Before the second snowfall south of Yanmen Fortress, a guest came to the Governor's Mansion in Jinyang.
This guest's surname is Zhuge, his given name is Qiao, and his courtesy name is Bosong.
Last month, he had just been recommended by General Youhussar as the governor of Bingzhou, and now he was here to take up the post.
"Oh, Zhuge Changshi, we have been waiting for a long time, please come in quickly, please come in quickly!"
A group of officials, headed by Deng Zhi, the governor of Bingzhou, gathered at the governor's mansion today to welcome Zhuge Qiao's arrival.
This made Zhuge Qiao a little flattered, and he quickly bowed in return:
"How can Qiao Hede be able to afford the right guard general to come and greet him personally?"
General Youwei is also in charge of the military and political affairs of Bingzhou. He is definitely ranked among the top five in the Jihan court.
Seriously, ranking in the top three is not impossible.
At least in name that's the case - the right hussar generals have to take second place.
If he can make more outstanding political achievements or accumulate military merits in Bingzhou, he will be able to retire as one of the Three Dukes after returning to the court.
It was truly condescending to come out of the Governor's Mansion to greet Zhuge Qiao in person.
Deng Zhi has passed the age of hearing loss, but his body bones are still very strong, and his arm holding Zhuge Qiao up is very strong:
"Zhuge Changshi, why should colleagues be polite? It's cold outside, please come inside."
So what about the top three?
Is it bigger than the Prime Minister?
Although the Prime Minister is no longer here, the tomb on Lantian Mountain has been staring at the big man!
From the emperor down, how many people have to be favored by the prime minister?
Even Deng Zhi himself is no exception.
Are the people present looking at Zhuge Qiao's long history?
What matters is the identity of the prime minister's son.
Of course, there is also the identity of the brother of the right hussar general.
Zhuge Qiao was naturally not ungrateful when someone gave him face: "General Youwei invites you first."
"Okay, I'll invite you too, Chang Shi."
Everyone returned to the house together and entered the living room.
Thick, fine blankets were hung around the living room to block the cold wind outside.
There are heaters in the four corners, which burn clean coal, and there are copper pipes to exhaust the smoke to the outside.
A dozen candles as thick as a child's arm illuminated the entire living room.
On each table, there are peach wine, honey wine and rice wine.
Brutal luxury.
Deng Zhi is not a person who cares about ostentation, let alone someone who likes luxury.
On the contrary, he has a simple temperament, does not show off his ambition, makes clear decisions about rewards and punishments, and is kind to his soldiers.
All of his food and clothing come from his salary. He is not scrupulous about frugality and does not manage private property.
If his son Deng Liang hadn't been one of the top ten leaders of the Xinghan Society, with his small salary, the family, wife and children would have been able to make ends meet - after his death, there might even be problems with food and clothing.
The Prime Minister still has hundreds of acres of mulberry fields left, and he doesn't even own any land.
But it is precisely because Deng Zhi has a simple temperament and does not hide his emotions, so he values talented people very much.
For example, Feng Duhu, Jiang Zhengdong, etc., he would greet them with a smile.
As for those scholars who did not live up to their reputation, especially those promoted by local wealthy families, he was often too lazy to deal with them.
Therefore, scholars did not like to associate with him.
At this time, he was uncharacteristically putting on such a luxurious scene. Even though Zhuge Qiao had been mentally prepared, he couldn't help but be a little surprised.
Then he glanced down subconsciously.
At this banquet, in addition to the main officials from the governor's office in Bingzhou, the Wang family, Guo family and other wealthy families in Taiyuan were also invited.
Of course Zhuge Qiao knew that Deng Zhi's move was not just to cleanse himself of the troubles.
At the same time, it was also to suppress the aristocratic families in Bingzhou in terms of momentum.
But it's obvious that Deng Zhi's goal seems to have been achieved.
These things placed on the table really made some people look shocked.
