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

Chapter 278 Six armies attack Yuan Shao

After Wang Can drafted a petition to attack Yuan, Zhou Qi had many copies printed and distributed to various princes and counties.

At this time, Zhuge Jin just arrived in Xiangyang.

When he saw Yuan Xiuwen, he couldn't help but secretly praise Wang Can's literary talent, and at the same time he breathed a sigh of relief.

His mission to Xiangyang was to persuade the general to send troops to conquer Yuan Shao. Before he arrived, Xiangyang had already sent out a message to attack Yuan Shao.

That also means that Zhuge Jin's purpose of this trip has been achieved, and there is no need to waste any more words.

Zhou Qi still received Zhuge Jin warmly, and finally asked Zhuge Jin to report back to Xuzhou and ask Liu Bei to lead troops to attack Qingzhou, while he would lead his army to attack Yuzhou.

After discussing business matters, Zhou Qi began to chat with Zhuge Jin about home affairs.

"Is Aji okay in Xuzhou?"

Zhuge Jin replied: "The eldest son is smart and steady. He is deeply loved by Liu Shijun and his generals. Not only does he like to study literature and martial arts, he is even often invited to participate in military training."

"Today's eldest son has grown much taller and has turned into a handsome young man as rich as jade. He has the air of a great general."

When Zhou Qi heard this, he couldn't help but smile and stroke his beard, and continued to ask: "My brother Zhuge Liang is already 19 years old, right? When he turns [-], Gu wants to personally give him a cousin name. I wonder what Ziyu wants?"

Zhuge Jin bowed and said, "This is my brother's blessing. I cannot ask for it!"

Zhou Qi actually knew very well what Zhou Ji and Zhuge Liang did in Xuzhou. This was because Chen Wu, as Zhou Ji's personal guard, would write down their affairs in letters every once in a while and send them back to Xiangyang.

What Zhou Qi didn't expect was that Zhuge Liang, who he thought would be brilliant and had started to look after him early, would remain anonymous even though he was almost reaching his prime age since he followed Zhou Ji, as if he was deliberately covering up. own edge.

You must know that in history, when Zhuge Liang was living in seclusion, he began to plan and raise his hopes early, so that he was praised by celebrities in Xiangyang. In the end, he even gained the reputation of "crouching dragon and phoenix, two people can make peace in the world".

Zhou Qi did not deny Zhuge Liang's talents, but this kind of praise was too exaggerated. It was obviously the result of the touting of Sima Hui and others.

If it was said that it was not because of Zhuge Liang's support, Zhou Qi would not believe it anyway.

But now, Zhuge Liang has changed from his normal state and actually stayed by Zhou Ji's side with peace of mind, willing to be a little transparent. This had to make Zhou Qi suspicious and worried that Zhuge Liang had other ideas.

Because of this matter, Zhou Qi specially called Jia Xu and asked this counselor who was good at reading people's hearts to help him find out what kind of medicine Zhuge Liang was selling in his gourd.

Unexpectedly, after Jia Xu learned the details, he said to Zhou Zhou: "Congratulations, my lord, if Zhuge Liang really has the talent to govern the world, but chooses to hide his edge, then there is only one reason, he has sincerely attached to the eldest son."

Zhou Qi was overjoyed, but still asked with some doubts: "Why did Wen He say this?"

Jia Xu analyzed: "Scholars raise their hopes simply because they want to be recognized by others, and then have the opportunity to advance."

"Zhuge Liang chose to hide his talents and did not raise hopes because he knew that the eldest son would definitely inherit the lord's legacy in the future. As long as the eldest son knew his talents and knowledge, he would be reused in the future and there was no need to raise hopes."

"In addition, Zhuge Liang is in Xuzhou after all, and he is Zhuge Ziyu's younger brother. Zhuge Ziyu is highly regarded by Liu Xuande. If Zhuge Liang's reputation is too great, and Liu Bei personally comes to invite him to serve as an official, will he respond or not?"

"If you agree, you will not be able to continue to be loyal to the eldest son; if you don't, it will be difficult for your brother Zhuge Ziyu."

