Han Xiang

Chapter 646 Zhenhai King (Finale)

If you lose Nanyang, you will lose Luoyang, if you lose Xuzhou, you will lose the Central Plains.

Cao Cao had previously set up a mound to touch gold, but he failed to keep his ancestral tomb due to the cycle of cause and effect.

Not long after Liu Bei conquered the Central Plains, he received an imperial order from Liu Xie to ashes him.

Although Cao Cao controlled Qingyou and Jiyan at this time, which was more land than Yuan Shao had at his peak, the opponent he was competing with over wine and heroism owned much more land than he did.

Although he knew that he was destined to perish, Cao Cao had the belief in his heart that he would not admit defeat, which did not let him get discouraged. Instead, he inspired a stronger fighting spirit.

The morale of the army is scattered and the hearts of the people are unstable.

At Dong Zhao's suggestion, Cao Cao used the title of Duke of Wei to stabilize his uneasy mood and also to make him happy.

In the 18th year of Jian'an, Long Xiang and Lu Xun went south to Jiaozhou, and the counties and counties attached to Sun Quan surrendered.

Sun Quan originally wanted to use the geographical advantage to block the attack, but unfortunately Long Xiang had a guide with him.

He and Shi Xie evenly divided Jiaozhou, and the Yulin, Cangwu, and Nanhai they occupied all changed hands within two months.

Seeing that the miasma and the terrain were unstoppable, and Sun Quan was unwilling to surrender to Long Xiang, he asked his old friends in Jiaozhi for help, and Shi Xie readily sent troops.

Sun Quan led his defeated army to Hepu and encountered Shi Xie's army.

But before he could be happy, the Jiaozhi army immediately turned against him and surrounded him. Sun Quan was so angry that he cursed, but he was just incompetent and furious.

A few days later, Long Xiang led his troops to Hepu, and Shi Xie personally went out of the city to greet him.

He said that he was loyal to the court, but suffered from rampant thieves, so he could not go to Chang'an to have an audience.

The scholar family was a prominent family in Jiaozhou, and Long Xiang had experience in governing Yangzhou. Knowing that the court would need him in the future, he comforted and encouraged him with words.

After entering the city and sitting down to chat, Shi Xie asked someone to bring Sun Quan.

When Long Xiang saw Sun Quan again, he felt unspeakable emotions in his heart. Although the Sun Quan was supposedly a bad person, it seemed that he was forced out.

If there is no self in this world, Sun Quan is still a politician. How can he be considered mediocre if he can divide the world into three parts?

"Zhongmou, are you alright?"

"Hum, you're a despicable bastard with a rat-like face!"

"Ok?"

When Long Xiang heard Sun Quan call him a rat, the expression on his face became very strange.

But Xu Chu, who was standing next to him, could not bear it when he saw this, and he immediately angrily yelled at Sun Quan: "How dare you be so arrogant as a common man and a defeated general?"

"Ah"

Sun Quan raised his head and sneered, glanced at Long Xiang, then looked at Xu Chu and asked: "So what if I lose? What can you do to me? I am Liu Xuande's brother-in-law. Do you still dare to kill me? Wait until I arrive later. Chang'an is still the existence you look up to."

"you"

Xu Chu was so angry that he clenched his fists tightly, as if he had endless strength that he could not exert.

Long Xiang's eyes sharpened, and then he said calmly: "Bo Chang, take him down first to serve him well. Sun Zhongmou is right. He is the general's wife and brother, so you must not neglect him."

"only."

Zhao Fan took the order and left.

After attending Shi Xie's reception banquet, Long Xiang found many tiger guards whispering among each other. When he asked, he found out that they were from the Central Plains and had never had the opportunity to see the sea.

Long Xiang had been busy working on projects in the last world. Although he had traveled to many places, he had never seen the sea with his own eyes.

Hepu was not far from the seaside. Long Xiang thought it would be a long time to visit, so he organized a large army to open his eyes.

At this time, Jiaozhou was deserted and the rough beaches were different from those of later generations, but it also excited the soldiers in the Central Plains. Many people ran to the beach to pick up shells, as if they were back in their boyhood.

Seeing Long Xiang staring at the sea, Lu Xun thought he was thinking about Sun Quan, so he hesitated several times but chose to remain silent.

"Bo Yan, do you know how big the sea is?"

