Three Reconstructions of the Han Dynasty: I Helped Zhuge Liang Perfect the Longzhong Plan

Seeing this, Fa Zheng understood and stepped forward, bowing to Liu Bei and saying, "My lord, this matter still needs to be considered."

Although Yizhou was the foundation of the rear, it was ultimately just a corner of the rear.

"Mr. Pang Shiyuan is known for his decisive action in battle and his extraordinary abilities in daring maneuvers. To entrust him with the post of garrisoning Yizhou is like using a fine steed in a stable—it doesn't utilize his talents."

Upon hearing this, Pang Tong's eyes flashed with gratitude, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Fa Zheng had come to his rescue in time.

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then patted his forehead and said, "Although I know Shi Yuan's strengths, the rear of Yizhou is of utmost importance."

The factions in Yizhou are complex. Dong He and others are former officials from Dongzhou during Liu Yan's reign, and there are also local Yizhou gentry such as Li Hui and Qin Mi. Liu Ba is unwilling to get involved in matters outside his official duties. If they are left to oversee the overall situation in Chengdu, it will inevitably lead to problems.

Upon hearing this, Gu Sulin stepped forward and calmly smiled, "My lord, Mr. Kongming had previously devised a plan:

When the lord launched his northern expedition, he consolidated his power and assisted in government affairs in Jingzhou; when the lord entered Shu, he took charge of Yizhou and managed logistics.

Why not write a letter now and ask Mr. Kongming how things are going in Jingzhou?

If preparations in Jingzhou are complete, then we should invite Mr. Kongming to come to Shu and remain in Chengdu; only then can we be absolutely certain of success.

Liu Bei's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly: "Zimao's words make sense!"

Since I acquired Jingnan, Kongming has been overseeing Jingzhou for five years, and Jingzhou must be as stable as Mount Tai.

With Kongming entering Shu, I will have no worries about the rear.

Therefore, I immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Jiangling, arranging to meet Kongming in Chengdu!

……

Jiangling, Nanjun.

Zhuge Liang sat upright at his desk, looking at the household registers, grain records, and military reports of various counties in Jingzhou, his brows slightly furrowed.

He had long been aware of the needs in Yizhou and was secretly making arrangements for Jingzhou affairs. He was just waiting for news from Liu Bei to arrive before setting off for Shu.

A guard rushed in from outside, bowed, and reported, "Strategist, an urgent message has arrived from Hanzhong; it's a letter personally written by our lord!"

A glint of light flashed in Zhuge Liang's eyes. He immediately put down the bamboo slip in his hand, took the letter, traced Liu Bei's handwriting with his fingertips, slowly unfolded it, and carefully read it.

After a moment, he put down the letter, a calm smile on his lips, and said softly, "Since the lord has summoned me, and all matters in Jingzhou have been settled, I will make arrangements immediately and set off for Shu."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and summoned Ma Liang, Xiang Lang, and Jiang Wan, speaking in a calm tone: "Ji Chang, Ju Da, Gong Yan."

My lord summoned me to Shu to take charge of the Chengdu government affairs, and entrusted the Jingzhou government affairs to the three of you.

After five years of development, Jingzhou's foundation is solid; however, caution is still needed in all matters during the handover period.

Ma Liang cupped his hands and replied, "Rest assured, strategist, we will certainly guard Jingzhou well and live up to the trust placed in us by you and our lord."

In the past five years, the strategist has governed Jingzhou with meticulous planning and strategy. If it weren't for his unique skills, Jingzhou would not be as peaceful as it is today.

To be honest, we have all witnessed the many difficulties they have faced.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang looked out the window at the streets and alleys of Jiangling City, his expression gradually becoming distant, as the trials and tribulations of governing Jing over the years flooded his mind.

At that time, Liu Bei had pacified the four counties of Jingnan and occupied the strategic locations of Jiangling and Gong'an. He had just taken control of half of Jingzhou, but his foundation was not yet stable.

Zhuge Liang knew that the powerful clans of Jingzhou and Xiangyang were deeply entrenched in their ties, and that although Liu Biao's old system had accumulated problems, it was not advisable to rashly abolish the old system and establish a new one.

Therefore, he decided to continue the old system of Liu Biao, temporarily preserve the foundation of the gentry, and take pacifying the people of Jingzhou and Xiangyang as the top priority.

At this time, Zhuge Liang had become a military advisor and general. He knew that "whoever wins over the gentry wins Jingzhou and Xiangyang." He took the initiative to volunteer and personally visited the powerful families of Pang, Huang, Ma, and Xi in various counties.

