Chapter 158: Plot to seize Rencheng
Chen Yi said this with careful thoughts.
The State of Lu is very small, with only six counties in total. In fact, the tax revenue is definitely not much.
And it is impossible for Liu Bei to really send people to collect taxes. The actual issue of how much to send was not discussed by Chen Yi and the powerful nobles of Lu State.
But Liu Bei was very happy to have this attitude.
In fact, if Guo Gong hadn't frightened the powerful nobles of Lu State this time, these local snakes wouldn't have made such a big concession.
Guo Gong’s 10,000-strong army really made the people of Lu understand that the world had changed and it was no longer the usual situation.
Without a reliable backer, the small country of Lu is simply a piece of fat.
No matter how small the place is, a large amount of goods, food and people can still be looted by plundering a handful of people.
The powerful nobles of the Lu State were really scared, and this time they clearly felt that among the warlords around them, only Liu Bei seemed to have the best reputation, and his strength was not weak, and he was far away from Lu. The country is very close.
This is almost a perfect backer.
Therefore, after Chen Yi learned that Liu Bei had defeated Guo Gong's army, he rushed over immediately, not even caring about the threat of defeat.
Chen Yi's words made Liu Bei smile, but Guo Gong next to him even had a stiff smile on his face.
You, the Prime Minister of the territory under my jurisdiction, actually want to send taxes to the treasury of the next-door governor in front of this governor. Do you think I am a dead person?
Guo Gong meant to scold him, but found that his mouth was even more stiff than his expression. He tried several times and couldn't open his mouth.
Because he found that Chen Yi probably really thought so.
Chen Yi must have a deep hatred for Guo Gong in his heart. The State of Lu is just a small country. If you want something, just tell me. Can I not give it to you if you can have it?
But if you just raise troops to attack, it would be too ugly to look at you.
It’s hard for people to believe that you are fishing for the best in a sustainable way.
In the eyes of Chen Yi and the powerful gentry of the Lu State, Guo Gong’s visit this time was to dig deep.
After all, Liang Guo wanted to reach Lu State, but he had to bypass Pengcheng and Donghai, Pei State and Xuzhou.
Did you go all this way just to collect taxes?
No fool would believe it.
"Senior Brother Bo, you and I are so close to each other, so naturally we should help each other."
Chen Yi, courtesy name Bo Shi.
Liu Bei glanced at Guo Gong, and then comforted Chen Yi: "I am currently stationed in the East China Sea. If something happens, the army can go west along the Surabaya River and reach the gate of Lu County in less than seven days. If something happens, I will definitely not sit back and watch. Don't worry, brother, don't worry."
Chen Yi knew that Liu Bei was reciprocating his kindness, and he was very happy when he made a promise to himself.
"Brother Xuande has always had a reputation for benevolence. Now we know that Confucius and Wenju are good at recognizing people."
Afterwards, Liu Bei invited Chen Yi and Guo Gong into the big tent.
At this time, Liu Bei had an idea in his mind.
There are roughly three ways to go from Tancheng, the county seat of Donghai where Liu Bei is located, to the county government of Lu.
The first road starts from Tancheng, goes around Xiapi, then passes through Pengcheng, enters Weishan Lake, and then goes up the Sishui River to Lu County.
Although this road can be transported by water, it is very far away, and it also needs to pass through Yanzhou Rencheng State. Among them, Rencheng County, the county of Rencheng State, is stuck on the main traffic road and can be cut off at any time. A waterway.
The second road also starts from Tancheng. It first starts along the Yishui River, goes upstream to Kaiyang, then turns into Wushui, and finally passes through Surabaya to reach Lu County.
This road is very close, and there are big rivers and streams along the way. Water transportation is extremely convenient. It is the best road to take, but it also has to pass through Taishan County in Yanzhou, and Feiguo County in Taishan County , Nan Wuyang County is also just right on the main traffic road of Wushui, and can cut off this road at any time.
The third road is the only road with all strongholds within the control of Xuzhou. This road starts from Tancheng, passes through Xiangben County, passes Lanling, goes through Chengxian County, and ends at Changlu. You can continue here They traveled through Qi County and He Township, then entered the State of Lu and arrived at Lu County.
There are many rivers along the way, but none of them can be used. Moreover, we have to suffer the pain of crossing the rivers, and the logistical supplies are half the result with twice the effort.
This road seems to be about the same distance as the second road, but the time, energy and food consumption are ten times that of the second road.
The only advantage is that you don’t have to pass through Yanzhou.
The reason why there is such a perverted division method originated from the characteristics of the Han Dynasty since the Western Han Dynasty, and was also used by various dynasties in later generations.
