At five o'clock, they made rice to feed the sergeants and set off slowly.
The emperor Liu Chan, who was dressed in armor, was surrounded by Guan Xing and others in the central army and returned to Chengdu.
He also looked back frequently, until the figure standing in the military camp to see him off was covered by the majestic mountains in his eyes, and then he sighed and focused on his way.
Dong Yun, who was walking sideways, saw him and couldn't help but look over and softly comforted him.
"Mr. Liu, Zijin will stay here to attend to matters for no more than ten days. After he returns to Chengdu, if Mr. Liu has some free time, he can just call him back for a chat."
Well, after spending more than ten days together, he had already overturned in his mind his previous advice to the emperor not to summon Zheng Pu to the palace.
Unexpectedly, the emperor shook his head slightly and sighed, "Alas, this is where Xiuzhao is unclear."
What's unclear to me?
Could it be that Zijin mentioned something else during a private conversation with the Emperor last night?
After a pause, Dong Yun raised his eyebrows and was surprised, but saw that the emperor kept walking and was already a few steps away. He quickly caught up with him and whispered, "Yun is stupid. I don't know what Liu Jun said just now. How can I explain the evil?"
?”
However, the emperor did not answer, but asked, "Xiu Zhao, what do you think of Zijin as a person?"
Upon hearing this, Dong Yun couldn't help but look stiff.
It is a matter of caution when evaluating others, and he was really caught off guard when asked.
However, when the emperor asked questions, he was embarrassed and refused to answer.
Therefore, after pondering for a while, he came up with a compromise theory, "Yun and Zijin didn't get along very long, so we could only talk in general terms. I hope Liu Jun doesn't take it personally. Well, Yun looked at Zijin, what he said
He does not adhere to etiquette and law, and often makes thought-provoking remarks; he does not hesitate to serve in office, only seeks to benefit the country, and lives up to the Prime Minister's dignity."
"Xiu Zhao's words deeply touched my heart."
After hearing this, the emperor sighed sadly, "Every time Zijin said something, I was very helpful, so I wanted to ask my prime minister to change Zijin's position and ban him in the palace, hoping that he and Xiuzhao would advise me. I didn't expect that last night,
When chatting with him, I tried to test him, but he declined politely."
Actually rejected the emperor's intention?
Dong Yun's eyes widened slightly, his face full of surprise.
At this time, the emperor also looked sideways, with a look of disappointment in his brows. "Zijin first took the words of Ban Biao's "The Theory of King's Mandate" and said, "There are five reasons for the success of Emperor Gaozu: one is the descendant of Emperor Yao, the other is the descendant of Emperor Yao.
His physical appearance is very strange. The third is that he is a powerful and capable person, the fourth is that he is tolerant and benevolent, and the fifth is that he knows people well and is good at entrusting them. 'Tell me, and then urge me to imitate the style of the great ancestor."
Well.
This time, Dong Yun understood.
What Zheng Pu learned was the art of planning, and his ambition was to follow the army in conquest.
Therefore, he admonished and advised "Know people well and appoint envoys well", implicitly saying that he did not want to be a close official in the palace, and asked the emperor to fulfill his ambition.
However, it seems inappropriate to categorically reject the emperor's wishes.
Dong Yun thought for a moment, and then he said softly, "Mr. Liu, the Prime Minister once said that Zijin has a strong temperament. But now that he has not fulfilled what Mr. Liu wanted, it is because he has the ambition to serve the country, not at all."
Before the words of advice could be finished, the emperor raised his hand and interrupted, "Xiu Zhao, there is no need to elaborate. I am aware of Zijin's desire to serve the country. I sigh, but it is just a temporary feeling."
This is the best.
With a sigh of relief in his heart, Dong Yun smiled and praised, "Liu Junzhai has a kind heart and does not think about himself. The aspirations of all his ministers are already in line with the style of the late emperor."
"Heh~~~~~"
The emperor chuckled lightly and waved his hand.
Seeing this, Dong Yun couldn't help but have a look of disdain on his face.
His temperament is pure and honest, and he has never said anything flattering. Now that he does it occasionally, it is as unpleasing as scratching an itch.
"If Mr. Liu wants to get advice from Zijin, Yun has a way."
