Chapter 441 The city defense technology is upgraded again, and the fire and thunder are not afraid!
Liu Biao changed into fresh clothes and took Kuai Yue through the corridor and the courtyard. When he arrived at the living room, as expected, a man with a slightly thin body but an upright posture was waiting in the living room.
When this man saw Liu Biao, Kuai Yue came over. With a smile on his face, he hurriedly greeted him. He leaned over and cupped his hands and said, "I am Xun Chen. I have met Liu Shijun and Kuai's military advisor."
Liu Biao and Kuai Yuedan returned the courtesy with a smile, and said softly: "I have heard of the name Xun Youruo of Yingchuan before, and when I saw him today, he was indeed well-deserved."
“Where, where—!”
"Liu Shijun praises you so much, how can Chen deserve it?"
Xun Chen naturally understood that this was just Liu Biao's complimentary words, so he didn't take it seriously. After all, his brothers were truly world-famous in Nanyang, and compared to him, he could only be a nobody.
"Come, sit down."
Liu Biao waved his hand to invite Xun Chen to take a seat. The attendants had already prepared tea. In the winter season, the thin green smoke floated up leisurely, creating a unique artistic conception.
The guests and hosts were seated, and after a brief chat over tea, Xun Chen stopped talking nonsense and went straight to the topic: "Actually, I came to Jingzhou this time on behalf of the master of the family."
"Although the Nanyang Hanting founded by King Hongnong was the only one in the Han Dynasty at this time, it did not seem to be very friendly to senior ministers such as envoys. For example, Liu Dai was the first to declare his submission to Nanyang, and also helped King Hongnong to annihilate Yuan Yi.
, but in the end he was just a servant."
"This is enough to prove how arrogant the current King Hongnong is and how little he regards you. Liu Dai is already like this. I'm afraid Liu Shijun will not be as good as Liu Dai when he returns to Nanyang."
Liu Biao naturally knew this and Xun Chen's purpose here, so he simply stated his point of view directly: "Yes, Nanyang Hanting is indeed a little unfriendly to veterans like us."
"After all, Brother Gongshan has outstanding military exploits, but in the end he ended up like this. He is not even as good as some young men in Nanyang Hanting. It is really heartbreaking."
"well-!"
Liu Biao sighed, melancholy.
Xun Chen was very happy.
As long as Liu Biao expresses his dissatisfaction with Nanyang, the next thing will be much smoother: "Some time ago, when Prince Hongnong tried Duke Yuan, Gao Ji actually stood up to testify, and even Duke Yuan himself confessed his crime."
"There is obviously something wrong with this kind of thing. King Hongnong ended it in a hurry without giving the world time to question, which further proves this. The fourth and third princes of the Yuan family were true loyal ministers of the Han Dynasty, but in the end they ended up being defeated.
The fate of destroying three tribes."
"actually......"
At this point, Xun Chen immediately shook his head and sighed: "Those who are truly discerning should understand that King Hongnong's move is just to kill the Yuan family and occupy the Yuan family's ancestral property for his own use, so as to speed up the development of the Yuan family."
The process of public ownership of private land usurped more land from noble families, making the imperial family dominant."
"As for the reason for the extermination of the Yuan family, it is not important to King Hongnong at all. Even if there are still many doubts that have not been resolved, as long as the goal is achieved."
"Hard!"
"It's so cruel!"
Since Xun Chen wants to stand up for Yuan Shao, he should raise his banner of the Fourth Generation and the Three Dukes again, package the Yuan family as victims, and package Liu Bian as a conspirator, so that he can place himself under the banner of justice.
Liu Biao pinched a strand of goatee under his chin and nodded slowly: "There are indeed some details in this case that are worthy of discussion. Although we have not been to the scene in person, I think there must be misunderstandings."
"It is indeed unfair for King Hongnong to rush to convict you. Perhaps, as your Excellency said, the Yuan family's foundation is now being nationalized to prepare for the spring plowing in the coming year."
"It must be so."
Xun Chen nodded with absolute certainty: "According to reliable information, Nanyang Rice Field Envoy Zao Zhi is already making clear farming plans based on the reclaimed farmland, and even has to budget for fertilizer production in advance."
