"The first step to escalate the war is to ask Liu Zhang to personally conquer it, which requires a big defeat for the Sichuan Army. The second step is to destabilize Liangzhou, which requires a big defeat for the Liangzhou Army, and this big defeat must bring about a big defeat for Liangzhou.
Chaos, we take advantage of Liu Zhang and Cao Cao's inability to send troops to capture Liangzhou. Both steps are extremely difficult, we must plan as soon as possible."
Liu Bei nodded silently.
…………
Jiangdong.
Sun Shangxiang angrily walked to Qiao Wushuang's yard. Qiao Wushuang was sewing a small piece of clothing. The ten-year-old Sun Shangxiang slammed the sword on the table and became too angry to say anything.
Qiao Wushuang smiled and asked casually: "Xiangxiang, who provoked you again?"
Sun Shangxiang said: "Who else, Zhang Zhao, that bad old man, actually asked for the removal of brother Gong Jin from his official position, and also wrote to the second brother to negotiate peace with the dead Liu Zhang. It's really, really annoying. Hmph."
Sun Shangxiang said "swish" and pulled out the sword, "The most annoying thing is that the second brother actually agreed. What did he think of him? The eldest brother died because of Liu Zhang's hatred, and the third brother died directly at the hands of Liu Zhang. He has forgotten
Have you? You want to negotiate peace with the dead Liu Zhang, I’m so angry, you’re so angry, you’re so angry..."
Sun Shangxiang shouted while picking up his sword and hacking at the grass.
Qiao Wushuang smiled: "So that's why. I had already guessed it."
"Sister-in-law, have you guessed it a long time ago?" Sun Shangxiang looked at Qiao Wushuang in surprise.
"Zhang Zhao and others are all thinking about the overall situation of Jiangdong. Our western expedition has suffered heavy losses. Jiangdong is no longer able to fight with Jingzhou, and it is facing the threat of Cao Cao. Of course, we must temporarily tolerate it, Zhang Zhao and all the civil servants. And you two
Brother, this is all for Jiangdong’s good.”
Qiao Wushuang lowered his head and spoke calmly, his sewing stitches slightly messed up.
How could Qiao Wushuang not understand the thoughts of people like Zhang Zhao? These civil servants just want to protect Jiangdong and use Jiangdong as a separate power to protect their prosperity and wealth. Of course, they don't want Jiangdong to expand externally.
Liu Zhang died last time, and the opportunity was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Jiangdong had hatred for the Sichuan army. These civil servants had no choice but to agree to go to war. When Zhou Yu was defeated, they were happy. Of course, they would take this opportunity to demote Zhou Yu and return Jiangdong.
Peace.
The person Jiangdong hopes most for peace now is Liu Zhang. If Liu Zhang comes, they will of course resist desperately. Even if they lose everything, they will help Sun Quan keep his foundation.
But it is precisely because of this that they are afraid of fighting Liu Zhang. It is good to win, and it is okay to donate some money and food, but if they lose
Well... just look at the fate of the Jingyi family.
The Jiangdong family cannot afford to gamble, and they dare not gamble.
They would rather fight Cao Cao. If Cao Cao's power is average, they will be defeated. If he is strong, they will be defeated once and then surrender. If they are extremely powerful and destined to lose, they will persuade Sun Quan to surrender. No matter what, their glory and wealth will not be lost.
.
That's why they desperately wanted to make peace with Liu Zhang. Once they made peace with Liu Zhang, they wouldn't have to worry about anything and everything would be safe.
As soon as Zhou Yu and Lu Meng returned to Jiangdong, Zhang Zhao, Gu Yong and others euphemistically reported it. Sun Quan also seemed to be very sad about the defeat at Jiangling, so he went to comfort Zhou Yu personally, and then dismissed Zhou Yu's official position, temporarily replaced by Lu Su, and Zhou Yu returned
Wuzhong recuperates.
Then Lu Su personally led an envoy to Yizhou to discuss peace matters.
Qiao Wushuang hated these civil servants with a passion, but what could she do as a woman with a child, an orphan and a widower? If she interfered in political affairs, it would make people think that she was trying to harm Sun Quan.
Qiao Wushuang smiled and comforted Sun Shangxiang. Sun Shangxiang was still angry and finally decided to visit Zhou Yu and his other sister-in-law Qiao Wuxue.
Qiao Wushuang's hand holding the needle suddenly stopped, and she looked at the grass without blinking: "Zhou Yu was defeated, Jiangdong's vitality was greatly damaged, and the main peace faction gained the upper hand. I'm afraid, the wishes of those families will be fulfilled.
, Jiangdong can no longer expand."
Qiao Wushuang was in some pain, but the one who was in more pain than her was Sun Quan.
