Huan Xi heard that Ziwu Pass had been collected ahead and the road to Chang'an had been opened. He was happy but also a little nervous.
Entering the customs this time is undoubtedly a big test for Huan Xi.
He not only wanted to defeat Jie Zhao militarily, but also strictly restrained military discipline and prohibited soldiers from disturbing the people.
It is impossible for the people of Guanzhong to welcome Master Wang with wine and meat, and then Master Wang eats everything and robs the people.
However, Huan Xi's army did not have much food left. When he mentioned this, Huan Xi couldn't help but think of the so-called Ziwu Valley conspiracy.
Wei Yan claimed to pass through Ziwu Valley and capture Chang'an within ten days.
The 840-mile Ziwu Road includes 600 miles of mountain roads. Even if Wei Yan were all cavalry, he would not be able to gallop on the mountain roads.
Even though the Shu Han cavalry can walk on mountain roads as if they were on flat ground, they can't complete the assault mission alone. After all, the endurance of horses is limited. One person has to have two or three horses. Military horses can eat much more than people.
Huan Xi's light troops advanced quickly and marched for eighteen days.
Wei Yan brought so much baggage, even if he ignored the passes along the way, he might not even be able to get out of Ziwu Road in ten days, let alone capture Chang'an.
Seeing that the army was about to run out of food, Huan Xi was worried.
Although it was the autumn harvest in Guanzhong, there should be no shortage of food, but Huan Xi could not launch an army to plunder. He had previously been sure that the people in Guanzhong would rush to greet him, but when the harvest was about to come out, he became anxious.
When Huan Xi mentioned his worries to Wang Meng, Wang Meng smiled and said:
"My lord, why do you need to worry so much? If you are worried that the people will not come to welcome the army, you might as well publicize that those who come to work for the army will be exempted from taxes for a certain number of years."
Huan Xi's eyes lit up and he praised:
"Sir, this is a wonderful idea. Nowadays, Guanzhong has been in war for a long time and the people's livelihood is declining. If we can take it, we should put recuperation first.
"The temporary exemption of taxes is just a smooth move. It can win people's hearts and solve the food crisis in the army."
Having made up his mind, Huan Xi couldn't wait to set foot on the Guanzhong Plain.
...
Duling, located south of Chang'an and at the north entrance of Ziwu Road, is the tomb of Liu Xun, Emperor Xuan of the Western Han Dynasty.
On August 24, the fifth year of Yonghe (AD 349), Huan Yi's troops took the lead in rushing out of the Ziwu Road, and the other troops came out of the valley in an orderly manner.
Now is the busy time of farming. The young men in the field saw a sudden appearance of soldiers and horses in front of them. They were frightened and ran away one after another.
Until several old men in the village heard their descriptions and hurriedly went out on crutches. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar Jin army uniforms, they all burst into tears:
"I've been living in the dust for decades. I don't think I'd still be alive to see the army today!"
Both the people of Duling and the soldiers of the Jin army who came from afar were deeply moved by this scene.
The old people urged their children and grandchildren to bring wine and meat to the king.
Huan Xi received them cordially.
A white-haired old man choked with a trembling voice:
"General, you have come to Guanzhong, can you still leave?"
Huan Xi said seriously:
"Old sir, please rest assured. I am Huan Xi, the general of the Jin Dynasty and the governor of Liangzhou. I am sending troops this time to regain my homeland. It is determined that the elders in Guanzhong will expel Jiehu. I have not achieved my goal and will not be able to return to the south. "
The white-haired old man was as happy as a young man. He pointed at the meat and wine and asked Huan Xi to accept it.
Huan Xi sighed:
"Since the Yongjia Rebellion, the elders in Guanzhong have been bullied and their lives have not been easy. Huan should not have accepted the offer of wine and meat today.
"It's just that it's hard to refuse your kindness, so Huan has no choice but to accept it.
"I also ask you to report your names to the Chinese officers of our army. When I capture Guanzhong, everyone named on the list will be exempted from taxes for two years, regardless of the amount of donation!"
Those who came to work for the army all shouted long live.
As the news spread, every household in Duling rushed to deliver food, including even barbarians.
The root cause lies in the fact that Hou Zhao's rule in Guanzhong was really unpopular.
Not only was Shi Bao cruel and unkind, but Shi Jian, another son of Shi Hu, plundered wantonly while he was guarding Guanzhong.
Even officials were so poor that they could only pull out their hair and use it as a tassel for their hats. You can imagine how dire straits the people were living in.
Of course, no matter how violent Shi Bao and Shi Jian were, they could not compare to their father Shi Hu.
It is said that soldiers are expensive and fast. Huan Xi rested in Duling for a while, then stopped staying. Taking the wine, meat and food sent by the people of Duling, he marched northward and drove directly to Chang'an.
Along the way, Huan Xi strictly enforced military discipline and did not allow soldiers to disturb the people. Even the golden ears of grain in the fields were prohibited from trampling and harvesting.
Huan Xi even considered whether he should deliberately frighten his horse, step into the field a few times, and then cut off his hair to take his place.
But considering that Prime Minister Cao's play is so well-known, if he really wants to imitate it, he is afraid of imitating others and being ridiculed.
Duling and Chang'an are more than fifty miles apart, and the army can reach them within a day.
When the people of Jingzhao County heard about Huan Xi's reputation for benevolence and righteousness, they came to greet him with their families and their families, while the Chinese officials of Huan Xi's army registered their names one by one as a basis for future tax exemption.
Although the people live in poverty, it is the autumn harvest and heavy taxes have not been paid yet. Every household has surplus grain. Instead of feeding the Jie people, it is better to donate it to the Jin army to support them in fighting against Jie and Zhao.