In the past, I only heard that the Han Dynasty was rich in supplies, but now I really saw it.
Not to mention other things, they had never seen the dozen or so thick and large white jade candles.
But despite being frightened, there were also sober people who tasted the taste:
"Today's banquet seems not to be simple!"
The Han army's cavalry circled around Jiuyuan's hometown, attacked in the east and west, and made a surprise attack on Bingzhou, catching the Wei Dynasty by surprise.
Taiyuan, a Bingzhou county, was taken over by the Han army with little resistance.
The Han army was able to easily control Taiyuan, in addition to the success of strategic and tactical deception, the Han army's soldiers were good at fighting.
It is also inseparable from Wei Guo's misjudgment and the Taiyuan clan's wiseness to protect themselves and watch with cold eyes.
Even before Bi Gui, the former governor of Bingzhou, committed suicide, he ordered the treasury to be burned and no food left for the Han army, but was blocked in private.
After all, the only defenders in Bingzhou were defeated at the front, and the city was basically undefendable.
The big families in Taiyuan can either be loyal to the Wei Dynasty or be loyal to the Wei Dynasty.
But you can't burn yourself for the sake of Wei and use the body and flesh of the clan's children to stop the Han army's cavalry, right?
If you do this, you can really block it.
After all, he defended Bingzhou for the Wei Dynasty and broke King Feng Gui's reputation of being invincible. The rate of return was simply immeasurable.
But in that case, how to block it?
It's better to be a human being and keep a thin line.
Sure enough, the subsequent civil unrest in Hedong made the Taiyuan clan headed by the Wang family and the Guo family secretly rejoice and at the same time couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.
King Feng Gui’s actions were indeed as sinister as his mother’s!
Unfortunately, it was not true - at that time, the elders of various families in the east of the river were kowtowing and begging King Feng Gui, who was fishing by the river, to send troops to cause chaos among the people.
"Who can't see it yet?"
Someone next to me said, "I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing."
There were rumors in the past that Ji Han imposed tyranny on the wealthy families, and there were even rumors that he used armored cavalry in Liangzhou to wipe out all the people.
Of course, everything has its pros and cons.
There are also rumors that any family that follows the right direction can even start a new branch and become a sect of the same line.
Many aristocratic families in Shu were dismembered, but there were also branches that left Shu.
Some wealthy families in Liangzhou were wiped out, but there were also some who made a lot of money.
"When they went south to Hedong, we paid for it anyway, and the cunning rabbit ran away... Bah, I mean, even if they wanted to hide a good bow, they wouldn't do it at this time, right?"
Although I was tight at the time and it was a bit of a drag.
But when the Han army broke through the Guanque River Valley and entered Hedong, didn't everyone immediately gather together the first batch of grain and grass and send it away?
"What are you thinking about? Do you really think this is the Hongmen Banquet?"
The representative of the Wang family was named Wang Chen. Hearing the conversation, he glanced at the two of them and said calmly:
"They didn't take action when there was such a good opportunity for the civil unrest in Hedong. How could they take action at this time?"
Who is Zhuge Qiao?
That's someone who everyone with the surname Feng would call "brother".
Making trouble at the banquet where he was given the opportunity to receive his blessings?
Who is brave enough!
Guo Pei, the representative of the Guo family in Taiyuan, turned his head and looked at Wang Chen seriously.
Wang Chen looked back at the other party without showing any signs of weakness: "What are you doing?"
Guo Pei asked: "Are you really not worried?"
Wang Chen is the representative of the Wang family in Taiyuan, but he also has another identity, that is, the brother of Wang Ling, the general of the Wei State in the East.
After Wang Yun killed Dong Zhuo, he became increasingly arrogant and his subordinates gradually became alienated.
Wang Yun later refused to listen and wanted to forcibly remove the Liangzhou generals from power, and then use Guandong people to control the Liangzhou army.
Liangzhou has always had rifts with Guandong for so many years.
