Three days later, on the ninth day of August, Wang Yu left Yicheng and embarked on his return journey.
"Brother Pengju, when I think about saying goodbye today and not knowing when we will see each other again, it makes me feel so uncomfortable."
Although Yicheng is now considered a part of Sui'an County, Yuan Shu is greedy for the prosperity here, but he has been reluctant to leave. All military and political orders were issued from this, as if he wanted to move the government from Shouchun.
.
Hearing that Wang Yu was leaving today, he came here specially to see him off. He was very sincere. In order not to delay the farewell, he didn't drink last night. To be precise, he wasn't drunk.
"Brother Lu, we are all members of our own family, why are you doing this?" Wang Yu chuckled and said, "I'm leaving, you must be letting out a long sigh of relief in your heart, right?"
"Look what you said?" Yuan Shu became angry and squinted his neck and retorted: "Pengju, I can tell you, you can look down on my ability, but you can't slander my personality. Our brotherhood, that's
Love is stronger than gold and can compete with the sun and the moon..."
Wang Yu didn't answer, just looked at him quietly, and said a few words. Yuan Shu couldn't hold it in any longer, and he spread his hands in aggrieved manner: "Okay, I admit, I feel sad when you leave.
It’s true that I was a little bit happy...just a little bit. But can you blame me? It’s all your responsibility!”
Wang Yu blinked, a little confused, thinking how could this guy not be able to stand such a little anger, so he stabbed him with words and then ran away?
"Of course it's your responsibility." I heard Yuan Shu say matter-of-factly: "I shouldn't, I shouldn't, you shouldn't be so good! You said that you can rule the country with force, but Anbang, this handsome man
So is the product..."
He clicked his tongue and looked at a certain carriage in the queue. He couldn't hide the envy in his eyes: "I really pity those sisters from the Qiao family. They are handsome and have very good taste.
How many young talents have been turned away, and what is the result? Just looking at you from a distance, I am absolutely convinced, and my heart secretly makes a promise..."
"You said that while you are here, there is no room for others to show their faces?"
It was still a joke at first. Later, Yuan Shu seemed to express his feelings and sighed: "I remember that I, Yuan, was also a famous son of aristocratic family in Luoyang back then. Although I am a little older now, I am still old and mature.
Jian. But by your side... Well, it’s okay not to say anything, just go away, leave quickly, and never come back again.”
"Hahahaha..." Wang Yu was amused by him and burst into laughter. He didn't realize that Yuan Shu was also very talented as a dramatic actor. If he traveled to later generations, maybe Uncle Shan would be unemployed.
Of course, as the direct son of the Yuan family, no matter how bad Yuan Shu is, he cannot be a clown who only knows how to make jokes. After Zhuge Liang's guidance, Wang Yu is now able to distinguish between the lines of the children of the family.
Yuan Shu deliberately acted cleverly to imply that he would not break the alliance easily, so there was no need to raise an army himself to hold the party accountable. At the same time, he also admitted that in this new alliance, Huainan was the weakest party.
In front of Wang Yu, Yuan Shu did not have a bad temper, but with his character, it was impossible to say this directly to his face. Saying it in such a suggestive way was already the limit.
"That's fine. Brother Lu, just enjoy peace in Jiujiang for a few years. After I settle down in northern Xinjiang, wouldn't it be nice for you and me to hunt in the Central Plains again?" Wang Yu imitated others and used the same method to help him.
out of his promise.
"That's a good relationship, but..." Speaking in such a politician's tone, Yuan Shu was much more experienced than Wang Yu. He understood immediately when he heard it, and knew that Wang Yu wanted him to calm down. When Qingzhou begins to compete for supremacy in the Central Plains,
His contribution will certainly not be forgotten.
I understood it, but it was not easy to do it. Yuan Shu hesitated and said: "Pengju, didn't you promise me earlier that there would be no problem with that matter?"
"It's no problem, so don't worry."
"But..." Yuan Shu hesitated, but his suspicious eyes revealed his mood. Obviously, he was not very satisfied with Wang Yu's answer.
Wang Yu frowned and explained patiently: "Actually, I don't care about this kind of status thing, but the problem is that if there is a war in Northern Xinjiang, I may not have time to look around for a long time. If
If someone invades our borders, someone will attack them head-on. But when it comes to sending troops across the border, it takes a long time just to ask for instructions back and forth. When the time comes, water from far away cannot quench the thirst of nearby people, isn't it bad?"
Just like the hatred between Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu, although Yuan Shu expressed his submission, he also had a knot in his heart, which was his dream of becoming emperor.
In previous negotiations, Wang Yu acquiesced to Yuan Shu's request, stating that he would not support or interfere. However, as the situation changed, Wang Yu felt that it would be more beneficial to Qingzhou if Yuan Shu could persist in the Jianghuai area for a few more years.
So he advised Yuan Shu to be more honest.
Historically, Yuan Shu was beaten by a group of people after he became emperor. Although Liu Bei was gone now, the risk of Yuan Shu becoming emperor was still very high. Wang Yu didn't want Jiang Huai to fall into chaos within a few days.
"That's fine... that's up to you." After hesitating for a while, Yuan Shu reluctantly nodded and agreed. But for some reason, Wang Yu felt a little unsure and doubted whether Yuan Shu would do it.
That's the way to go against the rules.
