Ji Han Liu Zhang

"The Qiang dogs are endless."

Liu Zhang sighed, collected the military intelligence documents on the desk and handed them to the clerk Cheng Yu. At the moment, he was very depressed and somewhat irritated.

There was no other reason, because the military intelligence document said that there had been another rebellion of the Qiang and Hu tribes in Longyou, and today the governor of Tianshui County, Peng Ying, led the county troops to suppress it, and the governor of Longxi County, Duan Wei, also went there in person to cooperate with Peng Ying.

With the joint efforts of Peng Ying and Duan Wei, Liu Zhang no longer had to worry about this group of rebellious Qiang and Hu people causing any large-scale disturbance. He only had to wait for the victory report from Peng Ying and Duan Wei after a period of time.

It was just that the occasional rebellions by the Qiang and Hu people in Longyou, although they did not cause a big impact, the constant rebellion did make Liu Zhang a little irritated.

"Those who are not of my race must have different hearts." Liu Zhang recited the widely circulated golden words, a truth forged by mountains of corpses and seas of bones.

Different races, different customs, and different living habits will inevitably lead to conflicts of varying sizes. Especially when two races live side by side, they will look at each other with some degree of vigilance and hesitation, fearing or worrying that the other side will do something bad to themselves.

Needless to say, wars and conflicts can break out among people of the same race due to a variety of issues, such as religion, interests, and land, and conflicts between different races can be even more intense.

So at this moment Liu Zhang came up with the evil idea of ​​a man with a mustache. If the grass is not uprooted, it will grow again when the spring breeze blows. So he might as well kill all the Qiang people in Longyou and be done with it once and for all.

However, as a man who has been baptized by modernization and is bound by the benevolence and etiquette of the contemporary world, Liu Zhang cannot do such a thing. After all, it is too shocking, and if he is so deadly, the whole Longyou state will probably be in turmoil.

Even so, Liu Zhang was still able to take some measures to root out the rebellion according to the laws of the time: "Issue an order that all men of the rebellious Qiang and Hu tribes who are taller than a wheel will be killed, and only women and children will be kept as slaves to atone for their sins."

"Your Excellency is benevolent." The chief clerk Xun You bowed and praised. According to the law, the perpetrator of treason should have his entire family exterminated, but Liu Zhang's move to forgive women and children made Xun You very moved.

"What's happening in Guandong recently?" After easily dealing with the rebellious Qiang and Hu people, Liu Zhang asked Xun You about the affairs in Guandong.

Xun You reported the intelligence received by the shogunate recently, and ranked the priorities: "Yuan Shu of Huainan, since Shouchun was captured by Cao Cao and Sun Ce of Jiangdong broke off relations with him, he has been deserted by his relatives and friends, and his generals have dispersed. The situation has declined and is irreversible. Now Yuan Shu has given up the title of emperor to Yuan Shao in order to ask Yuan Shao to take him in."

"Dry bones in a tomb." Liu Zhang said disrespectfully to Yuan Shu. In the fourth year of Jian'an, Yuan Shu had truly become a dry bones in a tomb. Although Yuan Shu still had a great reputation, unfortunately he was already a futures prince and his value could not be lower.

"Your Excellency is right." Xun You chuckled upon hearing this. "Yuan Shu usurped the throne in Huainan, but within a year, he was deserted by his people and his soldiers were scattered. Only one brigade remains under his command. Although he is still alive, he is no different from a dried bone."

"If Yuan Shu wants to go to Hebei, it is impossible for him to go through Yanyu. He can only go to Qingzhou via Xuzhou, and then turn to Jizhou." Liu Zhang speculated on Yuan Shu's route to the north to Jizhou. Cao Cao had been operating in Yanyu for a long time, so it was impossible for Yuan Shu to go there. In addition, going through Yanyu was a bit of a detour. In total, Yuan Shu could only go to Qingzhou via Xuzhou, and then go to Yecheng to meet Yuan Shao.

"Xuzhou is controlled by Cao Cao's confidant Che Zhou. Che Zhou has just arrived in Xuzhou and cannot fully control Xuzhou. Yuan Shu may take advantage of the opportunity and run away."

Liu Zhang thought about it for a while, and then asked Xun You, "The two Yuans want to join forces, will Cao Cao take any measures?"

"Cao Cao sent Liu Bei and Zhu Ling as generals to Xiapi to block Yuan Shu's northward advance." Xun You responded, "Liu Bei was given the post of governor of Xuzhou by Tao Qianren, and he has been in Xuzhou for quite some time. With Liu Bei here and Zhu Ling's bravery, Yuan Shu will have a hard time passing through Xuzhou and will be stopped in Xiapi."

