Chapter 314 Dong Zhuo is shocked! Forced to innovate the city wall ramming process!
Yuzhou, Peiguo.
Zhi County.
Yuan Zhong's Mansion.
In the study, Yuan Zhong is packing up his books and filling them into wooden boxes.
Now, Yuan Shu was defeated and Cao Cao won a complete victory.
This means...
The Yuan family's basic base in Yuzhou has completely collapsed.
If he didn't leave quickly, he would probably be killed by King Pei Liu Yao and offered as a gift to King Hongnong.
"Quick! Lift it to the carriage."
Yuan Zhong filled the wooden box and gave orders to his servants with a wave of his hand.
"Here."
The servants quickly got to work and carried the wooden box out of the study.
As soon as they left, a graceful woman came up behind them, followed by a young boy: "Husband, someone from the family is here, why don't you stop for a moment?"
"Home?"
Yuan Zhong was stunned for a moment.
Turn around and look.
Suddenly, a young man took a step forward, bowed and held his hands in his hands: "Uncle, my nephew Yuan Mo, came here on the order of the master of the family. This is a personal letter from the master of the family to you."
"Handwritten letter?"
Yuan Zhong frowned slightly and couldn't help but be curious.
Could it be that the head of the family had somewhere else to go when he wrote a personal letter at this time, besides Benchu?
At this thought, Yuan Zhong took the brocade bag, opened it, and took out the silk letter. His eyes rolled up and down, his sadness suddenly disappeared, and he breathed a long sigh of relief:
"lady."
"kindness?"
"Go out and tell the servants that there is no need to clean up. We are not leaving."
"Not leaving?"
"Well, I'm not leaving. You can go and give the instructions first. I'll talk to you in detail when I have time."
"good."
Send the lady away.
Yuan Zhong waved his hand and motioned for Yuan Mo to take a seat: "My dear nephew, I already understand what the master of the family means. This is indeed a good opportunity to enter Nanyang Hanting."
For the Yuan family in Runan, their power in the Chang'an Han court was already deep-rooted, with one person below them and ten thousand people above them. However, as for the Nanyang Han court, there was always only one Yuan Huan.
This is not a deliberate suppression by the Han Court in Nanyang, but the backbone of the middle-aged Yuan family, all of whom are engaged in politics in the Han Court in Chang'an, while the young forces are somewhat inexperienced and find it difficult to pass the exams.
Yes!
The Runan Yuan family could only think of other ways to enter the Nanyang Hanting system and strive to spread branches and branches of the Runan Yuan family. Following King Pei and submitting to the Nanyang Hanting was the best way.
Even if Yuan Zhong can no longer be the Prime Minister of Pei, according to the usual treatment plan, he should be an official of the county governor's office. Even if it is worse, he should be the magistrate of a county.
"Besides that."
Yuan Zhong asked tentatively: "Does the head of the family have any other instructions?"
Yuan Mo nodded: "Yes!"
Yuan Zhong waved his hand: "It doesn't matter what I say."
"That's right."
Yuan Mo bowed his head respectfully: "The master of the family asked my uncle not to think too much. Jizhou has its own system and does not need to worry about it. My uncle should do his best to govern in Nanyang and gain a firm foothold."
Yuan Zhong twisted his beard and nodded, admiring the family head's foresight: "It is true that we should establish a firm foothold first. It is difficult for our Yuan family to stand up just by Yao Qing alone."
"Good nephew."
"exist."
"Excuse me, when you go back, tell the family head that I, Yuan Zhong, will definitely live up to the family's expectations."
"Here."
Immediately.
Yuan Zhong personally sent his nephew out of the mansion and watched him leave.
After I mentioned the matter to my wife when I returned home, it didn't take long for people from Prince Pei's Palace to arrive.
However, Yuan Zhong had already taken the reassurance and rushed to Prince Pei's Mansion without any fear.
Prince Pei's Mansion.
Front hall.
Yuan Zhong stepped forward, bowed and raised his hands: "Your Majesty, Yuan Zhong, please see King Pei."
The superior, Liu Yao, waved his hand and signaled to him: "Is Prime Minister Yuan going to leave Pei State?"
Yuan Zhongyang pretended not to know, frowned and asked: "I don't know King Pei, why do you say this?"
Liu Yaodan smiled: "You bought two carriages and six big boxes. Could it be to clean up the mansion?"
Yuan Zhong smiled and pretended to be suddenly enlightened: "So that's it. To be honest, I have some things that I want to send back to my hometown in Ruyang, so I bought a carriage and a box."
"oh?"
Liu Yao obviously didn't believe it.
