Three Kingdoms: Heir of Wolong, my father-in-law is Guan Gong

Chapter 152 Veteran (please ask for monthly votes for additional updates)

"Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. I am not admonishing your Majesty to stop the Northern Expedition."

"I support the Northern Expedition!"

"It is precisely because I support the Northern Expedition that I pay special attention to Yizhou's economy and people's livelihood."

Zhuge Qiao spoke firmly and strongly expressed his support for Liu Bei's Northern Expedition.

Immediately afterwards, Zhuge Qiao said again: "I know that the king has doubts in his heart, please allow me to elaborate."

Liu Bei became interested: "Bosong, tell me carefully, I am all ears."

Zhuge Qiao paused and straightened his words slightly: "Since ancient times, when using troops, the three armies have not moved, and the food and grass go first. If the soldiers are well-trained and have enough food, they will be invincible."

"As for Sun Tzu's use of troops: the food does not last for three years, but it is used for the country. Because the food is given to the enemy, the army will have enough food."

"Cao Cao was well versed in Sun Tzu's Art of War and regarded Sun Tzu's Art of War as the best way to use troops. His generals also regarded Cao Cao's Meng De's New Book as the key to using troops. Therefore, when Cao Cao used troops, he would dare to raise his troops against the enemy even if they were short of food and grass."

"Either they plunder the wild areas, and the three armies will have enough food; or they divide the people into groups and plunder the land, and take the autumn grains; or they break the land and surrender to the towns, and take the granaries; or they use their power to benefit the world, and use the loot as capital."

"Therefore, General Cao can often win in hasty battles with his troops!"

"However, providing food to the enemy is only a temporary solution, not a permanent solution. It is okay to use it once or twice when the situation is poor, but in the long run, it will definitely frighten and disgust the soldiers and civilians."

"Therefore, when the soldiers and people of Nanzhou heard that Cao's troops were coming, they were all panic-stricken, fearing that Cao would use his troops to plunder them."

"The king has a kind heart and uses troops to plunder the land. He always considers his reputation for benevolence."

"Although this move is meant to be benevolent to the people, it will also slow down military decision-making and miss opportunities."

"Considering Liu Biao's kindness, he was unwilling to take Jingzhou by force, and he was unwilling to kill Liu Zhang quickly, considering Liu Zhang's fellow clan members. As a result, Jingzhou was ruined and Hanzhong was empty."

"There is benevolence and righteousness in gain, and benevolence and righteousness in loss."

"If your Majesty wants to imitate Cao Cao, he only needs to make General Ma Chao of the Left as the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition, lead troops to invade the land of Yongliang, plunder the city and the countryside, and lead hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians of Yongliang into Chang'an. At most three months, Chang'an will be destroyed!"

"If you continue to appoint unruly and evil officials as officials, recruit evil knights and villains who do not work in production as county soldiers, use clever means to plunder people's wealth and food, break Tongguan in one month, and burn Luoyang in three months, Cao Pi will be frightened and move the capital after hearing the news. .”

Liu Bei's expression changed: "By doing this, wouldn't the Yongliang people regard me as a national traitor?"

Zhuge Qiao said solemnly: "Although he is a traitor to the country, he can cleverly take advantage of the general trend of the world."

"If your Majesty only imitates Cao Cao in fighting hastily but does not imitate Cao Cao's cruelty, and then waits until he is at the end of his power to do extraordinary things, he will not only miss the opportunity to fight for the army, but also fail to be benevolent to the people."

"Has your Majesty forgotten that in the past, when he was so poor that he had to attack Liu Zhang, in order to motivate his soldiers, he had to make an agreement with his soldiers, 'If the matter is decided, all the items in the treasury will be divided among the soldiers.'"

"So after the city was broken, all the soldiers abandoned their weapons and looted the treasury. As a result, the king was short of military expenses; and Liu Shangshu's money was essentially a cunning act to steal the people's wealth, which was not a benevolent act. "

"If the king had not made an agreement with the soldiers, he would not have used looting, nor would he have used hundreds of coins to get rich from the people."

