Three Kingdoms: Heir of Wolong, my father-in-law is Guan Gong

The information deliberately spread by Zhuge Qiao quickly spread among the pseudo-Wei army.

Ordinary soldiers do not understand "strategy and tactics".

Although Liu Bei's capture of Yingchuan was only a strategic advantage for the entire Pseudo-Wei, for ordinary Pseudo-Wei soldiers:

After Yingchuan was lost, the Han army marched straight to attack Yanzhou.

If I continue to stay in Hefei, I may not be able to return to Yanzhou.

Most of Sima Yi's soldiers were drawn from Yanzhou.

When this rumor spread, the army's morale was thrown into chaos again.

See this.

Sima Yi did not issue a tough gag order, but instead responded by sending people to spread the news in the army.

The content of the message was: "Cao Rui personally led the army, and the left general Zhang He and the general Cao Zhen led their troops into Yanzhou."

Although Sima Yi did not know the specific movements of Cao Rui, Zhang He and Cao Zhen, Sima Yi was able to deduce the current situation.

Based on his understanding of Cao Rui, Sima Yi asserted that Cao Rui would definitely lead the army in person.

Only by leading the army in person can we stop Liu Bei's Northern Expedition.

Although the hedging of rumors did not completely eliminate the soldiers' panic, it allowed Sima Yi to stabilize the morale of the army in the shortest time.

"Zhongda, Zhuge Qiao is deliberately avoiding the battle. He wants to wait for Your Majesty to fight Liu Bei and decide the outcome." Man Chong was worried and understood Zhuge Qiao's intention of avoiding the battle in Hefei.

Sima Yi frowned.

What Man Chong could think of, Sima Yi could also think of.

"I wanted to take advantage of my large number of soldiers and generals to defeat Zhuge Qiao in one fell swoop."

"I never thought that Zhuge Qiao, who always likes to attack, would choose to be a coward this time."

"They have the advantage of warships, and they are standing on the water, not afraid of me stealing their food and grass."

"It's difficult to command 100,000 soldiers and civilians without leaking anything!"

Sima Yi regretted coming to Hefei.

If I had known this would happen, I would have divided my troops and sent them to Yingchuan.

however.

There is no medicine for regret in this world.

No matter how brilliant Sima Yi's analysis was afterwards, it was still "hindsight".

While pondering.

Man Chong suggested: "Why not secretly divide our forces to seize Jiangxia. If we take Jiangxia, Liu Bei and Zhuge Qiao will be shocked."

Sima Yi shook his head: "Zhuge Qiao has been operating in Jingzhou for many years, and most of the local aristocratic families and powerful people support the pseudo-Han."

"If we send too many soldiers, they will be easily detected; if we send too few soldiers, we may not be able to achieve the effect of a surprise attack."

"Based on my understanding of Zhuge Qiao, he would not be frightened even if we really took Jiangxia. Instead, he would look for an opportunity to seize Hefei and Shouchun."

Man Chong frowned and sighed, "In this case, we can only waste time here with Zhuge Qiao and wait for Your Majesty to decide the outcome with Liu Bei!"

If they were to face off in a head-on battle, Sima Yi and Man Chong were confident that they would not lose to Zhuge Qiao.

However, after Zhuge Qiao lured out Sima Yi and Man Chong's troops, he avoided the battle.

Did the “ferocity” in the attack on Hefei a few days ago just disappear?
Sima Yi and Man Chong were feeling depressed, but Zhuge Qiao was feeling relaxed and at ease in the camp.

Not only that.

Zhuge Qiao still had the leisure to play chess with Dong Hui.

Compared with Fei Yi and Dong Yun, Zhuge Qiao had a higher opinion of the younger Dong Hui and admired him more.

Zhuge Qiao did not think that Fei Yi and Dong Yun were incompetent, but that Dong Hui was more down-to-earth.

in short.

Fei Yi and Dong Yun were descendants of officials. They had the support of their fathers, started from a high point, and lacked understanding of the lower classes.

Dong Hui is different.

First, he followed Guan Yu to gain experience in the army, then he followed Zhao Lei to gain experience in Jiangxia, and now he follows Zhuge Qiao to gain experience in Jiangdong and Huainan.

