Chapter 229 Anecdotes about Jie County
Zhong Yao told Liu Feng in his letter that the emperor was extremely eager to return eastward.
Although no specific plan to return eastward was finally made due to the relationship between Yang Feng and other generals, the emperor was still very excited, and later praised Liu Feng's loyalty and diligence many times in the palace.
Therefore, Zhong Yao asked Liu Feng in his letter to strike while the iron is hot.
It is best to formally submit a memorial during the audience tomorrow, imploring the emperor to return eastward, so as to gain the first merit of returning eastward.
Liu Fengshen thought so, so he wrote a memorial at night to wait for dawn.
The next day, Liu Feng, Cao Cao, Guo Gong, and Zhang Yang joined forces to pay homage to the emperor.
During the pilgrimage, Liu Feng went to court again, imploring the emperor to return to the divine capital in order to rectify the hearts of the world. At the same time, Cao Cao, the pastor of Yanzhou, Guo Gong, the governor of Yuzhou, and Zhang Yang, the governor of Hanoi, jointly seconded the proposal.
After the memorial, there are also the names of Guan Yu, Liu Ye, Zhang Liao, Tai Shi Ci, Gao Shun, Pan Zhang, Jia Xi, Zhuge Jin, Jia Kui, Zhuge Liang and other civil and military officials.
The emperor was greatly moved and immediately decided to continue his journey eastward and return to Luoyang.
Even if Yang Feng and others were dissatisfied, they knew they could not stop it and could only express their approval together.
So, the emperor, who had long wanted to return eastward, but had been blocked by Bai Bo's army, immediately agreed to Liu Feng's request and immediately announced that the center would prepare to return eastward in seven days.
Originally, the emperor's trip was so grand and full of rituals that seven days was not enough time to prepare.
But when the warriors of Xiliang almost took off the emperor's underwear, these false gifts don't matter at the moment.
The emperor was so anxious to return eastward that he wished he could fly to Luoyang immediately.
Afterwards, King Qin's army in Guandong, which had just set up camp, began to move again.
"Second uncle, do you really not want to go back to Jiexian to have a look?"
Liu Feng was very surprised that Guan Yu would not return home.
The so-called wealth does not return to its hometown, just like walking in brocade at night.
Although Guan Yu is far less wealthy than he will be in the future, he is still a high-ranking captain in Xuzhou. After returning to Luoyang this time, he will at least be able to gain the status of a miscellaneous general in the center.
This wealth is enough to show off when you return home.
But Guan Yu actually refused.
How can I leave the army lightly when I have such a heavy responsibility?
Liu Feng was not surprised after hearing this. Guan Yu does have this kind of character. You ask him to leave the army just to show off back home. This is really not something that the second master can do.
This is not to say that the second master is aloof and does not like to show off.
In fact, Guan Yu not only cares about face very much, he also likes to show off, otherwise he wouldn't have historically competed with Ma Chao.
It's just that Guan Yu fought for a relatively high-end one. In the words of later generations, he had to pretend to be deep and serious, and he dismissed those who were too superficial.
Since Guan Yu does not want to return rich and rich, Liu Feng will not force him.
Just before setting off to return east, Liu Feng suddenly received news that Guan Yu actually had a son in his hometown.
Liu Feng was shocked. He didn't know why a son of Guan Yu suddenly appeared.
After hesitating for a moment, he honestly ran to confess to Guan Yu.
Liu Feng originally just wanted to send someone to Jie County to inquire about the situation after Guan Yu left. If there were close relatives, he could help them if he could.
What I didn’t expect was that before Guan Yu committed murder and escaped, he had married a wife.
But after Guan Yu fled to Zhuozhou, he did not return to his hometown for more than ten years and had already married a wife outside.
It’s just that the wife he married later was infertile and still has no children. This also made Guan Yu a little anxious. After all, he was already thirty-five now.
The son who suddenly appeared now was born to Guan Yu's wife in his hometown.
After listening to Liu Feng's words, Guan Yu himself was extremely shocked, even mixed with joy, shame and guilt.
Obviously he thought that his wife in his hometown had remarried long ago, but he did not expect that the other party actually left him a son.
"Feng'er,...where is my son now?"
Guan Yu suppressed his intense emotions and asked Liu Feng about his son's condition.
Naturally, Liu Feng would not hide anything and hurriedly replied: "My brother is now in Jie County and is raised by his second uncle's tribe. He is now nineteen years old."
Guan Yu was overjoyed and couldn't bear it. .
