Zhu Nao

After Xu Yu sorted out the household registration, cultivated land, taxation and other account books from the new newspapers of various states and counties, she went to hand them over to Zhu Nao.

After reading the summary of accounts, Zhu Nao nodded in satisfaction, and said, "It seems that this year's troop increase can go smoothly. You have worked hard these two years."

In the past two years, he didn't spend much time in the Shu Mansion. Most of the time, the Shu Mansion was managed by Xu Yu. All walks of life were in an orderly manner, and the treasury was constantly filled. Xu Yu contributed a lot.

Xu Yu hurriedly said: "The prefect has too much reputation, and the Shu mansion is today, all because of the prefect's good governance."

Although these words are self-effacing words, they also come from the heart.Xu Yu is very clear about her abilities.He can indeed be regarded as a capable minister in governing the world, but he is by no means a hero in troubled times.I think back when Yuan Jilu was the Yin of Chengdu, the Shu government was in chaos and the people were in dire straits.It is all because Zhu Nao restored the vitality of the people after taking office that he can manage the current Shu Mansion in an orderly manner.What he did was just icing on the cake.

Zhu Nao smiled and said, "There is no need to be modest." Then he said, "Let's start preparing for this year's recruitment."

Xu Yu hurriedly said, "Yes, Fu Yin."

Since Zhu Nao took office, the Shu government has recruited new soldiers every year.But compared with the princes from all over the world, the recruiting speed of the Shu government is actually very slow.Zhu Nao will decide how many soldiers to expand in that year according to the annual financial revenue and expenditure and household registration, and only a few tens of thousands of soldiers will be recruited each year.After four or five years, the main army under the direct control of Chengdu Prefecture is only more than 1 people.This is just the number of people that other princes can recruit in a year or two.Now some feudal princes have already supported hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

But in this case, Junao is still not in a hurry.

You must know that recruiting troops in a hurry will squeeze the anger of the people.Some chaotic feudal towns in the north have reached the point where all the people are soldiers. Farmers, craftsmen, and merchants are almost extinct. Fertile land is barren and trade routes are cut off.The army can only live by looting, which is by no means a long-term solution, and it will soon be unsustainable.

Moreover, the Shu Mansion also has a unique advantage, that is, it is located in the southwestern border, a land of four fortresses.Although it is not easy to get out of Shu, it is also difficult to enter Shu.This allowed Shu to avoid the melee in the Central Plains.Now that the feudal lords are fighting for supremacy, wars have been raging for years. Although Zhu Nao also led troops to fight, the flames of war have not been able to enter Shu, so that the Shu government can train troops with peace of mind and accumulate strength.

Now the tens of thousands of troops of the Shu army are all elite divisions, and some princes in the Central Plains can recruit [-] troops overnight, and they are beaten to death in the first battle.

Speaking of recruiting soldiers, Xu Yu thought of another thing: "Fu Yin, just now Shizhou sent a letter, saying that Commander Han has arrived."

"Really." Junao nodded without saying anything.

Xu Yu hesitated to speak.Xu Yu has always been a little confused about Zhu Nao's appointment of Han Feng to garrison Shizhou first.Zhu Nao secretly transferred the defenders of Shizhou away, showing weakness to the enemy, and wanted to use a trick to lure the enemy to go deep.But the soldiers were transferred, but a general like Han Fengxian was sent to Shizhou.Han Fengxian's reputation as the "Wolf of the Desert" had already spread to the Central Plains, so he wasn't afraid that Han Fengxian's reputation would frighten the Changsha army and dare not march easily?Isn't this contradictory?

Zhu Nao saw Xu Yu's confusion.When he announced his appointment in front of the officials that day, he didn't explain much.One is that it is inconvenient to say some things clearly, and the other is that the less people know about some news, the better, otherwise there will be the danger of leaking the news.

Zhu Nao smiled faintly: "There is no more suitable candidate than Han Fengxian."

Xu Yu looked up at Zhu Nao blankly.