Sun Quan was sitting in a dark study room without lighting. The moonlight outside illuminated half of his face, and his face was ashen.
During the day, while comforting Zhou Yu, he agreed to the civil official's request, dismissed Zhou Yu, negotiated peace with Liu Zhang, and calmly accepted the congratulations of the civil official "Mingjun".
But no one knew that Sun Quan was angry and sad at that moment.
What is indignant is that these civil servants are defeated by everyone. Sadly, Jiangling is defeated, Jiangdong can no longer conquer the west, and he is destined to become a separatist prince.
How Sun Quan hoped to use Zhou Yu, even if he was defeated.
Looking at Jiangdong, the unification was very early, but the opportunity to achieve great things was missed again and again, such as the Battle of Sanjiangkou, Cao Cao's Battle of Guandu, and before Liu Zhang's expedition to Jingzhou.
Sun Ce had the intention to expand, but was blocked time and time again by the noble families for various reasons. As a result, the world was now divided into three parts, with Jiangdong being the weakest.
Sun Quan is very unwilling to be a conservative king, but what can he do? The foundation of his rule is these clans. Can he kill people as boldly as Liu Zhang? I'm afraid he will be ousted by these people before he even starts.
?
Sun Quan's fists placed on the table were trembling, and all the flesh and blood in his body were trembling. His eyes were fixed on the dark front. After an unknown amount of time, Sun Quan's body relaxed and his head was buried on the table.
No one will know from now on that Sun Quan cried on this night.
…………
On the Wei River, there is a small boat, and two old men are drifting with the current. One is black and the other is white. They look like noble men.
They were Zhuge Ci, the head of the Zhuge family, and Sima Hui, the head of the southern clan of the Sima family. They were leaving Hanoi for Chang'an.
"Liu Zhang actually came back from the dead. Zhu Zi is really hateful. We originally thought we could continue our plan, but now there are many more variables." Sima Hui said with a slight anger.
Zhuge Ci stroked his white beard and laughed: "We agreed at the beginning that in troubled times, my Zhuge family and your Sima family would conquer the world as one family. Now that the political situation in the north has become clear, it's time for your Sima family to come out, right? But the Sima family in Hanoi
Why push three and block four?”
"Now that Cao Cao's morale is strong and there is no setback, even if our Sima family members leave the army, they will not be reused. How can we replace Xun Yu, Guo Jia and others?"
"No." Zhuge Ci shook his head: "At this time and that time, if it weren't for Liu Zhang, Cao Cao would be almost invincible in today's world. Cao Cao is naturally arrogant. We need to support some warlords and discourage them, so that the children of the Sima family can come out.
, and be reused.
But with Liu Zhang, Cao Cao already has an opponent, so we don’t need to deliberately defeat Cao Cao. Instead, we should get out as soon as possible. With Liu Zhang here, the war will not be missed. Can’t your Sima family take the lead?"
Zhuge Ci looked at Sima Hui with a smile, and Sima Hui pondered: "Is it too early to leave the mountain now? I'm still waiting for Liu Zhang to defeat Cao Cao once."
"Playing with fire**." Zhuge Ci chuckled softly: "Liu Zhang does not act according to the rules at all. It is difficult for us to control it, or it is impossible to control it at all. Look at the Jingyi family now, it has almost been uprooted. In a few days,
Hundreds of thousands of people are about to die.
This is a catastrophe for the family. Do you still plan to use Liu Zhang? Aren’t you afraid of raising tigers and causing trouble?"
Zhuge Ci smiled: "My suggestion is that the Sima family immediately go out to steal Cao Cao's trust from Guo Jiaxunyu. The first person we have to kill is Liu Zhang. If Liu Zhang can't withstand the beating, he will be destroyed soon."
Well, then we can find another big defeat for Cao Cao."
"If this is the case, it will be difficult." Sima Hui shook his head.
Sima Hui was really in a dilemma. The Sima family and the Zhuge family were taking advantage of the troubled times. This was a huge gamble and a luxurious feast for the Eastern Han Dynasty to reach its peak.
Before the people of the Sima family and the Zhuge family have developed and can aspire to dominate the world, we must not let the princes of the world dominate one family. This is a principle.
Cao Cao is now powerful enough, so the Sima family is unwilling to help him. Only when Cao Cao is defeated and a force that can compete with Cao Cao appears in the world can the family's children slowly control power in the war.
Sima Hui's plan is to first let the Zhuge family train Liu Bei, and let Liu Bei take down the three assistants of Yizhou and Chang'an. In this way, a force that can compete with Cao Cao will be formed. When the time comes, he will train the family's children. If Liu Bei wins, the Zhuge family will
If Cao Cao wins, the Sima family will win.
