When people live in this world, the first thing they should think about is survival, then needs, and finally life.
Survival is the literal meaning, and living is the most important foundation.
No matter how you live, even if you are like a savage, eating insects, drinking stream water, gnawing raw meat, and swallowing fruits, you are all doing it to survive.
The need is material improvement.
Slash and burn, eat hair and drink blood, in order to live a better life.
Farming intensively, burning meat for cooking, and spreading some oil and salt are all in order to live a better life.
And life.
He has broken away from material things and begun to pursue the value and meaning of life.
Many people's pursuit of life is about dreams; it is about hope; it is about pursuing an unlimited future in a limited life.
This is beautiful.
But when some people are no longer satisfied with life, the next step is desire and ambition.
Power itself is a poison called desire, which makes people intoxicated and sinking.
In Jizhou, Yuan Shao's true intentions had already created huge rifts with the original party forces as his power expanded.
In other words, he himself is climbing up step by step. Whether he is using the Yuan family's reputation or his status as a party member, as long as he can climb up, it doesn't matter to him.
The former is desire, while the latter is the pursuit of life.
What the party members seek is politics and peace in the world, and they do not really want to overthrow the Han Dynasty.
Strictly speaking, Xun Yu also belonged to the party, because their goal was the same, to be loyal to the Han Dynasty. As long as the emperor's surname was Liu, and as long as the emperor valued people with clear names like them, it didn't matter.
It is a pity that Yuan Shao has deviated from the original intention of the party members, and his inflated ambitions have made it difficult for him to return to the time when he was close to the party members.
Xun He and Zhao Gong were sitting in the pavilion in the backyard, kneeling opposite each other as usual. Taishi Ci, Hou Xu, and Xun He's two old servants were standing at the entrance of the corridor, about five meters away from the pavilion.
A distance of six feet.
Taiwei's Mansion is not like Tingwei's Mansion. Tingwei's Mansion is relatively small. Apart from Zhao Gong's family members, there are only a few old servants left in the mansion, and there are not even a few guards to look after the house and the courtyard.
Because Yuan Shao knew very well that the current mastermind among the party members was not Zhao Gong, but Xun and Chen Yi, a group of well-known old party members, so the main surveillance force was on them, not people like Zhao Gong.
In Xun He's mansion, there are only a few loyal old servants. Many of the others have been bribed by Yuan Shao to serve as internal agents. The guards in the mansion were forcibly sent directly from the Prefecture Mufu, nominally to protect the empress.
Wei, everyone actually knows what it means.
Therefore, in the meeting between Xun He and Zhao Gong, Hou Xu and Tai Shici did not participate at all. When the two met, the two slaves were treated as equals to them in a grand manner. This was obviously something that went against common sense and easily aroused suspicion.
The rain was still pouring down, making a crackling sound on the pavilion. There was a table in the pavilion, and a fire was placed on the table, roasting a pot of chrysanthemum wine. Both of them also wore dogwood around their waists.
This is very much like an ordinary gathering of old friends during the Double Ninth Festival.
Xun He sighed softly: "Life is so wonderful. I didn't expect him to be Hou Xu."
"yes."
Zhao Gong smiled bitterly and said: "When I first heard him introduce himself, I was also shocked. I remember that the court had already issued a notice at that time. Hou Xu had been beheaded. Who knew he could still come out of Luoyang Prison."
"Our Emperor Kan."
Xun He shook his head. That emperor was so greedy that he would even let the traitors who rebelled against him pay him.
"Gongshu, now in Luoyang, Duke Bo'an is the emperor. Duke Bo'an is kind, kind, virtuous and respected. He is the elder of the clan. He sent people to find us. We..."
Zhao Gong asked tentatively.
Xun He said without hesitation: "The Party members have already made a mistake once and cannot make a mistake a second time."
"Um."
Zhao Gong nodded.
Hou Xu and Tai Shici had convinced him that if they couldn't negotiate with Xun personally, they would have to do it themselves.
Now it seems that Xun He's attitude is the same as his, and he has no intention of continuing to be trapped in Jizhou's chariot that has gone further and further down the road of rebellion.
This is reasonable, because Yuan Shao has hurt the hearts of the party members, and the court has also changed. Liu Yu came to power. He has always been close to the party members. Naturally, the party members cannot abandon the olive branch he extended.
