The mighty river passes through Pingyuan County in the north of Qingzhou, and then flows into the Bohai Sea.
Liu Bei's army quickly defeated several remaining armies on the north bank of the river and then crossed the river directly to the south. To the south of the river were two extremely important counties in Qingzhou.
Le'an Kingdom and Jinan Kingdom.
Under the general trend of reducing the number of kingdoms in the Later Han Dynasty, Qingzhou was an exception. The kingdoms, principalities, and princes in Qingzhou occupied most of the land in Qingzhou.
In addition to the two kingdoms on the south bank of the river, there are also kingdoms such as Jiaodong Kingdom, Beihai Kingdom, Jibei Kingdom, and Jidong Kingdom, as well as dukedoms such as the Duke of Qi and the Marquis of Lu.
Although the Yinghou State mainly operates in Yanzhou, its administrative division is also in Qingzhou, and it is also the choke point of the tributary of Surabaya.
Although Liu Beijun is a typical wandering army, his strength is quite extraordinary.
When he was in Zhuojun, local wealthy businessmen Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang admired him and funded him with goods.
After he and Gongsun Zan separated and Liu Bei left Zhuojun, these two big businessmen funded him with a large sum of gold, silver and horses.
When they entered the capital of the Kingdom of Jinan, the number of soldiers and horses under their command had reached more than 3,000. Most of these people were athletes who were good at riding and shooting recruited all the way from Youzhou.
In terms of generals Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhao Yun, Liu Bei's own force is also very strong. In battles involving less than 10,000 people, Liu Bei has an extremely keen sense of smell and can always make the most appropriate response.
Among the civil servants, there is Jian Yong, who is quite talented and is now Liu Bei's only adviser.
When passing through Zhuojun, Liu Bei also rescued his fellow clansman Liu Yan, who was a famous scholar.
Although one cannot be successful in military affairs, the role of celebrities is not here. Liu Yan can bring a lot of invisible value to Liu Bei through his social circle and bragging ability. Liu Bei is very important to his fellow clansman.
Compared with the wealth of military commanders, Liu Bei himself knew that his civil servants were too shabby, but he had no choice. He came from a poor family, was a warrior in a border county, and did not have his own base. These three reasons caused no one to use him.
The reason why he tirelessly wanted to take over Qingxu was to gain the support of the nobles in these two places. It was not just as simple as getting the mastermind, but mainly to get a large number of middle and low-level officials to completely stabilize his power.
Today, 70% of the literate people in the world are from noble families, and 30% are from poor families. As for the common people, there are naturally literate people, such as Li Ru, but in terms of probability, it is zero!
After entering the Kingdom of Jinan, Liu Bei began to recruit troops again.
This is not really to recruit troops, but to make a gesture to tell the powerful nobles of Jinan that I, Liu Bei, am here.
Do you want to cooperate or fight?
He is no longer the unknown minion he was before. Even if he does not occupy the prestige of Qingxu, he can still be the governor of a county or the prime minister of the country.
After all, after the battle with Zhang Jiao, Liu Xuande's reputation spread throughout the Central Plains, not to mention those well-informed gentry families.
If Liu Bei is not given even this face, it would be a naked humiliation.
The gentry in Qingzhou are not as prosperous as those in Hebei, Ruying, Sanhe and other places, but Qi has been focusing on commerce since Guan Zhong, and it is the key to connecting the north and the south. From south to north, industries are quite controlled, and there are many wealthy merchants.
These wealthy businessmen are very sensible. As soon as Liu Bei entered Jinan Junior High School, local businessmen invited him to a banquet.
Liu Bei is in the army.
Several people sat in the tent, with invitations in front of them, with fiery colors in their eyes. Liu Bei sighed with emotion: "After so many years, I finally get this kind of treatment.
It is really difficult to achieve this in a life of nine deaths! "Everyone's face was full of honor. What kind of treatment?
The Luo family members will not go into details about the benefits of being able to travel the world with their reputation. Everyone knows that if the Luo family members come to visit now, Liu Bei will immediately welcome him.
For example, Yuan Shao, the defeated general in front of Zhang Jiao's formation, the bereaved dog in Dong Zhuo's words, was able to be welcomed to Jizhou by the nobles of Hebei when he had nothing.
