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

Chapter 379 Emperor’s Heart

The result was not what Zhuge Liang expected.

Zhou Jin stayed in Xutai for less than a day when Zhuge Jin came in a hurry.

In fact, Yuan Shao's alienation strategy was indeed good. Even Zhou Jin, Gan Ning, Ding Feng, Su Fei and others had fallen into the trap.

If it were anyone else, he might have broken with Liu Bei by now.

It's a pity that Yuan Shao's current opponent is Zhuge Liang, who has already shown extraordinary resourcefulness at a young age and understands that this is a divorce plan.

Many times, in the mutual confrontation of intelligence between the two parties, it is similar to stock trading.

The reason why many times things happen that are obscured by the authorities is not because the person involved is incapable of wisdom or knowledge.

Just like after buying a full position in a stock, you will always worry about gains and losses. A slight fluctuation will affect your judgment. Even if you firmly believe that the stock will be strong in the long term before buying, you will still be unable to buy it because of the temporary rise and fall. Live to sell it.

Once you take a short position or play with simulated trading, you won't have such a big psychological burden, but you may be able to enjoy it like a fish in water.

Logically speaking, with Shi Xie's ability, it would be a good choice for him to continue to govern Jiaozhou.

Zhou Qi asked: "How can I reward you heavily?"

Zhou Qi looked at the battle report in his hand and couldn't help laughing even though the city was extremely deep.

When Zhuge Jin heard this, he couldn't help but sigh: "Second brother can really see into people's hearts!"

Zhou Qi handed the battle report to Xu Shu, gently stroked his beard, and said: "Brothers Shi Xie have all surrendered, and all of Jiaozhou has been captured by Xiang Bode!"

Xu Shu looked at Zhou Qi's appearance and asked, "But there is good news from Xiang Bode?"

Seeing this, Zhou Qi looked directly at Jia Xu and asked, "What is Wen He's advice?"

Later, when Sun Quan became emperor and could directly threaten Jiaozhou, Shi Xie took refuge with Sun Quan. Not only did he send his son to be a hostage, but he also often paid tribute to Sun Quan with various rare treasures.

Zhuge Liang shook his feather fan lightly and said, "Brother, I already know your intention. I have sent someone to tell General Gan Ning to continue transporting grain to Suiling City."

After the two brothers greeted each other, Zhuge Jin got straight to the point and asked.

The outcome of this war can directly affect the future situation of the world.

It's a pity that the earth emperor is still the earth emperor after all.

Huang Zhong's momentum was like splitting bamboos along the way, and Yuan Jun almost fled. Almost when Huang Zhong was about to occupy the entire county of Nanyang, the battle report from Jiaozhou finally reached Xiangyang.

When Zhou Qi heard this, the smile on his face became bright.

After he passed that paragraph to Liu Bei through Zhuge Jin, he firmly believed that Liu Bei would not consider taking refuge with Yuan Shao.

It was related to the future destiny of a state. Even though Xu Shu, Jia Xu, Tian Feng and others were top strategists, they did not dare to answer hastily. For a while, everyone was silent.

When the counselors heard this, their faces all showed joy.

Now, the good news came from Jiaozhou, which means that Zhou Qi can mobilize the whole country and gather the four states to fight Yuan Shao decisively.

Zhuge Liang smiled slightly and said: "I believe that Xuande Guild made the most correct choice!"

He was silent for a long time, and then asked: "What do you think the brothers Shi Xie should do?"

Shi Xie and even the entire Shi family had a huge influence on Jiaozhou. In later generations, some historians in Vietnam even directly regarded Shi Xie as the monarch of Vietnam and respectfully called him "Shi Wang".

There is a very important reason why Zhou Qi did not go to help Liu Bei in the first place, that is, the war in Jiaozhou was undecided, and he could not concentrate his forces against Yuan Shao in a two-front battle.

Jia Xu said: "You can recruit all the Shixie brothers to serve as officials in the court and entrust them with important tasks. In order to show your favor and even benefit their descendants, the lord can recruit the sons of the Shixie brothers as Langguan. Those who are not qualified can be sent to Lujiang Academy to study, and they may be able to take the imperial examination and serve the Lord in the future!"

Jia Xu kept saying that he wanted to reward the Shixie brothers heavily, but in fact he transferred them all away from Jiaozhou and promoted them openly and secretly.

When Jia Xu saw Zhou Qi calling his name, he could only step forward and said: "Jiaozhou is far away from the fortress, which is a bitter cold place. The Shixie brothers have made great contributions to the city, and the lord should reward them heavily!"

After sighing, Zhuge Jin said seriously: "My second brother did not allow Xuzhou's army to cross the Huaihe River south. As a result, many of the army's officers and soldiers were dissatisfied, so they did not want to continue fighting against Yuan's army."

Xiangyang City, Palace of the Prince of Chu.

What Zhou Qi wants is a Jiaozhou that truly belongs to him, not just respect in name.

How to govern Jiaozhou is indeed a difficult problem.

Shi Xie was also very aware of current affairs. Since Cao Cao was powerful, he took refuge in Cao Cao. Even if the road was blocked, he would still try his best to make offerings to Cao Cao.

