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

Chapter 261 Recruiting talented people, Nanzhong Rebellion

After Zhou Qi entered Chengdu, he also took charge of Yizhou Mu. In order to appease people's hearts, he promoted and re-employed many Yizhou scholars.

Wang Shang was a famous scholar in Yizhou. He made great contributions to Liu Zhang's surrender, so he was named the governor of Shu County.

Qin Mi, a famous scholar in Mianzhu County, Guanghan County, was well-known for his talent and learning. When Liu Zhang and Liu Yan were still in power, they repeatedly conquered the country, but Qin Mi claimed that he was ill and postponed his official career.

Zhou Qi sent people to conquer Qin Mi as a farewell to Yizhou. Qin Mi knew that the general was a great leader, so he did not delay and happily came to Chengdu to take up his post.

Du Wei, a native of Fu County, Zitong, was a great Confucian from Yizhou. He first worked under Liu Zhang, but later resigned and returned to his hometown on the grounds of deafness, living in seclusion in the mountains and forests.

Du Wei was very knowledgeable, and his disciples and old friends were all famous people in Yizhou. His reputation was still higher than that of Wang Shang. He lived in seclusion in his hometown because he couldn't stand the behavior of Dongzhou people.

Zhou Qi appointed Du Wei as the chief registrar of Yizhou, but Du Wei refused because of his deafness.

Zhou Qi did not give up and asked Xiang Hong to personally take the carriage and horses to welcome Du Wei into Chengdu.

Du Wei could not refuse, so he was taken to the Prefectural Mufu and met the general Zhou Qi.

Du Wei thanked the general for his kindness, but pointed to his ears and said: "My ears are not good and I am not suitable for being an official. Please ask the general to let me go back to my hometown."

Zhou Qi wrote on the paper: "I often hear about Mr. Mister's moral character. I just hate that the mountains are high and the water is far away, and we can't see each other. It's like the pure and the turbid are separated. They don't interact with each other and have no chance to ask for advice in person."

"I was lucky enough to get Yizhou at a time when I was thirsty for talents. The scholars in Yizhou praised him for his noble character and lofty aspirations."

"He leads the state with his humble talent. His moral character is shallow but his responsibility is great. I feel very worried."

"Yizhou has been established for the first time, but the disaster has not yet been resolved. There is a shortage of talents like Mr. Sir. Please follow God's will, comply with the people's will, assist the left and right, and make up for the shortcomings. Only in this way can the achievements of the Han Dynasty be revived, and the fame will be spread on bamboo and silk. .”

"How can a wise husband and a fool work together? Previously, my husband just didn't want to serve Liu Zhang, so he pretended to be sick and worked at home."

"Although I am not talented, I consider myself to be far superior to Liu Zhang. Why do you, sir, bother yourself and continue to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests?"

After reading what Zhou Qi wrote and feeling the other party's sincere invitation, Du Wei couldn't help but sigh slightly.

He knew that he couldn't escape.

However, Du Wei was obsessed with studying the classics and did not want to be busy with documents, so he immediately said: "Thanks to the great general's love, it is too small to be frightened."

"Although I have a little fame, I know how important it is to be the leader of Yizhou. I'm afraid I won't be qualified for it."

"If the general insists on recruiting me as an official, I should not be allowed to serve as a remonstrating official."

The admonishment officer is an official affiliated to Guangluxun, specializing in discussion, with a rank of six hundred stones. It is a relatively leisurely and fictitious position.

If Du Wei serves as this official, as long as he doesn't want to give advice, he can use his salary to draw water and continue to study Confucian classics.

Zhou Qi heard this and said with a smile: "In that case, it will be as you wish."

Letting Du Wei take the official position of admonishing doctor is actually a good thing for Zhou Qi.

There is no shortage of talents under Zhou Qi's command. The reason why he insists on recruiting Du Wei as an official is because of his reputation among Yizhou scholars.

If even Du Wei comes to agree with him, it will dispel the doubts in the minds of other scholars, which will be of great benefit to Zhou Qi in governing Yizhou.