That is to say, the pass is not given to you, but to the province next door.
This kind of check and balance is quite effective. Even in today's troubled times, Liu Bei is still stuck and feels sick.
But at this moment, Liu Bei thought of Guo Gong.
Guo Gong must hope to get back his seven or eight thousand pieces at this time. Since he is asking for it, isn't it natural to do him a little favor?
Liu Bei hopes that Guo Gong can help him win the Rencheng Kingdom.
That's right, it means taking over the entire Rencheng Kingdom.
Because Rencheng State is too small, with only four counties.
These four counties are grouped together. If only Rencheng County and Xiaqiu County are taken, then Fan County and Kangfu County, which are next to each other, will look very disgusting and eye-catching.
The position of Rencheng State is very important. It can be said that without Rencheng State, Xuzhou's control over Lu State would be cut off at any time.
The best thing is to occupy the entire Rencheng Kingdom. If it is not possible, the next best thing is to capture Nanwuyang, Feiguo County and Nancheng County.
When Guo Gong listened to Liu Bei's request, he suddenly fell into a dilemma.
He just wanted to cause trouble for his younger brother Chen Yi, but now that Liu Bei has beaten him up, do you still want me to provoke Cao Cao and Lu Bu?
No matter who these two are, they can easily beat me up again.
Guo Gong hesitated and said: "Your Majesty, I have no troops at this moment. Although Rencheng is small, it is still a country. How can Gong..."
Liu Bei's kind face Full of sincerity: "How come you have no troops? Aren't all of your eight thousand songs in the camp?"
Guo Gong was stunned, and after a moment he suddenly realized that the other party was promising himself a benefit.
As long as you are willing to agree to the other party's conditions, these eight thousand steps can be returned to you immediately.
If you don’t agree, it will be hard to say.
Guo Gong hesitated in his heart. In fact, Rencheng State was not that difficult to fight. In the year before 2 BC, the Qingzhou Yellow Turban Army entered Yanzhou and swept across the entire Rencheng State. Even the then Prime Minister of Rencheng State, Zheng Sui, was killed. .
It is actually not too difficult to capture such a dilapidated county with only four cities.
But would Cao Cao, the governor of Yanzhou, really pretend not to see it?
What Liu Bei wants is a layer of skin, and he doesn’t want to break up with Cao Cao, but Rencheng State is too important not to capture it, otherwise he will not be able to take advantage of the waterway, and Lu State will never be able to digest it. Not thorough.
In this case, it is better to borrow Guo Gong's hand to represent Rencheng as the Prime Minister and bring Rencheng under his command.
In this way, Cao Cao can only suffer the loss of being dumb. If you want to seek revenge, you can only go to Guo Gong.
And even if Cao Cao really wanted to seek revenge against Guo Gong, Liu Bei could still help Guo Gong.
After all, Liu Bei is not here for Ren Chengguo, but he just can't bear to see Cao Cao bullying the governors. This is also in line with Liu Bei's external image.
"If Governor Guo is willing to do this, he should keep it in mind and follow his orders in the future."
Liu Bei's words are obviously a guarantee for Guo Gong. If Cao Cao dares to beat you for this, I will definitely save you.
Hearing Liu Bei's assurance, Guo Gong's face looked much better.
In fact, Ren Chengguo had no resistance at all at this time. It had been looted by the Qingzhou Yellow Turbans and was the first to suffer when Tao Qian invaded Yanzhou. There really was no strength left.
The local gentry and powerful people were unable to protect themselves and fled Rencheng, leaving only a few low-level county officials and ordinary people behind.
"If the governor is willing to help Mr. Liu solve his problems, we, the State of Lu, are also willing to do our part and donate food, thousands of stones, to help the army."
Chen Yi also came up at this time. He saw clearly that if Guo Gong didn't do it, his Lu country would still be left alone.
No matter which waterway in the north or south is blocked, it will end up alone and helpless.
Therefore, Chen Yi stood up decisively and wanted to make a little contribution, even if it was not much, he still made his position and attitude clear.
Sure enough, both Liu Bei and Guo Gong looked at Chen Yi with gentler eyes when they heard that he was still willing to provide food.
Guo Gong also began to make his own calculations in his heart. There are currently six counties in Yuzhou, including Runan and Yingchuan. There is no need to think about it. He can control the Liang Kingdom. Liu Bei seems to be able to control the two countries of Lu and Pei. In this way, if he can get Liu Bei's support, then his Yuzhou Wouldn’t it be possible for the governor to sit securely?
No, if there is support from the Three Kingdoms, then I, the governor, may not even be able to change into a state pastor.
