During Liu Bei's Northern Expedition, he ordered Prince Liu Chan to supervise the country and was assisted by Prime Minister Zhuge Liang.
Although it was said that he was supervising the country, in fact, before Liu Bei left, he told Liu Chan to follow Zhuge Liang and listen to the government, and all matters big and small were often left to Zhuge Liang.
So now all state affairs of the southern Han Dynasty are handled by Zhuge Liang.
Liu Chan's current main task is to study. Before the Northern Expedition, Liu Bei adopted a policy of recuperation and recuperation in the south. In addition to national government affairs, his most important thing was to train the prince Liu Chan. Not only did he often take him to the countryside to observe the people's sentiments, but he also taught him Carry out ideological education.
Shen Chen once served as the prince's tutor. This position was not considered a vacant position in the Han Dynasty. Instead, he was responsible for the prince's education together with the prince's young tutor. However, at that time, Shen Chen was fighting in Liangzhou and training troops in Hanzhong, so the educational task fell on On Zhuge Liang's head.
At that time, Zhuge Liang served as the prince's young master. In the prince's palace, there were also the prince's family minister Lai Min, the prince's servant Yin Mo, the prince's concubine Fei Yi, the prince's horse washer Dong Yun, the prince's servant Huo Yi and others to help assist and take care of Liu Chan's daily life.
Later, at Shen Chen's suggestion, Liu Bei appointed Zhuge Liang as the Crown Prince and Grand Master.
Among the three divisions of the East Palace, the Crown Prince Taifu originated from the Shang and Zhou dynasties and was an important minister responsible for assisting the prince. The Western Jin Dynasty also appointed the Crown Prince Taifu, who was responsible for the prince's education together with the Prince Taifu. It was not until the Sui and Tang Dynasties that the Crown Prince Taibao appeared, and it has been around since then. The Third Division of the East Palace.
It's just that after the Sui and Tang Dynasties, most of the Third Master of the East Palace held honorary titles, but the current Crown Prince and Grand Master still have certain powers.
After Zhuge Liang became the prince's master, he was responsible for the prince's cultural education. On the contrary, Shen Chen, the prince's tutor, was changed to the prince's riding and archery martial arts education, and his responsibilities had some changes.
So when dealing with national affairs, Zhuge Liang would work with Liu Chan. While training Liu Chan, he was also training Lai Min and other future important ministers of the country.
It is now November, and the weather has turned cold. Although it has not snowed in Jingzhou, the cold wind is howling, knocking on the door curtains, making a crisp sound.
Zhuge Liang was kneeling and sitting in the government affairs hall of the Deyang Hall of the Xiangyang Palace.
There is a charcoal fire burning in the hall, which is very warm.
Liu Chan sat at the top, while Zhuge Liang, Lai Min, Yin Mo, Fei Yi, Dong Yun, Huo Yi and others sat at the bottom, accompanying the prince to help him understand government affairs and assist in state affairs.
Liu Chan is twenty years old this year. He is fair and fat. He is playful by nature and has a charming style.
Liu Bei was naughty and mischievous when he was a child, but now that he has a son, he wants him to behave accordingly. Therefore, Liu Chan lived a very depressed life before.
Later, Shen Chen saw that he was depressed all day long, so he often sent his sons Shen Yin and Shen Xi to the palace to accompany him, and wrote to Liu Bei, hoping not to suppress Liu Chan's nature too much.
It's not a bad thing that children love to play.
As long as we can guide him correctly and establish a good outlook on Liu Chan so that he will not do anything harmful to nature, we should allow him to have fun appropriately and not suppress him too much, which can easily backfire.
People all have a rebellious mentality. If they didn’t get something in the past, they may ask for more in the future.
Once Liu Chan ascends the throne, he will tend to become more indulgent if no one is in charge. Emperor Xuan of Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Yang Guang of Sui Dynasty, Emperor Muzong of Ming Dynasty Zhu Zaijing are all typical examples.
Although Shen Chen did not give examples of these things, Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling also had the same virtues. Liu Bei felt that what he said made sense, so he relaxed his control over Liu Chan, allowing him to have a certain amount of time to play outside every day. .
Today, Liu Chan had just played with the Shen brothers in the back garden for a while. Now he had just arrived at the political hall. He was a little absent-minded and still thinking about what he had just played with the Shen brothers.
Lai Min saw that he seemed careless, so he reminded him: "Prince, Prince."
"ah?"
Liu Chan came back to his senses and looked at Lai Min blankly.
Lai Min then pointed in the direction of Zhuge Liang and motioned to see the prime minister's face.
Liu Chan looked over and saw Zhuge Liang reading a secret letter with deep eyes and a very serious face.
"Prime Minister, what happened?"
Liu Chan asked curiously: "Is there a new battle report from the front line?"
"no."
Zhuge Liang put down the secret letter in his hand and said to Liu Chan: "Prince, there is a secret report from Jiangdong. Someone is colluding with some Jiangdong aristocratic families to plot rebellion."
"ah?"
Liu Chan quickly said: "What should we do?"
Just asking others is not a good thing.