Liu Feng added: "Second uncle, my nephew has ordered someone to pick up his eldest brother to Anyi immediately. It is expected that within two or three days, my uncle will see his eldest brother."
This is the eldest son of Guan Yu. Calculating his age, he should be Guan Ping.
Guan Ping, who was born in 178 AD, is exactly nineteen years old.
No wonder there is no record of Guan Ping in his previous life. He first appeared in the Battle of Jingzhou, and he was a senior general in the Jingzhou Army.
Besides, when the second uncle asked for Qin Yilu's wife, he used the reason that his wife Hu could not have children.
At least before Xuzhou, the second uncle probably didn't know about Guan Ping's existence.
The reason why I was able to contact Guan Yu later was probably during the period when Guan Yu surrendered to Cao Cao, because Hedong was subordinate to Cao Cao at that time.
Xuchang is much closer to Hedong than Xuzhou is to Hedong.
I just didn't expect that in this life, by chance, my second uncle and his son would be reunited in advance.
When he heard that he had a son, and that he was still a nineteen-year-old son, Guan Yu was obviously a little excited and couldn't help himself.
After all, it is very difficult to raise children in these days, and any small problem will lead to the death of the child.
"Okay, okay."
Guan Yu was obviously a little restless. He nodded and said yes, then stood up and said: "Feng'er, after thinking about it, I'd better go to Jiexian County in person. He It’s not easy after so many years. As a father, I should pick him up.”
Liu Feng completely understood Guan Yu's mood, so he smiled and reassured: "Second uncle, I'm afraid the eldest brother has already boarded the boat at this time. Whether you go by land or by water, it is easy to miss it, which will delay things."
When Guan Yu heard this, he realized that this was indeed the case, so he could only suppress the complicated emotions in his heart and wait for the day when his son would arrive.
Here Guan Yu and Liu Feng are looking forward to being reunited with their relatives, but over there the four generals Bai Bo are having trouble again.
The four of them met with the emperor together, and the implication was that Hedong was covered by Hanoi and had the benefits of salt ponds, minerals, and horse farms. It would be a pity to give up for nothing. Moreover, Liu Xuzhou and King Qin dispatched 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers and horses, so the emperor's safety was no longer a problem.
Therefore, the four generals Bai Bo secretly discussed that Li Le and Hu Cai would lead their nearly 5,000 troops to stay in the local area and stationed in Hedong with Wang Yi, the prefect of Hedong, while Yang Feng and Han Xian would lead their headquarters to escort the emperor. Head to Luoyang.
To be fair, Bai Bo's plan is indeed a good one, with room for advancement and retreat.
Li Le and Hu Cai who stayed in Hedong could be taken care of by Yang Feng and Han Xian from the central government. Maybe they could even inherit the position of prefect of Wang Yi in the future and become a county governor. Yang Feng and Han Xian in the central government also have the support of local forces in Hedong, so they can stay more stable in the central government.
The idea is beautiful, but the reality is very skinny.
There is only one flaw in the whole plan.
That is the lack of food.
Li Le and Hu Cai need food when they stay in Hedong. The severe drought in Hedong will not change just because you, Li Le and Hu Cai, are not here.
Hedong obviously could not get food, so the four generals Bai Bo approached Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty. They came up with the idea of the 10,000 shi of food Liu Feng paid tribute.
In this era, an adult man can eat well with 2 dan of grain per month, and he can do heavy work.
Hedong has no battles to fight at the moment. As long as the training of the soldiers is stopped, one soldier can survive with half a stone of food for a month. One stone of grain is equivalent to a modern weight of about 30 kilograms. A month and a half of grain is actually equivalent to one kilogram of grain per day, so there is no problem in stabilizing the army.
Of course, this kind of gameplay is limited to the fact that it does not require the soldiers to contribute, and they eat, sleep and brag in the military camp every day.
If the warlord hoards a large amount of food and does not release it, or does this during war, then death is probably not far away.
Ten thousand shi of grain can be saved enough for Li Le and Hu Cai to last for eight months. As long as they have these 10,000 shi of grain as a base, Li Le and Hu Cai will be able to survive by searching privately. autumn harvest.
Therefore, these ten thousand stones of food are the top priority and the foundation of everything.
What the four generals Bai Bo can think of, how could the emperor Liu Xie not think of it? Moreover, on this matter, the emperor's position is actually more in favor of the four generals Bai Bo. With Hedong on its flank, it geographically outflanks Hanoi together with Henan. Coupled with the inherent centripetal force of the land of three rivers, it is easy for erosion to develop in Hanoi.