Zhuge Liang's words made Zhuge Jin a little overwhelmed. He asked in a voice, "Don't you ask me about the relationship between my lord and Yuan Benchu?"

After all, Shi Xie in the original history ruled Jiaozhou for more than forty years and lived to be more than ninety years old before dying. Jiaozhou, which was originally remote and desolate, became a paradise in troubled times, with prosperity in all aspects.

When Zhou Qi heard this, he stopped smiling on his face.

Among the three, Xu Shu was good at military strategy and Tian Feng was good at strategy. Only Jia Xu was difficult to figure out. This man was unfathomable and he seemed to know everything when pressed.

But it was said that Zhou Qi first sent an envoy to Xutai, and then asked Huang Zhong to lead troops to attack Nanyang.

Zhuge Liang is different from others in that he will not waver in his ideas because of Yuan Shao's small actions. Instead, he will look at the problem from a macro perspective.

"My second brother needs to think more about this matter and give an accurate reply as soon as possible to reassure the army!"

After Xu Shu read the battle report, he asked: "Although Jiaozhou has been conquered, it is located in a remote area and the influence of the Shi family is too deep. How does the lord plan to treat the Shi Xie brothers?"

"Second brother, do you know why I'm here?"

Zhuge Liang said: "Brother, please don't worry. Calculating the distance, I'm afraid the envoy I sent to Xiangyang will soon return to Xutai, and he will definitely give Duke Xuande an explanation at that time!"

Continuing to let Shi Xie rule Jiaozhou is tantamount to raising tigers, which is not conducive to centralization of power and is not conducive to the integrity of national territorial sovereignty.

In order to control the scholar family, all their descendants were even moved away.

After losing several Shixie brothers, although the Shi family was still quite prestigious in Jiaozhou, they could no longer make any trouble.

"Wenhe's words are quite suitable for Guyi."

"However, in addition to rewarding the Shixie brothers, the position of governor of Jiaozhou is also of great importance. I wonder who Wen He thinks can be qualified?"

After hearing Zhou Qi's inquiry, Jia Xu remained calm on the surface, but was awe-inspiring in his heart.

Logically speaking.

Since Xiang Hong and Fazheng teamed up to pacify Jiaozhou, it is obviously the best choice to let Xiang Hong serve as the governor of Jiaozhou and let Fazheng assist him.

At least with the prestige of the two of them, Jiaozhou will definitely not be able to cause chaos.

However, since Zhou Qi asked this question, it means that he does not intend to let Xiang Hong and Fazheng station in Jiaozhou.

Zhou Qi's thoughts are worth pondering. It may be that the two of them have other important uses; it may also be that they are worried that problems will arise if the two of them have been together for a long time and have heavy troops to guard one side.

Although Jia Xu had a guess in his mind, he did not dare to show it. Instead, he pretended to be confused and said: "This matter should be decided by the lord. I believe that with the lord's knowledge of people, he will be able to choose the most suitable person."

Zhou Qi pondered for a long time, then turned his attention to Tian Feng and said, "Yuan Hao is willing to serve as the governor of Jiaozhou and guard Jiaozhou for several years?"

With Tian Feng's ability, he may not be worse than Shi Xie in governing Jiaozhou.

With Tian Feng there, Zhou Qi did not worry that he could not handle the complex ethnic issues there and the hidden danger of the scholar family.

After Tian Feng has managed Jiaozhou, it will not be too late to transfer him back to Xiangyang.

When Tian Feng heard this, although he was surprised by Zhou Qi's decision, he did not refuse. Instead, he stepped forward and said, "I am willing to serve you as a dog and horse."

Although staying by Zhou Qi's side would give him a higher status, being sent out to serve as the governor of a state is definitely a great favor.

You should know that Zhou Qi now only owns the land of four states, among which Zhou Qi concurrently serves as the shepherd of Yangzhou, the eldest son Zhou Ji serves as the governor of Yizhou, but the position of governor of Jingzhou is held by Zhou Qi's teacher Bian Rang.

It can be seen from this that it is impossible for someone who is not truly trusted and valued by Zhou Qi to serve as the governor of a state.

In fact, Zhou Qi did trust Tian Feng very much.

Although Tian Feng sometimes made it difficult for Zhou Qi to step down, Zhou Qi was still very relieved about the character of his counselor.

As the saying goes, give him a peach and give him a Qiong Yao.

When Zhou Qi was in the most difficult time, in order to prepare food and grass for Yangzhou, Tian Feng did not hesitate to set up a trap to trap all the aristocratic families and big merchants in Yangzhou and surrounding areas, so that he could prepare enough money and food for Zhou Qi, so that Yangzhou could still survive in the most difficult time. Able to maintain rapid development.

It was Tian Feng's original actions that laid the foundation for Zhou Qi's dominance.

Although many years have passed since this incident, Zhou Qi still remembers Tian Feng's contribution.

Because of that incident, Tian Feng has been squeezed out by some aristocratic families and merchants in Yangzhou and Jingzhou until now, and the relationship between the two parties is very bad.

