At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 259 Zhao Wei’s Rebellion
Fa Zheng's words inevitably made Zhou Qi suspicious.

Many times, once people reach a certain height, they become helpless and their ambitions expand.

Just like Zhong Hui, after destroying the Shu Kingdom, he began to take credit for his success and wanted to stand on his own. In the end, he was defeated and died.

Bashu is a land of abundance and a land of dragons, which is really too tempting.

If things go well, we can first take Chang'an to occupy Guanzhong, and then go north to compete for the world.

If things don't work, it can also block the Shu road and separat one side.

The only strange thing is that Zhong Hui misunderstood his own prestige in the army and underestimated the importance of Wei and the Sima family in the hearts of the generals.

Not being able to recognize yourself is the most terrifying thing.

But once people gain power, they can easily be blinded and eventually go astray.
Although Zhao Wei has not shown any rebellion yet, he already has great power and is gradually leading his troops towards Chengdu. It is hard to say whether he will rebel in the future.

Although overthrowing Zhao Wei would be more beneficial to Wu Yi and the Dongzhou people, these Yizhou scholars are colluding with each other and will be a hidden danger in the future.

Zhou Qi pondered for a long time, frowned and said: "Zhao Wei has achieved great success this time, and what Xiaozhi said has not yet happened. If he rashly attacks him, I am afraid it will chill people's hearts."

Although Zhou Qi planned to guard against the Yizhou scholars, he would not do it as brilliantly as Liu Yan and Liu Zhang and his son.

Because today's Zhou Qi is definitely not comparable to Liu Yan and his son.

When Liu Yan first entered Yizhou, he could only rely on the Dongzhou people who followed him to take office.

Zhou Qi was different. He not only received the allegiance of Yan Yan and Gan Ning of Bajun, but also the allegiance of Wang Shang.

Not only that.

Zhou Qi occupied countless scholars in Jing and Yang states. He also trained many scholars from poor families over the years and had a huge reserve of officials.

If Zhou Qi is willing, he can transfer these people to Yizhou as officials, and transfer the local scholars in Yizhou to Jing and Yangzhou as officials.

If scholars do not serve as local officials, the influence of the family will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, Zhou Qi's attitude towards the Yizhou scholars was to be both defensive and effective.

Looking at Zhou Qi who looked hesitant, Fazheng said: "Whether Zhao Wei has other intentions, my lord will know after a test."

But it is said that after Wang Shang and Fazheng submitted the surrender form and the Yizhou Muyin Shou, they took the lead in returning to Chengdu with Zhou Qi's documents.

However, Zhou Qi summoned his subordinates and civil servants and said, "Gu Yu leads fifty thousand troops and goes to Chengdu in person to accept Liu Zhang's surrender. What do you think?"

After saying this, the faces of Kuai Yue, Cai Mao and other Xiangyang people changed slightly.

They had long discussed secretly that if Liu Zhang surrendered, the general would most likely move his rule to Yizhou due to Bashu's wealth and danger.

If this were to happen, Xiangyang's status would be lowered, which would not be in the interests of scholars from Xiangyang such as Cai and Kuai.

They had previously been just guessing.

Today I heard that the general was preparing to raise [-] troops to go to Chengdu to accept Liu Zhang's surrender, and my doubts deepened.

The two exchanged glances, and Kuai Yue then stood up and said: "Liu Zhang has surrendered and Yizhou has been decided. My lord will send a good general to Chengdu to accept Liu Zhang's surrender and bring him back to Xiangyang."

"Why recruit a large army and waste money and food to go to Chengdu in person?"

Cai Mao also advised: "The words of Yidu are reasonable. Yuan Shao from the north is eyeing him. Now is the time to gather grain and prepare for war. Please think twice before acting."

The other civil servants and generals in Jingzhou, including Huang Zhong, Wenpin, and Li Yan, saw Kuai Yue and Cai Mao speaking. Although they didn't know what they were thinking, they knew that everyone had the same interests, and they also gave advice one after another.