Once the basic base of the Guangwu family, Sanhe, is unified, Emperor Liu Xie will at least have a good start, not to mention that ZTE is in sight.
After all, Wang Mang's influence on the Eastern Han Dynasty was extremely huge. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the world was in chaos, and warlords from all walks of life competed for the Central Plains, but all under the banner of conquering the emperor's rebels.
The main idea is that everyone in the world except me and the Emperor is a traitor!
Even Yuan Shu is now a loyal minister of the Han family.
The problem is, I can support you, but if you want me to give you all the food, that will be very difficult.
The emperor is simply impoverished, let alone not rich.
Before Liu Feng sent these 10,000 shi of grain, the three ministers and nine ministers around the emperor had gone to dig wild vegetables outside the city. How could the emperor cope with this?
Therefore, after Liu Feng sent the 10,000 shi of grain into the city, almost the same day he asked Liu Xie to send out 1,000 shi to repay the salaries of officials and palace people at all levels.
The Baibo Army also came to ask for food before, and the emperor also allocated a thousand dan to prepare them for the eastward journey.
The emperor values the remaining eight thousand stones more closely than anything else. It is as precious as his lifeblood.
"My lords, what do you think of the words of General Xingyi?"
While he was very excited about the proposal of Yang Feng and others, and at the same time he was reluctant to give up food, Liu Xie finally decided to listen to the important ministers. their opinions.
Taiwei Yang Biao was the first to speak. Although he is now over fifty, he is still bold and courageous: "I think I should give it."
Sikong Zhang Xi said hesitantly : "But if it is given, how should the cost of the eastward journey of the Baiguan Palace people be solved?"
Yang Biao replied: "If there are any deficiencies, we can call the governors of the Guandong counties to discuss them together."
At this time, Situ Zhao Wen stroked his beard and frowned and said: "If the princes of Guandong blame the lack of military rations, what can I do?" After being baptized by Liangwu Ren and Hedong Wuren, the central officials have gained a clear understanding and no longer put themselves too high.
“Although the King Qin’s Army in Guandong is called the coalition, it was actually formed by Liu Xuzhou’s efforts. Not only did Liu Xuzhou send the most troops, he also shouldered most of the logistical supplies. Even his eldest son was sent to the army. , which shows the loyalty and sincerity.”
Zhang Xi sighed: “Therefore, all the food we eat is transported thousands of miles from Xuzhou, and the journey cost is probably more than half of that in Xuzhou. There are no more than five counties under his jurisdiction, and Liu Shijun has only been in office the year before, and it has only been two years, and the actual number is only one year. I am afraid that Xuzhou will not be able to catch it. "
The emperor will not be able to come up with anything after meeting with the three ministers. Good idea, but in desperation, I can only go to see Jiu Qing.
But just like Sangong, Jiuqing also had no good solution. On the contrary, Ding Chong, Zhong Yao and other juniors were eager to try.
Ding Chong was the first to stand up and speak: "Your Majesty, Ambassador Liu is certainly loyal, but Ambassador Cao does not make too many concessions. Since Ambassador Liu has contributed a lot and is not able to catch up, why don't your Majesty summon Ambassador Cao to ask One or two, maybe he can get help.”
It’s not that Ding Chong didn’t know that Cao Cao didn’t have much food, but that didn’t stop him from intervening, even if he let Cao Cao stand alone in front of the emperor. Make money without losing money.
After hearing this, the emperor actually felt moved.
After all, no matter how smart the emperor is, he is only a teenager.
Over the years, it has been under the control of Liangzhou warriors, so how do you know the local situation?
Of course he didn’t understand how corrupt Yanzhou was now, let alone that the gap between Yanzhou and Xuzhou had completely reversed.
In the emperor's simple thoughts, Xuzhou is a land of one state, and Yanzhou is also a land of one state, and the eight counties of Yanzhou are richer and more fertile than the five counties of Xuzhou.
Xuzhou can now afford so much military ration loss, and Yanzhou should not be able to afford even half of it.
Zhong Yaoxian glanced at the emperor, and after seeing clearly his intention to move, he stood up and said before the emperor spoke: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, Cao Yanzhou may have no food to pay tribute. I look at Liu Although the captain is young, he knows the general situation well. How about the emperor issue a special edict to give Liu the captain full authority to handle the eastward journey? "
Zhong Yao's suggestion made everyone present's eyes light up.
In fact, Zhong Yao’s suggestion is essentially the same as Yang Biao’s, that is, he wants to impose the cost of the eastward journey of hundreds of officials and palace people on the Kwantung King Qin’s army, thereby saving food and supplying it to the Bai Bo army. Stay in Hedong.
