In the spring and March of the 10th year of Jian'an, we were on the east coast of the Sea of Hospitality.
Zhou Yu and Jiang Gan stood side by side on the shore, talking and laughing, and occasionally looking at the sea in the distance.
"Gong Jin, have you received the New Year's edict?" Jiang Gan smiled and said, "Master Sikong can return home in glory."
Zhou Yu was slightly startled. "My great-uncle has become an official?"
"Not yet." Jiang Gan came over and whispered: "But the emperor has already promised him, and he doesn't have to worry about his posthumous name. In a hundred years, he won't be like Zhang Xi, who doesn't even have a posthumous title."
Zhou Yu's eyes flickered. "What else does this New Year's edict say?"
Jiang Gan turned around and asked someone to take a copy of the imperial edict and put it into Zhou Yu's hand. Zhou Yu didn't say much, opened it and read it carefully, and finished it in a while. However, after reading it, his expression did not become clearer, but instead became a little solemn.
stand up.
"So, the possibility of the emperor's Western expedition within ten years is very slim?"
Jiang Gan nodded. "It's a pity, but it's also a good thing. The Central Plains is the foundation of the Han Dynasty. After the war, everything is waiting for improvement. It is indeed necessary for the emperor to be in charge to implement the New Deal to the end. Ten or twenty years later, Zhuge Kongming will wait
The New Deal will not be truly implemented until it reaches two thousand stones. Now, the seeds have only been sown and the young shoots have grown. It is not clear whether they can be harvested."
As he spoke, he pointed to the mountains and rivers in the distance.
Zhou Yu didn't look back, but he knew what Jiang Gan was talking about.
He came from northern Xinjiang and spent more than half a year to find a passage between the two seas, open up the land, and sow the seeds. But it is still unclear whether he can harvest it in the autumn. The surrounding mountain people are not sure about him.
His arrival was not entirely welcomed. Many people felt that he had disturbed the mountain god and might bring disaster. They always wanted to cut off his head, apologize to the mountain god, and then trample the land he created.
Just like at this moment, although the Central Plains is peaceful, there are still many people who have been deprived of their land because of their land. They are hostile to the emperor and are always ready to overthrow the New Deal or even change the dynasty.
Change is never smooth sailing, just like the sea of hospitality, it is not always calm and will stir up waves from time to time.
"You are right." Zhou Yu put away the copy of the imperial edict and handed it back to Jiang Qian.
"Just keep it, I still have it." Jiang Qian sniffed and looked across the top of the mountain to the distance. "Although the emperor cannot come, some people will not wait. If nothing else, there are already people on the way.
"I came here this time. In addition to seeing you, I also want to know how big your territory is and how many people you can accept. We Han people are far away from our homeland. We can only survive by uniting, but we cannot fight alone or even fight among ourselves."
Zhou Yu turned back and thought for a moment. "If I hurry up, I can build a small city by the end of the year. It shouldn't be a problem to gather a thousand people. From here, more than a thousand miles east, there are many places where cities can be built. As long as they are not afraid of hardship, housing will definitely not be a problem. It's just that
…Does the Western Region Protectorate plan to take over?”
"I can't take over." Jiang Gan withdrew his gaze and showed a sly smile. "So, I asked the governor for an order, and you will be in charge of the military and political affairs here. From the Aral Sea to the Black Sea, it is your jurisdiction. You hurry up and get it
What's the name? Report it as soon as possible."
Zhou Yu raised his eyebrows slightly and couldn't help but smile.
No wonder Jiang Gan was in such a good mood, as he had obtained so many benefits for him.
With two seas and one river between them, this jurisdiction is quite large.
He thought for a while. "The Black Sea leads directly to the Mediterranean Sea. From now on, it will be the West Sea for my great Han Dynasty. How about calling it the West Sea?"
Jiang Gan frowned slightly. "There is a Xihai in Liangzhou. If you call it Xihai, is it too serious? The Protector is from Jincheng. You can't deceive him."
