Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chapter 200 Fangling County

Hanzhong, Nanzheng.

In the official temple, Zhang Lu stood under the cloister with his hands behind his back. His eyes were wandering, and he was watching the rain scene in front of him. The showers in early summer were not heavy, just a slight splash of rain, but it did not accumulate. After a few seconds, small puddles of water gathered on the ground of the official temple one by one.

The rainwater falls on the ceiling of the cloister. Under the pull of gravity, it flows down the bricks and tiles of the ceiling and reaches the edge of the cloister roof.

At this time, the rainwater that had lost the support of the bricks and tiles turned into threads and poured down from the cracks of the bricks and tiles. In Zhang Lu's eyes, this scene was like a door curtain made of pearls.

Through the pearl curtains woven by rainwater, you can see the scenery of mountains, rocks, flowers and trees in the courtyard. This courtyard was carefully built by Zhang Lu. It looks like nature, without much craftsmanship. It is in line with the Taoism learned by Zhang Lu. .

The Taoist teaching of Tianshi Tao emphasizes inaction in dealing with the world. According to Taoism, it is natural, and naturally there will be no deliberate carving. If the scenery displayed is too craftsmanship, it will lose the air of nature, and it will be This aroused Zhang Lu's disgust.

It is a pity that Zhang Lu, who now only wants to rule by inaction and promote Tianshi Taoism in Hanzhong, does not have a peaceful situation that allows him to implement his ideas.The current situation is very bad for him. Liu Zhang in the south is eyeing him covetously, and sooner or later he will attack the border with his army.

Liu Zhang was sitting on the land of Bashu and Nanzhong, and Shu County was the essence of Yizhou. If Yizhou was compared to ten points, Shu County would only get five points, while Hanzhong would only get one point.

Therefore, Zhang Lu is now faced with a situation where one is against ten, just like he is fighting ten people by himself, and the ten people opposite him are all about the same size as him.

At this thought, Zhang Lu lowered his eyes, as if he was falling into a dream. The courtyard he carefully built in front of him was like dead stone and fallen wood to him at this moment, unable to enter his mind.

Zhang Lu just muttered to himself: "Yangping Pass, Yangping Pass." '

Hanzhong is a country with four fortresses. The Qinling Mountains to the north are steep and steep, and the Daba Mountains to the south are thick and long. The two mountain ranges, Qinling Mountains and Daba Mountains, stand parallel to each other, stretching from east to west, serving as a barrier between the north and south of Hanzhong.

As the western gateway of Hanzhong, Yangping Pass borders the Qinling Mountains to the north, the Han River and Daba Mountain to the south, and is located at the Jinniu Pass to Bashu in the west and the Chencang Pass to Qinlong in the north. There is a saying: 'The most dangerous pass in Hanzhong is not as dangerous as Yangping. '.

Therefore, Zhang Lu Youruo was stunned and couldn't help but murmured the three words Yangping Pass. As far as the current situation is concerned, if he wants to compete with Liu Zhang, Yangping Pass is his only chance.He could only have a chance of survival by relying on the extremely dangerous Yangping Pass to prevent Liu Zhang from entering Hanzhong.

'Su Gu. "Zhang Lu thought about the former Hanzhong prefect, thinking that his immediate superior, Yizhou Shepherd Liu Yan, conspired to separate Bashu and sent him and Zhang Xiu to attack Hanzhong. He led his troops north from Chengdu and walked out of the Ancient Bailao along the Jiange Plank Road. Pass, arrived at Mianyang, and then opened a gap from Yangping Pass, successfully entered Hanzhong, and killed Su Gu, the prefect of Hanzhong at the time, and only then did he separatize Hanzhong.

If he had been blocked at Yangping Pass at that time, he would have had no choice but to linger outside the gates of Hanzhong. There would not be the splendid situation of separatist rule in Hanzhong and exercising authority in Hanzhong today.

