After coming out of the restaurant, Shen Chen separated from Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu and the others.
They still have a lot of things to do.
For example, they had to assist Liu Bei in sorting out information, understand the current situation in Xiangyang, and provide accommodation for the soldiers who came with Liu Bei, etc. It was a mess.
Shen Chen doesn't have that much trouble, because he is Liu Qi's general. As long as Liu Bei doesn't give him tasks, he will be free.
So he returned to Deng Hong's mansion.
As soon as he entered the door, he saw a boy of twelve or thirteen years old running towards him. When he saw Shen Chen, his eyes lit up and he said: "Ah Chen, save me!"
"Ah Chou, run, where are you going, and see if I don't break your legs!"
Deng Hong came over angrily from behind.
Shen Chen smiled and said: "What did A Chou do again to make my grandfather so angry?"
"Kong Ming, Yuan Zhi, Xiaoqing, you three have something to tell you."
Liu Bei saw that there was no objection from everyone, so he said: "Now that the state capital is in ruins, some important matters still need to be discussed by everyone. First of all, the eldest son has decided to settle in Jingzhou, and he needs to have a name. I want to report to the court and bring the King of Chu and the Cai Mao, Kuai Yue, Zhang Yun and others informed the Emperor of their crimes, and then requested His Majesty to allow the eldest son to attack the nobility. What do you think?"
"How are you going to teach me a lesson?"
After thoroughly characterizing the matter, Liu Bei continued: "Major matters in the state capital are still inseparable from your help. Apart from this matter, what do you think I should do with Liu Cong, Cai Mao, Kuai Yue, Zhang Yun, and Cai Madam and others?"
Liu Bei nodded and said: "In that case, let's imprison him first, but the death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be escaped. In order to prevent others from following suit, he will be severely punished. What do Cai and Kuai have to say?"
Apparently Liu Qi was recuperating in the backyard. From today on, Liu Bei will preside over state affairs. However, he was afraid of overshadowing the guests, so he created a new seat.
"Achen, help!"
Deng Hong frowned.
So I had to find a way to make up for Liu Biao.
"good."
Although Liu Bei and Liu Qi did this, it was harmful to others and not beneficial to themselves, which would prevent them from attacking Yizhou and Yangzhou and unifying the south.
"Cao Cao will agree. Since it is an established fact, we can only hold our noses and admit it."
He was said to be old and dim, and his power was controlled by Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, Mrs. Cai. In the end, he made a mistake and asked the court to forgive him.
Soon, the next day, Liu Bei held a meeting at the Chu Palace.
Shen Chen thought for a while and said: "This is not difficult. The problem is how to take into account the affairs of King Chu's death and the court's face."
But outsiders don't know.
It's just that none of them spoke. After all, they wanted to avoid suspicion, so it was best for outsiders to talk about this matter.
"You two are polite."
Deng Hong nodded to express his understanding.
After the meeting, Liu Bei left three people behind.
But Cao Cao didn't dare to really defeat the enemy, so he probably just went with the flow and accepted the bad luck.
Someone quickly said: "The King of Chu hastily proclaimed himself emperor, which is unethical. However, after all, he has guarded Jingzhou for the imperial court for many years, managed the affairs of the state in an orderly manner, made the people live a prosperous life, had no war inside, and defended against powerful enemies outside. He also repaired palaces for the emperor. I have been kind to the people of Jingzhou, so I ask General Zuo to think twice."
Of course, it is impossible for Liu Bei to put the current military power in Jingzhou into his own hands. If he lets his generals lead those people, they will definitely be gossiped about.
Several descendants of the aristocratic families stood up and saluted Liu Bei.
Logically speaking, Cai is a noble lady, and Deng Hong is also from a famous family. Both of them are very strict in educating their children, so they should be able to educate an outstanding child of aristocratic families.
As for Pang Tong of the Pang family.
Everyone then left.
At this moment, Deng Hong chased him out, and Deng Yan hid behind Shen Chen. When Shen Chen didn't intend to protect him, Deng Hong reached out and grabbed his collar.