"It is precisely because the Protector is from Jincheng that I wanted to call him Xihai. When he thinks that Xihai is still in the west of the Western Region, will he not feel homesick?"
Jiang Qian laughed dumbly and raised his finger to point at Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu added: "Furthermore, the reason why the big lake in Liangzhou is called the West Sea is because it was not affected by Zhengshuo in the Central Plains at that time and was to the west of the Central Plains. Now that the territory of the Han Dynasty has crossed Congling, the West Sea has become a lake within the territory, so it is also called
The name West Sea is untrue and should be changed. It is better to leave the name West Sea to the Hospitable Sea."
Jiang Gan clapped his hands. "What you said makes sense." He thought for a while and then smiled: "I'm afraid the Romans will be unhappy. They have always regarded the Mediterranean as their inland sea."
Zhou Yu smiled slightly. "When two strong forces meet, there will be a battle. We have traveled thousands of miles and arrived here. It's time for them to take a few steps out and show their eagle flag."
Jiang Er chuckled, with a bit of disdain.
He has traveled between Parthia and Rome in the past few years, and he knows the situation in Rome best. Today's Rome is just like the Han Dynasty ten years ago, with local divisions, internal and external troubles, and imminent collapse. They do not pay attention to the classics and are extravagant.
Not only are there no heroes like the Emperor, but it is also difficult to see heroes like Cao Cao and Sun Ce who dominate the country.
To be honest, he doubted the possibility of Rome sending troops.
Even when Rome was at its most powerful, this place was outside their borders, not to mention that they were already dying.
This is life.
"Gong Jin, I came here this time not only to convey the orders of the Protector, but also to contact Shen Zizheng to see the progress on his side. The situation in Anxi is similar to that in Rome. Powerful ministers are forcing the emperor, civil strife is imminent, and the Western Regions are
The Hufu has plans to send troops, but I am afraid that time is short and there are not enough troops, so I want to join forces with the Xianbei people."
"Is the powerful minister you are talking about the Adashi who claims to be a descendant of the goddess and worships fire?"
"Have you heard of it too?"
"I heard something from people, and I know that this son is very ambitious, just like Yuan Shao."
"There is nothing new in the affairs of the world." Jiang Gan laughed loudly. "The great Han Dynasty has Yuan Shao, and Rome also has Yuan Shao. How can Anxi be an exception?"
As he was talking, someone shouted in the distance.
Jiang Qian and Zhou Yu looked up and saw two people standing on the bow of the boat docked. One of them waved his arms and shouted loudly. Behind him stood nearly a hundred warriors, all of them majestic and wearing belts.
Long knife.
"Zizheng is here." Zhou Yu smiled. "Let's go and greet him."
As Jiang Gan followed Zhou Yu, he exclaimed in shock: "Did this Zhuzi also receive the news and bring so many people here?" He chased Zhou Yu and pulled him. "He married Ke Bineng's daughter.
Already?"
"I don't know." Zhou Yu also reacted, then stopped and his face changed slightly. "You mean, he brought a large army?"
"That's not possible." Jiang Gan blurted out. "Unless Shen Zi is fascinated by women and forgets who he is, there is no way he can teach Xianbei people to fight in water."
Zhou Yu breathed a sigh of relief, but still looked uneasily into the distance.
When the ship docked, Shen You jumped out first. He grabbed Zhou Yu's arm with one hand and Jiang Gan's arm with the other. He shook it vigorously and said repeatedly: "It's great to see you. It's great to see you."
Zhou Yu and Jiang Gan were also very excited.
"I'll tell you some good news." Shen You lowered his voice. "Bo Yan sent word that they have arrived in Rome and have become the most popular guests among the local dignitaries. He also persuaded one of them to join forces with me, a big man, to attack from a flank.
Rest in peace. I came here this time just to see how well prepared you are, how many people you can gather, and whether you can raise food and fodder for me."
Jiang Qian and Zhou Yu looked at each other and then said, "Have you captured the Roman stone city?"
"No, we made peace. The Romans can keep the stone city, but they must pay taxes to us. Outside the stone city, it is our pasture."
