Three Kingdoms: I, Liu Feng, do not want to die

Chapter 161: The Reconciliation between Generals and Ministers, Liu Feng and Zhuge Liang Discuss the Situation (6k)

Zhuge Liang was good at strategy.

After just playing with it for a while, I could see the ingenuity and shortcomings of the crossbow model.

Gently putting down the crossbow model, Zhuge Liang slowly said: "Your Highness the Prince of Yan wants to change the single shot to continuous fire, and also take into account the lethality and portability. The ingenuity is amazing.

I can change it. But as the Prime Minister, I am very busy, how can I have the time to deal with the tricks and tricks? It's not that I don't want to, but I just don't have the time to spare."

In short: being able to change is a sign of strength, and being busy means that the price has not been agreed upon.

"I am a military man, so Prime Minister, please speak frankly." Liu Feng made a gesture of invitation.

In front of Zhuge Liang, Liu Feng did not want to be mysterious, nor would he show off his failing political scheming.

A person who can play the two copies of "Xinye Liu Bei" and "Baidicheng Liu Bei" to the extreme and become famous throughout the ages, his political scheming and scheming are far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

What Liu Feng sees now is just the tip of the iceberg of Zhuge Liang.

The abilities that Zhuge Liang has demonstrated so far, except for his early external policy at Longzhong, are mostly related to military administration and governing the people.

If it weren't for the perspective of later generations, probably no one would believe that Zhuge Liang also made achievements in brilliant strategies, military tactics, and ingenuity.

Although Chen Shou once commented that Zhuge Liang was "strong in military administration but weak in strategies, and better in governing the people than in military strategy", the God of War Li Jing also directly criticized Chen Shou by saying that "few historians know much about military affairs".

The implication is: You are a scholar who writes history books, what do you know about strange strategies and military tactics?

Therefore.

In front of Zhuge Liang, Liu Feng was more inclined to be honest: I am just a warrior who only knows how to fight, so don't beat around the bush, just say it directly.

Zhuge Liang was slightly surprised.

Liu Feng's frankness obviously surprised Zhuge Liang: His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan seemed to trust Liang too much, was it an illusion?

After thinking for a while, Zhuge Liang considered his words: "Your Highness the Prince of Yan is a man of quick words, so I will speak frankly.

Although Jingzhou is a rich place, it has experienced wars and its counties have been ruined. The six counties of Nanjun, Jiangxia, Wuling, Lingling, Changsha, and Guiyang have only more than 200,000 registered households.

And now.

Your Majesty moved the capital to Jiangling, and all officials and soldiers were stationed in the six counties.

There are more than 80,000 soldiers stationed in the six counties, and more than 20,000 officials under them.

Three households support one soldier, and ten households support one official. Your Majesty also requires Liang to reduce taxes and not be harsh on the people. At the same time, he must accumulate food and fodder for use in the Northern Expedition and the Eastern Expedition.

Liang, it’s really a headache.

The three counties of Xiangyang, Xincheng and Yidu had a registered population of over 100,000, but had no more than 20,000 soldiers and no more than a thousand officials, which made Liang extremely envious.

If His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan can lend a helping hand, I might be able to spare some time to improve this crossbow for His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan would not need to be named after the surname ‘Zhuge’.

Zhuge Liang did not lie.

Although the four counties in southern Jing have a vast territory, they are all remote areas with low population density. Excluding the mountain people, vagrants, refugees, barbarians and the households concealed by the wealthy and powerful, the registered population is very scarce.

Jiangxia County was a war zone and had been massacred by Sun Quan, so the registered population was even smaller.

Among the six counties, Nan County has the largest population.

When Guan Yu was in Jingzhou, he could barely hold on.

Now that Liu Bei has moved the capital, most of the officials and soldiers are stationed in the six counties, which has caused the finances to go into deficit.

Although it is possible to transfer taxes and grain from Xichuan to Jiangling, the journey to Xichuan is long, which is not only costly but will also increase corvée labor. Moreover, the taxes and grain from Xichuan have to support Dongchuan and Nanzhong, so the situation is still not optimistic.

Zhuge Liang accepted the invitation, not only because Liu Feng gave the credit for presenting the curved plow to Liu Chan, but also mainly because he was attracted by the more than 100,000 registered residents in Liu Feng's three counties.