Below, Liu He, Liu Xian, Deng Hong, Wen Ying, Wang Wei and other seven or eight state officials responded quickly, because Liu Qi had given full power to Liu Bei, and Liu Bei had become their current boss, so naturally they could not violate it.
This place is still called Prince Chu's Mansion.
"How many times?"
"Even if the Emperor agrees, Cao Cao will not agree. It is said that the Emperor's edicts cannot leave the Chancellery. The edicts that can be issued must either be approved by Cao Cao or issued by Cao Cao in the name of the Emperor."
At this moment, Cai walked out and looked at Deng Hong with an eyebrow.
Speaking of which, he was born in October of the first year of Jian'an. Now his real age is twelve and his virtual age is fourteen. He has always been naughty and mischievous, which makes people worry.
"Um."
Deng Hong winced and said, "Slap him a few times."
After finishing the affairs of Liu Biao, Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, Liu Bei said: "I heard that Cai Du of the Cai family, Kuai Qi of the Kuai family, Xiang Lang of the Xiang family, Ma Jun of the Ma family, Xi Zhen of the Xi family, and Yang Yi of the Yang family, They all have great talents, and I plan to recruit them to serve as officials to determine the affairs of the state. Do you have any objections?"
The two of them stood up in a hurry, and Cai Zan raised his hands and said, "My brother made a big mistake. General Zuo spared him from death. It is a mercy. Cai is willing to accept the punishment without any complaints."
At this moment, in the central hall, many officials from the state government and people under Liu Bei were sitting on their own. There was no one at the main seat. Liu Bei relocated a mat under the main seat, a little closer to the steps.
This is to throw the blame away.
"Wow."
Shen Chen smiled and said: "General Zuo is now in charge of Jingzhou, and my grandfather is about to be reused, which is a great joy."
Cai asked.
The Analects of Confucius has nearly 20,000 words. Deng Yan was paralyzed at that time and showed an expression that was uglier than crying. He would rather be beaten.
This is actually dividing the cake.
Shen Chen smiled and said: "There are no absolutes. Although they are the chief culprits, there are ways to give the court a step down. However, the death penalty can be avoided, but the living penalty cannot be escaped. The Cai family and the Kuai family must bleed to save their lives."
So how can we prove it?
Deng Yan bared his teeth and screamed strangely.
Xu Shushi stood up and said: "General Zuo, although these people are heinous, after all, they assisted the King of Chu to pacify Jingzhou in the early years, and the eldest son has always been kind and valued family ties. After all, he did not want his relatives to shed blood, so he still has to be treated leniently. .”
"That's it."
So we can only blame Cai Mao and others, saying that Liu Biao was deceived.
"Now Jingzhou is full of waste and needs to be revitalized, and everyone needs to work together."
After all the main affairs were dealt with, Liu Bei announced the adjournment of the meeting and let everyone do their part.
Because Shen Chen and Gan Ning were both Liu Qi's generals, no one knew they were secretly involved with Liu Bei.
"Forehead"
Now that Liu Bei is in power, anyone with a discerning eye can see that Liu Qi is in poor health and may not live long. There is a high probability that Jingzhou will become Liu Bei's world in the future.
Ms. Cai turned to look at Deng Yan and said, "Follow me to the backyard and copy the Analects of Confucius as punishment."
Naturally, Liu Biao's behavior should be called treason and immorality.
Shen Chen said: "Grandpa, don't worry, I will handle this matter. General Zuo will probably convene people to discuss the matter tomorrow. I will notify the Cai family and the Kuai family and let them express their stance."
This is about being deterministic.
Because Liu Biao's surname was Liu, which did not violate the White Horse Alliance, and the origin of the King of Chu was legal and was conferred by Liu Xie, so they usually called Liu Biao the King of Chu.
"Father!"
"yes."
In this way, Liu Biao's guilt was much lighter, and the court turned a blind eye, so both sides gave each other a step down.
After Mr. Cai pushed Deng Yan away, Deng Hong and Shen Chen entered the living room.
