After settling the matter in Youzhou, Liu Bei realized that he would not have anything major to deal with if he stayed in Chang'an any longer, so he came to say goodbye to Chen Chong. In the next time, he will return to Bingzhou to preside over Ma Zheng, while inquiring about the situation in Xianbei in the north, while preparing for the war in July this year.
But as soon as he met Chen Chong, Liu Bei felt his face swell with heat, and the words in his throat were stuck.
After all, the affairs in Youzhou were carried out according to his will, but the turmoil caused was really ugly. As the leader of the clan, Liu Yu abandoned his post and lived in seclusion, and most of the posts in the Youzhou Prefecture also abandoned. After hearing the news, together with the other kings, they issued forty-seven letters to the court within one month, asking what the court would do next.
If this is the case, even Wuhuan Chan Yu Tadun and Xianbei Chan Yu Kebi Neng learned about it, and they submitted a letter to the court and asked Yan Xiu, the captain of the Wuhuan School, to deliver it on their behalf. The content of the letter was very representative of Liu Yuzhiren. In order to gain the prestige of virtue, Liu Yu was asked to be reinstated, otherwise the story of the Huns' Wu Zhuliu Shanyu's rebellion would be repeated.
Throughout February, all the pressure was focused on Chen Chong. Chen Chong responded to the letters one by one, explaining to them the court's painstaking efforts, and promised to send people to the mountains to search for Liu Yu, and to set up a large Zaizhong Mansion in Chang'an to show the court. It was definitely not malicious, Liu Yu would be reused, and then the dissent in the DPRK was barely suppressed.
But when things got so bad, Chen Chong's reputation was greatly damaged. There has been a lot of ridicule in the market, saying that Chen Longshou claims to be selfless, but in the end he can only eradicate dissidents. His words and actions are like Wang Mang. But after these days, Chen Chong took all the blame on himself and did not mention that this was Liu Bei's intention. Even when Liu Bei came to say goodbye at this time, he felt a little embarrassed to say it.
Chen Chong noticed Liu Bei's embarrassment and smiled at him. He ignored the matter and gave Liu Bei an early spring peach. The two peeled the peach and walked by the lake in Xiaozhu. They felt the spring breeze and talked about Ma Zheng in detail. details.
The most important thing for grazing is water and grass, so Chen Chong first asked Liu Bei to choose a place for grazing. Liu Bei relaxed a little and replied that he planned to set up six new pastoral sites in Longshan, Hequ, Yuanshui, Yanshui, Zhaoyuze and Huze, with six Huqi captains in charge. If all goes well, he hopes to have an annual output of 8,000 war horses by next year.
Chen Chong laughed when he heard this and said: "You are a little too eager for quick success." He suddenly had a suggestion and asked Liu Bei: "Why not graze cattle in Mayi and Pingcheng? Mayi has the Tuo River, Pingcheng has water control, and the water and grass on both sides are lush. There are many abandoned fields for cultivation, which is a good place for grazing!"
Liu Bei naturally thought about it, and he gave the reason for his denial: "It is too close to Xianbei. If war breaks out on the border, Mudian will be abandoned."
"Horses are not dead. How difficult will it be to drive them south at that time? And now that you are back to Bingzhou, your army is there, and there is also the army of Youzhou. The Xianbei people don't have such courage." Chen Chong persuaded Liu Bei in this way, and the two of them talked and laughed some more, as if the previous barrier had disappeared.
After talking about Ma Zheng, Liu Bei asked Chen Chong: "Are there any major events in the DPRK this year?"
Chen Chong glanced at Liu Bei and said slowly: "After appeasing the queens, Your Majesty will be serving Yuan Dynasty in April this year."
When Liu Bei heard this, his heartstrings suddenly tightened. He looked at Chen Chong and asked, "Will the emperor personally take charge of the government this year?"
Chen Chong shook his head and said, "I have discussed it with him. His Majesty will not be in charge until he is twenty years old."
Liu Bei breathed a sigh of relief and said slowly: "That's fine."
Chen Chong suddenly said: "But after Yuanfu, Your Majesty will be considered married."
Liu Bei stopped and asked, "Has it been decided? Whose daughter is it?"
