Cao Peng looked at Pang Tong and said with a bitter smile: "With his death, our efforts over the past few decades have been in vain!"
It's June, late summer.
Although it is night, it is still hot.
Cao Peng took a deep breath and shook his head helplessly.
I originally hoped to use Huchuquan's hand to contain Karasuma Tuqi. Who knows that Huchuquan was suddenly killed, making all the previous calculations come to nothing. However, compared to Tian Yu's depression, Cao Peng clearly showed
Somewhat relaxed.
Presumably, when Hu Chuquan died, Liu Guang would be the happiest person.
He looked at Pang Tong, but unexpectedly found that Pang Tong had a faint smile on his face.
"Shiyuan, don't you feel aggrieved?"
"Aggrieved? Why are you aggrieved?"
Pang Tong couldn't help laughing and said: "Once Huchuquan dies, for the young master, Hexi will be at your fingertips."
"how do I say this?"
"Huchuquan was killed, and the Southern Huns were bound to be in chaos. Both Qubei and Liu Bao were eyeing the position of the Great Chanyu. Previously, when Huchuquan was alive, the two of them could tolerate it. But Huchuquan died.
, how could the two of them just let it go?"
"You mean..."
Pang Tong stood up and came to Cao Peng's side.
"Youxue, didn't you report to Duke Cao before that you hoped to guard Hexi?"
"Exactly!"
"If Huchuquan had not died, with the power of the southern Xiongnu, it would not have been easy for you to take control of Hexi. But now that Huchuquan is dead, who has the energy to take care of Hexi, Liu Bao or Beibei?"
"This is the best time for you to secure your position in Hexi. Not only will they not stop you, they will even try to please you. In this way, there will be no worries in the north of Hexi."
Qubei is ambitious, and Liu Bao is equally ambitious.
The two are equally powerful, it just depends on who can digest the more power in Hu Chuquan's hand.
Cao Peng immediately understood what Pang Tong meant. He wanted to sell it for a price. I will help whoever is weak... plus Tan Zhe, Cao Peng is enough to turn Mobei upside down, at least within a few years.
, ensuring that Hexi is safe.
Removing the threat from the southern Xiongnu would reduce the pressure on Hexi by one-third.
The remaining Xiliang Ma Teng and Hexi Qiang Di should not be afraid. As for the high-ranking officials in Bingzhou, they are too busy taking care of themselves now, and I am afraid they have no time to take care of the Hexi area. Thinking of this, Cao Peng's confidence suddenly increased a lot.
He looked at Pang Tong and said softly: "Back then, I once said in front of my master that I should establish my mind for the heaven and the earth, establish my destiny for the living people, carry on the unique teachings for the saints, and create peace for all generations. These four kinds of roads are difficult, and I still haven't been able to do so.
Achieve one thing... However, if I can establish myself in Hexi, I can accomplish one of them. Although it may not bring peace to all generations, it can save our Central Plains people from the troubles of barbarians for hundreds of years. Shi Yuan, I need you.
Help me, use all your strength to help me, build a barrier in the west of the river, and protect the Central Plains from chaos... Shiyuan, are you willing to lend a helping hand?"
Since Pang Tong took refuge with Cao Peng, his performance has been stable.
Although he stayed by Cao Peng's side, he never said a word of surrender.
Now, Cao Peng opened up his heart to him, which made Pang Tong feel uneasy.
After pondering for a moment, he said, "Youxue, if you get to Hexi, what should you do?"
"Tuntian, promote farming in Hexi."
"Just by farming, we may not be able to secure Hexi. I think Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also used farming in Hexi, but it was eventually abandoned.
If you want to build a Central Plains barrier in Hexi, there must be several key factors.
First of all, you need people and a sufficient population to stabilize your position; simply immigrating from the Central Plains is not a long-term solution. How are you going to solve this problem?"
Cao Peng couldn't help but narrow his eyes and fell into deep thought.