It is due to the family reputation of Shi Sangong and the personal reputation of Yuan Benchu, the most handsome man in the world.
Liu Yan smiled and said: "Xuan Degong is a hero in the world. The second general, the third general, and General Zhao are all brave generals that have been rarely seen in history for many times, but they are all under your command.
You are a majestic dragon, and you will turn into a real dragon when encountering the storm.
If they look down on you, isn't it because those people themselves don't have a long-term vision? "
There were some words that people like Guan Yu were inappropriate to say, but Liu Yan seemed very appropriate and sincere when he said them. Liu Bei smiled and waved his hands without saying anything else.
He just pointed to the invitation on the table and said, "Brother Yun Chang is in charge of the military camp and is in charge of the army. This is the foundation of our existence.
Yide and Zilong are escorting us, so we must be on guard against others. With you two protecting us, no one can stop us. "
Guan Yu felt hot in his heart. Liu Bei could entrust his army to him. This was the highest trust. He clasped his fists tightly and said loudly: "Don't worry, brother. I will guard the military camp and never give anyone an opportunity."
When Zhang Fei heard that Liu Bei asked him to escort him, he immediately stood tall and was very excited. Zhao Yun was also the same. He knew that he had completely entered Liu Bei's inner circle and could even be compared with his two sworn brothers.
Even if others join Liu Bei's forces in the future, they will not be able to compare with his own status.
Liu Bei turned his attention to Jian Yong and Liu Yan again, pondered for a moment and said, "Weishuo, you are a famous scholar in the Central Plains, so you will go with me to the banquet. Xianhe will stay in the army with Yunchang."
"Here!"
The two of them bowed together, and after making distinctions, Guan Yu and Jian Yong stayed in the military camp, while Liu Bei took Zhang Fei and the others to the banquet.
There are no big gentry in Jinan, which means there is no world-famous gentry.
For example, the Xun family, Chen family, Zhong family, etc. in Yingchuan, and the Yuan family in Runan, these families have produced more than one noble family with three nobles and nine ministers, and even top noble families like the Yuan family with four generations and three noble families.
There is no such gentry in Jinan Kingdom. Since the establishment of the Later Han Dynasty, Jinan gentry have been circulating among the states and counties for a hundred years. Many of them are not recognized by the gentry circles at all, and they are still called powerful merchants.
It sounds very vulgar, but if you ignore the power these people have, it will be a big mistake.
Zhang Fei could only manage some insignificant industries in Zhuojun. Even a butcher who was not a powerful man could recruit hundreds of local warriors for Liu Bei.
Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang were just horse dealers, but they were able to repeatedly support Liu Bei with food, grass and war horses that could support thousands of people. They were also able to recruit local warriors for him to revive his army. The energy of these merchants is evident.
The host of Liu Bei's banquet was named Huang, and he had lived in the Kingdom of Jinan for generations.
Liu Bei took a few people and some soldiers to the outside of the manor written in the invitation, and was immediately shocked by the luxury of the manor.
Liu Bei whispered to several people: "He is just a rich man in a county, but he has such assets. It seems that he is a good man in family and business. If he can help our army, it will be a huge help."
In front of the manor, an old man who looked like an old butler came up to him and said with a humble smile: "But Mr. Xuande in person?"
Liu Bei knew at a glance that the housekeeper of the Huang Mansion was here. Those who could hold the position of housekeeper were usually the real confidants of the head of the house. He clasped his fists and said, "It's Liu Bei. What's your surname?"
The steward bowed and said, "Mr. Xuande has betrayed me. I have been given the surname Huang by the master of the family. I am waiting here to welcome Mr. Xuande into the mansion. The banquet has been prepared. I would like to invite Mr. Xuande to accompany me."
So the group of people followed the housekeeper and walked in. After entering the mansion, there were even more pavilions, carved beams and painted buildings. When everyone entered the main courtyard, they saw a rather wealthy middle-aged man waiting for everyone.
When I saw the housekeeper leading Liu Bei and his entourage, the man in the front had drooping ears and shoulders, his hands were above his knees, and his face was like a crown jewel. If his lips were greased, he could tell that his face was generous and heroic.
