In June of the second year of Zhongping, Sikong Zhang Wen was awarded the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry. During the holiday, he appointed Zhi Jinwu Yuan Pang as his deputy general and mobilized the three armies to Liangzhou to attack Beigong Boyu.
Among Zhang Wen's army, there was Liu Jian's former Sima Xurong, who was recommended as a Sima to accompany the army and went on the expedition with Zhang Wen.
Today, the weather is fine and the sun is shining,
In the backyard of Liu Mansion, a competition was going on.
Zhao Yun held a long sword and faced Liu Jian with a sword.
The two men were facing each other with long swords for a long time. Suddenly, they both moved in search of a sound and launched an attack on each other at the same time.
The two long swords clashed in mid-air, making a crisp sound. Immediately afterwards, Liu Jian's long sword was seen heading straight for the cover door in front of Zhao Yun, taking an offensive stance, while Zhao Yun defended with his sword and took a defensive stance.
In the backyard, the sound of iron swords clashing was clanging. Although it didn't have the power of an iron horse, it showed the heroic spirit of the autumn wind sweeping away the fallen leaves!
After fighting for no less than forty moves in a row, the two of them stopped and retreated.
In his opinion, releasing Yuan Shao and other younger brothers would only increase the weight of the Yuan family in the political structure of the Han Dynasty and make the family more prosperous, nothing more.
Not everyone can promote you to be the second-in-command of the Yueqi Battalion from among the massive military achievements of the Han Dynasty.
"There is really no chance now." Liu Jian stood up, smiled and patted his shoulder and said, "But there will be in the future."
But once they get the opportunity, they will feel that they are talented and capable, and feel that no one can leave them. They are dissatisfied and yearn for a bigger stage.
At least in Yuan Ji's opinion, there is no such thing.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun hurriedly saluted and said: "My lord, please don't say that. My lord's swordsmanship is superb, and Zhao Yun dare not look up at my lord's back!"
Zhao Yun said with some confusion: "Now your Majesty has the intention of appointing Enjun as a shepherd. He is going to go to the place to serve in the near future. I heard that Xu Sima is good at using troops. He will go to the place the next day. An outstanding person like Xu Sima will be of great use.
Why would you recommend Xu Sima to the army that is attacking the Xiliang rebels at this time?"
"Hey, there's no harm in talking! You and I are just like family! If you have anything to say, just say it."
Liu Jian smiled and said: "This is a family matter of the prince, but it is inconvenient for me to participate."
"In the chess game, there are so many stars to surround the opponent. I don't know why the princes are so densely packed with stars. Who is your opponent?"
"Uncle Jian, uncle Jian, play with me!"
Liu Jian said: "The Lord's words are very true. It would be best to let them practice in the capital for a few years."
People want to realize their dreams, but you are standing in the way. The good friendship established between them may suffer huge difficulties as a result.
Yuan Ji casually said: "One is in the south, the other is in the north, occupy the corners, and the stars are all over the board! What do you think?"
Yuan Ji chuckled and suddenly said: "Speaking of which, Benchu and Gongdao have already stated their stance to me before, and they both intend to go out and take up posts in the future. I told them that I want them to accumulate more qualifications in Beijing, and then they can
Choose the right place to go.”
In the back garden, the walk was still unsteady and little Yuan Chong, who was not very articulate, followed Liu Jian on his feet and kept tugging at the hem of his dress, tripping from time to time.
For a moment, he still kept chasing Liu Jian with laughter.
Yuan Ji smacked his lips and sighed: "It's a pity, it's useless to have a chance anymore, you have to leave. If this kid wants to play with you in the future, I'm afraid he won't have a chance!"
Li Mu's matter is basically settled.
"The way that is in harmony with the chess game? But it is not the way that is in harmony with the human game?"
Liu Jian nodded with satisfaction: "You and Xia Houlan are both handsome young men, so you two can study the art of war together!"
The Art of War was given to Zhao Yun by Liu Jian. Liu Jian did not say anything, so Zhao Yun was not seen by anyone, even his closest friend Xia Houlan.
