"Discourteous! I, Murong, am a loyal vassal of the Jin Dynasty. How can I do such a thing that disrespects the rules of the imperial court!"
Hearing the arrogant words of his legitimate son Murong Huang, who was only fifteen years old, Murong Xian, the eldest son, hurriedly spoke out to stop him.
Although Cui Ao, the current governor of Pingzhou and the captain of Dongyi, is far less talented and famous than Murong Xuan, he is still an official official appointed by Dajin Xingtai.
Murong Xizhi was trying to conquer the Jin people who had fled, so he naturally had to pretend to be loyal to the Jin Dynasty.
After hearing his father's scolding, Murong Huang had no choice but to restrain his youthful temper and sat down beside him and stopped talking.
At this time, Murong Yun, the younger brother of Murong Xuan, the Great Chan of Xianbei, spoke.
"Brother, our department has accepted a lot of refugee refugees now. If we can't occupy more acres of land, once we miss the farming season, I'm afraid we won't be able to feed such a large population next year!"
Murong Xin had always trusted this younger brother, and what Murong Yun said was indeed important.
At this time, Murong Yun continued to speak.
"Brother, I think what Wannian's nephew said makes sense. Now that Wang Jun has been defeated, the Zaosong Duan tribe has caused war in Youzhou, and his reputation is worthless. Cui, the governor who just came to Liaodong, is just a middle-aged man. , is simply unable to govern the chaotic Liaodong."
"This way, it's time for brother to show off his strategy!"
After hearing this, Murong Xin also stroked his short beard and began to think.
In today's Liaodong, although Murong's tribe is getting stronger and stronger, it is still a nominal vassal of the Jin Dynasty and must obey the orders of Pingzhou Governor and Dongyi Colonel. In this way, although Murong Xianbei is strong, but other Goguryeo, Yuwen Xianbei, many miscellaneous Xianbei, Liang Yu, etc. were able to use the name of Dongyi Xiaowei to unite to resist Murong Xianbei.
"Then what do third brothers think we should do?" Murong Xuan asked.
Today, Murong Xin wants to get rid of the constraints of the Pingzhou Governor of the Jin Dynasty, expand the territory he occupies, and absorb the refugee population, but he does not want to offend Pingzhou Governor Cui Ao prematurely, otherwise it will not be conducive to recruiting those Hebei scholars who fled.
After all, Cui Ao was born in the Cui family of Qinghe, while Murong Xin was just a barbarian. He could only endure it temporarily and wait for his strength and reputation to further increase.
"Brother, now the Qingzhou Puppet Han in the Central Plains are as powerful as the Huns and Hu Han in Bingzhou, and the scholars and people who fled to Liaodong are all loyal to the Jin Dynasty. Therefore, I think my brother should imitate Duke Huan of Qi back then. , under the banner of respecting the king and repelling the barbarians, he served in the Jin Dynasty and attacked the puppet Han in Qingzhou, so as to gather the virtuous among the exiles and attack the young people who disobey the orders!"
Murong Xianbei is indeed the tribe that admires culture the most among the eastern Xianbei. When Murong Yun, the second son of a tribal leader, gave advice to Murong Xin, all kinds of allusions came to him at the drop of a hat.
"Respect the king and fight against the barbarians?"
Murong Xin recited it in a low voice and thought about it seriously.
As long as he thought about it for a moment, Murong Xian knew that this move of respecting the king and repelling the barbarians was very applicable.
Once the banner of respecting the king and repelling the barbarians is raised, the one who is respected is the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, and the governor of Pingzhou is just a minister of the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, so he cannot restrict Murong Xianbei too much.
Moreover, if we want to implement the campaign against the barbarians, we must send actual troops. Today, Cui Ao, the governor of Pingzhou, has almost no available troops, and he will eventually have to count on Murong Xianbei.
"What the third brother said is indeed a good strategy!" Murong Xuan said.
"However, our Murong tribe is far away in Liaodong, separated from the Qingzhou puppet Han by the North Sea, how can we send troops?"
Murong Xuan knew that this so-called respecting the king and fighting the barbarians was just an excuse. The fundamental purpose was to get rid of the suppression of Cui Ao, the governor of Pingzhou, and to have a legitimate excuse.
However, after raising the banner, you have to make an appearance of launching an army to crusade, otherwise you won't be able to protect even a three-year-old child.
After hearing Murong Xuan's question, Murong Yun grinned and smiled softly.
"Brother, we don't need to send troops to attack Qingzhou. Even if we want to attack Qingzhou, the Duanbu boys in the west will definitely not dare to let us pass!"
Duanbu Xianbei and Murong Xianbei have been related by marriage to each other in recent generations, and their relationship is closer than that of the general Xianbei tribe before. For example, Murong Xin's wife is the daughter of the powerful chief Duanbu Xianbei.
