Chapter 328: Arrangement on Lujiang
Pang Ji then expressed his intention.
His master Liu Biao believed that Liu Xun's return to Jing was a just act of following the righteousness and abandoning the traitor Yuan Shu.
Since it is a legitimate move, Liu Bei should not pursue his ownership too much.
Of course, Liu Biao respected the imperial court and the hussar generals very much. Therefore, Liu Biao proposed to cease the war with the current actual control. At the same time, Liu Biao and Liu Xun jointly compensated Liu Bei's side with 10 million yuan and food. Two hundred thousand dan, a batch of weapons, clothing, medicinal materials and other supplies.
Judging from the current situation, Liu Xun only has five or six cities left in his hands. If Xunyang is taken by Liu Biao, Liu Xun will only have five cities in the southwest of Lujiang County.
There are a total of fifteen counties in Lujiang, and Liu Bei got nine of them, accounting for nearly two-thirds. Not to mention that what Liu Bei got were all the best cities in Lujiang, most of which were close to the Huaihe River, the Yangtze River and Shapi Lake.
There are many rivers crisscrossing the territory, such as Xianshui, Xieshui, Jueshui, and Qishui. They are all good irrigated fields. As long as the water conservancy projects are done well, the grain yield will be extremely high.
On the contrary, among the cities still in Liu Xun's hands, several are close to the foothills of the Dabie Mountains, with little flat land and facing threats from barbarians in the mountains.
Liu Biao was able to propose a truce on the spot, obviously his mind was clear.
The compensation given can be regarded as Liu Bei's favor. After all, Xuzhou has been purchasing grain in Jingzhou for more than a year, which shows how much Xuzhou attaches importance to grain.
It is not that Liu Biao has not considered cutting off the grain total, but after summoning his close aides to calculate, he found that Xuzhou's current grain purchases are likely to be in stock rather than consumed.
Cutting it off at this time will only hurt Xuzhou, but it will greatly worsen the relationship between the two states. It will also cause Jingzhou and Liu Biao to personally lose a lot of money.
Liu Biao earned a lot of money from the Xuzhou trade line, and relied on this money to successfully expand the military force of his own family.
With these nearly 20,000 direct troops, plus Wenpin and other powerful troops who were more obedient to his orders, the troops Liu Biao could command at his command were close to one-third of the total strength of the Jingzhou Army. one.
As a result, Liu Biao's influence and command over the entire Jingzhou Army also skyrocketed. Many powerful tribes no longer dared to rely on the power of Kuai, Cai, Huang, Pang and other big families to defy him.
It is difficult for a system like the military to be completely consistent.
Even if he is as strong as Li Erfeng, his true trusted direct troops only have 3,000 Xuanjia soldiers. The rest must rely on his generals. Otherwise, during the Xuanwumen Incident, he would only have 800 Xuanjia soldiers, because At that time, the other troops in the capital were the confidants of his father Li Yuan and his brother Li Jiancheng, and he could not pry them away.
But the strength of your elite force and troops will directly affect your influence and command in the total military strength.
To put it simply, this is a leverage principle. The stronger your elite elites are and the greater their number, the more peripheral troops they can leverage.
Liu Biao originally put all his effort into training, and the number of his clan troops was less than 10,000. Even with the addition of Wenpin, Huang Zhong and others, the number was only 10,000.
For the Jingzhou Army, which has a total strength of more than 80,000 troops and more than 100,000 troops at its peak, one-tenth is not enough.
The military discipline of the Qingzhou Army is poor, and although its combat effectiveness is strong, it is not considered to be in the first rank. But why does Cao Cao attach so much importance to the Qingzhou Army and show favoritism?
Yu Jin is powerful enough. He is a good general among the five sons. He has been the number one general under Cao Cao with a foreign surname for many years. Even the hero of the army, the first ascending madman Yue Jin, and the martial arts boss Zhang Liao were suppressed by him. Dead.
But when Cao Cao killed the three sages with one shot, the Qingzhou army still dared to spread rumors in front of Cao Cao and forbid rebellion.
The reason is simply that when Cao Cao was nearly killed by Zhang Xiu, a section of the Qingzhou Army was plundering the people, and was discovered and suppressed by Yu Jin.
As a result, the Qingzhou army could not defeat the ban, so they went to complain to Cao Cao.
Although Cao Cao investigated thoroughly in the end and cleared Yu Jin, nothing happened to the Qingzhou Army. Even the beasts captured by Yu Jin were released back to their original troops.
Why does Cao Cao protect the Qingzhou Army so much?
There is only one reason, and that is that the Qingzhou Army is only loyal to Cao Cao personally. He only has the mark of Cao Cao, and no one else can move him.