"Therefore, Zhuge Liang's best choice is to hide his edge."

When Zhou Qi heard this, he suddenly realized.

The current Zhuge family is deeply favored by Liu Bei. If Liu Bei learned of his talents and went to personally invite him, Zhuge Liang would not be able to refuse.

In order to avoid this happening, Zhuge Liang chose to hide his clumsiness.

This is very different from Zhuge Liang's situation in history.

Historically, the Zhuge family has been in exile. Even though Zhuge Liang's management has allowed Zhuge family to have marriages with major families in Xiangyang, in the end, the foundation was too shallow and no one held important positions.

Zhuge Liang was also an arrogant man. He looked down upon Liu Biao and was unwilling to seek refuge with Cao Cao.

Many people think that the reason why Zhuge Liang took refuge with Liu Bei was because Liu Bei was moved by his three visits to the thatched cottage, or because Zhuge Liang really had the heart to help the Han Dynasty.

However, based on Zhou Qi's understanding of people's hearts, Zhuge Liang has experienced wars since he was a child, causing him to be displaced and living in a foreign land. His feelings for the Han Dynasty may not be very deep.

The reason why he chose Liu Bei was not only because Liu Bei truly invited him, but also because taking refuge in Liu Bei would allow him to truly put into practice what he had learned in his life.

It is the most painful thing for a person like this who is full of strategies and talents to learn but has no place to put them into practice.

Among the princes in the world at that time, only Liu Bei could prevent Zhuge Liang from burying his talents and learning, and relied on Zhuge's connections in Jingzhou.

Therefore, after Zhuge Liang joins Liu Bei, he will definitely be reused.

Rather than saying that Liu Bei paid three visits to the thatched cottage, it is better to say that Zhuge Liang deliberately lured him here, otherwise Sima Hui and Xu Shu would not have recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei.

Today, Zhuge Liang does not have to worry about the survival of his family, nor does he have to worry about having no wise master to turn to in the future.

In this way, he only needs to continue to enrich himself, gain Zhou Ji's trust, and wait until Zhou Ji inherits Jiangnan's foundation to make a splash. There is no need to show off at this time.

After figuring out the key, Zhou Qi quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as there are no problems with the layout in Xuzhou, Zhou Qi will not have to worry about the foundation he has built a hundred years from now.

Historically, Zhuge Liang not only had outstanding talents himself, but also cultivated talents that could be put to great use. Liu Chan almost followed the "Chu Shi Biao" word for word and selected the successors determined by his father-in-law.

Zhuge Liang, together with Jiang Wan, Fei Yi and Dong Yun whom he recommended, were called the "Four Heroes" by the Shu people. Even after Zhuge Liang's death, the three of them supported the Shu Han for nearly 30 years.

After Dong Yun also died, Chen Zhi and Huang Hao gradually took control of the government, which eventually led to the demise of the Shu Han Dynasty.

The only strange thing is that the Shu Kingdom is located in a corner and its national power is weak.

Even if Liu Chan made full use of the talents cultivated by Xiangfu, it is still difficult to change the trend of history, which can be regarded as a kind of sadness.

I just don’t know if an African warlord in later generations has watched "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and learned that a certain employee was handed over to the embassy and repatriated to the country, will he feel the same as Liu Chan about losing his father-in-law.

Zhuge Jin left.

However, the three prefectures of Jing, Yang, and Yi were all mobilized.

According to Zhou Qi's original strategy, he should take Longxi first, then Guanzhong, train cavalry, and then have a showdown with Yuan Shao.

However, people are not as good as God, and plans cannot keep up with changes.

Zhou Qi did not expect that Yuan Shu would still proclaim himself emperor even though history had changed, causing the alliance of southern princes to break up and Yuan Shu, whom he used as a shield, to be destroyed.

After Yuan Shu was destroyed, Zhou Qi could only face the behemoth Yuan Shao.He never thought that Yuan Shao, who had never been king in history, would actually become emperor at this time.

This allowed Zhou Qi to find an opportunity for the Northern Expedition.

