It's easy to ask God but hard to give him away. Tao Qian has this idea now.
Xuzhou was rich in wealth, with a household registration of one million, and an army of nearly 100,000 people, and Tao Qian was able to secure the position of Zhou Mu, which shows that he is not a mediocre person. Not only that, Tao Qian is also very knowledgeable about people.
Knowing that his two sons will never be great, rather than letting them inherit their father's legacy and struggling to survive in troubled times, it is better to hand over Xuzhou to virtuous people, which may allow future generations to live a stable and prosperous life.
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Two years ago, as Tao Qian got older and was not in good health, he came up with the idea of selecting a successor. It was at this time that Liu Bei arrived in Xuzhou and naturally became the most ideal person in Tao Qian's mind.
Kong Rong introduced Liu Bei to him as a member of the Han clan. He was known to be virtuous and had no foundation. If he gave up the position of Xuzhou Mu to him, he would definitely be grateful to him and take care of him more carefully.
His own descendant. This is the reason why Tao Qian fell in love with Liu Bei. Although Liu Bei politely declined Tao Qian's kindness, Tao Qian still kept him and temporarily placed him in Xiaopei, just to consider waiting for him in the future.
Opportunity to give him the position of state pastor again.
With this idea, the "great god" Tao Qian wanted to send away was naturally not Liu Bei, but Zhang Liao and his five thousand troops.
At first, Zhang Liao came uninvited, but because Tao Qian was afraid of Sun Jian's revenge, he took the initiative to ask Zhang Liao to stay, and he stayed for two years. During these two years, Zhang Liao not only had close contacts with Xuzhou's civil and military officials,
He also got married to Mi Zhu. Of course, these circumstances could not be hidden from Tao Qian's ears and eyes, and they gradually attracted Tao Qian's attention. However, after all, Zhang Liao only had 5,000 men under his command, so Tao Qian was not very worried. But it is different now. Although
Knowing that Gao Shun came here only to rotate with Zhang Liao, but the number of troops suddenly increased to 15,000, and there were 5,000 cavalry, this made Tao Qian feel a little on pins and needles.
In fact, Tao Qian also knew that if Xuzhou was handed over to Liu Xin, it would be a good thing for the people of the whole state. But Liu Xin had just eliminated Dong Zhuo and was unprecedentedly powerful. Even if he handed over Xuzhou to him,
, I am afraid that he will not look at the Tao family differently. Moreover, Liu Xin has so many talented people that it is difficult for Liu Xin to reuse the civil and military officials under him. Even if he is willing to seek refuge with people like Liu Xin, Zang Ba, Sun Guan, and Zuo Rong,
Won't agree.
It rained continuously all night, and the "great god" of Jingzhou Army had not yet been sent away. Yuan Shao of Jizhou sent someone to bring a secret letter. Yuan Shao said very directly in the secret letter that he had proclaimed Liu Biao as emperor and requested
Tao Qian stood clearly on his side.
After several years of melee, the princes are fighting each other. Now the three most powerful families are Liu Xin, Yuan Shao, and Cao Cao. Tao Qian, who owns a state, can now be ranked fourth.
Therefore, which side he chooses to stand on becomes more important, but he cannot easily make this determination.
Don't talk about Liu Xin's side. Before Zhang Liao left, Gao Shun came again. A total of 20,000 troops were stationed outside Xuzhou City. What's more terrible is that the local people in Xuzhou seemed to welcome these Jingzhou troops.
Cao Cao occupied Qingzhou and Yanzhou, which directly bordered Xuzhou. Tao Qian could not afford to offend him. What's more, Cao Cao supported Liu Xie, Liu Hong's son. In an era when orthodoxy was valued, Cao Cao's side obviously had a moral problem.
Be more proactive.
Despite this, for Tao Qian, Yuan Shao's secret letter must not be taken lightly. Everyone knows that there are no two emperors in the sky, and there are no two emperors in the country. How could there be two Han emperors at the same time? Tao Qian is sure that,
Sooner or later, Yuan and Cao will have a big battle. Because of this, Yuan Shao attaches great importance to Xuzhou's choice of side. If Tao Qian takes Yuan Shao's side, he will form a pincer attack on Cao Cao, making him vulnerable from both sides. But Tao Qian
If he really sided with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao would probably choose to attack Xuzhou first to eliminate this trouble, and then concentrate all his efforts on dealing with Yuan Shao.
Tao Qian also knew that his best choice was to remain neutral. However, Yuan Shao's tone in the secret letter was very tough and gave him no room for maneuver. If he did not support Liu Biao, he would be regarded as a traitor to the court.
to treat.
Holding this secret letter, Tao Qian hesitated again. He suddenly wanted to find out Liu Xin's attitude. After all, Liu Xin's strength had greatly increased after destroying Dong Zhuo, and he should be above Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. Therefore, Liu Xin stood
Which side is chosen is very important and will directly determine the direction of the world.
One thing Tao Qian knew was clear. Liu Xin had long publicly stated his attitude. He did not recognize Liu Xie's identity as emperor. In addition, Cao Cao had attacked Xiangyang some time ago. In other words, Liu Xin and Cao Cao had joined forces.
The possibility is very small, but it is possible to cooperate with Yuan Shao. However, no one can tell things in this world. Sometimes the most impossible things happen. Tao Qian dare not make hasty decisions based on his own judgment alone.