After lowering his head and thinking for a moment, Dong Yun spoke up again, "Zijin is the general of Yamen and leads the troops of the three schools. He is also the division of another department. In the future, even if he goes out with the army, he will often send messengers from the army to report
The military situation depends on the Prime Minister. Why don't Liu Jun send a letter to the military envoy and discuss the gains and losses with Zijin, and listen to it and understand it? I think the Prime Minister will also be happy to see it."
"good!"
After hearing this, the emperor immediately raised his palms and praised him.
However, the joy on his face suddenly appeared and then stopped abruptly. He frowned and asked, "My father-in-law must do everything personally. If he supervises all the troops out of Chengdu in the future, how will my letter reach Zijin?"
"Mr. Liu, may he have forgotten that Fu Qian has joined the army?"
"Good! Hahaha~~~~"
Guan Xing and Zhuge Qiao, who were accompanying him on both sides, listened quietly all the way.
When the emperor smiled heartily, Guan Xing turned his head, looked at Zhuge Qiao, raised his eyebrows, and said in a low voice, "I often lament the inadequacy of my army, so I want to find Zijin to sit and discuss."
"Each other, each other."
Zhuge Qiao nodded with a gurgling smile, "I always like music, and I often think about whether the qin and the flute can be played together."
After saying this, the two looked at each other and smiled.
Since Zhuge Qiao entered Shu, he often interacted with Guan Xing under the instructions of the prime minister, and the two had a deep friendship.
The reason is that the Prime Minister hopes that young talents can benefit from each other.
Well, Guan Xing is highly regarded by the Prime Minister.
If we say so, Ma Su is the most distinguished young man among the prime minister.
Then, Guan Xing is the leader of the younger generation, and even Zhang Bao, who is also a noble, cannot be better than him.
Because he was a former Guanhou, he was one of the few handsome men in the Han Dynasty. However, Guan Xing, who became famous at a young age, has shown a vague paternal style in his talents and military strategies since he took office.
Moreover, it is rare and valuable that his temperament is not strong but conceited!
Zheng Pu, who was left alone, left for home after seven days.
During these seven days, he consulted with the generals stationed at Jintang Gorge, local officials, and old farmers in the city. Many people confirmed that if irrigation in the wilderness on both sides of the river was smooth, he would be able to cultivate grain and start farming, and then he could safely embark on his return journey.
Because the Prime Minister is cautious by nature, he always pays attention to all the details before making decisions.
He didn't want to report the matter at that time and be speechless when asked about the details.
The whole journey was silent.
When I returned to Chengdu, it was already late winter in December.
In advance, he sent his retinue Qi Yacuo and took Fu Qian and Zheng Chou back to the small house. Zheng Pu himself went to the Prime Minister's Mansion to find Prime Minister Zhuge Liang to report to Jintang Gorge.
But unexpectedly, the Prime Minister has not been in the Prime Minister's Mansion for several days.
Today, Xianglang, the chief minister, serves as the general manager of many affairs in the Prime Minister's Mansion, coordinating the work of the rest of the staff.
Surprised, he went to find Jiang Wan and ask.
Only then did we know that before Emperor Liu Chan returned to Chengdu, the Prime Minister went to govern the army.
Soldiers and horses from various tribes were recruited from the counties in Nanzhong and surrendered or mobilized to Shu and Hanzhong. After a few months, they had roughly organized households and allocated land, and it was time to break up and reorganize.
In order to protect the morale and combat effectiveness of various ministries, and to avoid disadvantages such as cliques and favoritism in the army.
For example, the Yi soldiers surrendered by Gaoding, the Yi king of Yuexi, were killed and mixed with the Banzhen barbarians from Badi, and they were called "娳娟". [Note 1]
For example, the more than 10,000 Qingqiang households who moved to Shu were divided into five tribes, each with a supervisory army, which weakened the prestige of the elders of the previous tribes and eliminated the disadvantages of military orders being difficult to implement. [Note 2]
For example, after Meng Huo surrendered, he was awarded the rank of idle nobleman in the imperial court.
The soldiers who surrendered with him were replaced by Meng Yan, who was born in Zhu Timeng, and he combined the private soldiers of other southern noble families into a group called the "Tiger Infantry Army".
There were also troops recruited by Jiang Bin and the nephews of the descendants of the Bashu tycoons, who were all integrated into the imperial army and fought together.
