The Jagged Cavalry of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 175 Chapter 175
"I also thought about taking the sea route, but the sea route is too bumpy. When encountering wind and waves, the ship will sway, lest the horses will be dizzy on the ship." Zhang Yan also said what he was embarrassed about.

Mi Zhu said: "It turns out that my lord is worried about this. I have a close friend who often purchases horses raised by the Wuhuan people from Youzhou area, and then transports them by sea to Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou and other places. The horses he transports are not only Seasickness is mostly caused by good horses. When Tao Shijun was alive, most of the horses were purchased from him. After Gongsun Zan attacked and killed Liu Yu, he vigorously developed cavalry and strictly prohibited the sale of horses. Those Wuhuan people were afraid of Gongsun Zan, so they dared not Then sell the horses privately, so that this close friend will lose his money. My lord has already formed an alliance with Gongsun Zan, if my lord comes forward to buy horses from Gongsun Zan, Gongsun Zan should give my lord some face."

Hearing what Mi Zhu said, Zhang Yan also planned to go to Youzhou by sea to buy a batch of war horses, so he said to Mi Zhu, "Where is your best friend now?"

Mi Zhu said: "His family lives in Haixi, now he should be in Haixi's hometown."

Zhang Yan then asked Mi Zhu to write a letter, and then asked Mi Zhu to deliver the letter to his close friend. This person acted as Zhang Yan's emissary, and took the letter across the sea to Youzhou to find Gongsun Zan and demand that both sides Start trade.

For this reason, Zhang Yan also deliberately let Mi Zhu take away the steel swords and armor made by the smelter, as well as the edible refined salt, and asked his best friend to take them to Youzhou, and handed them over to Gongsun Zan, preparing to use the two kinds of salt and iron. He came to trade with Gongsun Zan. He exported refined salt and steel to Youzhou, and hoped that Gongsun Zan would export war horses from Youzhou in order to achieve mutual benefit.

Mi Zhu quickly left Pengcheng with the letter, steel sword, steel armor and refined salt, and went to Haixi to find his best friend in person.

Within the jurisdiction of Zhang Yan, Qingzhou and Xuzhou are rich in table salt, and their salt-making technology is also very superb. In some places, edible refined salt can already be produced, which is better than ordinary coarse salt. One thousand times ten thousand times.

Salt is an indispensable thing for the human body, and the intake of salt has also become a part of daily life.A person can go without food for three days, but he cannot go without salt for three days.It is for this reason that salt is of great importance.

Youzhou is located in the north. Although there are places close to the sea, its salt-making technology is far inferior to that of Qingzhou and Xuzhou.

When Dong Zhuo was in power, Gongsundu, the prefect of Liaodong, once sent troops across the sea to invade Qingzhou, captured several counties in Donglai County, set up camps there, forced the local people to make salt, and then shipped it back to Liaodong.This shows the importance of salt.

There are also rich iron ore resources in Xuzhou. Zhang Yan uses iron ore for smelting, and then smelts it into steel to create sharp weapons and hard armor. These things are incomparable in Youzhou.What's more, Youzhou was apparently under the rule of Gongsun Zan, but in fact it was undercurrents.

Since he took office, Gongsundu, the prefect of Liaodong, has strictly enforced severe punishments and laws, cracked down on powerful forces, recruited troops, and trained the army, making the administration smooth and the wings gradually flourishing.In the first year of Chuping, Dong Zhuo was in chaos in the Central Plains, and the warlords from all over the country had no time to look around. Gongsun Du took the opportunity to establish himself as Marquis of Liaodong and Mu of Pingzhou.

Then, Gongsun Du led his troops to attack Goguryeo in the east, Wuhuan in the west, Liaodong Peninsula in the south, and Donglai counties in the north of Jiaodong Peninsula across the sea to expand the territory; Prestige overseas, as if he regarded himself as the king of Liaodong.

Due to the remote location of Liaodong and the difficult roads, Liu Yu, the shepherd of Youzhou, only tried to appease him, and Gongsun Du seemed obedient on the surface.

But since Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu and became the shepherd of Youzhou, Gongsun Du resolutely broke with Gongsun Zan and dominated Liaodong.