"Fish leap into the sea and birds fly into the mountains." Liu Zhang sighed lightly. In this life, Liu Bei still deceived Cao Cao and was able to leave Xu Du. This departure was like Monkey King jumping out of the Three Realms and no longer being in the Five Elements. It would not be so easy for Cao Cao to catch Liu Bei in the future.

Xun You was a little confused. He was puzzled by Liu Zhang's words and didn't know who Liu Zhang was referring to. He thought about it for a while, and after eliminating Yuan Shu who was blocking Xia Pi and Zhu Ling who was a general, Xun You spoke.

"My Lord, are you saying that Liu Bei's departure from Xudu is like a fish leaping into the sea or a bird entering the forest?"

"That's right." Liu Zhang nodded. "Liu Bei has great talent, and he may not be willing to be under Cao Cao. Cao Cao is jealous, and may not tolerate Liu Bei. Now that Liu Bei has gone, he will most likely not return to Xudu. Cao Cao's trip is like letting a tiger loose. If we let the enemy loose for a day, it will be a threat for all eternity."

Xun You, who did not know Liu Bei and had only heard of a few of Liu Bei's deeds, did not say anything to respond or refute at this moment.

"According to your opinion, will Liu Bei regain control of Xuzhou?" Xun You said, following Liu Zhang's words.

Liu Zhang affirmed according to the trajectory of history: "Che Zhou is Cao Cao's confidant, but he is not a good general. Liu Bei led Cao Cao's order to live in Xiapi. If they turn against each other, Che Zhou will be captured, and Xuzhou will no longer belong to Cao Cao."

"But that's all in the future. We still don't know what will happen in the end."

Liu Zhang laughed loudly, passing by Liu Bei, and said, "Yuan Shu is blocked in Xiapi and cannot go to Qingzhou, and Huainan is not habitable. Isn't he doomed to fail?"

"It's hard to say." Xun You shook his head.

"I heard that Yan Xiang, the chief clerk under Yuan Shu, suggested that if the land route is blocked, we can march to Qingzhou by sea, and maybe reach Bohai in one fell swoop."

"Hmm?" Liu Zhang was surprised, and then he nodded: "If we go by sea, we can indeed reach Hebei."

Although the navigation technology of the Eastern Han Dynasty was not very advanced and most ships could only travel along the coastline, the fact that Sun Quan sent people to Liaodong by sea showed that the sea route was still possible and could go very far.

However, there are considerable risks in taking the sea route. After all, the Eastern Han Dynasty's shipbuilding technology is not good. If things go wrong after a storm, everyone might end up feeding the fish in the sea.

Liu Zhang shook his head and said, "Yan Xiang is talented, and Yuan Shu is courageous." Although he said this, he also knew that Yuan Shu was forced into a corner, otherwise he would not have rashly gone to Hebei by sea and taken great risks.

After finishing the official business discussion, Liu Zhang moved and came to a school. In the school, a group of students were studying diligently, busy learning poetry, books, etiquette, chariot driving and archery.

These people were the orphans of soldiers who died in battle under Liu Zhang's command, just like the orphans of the Yulin Guards appointed by Emperor Wu of Han. He gathered them together, raised them and provided them with care, teaching them poetry and books in the morning and riding and archery in the afternoon so that they could become all-rounders in both civil and military affairs.

In addition, Liu Zhang mixed some of his personal knowledge into the content of students' studies, such as arithmetic, astronomy, civil engineering and other crafts, which is the science of later generations, but it is not systematic, only with minor details. Liu Zhang wanted to write a few books on science, but he only knew the general idea of ​​physics, chemistry, biology and other subjects, and could not understand the details. He could only raise these orphans and teach them the content related to scientific performance, hoping that big trees would grow out of them.

"There is a long way to go." Although he was eager to cultivate the soil for science, Liu Zhang also knew that he should not rush things. After all, no one could clearly explain what science was at the moment.

……

The coast of the East China Sea.

Yuan Shu looked at the tower ship in front of him, and he felt a little trembling in his heart. After all, after boarding this big ship, he would leave the stable land and would be shaking for a while.

However, Yuan Shu had no choice. After Cao Cao learned that he would go to Hebei through Xuzhou, he sent Liu Bei and Zhu Ling to Xia Pi to block his way.

"How hateful." Yuan Shu cursed. He was already in such a miserable situation, and had to rely on Yuan Shao, a servant, for help. However, Cao Cao still did not intend to let him go. He was determined to block him in Huainan without considering their past friendship at all.

"Mingsir, please get on board." Chief Clerk Yan Xiang said, "If you don't get on board, Liu Bei and Zhu Ling will find out, and I'm afraid the sea route to Hebei will be cut off."

"Oh." Yuan Shu sighed heavily, and then stepped onto the ship without looking back. Also boarding the ship to Hebei were his son-in-law Huang Yi, cousin Yuan Yin, and more than a thousand of his die-hard fans.