As soon as the news spread, it turned out that Wang Yun was going to lead the Kwantung soldiers eastward, preparing to kill all the Liangzhou people.
The generals of the Liangzhou Army were in panic all day long, and finally rebelled and invaded Chang'an. Wang Yun's family was killed, and many members of his clan were killed.
Only nephews Wang Chen and Wang Ling climbed over the wall and fled back to Taiyuan.
After this incident, the Wang brothers, who were still young, finally understood the importance of "not putting eggs in the same basket."
So Wang Chen stayed in Taiyuan, while Wang Ling went east to join the Wei Kingdom.
Then, it turned out that it was right to prepare for a rainy day.
Otherwise, after Bingzhou changes hands, the situation the Wang family will face will definitely be much more embarrassing than it is now.
Didn’t you see that after the fall of Hedong, Pei Qian gave up his position as Minister of Wei and ran back to his hometown?
"What is there to worry about? Haven't you heard that Pei Jun, who lived in Hedong's Pei family and lived in Shu more than 20 years ago, returned to Hedong to visit relatives?"
Having said this, Wang Chen glanced above. Deng Zhi was busy introducing the main officials of the Governor's Office to Zhuge Qiao.
He whispered softly: "Not to mention that Pei Qian's other brother Pei Hui is serving in the Taifu's house!"
If you have the ability, why don't you drag his brother and escape back together?
Everyone is their own master, it’s a shame!
After hearing Wang Chen's words, Guo Pei was thoughtful.
When Wang Chen saw him like this, he showed a strange smile on his face when the people above him didn't notice:
"Maybe, are you scared?"
Guo Pei sneered:
"Since you are not afraid, what should I be afraid of?"
Wang Chen had a brother named Wang Ling, and Guo Pei also had a brother named Guo Huai.
Wang Ling was the person Cao Shuang, the general of Wei State, wanted to win over, while Guo Huai was leading the army under the Taifu of Wei State.
The Wang family and the Guo family in Taiyuan are like each other.
While the two were talking, Deng Zhi had already begun to introduce Zhuge Qiao to the Taiyuan gentry who came today.
The Wang and Guo families were the most prestigious families in Taiyuan, so they were naturally at the top.
Zhuge Qiao had a modest smile on his face, but his eyes stayed on the two of them for a long time, and even the smile on his face seemed to start to have some meaning.
After the introduction is completed, the banquet officially begins.
Zhuge Qiao relied on Feng Duhu, and the officials of Bingzhou Governor's Office naturally did not dare to neglect him.
At the same time, he is from the Langya Zhuge family, and his behavior and conversation have the demeanor of a child of aristocratic family, so the children of the rich family here are willing to give him a favor.
After three rounds of drinking, the atmosphere at the table gradually became lively.
Zhuge Qiao took advantage of the wine, stood up, raised his glass and said to everyone:
"Qiao is not talented, but he has been favored by the country and served as a Bingzhou official. To be honest, I feel a little scared in my heart."
There was a burst of good-natured laughter.
"Who in the world doesn't know that Bingzhou is a cold and miserable place? There are often barbarians causing trouble, so I'm afraid that I will betray the emperor's favor."
"But after I got here and met all the heroes, I felt at ease. Qiao is shameless, but I hope you can give me a little help. I would be very grateful."
When Wang Chen heard Zhuge Qiao's words, he glanced at Guo Pei with a hint of pride.
did you see?
Zhuge Qiao's words were actually to appease people's hearts.
Generally speaking, if you do your best to show your face, everyone will be friendly and give you face.
But what Zhuge Qiao said next made people prick up their ears:
"I came here this time in a hurry and didn't make any preparations. At most, I brought some local specialties from Nanzhong. Please don't laugh."
Souvenirs from South China?
As soon as Zhuge Qiao finished speaking, he saw the thick blanket at the door was lifted, and the servants filed in, giving everyone present a small can of tea and a small piece of brown sugar.
