Ji Han Liu Zhang

"I intend to build a city here to defend against the troops from Hebei." Liu Zhang, who was patrolling along the banks of the Fen River, pointed to the Emei Plateau on the banks of the Fen River and said to the civil and military officials who followed him.

Fa Zheng, the governor of Hedong, followed Liu Zhang on his inspection tour of Hedong this time, and was also familiarizing himself with the culture and customs of the area under his rule. Upon hearing Liu Zhang's words, he looked up towards Emeiyuan.

But the place Liu Zhang pointed to was a platform-like hill on the Emei Plateau. Since the hill was located on the south of the Emei Plateau, the Fen River was under his sight, firmly controlling the natural transportation channel of the Fen River. Once something happened, the Fen River could be cut off at any time.

A group of civil and military officials followed Liu Zhang to take a closer look at the high hill. When they got closer, they all nodded repeatedly. The high hill was surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides, and there was only one steep slope that could be used as a road to climb up to the hill. It was simply a natural earth city.

Fa Zheng walked up the steep slope that was the only way to reach the platform and stepped onto the platform. He looked around and instantly understood Liu Zhang's intention and began to admire Liu Zhang's gaze.

"Building a city on this high platform will allow us to control the north-south passages of the Sushui River Valley in the southeast, and the east-west passages of the Fen River Valley in the northwest. We can advance and attack, and retreat and defend."

Fa Zheng pointed in all directions and analyzed the wonderful use of the high platform to build the city. He praised: "Ming Gong's insight is extraordinary. Even if Sun and Wu were resurrected, they would not be able to match him."

Jia Kui, the chief officer of Hedong, also praised it: "If the enemy can't get this high platform, they will be worried about their retreat and dare not go to Guanzhong. With this high platform, they can protect Guanzhong and Anping."

Jia Kui, who liked to play the game of ten and five when he was young and was taught the Art of War by his grandfather, naturally had a clear understanding of the terrain and military situation and had his own opinions on military affairs.

Liu Zhang listened to Fa Zheng and Jia Kui's responses, he just smiled and nodded. Now Gao Huan might not appear, but Yuan Shao was about to appear, and he would prepare a big gift for Yuan Shao here, if Yuan Shao ignored Cao Cao and led his troops to fight with him for Guanzhong first.

What Liu Zhang lacks at the moment is time. After all, Guanzhong needs to be revived before it can become his base for conquering the world.

Therefore, Liu Zhang has no intention of raising an army now. At the same time, he also has to guard against Yuan Shao and Cao Cao. Guarding Tongguan and Shancheng in the south and camping in Puyang and Yubi in the north are necessary conditions for Liu Zhang to recuperate in Guanzhong.

"It is spring ploughing season now. Let's wait until the ploughing is finished. Then, when the farmers have some free time, we can think about building the city... As for the city building, I will send Li Xiu here, and Xiaozhi can help him a little."

Liu Zhang gave a time for building the city and the person to supervise the construction. It was Li Xiu, his subordinate who was used to civil engineering construction.

When Li Xiu, the captain of civil engineering, was under Zhang Lu, he built a dangerous city on Zoumaling in front of Yangping Pass. However, it hindered Liu Zhang for a long time and made Liu Zhang discover Li Xiu's talent and ability in civil engineering. All along, Liu Zhang entrusted Li Xiu with any city-building work, and Li Xiu always did a good job.

This time, Liu Zhang naturally preferred Li Xiu. After he finished his assignment, he suddenly smiled. He had not named the city: "Besides, the name of the city is that the hills are like walls on three sides, and the soil is fine and smooth, so it is called 'Yubi' city."

"What a good name." Fa Zheng clapped his hands and said with a smile, "The name you gave me, sir, is very appropriate."

The sun moved westward. In order to avoid spending the night on the high platform exposed to the wind, Liu Zhang led a group of civil and military officials down the platform and set up camp on the bank of the Fen River. He will stay there for one night. After tonight, he will also part with Fa Zheng and Jia Kui.

Fa Zheng and Jia Kui will return to Anyi, the county seat, to handle the military and civil affairs of Hedong, while Liu Zhang will return west to Guanzhong to continue cultivating this withered fertile land and make Guanzhong prosperous as soon as possible.

At night, the cool breeze blows and the crescent moon is silent.

"Xiaozhi, I entrust all the affairs of Hedong to you." In the central army tent, Liu Zhang gave Fa Zheng earnest instructions.

Fa Zheng's face was serious, and he put aside his usual lazy and talkative manner. He promised generously: "Just be at ease, my lord. As long as I stay for one day, there will be no disturbance in Hedong, and I will not let any soldiers from Hebei enter the Yellow River."

"With Xiaozhi here, I don't have to worry about Hedong anymore." Liu Zhang affirmed.

Day two.

After Liu Zhang parted ways with Fa Zheng, he traveled west for a while and came to the Hedong Salt Lake - the Heyan Lake.