I wanted to explain to Yuan Shu that I didn't care about him becoming emperor. Although I couldn't let him live as an emperor in the Central Plains, I could let him go to places like Japan, Nanyang, and the Western Regions to become a local emperor.
Once the future overseas strategy is launched, how much difference can there be between a colonial governor and an emperor? It is just a matter of name. It is completely worth exchanging this little trouble for the stability of Jianghuai in the next few years.
But looking at Yuan Shu's angry look, it's really hard to explain this matter.
Apart from himself, Tai Shici was the only one who had no doubts about the overseas world. Others, even Jia Xu, were dubious about it. Using this statement to comfort Yuan Shu might have the opposite effect.
After thinking about it, Wang Yu felt that it was better not to continue this topic.
Without mentioning this topic, the atmosphere was restored, but after all, there was still a bit of a gap.
As he set off, Wang Yu sighed silently in his heart as he looked at Yuan Shu who was forcing a smile on his face. It is true that things in this world are not as satisfactory as expected.
The return route Wang Yu chose was to first go eastward along the Huaihe River, then turn northward at Wuhe, passing by Xiaqiu, the seat of Sui'an County.
The troops he led were all light cavalry and moved quickly. They arrived at Xia Qiu on the evening of the second day after leaving Yicheng. Wang Lang, the prefect, had received the news and had been waiting for the prime minister at the city gate early.
"How dare you keep Mr. Jingxing waiting here for so long? It's really a shame."
"What did Wang Qiaoqi say?" Wang Lang waved his hand with a smile on his face, obviously very satisfied with Wang Yu's attitude.
"The general fought on the battlefield at a young age, and repeatedly turned the tide. His reputation for loyalty spread all over the sea. Even though Lang was in a remote place in the east of the Yangtze River, he was still like thunder. When the Han Dynasty is revived in the future, the name of the general will surely be at the top of the list in history, and Lang will be worthy of it.
The good fortune of having a tail is all given by the general. In both public and private affairs, one should respect the general with utmost respect. Otherwise, wouldn’t he be laughed at by the world and ridiculed as a Zhongshan wolf?"
"Mr. Jingxing is so polite." Wang Yu admired in his heart after hearing this. He is worthy of being a veteran politician. What he said was so smooth and flawless.
The flattery is second, but the key is Wang Lang's hint. He sandwiched his intention to surrender among a lot of praises, and achieved his goal without missing a beat. Finally, he also brought up the old incident of Mi Heng scolding Yuan Shao that day.
, obviously he mentioned this proud incident on purpose, just to flatter himself.
After a few words of greeting, Wang Lang showed no intention of continuing to flatter him. Instead, his face became solemn and he started talking about business.
In name, Sui'an has no regard, but the construction policy of Sui'an is carried out under the guidance of Wang Yu. According to Wang Yu's design, Sui'an County will become a zone mainly focused on logistics and commerce in the future.
Where trade is prosperous, transportation must be developed. Sui'an is located between the Sui and Huai Rivers, and the waterways are very developed, but the situation on land is much worse.
The roads in this era were basically made by stepping on the feet, with the exception of the official road. The official road was usually paved with Sanhe soil, which was spacious and flat, making it convenient to travel. However, after all, Sanhe soil is not asphalt or cement, even if it is asphalt or cement, it is not.
It is impossible to use it for decades at a time.
Many of the official roads in the Jianghuai area have not been repaired since the Huan Ling era. Now, the old official roads have become pitted and devastated.
It's fine on a sunny day, but in the rainy season, these roads will be fatal. The muddy roads are enough to turn cavalry into infantry, and infantry into turtles. Logistics supply becomes even more nightmare-level difficulty.
It was precisely because of seeing this that Wang Yu finally decided to make certain concessions, re-establish an alliance with Yuan Shu, and embrace the power of the Jianghuai area.
There is no way, there is no condition for launching a large army here. If we continue the previous policy of killing all the powerful people, the number of Wubao on this land alone will be enough to make people despair. In addition, the Yuan clan has a huge power here.
With such potential power, let alone one and a half years, it would take three to five years to achieve results.
This is why in history, in the war between Wei and Soochow, Wei was never able to achieve a breakthrough on the Jianghuai front. On the contrary, when Wu counterattacked, it was often repelled by Wei with a small number of troops.
Due to geographical conditions, it is impossible to carry out large-scale military operations in this area.
Wang Yu positioned Sui'an as a logistics center, and this is what he meant. Under the banner of "If you want to get rich, build roads first", the Department of Commerce has made a lot of infrastructure plans in Sui'an. The core is how to make transportation more convenient.
convenient.
Build roads, dig canals, build ports and wharves... If nothing goes wrong, in the next two or three years, Sui'an, a place connecting the north and the south, will become accessible in all directions, making it not only convenient for business travelers, but also for the march of armies.
At that time, no matter who is ruling the Jianghuai River, they will have no choice but to rely on geographical advantages to press against the army that is resisting Qingzhou. They can only resist forcefully. Of course, the opposite is also true. If a powerful force raises troops from the Jianghuai River and marches north to the Central Plains, Sui
An will also provide them with full convenience.
But Wang Yu is confident that the possibility of this is very low. Even if it does happen, there is nothing to fear. It will just be blocked by soldiers and covered by water and soil.