Chapter 77: Shoot the man first, shoot the horse first, capture the thief first, capture the king first
Jingzhou and Chengdu are thousands of miles apart.
At normal carriage and horse speeds, a round trip would take more than a month.
But at this moment... on the official road, the sound of horse hooves was heard rapidly. Facing the strong wind, a man and a horse were flying through the vast mist like ghosts.
The messenger on horseback was very tired, but that was the case with the six-hundred-mile expedited journey. He had to persevere before reaching the next station.
Because Yizhou was first established, the post station from Jingzhou to Chengdu was not fully established, and it often took hundreds of miles to find one.
What's more, there are only horses in the station, and there is no messenger to replace them.
The knight on the horse has been galloping for two days and two nights, but You Zi is running forward tirelessly.
The letter in the bamboo tube behind him was written by Ma Liang himself.
Zhuge Liang ordered Ma Liang to report the latest situation in Jingzhou in the form of a text message every few months.
There were even times when soldiers got into chaos and scrambled for property.
It can be seen that... Liu Bei was worried about Cao Cao and Sun Quan during the day, and at night, he was especially worried about the person sitting on his couch. This feeling was unspeakably miserable.
"You shouldn't ask now. If Brother Lu hadn't mentioned us to Mr. Guan, then...did all this porridge fall from the sky?"
Ma Su knelt and sat on a side table.
Immediately a civil servant reported back: "Cao Cao captured Hanzhong and moved south to Shu at any time. The people in Shu were panicked. The Lord wanted the soldiers to be on guard and ready to go north to fight against the powerful enemy at any time. But... the army was in need of supplies and food, and could not find the funds to fight against the enemy. !”
Zhuge Liang waved his hand.
"Mrs. Sun is the youngest daughter of Sun Jian. She has been pampered since she was a child and is proficient in eighteen kinds of martial arts. She is known as the 'Gong Yao Ji' in Jiangdong. Now because of the rift between Sun and Liu in Jingzhou, it will be quite difficult for the Lord to have such a wife!"
All the officials stood up to answer.
Today Zhuge Liang is named "Strategy General" by Liu Bei.
Hearing Zhuge Liang's question, the civil servant said truthfully: "The attack on Chengdu in the past did not go well. In order to boost morale, my lord promised the officers and men, 'If things are decided, there will be nothing in the treasury without warning'!"
In name, he is a small boss, but in fact, he has a mentor-disciple relationship with Zhuge Liang, and Zhuge Liang values this disciple extremely.
——It is also related to the final direction of Uncle Liu’s borrowing money from Jingzhou!
Fortunately, everything was safe.
Ma Su continued: "In Yizhou, there are only two important things at the moment. One is that Cao Cao occupies Hanzhong and can move south at any time. How should our army respond?"
Cao Cao had just captured Hanzhong, so he would definitely take some rest, but in Jingzhou... it had been a long time, and it had been a long time since Baimei Ma Liang's message came.
"I'm telling you a great thing. From now on, our two thousand beggars will have a backer!"
These beggars opened their mouths one after another, "Then Fourth Young Master Guan agreed to be our backer?"
Zhao Yun did not answer in detail, but just sighed for a long time.
The more he thought about this, the more Zhuge Liang could not help but frown.
The situation is developing in a positive and optimistic direction.
In "Three Kingdoms", Pei Songzhi also specifically quoted the record in "Yunbie Zhuan" - "Mrs. Sun is proud of her powerful sister, and she often leads Wu officials to the army, and is illegal.".
First, the mysterious Hong Qigong is most likely a friend but not an enemy.
Under the eager gaze of everyone, the familiar beggar leader quickly walked onto the high platform with bold and uninhibited steps.
It was this ill-considered promise that caused the money and food in the treasury to be occupied by the soldiers of the various armies.
Zhao Yun, who was in charge of the internal affairs of General Zuo's mansion, personally brought the water cup and placed it on the table in front of Zhuge Liang. The table in front of General Zuo's seat was still empty.