After a while, he raised his head and said in a cold voice: "The Huns and Xianbei repeatedly invaded the border and plundered people from the Central Plains. They did what they did first, I can do fifteen... I can plunder people from the fortress,
Make them work. At the same time, I can plunder the population to the west, south, or even east across the sea to increase the population base in Hexi.
If I take charge of Hexi, Sikong will definitely give me great assistance.
At least the first batch of 30,000 households should not be a problem... Shiyuan, you are right. If we want to secure Hexi, we have too many things to do. Military affairs, agricultural affairs, political affairs... I need more
Just a helper."
Pang Tong said: "Xu Yuanzhi can be a helper."
"He is now very favored in Dongjun. Will he come to this bitter and cold place?"
Pang Tongtong smiled, "As long as You Xue writes a letter to you, Xu Shu will definitely agree."
Cao Peng thought for a while and nodded in agreement.
Huchuquan's life and death, for now, does not have much to do with him. Tian Yu and others have been worried about it, and after Cao Peng made the decision, he asked Tian Yu to go first. He wanted to go to Tan Zhe.
, to get Cai Yan, mother and son back. After all, this matter is an important task entrusted to him by Cao Cao, and he must complete it.
Tian Yu immediately agreed.
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In June of the eighth year of Jian'an, the Southern Xiongnu Great Chan Yu Huchuquan was killed in Meiji.
The Xiongnu were in chaos...
King Youxian Qubei was the first to react and led his troops to attack Danhan Mountain. After Xianbei general Samod Khan killed Huchuquan, he immediately returned to Xianbei. Qubei did not pursue Samod Khan and arrived at Danhan.
Behind the mountain, he immediately annexed the forces that were originally affiliated with Huchuquan in Danhan Mountain, and his power suddenly increased greatly... However, the good times did not last long. Although Liu Bao got the news later than Gobei, he acted very quickly. He gave up.
In the attack on Tanzhe, he led 30,000 string-controlling men to cross the Yellow River overnight and occupied the two counties of Woye and Linrong. He ordered his troops to quickly capture Heyin and cut off the ferry crossing from Wuyuan County to Shuofang.
.Then, Liu Bao led 10,000 cavalry to the north, captured Shanyuting, seized Pingding Pass, directly occupied most of Shuofang County, and swallowed up Huchuquan's tribe in Nandanyuting.
Huchuquan sits next to Danhan Mountain, but his wife and children are all in Nandan Yuting.
After Liu Bao occupied Nandan Yuting, he married his aunt, Huchuquan's wife, and named him the Yan family (yan zhi), proclaiming himself the Grand Chanyu.
Although Qubei annexed Huchuquan's tribe in Danhan Mountain, he was one step behind Liu Bao due to geographical reasons.
When Huchuquan was alive, he placed Liu Bao in Shentuze, west of the river, and Qubei in charge of Shuangjiang City, north of the river. From this, it can be seen that he was somewhat wary of Liu Bao and Qubei.
If you want to cross the river and enter Shuofang from Bei, you must pass through Wuyuan County and cross the river from Linwo. And if you want to capture Wuyuan County, you must capture Yinshan Mountain.
This is also the main reason why although Qubei was the first to take action, he ended up half a step behind Liu Bao.
Therefore, when Liu Bao established himself as a great chanyu, how could Qubei give up? In July, Qubei led 30,000 stringers in an attempt to forcefully cross Heyin, but was blocked by Liu Bao. The two sides fought fiercely for more than a month, and finally Qubeiyin
Due to weather conditions, he had to withdraw his troops and return to Shoujiang City. After this battle, Liu Bao's reputation was greatly shaken, and he had a tendency to establish himself as king in Shuofang...
In desperation, he went to the tribe leader Luan Tihu and Xu Du to ask for help from Cao Cao.
At this time, Cao Cao was leading his army to cross the river and attack, with his troops pointing directly at Liyang!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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Jingzhou, Xiangyang.