If you don't send him out early, you won't send him out later, but Yuan Shu will be sent away after he loses!
This kind of thing is just trying to trick ghosts, and even ghosts won’t believe it, let alone yourself.
Liu Yao stared at the other person with burning eyes, as if he wanted to see through his skin and see through his true nature: "According to Yuan Xiang, are you not planning to leave Peiguo?"
Yuan Zhong said with great certainty: "Of course! I am the Prime Minister of Pei State appointed by the imperial court, so I naturally work deeply in Pei State and do things for the people."
"very good!"
Since Yuan Zhong denied it without hesitation, Liu Yao simply asked another question: "In that case, let me ask you, now that Yuan Shu has been killed and Runan is about to be taken back to Nanyang, what should we do in Pei State?"
Yuan Zhong hurriedly bowed his head and saluted: "This is a matter decided by you, King Pei. How dare I talk nonsense? No matter what decision you make, I, Yuan Zhong, will follow you to the death."
Liu Yao was surprised again, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, he couldn't believe it: "Really?"
Yuan Zhong's answer was extremely affirmative: "Of course! I can swear to God that if I talk nonsense, I will be struck by five thunderbolts."
"good!"
Liu Yao always felt that Yuan Zhong today was different from usual.
But I have to admit it.
Liu Yao was very satisfied with the other party's performance today and couldn't help but nod: "In that case, how about you go to Nanyang on my behalf and present my letter and tribute to His Majesty the Emperor of Nanyang?"
Yuan Zhong immediately handed over his hand: "It's my wish, but I don't dare to invite you."
Liu Yao felt that he had made a mistake in his judgment and nodded slowly: "Very good! In that case, let's set off tomorrow. As for the things, I have already prepared them. You can just send them to Nanyang safely."
Yuan Zhong: "Here."
****
Sili, Chang'an.
Prime Minister's Mansion.
Snap!
Dong Zhuo slapped the table gum angrily, his eyes as wide as bells: "What? Zhang Miao, Yuan Shu's coalition forces totaled more than 80,000 people, and in less than half a month, the whole army was wiped out?"
"How is this possible!"
Dong Zhuo couldn't believe this result at all, and said angrily: "Even if there are 80,000 pigs lined up for Cao Cao to chop, Cao Cao would have to chop them for a month. How could it be possible that the whole army would be wiped out in less than half a month?"
"Wenyou!"
Dong Zhuo stared at Li Ru: "Is there any problem with your information?"
Li Ru quickly bowed his head and said: "Prime Minister, this information is indeed a bit strange, but Ru has confirmed it repeatedly and it will definitely not be wrong. As for Yuan Shu, the key to Zhang Miao's defeat is that King Hongnong innovated his equipment."
"oh?"
Dong Zhuo couldn't help but be surprised: "Innovated the equipment?"
Li Ru nodded: "That's right."
"What kind of equipment is it?"
"I heard that there are three types, namely a powerful crossbow that can fire five rounds in a row, a ballistae that can adjust the direction and has a range of more than 300 steps, and a ballistae that is loaded with iron balls and can destroy city defenses."
"ah?"
Dong Zhuo's eyes were as wide as bells, with a look of disbelief on his face: "A ballista that can destroy city defenses?"
Li Ru nodded again and confirmed: "Yes, Yuan Shu and Zhang Miao had already retreated to Changping, but because the city wall was destroyed by ballistae, they had no choice but to break out of the encirclement. In the end, when they were about to rush to Zheqiu City, their entire army was wiped out."
hiss-!
Dong Zhuo was surprised and gasped: "Could it be that Changping County has been in disrepair for a long time?"
Li Ru shook his head: "Before the war, Yuan Shu sent people to strengthen the city wall and fill up all the gaps. The city wall is considered strong."
Dong Zhuo snorted coldly: "Since it is strong, how can it be broken? Wenyou, are you talking nonsense?"
Li Ru hurriedly handed over his hand: "How dare Ru deceive the Prime Minister? It's just that this kind of crossbow is an absolute secret in Nanyang. Even within Cao's army, there is still a special person in charge, and Ru has no idea about it."
"Damn it!"
Dong Zhuo chewed it secretly, and the anger in his heart suddenly arose: "Is it possible to find out who invented this thing?"
Li Ru bowed his head: "I heard... he is King Hongnong."
Dong Zhuo was astonished and his eyes were as wide as bells: "Who is it?"
Li Ru looked embarrassed: "Hong...King Hongnong."
"King Hongnong?"
"kindness."
"This...how is this possible? He has never seen many siege equipment in his life. How could he invent such a thing?"
"Confucianism listens."