And as long as Liu Bei is willing to fully support him, the pressure from Cao Cao and Lu Bu will no longer make him breathless.
After thinking clearly, Guo Gong made a decision: "I am ashamed of myself for having mobilized the troops and harassing the Prime Minister of Lu, and also for the help of Liu Envoy. If I can make some compensation, I can also find peace of mind."
Liu Bei was immediately overjoyed, held Guo Gong's hand and said: "You will not fail Bei, and Bei will not fail you."
Afterwards, Liu Bei returned all the eight thousand parts of Guo Gong to him. Not only that. , even the ordnance and weapons were returned without any deductions, and they even sponsored an additional thousand stones of food and crops.
In this way, two thousand more dan of military rations were obtained, and Guo Gong was more confident in his actions.
That night, Liu Bei hosted a banquet for Guo Gong and Chen Yi.
Zhang Fei and Zang Ba were naturally there to keep them company.
The banquet reached its climax. After drinking too much, Liu Bei took Zang Ba's hand and clapped it while saying: "Xuan Gao, I will take away a Kaiyang from you and give you back a county, okay?"
Zang Ba was startled, half of his alcoholism evaporated by the cold sweat on his forehead.
He hurriedly left the table and prostrated: "My lord said, Ba is not worthy of his words. In the past, Ba was independent in Kaiyang and did not obey the orders of the state government. Today, he feels ashamed. He feels the lord's magnanimity and hates what he has done in the past. Since Under the lord's command, Ba Wu will not be ashamed of his past, and he is only willing to fight in the bloody battlefield to repay his lord's great kindness."
Liu Bei saw Zang Ba's reaction and knew that he was playing too big a trick.
It's absolutely normal for Zang Ba to have this reaction.
He was in a separatist territory at that time. Liu Bei said that he had taken away a Kaiyang from the other party. Isn't this just settling an old score?
Now he is saying that he will return a county to him. In Zang Ba’s view, isn’t this a naked temptation?
Although Liu Bei did not mean this, he was just happy that he drank too much, and then his loyalty got the best of him, and he wanted to surprise Zang Ba.
But the result was an overturn.
Historically, when Guan Yu was in Xiangyang, Liu Bei also acted like this.
Originally in Xiangyang, although Guan Yu was Dong Supervisor of Jingzhou affairs, he needed to rely on Pan Jun who was engaged in the governance of Jingzhou for civil affairs. Mi Fang, the governor of Nanjun, also had certain autonomy in military matters.
To put it simply, although these two people are both Guan Yu's subordinates, they are also Liu Bei's subordinates. They can retain a certain degree of objection to Guan Yu's orders, but Guan Yu has nothing to do with them.
But at this time, Liu Bei typically went too far. He sent a fake holiday ax directly from Yizhou, which suddenly caused a stir.
Originally, even if Guan Yu scolded Mi Fang every day, it was just a matter of poor relationship with his colleagues. Mi Fang would ignore you Guan Yu at most, but you can't come to bite me, right?
After all, I am also a relative of the master, and a former major shareholder.
So even if Guan Yu threatens to kill you Mi Fang every day, Mi Fang will only feel that despite your threats, I, Mi Fang, are timid and fearful the moment you are serious.
Mi Fang will never worry about her life safety.
But with Jie Jie Yue, it would be really different.
From a legal perspective, if Guan Yu dares to kill Mi Fang without a false ax, he must be mentally prepared to bury Mi Fang, because this is an unauthorized killing.
But with Jiajie Yue, it was only natural for Guan Yu to kill Mi Fang. Not to mention Mi Fang, he could kill everyone in Jingzhou, including Pan Jun and Shi Ren.
This situation is out of balance.
But Guan Yu's character was extremely arrogant. He even said in public that he would kill you Mi Fang when he got back.
Actually, Guan Yu's words were more of a threat. If he really wanted to kill Mi Fang, why would he wait to go back?
But Mi Fangxin can't stand it anymore. His butt is very dirty.
Coupled with the many mistakes Liu Bei made in the Xiangshui Alliance, it eventually led to the Jingzhou Incident.
Essentially, as the leader of the faction, Liu Bei actually has the greatest responsibility.
At this time, Liu Bei ignored the strange looks from Guo Gong, Chen Yi and others around him. He just stood up anxiously, worrying not to hurt the hearts of his trusted generals.
He hurriedly stood up and helped Zang Ba up, then held his hand and said: "Xuan Gao, why do you do this? You know everything in your heart. How can a person who proclaims Gao's loyalty be a high official? "But Xuan Gao, Rencheng is an important transportation link between Lu and Xuzhou, and it needs a general to guard it, so I can rest assured."
