When the news that Zhang Ji was shot to death by a stray arrow and that Zhang Xiu took over the army and retreated to Shunyang reached Xiangyang, everyone in Liu Biao's account began to congratulate him.
Sitting beside Liu Biao were Kuai Liang, Deng Yi, Liu He, Zhuge Xuan, Liu Xian, Deng Hong, Wen Ying and his confidant Cheng Qi in the residence of the Mu of Xiangyang Prefecture. They were all Liu Biao's servants. Merit.
As mentioned before, in fact, the people who follow Liu Biao every day are not Cai Mao and Kuai Yue, but their group of state officials, because Cai Mao and Kuai Yue are already considered small princes, and they can raise guests and recruit subordinates. Merit, so their status is higher.
Although their status is high, they work beside Liu Biao every day, so they can see Liu Biao every day. Shen Chen also often goes to the Zhou Mu Mansion, sometimes to see his uncle, and sometimes just to see Liu Biao. Ask for scriptures.
Over time, Deng Hong and Shen Chen became familiar with each other everywhere in the Prefectural Mufu. Shen Chen happened to be here today. He came to see Deng Hong, but Liu Biao suddenly summoned him to a meeting in the middle hall, and he came over too. .
After Liu Biao and others gathered together, he looked around and said: "Everyone, there is news from Rangcheng that Zhang Ji was shot to death by a bow and arrow, and the Xiliang army has withdrawn."
"Congratulations to Duke Ming, congratulations to Duke Ming for guarding the land and water. The people of Jingzhou are all grateful for your kindness."
"Ming Gong has the responsibility to protect the land, and he is a powerful person all over the world. Even if these young people from Xiliangxiao come to invade our Jingzhou, they are just asking for death."
"After defeating the Xiliang army this time, Ming Gong will definitely become famous in Guandong!"
Many Cao Cao who were engaged in special affairs presented rainbow farts one after another to congratulate Liu Biao for repelling the invading enemies. At the same time, they also praised Liu Biao so much that they flattered him loudly.
Only Shen Chen saw from a distance that Liu Biao's expression was not very good-looking, so he immediately whispered a few words into Deng Hong's ear.
After Deng Hong heard this, his face turned slightly pale, and he shook his head and wanted to refuse, but Shen Chen said a few more words, and then he had no choice but to stand up and said: "Ming Gong, since we have defeated the Xiliang army, why Are you unhappy?"
Liu Biao sighed and said: "Although we defeated them, our army suffered greater casualties. The Xiliang army fought fiercely in the wild. They not only defeated Deng Ji's troops and killed thousands of people, but also defeated my thirteen thousand with a mere four thousand troops." How can I be happy when people fight back?"
"Forehead"
Many state officials looked at each other in confusion for a while. Thinking about it, it seemed that it was really not something to be happy about.
Deng Hong said: "Xiliang is barren and people cannot survive unless they are brave. Therefore, it is not surprising that there are many brave people in Xiliang. I think Ming Gong may be worried that although they retreat, they may still come. If we invade Nanyang and want to annihilate them all, I'm afraid we will have to pay a high price."
"Yes, but ten thousand people can make my 20,000 army so strenuous. If we want to completely annihilate them, I am afraid that all the troops in Nanyang will have to be sent out, and reinforcements will have to be sent from Xiangyang."
Liu's appearance is as calm as water. He is now fifty-four years old and has not yet become so dim in his later years.
The enemy's fierce fighting in the field was far more powerful than the Jingzhou army, which made him very worried that if the war started again, he would have to send at least 40,000 to 50,000 troops to defeat these 10,000 people, and the price would be high.
Seeing that Liu Biao was just as Shen Chen expected, Deng Hong was relieved and immediately said: "Ming Gong, I have a suggestion."
"oh?"
Liu Biao immediately glanced at Shen Chen without leaving any trace. When he saw Shen Chen watching his nose and heart at the end of the table, he had a clear understanding in his heart and asked, "What's the clever idea for Young Shuo?"
Deng Hong replied: "The reason why Zhang Ji came to Nanyang to eat is because there is no food in Guanzhong. He has no choice but to come to Jingzhou to fight. This time the leader of the Xiliang army was killed, the morale of the army will definitely be in chaos. With no leader, if Ming Gong sends people to surrender, If you give them money and food to appease them, you will be able to subdue them, and they will all be used by the Ming Dynasty. Isn't it wonderful?"
Surrender?
Liu Biao touched the goat's beard under his chin and began to think.
Before he could say anything, someone said: "I'm sorry, sir. The Xiliang army often surrenders and then rebels again. They are capricious people. If we recruit them to surrender, wouldn't we open the door to the thieves? How can this be done?"
"Yes, these people are all under the command of Dong Zhuo. Let's not talk about Dong Zhuo. Just talk about Li Jue, Guo Si and others. Who is not a traitor to the country? How can we negotiate peace with them?"
"Ming Gong, this will never work. The Xiliang army is extremely ambitious. What should we do if we give them money and food and then they become stronger and have backlash?"
