"Failing to come in when called upon, failing to hold on when threatened, are the sinners of the world." [Book of Jin, Biography of Zhou Jun]
In the emperor's impression, Liu Yan only had one or two years left to live. If Liu Yan died of illness next year, and there was no leader internally, and there were large armies outside to press him, the imperial court would only need to fight a battle in Hanzhong, and then take advantage of the situation.
The whole territory of Yizhou. However, the drought locusts coming next year have cast a shadow on this plan. If the imperial army is in a stalemate in the dangerous terrain of Hanzhong, it will not only waste food and grass, but the unfavorable battle situation in the front will also affect the hearts of the people behind.
Once the war situation goes unfavorable and people's hearts become unstable, the worst result may be that thieves will appear again in Guanzhong, destroying production, and the ZTE momentum that the imperial court has finally built will be in jeopardy.
Therefore, the emperor was now hesitant about whether to stick to the original plan to attack Yizhou. This was a very risky matter and he had to consider it carefully.
"Your Majesty." Xun You spoke in a low voice but spoke clearly: "In the second year of Chuping, the rice thief Zhang Lu established himself in Hanzhong, which lasted only two years. The former prefect Su Gu was quite famous. After his death, the officials and people of Hanzhong
Many people died because of the so-called Zhang Lu's foundation was not stable and the people's hearts were not attached to him. The Five Pecks of Rice method pursued by the rice thieves has the same source as the Taiping Taoist practiced by the moth thieves. This generation is very good at deceiving the public with his evil words.
Jiao, Zhang Liang and other bandit leaders are examples of this. If they are allowed to confuse the common people, how can Hanzhong be easily conquered after a few years?"
Xun You and other emperors thought quietly for a while, and then said slowly: "The drought locusts will damage the vitality even if the court has prepared for it. Yizhou is a fertile country with thousands of miles of fertile land, and the people are rich. Because of this, Emperor Gao has the Han Dynasty."
Four hundred years of foundation. If the beneficial states can help each other at that time, not only will the people in Guanzhong be able to recover, but the imperial court will also be able to increase its power and look down upon the world."
Hearing what he said, the emperor did not show any surprise, but nodded gently, obviously knowing why Xun You was so eager to enter Yizhou.
Zhang Lu had not long been established in Hanzhong, but the people's support was not yet strong and his foundation was unstable. This was the best opportunity to send troops to attack. The drought that the court was about to face was unknown for how long it would last. There was no precedent for droughts in one place for several years in a row.
If the imperial court does not take advantage of next year's drought to quickly resolve the threat from Hanzhong and open up the connection between Guanzhong and Yizhou, then after the imperial court handles the drought, Hanzhong may not be as easy to fight as it is now.
The situation is changing rapidly. If we don't capture Yizhou in time and strengthen our strength, who knows what changes will occur in Guandong in a few years? If we want to conquer Shu by then, we will have to worry about more external factors and restrictions.
Of course, these reasons are all based on the interests of the Han Dynasty. For Xun You himself, there must be his own demands.
The emperor seemed to have remembered something. He used the topic just now and said in a very tactful tone: "Unfortunately, the mountains in Shu are so high that it is so difficult to transport grain and grass. Even if it is transported to Guanzhong, it will only be a drop in the bucket."
Xun You was stunned at first, but then he said simply: "The road to Shu is difficult. If you need it, you have to be lucky. In the past when Emperor Xiaowu was Emperor Xiaowu, rice grains from Guandong were transported to Shuofang via canal. There were more than tens of thousands of losses on the road. It was still unlucky.
No, after all, national affairs are the most important thing."
"Mr.
Xun You smiled calmly and dismissed the topic: "The rice thieves cut off the road and separatized Hanzhong, and the court masters are famous. If Liu Yan, the pastor of Yizhou, listened to the slander and wrongly paid his subordinates, it would be an unforgivable crime. It is not appropriate to be appointed Fang Bo again."
The emperor nodded and smiled, and said: "Except Sili, Yongliang and other prefectures, who are the envoys sent by the prefectures and counties in Guandong to participate in the plan?"