Zhuge Liang frowned, then thought about it and guided him: "Prince, what do we think we should do?"
Liu Chan thought for a while and said: "We should find those connected aristocratic families, and then send troops to attack them to eliminate these possible hidden dangers."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "The other party has a single line of contact. Only a few aristocratic families have reported to us. We don't know exactly which aristocratic families they have contacted. I'm afraid it will be difficult to find the other party."
"so what should I do now?"
Liu Chan began to think hard, thinking that this matter might not be easy to handle.
Zhuge Liang continued to guide: "Prince, why don't you think about it again, who is connecting the Jiangdong family, and who is the mastermind behind the scenes?"
Liu Chan said without hesitation: "That must be Cao Wei, only they can do it."
"Yes."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said: "But it is impossible for Cao Wei to know Jiangdong so well, so who did Cao Wei look for to help them?"
Liu Chan scratched his head. This question was too difficult for him. After thinking for a while, he had to say: "Should I find someone who is familiar with the Jiangdong family?"
"Yes, there are many wealthy families in Jiangdong, and there are hundreds of aristocratic families. Cao Pi must find someone who is familiar with the aristocratic families."
"Who is that?"
"I think that only Sun Quan has this possibility."
Zhuge Liang said.
"Anlehou? Anlehou was once the lord of Jiangdong. He is indeed very familiar with the Jiangdong family."
Liu Chan puzzled: "It's just that he has surrendered to us, why would he dare to help Cao Wei connect with the Jiangdong family? If Gu is like this, Gu will definitely be honest and not dare to think otherwise."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "Because only in this way can Sun Quan return to Jiangdong instead of being imprisoned in Xiangyang like now."
Sun Quan wants to return to Jiangdong?
Now even Lai Min and others didn't quite understand.
Even though he is like this, he still wants to go back and restore his country. Isn't this asking for death?
Lai Min asked: "Prime Minister, isn't Sun Quan afraid that even if he helps Cao Pi defeat us, he won't get any benefits? Does he really think he can return to Jiangdong?"
"He felt somewhat certain."
Zhuge Liang nodded: "Besides, Sun Quan has always been ambitious. Even if there is a chance, he will gamble. If it succeeds, the hope will be great."
Hope it will be great?
"Forehead"
Everyone looked at each other and could see the confusion in each other's eyes.
Now that the pattern of Southern Han and Northern Wei has emerged, Jiangdong has surrendered for several years, and the people have long forgotten the Sun family. Why does he think he has great hope?
For a while, everyone really didn't understand why Sun Quan would do this.
Zhuge Liang saw that they didn't understand, so he explained the reason.
the reason is simple.
Now the Northern Wei and Southern Han were so large that the fate of the country could be determined by more than one battle.
If Sun Quan helped Cao Wei start a rebellion in the rear of Jiangdong, and cooperated with Cao Wei's troops to defeat Guan Yu, then the Southern Han Dynasty's eastern battlefield would inevitably be defeated, and Liu Bei's power would instantly shrink in the Huainan and Jiangdong areas.
Once the Eastern Front is defeated, Cao Wei can concentrate its main force to deal with Liu Bei's main force. At that time, Cao Pi's main offensive direction must be to attack Nanyang from Henan.
With luck, the main force of Liu Bei's army will be defeated directly, and they will flee all the way to Xiangyang.
At this time, there will be chaos in the south, and Liu Bei's guard over Sun Quan is not very tight. As long as Sun Quan finds an opportunity, immediately escapes from Xiangyang, and then runs back to Jiangdong, it is possible to reorganize Jiangdong and become his Marquis of Wu.
Although Liu Bei was newly defeated, he still had the danger of Xiangyang, the advantage of the navy, and so many soldiers and horses in Guanzhong. It would be very difficult for Cao Pi to annihilate him in one fell swoop, and it would be difficult to directly unify the south.
Therefore, if all goes well, the normal situation should be that Liu Bei's main force is defeated and retreats to Jingzhou.
Cao Pi regarded Liu Bei as a serious concern. Now that Liu Bei was defeated, he would definitely attack Jingzhou in a large-scale attempt to annex Jingzhou.
In this way, the two sides will compete in Nanyang, Nanjun, Jiangxia and other places, and will be unable to take care of Jiangdong.
And while they were fighting fiercely and had no time to control Jiangdong, Sun Quan was able to seize the opportunity, take advantage of the situation, and return to Jiangdong to become his master.
It doesn't matter if the people don't miss Sun.
This world belongs to aristocratic families, as long as the Jiangdong aristocratic family doesn't like Liu Bei and prefers Sun Quan and Cao Pi who are more integrated with the aristocratic family.
No matter how good the people are, they can't make any waves.
Therefore, with the help of Cao Pi and the Jiangdong family, it is really possible for Sun Quan to go back.
Although this idea seems fanciful, in fact the probability of success is still very high.
The main reason is that even if Cao Pi wins, it is unlikely that he will unify directly. When Cao Liu bites the dog, Sun Quan will be able to take advantage of the chaos and go back.
