zhongshan, all depended on a word from His Majesty before him.

If he says yes, then it is, and if he says no, then it is also.

Liu Bian nodded casually and said, "That's good. My lord, it is said that the road to Shu is difficult, easy to defend but difficult to attack. How should the court win?"

As the right Sima, Liu Bei naturally knew that this time it was not just Pingliang Prefecture, so he had already prepared a plan and said, "Your Majesty, I think that Jiange is difficult to attack, but Mianzhu is easy to break. We should use both internal and external forces, and use both civil and military attacks. By attacking from both the north and the south, we can recover Yizhou within three months."

"Three months?"

Liu Bian looked back at him, then pondered for a moment and said, "If I asked you to lead the troops to war now, would you be confident?"

Liu Bei was startled and asked, "Your Majesty, are you going to attack Yizhou at the same time?"

Now the whole Han Dynasty is focusing on conquering Liang Province. Your Majesty actually wants to conquer Yi and Liang Provinces at the same time?

This will be a huge adventure!

The situation in Liangzhou is complicated and the geography of Yizhou is dangerous, but it is not a flat land like the Central Plains!
Liu Bian looked at his expression, smiled, and said, "It was just a joke. You don't need to take it seriously, and don't say it out loud."

This "first lord" in history never grew up after all, and was far inferior to Cao Cao. If it were Cao Cao, he would have responded to the order immediately without hesitation.

Liu Bei also realized it and said hesitantly, "I understand."

Liu Bian waved his hand and turned his gaze towards Jicheng.

The three armies were dispatched ten days ago, but no one knows where they are now or what their specific situation is. Very little news has been sent back.

And under the city, the four gates were wide open, with a large number of soldiers and food supplies coming in and out, a busy scene.

Huangfu Jian came closer while chewing an apple and whispered, "Your Majesty, we don't know where Liu Zhang's 10,000 men are. Should Hanzhong make some preparations?"

Liu Bian smiled and said, "The Grand Marshal and his men will make preparations. You should keep an eye on the direction of Yizhou."

Huangfu Jian responded with some hesitation, feeling puzzled. Why was His Majesty so confident about the battle in Liangzhou?

Liangzhou is different from the Central Plains. Once the three Qiang people avoid fighting, they can drag the imperial army to death in the thousands of miles of wasteland and desert in Liangzhou.

The current Han Dynasty is not the same as it was during the time of Emperor Wu. It does not have such a strong national strength and cannot provide sufficient backup support. In other words, as long as the Three Qiang do not engage in a decisive battle with the government army, they will be invincible!

"Report!"

A soldier ran up hurriedly, followed by Cao Cao, Liu Bian, Xu Shu, Kuai Liang and a large group of people.

The soldier came closer, knelt on one knee, and said in a hurry: "Reporting to Your Majesty, General Fenwu encountered Han Sui two hundred miles east of Jicheng. The battle was not going well, and he lost more than a thousand people and retreated more than a hundred miles."

Cao Cao and the others who followed obviously knew it, and they had gloomy faces and did not say anything.

(End of this chapter)