However, Liu Bei felt that the person in front of him seemed to have a hint of cunning, which made him feel a little unhappy.
Liu Bei is a relatively good person.
He valued appearance, but he didn't show it, trying not to miss out on talents because of these reasons.
The two exchanged warm greetings, and the head of the Huang family welcomed Liu Bei into the house. At first glance, it was a place where guests were often welcomed. It was very spacious, with seats on both sides. Behind the seats, there were rows of musicians. The scene is quite big.
Liu Bei frowned slightly when he walked in, because there were not many people in the palace. In other words, there were many people from Jinan who did not come.
The head of the Huang family was an elite man, and Liu Bei's fleeting emotions were caught by him. He pretended to sigh and said: "Although the country is small, there are many bandits.
Today we had a banquet with many families, but most of them declined because they wanted to suppress bandits. "Suppress bandits?"
Liu Bei sneered, why did the suppression of bandits require the powerful heads of these noble families to take part in it themselves?
These powerful nobles have their own armed groups. At that time, Liu Bei was the person responsible for the security of the county in Zhuo County. He did not believe that there was no such person in Jinan.
But an intuition told Liu Bei that things were not as simple as the head of the Huang family in front of him said.
After a brief interlude, Liu Bei sat down at the table. As the maids, musicians and dancers took turns, the atmosphere in the table suddenly became lively.
Liu Bei already liked fine wine, fancy clothes, and dogs and horses. He didn't have any particular pursuit of beautiful women. Now the head of the Huang family was spending a lot of money.
The bustling atmosphere made Liu Bei, who had been working hard in the past few years, suddenly become addicted to it, drinking cups of fine wine into his stomach.
After drinking for three rounds, the head of the Huang family raised his glass and said with a smile: "Mr. Xuande, I need your help in some matters in Jinan Kingdom..."
Liu Bei was drunk and was supported on the horse by Zhang Fei. Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun looked at him from left to right to prevent him from falling and entered the military camp. Guan Yu did not expect that he would come back overnight, and Liu Bei was still drunk, so he hurriedly asked: "How come big brother comes back drunk?"
Zhang Fei was about to argue when he felt that his eldest brother didn't drink much and got drunk for some reason.
Then I saw Liu Bei suddenly sitting up, his eyes clear, and there was no trace of drunkenness. Everyone around him was startled, and when he came back to his senses, his heart tightened. None of them were fools. Liu Bei was pretending to be drunk, so he must be. Something happened.
Liu Bei didn't waste any time. He jumped off his horse and walked towards the tent. As he walked, he said, "There's something wrong with this Huang family."
After Liu Bei's narration, Guan Yu and Jian Yong learned that at the banquet, the head of the Huang family and Liu Bei did not reach any agreement on cooperation, but instead reached an agreement to suppress bandits.
The Huang family provided money and Liu Bei sent troops to exterminate the bandits in Jinan and surrounding areas. The Huang family directly gave Liu Bei a list of names.
Guan Yu heard this and asked curiously: "Brother, isn't this what we should do after cooperation?"
Ensuring the safety of the nobles is a fixed task of the warlords who cooperate with them. After all, if these nobles cannot even protect their own homes with money and people, it would be a joke.
Guan Yu came from a poor family and did not understand this, but Jian Yong came from a powerful family. He understood this very well and immediately said: "It is impossible that there are no bandits in Jinan.
If that were the case, then this city would have been breached long ago, and all these wealthy families would be corpses.
How could the lord be needed to suppress bandits? "
The main bandits in Qingzhou are all in the direction of Linzi, which is the richest area in Qingzhou. There are not many bandits in the north of Qingzhou.
Now both Guan Yu and Zhang Fei understood. Zhang Fei's violent temper suddenly erupted into rage. He raised his eight-foot-long snake spear and was about to stab the head of the Huang family to death. "Does this thief want to trick us?"
Liu Bei shook his head and said, "Not necessarily, but there must be something wrong.
When we first arrive, we still need to be careful and understand the situation here, otherwise we will easily fall into a trap.
After dawn tomorrow, Wei Shuo, I wonder if you have any friends in Jinan Junior High School. It would be great if I could find out some information. "
Liu Yan lightly twirled his beard and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Xuande, I'll leave this matter to Yan."
