Soldiers come to the world

Although Cao Cao's ideas are very full, hoping to form an alliance with Liu Bei, the two north and the south echo each other, and jointly deal with the increasingly powerful Liu Jing, but the reality is very skinny, a traffic cut off makes the connection between the two countries have to rely on the power of Han face, not to mention Cao Cao's actual support for Liu Bei.

He couldn't give Liu Bei the financial, material and manpower he wanted. At most, he could satisfy Liu Bei's spiritual requirements for becoming king, but this kind of spiritual satisfaction was not enough to make the two parties form a substantial alliance.

This meant that the symbolic significance of Zhong Yao's mission to Jiaozhou was greater than the actual effect. Although there were still a series of meeting activities afterwards, the basic style had been set, and even Liu Bei was not interested.

On the contrary, Liu Bei was very concerned about Sima Yi's mission. He wanted to capture Liu Jing's true intentions from Sima Yi's attitude. Liu Bei never wanted to go to war with the Han army. He only hoped to realize his strategy. When the Han army turned against each other, he won Jian'an County and Linhai County. He had already given up Jingnan and Yuzhang County and other areas, and only hoped to develop in the coastal areas.

This was Liu Bei's attitude. He hoped to reach an agreement with the Han army to support the Han army's march into Yuanyuan in exchange for the Han army's approval of Jiaozhou's annexation of Jian'an County.

During the meeting with Sima Yi, Liu Bei proposed this plan. Of course, Sima Yi did not reject it outright, but said that he would go back and ask His Highness the King of Han for instructions.

In short, the meeting was pleasant and full of hope. Regardless of whether it was Jingyue or Jinghua, at least Liu Bei knew that the Han army would not make any moves before the end of the year.

On the other hand, Liu Bei also adopted Zhuge Liang's plan to avoid war as much as possible, but also actively prepare for war. He ordered Guan Yu to lead [-] troops to Cangwu County to deal with the Han army that might go south from the Jingnan route, and Zhang Fei led another An army of [-] was stationed in Luling County to deal with the Han army that might go south from the Yuzhang route. At the same time, it sent [-] shi of grain to Guangxin County in Cangwu County and Gan County in Luling County.

． ． ． ． ． ． ． ．

At the beginning of December, on his way back to Yedu, Zhong Yao was intercepted by the Han army in Xiangyang. He could no longer go north from Nanyang. Instead, under the guard or escort of the Han army, he went north to Chang'an by detouring the Nanxiang pass. Ten days later, Zhong Yao finally arrived in Chang'an City.

The first heavy snow fell in Chang'an in November, followed by the second heavy snowfall in early December. When Zhong Yao arrived in Chang'an, the whole Chang'an and Guan had become a snow-covered world.

"Master Zhong, is it snowing heavily in Yedu?" The military marquis who escorted Zhong Yao to the north was named Qian Ning, a native of Chang'an, who had been with Zhong Yao day and night, and the two had already gotten to know each other very well.

Zhong Yao smiled slightly and said: "Yedu should be colder than Chang'an. I have stayed in Chang'an for more than ten years. I know that Chang'an is surrounded by northern mountains. The cold north wind has weakened when it enters the Guan Plain, but the north of Yedu is not. Stop it, when it comes to winter, it is a world of ice and snow, compared to that, I actually hope for Chang'an."

"Then Zhong Junshi will stay in Chang'an! The people of Chang'an miss you very much. My parents always said that without Zhong Junshi, I would not have been born."

Qian Ning was less than 20 years old, and he spoke quickly, but what he said was very pleasant to Zhong Yao. He smiled and said, "Your parents are too generous, Chang'an has changed a lot now!"

"The changes are too great. I guarantee that Mr. Zhong will not recognize him. I almost got lost when I went home last year."

"Well! I can imagine that after entering the customs, the changes will be great. There are stretches of farmhouses everywhere, and the population has increased a lot. It is completely different from when I was in the customs."

Just as he was talking, a group of cavalry came opposite, the leader was an official, it was Fei Yi, the Shu Cheng, who came to meet Zhong Yao under the order of Liu Jing. Qian Ning knew him and shouted: "Mr. Fei, Zhong Yao is here!" The military commander is here."