Zhuge Liang's frank words made Liu Feng laugh.

It turned out that he had his eyes on the household registration of the three counties. It just so happened that I was also annoyed that the officials under my command were not capable enough in governing the people.

Even though Liu Feng now has a registered permanent residence of over 100,000, in fact, Liu Feng is just "fat but weak".

Although the household registration system was in place, there was a lack of talent to govern the people. Even the prefect of Xincheng had to force Deng Fan to be promoted, and the more than a thousand officials were mostly short people promoted to tall people.

It seems like everyone is busy every day, but in fact most of the time they are busy doing nothing.

The efficiency has not been improved at all!
Deng Fan had written to Liu Feng more than once, hoping that Liu Feng could recruit some talented people in Jiangling to govern the people and go to the new city.

Now that Zhuge Liang has set his eyes on the three counties with a population of more than 100,000, Liu Feng no longer has to take the initiative to recruit talents.

"Since I am the King of Yan, I should put national affairs first! The Prime Minister has worked hard for the country, how can I not lend a helping hand? I have a suggestion, please consider it."

As if he was afraid that Zhuge Liang would go back on his word, Liu Feng put forward his proposal without waiting for Zhuge Liang to speak.

"Your Majesty, your father originally wanted me to manage the military and political affairs of these three counties. However, governing the people is not my forte. The reason why there are only a thousand officials in the three counties is not because I am good at governing the people, but because there are no talented people available.

If the Prime Minister is willing to transfer talented people who are good at governing the people to the three counties to help me govern these more than 100,000 households, I can give half of the taxes and grain to the Prime Minister for overall planning and allocation.

If the Prime Minister is willing to help me train talented people, I can give all the taxes and grain to the Prime Minister for overall management and use."

Even though Zhuge Liang was always calm in the face of praise or criticism, his breathing became short at this moment.

"Your Highness, Prince Yan, are you kidding me?"

Half of the taxes and grain were under the overall planning and allocation of Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang could still be trusted. After all, Liu Feng needed talented people to govern the people in the three counties, and Zhuge Liang needed to place officials in charge of coordinating the taxes and grain. This was a win-win situation.

However, all taxes and grain were under the overall planning and allocation of Zhuge Liang, and the reason for the additional increase was to cultivate talents, which was beyond Zhuge Liang's expectations.

Zhuge Liang was very clear about Liu Bei's intention of putting the military and political affairs of the three counties under the control of Liu Feng: it was to enable Liu Feng to help Liu Chan check and balance the ministers in the future, and also to prevent Liu Feng from being dismissed because of slander against Liu Chan.

And now.

However, Liu Feng directly gave Zhuge Liang the power of talent training, personnel transfer and taxation coordination in the three counties!

If Zhuge Liang had selfish motives, he could directly use this opportunity to undermine Liu Feng's power in the three counties!

Seeing Zhuge Liang's doubts, Liu Feng calmed down and said, "I have always believed that without rules, there will be no order. The collapse of rituals and music and the loss of people's hearts are regrettable.

Nowadays, the world is in chaos and people are suspicious. It is common for fathers to suspect their sons, brothers to suspect their brothers, monarchs to suspect their ministers, officials to suspect their clerks, and generals to suspect their officers. I also know that many people in the court and the public are talking about me in private, fearing that I will threaten the position of the crown prince.

Human hearts are the most unpredictable. Even Ji Dan, who assisted King Cheng in quelling chaos and bringing order to the country, would be suspected of having the intention of usurping the throne.

It is natural that he would be suspected as he is the King of Yan, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and the governor of three counties.

However, my ambition is not to rise to the top of the government, but to be far away in the world. I am only responsible for quelling the chaos and expanding the borders, while the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister are responsible for governing the country and the people.

Although my father's original intention was to protect me, fearing that I would be abandoned like Cao Zhang, the more he did so, the more he would sow the seeds of disaster; someone as humble as Wang Mang and as ambitious as Cao Cao would also change their original intentions in the struggle for power.

I dare not say that I can remain unscathed after being caught up in the vortex of power struggle.

To control people's hearts, there must be laws and regulations. If the laws and regulations are unclear, it will be difficult to control people's hearts.