…
The person who came was none other than Ma Liang's younger brother, Ma Di.
There is a saying in "Three Kingdoms·Shu Zhi·Fa Zhengzhuan" - "When the Lord is in Gong'an, he is afraid of the strength of Duke Cao in the north, the pressure of Sun Quan in the east, and the fear of Mrs. Sun's life changing at the elbow and armpit when approaching. When this happens, it is a wolf to advance and retreat.
Postscript."
All these show Sun Shangxiang's admiration for Liu Bei and his enthusiasm to marry a hero.
Yunchang's aloof and conceited temperament has always been a major hidden danger in Jingzhou!
With this in mind, Zhuge Liang slowly stood up and his tone suddenly became more serious: "Please note that if there is any urgent news from Jingzhou, report it to me as soon as possible. No matter when!"
"You Chang is here." Zhuge Liang raised his hand and motioned Ma Di to sit down.
"Why didn't my lord come again?"
The guard at the door announced loudly: "We're going to do something!"
Undoubtedly, these aromas can make a hungry person's stomach churn even more;
"Look, Brother Lu's clothes and complexion are completely different now. He is with the right person, and he will have a bright future."
Hearing this, Zhuge Liang exhaled. This matter is neither big nor small, but it is extremely troublesome to deal with. He must discuss it with his lord before making a decision.
Another literary official reported: "Nowadays, prices in Yizhou counties and counties are extremely unstable. Many local clans are hoarding food. The price of food has been extremely high for a time, and public resentment is boiling... There are faint calls among the public that Liu Huangshu's rule is not as good as Liu Zhang's rule.
!”
The discussion is getting louder and louder...more and more mixed.
"That's not right!" Zhuge Liang raised his eyes, his bright eyes full of doubts, "Liu Zhang's treasury does not have millions of stones in money and food? How could he not be able to get enough food to fight the enemy? Why?"
At that time, Sun Shangxiang was moved by Liu Bei and persuaded his brother Sun Quan to give up his plan to attack Yizhou.
Zhao Yun stepped forward and replied in a low voice: "Mrs. Sun, these days... you are having trouble with your lord!"
This made Zhuge Kongming, who was in charge of everything, very sad and filled with worries.
Zhuge Liang nodded approvingly and sighed: "You Chang is right."
Now, after taking over Xichuan, and because "Liu Bei borrowed money from Jingzhou and refused to return it" and "Guan Yu could not fulfill the contract to demarcate the Xiangshui River", Sun Shangxiang often made trouble with this husband who was more than thirty years older than him. Liu Bei's life was not easy.
easy.
Zhuge Liang suddenly raised his head, looked at Zhao Yun, pondered for a moment, and then asked: "Is it because of the incident in Yizhou?"
After walking through the courtyard and entering the main hall, the main seat of General Han Zuo was still empty, while Zhuge Liang sat in the position of military advisor.
Zhuge Liang knew about this.
Liu Bei said bluntly: "Gu and Liu Zhang are both clan members of the Han Dynasty. How can we betray our righteousness and take Xichuan? If you go to Wu Duan to take Shu, I will go to the mountains with my hair spread out, and I will not break my trust in the world."
Gangneung City…
——"Yun Chang!"
Ever since he left Jingzhou, his biggest worry has been Yunchang.
The beggars in the audience were whispering.
"Alas...it's not just Yizhou..."
Zhuge Liang sighed secretly...
"Yizhou has just been settled, and everything is in ruins waiting to be revitalized. There are of course countless problems. The bow should be used as a strong one, and the arrow should be used as a long one. If you blindly focus on those 'little things', you will inevitably make mistakes.
Big festival."
"The second is Jingzhou. I heard that the situation in Jingzhou is changing rapidly. Jiangdong has already tried to launch a surprise attack on Jingnan. I even heard that a notice popped up in Jiangling City, closely linking the ownership of the three counties of Changsha to the war in Hefei. If
If Hefei wins in the Eastern Wu Dynasty, the three counties of Changsha will return to the Wu Dynasty. Therefore, the lord and the military advisors should make plans in advance!"