, he needed more precise information. So Mi Zhu hurriedly left the state pastoral office again and rushed to the Jingzhou Army camp outside the city.
The autumn wind was blowing, and in an open space outside the Jingzhou Army camp, 20,000 soldiers were lined up neatly. Except for the fierce sound of flags and the occasional neighing of war horses, the entire team was silent. Not far away, a group of soldiers had just been busy.
After the autumn harvest, the local people who had had their time gathered together in small groups, curiously looking at this army from afar, pointing at it from time to time.
In fact, the common people are no strangers to these armies. Just a few days ago, these soldiers took off their armor and helped them harvest crops in the fields. Those young faces always had a slight smile on their faces.
They skillfully waved the sickles in their hands, sweating like rain, but they worked tirelessly and never cried out when they were tired. The common people became familiar with these soldiers, and they felt as if they were their brothers, nephews, and relatives.
The situation of this army today is obviously different from what they usually see. The soldiers' faces no longer have the smiles of the past, but are more solemn and determined. They hold swords, guns and flags tightly in their hands, motionless in the fierce autumn wind.
, like statues.
At the front of the team, five young soldiers were stripped of their armor and knelt on the ground in a row. Behind each of them stood two axemen holding sharp blades.
These five soldiers had been temporarily imprisoned for some time, and Zhang Liao never knew how to deal with them. However, this time Gao Shun brought Liu Xin's instructions from Xiangyang, which included principle opinions on how to deal with such incidents.
Liu Xin's instructions not only solved Zhang Liao's problem, but also made Zhang Liao admire his foresight and become even more devoted to him. In fact, Liu Xin also inferred based on common sense that no matter how strictly disciplined an army is, it will inevitably fall into danger after being away from home for a long time.
They feel tired and do some illegal things, such as theft, robbery, rape, etc. Maybe these soldiers are not bad in nature. They just want to vent their emotions, but it will bring untold consequences to the victims.
The pain he suffered had an irreparable impact on the Jingzhou Army, so Liu Xin had to prepare for a rainy day, but unexpectedly he helped Zhang Liao solve the problem.
The situations of these five soldiers are not the same. Two of them were raped, and the other three were in love with girls from nearby villages, so the methods of handling them were also different.
Following Zhang Liao's order, the swordsman raised the sharp blade in his hand, and the two soldiers who raped the women were beheaded on the spot. Blood burst out and their heads rolled aside. After all, these soldiers had been with Zhang Liao for two years, and they suddenly ordered Zhang Liao still couldn't bear to execute these two soldiers. Zhang Liao waved his hand and asked the soldiers to carry the two bodies down and bury them outside the camp.
For the soldiers of the Jingzhou Army, death is not terrible, but the death of these two soldiers is not worth it. They did not die on the battlefield, but died in violation of military law. They are not considered martyrs, and their families cannot receive pensions. , even their own bodies could not enter the cemetery in Xiangyang. This was what shocked the other soldiers the most.
The other three soldiers watched helplessly as their companions lost their lives, and felt anxious. However, after Zhang Liao gave another order, a swordsman came forward and knocked them to the ground. They took off their pants and started beating their military sticks with a "crack, crackle, crackle" Come.
The Jingzhou Army has strict military discipline, and the soldiers who enforce the law will never dare to engage in malpractice for personal gain. Each of them has twenty military sticks. They were all beaten to pieces, but no one said a word. The three tortured soldiers knew in their hearts that they could keep their lives. What matters is not their lives, but their military honor as a Han soldier. Even if they grit their teeth, they cannot shout out, otherwise, they will never be able to hold their heads high in front of their comrades in the future.
Seeing the performance of these three soldiers, Zhang Liao felt a little more relaxed, and then announced an order. These three soldiers will not be able to participate in this rotation and must continue to stay in Xuzhou and wait for the next one in a year. Rotate.
However, it was not all without gain, because Liu Xin's handling principles were still very humane. He would give a wide berth to soldiers who violated military discipline because they were in love with each other, and allowed them to marry the girl of their choice back home, and provide them with financial gifts. It is all borne by the army. The reason why Liu Xin has this rule is not to encourage soldiers to fall in love with the girls stationed there, but it is conditional. They must be stationed abroad for a long time, more than one year and three months. Apply such conditions, otherwise he will be punished with the same crime as raping civilian women. After all, these soldiers stationed abroad were not allowed to undergo routine rotation. Liu Xin did not think carefully enough. The consequences must be borne by these soldiers, which is obviously unfair. .
Mi Zhu, who had just arrived from Xuzhou City, saw all this and had mixed feelings in his heart. He knew that these soldiers had committed crimes, and the family members of one of the victims had filed a lawsuit against him. .However, because these Jingzhou troops were not under his jurisdiction, and even Tao Qian did not dare to offend them, Mi Zhu could only turn a blind eye. But Mi Zhu was still very angry in his heart, and even complained about imprisoning these soldiers. Zhang Liao got up and had some opinions.
Seeing this scene today, Mi Zhu finally understood that Liu Xin's current status was definitely not obtained out of thin air. Such strict military discipline alone could not be seen in the military elsewhere.
Mi Zhu couldn't help but hesitate. He had always felt that using Zhang Liao to find out Liu Xin's attitude was not the behavior of a gentleman, and he was even more suspected of using Zhang Liao, his would-be brother-in-law. Now that he saw this show of executing the soldiers who committed the crime, he was even more undecided.