I am not in the position of Zen [Three Kingdoms]

Yan Liang laughed loudly: "God help us, we are close at hand to turn the tide of battle!"

He and Wen Chou fought against Gao Shun and Zhao Yun in Julu County for several months under Yuan Shao's order, and they were always suppressed and beaten.

Wen Chou was a little hesitant, and didn't really believe that there was a pie in the sky: "We have been in a stalemate with the enemy in Julu City for more than a month. The other party's sudden move may be deceitful. I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to act rashly."

Feng Ji reassured: "General, don't worry, the appointment and removal of officials written in this newspaper has never been false." After that, he took out the newspaper from his chest and shook the page of current affairs and politics to the ugly text: "And this kind of How can Gao Shun be able to endure things? I heard that he was rescued by Lu Bu when he was young, and he has been willing to be a loyal dog since then. If something happened to the master, how could the dog not bark?"

In order to know the dynamics of the DPRK and China, they spend a lot of money to buy each issue of the latest newspaper.

Yan Liang took it for granted: "Gao Shun has always followed Lu Bu's lead. When Gao Shun retreated, either Lu Bu refused to accept the court's arrangement and called him back. Or he himself was dissatisfied and wanted to argue with the court."

Feng Ji said: "There is another possibility. The court was worried that Gao Shun would have two hearts, so he ordered the supervising army to take away most of his power. Otherwise, why did he tear his face today, and even turned his sword against him? The news from the spies was the same. , Gao Shun and the supervising army must have had a big quarrel. If General Wen Chou is worried, we will send more scouts before the attack to find out the movements of the Bingzhou army."

Wen Chou was persuaded: "Mr. is right, just follow your plan."

Yan Liang and Wen Chou ordered the soldiers to have a full meal, and attacked the camp in Changshan County that night.

Zhao Yun was defeated and led Chang Shan's army to retreat to the depths of the camp.

After the Jizhou army went deep, suddenly flames burst out, and the Bingzhou army ambushed here rushed out. The Changshan army also swept away the decline. Under the leadership of Zhao Yun, they surrounded the Jizhou army and came to catch the turtle.The three armies fought until dawn, and the Jizhou army was defeated, first losing Julu and then Anxiang.Julu County's military strength was exhausted, and its backup was also held back by Gongsun Zan, and it was no longer able to defend Julu County.

Now the imperial court has recovered four of the nine counties (countries) of Xindu, Changshan, Zhongshan, Hejian, Qinghe, Zhao, Julu, Bohai and Wei under Jizhou, and Yuan Shao's territory has shrunk greatly.

Gongsun Zan was the governor of Jizhou in name after all, and couldn't wait to get involved in Jizhou's affairs.Chen Gong was very worried about this, and after the letter failed, he discussed with Tian Feng: "Gongsun Zan is afraid that he will become a variable. If he is allowed to grow, he may become the second Yuan Shao. Brother Yuan Hao has lived in Jizhou for many years, so he must be better than me. Be clear, why don't we report to the Son of Heaven together tomorrow?"

Tian Feng said: "Your Majesty has personally appointed and dismissed the prefects, Dali Temple, and supervisory officials of the four recovered counties. Now the appointment of officials has to go through a unified examination and the approval of the Ministry of Officials. He wants to install his cronies. Easy. What's more, after Lu Bu was relegated, His Majesty specially ordered the state of wartime. If the governor took over the military, the administration of officials would have to be handed over to other people, and it would not be so easy for him to intervene."

"Even so, don't give him a chance."

"If not, who will lead Baima Yicong?" Tian Feng asked back: "Youzhou governor Liu Yu doesn't have that much ability to deal with Gongsun Zan's generals."

Chen Gong stomped his feet, and said a little anxiously: "Alas! Although His Majesty is obviously fighting poison with poison, relying on Gongsun Zan to attack Yuan Shao from the east. But in my heart, when I think of him, I feel uneasy."

"Your Majesty should be aware of this." Tian Feng said, "Your Majesty has specifically instructed the prefects of the four counties to recruit local talents, open schools, and recruit refugees. Once all the departments are on the right track, Gongsun Zan wants to destroy them." It’s difficult to set up a shelf.”

Chen Gong turned to ask: "Your Majesty's attitude towards the celebrities in Jizhou is quite gentle, could it be due to Brother Yuan Hao?"