Although there are aristocratic families in Jiaozhou, they are far inferior to those in Yangzhou and Jingzhou. Most of them are powerful and have no grudge against Tian Feng.

Sending Tian Feng to serve as the governor of Jiaozhou was actually a very good choice.

As for Xiang Hong and Fazheng, they are indeed a good combination.

Although Zhou Qi trusted Xiang Hong, he always insisted on his own way of being a king, which meant that after Jiaozhou was pacified, he would not continue to let Xiang Hong lead his troops outside.

Don't say that he will not be appointed as the governor of Jiaozhou, and even the post of governor of Nanzhong will be revoked.

Of course, after Xiang Hong returns to Xiangyang, he will still receive many rewards and favors.

After making the plan, Zhou Qi immediately asked Tian Feng to take the seal and ribbon to Jiaozhou to take up his post, and selected a large number of outstanding candidates from the imperial examination and sent them to Jiaozhou to serve as officials in various counties and counties.

Many of these people come from bad backgrounds.

As long as these people can gain a firm foothold in Jiaozhou, for as little as three years or as long as five years, Jiaozhou will become Zhou Qi's most stable rear area.

In addition, Zhou Qi also ordered Xiang Hong, Fazheng and others to leave 5,000 troops and horses for Tian Feng, and also ordered Pan Zhang, Dong Xi, Ma Zhong and other lieutenants to stay to help Tian Feng.

As for the two of them, they wanted to lead their men directly to Guangling County.

With Jiaozhou established, Zhou Qi would no longer leave soldiers and horses in the southern counties of Yizhou, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou for defense. Instead, he began to recruit soldiers and horses on a large scale throughout the territory, intending to fight Yuan Shao to the death.

As for whether Cao Cao would reap the benefits, Zhou Qi no longer cared so much.

But the chances of that happening are slim.

At this time, the two major princes are fighting, attracting the attention of the whole world. The winner will naturally be destined to win, and scholars from all over the world will surely rush to vote for him.

This can be said to be the general trend, or it can be said to be luck.

Because anyone with a discerning eye can see it, the winner is the most likely to unify the world.

In this case, why bother to surrender to Cao Cao first?
Unless Zhou Qi suffered heavy casualties during the battle with Yuan Shao, that would be possible.

Just when Zhou Qi began to mobilize troops and generals nationwide, the envoys sent by Zhuge Liang to Xiangyang had also returned to Xutai.

After seeing the news brought by the envoy, Zhuge Liang did not dare to neglect and went to Suiling in person to visit Liu Bei.

When Liu Bei learned that Zhuge Liang was coming, he hurried out of the city to greet him.

After the two men finished reciting the ceremony, Liu Bei asked with some confusion: "At this time, Yuan Benchu's army on the waterway is watching with eager eyes, so you came to see me despite your busy schedule. I don't know what is going on?"

Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "My lord has sent a message that the place where Duke Xuande settled has been found!"

Liu Bei's eyes widened and he asked, "But His Highness the King of Chu allows Bei to stay in Guangling County temporarily?"

Zhuge Liang shook his head and said, "No."

"The war between Chu and Zhao is inevitable. Guangling County must be the front line. It is not appropriate for you to settle all the generals and their families here."

Although Liu Bei did not bring the common people with him when he went south this time, he also brought the families of the soldiers with him.

Moreover, while Liu Bei was stationed in Suiling, people from nearby counties and counties who got the news also came to seek refuge with their families.

In order to appease Liu Bei, Yuan Shao did not send troops to intercept.

Therefore, although Suiling City is small, it has already gathered nearly 100,000 people.

Liu Bei frowned and said, "Then where does His Highness the King of Chu plan to settle us?"

Zhuge Liang spit out three words: "Nanyang County!"

Liu Bei frowned and said with some displeasure: "As far as I know, Nanyang County is now occupied by Yuan Benchu. Does His Highness the King of Chu want me to lead my army across Runan County and directly attack Nanyang County?"

Zhuge Liang shook his head and said: "Before the messenger I sent returned, His Royal Highness the King of Chu had sent General Huang Zhong to lead the Northern Expedition to attack Nanyang County."

"General Huang is a native of Nanyang County. He has outstanding military exploits and has a courage that cannot be matched by ten thousand men. He has a great reputation. Wherever he passes, Yuan's army flees."

"General Huang should be able to capture Nanyang County in a short time."

"At that time, Nanyang County will be handed over to Duke Xuande to guard the northern border of Chu State. I wonder what Duke Xuande will do?"

When Liu Bei heard this, he turned from anger to joy.

He is now a duckweed with no roots and no place to stand. He does not ask for much, as long as he has a solid territory.

Although Nanyang County has been devastated by war, after all, it was once the number one county in the world. If you can really settle there, as long as you manage it well, you may not be unable to achieve something.

The reason why he looked displeased before was because Zhou Qi used him as a gunman and wanted him to attack Nanyang County.

Now, knowing that Huang Zhong personally led the troops to attack Nanyang County and then handed it over to him after the victory, what could Liu Bei say?
(End of this chapter)