Li Ru hurriedly bowed his head and said softly: "King Hongnong has a photographic memory and the ability to memorize extensive information. He accidentally obtained it while browsing the palace's collection of books, so he wrote it down silently."
hiss-!
Dong Zhuo was even more shocked: "Photographic memory? Wenyou, you were once the teacher of King Hongnong, did you ever know that he had this ability?"
Li Ru shook his head and frowned: "Prime Minister, King Hongnong rarely comes to Ru's lectures. I only remember him once or twice. Whether he can have a photographic memory, Ru really doesn't know."
"but......"
Speaking of this, Li Ru quickly added: "According to Ru's understanding of King Hongnong, if he really has photographic memory, he will surely show it off in front of the late emperor. Why would the Queen Mother praise him so much?"
"However, there have never been any such rumors in the palace, so Confucianism believes that this news is most likely that King Hongnong deliberately released it to interfere with our judgment."
"As for its purpose..."
Li Ru's voice was slightly protracted. After confirming it repeatedly in his mind, he said: "It is because he wants us to focus on finding records in ancient books and ignore innovating equipment and finding ways to crack it."
After being together for so long, Li Ru has mastered Dong Zhuo's temperament to an unprecedented degree.
Therefore, after these few words, he immediately diverted Dong Zhuo's attention, no longer entangled in the battle of Changping, but shifted to the solution:
"That makes sense."
Dong Zhuo frowned and thought for a moment: "If there really is this artifact in the ancient books, how could those officials in the imperial court not know that it suddenly appears now, it must be a trick of King Hongnong to confuse us."
"Wenyou is indeed smart."
Dong Zhuo admired from the bottom of his heart, and then turned to ask: "In that case, does Wen You have a way to crack it?"
Li Ru frowned and said softly: "Ru actually asked You Si to find out that the only way to deal with this kind of ballistae is to strengthen the city defense and innovate the ramming technology of the city wall."
"Tell me more specifically."
"Here."
Li Ru responded: "The original city walls were all made of pure rammed earth. The ramming was not dense enough, and the walls were not strong enough. After the invention of the flying stone cart, this type of city wall was eliminated. It is true now."
"After its elimination, the city wall ramming technology was innovated. Gray clay was added to the originally pure rammed earth, and the wall was thickened and tamped in layers. Since then, the flying stone cart has been unable to function
effect."
Dong Zhuo nodded in agreement and guessed: "So this time, we also need to innovate the ramming technology, right?"
Li Ru cupped his hands and said, "The Prime Minister is wise."
"innovation!"
Dong Zhuo did not hesitate and spoke sonorously: "We must innovate. The city is our last line of defense. We must innovate. We must have orders and officials. We must innovate the ramming technology at all costs to make the city wall stronger."
"Not only must we innovate the ramming technology, we must also innovate weapons. We must not be worse than King Hongnong. Starting with the catapult, we will also invent one..."
"Oh yes."
Only then did Dong Zhuo remember its name: "Ballista!"
Li Ru cupped his hands and said, "The Prime Minister is wise."
"Wen You, the imperial court wants to innovate technology, so you can't be idle there. If you continue to send assassins to Nanyang, you must get the design drawings of the crossbows. Do you understand?"
"Prime Minister, don't worry, Confucianism will do its best."
"It's not about trying your best, it's about doing it!"
"That's...okay."
*****
Nanyang, Wancheng.
Emperor's palace.
Hall of Wende.
After listening to Guo Jia's report, Liu Bian smiled faintly and secretly praised in his heart: "The expert is indeed an expert. I didn't expect that King Pei, King Liang, and King Lu actually sent envoys."
"normal."
However, the Alliance of Military Advisors was extremely unconvinced: "We call it shooting men first, shooting horses first, and capturing thieves first. Capture the king first. As long as we can kill Yuan Shu with thunderous means, the rest of Yuzhou's counties will naturally follow suit. What's more, most of them are still Han."
Family members."
"That's true."
Liu Bian felt content and full of joy.
This is equivalent to wiping out Yuzhou within half a month.
Although this method is not thorough enough and will have some sequelae, it is excellent to have enough time to arrange and even coordinate and manage the spring plowing in the coming year.
"His Majesty."
At this moment, Xun You leaned over and handed over his hand: "Perhaps in another half month, Runan can be completely wiped out. I wonder if you have any arrangements for the personnel in Yuzhou?"
How could Liu Bian not know the meaning of Xun Yu's words: "Wen Ruo wants to ask Chen, Pei, Liang and Lu?"
Xun or smiled lightly and nodded: "Your Majesty is wise, I do mean this."