Now if Zhang Lu wants to stay in Hanzhong, unlike Su Gu, the former governor of Hanzhong who died and his family was wiped out, he must keep Yangping Pass. Yangping Pass is his lifeline and his Achilles heel.

"Master." As a close confidant of Zhang Lu's confidants and an important minister among the important ministers, the meritorious Cao Yan Pu has always had unimpeded access within the official temple. From Zhang Lu on down, he is the No. 1, even if he is Zhang Lu's close relative. My younger brother Zhang Wei also gave in to Yan Pu.

Therefore, Yan Pu could find his way to the courtyard quietly and came to Zhang Lu.

Yan Pu's shout of "Master" woke up Zhang Lu who was deep in thought. In front of Yan Pu, Zhang Lu's expression was as harmonious as ever. He said warmly: "Thank you, I have already taken care of all the things about hoarding grain, grass and baggage at Yangping Pass." ”

"As the master said, over the past month, a large amount of food and grass baggage has been transported and stored in the old and new Yangping Pass. Measuring the number of soldiers in the two Yangping Pass, the food and grass in the two cities should be able to support more than a year." Yan Pu spoke slowly, his words were like spring breeze turning into rain, moistening things and soothing Zhang Lu's restless mood silently.

Although he heard that the food and grass in Yangpingguan City could last for a year, Zhang Lu still looked hesitant on his face, and he inquired: "Meritor, with your resourcefulness, I think there is something that is not complete and there are no gaps. "

Yan Pu shook his head resolutely and gave Zhang Lu full confidence: "Master, given the dangerous fortress of Yangping Pass, and the sufficient food and grass in the city, plus Li Sima stationed at the new Yangping Pass, and Zhang stationed at the old Yangping Pass, The wine sacrifices are all loyal to the master. Now the scholars at Yangping Pass are united and have no internal worries. In this case, there will be no loss if Yangping Pass is closed... And if Yangping Pass is not lost, the enemy invaders can only be outside Hanzhong. , not a single soldier will enter Hanzhong, even if Liu Zhang has a thousand abilities, he can only look at the head of Yangping Pass and sigh."

"Therefore, even if Bashu is ten times richer than Hanzhong, we only need to hold on to Yangping Pass. With Yangping Pass's dangerous fortress as one to ten, we can offset Bashu's advantage over our Hanzhong and sit safely in Hanzhong."

This is not Yan Pu’s excuse to comfort Zhang Lu, but Yan Pu’s personal understanding. Following Zhang Lu in Hanzhong for a long time, Yan Pu knows the geography, people, mountains and rivers of Hanzhong well. There are mountains there, and there are mountains and rivers there. The distance between water and mountains is engraved in his heart.

Yan Pu prided himself on being shrewd, and he had considered the terrain of Hanzhong many times. Therefore, he believed that as long as Yangping Pass was not lost, there was no possibility of Hanzhong falling to Liu Zhang.Even if the soldiers of Bashu were ten times as many as those of Hanzhong, he had never paid any attention to them. As long as he relied on the Yangping Pass, it would not be a problem to defeat ten of them one by one.

Zhang Lu rarely showed a smile, and he considered: "Having said that, we still need to be careful not to expose any loopholes that Liu Zhang and his son took advantage of... Tianshi Taoism started from my own hands and has been carried forward in Hanzhong. Now, If there is a disaster approaching, we should try our best to eliminate it so that Tianshi Taoism will not be left alone due to the disaster."

What Zhang Lu said was true. After he took over Zhang Xiu's Tianshi Taoism and transformed Tianshi Taoism according to his own ideas, he regarded Tianshi Taoism as his own child and devoted himself to raising Tianshi Taoism. Shi Taoism has grown stronger, and spreading Tianshi Taoism in Hanzhong is just his first step. He also has a great ambition, which is to spread Tianshi Taoism all over the world.This is also the only thing that every religion has in common, which is to try their best to spread their own religion, suppress heretics or non-original religions, and let more people believe in their own religion.

