Ji Han Liu Zhang

Ever since Grand Marshal Liu Zhang conquered Yongliang, the lives of the Qiang people in Longyou and the Di people in Wudu and Yinping have been getting worse day by day.

In the past, due to the warlords' infighting and turmoil in Yongliang, the Qiang and Di tribes lost the suppression of the empire's military force and began to run rampant, either looting and plundering, or getting involved in the disputes among the princes. They lived happily and acted recklessly.

But as of now, Yongliang has a master, and this master has a bad temper. If the Qiang and Di tribes do something disobedient, they will be beaten by Liu Zhang. Those who are lucky will flee to the mountains and hide, while those who are unlucky will end up with the whole clan destroyed, the strong men will be slaughtered, and the women and children will be enslaved.

After several major Qiang and Di tribes were destroyed, the remaining Qiang and Di people retracted their forces and no longer dared to act recklessly as they did in the past. They just curled up at home like a defeated dog.

The Qiang and Di tribes also lost the privilege of not being taxed, or having very little tax levied on them. In the past, the imperial court was worried about forcing them to rebel, but now the Grand Marshal is only afraid that they are too docile and there is no excuse to harm them.

Therefore, the Qiang and Di tribes, like the registered Han people, had to pay certain taxes, and the young and strong in the tribe had to participate in garrison and war.

Did the Qiang and Di tribes, who were used to being free and unrestrained on weekdays, rise up in rebellion under the current oppression? Of course they did.

However, the Qiang and Di tribes who dared to rise up in rebellion, and some of their brave and ambitious leaders, were all wiped out with their entire clans under the attack of the Shu generals Gan Ning and Zhang Ren. The heads of the tribal leaders were hung on the top of the city wall of Jicheng, to be beaten by the wind and rain, and pecked at by owls.

Although a certain force will bring about a force in the opposite direction, the force exerted by the Shu army was too terrifying and they were unable to resist.

The Qiang and Di people, who were once arrogant and domineering, and their leaders, who were like tigers and wolves, became as docile as sheep. They were willing to accept the punishments with whips and awls, and had no intention of rebelling.

At that time, after defeating the Qiang and Di tribes in Wudu, Yinping, and Longyou, Gan Ning and Zhang Ren returned to Chang'an, where they had been away for several months. In the eyes of Gan Ning and Zhang Ren, Chang'an seemed to have been separated from them for several years.

There was no other reason, it was because the changes in Chang'an City were really too great. When Li Jue and Guo Si controlled Chang'an at the beginning, there was war every day in Chang'an, and the scholars and common people were displaced. Under the ravages of Li Jue and Guo Si, most of the houses in Chang'an City were burned down except for one or two. The scholars and common people living in Chang'an City were either killed by Li Jue and Guo Si, who killed innocent people to claim credit, or had already fled to other places.

Therefore, when Liu Zhang took over Chang'an City, it was almost a wasteland. Gan Ning and Zhang Ren were also witnesses of that tragic scene.

But today, in Chang'an city, houses are rising up in rows, roads are connected in all directions, and the roads are extremely neat. The city that was originally deserted is now bustling with people, with their sleeves spread out in the shade, sweat pouring down their faces, and they are shoulder to shoulder.

Looking at the peaceful scene in Chang'an City, Gan Ning and Zhang Ren looked at each other, feeling deeply touched. The prosperity of Chang'an City today was indeed due to their contribution, and it was also something they liked to see.

'Bring peace to the world.' Under Liu Zhang's teachings, most of his civil and military officials wanted to curry favor with the rich and powerful, but Gan Ning, Zhang Ren and others were determined to follow Liu Zhang and bring peace to the world together with him.

Gan Ning and Zhang Ren walked towards the government office in Chang'an. Soon, they handed over the task of conquering the Qiang and Di tribes in the government office. During this trip, they had made many achievements and their contributions were not small. Now they just had to wait for the reward to be awarded and enjoy the honor.

"Where is my lord?" Gan Ning met Cheng Yu in the government office. After bowing, he asked Cheng Yu, the shogunate's secretary, about Liu Zhang's whereabouts.

Cheng Yu shook his head and laughed as if disappointed. He said, "General Gan, it's been a long time since we last met. You didn't even ask me if I was okay, but just went to look for where you were. It really makes me feel disappointed!"

As Gan Ning and Cheng Yu were both from Baxi County and served in the same shogunate, their hometown ties brought them closer together. Their personalities also matched, so Gan Ning and Cheng Yu naturally had a very close relationship.

Hearing Cheng Yu's joke, Gan Ning straightened his face and asked in a serious tone, "How are you, Mr. Cheng?"

"Everything will be fine if you work for the Shogunate." Cheng Yu smiled and replied to Gan Ning.

Then Cheng Yu did not play any tricks. He told Gan Ning directly, "Mingsong went out today and went to Xinfeng. He is not in the government office. He may return tomorrow."