The weather is good today, with light wind and clear clouds, and the sea is calm. It is a good time to go out to sea.

When Yuan Shu's troops boarded several ships together, Yan Xiang gave an order and the boatmen immediately spread out the huge canvas, set sail, and headed north along the coast.

Looking at the land that was gradually moving away, Yuan Shu stood at the bow with a complicated expression. This time, he abandoned Huainan and went to Hebei to serve under Yuan Shao. He didn't know whether this decision was right or wrong.

"The road ahead is bleak!" Yuan Shu sighed in his heart. From being a powerful lord, he fell to the point of relying on others, and the one who was Yuan Shao, the servant whom he looked down upon in the past, made him feel sad and heartbroken.

But no matter what, at least he was able to save his life and not end up with his head and body separated. Yuan Shu felt a little comforted.

At first, Yuan Shu's journey was very smooth, with no wind or waves along the way. But when he reached the coast of Langya County, a storm came suddenly, accompanied by strong winds. Suddenly, the ship, which was not used to sea sailing, had problems. The boatman could not control the direction and could only be swayed by the wind and waves.

The wind and rain subsided, and as far as Yuan Shu could see, there was no trace of land. After last night's wind and rain, they were blown away from the land.

"Master, what should we do?" Yuan Shu had a bitter look on his face. In the vast ocean, the future was unknown, and life and death were also unknown.

Yan Xiang was also a little flustered, but he remained calm on his face: "Mingsir, I asked for divination before this trip, and it is a very good omen. As the saying goes, good people are blessed by heaven, and we will be safe on this trip."

"I hope so." Yuan Shu nodded gloomily.

Traveling in the vast ocean without a compass, Yuan Shu and his party could only rely on the night stars for guidance. However, the stars had not been bright for the past few days, so they could only sway with the wind.

Fortunately, after sailing for a while, Yuan Shu, who was looking out from the bow every day, found traces of land. He called out to Yan Xiang, took Yan Xiang's hand and said, "Master, may God bless me."

Yuan Shu looked very happy. He had heard that nine out of ten people who went out to sea would die, but he was lucky enough to find land. It would be unreasonable if he did not thank God for his blessing.

"Move the boat over, send a few people ashore, and ask which county this is." Yuan Shu gave an order, and the boatmen responded by moving the boat over. Then several skilled soldiers went ashore to inquire where this place was.

After waiting anxiously for a while, Yuan Shu saw that the soldiers he had sent out had finally returned. He could not wait to greet them and asked repeatedly, "Where is this place? It's the land of Qingxu. Can we reach Qingzhou if we go a little further?"

Several soldiers looked at each other, and the leader stood up and said, "Mingsir, we haven't found out where this place is. The language here is a little different from ours."

"Is there no one here who can read and write?" Yuan Shu asked in confusion. He knew that the dialects of different places were very different and language barriers were common, so he sent out several trusted soldiers who could read and write. In this way, when there was a language barrier, they could communicate through writing and find out where this place was.

"No." The leading soldier shook his head, and then he moved a little, revealing the short, dark-skinned man behind him, and reported to Yuan Shu: "We visited several villages, and the people here are illiterate, and their language is really strange. We had to secretly capture a tongue."

"Why did you bring back a dwarf? I'm not in the mood to watch a farce now." Yuan Shu said unhappily as he looked at the dwarf brought back by the soldiers.

The leading soldier shook his head quickly, pointing at the cowering dwarf and saying, "Mingsir, this man is not a dwarf, he is just a little short. Besides, the common people here are all short like him, and there are hardly any men who are six feet tall."

Yuan Shu became more and more confused. After thinking about it, he came up with a bad guess. He suspected that he had been blown to some barbarian land by the storm, so the people here looked different from ordinary people and could not read and write.

However, Yuan Shao found it difficult to determine where these barbarians came from, so he summoned the knowledgeable chief clerk Yan Xiang and began to question him.

Yan Xiang pondered for a moment and made a bold guess: "Mingsir, this place may be one of the hundreds of countries in the Lelang Sea, so the people here are short and small, and they were called 'Wa people' in the past."

"More than a hundred countries, the Japanese..." Yuan Shu was stunned, with a dumbfounded expression. He failed to go to Hebei, but was blown to more than a hundred countries by a storm. This was hard for him to accept.

"Master, do you know..." Before Yuan Shu finished his question, Yan Xiang smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I have only heard of this place, but I have never been here. I don't know the way to China from the Japanese. I must send someone to investigate."

"This..." Yuan Shu looked at the strange land in front of him, then looked at the dwarf captured by his soldiers, and his heart was in a panic. (End of this chapter)