My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 468: Annexing the Three Kingdoms of Korea
"Alas, how could my luck be so bad? I have escaped to a remote place like Lelang County, but I was still targeted by Zhou Gongjin. Could it be that Zhou Gongjin has the ability to foresee the future?"

"But you should be loyal to the trust of others. A gentleman's promise is worth a thousand gold. Even if you fall into danger, you should not break your integrity."

Standing on the dangerous top of the city wall, the famous scholar Bing Yuan looked at the vast number of Zhou Yu's troops besieging the city outside the city, and could not help but sigh inwardly, feeling that he had a bad fate.

Zhou Yu had been besieging the city for several days. Relying on the fact that the city still had towers and walls similar to those in the Central Plains, Zhou Yu was unable to attack immediately.

But seeing Zhou Yu commanding his troops to dig trenches around the four gates, build earth walls, and forge siege weapons, Bing Yuan also knew that the life of this city was already counting down.

There are several thousand second-line combat troops in the city, all of whom are Han troops under the command of the Gongsun family. They can also gather a group of newly naturalized Dongyi natives from Lelang to serve as local militia, but their combat effectiveness is definitely far inferior to that of the Han army.

Bing Yuan has been patrolling the city every day these days, and there are a few more wrinkles on his forehead that are visibly visible to the naked eye.

It was already evening. Seeing that another day had passed, Bing Yuan was about to return home, dragging his haggard body.

However, just as he reached the east gate tower and was about to go down the steps on the inner side of the city wall, he saw a team of armored guards, surrounding a boy of eight or nine years old, walking towards him.

The boy was dressed gorgeously but looked a little timid. His name was Gongsun Huang, and he was Gongsun Kang's eldest son.

When Gongsun Huang saw Bing Yuan, his frightened expression calmed down a little. He ran forward and grabbed Bing Yuan's thigh: "Sir, will Zhou Yu attack the city? Can we defend it?"

Bing Yuan stroked the child's hair and comforted him repeatedly: "We can hold it, we will definitely hold it... Regardless of whether we can hold it or not, I will encourage the soldiers in the city to fight to the death. Be loyal to the people who trust you.

My lord allowed me to break out of Xiangping and live in seclusion in this remote place. I only hope that I can have three burrows in the future and keep more blood of the Gongsun family. I am a man of integrity and I will do what I say! "

It turned out that three months ago, when Zhao Yun and Zhou Yu had just reached Liaoyang and Xiangping, Bing Yuan was still in Xiangping. He saw Gongsun Du for the last time before his death and listened to Gongsun Du's last words.

The reason why he appeared in Lelang County now was because after Gongsun Du's death, Gongsun Kang made a gentleman's agreement with him.

At that time, Gongsun Kang told him that the Gongsun family would not be able to defend Xiangping in the future, and if the negotiations were unsuccessful, they would have to surrender to the King of Fuyu. Although Gongsun Kang did not want to be inferior to others, he also knew the principle that a cunning rabbit has three burrows.

At that time, the Gongsun family still had power in two counties on the Chaoxian Peninsula, and with Changbai Mountain blocking the way, Gongsun Kang felt that Zhao Yun and Zhou Yu's troops might not be able to reach that far. He was reluctant to lose these remote places, and it was impossible for him to defend them personally, so Gongsun Kang wanted to spread the risk.

So he reached a gentleman's agreement with Bing Yuan, a famous scholar who was forced to serve his father: Gongsun Kang would assign a cavalry to escort Bing Yuan and others to break out of the siege and go to Lelang County. In the future, Bing Yuan would be allowed to govern Lelang and Daifang, and he would no longer have to obey his orders. No matter what the final outcome of the battle in Xiangping was, they would not have to seek revenge.

In exchange, they hoped that Bing Yuan would take one of Gongsun Kang's sons to break out and not stay in Xiangping. In this way, no matter what the outcome of the Gongsun army in Xiangping was, the Gongsun family would have a little more "diversified investment", and it would ensure that Gongsun Kang himself would have a son's bloodline left outside.

Bing Yuan worked for Gongsun Du just to save Liu Zheng. More than a decade ago, when Bing Yuan was still a hermit, he hid the Liaodong Confucian scholar Liu Zheng, and Gongsun Du issued a wanted order to hunt down Liu Zheng.

In the end, Bing Yuan offered to serve as an official under Gongsun Du in exchange for Gongsun Du's pardon of Liu Zheng. Then Bing Yuan entrusted Taishi Ci, who was also in exile in Liaodong at the time, to secretly send Liu Zheng to Donglai on the opposite bank on a ship.

