I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 588 The outlet
Yuan Wei said so, but in fact, Yuan Yin’s actions could not be hidden from Yuan Shu at all.

When Yuan Shu learned that Yuan Yin had taken the initiative to find Xu Huang and increased investment in the Western Regions, he was scolding Yuan Yao.

After many days, Yuan Yao's intentional troublemaking outside the inner city of Luoyang finally escaped his notice. Yuan Shu was absolutely furious at Yuan Yao's actions - "You said you were not ambitious, and I don't ask you to be like Zhuge Kongming, but you can't even be a good playboy?"

"Thinking back to the days when your father was a knight-errant, you were not even born yet! At that time, how many people in the world were not afraid of me? Look at you, you are not even one tenth as good as I was back then!"

Yuan Yao felt that his concession had disappointed his father, and he immediately said, "Don't worry, father. Next time I meet Zhuge Kongming, I will never give in!"

"Will you do it next time?" Yuan Shu raised his voice.

Just when Yuan Yao thought he was going to face the storm, a savior finally arrived. A servant informed him of what Yuan Yin had done.

This left Yuan Shu with no time to care about Yuan Yao.

In fact, after initially learning about the subsequent movements of the kings, Yuan Shu did not regret much, except that he felt that he was a bit impulsive in meeting the emperor directly. In his opinion, these were two different things!
Of course, Yuan Shu’s body was very honest and he quickly sent his servants to contact Xu Huang.

Then, Yuan Shu fell into self-doubt - Your Majesty would not blame him, right?

Well, if you don't try to be tough, he still regrets it.

By the time Yuan Shu came to his senses, Yuan Yao had already taken the opportunity to slip away.

At the same time, Yang Biao, who had been promoted from one of the Three Dukes to the Minister of the Court, also noticed this move.

As for the Western Region trade route, Yang Biao participated in it later than Yuan Wei. Although he entered the industry slowly, he also invested less!

But he still sensed some clues from the actions of Yuan Wei and Yuan Shu - although the Yuan family had already split up, they were still preparing to send clan disciples to the Western Regions.

In the past, the idea of ​​the Yang family splitting up was ignored, but this incident reminded Yang Biao of the past.

After thinking about it, Yang Biao sent someone to call Yang Xiu and asked for his son's opinion.

Yang Xiu answered without hesitation: "Father, are you still hesitating?"

"The Yuan clan branch has sent so many people. The strength of my Yang clan should at least be stronger than that of the two Yuan clans after the branch, right?"

Yang Biao was getting angry when he saw Yang Xiu's arrogant look. The population of Hongnong County was much smaller than that of Runan County, and the number of slaves controlled by the Yang family could not be compared with that of the Yuan family.

He rebuked her, "Do you think these money and servants just fell from the sky for nothing? They have been accumulated over many years, and you gave them all away with just one word?"

When Yang Xiu heard this, he explained helplessly, "We are just sending people from Hongnong to the Western Regions. As long as we select some young men from the clan to go with us like the Yuan family did, then these slaves will no longer be our slaves if we leave the Western Regions?"

"That's not necessarily true. You don't know the situation in the Western Regions..." Yang Biao was explaining, but was interrupted by Yang Xiu.

"The problem now is not just about slaves. Didn't father see that a long time ago? Your Majesty has been promoting the test-taking method since his early years. In addition to being fair, isn't it because he is dissatisfied with the method of recommending and appointing students and former officials to office? He is also dissatisfied with the family selection. It is better to do what the emperor wants now than to disobey him." Yang Xiu emphasized.

"And father, don't forget that the Yuan family has produced Yuan Ji and Yuan Shao, and most of its members are still safe and sound. Moreover, after the division, the power remains the same. Who would believe that this is not due to the fact that Yuan Kui and Yuan Shu have always followed Your Majesty's wishes?"

"Therefore, even if this matter is harmful at the moment, in the long run it will still be more beneficial than harmful, and we must do it!" Yang Xiu said firmly.

After hearing this, Yang Biao was silent for a while. He realized that his son had gradually grown up after experiencing many things in recent years.

But... Yang Biao suddenly asked: "Were you yelling at me just now?"

Yang Xiu: ...

Is it too late for him to apologize now?

On the other hand, Xu Huang, the Protector General of the Western Regions, who had not yet gone to the Western Regions to take up his post, was facing a situation he had not anticipated.

