binnovel Chapter 238 Preparation
Chapter 238 Preparation
Chapter 238 Preparation
After his father's death, Lu Yu seemed to have suddenly grown up and matured a lot.
Following Liu Bian, he was very cautious in every move and never overstepped the line.
Lu Yu's expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Your Majesty, do you want to go to Jizhou?"
Yanzhou had been pacified for more than two years and was basically stable, and efforts were being made to restore people's livelihood. However, Jizhou was plagued by banditry due to the rampage of the Black Mountain Army the year before last, and it was difficult to stabilize it.
Liu Bian continued to walk forward, with a smile on his face, and said, "Not only Jizhou, I also want to go to Qingzhou to take a look."
Apart from Liangzhou, among the northern provinces, the most chaotic one at the moment is actually Qingzhou.
Although Cao Cao surrendered nearly one million Yellow Turban troops, he was never able to pacify the rebellion completely. The most important reason was that there was "no food". Cao Cao followed Liu Bian's advice and carried out military farming, but this was only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution. After Cao Cao left, Kong Rong of Beihai implemented "benevolent policies", and Huangfu Jianshou of Donglai County was unable to support the rebellion alone. The Yellow Turban Army in Qingzhou showed signs of reviving.
Lu Yu immediately understood and said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid the officials in the court will not agree."
The court might agree to Jizhou, but the court officials would never agree to go deep into Qingzhou - it's too dangerous!
Liu Bian naturally knew this too.
As the political situation became increasingly stable, Liu Bian's constraints as emperor became increasingly clear, and he could no longer do many things "willfully".
Liu Bian, wearing his ordinary clothes, took Lu Yu out of the palace and said, "Lu Yu, I heard that the Grand Marshal has not been in good health recently?"
Lu Yu said: "Yes, I went to see him. His legs were wet and cold. When the weather got cold, he couldn't stand."
Liu Bian could not help but put his hands behind his back again, looking at the bustling streets, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, "Prime Minister, are you also interested in retiring?"
Lu Yu's heart tightened, but his expression remained unchanged as he said, "I have heard of it, but it must be a rumor."
Liu Bian nodded, and under the guidance of Dian Wei, he turned a corner and came to an inconspicuous teahouse at the back of the street.
When Liu Bian went up to the second floor, a skinny middle-aged man knelt on the ground with a plop and said, "I, the guilty minister Kong Ju, pay my respects to Your Majesty!"
Liu Bian glanced at him, sat down, and said, "Does Dong Zhuo know you came out?"
Kong Jun turned to Liu Bian in panic and said, "I don't know. I have left Pei State many times before in the name of raising grain, and Dong Zhuo never suspected anything."
Liu Bian hummed and went to make tea.
This person was appointed by Dong Zhuo as the Prime Minister of Pei State, and had been following Dong Zhuo for almost two years.
Kong Jun was also a famous scholar of his time. He wrote excellent articles and was highly respected by many people.
But some people's evaluation of him is: Confucius talked about lofty theories, but he had no talent for military affairs and no ability to lead a sharp army.
Simply put, many people think that Kong Jun is a talkative person but has no talent.
"Tell me about it." Liu Bian brewed tea slowly.
Kong Jun knelt on the ground and said quickly, "Yes, yes. Since I was forced to follow the bandits, I have been observing carefully. Dong Zhuo is a rich man from Xiliang. He has neither the virtue of education nor the heart of reverence..."
Liu Bian listened to him preparing a long speech and let him do it, slowly fiddling with the tea set.
Not to mention Dong Zhuo and others, even among the rebels such as Yuan Shu, there were countless people who secretly surrendered in the shogunate and the army. Kong Zhu was also "loyal to the court" and whenever he had the chance, he would use his connections to express his "loyalty" to the court.
This Kong Jun was also one of the relatively "high-level" people Huangfu Jian had developed in Dong Zhuo's forces.