As for the aristocratic families in Jiangdong, Sima Hui knew very well that they only wanted to keep their own three-acre land. As long as Liu Bei and Cao Cao decided the winner, they would surrender, at least they would not resist with all their strength.
But now it's difficult.
The one in trouble is Liu Zhang. If we follow normal logic, we should not let Cao Cao get too strong, let Liu Zhang weaken Cao Cao's spirit, or leave it to Liu Bei to attack, at least we should not perish in Cao Cao's hands.
In other words, it is necessary to prevent Cao Cao from expanding his power from Liu Zhang's territory.
However, Sima Hui understood Zhuge Ci's worries. He left Liu Zhang alone at this time and let the weak Liu Bei plan his plans. If Liu Zhang becomes fully powerful in the future and becomes strong enough to threaten Cao Cao, wouldn't he miss a great opportunity to weaken Liu Zhang today?
Thinking of this, Sima Hui had a headache and hated Liu Zhang even more.
"I think this matter should be left to the Sima family in Hanoi to decide for themselves. I am only the representative of the Sima family in the south. It is inconvenient for me to interfere with the Sima family in the north." Sima Hui said softly.
Zhuge Ci shook his head. From Jing Yi's series of actions, from the initial massacre of Jiangzhou to the uprooting of the family, at first he thought Liu Zhang would definitely be defeated, but now it seems that Jing Yi and the two states will become more stable, and Liu Zhang will succeed.
Completed a noble shuffle.
Zhuge Ci already believed that Liu Zhang was the most significant threat to all the families in the world.
The plots of the Zhuge family and the Sima family should be slowed down. The first task is to eliminate Liu Zhang. Liu Zhang is like the rat in the rice vat. If he is not taken out, the rice in the vat will never be eaten.
But now the Sima family actually wants to let this mouse eat rice. Although the mouse is small, it has a big appetite. What if it eats all the rice?
Let Cao Cao, Sun Quan and Liu Bei join forces to destroy Liu Zhang first, and then conquer the world. This is Zhuge Ci's idea. Liu Bei has Zhuge Liang, Jiangdong has a feud with Liu Zhang, and now Cao Cao is missing.
Zhuge Ci had a premonition that if Sima hesitated, he would regret it in the future.
…………
Chengdu, mid-July, Chengdu is busy. Farmers are busy taking care of their rice, businessmen are busy expanding their businesses, and the government is busy sorting out the new policy.
All the rebels of the family will also be executed today. Liu Zhang set up a huge altar on the bank of Dujiangyan, which became the beheading platform. It was the Ghost Festival and he invited the whole city to watch the ceremony and celebrate the festival together.
The soldiers gathered and waited outside the mansion. Liu Zhang looked at Huang Yue and was leaving the mansion. Suddenly Lotus came running over and stumbled on the way. He said urgently: "My lord, it's not good. Madam suddenly has unbearable abdominal pain."
, you go and have a look."
Liu Zhang and Xiao Furong's faces darkened at the same time, and they hurriedly walked towards Huang Yue's room. Liu Zhang shouted as they walked: "Quickly pass the message to Zhang Zhongjing."
Zhang Zhongjing arrived in the room quickly. Zhang Zhongjing only glanced at it and said loudly to Liu Zhang: "It's not good, sir. The fetus is moving. Call the midwife quickly."
It was only nine months ago. Liu Zhang was shocked when he saw Huang Yue sweating in pain on the bed, and hurriedly ordered the midwife to be called. Ever since Liu Zhang knew that Huang Yue would give birth prematurely, he had always called the midwife in the house.
When the midwife arrived, Liu Zhang, Zhang Zhongjing and others withdrew. Zhang Zhongjing bowed to Liu Zhang and said, "Sir, I am incompetent, so I let my wife give birth early. My wife's birth uterus has been displaced, which may be very dangerous."
Liu Zhang shook his head anxiously, stared at the door, and said casually: "Nothing will happen without you. It's good to be able to survive until now."
Listening to Huang Yue's suppressed painful voice inside, Liu Zhang's heart clenched together, and he prayed in his heart that nothing would happen to his child, who was his real flesh and blood. Let nothing happen to his mother, and Huang Yue wanted nothing to happen to him.
After suffering so much, Liu Zhang would feel guilty for the rest of his life if something happened.
At this moment, a midwife opened half of the door and said urgently: "Who is the doctor? Madam is bleeding heavily. Come in and take a look."
Zhang Zhongjing hurriedly walked in after Liu Zhang nodded. Liu Zhang became even more anxious. After half an hour, the child was still not born. Instead, Huang Yue's painful voice became weaker and weaker.
