Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 689: Recruiting Qing Qi
In August, as the grain route was attacked, Sun Quan sent Sun Li to lead the chariot formation to guard the rear, and led his troops to abandon the cities and flee.

On that day, Huo Jun led the elite troops in pursuit, broke the chariot formation with the tactic of using the fire train, beheaded Sun Li, and subdued Hu Zhi. He pursued Sun Quan at night and raided the Wei camp from all sides. Sun Quan was terrified and fled.

Sun Quan led his personal cavalry to join Rui Xuan, and Pang De was ordered to pursue them again. Sun Quan and Rui Xuan abandoned their baggage and books and fled. Pang De was unable to catch up with them, and captured all the old and weak in Rui Xuan's tent, and returned with the baggage and books.

In the afternoon, the remaining troops of Wei army were stationed.

Billowing black smoke rose up, and corpses, dead horses, books, and baggage were scattered all over the ground in the ruined Wei camp.

Huo Jun inspected the ruined camp with his sword in hand and said with a smile, "Sun Quan is tall on top and short on the bottom. He was good at shooting but not good at running. I didn't expect him to be so fast that he could abandon two camps in one night!"

Pang De bowed and said, "Sun Quan led more than a thousand cavalrymen to cross the Wenshui River. I led the cavalrymen to pursue them but failed to catch up. Please punish me, Grand Marshal!"

Last night, Sun Quan led more than 600 cavalrymen to escape and first stopped at Rui Xuan's camp to rest. However, when he learned that Pang De was leading cavalrymen to pursue him, Sun Quan, fearing that he would be captured, asked Rui Xuan to abandon the baggage and books in the camp and escape with more than a thousand cavalrymen.

Pang De led 3,000 cavalrymen to pursue Sun Quan all the way to Wenshui. Sun Quan led his cavalrymen to cross the Wenshui River from the bridge. Seeing Pang De's relentless pursuit, Sun Quan ordered the burning of the wooden bridge of Wenshui River to cut off Pang De's pursuit route. Only then was he able to escape. Pang De, who failed to pursue, had no choice but to return the same way!
"The fact that you survived by burning the bridge is God's will, not your fault!"

Huo Jun comforted him and said, "Lingming has been fighting with me day and night, and many of the soldiers under your command are tired. You can rest first."

"With the Grand Marshal here, I dare not rest!" Pang De said.

Huo Jun had not slept for almost two days since he started chasing Sun Quan, and his mental fatigue was visible to the naked eye.

"Nothing, Chief Secretary Jiang will be here soon, Lingming, please withdraw and rest first!"

"Please take care of yourself, Sima!"

Pang De retreated with several personal guards, leaving Ding Feng and Huo Jun alone.

Huo Jun was walking around the camp and saw a clerk being escorted by Han soldiers. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were tattered, his face was depressed, and his hands were tied with ropes.

"Captain!"

The Han soldiers saluted and greeted Huo Jun in the distance.

Hearing the Han soldier calling him that, the clerk reacted violently and struggled to shout, "Huo Sima, my ancestor and Zhongzu have a long history. When Zhongzu was in Beihai, my ancestor helped him a lot. Now that the great event is about to be accomplished, why should we imprison the descendants of meritorious officials!"

Hearing the clerk's cry, Huo Jun stopped and signaled the soldiers to untie the clerk. He asked, "Who is this gentleman, and what is his relationship with the late emperor?"

The clerk rubbed his aching wrist, then bowed and said, "I am Zheng Xiaotong~"

Before Zheng Xiaotong finished speaking, Ding Feng couldn't help laughing and said, "How could there be a nobleman named Xiaotong?"

The clerk glared at him, but did not dare to lash out because of the situation, and continued, "My great grandfather was Duke Kangcheng of Zheng, and my father was Lord Yien of Zheng. When my grandfather governed Pingyuan and saved Beihai, my great grandfather helped him a lot. Now I am borrowing the name of my ancestors, not because I want to be rich and noble, but I just hope that you will not invade Qingqi and other counties."

"Zheng Kangcheng?"

Ding Feng was stunned for a moment, then reacted instantly and said, "Could it be Master Zheng from Beihai?"

"Of course!"

Zheng Xiaotong stroked his beard and smiled, his expression full of pride.

Zheng Kangcheng was none other than Zheng Xuan, a great Confucian scholar in the late Han Dynasty. Zheng Xiaotong was Zheng Xuan's grandson, a direct descendant. The reason why he was named Zheng Xiaotong was because Zheng Xuan saw that his grandson had the same birthday as himself, so he named him Zheng Xiaotong.

Moreover, Zheng Xiaotong's father was Zheng Yi, who was recommended as a filial and honest official by Kong Rong when he was young, and went to the city when Guan Hai besieged it. Zheng Xiaotong was the posthumous son of Zheng Yi, and was raised by Zheng Xuan when he was young. Therefore, Zheng Xiaotong learned the Zheng family's teachings and was respected by the scholars of Qingqi.

