Chapter 303 The Fall of Yangzhou
After all, the Zhou family’s property is all in Lujiang, and what Liu Yao gave was far from enough to make Zhou Shang abandon his family and work to follow him.
In fact, if it hadn’t been for the changes in Xuzhou and Liu Feng’s appearance, Liu Yao would have been driven into the mountains of Yuzhang by Sun Ce. Even not long after, others fell ill and died in Yuzhang County. Where else can I live as comfortably as I do now?
However, Liu Yao did not know this. On the contrary, he was quite confused because of Liu Feng's arrival.
But he was unable to control the situation. This feeling of incompetence and anger made Liu Yao hate it.
Liu Yao can't get angry even if he wants to. Now Zhang Ying, Fan Neng, Yu Mi and others are still worried about his favor of recommendation and promotion. If they really break out, at this moment when Liu Feng is about to cross the river, believe it or not Can they directly lead the team to defect to Liu Feng?
After all, these people were gathered with the help of Zhang Ying and the three of them, and Liu Yao didn't have many close subordinates in the army.
Zhang Ying and the other three looked at each other back and forth. They had already discussed it before coming, and they wanted to try to persuade Liu Yao.
If Liu Yao doesn't listen, don't blame them for finding a way out on their own.
"Ming Gong."
Zhang Ying among the three spoke up. After all, he is the leader. The other two are usually more convinced by him. If you don't follow him at this time, you will lose people's support.
"Now Sun Ce is rampant in Jiangdong, and no one can stop him."
Zhang Ying looked at Liu Yao's expression and continued to speak cautiously: "If we can't conquer the south but cannot reach Jiangdong, tomorrow Are you confident in getting rid of Sun Ce? "
Liu Yao's expression changed and his face darkened. It was obvious that Zhang Ying had touched on Liu Yao's pain point.
For more than half a year, Liu Yao had not wanted to organize a counterattack.
Sun Ce's current strategy is to defend from the west and attack from the south. The elite and main forces are all in Wu County, and most of Qu'a's troops are newly formed.
But the problem is that Liu Yao's side is even worse. Xue Li and Zuo Rong already have a vague feeling that they are too big to lose.
Since Liu Yao was defeated and had to give up some of his benefits in exchange for assistance from Zuo Rong and Xue Li, these two people have grown increasingly large and now they no longer obey Liu Yao's orders.
With Liu Yao's unilateral force, it would not be easy to defend Niuzhu, let alone counterattack Sun Ce.
You must know that there are still 20,000 Sun family troops in Liyang on the other side of the river.
The reason why Zhang Ying and others have such an attitude is closely related to the fact that Liu Bei, the governor of the three southeastern states, can make his own decisions on all matters from the prefecture to the pastoral level.
This means that Liu Yao can't even try to keep them, let alone promote them.
Liu Bei is determined to get them, and they have almost no power to protect themselves.
In this case, Zhang Ying and the others did not rebel immediately, but persuaded Liu Yao here, which was already very loyal.
But what kind of character is Liu Yao? He is stronger on the outside and stronger on the inside. Although it is easy to break if it is too strong, it is also quite strong before breaking.
"I am the shepherd of Yangzhou. Liu Zhengnan crossed the river just to help me quell the chaos, not to replace me as the shepherd of Yangzhou."
Liu Yao said angrily with a gloomy face: "Niuzhu still has 20,000 elite soldiers, Li Yang The enemy has been eliminated, and our Yangzhou army can go eastward with all our strength. How can we not recapture Qu'a and defeat Sun Ce?"
Zhang Ying and the other three looked at each other. Sun Ce had more than 40,000 people. If Wu was not rich, many of them would have been defeated. The tribute suppressed the land tax that should have been handed over to the state and the imperial court, making the Wuxian government's granary full. Sun Ce's army should have been short of food long ago.
Twenty thousand people attack forty thousand people, but I can’t hit the opponent yet. Isn’t this just throwing an egg at a stone?
Although Zhang and Ying complained in their hearts, they stopped talking. What should be said has been said. If Liu Yao doesn't listen, then continuing to talk will only be annoying. Moreover, if things go wrong, the chicken will be killed to scare the monkeys. Zhang Ying and the others do not want to be the chicken that is killed.
Sun Shao and others wanted to persuade him, but they found that there was no good way.
Liu Feng is now leading the army to defeat Yuan Shu first, then go to Liyang and garrison the Yangtze River. It is impossible that he really came to Jiangdong to do good things.
Sun Shao and the Teng brothers have communicated secretly for a long time. I am afraid that Liu Feng will defeat Sun Ce, and the next step is probably to transfer Liu Yao, the Yangzhou shepherd.