"What Master said is true. You should be careful in everything." Yan Pu praised.
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Jingzhou, Xiangyang.

Now the master of Jingzhou, Liu Biao, is in a very good mood. Since the alliance with Yizhou was finalized at the end of last year, Jingzhou no longer has to worry about looking to the west. There is no need to worry about soldiers from Shu coming down the river and attacking Jingzhou at a rapid pace. Coming from cutting.

To the north of Jingzhou, Yuan Shu, who previously occupied Nanyang County, fled to Shouchun in Jiujiang County due to his extravagant debauchery, excessive taxation, and Cao Cao's attack.But now, in the land of Zhongzhou, Cao Cao and Lu Bu are at war and have no time to take care of Jingzhou. Naturally, there is no need to consider the north of Jingzhou.

As for the east of Jingzhou, the land of Yangzhou and the land of Jiangzuo, the prefectures and governors have separated themselves one after another and do not govern each other. Liu Yao is guarding Qu'a and Wang Lang is guarding Kuaiji. In addition, Jiangdong clan robbers are everywhere and are rampant, so for Jingzhou There is no threat whatsoever.

The only thing that needs to be considered is that Yuan Shu coveted the land east of Jiangdong. He sent Wu Jing, Sun Bi and other Sun Jian's old troops to attack Jiangdong. Now he also sent Sun Ce, the son of Sun Jian, to reinforce Wu Jing. He would not take Jiangdong unless he took it. It means to give up.

And if Yuan Shu successfully captures Jiangdong in the future, he will definitely turn his attention to Jingzhou based on his greedy and excessive character, and become Jingzhou's eastern worry.

Liu Biao stretched out his hand and stroked his beard. Although Yuan Shu sent strong soldiers to capture Jiangdong, it posed a certain threat to him, but the threat was not great. After all, if Yuan Shu wanted to capture Jiangdong, it would take three to five years. Gong, I'm afraid there is no hope.

Considering that Yuan Shu has taken Xuzhou as his own uncle and has a sneak peek at Xuzhou, compared to Jiangdong, Xuzhou is probably the big state that Yuan Shu wants more. After all, Xuzhou is rich and has a large population, while Jiangdong is barren and barbarians are everywhere. Not a good place.

After thinking about this, Liu Biao asked Liu Xian, "So Tao Gongzu, the shepherd of Xuzhou, died of illness. Who is taking charge of the shepherd of Xuzhou now?"

Liu Xian's appearance was elegant and he looked like a middle-aged scribe, but as a special scholar, he was naturally not just a literati. There was a glint in his eyes, and he replied: "Your Majesty, after Tao Gongzu died of illness, Xuzhou All the civil and military officials supported Liu Bei and Liu Xuande, the Prime Ministers of Pingyuan, as the shepherds of Xuzhou, and now Liu Bei has taken charge of Xuzhou."

"Liu Bei, surnamed Liu, must be a clan member." Hearing the word Liu Bei, Liu Biao asked about Liu Bei's origin without any doubt. He guessed that the person named Liu Bei must be a clan member of the Han Dynasty.

It is not surprising that Liu Biao would have such a guess. Since the Emperor of Han Dynasty killed the white snake, raised righteous soldiers, pacified the troubled times of the late Qin Dynasty, and dominated the world, the population of the Liu family has continued to multiply and increase, and there are many clan members in the world. So much so that all the clan members are ruined.

Liu Xian nodded and affirmed: "They are indeed clan relatives. I heard that Liu Xuande is the great-great-grandson of Emperor Xiaojing. After Prince Jing of Zhongshan, he studied under the great scholar Lu Zhi and was a classmate of Gongsun Zan of Youzhou... Liu Xuande was the Prime Minister of Pingyuan before. This position was given to me by Gongsun Zan and his fellow disciples."

