Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chang'an, Baqiao.

"I wish the Minister a safe journey." The Grand Marshal and General of Cavalry Liu Zhang, on the Ba Bridge in Chang'an, raised a glass of wine and bid farewell to the angel Liu Ai, comforting Liu Ai for the hard work of coming to Chang'an several times.

Liu Ai raised his wine cup and drank with Liu Zhang. He smiled and said, "Grand Marshal, please stop. I am deeply grateful for your kindness. If you continue to send me, I will not be able to accept your kindness."

"Well, just send it here." Liu Zhang accepted Liu Ai's request. He raised his hand, broke off a willow branch and handed it to Liu Ai.

His action is a classic farewell of breaking willow branches. The Book of Songs, Xiaoya, Picking Wei says: "When I left, the willows were swaying. Now I come back, it is raining and snowing." Therefore, willows have the meaning of parting. In addition, the pronunciation of the word "willow" is similar to "stay", so it is very suitable to express the feeling of reluctance to leave when leaving.

Liu Ai stretched out his hands to take the willow branch handed to him by Liu Zhang, then he bowed slightly, took a few steps back, said goodbye to Liu Zhang, turned around, rode on the horse brought by the servant, and went straight east.

Liu Ai sped away, but Liu Zhang did not return to Chang'an immediately. He stopped and watched him for a while.

When Liu Ai was far away and his back was almost invisible, Liu Zhang withdrew his gaze from the distance. After he got on the carriage and sat firmly, he gave an order: "Let's go back to Chang'an."

"Let's go." The captain Ma Dai diligently carried out Liu Zhang's orders. He followed Liu Zhang's instructions and urged the carriage to set off.

The wheels of the carriages rumbled and the horses neighed as they headed towards Chang'an City.

On the way back to Chang'an, a light spring rain fell, moistening the land of Guanzhong.

"A good rain knows when to fall, and it comes in spring." Liu Zhang, sitting in the carriage, stretched out his hand to feel the slightly cold spring rain, and thought of Du Fu's poem.

The first year of Jian'an has passed, and now it is the spring of the second year of Jian'an. The rain that falls now is naturally the spring rain in Du Fu's poems.

In the light spring rain, Liu Zhang and his entourage arrived at the government office in Chang'an. The servants tactfully handed them rain gear to protect them from the wind and rain, and welcomed Liu Zhang into the government office.

"Spring rain is as precious as oil. With this spring rain, the harvest in Guanzhong will be good this year." Xun You, the chief clerk and prefect of Jingzhao, looked at the drizzling spring rain outside the door and sighed with a smile on his face.

Liu Zhang nodded when he heard this, but he seemed to have thought of something and sighed inexplicably: "It's a pity that after all these years of war, only one in ten people in Guanzhong survived, and the fields are barren and no one is farming. Otherwise, if there were enough people, the abandoned land in Guanzhong would be recultivated, and it would not be in vain for God to send down this spring rain."

Hearing this, Xun You nodded with a worried look on his face. Guanzhong is a fertile land known as the Land of Abundance, and all the land is top-notch. Unfortunately, there are few people in Guanzhong, and no matter how many good fields there are, without enough people, they will be abandoned.

"Recently, many refugees from Guanzhong in Jingzhou have heard the news that Guanzhong has been stabilized and have come from Jingzhou to Guanzhong. According to the situation reported by the commander of Wuguan Pass, the number of people passing through the pass ranges from a hundred to several hundred people every day. Within a month, there are thousands of people."

Xun You mentioned a happy event: "Mr. My Lord, judging by this, within this year, tens of thousands of refugees from Guanzhong in Jingzhou will return to Guanzhong. This will help to increase the small number of households in Guanzhong and prevent the land from becoming barren and the good fields from being overgrown with weeds."

"Send a message to all the county heads along the road from Wuguan to Lantian, telling them that they must comfort the refugees returning home and not bully or humiliate them. If there is any mistake, I will never let them off easily." When Liu Zhang heard the news, he thought for a moment and gave an order.

"Yes." Xun You nodded to indicate that he would take note. Here he continued to talk about the happy events in his place: "Since the Lord issued the order that all refugees who rushed to Guanzhong would be granted land and oxen, the number of refugees from Tongguan and Puban rushing to Guanzhong has been around a hundred people every day... Within a few years, the population of Guanzhong has doubled."

"To accomplish great things, people are the foundation. Only with talents can one be qualified to accomplish great things. Without talents, great undertakings are like flowers in the mirror or the moon in the water, which can be reached but not reached." Liu Zhang revealed his true feelings to Xun You and at the same time gave him earnest advice.

"Gongda, appease the refugees and make them happy to stay in Guanzhong. You should pay more attention to this matter...Now Guanzhong has a small population and a shortage of people. Recruiting more refugees and increasing the population is the top priority."

"Even if you don't say it, I understand it. But please be at ease. I will definitely not make any mistakes in pacifying the refugees." Xun You bowed and praised.

