Han Xiang

Chapter 590: Ma Chao is even more powerful than a tiger

In May, the awns are planted, and the wheat seedlings in Guanzhong are tall and full of vitality.

Last year, the army defeated enemies from all directions, and the people in Guanzhong recognized Liu Bei more and felt that they could finally live a stable life.

Many of the refugees who originally hid in the mountains and were hidden away by the wealthy families returned to their hometowns to cultivate the land, and their production power was stronger than before Ma Teng and Han Sui invaded.

During the two months since Liu Bei returned to Chang'an, he had been extremely busy advising on farming, training the army, and supervising the construction of Taoist temples.

One afternoon, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang went to the city to inspect the construction site and happened to meet Zhang Lu, who was supervising the construction of the Taoist temple.

Not long after Liu Bei returned to Chang'an, he granted Zhang Lu the title of Marquis of Ganxiang.

This was the first title he had given, and it was a nobility higher than his own. In addition to wanting him to leave a lot of money and food, he also wanted to set an example to the outside world, which meant that he would not treat those who surrendered badly. (Liu Bei and Guan Yu are still waiting at the pavilion at this time)
Zhang Lu selected the site for the Taoist temple, drew pictures, and performed many rituals involving gods and ghosts. It took a month to break ground.

At this time, only the foundation of the main hall has been built, and the remaining beams, rafters, columns, etc. are being processed, making the site a mess.

When Zhang Lu saw Liu Bei coming, he hurriedly greeted him and greeted him, showing his usual humble attitude.

"Gongqi, I see that the construction of the Taoist temple is slow. I wonder when it will be completed?"

"No shortage, no shortage. Thank you, Lord, for thinking about me."

Zhang Lu bowed and replied to Liu Bei: "This progress should be considered normal, right? Try to complete it before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month next year, so that it can be convenient for the people of Chang'an."

"How long does it take?"

Liu Bei was stunned for a moment, and then asked politely: "If you have any difficulties, please tell us immediately. Bei will give you full support. Are you still short of manpower?"

Zhang Lu waved his hand and replied: "You have allocated enough workers. The reason for the slow progress is that the wood and stone have to be quarried in the mountains. It takes a long time to process and transport them back to Chang'an. There is nothing we can do about it and it cannot be done quickly."

"Not necessarily"

Liu Bei remembered that Long Xiang had built the new city of Hefei in two years, and thought that the gap between people was really huge.

When Zhang Lu was puzzled, Zhuge Liang shook his feather fan and said with a smile: "Master, are you talking about Long Polu? I heard that he built a big city in two years and did not recruit the people of Hefei."

"Is this possible? Is it a rumor?"

Zhang Lu showed an incredible expression.

Liu Bei shook his head and smiled: "This is no longer a secret. Long Yunqi is indeed good at building things. My military advisor and I have heard about it."

"When we regain Luoyang in the future, my lord might as well invite him to rebuild?"

Zhuge Liang echoed in a joking tone, which also shows that Long Xiang is good at creation.

Zhang Lu secretly slandered the feudal lords of Long Xiang. He heard that he had driven Sun Quan out of Wu County. A strong general like this who was accustomed to fighting would never be easily manipulated. How could he condescend to rebuild Luoyang?Zhuge Kongming is really whimsical.

But Liu Bei bluntly expressed his good idea, which made Zhang Lu next to him even more surprised.

On the way back to General Zuo's Mansion, Liu Bei used the previous topic to ask Zhuge Liang: "Commander, have you heard from Ziyu recently? I heard that although Yunqi captured Wu Commandery and Danyang, there is still constant resistance in other places. The Sun family is still Jiangdong’s background is really deep, I don’t know if Yunqi can handle it.”

"Don't worry, my lord, General Long has the strength to be a prince."