Therefore, without any hesitation, he directly began to mobilize all the forces in the three states, intending to use all his strength to go north, and take advantage of the fact that Yuan Shao became emperor and lost the hearts of the people, to have a showdown with Yuan Shao.

Even if it cannot be destroyed in one battle, it can greatly weaken Yuan Shao's strength and lay a solid foundation for the future Northern Expedition.

When the petition for Yuan Xiu reached Yecheng, after reading the contents, Yuan Shao couldn't help but feel his eyes darken, screamed, and vomited blood and fell into a coma.

The eunuchs on the left and right were shocked when they saw this, and hurriedly summoned the imperial doctor to see Yuan Shao. Finally, they found that Yuan Shao only had blood and blood attacking his heart, and needed to rest for a long time.

After Feng Ji and others learned the news, they hurriedly came to visit Yuan Shao and said with concern: "Xiao Xiao is talking nonsense. Your Majesty, there is no need to worry about it. Just take care of yourself."

Yuan Shao's eyes widened and he gritted his teeth and said, "You Zhou Qi, you have no regard for the kindness of the Yuan family and me in the past. You have indeed raised a jackal."

He knew that Zhou Qi was now powerful and could usually do nothing against him, but he hated Wang Can who wrote the petition, and immediately ordered: "Preach the decree, and whoever takes Wang Can's head will be rewarded with thousands of gold, and will be granted the title of Marquis of ten thousand households! "

Money can make the world go round. With such a huge reward, it is unlikely that someone would take the risk to assassinate Wang Can and sacrifice his head to Yuan Shao.

When Jushou heard this, he reminded him in a low voice: "Wang Can, in his message, the reward offered by Your Majesty is only the title of 5000 households and a reward of [-] million. If Your Majesty offers a reward of [-] households to such a young man, it would be a bit of a humiliation, Your Majesty." Think twice.”

Yuan Shao then realized that he was only worth five thousand households. If Wang Can was offered a reward of ten thousand households, wouldn't it mean that the other party was worth more than himself?

Thinking of this, Yuan Shao immediately changed his words and said: "Then I will reward you with a thousand gold coins and make you a marquis of thousands of households!"

While Liu Bei was preparing for war and Zhou Qi was dispatching his troops, Cao Cao also warmly entertained Chen Gong, who was on an envoy to Chang'an.

He took Chen Gongse's hands and said slightly reproachfully: "In the past, I moved people to Guanzhong, but Gongtai was unwilling to follow me. It hurts my heart so much."

Chen Gong said with a hint of shame: "The roots of our family are all in Yangzhou. It's hard to leave our homeland. Please don't blame me."

Cao Cao sighed, but did not continue to delve into the matter.

Although he forcibly relocated many people, most of the powerful and noble people stayed in Yanzhou, and Cao Cao did not dare to force them too much.

It was easy for the people to move away, not only because they were powerless and their arms could not twist their thighs, but also because they were greedy for the pie drawn by Xun Yu and thought that after moving to Guanzhong, they would be allocated houses and many fields.

When they were in Yanzhou, most of them were tenants from aristocratic and powerful families. They had no land of their own at all, so they naturally had no worries.

If you can move to Guanzhong and get land, even if you are displaced, it will be nothing.

On the other hand, those aristocratic families and powerful people have used their huge wealth in Yanzhou through annexing land for generations, and there is no need to stay away from their homeland.

This is why it is easy for commoners to move, but noble families and wealthy families are unwilling to move to Guanzhong.

"Guwengongtai has taken refuge with Liu Xuande. Why did you come to Chang'an this time?"

Chen Gong said seriously: "I came here to help you achieve your hegemony."

Cao Cao's heart skipped a beat, but he said calmly on the surface: "It's just a joke on the public platform. Now Yuan Benchu ​​has proclaimed himself emperor in Hebei, and Zhou Ziyi has dominated Jiangnan. They can only be trapped in Guanzhong, so how can they talk about hegemony?"