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Liu Bei patiently explained to Zang Ba: "Guo Governor wanted to show off one person to guard Rencheng, but he had no one under his command. He could only ask for talents from me. After thinking about it, only Xuan Gao could take on this important task. Therefore, "Xuan Gao, you should punish yourself with three glasses of wine."
After saying that, Liu Bei drank three glasses of wine in front of Zang Ba. .
It wasn't until after Liu Bei finished drinking that Zang Ba realized that Liu Bei had really found a position as a county guard for himself.
At this moment, he had mixed feelings, and he was both grateful and admired for Liu Bei.
You must know that Liu Bei's brother, Zhang Fei and Zhang Yide, who are direct descendants of Liu Bei, are still sitting on the sidelines. He didn't even become a county guard, but he became one first?
Liu Bei also has his own considerations about this.
Rencheng is a place with a critical location and is very important. Zhang Fei has a rough personality and has no chance to take charge of his own affairs. If he activates it rashly, if something goes wrong, it will ruin the overall situation.
On the contrary, Zang Ba is calm and steady, with rich experience in his own role. He is a heavy general in Xuzhou. With him, he can please the hearts of the old troops in Danyang and Taishan.
It is simply a feat.
The most important thing is that Zang Ba has enough ability to guard Ren City, and he can even become a sharp knife that threatens Cao Cao's belly in the future.
In this case, why don’t you dare to delegate power?
In addition, Liu Bei also had an idea. He wanted to worship his old brother Tian Yu as the captain of the Lu State, stationed in Lu County, and control the Lu State's troops.
In this way, the state of Lu and Rencheng echoed each other from a distance and could exchange support with each other, making them even more impregnable.
Go back and worship Yun Chang as the captain of Pei State and take charge of Pei State's military. In this way, the three places and Xuzhou are integrated into one, and they are each other's horns in the military. Guo Gong is outside to warn, and the northwest can be No worries.
When he came here before, Feng'er also said that Yuzhou was unavailable.
But he never thought that this matter would go so smoothly. Guo Gong not only had no resentment at all, but was actually willing to change his ways and work for me. This should be far beyond Feng'er's expectation.
Now it seems that half of the country in Yuzhou is in my possession, but there is indeed a hidden danger, and the troops are no longer sufficient.
After the autumn harvest, it is necessary to expand the army by 10,000 or 20,000, otherwise Xuzhou may have no available troops.
Although Liu Bei was proud, he also knew that there were many problems at this time.
Let’s not talk about anything else, let’s just talk about Peiguo. Even if he supports Chen Gui to return to Xiangxian County, what he can actually control is only the area between Fengxian County, the Whirlpool Basin below and Qiaoxian County above, and those more than ten counties. He simply would not obey the orders of Peiguo County.
Especially the eight or nine counties in the Whirlpool Basin have been steadily eaten by Yuan Shu for a long time. It is impossible to take them back without sending troops.
As a result, the territory of Pei State that he can actually occupy is only five counties, which is not even a quarter of the total number of counties in Pei State.
“How can Ba be so virtuous and capable of shouldering this important responsibility.”
Zang Ba reacted, his eyes slightly red.
He was indeed convinced by Liu Bei from the bottom of his heart. He was grateful for his kindness and admired his ability.
Back in Langya, Zang Ba himself was not sure that he would be able to sweep Kaiyang within ten days.
After surrendering to Liu Bei, he was favored and treated without mercy. Now he was appointed as the governor of the county earlier than Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. This kind of kindness can only be repaid with death.
Zang Ba himself has a knight-errant temperament, and his character also values loyalty.
When Cao Cao was alive, he protected the people Cao Cao named to kill out of loyalty. This was the word "qi" in his character.
At that time, he was already frightened by Cao Cao, but he still bit the bullet and asked Liu Bei to help mediate on his behalf, and finally succeeded in saving his friend's life.
When Cao Cao died, he saw through Cao Pi's plan to play Yun Mengze, but he still waited for capture without making any resistance. This was the loyalty of his character.
Zang Ba never had much ambition in his life, and all he wanted to seek was a wise master.
After identifying Liu Bei as the master of the Ming Dynasty, Zang Ba regarded himself as a subordinate. He was a little worried about the dirty work in the past, and secretly made up his mind to use his meritorious deeds to win Liu Bei's trust.
But Liu Bei had already trusted him so much. How could Zang Ba not be grateful?
At this moment, Zang Ba felt that Liu Bei had perfectly met his expectations.
(End of this chapter)