The situation between Zhang Miao and Chen Gong is quite embarrassing.
They are nominally Cao Cao's subordinates, but Cao Cao's attention is all on the west. Now, Nanyang and Yingchuan counties are his foundation.
Yanzhou has given up and just wants food, grass and property, and doesn't care if anything happens.
When Chen Wang Liu Chong captured Shanyang County and the southern part of Jiyin County, Lao Cao paid no attention to it. Zhang Miao and Chen Gong were short of money and men, so they couldn't defeat them. Only Chenliu County, the northern part of Jiyin County and the southern part of Jiyin County were left in their territory.
Southern part of Dongjun.
Basically, it's a semi-independent state.
The Anping army has no intention of going south for the time being, Liu Chong is now unable to go north, and Cao Cao is not in the mood to care about this place. Zhang Miao and Chen Gong are just holding on half-dead.
They themselves don't know when it will end.
Liu Xiang led Su Wei to inspect the river embankment in Dongjun openly. He led the cavalry across the border more than once or twice. No Yanzhou officials dared to lead troops to stop them. Because they could not fight or catch up, they lay down?
It’s okay if no one bothers you.
The Yellow River embankment on the south bank is a rammed earth structure. The upstream slope is paved with pebbles to prevent waves. Some places on the embankment corners on the backwater slope have anti-filtration cover layers. Piping surges should have occurred in these places.
In some places with poor soil quality, there will be a permeable layer in the surface underground, which is prone to piping, so stones, coarse sand, and small and large stones will be used to fill it layer by layer. This is the filter cover.
The river embankment in Chenliu, Dongjun, was reinforced two years ago. There are no cracks or collapses. The slope facing the water is also intact and has no defects. The slightly turbid river water flows smoothly here. The water level is not high and it seems quite safe.
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The embankment was wide and flat, very suitable for marching, but he did not lead anyone to walk on it. If the cavalry were on the river embankment, they would lose their turning space, be blocked by others, and easily beaten.
We can only walk a short distance under the river embankment, and then climb up the embankment to take a look. Although it is troublesome, it is safe.
Hundreds of miles of river embankment, he was ready to see it all the way.
Stopping and walking along the river bank is quite pleasant.
But Chen Gong was very depressed and came again. When his subordinates reported that a large group of cavalry had entered the country, he knew without guessing that it must be that person.
There is no more arrogant person in this world.
"You treat me like nothing." He shook his head and sighed. He was bordered to the east and north, and he was also his ally to the south. He really angered Liu Qiaoqi, and the end would not be easy.
He could only wave his hand weakly: "Go down and ignore it."
Bian Rang, who was a guest at his home, also guessed who it was. Crossing Yanzhou was like his own territory, and no one except Liu Qiaoqi dared to do so. He was really brave.
"Gongtai, it is not a long-term solution for the three counties of Yanzhou to continue like this. We must find a way out for ourselves."
"What good plan does Duke Wenli have?" Chen Gong really wanted to find a way out. Bian Rang was a famous scholar in Yanzhou and was once the governor of Jiujiang. He was quite talented and might have some great opinions.
"Only those who can be called heroes in this world are Liu, Cao, and Yuan. Cao Gong abandoned Yanzhou like a fool, Yuan and Yuan are far away, and Liu Piao is close. It is not our turn to choose."
The meaning behind Bian Rang's words was very clear. This was the situation. It was the people of Yanzhou's turn to choose.
"Alas!" Chen Gong also knows this truth. They actually have no choice. The way out for Yanzhou is not in the hands of Yanzhou people.
"Under the rule of Liu Qiaoqi, the scholars had no land. How could Yanzhou respond?" Chenliu, Dongjun and other places were not so much controlled by Zhang Miao, the prefect of Chenliu, and Chen Gong, the prefect of Dongjun, as they were by the commonwealth of the Yanzhou gentry.
control.
This major matter of switching to another master cannot be decided by one or two people. It must be in the interests of the majority of people.
Bian Rang let out a long sigh and looked a little dejected: "In today's world, without a large army to protect us, how can we farm with peace of mind? What's the use of guarding the land in vain? I have a good relationship with Liu Qiaoqi's maternal uncle, Uncle Bo, and he has him
Taking out a guarantee can save you a lot of worries.”
He was from Chenliu. He was well-known in Yanzhou for his talent and learning. He was highly praised by his fellow villager Cai Yong and highly recommended to General He Jin. He was then reused and promoted to the prefect of Jiujiang. Later, when he saw the world was in chaos, he did not want to get involved in the fight between Yuan and Yuan Dynasty, so he gave up his official position.