In addition, Liu Yu's old department has been absconding, thinking about revenge for Liu Yu all the time.And Yuan Shao in Jizhou was eyeing him covetously, wishing he could swallow Gongsun Zan in one gulp.

Therefore, although Gongsun Zan occupies Youzhou, he is also suffering from internal and external troubles.

Zhang Yan took the initiative to send people to negotiate with Gongsun Zan this time. With sharp weapons, solid armor, and refined salt, he believed that he would be able to open Gongsun Zan's door to trade. The energy is continuously transported by sea to Xuzhou.

After sending Mi Zhu away, Zhang Yan promulgated the revised tax decree.

After the decree was promulgated, it immediately caused an uproar in Xuzhou. Many local tyrants complained, colluded with each other, and discussed countermeasures.

But there are also some local tyrants who abide by the law and accept Zhang Yan's new decree, and even Mi Zhu, the richest man in Xuzhou, openly supports the new decree. What else can the rest of the people say?
In a few days, the tyrants in various places were polarized. One faction accepted the new decree, while the other was unwilling to endure this so-called "exploitation" and colluded with each other to plot rebellion.

What these people did was carried out under Zhang Yan's close watch. Zhang Yan also made preparations early in the morning. When he learned that these local tyrants were preparing to gather a crowd to rebel in three days, Zhang Yan took action decisively and dispatched multiple troops. , rushed to various places, and acted first, arrested all local tyrants who were unwilling to obey, and then ransacked their homes to confiscate all assets under their names!
Zhang Yan also took a code name for this operation, called Operation Thunder.

Tai Shici was the main force in Operation Thunder, and the prefects and county magistrates of all counties cooperated with each other. With lightning speed, in just one day, all these disobedient tyrants and bullies were caught.

Afterwards, Zhang Yan asked Tai Shici and others to execute all the tyrants and bullies on the spot in the name of rebellion.

A total of sixteen families were slaughtered by the whole clan. These sixteen families are usually local bullies, and they have done a lot of bullying. There are also violations of law and discipline everywhere.Moreover, the rebellion was also jointly initiated by these sixteen families, and it was regarded as the chief culprit.

However, Zhang Yan adopted a gentle policy towards those who were bewitched by these sixteen schools, and only threatened them before releasing them.

The news that Zhang Yan killed sixteen tyrants in one go, a total of more than 500 people, once spread, the whole Xuzhou was extremely shocked.With such a tough method, everyone in the local tycoons in Xuzhou was in danger, and they sent people to Pengcheng with gifts one after another to express their support for the new law.

The new decree is not only to be implemented within the territory of Xuzhou, but all within Zhang Yan's sphere of influence must abide by these decrees.

For a while, the tyrants and tyrants from other places heard about Zhang Yan's methods in Xuzhou, and they were extremely afraid, and they didn't dare to disobey any more, for fear that they would be ransacked and executed.

After the promulgation of the new decree, it is bad news for local tyrants and bullies, but it is indeed a good news for the general public, and the tax rate is relatively low. The most important thing is that the poll tax is exempted. It can be said that this is a new breakthrough.

Chen Guo's Prime Minister Luo Jun followed Xu Chu to Pengcheng personally under the order of Chen Wang Liu Chong. After hearing such things along the way, he was convinced of Zhang Yan's vigorous and resolute actions.

When Zhang Yan heard that Luo Jun had arrived in Pengcheng with Xu Chu, he led the crowd to greet him outside the city. After exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Yan invited Luo Jun into the burden, and ordered people to prepare thin wine to entertain Luo Jun.

At the banquet, after drinking for three rounds, Luo Jun straightforwardly explained his intention to Zhang Yan.

It turned out that Luo Jun came here this time to seek asylum. Chen Wang Liu Chong was a vassal king of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the son of Chen Jing Wang Liu Xian, the fourth great-great-grandson of Chen Xiao Wang Liu Cheng, the son of Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty.

According to intelligence, Chen Wang Liu Chong is brave and good at using bows and crossbows.During the Yellow Turban Uprising, Liu Chong organized his army to defend himself, and the people of the country feared him and did not dare to defect.And Chen Guoxiang Luo Jun has always had prestige and kindness, and has been doing his best to assist Chen Wang Liu Chong.