Zhuge Liang was dressed in white and walking on the street.
He came to Xiangyang this time to relax. Friends left one after another. After Meng Jian and Pang Lin went north, Cui Zhouping also embarked on the road back home because he received a letter from his brother Cui Jun. Cui Zhouping was Boling Cui
He is a son of a wealthy family and is far from comparable to Xu Shu, Shi Tao and others. Among the two sages and four friends of Shuijing Villa, Zhuge Liang and Cui Zhouping have the best relationship. The reason is that Zhuge Liang is also from the Langya family, although he is not as good as Boling.
A wealthy family like the Cui family can be regarded as a Qingzhou family. It is always easy for children of aristocratic families to interact with children of aristocratic families. Even if the Langya Zhuge family is no longer comparable to that of the past, the heritage of this family still has a huge influence.
Don’t you see, the Cai family in Jingzhou wants to marry their daughter to Zhuge Liang, isn’t it because they are a good match?
If Zhuge Liang was just an ordinary boy from a poor family, like Xu Shu, Shi Tao and others, the Cai family might not be able to like Zhuge.
Cui Zhouping's father was Cui Lie, the former Taiwei.
His elder brother Cui Jun was originally an adviser to Yuan Shao. However, after Yuan Shao's death, the Cui family was not as good as before. Therefore, Cui Zhouping was recalled to find a better way out for the Cui family. Although Cui Zhouping was not the eldest son, he was the direct descendant after all.
branch, has a decisive influence. If Cui Jun wants to make a decision, he must also obtain Cui Zhouping's consent.
Zhuge Liang had a hunch that after Cui Zhouping left, he might never return to Shuijing Villa again.
I can't help but feel a bit lost in my heart, always feeling empty.
I watched my friends around me go out one by one to pursue their future, while I stayed in Jingzhou, doing nothing.
The middle-class daughter of the Cai family is Mrs. Cai's niece.
Her talent is not that great, but she is familiar with "Female Commandments" and is proficient in women's beauty. She is a good wife and mother who manages the home.
As far as Zhuge Liang is concerned, Cai's daughter is not bad.
It was just that when he went on a blind date, the Cai family consciously or unconsciously expressed the hope that Zhuge Liang could serve Liu Biao.
It would be a lie to say that Zhuge Liang is not moved!
After all, in Jingzhou, he was dependent on Liu Biao and being able to serve Liu Biao was undoubtedly the best way out.
But Zhuge Liang also knew Liu Biao quite well, and knew that Liu Biao was just a conservative person and might not be able to accomplish great things.
What is certain is that if you attach yourself to Liu Biao, you will definitely be reused.
After all, the marriage between Zhuge Liang and Cai's daughter is a foregone conclusion. And Jingxiang is now controlled by the Cai family. Not to mention Mrs. Cai's relationship, Cai Mao, the navy commander, also holds military power and has extremely huge influence.
.
In addition, the Cai family and the Jingzhou family are deeply intertwined and have an extremely close relationship.
With these people, how could Zhuge Liang be wronged?
However, Zhuge Liang is not optimistic about Liu Biao...
There was a restaurant in front of him. Zhuge Liang stepped into it and climbed to the second floor under the guidance of the waiter.
Different from the noisy environment downstairs, the second floor seemed extremely quiet. Zhuge Liang sat down at the table near the window, ordered some food and wine, and drank by himself.
"Why is Kong Ming drinking alone here?"
Zhuge Liang looked up and saw a man in his thirties looking at him with a smile.
"Ah, it's the eldest brother!"
The visitor's name is Pang Shanmin, and he is the nephew of Duke Pang De.
Zhuge Liang quickly stood up and gave up his seat, inviting Pang Shanmin to sit down and drink with him.
Pang Shanmin smiled and waved his hand and said, "My uncle called me to go. I just came here to buy some wine that my uncle likes."
By the way, I heard that your marriage has been decided, but when will it be decided?"