Hearing this, Ding Feng was rude, but he also knew Zheng Xuan's reputation, so he bowed and apologized, "I am a warrior, and my words may have offended you. I hope you will forgive me, Mr. Zheng!"

"Don't dare!"

Seeing Ding Feng apologize on his own initiative, Zheng Xiaotong did not dare to be pretentious and returned the gift to show that he let bygones be bygones.

Huo Jun smiled and said, "When the late emperor was alive, he discussed with me the wise men, and when he mentioned Duke Zheng and Kong Beihai, he stood up and sighed!"

Then, Huo Jun sighed and said, "It's a pity that I can't visit Lord Zheng in person to ask him for advice."

Zheng Xiaotong said: "When I was young, I received a lot of teachings from my great grandfather. When talking about heroes, my great grandfather praised Zhongzu, and when talking about the one who could revive the Han Dynasty, it must be Zhongzu."

"Mr. Zheng is truly foresighted!"

Huo Jun responded, and seeing Zheng Xiaotong in a disheveled state, he said, "Someone take the gentleman to wash up!"

"Thank you Ming Gong!"

After Zheng Xiaotong left, Ding Feng asked, "Is the governor dissatisfied with Mr. Zheng?"

Huo Jun shook his head and said with a smile: "Zheng Xiaotong is not Zheng Kangcheng, but the grandson of Lord Zheng. Just use his name to appease the scholars in Qingzhou, why should we treat him with too much courtesy. As for his talent and learning, we will know what he does in the future." Huo Jun had met too many people, how could he equate Zheng Xiaotong with Zheng Xuan. If Zheng Xuan came in person, Huo Jun might have accompanied him in person. Now he is just his grandson, and he is a surrendered person, so it is better to treat him with a little courtesy.

Ding Feng was slightly curious and asked, "When the late emperor was in Qingzhou, did he really have an old relationship with Duke Zheng?"

"More than just old!"

Huo Jun recalled with a smile, saying: "Although the late emperor was born in Zhuo County, he was not a frontier general or a warrior. He devoted himself to Confucianism, respected scholars and was respectful to them. For example, Sun Gongyou (Sun Qian) was a disciple of Zheng Xuan, and was recommended to Xuzhou by Zheng Xuan. Moreover, Zheng Xuan lived in Xuzhou for six years. When the late emperor was in charge of Xuzhou, he often paid homage to him."

When Huo Jun was in Wuhan, he often discussed current affairs with Liu Bei. During the chat, Liu Bei often talked about people or things he had experienced in the past.

In his later years, Zheng Xuan was invited by Tao Qian to take refuge in Xuzhou, where Sun Qian became an official. After Tao Qian died, Xuzhou was taken over by Liu Bei, and Sun Qian became an official in Xuzhou. Zheng Xuan naturally had contacts with Liu Bei.

When Zheng Xuan left Xuzhou and went to his hometown Beihai, it was related to Lü Bu's attack on Xuzhou. At that time, Zheng Xuan saw the turbulent situation and returned to his hometown at the invitation of Kong Rong.

When Liu Bei was alive, he would more or less quote Zheng Xuan and Kong Rong whenever he discussed political affairs. For example, on the issue of amnesty, Liu Bei quoted Zheng Xuan's words to complain about Liu Biao's frequent amnesty.

As for the relationship between Liu Bei and Chen Ji and Chen Qun, it can be traced back to the time when Liu Bei was the prefect of Pingyuan. Chen Ji was the prime minister of Pingyuan, and Liu Bei was the prefect of Pingyuan. After Chen Ji went to Chang'an to take up his post, Liu Bei became the prime minister of Pingyuan and took over Chen Ji's official position.

Because Chen Ji was Liu Bei's old leader, Liu Bei did not forget the old favor. When he was appointed as the governor of Yuzhou, he recruited his son Chen Qun as an assistant clerk.

Today, Zheng Xiaotong said that it is not false that Zheng Xuan took care of Liu Bei. After all, thanks to the resources accumulated during the Qingxu period, Liu Bei was able to emerge in the troubled times and shed the image of a frontier warrior.

In short, during the time that Liu Bei served in Qingxu, he made friends with famous scholars such as Chen Ji, Zheng Xuan, and Kong Rong, who accumulated connections for him and helped him integrate into the Qingxu scholar circle.

There were many people with similar status to Liu Bei, such as Gongsun Zan, Lu Bu, Zhang Yang, Sun Jian, etc. However, except Liu Bei, none of them could be recognized by scholars.

Although Gongsun Zan had the support of the Luoyang Hou family and was a disciple of Lu Zhi, he was not recognized by the scholars. After taking power, Gongsun Zan turned around and excluded the Youzhou scholars, breaking away from them.