Liu Bian was well prepared and answered fluently: "The State of Chen was deposed by Chang'an, but here it is still the State of Chen. Now King Chen is serving as a guard in the palace. It is better not to go back for the time being. It is better to let Luo Jun continue to be the Prime Minister of Chen State."
"
Xun You looked dull: "It should be like this, so that we can live up to King Chen."
"As for the rest."
Liu Bian's voice was slightly longer. Yangzuo thought for a moment and said softly: "Why don't you stay still for now to show the court's grace and appease the people's hearts, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble."
It's obvious!
If Liu Bian deposes all the Prime Ministers of Pei, Lu and Liang, he will definitely be caught by Li Ru of the Han Court in Chang'an, who will then spread rumors that he has a small belly and cannot tolerate the scholars of the old dynasty.
This is bad news for the princes who have the idea of submitting to him in the future, and they may even fight with him because of this. Then the waste of time and fierce fighting will be somewhat more than the gain is worth the loss.
Liu Bian would never give him a handle and allow Li Ru to take advantage of him. This would be equivalent to losing the watermelon and picking up the sesame seeds. It would be extremely harmful to his own development and growth.
Xun or secretly breathed a sigh of relief, bowed and raised his hands: "Your Majesty is wise."
Guo Jia on the side reminded: "Your Majesty, these people are the disciples and former officials of the Yuan family after all. Now Yuan Shu has been killed by your majesty. Although the Yuan family in Runan is relatively quiet for the time being, we have no idea what their intentions are."
"I thought..."
Speaking of this, Guo Jia bowed his head and said softly: "Even if your Majesty keeps them temporarily, you must replace them all with your own people before next spring plowing. In this way, next year's farming in Yuzhou can be guaranteed to be safe."
Harmful."
Guo Jia deserves to be Guo Jia.
It is actually completely consistent with the idea of the Military Advisor Alliance.
Liu Bian turned his head and glanced at Guo Jia, with a faint smile: "Those who know me should be filial! Yuan Zhong, Chen Yi, and Zhao Yan, I will not let any of them stay in the position of prime minister.
"
no way!
The identities of these people are really embarrassing.
There were extremely big obstacles to Liu Bian's farming and state affairs.
Liu Bian would not risk the failure of farming by appointing them as county guards.
Xun You seemed to have expected this, and said with a calm expression: "Then I don't know what reasons your Majesty is going to use to abolish him, or demote him and transfer him to another place?"
Liu Bian smiled sinisterly: "It's very simple! If Wen wants them to report next year's farming plan, if they are sent back three times in a row, they will be demoted."
"You must obey my control when carrying my bowl! They also need to abide by the rules of Nanyang officials. I treat everyone equally. If you are not capable, you should abdicate yourself and make way for someone more competent."
"Wen Ruo."
Liu Bian stared at the other party with bright eyes: "Is this a sufficient reason?"
Xun You nodded and said, "It's sufficient, but Your Majesty, what if they finish it all? After all, whether it's Yuan Zhong or Chen Yi, there's no need to doubt their abilities."
"Then I'll find another excuse. I only have one request, which is to convince the outside world so that Chang'an can't find any faults."
"This... I'd better figure it out on my own."
"kindness."
Liu Bian nodded: "It's best to think of a way yourself. I'm just providing you with an idea. As for the process, I won't worry about it. That's your room to play."
Xun or Guo Jiaqi raised their hands together and said: "Here."
"alright."
Liu Bian waved his hand and said: "We have discussed the matter in Yuzhou so far. Now let's talk about these great scholars. I heard that they have consciously divided into several factions?"
Guo Jiaran smiled and said: "Yes, that is indeed the case, but generally speaking, there is still one school of ancient classics and another school of modern classics. As for their internal divisions, they are roughly divided according to the Five Classics."
Since ancient times, literati have looked down upon each other.
Although they are not as direct as the troops, with fist-sized fists, soft and hard, they are superior to each other, but when they fight with words, they are definitely no weaker than the duels of the troops.
Before this happens, a small group has already formed within the group. When they meet at the debate meeting in the future, it will definitely be an unprecedented decisive battle.
"Have you ever..."
Liu Bian asked tentatively: "Confucian scholars who are deeply familiar with ancient Chinese classics and modern Chinese classics all respect each other, or are they Confucian scholars who have not chosen to form a group so far?"
"have!"
Guo Jia nodded without hesitation: "Beihai Zheng Xuan, he and Fan Yang Lu Zhi are fellow disciples, they both came from the Ma Rong sect, but they are also deeply respected by modern scholars."