As for what official position the other party held, that was secondary.

In addition, Zhou Qi also recruited Wuliang, a famous scholar from Nan'an in Jianwei County, as a meritorious official in Yizhou.

No matter Qin Mi, Du Wei or Wu Liang, they were all very famous scholar leaders in Yizhou. None of them had served as officials under Liu Yan or Liu Zhang before.

Zhou Qi was able to recruit three people to hold important positions in Yizhou one after another, which also showed his attitude to the major families and scholars in Yizhou that he would not suppress the big families in Yizhou like Liu Yan and his son did.

In addition to Qin Mi, Du Wei, and Wuliang, Zhou Qi also conquered many Yizhou states, including Wang Mou of Hanjia, Li Hui of Jianning, He Zong of Shu County, Yan Zhi of Brazil, Huang Quan of Brazil, and Zhang Song of Shu County. Scholars.

Because Qin Mi, Du Wei, and Wu Liang set an example, almost all the other Yizhou scholars who were recruited did not refuse.

Zhou Qi also quickly stabilized the hearts of the wealthy families by promoting Yizhou scholars.

Of course, as a monarch, Zhou Qi knew the way of balance and would not only use people from Yizhou.

Although he conquered many Yizhou scholars, he did not allow them to control the military power.

On the contrary, Zhou Qi used Wu Yi, Xu Jing, Yinhua and other Dongzhou people to check and balance each other with the Yizhou scholars.

Not only that.

Zhou Qi divided Bajun into three counties, namely Bajun, Brazil, and Badong. He appointed Zhou Yu as the governor of Bajun, Li Yan as the governor of Badong, Wu Yi as the governor of Brazil, and Wei Yan as the governor of Guanghan. Huo Jun is the governor of the key position, and Xiang Hong is the governor of Nanzhong, assisted by Fa Zheng.

As such.

Yizhou brought together Zhou Qi's own clan, Yuan Cong's confidants, Jingzhou faction, Dongzhou faction and Yizhou native scholars, and the places they governed were intertwined and checked and balanced each other.

With this arrangement, Zhou Qi can be said to have worked hard to ensure the balance between the forces of all parties.

Even if Zhou Qi leaves Yizhou in the future, having these people here can ensure the stability of Yizhou.

As for Yan Yan, Wu Ban, Chen Shi, Leng Bao, Deng Xian, Li Jing, Wang Dan, Meng Biao and many other generals, Zhou Qi planned to bring them to Xiangyang after pacifying Yizhou.

Zhou Qi carried out drastic reforms in Yizhou, and in just three months, the northern part of Yizhou was almost completely pacified.

However, the situation in southern Yizhou, which is often referred to as the Nanzhong area, including Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan in later generations, is a bit delicate.

In the southern part of Yizhou, many places are undeveloped and have high mountains and ridges. Although the territory is vast, Han people account for less than half, and most of them are barbarian tribes.

These tribes had long been nominally dependent on the Han, but often they did not obey the imperial edicts.

Even during the reign of Liu Zhang and his son, they were unable to truly control these places and often just turned a blind eye.

It was not until Zhuge Liang crossed Lu in May in history, penetrated into the barren area, repeatedly defeated the barbarians, captured Meng Huo seven times, and used both kindness and power to completely pacify Nanzhong, making the vast counties of Nanzhong a solid rear area for the Shu Han.

But talking about the Nanzhong area, it is densely covered with mountains and forests, vast and sparsely populated, and is dominated by Southern Barbarians. There is a big family in Yizhou County named Yong. Enxin is from Nantu, and he is quite prestigious among the many tribes of Southern Barbarians.

The ancestor of the Yong family is Yong Chi.

Speaking of Yong Chi, many people may not be familiar with it, but this person did leave a good story in history, but he was a supporting role in this good story.

However, it is said that after Liu Bang brought peace to the world, he only awarded more than 20 great meritorious officials. However, the rest of the officials were unable to set the reward because they competed with each other for merit. As a result, many people had doubts and worried that Liu Bang only rewarded good people, but would not reward them. Killing those ministers who had any quarrel or enmity with him caused many generals to have second thoughts.