Hearing this, Liu Biao was determined. Since this person named Liu Bei and Liu Xuande were a clan relative, they would definitely have little dealings with Yuan Shu. Everyone in the world knew that Yuan Shu had a disobedient heart and a self-reliant mind. All clan members would not deal with people like Yuan Shu. He must have wanted to kill him quickly.

Xuzhou and Shouchun, where Yuan Shu is located, are approaching, and Yuan Shu wants to spy on Xuzhou, and Liu Bei definitely doesn't like Yuan Shu. The two families will naturally fight at that time, and most of Yuan Shu's power will definitely be projected to Xuzhou, and the land of Jiangdong will not be destroyed. If it is easily captured by Yuan Shu, if Jiangdong cannot be captured, Yuan Shu will not be able to threaten Jingzhou.

As for whether Liu Bei can compete with Yuan Shu, Liu Biao doesn't have much doubt about this. Firstly, Liu Bei is Lu Zhi's son, and Lu Zhi is both civil and military. Liu Bei should have learned one or two things about military affairs. Secondly, Liu Bei was appointed by Gongsun Zan. Prime Minister Pingyuan, as the younger brother of Gongsun Zan, the White Horse General, it is unjustifiable that he does not know anything about military matters.

Secondly, even if Liu Bei's military ability is not strong, Yuan Shu is not a military expert. Since the death of Sun Jian, the Jiangdong tiger under his tent, Yuan Shu has been beaten everywhere. It will take three to five years to decide the winner.

Liu Biao, who was cheerful, looked at Kuai Yue, who looked like a clay and wood sculpture. Usually Kuai Yue was talkative, but recently, Kuai Yue had become silent, just like his brother Kuai Liang.

Liu Biao admired the actions of the Kuai brothers very much. After Kuai Liang came back from Yizhou, he often declared the beauty of Yizhou's governance at banquets. Although he knew that Kuai Liang was a gentleman and not a despicable villain, It shouldn't be because he secretly received Liu Zhang's gold and silver property that he went to vigorously promote the governance of Yizhou.

But Liu Biao was still resentful. Without him, Kuai Liang used the salary he gave to publicize Liu Zhang. What happened? Even if Kuai Liang had a good character and spoke from his heart, cheating was a taboo for every boss. Liu Biao is naturally no exception.

Second, the contributions of the Kuai brothers are a bit too high. First, Kuai Yue made a plan for him to pacify the Jingzhou clan traitors, and then Kuai Liang sent him as an envoy to Yizhou, and firmly established an alliance with Yizhou. During the Suidu Festival last year , so many people visited the Kuai Mansion. Most of Jing and Xiang’s important ministers paid tribute to the Kuai brothers and visited the house to congratulate them. This inevitably aroused Liu Biao’s taboo. It is a good thing for ministers to make meritorious service, but if the merit is too high, then Oh no.

Now, the two brothers Kuai Liang and Kuai Yue thanked their guests behind closed doors. Kuai Liang concentrated on studying and no longer promoted the governance of Yizhou, while Kuai Yue attended meetings on weekdays, mostly responding to the situation and not taking credit or being arrogant. This made Liu Biao a little bit. Surprised and somewhat satisfied at the same time.

Taking into account the contribution of the Kuai brothers and their performance of their duties, Liu Biao decided to hand over Fangling County to the Kuai clan for defense, so as not to make people think that he was being mean to the meritorious officials.

In fact, Fangling County was originally under the rule of Hanzhong, but the rice thief Zhang Lu was beyond his reach and was unable to control Fangling. Not to mention Fangling, let’s talk about Xicheng and Shangyong counties. Although they are closer to Hanzhong, they are all controlled by the local people. The powerful Shen family is in control, and outsiders cannot interfere.

Since Fangling County was close to Xiangyang, it fell into the hands of Liu Biao. However, Liu Biao had never had time to send people to Fangling. Now he made a decision and handed over Fangling to Kuai as a reward. .

(End of this chapter)