"Book of Han: Biography of Merchants" states: "Yidun started his business by producing salt, and Guo Zong of Handan built his business by smelting metal." Yidun was originally from Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period. He was poor and destitute when he was young. He was always hungry when he was farming and always cold when he was mulberry. Later, he asked Fan Li for advice and learned the art of business. After returning to Hedong, he became a great businessman and left his name to posterity.

But now the Hedong Salt Lake, on which Yidun relied for its development, was controlled by Liu Zhang, and became a way for Liu Zhang to supply military supplies and enrich the treasury.

Looking at the Hedong Salt Pond, which is 51 miles long, 7 miles wide and 16 miles in circumference, the water of the pond is like a jade belt stretching across the northern foot of Zhongtiao Mountain. At a glance, it is vast blue waves and shining silver light. Liu Zhang's face showed a look of delight.

As a mineral crystal, table salt is an indispensable substance for the survival of human beings and animals. If people do not eat salt for a few days, they will feel weak all over, their bodies will become weak, and various diseases will follow, and they may even be on the verge of death.

Therefore, salt and equally indispensable iron became a powerful tool used by the Han Dynasty court to increase taxation. After all, everyone has to eat salt, and no one can escape buying salt. The government's monopoly on salt and iron could exploit the people and obtain a large amount of wealth from them.

Although this move was suspected of competing with the people for profits, in times of chaos and frequent wars, it was difficult to support the country by relying solely on land taxes and levies. Liu Zhang had no choice but to reach out to salt and iron to collect wealth and goods through salt and iron to supplement military supplies.

"Let's make the people suffer." Liu Zhang had the same idea as a certain non-stick pan classmate. At this time, if he did not make the people suffer, but instead imposed light taxes and levies, the output would not be enough to supply military supplies. By then, the army would be demoralized and they would be waiting to be conquered by others, ending up with their own death and the destruction of their country.

"A salt official will be appointed in Jie County to specialize in salt administration to supplement military supplies." Liu Zhang issued an order that from now on, the salt ponds in Jie County, Hedong, will be managed by the government, and the people can only obtain brine by drying and boiling it for the government, and can no longer do as they please as before.

Liu Zhang issued an order that did not require him to consider the details of the implementation of the salt administration. Instead, he sent a letter to Hedong Governor Fa Zheng and Chief Clerk Jia Kui to handle it.

As a monarch, there are some things that can be kept in your hands and not allowed to be interfered by others, such as rewards and punishments and military and national affairs. Some things can be handed over to subordinates without having to be monitored personally, such as local governance and the operation of salt and iron.

A person's concentration is limited. If he pays more attention here, he will have less attention there. Liu Zhang believed that he did not have the wisdom of Zhuge Liang, who could not control all the affairs of a country, big or small. Moreover, even if Zhuge Liang was extremely wise, he would still end up with a disease due to overwork and die in Wuzhangyuan after such hard work.

Liu Zhang did not want to be like Zhuge Wuhou, who cried out at the end of his life: "How could the heavens be so unkind to me?" Although this was a heroic and inspiring move, it was more regrettable and sad. A few days later, Liu Zhang came to Puban again. He would cross the river from Puban and return to Chang'an City, completing his mission of inspecting Hedong and adjusting the personnel in Hedong.

Liu Zhang made comprehensive arrangements for Hedong, appointing Fa Zheng as the governor of Hedong and stationing him in Anyi, Lou Fa as the governor of Yubi, who would lead the army to move in after Yubi was completed, and Shen Mi as the governor of Puyang, who would guard Puyang, the barrier of Guanzhong.

Liu Zhang crossed the river from Puban and considered his arrangements. After he was sure that there were no omissions, he headed towards Chang'an safely.

……

Xudu.

As usual, Liu Bei was working on a piece of land he had cleared in the corner of the courtyard. At the moment, he was watering the sunflowers he had planted, but Liu Bei's mind was not here. Instead, he was thinking about something.

Dong Cheng, the emperor's uncle who was promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry and was given the opportunity to establish his own government in March this year, privately claimed to Liu Bei that he had received a secret decree from the emperor hidden in his belt, and intended to join forces with Liu Bei to kill Cao Cao. Liu Bei did not agree, and he was now hesitant, both as to the truth of the matter and whether he could successfully kill Cao Cao with the help of Dong Cheng and his troops.

At the moment when Liu Bei was distracted, he suddenly heard the metallic sound of armor scales rubbing against each other outside the door. He woke up in an instant, but he did not move. He continued to water the fields.

When someone knocked on the door and it was opened, Liu Bei slowly stood up and looked towards the door. He saw the face of the person who came. It was Dian Wei, the captain of Cao Cao's guard.

Liu Bei walked forward slowly and calmly and said, "Captain Dian, why are you here? Minister Cao has summoned you."

"Lord Liu, the Prime Minister wants to hear your call for a moment." Dian Wei bowed and explained his purpose to Liu Bei. Then he extended his hand to invite Liu Bei to go out. A team of soldiers stood on both sides of the door, as if they were escorting Liu Bei to the Prime Minister's Mansion, or as if they were kidnapping Liu Bei.