Liu Bei was the governor of the three southeastern states, and he obviously did not want a Yangzhou shepherd to be an eyesore in the middle.
The power of the state pastor is quite large. He can also replace the prefect and county magistrate. He can be said to be the local emperor of a state.
If Liu Yao is not moved away, then there will be two local emperors in Jiangdong. Then who will the people below listen to?
Should we still have a fight?
Liu Bei would not be so unwise and would definitely transfer Liu Yao one step ahead of time.
After Sun Shao and others put it all together, the best result for Liu Yao was to be recommended by Liu Bei to the central government and serve as one of the nine ministers.
With Liu Yao's qualifications and background, it is more than enough, and with Liu Bei's personal recommendation, even if there is no position for Jiuqing in the central government, a vacancy must be made for Liu Yao.
Just when the hall was quiet, there was sudden movement outside the hall.
Liu Yao frowned and said angrily: "Who is so bold and dares to mess with my discipline?"
When Sun Shao heard this, he stood up and said: "My lord, please put out the thunder for a while. Angry, let Shao go out to see each other?"
Liu Yao stopped his anger, nodded slowly, and Sun Shao immediately left the table and walked out of the hall.
In just a moment, Sun Shao came back.
Suddenly, all the eyes of everyone in the hall were focused on him.
Sun Shao couldn't care about other people. He looked solemn and walked hurriedly to Liu Yao's side. He stepped forward and whispered: "Ming Gong, it was a spy who came to report just now. Sun Bofu They captured Youquan County eight days ago, and Xu Gong escaped with serious injuries. "What!" The troops should not be mobilized until the autumn harvest is completed.
Unexpectedly, Sun Bofu's actions were so unexpected. Not only did he mobilize his troops, but he also broke through Xu Gong's last stronghold so quickly.
Liu Yao's gaffe attracted everyone to look over.
Liu Yao's mind was spinning. Although he wanted to conceal it, he also knew that concealing it at this time would not only lose people's hearts, but also he would not be able to hide it from these local snakes.
So, Liu Yao immediately turned to Sun Shao and said: "Changxu, you will pass the information to all the gentlemen and let the generals watch."
"Yes, Ming Gong!"
Sun Shao was ordered to pass on the battle report in his hand.
After the Tengzhou brothers read it, they passed it to Zhang Ying and others.
After everyone read it, their faces were quite ugly.
The failure of Youquan County meant that almost the entire Wu County was captured by Sun Ce.
After Sun Ce's victory, he not only did not withdraw his troops, but took advantage of the victory to pursue him. The vanguard had reached Qiantang, and he had great intentions of annexing Kuaiji.
For a while, the hall was extremely quiet.
Liu Yao frowned in displeasure and asked, "The situation is critical. What can you tell me?" , but made up his mind not to speak.
The news that Sun Ce defeated Youquan completely penetrated the psychological bottom line of Zhang Ying and the others, giving them the idea of saving themselves.
As mentioned before, Zhang Ying and the others are locals. Not only are their families small, their relatives and friends are all in Jiangdong, but their family properties, including lumberyards, mines, fields, houses and shops are also in Jiangdong.
If Liu Yao and the others screw up, the worst they can do is pat their butts and run away.
But can Zhang Ying and the others escape?
If you run away, you will be nothing.
If they had not run away, they would have already formed a bloody feud with the Sun family under Liu Yao, and asked them to surrender to the Sun family. Even with Sun Ce's guarantee, would Zhang Ying and others dare to believe it unless it was a last resort?
The most important thing is that Liu Feng's appearance gave Zhang Ying and the others a much better choice.
Isn’t it more promising to go to Liu Feng than to go to the Sun family?
They persuaded Liu Yao, but they actually had this idea in mind, so Liu Yao became angry.
Sun Shao and the others had no choice but to keep silent. Zhang Ying and the others had no choice but to keep silent since their method was not adopted.
After Liu Yao spoke, the hall was still quiet, which made Liu Yao's face turn green and red. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and hold his breath and said: "You are also tired, let's go first Let's go and rest."
When Zhang Ying and others heard this, they stood up to say goodbye together, and then left the hall.
Liu Yao stared at the backs of these people, his eyes full of anger and a trace of murderous intent.
Sun Shao saw what Liu Yao was thinking and hurriedly persuaded him: "Ming Gong, now is not the time for brothers to fight. These people are disloyal and should be killed. But if we kill them at this time, I'm afraid it will cause trouble." The army is in chaos."
No matter how strong his character is, Liu Yaorao has to admit that Sun Shao's words are right.
