Johime Three Kingdoms

Chapter 530: Changes in the situation (big chapter)
"Just call her Bai Ningning!" Bai Tu said while holding the baby girl and sitting on Xia Houjuan's bedside.

"Well, Ning Ning will definitely be the best playwright in the future." Xia Houjuan looked like he wanted his daughter to "carry on the mother's business".

As for the name "Ningning", Bai Tu had already thought of it - if it was a boy, it would be "Bai Ning", if it was a girl, it would be "Bai Ningning".

Yes, it is to commemorate... no, it should be said to symbolize Bai Tu's "missing" for Gan Ning. "Commemorating" is a bit unlucky.

If everything goes well, Gan Ning should be able to return this year. Of course... no one can guarantee whether he can actually come back.

This definitely does not mean saying "I am your father" to Gan Ning, but a normal expression of friendship, just like Sun Ce and Zhou Yu now. Their sons are named Sun Yu and Zhou Ce respectively.

The birth of Lord Ning Weng brought more peace to the court of Chu State...

Although the pirates are not calm, the special investigation team in Xichuan is already investigating, and generally speaking, the navy still has the advantage.

The only thing that makes people slightly uneasy is that Gan Ning and [-] of the most elite navy have not returned yet.

As for the canonization of Lord Ning, Bai Tu still abided by the rules he had set. He only granted the title of "Master Ning". For the Chu State, there was no additional reward, nor would it be due to the addition of "Master Ning". "Weng Zhu", there will be additional allocations... All gifts are internal expenses of the Chu Palace.

Bai Tu was not worried. Xiao Ningning would not be like her second brother Lu Yan in the future, and she would still have the title of Qu Ahou to inherit.

Firstly, children and grandchildren will have their own blessings, and there is no need to arrange everything properly. Secondly...the various workshops invested by the King of Chu's family, not to mention the family's great business, Xia Houjuan also has so many scripts, doesn't he?
According to the "Laws of Chu", after the death of the creator, the heirs can inherit it for another 50 years... Xia Houjuan's copyright was not entrusted to others.

Compared with having a younger sister, what Bai Qing and Lu Yan care about more is that starting this year, their "carefree" childhood has undergone "shattering" changes!

The two brothers are four years old this year. According to the custom of calculating their false years, they are five years old. They are half a year younger than Deng Ai when Bai Tu first met.

It's still a little early to be literate, but... you should be able to get started with the most basic concepts of numbers and the basic sounds in "Qie Yun"!
Of course, considering that they are still children, Bai Tu thinks that two hours a day is enough, plus an extra hour, as long as there is no need to pay too much attention to the teaching results of musical cultivation and logical identification.

I specially invited a special master from the Ministry of Rites - after all, the content is extremely basic and does not require any important ministers to teach it.

Although Bai Qing and Lu Yan were too old to be taught by first-line ministers, there were probably many second-tier and honorary ministers who were willing to do this.

It's just that Bai Tu feels that not only is it "wasteful", but also that if they are just a beginner, they may not be able to do better than a top-level monk if they specialize in the art.

In most rural and county schools, one person serves as the tutor, but for the arrogant King of Chu, he could naturally hire the best person in each subject.

At the same time as them, Wang Lang's granddaughter Wang Yuanyuan, who entered the Chu Palace to study at the same time, and... Deng Ai, who occasionally accompanied them in their spare time.

This enlightening knowledge is naturally of little use to Deng Ai. He is more like a "head teacher" than an accompanying student.

Compared with back then, Deng Ai had long since put away his heart for Zu An, and he had become much more mature and steady, and he had become "other people's children" in Jinling and even Chu State.

Although Deng Ai is only 11 years old now, which is when he learns knowledge the fastest at his age, and his mental power is still in the development stage, if he goes to Cheng Ji, he will be sure to awaken the official seal!
It's just that Deng Ai wanted to make a splash, and... wanted to get his own official seal in the imperial examination, so he had been accumulating, and was ready to wait until the imperial examination in the 13th year of the Chu Dynasty before officially becoming an official.

