A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 451 Jun Xian is thirsty for talents, and he feels pity for the arrangement in Shu

Seeing that the generals were retreating, Liu Bei immediately stepped down from his high position, saluted Zhuge Liang and said:

"Sir, I have benefited a lot from your great kindness. I have never seen anyone like you in my life, who does not seek power or high position, but only cares for the people of the world.

And he is willing to stay behind the King of Pingyuan, just to let the world end the war as soon as possible, which is really a righteous thing. Please accept my worship. "

Zhuge Liang quickly stopped him and said:

"Your Majesty has a body of thousands of gold and is responsible for the people of the world. How dare you accept this kind of worship for a common man? Please don't do this, Your Majesty."

Liu Bei was stopped by Zhuge Liang's firm attitude, so he had to give up. This time he no longer sat high, but sat opposite Zhuge Liang below and poured him tea himself:
"I really admire you for your great righteousness. Yuan Zhi mentioned him to me many times, saying that he has the talent to govern the country and help the country. Now that I see him, his words are really appropriate.

I eagerly hope to appoint you as the governor of the country, but I am not one person, but have many ministers. If I do this, I may lose the support of all the people. Therefore, I am willing to hand over Yizhou to your governance, and release him to me in due course. Keep it by your side in case of timely consultation. What do you think, sir? "

Zhuge Liang hurriedly saluted and said: "Liang, a native of the countryside, had no choice but to come out of the mountains during troubled times. He saw the suffering in the world and the people were displaced, so he presented Yizhou to your majesty in the hope that your majesty would end the war as soon as possible.

Liang Zhen is not a person who covets high positions, and now he has achieved his wish. No one in the world can stop His Majesty anymore. It is believed that within three years, the world will be reunited.

Therefore, Liang hopes that your majesty will allow me to retire to the countryside and live out the rest of my life in peace and comfort. "

Liu Bei was a little anxious and quickly stood up. This time, regardless of whether Zhuge Liang stopped him or not, he saluted directly and said:
"Sir is a gifted talent given to me by God. If it is lost in the wild, it will definitely go against God's will, become known to others, and lose people's hearts. I think I have no virtue and cannot retain a great talent like you.

The second gentleman is very talented, and it is a pity that he has been living in the countryside for a long time. If he were in a high position, even as a national minister, he would definitely benefit the people of one place, and even the whole world.

If you allow your husband to go into seclusion, I will really feel heartbroken, not only for the great man, but also for the people of the world.

Third, sir, you have no complaints or regrets, you have helped me a lot, and you are not greedy for fame and fortune. He sent me to Yizhou. If I don't repay this kindness, can I still be called a human being, and can I still have the face to stand in the world?

From the bottom of my heart, I ask you, sir, to have mercy and consideration, and never abandon me, otherwise, neither I nor Xu Yuanzhi will spare me easily. "

Zhuge Liang couldn't stop him in time, and after listening to Liu Bei's remarks, he really hesitated.

Previously, I worked hard in Nanyang and was influenced by Mr. Shui Jing. I lived a very leisurely life. Unexpectedly, Cao Jun attacked Xiangyang and the rebel army dispersed. The place where I was was also destroyed by the rebel army and the looting Cao Jun. Willing to serve Cao Cao.

In order to save his life, he had no choice but to take shelter under Liu Qi, the son of Liu Biao. Originally, according to his idea, helping Liu Qi was helping himself, so he offered him a plan to release Jiangxia.

Because in this way, he can survive this troubled world safely under Liu Qi's sect.

Unexpectedly, Liu Qi was in a deep crisis. In order to prevent his umbrella from being broken, he could only offer a plan to make Liu Qi seek refuge with Liu Zhang, and in the end he saved his life.

Unexpectedly, when I was in Bajun, I kept seeing people from Jingzhou and other places who had fled to Shu to escape the war.

Zhuge Liang was originally a benevolent and righteous person, and he could not bear to see the suffering of the people, so he set his ambition to end the troubled times as soon as possible, so that he would not lose his conscience and allow himself to live a stable life.

Then he offered Liu Qi a plan to seize Yizhou and Liu Bei, and implemented it himself. To this day, it has been extremely smooth.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bei actually used the status of emperor to worship himself, a commoner. This is also rare in history books. Faced with Liu Bei's pleading, Zhuge Liang hesitated.

