Lu Xuan was in high spirits after hearing Gu Yong's words.
Gan Ning and Pang Tong had been in Liaodong for more than a year. When Lu Xuan was preparing to attack Yuzhou, news came back to Gan Ning and Pang Tong, saying that the two had established a foothold in Liaodong and were about to return their horses.
Immediately afterwards, there was no follow-up, and no news from Liaodong was sent back. Today, the first batch of war horses are sent back.
This is quite difficult.
Judging from this situation, it is possible to truly gain a foothold now.
Lu Xuan was happy in his heart and asked: "Brother-in-law, how many more days will it take for the returned horses to arrive?"
Gu Yong replied: "Because there are many horses, the speed of the journey is slow, and it will take at least two or three days. The number of horses sent back in this batch is one thousand, which is not a small number, and these horses are very sophisticated."
Lu Xuan's smile became brighter and he said: "We are located in the south and have always been short of war horses. Because of this, our cavalry has always been inferior to Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. This is our weakness. Now, we finally have the confidence. We The cavalry should also be further expanded to enhance its combat effectiveness."
Gu Yong said happily: "Congratulations, Your Majesty."
Lu Xuan thought for a while and ordered: "Brother-in-law, you pay close attention to the situation of the war horses. When these horses are returned, I want to meet the person in charge and understand the details of Liaodong. It has been more than a year since Gan Ning and Pang Tong went there. , it’s definitely not easy.”
"Here!"
Gu Yong nodded in reply.
He stood up and stepped back.
Lu Xuan was in a good mood. He looked through the submitted information and found another interesting thing. In today's Guanzhong court, Cao Cao was named King of Qin on the sixth day of the first lunar month, which is already an independent system.
Liu Bei, who had been in the middle of the court, had no military strength, but he became a general.
Liu Bei is a clan member of the Han Dynasty.
He is a member of the royal family.
In fact, it is possible to be crowned king.
According to the information uploaded, the emperor also wanted to grant Liu Bei the title of king to increase Liu Bei's authority. Therefore, some ministers in the court wrote a letter suggesting that Liu Bei should be crowned king, but Cao Cao directly suppressed it and only gave Liu Bei the status of general.
So now, although Liu Bei and Cao Cao are harmonious on the surface, in fact, the relationship between the two parties is not very harmonious secretly.
This is the constraint of imperial power.
The presence of imperial power brought benefits to Cao Cao. However, the imperial power would also use every possible means to restrict Cao Cao. Even though Liu Bei was unwilling to be Cao Cao's enemy, his own character design destined him to be on the opposite side of Cao Cao.
So currently, Cao Cao and Liu Bei are cooperating despite conflicts.
Lu Xuan was thinking about Cao Cao and Liu Bei. It would be good for them to fight among themselves, because Lu Xuan would not send troops abroad in a short period of time. If we really want to send troops to the Northern Expedition, we must wait for the further stability of Yuzhou and Jingzhou, the local adjustment of Wu State, and ensure that there will be no internal problems before further sending troops.
At any time, internal stability comes first.
Without internal stability, everything is illusory.
While Lu Xuan was flipping through the information, there was a sound of footsteps, and Lu Xun came in to report: "Your Majesty, Zhang Zhao wants to see you."
"please!"
Lu Xuan ordered.
The soldiers went to deliver the order. After a while, Zhang Zhao hurriedly entered, bowed and said: "My lord, Zhang Zhao, pays homage to the king."
Lu Xuan asked, "What's wrong with Zibu?"
Zhang Zhao said respectfully: "Reporting to your Majesty, I am here now to recommend a talent to your Majesty."
Lu Xuan asked: "Which great talent?"
Zhang Zhao said seriously: "I recommend Zhang Hong from Guangling, Xuzhou. This man has profound knowledge and outstanding ability. In the early years, he was recruited as a vassal by General He Jin, Taiwei Zhu Jun, and Sikong Xunshuang. However, Zhang Hong did not He went to take office and is still in Guangling County. This man is very capable and should not be left outside."
Lu Xuan did not answer immediately, thought for a while, and asked: "Since Zhang Hong is talented, he is in Guangling County and under the rule of Xuzhou. Why didn't Xuzhou Governor Kuai Liang invite Zhang Hong to come out?"
Zhang Zhao said truthfully: "Reporting to the king, Kuai Liang once sent someone to invite Zhang Hong, hoping that Zhang Hong would be the governor of Xu. However, Zhang Hong was used to spending time in clouds and wild cranes, so he did not serve as an official and still lived in seclusion in Guangling to study."
Lu Xuan chuckled when he heard this and said: "Zhang Hong feels that He Jin, Xun Shuang and others have personally conquered him, and with his qualifications, he has been wronged by Kuai Liang. Therefore, he is unwilling to go to Xuzhou Be an official?"
Zhang Zhao's face suddenly turned serious.
He really didn't dare to accept Lu Xuan's words.
This time he recommended Zhang Hong because he heard that Zhang Hong lived in seclusion in Xuzhou. He was also from Xuzhou. A fellow Xuzhou fellow was capable, talented and famous, so he thought he could recommend him. After all, once it is achieved, it is also a good cause.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xuan would ask such a question, which made Zhang Zhao a little difficult to answer.
Zhang Zhao faced Lu Xuan with awe in his heart and said respectfully: "Reporting to your Majesty, I don't know what Zhang Hong's thoughts are. I just know the news about Zhang Hong and want to recommend talents, so I recommend him."
Lu Xuan ordered: "Since he is living in seclusion, let him continue to live in seclusion. Wu State needs talents, but it does not need talents who are proud of their talents."
If there was no problem with Kuai Liang, Lu Xuan would still be willing to recruit him.
After all, Zhang Hong is a talent.