Is there no more suitable candidate than Han Fengxian?He still doesn't understand.He really couldn't figure out Zhu Nao's thoughts...

=====

Changsha Mansion.

In the official yamen, several officials are living together, arguing endlessly.

"Fu Yin, don't be in a hurry to use troops against Shu Mansion!!" A gray-haired official said sadly, "We have just captured Jiangling Mansion, and there are still many restless forces in Jiangling Mansion. If we rashly send troops to Shu Mansion , once the battle is lost, those people with ulterior motives will definitely take the opportunity to make trouble. At that time, we may lose our wife and lose our army!"

What he said was already more euphemistic.Changsha Mansion's embezzlement of Jiangling Mansion has caused dissatisfaction among many people.Although the battle was won, the hearts of the people in Jiangling Mansion have not yet surrendered, and there are many local forces that are ready to move.Not only that, but their neighbors are also very dissatisfied, and many princes have issued a document condemning Changsha Mansion.Under such circumstances, they are still eager to use troops against the Shu government. If they win, it's okay, but if they lose...they can't afford to lose at all!

As soon as he finished speaking, he was immediately refuted.

"Fu Yin!" Lu Chongshi stood up, impassioned, spitting, "Fu Yin don't listen to his nonsense! Now that we have just conquered Jiangling, the morale of the army is high, and it is a great time to use troops! It is the so-called one-shot, and then Weakness, three exhaustion. Take this opportunity to march into Shizhou, and you will be able to conquer it in one fell swoop!"

Without waiting for others to refute, he said again: "The spies of Shizhou have come to report that Shizhou's defenses are empty, officials are corrupt, and there is a serious situation of empty pay! And our soldiers are good at fighting, brave and mighty, saying that we If we lose in the battlefield, it will be to increase the ambition of others and destroy our own prestige! If we don’t take Shizhou as soon as possible now, it will be difficult for us to enter the army when the Shu government starts to strengthen the defense of Shizhou!”

The old official who was refuted by him was so angry that he blew his beard and stared: "You, you! Is it a joke to fight? You said lightly, who can predict the outcome? Fu Yin, this matter must be carefully considered, and you must not rush into it..."

Lu Chongshi said: "Fu Yin, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Don't hesitate any longer!"

"..."

Led by Lu Chongshi and the old official, the officials present were divided into two camps, arguing over whether to use troops against Shi Zhou.

Some time ago, Changsha Mansion placed many spies among the refugees who fled to Shigui Erzhou, and those spies sent back a lot of information one after another.It was this intelligence that made the officials such a quarrel.

Shizhou is the junction of Shu Prefecture, Jiangling, and Changsha Prefecture. If Changsha Prefecture can take Shizhou in one go, it can open the door to enter Shu.It is said that Shizhou should have been heavily guarded, but it is not the case-according to the investigation of the spies, it was found that Shizhou's defense was empty and the troops were seriously insufficient!

This phenomenon was very strange, and the spies continued to investigate. As a result, they heard a rumor among the people: It turns out that the officials of the Shizhou government were corrupt, withholding food and salary, and there was a situation of empty salary, which led to the shortage of troops.So the spies quickly reported the news to Changsha Mansion.

This can make some officials in Changsha Mansion extremely excited, thinking that now is an excellent time to attack Shizhou.After all, they had just captured Jiangling Mansion, and Shu Mansion would definitely be on guard. When Shu Mansion rectified Shizhou and sent more troops to Shizhou, it would not be so easy for them to capture Shizhou.

However, there are also a group of experienced and prudent officials who are very opposed to it. They think that the continuous use of troops is too harmful. They should digest the treasure land of Jiangling first, and then gradually plan for the land of Shu in the future.

An official said: "Fu Yin, I'm afraid this matter may be fraudulent! Then Chengdu Yin Zhu Nao has always been known as a virtuous person, and he managed the Shu Mansion in an orderly manner. However, there is such a corruption in Shizhou, how can Zhu Nao tolerate it until now?" ? This matter is probably a trick of the Shu people!"