Keeping Yu Fan and Fei Shi, who dare to speak out directly, by my side is a restraint on myself; the proposal I made to the Prime Minister today is also a restraint on myself.

Only when the king is wise and the generals are harmonious can the country be strong and prosperous. I ask the Prime Minister to think deeply about this."

Liu Feng's ambition and sincerity made Zhuge Liang look in awe.

Thinking back on what Liu Feng had done in recent years, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but remain silent.

Heart to heart.

Liu Feng, who had always been regarded as Liu Bei's successor, was suddenly told that the successor was changed to Liu Chan. How torturous would this mental journey be?

Not everyone can figure it out!
however.

Liu Feng figured it out!

When brothers fight against each other, they bring about their own destruction.

In the front, there were Yuan Shao's three sons, and in the back, there were Liu Biao's two sons. Both of them were caused by brotherly discord, which led to internal struggles among civil and military officials. In the end, they were like a pile of loose sand and were defeated by Cao Cao.

Liu Feng not only figured it out, he also took the initiative to increase Liu Chan's prestige, making sure that all the civil and military officials in Liu Bei's camp understood that Liu Feng and Liu Chan were "brothers in love and respect."

No matter how big a force is, if it cannot unite its strength, it is just loose sand.

Thinking of this, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but sigh and bowed to Liu Feng: "The King of Yan has lofty ambitions, and I am shallow. Who does the King of Yan want to let me train?"

Liu Feng smiled again and said, "In addition to Ma Yu and Dong Hui who were transferred to the Prime Minister's Office, there are two more people, the governor of Xincheng, Deng Fan, and the agricultural commander of Xincheng, Deng Ai."

Zhuge Liang was slightly surprised: "Ma Yu, Dong Hui and Deng Fan are all talented people, and I will not hide anything. I wonder who this agricultural commander Deng Ai is?"

Liu Feng stood up, took out a bamboo scroll from the bookcase and handed it to Zhuge Liang: "Deng Ai, a native of Xinye, is also Deng Fan's cousin. He was relocated to Xiangcheng to be a farmer since he was a child. Although he was born in a humble family, he did not feel ashamed. He studied hard and finally achieved success.

Because he stuttered, he was not valued and only worked as a minor official guarding straw. When I heard about it, I tried to find him.

This is Deng Ai's "On Crossing the Han River" written after he surveyed the fields along the Han River. Prime Minister, you can take a look at it first."

The gist of "On Jihe River" is: build water conservancy projects, optimize the military farming system, coordinate the economy and military, and link up military garrisons. The core is "using agriculture to support war and using war to promote unity."

This was the result of Deng Ai's careful survey of the Han River's geography, landforms, fields, water conservancy projects, etc., which he had spent more than half a year on, and he summarized it based on the current situation.

After reading "Jihe Lun" carefully, Zhuge Liang was even more surprised: "Is this boy really just a minor official guarding straw? With such talent, His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan can use him directly, why does he need me to train him?"

Liu Feng sighed: "Those who accomplish great things must have great ambitions. Although Deng Ai is a man of great talent, he is like a double-edged sword without a sheath, good at showing its edge but poor at hiding its edge.

Due to his humble background and stuttering defect, Deng Ai was often ridiculed and despised even though he had made great achievements in his studies. If he was not properly guided, he would be eager for quick success and instant benefits and harm others and himself in the future.

Both the Prime Minister and Deng Ai were forced to flee their homeland due to the war, and both studied hard and became great talents; however, the Prime Minister's talent was ten times that of Deng Ai, but he did not have half the edge of Deng Ai, and he was better at getting along with others.

This shows that the Prime Minister has a magnanimous character, which is rare in the world.

If Deng Ai can follow the Prime Minister, learn the qualities of a great man, and learn how to be restrained, he will surely become a great general in the future Northern Expedition to the Central Plains!"

There is no doubt that Deng Ai is a great talent.

However, Deng Ai's background, defects and experiences made him good at military affairs but weak at politics. It can be said that he was a good match for Lu Meng. If he could not keep a close eye on things, things could easily go wrong.

As a disciple of Sima Yi, no matter how you look at it, Deng Ai would never betray Sima Zhao.