Although he started from a low point, he had sufficient understanding of the grassroots, was eloquent, and had good moral character, which Zhuge Qiao admired very much.

The chess room.

Zhuge Qiao Luozi asked: "Xiu Xu, you have been in Jiangdong for a long time, do you have any insights into the people's sentiments in Jiangdong?"

Seeing that Zhuge Qiao's words were testing, Dong Hui pondered for a moment and said, "Scholars value reputation but neglect practical work, and there are many who are indifferent to the people's difficulties."

Zhuge Qiao chuckled: "If scholars do not value reputation, then they have nothing to pursue; they neglect practical affairs and ignore the people, which is a problem."

"If Xiu Xu were the governor of Yangzhou, how would he govern?"

Dong Hui said quickly: "I am not very talented and well-educated, so I dare not aspire to be a governor."

Zhuge Qiao waved his hand: "It's just a hypothesis. I'm not really asking you to go. Haven't you ever thought about how to keep the people attached to you if you were in power?"

Dong Hui said sincerely: "I have thought about it, but it is mostly the opinion of a scholar."

Zhuge Qiao laughed: "The scholar's opinion may not be unfeasible. Let's hear it."

Dong Hui was moved: "I think that to govern Jiangdong, one must be humble in receiving scholars, frugal in making ends meet, govern in a clean and peaceful manner, and comfort the old and the new."

Zhuge Qiao Nianzi said: "To put it simply, it means not to offend anyone and to be stable."

Dong Hui said: "The world is in chaos and the country is divided. If Jiangdong is not stable, the Han Dynasty will not be able to concentrate on the Northern Expedition."

"Although I also want to reform and eliminate corruption, for the sake of the great cause of the Han Dynasty, a stable Jiangdong is definitely more suitable."

Zhuge Qiao asked again: "Xiu Xu, do you know why Qin Shihuang dared to implement 'the same writing system, the same wheel gauge, the same system, the same customs, and the same territory'?"

Dong Hui hesitated and said, "I think that Qin Shi Huang had the military power to destroy the six kingdoms, so he could use force to reform and eliminate the evils."

"But this move was too brutal. After the death of Qin Shi Huang, anti-Qin forces emerged one after another."

"Too much is as bad as too little, that's the truth."

Zhuge Qiao shook his head: "I have different ideas from Xiu Xu."

"To deal with ignorant people, it is useless to reason with them. The only way is to beat them into submission with your fists."

"Confucius said: If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die in the evening. If you don't accept it, just fight. It's that simple."

Dong Hui was stunned.

If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die in the evening. Is this what it means?

Seeing Dong Hui's astonishment, Zhuge Qiao approached and said, "Xiu Xu, if I let you be the governor of Yangzhou, would you be willing to be a little rough with the people of Yangzhou?"

Dong Hui thought without hesitation: "How rude?"

Zhuge Qiao raised three fingers: "It's very simple."

"First, the Yangzhou Governor's Office will invest in building a state-owned workshop and recruit workers to work there. All proceeds will belong to the Yangzhou Governor's Office."

"Second, abolish the recommendation system. I will give you a new talent selection system, which I call the imperial examination. You will be responsible for its implementation."

"Third, Yangzhou does not allow the existence of tenant farmers, labor servants, slaves and other slaves. Those who violate this rule will be regarded as traitors to the Han Dynasty."

Dong Hui was so shocked that he dropped the chess piece in his hand, and his tone was even more horrified: "General, General, are you going to provoke a civil uprising in Jiangdong?"

The first state-owned workshop did not have any major problems.

Workshop.

There is not much difference between private individuals and the state.

Anyway, it was Zhuge Qiao who ordered the construction, and few people dared to interfere with him.

The second and third ones are directly aimed at the lives of the scholars in Jiangdong!

Especially the third article, which does not allow the existence of slaves such as tenant farmers, labor servants, and maids?

The last person who dared to do this was Wang Mang.

Then, Wang Mang died.

"Don't think too much."

Zhuge Qiao waved his hand and didn't take it seriously.