Kong Jun spoke for a long time, then quietly raised his head. Seeing that Liu Bian didn't seem to care, he suddenly stopped talking and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, Dong Zhuo has been levying heavy taxes and killing people in Pei and Liang, causing the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. Many noble families have remained loyal and unyielding, swearing to resist to the death, and have been fighting against Dong Zhuo. They all pray for the royal army to arrive and quell the rebellion..."
Liu Bian curled his lips unconsciously and continued to make tea.
It is true that these noble families resisted Dong Zhuo, but when it comes to their unyielding loyalty and resistance to death, Liu Bian does not believe it at all.
There were aristocratic families who were loyal to the Han Dynasty, and they were quite a few, but there were more who followed the trend.
Lu Yu stood behind Liu Bian and finally understood why some people described him as "pure talk and lofty theories". After talking for a long time, there was no point.
Seeing that Liu Bian was slow in brewing tea, Lu Yu turned to Kong Zhu and asked calmly, "What is Dong Zhuo planning now?"
Kong Jun glanced at Lu Yu, but he didn't recognize him. He paused and said, "Dong Zhuo has joined forces with Lu Bu and is trying his best to persuade Yuan Shu to form a three-party alliance to divide the three states of Yu, Yang, and Jing."
Lu Yu was still waiting for him to speak, but seeing that he had been listening for a long time, he couldn't help but say, "Go on."
Kong Jun finally understood and said, "Your Majesty, Dong Zhuo has already formulated a strategy. We will attack Yuan Shao first. After destroying Yuan Shao, we will join forces with Lu Bu and Yuan Shu to encircle Sun Jian in Wujun. This will completely quell the threat in the southeast, and then we can go south or north separately to divide the world and achieve our own great cause..."
Lu Yu frowned unconsciously. He always felt that the way Kong Jun spoke was strange and had no point.
It's like reading too much has damaged my brain.
Liu Bian took a sip of tea, which seemed half-brewed, so he poured it out and asked casually, "Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shu are allying?"
Kong Jun seemed to have thought of something and said hurriedly, "Yes, no. It's like this. Yuan Shu wanted to marry his sons and daughters to Lü Bu's. This is how the alliance was established."
Liu Bian raised his eyebrows, glanced at the teacup in his hand, and said to himself: "Why is today's tea so unpalatable?"
After throwing away the tea in his hand and brewing it again, Liu Bian turned to look at Kong Zhu and said, "Dong Zhuo has no intention of taking Xuzhou?"
Logically speaking, Xuzhou has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times, and it is adjacent to Pei State. Dong Zhuo's annexation of Xuzhou could not only expand his territory and increase his strength, but also expand his depth. There was no reason for him to let it go.
Kong Jun seemed to remember something when he heard this, and said, "Originally, Lord Dong, the old thief Dong intended to take Xuzhou, but was dissuaded by military advisor Jia Xu. Jia Xu believed that it was not time to confront the imperial court, so he stayed in Langya County for the time being as a buffer."
Liu Bian seemed to understand something and asked, "How many soldiers and grain does Dong Zhuo have now?"
Kong Jun knelt on the ground, thought for a while, and said, "Military Advisor Jia Xu suggested learning from Cao Cao to cultivate land, so it is difficult to say the exact number of troops, but there should be 100,000. The money and food will be enough for three years."
"I really underestimated them..."
Liu Bian was a little surprised and said, "Tell me what you think."
Kong Jun's expression brightened, he suddenly stood up, raised his hand and said: "Your Majesty, Dong Zhuo's evil ambitions must be eradicated as soon as possible. Please send a large army to suppress him, and I will be the internal support. Within a month, Dong Zhuo will be destroyed!"
Liu Bian was completely disappointed with this man. Not only did he talk nonsense, but he also spoke nonsense and was quite stupid.
Liu Bian picked up the teapot again and brewed tea carefully. He said, "Write a detailed report of what you know, and write down the key points."