However, Sima Zhao had just killed the emperor and needed a great feat to destroy a country, so he sent Zhong Hui and Deng Ai to attack Shu.

Zhong Hui came from a prominent family, so he naturally guessed Sima Zhao's thoughts. He was probably waiting for Sima Zhao to reap the final credit.

As a result, Deng Ai destroyed Shu in a short time, and then arbitrarily followed the previous practice of General Deng Yu of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He appointed a large number of officials in the name of the emperor, and even asked Sima Zhao for soldiers and food, in order to destroy the State of Wu in one fell swoop.

Deng Ai thought: Sima Zhao will be the emperor in the future, and I will be Deng Yu. Although this idea is not wrong, it will also become a reason for attack by political opponents.

Deng Ai never understood that Sima Zhao was not the emperor at that time!
You, Deng Ai, want to be Deng Yu, but do you mean to be the Deng Yu of the Great Wei?

Sima Zhao was so angry that he recalled Deng Ai for trial. However, unexpected events occurred during the trial. First, Zhong Hui rebelled, and then Wei Guan wanted to take all the credit. As a result, Deng Ai was eventually secretly beheaded by people sent by Wei Guan.

The way he died was similar to Wei Yan's. He had no intention of rebelling, but lost his life in vain because he did not know how to hide his edge and was not aware of the dangers of power struggles.

Since Liu Feng used Deng Ai, he naturally didn't want Deng Ai to go down the same old path.

Letting Deng Ai become Zhuge Liang's disciple could not only make up for Deng Ai's political shortcomings, but also promote harmony between Liu Feng and Zhuge Liang.

It was also a way of showing kindness and power to Deng Ai.

Humble origin?

Let Zhuge Liang be Deng Ai's teacher.

Stuttering defect?

Let Zhuge Liang praise Deng Ai's handwritten "On Crossing the Yellow River".

Don’t know how to hide your edge?

Let Zhuge Liang teach us more about what it means to be restrained and reserved.

Are you confident of your talent?

Zhuge Liang would teach Deng Ai what it means to “there are always people better than you”.

Although the power to coordinate talent training, personnel transfers and taxation and grain in the three counties was delegated to Zhuge Liang, there would be other situations that were unfavorable to Liu Feng, but weighing all factors, it would be more beneficial than harmful to Liu Feng.

In short: if Liu Feng works alone, the same three counties may only produce 60% of the money and grain taxes; if he cooperates with Zhuge Liang, the same three counties may produce 200% of the money and grain taxes.

It not only meets Liu Feng's financial needs, but also increases the overall strength of Liu Bei's camp and also serves as a favor to Zhuge Liang.

of course.

This is also due to Liu Feng's memories of his previous life.

If the prime minister was Sima Yi, let alone delegating the power of talent training, personnel transfers and taxation and grain in the three counties to Sima Yi, Liu Feng would have to find a way to kill Sima Yi first.

Zhuge Liang is a model minister respected by all dynasties!

As long as Liu Feng does not compete with Liu Chan for the throne, Zhuge Liang will be Liu Feng's most stable rear.

Zhuge Liang's failure in the Northern Expedition, Huan Wen's failure in the Northern Expedition, and Yue Fei's failure in the Northern Expedition were not only due to the gap in national strength, but the most important reason was the instability of the rear that hindered their progress.

Liu Feng's honesty gradually eliminated Zhuge Liang's doubts.

Zhuge Liang left with the crossbow model and promised to complete the improvement of the crossbow within a month.

Zhuge Liang also agreed to Liu Feng's plan for talent training, personnel transfers, and tax and grain coordination in the three counties.

This is a plan that can greatly alleviate financial pressure, and Zhuge Liang cannot refuse it!

Wait for Zhuge Liang to leave.

Liu Feng took out another bamboo slip and pondered quietly.

The content on the bamboo slips is the latest information on the war between Cao Pi and Sun Quan in the Hefei area.

Cao Pi, leads the army in person!

Although Zhang Liao recaptured Hefei, he went on the expedition while ill and encountered a cold wave, which caused complications from his old injuries. He died after recaptured Hefei.

Cao Pi, who was shocked by the bad news, hated Sun Quan deeply.

You have to know that Zhang Liao was only in his early fifties and was the foreign general that Cao Pi trusted and respected the most.