Weak clogs.
"Our current situation is very delicate. Yuan Shao is wary of us. Even if he wants to do something, he will be monitored."
Xun He muttered: "Although the imperial court has sent people, there is nothing we can do for the time being."
Zhao Gong glanced at Hou Xu and said with a smile: "The imperial court also knows our situation. The former Yellow Turban thief, now Dr. Zhongsan, told me when he came that he wanted us not to take any action and hide our anger first.
When the time comes, we will fight back."
"Um."
Xun He closed his eyes slightly and listened to the wind singing and the rain falling.
The party forces have been cultivating in Jizhou for more than ten years and are deeply rooted. They cannot be eliminated so easily. Moreover, Yuan Shao has been restrained by external forces in these years. His subordinates and even himself are deeply entangled with the party forces. It is not easy to separate them.
thing.
Therefore, the current party members are not incapable. At least if they plan properly, they can still make a sudden rebellion and seize Wei County while Yuan Shao is mainly focusing on defending Qingzhou and Youzhou in the east.
But in this way, if exposed in advance, the party members will face an overwhelming blow from Yuan Shao, so it is far better to lie dormant first and deliver a fatal blow to Yuan Shao at the critical moment.
"By the way, the imperial court has one more thing besides asking them to come over to meet us."
Zhao Gong suddenly said.
"What's up?"
Xunhe asked.
"Someone asked them to bring a message to Gongshu."
"who?"
He didn't ask what the words were, but who he asked first.
"Chen Mu."
"he?"
Xun He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Is Chen Zigui coming?
If you think about it carefully, we can be considered old friends for many years.
We have been friends, we have been enemies, but eventually as time goes by, everything is lost in the long river of time.
Now he is famous all over the world. But he is old and dying.
The future of this world will indeed be in their hands.
"Um."
Zhao Gong continued: "He said that Ru Gongshu would not mind it and would secretly recommend Bo Ding and Gongda to Qingzhou to become an official."
"oh?"
Xun He narrowed his eyes and chuckled: "You don't trust us."
Zhao Gong said: "Maybe it is to make us worry-free."
"Is that so?"
Xun He began to think.
Boding is his son, named Xun Jing, who is thirty-one years old this year.
Gongda is Xun You, his cousin, and he is thirty-nine years old this year.
The Xun family currently has two lines, the main line is that of Xun Yu's grandfather, Xun Shu.
Xun Shu had eight sons, known as the Eight Dragons of the Xun family, who belonged to the second generation of the Xun family. Among the descendants, Xun Yu, Xun Yan, Xun Chen, Xun Yue and Xun Pei were more prominent.
The other lineage is that of Xun Shu's younger brother. There are brothers Xun Yu, Xun Tan, and Ba Long who are cousins. They both belong to the second generation of the Xun family, and they are all famous party members in the world.
Xun He is the son of Xun Yu. Like Xun Yu, Xun Yan, Xun Chen, Xun Yue and Xun Pei, he belongs to the third generation of the Xun family.
Xun You is the son of Xun and his cousin Xun Yi, and the grandson of Xun Yu's younger brother Xun Tan. He is older but the youngest, and is the fourth generation of the Xun family.
After Xun Shuang, one of the Eight Dragons, died of illness in Jizhou a few years ago, Xun He's son Xun Jing, cousin Xun You, and clan brother Xun Chen all helped Xun Shuang and sent him back to his hometown in Yingchuan for burial.
Later, Xun Chen returned to the service of Yuan Shao in Jizhou, while Xun Jing stayed in Yingchuan under Xun He's instructions. Xun He did not take care of Xun You's words. After all, such a big man had his own opinions.
Although we all belong to the Xun family, it is normal for people to have their own ambitions and join different forces. For example, Xun Yu is in Qingzhou, Xun Chen is in Jizhou, and Xun Yue is in Luoyang.
So after Xun You returned to Fuling, he wrote him a letter saying that he planned to resign and return to his hometown, and he never came to Jizhou to serve as an official again.
Xun Jing and Xun You were both Xun He's closest relatives. Chen Mu suddenly wanted to recommend them to Qingzhou, and he could think of any idea he had with his toes.
First, the two of them were indeed talented, serving as officials and contributing to Qingzhou.
The second is that they might want to tie him to the Qingzhou chariot and use him as a hostage.
