In Xun Yuxian's prisoner battle, Liu Yu, who was a guest soldier in Pingyuan, was a very important part of it.
The first one is political.
Since you, Cao Cao, want to help the Han Dynasty and rebuild the Republic, rather than revolutionizing the old and creating new things, then you need a Liu clan as a banner, so that it makes sense.
In Qingzhou, there are many kings named Liu. For example, there is a Jinan king next to Cao Cao.
But none of these satisfied Cao Cao, but Liu Yu was different. He was a famous elder in the clan and had served as Zongzheng, so he was already highly respected.
What's more important is that Liu Yu also has an elite army of ten thousand people, whose elite infantry and cavalry are unmatched by Cao Cao.
At this time, uniting with more powerful allies is undoubtedly the most correct choice at this stage.
So Cao Cao asked Chen Qun to go to Pingyuan to convey his intention to form an alliance with Liu Yu and recommend Liu Yu as the leader of the alliance.
Chen Qun was recommended by Xun Yu, and the relationship between them was the best between them. When both of them were young, their elders got to know each other in their arms.
Two months ago, Chen Qun received a letter from Xun Yu inviting him to serve as an official in Jinan.
At that time, Chen Qun was organizing his family to move back to Xuchang with his father Chen Ji. This is what most of the wealthy families are doing after the Yingchuan Rebellion.
After all, the war is over, and they want to return to their original homes, where their ancestors' tombs and inheritance are.
At that time, Chen Qun persuaded his father to move his clan to Xuzhou. Chen Qun believed that Yingchuan was the place where the four wars took place. In times of peace and peace, transportation was natural from all directions, but in times of chaos, it was a battleground for military strategists. If the clan still stays in Xuchang, it will inevitably suffer from military disasters.
Among the scholar-bureaucrats at that time, Xuzhou was generally considered a place to avoid chaos.
At that time, the people in Xuzhou were prosperous, the grain supply was poor, and many refugees returned. Celebrity families from surrounding counties and counties moved to Xuzhou one after another. For example, Zheng Xuan, a celebrity from Qingzhou, took his clan south to Xuzhou and was allocated land by Tao Qian for resettlement.
Therefore, after Chen Qun analyzed the situation, he suggested that his father go east to Xuzhou to avoid the war.
But his father Chen Ji shook his head and asked:
"If the world is in chaos, how can any place be spared? If we go east to Xuzhou, people will leave their hometown and become humble. How can Xuzhou survive alone in the troubled times? Moreover, here are the tombs of ancestors, family and county officials, and old in-laws. In Here, we are called the Chen family. The way to protect yourself from war is not to avoid it, but to welcome the hero. "
Chen Qun respectfully accepted his teachings.
It was against this background that Chen Qun received Xun Yu's letter.
Chen Qun still misses this friend who has been gone for more than three years. Over the years, the two have continued to write letters.
He knew that Xun Yu was in prison, although Xun Yu told him that it was his own choice. But Chen Qun still felt uneasy.
I always feel that my friend would rather live in prison than escape because he wants to atone for his father's death.
But when Chen Qun read the contents of the letter, he finally confirmed that his life as a prisoner did not destroy his friend's will, but made him look more closely at the world today.
The friend said in the letter that he had found a hero who could bring peace to the troubled times, and hoped that Chen Qun could come to Jinan to help him.
After receiving the letter, Chen Qun started packing his luggage without any hesitation. When he said goodbye to his father, he said:
"Sir, I am going to Jinan to serve as an official. Wen Ruo said that I have found a hero who can put an end to this troubled world."
Chen Ji fell silent. The first sentence he spoke was:
"Do you know who Cao Cao, the Prime Minister of Jinan, is?"
Chen Qun nodded and explained:
"After Cao Mengde was castrated, we are not ashamed. But I believe in Wen Ruo. If Wen Ruo thinks that Cao Mengde has the ability to calm this troubled world, then he must be."
In the end, Chen Ji let Chen Qun go.
There are five others like Chen Qun. After receiving Xun Yu's letter, each of them decided to go to Jinan to serve as an official without any hesitation.
You must know that children of famous families like them generally work locally to protect their family's safety.
For example, if Chen Qun wanted to serve as an official, he would either stay in Yingchuan or go to Wang Yun's side. If you don't like these two aspects, you can also choose to continue raising your wife at home.
It is almost rare for someone to leave home and work in another state, because this can easily bring disaster to the family.
But Chen Qun and the other six people went anyway. The reason was not complicated, just because they believed in Xun Yu.
When Chen Qun, Xi Zhicai and others traveled across mountains and rivers to Dongpingling, Cao Cao immediately entrusted these people with important responsibilities.
For example, when Chen Qun arrived, he was entrusted by Cao Cao with the mission of sending Liu Yu as envoy. At that time, Cao Cao had only met Chen Qun twice.
One was at the banquet to welcome the people of Yingchuan, and the other was when Cao Cao was giving orders.