"Among the great Confucian scholars who have entered Nanyang, Zheng Xuan is the most visited Confucian master, and his influence has even surpassed that of Sima Hui."
"kindness."
Just as experts expected.
Zheng Xuan's status among the scholars was absolutely transcendent: "If you continue, who else is there?"
Guo Jia bowed his head and said: "Next is Sima Hui. He is proficient in ancient and modern classics. Moreover, Ruying, Jingxiang gentry, and even some Yizhou gentry will also visit."
"Your Majesty, don't worry."
Speaking of this, Guo Jia quickly added: "Sima Hui didn't reveal any information. They were just chatting about ancient and modern classics and discussing classics-related knowledge."
After all, Sima Hui was the initiator, and in the name of His Majesty the Emperor, he recruited great Confucian scholars to serve as officials in the court. Naturally, he would have a transcendent status among this group of Confucian scholars.
This is the direct reason why Sima Huineng ranks second in popularity. Otherwise, given his Xianyun Yehe's temperament, he would be considered a mercy from God just to be among the top five.
"Apart from Sima Hui and Zheng Xuan?"
These two people were expected by Liu Bian and had even become the appointed referees.
But this is far from enough. Liu Bian also needs some influential people to consolidate his authoritative position.
"this......"
Guo Jia frowned, pondered for a moment, and his eyes suddenly brightened: "Xu Shen's son, Xu Chong, studied both ancient and modern literature and classics, and he has passed down his family's true knowledge. However, he is considered a disciple of Zheng Xuan, so his reputation is not obvious."
"Xu Chong!"
When Liu Bian was thinking to himself, the Military Advisor Alliance reminded him: "Master Bian, "Shuowen Jiezi" was edited by Xu Shen, and Ma Rong, a master of Confucian classics, highly respected Xu Shen and once publicly stated that for the study of the Five Classics,
No one can compare to Xu Shen."
"The reason why he can be respected by scholars of ancient and modern classics is because in "Shuowen Jiezi", although the ancient classics are mostly used, there are also modern classics, and there is a certain integration of the two."
"It turns out it's him!"
Only then did Liu Bian think of Xu Shen.
The Military Advisor Alliance continued: "Master Bian, this Xu Shen can be used. "Shuowen Jiezi" is a dictionary from the Eastern Han Dynasty. Experts can optimize it and strive to turn it into a qualified reference book."
"In the future, in the preface stage, "Shuowen Jiezi" will definitely be a must-have book for beginners, just like the dictionary in the hands of primary school students in modern society."
Liu Bian agreed without hesitation, and then said: "Xu Chong? I remember, this person should pay close attention to, which book did he report?"
Xun or handed over: ""Spring and Autumn Gongyang Biography""
Liu Bian frowned: "Oh? Isn't it "Shuowen Jiezi"?"
"this......"
The assessment this time was about Confucian classics, so it was naturally impossible for Xu Chong to submit it to "Shuowen Jiezi".
However, Xun or understood the deeper meaning of Liu Bian's words: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I can convey it to Xu Chong and report it to Shuowen Jiezi and the imperial court."
"kindness."
Liu Bian nodded: "Very good! Besides Xu Chong, is there anyone else?"
Guo Jia bowed his head and said: "Captain Yang Biao."
"Yang Biao?"
Liu Bian frowned: "Hasn't their family studied "Ouyang Shangshu" for generations? Is it possible that they also studied ancient and modern classics?"
Guo Jia shook his head: "No! The Yang family of Hongnong has indeed studied "Ouyang Shangshu" for generations, but the reputation of Confucius in Kansai is too loud, and he is ranked among the three masters, so naturally more people visit."
"Yang Biao!"
Liu Bian murmured the name repeatedly.
Ever since Yang Biao became the mascot of the imperial court, have I really not taken him seriously?
This old guy was very patient, and could endure it without saying a word: "When Feng Xiao mentioned this person, does he think that the imperial court should send someone with weight to take charge?"
Guo Jia bowed and handed over his hand, but did not dare to hide it: "Your Majesty, this matter is not a trivial matter. Zheng Xuan and Sima Hui alone may not be able to suppress these guys, but if Taiwei Yang is in charge, the situation will be different."
"But......"
Liu Bian also had concerns: "He is from the Jinwen Jing school, so it is inevitable that he will be biased."
Xun or handed over his hand: "In addition to Yang Biao, Your Majesty can also appoint Lu Zhi. This person is from the ancient classics school, and his status and status are not inferior to Yang Taiwei in any way, and may even be worse than him."
"Lu Zhi?"
Even Liu Bian is familiar with it.
Compared with Lu Shangshu, Yang Biao is simply a younger brother.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
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