Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 56 Conquering the Yellow Turban (Happy Mid-Autumn Festival)

In the end Zhang Xiu agreed to all the conditions put forward by Deng Hong.

Stationed in Wancheng, several surrounding counties belong to him, contact the surrounding Yellow Turbans, help Liu Biao resist the northern princes and other small requests.

The terms of cooperation put forward by both parties were satisfactory to each other. Zhang Xiu gained territory and a chance to breathe, Liu Biao gained peace, and even Deng Hong and Chen Chen benefited from it. Only Zhang Ji's injured world achieved it.

After the negotiation was concluded, Deng Hong bid farewell to Zhang Xiu, and Zhang Xiu personally sent him back to Rangcheng.

The two talked and laughed along the way, at least this trip had a good result for both parties.

The next day Deng Hong left the guard Wenpin and set off on the road.

Grandfather and grandson share the same car again.

In early February, the spring breeze drizzled, and there was a bamboo mat on the car to cover the light rain.

The popularity on both sides of the road in the distance has gradually recovered. Since the recent war in Rangcheng, many villagers have gone into hiding.

After Zhang Ji's death, the two sides ceased fighting, and the peace was restored, and the villagers rushed back to take care of the crops.

Seeing the farmers working in the fields despite the light rain, Deng Hong sighed, "Fortunately, Zhang Ji died in the arrows. Otherwise, how many people in Jingzhou would be displaced this time."

Shen Chen nodded in agreement and said, "Yes, it's also a good thing that our Huangmen Pavilion is in the east of Nanyang, not close to Wuguan, otherwise, with our current strength, if we want to resist the invasion of the Xiliang army, I'm afraid we will end up in complete ruin. fate."

Deng Hong said in a deep voice: "Ah Chen, you are right. I used to think that since I have already devoted myself to Liu Shijun's tent, why should I develop the power of the clan? Now it seems that if there are no soldiers and horses, in this world, you will be fish and meat." .”

"The sixth uncle finally understands this truth."

Shen Chen is very happy with Deng Hong's awareness. In this troubled world, not to mention ordinary people, even aristocratic families are at risk of being ruined in an instant. People like Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Zhang Yang have countless shattered aristocratic families. How can they survive without soldiers and horses to defend against the enemy? Keep your home safe?

However, Deng Hong said hesitantly: "But if you really did what you said, Ah Chen, wouldn't you have lied to Mr. Liu? If he finds out about it in the future, I'm afraid he will blame us."

"Blame?"

Shen Chen snickered and said: "What is there to blame? Uncle, don't forget, my uncle is still there. If you want to blame Mrs. Deng, ask your uncle to talk to Mrs. Cai, and everything will be over. What's more, this It's not a big deal in the first place, it's Zhang Xiu's order, not our intention."

Deng Hong pondered for a moment, nodded and said: "Okay, let's do this first."

The grandfather and grandson successfully completed the task and went back.

Under the escort of Gan Ning, they returned to Xiangyang. On the way, they also promised Gan Ning that there would be a war between Nanyang and the Yellow Turban in a short time, and they would definitely give him a chance to show off.

In mid-February, Deng Hong returned to the Xiangyang mansion, this time Shen Chen did not follow, but went back to the academy to ask Song Zhong for a period of leave.

After briefly reporting his safety to Mrs. Cai, Deng Hong washed up and changed his clothes before going to the State Shepherd's Mansion.

When Liu Biao learned of Deng Hong's return, he immediately summoned him in the middle hall.

When Deng Hong came in, he first saluted Liu Biao, and only after Liu expressed his consent for him to sit down, did he sit on the seat below the other party's right hand.

"Youshuo, how are you?"

After he sat down, Liu Biao immediately asked about the situation.

Although the Xiliang army was small in number, he would have no problem annihilating it, but no one wanted their army to suffer heavy losses.