Do you think Cao Cao knew that Chen Qun had extraordinary abilities? No, it's because Cao Cao trusted Xun Yu.
Whether it is Chen Qun, Xi Zhicai and others, or Cao Cao's trust in them, both sides trust one person, and that is Xun Yu.
Because he didn't understand Chen Qun's ability, Cao Cao frowned when he heard that the matter did not go smoothly:
"What's going on? I know Liu Yu's character. He shouldn't refuse to ally with me."
Xun Yu explained:
"According to the news sent back by Chen Qun, the conversation went smoothly at first. But when Liu Yu saw the eight words in the letter, 'Hegemony can be achieved, the Han Dynasty can be prosperous', he immediately asked One sentence: 'Whose Han Dynasty is this?'"
Cao Cao's focus was not here. He asked Xun Yu:
"Chen Changwen didn't come back?"
Xun Yu opened his mouth and said calmly:
"The long article said that the alliance has not been settled, and he still has a chance."
At this time, Cao Cao nodded, recognizing Chen Qun's attitude.
Lao Cao is not a person who is eager for quick success. After handing over a task, he insists on immediate results from his subordinates. Whether things are done well or not depends on certain factors, but your attitude towards doing things must be there.
If you encounter a problem and Chen Qun comes back, does that mean you are working sincerely?
But still, Chen Qun did not disappoint him.
So Cao Cao asked Xun Yu to continue talking.
Xun Yu used his eloquence to explain the whole story clearly.
Liu Yu also wanted to form an alliance with Cao Cao, but he was full of doubts about Cao Cao's political intentions. What do you, Cao Cao, mean by talking about helping the Han Dynasty and achieving hegemony?
Does it mean that you, Cao Cao, want to support the Han Dynasty like Han Xin assisted Emperor Gaozu, or do you mean that you, Cao Cao, want to be the overlord? Or are you, Cao Cao, simply ambitious and want to be the head of the Han Dynasty yourself?
Or it could be both. First, use the support of the Han Dynasty as a call to strengthen strength and achieve hegemony. Then when the conditions are ripe, Cao Cao will give in again? Achieve your imperial career?
Therefore, this is the reason why Liu Yu asked on the spot: "Whose Han Dynasty will succeed?"
Liu Yu, who asked this question, immediately became wary of Cao Cao.
Because if you want to achieve Qi Huan's hegemony, then you don't need to come to me, Liu Yu. Because both Xijing and Tokyo have emperors on the throne.
And now you want me, Liu Yu, to be the leader of the alliance and you want to elect me to be the emperor. What does that mean?
It's you, Cao Cao, who wants me to be a puppet, pretending to realize your hegemony, and then looking for an opportunity to transform yourself and become emperor.
There is no doubt that although Liu Yu is kind, he is not stupid. He has been in the court for more than ten years, and his main interest is politics. From this point of view, you, Cao Cao, are just a fledgling boy, and you want to trick him?
Chen Qun also knew that Liu Yu's issue was complicated, and he would never dare to speak casually without confirming it with Cao Cao in detail.
Otherwise, it would still be a trivial matter to break up the alliance. If he was beaten as a rebel and traitor because of this, Cao Cao would be passive.
But things took a turn for the better.
That night, Liu Yu's son Liu He secretly found Chen Qun. After a series of conversations with Chen Qun, he learned that Cao Cao really wanted to accept Liu Yu as the leader of the alliance, pacify Qing Xu, and then use Qing Xu's power to rebuild the republic.
So Liu He, who was confident in his heart, went to find his father on his own, and the implicit intention was to ask his father to agree to this matter.
He knows his son better than his father. At that time, Liu Yu asked his son:
"Do you want to follow the example of our ancestors? Do you also want to compete in the world?"
Liu He's face suddenly turned red and he did not dare to say anything.
Liu Yu did not reprimand his son, but asked:
"Do you think it will be difficult for Shizu or Gaozu to win the world?"
Liu He thought for a while and replied in a low voice:
"I think it was Gaozu. At that time, the overlord of Western Chu was there. But Shizu had no worthy opponents."
Half relieved, half disappointed, Liu Yu sighed:
"Wrong. It is much more difficult for Shizu to conquer the world than for Gaozu. Just because when Shizu went to Hebei to establish his foundation, there was already a Han emperor in the world, and that was Emperor Gengshi. At that time, Shizu and he had the status of monarch and minister. And the world Those who rebel against Mang are all led by the Liu family. When the officials of Chang'an kill Wang Mang and spread the news in Wan, the capital of Emperor Gengshi, the people of the world will return to Gengshi."
Seeing that his son still didn't understand, Liu Yu had given up. He simply said:
"The virtue and prosperity of the Han Dynasty depends on heaven and responds to people. If people with the surname Liu of Shizu are rebelling against the Gengshi, who else in the world cannot rebel? Am I, the Liu family, still the one who has been appointed? Therefore, even if Shizu is more intelligent than Gengshi, I still don’t dare to betray you. What kind of talent do you, Liu He, dare to commit?”