This is because they are afraid that their party members will surrender and rebel again.
Xun He felt a little want to laugh, thinking that our party members are famous all over the world, and everyone knows that we have high moral character, how could we do such a thing?
However, it is a good thing to let them serve as officials. At least their lineage is indeed much poorer than Xun Shu's lineage.
Thinking of this, Xun He pondered for a moment, suddenly smiled, looked at the eastern sky, and said softly: "It seems that it's time for me to write a letter home."
.......
.......
The fourth year of Xingwu, that is, September 196 AD, the world of the Han Dynasty was destined to be full of twists and turns.
It is not an exaggeration to describe the current situation as turbulent, chaotic, and unclear.
Liu Bei's army went south to rescue Sun Jian and confronted Yuan Shu at Gushi. Seeing that both the east and west armies were effective, Yuan Shao sent his troops south.
For a time, the originally relatively clear war situation in the south suddenly became chaotic, but Yuan Shao also had a reason, saying that he was here to persuade Yuan Shu.
But no one knew what his intentions were, so Liu Bei was forced to abandon Gushi and go north to meet the enemy.
There are wars everywhere in the Central Plains.
In the land of Yanzhou, Yuzhou, and Xuzhou, not only the lives of the people are devastated, but at least the people find it difficult to live in peace. Not to mention warlords from all walks of life, there are rogue bandits everywhere, hordes of bandits, and countless troublemakers.
The autumn wind was bleak, and the cold Siberian wind from the north blew across the vast North China Plain. Unlike later generations, the forests in Henan at this time were extremely lush.
There are plains on both sides of the official road, but there are more forests and prosperous growing wild grasses, as if it has turned into a grassland, full of vitality.
Liu Bei personally led his army to the north. On this day, he passed through Peiguoqiao County. It was getting late, so he ordered people to set up camp.
There are also particularities in setting up camp. Although they have an army of 40,000, when the army moves forward, they never move forward at once. Instead, they move in batches. How many people are in the front army, how many people are in the front army, how many people are in the middle army, and how many people are in the rear army.
people.
Among them, the forward army is very important. The first is to explore the terrain and check whether the road ahead is clear. The second is to observe the enemy's situation and see if the enemy is ambushing in front. The third is to find a garrison for the rear army, and set up camp directly when the rear army arrives.
Liu Bei had served in the vanguard when he was under Lu Zhi, and he was very familiar with a series of operations. Moreover, this time he did not stay in the middle camp, but he and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led the army to explore the road ahead.
Zhang Liao recruited Gao Shunju and appointed Tian Feng and they became the chief generals of the front, middle and rear armies.
It's not that Liu Bei didn't cherish himself and ran to the front of the team regardless of his status, but he had promised Zhang Fei to be the vanguard, but Guan Yu came over. The three brothers hadn't seen each other for many years, and they needed to rekindle old friendships and get tired of being together every day.
, unwilling to separate.
However, Zhang Fei had promised to do so before, and the military order could not be changed, so the three brothers simply led thousands of troops to the front of the team.
However, Cao Cao did this, Sun Jian, Sun Ce did it, and Sun Quan also did it, so it is quite normal.
Of course, Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Sun Ce are positive examples. Sun Jian and Sun Ce are powerful generals themselves, and no one can stop them. Cao Cao is surrounded by powerful generals, so it doesn't matter.
Sun Quan is a typical negative example. He led thousands of vanguard troops to the gates of Hefei City, but was beaten to the ground by Zhang Babai and was thrown into his grandma's house in disgrace.
It was already afternoon, the sun was about to set, beautiful flaming clouds were rolling in the sky, and dusk crows were landing in the distant forest.
At this time, it was time to find a camp to rest and camp. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were chatting and laughing, and looking around along the road. Suddenly, they saw a huge jungle not far away, and there were scouts scattered out of the jungle from there.
come over.
"Ming Gong, there is a plain area behind the woods and a big river. There are many fortresses and villages nearby."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The scout dismounted and said.
Liu Bei asked: "Have you ever asked the locals where this is?"
There were no mobile maps or positioning functions in the Han Dynasty.
The last time the army asked for directions was north of Sishan County. At that time, the people said that Qiao County was dozens of miles north.
In an era when there were no landmarks or navigation, walking basically relied on asking. Xiang Yu was once tricked by a local farmer when he asked someone for directions.