"With Gongda here, I feel at ease." Liu Zhang said with a faint smile.

After discussing the refugees, Liu Zhang turned to look at Jia Xu. Jia Xu was now relied upon by him, in charge of confidential information and involved in military and national affairs. Jia Xu would provide him with a lot of military information: "Does Wenhe know about the situation in Liangzhou?"

As soon as he opened his mouth, Liu Zhang talked about Liangzhou. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that as the Grand Marshal, his top military priority was to seize Liangzhou and eliminate his worries. After all, he would head east to fight for the world later, and it was impossible for him to leave any hidden dangers in Liangzhou that would divert his energy from the fight for hegemony.

"I have already read all the documents sent from Lueyang, Chencang and Tianshui." Jia Xu nodded, indicating that he was aware of the situation in Liangzhou.

Jia Xu then analyzed the situation in Liang Province: "From many reports, we know that after Han Sui killed Ma Teng at the end of last year, he now dominates Longyou alone and no one can stop him... Han Sui is now sending envoys to all directions to recruit the Qiang and Di people in Liang Province and to make friends with the heroes in Liang Province. He wants to unite the various rebels in Liang Province to fight against you, my lord."

"Han Sui may be able to recruit more Qiang, Hu and Di people. After all, Qiang, Hu and Di people are greedy for money. Han Sui only needs to pay more gold and silver and indulge Qiang and Hu people to wreak havoc in the prefectures and counties. Qiang and Hu people will obey his orders and follow his conquest."

"Yes." Jia Xu changed the subject: "Most of the heroes in Liangzhou are sensible and aware of current affairs. They have heard of your prestige and know the military prowess of our army. They are worried about their families and children, and will never accept Han Sui's enticement."

Jia Xu, who had been in Liang Province for a long time and knew Liang Province affairs in detail, smiled calmly and said, "So Han Sui will abandon himself to the wilderness and mingle with the Qiang and Hu people, and unite the Qiang and Hu people to serve him. Perhaps Han Sui can gather a large number of rabble, but the rabble will only advance when it sees an advantage, and will scatter when it sees an disadvantage. It is no different from a rotten wood against a sharp axe to resist you, you will definitely break it."

"Wenhe knows the situation in Liangzhou, and what he said is very reasonable." The chief clerk Xun You echoed. He did not take Han Sui of Liangzhou seriously. After all, Han Sui was known as a famous scholar in Liangzhou, but his behavior was humble and his words were vulgar. He was just an ordinary man. However, although he did not think much of Han Sui, Xun You still maintained a cautious attitude, because no matter what, Han Sui had been in Liangzhou for many years, and he was deeply rooted in Longyou. It was difficult to remove him for a while, and the situation in Liangzhou was turbulent, with Han, Qiang, Hu, Di, and many other forces mixed together. If he was not careful, he might suffer losses.

Xun You then added: "Although Han Sui's army is a motley crowd, we still need to be careful in dealing with them...Victories can be big or small. A big victory means defeating the enemy without fighting and without any casualties, while a small victory means bloodshed and there is nothing to celebrate. Guanzhong is currently lacking in vitality. If we win a small victory and lose too many soldiers, it will not be good."

"Yeah." Liu Zhang nodded, indicating that he had remembered it in his mind. As for the upcoming battle in Liangzhou, he would not fight head-on, but would try his best to avoid large-scale fighting. Problems that could be solved through strategies and tactics would be solved through strategies and tactics.

However, as the saying goes, things often don't go as planned. If there is a need to fight a tough battle, Liu Zhang will not be afraid to retreat. In addition, if he does not fight one or two small-scale head-on battles, it is likely that it will be difficult to pacify Liangzhou.

After all, the people of Liangzhou value bravery first and education second. If they don't defeat a few Liangzhou young men who can't see the situation clearly, other Liangzhou heroes may underestimate the Shu army and think that the Shu army's combat effectiveness is not good enough.

"No matter what, let's wait until after the summer harvest." Liu Zhang made his final decision. After years of war, even though Shu was rich, it could not sustain the country. He had to harvest a season's worth of grain to support his expedition to Liang Province.

Now it is only spring and the summer harvest is still several months away. Liu Zhang has to wait for a while. He can only wait. Before the three armies move, food and fodder must be sent first. Without food and fodder, even the strongest army will collapse without a fight.

There are many examples in history of food supplies being robbed and armies collapsing without fighting. Guandu in the Three Kingdoms period is one example. A fire in Wuchao ended Yuan Shao's ambitions and destroyed a possible Yuan family empire.

……

Longxi County, with its county seat in Didao County.

Han Sui stood on the city wall of Didao County, with a look of deep worry between his brows, like the snow that kept accumulating and difficult to melt.

After a long time, Han Sui sighed. He glanced at the heads of Ma Teng, Ma Tie and Ma Xiu, father and son, hanging on the city wall, and the sigh became even louder.