……

Perhaps after Jiaozhou entered Chu, it stimulated the Han Dynasty and the feudal lords who supported the Han Dynasty.

Although the Huainan area is relatively peaceful, the North Sea Fleet operated by Liu Bei frequently appears near Donglai West Port and Donglai East Port controlled by Chu State.

Border conflicts have also occurred frequently in the land area in the eastern part of Dongnae County.

When Liu Bei first occupied Qingzhou, Gan Ning sent troops to seize the two excellent port locations in the east of Donglai County, so he suffered a huge loss.

In the end, several counties in the eastern part of Donglai County were handed over to the actual control of the Chu State, and "Donglai West Port" and "Donglai East Port" were successively developed, which were the locations of Weihai Port and Yantai Port in later generations...

In the past six or seven years after Qi Hou Liu Bei, although he gradually realized the importance of sea power, he started late, had a poor foundation, and did not have advantageous geographical conditions. He only opened a port near Beihai County...later WF Port. , and also built some "warships".

However, judging from the assessment of Qi Fengwei, the "battleships" independently built by the Qi army are at most the level of the Chu state six or seven years ago - much more advanced than the Jiangdong warships ten years ago, but horizontally compared to the Chu state. The comparison between the two countries of Wei and Wei is a bit "emotional".

In addition, the Qi Army recently "probably" purchased new warships from Wei. Although the number is not large, they are somewhat "presentable" as the main ship.

The reason why I say "very likely" is because Fengchaowei didn't find any evidence, so he chose the word carefully. In fact, there is no other possibility...

After Gan Ning left Qingzhou, these two ports and several nearby counties, as well as the remaining navy, were handed over to the command of Governor Lu Meng.

Because it is a non-native enclave, "Chu Donglai County" did not carry out the reform of the two-level state and county system, but still maintained the autonomy of the local governor.

Although Lu Meng, the governor of Chu Donglai, has not performed outstandingly in recent years, at least he has not lost an inch of land or sea to Chu.

Not only at sea, the so-called Han North Sea Fleet has been suppressed in the waters near the North Sea without daring to show its face too much. In the face of Guan Yu's repeated pressure, he has also behaved neither humble nor overbearing.

At the most difficult and dangerous time, the battle between the two sides on land was almost on the verge of breaking out, but Lu Meng was able to relieve himself...

In other words...it's not very eye-catching!

That's right, precisely because "nothing happened", no matter in the eyes of Chu State, Qihou Mansion, or other parties, most people think that Lu Meng's presence is very low.

Not even as good as Ling Tong...

Especially in the past two years, Ling Tong has repeatedly fought against pirates in the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, at least with some worthy achievements. But what about Lu Meng?

He could only get the stabilizing contribution of "No War in Donglai". Even if Bai Tu hadn't intervened behind the scenes every year, the evaluation of Lu Meng by the officials would probably not be "A-Middle", and at most it would only be "A-Level" or "A-Level". Even "B".

It can be seen that even in the court of Chu State, although there was no dissatisfaction with Lu Meng, there was not much appreciation for it. Instead, Bai Tu often conveyed some concerns as a catching guard...

There was nothing Baitu could do about it, except that he, His Royal Highness, the King of Chu, would personally go out every year to "set the pace" and give Lu Meng points.

Firstly, others don’t know, but Bai Tu understands Lu Meng. Secondly... others don’t know well, but Baitu understands Guan Yu better!

Although Bai Tu had known for a long time that Zhuge Liang, whom he had dreamed of back then, had agreed to be a tourist, but ended up "living" with Liu Bei, Guan Yu is still the undisputed "No. 2" among the forces of Marquis Qi.

Guan Yu can be said to be the only "provincial governor" in the entire Chinese civilization who is not a prince but still has real power - the governor of Qingzhou!
This is not only the brotherhood between Liu Bei and Guan Yu, but also Liu Bei's trust in Guan Yu's ability, which is why he entrusted nearly one-third of the forces under the Qihou Mansion and almost the entire military and political affairs of Qingzhou...

You must know that in history, when Liu Bei entered Shu, he entrusted Jingzhou south of Xiangyang and almost all of his team to Guan Yu.