Fortunately, Liu Bei had a good reputation. When the people heard that it was his army, they started to guide him one after another. Some even volunteered to serve as guides. The last guide went back after entering Qiao County.
Because for most ordinary people in Guizhou, the scope that they can cover in this life is basically the hometown and nearby townships, and the farther away is the county.
Liu Bei knew that this was Qiao County, but he didn't know the exact location and location. He had to continue looking for local people to ask for directions.
"We originally wanted to ask the locals working in the fields for directions, but before we could get there, they ran into the Wubao."
The scout replied.
Liu Bei thought for a while and said to Guan Yu and Zhang Fei: "Second brother and third brother, perhaps the sergeants are wearing armor and are frightening. How about you come with me?"
He thought to himself that since his reputation was good, no people would turn him away.
Guan Yu smiled and said, "That's exactly what it should be."
Zhang Fei, however, lazily showed no interest: "It would be great if I could buy some wine at people's homes tonight."
"Okay, okay, as you see, we brothers haven't seen each other for a long time, so it's time to have a drink."
Liu Bei burst out laughing. There was no alcohol in the army. Guan Yu came over. The three brothers gathered together. They couldn't drink to their heart's content. They really felt that something was missing.
"It's a pity that fourth brother is not here."
Guan Yu sighed.
Liu Bei laughed: "It doesn't matter, I'll go north this time and see if my fourth brother can make time to come over."
"Let him bring some strong liquor. Ordinary liquor is not satisfying at all."
Zhang Fei suddenly became energetic.
Sorghum wine is also called millet wine, which is sorghum wine. The alcohol content is very low. Every time Zhang Fei drank it, he felt unsatisfied and wanted to fight.
But how can there be so many wars in this world?
If he couldn't fight, he could only whip the soldiers, so he was always criticized by Liu Bei and Chen Mu.
He was even given a hard lesson by Chen Mu a few years ago.
Later, after the introduction of high-strength alcohol, things suddenly changed. Zhang Fei could drink to his heart's content every time. How could he still have the energy to whip the soldiers when he was drunk?
So from a certain point of view, high alcohol consumption is beneficial to Zhang Fei. It can not only make him comfortable, but also make his soldiers feel comfortable.
A few people and about dozens of guards turned their horses and headed towards the forest over there.
The forest is not located on flat land. It has undulating slopes, but the slope is not high. It is just hills and hills ranging from a few feet to more than ten feet high. You slowly enter the forest along a trail that is often walked by the people.
The autumn wind blew slowly along the way, and withered yellow leaves continued to fall, accumulating in piles. People were also seen along the way, and several mountain people were cutting down withered branches and leaves and bundling them into firewood.
In autumn, when farmers were stocking up on firewood, the people suddenly saw the sound of horse hooves behind them. They turned around and were startled.
However, Liu Bei had a good face and a dignified appearance, which made people feel good. Moreover, he shouted very politely: "Don't be afraid, everyone. I am a court official passing by here. I have some things to ask you."
Several mountain people who were about to leave looked at a middle-aged man who was about fifty years old. The middle-aged man stopped, stopped and cupped his hands and said: "It turns out that he is a noble man. What does the noble man want from us?"
Liu Bei turned over and dismounted, raised his hands and returned the greeting: "I am Liu Bei, the shepherd of Qingzhou. I was ordered by the imperial court to conquer Yuan Shu in Huainan. I passed by this place. I wonder where this is?"
Qingzhou Mu?
The middle-aged man was shocked. This was a high-ranking official.
He hurriedly said respectfully: "I have met the envoy, and I am willing to teach you. I know that this place is Xu's home in Woting, north of his father's hometown in Qiao County. To the west of this place is Li Township, the hometown of Laozi, to the south is the old place of Sishanhou's country, and to the north is
Whirlpool water.”
In the Han Dynasty, counties and below were divided into townships, pavilions, and li, with one pavilion per ten miles, one township for several pavilions, and one county for several townships. Therefore, strictly speaking someone's place of origin should be a person from a certain pavilion or a certain li in a certain township in a county, such as in "Historical Records"
"" records Lao Tzu's origin, "Lao Tzu is a native of Qurenli, Li Township, Chuku County."
Liu Bei was in awe and said: "It turns out that this place is the hometown of Laozi, Wu Xiangguo, Liuhou, and Sishanhou. It is really the place where talents come from in large numbers."
