Time flies, and three months have passed in the blink of an eye. During these three months, Zhang Lu not only represented He Sian to the court and officially made him the prefect of Wudu, but also brought Yan Pu, the chief counselor around him, and the people who were already familiar with He Sian. Yang Ren and Yang Ang sent He Sian to help him organize the affairs of Wudu.
With the efforts of Jia Xu, Xu Shu and others, as well as Zhang Lu's unwavering support, Wudu soon got on the right track, with Yan Pu in charge of government affairs and Xu Rong in charge of military affairs. The remaining matters such as trade with foreign races and city repairs were respectively taken care of by Yang Ren, Yang Ang and others. In addition, immigration is coming to an end. Both Zhao Yun and Xu Shu have made great progress and have grown much more than before.
Baptized by later generations' interpretations, He Sian naturally paid special attention to Zhao and Xu, and arranged for Xu Shu and Jia Xu's two sons (Jia Mu and Jia Ji) to serve as Yan Pu's assistants and learn more about handling government affairs. Zhao Yun served as Xu Rong's deputy and commanded. Montenegrin Army. Wudu, which was originally lifeless, quickly developed rapidly and became a ray of light in the dead Liangzhou! In addition, as word spread about the marriage between He Sian and Weiyang Jun, countless gentry from Liangzhou were attracted to invest with their entire family.
However, the rise of Wudu does not mean that the same is true for Yong and Liang states! Instead, the fighting intensified. After all, Li Jue was deeply rooted in Liangzhou. With Ma Teng and Han Sui being restrained by the foreign tribes, he launched a comprehensive counterattack against Lu Bu, Li Ru and others. At this time, Cao Cao, who was in Xuchang, seemed to be too lazy to act. In the name of encircling and suppressing the Qingzhou rebels, he withdrew Xia Houyuan, who was confronting Fan Chou at Hulao Pass, and instead concentrated on wiping out the surrounding forces.
Although everyone still maintains respect for the Han Dynasty on the surface, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the era of separate kingdoms has inevitably come.
"Currently, the registered population in Wudu is about 53,000. According to your request, most people have completed the allocation of acres. Fortunately, Hanzhong has plenty of grain and grass. There should be no serious problems through this winter, and it is expected that they will be self-sufficient next year. Self-sufficient…”
Walking on the streets of Wudu, looking at the houses being repaired around him, and listening to Yan Pu's report, a later term - 'cement' - flashed through He Sian's mind.
'Hey, it would be great if we could have cement. Cement seems to be made of limestone, clay, etc., and it also needs to be fired at high temperatures. But now is obviously not the time. Hey, it can only be possible if we have at least one state. As for high-yield crops such as corn and potatoes, let alone whether they were discovered at this time, even if they were, it would be difficult to transport them with the existing transportation. The most reliable thing is to capture Bashu, known as the land of abundance, as soon as possible. In this way, at least the food problem can be solved. '
Looking at Yan Pu who handled the complicated work in an orderly manner, He Sian gradually realized the importance of talents. Whether in romance or official history, Yan Pu's name is incomparable to Xu Shu, but in reality, Yan Pu's experience is indeed unmatched by the fledgling Xu Shu!
'It seems that either I or Xu Shu and the others still have a long way to go.' He Sian sighed inwardly.
After Yan Pu resigned, He Sian returned to the meeting hall and asked the two brothers Yang Ren and Yang Ang about matters related to trade with foreign races. After the previous farce, the Xiaoyue clan was obviously much more low-key, and everything was done in accordance with the rules of Wudu. , both sides are getting along well!
After everyone left, He Si'an sat at the front of the table and closed his eyes to rest. I don't know how long it took, but Zhou Cang's voice rang in his ears: "My lord, Mr. Jia Xu wants to see you!" Hearing this, He Si'an opened his eyes suddenly, and a strange expression appeared at the corner of his mouth. The arc!
After a while, Jia Xu and He Sian sat opposite each other in the back hall.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Wenhe. Will there be any gains from this secret trip to Xichuan?" He Sian asked first.
"My lord Hongfu, Xu has already contacted Liu Yan of Xichuan. It seems that someone is more anxious than us." After saying that, Jia Xu picked up the tea cup on the table and took a few sips.
Hearing this, He Sian also raised the corner of his mouth slightly and said, "Is it true that Liu Yan is already terminally ill as rumored by the outside world?"
Jia Xu put down the glass of water in his hand, nodded slightly and said: "On the surface, this is the main reason, but Xu feels that there are two other factors, one internal and one external, that cause Liu Yan to be more eager to unite than the Lord."
When He Sian heard the word "union" from Jia Xu's mouth, his expression became slightly solemn and he said, "I would like to hear the details."
"First of all, Liu Yan came to take charge of Xichuan. After several years of hard work to rectify corruption, Yizhou has a completely new look. However, after all, the time is still short, and conflicts with the local gentry are inevitable. If Liu Yan is given another ten years, maybe he can Yizhou was made monolithic, but his body was weakening day by day. Liu Yan had to rely on refugees such as Ding Zhuang to form the Dongzhou Army to counter the local forces. However, his son Liu Zhang was difficult to hold down regardless of his qualifications or strategy. , so there is an urgent need for a force to cooperate with the Dongzhou Army to suppress the local forces in Yizhou. This is an internal factor."