"Oh." Gan Ning was a little disappointed when he heard that. He was thinking about meeting Ming Gong today, but it was impossible.

At this moment in Xinfeng, Liu Zhang, accompanied by Xinfeng County Magistrate Wei Kang, inspected the geography, customs, and products of Xinfeng.

'The Emperor Retired Theme Park.' Liu Zhang was walking in Xinfeng City, and seeing the grass, trees, houses and roads in Xinfeng County, an idea came to his mind.

The emergence of Xinfeng County was related to Liu Bang's father, Liu Taigong. At that time, Liu Bang regarded Liu Taigong as the emperor, but although Liu Taigong was the unique emperor, he was unhappy. Later, Liu Bang learned that Liu Taigong missed Fengyi, so he built Xinfeng County according to the pattern of Fengyi, and moved the young villagers of Fengyi here, which made Liu Taigong very happy.

Therefore, in Liu Zhang's eyes, Xinfeng County was a theme park, but the theme of the park was to serve the emperor.

"Wei Qing has been very effective in governing the country and caring for the people." Seeing the peaceful and prosperous situation in Xinfeng County, Liu Zhang praised Wei Kang who was standing beside him.

Upon hearing this, Wei Kang declined as usual: "My Excellency, I am too kind to praise you. As the magistrate of Xinfeng County, I shall be loyal to my duties and perform them regardless of the weather. Only in this way can I live up to your trust. This is my duty."

"Having said that, few can match Wei Qing's political achievements. This is your credit. Don't shirk your responsibility." Liu Zhang added a word of praise. If you did a good job, he would naturally praise you. If you did a bad job, he would also criticize you.

"Thank you for the compliment, sir." Wei Kang accepted it humbly.

After staying in Xinfeng County for one night, Liu Zhang set out on his journey back to Chang'an the next morning, braving the morning fog. Xinfeng was not far from Chang'an, and Liu Zhang arrived in Chang'an in the afternoon at a galloping pace.

Outside the city of Chang'an, Liu Zhang saw two familiar faces.

Gan Ning and Zhang Ren were waiting at the city gate. When they saw Liu Zhang approaching, they stepped forward, bowed to him and said, "Mingsir."

"Xingba, Gongyi, you have worked hard on this expedition." Liu Zhang dismounted from his horse and approached them to express his condolences.

Zhang Ren replied calmly, "Working for you, my lord, is not hard work."

Gan Ning was more unrestrained: "As a general, I would rather fight for you. Even if it is hard, it is worth it."

After a conversation in front of the city gate, Liu Zhang, Gan Ning and Zhang Ren came to the residence of the Grand Marshal. As soon as they entered the residence, Liu Zhang ordered people to set up a banquet to entertain Gan Ning and Zhang Ren. "The Qiang and Di people are not in trouble, and the western land is peaceful and prosperous. This is all due to your contribution." Liu Zhang raised his glass and praised Gan Ning and Zhang Ren.

During this expedition against the Qiang and Di tribes, Liu Zhang paid close attention to the military intelligence documents. Gan Ning was always the first to charge into the enemy lines and worked tirelessly. As soon as a battle was won, he would march quickly to conquer the next rebellious Qiang or Di tribe.

Five hundred in three days, one thousand in six days. This praise spread among the Shu army. Gan Ning's rapid march made it difficult for the Qiang and Di tribes to defend themselves and resist. He won every battle, which made the Qiang and Di tribes tremble with fear.

Zhang Ren was not far behind. As a general, he was always the first to fight. His white robe turned red after each battle, soaked with the blood of Qiang and Di people. Therefore, Qiang and Di people spread the word and warned them that "thousands of troops should avoid white robes".

"Thank you, Lord Ming." Gan Ning and Zhang Renyi raised their glasses together and drank with Liu Zhang.

After they had drunk a lot of wine, Liu Zhang consoled them by saying, "You have fought hard this time, and it is time for you to rest for a while."

"Mingsir," Gan Ning said, "If I were to rest in leisure, I would feel physically exhausted, which would not be as enjoyable as going on a campaign."

Gan Ning's words sounded to Liu Zhang as if he was saying, "My sword has long been thirsty for a long time." Gan Ning, who had not been idle for ten days since returning to Chang'an, was now eager to fight again.

Gan Ning asked Liu Zhang for permission, saying, "I heard that you are planning to conquer Taiyuan County. I would like to go to Taiyuan County for you." Gan Ning, who had met with the chief clerk Xun You yesterday, learned about Liu Zhang's next plan, so he was willing to take on the task of conquering Taiyuan County.

Zhang Ren was also eager to fight. He asked Liu Zhang, "I am willing to go to Taiyuan County."

"Let's hold a banquet today to comfort the two ministers, and let's not talk about the war for now." Liu Zhang smiled faintly, neither refusing nor agreeing to Gan Ning and Zhang Ren's request to fight.

……

Yecheng.