Liu Jian smiled and said: "What the Lord said, Jian is in Jizhou. He not only manages the four counties for the imperial court, but also protects one place for the Lord."
In the end, Liu Jian "seemed" unable to defeat Yuan Ji, and finally said:
Liu Jian nodded and said: "Yes, I will recommend him to Zhang Wen and let him follow Zhang Wen to Liangzhou."
Liu Jian waved his hand and said, "I never said that, you misunderstood me!"
Yuan Ji asked: "Deran, to tell you the truth, among the people of my generation in the Yuan family, Ben Chu and Gu Gong are the most capable of strategic planning. They are also my brothers with the same roots. They can be said to be the pillars of the Yuan family. Others can be said to be okay. If
Sure enough, one day, the Yuan family needs to let them leave the capital, where do you think is the best place for them to go and make contributions?"
"Okay, okay, come here, take the young master back to take a nap." Yuan Ji ordered the maid.
The area under its jurisdiction is where the Chengdu Plain is located, and it is also the richest place in Yizhou, that is, the vast area southwest of Fushui, including Guanghan County, Shu County, Qianwei County, Shu County and other places.
However, because there was precedent to follow, after some deliberations by the Manchu Dynasty, Liu Hong did not grant the two newly appointed pastors the complete power to rule the state.
The area under its jurisdiction is north of the Yellow River and south of Julu.
The two joked for a while, and then suddenly Yuan Ji's face darkened and he said: "Now that Mu Shou has set a precedent, I'm afraid that in a few years, all of you old friends who accompanied me in Beijing will all go to the local prefectures one after another.
The county is established, those who can be herders are herders, and those who can be county guards are county guards. First of all, it is you, and it is estimated that in the future there will be Benchu, roads, and other heroes of my Yuan family... Alas, they are gone, they are all gone
!It’s just me, I can’t leave Luoyang.”
However, although the appointment of Li Mu has been decided, he will not take office immediately. He will have to wait for the Shangshu table to complete the process of planning for state animal husbandry before sending him to the local area.
"Of course, if there were no monarchs, there would be no Liu Jian today. If the monarchs are there, Liu Jian will guard them for one day."
Liu Jian shook his head at first, not wanting to get involved in the Yuan family's affairs, but the more Liu Jian behaved like this, the more Yuan Ji wanted to ask.
Liu Jian was not in a hurry to express his opinions to Yuan Ji. He just asked: "How dare you ask the prince, how should you settle the two of them according to the prince's wishes?"
Yuan Ji smiled and said: "Yes, because of this, I want the original and the highway, one north and one south, to be in charge of both sides, and the person who is in charge of the south can stay in Runan to maintain the prestige of our sect's foundation."
He could see some clues from Liu Jian's expression.
"You are so adorable." Liu Jian clapped his hands and said, "Brother Yuan's child and I seem to be very close to each other."
That is, Wei County, Zhao State, Qinghe, and Julu.
If we push back another seven or eight years, the situation of the war between the heroes will gradually become clearer, and the disobedience of the Yuan family may begin to take root. They will pay more attention to the local military strength, food, ordnance, power, and population.
, in order to unify the world and replace the Han Dynasty.
…
This is indeed what Liu Jian promised Xu Rong when he first entered the Yueqi camp.
He wholeheartedly wanted to rely on his military exploits to rise from the border counties and move to a bigger stage.
Yuan Ji was stunned when he heard this.
And Xu Rong has never changed this idea.
But now, Yuan Ji has never thought about this aspect at all.
"Hahaha!"
Yuan Ji knew Liu Jian relatively well.
Liu Jian laughed happily and said: "Oh, I'm not convinced. Zilong has such sword skills at a young age. He can only defend but not attack, and he can be equal to me. I have been practicing swordsmanship for ten years, but
Compared with Zilong, after all, I still feel that I am not good at studying... I lost, I lost!"
Xu Rong was born in Xuantu County. Although it is a borderland, his family is quite famous in the local area and there are many households in the family land.
