One month after Xiang An took full control of Sanqi, something happened that caught Xiang An off guard.
Although Xiang An had ordered Northern Chu ministers to take charge of building water conservancy projects, the manpower was insufficient and the time was too short, so it was difficult to see results.
And it happened to be July, the flood season arrived, and a lot of rain poured into the river, and the river was rolling--
The dike has burst.
Not only did the embankment burst, but it also changed its course. The river water mixed with a large amount of sediment washed away the entire Sanqi, and large areas of land were submerged. The resulting floods directly covered nearly half of the farmland in Beichu.
However, the location where the river changed its course and burst its embankment made Xiang An feel helpless and dumbfounded.
The river is diverted from the river section near Dongjun City.
Xiang An took out almost all the money and most of the food in the Beichu Palace to help the affected people in various parts of Beichu to relieve the disaster and rebuild their homes. However, the financial situation of the Beichu Palace finally could no longer hold on.
"We have to fight."
Zijuan, the general of Northern Chu who had just returned to the Northern Chu Palace in Linzi, said this to his elder brother.
Today's Zijuan was worshiped by Xiang An as the Shangzhu Kingdom of Northern Chu, and was granted the title of Duke, with a settlement of ten thousand households, and the fiefdom was Langya County.
Therefore, in addition to the general, Zijuan is now more mentioned as the "Langya Daughter".
This is not because Xiang An favored Zi Juan, so he bestowed so many prestigious titles and military positions on Zi Juan, but because Zi Juan became the general of Northern Chu and achieved his feats with his own hands.
After Xiang An occupied Linzi, he nominally controlled Sanqi. The Jiaodong Peninsula was naturally included in Xiang An's territory. However, in fact, Xiang An's control over Jiaodong was far inferior to that of the land to the west.
A large number of roving troops who broke away from the subjugated Qi regime occupied the city of Jiaodong and were unwilling to surrender to Northern Chu. In order to receive sufficient support for the front line, stability in the rear was necessary.
Xiang An was seriously injured and still had too many things to deal with in Linzi Palace. The task of recovering Jiaodong naturally fell on Zijuan's shoulders.
Zijuan's shoulders are not broad, but they are enough to carry the burden.
"No." Facing the evil Zi Juan, Xiang An sternly interrupted Zi Juan.
"Huh?" The mood was interrupted, and Zijuan was stunned, looking at Xiang An in shock and confusion.
Xiang An took a few deep breaths and said helplessly: "Xiaosi, we...can't fight now."
"There are too many manpower and money needed for disaster relief. We can't rush." Xiang An looked at Zijuan and shook his head.
"Isn't that more appropriate..." Zijuan frowned.
"Xiao Si, you haven't considered who should we fight now?" Xiang An sighed slightly and stood up.
Bei Chu has four neighboring countries, Xi Chu in the south, Changshan and Han in the west, and Yan in the north.
Zijuan was stunned again.
It seems like...there really is no one who can beat him?
There is no reason for the Yan State to fight. Changshan and South Korea are still entangled with Xi Chu. Xi Chu... just don't mention it.
"What should we do? Second brother, our current situation... you are the king, you should know better than me." Zijuan thought for a moment, with a trace of sadness on his face, and spread a hand.
Xiang An indeed knows better.
"I arranged for Zhou Shoufang to go. Now trade is our best way. If we act rashly, we may fall into a situation of no return."
Zhou Shoufang was an old Qi minister and a political strategist with some brains. After surrendering to Xiang An, he was considered a relatively loyal one.
But even so, there are still risks.
"Don't worry, I'll just follow Liang Ning. Nothing will happen." Xiang An also noticed Zi Juan's worry and said with relief, "There are enough iron tools collected. It's more important to recycle some of them to get the money for disaster relief."
The most important thing.”
"However, these resources are only temporarily stored in Yan State...Xiao Si, by then, Gu will be able to rush to the front line."
Zijuan's expression was excited: "The general will obey the order!"
...
The second half of the year was relatively quiet.
Except for Han Xin, who was in full swing with Wei in the name of asking for help, the central and southern parts of the Central Plains were in an ambiguous period.
When the river burst its embankment and changed its course, Beichu was by no means the only victim. Beichu was the worst sufferer. Xiang An tried his best to save the situation and finally stabilized the situation.
Several vassal states in the central part have been unified by Liu Ji. Changshan State and South Korea have become a thing of the past. From now on, this place will be the land of the Han State.
What is even more concerning is the situation south of the Huai River. Linjiang is still the same as the bastard, looking like he does not want to participate in the war. Gong Ao has withdrawn his border several times, making other vassal states feel that he is
It is not possible to give Liu Ji his capital one day.
As for Jiujiang and Hengshan, they fully demonstrated their closeness to Liu Ji, with frequent and undisguised exchanges between envoys.
Xiang An's departure put so much pressure on Xiang Yu that it was equivalent to Xiang Yu breaking off an arm, or his right arm. This made many people bolder.
Even so, Liu Ji still maintained his rationality. He did not immediately unite with the two southern countries to exterminate Western Chu. Instead, he kept launching small-scale attacks in local areas, which took away Xiang Yu's energy.
"Anyway, Northern Chu, where Xiang An is now, has no intention of attacking Western Chu. This means that our layout in the north of Western Chu has completely failed. Therefore, the key is if the south can be managed well. If it can,
I don’t want to give these brothers any chance." Liu Ji said to Zhang Liang and Xiao Heru with a serious face, "There is no doubt that they are my biggest opponents, opponents who cannot be underestimated no matter how weak they are."
It is known throughout the world that Xiang An and Xiang Yu are better at fighting weak battles. From the Battle of Pengcheng to the Battle of Julu, everyone felt that they could not do it every time. They just used everything they could and ignored them.
He was defeated by an overwhelming force. Facing such an opponent, Liu Ji did not dare to relax at all.
Time passed slowly in this mutual quarrel. Perhaps the floods this summer had caused too much pain to the land. This winter was not particularly cold, so Xiang An could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
If this winter is particularly difficult, Beichu might as well declare annihilation.
"Xiao Si, get ready." Xiang An took the black heavy armor from Liao Ye's hand that had not been used for a long time, and looked at the Northern Chu general Zi Juan, "When the awakening of hibernation comes, I will be alone with you.
When the Yan Kingdom went to war."
"I took advantage of too much in trade last year. It's time for me to settle the matter with Zang Tu!"
Listening to Xiang An's calm but murderous words, Zijuan responded with a serious face.