In other words, Bing Yuan had no feelings for the Gongsun family. He just worked hard for so many years because he was a famous scholar who kept his promise and kept his word. During the Han Dynasty, many famous scholars still attached great importance to reputation and integrity, and would not break their promises even if they died.

Now that Gongsun Kang was willing to set him free, he was of course happy to do so and agreed to the condition.

Bing originally thought that since he had fled to Lelang, he would definitely not be hunted down. At most, he could live in seclusion in the secluded area, slowly improve the customs of Lelang, and gradually bring the local governance closer to the Central Plains, which would be a merit worthy of being recorded in history.

Who knew that Zhou Yu’s sailing ability was so strong that he could cross the Yellow Sea and chase him here? Who can I reason with?

Bing Yuan, with something on his mind, comforted Gongsun Huang with a few words and was about to have the child sent back home.

But although Gongsun Huang was young, he was born in a family of princes after all. At the age of nine, he already understood the cruelty of this era of great contention. Seeing Mr. Bing in such a dilemma, he guessed that there might be little hope of defending the city.

Out of fear, he actually suggested: "Sir, if this Lelang County is really impossible to defend, why not negotiate with Zhou Yu for peace terms? As long as he is willing to let us go, it doesn't matter if the city is left to him. At worst, we can go to the heart of Han Yu further south to rebuild our base and start from scratch.

I am still young, and not many people in the army know my identity. As long as you help to cover it up, I think I can get away with it."

When Bing Yuan heard this, his eyes lit up and he realized that this was also a way out.

Since the young master is willing to hide his identity and not set up a flag, the possibility of him surrendering and escaping is much greater.

Lelang County is not a rich place, so there is no reason to stay here. If you go south to find a wild land to reclaim and build it for ten or twenty years, it will be almost the same as here. Why should you throw your life away here?

Bing Yuan thought for a moment, then bowed to Gongsun Huang and said, "Since this is the case, I know my limits and will negotiate with Zhou Yu when I have the chance. For now, there is just one difficulty -

According to the scouts of the lord's army, if you go south from Daishui, there are mountains within a hundred miles. This is a dangerous place with many mountains and forests. I don't know if we can find a plain that can be cultivated after crossing the mountains like we did when we found Lelang and Daifang. We can only take it step by step and make long-term plans. "

While Bing Yuan was sighing, he took action without delay. He started preparing letters and messengers that day, intending to contact and communicate with Zhou Yu.

However, things were definitely not that smooth. Both sides were talking in secret. Bing Yuan did not dare to let the other party know that he was hiding a son of Gongsun Kang. Many of the conditions he proposed inevitably made wise men like Zhou Yu suspicious. He could not understand why he proposed them. In some cases, he had to ask Zhuge Jin in the rear for instructions. In this case, progress was bound to be slow.

……

More than half a month passed in a flash, and it was already April.

The envoys Zhou Yu sent back to Liaodong and Donglai also made a round trip and brought back the people Zhou Yu needed.

At the same time, while helping Zhou Yu find Guan Ning, Zhao Yun also did not forget to send the front-line plan of trying to force the enemy to surrender through negotiations to Zhuge Jin in Ji County for filing.

After reading it, Zhuge Jin roughly sorted out the various possibilities in his mind.

"Bing Yuan was actually sent to Lelang by Gongsun Kang to garrison there, and there are many old members of the Gongsun family. What do they want to do? If the Gongsun family wants to fight to the death, shouldn't they concentrate their forces in Xiangping and Liaoyang and firmly defend them?
Even if there is a city in Lelang, it is far less solid than Xiangping. Defending such a place is just a waste of manpower. Could it be that this is another trick of the cunning rabbit having three burrows to avoid the complete destruction of Gongsun Kang's lineage after Xiangping is captured?"

Zhuge Jin didn't guess that it was Gongsun Huang who was sent to Lelang, but he roughly guessed that the other party was considering spreading risks and not putting all eggs in one basket when disaster strikes. Following this line of thought, he roughly figured out a countermeasure.

A few days later, the second group of messengers sent by Zhou Yu brought some news, saying that there were several difficulties in the initial negotiation contact stage that needed instructions.

According to Zhou Yu's messenger, Bing Yuan also wanted to negotiate and then live in seclusion, begging the court not to kill him. But he was worried that after leaving the plains, there would be no more flat and fertile land suitable for farming in the south, and he would have to go into the mountains and forests to fish and hunt like the Han and Ye barbarians, and lose his Han clothing.