"A good person has done thousands of good deeds, but will be ridiculed and reviled for one evil deed; an evil person has done thousands of evil things, and will be praised and praised for one good deed."

"Human nature is like this, how can your Majesty not be careful?"

After a pause, Zhuge Qiao reiterated his point of view: "If you support the Northern Expedition, you should pay more attention to the economy and people's livelihood of Yizhou. Only when Yizhou's treasury is full and the people are happy with their work, can the king gain military advantages without violating benevolence and righteousness." .”

"In the past, Emperor Wu was able to attack the Xiongnu in the north, and the soldiers and the people were enthusiastic because Emperor Wen and Jing accumulated a lot of wealth for Emperor Wu, so that Emperor Wu could use the wealth in the treasury to reward brave soldiers."

"Thus, the brilliant glory of one Han serving as the Five Barbarians was created."

"Your Majesty, you are too impatient." Zhuge Qiao bowed his hand to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei was silent.

When Chengdu was conquered in the past, all the soldiers looted the treasury, which made Liu Bei regretful.

Any soldiers under the banner of benevolence and righteousness will not commit any crime after entering the city; even if Liu Bei and the soldiers agreed to only take everything from the treasury, it is inevitable that soldiers will rob the people's wealth.

Because of this, Liu Bei received a lot of criticism after entering Sichuan.

After all, Liu Bei has always had a reputation for benevolence and righteousness, but what the people of Chengdu saw was chaos and looting by his soldiers.

Liu Bei didn't want to do this, but he couldn't break the promise he made to his soldiers.

So Liu Bei made a plan to gather the crowd to discuss, and deliberately proposed to give the generals the middle house in Chengdu and the mulberry fields outside the city.

This move was supported by many soldiers.

But Zhao Yun used Huo Qubing's "The Huns will not talk about their family until they are destroyed" to refute Liu Bei's point of view, believing that the Xiongnu are not the only traitors to the country now, and it is not the time for stability.

Only when the world is at peace can we allocate land and houses to the generals so that they can return to their hometowns and start families.

The people of Yizhou have just suffered from war, and now the fields and properties should be returned to the people. Only when people live and work in peace and contentment will they enthusiastically serve as soldiers and pay household taxes, and only in this way can they win the hearts and minds of the people.

During the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, Huo Qubing was the benchmark for military commanders. Zhao Yun used Huo Qubing to refute him. Who could refute him?

Liu Bei took advantage of the situation to appease the generals, and then restrained the soldiers. He also used rice cloth to compensate the households whose property had been robbed, and thus appeased the people.

As for the direct money, Liu Bei was also helpless.

They returned farmland to the people, grain and silk, and everything in the treasury was taken away by the soldiers, so Liu Bei didn't get much food.

Even if he knew that he was taking advantage of the people, Liu Bei could only adopt Liu Ba's suggestion, order the officials to run the government, and pacify all the merchants to ensure that the Zhibaician would not become as serious as the Daquan 500 issued by Sun Quan in the future. Causes currency inflation.

After a series of measures, the people of Yizhou gradually became rich, and Liu Bei's reputation, which had been ruined when he entered the city, gradually recovered, and he had enough money and food reserves to fight the Battle of Hanzhong.

Successive victories and aging, especially Cao Cao's death before his ambitions were fulfilled, made Liu Bei a little more anxious and stubborn. He paid too much attention to military warfare and neglected people's livelihood.

The purpose of Zhuge Qiao's admonition was actually the same as that of Huang Quan.

It's just that Huang Quan's advice was relatively straightforward and he had to be tough with Liu Bei. Liu Bei couldn't accept it for a while, but instead intensified the idea of ​​​​the Northern Expedition.

Zhuge Qiao's advice was much more tactful.

First, resolutely express his support for the Northern Expedition, and then analyze the difficulties of the Northern Expedition in a planned way, allowing Liu Bei to take the initiative to think and reflect.

The fictitious and the real, either avoid the fictitious and make the real, or avoid the real and make the fictitious. As long as you seize the opportunity, you can give Liu Bei examples, metaphors or direct words.