"All of these tasks need to be resolved in advance based on the amount of farmland before they can be written into the farming production responsibility document. If King Hongnong does not take it back in advance, it will inevitably delay the spring plowing of the next year. This is the reason for his hasty settlement and conviction."
On the side, Kuai Yue gritted his teeth and echoed in a ferocious voice: "King Hongnong's move is indeed cruel. If he enters our Jingzhou, I'm afraid we will still suffer the same disaster."
"This is inevitable!"
Xun Chen immediately picked up the conversation and turned to Kuai Yue.
In fact, these words just now were originally what Xun Chen planned to say to the Jing and Xiang family.
After all, Liu Biao had only been in Jingxiang for two years, and it was impossible for him to have much assets. What he was worried about was his official position, which was his vital interest, while what the Jingxiang nobles were worried about was their assets, which were their vital interests.
Benefit.
Only by taking both into account and making them all feel a sense of crisis can they truly achieve cooperation, and then act unanimously to resist the great devil Liu Bian and protect their own rights and interests.
Xun Chen felt that things were going very smoothly and that the other party was in a very full mood. It was the right time to establish a united front: "King Hongnong's methods are too cruel and vicious. If we just sit back and wait for death, we can only become fish on the chopping board and be slaughtered by others.
"
"That's right."
Kuai Yue nodded and agreed: "We must not sit back and wait for death. Instead, we must fight back and find ways to overthrow the Nanyang Han court and support Chen Liu and Wang Xie to become emperor."
"this......"
Liu Biao frowned and hesitated.
Although, theoretically speaking, there is no problem in doing so, but who can understand the attitude of Chen Liu and Wang Xie?
Xun Chen on the side immediately added: "Not only that, the officials of Chang'an Hanting also complained about this. They can't stand Nanyang's system. Many people have left Nanyang. They are also the targets of our wooing."
"As long as we unite sincerely and respond to each other, Nanyang Hanting may not be able to get much benefit. Moreover, my lord has already sent people to Yangzhou and Yizhou. If we can unite and attack from the north and the south, who will win or lose is still unknown."
"If you work hard, you may be able to secure a future, but if you don't even dare to fight, we people will always be slaughtered by Nanyang."
Kuai Yue immediately agreed: "Youruo's words are true, indeed, but Nanyang is very powerful, especially Fuhuo Leiting. I heard that it has the ability to break mountains and crack rocks. Our city is not worth mentioning in front of it."
"Don't worry about being in a different world!"
Xun Chen immediately interrupted and said loudly: "Although the Fuhuo Thunderbolt is powerful, we are not without ways to deal with it. As long as we can guard against this thing, we will have a way to compete with it."
"oh?"
Liu Biao was surprised: "You actually have a way to deal with Fuhuo Leiting?"
Kuai Yue was even more stunned: "Is this true?"
"certainly."
Without any hesitation, Xun Chen took out a letter from his arms, handed it to Liu Biao, and said softly: "This is the city wall reinforcement formula that Dong Zhuo researched when he was in Chang'an. It has been improved by Yuan Gong. Please use it."
Take a look at it."
"The craftsmen of the Chang'an imperial court came up with a way to wrap the entire city with fired stone bricks, and fill the gaps with this kind of slurry. Even strong earthquakes may not be able to collapse it, let alone fire and thunder.
.”
"oh?"
Kuai Yue on the side couldn't help but be stunned: "Then why didn't Chang'an implement it?"
Xun Chen sighed, shook his head, and said softly: "Yuan Gong wanted to implement it, but Nanyang did not give enough time at all, and it also takes time to bake stone bricks, so there was no time to implement it."
"However, my lord has already started to use it in Jizhou. Judging from the current results, it is very good, especially at the junction of the city gate hole and the city gate. We can bury the iron parts in advance. As long as the city wall does not collapse, the city will remain intact.
The door is as strong as iron.”
Liu Biao originally thought that Kuai Yue's method was safe enough, but he didn't expect that Xun Chen's method was even more safe. The other party even studied the slurry between the stone bricks, which was incredible.
"Xeno, look at it."