Jia Xu paused and continued: "In addition, the princes are everywhere, not to mention Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan and others from far away. It is just the pressure brought by Zhang Lu in Hanzhong, us who can't figure out the details, and the surrounding foreigners who are ready to move. , it cannot be solved by just Liu Zhang. I believe Liu Junlang (Liu Yan) also sees this very clearly. Originally, Cao Cao was his only choice, but he also knew that this was just drinking poison to quench his thirst. After all, even the man above the temple now Your Majesty is just a tool in Cao Cao's hands. Once he is no longer needed, he will surely die and be cooked by his lackeys. As a relative of the emperor, Liu Zhang will naturally become a thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh."
He Sian nodded when he heard this and said: "Since Mr. said about alliance, it should be that Liu Yan has not made the final decision yet, right?"
Jia Xu nodded: "Yes, after all, once the master's identity is revealed, it means breaking up with Cao Cao. For Liu Yan, the best result at the moment is to unite, and we can use our strength to stabilize the situation."
Yan Bi looked at He Sian opposite him with a smile. The two sides fell into silence. After a long time, He Sian took out two cigarettes, lit them and handed one to Jia Xu. He took a deep breath and looked at the dense smoke, slowly Said: "Now we are like a boat against the current. If we don't finish it, we will retreat. Sir, what do you want to say, but it doesn't matter."
Jia Xu narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at He Sian across from him through the smoke, and said, "In order to prevent us from losing our tail, Liu Yan will definitely use the remaining time to make preparations." Jia Xu paused, lowered his voice, and continued Said: "Everyone is destined to die. Since Liu Yan's life is not long, why not..."
After a while, Zhou Cang went out, and when he came back, he brought in a person. He saw that this person had a pointed head and narrow forehead, a gnashed nose and exposed teeth, and his body was less than five feet short. After seeing this person's appearance, the corners of He Sian's mouth turned up slightly unnoticeably. Without waiting for the other person to salute, he hurriedly stood up and ran towards the other person. He was so hasty that he didn't even realize that his shoes were running away. When he got in front of the other person, he quickly supported him. He was about to kneel down and said with a big smile: "Ziqiao (Zhang Song), please don't be too polite. I asked him his name earlier. It is truly a blessing to meet him this time!!"
Zhang Song was also stunned. He is so famous? But seeing the other person's expression and the shoes scattered on the ground didn't seem like he was doing anything, it was enough to show that he valued himself so much that he swallowed his original words!
After a moment of greetings, everyone took their seats respectively. He Sian took the lead in introducing the topic and asked, "I wonder what the purpose of Zi Qiao's visit is?"
Zhang Song glanced around vaguely, and seeing no one else there, he replied: "Of course it's for His Highness."
He Sian and Jia Xu were both shocked when they heard this! He Sian narrowed his eyes slightly, frowned and said, "What did Zi Qiao call me?"
Zhang Song smiled and said: "Since Your Highness can establish a foothold in Hanzhong instead of finding a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters to live in seclusion, it is only a matter of time before his identity is known."
Hearing this, He Sian didn't say anything, but just looked down at the heat rising slightly in the tea cup.
"Besides...does His Highness really just want to live in a corner?" Zhang Song said word by word.
He Sian's eyes flashed with sternness when he heard this, then he returned to normal and looked at Zhang Song with a smile and said, "What do you mean by Zi Qiao's words?"
"Controlling Hanzhong, occupying Wudu, gathering Liangzhou gentry and waiting for the opportunity. This is not something that a person who is dedicated to living can do. Let me guess what His Highness will do next, send troops to capture Yongzhou in the land of Longxing. ? Or is it Yizhou, which is fertile and easy to defend but difficult to attack?"
He Sian's smiling expression gradually became calmer, and he looked at the tea cup in his hand and said coldly: "What does Ziqiao mean by this?"
Although He Sian's two questions were exactly the same, their tone was completely different.
At this time, Zhang Song stood up, came to the center of the hall, lifted up his hem, knelt down and touched the bottom: "Although Liu Yan of Yizhou acted cruelly, he was also considered to be extremely intelligent. Unfortunately, he was already declining, and his son Liu Zhang, He is cowardly and suspicious, with great ambition and limited talent, and is not a wise master. Looking at the world, brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu are indecisive, and Liu Biao in Jingzhou is more than adequate in defending the city but not aggressive enough. As for Liu Yao in Jiangdong, Tao Qian in Xuzhou, Gongsun Zan in Liaodong and others, they are all in danger! To be honest with you, Your Highness, Cao Cao was originally Song was the best candidate for Song, and Song also planned to sit back and wait for a few years until the time was right before dedicating Nishikawa to this person, but the appearance of His Highness gave Song an excellent choice. Song, he was willing to dedicate Nishikawa to His Highness, and it has been achieved. Your Highness is the cornerstone of the world!"
Hearing this, He Sian stood up, helped Zhang Song up, dusted him off, pulled Zhang Song to sit down side by side, sighed and said, "Hey! I'm not going to hide it from Zi Qiao, Sian does have the intention to take Xichuan, but he suffers from the lack of basic skills. I have internal and external troubles, and I don’t have any extra troops. In addition, Yizhou’s terrain is complex and difficult to attack. Si’an and Mr. Wenhe have been discussing for a long time, but they have no countermeasures. If Ziqiao can help me, Anping will treat Ziqiao once the matter is completed. And the family behind Zi Qiao has entrusted him with an important responsibility!"
Hearing this, Zhang Song smiled mysteriously, raised his head slightly, and said proudly: "My lord, please don't worry, just listen to Song and come to my lord one by one..."