The only other thing about him, Liu Yan, is that he has a great reputation and many friends. He is always treated to guests wherever he goes.
Have a meal.
The next day.
Liu Beijun was still stationed step by step, repairing things in an orderly manner, while Liu Yan began to exude his celebrity charm.
Within a few days, Liu Yan had already become familiar with the circle of celebrities in Jinan. Apart from anything else, these celebrities were absolutely well-informed.
"What? Is this Huang trying to steal something? But it turns out he has too many enemies, and those rebels want to kill him by name?"
Liu Bei asked with a surprised look on his face. Several people around him also had expressions as if they had seen a ghost. They never expected this to be the case.
If the nobles in this world want to develop, they always have to be more or less conscientious.
But as long as they stay within a reasonable range and don't do anything that is unscrupulous, they can usually get by. Even Luo Shi doesn't hold these people to high standards.
Moreover, ordinary nobles would not dare to rob them without any reason.
Who knows whether he will be killed by a vengeful person at any time, or nailed to death by a crossbow by a passionate young man.
According to the current social custom, death is in vain. Many people are more restrained and usually take advantage of the lean years to harvest land under the guise of trading.
Although this is unethical, it is a transaction between you and me after all.
"This Huang family can actually be evaluated by the nobles of this county as a swindle and plunder. What is this..."
What kind of beast is it?
This is what everyone wants to say, even the nobles can't stand it and don't want to be associated with it.
Liu Yan told him one by one what he had learned about the head of the Huang family. The more he listened, the more shocked Liu Bei became. Zhang Fei was dumbfounded and asked: "How did this thief survive to this day?"
This is not only Zhang Fei's question, but also the rest of the people's question. According to his approach, he should have died long ago. The last person who was full of evil but remained stable was Shi Changshi. That was because he had been staying in the palace.
No matter how fierce the righteous people among the people were, they would never be able to enter the palace and kill the Shi Changshi, but too many of the relatives of the Shi Changshi who had done evil were killed in a vendetta.
Liu Yan smiled bitterly and said: "The head of the Huang family knows that it is not safe and has always stayed in the manor without going out. Moreover, he is willing to spend money. There are still many people who will protect him and destroy those who have enmity with him for the sake of money. Bandits." Suppress the bandits!
Liu Bei and others' faces darkened, and Guan Yu said angrily: "Does this thief regard my eldest brother as a desperado who is running for profit?"
Not only Guan Yu, but also people with good tempers like Zhao Yun became angry. Zhang Fei even shouted loudly, "Brother, let me stab him to death with a spear!"
Liu Bei had a strong personality, so naturally he couldn't stand this kind of stimulation, and said angrily: "It's really too much to bully others. Does a person who bullies the people deserve to drink at the same table with me, Liu Bei?"
If you still use those false words to deceive me, doesn't this ruin my reputation and destroy my morality?
Is it tolerable, which one is intolerable?
Such evil thieves are openly listed in the county! Wasn’t it true that these people had corrupted the country of the Han Dynasty?
If it weren't for these evil thieves, how could the people live in poverty, and how could those millions of Taiping troops rise up?
If it weren't for these evil thieves and the Taiping Army, how could the Han Dynasty lose its destiny?
If I cannot kill this evil thief, I, Liu Bei, will be called a descendant of the Liu family in vain, and I will be sorry for the people in the world to call me Xuande Gong! "
Liu Bei made up his mind to fight with Huang, which was actually a quite risky move.
If it were a comparison of force, then Liu Bei would naturally be stronger than the Huang family. After all, the Huang family was not a wealthy family like the Lu family who could even gather over 10,000 soldiers. He was just a powerful man in a county.
Liu Bei has three to four thousand elite infantry and cavalry, and he is undoubtedly the strongest army in Jinan. Even in the entire Qingzhou, as long as he recruits some auxiliary troops, he will still be the top strength.
The reason for taking the risk is that after all, the Huang family is a powerful noble family, and it is very likely that the entire Jinan Kingdom and even the powerful noble families in Qingzhou will have a bad feeling towards Liu Bei.
Although the Huang family has a bad reputation and many nobles are disgusted with him, this is a nobleman after all.
Internal affairs of a powerful force.
