Ji Han Liu Zhang

Ji County, official residence.

As autumn deepens, the cold moon hangs in the sky. At night, the cold wind blows suddenly, and there are no sounds of insects or birds, only the cold moonlight flows quietly, shining on the pavilions, towers and other buildings in the official residence.

In this lonely atmosphere, Fa Zheng and Meng Da, a pair of good friends who have known each other for many years, are lighting a charcoal fire, warming a pot of good wine, and sitting opposite each other to drink.

"Zi Jing is now the General of the Central Army. It only took one or two years. You have made rapid progress. One day you will be promoted to general, with great prestige and power." Fa Zheng raised his glass and congratulated Meng Da.

"The position of general is one of high power and importance. It is not that easy to become a general." Meng Da had a proud look on his face, but he shook his head, waved his hand and spoke modestly.

"If you don't endure for seven or eight years, fight in more than ten major battles, and earn a lot of military merit, you can't become a general."

Meng Da slowly stated the requirements for becoming a general. At the same time, he had a confident look on his face, believing that he could climb to the position of general with his own abilities.

Of course, when talking to others, Meng Da would not give a 100% guarantee. After all, the future is unpredictable, and who knows what the future will be like?

Fa Zheng poured himself a cup and said with a smile, "In the Guandong area, Yuan Shao in Hebei, Cao Cao in Yanzhou, Liu Biao in Jingzhou, Lu Bu in Xuzhou, Yuan Shu in Huainan, and Sun Ce in Jiangdong are all powerful lords who are fighting each other. In the future, when you lead your army eastward to conquer the world, wars are inevitable. With Zijing's talent, are you still worried about not having military achievements?"

Having said this, Fa Zheng paused, drank another glass, and after putting down the glass, he continued: "When the time comes, let alone becoming a general, even being granted a title of nobility will be a piece of cake for Zi Jing."

"A title of nobility!" Meng Da repeated Fa Zheng's words in his heart. He raised his glass and drank a large cup. Then he put the glass back on the table and said to Fa Zheng, "Xiaozhi, the world is in turmoil and the four seas are in turmoil. It is time for you and me to spread our wings and climb the dragon and the phoenix. In the future, we should both win the title of nobility and live up to our talents."

"Of course." Fa Zheng smiled and nodded.

After drinking a few more cups, Meng Da asked Fa Zheng in the gap between putting down his cup, "Xiaozhi, tell me why the Lord let Zhang Meng go. Instead of killing him, he allowed Zhang Meng to return to Hexi and serve under Wu Yi... The Lord didn't let Han Sui and Song Jian go. Even if Han Sui surrendered, he would have been killed."

"They act differently, have different backgrounds, and have different effects." Fa Zheng sighed in response to Meng Da's question.

"What do you say?" Meng Da picked up the wine jug and poured a glass of wine into the empty glass on Fa Zheng's table, pretending to listen attentively.

Fa Zheng drank the wine that Meng Da personally filled, and then slowly explained: "Han Sui and Song Jian have both been causing chaos in Longyou since the reign of Emperor Ling. What they have done for more than ten years is to be rebellious and rebellious, and to harm the common people. They are all great traitors and evildoers, and their crimes are unforgivable."

"Zhang Meng is different." Fa Zheng stood up, walked out of the pavilion, and looked at the bright moon hanging in the sky. "Zhang Meng was appointed by the court and is a legitimate governor. The crime he committed was just a quarrel with his colleagues. Moreover, Zhang Meng left a way out for himself by not killing Handan Shang, the governor of Yongzhou, so as not to push himself into an irreversible situation."

"As far as their actions are concerned, Han Sui and Song Jian's crimes are unforgivable, but Zhang Meng's crimes are relatively minor, so we can give him some leniency outside the law."

"Hmm." Meng Da pondered for a moment or two, then said, "The difference in origin, is it because Zhang Meng is the descendant of the late Grand Minister Zhang Huan, the son of a famous general, and the son of a meritorious official, that Zhang Meng is better than Han Sui and Song Jian?"

"That's right." After admiring the moonlight for a while, Fa Zheng turned around and faced Meng Da again. He confirmed what Meng Da had just said: "Although Han Sui is famous in Xizhou, he was born in a poor family, not a famous family. As for Song Jian, his background is even more humble and not worth mentioning. Just from the fact that Song Jian is arrogant and calls himself a king, it can be seen that Song Jian has no concept of being alone and making himself a king. He probably never went to school when he was young."

"Compared to Han Sui and Song Jian, Zhang Meng had a father named Zhang Huan who was a famous general and had a good reputation for being upright and fighting against eunuchs. In terms of his family background, Zhang Meng was ten times better than Han Sui and Song Jian."

"Of course, Zhang Meng can't be saved just by his behavior and background." Fa Zheng sat down again, and he said carefully: "In my opinion, the reason why you forgave Zhang Meng is that he is the descendant of a famous general, and you can't kill him all. Secondly, forgiving Zhang Meng and spreading the news can show your reputation for benevolence. Thirdly, Zhang Meng is far inferior to his father Zhang Huan. His talent is humble and it is difficult for him to accomplish anything. Forgiving Zhang Meng will not cause any harm. Unlike Han Sui and Song Jian, if you let him go today, if he causes harm in the future, it will be serious."