Dressed in plain robes and with a humble demeanor, he treated every clan he visited with courtesy, frankly stating Liu Bei's original intention to restore the Han Dynasty, and promising "not to seize land, not to abolish clans, not to relocate clan members, and that the sons and younger brothers of those who are willing to wholeheartedly assist him may continue to serve as officials."

Regarding the Pang family, he personally visited Pang Tong's younger brother, Pang Lin, to appease Pang Tong's clan; regarding the Huang family, he used his father-in-law Huang Chengyan's connections to contact the core members; and regarding the Ma and Xi families, he was even more sincere and promised them real political power.

After much effort, the pro-Liu gentry were all won over, while the neutral gentry remained on the sidelines for the time being. The hearts of the people in Jingzhou were largely at ease.

While appeasing the gentry, Zhuge Liang did not slacken his efforts and secretly began to consolidate the foundation of Jingzhou.

He advised Liu Bei that Jingnan had just been pacified, the people were displaced, food supplies were scarce, and the soldiers' equipment was outdated. The most urgent task was to "establish military farms to store grain, reorganize and train the army, and improve military equipment."

Liu Bei agreed wholeheartedly and entrusted Zhuge Liang with the entire responsibility for managing the matter.

Regarding land reclamation, Zhuge Liang established civilian and military settlements: civilian settlements recruited refugees and returning villagers, provided them with oxen and seeds, and reduced or exempted them from rent and taxes for three years, allowing them to focus on farming; military settlements were managed by garrisoned soldiers, who would return to the fields during busy farming seasons and train troops during slack seasons, striving for self-sufficiency.

He personally inspected the water conservancy in Jiangling and Guiyang, and ordered the repair of old canals and the digging of new ditches. In just one year, all the barren land in southern Jingzhou was reclaimed, and grain and fodder gradually accumulated.

In terms of military training, he personally selected elite troops to form the Jingzhou navy and infantry, formulated strict training regulations, and invited Guan Yu and Zhao Yun to take turns supervising the training to improve the soldiers' combat effectiveness.

At the same time, he devoted himself to improving military equipment and supervised the manufacture of the Yuanrong crossbow, which could fire ten arrows at once, with a power far exceeding that of ordinary crossbows; he also deduced the Eight Trigrams Formation and taught soldiers to practice it, so that the army could advance and retreat in an orderly manner and attack and defend in a measured way, and the combat power of the Jingzhou army gradually became stronger.

After half a year of stable management, Liu Bei received an invitation from Liu Zhang of Yizhou and decided to enter Shu to take over Yizhou. Before leaving, he entrusted Jingzhou to Zhuge Liang and instructed him to secure the rear.

After Liu Bei led his army westward, Zhuge Liang knew that the time was ripe to consolidate power and establish rules.

He first spread the news that "Since the lord has gone on a distant expedition to Shu, Jingzhou must be on high alert to prevent unrest. From this day forward, it is strictly forbidden for aristocratic families to privately recruit troops or privately stockpile armor and weapons. Anyone who violates this order will be punished as a disloyalist and plotting rebellion."

This decree caused a stir among the gentry of Jingzhou and Xiangyang.

The gentry who were close to Liu were well aware of Zhuge Liang's intentions. They all claimed that it was a temporary measure during an extraordinary period and took the initiative to stop recruiting troops to show their support.

Although the neutral aristocratic families had doubts, they dared not defy them rashly and decided to wait and see.

Only Kuai Qi and Deng Xi, former subordinates of Cao Cao in Nan Commandery, were already dissatisfied with Liu Bei's occupation of Jingzhou. Seeing Liu Bei enter Shu and Zhuge Liang take sole control of Jingzhou, they wanted to take the opportunity to stir up trouble and secretly plot to collude with the northern border to regain control of Jingzhou.

Zhuge Liang had long anticipated the thoughts of these hostile aristocratic families, so he sent spies in advance to monitor their movements, and secretly deployed Zhang Fei with 5,000 elite troops to guard the border, ready for battle.

As expected, Kuai Qi and Deng Xi secretly contacted their old subordinates, hoarded armor and weapons, and spread rumors that "Liu Bei will surely be defeated if he enters Shu, and Cao Cao will soon march south," inciting the people to rebel.

Zhuge Liang acted decisively, ordering Zhang Fei to lead troops in a surprise attack. They captured the ringleaders, including Kuai Qi and Deng Xi, on the spot, incorporated their private army into their ranks, and exiled their clans to Yizhou. The rest of the coerced followers were left unpunished.

This act of making an example of someone to scare others deterred all the disloyal gentry and completely eliminated the pro-Cao and hostile forces within Jingzhou.