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, kings and marquises no longer had rent, taxes, and salaries. Instead, they were often plundered by captives. Only Chen Guo was rich and strong, and many people from neighboring counties came to join him, with a tribe of 10,000+ people.

When the rebels attacked Dong Zhuo, Liu Chong led the army to station in Yangxia. He claimed to be the general of Fu Han, and he had fought side by side with Sun Jian.

In the ensuing turmoil in the Central Plains, in order to protect himself, Liu Chong often took advantage of both sides. Because of this, the vassal king of the Eastern Han Dynasty has been able to continue until today.

Therefore, when Luo Jun came here this time, he also took the initiative to seek asylum.

The current situation is no longer what it used to be. In the past, when Cao Cao was in Yanzhou, Liu Chong attached himself to Cao Cao. However, since Cao Cao was driven away, with the gradual rise of Zhang Yan, Liu Chong also felt it. Threatened, took the initiative to send Luo Jun to attach.

Moreover, not long ago, Yuan Shu in Huainan sent a large army to break into the border of Runan in Yuzhou and captured Runan.During the crusade against Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu led his army to pass by the state of Chen and borrowed food from Liu Chong, but Liu Chong was also short of food at that time, so he did not lend it to Yuan Shu.Yuan Shu held a grudge because of this, so Liu Chong was worried that Yuan Shu would retaliate against him, so he had to find a strong backer.

And Zhang Yan, who has risen from a sudden force, happens to be Liu Chong's backer.

According to Luo Jun's report, Liu Chong was willing to deploy for Zhang Yan, and accepted the unified transfer order to implement the orders issued by Zhang Yan, but there was one prerequisite, that is, he must maintain his status as King Chen and still enjoy the privileges of the royal family.

Zhang Yan was very interested in Liu Chong, who voluntarily joined him. The fall of the Han Dynasty, along with the clan clan, would be embarrassing if Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiuquan knew about it.

However, at this stage, if Chen Wang and Liu Chong don't come to attach to him, who else can they attach to?

Therefore, Zhang Yan decisively agreed to Liu Chong's request.

Coincidentally, while Zhang Yan and the others were still drinking happily in the hall, they heard someone coming to report that King Liang and King Pei had sent envoys respectively.

King Liang, like King Chen, is a descendant of the king granted by Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and can be considered as some relatives, but King Pei is different. King Pei is a fief granted to his son by Liu Xiu, the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Therefore, in terms of status , slightly higher than Liang Wang and Chen Wang.

However, it has been passed down from generation to generation until today, all the princes and kings look the same, they are relatively incompetent, only Chen Wang and Liu Chong are somewhat capable.

Zhang Yan asked people to call all the envoys of King Liang and King Pei to the hall. After asking the reason, he found out that King Liang and King Pei also asked to come and attach themselves.Moreover, King Liang has another request, hoping to send a talented person to serve as the country's prime minister.

While Zhang Yan was happy, he decisively agreed to the envoy's request, asked the envoy to sit together in the hall, and introduced Luo Jun to them.The envoys of the three vassal kings were all moved after seeing each other.

The three vassal kings successively came to attach themselves, which meant that Zhang Yan could justifiably intervene in the management of the three feudal states of Chen State, Liang State, and Pei State in Yuzhou.

Therefore, Zhang Yan asked Chen Gui to serve as the Prime Minister of the Pei Kingdom, and at the same time, the Prime Minister of the Liang State, and entrusted Chen Gui with all the important tasks of governing Yuzhou.

Chen Gui felt powerless, so he recommended his cousin Chen Yu to be the Prime Minister of Liang.And I hope that Zhang Yan can build schools within the scope of his jurisdiction, spread the word, and promote talents.

Zhang Yan agreed to Chen Gui's suggestion one after another, and began to let counties and counties establish schools, hire well-educated people to come to the schools to teach and educate people, and stipulated that all counties and counties within the territory can enter school as long as they are six years old, and male and female All can enter the school to study, as for the monthly salary of the teacher, it is borne by the government.In other words, schooling is free.

(End of this chapter)