"Huh? I don't know."

"The ocean under the dome is several times larger than the land. Crops on land are prone to disasters, but there is an inexhaustible supply of fish in the sea. If we catch more sea fish, we may be able to fill the food shortage. Moreover, sea fish carry their own salt. After drying, it is easy to store and transport, making it an excellent military ration."

"hiss"

When Lu Xun heard this, he realized that he was being narrow-minded and continued: "The general's power is overwhelming. Cao Cao has withdrawn from the Central Plains. It is estimated that reunification will be completed within a few years, so this sea fish army food"

"We can still prepare and let the people improve. It would also be good to eat more meat."

After speaking, Long Xiang shook his head slightly, and then added: "Shi Xie has been entrenched in Jiaozhou for decades, and now the court has no time to care about the wilderness. Since we are here, we can't just leave with a slap on the butt. I'll leave some words here. In the future, in addition to stabilizing the three counties of Yulin, Cangwu and Nanhai, we will also find a few suitable places to repair more docks and build sea-going ships."

"The general wants to use force against Cochin?"

"No, the Shi family is a wealthy local family after all. It only needs to be temporarily intimidated. We can build sea ships for fishing and attack, so we can do both."

"The general understands, and besides"

"what?"

"nothing."

Lu Xun wanted to remind Sun Quan, but he took it back as soon as he spoke.

It was Lai Gong who came to visit him at night and mentioned that he wanted to go to Chang'an, so he casually suggested that Long Xiang take precautions early.

After hearing this, Long Xiang was convinced that Sun Quan's existence might not threaten him, but his brothers who followed him through life and death might be implicated.

Dang Jue continued to suffer rebellion, so Long Xiang sent Xu Chu to make arrangements first.

In the autumn of the 18th year of Jian'an, Long Xiang led his troops back to Yangzhou.

When the fleet passed through Xiakou, Xing Daorong was appointed general to escort Sun Quan to Chang'an, while Longxiang sailed down the river.

Longxiang went to Chaisang to rest. Xing Daorong and Lu Dai came by speedboat to plead guilty. They also brought two women, Sun Yi's wife Xu and Zhou Yu's wife Bao.

The two of them recently visited Jiangxia, and by virtue of their acquaintance with the prefect Lu Dai, they actually sent servants to sneak into the Jie Feng Banquet and use the poison that poisoned Zhou Yu to kill their enemy Sun Quan.

In front of Long Xiang, the two victims, Xu and Bao, confessed to killing Sun Quan.

This matter was originally planned by Long Xiang, who deliberately asked Xu Chu to return to Yangzhou in advance to reveal the news, and then secretly paved the way for the two of them to act. So how could it be pursued?

In front of the two of them, Long Xiang said that he would intercede with Liu Bei, but he really wanted to investigate the crime before arresting him.

Not long after returning to Hefei, Qiao Wei and Qiao Wan were very worried when they learned about the matter, and they quickly went to Long Xiang to discuss it.

"Long Lang has always been cautious, why is this matter so hasty? Even if you sympathize with Sun Yi and Zhou Yu, you can't let the murderer go without authorization. After all, Sun Shangxiang is the one who sleeps with the emperor's uncle. How can she not complain if you take away the Sun family's foundation? If she finds an opportunity to slander us, it will do a lot of harm to our Long family but not a single benefit."

"Yes, yes, I agree with you sister this time. Has your husband become a big official and become a little forgetful?"

"Two ladies, don't you understand me yet? How could I do this?"

Facing Erqiao's scolding, Long Xiang bowed his head with a bitter look on his face, and then explained: "Xuande is a benevolent gentleman, a magnanimous man. Although we are not sworn sworn brothers, we are brothers and sisters. How can we trust him?"

"That's hard to say."

Qiao Wan pursed her lips and said in a show off: "You have never met me in the past, but now my husband holds a heavy army and is an important prince. There is a saying that 'when the birds are gone, a good bow is hidden; when a cunning rabbit dies, the lackeys are cooked'."

"Second Miss, when did you read "Historical Records"? The emperor's uncle is not that kind of person."

Long Xiang looked around, but fortunately no outsiders were present.

Qiao Wei also added a reminder: "My sister and I are both women. Although we are short-sighted, we have no bad intentions. We don't want Long Lang to be ranked among the three nobles, we just want the family to be safe."