However, with the rise of Duan Bu and Murong Bu at the same time, the two families gradually became more and more hostile to each other.
"Not far from us in Liaodong, there is a vassal of the Qingzhou Puppet Han. We can just send troops to attack it!" Murong Yun said very relaxedly.
"A vassal of Qingzhou?" Murong Xin was stunned for a moment, and then he thought of what Murong Yun was referring to.
"Third brother, you mean Zhang Tong of Lelang and Daifang counties?"
Murong Yun nodded and said.
"Yes, brother, it is Zhang Tong!"
"Lelang and Daifang counties are close to Liaodong. Zhang Tong has also accepted the appointment of Qingzhou Liu Yudong Pingzhou Governor and Jinyang Marquis. He has already betrayed the Jin Dynasty. As long as his brother launches an army to attack the two counties, he will definitely gain control of Liaodong counties. the response to!"
"Furthermore, in the past two years, I heard that Zhang Tong not only resisted the encroachment of Goguryeo, but also raided Baekje and Han barbarians southward for many years, leading Fang and Lelang counties to become quite prosperous. As long as Zhang Tong is defeated, If the government is unified, at least tens of thousands of people and food can be obtained."
After hearing Murong Yun's analysis, Da Shanyu Murong Xin was greatly moved, but he spoke again.
"What the third brother said is indeed reasonable. However, Zhang Tong and I are old friends. Although we are now our own masters, I am afraid that it is unbecoming of a gentleman to send troops to fight against each other so rashly!"
Murong Xuan had lived in Liaodong for a long time, while Zhang Tong had been stationed in Liaodong with his father since childhood. The two had been close friends since they were young, and it was already well known in Liaodong.
"Once the world thinks that I, Murong Xian, am unkind and ungrateful, I'm afraid it will not be conducive to recruiting people!" Murong Xian finally said.
"Haha, brother, don't worry, I have already thought of this." Murong Yun said.
"Brother, you can send a letter to Zhang Tong. In the letter, you state your righteousness and interests, and persuade him to abandon the dark side and join the bright side!"
"In this way, if Zhang Tong is aware of current affairs and can abandon his secrets and turn to the bright side after receiving his brother's letter, then his brother can recruit tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians from two counties to serve the Jin Dynasty with just one letter. Wouldn't it be even more shocking to people's hearts! Confucian scholars, haven’t we often said that the best way to conquer the enemy without fighting is to conquer them without fighting? If this is the case, then this is the right way to conquer the enemy without fighting!”
"What is this? This is the royal way!"
"Brother, the king's right is with me. From now on, all the prefectures and counties in Liaodong will be obeyed, right?"
The more Murong Yun talked, the more excited he became, so much so that he couldn't help stroking his hands and laughing.
The other Murong tribe leaders nearby also started laughing.
Murong Xin also nodded happily.
All I heard was that Murong Yun stopped smiling, snorted coldly, and continued.
"Hmph, but if Zhang Tong is ignorant and refuses to listen to his brother's advice, then he will die. No matter whether he lives or dies in the future, he will never be able to blame his brother."
"After all, it has been difficult to have both loyalty and filial piety since ancient times, not to mention the friendship of friends is more important than loyalty!"
After hearing this, Murong Xin was completely relieved.
As long as he writes a letter of persuasion to surrender to Zhang Tong, the puppet governor of Dongping Prefecture in Qingzhou, and then sends it out with great fanfare, then whether Zhang Tong surrenders or resists stubbornly, the initiative will be in his own hands.
"Haha, good! The talents of the third brother are not inferior to those of high-ranking celebrities!" Murong Xuan approached Murong Yun very happily, patted Murong Yun's shoulders with his big hands, and said encouragingly.
"Back then, King Wu of Zhou had Zhou Gongdan, and now I have a third brother. The Murong tribe will prosper soon!"
After Murong Xin finished speaking, he turned around and said to the Murong Xianbei leaders in the room.
"Go back immediately to gather some troops and prepare for the expedition!"
"Murong Han!" Murong Xin ordered loudly to his eldest son.
"Sir, the child is here!" The young warrior Murong Han immediately stood up and obeyed the order.
"I order you to lead three thousand cavalry and go to Goguryeo first. Let the Goguryeo slaves prepare in advance and send at least 10,000 troops to respond to our army!"
After hearing this, Murong Han did not immediately accept the order, but looked at his father Murong Xin expectantly, and then asked.
"Sir, what if the Goguryeo people refuse to obey orders?"
Murong Xin, the great Chan of Xianbei, smiled contemptuously and said.
"If the Goguryeo barbarians refuse to obey orders, then you will lead your troops to massacre several cities. Not only will you force them to agree, but you will also avenge Goguryeo's old hatred of joining Yuwen Xianbei in attacking us!"