Once again, he overturned all previous ideas and began to rethink the future path.

After a long time, Zhuge Liang saw Liu Bei who had been bending over.

An old man in his sixties, the emperor, regardless of his old body and noble status, begged himself, a young man in his forties, a common man. Do I still have any hesitation?
"Forget it, His Majesty values ​​Liang so much that Liang will comply with His Majesty's call and serve at Your Majesty's command."

Then he bowed to Liu Bei's political affairs.

Liu Bei was overjoyed when he saw this, and then invited him to discuss the governance of Shu, completely forgetting that Liu Zhang was still trapped in Chengdu.

The world says that Cao Cao is thirsty for talents, but Liu Bei is also the same, even hungrier than Cao Cao.

After Cao Cao was granted the title of Duke of Han, he rarely invited talented people in person. He only invited talents to the government to report to them, and his attitude could only be considered friendly.

After being crowned king, his attitude became even tougher. Regarding famous celebrities and talents, those who obeyed will live, and those who go against will perish.

But Liu Bei was different. After being granted the title of Duke and King, he was able to treat each other with courtesy and even make friends with equals, as long as he believed that the talented person had both ability and political integrity, for fear that the talented person would run away.

Even after he ascended the throne, when facing Bai Yi, Xu Shu, Guan Yu, Lu Bu, Kong Rong, etc., he would interact with them in a normal way. If it were not for the word "I" that was exclusive to the emperor in his mouth, he would be no different from when he was a prince.

It is very reasonable to treat Zhuge Liang this way now.

······
Chengdu City, Liu Zhang’s Mansion

Liu Zhang was horrified when he heard that Liu Bei had arrived in person, and immediately summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures.

"Now that the Emperor of Han is here in person, Chengdu may be in danger. Do you have any suggestions?"

Wang Lei, who was engaged in the battle, spoke forcefully: "Whether it is the Han Emperor who comes in person or the Han Emperor who comes in person, Chengdu is not Mianzhu. It will be impossible for Zhuge Liang and Liu Qi to capture Chengdu.

Now there are 30,000 elite soldiers in the city, and there is sufficient food and grass. The lord and the late lord have been kind to me for many years, and the people have praised me for their kindness. Therefore, I heard that Chengdu is in danger, and the soldiers and civilians are willing to sacrifice their lives for the lord.

With such a united effort, coupled with the high height of Chengdu and the depth of the city, even if Liu Bei's army was 100,000 strong, he would not be able to break through in less than a year or two. Not to mention where the food and fodder for the 100,000-strong army came from, would Cao Pi allow Liu Bei to attack Chengdu in Shu?

I'm afraid not necessarily. By then Cao Pi will definitely take advantage of the emptiness in Liu Bei's rear and launch a large army to march north. By then Liu Bei will have no choice but to return, and the siege of Chengdu can be lifted.

Without Liu Bei's help, how could Liu Qi, Zhuge Liang and the like be so powerful? Isn't it easy to regain the counties and drive them out of Shu?

Therefore, among the ministers, the lord does not need to worry about anything. As long as the city is defended, Liu Bei will collapse, Liu Qi and Zhuge Liang will escape from Shu, and Yizhou will return to the lord's hands again, just like before. "

"Indeed, what Wang Zheng said is exactly what he said. My lord must not be cowardly."

"My lord, there is no need to worry. There are ministers waiting here. Even if Liu Bei's son is the emperor, we must let him attack the city."

But when Liu Zhang saw such an excited minister, he was not inspired. Instead, he felt ashamed and said:

"I think my father and son have been in Yizhou for more than 20 years, but they did not show any kindness to the people. Instead, they failed to deal with the relationship with Liu Qi, which led to two years of fighting with him. Now the people of Chengdu believe me, but he has been besieged for one year.

Many people died in the wilderness, not because of others, but because of me.

How can I feel at ease if you treat me like this?
Liu Bei and I have the same ancestry and origin, and he took over half of the world, ascended to the throne, and became the emperor. Even the Bai family cheered for him. Isn't it perverse?
If it is because of my selfish desires that I cause discord between you ministers and Liu Bei, block your wealth, and even kill you, how can I be embarrassed?
Now that Liu Bei is here in person, I will surrender, leaving myself alone to work for the welfare of the three million officials and people in Shu. This is my wish. "

"Lord, you can't do that." Wang Lei was moved to tears by Liu Zhang's words and cried to stop him.

