Chinese New Year

Chapter 488: Yushui (Part )

"These people came last year. In the battle of Huangbaicheng, the royal army was defeated. After the battle, the Xiongnu wanted to settle old scores. When the news got out, a fort commander led his people south, out of Lantian, and into Nanyang." On the muddy ridge, Liang Fen pointed to a fort built with thick logs in the distance and said, "When they first came, they had no money and looked hungry. They all said that they had no food and grass when they left Lantian. When I asked them how they walked through the long Wuguan Road, they all kept silent."

Shao Xun understood.

In troubled times, anything can happen. Some scars should not be opened again, and people should always look forward.

"Later, Yao Yizhong moved eastward, expelled the local people, occupied all the good farmland and lived there, and called himself the Protector of Western Qiang, the Governor of Yongzhou, and the Duke of Fufeng. He was quite sympathetic and did not kill people." At this point, Liang Fen showed a bitter smile, and he continued, "The local officials and people had no choice but to go east to seek help, but no one paid attention. Disappointed, some people entered Nanyang from Wuguan. It took a thousand miles to travel, and there were many difficulties and obstacles. In the end, only five or six hundred households arrived in Shunyang. Shunyang Internal History Yang Zuyan gave them food and rescued them, so that they could survive. I will bring them to Yushui and station them here."

Yao Yi Zhong was the leader of the Shaodang Qiang tribe.

He led his troops eastward from the border of Gansu and Qinghai in later generations, all the way to Qianyang area of ​​Shaanxi, where he settled down.

It can be said that they have migrated from the poor mountains and bad waters to the relatively rich Guanzhong Plain.

For now, they do not seem to be brave enough and are still living in the northwest corner of the Guanzhong Plain, but as the situation develops, sooner or later they will muster up the courage to continue their journey eastward.

This migration behavior was not limited to the Shaodang Qiang people.

Even the territories left behind by the Shaodang Qiang would soon be occupied by barbarians from the poorer and more mountainous areas in the west.

After Wu Qian returned from Liangzhou, he told Shao Xun that many Jiehu tribes had migrated to Wuwei in recent years, all from further west, and Zhang Gui reluctantly settled them down.

But those people are not content and will migrate again at any time without even saying goodbye.

As for the direction of their migration, it was undoubtedly the heartland of Dajin.

On the way back, Wu Qian and his companions arrived in Qinzhou and heard that there were new Jie people who had moved to Hanzhong. In history, six years later, during the Guanzhong Rebellion, "more than 300,000 people from the Di, Qiang, Ba, and Jie tribes in the four mountains responded to the rebellion. Guanzhong was in chaos and the city gates were closed during the day."

This news surprised Shao Xun very much.

He hadn't been to Guanzhong for almost ten years. He was surprised to learn that the white nomadic tribes like Jie had migrated to Hanzhong. This broke his cognition.

He originally thought that the Jie people would only be in Bingzhou. At the same time, he finally understood why there were so many Jie people all of a sudden in the Later Zhao regime under Shi Hu. In addition to the indiscriminate issuance of "identity cards", the eastward migration of the tribe was also a major reason.

So he could understand Liang Fen's worries.

"There is still a great battle going on in Guanzhong, but I expect that all the princes will eventually be defeated one after another." Liang Fen added: "I know you want me to go to Guanzhong, but my family knows their own business. I don't have such great ability or ambition. Even if I go to Guanzhong, people may not listen to me."

At this point, he felt a little ashamed: "I don't want to lie. I am not as good as you in resisting foreign aggression. You have great ambitions, great aspirations, and you have trained a strong army. The Yuyan nobles support you wholeheartedly. It is indeed very likely that you will succeed. At the very least, in the future, we can protect the east of Luoyang and the south of the Yellow River, and maintain the continuation of our Taoist tradition and the uninterrupted sacrifices."

Shao Xun listened patiently without interrupting.

"Many people underestimate the Xiongnu." Liang Fen continued, "It is true that the Xiongnu suffered many defeats when fighting the Xianbei, and they rarely won. But why didn't the Xianbei just rush into the heartland of the Xiongnu and destroy them? I don't know what you think, but as far as I know, many of the Tuoba Xianbei have died fighting for Liu Kun over the years, and they are all strong warriors in the tribe. Although the Xiongnu have been defeated by the Xianbei many times, the Xianbei didn't get any benefits either."

"Last year, Tuoba Yilu made Shengle the northern capital and Gupingcheng the southern capital. He also built a new Pingcheng on the south side of the Li River and sent Youxian Wang Liuxiu to govern it and command the people of Hu Jin in the south. Tuoba has set up officials and established a system, which is equivalent to founding a country. With such ambition, do you think he doesn't want to go south to Pingyang and Hedong to seize their fertile land? It's not that he doesn't want to, but he can't. They can't even take Xihe County. They were just defeated by Liu Cong the last time."

"The tribes in Hexi are very close to the Tuoba Xianbei. Why don't they surrender to the Xianbei but to the Xiongnu?"

"There are more than one million people in Guanzhong. Sooner or later, they will be in the hands of the Xiongnu."

"Taibai, how do you plan to recover Guanzhong in the future?"

Shao Xun's heart moved, finally reaching the point.