Jiang Qian was surprised and happy. "How did you do it?"
"The stone city is strong and difficult to conquer without large siege equipment, so we threatened the Romans that if they did not surrender, we would build another city and then prohibit the tribes on both sides of the road from doing business with them, making it unprofitable for them.
, every piece of bread eaten from now on must be brought from Rome.”
Shen You spread his hands and raised his eyebrows lightly. "Then they agreed."
Jiang Gan asked again: "What about Ke Bineng?"
"He has a large area of land waiting to be taken over, so why care about one city. Besides, the Huns are still watching behind him, so he has to be on guard. At this time, the time is not ripe for a decisive battle with the Romans."
Jiang Gan was relieved and was about to speak when he saw the young man who had just got off the boat and was standing in front of the crowd not far behind Shen You. He stared at it twice and realized that it was not a boy, but a girl.
He turned around and said to Shen You: "Zizheng, don't just talk, introduce yourself to us."
Shen You suddenly realized, turned around and pulled the girl over. "Ziyi, Gongjin, this is my wife Tang Suhe." Then he said to Tang Suhe: "This is the good friend I have told you many times, this is Jiang Qian
Jiang Ziyi, this is Zhou Yu and Zhou Gongjin. Jiang Ziyi is in the Protectorate of the Western Regions and is the envoy of the Protector of the Western Regions. Zhou Gongjin has just conquered the master of this land..."
Jiang Gan took over the topic. "The official official position is the Governor of the West Sea, the Protectorate of the Western Regions of the Han Dynasty."
Shen You's eyes showed joy, and he immediately explained to Tang Suhe.
Tang Suhe was also surprised, stepped forward to salute, and conveyed Ke Bineng's respect.
Ke Bineng knew about Zhou Yu's appearance here, but he didn't know that Zhou Yu had established a firm foothold so quickly and became the governor of the West Sea.
The mountain people here are barbaric and fierce. Kebineng once sent someone to contact him, but it was not smooth. When they learned that Zhou Yu was coming, they even thought that Zhou Yu would be killed by the mountain people. In addition, the war with the Romans was about to break out, and they could not escape at all.
I opened my body and didn’t take it seriously.
Now it seems that Father Shuai has suffered several losses and still has not figured out the true strength of the Han people.
Fortunately, Shen You has become her husband. From then on, the Xianbei people and the Han people are one family.
After the ceremony, Zhou Yu, as the host, greeted warmly: "Come on, come into the city. I'll invite you to taste the delicacies of the Central Plains. I brought nothing but a few packets of seeds. Once I got here, I started to cultivate the food."
I have a vegetable patch, including leeks, green onions, and ginger.”
Shen You laughed, rubbed his hands and said, "This is great. You don't know that although you can usually buy some fine wine, you can't buy vegetables. I'm going crazy thinking about the delicious food in my hometown."
"I'll let you have a taste today. Come back today when the fruits are ripe, and then I'll let you feast on them and have a full meal."
"Definitely, definitely." Shen You sighed. "One day, when I have achieved success and returned to the fields, I will also find a place with mountains and water, open a vegetable garden, grow the vegetables I want to eat, and raise a group of big white geese.
On weekdays, when guests come to watch, they will be killed to entertain the guests."
Jiang Qian and Zhou Yu couldn't help but laugh loudly after hearing this.
After laughing for a while, Jiang Gan patted Shen You on the shoulder and winked. "I can recommend a place to you that will definitely satisfy your wishes."
"where?"
"Rome is called the city of seven hills. There is a hill facing the sea on three sides, called the Capitoline. The geese raised there are the most delicious."
"Okay." Shen You said seriously: "I will choose one of the seven hills of Rome, that's enough."
Jiang Gan said: "Gong Jin, how about we reluctantly take up a hill each and stay with Zizheng?"
Zhou Yu agreed immediately and raised his palm.
"A gentleman's word!"
Jiang Qian and Shen You looked at each other, stretched out their hands, and high-fived Zhou Yu as an oath.