After Zhuge Jin sorted out the other party's difficulties, he suddenly had an idea and thought of a solution. He wrote a letter to Zhou Yu. In the letter, Zhuge Jin analyzed: "Bing Yuan is a famous scholar in the Central Plains. He is willing to negotiate peace with our army and give up land, but he himself is unwilling to stay in Lelang and become an official of the court. It must be because he has Gongsun Kang's family with him, so he has to hide from the outside world.

As for Gongsun Kang's family, I can let them go, but I require that in the future they must act under the name of Han officials, explore foreign lands, and not establish their own country.

As for Bing Yuan's concern that there is no place south of the Daishui River for farming and reproduction, this is not a concern. I read the Dongguan Hanji and saw Cai Gong's notes mentioning that there is a large island on the Yellow Sea in the extreme south and west of Hanwei. Although it has a gentle slope, it can also be used for horse grazing and farming. The area covers several counties.

If you feel that the island is isolated, you can go around the southernmost part of the Chosun Peninsula and turn east. In the southeast corner of the Three Kingdoms, there is another basin plain with fertile land. The basin is like a pot in the mountain, so Cai Gong casually named the place Busan in his notes. This place is also large enough for tens of thousands of households to farm and reproduce. "

The messenger drifted on the sea for more than ten days and delivered the things to Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu was annoyed by the stalemate in the negotiations and did not want to commit more murders, so he delayed the general attack. He was also worried that more hatred would accumulate after he surrendered in the future.

After receiving Zhuge Jin's letter, he hurriedly read it carefully and found that all his concerns and the enemy's worries had been resolved by Brother Ziyu one by one. He was naturally very happy.

"Brother Ziyu is really good at making plans and winning battles thousands of miles away! I also think that Bing Yuan is so coy because he must have made an oath and is afraid of losing his reputation, so he insists on not surrendering. Brother Ziyu is thousands of miles away, but he can figure this out from the other party's words. His wisdom is far superior to mine.

Brother Ziyu is really well-read. I wonder where these notes he mentioned came from? Could it be the manuscripts that were scattered among the people before Dong Zhuo burned Luoyang and destroyed Lanting? Or were they the notes that were scattered among the people after Lord Cai was forced to death by Wang Yun? Regardless, Brother Ziyu said there was such a thing, so it must be such a thing. Let's take this to negotiate with Bing Yuan."

Zhou Yu had made up his mind, so he deployed his troops again and went to challenge the dangerous city, asking Bing Yuan to come out of the city in person to answer the call.

Zhou Yu was very tough. He deployed two thousand cavalrymen under the city wall and ordered the scolds to shout in unison: "Bing Genju! Come out of the city and answer me! I have asked the princes for your conditions last time and I have agreed to them! As long as you surrender the city, I will let you go even if you are carrying Gongsun Kang's own son!"
If you still refuse to come out of the city to negotiate in person, we will attack the city!"

Zhou Yu also knew how to figure out the enemy's mentality. He knew very well that when a negotiation has dragged on for more than a month, the enemy is a little tired. At this time, you must be a little resolute, otherwise it will be difficult to move things forward again.

We just happened to have some new and significant good news right now, so we must take advantage of the situation and use force to regain the initiative.

Bing Yuan had no military talent, all he had was fame. After being frightened by Zhou Yu, he opened the city gate soon and led dozens of riders out of the city to negotiate with Zhou Yu face to face.

With this attitude, he was not worried that Zhou Yu would betray him and suddenly capture him and then seize the city. Perhaps this was the confidence of the celebrity.

Zhou Yu was very satisfied with the result. He looked up and felt something was wrong from a distance, but he couldn't put his finger on it. When Bing Yuan and others came closer and the two sides were several dozen steps apart, Zhou Yu suddenly realized:

It turned out that the disharmony came from the local war horses of the Three Han that Bing Yuan and others rode.

"Ban Gu said that the Dongyi people had fruit trees, and that the horse's back was only three or four feet off the ground, so a person riding a horse could still pass under a fruit tree without his head touching the branches and leaves. Today, I saw that it was indeed true! In the Dongyi land, even the horses are so short, and it is not surprising that the local soldiers are weak and unable to fight, and only know how to use bows and arrows."

Zhou Yu thought to himself, and felt an extra sense of superiority.

Zhou Yu also read a lot, but he did not read as many non-existent books as Zhuge Jin. The Dongyi people did dismount, which is recorded in the Book of Han, so Zhou Yu certainly read it.

He had entered Lelang County a month ago and had never fought with the enemy cavalry, so he overlooked this point.

