Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 533 Alliance under the City
The sky is high and the clouds are light, the autumn wind is bleak, and the leaves gradually turn brown and yellow, moving with the wind and falling to the ground.

In the secluded pavilion, Lu Xun was dressed in Confucian clothes, making tea and making a cup, enjoying himself. Four plainclothes attendants were outside the pavilion, waiting for orders.

Ma Chao came with more than ten cavalry, but was blocked by the children arranged by Lu Xun.

The little boy tied his hair in a bun, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, my governor has something to say. He will take off his armor and go into the pavilion alone in plain clothes to meet the Han Dynasty."

Ma Chao was holding back his anger and was too embarrassed to vent to the child, so he motioned to his left and right soldiers to take off their armor and wait outside the pavilion.

Ma Chao dismounted, handed his sword to his trusted aide for safekeeping, and walked toward the pavilion.

In the troubled times, the pavilion is already mottled and dusty. Fortunately, Lu Xun sent people to clean it up, and it is relatively tidy now.

Ma Chao saw that Lu Xun was dressed in Confucian clothes and looked like an elegant scholar, without any martial spirit. If Ma Chao had not known his identity in advance, he would probably have regarded Lu Xun as a Confucian scholar instead of a commander-in-chief.

Seeing the majestic Ma Chao, Lu Xun raised his head, smiled, and said, "Xun is from Wu County and likes to drink tea. I don't have any drinks today. I hope you will forgive me, General!"

"nothing!"

Seeing Lu Xun's generosity, Ma Chao hesitated for a moment and said, "I would like to listen to your Majesty and Governor Lu's words."

"Third, I have captured the two counties of Jiangjun Longnan and will return them to the two counties of Jiangjun. Longyou of Jiangjun is adjacent to Hehuang. Hehuang has two counties of Jincheng and Xiping. The Qiang people are entrenched and are separated from Wuwei by more than a thousand miles. ”

Ma Chao took a sip of tea. The mixture of bitterness and sweetness made him slightly uncomfortable.

"Second, Longyou is short of grain and wheat, and our Han Dynasty is short of horses. If we open up bilateral trade and exchange grain for horses, we will have more than enough for both sides and gain something. With a fixed quota, we can trade with each other every year, both officials and merchants can do so. This will help the general strengthen his muscles and consolidate the foundation of Longyou."

"That's good!"

Lu Xun put down the tea stove, without fear of Ma Chao's pressure at all, and said calmly: "The general used the power of our army to separatize Longyou. Is it possible that he is bullying my big man?"

Lu Xun poured a cup of tea for Ma Chao and said with a smile: "Your Majesty's order to make the general king will not be changed. From now on, the general will be a minister, and he must submit it to Wuhan as scheduled without any mistakes. With my great Han conferring the title, the people of Long will be able to obey the general. From now on. If Wei attacks Longyou, I, the great Han, will definitely send troops to rescue him."

As he spoke, Ma Chao looked at Lu Xun sternly, and said in a serious tone: "Bo Yan betrayed the alliance, sent troops to seize our two counties, and then ordered Li Hui to join the army to force me to use the situation. Is it possible that he deceived me into not daring to fight to the death with your army?"

"You remember the covenant, I'm afraid it will make the world laugh!"

Putting down the tea cup, Ma Chao sneered and said, "If Governor Lu invited me here, I'm afraid he's not just inviting me to drink tea!"

Ma Chao sat down on the table with a cold face and said, "I also know how to drink tea."

Huo Jun brought the tea-drinking habits of later generations to the Three Kingdoms. Under Huo Jun's long-term drinking, many southerners either liked the taste or followed the customs and learned Huo Jun's tea-making methods. Zhuge Liang, Wang Can, Pan Jun and others all like to drink Huo's tea.

"The general is very interested in the Qiang people, so it is better to lure the Qiang people to attack the two counties, and then the general will find an opportunity to defeat them. The two counties of Jincheng and Xiping are easily accessible. And the general is sitting in Hehuang, hundreds of thousands of Qiang people can be used by the general, and Approaching Wuwei in Hexi Province, the general must have great plans!"

"I invite the general here now to plan a grand plan together. If the general is thinking about old things and wants to argue, I will not accompany you. The two armies are fighting in formation, and the outcome is uncertain. It means that Cao Zhen will gain in vain, and the general will run away To conquer the Qiang realm is to lose the two counties of Longnan!"

Lu Xun restrained his sharpness, regained his elegance, and said: "I invite the general here today to renew the alliance on behalf of your majesty. I also want to help the general control Wei, open up trade markets for each other, and each get what they need. Of course, I will seize the two counties of the general. I will look for an opportunity to return the two general counties."

The situation was stronger than the person, so Ma Chao finally weakened his tone and said, "I don't know why Governor Lu invited me here?"

Lu Xun couldn't get used to it, so he still used the tea-making method of the Han Dynasty and added various condiments to harmonize the taste of the tea.