"Jingzhou, Xuzhou, and Beihai Lu Bu will all send envoys. I think Gongsun Zan of Youzhou will also send envoys to come to the court. As for Yanzhou, it is said that Cao Cao also has this intention." Xun You mentioned carefully.
"We will discuss the affairs of Guandong together when Wang Duan's envoy Langye comes back. There is no rush at this time." The emperor exhaled a breath of white steam and said: "According to our Han family system, the kings have a court every three years.
Last year we sent the princes from the country and the royal family came, but the journey was inconvenient and it was difficult to teach them to come back this year. Therefore, this year's New Year's Day Dynasty may not be as lively as last year."
Hearing the Xian song and knowing its elegant meaning, Xun You immediately said: "We can send envoys to Jingzhou, go up the river, and order Yizhou pastors to come to court."
"It's almost December, is it too late?" The emperor was afraid that Liu Yan would excuse him because he didn't have enough time.
"The main thing is to see if he has this intention." Xun You said: "In any case, just after receiving the edict, he knew it was time to make a choice."
The emperor lowered his eyes and thought for a long time, and finally nodded.
The purpose of ordering Liu Yan to enter the court was just to give him an opportunity and to prepare a name for the possible expansion of military operations after taking Hanzhong next year.
Xun You suddenly said: "Liu Fan, Liu Dan and other three brothers..."
"It's a very important matter. Their actions are all seen by the prison guards." The emperor said leisurely: "This time, they thought they were going to conquer Song Jian. They may not be able to find out anything."
"But..." Xun You hesitated.
The emperor said categorically: "Huang Gong is a smart man."
Only then did Xun You stop talking. He understood that the emperor still had the intention of protecting Huang Wan, so he stopped trying to continue and said another way: "As for Hanzhong, I think that besides Zhang Lu, there is someone else who needs help."
pay attention to."
There was a hint of inquiry in the emperor's eyes, and he asked curiously: "Who is he?"
"Luo Yao." Seeing the emperor's reminiscence look, Xun You reminded: "During the years from Xiping to Guanghe, monsters and thieves were everywhere. There was Zhang Jiao in Jizhou who taught the Tao of Taiping, Zhang Xiu in Hanzhong who taught the Tao of Five Pecks of Rice, and Luo Yao in Sanfu taught the people the secret method.
Luo Yao took in Li Shu, led the people to avoid taxes, and gathered people to plot rebellion. Last year, Zhonglang General Gaishun wiped out the banditry in Guanzhong. At that time, Luo Yao was at Fuche Mountain making plans for the bandit leader Liu Xiongming. When Liu Xiongming surrendered, he took advantage of the chaos and escaped.
.This person has a long history of evil and has always resisted the imperial court. He should be in Hanzhong now, and the imperial court should be careful and careful."
The emperor said "Oh" and vaguely remembered such a person. At first, he was curious about whether this person could hide people's figures in the mountains and forests from being discovered, and whether there was any secret method or camouflage used by later generations.
Similar stories but similar results. But after Luo Yao escaped, the emperor gradually forgot about such a person. At this time, after Xun You's reminder, he recalled it again: "The confession of the green ox horn also mentioned this person, and the other two
What I once imagined was no small thing.”
"Only." Xun You nodded and said: "In the past two years, the imperial court declined and the world was in chaos. Some people wanted to follow the deeds of Lu Lin, Red Eyebrow and other predecessors. However, they lacked wisdom and did not understand the general trend, and they ended up dead."
The emperor heated his hands on the stove until they were warm. At this time, he put them back into his sleeves, stretched his posture on the table, and looked at the boundless snow above Cangchi: "If this person is really wise,
When Zhang Jiao and other moth thieves rebelled, why didn't Qing Niujiao, Luo Yao and others come forward to turn the tide? Luo Yao has been operating in Guanzhong for ten years, but it has not become a success. In the end, he is not as good as Liu Xiongming. It can be seen that this generation is all young, even if they run away for a while, it will not be enough.
For concern."
Xun You took a deep look at him and said, "I thought the same thing, but I was thinking that Liu Yan, the pastor of Yizhou, believed in alchemists, so I wondered if there might be a connection."