At first, Zhang Liao had been ill for a long time and could not recover.

Cao Pi ordered people to bring Zhang Liao to the camp, drove him there personally, gave him imperial clothes, and ordered his attendants to deliver meals to Zhang Liao every day.

Never thought.

Sun Quan actually instigated the surrendered general Pan Zhang to rebel, not only seizing Hefei but also capturing Zhu Ling. Upon hearing the news, Zhang Liao felt ashamed and insisted on leading his troops to Hefei.

Cao Pi originally wanted Zhang Liao to continue recuperating, but he could not persuade Zhang Liao, so he sent Cao Xiu to go with Zhang Liao.

Unexpectedly, the news he got back was that Zhang Liao had recaptured Hefei and died of illness!
This made Cao Pi feel extremely humiliated!
Sun Quan pledged allegiance to Liu Bei, but Cao Pi didn't care. His knees were on Sun Quan's legs, so Cao Pi couldn't control who Sun Quan knelt to.

Cao Pi didn't care about the loss of Hefei. Hefei was isolated in the north of the Yangtze River and Sun Quan could not defend it. If it was lost, he could just take it back.

What Cao Pi cares about is: Zhang Liao is dead!
This is something Cao Pi cannot tolerate!
An enraged Cao Pi sent General Cao Ren to lead tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry to attack Ruxukou, and he also went to Shouchun in person, vowing to teach Sun Quan a lesson!
Since the fighting started in October last year, Cao Pi still has no intention of withdrawing his troops.

"Although it is a good idea to let Cao Pi and Sun Quan fight each other, we are short of money and food now. Whether we go through Hanzhong to Longyou, Xincheng to Guanzhong, or Xiangyang to Wancheng, it is difficult to win. But if we sit back and do nothing, it would not be a good thing if Sun Quan loses."

Although Zhang Liao's death, Cao Pi's personal expedition, and Cao Ren's attack on Ruxukou are similar to historical records, the Sun Quan of today is not the Sun Quan who captured Jingzhou and won Yiling as recorded in history.

The army suffered a series of defeats in the battles against Liu Bei's side, and lost important military locations such as Lukou, Xiakou, Fankou and Echeng one after another. The morale of the army was getting lower and lower.

Although he managed to launch a surprise attack on Hefei, facing the counterattack of Cao Pi's army, Sun Quan did not dare to really fight Cao Pi in the north of the Yangtze River. He could only retreat to Ruxukou and rely on the city and the dangerous river to resist Cao Pi.

The situation among the three parties has long been different.

Now that Cao Ren had been captured alive by Liu Bei in Fancheng, it was hard to say whether he would be defeated by Sun Quan as recorded in history because he relied on his large number of troops and did not listen to Jiang Ji's good advice.

“Perhaps, this is an opportunity.”

Liu Feng put away the bamboo slips, got up and went to the General's Mansion to look for Guan Yu.

Hearing Liu Feng's proposal, Guan Yu could not help but be shocked: "Send troops to rescue Sun Quan? The intention of destroying Guo by pretending to be a pretext is too obvious. How could Lu Xun of Chaisang let the warships of Jingzhou enter Jiangdong?"

Liu Feng chuckled: "General, you have misunderstood. This is not a false pretext to destroy Guo, but a filial son who wants to save his father."

Guan Yu was a little confused: "What filial son?"

After a pause, Guan Yu reacted and said, "You mean Sun Quan's hostage Sun Lu? You want to go to Jiangdong in the name of Sun Lu?"

Liu Feng nodded: "The Han Dynasty governs the country with filial piety. Although Sun Lu is a hostage, it cannot stop him from fulfilling his filial piety. Moreover, Sun Quan has pledged his loyalty to the Han Dynasty. If the pseudo-Wei wants to attack Sun Quan, how can the Han Dynasty not help him? For both public and private reasons, we should send troops!

The general does not have to worry about insufficient food and fodder during the long voyage to Jiangdong. Since Sun Quan has pledged his loyalty, Jiangdong also belongs to the Han Dynasty. When the Han army goes to rescue Sun Quan, how can the officials along the way not welcome them with food and drink?

As for Lu Xun of Chaisang, with Sun Lu there, he dared not stop him! "

There was once a joke about Wu Zetian.