After hearing Tu Cheng's permission, excitement appeared on young Murong Han's face.
"Don't worry, sir. If that Goguryeo barbarian refuses to obey, I will lead my army towards Wandu!"
After hearing the high-spirited response from the concubine's eldest son Murong Han, Xianbei's eldest son Murong Xian nodded with satisfaction, and then couldn't help but think in his heart.
"Now the two puppets are fighting in the Central Plains. Maybe it will end in a lose-lose outcome for both sides. If I can quickly take over the five Liaodong counties as my own, maybe my Murong troops can also go south to the Central Plains in the future."
"Well, even if you can't compete in the world, maybe you can really learn from Duke Huan of Qi, respect an emperor, and then become the overlord who rules over the world!"
Yanzhou, Luzicheng.
In late spring, the sun is already a bit scorching on your face. The crops in the fields and the trees on both sides of the road have also completely bloomed with green due to the rise in temperature.
Liu Yu, accompanied by a group of officials and personal guards, was inspecting the farmland outside the city and the fields of military soldiers.
"Your Majesty, the spring rains have been abundant this year. Farming in all states and counties is going very smoothly now! If we calculate the harvest according to the best years before, the harvests in Jizhou and Yanzhou alone can probably support the military and civilians for a year. !”
Cui Yu, the great Sinong who had just arrived from Jizhou, couldn't wait to tell Liu Yu.
This year's spring rains were just right and abundant, saving a lot of labor and expenses in Jizhou and Yanzhou where the water conservancy ditches were in disrepair due to the war.
"That's the best. However, Mr. Cui is a big farmer and can clean up the farming in Yanzhou and Jizhou, but he shouldn't be too tired." Liu Yu saw Cui Yu, a high-ranking scholar who was already tanned, and said, I couldn't help but feel sympathy.
After hearing Liu Yu's praise, Cui Yu was very happy, but his face restrained his pride.
"Your Majesty, this is all my responsibility. Now the grain, grass and baggage required by the imperial army for the campaign need to be transferred from Jizhou and Yanzhou. I will make sure that everything is safe!"
Now Liu Yu's military plan has moved away from Qingzhou. As a result, the disadvantages of Qingzhou's being trapped in a corner have become apparent. No matter how much food is produced, once it wants to supply the war in the Central Plains, it must overcome the obstacles of mountains and rivers. , the food and manpower consumed on the way are definitely not cost-effective compared with local supplies in Jizhou and Yanzhou.
"When this year's farm taxes and levies are settled in the autumn, I plan to carry out literary education. Although it is a time of frequent wars, educating the people cannot be wasted because of this!"
As Liu Yu spoke, he paid attention to the changes in Cui Yu's face.
Sure enough, after hearing these words, Da Sinong Cui Yu's face immediately showed a very excited and expectant look.
Liu Yu smiled proudly and continued.
"Such an important matter requires a man of high moral integrity and ability to serve with sincerity to coordinate and handle it!"
"Moreover, it is not only a simple matter of promoting literature to educate the people, but it is also possible to select the outstanding ones from the prefectures and counties and then appoint them to official positions."
Liu Yu said this and spoke kindly to Cui Yu, the great Sinong.
"Although I haven't thought about such an important task yet, I think Mr. Cui seems to be a very suitable candidate!"
Cui Yu was overjoyed when he heard this and hurriedly said modestly.
"Your Majesty, Cui can't meet mediocre talents. Although he can't take on the responsibility of military strategy and country planning, teaching literature is really the most,, oh, no, I should be able to give it a try."
Although Cui Yu wanted to be humble in his heart, in the end, he still didn't want to pretend to be evasive.
After all, the emperor Liu Yu, who came from a rough background, was quite careless in his behavior. If he really took his humility seriously, then the credit for his humble behavior in the past few months and the hard work of the fields every day with a group of humble servants would be Wouldn't it all be in vain?
After hearing what Grand Sinong Cui Yu said, Liu Yu laughed happily and patted Cui Yu's arm.
"Haha, Da Sinong is still too humble. Once I have figured out the specific implementation method, I hope Mr. Cui will not shirk it."
Liu Yu thought to himself that for a high-ranking scholar like Cui Yu, his expectations for fame and fortune were not as attractive as the fame that would be passed down from generation to generation.
However, although Liu Yu wanted to implement a crude version of the imperial examination, he was afraid of touching the interests of the high-ranking and common people and incurring strong opposition, which would not be good. However, using this vague concept , but it can make people like Cui Yu flock to him.
After all, in the understanding of Cui Yu and others, they thought that the official position Liu Yu wanted to establish was one that could influence the country's recommendation and appointment of officials.