For a time, many people opposed Deng Hong's proposal.
It's not that they have any objections to Deng Hong. On the contrary, Deng Hong is a well-rounded person and manages relationships well with his colleagues. He always sends gifts and visits during every year and festival, and he is very popular.
The main reason is that the current reputation of the Xiliang Army may have so many minor problems.
For example, they deposed the emperor, poisoned the deposed emperor and the empress, robbed the royal tombs, forcibly moved the capital, massacred a large number of people in Guanzhong, Luoyang, counterattacked Chang'an and hijacked the emperor, and wantonly killed the three princes and nine ministers.
Compared with their various evil deeds, Cao Cao's massacre of hundreds of thousands of people in Xuzhou can only be regarded as a trivial matter.
Although Cao Cao is known as the younger Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao also did the things Dong Zhuo did, including massacre, tomb robbery, killing the queen, kidnapping the emperor, and wantonly killing the ministers without running away.
But Cao Cao at least did a good job on the surface, and his personal ability and political level were far superior to Dong Zhuo's. He would "hold the emperor to control the princes", euphemistically called "serving the emperor to defeat the unworthy ministers", and he also used his talent and strategy to ensure stability. The north will bring peace to the world.
Therefore, although everyone was doing the same thing, Cao Cao was much better than Dong Zhuo in terms of ability and evaluation. At least in terms of reputation at the time, it cannot be said that everyone in the Xiliang Army was shouting for a fight. Dogs hate.
Therefore, when Deng Hong suggested that Liu Biao accept Zhang Ji's Xiliang Army, many officials expressed their opposition. They believed that the Xiliang Army had no credibility at all, and if he accepted them, they might suffer backlash from them.
Only Kuai Liang thought for a while, and after weighing the pros and cons, he suddenly stood up and cupped his hands and said, "Ming Gong."
"Um?"
Liu Biao looked at Kuai Liang and said, "What is Zirou's opinion?"
Kuai Liang said: "Youshuo is right. Although the Xiliang army is capricious, Zhang Ji is at the end of his rope and on the verge of destruction. It would be easy to annihilate them, so why waste the lives of the soldiers? As the saying goes, a sad army will win. If we want to deal with this remnant army, even if we eliminate it, we will probably have to pay a heavy price."
"So Zirou also thinks I should surrender?"
Liu Biao asked.
Kuai Liang nodded and said: "Yes, if we surrender them, they can be stationed in Wancheng to guard the gate of Jingzhou. Even if they rebel, they will not endanger Xiangyang."
Stationed in Wancheng?
Many people engaged in governance looked at each other, and suddenly felt that Kuai Liang was right.
If we recruit and surrender this Xiliang army and let them integrate into the Jingzhou army, it will definitely not work. In the event of civil strife, Xiangyang, the center of Jingzhou, will be endangered.
But if they were to be in Wancheng, that would be a different matter.
Because Wancheng is located to the north of Nanyang, it is closer to Runan and further to Xiangyang.
Even if the Xiliang army rebels, they will have to cross the triangular defense line of Xinye, Huyang, and Chaoyang, and then attack Fancheng before they can reach Xiangyang City.
At that time, Jingzhou had already reacted and sent a large army to suppress them, so there was no need to worry about them threatening Jingzhou's security.
From another perspective, arranging them in Wancheng can serve as a northern barrier.
If the princes from Henan and other places want to attack Xiangyang, they must first defeat Zhang Ji's Xiliang army before they can reach Jingzhou.
In this way, the Jingzhou Army will not suffer losses, and the Jingzhou Army can be fully prepared.
Such a thing that kills two birds with one stone seems to be a good thing.
"Zirou's words are very reasonable."
"If we are stationed in Nanyang, then it should be no problem."
"As long as they don't come to Jingzhou."
"Ming Gong, I second your proposal."
"I also second the proposal."
Several government officials expressed their agreement.
In fact, in addition to Kuai Liang's suggestion of placing the Xiliang army in Wancheng as very reasonable, the more important thing is that the person who said this was Kuai Liang.
Liu Biao has always relied on Cai Mao, Huang Zu, Kuai Yue and Kuai Liang the most.
You can tell by looking at the status of these four people. As the governor of Nanjun, Cai Mao is in charge of Nanjun's military forces to guard against Liu Biao's current main enemy Liu Zhang.
Huang Zu was the governor of Jiangxia and was in charge of the Jiangxia navy. He guarded the intersection of the Yangtze River and the Han River to guard against enemies coming from the east of the Yangtze River.
Kuai Yue was the prefect of Zhangling. According to historical records, he was responsible for managing troops in Xiangyang, Fancheng, Zhangling and other places, and even Zhang Yun was under his control to guard against the princes attacking from Henan.
Kuai Liang was Liu Biao's chief clerk, and his position was particularly high in many political affairs. Liu Biao would ask Kuai Liang first about anything, and he could be called his mastermind.