Historically, even Cao Pi was dissatisfied with the Qingzhou Army. Cao Cao had a Qingzhou Army of 30,000 to 40,000 people who were only loyal to himself, plus more than 100,000 Qingzhou Yellow Turban reserve troops. This was how he was able to dominate his faction The fundamental reason for establishing Yiyantang.
After all, the other people's armies combined are not as large as his trusted ones.
The same is true for Liu Bei and Liu Feng now. Their direct descendants account for seventy-eight percent of the total strength in the army. No one can challenge the status of Liu Bei and his son in the Hussars, let alone non-direct descendants. Even vassal armies like Xue Li and Zuo Rong's old troops behaved extremely honestly and dared to fight bloody battles.
Now, Liu Biao finally has roughly control of the Jingzhou Army. Having tasted such great benefits, Liu Biao still wants to continue to expand his base and dominant position in the army.
In this case, how could he be willing to give up trade with Xuzhou.
If it weren't for the importance of Liu Xun and the southwest Lujiang River, as well as his wariness about Liu Bei's southward expansion, Liu Biao might not have accepted him.
"The emperor has handed over the responsibility of conquering Yuan Shu to Liu Bei and is preparing to supervise all affairs in Yangzhou. Lujiang belongs to Yangzhou and is under the rule of Bei. Brother Jingsheng's move is a bit overstepping his authority. ?”
On the surface, Liu Bei didn’t seem to be moved by the benefits Liu Jingsheng provided, but he was a little shocked in his heart.
He had already discussed with Hao Daer before that Liu Biao would hang on to him and would not start a war directly at this moment.
It's not that he is afraid of Liu Biao, but that Liu Feng's main force is marching south of the Yangtze River. If they fight Liu Biao again at this moment, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, even if they are fools, will be shocked by Liu Bei's ability to fight on both sides.
Who can guarantee that the awakened Cao Cao and Yuan Shao will not stab the north?
If Yuan Shao and Cao Cao are really stimulated to look for trouble in the north, Yangzhou has not been able to solve it yet, Liu Biao is upstream, and Xuzhou’s northern defense line does not have a big boss to take unified command, then something big will really happen. .
The second reason is that Liu Bei expanded too fast. The territories in Yuzhou and Yangzhou are all new territories. Even Pengcheng, Guangling and Langya in Xuzhou were recovered only two years ago.
It’s time to stabilize.
From this perspective, it is actually a good thing for Liu Xun to seek refuge with Liu Biao.
This is tantamount to giving Liu Bei and his son a handle to start a war at any time, so there is no need to rush now.
Therefore, now is not the best time to start a war with Liu Biao. Even if there is to be a fight, we must concentrate our forces to fight quickly and attack slowly, and try to severely damage the opponent in the early stages of the war. Only then can we be a qualified strategist.
Therefore, Liu Feng and Liu Bei have already discussed that as long as Liu Biao is not aggressive and recognizes the current line of actual control, the existing false peace can be maintained with him.
When to break up, it is not your side that has the final say.
Now Liu Biao not only reached the psychological bottom line of Liu Bei and his son, but also showed greater goodwill and actually gave a lot of compensation.
The reason why Liu Bei acted noncommittal was that he actually wanted to see if he could get more benefits out of it.
Having been in contact with Hao Daer for a long time, Liu Bei was also influenced by Hao Daer. This would have been impossible in the past.
But Liu Bei was also helpless. Nowadays, money and food are everywhere. The work-for-relief program in Jiangbei County alone is a huge food consumption figure.
If we don’t make up for it, how can the finances support it?
Liu Bei also felt sorry for his son, especially when he saw his eldest son worrying about his own business and looking for money and food everywhere.
Liu Bei's words did not surprise Pang Ji.
Pang Ji belongs to the Pang family among the four major aristocratic families in the first echelon of the Jingzhou Group.
The four families are in the same spirit and help each other. Pang Ji himself has a very good relationship with Kuai Yue and can be called brothers with different surnames.
Kuai Yue had talked with Pang Ji many times about Liu Bei and Xuzhou in private, and he admired Liu Bei very much.
Pang Ji greatly admired the ability to bring a dilapidated Xuzhou to such a strong and prosperous place in two years.
Considering that Liu Qiaoqi was highly respected by the emperor, he was personally worshiped as General Qiaoqi by the emperor, and he also had large trade relations with the Kuai family and the Pang family.
Therefore, people like Kuai Yue and Pang Ji are considered pro-Xuzhou faction in the Jingzhou Group.
Pang Ji did not want Jingzhou and Xuzhou to meet each other at war, nor did he want to see the two sides cut off trade exchanges.