For the aristocratic families and celebrities in Jizhou, the emperor adopted a gentle strategy of appeasement.

Tian Feng waved his hand: "How can I have such a great ability to change the mind of the emperor, I must consider the other five counties, and I don't want them to see desperate resistance."

However, this is not the case. After recovering most of Jizhou and driving Yuan Shao to the small Zhongshan Kingdom, the imperial court immediately took action against the local tyrants without hesitation.

At this time, Gongsun Zan was stationed in Hejian County.One of the leaders of Baima Yicong led two hundred of his cronies, and in just a few days rode fast horses to exterminate all three families of more than a dozen wealthy families in Hejian County, killing hundreds of people.

The whole county was shocked.

Hearing that his subordinates came to report quickly, the chief of Baima Yicong and the nominal governor of Jizhou, Gongsun Zan, was also startled and jumped off the prostitute's bed, shouting furiously, "Whose order is this?"

Just last month, he was still attending the welcome banquet held by these dozens of wealthy families, and he also collected a lot of property and promised to cover the other party. Why did the other party disappear overnight?

Before he could figure it out, he was surrounded by soldiers from the Overwatch Council.

The chief inspector of Hejian County rode on a tall horse, and said condescendingly to Gongsun Zan who had just got up from the Wenxiang nephrite bed: "Gongsun Inspector, you are suspected of asking for bribes, and you will kill people to vent your hatred. Please come with me."

Gongsun Zan was furious: "What are you, you dare to tie me up? Someone, take this guy down!"

The director of supervision mocked: "This is in a brothel, not in a barracks, nor in the official hall." He turned his head and ordered the servants: "Take him down!" Jizhou people have fought against Gongsun Zan for many years, and died because of him. There were countless people under him, so of course they would not obey Gongsun Zan's orders and disobey their own superiors, so they immediately rushed forward and tied Gongsun Zan into rice dumplings.

"take away!"

The Overwatch Council found many gold, silver, jewelry, antiques and treasures from local wealthy families in Gongsun Zan's yard. There were also witnesses who pointed out that Gongsun Zan had accepted them with a smile on his face, and he was convicted of accepting bribes.

Facing these criminal evidences, Gongsun Zan showed disdain on his face: "As a governor of a state, it is only natural for me to accept their filial piety. Why do you use this to punish me?"

"When did accepting bribes become a matter of course? My Dahan law has always advocated severe punishment for accepting bribes. Removal from office and imprisonment are both light. Have you forgotten how the master father died in the past?"

After the emperor ascended the throne, various amendments and improvements were made to the laws of the Han Dynasty, such as the verdict on the crime of accepting the prison (referring to the officials in charge of accepting money within their jurisdiction), which was very detailed.The property received by an official must first be converted into silk, and he receives forty lashes of thorns for one foot; eighty lashes for one horse, and half a year suspension; eighty lashes for two horses, one year suspension; three to eight horses and less Eighty strokes, release from office; more than eight horses, in addition to whipping and dismissal from office, they will have to do hard labor for one year, and each additional horse will have an additional year of hard labor, and if it reaches fifty horses, they will be exiled for thousands of miles; punishable by death.

The murder case of Baima Yicong was quickly solved. It was not Gongsun Zan's instigation, but the team leader wanted revenge because his sister was raped by Gongsun Zan. He deliberately killed the briber, hoping to blame Gongsun Zan.Even if it doesn't work to set the blame, it's fine to make a fuss and attract the Overwatch Council's attention.When the Overwatch Council continues its investigation, it will definitely find evidence that Gongsun Zan accepted bribes.

This major case ended with Bai Ma Yicong being beheaded as the leader of the team, and Gongsun Zan being escorted to the capital and put into prison.After all, Gongsun Zan had done a lot of service in attacking Yuan Shao under the imperial edict, and Liu Xie didn't behead him directly, so as not to be liberated by someone with a heart, and chill the hearts of the soldiers.

The case was solved, but it also left a lot of doubts.How did Baima Yicong's team leader obtain Gongsun Zan's private seal and the murder document issued by the Jizhou government, and how to accurately find the notorious wealthy families in Hejian County, has become an unsolved case.

Jizhou has convenient transportation, a large population and vast plains.Jizhou is suitable for growing a variety of food plants, and its output is higher than that of other states and counties. It is the largest granary in the north.