The military supervisor Ju Su gave Yuan Shao a sincere admonition: "Your Excellency has divided the country among his sons, each of whom is in charge of a state, and you have not made it clear who will succeed you. This is like a rabbit running into a road, and everyone will chase it. If you make the slightest mistake, it will cause great trouble."

Yuan Shao waved his hand and said, "Sir, don't worry too much. I assigned each of you to govern a state in order to test your talents and abilities so that I can decide on the successor."

Hearing this, Ju Su's face grew anxious. He said in a somewhat anxious tone, "Mingsir, the ancient saying goes that if the age is equal, virtue is determined, and if virtue is equal, divination is used. If the sons and daughters are of similar age, virtue is determined, and if virtue is equal, divination is used to determine. This is an ancient system, and it is a warning for the success and failure of previous generations. It is better to establish the eldest son as the heir."

Ju Su said, "The ages of the young masters are very different now. It is not the case that everyone is equal in age. I hope you will think about this carefully."

"Sir, don't worry too much." Yuan Shao tried to comfort Ju Su again, but he still didn't care: "I am in my prime, it's not the time to worry about my successor. When I am old, I will decide on the successor. It won't be too late."

Seeing Yuan Shao's firm attitude, Ju Su had no choice but to bow and leave. As he walked out of the general's mansion, Ju Su sighed softly, "Hebei's troubles will begin from now on."

As a wise man, Ju Su could see through Yuan Shao's plan. Yuan Shao first let his eldest son Yuan Tan be adopted by his elder brother Yuan Ji, and then ordered Yuan Tan to be the governor of Qingzhou. At the same time, he placed Yuan Shang in Yecheng and kept him by his side. This was an attempt to depose the eldest son and establish the youngest son as the heir.

Ju Su had no preference between Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang. The reason why he advised Yuan Shao to establish the eldest son as the heir was that he was worried that after Yuan Shao passed away, the brothers in Hebei would attack each other. That was why he favored Yuan Tan on the issue of establishing an heir.

Unfortunately, Yuan Shao did not take it seriously, thinking that he was still young and did not need to worry about the issue of heirs. However, in Ju Su's eyes, Yuan Shao's actions sowed the seeds of disaster, the root cause of the conflict between brothers.

When Ju Su left, Feng Ji went to see Yuan Shao and asked him, "My lord, do you know what Tian Biejia has been saying recently?"

"Tian Feng." Yuan Shao shook his head. He was not sure what Tian Feng had said recently. After all, as the owner of the four states in Hebei, Yuan Shao had to deal with a lot of affairs every day, so he had no time to care about the outside world.

Feng Ji sighed, "It is not that I want to slander Tian Biejia, but what Tian Biejia said recently was a bit too much, so I have to report it to you, Your Excellency."

"What did Tian Feng say?" Yuan Shao frowned, looking displeased. He was curious about Feng Ji's words, and because he disliked Tian Feng, he became angry before he even learned from Feng Ji what Tian Feng said.

Feng Ji cupped his hands and said, "Tian Biejia, you were so concerned about your child's illness that you forgot about your ambitions and missed the opportunity to lead Cao Cao to the east to attack Liu Bei. Otherwise, if you had marched south with your army, you could have captured Xudu, the Central Plains, and all the four seas. In addition..."

"Anything else?" Yuan Shao's expression gradually calmed down, but his heart was turbulent. He almost squeezed out a question from between his teeth.

Feng Ji shrank his head to avoid being affected by Yuan Shao's anger. He continued, "Tian Biejia thought that you neither went south nor west. Now Cao Cao defeated Liu Bei and returned to Xudu. The good opportunity has been lost. Moreover, the Shu army repaired the defenses in Hedong and built a city. The defense is strict and impeccable."

"From now on, you will be powerless in Guanzhong and Yanyu. In the future, the rule of the world will probably be in the hands of Liu Zhang and Cao Cao, not you."

"Tian Feng's remarks on military and national affairs are hateful." Yuan Shao slapped the table in front of him with his palm, making a crisp clapping sound. He always appeared to be tolerant to others, but in fact he was very jealous and mean in his heart.

Today, after Yuan Shao has conquered Hebei and four states, he thinks that there is no strong enemy in the world and there is no need for him to be too lenient to others. It is time for him to act recklessly.

"Tian Feng's nonsense has undermined the morale of the army, so put Tian Feng in prison." Yuan Shao issued an order to Feng Ji.

Feng Ji was about to show ecstasy when he heard this, but he suppressed it. He pretended to advise, "Mingsir, Tian Biejia is the hope of Jizhou. Although he has made a few false statements, he should not be imprisoned. Otherwise, it will shock the people. Please think about it."

"How can a mere old man like you harm the people?" It would have been better if Feng Ji had not advised him, but after his advice, Yuan Shao made up his mind to put Tian Feng in prison.

Feng Ji then cupped his hands and said, "I will obey your orders." Then Feng Ji happily went to carry out Yuan Shao's orders. (End of this chapter)