Liu Biao did not make any remarks for the time being, but handed the letter to Kuai Yue.
After all, in the future, the outer walls of Xiangyang City need to be completed by major aristocratic families. Only if Kuai Yue agrees can it be officially implemented, not by himself.
"good."
Kuai Yue responded, took the letter, and started browsing.
As for the stone bricks, the Jingxiang nobles agreed. The only confusion about this plan was the slurry. If the ingredients of the slurry were acceptable to the Jingxiang nobles, then there would be no problem.
But......
When Kuai Yue found the materials needed to make the slurry, he was almost dumbfounded: "What? Do you need to use rice milk to make the slurry? Isn't this a bit too extravagant and wasteful? The huge Xiangyang City has to consume
How many meters?”
Xun Chen immediately said: "Xidu, the viscosity of rice slurry is very good. If there is rice slurry in the middle of the stone bricks, once solidified, they will definitely be able to withstand fire and thunder. The city wall is our first line of defense, and we must not lose anything."
ah."
"But..."
Kuai Yue frowned, really unable to accept such a plan: "The cost is really too high. How much food will be consumed to cover all of Xiangyang?"
"You should know that this year's rice fields in Jingzhou have failed somewhat. The grain output is not high to begin with, and the government has not received much tax rice at all. I am afraid no one will agree if we rely solely on the gentry of Jingxiang."
"Is that so?"
Xun Chen didn't know that Jingxiang had experienced a grain crisis, so it sounded like it was inappropriate to use rice pulp to reinforce the city wall, and it might even arouse public outrage.
"kindness."
Kuai Yue affirmed: "It is indeed true."
Xun Chen paused, thought for a moment, and said softly: "If you don't use rice milk, you can only use yellow mud mud, but the adhesiveness of yellow mud mud is not as high as that of rice milk."
"I would like to suggest that rice slurry should be used within ten steps of the city gate, and yellow mud slurry should be used if it is ten steps away. Based on this calculation, not much rice slurry is actually needed."
Liu Biao's eyes suddenly brightened, and he nodded slowly: "This is indeed a good idea. Fuhuo Thunder is mainly used at the entrance of the city gate. We only need to reinforce this part, and use yellow mud for the rest."
"kindness."
Kuai Yue nodded: "That's very good. In this case, I think the Jingxiang nobles can agree. We will make bricks in the winter, and then strengthen the city wall and widen the moat after spring."
"If we can summon thousands of masons, it may take less than two months to reinforce the entire Xiangyang City. In this way, we will no longer be afraid of Nanyang's fire and thunder."
Xun Chen said with great certainty: "If this is true, Xiangyang City will be as solid as gold. Then Yangzhou will echo from the east and Liu Yan will echo from the west, and there will be excellent results."
"oh?"
Liu Biao frowned and said tentatively: "Liu Yan agreed?"
Xun Chen shook his head: "It's not clear yet, but I think King Hongnong really won't attack Yizhou? If Jing and Yang are destroyed, how can Yizhou survive alone?"
"Liu Yizhou is a smart man. I think he should be able to understand how to choose. This will be our last chance. If we can defeat Nanyang, the Han Dynasty will definitely usher in a new life."
Liu Biao pinched the beard under his chin and nodded with deep understanding: "Yes, King Hongnong will never abide by the agreement with Liu Yan and not attack Yizhou? Let alone you and me, it is the ghost capital.
Liu Biao expressed his gratitude: "Don't worry, friends, I, Jing Xiang, will definitely defend Xiangyang and contain Nanyang's troops. As for uniting with Liu Yan and Liu Yao, it all depends on you and others."
Xun Chen bowed and held up his hands: "Don't worry, we will fulfill our mission."
*****
Yizhou, Shu County.
State Shepherd's Office.
Snap!
Liu Yanmeng slapped the handsome man, his eyes were as wide as bells, his beard and hair were spread out, he stared at the man below him fiercely, and said in a cold voice: "What do you mean by this? Are you trying to sow discord between Yizhou and Nanyang?"
"snort."