If letting Zhuge Liang lead the Northern Expedition dispelled Liu Bei's idea of ​​a personal expedition; then this period of time and Cai Cai's advice dispelled Liu Bei's idea of ​​rushing to the Northern Expedition.

Should we rush to the Northern Expedition and abandon benevolence and righteousness? Or should we delay the Northern Expedition and uphold benevolence and righteousness.

For Liu Bei, there is almost no need to think too much!
Today's Northern Expedition is not as desperate as when Liu Zhang had to be defeated in the past. Liu Bei does not have to give up benevolence and righteousness for the sake of military struggle.

a long time.

Liu Bei sighed: "Bosong has good intentions."

Although he didn't finish his words, Zhuge Qiao also understood Liu Bei's meaning from his sigh.

Zhuge Qiao handed over his hand again: "It is my duty to serve the king."

Liu Bei thought about it for a moment and said slowly: "I will go to Nanzheng with Duke Wei in the near future to review Wen Chang's troops; but there are still two people in Chengdu, so I can't worry. Bo Song is good at admonishing, so why don't you do it for me."

Zhuge Qiao had a guess in his mind: "The king is talking about General Zuo and General Hou?"

Liu Bei nodded: "Bosong is as smart as Meng Qi and Han Sheng."

"When Meng Qi surrendered to me, he wanted to use my power to avenge his family. However, Meng Qi was also afraid of my suspicion, so he was always careful and concealed things when he spoke to me. He did not dare to express his sincerity."

"This time I announced to the generals that I intend to conduct the Northern Expedition. Meng Qi made a special trip back from Wudu County to compete for the head coach of the Northern Expedition. If I don't do the Northern Expedition, I'm afraid Meng Qi's enthusiasm will fade again."

"Meng Qi's family members all died in the old days. Although he married a wife and had children in Chengdu, Meng Qi was always depressed due to family feud. The medical officer also said privately that Meng Qi had another symptom of vomiting blood, which was caused by stagnation of heart energy. To.”

"Meng Qi's actions in the past were mostly Qiang and Hu-style, ungrateful and ungrateful, and he lacked benevolence. He had a bad reputation among the people of Yongliang. Even if I really want to go to the Northern Expedition, I would not dare to use Meng Qi as the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition. .”

"Hansheng is old. Since the Battle of Hanzhong, his health has been declining, which has little impact on the Northern Expedition. Wouldn't it be a pity if he died during the Northern Expedition!"

Seeing that Liu Bei had first mentioned going to Nanzheng to inspect Wei Yan's troops and was worried about Ma Chao and Huang Zhong, Zhuge Qiao had already guessed what Liu Bei was thinking.

After the idea of ​​​​the Northern Expedition was not as strong as it was at the beginning, Liu Bei was worried that Zhuge Liang would not be able to become the head coach of the Northern Expedition.

Zhuge Liang became the head coach of the Northern Expedition, so Liu Bei didn't have to worry about Zhuge Liang being anxious for the Northern Expedition.

But if Ma Chao and Huang Zhong became the coach of the Northern Expedition, they would definitely be eager to make achievements in the Northern Expedition.

When Liu Bei asked Zhuge Qiao to persuade them, he was actually asking Zhuge Qiao to persuade Ma Chao and Huang Zhong to give up the idea of ​​competing for the Northern Expedition coach.

Zhuge Qiao pondered for a moment and said: "Old General Huang's son died young, and he has no nephew or nephew to adopt as a son. Now he is alone and old and infirm. Staying in Chengdu is like waiting to die."

"Such a veteran should not die in bed depressed, but should bravely take the lead and fight for the Han Dynasty. Even if he dies on the battlefield and is wrapped in horse leather, he can still live in history and have no regrets in this life."

"I can persuade the old general to give up competing for the Northern Expedition coach, but the king has to agree that the old general will follow my father in the Northern Expedition from now on. Only in this way can I persuade the old general to take good care of himself and not hide his illness or seek medical treatment."