Moreover, "at that time" Liu Bei pulled all the troops on the front line of Jingzhou to Xichuan. After officially falling out with Liu Zhang, Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei led people from Wuxia to Yizhou.

Liu Zhang had just surrendered, but Liu Bei and Cao Wei were in Hanzhong again...

Normally, anyone else who was in Jingzhou would focus on defense - after all, Yizhou and Hanzhong had opened up such a large battlefield and pulled away so many troops, which was also the main strategic goal of Liu Bei's forces at that time!
At that time, ten years had passed since Cao Cao suffered the disastrous defeat in Chibi. His strength gradually recovered, and he was preparing to move south again.

The first one to bear the brunt was half of Jingzhou in the hands of Liu Bei, not to mention the important town of Xiangfan that was stuck north of Guan Yu at that time...

However, just when anyone else would have "huddled under the tower", Guan Yu resolutely took the initiative to attack, and in two years, he won consecutive battles. In the 24th year of Jian'an, he took advantage of the heavy rain in Xiangfan and flooded seven armies to kill Pang Pang. Virtue, lowered to the ban, shocked China and terrified the Central Plains!
In addition, Cao Wei's active preparations for war in northern Jingzhou were always based on exploiting the people as a source of motivation. The people of Jingzhou turned southward, and while Guan Yu was unstoppable, people from all over the country started to mobilize troops to attack Guan Yu southward.

The Jingzhou battlefield even "stealed the spotlight" of the Hanzhong battlefield at that time. Cao Cao had already been granted the title of Duke of Wei and was stationed in Yecheng, the capital of Wei, but the Han court was still settled in Xudu...

Guan Yu's achievements made Cao Cao want to bring the Han Dynasty to the north to avoid being attacked by Guan Yu.

If this situation develops, let alone the possibility that Guan Yu can successfully conquer the Central Plains... As long as Guan Yu can capture Northern Jingzhou and Liu Bei wins a victory in Hanzhong, the situation of Shu Han in future generations will be no less than that of Cao Wei.

however……

Just when Guan Yu's achievements were at their most brilliant, Lu Meng led his men in white across the river and stabbed Nanjun in the back. Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, who were guarding the rear for Guan Yu, surrendered without resistance.

Moreover, Lu Meng treated the families of the generals of the Jingzhou Army well with a heart-attacking strategy, spending more than ever before, and publicized this. Afterwards, knowing that their old nests had been taken away but their families were safe, the soldiers had no intention of fighting, and Guan Yu also defeated Maicheng. Eventually he was captured and beheaded.

From this, we can also imagine the mood of Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and even the Shu Han officials at that time.

First, there was a huge surprise on the Jingzhou battlefield, which I had no expectations for. However, before I could express my joy, there was shocking news...

Of course, although this "ending" is very sudden, if reviewed, it is not sudden.

With all his main force in Yizhou, Guan Yu resolutely made the Northern Expedition, which was incompatible with the grand strategy of Liu Bei's forces at that time.

The three-legged confrontation of the "Longzhong pair" and the alliance with Wu to resist Cao were not reflected in Guan Yu's Northern Expedition, and even contradicted it. It can be said that it is unquestionable tactically, but it is not wise at the strategic level.

With Guan Yu's aloof and confident temperament, stimulated by the good news in Yizhou and Hanzhong, and seeing opportunities in Northern Jingzhou, it is not surprising that he would send troops.

However... Soochow's dispatch of troops at that time was by no means unexpected.

Even if the governor-general at that time was not Lu Meng, but Lu Su, who had a certain tacit understanding with Guan Yu and advocated maintaining an alliance with Liu Bei, there was no way he could just sit back and watch Guan Yu's Northern Expedition go smoothly.

After all, Sun Liu had some disagreements about the ownership of Jingzhou. No matter how he thought about it, it was impossible for Sun Wu to watch Liu Bei make a fortune in Yizhou while turning "uniting Wu against Cao" into "defending Wu against Cao" .