Zhuge Liang let out a sigh and immediately raised his hand, "My lord can't sleep well at night, so let him have a good rest, let alone this..."
Zhuge Liang took a sip and asked Zhao Yun immediately.
Although there are some flaws, it has a unique charm as it is surrounded by mountains and rivers.
What further broke down the relationship between Liu Bei and Sun Shangxiang was "Yizhou"...
But price control often relies not on coercive means, but on commercial means.
It can also make weather-beaten people feel a touch of warmth under the harsh autumn wind!
And surrounding this cauldron were beggars and homeless people dressed in rags and homeless.
They are the lowest level and the most pitiful people in this era.
In addition, he was also ordered to "take charge of the affairs of General Zuo's office". The implication is that in addition to Liu Bei, all internal responsibilities fell on this thirty-four-year-old young counselor.
Of course, if it comes to Hanzhong, it is excusable.
"I finally got through it, I got through it..."
Seeing Zhuge Liang's arrival, they all knelt down on one knee, moving neatly but saying nothing.
This brings us back to the previous problem. All the money in the treasury has been robbed by the soldiers, and there is no money? How to control prices? It is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice!
In the morning light, the thin shadow of the sun shines through an earth temple on the outskirts of the western city.
Of course, the text message Ma Liang sent this time is much more important than before.
The civil servants looked at me and I looked at you, and all of them fell silent. It seemed that... there was no report from Hanzhong and Jingzhou.
The words came out of my mouth...
This worry appears to Zhuge Liang every day.
at this time…
In Chengdu, in front of General Zuo's Mansion, capable guards stood tightly.
After eating, these beggars and refugees turned their heads to the door of the Tutu Temple.
A crisp voice came from outside the house.
Secondly, it was Guan Yu's fourth son who accurately and accurately answered the direction of the battlefield in Hefei in advance - Guan Lin Guan Yunqi.
The implication is that Liu Zhang and I are both descendants of the Han Dynasty, and are half-brothers. You, Soochow, want to take over my brother's territory. Even if I, Liu Bei, live in seclusion in the world, I will never break my trust in the world.
"What's the price?" Zhuge Liang groaned softly.
At this moment, their eyes were staring longingly at the porridge in the big pot. They had not had such thick porridge for half a year.
"If you shoot the man first, shoot the horse first, and to capture the thief first capture the king. It seems that You Chang has something to say."
Accompanied by this voice, a handsome young man in his early twenties walked in slowly. He spoke in an elegant manner. He first bowed his hands to Zhuge Liang and saluted, saying: "I pay my respects to the military advisor!"
Ten large pots were set up in the courtyard, and the hot porridge in the pots was being stirred continuously, emitting a tangy aroma.
There, I don’t know when a platform was erected.
"continue…"
This can be traced back to that year, when Sun Quan followed Zhou Yu's plan of "destroying Guo by false means" and proposed to take Yizhou, and asked Liu Bei about his attitude.
Having said this, he looked back at the officials, "As You Chang said, things have their own priorities. If you have memorials from Jingzhou and Hanzhong, you should report them first..."
call…
But my lord…
Even though Ma Su is young, his words are eloquent and well-founded...
He quickly continued shouting: "Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand, our backer is not Fourth Young Master Guan..."
How will the current situation in Jingzhou develop?
Can the three counties of Changsha, Guiyang, and Jiangxia handle it?
It seems that since Guan Yu refused to implement the agreement to "delimit the Xiangshui River", there has been no news from Jingzhou.
It can be seen from this that as a master, you can eat randomly, but you can't talk randomly!
But in fact, it backfired.
Under these circumstances, Ma Liang specially followed Guan Yu's instructions and wrote one more thing, that is - Guan Gong wrote a letter of guilt in Jingzhou.
——"When you draw your bow, you should use it as a strong one, and when you use arrows, you should use a long one. When shooting a man, shoot a horse first, and when you catch a thief, you first catch the king!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs: "Brothers, I'm not calling you here just to drink porridge!"