So, Pang Ji sincerely persuaded: "General, when Liu Xun came to surrender, my lord did not know that you were entrusted by the emperor to oversee the affairs of the three southeastern states. Yuan Gongli has always been unruly and unruly. He despised the imperial court and despised the emperor. Liu Xun was able to uphold Lujiang and abandon Yuan Shu. This was an act of loyalty to the imperial court. "
"That's why my lord accepted it happily without any provocation. The meaning of the general.”
"I, Jingzhou, have been in alliance with the general for more than a year, and the trade between the two parties has been frequent. We should not stop suddenly because of this misunderstanding."
Pang Ji raised his head, looked at Liu Bei, and said sincerely: "Otherwise, we will suffer losses. It's not just me, Jingzhou, Xuzhou will also suffer losses. My lord and the general are from the same clan, and they are always respectful and loyal to the court. If Liu Xun kills each other, aren't those traitors and thieves who will benefit? "
"Ji Feinxin said this, I hope the general will learn from it!"
After saying this, Pang Ji immediately bowed and bowed, The forehead touches the ground, showing a loyal attitude.
"Hey... Mr. Pang, please get up first."
Sure enough, Liu Bei's voice softened and he couldn't bear it.
Pang Ji was overjoyed in his heart, but he said respectfully: "If the general refuses, Ji is willing to kneel and die in front of the hall." "Brother Jing Sheng is actually like this."
< br>
Liu Bei sighed: "Mr. Pang is a loyal minister and a famous scholar in Jingzhou. Mr. Pang is visiting our state. It's too late for me to be happy. How can he insult Mr. Pang like this? You'd better invite me first."
< br>Pang Ji was immediately moved to tears and stood up to thank Liu Bei for his kindness.
Rejecting once is a sign of determination, but Liu Bei cannot refuse the second time of persuasion, otherwise it will be a coercion of the court and the hussar general.
Seeing Liu Bei shaken, he wanted to agree.
Lu Su immediately stepped forward: "General, if we give up like this, our state will suffer too much, right?"
What Lu Su said is actually quite right, ten million dollars, It is really too cheap to buy six counties with two hundred thousand shi of grain.
Therefore, as soon as Lu Su finished speaking, many people in the hall expressed their support for Lu Su. Only Xun You, Guo Jia, Du Ji and others did not agree.
Pang Ji was not surprised, this situation was also expected by him.
Originally, he came to negotiate terms. Since the terms were negotiated, of course there had to be back and forth.
The meaning of Lu Su's words is very clear. If the payment is not enough, more money must be added.
Pang Ji immediately increased the price and said: "If the general feels that the compensation is not enough, the foreign minister can make the decision and is willing to add 50,000 shi of grain. In addition, next year's trade quota can sell an additional 200,000 shi of grain to Xuzhou. . ”
The original official trade volume was one million shi of grain per year, and now an additional 200,000 shi means that next year’s trade volume can increase to 1.2 million shi of grain.
Liu Bei made eye contact with Xun You, Lu Su and others, and they all felt that Jingzhou's compensation should be almost the bottom line.
Even if it can be increased, I am afraid it will make Liu Biao very unhappy and will not be conducive to subsequent transactions.
Liu Bei nodded at the right time and said: "Since Brother Jing Sheng insists on being Liu Xun's guarantor, Bei has to give Brother Jing Sheng this face."
When Pang Ji heard that Liu Bei finally agreed. , and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
“The foreign minister thanks the general.”
That night, Liu Bei hosted a banquet in honor of Pang Ji. Pang Ji already admired Liu Bei. All of a sudden, the host and guest were all happy, and the atmosphere was extremely harmonious.
At the banquet, Liu Bei's eyes were attracted by a young man with a simple appearance and a reserved personality.
"Who is this man?"
Liu Bei held the wine glass and invited Pang Ji to drink together before asking.
Pang Ji saw it and immediately introduced him: "This man is my nephew, Pang Tong and Pang Shiyuan."
Pang Tong himself was not very famous before he was 20 years old. History books record that he was a simple man before he was 20 years old, but he did not look smart on the surface.
But just listen to these words. Pang Tong's subsequent behavior did not look like a simple person, he was simply exquisite.
If it weren't for his bad luck, he would be hit by a stray arrow and lose his life.
Although his future achievement status will not surpass that of Wuhou, it will certainly be far above Li Yan.
More importantly, if Pang Tong does not die, Zhuge Liang will not have to rush to Shu, then Zhuge Liang will still be in charge of Jingzhou, and there is no possibility of being stabbed in the back by Soochow.