Liu Xie attached great importance to Jizhou, and specially transferred Xu Shu from Jingzhou to be the governor of Jizhou.After Xu Shu took office, he implemented severe punishment laws, cracked down on powerful forces, and made administrative orders clear.Yuan Shao shrank in Zhongshan, which was only one-ninth the size of the original territory, and never dared to take the lead easily.

Those who were transferred to the capital were not only Gongsun Zan, but also a person whom Liu Xie had been thinking about for a long time—poisoner Jia Xu.

Although Jia Xu's reputation is far less than that of Guo Jia, she is also a top-notch counselor who must not be underestimated.After all, he is a poisonous man who "can mislead the country with one word", and has many legends in his life.However, all the magnificent deeds he has done are just to "survive in peace" in troubled times.

His most famous deed in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms is nothing more than that after Dong Zhuo's death, Liangzhou's army was torn apart and wanted to flee. Jia Xu persuaded the defeated Liangzhou army to gather [-] people and return to Chang'an, forcing Lu Bu to flee like a bereaved dog. , Wang Yun tragically committed suicide, more than [-] officials and civilians died, and the emperor was once again reduced to a puppet of the warlord.The whole Chang'an was reduced to hell because of his words, and the Han Dynasty once again lost the chance to recover.

Liu Xie went to meet him in prison in person, and his tone was as calm as when he first took office: "Jia Wenhe, long time no see."

Jia Xu was disheveled, dragging his chains and sitting cross-legged in a corner of the cell, leaning against the wall and resting his eyes with his eyes closed. Hearing this, he suddenly opened his eyes.He changed his posture and continued to sit, with a lazy expression: "I didn't expect His Majesty to personally come to see me off on the road, Xu is really honored."

Liu Xie brushed off his sleeves and said with a smile, "Oh? You also know that you have committed a heinous crime and deserve to be punished."

"Your Majesty obviously knew that the assassination was my idea in the past, otherwise why did you specially order someone to escort me to the capital?" Jia Xu said stubbornly: "My old bones can withstand tossing, if I want to be killed, I will be cut ,As you wish."

Liu Xieqi said: "You are a person who wants to survive at all costs. Why did you give up on yourself when you saw me?"

"Your Majesty, don't make fun of me. The old man really missed his mark in the past." Thinking of the way back from Jizhou to Luoyang, everyone was fully on guard against him, and no one dared to approach the prison car at will.Except when eating, his mouth was covered with a cloth ball. If someone hadn't specially instructed him, he would definitely not have such special treatment.And this behavior also reflects that the people behind the scenes are very afraid of him.

Liu Xie stroked his chin and said, "Could it be the opposite?"

Jia Xu keenly sensed the emperor's attitude: Could it be that the emperor specially arrested him, not for revenge, but for use?Using a person who has seen himself and his powerful ministers to be hypocritical, and even planned an assassination, what is the world thinking today?

In any case, since there was a glimmer of hope, he didn't want to give up.

With the road ahead, Jia Xu immediately changed his sitting posture, knelt down on the ground, and tentatively said, "Your Majesty's rich body should not come to this filthy place."

"I have something to do, I have to come."

"The folks like to say that when a person is about to die, his words are good. If your Majesty doesn't dislike it, you might as well tell your troubles. Even if the guilty minister can't provide a small suggestion for solving it, he can keep it secret for you."

"You are a smart man." Liu Xie sighed and said, "But this smart energy should not be used to harm the country and the people."

"Criminals don't dare." Jia Xu bowed his head.

"Then let's make a quick decision." Liu Xie looked at him with his arms crossed: "I promise you a safe life, and if you give your best advice, will you do it?"

At this time, Yizhou.

In the past two years, two people from Shu County in Yizhou launched a rebellion, which gave the imperial army a good opportunity to encroach on Yizhou.

Since Liu Yan and Zhang Lu raided Hanzhong and killed the prefect of Hanzhong by surprise, Liu Yan's subordinates and Zhang Lu had a dispute over who occupied Hanzhong.Under Guo Jia's arrangement, he raided Hanzhong during the dispute and occupied Hanzhong City.

