In December of the seventh year of Yanxing in the Eastern Han Dynasty, in the depth of winter, the fields in Guanzhong were dyed white, the willow forests on both sides of the Wei River were covered with frost, and ice and snow were falling from the sky like flying elm pods. Such cold weather can't help but remind people of the deep winter of the sixth year of Yanxing, but fortunately after February this year, there is no sign of a war within the 800 miles of Qinchuan. Therefore, people temporarily forget their sorrows and sorrows. No matter in the countryside or in the city, they kill dogs and chickens one after another, put up lanterns and colors, laugh and make noises to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.
Of course, this does not mean that there is no war. There are rebels and bandits in Bingzhou and Liangzhou, but the most important thing is in Shu, where the political situation is turbulent. After the Shu army withdrew, the imperial court strengthened defenses in key areas such as Chencang, Luogu, and Xiegu, and also sent people to Hanzhong from time to time to inquire about news from Shuzhong. Recent rumors say that Liu Fan, who has returned to his army, has defeated Cai Mao's army and expelled them from Jiangguan. However, the life of Liu Yan, the pastor of Yizhou, is also declining, and he may soon be defeated by Liu Fan. The court was afraid that Liu Fan would go north again next year, so he planned to burn down the plank road and reported the matter to Chen Chong.
At this time, Chen Chong was gathering troops in Xiangwu, Longxi. At the beginning of his expedition to Long in September, the Qiang army in Long was huge, with nearly 100,000 soldiers in total. They gathered in Heguan, Linqiang and even Zhangye area, trying to besiege Yuzhong. However, after Chen Chong personally led the army, they all gathered together. Ma Chao, Han Ji, Cheng Gongying and other tribes also had about 50,000 troops.
The Qiang people had long heard of Chen Chong's name, and when they learned that Chen Chong had personally come to quell the rebellion, they were all horrified. Except for the local Shaodang Qiang in Jincheng, the rest of the Qiang dispersed like flowing water. Then Chen rushed into the army and Anyi, and defeated twenty-six disobedient tribes one after another, and captured about 70,000 Qiang people. About late October , the chaos will basically be settled. It's just that there are too many aftermath matters, so Chen Chong has been delayed until now.
After Chen Chong received Xun You's letter, he immediately replied to veto it. He also criticized in the letter that it was difficult to mobilize troops in the middle of Shu, and the imperial court stationed troops at the mouth of the valley. They could block the enemy in the middle of the road. Why panic? If the plank road is really burned down, it will show the incompetence of the court. If there are still loyal people in Shu, I am afraid they will be disappointed in the court.
After the letter was sent, Chen Chong thought to himself that Xun You was a wise strategist and with his intelligence, he would definitely not agree to such a plan. But he still sent this letter to himself, probably as the new year was approaching and there were many things going on in the court, he used this matter to urge himself to go back. At this time, heavy snow was falling on Longshang, and the surrounding mountains were connected together. He remembered his promise to Dong Bai again, and said to the students: "The war here is over, and the plum blossoms in Xijing are about to bloom. It's time to go back It’s time.”
Before leaving, Chen Chong adjusted the affairs of Liangzhou. He first changed Huangfuli to the governor of Liangzhou; then he adjusted the boundaries of Beidi, Anding, and Wuwei counties, and divided the two counties of Anding and Wuwei into 20 miles along both sides of the Yellow River. It was given to Beidi County; the land north of Fuping in Beidi was also cut off, and Yinchuan County was newly established. Its boundaries included the south of Shuofang, the west of Shangjun, and the east of Damo, as a resettlement place for 70,000 Qiang captives. As for the governor of Yinchuan County, Chen Chong promoted Zhu Jun's son Zhu Hao, and Jia Xu also stayed there as his deputy.