Sugar and tea?
Let's say etiquette is important, but it's not that important.
Every official of the governor's office who can sit with him in the house can be regarded as an important figure in the governor's office.
And the gentry who can sit with him in the house are even more local aristocrats.
This little bit of sugar and tea will make them raise their eyelids at most.
But to say it's light, that's not too light.
Brown sugar and tea have always been strategic materials for Ji Han.
Especially brown sugar, as long as it exceeds a certain amount, the flow must be strictly controlled.
This certain quantity refers to the quantity that can produce a batch of military dry food.
Brown sugar is used to make military dry food, which provides far more calories than ordinary food, but is far lighter than ordinary grain.
Giving sweets to soldiers before a battle can improve their morale more than giving them alcohol and meat.
After the war, giving the injured soldiers some sugar water was much better than giving them minced meat.
Moreover, brown sugar is easy to carry and has a long shelf life. What is not better than meat?
Therefore, even in later generations, sugar has always been a national strategic material and a bulk trading material.
Not to mention that now, it is really not easy for ordinary people to buy without channels.
"Everyone, let's try this Nanzhong specialty," Zhuge Qiao said with a smile, "especially this brown sugar, it's extremely sweet in the mouth, sweeter than Yitang."
Deng Zhi was very considerate, picked it up and took a bite, then nodded and praised:
"It's really sweet. Speaking of which, Zhuge has a wide network. I don't know how many people in Bingzhou want to buy brown sugar, but they don't have any way to buy it!"
Isn't it?
From the second half of last year to the first half of this year, a batch of brown sugar actually flowed into Bingzhou.
Most of them were lost from the hands of the barbarians.
It was the reward promised by Guan Xiaojun to the Hu people in Bingzhou.
But that’s just this batch.
Someone wanted to buy more later, but it’s gone!
I heard that there is a small amount of brown sugar circulating north of Yanmen.
But people are not allowed to pass through Yanmen Stop.
The Xinghan Hui used it to exchange horses, cattle and sheep from the barbarians.
There is no way to Xinghanhui, so I want to get brown sugar...
Um?
Connection?
Ways!
Someone had already reacted, raised his head suddenly, and looked up in disbelief.
"It's so sweet, it's really sweet!"
Guo Pei had already taken a bite of brown sugar first, shaking his head and saying loudly:
"It's like honey, it melts in your mouth and refreshes your heart..."
Enter your mother!
Wang Chen almost wanted to reveal the case.
After all, you are a child of a noble family, can you not be so embarrassed?
Then he stretched his neck and shouted:
"Zhuge Changshi really has a way to buy brown sugar?"
Zhuge Qiao had a reserved smile on his face:
"Qiao has been staying in Nanzhong in the past few years, and he also opened some plantations with the Xinghan Society. Thanks to Feng Duhu's wrong love, he holds some quotas for brown sugar and tea."
Zhuge Qiao didn't want the title left by the Prime Minister, but Huang Yueying acted fairly and gave him most of the property shares of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Not those hundreds of acres of mulberry fields.
Instead, Feng Duhu borrowed the help of Guan Zhendong to contribute to Huang Yueying's Xinghanhui-related industries.
In addition, when Feng Duhu first arrived in Hanzhong, he also gave Zhuge Qiao some shares.
"So, I have some brown sugar tea wool and the like to sell every year..."
Before he finished speaking, many people had already swallowed their saliva.
Deng Zhi had a smile on his face and didn't seem to feel that Zhuge Qiao had stolen his limelight.
Anyway, the more powerful Zhuge Qiao is, the easier it will be to govern Bingzhou, and the greater the possibility that he will be able to support his old age with his three sons after returning to the court.
Feng Duhu really values love and justice!
With such strong support for Zhuge Bosong, if he can gain a firm foothold in Bingzhou, when he retires, the position of governor will probably be his.
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