Although Liu Yan's plan was wrong, after hearing that Yizhou had the spirit of the emperor, he specifically asked Liu Xie's father, Han Lingdi, to be the shepherd of Yizhou.However, he is also a little self-aware, and only wants to be a local emperor in Yizhou.Ruyi's plan was just right, and he was quietly cutting off the traffic, and when he was standing in Yizhou, he suddenly attracted the attention of the court. Such a dangerous place in Hanzhong City was occupied, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

Liu Yan calculated the war in the world and the troops that the imperial court could deploy, so he felt relieved.But he was still caught off guard by the imperial court's move. He wanted to take it slowly, but this time the rhythm was interrupted, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy.In particular, his sons were still detained in Luoyang City, and they were not taken over as planned.

Liu Yan didn't dare to act rashly, so Zhang Liao settled down in Hanzhong safely.The two mountains in Hanzhong stand parallel to each other and stretch from east to west, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

With such a nail in front of him, Liu Yan had no choice but to speed up the pace of rebellion.Since he took office, he has established his prestige by massacring the powerful in Shu.In order to be able to tighten his grip on power and mobilize Yizhou soldiers to attack the imperial army, he killed all the powerful who refused to accept him.As a result, a big rebellion was triggered. The prefect Qianwei and the key men who had welcomed him into Yizhou began to rebel, and they fought all the way to the city of Chengdu, leaving Liu Yan in a state of distress.

The beginning of the rebellion coincided with Lu Bu's arrival in Yizhou.Lu Bu immediately seized the opportunity, using Hanzhong as his base, and gradually eroded the entire Hanzhong County.At the suggestion of Xi Zhicai, he joined forces with Xun Yu, and when Xun Yu pretended to attack Badong County, he broke in from the rear and led a small number of people to assassinate the prefect of Badong County.Once the prefect died, the entire Badong County had no leader. Liu Yan had only been in charge of Yizhou for a short time, and he had no foundation in Badong County. Naturally, all the local officials and people returned to the management of the imperial court.

After Liu Yan defeated the rebels and slaughtered all the tyrants under his rule, the imperial court had established a firm foothold in Hanzhong County and Badong County, and various governance structures had been established.The grain stored in Fengyu in Yizhou was gradually transported to the Central Plains through wooden cattle and horses to provide supplies for the war in the Central Plains.

Lu Bu also sent troops to attack Langzhong.Langzhong is close to Hanzhong and is also a strategically important place, and it is not far from Chengdu where Liu Yan is located.

When Liu Yan heard the news, he was very alarmed: "Langzhong is only three hundred miles away from Chengdu, and it is the most important strategic location, so there is no room for loss!"

Xi Zhicai was appointed by the emperor as the military adviser of Yizhou, responsible for making suggestions and supervising military affairs.He and Lu Bu stood side by side on the top of the hill, looking at Langzhong City in the distance.

Xi Zhicai stroked his beard and said, "Langzhong is an important town, guarded by Liu Yan's cronies. If it is head-to-head, we will not have any advantage in terms of numbers. However, if Langzhong sits guarding the Jialing River, it is easy to get the dam to drain the water. .”

Lu Bu was unmoved, and was not at all dazzled by this easy victory: "Don't we have to clean up the mess after the flood?"

Xi Zhicai smiled and said, "Then we can only occupy Nanshan first, and use it as a springboard to approach Langzhong City."

Lu Bu took out the city wall map drawn by the scouts from his pocket, and slowly stroked it with his fingers: "The focus is on attacking from the Yong'an Bridge at the south gate. They rely on the fact that the moat is wide and the water is fast, and the defense is the weakest."

Xi Zhicai said, "It's not easy to build a pontoon bridge."

Lu Bu looked up at him, "What's the military division's idea?"

Xi Zhicai didn't give a shit about it: "Your Majesty once told me a story, and I think I can make use of it."

Lu Bu remained calm on the surface, but his tone revealed his dissatisfaction: "What story, haven't I heard it?"

"It was a story mentioned in your Majesty's reply when I reported the military situation last time." Xi Zhicai said, "There was once a fierce battle between two cities. The wise warriors came up with an idea. They built a huge wooden horse and hid the bravest warriors in it. Then they pretended to be defeated and left the wooden horse as a trap. The defenders happily carried the wooden horse into the city. , As a result, that night, the warriors inside jumped out, killed the city guards while they were asleep, opened the city gate, and let in the comrades who were ambushing outside."