Liu Bei hesitated: "Han Sheng is old and he still fights for me, but I want him to die on the battlefield. It would be unbenevolent and righteous."

Zhuge Qiao shook his head: "If the king lets the old general die in regret on his bed because of the criticism of others, wouldn't it make the old general even more heartbroken?"

a long time.

Liu Bei sighed: "Leave this matter to Bo Song. Don't wrong the old general."

Zhuge Qiao added: "In addition, I want Huo Yi to worship Old General Huang as his disciple. Huo Yi is a loyal and filial man, and he is also a close friend of Adou. If he can worship General Huang as his disciple as a master and disciple, General Huang will understand. happiness."

"Since ancient times, a teacher's kindness is like a father's kindness. One day when Huo Yi has an heir, he can adopt another son to General Huang to inherit Xianghuo. Even if General Huang unfortunately dies on the battlefield, he will have no regrets."

Liu Bei was shocked: "Zhongmiao's son Huo Yi is loyal, filial and honest. However, Zhongmiao died young and I have never been able to find a suitable teacher for Huo Yi."

"If I can get Han Sheng's guidance, I'll have no worries. I can let A Dou and Huo Yi become their teachers together and learn some techniques to strengthen their bodies."

Seeing Liu Bei's agreement, Zhuge Qiao pondered for a moment: "General Zuo's situation is relatively complicated. General Zuo has a daughter who is still young, and Adou has a younger brother. If the king agrees, I can hint at the marriage to General Zuo." We can use the method of marriage to dispel General Zuo's fear and suspicion. In this way, we will have the opportunity to help General Zuo get rid of the depression in his heart, and then encourage him to study and learn about etiquette and righteousness."

"One day the king's ambition will come true, and General Zuo will be able to suppress the Qiang and Hu for the Han Dynasty forever."

Liu Bei nodded and promised: "If Bosong can persuade Meng Qi, I am willing to let my second son Liu Li marry Meng Qi's daughter as my official wife!"

With Liu Bei's promise, Zhuge Qiao was going to persuade Huang Zhong first, so he came to find Liu Chan and Huo Yi.

When Xu Jing saw Zhuge Qiao, his face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot, as if Zhuge Qiao owed Xu Jing tens of thousands of money.

"Zhuge Qiao, what are you doing here?"

"The prince is reviewing his lessons, please don't disturb him."

"Don't think that because of your achievements in Jingzhou, I will agree with you. I will crush as many crickets as you send to the Crown Prince."

Xu Jing was very unhappy.

I thought Liu Chan had learned well, but after Zhuge Qiao returned to Sichuan, he actually brought Liu Chan a Jingzhou giant cricket, which was known as the best among crickets and the Jiangling general who defeated all the rats in the east of the Yangtze River.

This made Xu Jing very angry!
Xu Jing took Liu Chan seriously as his disciple, and Prince Wang as his disciple, which was not something ordinary people could qualify for.

Xu Jing wanted to teach Liu Chan to be a wise king in his mind, but Zhuge Qiao didn't agree with Xu Jing's education methods and often sabotaged Xu Jing's education plans, but Liu Chan still agreed.

In Xu Jing's eyes, Liu Chan was led astray by Zhuge Qiao.

Zhuge Qiao smiled.

Regarding Xu Jing, Zhuge Qiao only had differences in educational concepts, and he actually had no ill feelings towards Xu Jing in his heart.

Xu Jing is like the dean of later generations. He is often annoying to students, but when the students grow up, they respect the dean.

Zhuge Qiao bowed: "Xu Wangfu misunderstood. This time I am here to do business."

Xu Jing was not polite: "Zhuge Qiao, tell me yourself, since you entered Sichuan, when have you ever come to look for the crown prince and done anything serious?"

"Climbing over walls, climbing trees to dig out bird eggs, swimming in rivers to catch loaches, vulgar behaviors abound. Do you want me to elaborate on them one by one?"

Zhuge Qiao couldn't help but smile and bowed again: "Combining work and rest. Mr. Xu is a well-known official in the world because of his magnificence and elegance. I am just a young man with little talent, little knowledge and little reputation. Why should Mr. Xu be the same as me?"