In other words, Liu Biao sent Cai Mao, Huang Zu, and Kuai Yue to garrison the entire Jingzhou Jianghan Plain from the east, west, north, and west, and sent Kuai Liang as a strategic advisor.
Therefore, it can be understood that Liu Biao has entrusted the safety of the entire Jingzhou to these four people. At present, apart from Liu Biao himself, these four people have the highest status.
To a certain extent, Deng Hong was, after all, just a middle- and lower-level official, and his words did not carry much weight.
But if these words were spoken by Kuai Liang, it would naturally be different.
Seeing everyone's support, Liu Biao nodded. He actually thought so too. It was mainly the strength of the Xiliang army that worried him.
He sent 20,000 people there, but was severely defeated. If Liu Ya hadn't been lucky enough to shoot the thief Zhang Ji to death, he would have had to send at least 40,000 to 50,000 people to completely annihilate this Xiliang army of less than 10,000 people.
Troops, and there will be huge losses.
If the situation is good now, by forcing the enemy back, the two sides will have room for peace talks. If they can recruit surrender, they can be placed in Wancheng, Nanyang, as a northern barrier, which will indeed kill two birds with one stone.
Thinking of this, Liu Biao looked around and said: "Since everyone thinks that recruiting and surrendering is the best, then who should I send to recruit them?"
"Forehead"
"this."
"Well"
The government officials who had been talking a lot just now fell silent for a moment.
Although Deng Hong and Kuai Liang also analyzed it and believed that once Zhang Ji died, the Xiliang army would be leaderless and they would definitely be willing to surrender to them.
But no one can guarantee that it will be safe to go.
You must know that many people who have escaped from Guanzhong now eat human flesh.
"When Dong Zhuo died, there were still hundreds of thousands of households in the three auxiliaries. Li and others sent troops to plunder and famine. In two years, the people could eat each other."
This sentence is not only recorded in history books, but also something that everyone in the world knew at that time.
Many people, soldiers and even generals in Guanzhong, such as Wang Zhong, the later Qingche general of Cao Wei, all ate human flesh in Guanzhong during this period.
Although this may be a helpless move, the brutality of the Xiliang army still makes people feel afraid, and instinctively think of them as scary.
What's more important is that Zhang Jicai is dead. If they don't accept the surrender and insist on fighting Liu Biao in the name of revenge for Zhang Ji, then the people who want to recruit him may...
Under such circumstances, these state officials were naturally unwilling to risk their lives to surrender. What if they angered the enemy?
However, among the crowd, someone stood up and said: "Ming Gong, I am willing to go."
When everyone looked around, they didn't expect it to be Deng Hong.
Deng Hong married Cai's daughter last year and is now a hot new dignitary in Jingzhou.
Logically speaking, with the endorsement of the Cai family, the largest family in Jingzhou, your official career should be worry-free and there is no need to take risks.
I didn't expect him to be so courageous and willing to go to the dragon's pond and tiger's den. It's really admirable.
For a time, many colleagues looked at him with admiration.
No wonder people can be promoted. Young people really have the spirit of daring to fight.
Only Deng Hong glanced at Shen Chen, who was sitting at the end of the table, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
He really had no choice but to stand up.
Encouraged by his grandson, he said that he would be sure to be safe.
joke.
That's the Xiliang army that eats people without spitting out their bones.
Rumor has it that he kills without blinking an eye.
Although my grandson's words have never been missed.
but..
But did TM cheat on my grandfather that much?
Seeing Deng Hong glance at him, Shen Chen immediately acted as if the matter had nothing to do with him and looked away, almost whistling and pretending to be a person watching the scenery.
"good!"
Liu Biao was overjoyed and said: "Youshuo is worthy of being a hero of Jingchu. It is up to you to send the Xiliang army as an envoy to recruit them."
Deng Hong could only bite the bullet and said: "Hong will not disgrace Ming Gong's mission."
"good."
Liu Biao nodded with satisfaction and said, "If you need anything, ask as soon as possible."
Deng Hong thought for a while and said: "I want to know the conditions for Ming Gong to surrender them. Is it enough to provide them with sufficient food and grass and let them station in Wancheng?"
"Yes."
"What if they have other requests?"
"any request?"
"Expand the army, or require surrounding counties to attach themselves to it."
"this."
Liu Biao pondered for a moment and said: "We need them to defend the north. It's okay to give them the surrounding cities, but Zhangling and the surrounding cities of Xinye must be controlled by us."
"I see."
Deng Hong nodded, raised his hands and said, "Na Hong will set off to Champion today to persuade the remnants of Zhang Ji to surrender to Duke Ming."
Liu Biao was slightly surprised and said: "Are you going so soon?"
Deng Hong said: "It's not too late."
"good."
Liu Biao suddenly admired Deng Hong.
Before, he had always felt that Deng Hong relied entirely on Shen Chen for his success. Now it seems that although Shen Chen did have the idea behind it, his courage to live and die with his grandson cannot be faked.
Perhaps this is why they, the Deng family, listened to a child and were willing to leave their hometown and come all the way to live in Jingzhou!