Deng Hong replied: "Duke Ming, everything is going well. Now the leader of the Xiliang army is Zhang Ji's nephew Zhang Xiu. He also understands that he has lost ground and cannot return to Guanzhong. If he does not surrender in Nanyang, he will die. , so I am willing to surrender to Duke Ming."

"That's fine, that's fine."

Liu Biao caressed his beard and laughed happily and said, "Jingzhou was saved from the flames of war, thanks to Youshuo's contribution."

Deng Hong cupped his hands and said, "It's just a trivial matter for Minggong. If Minggong didn't understand the righteousness, I'm afraid things wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

"You Shuo is humble."

Liu Biao could feel that Deng Hong had made more and more progress. At the beginning, Deng Hong couldn't even memorize the scriptures, but after just one and a half years, he has become very calm and courageous in doing things, which is more and more appreciated.

Besides, the two parties are still relatives. Deng Hong's wife is Mrs. Cai's cousin niece, so Deng Hong had to call Liu Biao uncle.

With this level of relationship and recruiting Zhang Xiu to make meritorious service, I originally wanted to promote him to an official position, but Deng Hongcai was already working in the state government less than two years after he entered the officialdom, so it would be unreasonable to be promoted again, so Liu Biao thought about it. , ready to give him some gold and silver Shu brocade and other property.

Just as he was thinking about it, Deng Hong said again: "Duke Ming, on the way there, I discussed with Ah Chen for a long time and thought about many things. So when I was negotiating peace with Zhang Xiu, I decided to make some plans without authorization. Please forgive me."

"Oh?"

Liu Biao frowned slightly and said, "What plan did you say you made?"

Deng Hong said: "Back to Minggong, after Huangmen Pavilion moved from Xuzhou to Xinye, it was often harassed by yellow scarves in the mountains because it was close to Dabie Mountain. Not only Huangmen Pavilion, but also Huyang, Pingshi, Biyang, Wuyin, etc. land, as well as bandits in the Gaoling Mountains in the northwest of Nanyang, often invade Nanyang, making the surrounding cities uneasy."

"Ah."

Liu Biao nodded: "These Yellow Turban remnants are hiding deep in the mountains. They are built in steep mountains, easy to defend and difficult to attack. They are also entrenched around Nanyang, and they are as numerous as a cow's hair. It is not easy to clean them up one by one, so I am quite troubled by this matter. "

Deng Hong smiled and said: "So I discussed with Zhang Xiu and asked him to contact Huangjin in Yingchuan, Runan, Nanyang and other places, saying that he had defeated the army sent by Duke Ming to attack him and occupied Wancheng, and he was willing to invite them to join us. Occupy Nanyang together, participate in the grand event together, and at the time of the final battle, if you turn against each other, you will be able to wipe out the remaining Nanyang cliques entrenched around Nanyang, what does Duke Ming think?"

Should Zhang Xiu contact the remnants of the Yellow Turbans around Nanyang?

This strategy seems familiar.

Liu Biao thought for a while, and finally remembered, wasn't this the plan of Kuai Yuexian when he first arrived in Xiangyang four years ago?
When he came to Xiangyang, Jingzhou was not peaceful, and all the cities and counties were occupied by others.

To put it bluntly, these people are the so-called local powerful forces, who run rampant in the countryside and county towns based on clan forces, and were called clan thieves by the people at that time.

Before Liu Biao came to Jingzhou, hundreds of cities in the seven counties of Jingzhou were occupied by them.

Strictly speaking, the major aristocratic families in Jingzhou used to belong to this part, but they were more powerful and smarter.

In the beginning, they also occupied the mountain as king.

After Liu Biao's arrival, the major aristocratic families valued the legitimacy given to Liu Biao by the imperial court, and supported Liu Biao's supremacy.

In return, Liu Biao also fed back to them and gave them certain official positions.

Those who disobeyed Liu Biao were designed by Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang, and Cai Mao to wipe them out.

Since then, Liu Biao has completely pacified Jingzhou.