At this time, Liu He was so frightened by his father's momentum that he was sweating.
But he still refused to admit defeat and said:
"They all have the surname Liu, why doesn't it take their turn to come to my house in this world?"
At this time, Liu Yu no longer wanted to waste any more words on this disobedient son. He cursed:
"Get out. You are not allowed to leave this house without my order."
After that, Liu Yu was so angry that he walked away, and Liu He was actually imprisoned.
When lobbyists like Liu He were dealt with by Liu Yu, Chen Qun judged that it was impossible to persuade Liu Yu for the time being.
But why did Chen Qun judge that an alliance was still possible?
From Chen Qun's explanation, we learned that Liu Yu's subordinate Wen Wu was generally supportive of the alliance with Cao Cao. Although the reasons for support are different.
Brothers such as Shen Pei and Cui are all from the Hebei faction and are eager to fight back to Hebei. Considering the overall interests, they agreed to form an alliance with Cao Cao.
Jinan is located at the rear of the plains. With strong enemies in the north, once there is a conflict with Jinan, it will inevitably fall into an unfavorable situation of being attacked from both sides.
And if you want to fight back to Hebei, it is impossible to rely solely on Pingyuan's strength. Only by forming an alliance to quell Qingxu, as Cao Cao said, is it possible to counterattack Hebei.
But why didn't this faction support Chen Qun when he was present? It turned out that they also had doubts about Cao Cao's follow-up strategy.
According to Cao Cao's plan, after they captured Qingxu, they would fight back to the west and return to Kyoto to be with the emperor. But what Shen Pei and others want is to fight north. This creates a conflict between the two sides.
In addition to Shen Pei's faction, generals such as Sun Jian and Gai Tong also supported an alliance with Cao Cao.
Sun Jian heard that he was going south to fight. Wouldn't it mean that the more he fights, the closer he will be to his hometown? As a guest general in Qinghe, Sun Jian was fed up with being squeezed out by the people in Hebei. He still wanted to return to his hometown in Wuzhong. Whether it was recruiting troops or staying there, it would be better than now.
And what about Gai Tong? He was an old friend of Cao Cao.
The two were ministers of the same year, and they had similar interests. They both had a drunken and stingy temperament. And although he brought the Youzhou Cavalry with him, it was actually torn apart internally.
The consequences of Gongsun Zan's previous killing of Xian Yufu began to erupt, and his subordinates such as Gongsun Yue and others had already divided their forces with him.
Having lost half of his sudden knights, he has less and less say in the Qinghe Group. Therefore, Gai Tong also hopes to form an alliance with Cao Cao at this time and attract him as foreign aid.
All of the above were found out by Chen Qun.
After listening to these analyses, Cao Cao looked at Chen Qun with admiration.
It seems that Chen Changwen still has something.
But things are still stuck here. Thinking of this, Cao Cao's head hurt again.
I originally thought that the alliance would be a matter of course, but I didn't expect that Liu Yu would admit death. Cao Cao became upset when he thought about the Ping Qingzhou thieves who were dealing with Tao Qian's Xuzhou.
At this time, Xun Yu poured a bowl of tea for Cao Cao.
After drinking tea, Cao Cao felt a little calmer.
At this time, people everywhere on the street outside the county government shouted:
"The wind is blowing, please take shelter."
Suddenly, a strong wind blew up in Qingzhou, threatening chaos.
……
Naturally, the strong winds of the East cannot blow on the grasslands of the West.
But when Jinan suffered a strong wind disaster, a strong wind was also brewing in the land of Xizhou and Liangzhou.
No one could have expected what kind of chaos this strong wind from Liangzhou would bring to the Kansai court.
In March of the third year of Chengtian's reign, Wuwei County was closed.
Xiutu is a county under Wuwei County. Because the nearby valley has abundant water and is located on the important transportation route between Mobei and the Hexi Corridor, this place has been the largest military settlement in Wuwei County since the beginning of the Han Dynasty.
At its peak, there were 80,000 garrison soldiers here, making it the second largest Han settlement area in Hexi after the Juyan settlement area.
There is a farming area of up to 20,000 hectares. Just cleaning the canals requires the deployment of a thousand farming people at once.
But unfortunately, the wind is always blown away by the rain.
That was in the past. At this time, the Xiutu Tuntian District had shrunk a lot due to the rebellion of the Qiang people. But it was the powerful men of Wuwei who really caused its decline.
The Duan family, Yin family, Suo family and other large families in the county took advantage of the Qiang people's rebellion and continued to occupy the fields in the Xiutuntian area.
Up to now, of the original more than 20,000 hectares of land, less than 3,000 hectares are still in the hands of the descendants of the former land reclamation soldiers.
Today, these three thousand hectares of land cannot be saved.
And the strong wind started because of this.