There was no fluctuation on Liu Bei's face. He first stretched out his hand to comfort Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who had unfriendly looks. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who were accompanying him both frowned and squinted their eyes at Cao Cao's sudden invitation to the banquet, as if as long as Liu Bei gave a call, they would step forward and deal with Dian Wei and the team of soldiers he brought.

Liu Bei took a step forward with light steps and, under the protection of Dian Wei, arrived at Sikong Mansion, where he met Cao Cao who was cooking wine in the backyard.

When the wind and clouds were raging, Liu Bei looked up at the sky and felt that a thunderous summer rain was coming. After looking away, Liu Bei stepped forward and saluted Cao Cao: "Sikong Cao."

"Lord Xuande, you have done great things at home." When Cao Cao saw Liu Bei coming, he first said something incoherent, and at the same time his eyes scanned the fluctuations on Liu Bei's face.

Liu Bei remained unmoved. He replied, "I don't know what the Minister is talking about."

"Of course it's about cultivating the farmland." Cao Cao laughed loudly and said, "I heard that Xuande used to make a living by weaving mats and selling shoes. I never thought that he was so proficient in farmland. According to people, the sunflowers in that field are growing very well."

Ignoring the fact that Cao Cao knew everything that was going on in his mansion, Liu Bei smiled and said, "When the sunflowers are grown, I'll have someone send a basket to Sikong."

"Then I would like to thank Lord Xuande first." Cao Cao smiled and gestured to Liu Bei, "Lord Xuande, please do not stand for long. Please take a seat."

Then Liu Bei sat down and drank with Cao Cao. In today's world, people like to criticize and comment on people. After a few words, Cao Cao tentatively asked Liu Bei: "Mr. Xuande has traveled all over the world, so he must know the heroes of the world. Can you tell me about them?"

Liu Bei initially declined, but seeing Cao Cao's determination to have him evaluate him, he had no choice but to say, "Yuan Shao of Hebei has an extraordinary background. Now he controls four states and is a hero."

Cao Cao shook his head and sneered, "Yuan Shao is willing to work hard but cares about his own safety. He forgets his principles when he sees little profit. He has many strategies but is indecisive. He is not a hero."

"Liu Biao of Jingzhou is one of the eight most outstanding men. He is famous for his kindness and power in Jing and Chu. He has the right way to recruit people and clear the way for thousands of miles. The people are happy and obedient. He controls a territory of thousands of miles and has an army of over a hundred thousand soldiers. Can he be considered a hero?" When Liu Bei saw that Cao Cao rejected his proposal, he nominated another person.

Cao Cao waved his hand and rejected it again: "Although Liu Biao is listed among the eight heroes and treats himself as Xibo, he is a man who does not see the changes in the situation, is suspicious and indecisive, and is nothing more than a guest who sits and talks, or a dog who guards the door."

After considering whether Yuan Shao and Liu Biao were the first to be promoted, Liu Bei said, "Liu Zhang of Guanzhong has inherited the work of his predecessor and has made great efforts in Liang and Yi. He has conquered the south, expelled the rice thieves, beheaded Li and Guo, and exterminated Han and Song. Now he has occupied the land of the former Qin and his reputation is known throughout the world. Can he be called a hero?"

"Liu Jiyu is a hero." This time Cao Cao did not reject it, he nodded in agreement.

Cao Cao's tone was full of emotion: "Although Liu Jiyu is young, he has pacified Zhao Wei at home and defeated powerful enemies abroad. He left Hanzhong and settled in Guanzhong, and returned to Longyou to wipe out Han Sui, Song Jian and other stubborn bandits in one fell swoop. He is indeed a hero at a young age."

"Except Liu Jiyu, there are still two people in the world who can be considered heroes." Cao Cao made a riddle.

Liu Bei had just picked up the dagger and heard this. He smiled and said, "I think one of them is the Minister of Works. As for the other one, I can't see it clearly."

"The other person is far away in the sky and close at hand. It is Lord Xuande." Cao Cao said calmly. He stared at Liu Bei, and at this moment, the wind and thunder were raging, and a roaring and unrestrained thunder sounded through the sky.

"Bang." The dagger in Liu Bei's hand fell to the ground. In the deafening sound of thunder, he picked up the dagger without any change in his expression and said to Cao Cao: "The power of a single shock is so great."

"Oh, a real man is also afraid of wind and thunder." Cao Cao sneered.

Liu Bei walked out of Sikong Mansion, mounted his horse, and rode slowly, as if the banquet had no effect on him. However, at this moment his heart was surging with waves.

'Hero.' Liu Bei felt a sense of crisis when Cao Cao called himself a hero. Cao Cao was jealous and could not tolerate others surpassing him. Liu Bei knew this and understood it.

Even Cao Cao called him a hero, so he must be jealous of him. Liu Bei calmed down and planned to make some plans with Dong Cheng. Today's matter was either Cao Cao killed him or he and Dong Cheng joined hands to defeat Cao Cao. (End of this chapter)