"That's right. Since my husband took over Jiangdong, the days he goes home have become less and less. He might as well have been guarding Hefei before."

After Qiao Wan muttered in agreement, Qiao Wei immediately scolded her: "Little sister, please don't talk nonsense. Long Lang is a hero who can turn things around. How can he be around our woman every day?"

"All right."

Hearing the two people bickering, Long Xiang interrupted in time: "Now that the matter in the south is over, the emperor's uncle is surrounded by civil and military officials, and it is only a matter of time before Cao Cao is destroyed. I was just about to write a letter to relinquish some of my responsibilities, and spend time with you and your children. We are getting older, how about moving our family to Jiaozhou?"

"Are you willing? Besides, Jiaozhou is not a barren land?"

Qiao said politely and faced Long Xiang, his big watery eyes sparkling.

Long Xiang smiled leisurely and said: "Although it is wild over there, the scenery is picturesque and the climate is pleasant. And the second lady has forgotten what I do? Don't you believe in our craftsmanship?"

"You are the head of the family, and we sisters listen to you."

Although Qiao Wan is a beautiful young woman, she still smiles like a girl.

The couple was enjoying a sweet time, but was interrupted by the visit of an envoy from Chang'an.

The two sisters mistakenly thought that Liu Bei was responsible, but it turned out that the messenger was an acquaintance Xu Wei, who was sent by Emperor Liu Xie to invite Long Xiang to Luoyang.

One is to discuss the reconstruction of Luoyang, and the other is for Liu Bei to be crowned king and watch the ceremony.

Cao Cao killed Liu Xie's wife, son and daughter, and soon after he established the country in Yecheng, Liu Xie directly made Liu Bei the King of Hanzhong, forcibly suppressing his enemy by a higher rank.

Since Luoyang needed to be rebuilt, Long Xiang took Qiao Rui with him. This made Qiao Rui's wife, Chen, specially made two ceremonial robes for them.

Qiao Min has not been idle in the past few years. Jinling City has just been completed a few months ago, and now he has to take charge of a new project, which is very similar to Long Xiang's days as a project manager.Long Xiang met Liu Xie for the first time in Luoyang. He was only in his 30s, but his face showed countless vicissitudes of life.

Being born into an emperor's family can lead a good life, but also a bad life.

Perhaps because the two were of similar age, Liu Xie saw Long Xiang as if he were a relative and talked openly with him, including many words of praise and wooing.

But Long Xiang came to Luoyang just to relieve some of his burdens, so his answer disappointed Liu Xie.

Finally, Liu Xie asked Long Xiang something strange.

"General Long, I was killed by Cao Cao's thieves. If I have nothing to do in the future, what will happen to the great Han Dynasty?"

"Huh? Your Majesty is in his prime, so you don't have to worry."

"I mean, if, although there are new concubines in the harem, I often dream about Fu Hou and others, and have no interest in these new people, please ask Long Qing to teach me."

"The Liu family has many descendants, and the meat will always rot in the pot. Don't worry, Your Majesty."

"The meat rotted in the pot?"

When Liu Xie lowered his head and muttered to himself, Long Xiang ended their only meeting.

The day after the ceremony, Liu Bei invited Long Xiang to stay in Luoyang and join hands to destroy Cao.

Long Xiang expressed his intention to stay in the local area to provide food, fodder, and warships for the frontline army. He also recommended military and political talents such as Lu Su, Taishi Ci, Lu Xun, Lu Dai, and Gu Yong.

Liu Bei joked about Long Xiang's true nature as a man. He probably didn't want to leave his beloved wife at home, and promised to bring peace to the world before calling him to the capital to enjoy his happiness.

Afterwards, Long Xiang returned to Yangzhou alone, while Qiaoyu stayed in Luoyang to engage in construction.

Jinling was built and opened and became the new political and economic center of Yangzhou.

Long Xiang moved his family from Hefei. He thought that he would soon be able to enjoy family happiness after relinquishing the military and political affairs of the five counties of Jingnan and Jiangxia. However, the court took away Gu Yong, Zhang Zhao, Yu Fan and other capable generals, and had to work every day. There are still endless things to do, and I only have time to spend with my family after my shift breaks.

The war in the north was not going as smoothly as imagined.

Although Cao Cao continued to lose in the Central Plains, he also obtained more than a dozen telescopes.