What's more, if the Jin army can regain Guanzhong, they can be exempted from taxes for two years as long as they labor. The Guanzhong fathers can still settle this debt.
Whether out of national justice or personal gain, there was an endless stream of people who came to work in the army, and even looked at the Yongzhou scholars and the generals who stayed in Chang'an.
Just as Huan Xi's army was approaching Chang'an, Yongzhou's powerful men once again gathered at Du's manor in Jingzhao.
Just as they were debating whether they should defect to Huan Xi or sit back and watch the success or failure, Quan Yi came to visit.
When everyone saw that Quan Yi, who had been envoy to Hanzhong before, returned at this critical moment, they naturally knew that he was not just visiting. Du Yu quickly asked his younger brother Du Zhou to go and greet him.
Quan Yi and Du Zhou's friends reunited. The two had no time to reminisce about the past, so Du Zhou hurriedly led him to the hall.
After everyone greeted them, Du Yu asked:
"Now that the Jin army is on its northern expedition, it is forcing the city to attack. It is a time of war and chaos. Why did Ziliang choose to visit at this time?"
Quan Yi corrected:
"The Jin army has strict military discipline and never bullies the people. On the contrary, the people in Guanzhong feel the benevolence of my lord and go forward one after another to welcome the king. Brother Du, how can you say that the army is in chaos."
Zhang Ju, who came from Jingzhao Zhang family, couldn't help but ask:
"From what Brother Quan said, he must be working under General Huan."
Everyone's eyes fell on Quan Yi. As the center of attention, he calmly said:
"As Brother Zhang said, Quan went to Hanzhong to deliver a message and was lucky enough to meet Duke Huan and meet the Lord of the Ming Dynasty."
Du Yu said in a deep voice:
"So, Ziliang is here to lobby for General Huan?"
Quan Yi shook his head and said:
"No, Quan is here to seek wealth and wealth with you all."
Zhang Ju couldn't help but sneer:
"You lobbyists are so sharp-tongued that you can always confuse right and wrong."
Quan Yi didn't take it seriously, he smiled and said:
"Shi Bao is just a servant who was played around by my lord and is still waiting for the so-called Northern Expedition army in Chencang.
"As everyone knows, my lord has already arrived at Chang'an City.
"How can such an idiot be my lord's rival?"
When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but secretly nod. Even Zhang Ju, who had choked before, agreed with Quan Yi's comparison between Huan Xi and Shi Bao.
Seeing this, Quan Yi asked everyone:
"Do you know the general trend of the world?"
After saying that, without waiting for the people present to answer, Quan Yi analyzed for everyone:
"Shi Bao is not the enemy of my lord. The Yan people have captured Youzhou and threaten Yecheng. Also, Linhe County Duke (Huan Wen) is eyeing the Central Plains. Shi Zun will definitely not dare to send generals to fight for Guanzhong. Sooner or later, Guanzhong will be captured by the Huan family.
"The Huan clan occupied Guanzhong and cut off the connection between Qinzhou and Guandong. Thinking about it, it is not difficult to conquer Longyou.
"Having gained Yong and Qin, as well as occupying the southwestern states of Liang, Jing, and Yi, wait for them to recharge their batteries. Whether they leave Tongguan in the east to fight for the Central Plains, or go down the river to engulf the Wu territory, those who try to stop them will surely do so. The mantis is acting like a chariot!
“I came here today to bring you a fortune.
"If you all can raise your troops to follow our lord, and he conquers the Huan clan and brings great rewards to all the officials, you will definitely not lose the title of prince.
"Wouldn't it be beautiful to honor our ancestors and expand our gates?"
Hearing this, everyone present breathed a little faster, and even Zhang Ju clenched his fists in excitement.
Du Yu hesitated and said:
"I heard that General Huan was at odds with the local nobles in Hanzhong. I don't know how he will treat us."
Everyone waited with bated breath, all staring at Quan Yi.
Quan Yi smiled and said:
"My lord just gave away the land that no one owned to the people. The Liangzhou scholars were so short-sighted that they actually turned against my lord because of this.
"As for everyone here, whether you support it or not, my lord will definitely continue to implement the land equalization order when he seizes Guanzhong, using land without owners to allocate land to the landless people.
"Do you want to be like the Liangzhou nobles and give up the wealth and honor of having a wife and a son just because you have lost a few acres of land?"
Quan Yi’s friend Du Zhou stood up first and said loudly:
"I have the heart to make great achievements, how can I only focus on asking for land and property, and I have to pay every penny! Brother Quan! I am willing to go with you to pay homage to Duke Huan!"
After hearing this, everyone stood up and expressed their willingness to follow Quan Yi to join Huan Xi.
In the final analysis, the Yongzhou nobles have always been neglected.
Later Zhao rose in Hebei and established its capital at Yecheng. It was also a Jie people's government. Even if Han people were used, the Hebei gentry took the lead, and the Yongzhou gentry could only occupy a marginal position.
Now that Huanxi's Northern Expedition has the potential to invade Guanzhong, how can the Yongzhou gentry, who have been marginalized in the northern court, remain indifferent.
At the same time, Shi Bao was waiting hard in Chencang for any trace of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Just as his patience was gradually wearing away, he finally got two pieces of news.
First, the tens of thousands of troops who had gone north from Chencang Road had gone south along the same route and retreated to Liangzhou.
Secondly, Chang'an urgently reported that the Jin army was heading north along the Ziwu Road, attacking key points and building strongholds along the way. I was afraid that the troops would reach Chang'an soon.
Shi Bao was shocked and rushed back to the army. However, Chencang and Chang'an were 320 miles apart, so how could Shi Bao be able to rescue him in time.