At first he only wanted to target the merchants and didn't intend to target the wealthy families standing behind the merchants. However, looking at the people who came to visit him in droves, Xu Huang smiled knowing their purpose.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a man standing in the front row. Xu Huang recognized the man. At first he thought he was just a businessman, but he didn't expect that he was actually a servant of the Minister of Justice Yuan Shu.

At this moment, this person was no longer the humble and submissive person he was before, but was actually arrogant. His face and eyes were filled with passion. "Mr. Xu, I am here to apologize on the orders of the head of the family!"

Xu Huang was secretly delighted. Thinking of the gathering of the kings and members of the Liu clan in Luoyang, he felt that the administration of the Western Regions was within his grasp.

With such a foundation, if he fails to do well, he will never have the face to return to Luoyang.

Yuntai Hall.

Liu Bian listened to Xu Huang's report. Xu Huang alone had gathered nearly 15,000 people who could be taken to the Western Regions. Although these people were generally slaves and had families with them, when they arrived in the Western Regions, the male slaves would have to receive military training in case of emergency. Who would care if they were slaves or not in the army? If they had the opportunity to make another contribution and get rid of their slave status, they would have a promising future.

But at the same time, the labels on these slaves determined that in the future they would not only be controlled by the Western Regions Protectorate, but also by their masters.

However, Xu Huang was famous for his military management, with the style of Zhou Yafu. Liu Bian believed that Xu Huang could handle these things well and prevent these quasi-garrison soldiers who were born as slaves from becoming private soldiers.

When Liu Bian looked at the list submitted by Xu Huang, he found that almost all the powerful families who participated in the Western Regions trade route led by Mi Fang were on it.

At present, facing the strong imperial power, these powerful families remain as flexible as ever.

It is also true that those who were able to keep up with Liu Bian's pace and actively participate in the Silk Road were willing to take the initiative to approach Liu Bian. It would be strange if they were not so flexible!

……

Just when Luoyang was bustling with activity, Guan Yu had already set off.

They were accompanied by Pang Tong, Shi Tao and Meng Jian. However, they did not become Zhang Fei's subordinates because they accepted Zhang Fei's call for appointment. Instead, they were appointed by the imperial court and served as county heads of Shuofang and Beidi counties respectively.

But not long after setting off, the two sides separated.

Although Shuofang and Beidi counties are connected by the Yellow River, to travel between the two places, Zhang Fei has to go to Zuofengyi, while Guan Yu has to go through Bingzhou.

As the day progressed, Guan Yu had already set up camp in the wild with his men. After giving instructions to the soldiers specially selected from the Northern Army, before going to bed, Guan Yu decided to go and see the prisoners who were about to go to Shuofang County. After all, only a few of them were able to be accompanied by their families, and the entire group of prisoners was filled with a confused and depressing atmosphere.

When Guan Yu arrived, he found that someone was already there.

He signaled the soldiers who were preparing to report the news to be quiet, and he quietly approached.

As he got closer, he heard Zhou Yu's instructions to the soldiers and clerks who were guarding the prisoners: "Punishment must be used with caution. Prisoners are also human beings. They have not committed a capital crime. Remember, if I find anyone deliberately mistreating prisoners again, I will report it to the governor and punish them severely!"

After giving a severe reprimand, Zhou Yu noticed something wrong from the expressions of the soldiers. Looking back, he saw Guan Yu coming.

He bowed quickly and said, "Greetings, Lord!"

Guan Yu had understood some of what he had just heard, and immediately stressed to the soldiers and clerks: "What the Chief Clerk said is what I said, you must remember it in your heart!"

After everyone had dispersed, Guan Yu asked Zhou Yu about the situation.

Afterwards, he was led by Zhou Yu to a couch that looked specially decorated, where a pale-faced man was lying.

Seeing Zhou Yu coming with Guan Yu, the man was shocked and was about to struggle to salute in order to avoid being blamed and thus incurring a heavier punishment.

"Lie still! Your injuries are deep in your lungs. Didn't the doctor tell you not to move?"

After hearing Zhou Yu's order, the man stopped moving.

Guan Yu, who followed Zhou Yu, could already tell that there was something wrong with the man's bones before Zhou Yu introduced him. He asked, "Is it because of torture or something else?"

Although Zhou Yu was somewhat surprised that Guan Yu saw the problem at a glance, he did not take the opportunity to flatter him. Instead, he said truthfully, "I only discovered today that he was tortured. He had been injured while serving in the army. When it was his turn to cook today, he accidentally touched the old injury and accidentally knocked over some pancakes. The official in charge of him did not understand why and beat him again, adding insult to injury."