After all, it was not just Liu Yan and Liu Jian who wanted to promote Li Mu. The ministers had also been secretly planning this matter.
Liu Jian was appointed as the "Pastoral Envoy of Southern Jizhou".
After saying that, Yuan Ji looked at Liu Jian and said: "To be honest, Deran, Yuan is not willing to give up, but he also envies you!"
At Yuan Ji's house.
…
As for dividing the world and occupying one side to dominate, he has never thought about it.
Liu Jian was also patient. He was not tired of being chased by a five-year-old child. He patiently played with the child until Yuan Chong got tired of running, and he still held the child in his arms.
Anyway, he has already seized the opportunity. As long as he can establish a foothold in Yecheng, the other half of Jizhou will be his at any time.
Little Yuan Chong seemed not to want to be separated from Liu Jian, but just wanted to play with him. After the maid took Yuan Chong away, Liu Jian seemed to be able to vaguely hear his crying coming from not far away.
Later, Liu Jian walked to the open space next to him and sat on the ground to rest, while Zhao Yun stood beside him.
Zhang Wen, a native of Nanyang County who was born in the hometown of Guangwu, would make Xu Rong understand this truth.
This didn't matter to Liu Jian.
After Liu Jian takes office, he will have 370,000 households under his jurisdiction, with a population of more than 2 million.
When I was young, I suddenly heard Zhao Yun ask: "My lord, Xu Sima was recommended by your lord to go to Liangzhou to fight against thieves?"
Liu Yan was appointed as the "Pastoral Envoy of Nanyizhou".
"Thank you so much!"
"How come you have stayed under my command for a few days and learned how to flatter? Haha, I copied "Sun Wu's Art of War" for you. How have you been studying it recently?"
Liu Jian originally transferred Xu Rong to the capital and entrusted him with Sima. Unknowingly, Xu Rong became somewhat erratic.
And Xu Rong's hometown is Goguryeo further to the northeast. Goguryeo is "a fierce and powerful person, good at fighting, and fond of banditry."
He was quite well-known and had many military figures, so Xu Rong was quite high-spirited.
If they are not valued by others, they will complain about their origins, thinking that their inability to rise to the top is due to their origins, and hate that no one is willing to give them a chance.
Liu Jian smiled softly and said: "When I promoted Xu Rong to come to Luoyang Yueqi Camp, I discussed various matters in Liangzhou with him, and promised him that if there was a rebellion in Liangzhou the next day, I would recommend him to go to Liangzhou to make contributions!"
Liu Hong raised the matter with the officials at the court meeting, but it did not cause an uproar in the court.
"Hahaha, how is that possible!"
Liu Jian cupped his hands and said: "The words of the prince are wrong. The prince is the leader, sits in the capital, and takes charge of the overall situation. Just like Yuan Benchu, Yuan Gongdao, Yuan Yida, Yuan Renda, Yuan Zhengfu, Yuan Boye and others, as well as me and Cao Mengde, are all princes.
If we don’t have such a barrier, why should the princes envy us?"
Little Yuan Chong reached out and pinched Liu Jian's nose, making her giggle even louder.
Zhao Yun cupped his hands and said, "Keep in mind your benefactor's teachings, Yun will study hard in the military from now on and live up to your benefactor's high expectations."
It's time for Xu Rong to see what the cold world is like in the Central Plains.
"Read it carefully. It is the authentic book of Sun Tzu given to me by Sun Jian of Wu County. It contains many wonderful military ideas. Your martial arts are indeed first-class, but if you only have martial arts by your side, you will be nothing more than a brave man. A man born in In this world, if you want to build a career with military exploits, you should learn to be an enemy of ten thousand people!"
…
"Your Majesty, you don't want me to leave?"
Although Liu Yan and Liu Jian are the only candidates proposed by Liu Hong to serve as pastors, no one in the court has any objections.
