The forest flowers are wet with rain and rouge, and the waterlilies are carried by the wind and grow in green ribbons.
In the late April of early summer in Longyou, the greenery as far as the eye can see spreads into the rippling Wei River, enchanting the mood of every traveler.
Zheng Pu, who had been galloping back all the way, looked at the scenery outside Linji County and couldn't help but let his horse's hooves move slowly.
It seems that it has been a long time since I heard the music of the transverse flute.
Thinking secretly in his heart, Zheng Pu closed his eyes slightly and let his mind fluctuate with the bumps on the horse's back.
The Wei River meandering eastward makes a sound, letting the cool water vapor permeate the face, and in an instant, there is a sense of joy that has not faded for thousands of miles. There are also mountains in the distance hidden in the forest. The faint joyous chirping of unknown birds, as the breeze blows by the ears, makes the hair excited and exciting, allowing people to stretch their thoughts in the quiet and quiet atmosphere.
Time turned into a soft feeling, and I felt very uncomfortable both physically and mentally.
It's a pity that beautiful scenes are often short-lived.
Fu Qian, who was following behind, saw Zheng Pu slowing down his horse's hooves in front of him. He couldn't help but become a boy, took a bamboo flute from the package and played it across his lips.
Everyone who gave way could not help but frown slightly.
It’s really too unpleasant to hear~~~~
This boy obviously has no musical talent, but he has a special liking for the bamboo flute and he perseveres in it.
Whenever I have some free time, I indulge in self-indulgence without realizing it.
Zheng Pu, who was suddenly filled with demonic sounds, instantly lost his sense of relaxation and joy, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"drive!"
Put your legs on the horse's belly.
Amidst the countless dust kicked up by the galloping horses' hooves, the distance between the master and the apprentice became wider and wider.
After entering the city, Zheng Pu tidied his clothes and fetched water to cleanse his face. After being summoned by the soldiers on duty, he slowly walked into the former prefect's mansion, which had been renamed the Prime Minister's Office.
There are people in the house, namely Zhuge Qiao and Fei Yi.
Fei Yi moved to join the army when the prime minister entered Hanzhong.
After settling in Longyou, the prime minister left Yang Yi in charge of arranging grain, fodder and baggage in Hanzhong, and asked him to cooperate with Chang Shi Xianglang in allocating the needs of various military departments in Longyou. He was highly praised for his work and conduct.
For example, Wei Yan, who has an unruly temperament, often smiles at him, which is the best evidence.
At this time, the two of them were sitting on the side seats, holding pens in one hand, listening intently, and occasionally writing a few words on the bamboo slips with ink.
Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, who was under the leadership of Eguan Bo, was pacing back and forth, speaking slowly and giving instructions about the trivial matters after farming in Longyou, as well as the food, fodder, and equipment for the soldiers in various ministries. When he saw Zheng Pu coming in, he also opened his lips softly and said He smiled and pointed to the seat on the other side, indicating that he could take his seat without being polite.
When Zheng Pu saw this, he did not dare to disturb him and bowed silently before sitting down.
While waiting, I suddenly noticed that the prime minister, who was nearly fifty years old, had strands of silver hair on his temples under his crown, which reflected his snow-white clothes.
The passage of time has also left its mark on the Prime Minister.
Fortunately, the clear and clear voice still makes people feel at ease; the eight-foot-long body and the still straight spine make people believe that the banner of recuperating the Central Plains on his shoulders is still fluttering in the wind between heaven and earth, inspiring everyone to strive for fighting spirit.
Just as Zheng Pu was sizing it up, another person appeared next to him.
It's Xiang Chong.
At the beginning of this year, he was appointed as an assistant in the prime minister's office, and he served as a secretary beside the prime minister.
However, the original secretary, Wang Shan, had been sent out to serve in other places due to the shortage of officials in counties and counties.
I saw that he was holding many bamboo slips and small cloths, and carefully placed them on Zheng Pu's desk one by one with one hand, lest they make any noise and disturb the Prime Minister's instructions.
When Zheng Pu saw it, he couldn't help but nod and smile, and reached out to take the bamboo slips.