"First we must seize Bingzhou, then we must attack Guanzhong." Shao Xun said, "If we follow this strategy, we must gather all the Hu and Han people in Bingzhou and divide them into two groups. One group will go down to Puban and enter Fengyi; the other group will go to Hexi, subdue the Hu people, and then drive the Hu people in Hexi southward. I will lead the powerful troops from Guandong, and a small group will enter Lantian from Wuguan, and the main force will enter Tongguan from Hongnong. With the combined strength of the four groups, we will surely defeat them."

"Oh? This is the plan!" Liang Fen was surprised.

Most of the warlords in Guandong, such as Cao Mengde, advanced westward from Tongguan and headed straight for Chang'an.

Shao Xun actually felt that this was not enough, and wanted to take a detour through Hexi, first subdue the local Hu people, and then drive his troops south.

By applying pressure from all sides in this way, the chances of winning are indeed greater, because Tongguan is difficult and a frontal attack may not be successful.

From Wuguan to Guanzhong, there is also a Lantian Pass near Lantian, which guards the mountain road of Wuguan Lantian Road.

This person's ideas are so wild and imaginative, and he is also very bold.

It is generally difficult for Han warlords to pass through the territory of the Hu people. This person is really an exception.

"In fact, it may not be that troublesome." Shao Xun smiled and said, "If we take Bingzhou, the Xiongnu in Guanzhong will be in a panic and have no fighting spirit. Unless they move the capital to Chang'an, the key is still in Bingzhou." Liang Fen nodded and said, "It's just as you said. But - time is running out."

Shao Xun looked at Liang Fen and said, "If Mr. Liang helps me, I can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Liang Fen smiled bitterly and said, "You have come with a large group of people, with sharp weapons and armor, and you are brave and good at fighting. If I were to fight you, I would have no chance of winning. What's more, if we fight you repeatedly, in the end, it will be my own people who suffer."

In fact, Liang Fen had considered the strategy that Yan Ding had mentioned before, and found that it was not feasible at all.

If he defended Wancheng, he could indeed resist for a long time with the help of the strong city. But if Shao Xun was desperate and ignored the Xiongnu, he would attack them fiercely. He would first divide his troops to seize the forts where the refugees from Guanxi settled, recruit their men, and then drive them to attack the city...

Liang Fen didn't want to see this situation.

Moreover, the noble families in Nanyang and other counties did not like him, and they would only support Shao Xun. In a protracted war, they could not defeat him. As long as he ignored the north and allowed the Xiongnu to attack, Wancheng would surely fall, and there would be no luck.

In such a situation, there is actually very little room for choice.

Not to mention, Liang Fen really didn't want to see the refugees from Guanxi, whom he had worked so hard to resettle, suffer a disaster.

"What do you plan to do with me?" Liang Fen asked after sighing.

"Mr. Liang is a loyal and honest elder, and he has the spirit of an ancient benevolent man. I don't want to force him too much." Shao Xun said, "If Mr. Liang doesn't want to go to Guanzhong, he can come to the court. If he is attached to the position of Fangbo, he can be the governor of Jizhou or Qingzhou from a distance. How do you think?"

Shao Xun was not trying to flatter him.

Liang Fen is indeed an elder.

He could have held on to Nanyang and resisted stubbornly, which would have taken him a few months at the least. If he was unlucky, it was possible that he would have spent half a year. During this period, countless people would have died, and even the troops he brought with him would have suffered many casualties.

"I've seen that you've been quite cautious in your past actions. This time you've brought your troops to Nanyang, and it's clear that you're no longer afraid of public opinion." Liang Fen sighed.

"The early years of the Yongjia period had their own practices, and the eighth year of the Yongjia period had its own practices." Shao Xun replied.

To put it simply, in the early years of the Yongjia period, I was indeed worried about what people in the world would think of me, but now, in the eighth year of the Yongjia period, I am no longer so worried.

However, having said that, he still completed the procedures.

If no violence is resorted to, the adverse impact can be controlled.

If he fell out with Liang Fen and resorted to violence, it would probably add to his troubles. After all, the other governors were not dead, and the gentry in the world also had their own opinions.

Zhang Gui now dislikes him.

Sima Rui probably disliked him even more, and one day he might take out the emperor's secret decree, accusing him of being a traitor and calling on heroes all over the world to attack him.

"The people of the Mianbei counties and Guanxi..."

"Don't worry, Lord Liang." Shao Xun said, "I will stay here for a while to mediate the disputes between the residents and the refugees. There are many troubles in the world, and we should tolerate each other for the sake of the country. There is no other way."

"I feel a little relieved that you said that." Liang Fen looked a little bleak.

Shao Xun stayed beside him, looking at the lush fields.

"What will you do after defeating the Huns in the future?" Liang Fen suddenly asked after a long silence.

Shao Xun did not lie to him and said directly: "I have read the ancient books, starting with Yao and Shun, which are about the tradition of abdication, which has been passed down forever. Therefore, Taishan was enfeoffed, Liangfu was abdicated, and there are 72 emperors who are worth talking about. This shows that the most impartial people in the world are not exclusive to one family..."

Liang Fen nodded slightly. This was something that was expected.

"I am a minister of Jin..." In the end, Liang Fen only said this sentence.

Shao Xun understood and said, "Xun Taijian (Xun Fan) has passed away. Maybe Lord Liang can enter the court as the Minister of Works?"

"This ending is still decent." Liang Fen said with a wry smile.

Shao Xun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Like Cao Mengde, he took Nanyang without bloodshed. As long as Brother Mengde didn't have any next move, Nanyang would be safe.

(End of this chapter)