Return to hometown.
Now that Yanzhou is in dire straits, continuing like this is not an option. He feels that as a fellow countryman, Cai Bojie should be willing to help. With Liu Piaoqi's uncle here, the Yanzhou scholars will not be treated harshly.
Chen Gong lowered his head and thought. He originally thought that Cao Cao was the master of the Ming Dynasty, but he was abandoned. Yanzhou would not end well under his control.
Liu Qiaoqi was not friendly to the scholars. He wanted to take back the land, but it was not for nothing. They exchanged it with money and property. Yanzhou was on his lips. If he wanted to resist, it would be tantamount to digging his own grave. Rather than being beaten down,
, taking the initiative to seek refuge is also a way.
He married Mrs. Cai, who was born in Chenliu, so he should not be too harsh on Yanzhou scholars.
"Mr. Wenli, should we pay our respects to Liu Qiaoqi first, or should we invite Duke Tuobo first?"
"Let's negotiate with Zhang Mengzhuo first. Yanzhou is already broken and can no longer be divided."
"Meng Zhuo has a magnificent temperament, helping the poor and rescuing emergencies. He spends his entire life without love. He is always worried about the current predicament and will not hinder the overall situation with personal gains and losses."
Chen Gong had the confidence to persuade Zhang Miao. Zhang Mengzhuo was a generous man and did not care about personal gain or loss. When the rebels attacked Dong and Cao Cao recruited troops, all that was lost was his family wealth, so he did not hesitate at all.
Zhang Miao was also extremely unhappy when Cao Mengde abandoned Yanzhou.
At present, joining Liu Qiaoqi is the only way out. He will not object because of his private property. As one of the eight chefs, he still has this kind of character.
What is the Eight Chefs? A cook is someone who can save people with money. The meaning of the Eight Chefs is the eight most generous and selfless people who are willing to help the people and save people in danger.
Seeing that Chen Gong was so confident, Bian Rang stood up immediately.
"In this case, without further delay, I will go north to the bookstore to find Duke Bo and help facilitate this matter."
"Wen Li has been working so hard, so today I will ride a fast horse to persuade Zhang Mengzhuo."
The two went separate ways to find a way out for the dilapidated Yanzhou.
Liu Xiang didn't know all this. He was carefully inspecting the river embankment. He was not making a fuss. The Yellow River was dishonest, and if something went wrong, it wouldn't be a big deal.
The river embankment is a systematic project. If something goes wrong anywhere, other places will be affected. If left alone, it will lead to catastrophe.
Once the south bank floods and changes its route, Qingzhou and Xuzhou, not to mention Qingzhou, will be affected. The north bank will also be short of water for irrigation, and no one will be better off.
Stopping and going, I only covered sixty miles in one day. The river embankment in Dongjun was pretty good, so I put in the effort. I also met patrolling and maintenance personnel along the way.
It's a pity that when I saw them from a distance, I was scared away and couldn't ask about the details.
Camping by the river in the evening, a man who called himself the chief of Cangting Pavilion came to see him, saying that he was here to work for the army on the orders of the prefect of Dongjun.
"Laojun? Interesting."
Liu Xiang was very interested in this person. In ancient times, although there were not many cases of sending supplies to reward the enemy's troops, they did happen many times.
The ceremony of rewarding the enemy originated from the Spring and Autumn Period. It is one of the "Five Rituals" military ceremonies. It is mostly used in long-distance battles. The weaker side prepares food and wine to reward the enemy's troops.
This is both a courtesy and a sign of weakness.
The general meaning is that I have obeyed the rules, so when you hit me, you can't hit me too hard.
There are also some things that use the gift of rewards as a strategy to defeat the enemy.
"Zuo Zhuan·The Twenty-Sixth Year of Duke Xi" records: "In the sixteenth year of Duke Xi, when Qi attacked Lu, Duke Lu sent Zhan Xi to reward the Qi army. After some rhetoric, Qi State withdrew its troops.
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In 627 BC, the Qin army raided the Zheng state. On the way, they met Xian Gao, a Zheng businessman who was selling cattle.
This man was a clever man. He pretended to be King Zheng's envoy, drove the cattle and went to reward the army. He meant to say, don't make a sneak attack, we all know that you are already here.
Then Qin retreated.
Something like this happened more than once.
There are many battles of wits in it.
It was the first time that he was rewarded by the enemy. It was quite new. Liu Xiang was very curious, what did this person think?