What's more, Guan Yu has not yet "defended against Wu" - Mi Fang's surrender without a fight is indeed shocking. However, if Guan Yu is really prepared to "defend against Wu", he will never be able to change the situation of being "scorned" by him, or even just now. Mi Fang, who had been punished, was placed in such an important position in Jiangling.

It is conceivable that even if Mi Fang has some integrity and does not surrender immediately, but sticks to one or two, Guan Yu will inevitably retreat to rescue. After that, the battlefield in Jingzhou will change from joining Wu to fight against Cao to joining forces to fight against Wu and Wei. Disadvantages...

Of course, Mi Fang's astonishing move eliminated even the "disadvantages".

As a result, the Liu Bei Group also missed an opportunity to "prosper", especially after Liu Bei ignored the dissuasion of Zhuge Liang and other important ministers out of rationality, resolutely launched the war against Wu, and suffered a defeat at Yiling, "Ji Han" It is basically destined to be "Shu Han".

However, Guan Yu, who is so confident and unruly, is now "forced" by Lu Meng in Chengji World to achieve nothing, which shows Lu Meng's ability!

If the Marquis of Qi, or even just Qingzhou, is really determined to take back Donglai, the Chu State can only control the coastal area with only its navy.

The main reason why it has been preserved so far is the "prestige of the Chu State", but Bai Tu would not think that Guan Yu would be completely intimidated by the "prestige of the Chu State" given his temperament.

If Guan Yu saw the opportunity and could not give Chu the time to negotiate and use diplomatic means, "Chu Donglai County" would be gone long ago...

It can be said that Lu Meng's achievements did not even make Guan Yu have great achievements!
But now the situation has changed. As the Chu State becomes increasingly powerful and seems to be constantly widening the distance from other princes, "transferring the state to Chu" has become the last straw...

The Marquis of Qi began to cooperate with the State of Wei. The North Sea Fleet of the Han Dynasty established by the Marquis of Qi, the Bohai Fleet of the Wei State, and... the unclaimed civilian pirates, reached a certain consensus in the Bohai Sea and the East China Sea.

In addition, "Chu Donglai County" has to face the pressure of increasingly tense land conflicts at the same time. Since last year, Donglai's navy has been unable to completely lock the entrances and exits of the Bohai Sea and the East China Sea. This is why Lianzhou last year There were pirates in Hu and Yizhou!
After the North Sea Fleet acquired new warships this year, it began to wander around the waters near Donglai, with the intention of linking up with the land army.

Without the analysis of other think tanks in the Chu State, Bai Tu could also see that what Donglai was facing now was not just Guan Yu, but the entire Qihou Mansion, and even the linkage of the entire Fu Han forces behind it.

In Yongliang, Yonghou and Zhaihou, who had recovered or at least shocked the Western Region and rebuilt the Protectorate, also began to gather their strength back to Longyou, and gradually began to tighten their fists - and under Longyou's fist, It's Zhang Lu of Hanzhong who "faced Kansai I was submissive, but faced Liu Zhang I struck hard"!

Since the Battle of Badong, everyone knows that Hanzhong is protected by the Chu State...

At least it is the "cover door" that Chu State does not want to lose.

However, now that Chu State only relied on its "majesty", it was no longer able to protect him.

Shouchun, the frontier of Huainan and the former external metropolis, began to become increasingly depressed and even more solemn due to the "secret" attitude of the Marquis of Qi.

And compared to Shouchun, which is only solemn, Wancheng, the frontier town of Chu State in Jingzhou, has already become tense at the beginning of the sixth year of the Chu calendar...

"Jiaozhou's entry into Chu" shocked the prestige of Chu State, but it also seemed to trigger some serious switch. In the year "Ning Ning" was born, Chu State was not at peace.

Of course, whether it is the Chu State, the Wei State, or other princes who assisted the Han Dynasty, they have long passed the period of "frequently starting wars". They are all princes with the burden of great power... The "switch" has just been pressed. It's just starting to warm up gradually.

　Dongdong: This is the last chapter of this volume "The Ascendant". Although it is not yet time for a war to break out immediately, the daily development that was previously biased towards stability will also come to an end...

　　The next volume is "Sea Overlord"!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)