At the beginning of this year, his brother Zheng Yan and his mother sent a letter, saying that the descendants from Shu were from a poor family, and their talents, learning, and conduct were unlikely to be as good as Xiang Chong's.
Therefore, the man who became his sister-in-law a few years later also had some respect for Zheng Pu.
After placing the bamboo slips away, he quietly bowed before leaving.
The subtleties of this one are quite good.
Zheng Pu sighed secretly, then took back his thoughts, spread out the bamboo slips and cloth on the case one by one, and looked at them carefully.
It turned out to be suggestions from the important ministers in Chengdu about Sun Quan proclaiming himself emperor.
In the seventh year of Jianxing, the eighth year of King Huangwu of Wei and Wu.
Sun Quan established himself as emperor in the southern suburbs of Wuchang and granted amnesty.
Xiakou and Wuchang were combined with Huanglong, and Fenghuang saw it, so they changed the name to Huanglong. They followed Sun Jian as Emperor Wulie, Sun Ce as King Huan of Changsha, and established their descendants Sun Deng as the crown prince.
And when preparing for the ceremony of proclaiming emperor, they sent envoys to Chengdu in advance to present the letter of credence to the emperor Liu Chan, informing him of the proposal to respect the two emperors, and asking the two countries to continue to form an alliance to resist Wei.
In response to this, many important officials of the Han Dynasty thought that rebelling against Wei was the enemy of the country, so Sun Wu Ke could join forces in the Northern Expedition, and they remonstrated and agreed to it first.
Because people had expected Sun Quan to proclaim himself emperor. Sun Quan was previously named the King of Wu by Wei Cao Pi, but now he has repeatedly attacked the rebels against Wei. After all, it would be unfair to take the title of Wei again. And because of the battle at Shiting.
, which greatly boosted the reputation of Jiangdong's scholars, and countless subordinates would push him to the throne of emperor for their own benefit.
For example, in Li Yan's letter, he persuaded the prime minister who made the decision to agree to it first.
He said: "Although Sun Wu is an untrustworthy person, but the rebellion against Wei is now prosperous, it is better to pretend to be weak and let him control the forces against Wei. After our Han Dynasty conquers the Central Plains, it will not be too late to regain the name. And the land east of the Yangtze River
, it is a land that has been defended, and has no foundation to establish the world. It is expected that it will be accomplished without fear of Sun Wu."
Very blatantly, he despised Sun Quan as a dog of defense.
His words can be regarded as expressing the sentiments of the officials of the Han Dynasty: no one like Sun Wu could possibly aspire to dominate the world.
Furthermore, the officials of the Han Dynasty were accustomed to Sun Wu's temperament.
In order to ensure that the defense line in the southeast is worry-free and to allow Sun Wu to contain the anti-Wei forces, the Han Dynasty was able to form an alliance with Sun Wu after the Battle of Xiangfan and the Battle of Yiling. Now that he has proclaimed himself emperor, it is not appropriate to form an alliance again.
Intolerable.
In the past, I worked hard while hooking the line, but now I am a big man who endures humiliation and heavy burdens, just to conquer the Central Plains. Why can't I bear it!
Naturally, some people hold objections.
On the grounds of the "White Horse Alliance" and "the name and weapons cannot be faked", Sun Quan's provocation of emperor was a provocation to the destiny of the Han Dynasty. If allowed, it would probably make everyone in the Han Dynasty sad and should not be remonstrated with.
Re-alliance.
Moreover, now that the Han Dynasty has occupied Longyou and is in a position to trap the dragon out of the abyss, it doesn't matter whether Sun Wu is there to contain the rebel Wei.
Anyway, Ni Wei also claimed to be Zhengshuo of the Han Dynasty. When they learned that Sun Quan was proclaimed emperor, they would definitely attack each other endlessly.
Furthermore, if Sun Quan did not form an alliance with Jiangdong, even if Sun Quan became angry and embarrassed, he would be unable to do anything to the Han.
Yong'an is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the road to the south is steep. Whether Sun Wu attacks from Jingzhou or Jiaozhou, it will be twice the result with half the effort. The Han Dynasty can only send a few more soldiers and horses to defend the dangerous points, and then it can defeat the enemy.
However, there were not many objections, only a few.