In fact, many people did not understand why the general led the army to Chengdu since Liu Zhang had surrendered.

You know, dispatching [-] troops is no small matter.

Normally, an army of [-] would have been able to fight a full-scale war.

If Liu Zhang had not surrendered, it would be okay to lead an army of [-] to conquer Yizhou. There is no need for it now.

Seeing the civil servants and generals of the Jingzhou faction giving advice, Zhou Qi's heart sank, but his face remained calm.

When Jingzhou civil and military officials persuaded Liu Biao to surrender, Zhou Qi promised many benefits in order to win over the Kuai family and the Cai family. This not only preserved the status of the local scholars in Jingzhou, but also caused Huang Zhong, Wenpin, Wei Yan, Li Yan and others to be reused. The strength of the Jingzhou faction has grown unprecedentedly, and is almost as strong as the Yangzhou faction.

Zhou Qi didn't feel anything before, but now seeing Jingzhou's civil and military forces working together, he was naturally a little dissatisfied.

He doesn't mind if his subordinates form factions, but he doesn't want to see a faction become too powerful.

"It seems that it is time to divide the officials of the Jingzhou faction."

Zhou Qi was thinking this in his heart, but remained calm on the surface. He turned to look at Tian Feng and asked, "Yuan Hao thinks it's necessary for Gu to lead his troops to Chengdu?"

Tian Feng frowned and pondered for a long time, and then said loudly: "The land of Bashu is thousands of miles of fertile wilderness, a land of abundance. It also has dangerous mountains and rivers. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The people's customs are fierce and there must be no room for error."

"Although Liu Zhang surrendered, the situation in Yizhou is still very complicated. If the lord does not personally lead the army to Chengdu to scare those with evil intentions, I am afraid that Yizhou may not be able to be quickly pacified."

"My lord raised an army of [-] and rushed to Chengdu. It can not only show the military power, but also intimidate Xiaoxiao."

"Compared with the mere amount of money and food spent, the advantages of this matter completely outweigh the disadvantages. I think it is feasible, should be done, and must be done!"

When Zhou Qi heard this, he couldn't help but have a bright smile on his face.

Tian Feng has a very good advantage, that is, as long as he thinks it is the right thing, he will speak out his opinions without caring about what others think.

Although this is sometimes unpleasant, it can also be a great help to Zhou Qi on many occasions.

Just like now.

Almost all the civil servants and generals of the Jingzhou faction opposed such a large-scale war. If Zhou Qi asked Jia Xu, even if the other party knew that it would be more advantageous to send troops to Chengdu, he would not necessarily tell the truth outright, considering the feelings of the officials of the Jingzhou faction.

Tian Feng is different.

If he felt that this was feasible, he would not care about the thoughts of Kuai Yue, Cai Mao and others, and would speak out his thoughts frankly.

Zhou Qi laughed out loud when he heard this and said, "What Yuan Hao said is exactly what I meant."

"I have already considered this matter in my heart. You don't need to say anything. We must immediately mobilize [-] troops and horses from Jing and Yangzhou and rush to Chengdu as soon as possible!"

Zhou Qi simply stopped asking for everyone's opinions and just made a speech.

In this way, after Zhou Qi completed recruiting troops and horses, he led Dian Wei, Xiang Hong, Zhou Yu, Wei Yan, Dong Xi, Xu Ding and other generals towards Yizhou in a mighty manner.

Shu County, Guangdu.

Zhao Wei moved to the north of the county since then, attacking cities and territories along the way, and finally captured Guangdu County, the gateway to the south of Chengdu.

Guangdu is located along the Yangtze River and is the southern gateway to Chengdu. It is only twenty miles away from Chengdu.

Originally, there were heavy troops stationed here, and it was impossible for Zhao Wei to capture it so easily. However, after Liu Zhang sent an envoy to Xiangyang to surrender, in order to express his sincerity in surrender, he withdrew the garrison from Guangdu.