"They dare to start a civil uprising?"

"If they dare to revolt, I will directly raid their houses."

"As long as Sun Quan is alive, all civil uprisings will be considered Sun Quan's remnants."

Dong Hui was surprised and asked, "General, isn't this too much? It will damage your reputation." Zhuge Qiao sneered, "My reputation was earned through hard work, not by a bunch of scholars flattering me."

"If they are not convinced, just go to the Pseudo-Wei."

"I believe that the Pseudo-Wei will be happy to accept them."

"Huh?" Dong Hui realized the key point: "General, do you want them to leave Yangzhou?"

Zhuge Qiao said: "As long as they go to the Pseudo-Wei, they will be its people."

"Why should I take it seriously if the fake Wei people want to slander me?"

"What I want is for the middle and lower class people in Yangzhou to support these three policies!"

"Upper level? I don't care whether he lives or dies!"

Dong Hui frowned: "But if this happens, will the people in Jingzhou, Yizhou, Guanzhong and other places also panic?"

Zhuge Qiao laughed: "We're going to attack them as soon as they show up. Are you afraid they'll panic?"

"When it comes to the use of troops, who dares to show off his skills in front of me?"

"In terms of economy, without the civilian machinery I promoted, they wouldn't be able to earn the money and food they do now."

"In terms of popular support, I am different from Wang Mang. I am truly providing benefits to the middle and lower classes."

"Speaking of power struggles, I very much hope that someone will impeach me in front of His Majesty!"

"With my current status, position, power, and wealth in the Han Dynasty, this is the only way they can deal with me."

"Only: assassination!"

"Even so, if someone really wants to assassinate me, there are many people who will help me get rid of the assassin."

Zhuge Qiao had the arrogance to say this.

In today's Han Dynasty, who dares to really touch Zhuge Qiao?
It's not just about power and position, it's also about interests.

For example, Mi Fang.

If one hears that Zhuge Qiao is a threat, the first thing he would do is to jump up and down: cutting off someone's financial resources is like killing his parents.

Assassinating Zhuge Qiao is equivalent to cutting off the financial resources of the newly emerging class like Mi Fang.

Zhuge Qiao asked again: "Xiu Xu, you are also from Jingzhou, have you ever heard of Xu Ziyuan from Nanyang?"

Dong Hui nodded: "Of course I heard it."

Zhuge Qiao leaned closer and said, "Xu Ziyuan assassinated Emperor Ling, but he was still able to be a guest of honor in front of Yuan Shao."

"If Yuan Shao had not been old and senile, and Xu Ziyuan had not been so arrogant, they would not have ended up with their heads and bodies separated."

"As long as I'm here, what are you afraid of?"

"If the situation is really out of control, I can dismiss you from your position and then submit a petition to apologize."

"But if you succeed, your contribution to the Han Dynasty will be no less than that of the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai."

Dong Hui also figured it out at this moment.

Zhuge Qiao wants to use Yangzhou to pilot the new policy.

Although the risk is great, the benefits are also great.

The new policy failed, and Zhuge Qiao was able to not only protect Dong Hui but also not suffer severe punishment.

But if the new policy is successful, the benefits to the Han Dynasty will far outweigh the disadvantages.

It is true that Wang Mang failed, but Dong Hui was deeply impressed by the purpose of Wang Mang's reform.

Land annexation was too serious, and a large number of slaves were seized by wealthy and powerful families. The country could not only collect taxes but also had to bear the crime of exploiting the people.

Zhuge Qiao is trying to use Jiangdong to pry open the hidden danger of land annexation!
In the following time, Zhuge Qiao talked with Dong Hui about many theories related to land reform and specific implementation methods.

If there is no soil for implementing land reform, then try to create the soil.

Zhuge Qiao did not want the fruits of the revival of the Han Dynasty to be stolen by local powerful families, and then the Han Dynasty would become weak again after the death of Liu Bei and Liu Chan.

Then it evolved into a time of chaos among the aristocratic families, and the Han people became the sinners.

If it really gets to the point where it has to be suppressed by force, Zhuge Qiao wouldn't mind following Zhu Yuanzhang's example and carrying out a major purge.