Fa Zheng, who had spent some time talking here, poured himself a drink and continued to analyze, "In addition, Zhang Meng was appointed as the governor of Wuwei by the court in the name of his father. The court hoped that Zhang Meng, being the son of Zhang Huan, would make Wuwei County peaceful... Now you, my Lord, should also take this seriously. Secondly, it is better to use the faults than to use the merits. Forgiving Zhang Meng's guilt and letting him serve in Hexi as an official will be good for the peace and stability of Hexi."

"My lord, your actions are far-sighted and meaningful." After thinking for a moment, Meng Da sighed deeply.

Fa Zheng drank a glass of wine, and he also sighed: "If we follow such a wise man, our future will be bright and precious. If we follow him, we will be like lonely souls following wild ghosts, wasting our years and talents in vain."

On the second day, at the west gate of Ji County, several people dressed as if they were going on a long journey were chatting privately with their friends who were seeing them off.

The identities of the people who were traveling were Yin Feng, the new governor of Wuwei, and Yang Fu, the new governor of Zhangye. The identities of the people who were seeing them off were Jiang Jiong, the new official of Yongzhou, and Zhao Ang, the new governor of Yongzhou.

The four most outstanding celebrities and ministers in Tianshui County all played a role in planning the war that led Liu Zhang to conquer Longyou, and their respective families provided food and supplies to the army.

Therefore, after Longyou was pacified, Zhao Ang, Yin Feng, Jiang Jiong, Yang Fu and other four people were promoted together, some of them were two thousand stones, some were prominent officials in the state, and they ascended to positions of high positions with generous salaries.

Today, Yin Feng and Yang Fu will go to the newly established Liangzhou to take up the post of governor of Wuwei County and Zhangye County respectively. As the officials of Yongzhou Mu, Jiang Jiong and Zhao Ang, who will accompany Liu Zhang to Chang'an later, are from the same county, so they are very friendly and naturally want to see him off.

"Hexi is desolate, with few people, few scholars and common people, and the Qiang and Hu are rebellious." After talking about the problems in Hexi, Zhao Ang said with concern: "Yishan (Yang Fu), Ci Zeng (Yin Feng), when you two arrive in Hexi, you should act carefully and prudently, stabilize the situation in Hexi, and prevent unrest." Jiang Jiong on the side also said with concern: "Peace in Hexi is of course the most important thing, but governing for the people, reading the holy teachings, and allowing the people to live and prosper, can also be seen as an opportunity to act."

"Wei Zhang (Zhao Ang) and Zi Guang (Jiang Jiong)'s words must be kept in mind and pondered over from time to time." Yin Feng bowed, indicating that he would keep in mind Zhao Ang and Jiang Jiong's words, stabilize Hexi, and promote education.

Afterwards, Yang Fu and Yin Feng bowed to Jiang Jiong and Zhao Ang, said goodbye, and, surrounded by a team of elite cavalry, set out on the road to Liangzhou, to serve as prefects in the western frontier and to stabilize Hexi.

Jiang Jiong and Zhao Ang stopped where they were, staring at the backs of Yang Fu and Yin Feng as they flew away. Only when their backs became visible to the naked eye and became black dots the size of mosquitoes and ants did they retract their gazes.

"The Qiang and Hu people are ambitious, and Hexi has suffered many disasters." Zhao Ang said to Jiang Jiong, "I hope Yishan and Ci Zeng can live up to your trust, stabilize the area, and educate the people."

"With Yishan and Ci Zeng's talents, they should be able to do it, so Brother Wei Zhang doesn't have to worry." Jiang Jiong said affirmatively: "Besides, your Excellency promoted Yishan and Ci Zeng to be governors of Hexi counties respectively. With your Excellency's vision, you will not entrust the wrong people with the task."

Seeing Jiang Jiong mention Liu Zhang, Zhao Ang nodded and said, "Ming Gong has a unique vision, different from ordinary people. He has chosen Yishan and Ci Zeng, so there is no need to worry about anything."

At this moment, in the official residence of Ji County, Liu Zhang was reading the news from Guandong. Zhang Ren, who he sent to help Cao Cao conquer Yuan Shu in Huainan, led his cavalry to break through the enemy's formation in Qiyang and defeated Shu's army. After this battle, Zhang Ren's reputation is now known everywhere.

Zhang Ren was so outstanding that Liu Zhang couldn't help but worry that Cao Cao would not let Zhang Ren return to Chang'an.

After only a moment's worry, Liu Zhang put this possible situation behind him. Although Cao Cao had many black spots, such as liking other people's wives, massacring cities, being suspicious of virtuous people, and killing people in his dreams, he was a man with a magnanimous mind and a particular way of doing things, and he deserved the title of a hero.