Zhuge Liang said: "The wedding date has been set, and the ceremony will be held in the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Well, getting married is a good thing after all. From now on, you can settle down...Kong Ming, I would also like to congratulate you."
"When the time comes, I will invite my eldest brother to the banquet."
"Uh... I'm afraid I won't be able to return during the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Brother, are you going out?"
Pang Shanmin nodded and said with a smile: "Shi Yuan wrote a letter saying that he was appointed as the captain of the Qiang Protector, so I want to send his family members there."
Zhuge Liang was startled when he heard this, "Guo Qiang Colonel? How could Shi Yuan achieve such an official position?"
Pang Shanmin scratched his head, "It is said that Cao Peng was recommended by Bei Zhonglang, so Shi Yuan got this official position. Judging from the meaning of his letter, it seems that he wanted to establish himself in Hexi. So he asked me to send his wife there to avoid unnecessary trouble.
My heart is concerned."
"So, I want to congratulate Shiyuan... what about Meng Jian, Shi Tao and the others?"
"Shiyuan didn't say anything, he only talked about his affairs.
Pang Lin sent a letter before, saying that he is in Xudu and will go to Hexi soon. Presumably Meng Jian will go there with him."
Zhuge Liang's heart suddenly felt turbulent.
Protect the Qiang Colonel!
I think back then, Pang Tong was not as good as himself when he left, but now he has done the job of protecting the Qiang captain.
How could Zhuge Liang feel comfortable?
He wasn't jealous, but he felt uncomfortable after all.
After chatting with Pang Shanmin for a few more words, Pang Shanmin took the wine and left.
Zhuge Liang was sitting alone by the window drinking wine. The more he drank, the more uncomfortable he became.
"Stepping out of Qi City Gate, you can look into Dangyin Lane. There are three tombs inside, all of them similar.
Asked whose tomb it was, it was Tianjiang Guyezi. His strength was capable of rowing the Nanshan Mountains, and his writing was capable of Jedi records.
Once he was slandered, two peaches killed three men. Who can plan for this? The prime minister of the country is Qi Yanzi."
Even though Zhuge Liang was a native of Qi, he had always respected Yan Zi, the Prime Minister of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period. He felt that his talents were not inferior to Yan Zi, but he struggled to serve the country. Now, the Han Dynasty is in decline, and Cao Cao is recruiting poor scholars, which makes Zhuge Liang feel unhappy.
.But Liu Biao was a man with no ambitions. Even if he defected to him, what would be the use?
Who should I use my talents and knowledge for?
The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became, and his singing gradually became louder...
Not far away, a middle-aged man with a white face and a long beard, wearing ordinary casual clothes, was drinking with a heroic man.
Hearing the singing, the middle-aged man couldn't help but raise his head.
"Zhongye, who is the singer?"
The heroic man turned his head to look, and immediately said with a smile: "Who did I think was singing? It turned out to be Kong Ming."
"But that Shuijing Villa, Zhuge Kongming, who is also known as the Crouching Dragon?"
"Exactly!"
The middle-aged man was overjoyed when he heard this. He held onto the heroic man's arm and said, "I don't know Zhongye, can you introduce me to him?"
"What's so difficult about this?"
The heroic man stood up and walked over with the middle-aged man.
"Kong Ming, why are you drinking alone here?"
"Ah, it's General Wenpin."
When Zhuge Liang saw the heroic man, he quickly stood up and bowed his hands.
Wenpin chuckled and pulled the middle-aged man to sit next to him, "Kong Ming, let me introduce you... This is the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, General Zuo, Liu Bei and Liu Xuande, the shepherds of Yuzhou. I just heard you singing, so I came to disturb you.
I hope Kong Ming won’t be surprised.”
Liu Bei?
Zhuge Liang looked at the middle-aged man doubtfully.
Liu Bei smiled and said, "I have heard the name Wolong for a long time, and I am lucky to see him today!"