In a military sense.

Zhuge Qiao also hoped to drive this group of people to the Pseudo-Wei, so that he would have a legitimate reason to carry out a purge.

Whether it was Liu Bei and Cao Rui, or Zhuge Qiao and Sima Yi, the war between the two sides was at a stalemate.

Liu Bei attacked and Cao Rui defended; Sima Yi attacked and Zhuge Qiao defended.

The chaos created by Zhuge Qiao with the help of Dong Hui in Jiangdong gradually had an effect.

The newly appointed governor of Yangzhou, Dong Hui, made three major moves upon taking office and implemented drastic reforms.

The local gentry in Lujiang County, Danyang County and Wu County hated Dong Hui to the core.

All of a sudden.

A large number of rebels appeared in the three counties.

Almost all of them were local gentry who were unwilling to support the new policies.

These local gentry relied on their own clan barriers and refused to support the new policy.

Dong Hui was also unambiguous.

Most of the great noble families in the three counties were relocated by Zhuge Ke, and the remaining small noble families could not make much of a difference.

Dong Hui recruited 500 warriors and captured more than ten fortresses within a month. He designed a plan to lure and kill ten leaders, captured more than 10,000 households of tenant farmers, servants and other slaves, and more than a thousand soldiers from wealthy families.

The remaining local gentry either surrendered or fled, and did not dare to confront the "madman" Dong Hui head-on.

Less than two months.

Dong Hui took in nearly 20,000 households and ordered them to return to the fields.

Upon hearing the news, many local nobles and powerful families fled to Huainan and sought refuge from Sima Yi.

This abnormal change made Sima Yi extremely surprised and suspicious.

"Is Zhuge Qiao digging his own foundation?"

"Won't he appease these nobles?"

"There must be a trick here!"

"Strictly investigate the identities of these people who have fled north. It is better to kill the wrong ones than to let them go!"

Sima Yi's first reaction was that Zhuge Qiao was using tricks again.

As for the information about "imperial examinations", "state-owned enterprises", "no slaves allowed", etc., Sima Yi did not believe it at all.

Sima Yi believed that Zhuge Qiao wanted to use these people who fled north to carry out a clever plan.

after all.

When he was in Guanzhong, Zhuge Qiao often used some incomprehensible tricks.

It was a pity that these Jiangdong nobles were forced to flee north by Dong Hui in Jiangdong. When they came under Sima Yi's command, they had to face the fate of "rather kill the wrong ones than let them go".

Sima Yi is not a good man at all!
Especially at this time of military conflict, who would dare to believe that there were no spies of Zhuge Qiao among these soldiers and civilians fleeing north?

Sima Yi's "harshness" towards the scholars and civilians who fled north made those who had not yet fled north feel fearful.

Opposing the policy means death, fleeing to the north also means death, so it is better to just give in.

"Sima Yi's move really surprised me."

"Aren't you even trying to win over the people of Jiangdong?"

Zhuge Qiao originally just wanted to conduct a pilot project, and he was prepared for the situation to get out of control in case the people of Jiangdong opposed him.

Unexpectedly.

Sima Yi actually responded with the strategy of "rather kill the wrong person than let him go", and directly concluded that the people's escape to the north was a military conspiracy of Zhuge Qiao!
Regardless of blaming Sima Yi for being cautious, it was actually Zhuge Qiao's past performance that left Sima Yi with an inherent impression of Zhuge Qiao.

If Zhuge Qiao is not treacherous, is he still Zhuge Qiao?
For Sima Yi, as long as there is a possibility that Zhuge Qiao will cheat, he must respond with caution!
The eighth year of Zhangwu, spring.

Although early spring had arrived, the war in Yuzhou had not yet ended.

Cao Rui personally confronted Liu Bei on the Chenliu front line, and the two sides were in a delicate balance.

To break the situation.

Cao Rui sent a transfer order to Cao Zhang in Bingzhou.

Cao Zhang urgently recruited the Xiongnu cavalry from Bingzhou, and brought the Bingzhou cavalry who had been trained for many years, and headed south to Luoyang! (End of this chapter)