The same is true for other civil servants and generals.

However, Liu Zhang had no intention of surrendering, so he immediately sent Zhang Yi as an envoy to the Han camp to surrender to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was very happy to learn that, and promised to treat Liu Zhang courteously and appease the people in Shu, so that Liu Zhang could rest assured.

He also sent Taizhong doctor Jian Yong back to Chengdu with Zhang Yi to discuss the surrender.

After Jian Yong comforted him and explained the pros and cons, Liu Zhang finally let go of his high spirits and immediately promised to surrender in the morning.

February 25th
Liu Zhang opened the city gate, personally held the seal of Yizhou Mu, and surrendered to Liu Bei. All his subordinates behind him were crying.

Liu Bei deigned to get out of the car, personally helped him onto the carriage, and under the protection of Chen Dao and others, they entered the city together.

Just as the carriage passed the city gate, a man was seen standing on the city gate and shouted to Liu Zhang: "My lord, Wang Lei is leaving!"

Then he jumped off the high city wall, tightened the Bai Ling tied around his neck with great force, and immediately strangled him, leaving him hanging at the city gate.

Chen Dao drew his sword and came to Liu Bei and Liu Zhang, blocking them with his body. The other white soldiers quickly surrounded the carriage, separating Liu Zhang's ministers as a warning.

Liu Zhang saw clearly that this person was the one who had been begging him not to surrender for the past two days. He immediately burst into tears, covered his face with his sleeves, and cried:
"Why is this so!"

Liu Bei also sighed: "This is a truly loyal minister."

Then he ordered Wang Lei to be buried lavishly.

After capturing Chengdu, Yizhou officially came under Liu Bei's command.

That day, Liu Bei rode the carriage and roamed around the city with Liu Zhang to show his sovereignty and his closeness to the people. That night, he returned to the military camp outside the city, only to let Zhang He and Yan Yan take over the defense of Chengdu.

February 26
In the military camp outside the city, Liu Bei ordered Liu Zhang to be canonized as King of Qinghe, and a palace was built for him in Ganling, Qinghe County as his residence. He also returned all his belongings in Chengdu and set off for Qinghe the next day.

Unlike the princes and kings of the former Han Dynasty, none of the princes named by Liu Bei had actual jurisdiction over the local area. The local area was still called a county, and taxes were still collected by the central government.

However, the central government will allocate local taxes to the princes and princes every year, and most ordinary princes do not have military power. Their security is the responsibility of local county soldiers. However, the prince's palace has a hundred-man guard sent by the central government to protect the palace.

The security of the Hou Mansion completely depends on the local government.

In other words, today's princes and kings cannot be called princes, but can only be called kings. Like dukes and marquises, they are just honorary titles.

However, due to its special status, the Bai Kingdom is not included in this list and can still be called a vassal king.

After dealing with Liu Zhang, Liu Bei began to appoint officials in Shu, appointing Zhuge Liang as the governor of Yizhou and military advisor general, leading 30,000 troops to garrison in central Shu and guard Jingzhou.

Yan Yan, Wei Yan, Zhang He and Zhang Ren were his lieutenants, all of whom were generals.

Fa Zheng was appointed as the prefect of Yizhou Biejia and Shu County; Zhang He concurrently served as the prefect of Bajun, stationed at Jiangguan to prevent Wu from invading the west; Zhang Ren concurrently served as the prefect of Hanzhong, responsible for guarding against Cao's army in Liangzhou and Jingzhou.

The rest, such as Wu Yi, Li Yan, Huang Zhong, Kou Feng, Liao Hua, Yin Ji, etc., as well as many scholars in Yizhou, returned to Yedu with Liu Bei.

Ma Chao was transferred to Xu Shu's command and asked to assist Xu Shu in suppressing Guanzhong and invading Liangzhou.

After everything was done, Liu Bei left Shu and left this big mess in Yizhou, including the pacification of the remaining counties and counties, the handling of civil affairs, and the appointment of officials, to Zhuge Liang.

(End of this chapter)