Liu Bang was horrified after hearing the news, so he asked Zhang Liang for advice. Zhang Liang first asked who Liu Bang hated the most among his generals. Liu Bang said without hesitation: "Yong Chi has a grudge with me. I originally wanted to kill him, but he didn't." His merits are so great that I cannot bear to do so." Zhang Liang said: "Your Majesty only needs to reward Yong Chi greatly, and all other generals' doubts will be eliminated!"

Liu Bang followed his words, held a grand banquet, conferred the title of Marquis of Shifang on Yong Chi, and gave him a very heavy reward. All the generals received this heavy reward when they saw Yong Chi, whom Liu Bang had always hated.All doubts are naturally eliminated.

Yongchi also became one of the few among the founding heroes of the Western Han Dynasty who died a good death. After his death, he was named Suhou. His descendants have taken root in Nanzhong for hundreds of years and have become local wealthy families.

The head of the Yong family, Yong Kai [kǎi], was regarded as somewhat unfavorable by both high-ranking officials in Yizhou and barbarians in the south, so he naturally had lofty ambitions.

However, since Liu Yan entered Shu, he had used people from Dongzhou to suppress local powerful people in Yizhou. Naturally, the Yong family was also included in the suppression. Until Liu Bei entered Shu, Yong Kai [kǎi] was not reused, and he was full of resentment. .

Zhao Yusu and Yong Kai had a close relationship. When he rebelled against Liu Zhang, Yong Kai led his army to revolt in response.

After Zhao Wei surrendered to Zhou Qi and rebelled again, he secretly sent a message to Yong Kai, asking him to contact the eight major families in Nanzhong and various barbarian leaders to prepare to resist the Jingzhou army.

Zhao Wei knew very well that Zhou Qi was not comparable to Liu Zhang. Even though he had made a foolproof plan to capture Bajun, he was worried that something might go wrong, so he secretly sent his confidants to contact Yong Kai.

Even Chen Shi didn't know about this.

After Yong Kai received Zhao Wei's letter, he immediately geared up and prepared for a big fight, and began to contact the eight major families in Nanzhong.

The so-called eight major families in Nanzhong are named Jiao, Yong, Lou, Cuan, Meng, Liang, Mao, and Li. They are all Han Chinese. Most of them have hundreds of years of history. They have reproduced countless clansmen, and their clansmen are spread all over the country. All over Nanzhong, there are real wealthy families in Nanzhong, and their influence far exceeds that of the government.

Yong Kai came from the Yong family, Li Hui came from the Li family, Li Hui's uncle Cuan Xi, and even Meng Huo, who many people mistakenly thought was the leader of the barbarians, came from the Meng family.

"The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms" does not record the deeds related to Meng Huo, but there are records in "The Chronicles of Huayang" and "Han, Jin, Spring and Autumn", which only say that "Meng Huo was conquered by the barbarians and the Han."

Based on the sense of superiority of the Han people in this era, if Meng Huo was a barbarian, it would obviously be impossible for the Han people to respect him.

On the contrary, it would make sense if Meng Huo came from a wealthy family like the Meng family.

Since these powerful families had lived in Nanzhong for hundreds of years, they knew how to deal with the barbarian tribes better than the court and the government. Sometimes they deliberately showed favor to the barbarians, so it was not surprising that they were respected by the barbarians.

Just like Dong Zhuo, Gai Xun, Ma Teng, Han Sui and others, although they are all Han people, they are also deeply respected by the Qiang people.

Historically, the Nanzhong Rebellion in the Shu Han Dynasty was not so much a rebellion by the southern barbarians as it was a rebellion led by the powerful Han clan and supplemented by various barbarian tribes.

However, Yong Kai, who said he was contacting major families and barbarian tribes to prepare for a military response, turned pale after hearing the news that Zhao Wei had been killed.

He hurriedly summoned his disciples to discuss the matter and said: "I originally thought that Zhao Wei could seize Bajun and keep Zhou Qi out of the country."