Zhuge Liang first concluded, and then slowly explained: "My brother just received a letter a few days ago. General Long is gradually stabilizing the situation, expanding his power, and can control the Jiangdong officials who surrendered to him;
At present, we are only limited by the lack of navy and warships, and cannot go to Yuzhang and Jiangxia to fight Sun Quan. However, the Shanyue rebellion in Danyang has been put down. Many areas on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River have also been slowly taken back under Lu Xun's control. Lu Fan's Most of the army withdrew to Guangling;

Due to the murder of Sun Yi, Sun Kuang stood on his own with the support of Lu Fan and Quan Rou. Sun Quan's strength was now greatly reduced. General Long played this trick extremely well. He focused his main energy on Kuaiji this year. Sun Jing and Zhu Ran He Qi and the others seemed difficult to deal with." "Dividing Guangling and dividing it vertically and horizontally, Long Yunqi is no longer the young man he used to be. "

Liu Bei sighed and said seriously: "Zhou Lang and Lu Meng are no match for him. How can Sun Jing, Zhu Ran and He Qi stop him? It's just a matter of time."

"My Lord, is he afraid that General Long will become powerful? He won't do so in the future."

Zhuge Liang was guessing carefully, but he didn't expect Liu Bei to react excitedly. When he heard this, he stopped immediately and said seriously:
"Although Yun Qi and I are not sworn friends and have not been together for a long time, there is no doubt about his loyalty. The military advisor should not have the slightest doubt."

"Uh" Zhuge Liang couldn't help but was startled and said awkwardly: "Liang doesn't doubt General Long. My brother has also praised him many times. I'm afraid that the truth will be revealed in the future and it will be difficult to deal with the arrogant and powerful generals under his command."

"It's not easy to handle?"

Liu Bei looked puzzled: "Can't we just continue to let him lead? By the way, how come I have never heard of that Lu Xun you just mentioned? I only remember that he has Xu Zhongkang under his command."

Zhuge Liang explained: "Lu Xun's original name was Lu Yi, courtesy name Boyan. He was a few years younger than General Long. I heard the suggestion to change his name to General Ye Long. Lu Xun, Zhu Huan, and Lu Dai were newly selected by General Long after he took control of Wu. The status of the three generals is probably equal to that of Taishi Ziyi."

"Lu Boyan is so young that he can stand alone, which is good."

Liu Bei held his chin and nodded slightly, then asked again: "What about Zhu Huan and Lu Dai?"

"Zhu Huan is now the governor of Danyang, and my brother is serving as the county magistrate there. This man is brave and talented. As for Lu Dai, who has been confronting Zhu Ran, it is not clear whether his military ability is strong or weak, but he is the same age as the lord. "

After listening to Zhuge Liang's introduction, Liu Bei frowned and murmured to himself: "From Yun Qi's point of view, this person's talent must not be bad, or maybe it's because he is similar in age and Yun Qi is talented."

"Lord? What did you say?"

Liu Bei muttered in a low voice, but Zhuge Liang didn't hear clearly, so he was surprised when he asked.

"Um nothing."

Liu Bei gently waved his hand, changed the subject and prevaricated: "I mean to stay with Yunqi as little as possible. When the traitors are eliminated and the Han Dynasty is revived, we will definitely keep him by our side to reunite, even if we rebuild Luoyang together."

"Haha, my lord is thinking too far ahead."

When Zhuge Liang responded with a smile, he suddenly saw someone galloping on horseback on the south side of Zhangtai Street, and there was more than one person running wildly, which made him, Jing Zhaoyin, completely shattered.

Who is so arrogant?
Zhuge Liang was about to send guards to stop him, but Liu Bei greeted him with a smile on his face.

Taking a closer look, he turned out to be the black guy with a leopard head and ringed eyes.

Wait, the figure with him seems familiar.

It wasn't until the two men were stationed on the horse that Zhuge Liang realized it was Ma Chao, and he immediately understood what was going on.

"Hey, big brother."

"Third brother, you and General Ma are..."

Ma Chao immediately knelt down and bowed down, clasped his fists and said solemnly: "The Ma family suffered changes. Chao was hunted down by Han Sui and others. He wandered around for half a year. Finally, he came to Chencang and was generously taken in by General Zhang. I came here today to pay homage to my lord."

"I have to be as powerful as a tiger."

Liu Bei helped Ma Chao up with both hands, and said comfortingly: "Meng Qi, don't be too sad. A person's life is actually very long, and Bei spent the first half of his life wandering around. As long as he has firm faith, the difficult days will eventually pass."

(End of this chapter)