If there are no accidents, the alliance will be finalized.
It also made Zheng Pu feel enlightened.
The prime minister informed him of this state affairs, not because he wanted to hear his opinion, but to make him think about another follow-up: Sun Quan also sent another wave of envoys to discuss the purchase of war horses.
The Han Dynasty lacked horses, but there were no horses in Jiangdong.
When Sun Quan saw that the Han Dynasty had captured Longyou and had the land to raise horses, it was not surprising that he had expectations.
The war horses produced in Longyou were first called Qin horses.
Because it is located at the bend of the upper reaches of the river, it is also called Hequma.
At the turn of the Qin and Han Dynasties, Hequ horses were famous for their tall and stout bodies. Their hind limbs were well developed and had strong load-bearing and pulling power, making them durable and durable. However, their running speed was low, their legs were short, and their charging power was insufficient. [Note 1]
Since Emperor Wu conquered the Huns, the Han Dynasty has continuously improved the genes of war horses by introducing fine horses from the desert, the Western Regions and other places.
Today, hundreds of years later, most of the war horses raised in the four counties of Liangzhou and Hexi have been improved by the Wusun (Ili) horses. Their bodies are light, dry, flexible, and extremely fast, and their habits can be adapted to the yellow horses. A sandy desert climate.
The Hequ horse is the introduction of Haomen horse (a horse breed from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau).
It has adapted to the plateau environment for a long time. It has a rough and strong physique, a heavy head and a short neck, and a moderately sensitive temperament. It has become a breed suitable for riding and riding, and is famous for its good walking tactics.
In other words, most of the war horses produced in the four counties of Hexi are excellent choices for light cavalry.
As for the Hequ War Horse, it is mostly used as a heavy ride in armored battles.
This is also the reason why Zhao Guangxu had been appointed as the Cavalry Inspector long ago, and the prime minister also sent Zhang Bao to Lintao to train cavalry with Jiang Wei.
Zhao Guang led Qingqi.
In the future, Jiang Wei will serve as the captain of the Qiang Guard and lead a mixed group of soldiers, mostly Qiang and Hu, on foot and cavalry.
Zhang Bao, who was the most powerful among the young men, wanted to train three to five hundred heavy cavalry capable of defeating the enemy.
Anyway, the Shu, Badi and Hanzhong regions of the Han Dynasty all produced iron, so it was not difficult to forge three to five hundred horse armors.
Now Sun Quan sent people to buy war horses with the same intention.
Jiangdong could not keep or purchase too many horses, so he thought of improving himself and building three to five hundred heavy horses, which could be used as a surprise force on the battlefield when the time came.
But, what bargaining chip does Jiangdong plan to use to make the big man who is building a cavalry willing to sell his war horses to him?
Haha, interesting.
Thinking about this, Zheng Pu secretly sneered.
Sure enough, I felt the feeling of eating fish and meat for Daozu Ren, which made me feel even more comfortable!
After reading the last piece of cloth, Zheng Pu smiled happily and put it on the table.
When he raised his head and looked up, he discovered that the proceedings in the room had ended at some point, and now only the Prime Minister was left sitting at the main table with his eyes closed and meditating.
"Cough! Cough!"
Then he coughed a few times and asked the Prime Minister to open his eyes. Zheng Pu cupped his hands and said, "Prime Minister, Pu has read everything."
"Um."
Nodding gently, the Prime Minister smiled and said softly, "Zijin, please tell me first, how is the matter of asking for the head of the river? Does Nashao have any other requests to be the Qiang King?"
"Return to the Prime Minister, there is nothing."
Respectfully accepting the order, Zheng Pu smiled as brightly as a flower blooming in early summer, and recounted in detail the story of meeting Shao as the Qiang King.
The Prime Minister lowered his eyes, stroked his beard and listened.
After Zheng Pu finished his narration and had been thinking to himself for a long time, Fang nodded and smiled, "Zijin is very careful about everything, so I don't have to worry about it. Well, there is the matter of You Zhongyun and Zhang Boqi in Didao Ce to recruit troops. Zijin has been busy these days Just stay in Ji County."
Huh?
Why were you kicked out of the Heshou War?