Lu Xun put his hands on his knees, straightened his back, and said sternly: "You broke the covenant in order to take the four counties of Longxi. Why can't I follow your old example and plan to take the two counties of Longnan. You take Longxi, and I take Longnan. We can gain something from each other." Can it be done!"

"This~"

Ma Chao snorted coldly and said: "In the past, Ma Liang was an envoy and worshiped me as king. I wanted to send troops to help, but unexpectedly Zhang gathered tens of thousands of Qiang and Hu people, and I couldn't leave Long. I am helping your army, and I have given you thousands as a special gift. A Qiang horse is given to you to fulfill the promise of a covenant. If you send troops to seize it after the covenant is completed, how can it not be called a breach of trust?"

Lu Xun poured a cup of tea for Ma Chao and said with a smile: "Huo Du likes to use bitter tea, which is unique among southerners. Xun likes to use the ancient method of making tea and adding ingredients to blend the flavors of various things."

Lu Xun had to be said to be a master of military strategy. He planned the next development plan for Ma Chao as soon as he took action. He suggested that Ma Chao seize Xiping and Jincheng counties and lure the Qiang people in the Hehuang Valley for his own use.

There are actually not many Han people in Xiping and Jincheng counties, but the real majority are Qiang people. The Qiang people would be a disaster to the Central Plains dynasty if they were not managed well. Ma Chao was different. His advantage over the Han and Wei states was that he was good at winning the hearts of the Qiang people.

Hehuang Valley is a stronghold of the Qiang people. If it can be obtained, it will not be a problem with Ma Chao's ability to destroy 10,000 Qiang soldiers. It is really more than enough to make up for the losses of Longnan County.

Showing his white teeth, Lu Xun said, "General, what do you think of the above three things?"

Ma Chao looked suspicious. He was suspecting that Lu Xun was holding something bad. But looking at the conditions, there is no problem. After all, the above three conditions are almost all beneficial to him.

After a long silence, Ma Chao asked: "The three things Governor Lu said are of great benefit to me, Longyou, but why would Governor Lu help me?"

"Your Majesty, it's too late!"

Lu Xun smiled slightly and said kindly: "In the conflict between the two weak states in Guanxi, only the strong Wei will benefit. Today, Han and Liang are in harmony, and each of them only needs what they need. The general is looking at Liangzhou, and our army is looking at Guanzhong, and we are separated by Longshan to draw the boundary. "

Although Ma Chao didn't believe Lu Xun's words, he did not refute. Instead, he looked grateful and said with cupped hands: "From now on, the Liang Kingdom will be Tibetan, and the Han will be the dominant one. Chao will be the leader of the Han Dynasty, and help the Han Dynasty destroy the Wei Dynasty." "Good!"

Lu Xun was very excited and said: "There are two states in Liangshu. The mountains are high and the rivers are dangerous. They are the lips and teeth. If you advance, you can annex Guanxi, and if you retreat, you can divide Yongliang. Your Majesty is a hero for a while. From now on, you and I will depend on each other. Let’s work together to destroy Wei.”

"I would like to work together with Governor Lu!"

Ma Chao showed a friendly expression and said: "Nowadays, the people in Longyou are small and the land is vast, and the grain and wheat produced there are not enough for food. In addition to selling horses, I wonder if the Han people can sympathize with the suffering of Liang, and allocate grain and grass every year, thinking that funding.”

The Han Dynasty occupied five states in the south, and especially after promoting the rice-wheat rotation system for many years, there was no need to worry about food shortages. The front lines were sometimes short of food, limited by ancient transport capacity, and traveling through no man's land. There is no shortage of food, but it does not mean that the Han Dynasty will unconditionally support Ma Chao.

Lu Xun hesitated a little and said, "This matter needs to be reported to the capital for approval by Your Majesty and the Prime Minister. Xun cannot agree."

Ma Chao showed a look of regret and said, "I'll send you to Governor Lu if you can help me!"

"good!"

Lu Xun raised his tea cup to greet each other and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the king captured Longyou, the Han conquered Longnan, and returned to Hehuang. After drinking this tea, let's not forget about the past!"

"please!"

Under Lu Xun's coercion and inducement, Ma Chao finally signed a city alliance with the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty canonized Ma Chao as King of Liang and granted the land west of Longshan; the two sides opened up trade and exchanged merchants; they agreed that Han and Liang would help each other and jointly fight against Wei.

With this treaty, Ma Chao finally had the courage to return to Longyou, and Lu Xun also achieved his goal.

After Ma Chao left, warlord Zhao Ang came immediately and walked into the pavilion.

Looking at Lu Xun making tea freely, Zhao Ang asked in confusion: "Why does Governor Lu treat Ma Chao so favorably?"

"Favor?"

Hearing this, Lu Xun smiled and said, "Why are you so generous? Ma Chao and I, the big man, are just taking advantage of each other!"