The relationship between Zhang and Ying in the army is inextricably linked. If they are not killed, Liu Yao can temporarily control Niuzhu's army.
If the three of them were really killed, the Niu Zhu army would definitely rebel. After all, Liu Yao was just the co-leader of the local faction who couldn't stand the Sun family's exploitation. He has neither enough prestige nor enough ability to control Niuzhu's army.
Once Niuzhu's army rebelled, Liu Yao might not even be able to save his own life.
This is why Sun Shao took the risk of being suspected by Liu Yao and took the risk to dissuade him. He was also worried that Liu Yao would get involved and threaten his life.
Liu Yao is not stupid, on the contrary, he is very smart, but he also has limitations, that is, he looks down on powerful men and warriors.
Generals such as Taishi Cina can only serve as reconnaissance cavalry under his command, but this still has the bonus of the township party.
Zhang Ying, Fan Neng, and Yu Mi, these Jiangdong powerful men, naturally have less status in Liu Yao's eyes.
But now, after listening to Sun Shao's advice, Liu Yao also discovered the danger hidden in it.
Reluctantly, Liu Yao could only sigh and give up the idea for the time being.
After Zhang Ying and others left, they did not go back to their rooms to rest, but gathered in Zhang Ying's room.
"Brother Zhang, we can't wait like this any longer."
Yu Mi was the first to speak: "Shi Junming is stubborn. It is clear that reinforcements are on the side, but he It is really puzzling to resist the expedition to the south and cross the river.”
Fan Neng also said: "Our family's small assets are all in Jiangdong, but we can't come and go as easily as Shijun. Brother Zhang, it's time to make up your mind."
Listen to Yu Mi and Fan Neng's persuasion one by one. , Zhang Ying remained silent.
Yu Mi and Fan Neng looked at each other and saw the confusion in the other's eyes.
Zhang Ying had already made peace with herself, but why was she suddenly in this attitude now?
But Zhang Ying didn't give in in front of Liu Yao just now, and there is no reason to back down now.
Suddenly, there was a noise outside the door. Fan Neng and Yu Mi were startled, but they saw a smile on Zhang Ying's stiff face.
"Uncle, may I be in the room? My nephew, Zhao Fan, please see me."
The visitor turned out to be Zhao Fan, a young general from Qu'a.
The person who asked him to come was none other than Zhang Ying.
Zhang Ying spoke at this time and shouted towards the outside of the room: "My dear nephew, please come in. It was I who sent someone to call you."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Fan opened the door and came in. A look of surprise flashed across the faces of Fan Neng and Yu Mihou, and then quickly disappeared.
Zhao Fan walked up to Zhang Ying and bowed, cupped his hands and said, "I wonder why my uncle called me here?"
Zhang Ying looked at Zhao Fan and said, "Today in the hall, we have already I once again persuaded the envoy to welcome Zhengnan and crossed the river, but he was still reluctant. Now millions of people in the east of the Yangtze River are suffering from war, and this is all the fault of the Sun family. The people of Qingzhou do not sympathize with the sufferings of the people in our state. The three of us have agreed to welcome Liu Zhengnan across the river. Liu Zhengnan is the son of the general. The general has been authorized by the emperor to oversee the affairs of the three southeastern states, including me, Yangzhou. . The emperor also granted the general the power to make decisions, and everyone below the state pastor can be replaced." Zhang Ying said while staring into Zhao Fan's eyes and observing his emotions. After all, what they are doing now is considered. Betrayal and rebellion.
But Zhang Ying and others did not think so. They only felt that Liu Yao was incompetent and could not drive Sun Ce away.
Liu Yao made a promise to them when he tried to win them over and drive Sun Bi and Wu Jing away.
Zhang Ying continued: "I would like to ask my nephew to cross the river to Liyang and tell Liu Zhengnan everything about the situation. I wonder if my nephew is willing to make this trip."
Zhao Fan was thinking Startled, I could also faintly hear the sound of metal colliding outside. Apparently there were many soldiers deployed outside the room.
Although Zhao Fan is very confident in his own force, but now that he is not wearing armor and has no weapons at hand, his combat effectiveness will inevitably drop a lot.
Fortunately, Zhang Ying's decision coincided with his, and he was extremely disappointed with Liu Yao.
I heard that Liu Zhengnan never looked at family background when hiring people, only focusing on virtue and talent.
When he thought of this, Zhao Fan felt hot in his heart.
Zhao Fan felt that his strength and talents were extraordinary, but he was not valued by Liu Yao because of his background.
In this way, Liu Zhengnan is the Bole he has been waiting for for a long time.