Everyone looked at each other again, but their eyes wandered over Cai Zan, Kuai Qi, Zhuge Liang, Shen Chen, Deng Hong and others.
Penalty for copying the Analects of Confucius?
"Of course."
Cai Mao and Zhang Yun alone surrendered more than 100,000 troops, of which 50,000 were in Xiangyang. Guang Chenchen alone controlled nearly half of the Jingzhou army, plus Gan Ning also controlled about 20,000 people, and the rest Fifty thousand of them were scattered among the troops of Liu Pan, Huang Zhong, Huang Zu and others. Liu Bei indirectly controlled most of the Jingzhou army.
Shen Chen smiled and said: "Everything is possible. The emperor was imprisoned by Cao Cao in Chendu. If there was a powerful clan outside to cheer for him and echo him from afar, his situation in Chendu would be much better. So if the eldest son is To put things right, the emperor may agree to it because the eldest son is stationed in Jingzhou and serves as his foreign aid."
"How is this possible?"
Liu Xie needed a strong clan to support him outside, and Cao Cao needed to appease Jingzhou after being defeated, so that he could have time to regain the north as soon as possible.
Now that Liu Qi is in power, he naturally wants to seize the title. At the worst, he has to bring back a Jingzhou Mu with a legitimate reputation.
Therefore, it is reasonable to take advantage of this time to switch to Liu Bei's arms.
Therefore, the two of them will definitely go down this stairs when the time comes.
Everyone looked at each other, stood up and raised their hands, saying, "It's all up to General Zuo to make the decision."
Cai glanced at Deng Hong and said: "If my grandfather hadn't always been soft-tempered and reluctant to beat his son, and every time he punished A Chou, he would lift it up high and put it down gently, why should I be so harsh?"
What he fears most now is that Liu Bei and Liu Qi will send troops north to harass him.
Several people expressed their opinions.
"Exactly."
Now it seems that Deng Hong was the loving father. The father and son were often in cahoots with each other, probably to deceive Ms. Cai, which made Ms. Cai even more angry and began to discipline her strictly.
Shen Chen said: "Now that he is defeated, he must only want to appease the eldest son so that he can have the energy to regain the north. If he dares to interfere, then General Zuo would not mind leading his troops north to intimidate Cao Cao."
"Do you think so too?"
As the saying goes, Thirty Years in Hedong, Thirty Years in Hexi. Once Cao Cao made a mistake in his strategy, he was in the limelight after the Battle of Guandu, but now he has lost everything.
During Liu Biao's period, except for the Cai family and the Kuai family who invested in Liu Biao, the other aristocratic families were not very optimistic about Liu Biao.
They are the parties involved, so it naturally depends on their attitude.
As Shen Chen analyzed to Deng Hong yesterday, first of all, Liu Bei and Liu Qi must be justified in sending troops. They determined that Liu Biao's proclaiming emperor was wrong. They sent troops to attack Liu Cong, who succeeded Liu Biao as emperor. They were the righteous party, so that they could gain the support of the orthodox court. .
Deng Yan saw his mother angry and quickly looked at Deng Hong.
After they sat down, Liu Bei looked around at the people below and said: "Everyone, because of the great love of the eldest son, I have been allowed to take charge of Jingzhou temporarily. However, I have no intention of taking over my fellow clan. Once my brother is in better health, I will go to Bashu. , It’s just that Brother Bo Ruixian is ill now, and he is temporarily away from Fuzhou. I hope you can understand.”
Liu Qi sent people to demolish the original palace signs and oversized buildings, and now it looks like a huge manor in the city.
"Xu Yuanzhi's words are very reasonable. Although they are guilty, since they have surrendered, they should not be treated harshly. It is better to be lenient."
The two of them sat down and Shen Chen said: "Cai Zimu came to see his grandfather, probably because he wanted to ask about Cai's future."
"you mean?"