Shen Pei snorted, but when faced with Liu Yan's anger, he showed no fear on his face: "Liu Shijun, based on your experience, you should know clearly that if there is no rift in the relationship between the two parties, no matter how hard you try to provoke him, it will be of no use.
"
"But if such a relationship is originally unrealistic, then it proves that its existence is unreasonable in the first place. Since it is unreasonable, how can it last long?"
"Let's think about it for a moment. If you were King Hongnong, would you allow Yizhou to be in the hands of others when the world was unified? If King Hongnong really had this ambition, I'm afraid he wouldn't just give Liu Dai a servant.
middle."
"He should show enough sincerity, and then Liu Biao and Liu Yao will naturally submit to the imperial court. This is the fastest way to complete unification, isn't it?"
"But have you ever thought about why King Hongnong didn't do this? Is he really stupid and unwilling to give Liu Dai a higher official position? Or is there some other purpose that you haven't thought of yet?"
The judge has a good eloquence and can always find an entry point that is beneficial to him in seemingly ordinary events, so that he can firmly control the entire negotiation rhythm in his own hands.
As it is now...
Liu Yan was originally very excited. By his own means, he had made most people in Nanyang know that the imperial court had an agreement with him and would never attack Yizhou easily.
However, at this moment, the judge questioned the agreement between the two parties in just a few words, and even had a vague urge to break the agreement.
"What do you mean?"
However, Liu Yan is not easy to get along with.
He is not so easily fooled and becomes a tool in Yuan Shao's hands.
“It’s easy!”
Shen Pei still remained calm and said calmly: "King Hongnong is an emperor with a very low sense of security, especially after what happened after Dong Zhuo deposed the emperor and killed him."
"That's why he will firmly hold the power in his own hands, and even at all costs, he will control the land in the hands of the imperial court from the family that once greatly helped him."
"What's more, since the establishment of Nanyang Hanting, the Three Dukes have no power of conquest, and all officials need to pass the exam before they can enter the political power of Nanyang."
"Isn't King Hongnong's purpose of doing this to limit the power of aristocratic families? He does this to Nanyang, and he does this to aristocratic families, so why do you think that King Hongnong will abandon Yizhou and abide by the rules of Shijun? Where is the agreement?"
hiss-!
Liu Yan was surprised and took a breath.
In fact, Liu Yan himself was not confident about such an agreement.
After all, the strength of His Majesty the Emperor of Nanyang is there, completely superior to all the princes. Why should he abide by such an agreement? Although public opinion is a means, it does not mean that there is no way to solve it.
Liu Bian, a kid like him, could pull Yuan Wei down from his position of being the fourth and third prince respected by the people and a loyal and good man for generations, so it wouldn't be too difficult for him to spend a little effort to deal with this public opinion, right?
Is it possible...
Do you really want to place all your hopes on public opinion?
However, if he unilaterally breaks the contract, won't it give King Hongnong a reason to attack him, and then won't all his previous efforts be in vain?
Tangled!
It’s really confusing!
Liu Yan frowned and stared down at Shen Zhengnan: "Shen Zhengnan, right?"
The judge nodded: "Yes, that's right."
call-
Liu Yan took a long breath and said softly: "Yuan Shao is lucky to have a subordinate like you."
The judge nodded and bowed his head: "If you praise me too much, I cannot bear it."
"but......"
Liu Yan changed the subject and said coldly: "Do you know how much price I will pay for this?"
Shen Pei naturally understood what Liu Yan meant, but he still remained calm: "If you decide that King Hongnong is invincible, then you will naturally have to pay a heavy price."
"But......"
Shen Pei took a deep breath and asked in an extremely serious tone: "Is King Hongnong really invincible?"
Liu Yan frowned and followed the train of thought: "At least, since he escaped from Luoyang Palace, he has not been defeated so far. Moreover, you should know the power of Fuhuo Thunder. How can we stop him?"
"Your Majesty."
Shen Pei bowed his head, but his expression did not change at all: "When the siege ballistae came out, some people said that no one could stop King Hongnong."
"But why, not long after, King Hongnong invented the Fire and Thunder? Since there are siege-type ballistae, why bother to spend a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources to invent this thing?"
Liu Yan frowned and said tentatively: "What do you mean..."