Therefore, if Sun Quan can really launch a rebellion in the rear of Jiangdong and cooperate with Cao Pi to win victory on the eastern battlefield, he will not have no chance.
And compared to being a prince, it is always much better than being a prisoner.
At least in Jiangdong, an area of one-third of an acre, Sun Quan still had some old subordinates who were loyal to him and could rely on him.
When the time comes, taking advantage of the conflict between Cao and Liu, Sun Quan may be able to divide the world into three parts by jumping left and right, fulfill his father and brother's legacy, and hold on to Yangzhou.
After hearing Zhuge Liang's analysis, everyone immediately felt that it made sense, and everyone was quite ashamed.
They didn't expect that there was such a deep and powerful relationship here, but they only focused on the surface, thinking that Sun Quan would not be stupid enough to do that, but in fact he would probably gamble, which is embarrassing.
"Prime Minister."
When Liu Chan learned that Sun Quan was probably the leader of the Jiangdong rebellion, he hesitated and said: "Anlehou is quite famous in Jiangdong and has many old subordinates. If it is really difficult to deal with him if he starts a rebellion, then should we strike first and take advantage of him?"
he?"
As he spoke, he made a gesture with his palms pointing downwards.
Zhuge Liang looked at Liu Chan quite unexpectedly. He didn't expect that this fat little man who was usually kind-hearted could still be a little cruel, so he said with some relief: "No, your Majesty has been benevolent and righteous. Sun Quan was willing to submit to you, but your Majesty will not."
It will cost him his life, lest he lose the trust of the world, and this matter will outwit you."
"Outwit?"
Lai Min asked: "What does the Prime Minister mean?"
Zhuge Liang said: "If you want to kill Sun Quan, you have to have a reason. So you can't do anything to Sun Quan now. You can only take action when Sun Quan plans to escape. Only in this way can you not violate morality and make those old Jiangdong officials feel at ease."
Liu Chan suddenly realized: "The Prime Minister wanted to let Sun Quan go. He deliberately asked him to contact his old subordinates. When they started to rebel, he would catch them all and then kill Sun Quan as well."
"Um."
Zhuge Liang nodded: "But this is the last resort. Your Majesty is a benevolent king after all. If Sun Quan understands the current situation, wakes up in time, and hands over the list of aristocratic families that he helped Cao Pi connect, your Majesty will probably forgive his sins, and maybe even
He will be rewarded."
Liu Chan wondered: "But isn't Sun Quan already doing it now? Should we let him wake up on his own? This is probably impossible, and we can't ask directly. This will expose what we already know he is plotting.
"
Seeing that Liu Chan had the ability to analyze independently, Zhuge Liang immediately became even more pleased and said with a smile: "Yes, we really can't ask directly, but we can give him a chance to change his ways."
"oh?"
Liu Chan hurriedly asked: "How to give him a chance to change his ways?"
Zhuge Liang said: "Now the country is at war with Cao Pi in the north, and the prince oversees the country in the south. The prince can test Sun Quan and make Sun Quan wary. If he is smart, he should probably know what to do."
Liu Chan thought for a moment and said, "How do you want to test him? Should you send someone to Sun Quan's mansion to warn him?"
"That would hurt him very much."
Lai Min thought for a while and said: "Besides, we have no actual evidence to prove that this was done by Sun Quan. We directly issued an order. If this matter was not caused by Sun Quan, wouldn't it chill the hearts of those Jiangdong officials?"
"good."
Zhuge Liang nodded and said: "So I thought that the prince could invite Sun Quan to the palace to watch the singing and dancing in a few days, so I asked the musicians to play the music of Jingzhou first, and let the dancers dance the dance of Xiangyang. After that, I asked the musicians to play the music of Jiangdong, and let the dancers perform the dance of Xiangyang.
By performing the Yangzhou Dance and watching Sun Quan's reaction during the banquet, you can find out whether Sun Quan is really plotting a rebellion."
Liu Chan wondered: "Why is this?"
Zhuge Liang said: "If Sun Quan gritted his teeth and secretly regretted it while watching the music and dance in Jingzhou. When he watched the music and dance in Jiangdong, he shed tears of sadness and regret. It means that Sun Quan still misses Jiangdong, and he is probably the person behind the rebellion.
"
Lai Min suddenly realized: "I understand. The prime minister's move can, firstly, test whether Sun Quan misses Jiangdong and whether he is really the mastermind behind Jiangdong's rebellion. Secondly, he also secretly warned Sun Quan that this is an attack on him.
Test, if Sun Quan is smart, he should understand that the matter has been exposed and hand over the rebel list immediately."
"Exactly."
Zhuge Liang smiled and nodded, and then said to Liu Chan: "The prince can ask Sun Quan some things during the dinner. I will accompany you and see how Sun Quan responds. The ministers will probably make their own decisions."
"good."
Liu Chan said: "Then everything will be done according to the prime minister's instructions. In a few days, Gu will hold a song and dance banquet in the name of the great victory in the Northern Expedition, and invite Sun Quan and his old Jiangdong troops to the banquet."
So a few days later, Sun Quan of the Anlehou Mansion received Liu Chan's invitation.