It took Liu Bei two years to capture Yanzhou and Qingzhou, but he was unable to break through Cao Cao's Yellow River defense line.

After Cao Cao shrunk his territory, his control was stronger than when he was in the Central Plains. The year after Cao Cao was granted the title of King of Hanzhong by Liu Shou, he was also granted the title of King of Wei by the puppet emperor Liu Xi, and he recruited foreigners into the army on a large scale.

The Southern Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei and other tribes were unable to defeat Cao Cao and needed food, cloth and other supplies, so they willingly joined Cao Cao's camp to fight against Liu Bei.

The grassland tribes are proficient in riding and shooting, and have some natural fighting ability.

Cao Cao relied on his fresh troops to resist stubbornly, causing Liu Bei to make no progress for five years.

The impediment of the war to destroy Cao Cao was not only due to Cao Cao's tight defense, but also due to the frequent occurrence of droughts, floods, and locust plagues in various places.

On Zhuge Liang's suggestion, Liu Bei took Xichuan, conquered Han Sui, developed people's livelihood, and governed the local area, intending to use national power to crush Hebei.

In the 22nd year of Jian'an, Long Xiang took the initiative to ask Ying to go to Jiaozhou, intending to organize marine fish fishing to supplement the frontline military rations.

At that time, Lu Xun was the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy and often accompanied Liu Bei in battles near the Yellow River. Knowing Long Xiang's good intentions, he made a petition and appointed him as the Mu of Jiaozhou.

In the 24th year of Jian'an, Cao Cao became ill due to overwork and died in Yecheng. His son Cao Pi succeeded to the throne of Wei.

As soon as Cao Cao died, the situation in Hebei was like a landslide and became violently turbulent.

Guan Yu took the lead in beheading Lu Meng in Liyang, and started the final battle to destroy Cao. Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Tai Shi Ci, Lu Xun, Lu Su and other troops came out to destroy Cao in three months.

Before Cao Pi destroyed the city, he forced Liu Xi to give him the throne and became the emperor of Wei for a day, and then burned himself in the palace.

In the 25th year of Jian'an's reign, Liu Xie, who had no heirs, settled in Luoyang as a zen of Liu Bei.

Liu Bei succeeded Han Zuo and changed Yuan Zhangwu to ascend the throne as emperor.

Long Xiang brought his eldest son Long Ji to the court to pay homage and at the same time married Zhang Fei's second daughter Zhang Xingcai.

Liu Bei talked about rewards for his merits, and originally wanted to make Long Xiang a general of hussars and a marquis of Hefei, and call him into the court to share the wealth and honor.

However, Long Xiang was accustomed to the seaside life and was willing to guard the southern seaboard for the Han people, continue to organize fishing at sea, and add more meat to the tables of the Han people.

Liu Bei couldn't keep him, so in the end he had to fulfill his wish.

The next morning, all the officials gathered in the palace hall.

At the small yellow gate in front of the emperor, a loud voice announced the edict: ". Make Guan Yu the general. Lu Su is the Sikong, Liu Ye is the Taichang, Qiao Min is the general and the great craftsman, Tai Shici is the general of Zhendong, and Lu Dai is the governor of Jiaozhou.
The ministers at the rank and file felt their hearts beat when they heard this. Everyone around Long Xiang had been awarded high-ranking positions. Even his brother-in-law was ranked among the ninth ministers, but he was the only one who was not included.

As the saying goes, one carrot and one pit, all the positions of Sangong and Jiuqing have been sealed, and the only higher ones are Taifu and Da Sima. Ordinarily, Long Xiang cannot be higher than Guan Yu.

Just when everyone was confused, Liu Bei suddenly stood up, looked at the ministers and said solemnly:
"Long Qing, who has made great contributions to the revival of the Han Dynasty, came to me yesterday to discuss that he wanted to resign from all military and political positions. He planned to continue to stay in Jiaozhou to fish. He wanted to add some meat to the people's tables and guard the sea territory for me, the Han Dynasty. On this day, The clouds rise and give it to me."

As soon as Liu Bei finished speaking, all the officials turned to look at Long Xiang in admiration.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Lu Su, Liu Ye and other friends also found it incredible.