At this moment, the two men met face to face. Zhou Yu was tall and handsome, and he was riding a tall horse. He looked down on Bing Yuan and was very intimidating.

Zhou Yu then asked in a clear voice: "Mr. Genju, I respect you as a famous scholar and a man of integrity. I will advise you again today. You should also recognize the two people on my left and right, Lord Guan of Liaodong and Lord Liu of Donglai. They are both your old friends, and now they are all under the rule of the General of Chariots and Cavalry, enjoying peace.

You served the Gongsun family because you were forced to do so. Now, as long as you keep your promise, you will have done your utmost. This is a letter from the princes. I sent it to you after asking for permission. The princes promised in person that as long as you surrender, the court will pardon you even if you have Gongsun Kang's son by your side, as long as he no longer attempts to establish his own country and as long as he is willing to serve as a Han minister. "

Bing was originally suppressed by Zhou Yu, and seeing his old friends such as Guan Ning and Liu Zheng were also there, and Zhou Yu made new promises, how could he still have the will to resist?
Bing Yuan: "Can you really let the Gongsun family go? If so, I will be worthy of the old master. But just for peace of mind, Young Master Gongsun can't stay in Lelang after all. If he is restricted by others, where can we go?"

Zhou Yu then told Zhuge Jin about his arrangements.

"…As long as you are willing, you can choose either the isolated island called Tamra Island or the fertile basin of the Three Han called Busan. The direct troops of the Gongsun family who are willing to follow you can also go there to open up. The court can also guarantee that merchant ships will go there to trade several times a year to replenish the Central Plains products you need and ensure that you can gain a foothold."

The two sides discussed some more details. Seeing that Zhou Yu could describe the plan in such detail, and with Zhuge Jin's handwritten letter as evidence, Bing Yuan believed it at least 70% to 80%.

If the Zhuge brothers say they are sure of something, then they are definitely sure of it. Any of the Zhuge brothers dares to predict the geography and customs of distant places overseas. Even if the person concerned has never been there, they are willing to unconditionally believe in the predictions and judgments of the Zhuge family.

This is the credibility that the Zhuge surname has accumulated in China over the past decade.

Zhou Yu did not let Bing Yuan make a decision on the spot. He let Bing Yuan go back to the city and discussed with Gongsun Huang and several other generals in charge of military affairs. In the evening of the same day, the final decision was made to open the city and surrender.

Gongsun Huang, who was nine years old, led the way out of the city and surrendered to Zhou Yu with the seal. Zhou Yu felt sorry for him because he was still a child, so he showed him some mercy: "Since you are so young and cannot stand the fatigue of war, I will leave another county in Daifang and let your people garrison there for half a year.

If you are willing to go to Busan, I will give you fifty warships, and lend you pilots and sailors. You can explore first, take a foothold, and build a solid foundation, and then come to pick up this child. "

Bingyuan thanked him and Chaoxian County was immediately accepted by Zhou Yu.

In the following half month, the Daifang County of Daifang Commandery also surrendered after hearing that Bing Yuan and Gongsun Huang had surrendered. Zhou Yu then sent troops to Yalu River and Changbai Mountain area to take over the last two remote counties of Lelang Commandery. The two counties of Daifang and Lelang finally returned to the control of Liu Bei's camp.

The Chaoxian Campaign ended here.

On the other hand, Bing Yuan obtained the fifty new warships lent to him by Zhou Yu, and allocated some of them to the soldiers who still wanted to follow the Gongsun family to sail south for adventure.

In the following months, in May, they found Tamra Island, which later became Jeju Island. They took a quick look and went ashore to survey it. They found that the grassland was indeed lush and some of the lowlands were flat and suitable for farming. It was no problem to support tens of thousands of people.

Then in June, the team gradually moved eastward along the southern coast of the peninsula and found the Busan Basin. They found that the local area was just as Mr. Cai had described. Although there were mountains all along the coast in the distance, there was a large basin plain here, which was very fertile.

There were native people from the Three Kingdoms of Korea in the area, and they also had farming customs. They mostly planted rice, just like the Central Plains. As soon as Gongsun Huang's troops landed, they naturally wanted to eliminate the local adults and chiefs. After a light exchange of fire, the area was occupied.

In the autumn of that year, the generals of the Gongsun family returned to welcome Gongsun Huang and wanted to move him to Busan.

Zhou Yu had already left Chaoxian Peninsula to deal with other military tasks. The garrison commanders left by Zhou Yu also heard about the promises of the princes and the attitude of their lord, so they kept their promise and allowed them to take Gongsun Huang away.

(End of this chapter)