"Ma Chao's separatist rule over Longyou is definitely a bad thing!"

Lu Xun sipped the tea and said: "Wei is sitting in Guanxi, and Hexi, Longyou, and Guanzhong are working together, and there are Chinese soldiers and horses outside for reinforcements. Our army wants to conquer Guanxi with the strength of Bashu, how difficult it is!"

"Ma Chao's current separatist control of Longyou is like cutting off the arm of the rebel Wei Dynasty. It is not a bad thing for me as a big man. If we can plan properly, we may not be unable to conquer Guanxi."

Even though the Han Dynasty occupied the upper and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, due to geographical limitations, Bashu and Wu Chu were almost disconnected. Therefore, Zhang Fei and Lu Xun's Northern Expedition will always be based on the strength of Bashu in the Northern Expedition to Guanxi.

It's okay to say that the power in Guanxi was dispersed, but Guanxi was controlled by Cao Wei, which almost blocked the road of Bashu's Northern Expedition. Not to mention that the Long army was stronger than the Shu army, the supply of grain and grass alone was a big problem. Zhuge Liang's army was as strong as Zhuge Liang's, and he conquered Guanxi five times, but finally died of illness in Wuzhangyuan.

Lu Xungai was an outstanding general in the late Han Dynasty, but he was by no means a transcendent hero. Historically, it occupied waterways and was involved in several Northern Expeditions. It can be said that a city was never conquered. Now that the difficulty is changed from normal difficulty to nightmare difficulty, Lu Xun is even more constrained by the terrain of Bashu and cannot use more punches.

Offensive battles are always more difficult than defensive battles, and there is no shame in losing the Northern Expedition. On the contrary, the Northern Expedition was a touchstone, and it was very easy to test the true level of the generals. People often say that Sima Yi is as afraid of enemies as a rat, but don't forget that Sima Yi repeatedly punched Soochow.

However, this has a lot to do with Lu Xun's attitude towards the Northern Expedition. He was not as eager for the Northern Expedition as those in Huaisi and Jingchu. He defected to the Han because of the situation and was loyal to Liu Bei because of his in-laws. Therefore, I am not that enthusiastic about the Northern Expedition, which must be conquered by the Central Plains.

Of course, Lu Xun also had the desire to make great achievements. Now he has dismounted Chao to separatize Longyou and help him disperse the power of Kansai. It is finally a good thing. With proper operation and feasible strategy, the difficulty of the Northern Expedition to Kansai will be greatly reduced.

"There are horses in Long, and they can strengthen the army. In the name of trade, we can keep in close contact with the Long people to see if they can be used by our great Han."

Lu Xun put down the tea cup and said with a smile: "As for the two counties of Hehuang, they are occupied by the Wei people. If Ma Chao wants to get it, he can only fight with Wei. When the two armies fight, there will be one casualty, and our army may be able to take it. profit."

Zhao Ang frowned slightly and said: "Ma Chao is capricious and not a kind person. If Ma Chao becomes powerful, it will be difficult to control the northwest!"

Lu Xun disagreed and said: "Ma Chao has no long-term vision. In the past, when your Majesty attacked Chang'an, if Ma Chao helped the Han, the northwest would definitely fall into his hands. It is really foolish for the two of them not to help each other."

Was Ma Chao's policy of not helping each other really correct?
In Lu Xun's opinion, Ma Chao's vision is really shallow. If Ma Chao had aided the Han Dynasty and helped the Han Dynasty gain a foothold in Guanzhong, he would have led his troops to attack Liangzhou while the Han Dynasty was fighting with Cao Wei in Guanzhong. At that time, the road to Liangzhou was cut off. Ma Chaofan could defeat the governor Zhang Ji and occupy Liangzhou.

Once Ma Chao occupies Liangzhou, it will not be a problem for Ma Chao, who owns Liangzhou and Longyou, to become the king of the northwest. The Han captured Guanzhong and combined with Wei to attack from the east and west, making Guanzhong a place of melee for the three families, and Ma Chao could take the opportunity to become powerful.

After all, Guanzhong is too big. Even if Liu Bei captures Chang'an, he may not be able to gain a foothold in Guanzhong. Instead, it will become a bloody battlefield with Cao Wei.

Having missed this opportunity, Ma Chao was destined to be unable to achieve great things. This also allowed Lu Xun to see through Ma Chao's true identity, which was probably the role of Wei Xiao.

Seeing that Lu Xun was prepared, Zhao Ang did not say anything more, but asked: "Are you going to withdraw your troops now?"

"Not urgent!"

Lu Xun smiled and said: "Now that Ma Chao is going south, Cao Zhen will be ready to make a move. Now I will make an alliance with Ma Chao and confer him the title of King of Liang. If Cao Zhen wants to attack Ma Chao, I will go out of Chencang to strike at his tail."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)