As for the generals of Zhennan and Fu Kuang who are still in Yunnan and Jianning counties to fight against the rebel barbarians, the Prime Minister plans to move all the tribes they captured and forced to surrender to Hanzhong County, and will decide their ownership after the land is granted.
If nothing else happens, they should be dispersed and all be under the control of veteran generals such as Wei Yan, Chen Shi, and Gao Xiang.
However, since the tribes of Zhao Guang and Huo Yi were mostly veteran soldiers in the army, and the number of soldiers numbered three schools, the Xie people recruited by Zheng Pu from Xangqi County formed an independent army, and the name of the army is yet to be determined.
Similarly, the independent army was formed by the new army recruited by Mi Wei and Pang Hong in Wenshan County in the name of the imperial court.
As well as the Xin and Xie people recruited by Zhang Bao in Fuling County.
Moreover, Jiang Wan pretended to be vague, saying that the Prime Minister had intentional intentions and would send people to Fuling County to recruit troops.
However, although the Prime Minister does not hesitate to promote his younger generations, he will not forget that military affairs are nothing but trivial matters.
So at the end, Jiang Wan whispered something.
Out of concern that Zheng Pu, Zhang Bao, and Mi Wei would suddenly be in charge of the army alone, and fearing that they would be reckless, they were given the title of establishment at that time, and the prime minister sent a supervisory army each to join their army.
The head of the job will supervise and report to avoid gains and losses. They will not be transferred until Zheng Pu and the other three are dispatched and approved by the prime minister.
Naturally, if Zheng Pu and the other three are unable to manage the battle, the supervisory army will become the main general.
The candidate to join Zheng Pu's army has been decided, and he is Jiang Wan's younger brother, Liu Min.
A native of Quanling, Lingling County, Jingzhou, he was very talented and learned. When he was weak, he became famous in the state and county along with Jiang Wan.
However, his reputation was inferior to that of his other cousin: Pan Jun and Pan Chengming, who was captured during the Battle of Xiangfan and transferred to Sun Wu.
After Zheng Pu heard this, he felt both happy and worried.
What makes me happy is that after only a short period of service, I will be officially appointed as a special governor, and be awarded a title and a military flag.
This treatment is comparable to that of Zhang Bao, Mi Wei and other nobles of the imperial court.
Moreover, the number of soldiers he commanded is almost the same as that of Guandu Wei, and is only inferior to Chen Shi, Gao Xiang and other veteran generals in the army. [Note 3]
Those who are worried are naturally afraid of conflict with Liu Min, the supervisor.
Although Jiang Wan was very conclusive, he claimed that his younger brother Liu Min was a respectful person and very easy to get along with.
But Zheng Pu thought to himself that when he led the army to the battlefield, it would definitely be the Northern Expedition! In the dusty memory, he had every advantage and absolutely could not afford to lose the first Northern Expedition!
At that time, if there is an emergency and he wants to save himself and is in danger, will Liu Min use his power to supervise the army to strongly oppose it?
——
[Note 1: Yi is the general name for the tribes in Nanzhong in the Han Dynasty. "Book of the Later Han·Liu Yan Biography" Li Xian notes that in the Han Dynasty, Shu was called Sou; "Shang Shu·Mu Shi" Kong Yingda called Sou an alias for Shu Yi; "Huayang"
"National Records" and "Dictionary of History of Chinese Ethnic Minorities" record that the Yue Yi King Gao was designated as "Sou Shuai". The tribes in Yue Kui County in Han Dynasty were mainly Sou and Qiang. Yizhou County in Han Dynasty (Yunnan and Jianning County during the Three Kingdoms), tribes
The main tribes are Jiuliao, Pu, Sou and Dian. The large tribe is called "Kun" and the small tribe is called "Sou". In the north of Zangdao County in the Han Dynasty, the tribes are mainly Fan and Bo; in the south of the county (an ancient county that flourished in the Three Kingdoms), the tribes are Liao and Pu.
Mainly. The tribes in Yongchang County of the Han Dynasty are mainly Min Pu, Jiu Xi, Qi Yue, Naked Pu and Shen Du.】
[Note 2: Qingqiang generally refers to the Qiang tribe in the Qingyi River (today's Leshan) area. The Han people called them by region; similar to the Yanniu Qiang (barbarians). 】
[Note 3: Guan Duwei was established during the Qin and Han Dynasties. He was responsible for leading troops to guard the passes, inspecting travelers, and also taking charge of taxation. 】