That is, Wu Zetian believed that since a man as emperor could send a woman to marry a foreign prince, then a woman as emperor could also send a prince to marry a foreign prince.

The new joke that comes from this is: Today the prince is getting married, and tomorrow he will go south to capture the dragon.

Liu Feng had this idea in mind when he disagreed with Sun Quan giving away his sister or daughter and asked Sun Quan to give away a hostage.

Although hostages are different from marriage alliances, there were many precedents of vassal states sending troops to send hostages back to their countries during the Warring States Period.

The Han Dynasty governed the country with filial piety.

Sun Lu borrowed troops to fulfill his filial duty and repel Cao Pi. Did Lu Xun dare to stop him? If he dared to stop him, he would be sentenced to surrender to Wei and attack Chaisang directly!

"Let me think about it carefully."

Guan Yu did not immediately agree to Liu Feng's proposal.

As a general, Guan Yu had to consider the overall strategy rather than the local strategy.

The pros and cons must be carefully considered.

a long time.

Guan Yu slowly said: "This plan may be feasible, but it is still difficult to decide who will lead the troops."

Liu Feng smiled and said: "How difficult is that? I can go there myself."

Guan Yu was shocked: "You? You are the King of Yan now, how can you go?"

Liu Feng reiterated: "General, I just said that this is not a false pretext to destroy the State of Guo, but a filial son who wants to save his father. My identity is the most suitable. If the general or the general who conquers the east goes there in person, even if Sun Lu is there, Lu Xun will not dare to let him go!"

Guan Yu was worried: "Sun Quan is fickle. If he surrenders to Cao Pi again, how will you escape?"

Liu Feng believed it and smiled: "Even if Sun Quan really wanted to surrender to Cao Pi, would Cao Pi dare to believe it? How would Cao Pi know that Sun Quan was not pretending to surrender?

Moreover, if I were really surrounded, then my father would have another reason to attack Sun Quan! Based on my understanding of Sun Quan, he would not dare to die with me! "

There was a pause.

Liu Feng calmed down and said, "General, you must not hesitate any longer. With Sun Quan's current reputation in Jiangdong, there will be many people who are ready to make a move. If I go to Jiangdong, I can also confuse their hearts.

If Sun Quan loses, Cao Pi will certainly take advantage of the situation to win over the Jiangdong nobles and gain the advantage of warships and naval forces; if Sun Quan wins, the reputation he lost in Jingzhou will be restored, and it will be easier to disturb the people of Jiangdong in the future. "

Guan Yu took a deep breath and said, "This is a matter of great importance. I need to consult your majesty. Your Highness the Prince of Yan can go with me."

For such a major matter, one naturally had to ask Liu Bei for instructions.

Liu Feng did not hesitate and went to see Liu Bei with Guan Yu.

After learning the details, Liu Bei made a prompt decision: "Although Sun Quan has surrendered, there are no officials appointed by me in Jiangdong. Cao Pi was unwilling to withdraw his troops after fighting for three months, which shows that he hated Sun Quan deeply.

In this case, the Prince of Yan can bring Sun Lu to court tomorrow. I will publicize Sun Lu's filial piety and order the Prince of Yan to lead 10,000 naval forces into Jiangdong to both save Sun Quan and pacify Jiangdong."

Liu Bei's administrative efficiency was very fast.

The next morning, Liu Feng took Sun Lu to court.

Whether it was Zhuge Liang or Fa Zheng and others in the court, they were all shrewd people. When they saw Sun Lu crying and asking Liu Bei to send troops to save his father and specifically asking Liu Feng to lead the troops, they understood the intention.

Everyone expressed their support for saving Sun Quan.

Subsequently.

Liu Bei gave Liu Feng an imperial edict to pacify Jiangdong, and asked Guan Yu to give Liu Feng a document to mobilize troops, asking Liu Feng to go directly to Lukou to allocate naval warships to Chaisang.

a few days later.

At Lukou, Liu Feng appointed eight generals, including Yue Ju, Yang Xing, Yan Cheng, He Yuan, Luo Yan, Yu Hua, Lu Wen, and Niu Xian, to lead 10,000 naval warships directly into Chaisang.

(End of this chapter)