But Zhong Yao's strategy was obviously more slick and covert than Yang Biao's, and it made Liu Feng and others unable to refuse.
The emperor has entrusted Liu Feng with full authority to handle the eastbound affairs. What kind of respect and trust is this?
Liu Feng can only shed tears of gratitude, accept it happily, and thank the emperor for his kindness, which is what a loyal minister should do.
This is much better than Yang Biao forcing the cow to drink water.
When the time comes, I will record my merits for Liu Feng and other Guandong princes, no matter how famous they are. Wouldn’t this be a happy event for everyone?
Ding Chong wanted to object, but most of the ministers agreed with this policy, and even the Three Dukes quite approved of it.
In desperation, Ding Chong could only remain silent.
So, the emperor decided to summon Liu Feng.
When Liu Feng heard the call, he was a little confused. He didn't know what the little emperor wanted to call him.
But he also knew that he was not qualified to ask this question at the moment, so he could only change his clothes and follow the palace people to the "Imperial Palace".
Only after arriving did I realize that there were quite a few people present, and the small house was packed to the brim.
The person who told Liu Feng the specific matter was Zhong Yao. The emperor sat silently, but when Liu Feng looked over, the little emperor actually gave him a smile.
On the side, Yang Biao scolded in a deep voice: "Liu Captain, you must not be rude."
Liu Feng suddenly woke up and hurriedly lowered his head to show respect.
In response to Yang Biao's scolding, Liu Feng quickly apologized in panic.
Although Yang Biao seemed to be nit-picking, he was actually kind-hearted, because the other party just scolded him for not being rude, but he also explained the matter of Liu Feng's coveting the emperor just now.
For Liu Feng's plea, the emperor would naturally not punish him, but he would be lenient.
Later, Liu Feng thought about the incident caused by Bai Bojun.
Liu Feng's first reaction was that the emperor wanted to make trouble, but he quickly ruled out this.
If you really have to worry about it, the important thing is things rather than people.
It is not that the emperor has no food at all. If the emperor really wants to do it, he will definitely not call himself here, at least not before doing things.
Looking at it this way, this matter is really as simple as it seems on the surface.
The Bai Bojun wanted to split their bets and leave a way out for themselves, and it happened that their way out was also the emperor's foreign aid.
Isn’t this just a hit?
But the emperor was reluctant to part with food, so he summoned the one who looked most like a victim?
Once this is done, things will go smoothly.
But Liu Feng is not a fool.
Ten thousand shi of grain, even if it is transported by water, will cost 5,000 shi of grain to transport from Xuzhou to Hanoi. The rest will be transported from Hanoi to Hedong. The loss of this land route is thousands of miles higher than before. There will be twice as many waterways.
The 10,000 shi of military grain in Hedong is equivalent to consuming 25,000 shi of grain in Xuzhou.
Just because of your emperor’s words, I have to cut off my flesh?
Not to mention that Liu Feng had already seen that Bai Bojun was deceiving the little emperor.
Bai Bojun's statement seems to be okay, but in fact it hides a big surprise, that is, the livestock in the army, especially the war horses.
The main combat strength of the Baibo Army in Hedong is the cavalry. Otherwise, with their tattered equipment, how could they fight a bloody battle with the Xiliang Army?
Liu Feng had carefully observed that the armor rate of the Baibo Army in Hedong was only over 20%, and they were basically all leather armor, with no iron armor in sight, and even the leather armor was half-length armor.
To deal with this kind of enemy, Liu Feng felt that he could defeat the infantry of the Baibo Army in Hedong with just his thousand well-trained heavy armored infantry.
Therefore, the main combat strength of the Baibo Army lies in the cavalry.
Even Li Le, the weakest leader of the Baibo Army, has four to five hundred war horses in his army of two thousand people. The man-horse ratio is as high as four to one, and the entire Baibo Army has at least three thousand horses. The above war horse.
The consumption of war horses is five times that of infantry. If you only count rations, it must be two or three times as much.
Moreover, humans can resist hunger, but horses can hardly bear it.
Even if calculated at the lowest twice, three thousand war horses would require an extra six thousand people's rations, and horses are not as good at resisting hunger as people. Calculating this way, at least two more horses must be given to Bai Bo's army. Ten thousand shi, a total of 30,000 shi of food is enough.
How could Liu Feng be willing to suffer this loss?
Especially if Liu Feng really suffered this loss, it is estimated that both the imperial court and the Bai Bo army would become more and more obsessed with it, and they would only get more and more aggressive in the future.
(End of this chapter)