Fei Yi hurriedly stepped forward to salute, "Shu Cheng Fei Yi is here to meet Zhong Junshi under the order of His Highness the King of Han!"

Zhong Yao also knew that Liu Jing arranged for Fei Yi to welcome him with deep meaning. Liu Jing promised himself in the letter that Shuling would wait for the table, and Fei Yi was Shuling's deputy. Obviously, Liu Jing hoped that he would Can serve Han.

Zhong Yao replied with a smile and said, "I also asked Fei Shijun to go out of the city to meet him in person, Zhong Yao is ashamed and dare not do it!"

At this time, Zhong Yao suddenly saw a minister behind Fei Yi, who was very familiar. He took a closer look and found that it was Zhang Ji. Zhang Ji was Zhong Yao's most powerful staff member and had followed him for many years. He could be called his right-hand man. After Zhong Yao withdrew from the pass, Zhang was appointed as the magistrate of Nanyang County, and later surrendered to Liu Jing and became the prefect of Jingzhao.

Zhong Yao was stunned for a moment, "De Rong, is that you?"

Zhang Ji hurried forward, bowed and said, "Mr. Zhong, how have you been?"

Zhong Yao didn't expect to meet an old friend here, his nose was a little sore, he nodded and said, "I'm fine!"

Fei Yi introduced with a smile at the side: "This time when Duke Zhong is visiting the hometown of Chang'an, His Royal Highness specially arranged for Zhang Taishou to accompany him throughout the journey. I hope that Mr. Zhong can enjoy his trip to Chang'an."

Zhong Yao was both happy and moved, and nodded repeatedly: "Okay! Okay!"

"Mr. Zhong, please enter the city!"

Fei Yi turned the horse's head and invited Zhong Yao to enter the city. The group of people urged the horses to start and walked slowly towards the city.

Although the outside of Chang'an City is covered with heavy snow, the inside of the city is a different scene. As soon as you enter the city gate, you will be greeted by a lively and noisy atmosphere. The snow on the street has been swept clean and piled on the corner walls On the side, there are people coming and going on the street, and all kinds of goods are filled in front of the shops, and the guys are shouting loudly, most of which are used for the New Year.

At this time, there is only half a month left before New Year's Day, and the festive atmosphere in Chang'an City is getting stronger. Red lanterns are hung in front of every house, long poles are raised in the yard, and colorful streamers are hung.

Many people wore bright leather jackets and pushed deer carts, which were piled up with newly purchased New Year's goods, high-quality scented wax, red lacquer offering plates, roosters, fruits and vegetables, leather goods, game and tied fat sheep.

Zhong Yao was a little stunned, the city had changed so much that he couldn't recognize it, and the bustling and prosperous city was completely different from the deserted and depressed Chang'an in the past.

At this moment, a horseman came over and whispered something to Fei Yi, Fei Yi hurriedly cupped his hands to Zhong You and said, "There is an important matter in the Zhengshitang, so I won't accompany Mr. Zhong."

"Mr. Fei, please go ahead!"

Fei Yi turned his horse's head and ran towards Weiyang Palace. After Fei Yi left, Zhong Yao felt much more at ease. He pointed to a few newly built mansions not far away and said to Zhang Ji with a smile: "De Rong, I remember that it used to be a community temple market, how did it become a mansion now?"

Zhang Ji said with a smile: "In Chang'an City, every inch of land is expensive, and it is no longer possible to arrange a temple market. The temple has been moved outside the south city, and the market has an east market and a west market. There is no need for the original spontaneous market in the city." Of course, there are also spontaneous markets, and they are still next to the temple outside the southern city. Every year, there are markets for Shangsi, Hanlu and temple festivals, and there are huge crowds of people, and it is very lively."

Zhong Yao nodded, this is when he saw a carriage coming out of the mansion, an old man was sitting in the carriage, the curtain was not drawn, he recognized this person at a glance, Zhong Yao couldn't believe his eyes, He hurriedly said to Zhang Ji: "The man just now seems to be Taiwei Yang!"