Time flies so fast in a flash.

Liu Biao remembered that at that time, Kuai Yue, Kuai Liang, Cai Mao and the others devised a way to get rid of those sect thieves, which was to call them for a meeting.

In the name of jointly fighting against Liu Biao, they negotiated to resist the imperial court, and then beheaded all the heads of the thieves.

How similar is Deng Hong's plan now to this one?
Just as Kuai Yue and the others summoned the sect thieves in the name of fighting against themselves, Zhang Xiu also summoned the remnants of the Yellow Turbans in the name of fighting against themselves.

It's just that the original sect thieves turned into the Yellow Turban remnants entrenched around Nanyang, Zhang Xiu became Kuai Yue Kuai Liang Cai Mao, and he was still himself.

For a while, Liu Biao felt a little emotional, looked at Deng Hong and nodded approvingly: "Yes, this plan is very clever, it reminds me of when I first came to Jingzhou a few years ago, Yidu, Zirou, Degui and the others used this to Plan to destroy Jingzhou sect thieves."

Deng Hong quickly said: "After I also arrived in Jingzhou, I learned that Ming Gong's deeds were widely circulated. That's why Shouling Yuzi studied in Handan. He thought that if he could wipe out all the remaining Yellow Turbans, he would share the Lord's worries."

"good."

Liu Biao said gratifiedly: "You Shuo's plan is my favorite, so let's do it according to your ideas. I will inform Wenpin and Zhang Yun at that time, and let them fully cooperate with you."

"Thank you, Mr. Ming."

Deng Hong cupped his hands and said, "Hong has one more thing."

"You said."

Liu Biao listened intently, a good subordinate is one who can share his worries.

Deng Hong said: "I thought it would be good to have Zhang Xiu stationed in Nanyang. However, it would be inappropriate if the money and food for soldiers, horses and horses were supplied by Xiangyang every year. If there is too little, Zhang Xiu will be dissatisfied. If there is too much, it will be easy for him to Strong, so Hong thought of another way to solve this problem."

"Oh?"

Liu Biao asked, "What way?"

Deng Hongdao: "Biao Zhangxiu is the prefect of Nanyang."

Biao Zhangxiu is the prefect of Nanyang?

Liu Biao frowned and said, "What's the explanation?"

Deng Hong smiled and said: "The purpose of us recruiting Zhang Xiu is to let him guard the gate of Nanyang for us, but as Bei said just now, if all the food and grass are provided by Xiangyang, I am afraid that he will be greedy. It is better to give him Nanyang, but it is not all. Give."

"Not all? What do you mean?"

"Hong thought that Wancheng and several surrounding cities could be handed over to Zhang Xiu to manage the people's livelihood by himself. In this way, all his military supplies will come from the local county towns, and we don't need to provide him with money and food. At that time, Nanyang The north is under the care of Zhang Xiu, and the Duke of Ming took Caiyang, Fancheng, Deng County, and Zhangling as Xiangyang barriers, and the north will be stable from then on."

"The Xiliang army has always burned, killed and looted, and they will also manage people's livelihood?"

Liu Biao snorted and said, "Don't loot the people again and cause chaos in Nanyang."

Deng Hong then said: "Ming Gong thinks about it. If the governance is good, it is his ability to tax more. If the governance is not good, the people will naturally move to Zhangling and other places. If it doesn't work, Ming Gong can also send the county Let Ling Qian go to help him manage it, so his military expenses will still have to be controlled by us, even if Zhang Xiu is criticized by us, there is nothing to say, we can only blame him for his lack of ability to govern the country."

"Ah."

Liu Biao thought for a while, nodded and said, "Hanshu says: If you don't cultivate your virtue, Zheng will take the brunt of it. You are right. I have already given him several cities, but he can't govern himself well. That is his business. Even if it is managed well, with only a few cities in total, he will not be able to become stronger, and he still has to be used by me. You Shuo, this plan is very good."