Kong Jun seemed to sense Liu Bian's attention, and with an excited and grateful look on his face, he prostrated himself and said, "I accept your command and thank you!"
Liu Bian frowned. What kind of favor was Kong Jun thanking him for?
After Kong Jun left, Liu Bian asked, "What do you think?"
Lu Yu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this man's words are confused and upside down. I'm afraid he can't be trusted."
Liu Bian nodded and said, "Tell Chief Huangfu Jian that he should be used with caution. Also tell him to let Yuan Shu go and keep a close eye on Dong Zhuo."
"Yes." Lu Yu said.
Now Lu Yu has gradually replaced Pan Yin and is mainly responsible for the contact with Huangfu Jianchang.
Liu Bian picked up the teacup and took a sip. He still tasted a slight bitter taste, so he put it down and stood up and said, "Send an order to Liu Biao. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu have made great contributions in defending the enemy. Order them to come to the capital to receive their rewards."
"Yes." This time it was Pan Yin who answered.
Lu Yu was still a little confused and didn't react, but Pan Yin understood what he meant.
Sun Ce was Sun Jian's eldest son. Transferring Sun Ce to the capital was both to restrain Sun Jian and as a warning.
Sun Jian acted recklessly in Wu County and even occupied Guangling County, showing his disrespect for the imperial court.
When Liu Bian returned to the palace, Cao Cao had already returned to his mansion.
Guo Jia kept drinking as he listened to Cao Cao talk about what happened today.
Last year, Guo Jia was summoned by Liu Bian to join the Grand Marshal's Mansion, but was "driven out" by Huangfu Song because of several drunken incidents.
This "expulsion" basically ended Guo Jia's official career, but he had no interest in official career at all. Instead, he lived very comfortably in Cao's mansion.
Guo Jia lay on his side on the small bed, waiting for Cao Cao to finish, and then said drunkenly: "Your Majesty only mentioned these few words, which shows that the direction of the major policies has not changed. Your Majesty's attention is still on the northern states."
“I think so too,”
Cao Cao's narrow eyes flashed with a cold look, and he said: "In the past few years, the court's tax revenue and people's livelihood have recovered. It is understandable that Your Majesty does not want to be interrupted. However, Yuan Shu was defeated, and Dong Zhuo, Sun Jian, Liu Biao and others emerged. Even if the court does not want to start a war, it has to do so."
"And Yizhou."
Guo Jia pointed out, "Liu Yan's health is not good, and the court is holding Liu Zhang captive. If Liu Yan is forced into a corner, he may act recklessly."
Cao Cao's expression remained unchanged but he looked very serious. He said, "Since the year before last, an unknown force has been attacking Hanzhong. I suspect it is Liu Yan."
Guo Jia drank some wine, thought for a while and said, "I feel that Your Majesty has not made up his mind yet."
Cao Cao was startled and asked, "What resolution?"
Guo Jia sat up and looked at Cao Cao and said, "Some people in the court are afraid of the general, so your majesty wants to allocate food and grass to the general. These food and grass must be limited and cannot hurt the general. But with the national strength of the court, it cannot support such a war."
Cao Cao suddenly woke up and asked with a burning gaze, "So, Your Majesty suddenly changed his mind and ordered me to pacify the Black Mountain Army first?"
"The Black Mountain Army is the last major concern of His Majesty among the northern states."
Guo Jia said: "It is inevitable that the Black Mountain Army will be pacified sooner or later, but Your Majesty has used this matter to buy time."
At this point, Guo Jia shook his head and sneered, "Before, Your Majesty said not to worry too much about Yuan Shu, but the government and the people were terrified and thought that Yuan Shu would overthrow the Han Dynasty. Looking back now, it's really ridiculous."
Cao Cao also sneered at Yuan Shu and didn't take him seriously at all. He said, "Then, what should I do now?"
Guo Jia drank the wine, looked slowly towards the south, and said: "According to my estimation, after the general pacifies the Black Mountain Army, he will probably head south."