Liu Zhang's heart was in suspense. At this moment, a soldier came to report: "Master, Mr. Huang Quan and Mr. Wang Fu asked me to tell you that the officials, common people and gentry have all rushed to the altar, and all the prisoners have also arrived."
After being escorted over, please ask the lord to come over immediately to preside over the ceremony."
"Get out." Liu Zhang yelled, and the soldier's face immediately turned pale, his body became unsteady, and he fell on the steps, looking at Liu Zhang in horror.
After Liu Zhang finished yelling, he realized that he had lost his composure. He was never like this. He took a deep breath and said to the soldier in a gentle tone: "Go down and return to life. Just tell me that I will be there soon... you go and get fifty
money."
"Oh, yes, thank you, my lord." The soldier looked at Liu Zhang nervously and ran away tremblingly.
After another ten minutes, Wang Xu took a look at the sky and knew that Liu Zhang was in a bad mood now, but there was nothing he could do. The Ghost Festival was a major festival in Sichuan. If he missed the time, he would lose the support of the people, so he had to bite the bullet and go.
He said before: "Lord, we must get to the altar before noon."
Liu Zhang looked in the direction of the door, frowned and nodded. At this moment, Zhang Zhongjing opened the door and came out with blood on his hands. Liu Zhang hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed him and said: "Mr. Zhang, how is it? Has the child been born?
?”
Zhang Zhongjing smiled bitterly. If the child is born, can't you hear the cry? But he didn't dare to say it, frowning and said: "The bleeding has stabilized, but the situation is still very bad. Madam has passed out and the midwife is working hard."
, it’s really hard to say when it will be born.”
In fact, what Zhang Zhongjing wants to say is that it is hard to say whether it can be born.
Liu Zhang took a look at the sky and realized that he could no longer wait any longer. He grabbed Zhang Zhongjing's hand tightly and said, "No matter what, please do your best, Mr. Zhang."
After Liu Zhang finished speaking, he waved to his soldiers and turned around. Zhang Zhongjing suddenly stopped Liu Zhang, hesitated and asked: "My lord, I will do my best, but there is one thing I have to ask you first."
Liu Zhang's heart skipped a beat: "Tell me."
"Currently, it seems that only one of the wife and child can be saved. If, I mean, if, only one of the wife and child can be saved, sir...what do you mean?"
Liu Zhang looked at Zhang Zhongjing, and his gloomy face could almost squeeze out water. Such a choice was really painful.
After a long time, Liu Zhang squeezed his fist tightly, dug the nails of his thumb into his palm, and said two words in a deep voice: "Madam."
After saying that, he didn't stop and left with his soldiers.
Zhang Zhongjing and all the soldiers and maids were very surprised. In this era, when choosing between a wife and a child, there is almost no doubt that the choice is the child. The child can carry on the family line and inherit the family business. What can a wife do? Just marry another one after she dies.
.
Xiao Furong turned around and followed Liu Zhang quietly. Liu Zhang frowned and looked ahead, his horse galloping.
Liu Zhang took two thousand soldiers to Dujiangyan. Dujiangyan was not called Dujiangyan at this time, but was called Jianyu. This is because the Yulei Mountain next to Dujiangyan was called "Jianshan" during Li Bing's time, and the main ethnic groups living around Dujiangyan at that time were
They are the Di Qiang people, and they call the weir "勔", so Dujiangyan is called "拔勋".
When Liu Zhang heard this name, he felt really awkward, so he immediately changed it to Dujiangyan with a stroke of his pen.
As a result, the three dazzling characters of Dujiangyan were engraved on the side wall of the altar.
This place has already been crowded with people. In the middle of Shu, the Ghost Festival is a more important festival than the Double Ninth Festival. Both the government and the people attach great importance to it. This year's Ghost Festival worships heaven and coincides with the rebellion being put down. The world has changed and the people have finally got rid of the oppression of their clans and obtained land.
, no need to be exploited by the family, and pay taxes directly to the government.
No matter whether it is urban or rural, as long as no one in the family is executed, everyone is happy.
After ten days of criticism and struggle, these people saw the shocking crimes one after another, and they hated these people even more. Especially since they participated in the arrest, they suddenly felt that these people were heinous.
Tens of thousands of people came to watch, plus those gentry and merchants who did not rebel, as well as civil and military officials and soldiers, together with prisoners, hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the shore of Dujiangyan.
There are about 30,000 prisoners. The women have been taken to other places, distributed to heroes and soldiers, and sold to wealthy businessmen. Many bachelors without wives also spent their hard savings and even borrowed money to buy a few ugly ones to take home.
Can be used.
The rest were kept in official brothels, where they all had their own places to go.