For example, in history, Guan Yu heard that Liu Bei was in Hebei, so he left Xudu and went to Hebei to look for Liu Bei. When Cao Cao heard that Guan Yu had left, he stopped his men from asking for orders to stop Guan Yu and only gave a desolate and majestic sentence: "They each serve their own masters, so don't chase them."

Secondly, Liu Zhang made his inference based on the current situation. Now Yuan Shao was powerful and the strongest man in the world, so Cao Cao needed to be on good terms with him before he could fight against Yuan Shao. Otherwise, he would be in a hostile relationship with Hebei and Guanzhong, and Cao Cao's chess game would be over.

Putting aside the possibility that Cao Cao kept Zhang Ren, Liu Zhang became concerned about a name in the military intelligence doc.

"Huang Zhong, courtesy name Hansheng."

Thinking of Huang Zhong, Liu Zhang recalled the battle that made Huang Zhong famous, the Battle of Dingjun Mountain, in which Huang Zhong killed Xiahou Yuan in the Dingjun Mountain formation and won the title of the highest-ranking general who killed the enemy in the Three Kingdoms.

After the Battle of Dingjun Mountain, although Cao Cao led the reinforcements from Ziwu Road to Hanzhong, he was unable to save the situation in Hanzhong and could only relocate some people away. Hanzhong eventually belonged to Liu Bei, and Shu Han was established.

Huang Zhong was therefore rewarded with the titles of Rear General and Marquis of Guannei. He went from being a not-so-famous general under Liu Bei to a general on par with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Zhao Yun and others. This shows the great contributions Huang Zhong made in the Battle of Hanzhong.

"It's a pity that such a brave general is not available." Every monarch would like a peerless general like Huang Zhong, and Liu Zhang was no exception. But he also knew that Huang Zhong was a loyal and brave man. Even if he sent someone to contact Huang Zhong, Huang Zhong would not join the army in Guanzhong. Moreover, acting in this way would make him look petty.

Putting aside the matters of Zhang Ren and Huang Zhong, Liu Zhang, who had pacified Longyou and established a presence in the area, began to plan his return to Chang'an. In fact, he didn't have to plan anything. He only had to set a date, and his civil and military officials would take care of it for him.

Therefore, Liu Zhang decided to return to Chang'an at the end of October. Before returning to Chang'an, he needed to deal with the aftermath of Longyou and Hexi. After all, Longyou and Hexi were just settled, the officials of the prefectures and counties were vacant, and bandits were hiding in various places. He still needed to appoint wise men as county governors to help him pacify Longyou and Hexi.

As for the candidates for county and prefecture heads, Liu Zhang tried his best to select them from local people in Longyou and Hexi. For example, he appointed Yin Feng and Yang Fu from Tianshui County as prefects of Wuwei and Zhangye respectively, instead of selecting people from his old friends to serve as county and prefecture heads in Longyou and Hexi.

However, Liu Zhang had his reasons for doing so. Since the founding of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liangzhou had suffered repeated rebellions by the Qiang people and its education had been poor. Officials who entered the court were required to study the classics in depth and be familiar with the Five Classics. However, the common people in Liangzhou had problems even with their survival and naturally had no time to consider their lives.

In addition, due to frequent wars and the mixing with Qiang and Hu tribes, the people of Liangzhou gave up learning literature and turned to martial arts. First, practicing martial arts increased the probability of survival in Liangzhou. Second, with more wars, there were more battles and more opportunities to make military achievements. Practicing martial arts was a great help to the people of Liangzhou.

But at the same time, it also caused a problem. That is, the people of Liangzhou who were familiar with military affairs, although they could make achievements in military affairs and win a title of nobility and reward, found it difficult to gain a foothold in the court of Luoyang. After all, the court was more of a residence for aristocratic families, and they looked down on warriors.

Although the Han Dynasty emphasized the importance of having generals who could become prime ministers, pure military men like Sun Jian were despised by Wang Rui, Zhang Fei was treated poorly by Liu Ba, and Sima Yan was ridiculed by his concubine Hu Fang, "He fought against Gongsun in the north and Zhuge in the west. How could he not be a general?" This made Sima Yan look ashamed.

Therefore, Liangzhou scholars were often looked down upon by people from Guandong, and there was no place for Liangzhou scholars in the Luoyang court. This caused a huge problem, that is, when the Liangzhou Qiang and Hu people were in turmoil, few people in the court could speak for the Liangzhou people, and from time to time there were people in the court who proposed to "abandon Liangzhou", throwing the rotten meat of Liangzhou to the Qiang and Hu people. As for the Liangzhou people moving to the Guanzhong counties, they did not care about the Liangzhou people's love for their land.

The scholars of Liang Province were neglected for a long time and were on the political margins. Eventually, a barbarian like Dong Zhuo emerged, who threatened the emperor, killed officials, and completely disregarded his reputation.

Liu Zhang would not repeat the mistakes of his predecessors, so after pacifying Longyou, he vigorously promoted Liangzhou scholars, either as county officials or as officials in the shogunate, giving them a way out and incorporating them into the ruling class, not ignoring or marginalizing them. (End of this chapter)