Lu Chongshi let out a chuckle, and said disdainfully: "The trick of the Shu people? What kind of trick? The trick of handing over Shizhou to us? You think too much! I don't think you have taken money from the Shu people, so you are here Do your best to delay the time so that they can rectify Shizhou?"

In fact, it was Lu Chongshi who took the money from the Shu merchants himself and tried his best to fight the battle, but he was clever with his tongue, and turned the hat on others.The official who was framed by him suddenly turned red, and was so angry that he said "you, you, you" but couldn't say a complete sentence.

Changsha Governor Sun Xiang sat on the main seat, listening to the dispute between the two sides, his brows were frowned.Of course he has the ambition to dominate the world, and he really wants to swallow the fat of Shu Mansion as soon as possible.But what the anti-war officials said also made him hesitate.

Indeed, if he is in a hurry to use his troops, he may put himself at a disadvantage in case of failure.Moreover, it is indeed strange that a border town like Shizhou should be so negligently defended...

At this moment, a spy suddenly ran in.

"Fu Yin, there is an urgent report from Shizhou!"

Everyone was taken aback for a moment, and immediately fell silent.

Changsha Governor Sun Xiang hurriedly said, "What urgent report? Tell me!"

The spy said: "Chengdu Yin Junao has appointed Han Fengxian as the commander of Shizhou to guard Shizhou!"

There was a moment of silence in the hall, and then there was an uproar.

Although Han Fengxian lives in the desert, officials in Changsha Mansion have heard of her name.The Wolf of the Desert has a great reputation. When he followed Dong Jiang to invade China, he was the one who led the Liangzhou cavalry to several cities.The soldiers at the border were terrified when they heard his name.

Zhu Nao actually appointed Han Feng to guard Shizhou first?It must have begun to guard against the invasion of the Changsha army!

The anti-war officials were immediately overjoyed.An old man hurriedly said: "Prefect, Zhu Nao sent Han Feng to guard Shizhou first, and it seems that he has decided to strengthen Shizhou's border defense. The enemy has already prepared, we must not attack rashly!"

The officials of the main combat faction temporarily died down.Indeed, with the appointment of Han Fengxian, the point of view that "Shizhou's border defense is negligent, as long as they send troops, they can easily win" seems to be no longer valid.

Lu Chongshi frowned first, thought for a moment, and then was overjoyed.He hurriedly said: "Fu Yin, Han Feng left the town of Shizhou first, which just means that now is our best chance to conquer Shizhou!"

As soon as this remark came out, everyone was surprised, and they didn't understand what he meant.

Lu Chongshi hurriedly said: "What about the wolf in the desert? A wild wolf in the desert may not be suitable for the Shu government! Zhu Nao's sudden change of general was really his negligence! Han Fengxian is not familiar with the situation in Shizhou, and the defenders in Shizhou He may not be willing to obey Han Fengxian, when he first took office, presumably Shizhou will only become more chaotic! If we don’t take this opportunity to seize Shizhou, what are we waiting for?”

As soon as these words came out, the anti-war faction was speechless.Sun Xiang was very moved.

Just now he felt that Shizhou's negligent defense was very unusual, and it might be a conspiracy by the Shu government.But Han Fengxian's appointment dispelled his doubts - Zhu Nao's appointment of such a well-known general showed that he did not neglect Shizhou's border defense, and it could only show that Zhu Nao didn't know the situation in Shizhou at all.

And when the officials change, it is indeed the most chaotic time.No matter how famous Han Fengxian was, he was not from Shu after all, and soldiers from Shu were not soldiers from Liangzhou, the chaos would only worsen.

At the same time, Han Fengxian's appointment means a signal: Zhu Nao has begun to guard against the invasion of the Changsha army.Han Fengxian's appointment is only the first step. Soon, he may mobilize a lot of troops to garrison Shizhou and build fortifications. By then, it will be really not easy to capture Shizhou.