So Zhao Fan immediately prostrated himself and said impassionedly: "Uncle, don't worry. Fan is willing to cross the river quietly and describe all the situations in Niuzhu to Zhengnan. He will also tell Zhengnan about the good intentions and hard work of the three uncles." Looking forward to it.”
“Okay!”
Zhang Ying praised loudly and looked at Fan Neng and Yu Mi.
Fan Neng and Yu Mi also admired Zhao Fan very much at this time. This kid is really good, he knows how to respect his elders, and he is a good young man who values kindness and righteousness.
"I said Brother Zhang is not in a hurry at all. It turns out that he has already made arrangements and found such a young hero."
Fan Neng patted his thigh and expressed his position: "I think this is feasible."
Yu Mi also nodded repeatedly and agreed: "Lao Fan and I have the same attitude. I rely on Brother Zhang for this matter." "
"Easy to say, easy to say."
Zhang Ying stood up immediately, held Zhao Fan's hand and said: "My dear nephew, if everything is done, I will do a great job. Zhu. When you come back, the three of us will allocate 300 people to you to help you lead a battalion."
Zhang Ying's words really surprised Zhao Fan.
He only has two to three hundred men under his command now. They are still the defeated troops gathered together after escaping from Qu'a. Coupled with the young men gathered in the countryside, his strength is really not strong.
Now Zhang Ying not only promised to give him an independent establishment of a battalion, but the corresponding one must be a school captain, at least a captain. And this is not a false position, they are actually willing to allocate manpower to supplement him.
Zhang Ying also said to Fan Neng and Yu Mi: "Old Fan, Lao Yu, what do you say?"
Fan Neng and Yu Mi were surprised, and some doubted whether Zhang Ying was Take the opportunity to cut their flesh.
But when they thought that Zhao Fan was going to see Liu Feng, they had no control over what he would say in person.
So, Fan Neng and Yu Mi also gritted their teeth, nodded and said: "I will listen to you, Brother Zhang. We are out of these three hundred people."
"Hahaha, okay!"
Zhang Ying applauded loudly, and then said to Zhao Fan: "Why don't you quickly thank your two uncles."
Zhao Fan immediately prostrated himself and saluted Fan Neng and Yu Mi to express his thanks.
Fan Neng and Yu Mi also laughed and each praised Zhao Fan a few words.
Zhao Fan stayed with the three of them all afternoon until evening. After dinner, Zhao Fan, led by Zhang Ying's personal guard leader, quietly boarded a small boat and quietly headed towards the west bank under the moonlight. Drive away.
At midnight, Liu Feng had not rested yet. For two consecutive days, there was no response from the other side. He had decided not to wait any longer and would cross the river tomorrow.
Anyway, Liu Beijun also had his own navy and did not need the help of the Yangzhou navy to cross the river.
When you arrive in Jiangdong, are you afraid that no one will come to join you?
Besides, Liu Feng had already made a plan. When he went to Jiangdong, his biggest opponent was naturally Sun Ce, but the person he wanted to get rid of first was someone else.
During this expedition, Liu Feng took Zhuge Liang with him again.
This time in Shouchun, Liu Feng even hinted to Zhuge Jin that he wanted to marry the Zhuge family.
Although Liu Bei's children are young, their eldest daughter is already ten years old, only seven years younger than Zhuge Liang.
According to the custom of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a woman can get married at the age of twelve or thirteen. Even if Liu Feng couldn't bear it and delayed it, Zhuge Liang would only be twenty-two or twenty-three when he got married at the age of fifteen or sixteen. , just reaching the age of marriage in later generations.
In this way, considering Zhuge Liang's age, talent, background and Liu Feng's regard, he will be the second generation of prime ministers in the future.
He is eighteen years younger than Chen Deng, twenty-four years younger than Xun You, twenty-five years younger than Zhang Zhao and Dong Zhao, and thirty years younger than Zhong Yao!
Even Lu Su was nine years older than Zhuge Liang.
Zhuge Liang does not need to worry at all. His age means that he does not need to participate in the fiercest battle for dominance of the first generation. He only needs to wait for the flowers to bloom and fall. As time goes by, God will take care of himself. Take away those first-generation prime ministers.
Zhuge Liang's age means that he can win even if he is lying down.
Zhuge Jin was simply ecstatic about Liu Feng's temptation.
He was not jealous at all that the person Liu Feng favored was his younger brother, but he was particularly happy for Zhuge Liang.
Zhuge Jin’s mind is at least quite broad, and his talents are also very good. He is also very loyal. As long as he has no military talents, he will be in the second rank. .
(End of this chapter)