"I never thought that Zhao Wei was so helpless that he was defeated and died so easily."

"Now Zhou Qi is occupying the northern part of Yizhou. If he knew about my previous secret contacts with Zhao Wei, I'm afraid he wouldn't let it go."

When the doorman heard this, he also fell silent.

Yong Kai's worries are not without purpose.

Nanzhong has always been a serious concern for the rulers of Yizhou. It's just that the major families and barbarian tribes in Nanzhong are too strong and the terrain here is too steep, so they can be at ease.

However, even those who are far away in Nanzhong have heard about the reputation of General Zhou Qi.

Zhou Qi is not the cowardly Liu Zhang. If he is determined to completely control Yizhou, he might not be able to raise troops to go south.

At that time, Yong Kai, who had secretly flirted with Zhao Wei and contacted major families and barbarian tribes with the intention of rebelling, would inevitably become an important target of attack.

It may even involve the Yong family.

If Yong Kai only received a secret letter from Zhao Wei and did not contact others in a big way, there is still room for maneuver in this matter.

But now, Yong Kai has already contacted various major families and barbarian tribes.

After Zhou Qi occupied Chengdu, in order to stabilize Nanzhong, he recruited many clan members from major families as officials, among whom Li Hui was the most important person.

On the other hand, no one from the Yong family has been appointed as an official. The relationship between them is worthy of scrutiny.

Yong Kai was anxious and asked: "Now that things have come to this, what can we do?"

The retainer pondered for a long time and said: "If Zhou Qi recruits people from the Lord's clan to serve as officials, there is still room for change. Now all major families have clan members who have been recruited as officials, but only people from the Lord's clan have been left out. Obviously, Zhou Qi already has a crush on the Lord. With murderous intent."

"When Zhou Qi first entered Yizhou, his people's hearts were not yet attached, and his footing was not yet stable. If the Lord contacted all the barbarian tribes and gave it a go, relying on the dangerous terrain of Nanzhong's mountains and rivers, he might not be able to separate himself from one side."

"Even if it doesn't work, we can first fight back and then surrender, and then support our troops and stand on our own feet."

"If nothing is done at this time, it may be too late to wait until Zhou Qi gradually shows kindness to others and establishes a firm foothold in Yizhou before sending troops to attack Nanzhong."

Yong Kai pondered for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and said: "If that's the case, then let's do the opposite."

In this way, Yong Kai contacted everyone, raised an army to rebel, and led his troops to attack Yongchang County.

Zhu Bao, the governor of Zoke County, and Gaoding, the Yi king of Yuesu County, also responded to Yong Kai's call and killed the Han officials in the territory who refused to follow the rebellion and raised their troops to rebel.

Montenegro.

Meng Huo, who was only in his 20s but was already quite famous among the Han people and barbarians, looked at the letter that Yong Kai had sent to him, with a look of hesitation on his face.

Meng Shisu had a good relationship with the Yong family, and Meng Huo and Yong Kai had an irreversible friendship.

Previously, Yong Kai contacted various major families to help Zhao Wei resist Zhou Qi, and the first person he found was Meng Huo.

Meng Huo also believed at that time that Zhao Wei was very likely to become the lord of Yizhou. For the sake of the family's inheritance and prosperity, he agreed to Yong Kai's request and planned to join him in raising troops.

But now, Zhao Wei has been defeated and died, and Zhou Qi personally led the army to Chengdu.

If you do the opposite at this time, the road ahead will be dangerous.

However, Yong Kai took the lead in rebelling, and Meng Huo had already agreed to this matter.

Meng Huo was very loyal, and it was for this reason that he was respected by the Han people and barbarians. Since he agreed to Yong Kai, even though he knew that there might be a big disaster, he hesitated again and again, and finally raised his troops to respond.

In addition to fulfilling his promise, Meng Huo was also worried about being settled by Zhou Qiqiu, just like Yong Kai.

In this way, all the counties in Nanzhong and many barbarian tribes rebelled. Yizhou, which had fallen into peace because of Zhou Qi's entry into Chengdu, once again set off a storm.

(End of this chapter)