"What's more, the last official document sent by King Fu Xu said that he wanted to increase teaching venues, personnel, books, etc., but Liu Shangshu only approved half of it. Not only did I approve the whole thing, but I also approved an additional half of the funds. I have completed all the projects that Wangfu Xu wanted to apply for but crossed out."

"After assisting my father in reviewing official documents, I realized that Meng Lang was not sensible before, so I asked Mr. Xu to forgive me."

"Adou listens to me the most. I will also advise Adou to follow Prince Xu and take his studies seriously. He will never let down Prince Xu's intentions for the prince."

Seeing Zhuge Qiao's beautiful words, the anger in Xu Jing's heart was half gone, and he hummed: "Tell me first what business you want to do with the Crown Prince? You'd better not fool me!"

Zhuge Qiao said calmly: "Your Majesty pities the old general Huang who has made outstanding contributions but is old and has no heirs. He can't bear that the old general is lonely and helpless. He wants Adou and Huo Yi to worship the old general as their teacher and learn some physical strengthening techniques."

"Adou is still too fat for his age. If he is not restrained and exercises diligently, how can Adou succeed the king in handling military and political affairs in the future?"

"Prince Xu doesn't want his carefully cultivated disciple to die young because of obesity, right?"

Xu Jing stared at Zhuge Qiao seriously: "Is this true?"

Zhuge Qiao nodded seriously: "Of course I take it seriously!"

Xu Jing snorted: "I'll trust you for once, but don't delay for too long. Go early and come back early."

Seeing Zhuge Qiao, Liu Chan's little eyes suddenly lit up: "Brother Aqiao, where are you going to play today?"

Before he finished speaking, Liu Chan received a blow on the head: "Speak plainly!"

Liu Chan's little eyes became aggrieved: "Brother, where are we going to play today?"

Huo Yi bowed respectfully: "Young brother has seen your elder brother."

Liu Chan shouted: "Brother, why don't you knock Huo Yi on the head? He didn't speak plainly."

Huo Yi couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

"Okay, Mr. Xu's face is darkening. Don't cause trouble with me. Come with me quickly." Seeing Xu Jing's increasingly darker face, Zhuge Qiao quickly stopped Liu Chan.

After everyone saluted Xu Jing, they drove to the residence of General Huang Zhong.

Hearing that he wanted to take Huang Zhong as his disciple, Huo Yi's tone was obviously a little more excited: "Brother, can I really take the old general as my disciple?"

Huang Zhong of Nanyang, who crossed the Yangtze River with a hundred steps and killed Xiahou Yuan in formation, was a veteran general who still fought, and was the most brave in the three armies. After Huo Yi, a general who admired military bravery, he was simply a god-like existence.

Zhuge Qiao said seriously: "Brother Yi, since I have come to find you, I will naturally help you become a disciple."

"It's just that the old general has been loyal throughout his life and has no heirs. After becoming a disciple, you need to abide by the etiquette of master and apprentice, treat the old general as a respected elder, and do not do anything disrespectful."

"If you have children in the future, you can adopt a son to inherit the legacy of the old general."

Huo Yi nodded heavily: "Brother, don't worry, a teacher's kindness is like a father's kindness. If the old general is willing to accept me as his disciple, I will live up to the old general's love."

Zhuge Qiao looked at Liu Chan again: "Adou, you must follow the old general to practice martial arts and strengthen your body from now on. Don't slack off."

Liu Chan suddenly lost his face: "Brother, can't I just practice essays?"

Zhuge Qiao shook his head: "You are the heir, how can you only learn essays? Your Majesty is half a soldier, and he is both civil and military, how can you give birth to a son who only knows how to dance and write?"

"But don't worry too much. What you are learning is the martial arts of a prince, not the martial arts of a warrior. Naturally, the difficulty of practicing martial arts cannot be compared to Gedi."

"I don't have high requirements for you, just lose the fat on your body."

"If you practice martial arts with all your heart, my brother will take you to see the magnificence of the sea one day."

Liu Chan suddenly became energetic.