The middle-aged man said with a little pride: "I am so impressed by you."
Liu Bei asked again: "We are waiting for the army to move forward. It is getting late. I don't know if there is a place where the army can be stationed here. Elders, please rest assured that the Qingzhou army has strict discipline and will never offend the people."
The middle-aged man then said: "Your Majesty's reputation is known to everyone in the world. Naturally, we know that the Qingzhou Army has strict discipline. But I can't wait for the common people in the countryside, and I don't understand where the army is stationed. This time, I have to envoy you to go and see it in person."
Only then can you know.”
Along the way, Liu Bei encountered rugged roads and bumpy land. He finally found an open area where he could camp. After receiving the permission from the locals, he naturally said happily: "Please ask the elders to lead the way."
"Second uncle, we haven't finished gathering firewood yet."
A young man said.
The middle-aged man glared at him and signaled him not to talk nonsense.
But Liu Bei laughed loudly and said: "It's a small matter. All the officers and soldiers listened to the order and each took a bundle of firewood and gave it to the elders."
"Ah, how can we, the country folk, trouble you?"
The middle-aged man said in surprise.
Liu Bei said: "We have delayed the elders' time to chop firewood, so naturally we cannot cause inconvenience to the elders. The people have to survive the winter, how can they be short of firewood?"
"this......"
The middle-aged man still wanted to dissuade him, but dozens of soldiers under Liu Bei's command had already dismounted and rushed into the jungle to chop wood with steel knives.
Almost 90% of the soldiers were from peasant backgrounds. In the Han Dynasty, good people did not refer to ordinary people's children, but to powerful people. In the eyes of most princes and warlords, common people in Guizhou could not even be considered human beings.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! And Liu Bei is one of the few princes who pays attention to the common people in Guizhou. His soldiers are very familiar with agricultural tasks such as cutting firewood and farming. After a while, everyone was smiling and carrying the work.
They came out with a bundle of firewood and joked with each other, each of them laughing and saying that they were not good at their craftsmanship.
"Is this okay, elder?"
Liu Bei glanced at the sky and saw that it was almost evening, so he asked aloud.
The middle-aged man sighed: "Everyone in the world says that Mr. Liu is a loyal person. I finally met him today. Please rest assured, Mr. Liu. I will help you find a suitable place to stay."
"Thank you, elder."
Liu Bei bowed his hand again, and everyone started on their way again.
The group of people put firewood on the horses, tied them up, and led the horses. Liu Guanzhang and the middle-aged man walked at the front of the group, talking and laughing along the way, and soon came out of the jungle.
After passing two mountain ridges, we stood on a hill. The hill was about ten feet high from the plain below, and we could overlook the entire plain area.
I saw that there were criss-crossed roads and criss-crossing roads in the Woting Pavilion, and a large number of fields and villages dotted around it. It was the autumn and winter season, and the people in Henan were about to plant wheat, so the fields were full of signs of busy farming, and there were many people coming and going.
"Please see, your Majesty, this is Wuoting, our hometown in Chengdu. Over there is our village Xujia, in the distance is Jianpingli, and beyond that is Zhaojia. There are a total of three pavilions and more than ten villages around it, about two dozen villages.
Three thousand families live on the south bank of this vortex."
The middle-aged man introduced them one by one.
Liu Bei stood on the ridge and looked around. From a distance, he saw the rolling waves of the vortex about four or five miles away to the north. There was a dense forest near the river, surrounded by a large area of flat land. He couldn't help but nodded and pointed in that direction.
Said: "That place is suitable for marching and stationing."
“That’s where cattle and sheep were grazed in the past in Jianping.”
The middle-aged man smiled and said: "At the bottom of the mountain is our Xu family. It's not dark yet. You can follow us into the village to have a rest and put down your things. Then I will take you there to have a look."
"Very good."
Liu Bei nodded with satisfaction. Marching, resting and stationing every day was a troublesome matter. It was good to solve this problem easily today.
The group of people prepared to go down the mountain.
The mountain road is rugged, with dense jungles and dense trees on the left and right.
At this moment, dozens of big men suddenly jumped out from the entrance of the mountain ridge in front. The leader shouted angrily: "Xu Chu from Qiao County is here, why are thieves here to spy!"