Yang Taiwei is Yang Biao. After Yang Xiu was killed, he returned to his hometown saying he was sick. He should be in Hongnong now, but Zhong Yao was shocked by how he appeared in Chang'an. Maybe he misjudged the person. up.

Zhang Ji looked at the mansion, nodded and said: "This mansion is the Hongnong Yang's mansion in Chang'an. It should be Yang Biao. He sometimes comes to Chang'an to visit. I heard about it a few months ago. Said he had been to Chang'an."

"Did he hold an official position in Han?" Zhong Yao asked again.

"He probably didn't hold an official position, but he, Sun Yangxiao, passed the imperial examination this year, and then he became the magistrate of Nanzheng County. His future is boundless."

Zhong Yao looked at Yang Biao's carriage again, he wanted to say hello, but Yang Biao's carriage had gone away, which made him feel a little regretful.

At this time, Zhang Ji pointed to the other two mansions next to him and said in a low voice: "Did Zhong Gong see that, the owners of these two mansions are also unusual, one belongs to the Wang family of Taiyuan, and the other belongs to the Cui family of Boling, but they It's very low-key, only a few people know the owners of these mansions."

Zhong Yao looked at it for a long while, and he felt a little unbelievable. Zhang understood his shock, and said with a wry smile: "Chang'an was established as the capital, and the world's noble families flocked to buy land and build houses in Chang'an. They all wanted to have a place in Handu. , That's why the land in Chang'an has become so precious, Mr. Zhong, what the people want!"

Zhong Yao was silent, and after a while, he sighed in a low voice. Cao Pi eliminated dissidents and suppressed the gentry in Yedu, but Chang'an embraced all rivers and tolerated old enemies. It is no wonder that Liu Jing's broad mind can be recognized as orthodox by the gentry all over the world.

Zhong Yao felt very disappointed, and he didn't want to lament the bustle and prosperity of Chang'an anymore, so he walked silently. Zhang also knew that Zhong Yao had something to worry about, so he didn't bother him anymore, and followed him quietly. After walking for a while, Zhong Yao suddenly Asked: "Just now Fei Yi said to participate in the discussion of the Political Affairs Hall. Isn't the Prime Minister also able to participate?"

Zhang Ji explained: "There are two kinds of discussions in the Zhengshitang. One is the discussion under the Shumen, also known as the small meeting. The number of participants is relatively small. In addition to the current prime minister, there are also the left and right Shucheng and the left and right Huangmen servants. Fei Yi is the secretary. Cheng, he can participate in this kind of small meeting, the other is called wide discussion, plus the ministers and the chief officials of the temples, it is usually held every half a month. This is the system established by the King of Han. It will be presented to him after extensive deliberation."

Zhong Yao nodded, "This is a good way to prevent the Prime Minister's monopoly and secret manipulation."

"Mr. Zhong is right. After the separation of powers between the princes and ministers, it is necessary to prevent the ministers from being too powerful, so we use extensive discussions to check and balance."

The two walked while talking, and after a short while, a group of people came to the VIP post house. At this time, the postman rushed over in a panic, and said anxiously to Zhang Ji: "Prefect Zhang, His Highness the King of Han is here, waiting in the hall .”

Zhang was startled, and quickly said to Zhong Yao, "This must be His Royal Highness the King of Han coming to visit Duke Zhong, please follow along!"

Zhong Yao nodded silently, Liu Jing actually came to visit him in person, he was moved, got off his horse, followed Zhang Ji to the hall, and when he reached the hall, Zhong Yao saw Liu Jing, the King of Han, in royal clothes, Standing in front of the steps with hands behind his back, he looked at himself with a smile.

Zhong Yao quickly stepped forward and bowed, "See His Highness the King of Han!"

Liu Jing laughed and said, "It's a bit rude to intercept Duke Zhong halfway and invite you to come to Chang'an. I hope Duke Zhong can understand Liu Jing's desire to be a good man."

"I am ashamed, I have made Your Highness bother."

Liu Jing nodded, "Mr. Zhong, please sit in the hall, and Governor Zhang, please also sit down."