It was precisely for this reason that Zhao Wei occupied Guangdu so easily.

Not only that.

Liu Zhang even ordered the Mianzhu garrison to surrender to Yan Yan, so that the Bajun troops led by Yan Yan occupied the entire Guanghan County and directly stationed troops in Xindu County, which is only more than [-] miles northeast of Chengdu.

Now Yan Yan and Zhao Wei each led their troops to surround Chengdu.Even if Liu Zhang regretted and did not want to surrender to Zhou Qi, it was already too late.

On this day, Zhao Wei had just gotten up and finished washing when he saw Chen Shi, a man from the same county, hurried in.

"Why is Zhong Gong so panicked?"

When Zhao Wei saw this, he couldn't help but asked with a smile.

Chen Shi said with a serious face: "General Qi, after hearing the news, the general has raised [-] troops and plans to enter Chengdu to accept Liu Zhang's surrender in person."

When Zhao Wei heard this, the smile on his face gradually faded, and his brows furrowed tightly.

Seeing Zhao Wei's appearance, Chen Shi hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and said: "The general is only twenty miles away from Chengdu. The general did not allow the general to go to Chengdu to accept Liu Zhang's surrender. Instead, he came in person."

"Not only that, the general even came with [-] troops."

"I think back in those days, when the general attacked Bajun, he only led [-] troops. Now that Liu Zhang has surrendered and the situation in Yizhou has been decided, he still leads [-] troops. Why?"

Zhao Wei's face was already terrifyingly gloomy.

Chen Shi observed the words and continued: "Since the general led the troops to suppress the rebellion, he has left no stone unturned. The officials, people, nobles, and gentry are all attached to him. When the rebels heard the name of the general, all of them refused to surrender."

"The general first put down the rebellion in Yizhou, then killed Zhang Ren, captured Wu Yi, and forced the surrender of Liu Zhang. Now the officials and the people are attached to him, and his power and virtue are inspiring the world. It can be said that the people value his achievements, and the master is afraid of his schemes."

"My husband, Han Xin, did not betray the Han Dynasty in the turmoil, but he saw that he was suspicious of peace. The officials did not follow Fan Li in Wuhu, and he fell on his sword and died in vain. How could he secretly master a foolish minister?"

"This interest makes it so!"

"The general led [-] troops into Shu. He came under the name Liu Zhang. He came here to guard against you."

"Since your great achievements have been made, your great virtues have been achieved, and your reputation has spread all over the world, why not follow the example of Tao Zhugong and go boating to disappear, save your life with all your merits, climb the Emei Mountains, and swim from Chisong?"

When Zhao Wei heard this, he stared at Chen Shi and said: "If I take away the military power and the boat disappears, if I don't catch it, I can capture three or five bandits and one or two officers."

Seeing this, Chen Shi advised again: "Since you don't want to disappear in the boat, why not rely on your current fame and military strength to attack Chengdu, establish your own territory and become a prince, and your life will not be wasted."

Zhao Wei was very moved, but he still said hesitantly: "Although I have this intention, Chengdu is a strong city and it is difficult to conquer it in a hurry."

"There is also Yan Yan leading his troops on the side. If there is any slight movement, he will definitely lead his troops to attack me."

When Chen Shi heard this, he shook his head and said, "General, this is wrong."

"Liu Zhang is already frightened. As long as the army approaches the city, he will definitely surrender the city."

"As for Yan Yan, general there is no need to worry."

"After all, Yan Yan is from Bajun, and he has been on good terms with the general before. If he knew that Zhou Qi didn't trust us, he would definitely have doubts in his heart."

"If General Xiaozhi is moved by emotion and reason, and promises to be a high-ranking official and generous salary, he can not only persuade Yan Yan to attack Chengdu together, but also retake Bajun without any bloodshed."

"If Ba County is captured, the general can occupy Yizhou to resist Zhou Qi."

"Given the ruggedness of Yizhou and the dependence of its officials and people, why worry about failing to accomplish great things?"