This time there were many more people in the hall than yesterday. In addition to the state officials, there were also Cai Zan, the representative of the Cai family, Kuai Qi, the representative of the Kuai family, Ma Jun, the representative of the Ma family, Xiang Lang, the representative of the Xiang family, etc. Wait, almost all the major aristocratic families came here, except for the Huang family and the Pang family, who were indifferent to worldly affairs.
Deng Hong held him in his arms and dragged him behind. As he walked, he said: "This boy's uncle came over just now. While I was discussing things with their siblings, he secretly rode Zi Mu's horse and ran away. Fortunately, he was caught by the slaves and chased him. When he came back, when I learned about this, I naturally wanted to teach him a lesson."
The young man's nickname was A Chou, his real name was Deng Yan, and he was the son of Deng Hong.
But Liu Biao was Liu Qi's father. In the Han Dynasty, when the world was governed by filial piety, it could not be said clearly.
Liu Bei nodded and said: "I thought the same thing, so I planned to tell the Emperor that the King of Chu was a bit dim in his later years and was instigated by villains, so he claimed to be emperor. Please take the Emperor's consideration for the King of Chu's many years of meritorious deeds." "Sir, what do you think of the King of Chu being treated lightly?"
But in this way, Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and the others became the chief culprits. If the chief culprits were not killed, then would Liu Xie, the emperor, still need his face?
Therefore this issue is rather contradictory.
Because once he sends troops from the north to the south to defend Liu Bei, the days of recovering Youzhou, Bingzhou, Guanzhong, and Xiliang will be far away.
But they recognized the King of Chu.
Therefore, this method of indirectly controlling the army can be said to be unnoticed, and the world will not know that Shen Chen has long chosen Liu Bei to be the person who can rule the world in the future.
Shen Chen and Deng Hong entered the mansion.
Kuai Qi also said: "Kuai is also willing to accept the punishment."
In mid-February, a gentle breeze came, and the leaves of a towering tree in the yard had already sprouted and turned green, swaying in the wind.
Shen Chen said: "Grandpa, think about it. For the court, the king of Chu proclaimed himself emperor, which was a huge act of rebellion. Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others who followed him were naturally rebellious officials and traitors. But after all, the king of Chu was the father of the eldest son. "
Then Liu Bei said some other things.
Deng Hong breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I knew you had a way."
However, Deng Yan has an unconventional personality and doesn't like to follow the rules. The more strict he is, the more rebellious he becomes, which gives the couple a headache.
"We have to consider the feelings of the eldest son. Moreover, after the King of Chu became emperor, his title was deprived by the court. Now that the eldest son wants to take over Jingzhou legitimately, he must inherit the title of King Chu, so we have to ask the court to forgive King Chu for proclaiming himself emperor. The title of King of Chu will be returned to the eldest son."
Deng Hong nodded and said: "Although your grandmother and I both know that my uncle can't succeed, we are blood relatives after all, so we still hope to save my uncle's life."
Therefore, he mainly promoted Shen Chen to be the governor of Nanjun, in charge of part of the Jingzhou Army, and promoted Gan Ning to Zhonglang General, in charge of part of the Jingzhou Army. The remaining Huang Zu, Wenpin, Liu Pan, Huang Zhong and others remained unchanged. Each still controls their own troops.
Liu Bei planned to visit in person in two days. After all, it was Feng Chu who was called by Mr. Shui Jing Sima Decao as famous as the Crouching Dragon, Silver Fox, and Tiger, and it was worth a visit in person.
Shen Chen explained: "If you want the emperor to forgive the King of Chu and restore the title of King of Chu, you have to give the emperor a step down. For example, the King of Chu is old and dim and is bewitched by the people around him, so who can bewitch him? Of course it is. If Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others are not punished, where will the emperor's face be?"
Liu Bei nodded and said: "Shan, let me leave the specific matters to Mi Zhu, my subordinate."
Liu Bei looked down.
Now that Liu Qi has successfully captured Liu Cong, he naturally has to go to the court to prove Liu Qi's legitimacy.
Shen Chen glanced at Deng Hong, and it seemed that he had made a mistake.