Zhang Fei left the class and was about to speak, but unexpectedly Liu Bei glared at him and continued to add solemnly: "The clouds rise and the dragons rise, transform into princes and kings, have a good surname, a good name, and a good calligraphy. You must guard the sea territory for the Han Dynasty and be a predecessor." If you haven't done it yet, how can I fail to fulfill it? Long Qing stepped forward to listen to the seal."

"Your Majesty Long Xiang listens to the title."

"Now I make you the King of Zhenhai, and wherever your ships go, you will be your fief."

"Ah? Yes"

Long Xiang didn't expect Liu Bei to come, but the emperor couldn't refute it once he opened his mouth.

"Conferred the title of king? Isn't that right, Your Majesty?"

"I have made up my mind, you don't need to say anything more."

Before Shangshu Chen Qun finished admonishing him, Liu Bei ruthlessly interrupted him and looked at the crowd to look for him.

"Where is Xu Chu?"

"Chen is here!"

"Since General Xu doesn't want to enter the court, how about he go with King Zhenhai?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty Long En."

Liu Bei stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction, thinking that the safety of Long Xiang's surrender of military power was not guaranteed, so he would feel more at ease if he took Xu Chu with him.

After a while, Liu Bei's eyes fell on Long Xiang again and asked softly: "King Zhenhai, what else do you want? I will definitely satisfy you if you tell me. This is what King Chenliu meant." (Liu Xie was granted the title after abdicating the throne.) Return to Chenliu Wang)
"this one"

Long Xiang was very capable, and frankly asked if he needed anything, but Liu Bei and Liu Xie asked him to ask for it. It seemed unreasonable not to ask for something, so he held his chin and scanned the surroundings, and finally found the target in the crowd.

Since it is a potential hazard, I will take it away with you.

"Your Majesty, Sima Zhongda has learned a lot, and I would like to take him with me."

"Oh? You only need one person?"

Liu Bei looked surprised when he heard this, but he was relieved to think that the other party had something to ask for, so he nodded in agreement: "That's alright, then Zhongda will go with you."

Sima Yi was numb after hearing this. He could refuse Cao Cao before, but now he can't disobey the emperor's order. He thought that there was nothing wrong with Long Xiang's brain, right?I have no friendship with you at all, okay?
"Your Majesty, King Zhenhai, my father is old and I have to stay by my side to fulfill my filial piety."

"Yes, Your Majesty, Zhongda is the most filial person."

When Chen Qun agreed, he noticed that Liu Bei frowned slightly and quickly stopped talking.

But Long Xiang seemed to have eaten a weight. He looked at Sima Yi with a smile on his face and said with relief: "Zhongda's filial piety is commendable. You can take your father with you. Although Jiaozhou is remote, it is a good place for retirement. Shiweiyan and his family are all longevity."

"Forehead"

Sima Yi felt as if he had eaten a fly, but he could not find any reason to refuse, so he could only agree: "Xiaguan is ignorant and ignorant. Thanks to the appreciation of King Zhenhai, I am willing to follow you."

"Easy to say, easy to say. Zhongda will go back and pack things up as soon as possible. He will take his wife and children with him in two days."

"only."

Sima Yi still thought that he would go first and then find a way to find connections to be transferred back to the court, but after hearing what Long Xiang said just now, he couldn't come back in a short time, and he was so angry that his teeth itched in his heart.

What do you like about me?Can't I change it?
After Liu Bei held the wedding ceremony for Long Ji and Zhang Xingcai, Long Xiang returned to Jiaozhou with his party.

Sima Yi thought that Long Xiang liked him and would let him serve as the chief historian in the palace, but when he arrived in Jiaozhou, he went straight to Zhuyazhou (Hainan).

Long Xiang asked Sima Yi to use his talents and knowledge to educate the indigenous people in Zhuya Prefecture.

Zhuya Island is surrounded by sea on all sides, and the ships leaving the island are controlled by Long Xiang. Sima Yi and his family were trapped on the island, just like an open-air prison, and they never went out again throughout their lives.

Of course, Long Xiang would take his family to the south of the island to stay for a while every winter.

Liu Bei granted Longxiang the title of King of Zhenhai, saying that wherever his ships went, the fiefdom of King Zhenhai would be the land of the Han Dynasty.

Long Xiang had strong hands-on skills, and he and his craftsmen continued to improve ships.

But his eyes were already outside the territory of the Han Dynasty.

The book ends.

　There will be another postscript tomorrow morning.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)