Deng Hong said modestly: "It's all due to Ming Gong's good teaching. Since Ah Chen and I came to Jingzhou, we felt that we had little knowledge in Xuzhou, so we tried to learn more. Whether it is from the academy or from the Minggong, everyone will gain a lot. Just like the strategy I thought of before, it was because of Minggong that I came up with it."

"very good."

Liu Biao praised: "You helped me recruit Zhang Xiu, and you also helped me get rid of the remnants of the Nanyang Yellow Turban Party. I don't even know how to reward you."

Deng Hong hurriedly said: "Duke Ming is very grateful for allowing my clan to return to the ancestral land. Hong does not ask for rewards."

"I see."

Liu Biao thought for a moment and said, "You go first. I'll talk to Zirou about this matter first, and I'll give you an answer in two days."

"only."

Deng Hong stepped back.

.

.

While Liu Biao was still thinking about taking action against the Nanyang Yellow Turban, Cao Cao was also thinking about it in Yanzhou.

Cao Cao has been in a very difficult situation since he was attacked by Lu Bu in the rear the year before last.

For a certain period of time, he almost sent his family members to Jizhou as hostages to Yuan Shao in exchange for Yuan Shao's food and grass support.

Fortunately, with the heartfelt support of the elders in Cheng Yu's hometown, the food and grass were finally replenished.

In the end, they regained their strength and finally defeated Lu Bu last year and regained the entire territory of Yanzhou.

After recuperating for a year, Cao Cao's food and grass were finally able to barely cope with the military.

In the first month of this year, he began to send troops to Chen Guo and Liang Guo, crowding out Yuan Shu's living space.

Chen Guoxiang Yuan Si sent by Yuan Shu surrendered to Cao Cao. Since then, the land of Chen Guoliang has been captured by Cao Cao.

And his next target is Yingchuan County and Runan County.

These two places are not Yuan Shu's territory, but they are currently occupied by a large number of remnants of the Yellow Turbans. They form an alliance with Yuan Shu and threaten Cao Cao's rear.

Therefore, as early as the beginning of this year, Cao Cao had considered disposing of these Yellow Turbans.

Jiyin County, Dingtao County, in Cao Cao's Yanzhou Mufu residence.

Chen Gong rebelled and followed Lv Bu to Xuzhou. Recently, Xi Zhi caught a cold and recuperated at home. At this time, only Cheng Yu and Xun Yu were in the hall.

Seeing the empty hall, Cao Cao felt a little lost for a moment, and said, "How is Zhicai's illness?"

Xun Yu just visited Xi Zhicai yesterday, shook his head and said, "No good."

"We still need more soup and medicine."

Cao Cao was very concerned about the health of his subordinates, and carefully told him: "Don't hide your illness from medical treatment."

"Well, thank you General for your concern, I will tell Zhicai."

Xun Yu nodded to express his understanding.

Historically, during this period, he always referred to Cao Cao as a general. Even when he died, he did not call him Duke Ming, at most he was Duke Cao.

Because Xun Yu has always considered himself a Hanchen rather than a subordinate of Cao Cao, so to some extent, they are in an equal relationship.

"That's good."

Cao Cao finally got down to business: "Zhongde, Wen Ruo, I want to conquer Yingchuan Runan Yellow Turban in the south, what do you think?"

Cheng Yu frowned and said, "Now we have just a little more food and grass, should we send troops now?"

"Time waits for me."

Cao Cao sighed and said, "Yuan Shu colluded with the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan, Runan. If they can't be defeated, I'm afraid they will suffer from the enemy."

Xun Yu thought for a while and said: "That's true, it seems that we can only send troops and defeat them one by one."

Cao Cao nodded and said, "I want to conquer Runan myself, so please entrust Yanzhou to the two of you."

"only."

The two hand over at the same time.

During this period of Cao Cao's campaigns, two people have always guarded the house, and this time is no exception.

(End of this chapter)