Hearing Shen Chen's words, Deng Hong suddenly became anxious and said, "What should we do?"
Everyone sat in rows, and Shen Chen sat first on the left. As Liu Qi's most trusted general at present, he represented Liu Qi's power to a certain extent and was also the spokesperson of the Jingzhou family. one.
"What does this have to do with the reputation of the King of Chu and the court?"
I often saw my grandfather corporally punishing Deng Yan before, thinking that he was a strict father, Cai was a loving mother, and Deng Yan was a loser.
"Since we are surrendering voluntarily, we should not cause more killings."
Mi Zhu stood up with a smile and bowed to Cai Zan and Kuai Qi.
"Yes, if it had not been for Cai Mao, Kuai Yue and others, the King of Chu would not have been able to pacify Jingzhou."
Deng Hong gave him a helpless expression. He couldn't protect him this time.
The main reason is that Liu Biao is getting older, and he still likes to do little tricks to become the emperor, such as riding in the emperor's carriage, offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, and his words and deeds are so outrageous that these wealthy families choose to be cautious and dare not get involved too deeply.
Deng Hong was very surprised and said: "The King of Chu has proclaimed himself emperor, how could the emperor forgive him?"
"When General Zuo came to Fuzhou, he was just following the public's wishes."
Deng Hong said: "Then what does this have to do with my uncle and Kuai Yue?"
Deng Hong was puzzled.
It is said that these two aristocratic families both own more than 100,000 acres of land in Jingzhou and have thousands of slaves at home.
Then he would have to let these two aristocratic families shed some blood.
When everyone saw that Xu Shu had spoken, they knew that this was what Liu Bei or Liu Qi meant. At the same time, in order to give the Cai family and the Kuai family a favor, they all stood up and replied.
"What happy event?"
Shen Chen quickly came out to smooth things over and said, "Grandma, it's a big happy event today. It's not appropriate to spank the child. My suggestion is to let him copy the scriptures once as a penalty so that he can remember it."
Because of proclaiming himself emperor, Liu Biao's title as King of Chu was taken back by the imperial court.
Shen Chen was shocked. In the past, he only knew that Mrs. Cai was very strict with Deng Yan, but he didn't expect that he would be beaten to death. He quickly said: "Grandma, do you have to be so strict?"
At that time, everyone has a tacit understanding with each other, and you should be given a good title. You go to fight your south, and I will fight my north. When the north and the south have settled each other in the future, each can rely on his or her own abilities.
The four people went to the backyard. It was already afternoon and the sun was high in the sky. They first visited Liu Qi and paid attention to his health. Then they left the backyard and went to a side courtyard on the left side of the Chu Palace to discuss matters.
For example, in response to Liu Cong's call, the four governors of Jingnan must be removed and replaced by Liu Bei's own people. What should be done with the surrendered soldiers, and who should give the military power in Jingzhou?
"In order to prevent Jingzhou from overthrowing, the eldest son had no choice but to make such a decision."
Except for Liu Cong's group, no one in Jingzhou, including the gentry, wanted to recognize Liu Biao as emperor.
However, it does not mean that children from a big family must be polite. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao also came from a big family, and they were two demon kings when they were young, so this kind of personality may not be a bad thing.
He looked at Cai Zan and Kuai Qi.
Since both the Huang family and the Pang family were determined not to serve in official positions, they were not here.
Mrs. Cai sneered and said to the housekeeper beside her: "Twenty lashes."
"I am willing to do the hard work of dogs and horses."
Several people were not in the house. Han Dynasty architecture was famous for its grandeur. The interior was dark and it would be troublesome to light the candles again, so they all sat on the porch outside the house.
After Liu Bei sat down, he looked at the three of them and said, "Sun Quan sent an envoy to negotiate peace. He hopes that we can fulfill our promise and give them Jiaozhou. What do you think?"
The three of them looked at each other.
We have just finished dealing with internal affairs, and diplomacy is coming soon. It seems that after Jingzhou is pacified, it will not be too leisurely.