Time flies, the severe cold is no longer there, and Han Sui has also come out of the pleasure of killing Ma Teng and dominating Longyou at the end of last year. Although he has become the most powerful one after killing Ma Teng, he has also aroused the jealousy of many powerful people in Liangzhou.

The Liangzhou warlords were afraid of ending up like their sworn brother Ma Teng, so they pretended to obey him. On the surface, they were friendly with him, but in private they were extremely wary of him. They neither agreed nor rejected his invitation to a meeting, but just kept making excuses. As a result, the number of Liangzhou warlords who led their troops to help was far less than he had expected.

'Did I do something wrong?' Han Sui felt a little regretful, but soon, it disappeared. With a firm look in his eyes, he sneered at Ma Teng's head hanging on the city wall and said, "Brother Ma, Brother Ma, I won't kill you. If you change your mind today and secretly join Liu Zhang, it will be my head that will be hung on the city wall."

Han Sui felt no regret or shame about harming his sworn brother Ma Teng. After all, he knew something that made him feel that killing Ma Teng was the right thing to do.

And this incident is that after Ma Teng was killed and Didao City fell, Ma Chao, Ma Dai, Pang De and others went east to Guanzhong, surrendered to Liu Zhang and were accepted by Liu Zhang. According to the spies, Ma Chao was appointed General of the Fubo Army and Pang De was appointed Captain of Pingqiang Army. They were all promoted and reused by Liu Zhang, especially Ma Dai, who was appointed Captain of the Central Army by Liu Zhang to guard the Central Army.

"Don't be lenient. Fortunately, I killed him early. Ma Teng deserved his death." When Han Sui heard the details of how Ma Chao, Ma Dai, Pang De and others were treated well by Liu Zhang, he broke out in a cold sweat and felt cold all over.

After all, the fact that Ma Chao, Ma Dai, Pang De and others were accepted by Liu Zhang is enough to show that there is an unclear relationship between Ma Teng and Liu Zhang, and the fact that Ma Chao, Ma Dai, Pang De and others were highly valued by Liu Zhang further shows that the relationship between Ma Teng and Liu Zhang is very close. Otherwise, why would Liu Zhang be so fond of Ma Chao, Ma Dai, Pang De and others?

But now he had seized the opportunity and removed Ma Teng, a thorn in his side, in advance, eliminating the hidden danger around him. This was a great joy, even though he had lost the reputation of one or two people because of this, but compared with life, reputation was nothing.

"General, the envoy who went to Fuhan is back." Han Sui's trusted adviser Cheng Gongying climbed up the city wall and reported to Han Sui.

"What did Song Jian say?" Han Sui asked Cheng Gongying with a glimmer of hope.

Song Jian, who was in Fuhuan, was highly valued by Han Sui. After all, Song Jian had been rebelling in Liangzhou since the first year of Zhongping, and it had been more than ten years. He had been rebelling for a long time and had deep roots in Fuhuan. It was said that he had 10,000 brave soldiers under his command, with well-trained soldiers and sufficient food, and was very powerful.

If Song Jian was willing to lead his troops to help, Han Sui would be more confident in countering Grand Marshal Liu Zhang. Han Sui believed that the chance of Song Jian's participation was still very high. After all, if he didn't have a good ending, Song Jian would not have a good ending either.

Facing Han Sui's expectant gaze, Cheng Gongying looked frustrated. He shook his head and said, "Song Jian said that he lives in Fuhan and is content with his life. The affairs of Longyou have nothing to do with him, so he is unwilling to lead troops to help."

"Huh?!" Han Sui exclaimed in surprise. The feeling of having his expectations dashed was not a good one. After a moment of surprise, he raised his eyebrows and said angrily, "What a coward! Liu Jiyu is going to attack Liangzhou, how can Fuhan stay out of it? If I am defeated, can Song Jian still sit in Fuhan and claim to be the King of Heshou Pinghan?"

"This brat is not worthy of being a strategist. I thought he was a hero of Liang Province, but now it seems that he is just a brat."

Han Sui was furious and angrily criticized Song Jian, the King of Heshou Pinghan. He did not expect Song Jian to be so short-sighted and narrow-minded. When Longyou was about to be overthrown by Liu Jiyu, Song Jian still tried to stay out of it and protect himself. How was this possible?
Listening to Han Sui's angry words, Cheng Gongying couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He initially thought that Song Jian would come to help, but he didn't expect Song Jian to be so cowardly. Not only did he not come to help, he also didn't send any soldiers over.

"General, I'm afraid that the envoy's words this time were not favorable, so he failed to persuade Song Jian. Ying requests to be ordered to go on a mission to Fuhan to explain the pros and cons to Song Jian and lead the Fuhan soldiers to come to the rescue." Cheng Gongying thought about it, and he bowed to Han Sui and volunteered.

"I'll leave it to you, sir." Han Sui nodded. (End of this chapter)