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

Chapter 331 Everyone has their own agenda

Looking at the aggressive Qiang leaders, Ma Chao had no choice but to give in even though he was extremely brave.

He turned to look at Guo Jia, with a questioning look in his eyes.

Guo Jia took a deep breath, forced himself to appear calm, and said with a smile: "The city of Chengdu is tall and has sufficient food and grass. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. If the army cannot attack for a long time, it is not a crime of war."

"Don't panic, everyone. I was already discussing with General Ma about withdrawing our troops before you came here."

When the Qiang leaders heard this, they became quiet.

But soon, someone said with a slight hesitation: "This time we raised troops to rebel, but failed to capture Chengdu. If we withdraw our headquarters, we will definitely lead troops to retaliate after Yizhou has reorganized its troops."

"At that time, we were scattered in various places, and we couldn't look at each other. What would we do if we were defeated one by one by the Yizhou Army?"

The faces of the other generals and leaders became nervous again, and they all looked at Guo Jia.

Guo Jia smiled slightly and said: "You leaders, don't worry. Although we are withdrawing our troops, we are not withdrawing our troops to our headquarters. We are withdrawing to the vassal country of Guanghan County, and then rushing to the aid of Baishui Pass."

"His Royal Highness the King of Qin has assembled a large army in Guanzhong and is preparing to attack Hanzhong. We will lead the troops out of Baishui Pass and attack Mianyang, so that the Hanzhong defenders cannot look at each other, and we will be able to defeat them in one fell swoop."

"If Hanzhong is captured by the King of Qin, will Yizhou be far away?"

"At that time, all the tribesmen will have access to pasture in the fertile land of Bashu. Wouldn't it be wonderful?"

The Mianyang mentioned by Guo Jia was not the Xiantao in Hubei that was known by later generations, but Mian County in Shaanxi.

Mian County was affiliated to Hanzhong City in later generations. It was called Mianyang as early as the Western Han Dynasty and continues to this day.

Today's Mianyang is not very famous yet.

However, during the Three Kingdoms period in history, Mianyang gradually became known to people because Liu Bei was granted the title of King of Hanzhong here.

Not only that, the Battle of Hanzhong, which could determine the fate of Wei and Shu, took place in Dingjun Mountain, which is also located in Mianyang.

In the late Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang died of illness in Wuzhangyuan, and his body was transported back to Mianyang and buried on Dingjun Mountain. Huang Zhong was also buried here.

In the early days after Zhuge Liang died of illness, someone proposed to the Shu Han court to erect a Wuhou Temple in Chengdu, but the emperor refused on the grounds that it was not in line with etiquette.

It's just that Zhuge Liang's reputation is so great and he is so popular among the people that the people can't find a temple to worship Marquis Wu during the holidays, so they worship him in the alleys or other places, which is also called wild sacrifice.

Seeing that Zhuge Liang had won the hearts of the people, all the officials wrote letters one after another, requesting the erection of a Wuhou Temple in Mianyang to stop his private sacrifices and uphold righteousness. Only then did the emperor agree.

First, Liu Bei proclaimed himself the King of Hanzhong in Mianyang, and then Huang Zhong killed Xiahou Yuan at the Dingjun Mountain Formation. Finally, even Zhuge Liang's burial place and temple were built here. Mianyang now has an extraordinary historical status.

It was not until the Northern and Southern Dynasties that the location of Xiantao was renamed Mianyang.

It is precisely because of the special geographical location of Mianyang and Dingjun Mountain that there is a saying: He who conquers Dingjun Mountain conquers Hanzhong, and whoever conquers Hanzhong conquers the world.

Although this sentence is a bit exaggerated, if Tianxia is changed to Yizhou, it is generally more consistent with the facts.

It was precisely because Guo Jia knew the importance of Mianyang and Dingjun Mountain to Yizhou that he wanted to send troops to Mianyang from Baishui Pass to capture Dingjun Mountain.

Guo Jia was good at painting cakes, and many tribal leaders were indeed very moved.

But some people who were still rational said: "Although what the military advisor said seems good, Hanzhong is steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack. And with the natural danger of Dingjun Mountain, it is extremely difficult to conquer."

"Furthermore, our tribe is barren and does not have much food reserves. If the war drags on, I am afraid that the food and grass in each tribe will be exhausted before His Highness the King of Qin captures Hanzhong."

"It is extremely difficult to supply food and grass. My subordinates have already complained a lot. If we still cannot get supplies, we will have no choice but to return to the tribe."

Although they were worried about settling scores in Yizhou after the Autumn, it was impossible for them to take out all the food stored in the tribe and fight for Guo Jia's illusory promise.

Seeing everyone wanting to retreat, Guo Jia couldn't help but sigh slightly in his heart, and finally decided to use that last resort.

He looked around at the crowd, with a bright smile on his face, and said: "The land of Bashu is a land of abundance, with thousands of miles of fertile fields, so how can there be a shortage of money and food?"

"All the big families in Yizhou are full of fat, and there are countless money and grains piled up in Wubao."