By the time Chen Chong rode back to Chang'an, it was only seven days before the end of the year. Because most of the army was still staying in Longshang, and the rest of the wounded soldiers also went down to Longshang to rest and recuperate, when Chen Chong came back, he was accompanied by no more than a hundred people. Therefore, others did not know that the people waiting to enter the city in front of the city gate were the returning commanders. Li Xiaowei.
While they were shaking their hands and stamping their feet, a deafening sound of bells suddenly came from the city. The sound of the bells was clear and melodious, as if it was washing away the sins deep in the people, and then floated into the air and disappeared into nothingness. Chen Chong knew that it was Yuanjue Temple ringing the bell, and then there was the sound of Sanskrit-like chanting. It was the believers worshiping together in the temple. What Chen Chong thought of was the small house with flowers planted next to the temple. He looked back and saw the indifferent expressions of the students, and thought to himself, he was really old.
When he returned to his house, Xun You, Zhong Yao, Chen Qun and others were waiting for him. When they saw him, they said that there was an important matter for him to decide. Chen Chong didn't know why. When Zhong Yao handed him a petition for him to read, Chen Chong suddenly realized and broke into a cold sweat. This was actually a petition asking Liu Bei to be crowned king!
The article was written by the new doctor Zhao Shang. It discussed the many achievements of the general Liu Bei since he entered the official career, such as the annihilation of the Yellow Turban, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shu, Geng Cang, etc.; He is wise, noble and elegant. Since he came to power, people's hearts have been biased and he has been praised by hundreds of officials. Unless he is rewarded heavily, it is not enough to convince people.
Of course, the article also mentioned that the emperor wanted to reward Liu Bei several times before, but the general declined on the grounds that he was a highly respected minister and could no longer be granted the title. But at the beginning of this year, the emperor successively named Liu He the King of Qinghe, Liu Biao the King of Chu, and Liu Yan the King of Shu. What contribution did these three have? Not as good as the general eleven. Therefore, Cong Gong and Cong Yun should be granted the title of king for the general at this time, to show that the court rewards and punishes appropriately.
At the end of the essay, Zhao Shang suggested that since the general established his mansion in Jinyang, it would be better to make the general the acting king and establish the state in Bingzhou. This would surely inspire the heroes and bring the world back to its heart. Then the signatures of all the Five Classics doctors in Taixue were attached, as well as the signatures of Lang Guan who had been transferred to Dongguan by Chen Chong.
After reading it, Chen Chong immediately guessed the cause of the matter. I am afraid that after last year's incident, the emperor re-employed people from Zheng Xuan's sect. This made Zhao Shang and others quite uneasy. They were afraid that Chen Chong and Liu Bei would have a grudge, so they wanted to use this article as a testimonial against Bafu. To show loyalty. But the intention of this statement is too obvious, which is not a good thing. Daiguo was a feudal state created by Emperor Taizong Xiaowen before he was enthroned. There was another character in it. If Liu Bei was really ordered to establish a state and be granted the title of king, the world would definitely be criticized.
Chen Chong immediately said to Xun You: "Isn't it nonsense to make such an announcement not long after the country's defeat? Gongda, this kind of thing is just a matter of course. Why wait for me to return to Beijing?"
Unexpectedly, Xun You said, "How could I not know? It's just that this form was submitted to the Bafu first. After the Bafu received it, it was forwarded to the government without saying a word."
Xuande actually saw it? Chen Chong was stunned when he heard this, and then smiled bitterly like Xun You, nodded to him and said: "It's embarrassing for the public. Let me write the reply while you go and do your work."
After he was left alone in the study, he wrote for a long time, and for a moment he didn't know what to say. Logically speaking, if you want to be crowned king, the best time is after defeating Cao Cao and unifying the Central Plains. By then, you will be crowned king based on your merits and no one can blame you. But now, the two heroes of the East and the West are standing side by side, and the South is hard to find. Once the king is crowned, it will not only give people excuses, but also disappoint the world. If the world thinks that the Bafu has no intention of unifying, it will be even more difficult to restore Kyushu.