Chen Chong replied: "We are still deciding, but I guess she is Shaofu Fuwan's daughter, or Jianping's daughter. They are both similar in age, well-informed and courteous, and both are stunningly beautiful." Shaofu Fuwan was the former university's daughter. The seventh generation grandson of Situ Fuzhan, he was a noble but not a marquis. He had no great achievements, but he married Princess Yang'an, the eldest daughter of Emperor Huan. He was considered a nobleman for generations. Not to mention Dong Cheng, who had made great achievements in rescuing the emperor in the past, and was a relative of Empress Dowager Dong. He was a distant relative of the emperor. Now that the two of them could marry a daughter to the emperor, their political reputation would become even more prominent.
Liu Bei sighed for a long time after hearing this, with a look of dissatisfaction on his face. Influenced by his youthful experience, he cursed bitterly: "You and I are what we are today because of many days of hard work, but these two mediocre people, because of a woman, Because of this, you can reach heaven in one step, how absurd the world is!"
Seeing his angry look, Chen Chong didn't feel much in his heart. If it wasn't a matter related to life and death, but just intrigues in the court, he would have been a little numb.
"The Point Guard Is Here"
Liu Bei knew Chen Chong's temper, so he stopped complaining and asked him instead: "I remember you said many times that you plan to re-study law. When will you plan to implement it?"
Chen Chong shrugged, sat down in the eucalyptus grass of the lake, looked at the ripples of the lake and said: "The world is still uncertain. If we want to establish laws and regulations, we don't have enough prestige. We can at least wait until Qingxu is eliminated before we can start this matter."
"So what are your plans for this year?"
"Promote new coins, appease the refugees, cut off the soil and farmland, test the officials, repair the Eastern Capital, build Tongguan..." Chen Chong said a long list in his mouth. When Liu Bei found it difficult to listen, Chen Chong stopped. He smiled and said: "But the most urgent thing is to go to Chencang. Last year, the campaign in Liangzhou was in vain. Lu Fengxian asked me for reinforcements for a long time."
"Where did you get the reinforcements?"
"I don't have reinforcements. I just want to give him a rough plan. Lu Bu thinks that his force is too much, but from ancient times to the present, how can anyone compete with the Liang people for bravery? When Guangwu pacified Guandong and Guanzhong, he couldn't conquer Longban quickly, let alone Lu Bu?"
What Chen Chong said happened in the sixth year of Jianwu.
At that time, Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu sent Yuntai Seven Generals to conquer Longyou Kaixiao, and Weixiao resisted the Han army at Longdi. Even though Kaixiao had few major generals, with the help of the high mountains of Longban, Yuntai Generals were unable to move, and the two sides were in a stalemate. For more than a year, it was not until Lai She found another dangerous route, crossed Longban with more than 2,000 people, and made a surprise attack on Lueyang that the deadlock was broken. After the fall of Lueyang, Wei Xiao felt like a thorn in his back and had to mobilize his main force to return to Lueyang. Even though Kuihuo cut down mountains and built embankments and diverted water to flood the city, Lai She stood still for four months. When Guangwu led an army of more than 100,000 people to march in person, he joined forces with Mu Dou Rong of Liangzhou, and the Han army totaled nearly 200,000 people. Everyone gathered to fight against Kui Xiao in Longyou, and then they defeated Kui Xiao in one fell swoop and broke through Longban.
But now Lu Bu's army is about eleven times as strong as Guangwu, and the Xiliang generals are far stronger than Wei Xiao. The strength of the two sides is reversed. It can be imagined that Lu Bu's efforts are in vain. But if Liangzhou cannot be defeated, Sanfu will not have peace, and a large number of soldiers and horses will have to be stationed here. For the sake of the overall situation, Chen Chong must find a way to solve this matter.
In late February, Liu Bei said goodbye to the emperor and led his army back to Bingzhou. Chen Chong then asked the emperor to leave Zhong Yao and others to stay in Xijing, and led some courtiers to Chencang in person to comfort the soldiers of the Western Expedition.
We drove westward along the Wei River for more than 300 miles, passing through Huaili, Wugong, and Xixian counties successively. Most of the courtiers did not like running around and complained about traveling, so they walked very slowly. They walked thirty miles a day. We arrived at Chencang on the tenth day. Along the way, Chen Chong was not too slow. Every time he arrived at a county, he still had time to go to the county government to check the civil affairs grievances. Although there were some mistakes and omissions, the overall result was satisfactory. In addition, the spring plowing was basically over. The fields along the road were full of green wheat seedlings, and farmers could be seen carrying water poles and splashing muddy water on the wheat fields. These sights made Chen Chong feel happy.