Historically, Zhang Hong and Zhang Zhao were together known as Jiangdong Erzhang. However, Zhang Hong did not live as long as Zhang Zhao. He did not have many deeds and his reputation was not prominent enough.
Zhang Zhao did not dare to say more and said respectfully: "I humbly obey my orders."
Lu Xuan nodded, and Zhang Zhao excused himself.
Lu Xuan didn't care about Zhang Hong's affairs. He was looking forward to the return of the war horse.
Two days passed in a blink of an eye.
Gu Yong came to the palace again. After meeting Lu Xuan, he reported: "Your Majesty, a thousand war horses have all been sent into the city and handed over to Zhang Liao to take over. The general who returned to Shu County this time is named Qiu Yu, and he is Gan Ning’s lieutenant. Now, Qiu Yu is outside the palace."
Lu Xuan said urgently: "Bring people in quickly."
Gu Yong turned around to inform. After a while, a middle-aged man with a tall frame but very thin entered.
The person coming was Gan Ning's deputy general Qiu Yu.
The armor on his body was a bit broken. When he saw Lu Xuan, he said excitedly: "General Qiu Yu, pay your respects to the king."
Lu Xuan stood up, walked to Qiu Yu, and looked at him carefully.
The skin on Qiu Yu's face was rough, with signs of recovery from dryness and cracking. The armor on his body was damaged, and stains of blood could still be seen. Lu Xuan lowered his head and directly grabbed Qiu Yu's hand.
Qiu Yu struggled for a moment, then relaxed and allowed Lu Xuan to catch him.
Lu Xuan looked at Qiu Yu's hands. The palms were covered with rough calluses and stripes, making the palms disordered. There were also cracks everywhere between Qiu Yu's nails. His hands were so rough that it was distressing.
Liaodong is a bitter and cold place.
The mild climate of this place is completely different from that of Jiangnan, and it is very unsuitable for living.
"Thanks a lot."
Lu Xuan put down Qiu Yu's hand and spoke.
Qiu Yu's eyes felt a little hot for a moment, and a different emotion lingered in his heart. Five thousand people from Jinfan Camp went north, and it was quite difficult to gain a foothold in the bitter cold land of Liaodong. Under this premise, it is even more difficult to build a base, start a war with Liaodong Gongsundu, and snatch war horses.
Qiu Yu felt that Lu Xuan's words were worth it.
Looking at Qiu Yu's appearance, Lu Xuan knew that this trip between Gan Ning and Pang Tong would definitely not be smooth or easy.
Why is it not easy for the south to conquer the north?
Climate is the big problem.
One can imagine how difficult it was for Gan Ning and Pang Tong to travel to Liaodong.
Lu Xuan motioned Qiu Yu to sit down and asked, "Tell me, what is the situation in Liaodong in the north?"
Qiu Yu sat down and said sternly: "Report to your Majesty, General Gan led us to land in Liaodong County from the sea and secured a piece of land in the south of Liaodong County, Dashi County."
"After we established a foothold, we were counterattacked by Gongsun Du, the governor of Liaodong. Relying on the bravery of General Gan and the clever calculation of Military Advisor Pang, we won one after another and captured the entire Dashi County as the foundation for our foothold."
"Actually, we took control of Dashi County last year and are preparing to send war horses back."
"At that time, when General Gan and Military Advisor Pang led us to continue to attack Gongsundu, Military Advisor Pang suddenly contracted a cold and fell ill. His condition was so serious that General Gan had to order a retreat."
"Commander Pang asked General Gan to attack because of his illness. Don't worry about him. General Gan still led us back to Dashi County."
"Commander Pang was ill for half a year. After he recovered, he entered the cold winter season again and was unable to attack. Because it is located in the north, the weather is freezing and many soldiers in the army also suffered losses."
"As a result, we are unable to expand, so we can only stay in Dashi County."
"At the beginning of this year, General Gan also contracted wind and cold. Fortunately, General Gan was strong and recovered quickly. In short, when we gain a foothold in the north, we not only have to face fighting, but also fight against the environment, which is not easy."
"Fortunately, Military Advisor Pang has adjusted his strategy. We will no longer attack and focus on running Dashi County for the time being, so we sent back a batch of war horses."
Dashi County is the area near Lushun Port in later generations.
This is the key port into Liaodong.
Gan Ning and Pang Tong stayed in Dashi County, and their strength was not weak. The current problem was the weather, which made it impossible for Gan Ning and Pang Tong to use their abilities.
Lu Xuan also fell into thinking.
Liaodong is a very critical chess piece. In the future, Lu Xuan and Yuan Shao will go to war. This is a trump card. Under the current situation, neither Yuan Shao nor Gongsun Zan bothered Gongsun Du.
Because Gongsundu was entrenched in Liaodong County.
Between Liaodong and Gongsun Zan, there were the Wuhuan people who occupied Liaoxi County. As for Yuan Shao and Gongsun Du, the distance was even further.
Lu Xuan thought carefully, Liaodong must break the situation, and he even planned to go to Liaodong himself. It's just that Lu Xuan's route to Liaodong is not necessarily the waterway on the sea. He wants to go north by land.
First, go north to Jizhou and look for the divine general Zhao Yun in Zhending County, Changshan State, Jizhou.
Entering Youzhou, go see Gongsun Zan again and lobby for Gongsun Zan to continue to deal with Yuan Shao and delay Yuan Shao's unification of the north. He even borrowed Gongsun Zan's help and took part of the power from Gongsun Zan to Liaodong.
Once the layout of the north is completed, the whole game of chess in the north will be completely alive and no longer a stalemate.
The more Lu Xuan thought about it, the more feasible it became.
Just now, Wu State is still developing steadily and will not expand for the time being. He can concentrate on the layout of Liaodong.