Liu Jian said: "In order to revitalize the family, we must first stick to the foundation and then gradually seek outsiders. The foundation of the Yuan family is in Runan. Therefore, we must be cautious in the land of Runan. After all, in this world, there is no rule." Although the Yuan family is the first, there are also other sects that want to replace the Yuan family. For example, among the Guanxi scholar sects, the influence of the Hongnong Yang family is greater than that of the Yuan family."
"Is this still for me?"
Liu Jian seemed to feel quite lonely as he listened to Yuan Ji's words.
"What if I'm gone?"
The emperor is about to die, and his son is still young. Once Liu Hong dies, it will be decided by the court in the future, and who will be the pastor? Is it still within his control?
Zhao Yun said hurriedly: "I have read the third chapter now."
It doesn't matter, as long as the emperor can make this opening, it really doesn't matter.
But now that Liu Jian agreed that Zhao Yunke and Xia Houlan could continue their research, Zhao Yun no longer had to worry.
Yuan Ji was stunned when he heard this.
"Previously, His Majesty recruited Huangfu Song and Dong Zhuo to go to Xiliang to fight against thieves. Xu Rong wanted to go, but I didn't allow him at that time. This time Zhang Wen recruited troops to Dingxizhou again. If I stop Xu Rong again, both of us will I'm afraid there will be a gap between them. Xu Mengtong came from a wealthy family in Liaodong and is very ambitious. Since he wants to go to Liangzhou, let him go."
Xu Rong always wanted to conquer Liangzhou and achieve greater achievements, and Liu Jian knew this very well.
Yuan Ji pulled Liu Jian over with a smile and said with a smile: "You, don't pretend in front of me! If you have anything to say, just tell me. Do I seem like the kind of person who doesn't listen to advice?"
Weijun has 120,000 households and a population of 690,000; Julu has 100,000 households and a population of 600,000; Qinghe has 120,000 households and a population of 760,000; Zhao has 30,000 households and a population of 180,000.
Some heroes from border counties have this problem.
Yuan Ji said: "I don't have any opponents. My move is just to revitalize the Yuan family, that's all."
"But has Mr. Yuan ever thought about it? Most of the resources of the Yuan family are in the family. If only one person is sent there, can Mr. Yuan really feel at ease?"
Liu Jian could not stop Xu Rong from realizing his dream.
If he could think of it, he would be the first to run out!
"Can I stop you?" Yuan Ji looked at Liu Jian: "From now on, you will sit alone, and the military and political affairs of the four counties will be in your hands! I'm afraid your heart is no longer here in Luoyang."
Liu Jian said: "Yuan Gong's method is closely related to the chess game."
Not everyone in the Han Dynasty was willing to discern pearls with a keen eye.
Since he wants to go to Liangzhou to make meritorious deeds, let him go.
In fact, if you want to say, who is the specific opponent in Yuan Ji's heart, he really can't tell you?
Does the Yuan family have any rivals?
Yuan Ji seemed a little depressed. He really didn't understand why Liu Jian was so popular with his son.
Zhao Yun nodded suddenly and said: "Unfortunately, Yun Shang wants to ask Xu Sima for advice on camp and platoon tactics, so I'm afraid there will be no chance."
"Liu Junlang is the emperor's uncle. The emperor establishes a prefecture and governs it by dividing the land. How can the important land of the family be given to one person?"
"Benchu and Dalu both have great talents. In the future, if one of them can be to the west of Ruying and the other to the east of Ruying, they can work together to protect the foundation of the emperor and the sect, and they can take care of each other.
At the same time, they can supervise each other and monitor each other. If the princes sit in Luoyang and check and balance them, they will be as stable as Mount Tai... As for the northern states and counties, if the princes want to expand the influence of the Yuan family, they can use Yida, Renda, Zhengfu, Boye, etc.
Although human beings are far less capable than the original highway, they are still useful enough."
Yuan Ji was thoughtful when he heard the words.
"The land of Ruying is like the crouching tiger of the Yuan family, while Nanyang of Jingchu and Huainan of Yangzhou are regarded as the two claws of the tiger. With both claws guarding the tiger's head, the Yuan family can be safe!"