In name, placing her and her female soldiers here is actually a separation of husband and wife, and she has no control over her affairs at all!
"The old man said that from now on, we will do the work and he will take care of the food. If he has a bite, we will never be hungry!"
"Yeah, I don't know... Did Brother Lu mention us to Mr. Guan? Who of us doesn't want to have hope?"
After all, no matter how powerful Guan Yu is, Zhuge Liang is especially worried about his temperament!
While whispering, the beggar head had already walked to the high platform.
Zhuge Liang looked at Ma Di with gentle eyes, as if he was deliberately giving the young man whom he valued a chance to show off.
The third civil servant stood up and raised his hands and said: "Yizhou has initially decided how to distribute the large number of deserted acres during the war? This is also what the civil and military officials have repeatedly mentioned. The lord seems to intend to allocate the most fertile acres of land and residences in Chengdu.
Distributed to meritorious soldiers, and a list has been drawn up!"
He knew that prices were controlled by local princes.
"Continue!" After only hearing two questions, Zhuge Liang's expression became desolate.
These words made Zhuge Liang's eyes light up.
Zhuge Liang looked at the empty main seat again, and it was inevitable that he would feel hurt.
——If things are decided, everything in the treasury will be as unpredictable as it is!
But when he turned around, Yizhou was captured by Liu Bei. Sun Quan was furious to death, and Sun Shangxiang's attitude towards Liu Bei also changed from dull to extremely disgusting.
Zhao Yun knows the sadness here best.
This time, Zhuge Liang didn't wait for him to speak.
…
——Related to the war in Hefei;
——Related to the demarcation of the Hunan River;
——It is also related to the ownership of the three counties of Changsha, Guiyang and Jiangxia.
"However, Fourth Young Master Guan is a thief, a courier, and an official. Will he...will he take in a bunch of beggars like us?"
And Liu Bei did indeed build a "Mrs. Sun City" for Sun Shangxiang in the "West of Public Security City".
This... Zhuge Liang blurted out his words.
You need to know that the "elbow and armpit" is the place closest to the heart and the most dangerous place.
More than a dozen civil servants, all wearing uniform Han official robes, had been waiting in line outside the door. They each came in holding bamboo slips, and they placed the bamboo slips on Zhuge Liang's desk one by one.
"let's start!"
However, at this time, Chengdu was not rejoicing because of Liu Bei's occupation. On the contrary,... the undercurrent was surging, the waves were turbulent, and one problem after another was surfacing.
On the other hand, Ma Su, with his mouth chirping and his eyes twinkling, was also thinking...
It was the beggar leader named "Lu" who signaled everyone to quiet down.
"Ganlu Temple" and the story of "Zhou Lang's ingenious plan to calm the world, losing his wife and destroying the army" are even more well-known.
First, everyone shared a bowl of porridge...
It is said that it is an urgent matter of 600 miles, but the road here is very mountainous, and it seems that the knight cannot travel so fast. He still needs at least two days to travel from Chengdu.
But who would have thought that Sun Quan had no idea about Yizhou.
Zhuge Liang raised his head and glanced at the plaque of "General Zuo's Mansion" and paused for a moment. His mind calmed down a lot, his expression became serious and solemn, and he walked quickly through the door.
Zhuge Liang drank all the water in the water cup in front of him and said loudly.
This means that if Chengdu is conquered, Liu Bei will not take any money from the government warehouses. Everyone can take it as they please without interfering with it.
——"Here!"
"Our backer is more powerful than Fourth Young Master Guan. He...he is 'Hong Qigong'!"
In later generations, many "deductions" and "storytellings" often described the relationship between Liu Bei and Sun Shangxiang as the love of a man and his concubine.
What is described in great detail is the absolute protagonists in these events, the other two people except Guan Yu.
…
"Oh, that's the young master who asked Guan Gong to write a 'Book of Sin'. If it was him... then... then..."
"We are no longer the beggars who let others bully us. We have names when we get together!"
“From now on, we will be called the ‘Beggars’ Gang’!”