It is a very bad behavior for warlords from outside to attack the powerful local nobles. Those conservative leaders of the powerful nobles will regard this as a provocation.
Once the nobles in the prefectures and counties reject Liu Bei, his plan to occupy Qingzhou will be completely ruined.
It is no exaggeration to say that in this era, without the support of the nobles, it is 100% impossible to achieve anything. Even Dong Zhuo has the support of the Liangzhou nobles, and Gongsun Zan has the support of the Youzhou nobles.
But even though it was such a dangerous choice, what Liu Bei heard was three decisive voices without hesitation: "Okay!"
He looked at Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun, and heard the three of them shouting in unison: "I am willing to follow my eldest brother (lord) and get rid of this evil thief!".
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together and people divide into groups. Guan, Zhang and Zhao, who have been hanging out with Liu Bei since he was young because of similar interests, are naturally the same type of people.
They were not surprised by Liu Bei's choice and supported it from the bottom of their hearts. Jian Yong and Liu Yan both knew Liu Bei well and knew that the man in front of them truly implemented the principles of benevolence and righteousness.
Knowing these things, Liu Bei will definitely take action. Even if he loses all his current assets, he will not hesitate at all.
No matter what they thought, after expressing their opinions, the two of them followed closely to express their support.
Liu Bei saw that everyone supported his risky behavior without hesitation. He was quite moved and even choked up a little and said: "Everyone, I am blessed to have you by my side.
If this is the case, then we will eliminate this harm for the people of Jinan! "
Now that we have made a plan to get rid of the Huang family and other powerful people who are complicit in the Huang family, we need to plan it carefully.
As long as it is a matter of war, you cannot take it lightly. Even if it is a lion fighting a rabbit, you should use all your strength.
After the emperor bid farewell to Zan, he led his troops out of Youyou into Qing. There were three battles in one day. The bandits in Qingzhou were defeated and the birds and beasts dispersed. The emperor led more than 3,000 fine cavalry across the river to the south and entered the Kingdom of Jinan.
There was a powerful Huang family in Jinan who had always heard of the emperor's reputation. He held a banquet in his honor and entertained the emperor with vocal music and dancing. When the emperor first met him, he noticed that the Huang family was strange and pretended to have a pleasant banquet. He said: "The singing and dancing will not stop." "
Huang thought he had got it, but the emperor pretended to be drunk and left the banquet, so that Yan Feng heard about it. Huang was evil, and there were so many bamboos that it was difficult to write. The emperor and all the generals who were close to him were angry. The emperor threw the letter to the ground and said angrily: "This thief cannot be pacified unless he is killed." The people are angry, and not killing him is not enough to show his evil deeds!"
A scholar came in and said, "Lord, please calm down. We have led an army from outside to kill the nobles in the county. I am afraid that we will have no place to stand in the future. Please think again, lord."
The emperor said angrily: "When I was young, I determined to rectify the injustices in the world and save the suffering people in the world.
Is this an empty statement?
The people are suffering like this. I have witnessed it with my own eyes. If I don’t draw the sharp sword and eliminate the evil thieves, how dare I stand in the world with benevolence and righteousness? "
The emperor said with great emotion that all the generals and ministers rushed to the top, and told the soldiers, each holding a sword, to lead the Huang family out of the house. It was said that there was a strong bow, and he killed him with one arrow. He also destroyed the family house, leaving all the women and children behind, and killing all the guilty ones. , three days is the end.
The Huang clan was destroyed, and the six people who followed the clan's destruction were all evil and committed bloody massacres. The country was shocked for a while.
After a while, the common people in the country were eating pots and pans of milk to express their condolences. A strong man crossed three counties and arrived overnight. He knelt down in front of the army with tears and said that he would repay kindness with his life.
Among the bandits in the Jinan Kingdom, there were also those who led their troops to return to the emperor. Some scholars in the country came to the emperor and said, "We respect you for your benevolence and righteousness, and we are willing to serve as his subordinates."
The commotion in the army stopped when the famous people from the county and country paid their respects. The emperor collected the children of the county and the bandits for training, and together they were 20,000 people, named "Qingzhou".
In March, the emperor moved south. ——"Ji Hanshu·The Chronicles of Xuan Lie"