Hearing this, Zheng Pu was a little surprised, but when he looked into the prime minister's meaningful eyes, he understood.
The reason why the Prime Minister asked him to coordinate things before was because there were still plans against Shaodang and Shenlang Zhongqiang that could not be announced. Now that the strategic planning has been agreed upon, all that is left is the military battle to lead the attack.
, naturally he should be transferred away.
After all, Ma Dai is quite old and has been serving the Han Dynasty for more than ten years.
It is okay for Zheng Pu to exercise moderation for a while, but it is ultimately inappropriate to keep it in check for a long time.
Whether it was Ma Dai's personal emotions, the morale of his Xiliang cavalry, or the impact on other military generals.
Therefore, Zheng Pu quickly responded, "No, Pu accepts the order."
After a pause, he added happily, "Thank you, Prime Minister, for your sympathy. It's been a long time since I've had a rest."
When the Prime Minister heard this, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
"Serve the country and be greedy for leisure!"
Frowning and pretending to be angry, the prime minister dropped the subject and said slowly, "It is outrageous that Sun Wu is now independent. However, I, a great Han, are not yet capable of revolting against Wei on my own, so I will continue to make an alliance with them. This matter
Zijin does not need to give any advice. However, Zijin thinks that he came to buy war horses. Is it acceptable for me, a big man today?"
"Return to the Prime Minister, Pu thinks it is acceptable."
Zheng Pu said with a smile, "Pu has two thoughts."
"First, after Wu Shiting's great victory, his grandson Wu Shiting was bound to underestimate the troops of Wei; now he is good at honoring the emperor's title, and everyone above and below has the merit of being greedy and rebelling against Wei. If I, a big man, sell my war horse to him, it is also an attempt to rebel against Wei.
"
"The other thing is that our Han Dynasty has regained the two counties of Yinping and Wudu, summoned Baima Di Neibu, and traded Shu brocade and other items with the Qiang and Hu tribes. The total number of horses obtained is more than 7,000. Among them, they can be trained into war horses.
Nearly four thousand horses were sold to Sun Wu for three to five hundred, which is enough for our army to build cavalry."
"Furthermore, our army is short of food and fodder today, so why not exchange some food and fodder with Sun Wu and come back."
"good!"
The Prime Minister touched his palms and praised.
Immediately, he slightly raised his long eyebrows, stroked his beard and smiled, "Isn't it possible that Zi Jin's words are not fully stated? For example, the war horses sold to Sun Wu are all selected from those with less than the best qualifications?"
"As the Prime Minister said, this is what Pu was thinking in his heart."
Zheng Pu couldn't help but feel happy, "However, now that the Prime Minister has mentioned it, Pu feels that it is not unreasonable to sell some fine war horses to Sun Wu."
"Um?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, the prime minister thought for a moment, and then asked, "What Zi Jin means is to double the price?"
"No."
Shaking his head slightly, Zheng Pu cupped his hands and answered, "Pu once heard that Sun Wu often sent troops to attack Shanyue in the past few years, taking the strong ones as soldiers and reorganizing the weak ones to work in the fields. Today, our Han Dynasty is short of labor, so we should not let Sun Wu take Shanyue.
The captives are exchanged for fine war horses. Moreover, Pu also heard that there are many wealthy families in Jiangdong, and each family has many slaves and tenants. If I, a big man, use fine war horses as a lure, I may not be unable to add households to the court."
Well.
After the prime minister heard this, he was dumbfounded for a moment.
Population is both national strength and national strength.
Looking at Sun Quan since he succeeded Sun Ce, he has not done anything foolish. It would be too difficult for him to exchange prisoners of war for him.
However, those Jiangdong aristocratic families are very likely to come in piecemeal -
[Note 1: "Sleeping Tiger Land Qin Slips" unearthed in 1975: "A sudden horse is more than five feet eight inches and is not qualified for the task. The galloping Zhi (絷) is not as good as the order. The county Sima Ji has two armors, and the order and the prime minister each have one armor." "Han"
"Book of Records of Emperor Jing": "The imperial censor, the official, banned the horses of the Qin Dynasty from being more than five feet nine inches tall, and the teeth are not flat, so they are not allowed to go out of the pass."]