"The city walls of Chengdu are tall and difficult to conquer. It must not be difficult to break through those forts, right?"

The eyes of all the Qiang leaders were bright, and one of them stepped forward and said, "If the military advisor had allowed us to plunder Wubao earlier, we wouldn't have been in so much trouble!"

The rest of the people also agreed.

Guo Jia smiled bitterly in his heart.

His original intention was to conquer Yizhou, the land of abundance, for Cao Cao, so he naturally had to try his best to win over the powerful nobles in the territory.

It was for this reason that Guo Jia initially strictly prohibited the Qiang rebels from breaking into Wubao and robbing the nobles' money and food.

But now, having failed to conquer Chengdu as he wished, and failing to induce Zhou Yu to bring troops back for reinforcements, Guo Jia had no choice but to make this plan to solve his urgent need.

The consequence of this is that even if Cao Cao captures Yizhou in the future, the wealthy families in the territory will inevitably reject Qin.

It’s not that Guo Jia is short-sighted.

But according to the current situation, if enough money and food cannot be prepared in the short term, the rebel army that has finally been pulled together will inevitably disperse.

Without this amazing army, it would be difficult for Cao Cao to invade Yizhou due to the steepness of Hanzhong.

If he misses this golden opportunity of the battle between Zhao and Chu, it will be even more difficult for Cao Cao to invade Yizhou in the future.

In this case, Guo Jia simply stopped thinking about the future and was just satisfied with the present.

After receiving Guo Jia's order, the Qiang rebels who had been shackled were like wild horses that had escaped the reins, roaring to various places, burning, killing, looting and conquering countless forts, and raising a lot of money and food.

This move by the rebels immediately angered the aristocratic families and wealthy families in Yizhou.

Originally, there were some big families who saw the rebels besieging Chengdu and were dissatisfied with the imperial examination system. They were already thinking about whether to contact the rebels secretly.

Now, they only have a bad feeling towards the rebels and the Qin State.

Even some wealthy families, when Wubao was about to be captured, would rather burn all the money and food inside than leave it to the rebels.

However, Yan Yan and Lu Xun took advantage of the rebels' withdrawal and looting to lead their troops to Chengdu and relieved the crisis in Chengdu. "Meet the Crown Prince!"

After Yan Yan and Lu Xun saw Zhou Ji safe and sound, they all breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to greet him.

Zhou Ji hurriedly stepped forward to support the two of them and said, "Don't be too polite. I want to thank you for your timely help."

After the two parties finished reminiscing about old times, Lu Xun immediately asked: "I wonder if the prince has received the envoy sent by the governor?"

Zhou Ji had a look of confusion on his face, shook his head and said, "I have never heard that Gong Jin sent an envoy to Chengdu."

Lu Xun let out a long breath, finally convinced that the envoy was captured by the rebels.

He immediately said to Zhou Ji: "To be honest with you, the governor learned that Chengdu was besieged and wanted to send troops to help. However, he did not receive the order, so he did not dare to act rashly. So he sent envoys to Chengdu to seek help from the prince. transfer order."

"I never thought that the envoy has not returned yet, which has delayed the governor from coming to rescue the prince. I also ask the prince to forgive me."

When Zhou Ji heard this, he couldn't help but feel suspicious, and thought to himself: "With Zhou Gongjin's talent, how can he not know that he will not be punished when he is outside? It would be too pedantic to send someone to ask for an order at such a critical moment."

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, he heard Pang Tong, the chief minister beside him, smile and say: "The prince is wise and powerful, but the mere ten thousand rebels are of no use. There is no need for the governor to bring back troops for reinforcements."

"Compared to Chengdu, the situation in Hanzhong is more tense. The prince is worried about Hanzhong and has long sent people to Nanzheng to issue an order, telling the governor not to bring troops back for reinforcements. Didn't the governor receive the order?"

Lu Xun looked deeply at Pang Yi and said, "Never."

Pang Tong looked puzzled at first, and then suddenly realized: "The rebels must have besieged Chengdu and blocked the main transportation routes, so that the envoy was arrested, so there was no way to deliver the news."

The two sides talked for a while, and Pang Tong immediately persuaded Zhou Ji to let them go and rest on the grounds that Yan Yan, Lu Xun and others had come a long way and the soldiers were tired.

After the two left, Pang Tong looked at Zhou Ji with a thoughtful expression on his face and asked: "The prince is wondering why Zhou Gongjin is so pedantic and actually sends people to Chengdu at such a critical moment. Ask for a transfer order?"

Although Zhou Ji had already made some guesses in his mind, he still said: "Shi Yuan, please help me clear up my doubts."

Pang Tong said with a smile: "It's not that Zhou Gongjin is pedantic and has no military knowledge, but that he knows the importance of Hanzhong and is unwilling to return to aid Chengdu but is worried about being criticized, so he uses the transfer order as an excuse to delay time and not return to aid Chengdu. That’s all.”

When Zhou Ji heard this, he couldn't help laughing and said, "I never thought that Gong Jin would have such thoughts."