But Chen Chong also knew that Xuande was hit hard after Bohai. I thought that my great cause was too late, but I suffered a disastrous defeat. I must be extremely unwilling in my heart! Now that someone has petitioned the king on his behalf, it is not difficult to imagine how ecstatic Xuande was. Fortunately, he actually knew that it was inappropriate to confer the title of king at this time, so he forwarded it to the Sili Mansion and waited tangledly for his reply.
Thinking of this, Chen Chong suddenly felt blessed and wrote these two replies to Xuande: "The road is wide and long, but the road is narrow and fast." This was exactly what Liu Bei himself recited in "Jian Zhi" when the two of them first got acquainted. "Poetry", presumably after he heard it, he would also remember the conversation at that time and feel inspired!
After replying to Liu Bei, Chen Chong summoned Chen Qun and asked him to arrange his schedule for the next year. If the doctors are to stop being frightened, the best arrangement is to go to Taixue to give lectures. Whether it is discussing classics or talking about history, they must be able to express their attitude and stabilize people's hearts.
After that, I took care of some chores, and soon it was dinner time. Chen Chong changed his length and Qiu was about to go out, but unexpectedly he turned around and bumped into the princess. The princess wore a gorgeous purple double-breasted dress and held a gold-lacquered box in her hand. Coupled with her already thin body, she looked extremely attractive. Seeing that Chen Chong seemed to be leaving, the princess suddenly looked timid, but she still mustered up the courage to ask: "Dinner has been prepared at home. Where are you going when you go out now?"
In fact, both of them knew it well.
Chen Chong was about to refuse, but when his eyes met the princess's face, he couldn't say anything. The princess's face is extremely beautiful, and one can tell at a glance that she was born into a wealthy family. But her expression was one of unspeakable pain. Her eyes were about to shed tears, but she still had a forced smile on her lips. This was definitely not the expression a princess should show.
Chen Chong recalled the time of this marriage and realized that he had indeed gone too far. He said: "I was just going to Weiwei's Mansion to have a look. Is it time for dinner? I was just so busy that I forgot about it if you didn't tell me." ." Then he took off the long fur he had put on and asked her, "Have you used it? Where is A Zhi (Chen Zhang)?"
"The adults haven't eaten yet, how could I eat first? Ah Zhi was so hungry that he ate first. He just went to play with his uncle (Chen Qun)."
"This kid." Chen Chong smiled, sat back and watched the princess take out dinner plates from the food box. They were some soup cakes, winter bamboo shoots, tofu, fish breasts, and a bowl of yokan. After everything was set up, he filled a cup of rice wine for Chen Chong, then sat next to Chen Chong and looked at him without saying a word.
Chen Chong was almost on pins and needles. He picked up the bamboo and tasted it for a few bites. The princess then asked: "Is the taste still suitable?"
Chen Chong replied: "It's okay." The princess then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "If it's okay, I will cook for you every day from now on." Only then did Chen Chong know that these were actually made by the princess herself. He was silent for a long time, and finally just said: "Don't look at it, let's eat together."
During the meal, the princess asked again: "How are you going to spend the New Year? I have prepared some gifts, but I don't know who to give them to."
Chen Chong thought for a while and sighed: "At the end of the year, you ask Chang Wen to come over, and I will call some students to come and eat some together. At that time, you can just come with me to worship the ancestors."
When the princess heard this, she smiled, and then asked tentatively: "Will your husband go to the palace the next day to see His Majesty?"
Chen Chong was silent, and the originally harmonious atmosphere became cold again. He finished his meal without saying a word, put the bowl down quickly, and said to the princess: "There is no need to talk about these things. I think you are tired too, so take a rest early." .”
The princess's complexion suddenly turned as pale as paper. She lowered her head and remained silent for a long time. Her thin figure looked extremely lonely under the light.
That night, Chen Chong did not spend the night at his house after all.