Although he had seen the waves on the river, Liu Chan had never seen the magnificence of the sea.

"I will obey my brother's teachings." Liu Chan's tone also became cheerful.

Not long after.

Everyone came to the Hou General's Mansion.

There was only an old soldier guarding the door of the Hou General's Mansion. It looked quite deserted, and there were birds flying down in front of the door.

"Is the old general in the mansion?" Zhuge Qiao sighed inwardly and asked the old soldier at the door.

The old soldier quickly said: "The general is in the courtyard. I wonder what I call these young gentlemen?"

Zhuge Qiao pointed at Liu Chan: "You only need to say that the Crown Prince of Hanzhong is here to visit."

When the old soldier saw Liu Chan coming, he quickly saluted: "Old soldier Chen Erniu, I have met the prince."

Liu Chan stepped forward to help the old soldier up: "You are a warrior of the Han Dynasty. I am just a young man who is inexperienced in the world. I don't need such a big gift."

The old soldier couldn't help but feel happy when he saw Liu Chan's innocence and polite manners, as if he had seen Liu Bei who once held his hand and asked about family affairs.

We are so lucky that the king has a queen!
"Your Majesty, wait a moment, I'll go and pass the message." The old soldier turned around quickly and went inside.

Liu Chan's eyes were a little sore: "Brother, why is he so old and still just a pawn?"

Zhuge Qiao put his right palm gently on Liu Chan's shoulder: "Everything was difficult at the beginning of starting a business. If Adou wants these warriors of the Han Dynasty to enjoy their old age, they must learn how to govern benevolently. This is what the king is looking forward to!"

Liu Chan seemed to understand, but his eyes and tone were firm: "I will remember my brother's teachings."

Not long after.

Huang Zhong hurriedly came from the inner courtyard. When he saw Liu Chan, he bowed: "Veteran Huang Zhong, please see the crown prince!"

Liu Chan quickly stepped forward and helped Huang Zhong up: "The old general is an important weapon of the country. I am just a young man. How dare I accept this great gift."

Zhuge Qiao and Huo Yi came forward to greet him.

After the ceremony.

Zhuge Qiao said: "Old general, let's go in first and discuss some private matters with you."

Huang Zhong's eyes flashed, and he quickly invited everyone in, and personally brought a few bowls of water: "I don't have many people at home, so I don't have any servants or maids. There are just a few old soldiers in the army."

"It doesn't matter." Zhuge Qiao took a sip of water and said, "Do you know the old general and the former Governor Zitong Huo?"

Huang Zhong sighed: "Huo Zhongmiao was a good scholar in Jingzhou, but it is a pity that he died young, which is regrettable."

When Zhuge Qiao saw Huang Zhong lamenting Huo Jun's untimely death, he added, "Old general, I have an unkind favor today."

Huang Zhong smiled and said: "Bo Song is too modest. If you have any questions, just speak up."

Zhuge Qiao recommended: "This is Huo Yi, the eldest son of Governor Huo. He is a filial man and wants to establish a master-disciple relationship with the old general."

Huang Zhong was slightly startled: "I have heard that Huo Yi, Huo Zhongmiao's son, although young, is not inferior to an adult. It is admirable to study alone in front of Huo Zhongmiao's tomb as a filial piety."

"But I am already on the verge of death. If you want to teach me martial arts, I will give you all my money to teach you. This relationship between master and disciple is unnecessary. Why let the younger generation bear the debt again."

Huo Yi then stood up and saluted Huang Zhong: "I have always respected the old general! If the old general thinks highly of me, I will regard the old general as my elder. I have no brothers, so I cannot recognize the old general as my foster father."

"If the old general is willing to recognize me as his disciple, if I have twins in the future, I will adopt one son to the old general's dead son as his heir, so as to inherit the old general's legacy."

"I know that my virtue and talent are shallow, so I don't dare to have any extravagant expectations. I only hope that the old general can see my sincere heart and allow me to serve him as a master and disciple."

　Although it’s a bit late, let’s add more updates
　　
　
(End of this chapter)