Zhou Yu said: "I didn't expect that prisoners were often treated harshly while serving their sentences. The officials and clerks who used prisoners had no regard for their lives at all..."

As he was speaking, he suddenly stopped talking because Zhou Yu saw Guan Yu personally step forward to examine the wounds on the prisoner's body.

Guan Yu was a martial artist after all, so he had some understanding of treating injuries from falls. However, after looking at the prisoner's body, he could only sigh: "The initial injury to the bones was not corrected in time, and now this injury will probably follow him for the rest of his life."

The prisoner he was examining was trembling with fear and dared not speak. When he heard Guan Yu say this again, he thought Guan Yu was going to give up on him and leave him to fend for himself. After all, the entire team could not wait for him alone, and his current physical condition could not keep up with the team. He was filled with despair.

"Free up a donkey cart and take him there tomorrow," Guan Yu ordered.

Hearing these heavenly words, the originally desperate eyes were suddenly filled with hope.

Zhou Yu actually had this plan in mind, but after hearing what Guan Yu said, he did not take credit for it, but just said, "Yes."

"Are there many prisoners like this among the accompanying prisoners?" Guan Yu asked again.

Zhou Yu replied: "It is better for the younger ones to serve a shorter prison term, but..."

The life of a prisoner is not a life.

Guan Yu suddenly thought that the role these prisoners could play in Shuofang County might not be as good as originally expected.

Finally, he ordered: "Let the doctors accompanying the army take a look at the prisoners and count their exact number."

"Guangyuan and Gongwei have already taken doctors to do it, but the number of doctors is limited after all. We need to wait a few days to get the results."

Guan Yu was originally a little puzzled as to why he had not seen Shi Tao and Meng Jian, but after hearing what Zhou Yu said, he realized that the two had already gone to do something.

At this time, Guan Yu suddenly realized something, looked at Zhou Yu seriously, and his trust in Zhou Yu's ability increased a little more.

With Zhou Yu handling internal affairs, he was able to focus more on external affairs after arriving in Shuofang County.

A month later, in the howling cold wind, they finally arrived at the long-abandoned Shuofang County.

Beside some ditches that were also abandoned long ago, there are still traces left by the Han people from dozens or hundreds of years ago.

These were obviously not enough to protect the soldiers and prisoners from the wind and snow, but since they dared to arrive here before the winter came, they must have the confidence.

In addition to sufficient food and honeycomb coal, the felt tents from Bingzhou used by the Huns for wintering were also their confidence.

Before the earth is completely frozen, they must rebuild a strong city that can withstand wind, snow and foreign enemies on the ruins of the former Han city. This will be their starting point in Shuofang County.

However, after arriving in Shuofang County, Guan Yu did not interfere in these matters, but handed over almost full authority to Zhou Yu, Shi Tao and Meng Jian.

He himself and his cavalry patrolled the vicinity of the future city. Soon, he saw the camp of a group of Xianbei people.

There were not many Xianbei people. According to Guan Yu's understanding of the Xianbei people, a Xianbei tent was similar to a Han Chinese household, and their tent was the Han Chinese house. This tribe seemed to have only a hundred tents. Even if the population of each Xianbei tent was larger, the population of this tribe would not exceed a thousand.

At this time, the people in the Xianbei camp also discovered Guan Yu, and several of them immediately rode on horseback to meet him, without even bringing weapons.

When they were still some distance away from Guan Yu, several people dismounted, led their horses and ran over. As soon as they got close, they knelt on the ground.

Guan Yu understood at a glance that this was the Xianbei tribe that had been frightened and chose to surrender. He immediately asked about the specific situation and then learned that this small tribe originally belonged to a town of the Qifu tribe. Its young leader was named Shengde. After the defeat of the Qifu tribe, in order to continue living in Shuofang County, he surrendered without any psychological burden.

However, their population was even smaller than Guan Yu had expected, with only about 700 women and children in total.

Now that winter is approaching, they are taking this opportunity to stock up on straw for the winter while looking for a suitable and safe place to spend the winter.

Guan Yu symbolically accepted the smallest gift from Shengde, a pika fur, and was then invited by the enthusiastic Shengde to visit his tent.

Shengde knew that Guan Yu had to continue patrolling the surrounding area, so he introduced a trapped man to Guan Yu as a guide.

After discovering that Shengde's army had fewer able-bodied men, Guan Yu said before leaving: "I intend to build a new city 20 miles to the east. If you can't find a good place to spend the winter, you can go there to find me. At least I can protect your safety!"

(End of this chapter)