When Lu Bu heard that the emperor was coming, he led his soldiers out of the city twenty miles away to meet him. He and his subordinates were dressed in military uniforms, their boots were covered with dirt, and they came forward to pay their respects covered with dust. Seeing that Lu Buqing had lost a lot of weight, the emperor was very moved when he thought of him fighting in Chang'an. He quickly helped him up and said, "The battle in Western Xinjiang is really hard, General."
Lu Bu's war had not gone well this year, and he was furious. He looked up at the emperor and said, "I only hope that I can gain something this year and comfort your majesty!"
Then the emperor led a group of courtiers directly into the army. While holding a banquet in the army, he also distributed military supplies to the various officers and soldiers. At the banquet, Lu Bu took a glass of wine, walked directly to Chen Chong, sat down, and asked Chen Chong directly: "Chen Jun, when will the troops I requested earlier be available?"
Lu Bu asked a straightforward question, and Chen Chong also answered straightforwardly. He replied: "I know that the general wants men and horses, but now after the great chaos, all wastes have emerged. Within two years, there will be no one in Guanzhong to conquer. And the war in Guandong It's tight, all the men and horses from Bingzhou have been mobilized for the general. This year I can allocate up to 7,000 men, 5,000 war horses, and 8,000 pack horses to the general."
Lu Bu was extremely excited when he heard this. He grabbed Chen Chong's shoulders and said loudly: "How can seven thousand people be enough? Liang Gou is cunning, so he needs at least twenty thousand more troops!" His hand was very strong, and with one grab, He just happened to catch Chen Chong's shoulder injury, causing Chen Chong to break out in a cold sweat.
Lu Bu realized something was wrong, so he took back his hand and said solemnly to Chen Chong: "If Chen Jun gives me 50,000 troops, Liangzhou will not be able to be defeated."
Chen Chong saw Lu Bu's resolute face at this moment, and finally smiled slowly and said: "It's good that the general has this idea, but I really can't bring out more people." Seeing that Lu Bu wanted to speak again, Chen Chong stretched out his hand to signal for silence, and continued: "But I'm here just to talk to the general about how to break the situation."
Lu Bu was stunned when he heard this, his expression gradually calmed down, and he asked, "May I ask Mr. Chen, what is your plan?"
Chen Chong stretched out two fingers and smiled at Lu Bu: "Now, although the general has few soldiers and the Liang people have many troops, the general has two commanders, which the Liang people cannot match."
Lu Bu drank the wine in his hand, put down the wine cup, and said slowly: "Please give me Chen Jun's advice."
"The general is the shepherd of Liangzhou and is the third official in Yibi. He has the authority to run the government and maintain integrity. As a traitor, the people of Liang are precarious. They barely survive after years of fighting. However, there are constant internal battles. There is Beigong Boyu in the front and Beigong Boyu in the back. There are kingdoms that all die due to internal fighting. If the generals can recruit one or two, why worry about not having enough troops?"
Lu Bu hesitated a little, and he questioned: "But when I attacked Shanggui, all the tribes of Xiliang came together. They are obviously united. If they want to appease, I'm afraid it won't be as easy as Chen Jun said!"
Chen Chong shook his head and said with a smile: "That's because the general is attacking Ma Teng, even though he is here! Now Han Sui and Ma Teng are the leaders of the Xiliang tribes, and have the power to order each tribe. If the general can recruit the remaining tribes first, he will No more worries.”
"So that's it." Lu Bu suddenly realized it, and he suddenly had some concerns in his heart, and asked Chen Chong, "So what if it's still a long time?"
Chen Chong retracted his fingers and said with a smile, "Although I can't provide the general with men and horses, I can provide food, grass and baggage. And Longban Gaohan has been fighting for years, and the harvest is poor. This is the second leader of the general. The general can take advantage of this." Open warehouses to provide disaster relief in order to win over the hearts of Liangzhou. With this battle of wits and not strength, we can regain Liangzhou in a few years."
After saying that, Chen Chong called the two men forward and said to Lu Bu: "I specially use these two to assist the general and communicate with the Qiang and Hu. They must be of benefit."
These two men were brothers Zhang Chang and Zhang Meng, sons of Zhang Huan, the former general of Liao Dynasty.