Zhao Wei walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. After a long time, he still said hesitantly: "If Yan Yan doesn't want to join me in this big event, what can I do?"

Chen Shi showed a sinister smile on his face and said, "Has the general forgotten how to kill Zhang Ren and others?"

When Zhao Wei heard this, he suddenly realized.

He first summoned Chen Shi, Gong Yang, Zhao Min, Li Jing, Wang Dan, Meng Biao and others to express their feelings. Everyone swore and swore that they were willing to follow him and work together to achieve great things.

Followed by.

Zhao Wei sent Chen Shi to invite Yan Yan to the banquet to discuss military affairs and reminisce about the past.

Yan Yan did not doubt that he was there, and temporarily handed over the army to Huo Jun's command, and then led only a few hundred personal guards to Guangdu.

When Zhao Wei learned that Yan Yan was coming, he couldn't help but be overjoyed and went out of the city to greet him personally.

"Brother Yan, long time no see, you are still as charming as ever!"

Zhao Wei stepped forward, laughed and opened his arms.

Yan Yan also laughed loudly and said: "General Zhao's demeanor is even better than before!"

After speaking, the two hugged each other tightly.

In this way, Zhao Wei and Yan Yan rode into the city side by side, and then held a banquet to entertain Yan Yan and his bodyguards.

Three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Zhao Wei suddenly put down his wine glass and said with some sigh: "I think back in those days, Wang Wenbiao and I strongly recommended Liu Zhang as the leader of Yizhou. It was precisely because we valued his benevolent character and thought that the officials and people of Yizhou would live a good life from now on."

"I never thought that after Liu Zhang succeeded to the throne, because of his too weak character, it was difficult to restrain the scholars of Dongzhou, so that the old people of Yizhou were repeatedly invaded."

"Bajun is not under Liu Zhang's rule. Brother Yan may not feel it deeply. Most of us were born in Bajun and served as officials in various places in Yizhou, but we have a deep understanding of this."

"Extremely!"

"Extremely!"

Chen Shi, Gong Yang, Zhao Min, Li Jing, Wang Dan, Meng Biao and other generals from Bajun all spoke in agreement.

Yan Yan also sighed: "Thanks to the general's rule, Ba County is able to enjoy the stability and prosperity it has today."

"You don't need to worry too much. After Liu Zhang surrenders and the general rules Bashu, the lives of the people of Yizhou will definitely improve."

Zhao Wei shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Did we not think so when we welcomed Liu Zhang as the shepherd of Yizhou?"

"However, all the rulers, after all, still can't worry about the Yizhou clan."

Zhao Wei secretly observed Yan Yan's face and continued: "Brother Yan, does he know that the general led [-] troops into Shu and plans to personally accept Liu Zhang's surrender?"

Yan Yan said: "It is true."

Zhao Wei smiled bitterly and said: "If the general really trusts us, I'm afraid he would have ordered Liu Zhang to open the city and surrender."

"After all, the general still couldn't trust the Yizhou scholars, so he personally led an army of [-] people."

"I'm afraid that in the name of accepting Liu Zhang's surrender, he is actually plotting against us!"

When Yan Yan heard this, he also put down the wine glass in his hand, frowned, stared at Zhao Wei, and asked: "What do you mean, general?"

At this point, Zhao Wei did not intend to continue playing riddles and said directly: "If Zhou Qi is allowed to rule Yizhou, he may not continue to suppress the local scholars in Yizhou like Liu Yan and his son did."

"Zhou Qi is already jealous. Although I am willing to abandon my official position and leave, I still can't let go of the Yizhou scholars."

"The land of Bashu is vast and fertile, and it is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Why does it have to be ruled by others?"

"Wouldn't it be better if the Yizhou scholars governed it themselves?"

At this point, Zhao Wei's tone became high-pitched and he said in an earnest tone: "If the general is willing to help me, after Yizhou is pacified, how about you and I taking charge of the civil and military affairs and becoming the master of Yizhou together?"

(End of this chapter)