Chen Gong nodded and said: "In terms of strength, with Yuan Benchu ​​in the north and Zhou Ziyi in the south, it is indeed difficult for you to achieve hegemony."

"Do you know that one mountain cannot tolerate two tigers?"

"Ziyi and Yuan Benchu ​​are now divided into the north and the south. They both regard him as a powerful enemy in their lives. Sooner or later there will be a big battle."

"The strength of the two is about the same. Once a war breaks out, both sides will inevitably suffer losses."

"At that time, the envoy can raise righteous troops, leave Xiaoguan, and capture Bingzhou in the north. In this way, he will not only gain fame, but also take advantage of the chaos to expand his power. Isn't it wonderful?"

"Since the Bingzhou is conquered, we can go east to capture You and merge the two states. In this way, Yuan Shao can be destroyed and the king's hegemony can be achieved!"

When Cao Cao heard this, he was already a little moved, but he deliberately looked embarrassed and said: "Having said that, there are only a few soldiers in Guanzhong, and Gu Su is on good terms with Yuan Benchu. If he rashly leads his troops out of Xiaoguan to seize Bingzhou, wouldn't it be wrong? Trapped in injustice?"

Chen Gong, however, sneered and said: "Under your command are Xun Wenruo, Cheng Zhongde, Guo Fengxiao, Liu Ziyang, and Man Boning, all of whom are famous people today with outstanding talents; in military affairs, there are Cao Zixiao, Cao Zihe, Cao Zilian, Xiahou Yuanrang, and Xiahou Miaocai. , are all brothers of the same clan, brothers-in-law by marriage, brave and resolute, worthy of great responsibilities; and Le Wenqian, Yu Wen are all proficient in the art of war, and have made great achievements in battle."

"You can hide it from others, but you can't hide it from Chen Gong."

Even though Zhou Qi poached many of Cao Cao's men, the other party still had many talented people under his command, and there was no shortage of generals to lead the army. The lineup of advisers was luxurious, and he did not give in too much compared to Zhou Qi.

When Cao Cao was in Yanzhou, Chen Gong knew very well about the civil and military forces under his command.

In fact, after Cao Cao entered Guanzhong, defeated and regained many Xiliang generals, his strength expanded again, and he was no longer what he used to be.

Although Guanzhong is dilapidated and withered, the generals of Xiliang and the Baibo army are almost all young and capable soldiers. After the surrender, with a little training, a powerful army can be formed.

This is different from Zhou Qi's recruitment of refugees.

Most of the refugees are old, weak, sick and disabled, and relatively few can be drafted into the army.

Although Guanzhong is in ruins, there are many warlords and bandits are rampant. Most of these people are young and strong, and all the old, weak, sick and disabled have long since died.

Therefore, although the population under Cao Cao's rule was not large, there were many young people.

Chen Gong continued to talk eloquently and said: "As for what the envoy said about Su being on good terms with Yuan Benchu, he was worried about having an unjust reputation. That's too much to worry about."

"The friendship between the envoy and Yuan Benchu ​​is only a small righteousness. Killing the traitors of the country, helping the country and reviving the Han Dynasty is a great righteousness."

"If you raise an army to attack Bingzhou, people in the world will not accuse you of being unjust, but will praise you for being loyal and patriotic."

Chen Gong's words completely moved Cao Cao.

He lives in Guanzhong just waiting for changes in the world so that he can fish in troubled waters and grow his power.

After Cao Cao discussed with his counselors, he immediately said to Chen Gong: "If you are alone, you may not be the opponent of Yuan Benchu. If Zhou Ziyi and Liu Xuande both attack Yuan Shao, I am willing to lead the army to attack Bingzhou!"

Not long after Chen Gong left Chang'an, news that Zhou Qi had launched a four-pronged army to attack Yuan Shao reached Chang'an.

Almost at the same time, Liu Bei also raised troops to attack Qingzhou.

After Cao Cao learned the news, he immediately no longer hesitated and personally led his troops out of Xiaoguan to attack Bingzhou.

Six armies jointly attacked Yuan Shao, which immediately caused shock in Hebei.

(End of this chapter)