At the same time, if Pang Tong does not die and Jingzhou is not lost, then the Battle of Yiling will not break out, and Huang Quan will not take Pang Tong's younger brothers to surrender to Cao Wei.
Huang Quan is a top all-round celebrity, with both civil and military skills, resourcefulness, and strategic vision. His ability, conduct, and character are all on the level of Wuhou, and Huang Quan and Zhuge Liang maintain a good relationship. Very good. He is not a narrow-minded villain like Li Yan. He is definitely more helpful to Zhuge Liang than Li Yan.
Therefore, Pang Tong's death was actually a major setback to Liu Bei's luck, causing a huge chain reaction.
Among the descendants of the Pang family, Pang Tong is the oldest, and he was heavily bet by the Pang family early on.
The previous anonymity was actually to create a sense of contrast.
When Pang Tong was 20 years old, the Pang family created the most famous star-making project in Jingzhou in the past fifty years.
The protagonists are Pang Tong and Mr. Shui Jing, Sima Hui.
Sima Hui was a native of Yangzhai, Yingchuan. He was a hermit in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. He was proficient in Qimen and Confucian classics. Although he was not an official, he was very famous. He was known as "Mr. Shui Jing" and was famous for his ability to know people.
Due to the war, Sima Hui fled south to live in seclusion in Xiangyang, and the Pang family happened to be the largest gentry in Xiangyang.
After a visit, Sima Hui directly vouched for Pang Tong and was so shocked by his talent and learning that he even went out in person to praise Pang Tong as the crown of Nanzhou scholar.
This Nanzhou is not just Jingzhou, but also Yangzhou and Jiaozhi.
This is equivalent to directly praising Pang Tong as the number one among the younger generation in the three states of Jiangnan.
And the person who praised him was Mr. Shui Jing, Sima Hui. This suddenly exploded. The news continued to spread in all directions. Pang Tong's reputation skyrocketed and continued to rise.
Of course, Pang Tong himself is indeed very capable, and the Pang family has great trust in Pang Tong. Otherwise, it would be a trap for themselves to create such momentum. After all, this is the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, not the end of the Weixiao Dynasty.
If you are not strong enough and you brag about it randomly, it will become a stepping stone for other noble clans.
Hearing his uncle introduce himself, Pang Tong immediately stood up from the table and saluted Liu Bei: "Tong has long heard that the hussar is brave and generous, respects the wise and loves the virtuous, and promotes young talents. When I meet him today, I know that the rumors are true, and I really admire him." Absolutely."
Liu Bei laughed loudly, saying that he was wearing nothing but flattery.
What's more, Pang Tong's simple face makes it easy for people to mistake him for an honest person.
Can the words spoken by an honest man be false?
That must be true.
Liu Bei laughed and said: "Shi Yuan, please come and sit down. Today I will only talk about the friendship between scholars, regardless of officialdom."
That night, the guests of honor had a great time and had a banquet.
Starting from the next day, Pang Ji took Pang Tong and Pang Hua to visit Xun You, Fan Qin, Du Xi, Zhao Yan and others.
These people once took refuge in Xiangyang, and had many friendships with Pang Ji and others.
Pang Ji came here, firstly to reminisce about the past, and secondly for trade.
Xun You and others were already Liu Bei's confidants at this time. Pang Ji naturally wanted to maintain their friendship with each other, and the other party could also speak out on trade issues and have influence on Liu Bei and his son.
The results were also quite gratifying. The feedback from Xun You, Du Xi, Zhao Yan, Fan Qin and others was quite good. Except for not agreeing to help increase the share of frosting sugar and snow salt, it can be said to be quite successful.
The hard work these days has been quite worth it.
"Father, I have something I want to tell you."
On this day, Pang Ji was resting in the guest house. Pang Tong suddenly asked to see him. After meeting, he said this Words come.
Pang Ji was a little surprised, but he didn't know Pang Tong's talent and learning. What he lacked was just an opportunity to become famous.
Otherwise, with so many nephews and nephews in the Pang family, he just brought Pang Tong and Pang Hua with him?
You must know that Pang Hua is the son of Pang Degong.
For this reason, in Pang Ji's mind, Pang Tong was comparable to Pang De's legitimate son.
“What does Shiyuan have to say?”
Pang Ji changed to a comfortable sitting position, waved his hand and said, "But just say it."
Originally, Pang Ji thought that Pang Tong might have taken a fancy to expensive items such as ancient books and famous horses, and wanted to come. Ask him for money.
Unexpectedly, Pang Tong's request greatly exceeded his expectations.
"Following my father, I would like to go to Jiangdong. If there is a chance, I would like to visit Liu Zhengnan, the son of Hussar."
(End of this chapter)