Sun Xiang struggled violently in his heart.The appointment of a tiger general in the enemy army made him more inclined to the main battle—or, he was originally the main battle, but reason imprisoned him, so that he did not dare to act rashly.But now, he feels that this is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Finally, Sun Xiang slapped the table and got up, and made a final decision: "Continue to send more people to Shizhou, closely inquire about the news, and report to me every day!"

As long as it can be confirmed that Han Feng's "acclimatization" after arriving in Shizhou first, he will immediately march into Shizhou with a large number of troops!

=====

the other side.

Xie Wuji led [-] Qingqi to travel day and night, and finally came to the vicinity of Yanzhou.The further north we went, the more chaotic the situation became, to the point where all the rooms were empty.

Seeing this, Xie Wuji didn't say much, he just hurried on his way in order to reach Yanzhou as soon as possible and relieve the siege of Yanzhou.

Seeing that there were only tens of miles away from Yanzhou, and there was still less than a day to arrive, suddenly a team of more than a hundred people galloped towards their direction.

Neither side raised the flag and did not know each other's identity, so they put on a posture of preparing for the battle.

However, when the two armies sent envoys to contact each other, they were shocked: the two sides were actually a family!

So soon, the commander who led the hundred or so people was brought in front of Xie Wuji.

The commander's name was Wei Xi, and when he saw Xie Wuji, he burst into tears immediately, fell to his knees heavily on the ground with a thump, and kowtowed desperately to Xie Wuji: "General..." He couldn't help crying, he couldn't continue after only two words.

Wei Xi's position is not high, Xie Wuji looked at him for a while before he recognized that he should be a military commander stationed in Yanzhou, his heart tightened immediately, and he said in a trembling voice: "How is the battle in Yanzhou?!"

Wei Xi gasped for breath, trembling, and finally couldn't help crying: "General! Yanzhou has fallen! General Gu is dead!"

Xie Wuji's face suddenly turned pale.

Gu Ping, who guards Yanzhou, is an effective subordinate who has followed him for many years. He has fought in the north and south with him and made countless military exploits.It was also because of this that he confidently handed over the base camp to Gu Ping to garrison. He thought that with Gu Ping in the front line, he would be able to eliminate his worries.Unexpectedly, the world is impermanent, and there is today...

He paused and asked, "How did Yanzhou fall? Who killed Gu Ping?"

Wei Xi cried bitterly: "Since the rise of the cult, it has spread like a plague. A large number of people in Yanzhou City have joined the cult. In the past few months, there have been many incidents where people secretly opened the city gates to welcome the cult army. Although the cult army was The general repelled, but the morale of the army in the city was already shattered. The cultists also spread rumors everywhere, saying that the general and Zhu Fuyin were dead, and many soldiers credulously believed the rumors..."

Everyone present was silent.Once the defenders of the isolated city lose their confidence and hope, every day will be extraordinarily tormented.

Wei Xidao: "Yesterday, the general Jiao Bie rebelled and led his troops into the army guards, killing General Gu. Yanzhou...Yanzhou fell...Before his death, General Gu ordered his subordinates to escape from Yanzhou, and went south to deliver a letter to the general... ..."

There was still no sound around.Xie Wuji gripped the rein tightly with his fingers, his knuckles turned white, and he didn't say a word for a long time.

He was silent for too long, Wu Cong was the first to realize something was wrong, and rushed forward: "General!"

Xie Wuji's figure flickered, and he fell off the horse.Fortunately, Wu Cong even arrived to catch him.The guards also quickly surrounded him.

Since hearing the news of the emergency in Yanzhou, Xie Wuji has hardly closed his eyes. Even when he is not on his way, he is studying the map and arranging affairs.He is like a brass and iron bone, never tired.But in a blink of an eye, a gust of wind could blow him off his horse.

"General, how are you, General?!"

Xie Wuji's face was pale, and he seemed to be in a coma.

Naturally, Xie Wuji couldn't be expected to control the overall situation now.Wu Cong gritted his teeth, took over the command, and ordered: "Retreat first. Find a place to rest, and wait for the general to wake up."

They carried Xie Wuji up to Chen Cong's horse, turned around and retreated despondently to the way they came.