Although Lu Bu was supported by the Yanzhou scholars, their essence was to use him rather than truly support him.

Listening to Huo Jun's story, Ding Feng could not help but exclaim, "The late emperor was able to accomplish great things. He was truly an extraordinary person!"

Huo Jun pointed out Ding Feng and said with a smile: "If Chengyuan wants to pass on wealth and honor to his family, he should treat Zheng Xiaotong well. If you can let your sons and nephews learn Zheng's teachings, the Ding family will be prominent since you are here!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Governor!" Ding Feng was delighted and thanked him.

Since the Han Dynasty, Confucian classics have evolved into Old Text Confucianism and Modern Text Confucianism, and the two have been in endless conflict. Confucian scholars have formed academic cliques to monopolize knowledge, and then monopolize official positions and cultivate scholars and old officials.

The greatness of Zheng Xuan lies in the fact that he integrated ancient and modern Confucian classics with modern Confucian classics, established a systematic Confucian classics theory, and broke the barriers between academic cliques. From then on, the various surnames could no longer monopolize Confucian classics, and thus fell into decline.

As the ruler of Southern Han, Huo Jun was very clear that it was a historical trend for Zheng's school of thought to become the mainstream doctrine, and he and Zhuge Liang were also happy to promote it. Because only by making Zheng's school of thought the mainstream can more children of ordinary people stand out through studying classics, rather than letting the various clans monopolize knowledge.

The great families formed by military merit groups have existed in all dynasties, and this is inevitable. However, the great families formed by monopolizing knowledge and learning have now become a cancer in China and are destined to be eliminated by history. Both the Han and Wei dynasties secretly cracked down on the scholarly families.

While Huo Jun was chatting with Ding Feng, Jiang Ji came late from behind.

Jiang Ji bowed and said, "I am here to see the governor. I met refugees fleeing their hometown on the way. I tried to persuade them to return home, so I had to delay my journey!"

"Why did the refugees flee their hometown? Is it because of the war?" Huo Jun asked.

Jiang Ji hesitated for a moment and said, "Sun Quan treated the people harshly. Now the people have heard that Sun Quan's army was defeated. They are afraid that our army will be more powerful than Sun Quan's. So they want to flee to the mountains to avoid the war."

Then Jiang Ji asked, "Commander-in-chief, how is the battle going now?"

Huo Jun pointed to the surroundings and said, "Last night we pursued him all night long. Sun Quan abandoned two camps and fled to Anqiu. Pang De led his cavalry in pursuit, but they were blocked by the Wen River and returned without success. Fortunately, the rest of Sun Quan's troops surrendered, and even their baggage and books were all used by our army."

Jiang Ji stroked his beard and thought, and said: "Sun Quan led the cavalry to flee far away, and he must have fled to Linzi, Qi County, defending the strong city inside and attracting reinforcements outside. Now that Qingzhou has not been taken, the commander-in-chief must not relax and must pursue the victory."

After a pause, Jiang Ji said, "From Ju County to Linzi, there are five counties, namely Qi, Le'an, Beihai, Donglai, and Chengyang. Although our army occupies half of Qi, the people are not loyal to us. If there is any change, we will not be able to control the counties!"

"In Ji's opinion, we should select Qingzhou scholars from the country to serve in the county, such as Beihai Shiyi, Teng Yin, Donglai Guan Cheng, Taishi Heng, etc. Or we can promote local celebrities to serve as officials to calm the people's hearts in the counties."

Huo Jun nodded slightly and said, "Our army has come a long way to Qiqing, and the food route is long and narrow, making it difficult to supply them all the time. The best strategy now is to recruit those who were originally from Qingzhou and bring them back to serve as officials."

"I heard that there are many Lius in Qingzhou. Now we can use the name of the Han Dynasty to appease the Lius in the counties and ask them to provide food. At present, our army has captured Zheng Xuan's grandson Zheng Xiaotong. Now we can let Zheng Xiaotong recruit rural men and women for the Han Dynasty."

Thanks to Liu Bang's granting of Guandong to the Liu clan, the Liu clan in Qi had the most princes, so the Liu clan was the most common among the Qingqi clans. Although most of them were descendants of the emperors of the Western Han Dynasty, one stroke could not write two Lius, but at least they could unite the Liu clans by reviving the Han Dynasty.

Jiang Ji smiled and said, "Yesterday Hu Zhi told me that Zheng Xiaotong was recruited by Sun Quan. I came here to ask about his whereabouts. Now that he has been captured by our army, we can appoint him as the chief clerk of the Qingzhou governor to assist Xu Qingzhou."

Huo Jun paced and said, "Given the current situation, we can appoint Han officials from Qing and Xu as chief officials, and the surrendered people and local celebrities as assistant officials to help our army stabilize Qing and Qi as soon as possible."

"promise!"

(End of this chapter)