Pang Tong sighed: "Fortunately, Gong Jin was able to stay calm and did not lead troops back to Chengdu, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous."

Pang Tong's words were also told to Zhou Ji on purpose, so that Zhou Jimo would not have a grudge against Zhou Yu because of this matter.

However, Pang Tong still underestimated Zhou Ji after all.

As Zhou Qi's eldest son, Zhou Ji's talents may not be as good as those of these monsters, but his mind is somewhat like Zhou Qi's.

Not only will he not feel any grudge over this, but he will treat Zhou Yu with admiration.

After clearing up his doubts, Zhou Ji immediately said: "The gentry and gentry in Guanghan County and Shu County have sent people to Chengdu to ask for help, hoping that we can send troops to suppress the rebellion. What do you think?"

After working together in the same boat some time ago, the relationship between Zhou Ji and Pang Tong became very close, and Zhou Ji also recognized Pang Tong's talent.

Pang Tong pondered for a moment, and then said: "It seems that Guo Fengxiao has reached the end of his skills and actually started to send troops to rob wealthy gentry from aristocratic families."

"Although these people did not contribute much when the rebels besieged Chengdu, they are the people of Yizhou after all. And it is our duty to suppress the rebellion."

"Your Majesty, please promise everyone and tell them that Chengdu will soon send troops to exterminate the rebellion, so as to reassure everyone."

Although this time is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to suppress the wealthy families in Yizhou.

But Pang Tong was originally from a noble family, and at this critical juncture, the stability of Yizhou was more important than anything else. If he thought about taking the opportunity to weaken the wealthy family, it would be tantamount to digging his own grave.

Sending troops to exterminate the rebellion at this time will not only stabilize the hearts of the people of Yizhou, but also benevolent to the aristocratic families. Why not?

Zhou Ji heard this and said with some hesitation: "Having said that, the rebels are all cavalry and are extremely mobile. Even though the Banzhen barbarians are not afraid of the Qiang cavalry, their marching speed is far inferior to that of the rebels. They want to rescue them." The major families may not be able to make it in time.”

Pang Tong smiled and said: "Wherever the rebels plunder, we will send troops to rescue them. This is the best policy."

"The prince can order General Yan Yan to lead troops from Chengdu to Shu County by boat to attack the rebel headquarters. When the rebels learn the news, they will definitely send troops back to support, while General Yan Yan can wait and work and defeat them in one fell swoop."

"This is what we must attack and save!"

Zhou Ji was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately discussed with Pang Tong how to counter the rebellion. After Yan Yan and Lu Xun had rested, he appointed Yan Yan as the chief general in countering the rebellion, Chen Wu as his deputy general, and Pang Tong as his military advisor. He ordered the three of them to take a boat upstream from the Tuojiang River to the The residence of the three rebels in Pushu County.

As for Lu Xun, he was left in Chengdu by Zhou Ji.

However, it was said that Yan Yan and Chen Wu led 40,000 troops from the Tuojiang River to attack Mianlui Road. The Qiang people of Mianlui Road who were looting everywhere were shocked when they heard the news.

They hurriedly found Ma Chao and Guo Jia, hoping that they could send troops to help Mianlui Road.

These Qiang people know the ferocity of the Banzhen barbarians very well. If they are allowed to kill their own tribe, the fate of the tribesmen remaining in the tribe can be imagined.

When Guo Jia heard this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

He originally planned to temporarily move the Qiang people from the three areas of Shu County, namely Jiandi Road, Wenjiang Road, and Mianlui Road, to the Guanghan vassal state, so that he could rely on the geographical advantage to defend against foreign enemies.

I never thought that these Qiang people were greedy by nature. Once they let go of looting, they would be like wild beasts that had lost their minds. How could they still be willing to listen to Guo Jia's advice?

Guo Jia and Ma Chao did not dare to push too hard and had no choice but to let them continue to plunder.

It's not that Guo Jia and Ma Chao are incompetent, it's just that these Qiang people are not their subordinates. The two sides are only allies, and the Qiang rebels account for the majority.

They are obsessed with interests, and even if they don't listen to Ma Chao and Guo Jia's instructions, there is nothing they can do.

Fortunately, Guo Jia is resourceful and quietly waiting for opportunities.

Yan Yan led his troops to attack Mianli Road, which was undoubtedly a nightmare for the Qiang people in these areas, but for Guo Jia, it was an excellent opportunity to integrate the Qiang rebels.

Without any hesitation, he immediately said categorically: "When Mianhui Road is in trouble, we will not just sit idly by and ignore it. We will do our best to save it. What do you think?"

The Qiang leaders looked at each other in confusion after hearing this. Except for the Mianhui Dao Qiang who looked excited, the other Qiang leaders deliberately looked away.

Obviously, the flames of war have not burned their tribe, and it is somewhat unrealistic to expect them to face the terrifying Banchen barbarians.

The rebels still seem to be a whole, but in fact they have already had their own agenda.

(End of this chapter)