I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 538: General of the Western Expedition
After solving the trouble caused by Lu Bu, Liu Bian had no plan to rest, but ordered someone to summon Cao Song, the Shizhong and the Commander-in-Chief of Junshu.

He finished the work in one go, and when Cao Song left with an important task, Liu Bian had almost finished processing the documents on the desk, and it was time to take a break...

At this time, a eunuch suddenly came to report: "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother sent someone to ask Your Majesty if you have dealt with state affairs. Please come to the banquet."

Liu Bian immediately said, "Go and tell the Queen Mother that I am busy with state affairs and I will handle them by candlelight today, so I will not attend the banquet."

The fact that Liu Bian had encountered an assassin was eventually known to the harem, and the result - which was actually nothing - was just that he had been resting in the Yuntai Palace for the past few days.

It’s not that Liu Bian doesn’t want to go to his harem... The others are easy to deal with, but Empress Dowager Dong and Empress Dowager He are really angry this time.

Filial piety comes first, so Liu Bian can only coax his son.

Originally, Cai Yan, Tang Wan, and Dong Heng could help Liu Bian appease the two queen dowagers, but now they are unwilling to help.

So Liu Bian was forced to work hard.

At least the two empress dowagers will not come to the East Palace, but it is not certain about other places.

After sending a eunuch to the Secretariat to ask if there were any documents to be processed, Liu Bian continued to think about the matter of "borrowing grain".

We have already borrowed grain at interest, so how far is the national debt from us?

But considering that the Han Dynasty was not short of money to the point where it needed to sell national bonds, and that national bonds in this era would only undermine public morale and lose the dignity of the court, Liu Bian only regarded him as a backup option.

I'll tell you later when I need it.

On the other hand, after meeting the emperor, Cao Song immediately went to the government office and commanded his officials.

Having served as the Equalization of Transport Order for so many years, Cao Song knew exactly which counties in the world had money and grain and which were willing to lend grain, but he knew those with large scale very well.

But everything has its priorities. The imperial army is not like the rebels who can plunder on the spot. The emperor is generous in rewarding the army, and the other side of this is that he values ​​military discipline. Once the imperial army can get food on the spot and worry less about the food route, not only can the troops guarding the food route be deployed on the front line, but the speed of the army can also be improved.

This is a good thing that can enhance the combat effectiveness of the army.

Currently, the army to suppress the rebellion is divided into five routes, led by Huangfu Song. But the person Cao Song values ​​the most is of course his good son, General Cao Cao, who is responsible for the Western Expedition.

Before assigning tasks, Cao Song asked: "Things have their priorities. In your opinion, which one should be prioritized?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a clerk said, "Minister, I personally think that the General of Chariots and Cavalry is in charge of the entire army, so he should be given priority in supplies. After that, it should be the General of the Western Expedition. I heard that the General of the Western Expedition is in the northern part of Jizhou, and it is inconvenient to supply food there..."

After hearing this, Cao Song was quite interested. It would naturally be a good thing if Cao Cao could achieve more military merits because of this.

"Minister, I think this is not possible!"

Cao Song looked and saw that the person who opposed was his subordinate, named Lu Su, who was a very talented man.

Cao Song still attached great importance to the opinions of such people, which was inherited from his father. Therefore, Cao Song did not feel dissatisfied with Lu Su because of his opposition to his opinion. Instead, he asked, "Zi Jing, please tell me more."

Lu Su bowed to Cao Song and said, "I think this move is to ease the trouble of grain transportation, so we should focus on where there is a shortage of grain."

The clerk interrupted and retorted, "Isn't this the same as what I just said? Bingzhou is bitterly cold and lacks grain supply..." Lu Su was interrupted, but he did not show any anger on his face, and continued to explain, "Bingzhou is short of grain, but it does not mean that the General of the Western Expedition is short of grain. The Minister should know that the military supplies used by the General of the Northern Expedition are transported from Youzhou to Qingzhou."

Hearing this, Cao Song immediately understood what Lu Su meant.

If Guan Yu could be supplied locally, then the military supplies originally supplied to Guan Yu by Youzhou could be transferred to Cao Cao who was closer to Youzhou.

This has to do with the progress of the army's suppression of the rebellion. To the south of Luoyang, Nanyang County in Jingzhou has a large territory and a large population. After General Sun Jian, the General of the Eastern Expedition, led his army out of Guanzhong, he has been suppressing the rebellion here. At this time, there is already some spare strength to support Yuzhou in the east.

To the southeast of Luoyang and to the east of Sun Jian, General Huang Zhong, the General of the Southern Expedition, was leading his troops and fighting in Ru'nan County, Yuzhou and other places.

To the east of Luoyang and northeast of Huang Zhong is Huangfu Song, who is advancing all the way. There is Yanzhou, and Huangfu Song's next target is Xuzhou.

Jizhou, northeast of Luoyang and north of Yanzhou, was where Guan Yu, who had fought in Bohai County, did not stay. Instead, he left the remaining counties and kingdoms to Cao Cao who came from Bingzhou.

As for Guan Yu, he had already led his troops into Qingzhou, further east of Luoyang, and successfully joined forces with Qingzhou Governor Chen Ji.

In other words, the person who needed to solve the logistical problem the most was Guan Yu, who was farthest away from Luoyang, the largest grain transportation center, followed by Huangfu Song and Huang Zhong.

As for Cao Cao, although he is a little far away, as long as Guan Yu's problem is solved, Youzhou, which has become prosperous under Liu Yu's governance, will be able to provide him with sufficient supplies.

After listening to Lu Su's explanation, Cao Song, who was already very clear about the business conditions in various states and counties, immediately understood how to deploy manpower.

Moreover, he still has two families available in Jizhou and Xuzhou.

Jizhou. Cao Cao has been feeling emotional ever since he set foot on the land of Jizhou.

"Miaocai, do you think that this General who led the army eastward can still be called the General who conquered the West?"

"Yes, of course!"

Xiahou Yuan looked at Cao Cao, who looked like he deserved a beating, and uttered these few words through gritted teeth.

He had already forgotten how many times Cao Cao had boasted about his title of General of the Western Expedition. He knew that this was Cao Cao's ambition when he was young, but even if it was achieved, he wouldn't be so proud, right?

Cao Cao laughed again.

Although he was the General of the Western Expedition who marched eastward, who says a General of the Western Expedition cannot march eastward? However, this can be regarded as a small regret for General Cao Cao.

Cao Cao led his army under the banner of General Zhengxi and stayed in Bingzhou for a long time. He was used to the mixed distribution of Hu and Han people. Now that he arrived in Hebei, he saw a completely different scene. It was a pity that some people did not cherish this beautiful land and wanted to destroy it.

Seeing the farmland appearing in front of him, Cao Cao ordered: "Pass the order down, no matter whether people or horses are allowed to trample on the farmland, those who violate the order will be punished by military law!"

Seeing the messenger delivering the order, Xiahou Yuan asked, "The wheat in the fields has been harvested, but the soybeans haven't sprouted yet. It shouldn't hurt to tread on them occasionally. At most, we can leave some civilians to help loosen the soil. This way, the army can march faster."

Cao Cao shook his head and said, "No, I was ordered to come here to quell the rebellion, not only to destroy the rebels, but also to appease the people."

(End of this chapter)