The judge nodded: "Yes, because Chang'an has innovated the city ramming technology and reinforced the walls of Wuguan and Hangu Pass, which resulted in the siege-type ballistae losing its effectiveness."
"It was precisely because King Hongnong realized this that he had no choice but to invent the Fire Thunder to attack the weakly defended city gate."
Liu Yan suddenly realized, his eyes sparkling: "So this is what it is?"
Shen Pei nodded extremely calmly: "Yes, it is indeed true. I just want to tell the envoy that nothing in this world is invincible. He is innovating and we are working hard."
"oh?"
Liu Yan was shocked and raised his eyes to stare at the judge: "So, you already have a plan to deal with Fuhuo Leiting?"
Shen Pei didn't say anything: "It's currently being tested, and the effect is very good. As expected, starting next year, the Nanyang Court's Fire and Thunder will not work so easily."
Liu Yan suddenly sat up straight and asked urgently: "Oh? What is the method that can actually defend against the fire and thunder? Can Zhengnan tell me?"
"this......"
Shen Pei frowned, pondered for a moment and then said: "Although this technology is currently in the confidentiality stage, to show my sincerity, I am still willing to tell the envoy."
Liu Yan cupped his hands and was ecstatic: "I'm still looking to the south, and I won't hesitate to teach you."
"Your Majesty, this is a brand new city reinforcement plan."
The examiner did not hesitate and handed the pre-prepared plan directly to Liu Yan: "We plan to bake stone bricks and then reinforce them with yellow mud mortar on a large area and rice mortar for local reinforcement, making the city truly impregnable.
.”
"Rice milk?"
Liu Yan was stunned for a moment: "Reinforce with rice milk?"
The judge nodded: "Rice milk has a high viscosity. Once it condenses, it is indestructible. Even fire and thunder can't do anything to it. And it's only near the city gate. The actual cost is not as high as imagined."
Liu Yan frowned and pondered for a moment.
Have to admit it.
This is indeed a good plan.
The outer wall made of stone bricks is indeed stronger than that made of rammed earth. If it is used in key cities on the march of King Hongnong's team, it can effectively prevent him from entering Yizhou.
Not only that, the 800-mile Qinchuan River can be called a natural chasm. How to cooperate with the defensive capabilities of the stone brick city wall can basically ensure that Xichuan is in an invincible position.
Undefeated is victory!
Liu Yan's mind suddenly became active and he exhaled: "You mean, we three parties will join forces to attack Xuzhou and Guanzhong from Jiangdong and Yizhou, while Jingzhou will contain Nanyang's elite troops?"
"That's right."
Shen Pei said with great certainty: "Advance in two directions, and contain the other. After my lord swept across Youzhou, he immediately marched westward to Bingzhou, and divided his troops to go south to threaten Yanzhou. How can Nanyang Hanting resist?"
Liu Yan paused. From a strategic perspective, it was indeed a good encirclement strategy: "Your lord has been attacking Youzhou for a year and still hasn't conquered it. Why can he sweep it all in a short time next year?"
"certainly!"
Speaking of this, Liu Yan hurriedly explained: "Liu did not mean to belittle Yuan Shao, it is just the fact that it is the case, and after a winter, Liu Yu has an opportunity to relax, and he will definitely become more difficult to deal with."
Shen Pei said extremely calmly: "I understand that no matter what I say, I will never believe that my lord has the ability to defeat Liu Yu, but here, I still have to say that Liu Yu will not last long."
"The year-long fierce battle has allowed Liu Yu to demolish all the houses in Ji County. Whether they can survive this winter is another matter, let alone a chance to breathe."
"Winter may be a respite for others, but for Liu Yu, it must be a disaster. This is much easier than my lord sending thousands of elite troops to attack Jixian."
Liu Yan was naturally aware of the horrors of winter in the north, and had to admit that Shen Pei's words made sense: "How about you let me think about it for a long time, and then I will tell you the decision?"
Shen Pei bowed and cupped his hands and said: "This matter is related to the future of Yizhou, so you will naturally have to consider it carefully. I am waiting for your good news, hoping that you can make the right decision."