Chinese New Year

Chapter 541 Human Heart and the Right Medicine (Part )
The attack on Anping City - or Xindu County - was to surround three sides and leave one side open.

This tactic has been used by humans since ancient times and has become very popular, but it is effective.

People always have a lucky mentality and always think they can escape alive. They are not in a rational state. This is the key to the effectiveness of such tactics.

Starting from September 25th, the siege officially entered the offensive stage, and various units took turns to launch round after round of attacks on Anping County City.

Shao Xun, along with his aides including Yu Chen and Zhang Bin, moved to Nangong County to discuss countermeasures.

Even Wang Yan did not return to Luoyang and stayed to attend the meeting.

"Last night, several fort commanders ran away with their men. Although we have sent people to chase them back, this is a bad sign. What do you think?" In a manor somewhere outside the city, everyone was sitting by a bamboo forest, drinking tea and discussing matters, and Shao Xun brought up the topic.

To put it simply, someone didn't want to continue working hard, so he left without saying goodbye.

The people have been recovered, the officer who led the team away has been executed, and a total of two thousand people have been arranged as cannon fodder for the first wave of siege as a punishment.

But as Shao Xun said, this is a very bad sign.

"Taibai, this is because people's hearts are not attached." Wang Yan said with some worry.

Lao Deng has a clear position on himself. He will not speak on specific military tactics because he does not understand them. He does not even understand some strategic issues very well and will not expose his shortcomings. He only gives advice on the areas he is good at.

"People's hearts are not attached", this is nonsense, but it is also extremely correct.

What do the various Hebei leaders want from fighting for you? We can analyze it in detail from this aspect.

Wang Yan said this, and as the specific implementer of the united front in Hebei, Yu Chen had to speak up. He said, "Mingsir, in the past few months, I have met with more than a hundred scholars, chiefs, generals, and powerful people, and their requests were different."

"Some people's family is declining and they want to revive it."

"Someone from a humble family wants to take advantage of the situation to rise."

"Some people don't like the Hu people, so they go to Jin to serve."

"Some people, out of hatred or with no other options, have no choice but to go down this path to the end."

"Some people were forced to do so and provided food and labor."

Yu Chen mentioned five categories of people in one breath, basically covering all kinds of people in Hebei.

"Which one is the most common?" Shao Xun asked.

"Most people are forced to do so," said Yu Chen.

That’s the crux of the matter.

Shao Xun defeated Shi Le, and Wang Jun did not look like he could accomplish anything, so many people were forced to follow the crowd and provide men and grain to support Shao Xun in launching the war.

The question is, to what extent are they willing to support it?
We were forced to do this, so it's just a gesture. Are you serious? Hebei is already in trouble this year, and you still gathered so many troops to fight the Xiongnu. Whose responsibility is it for the deaths? Whose responsibility is it for the money and food consumed?
When the consumption of people, money and food exceeds their fear of Shao Xun, things will change.

Everyone has their limits. You can't endlessly ask people to do this and that. After all, even the Huns were not that excessive.

If you oppress us more than the Xiongnu, why should we join you? Can't we just join the Xiongnu?
The above is just a rough outline. When it comes to a specific individual, the situation may be different.

Some people have a strong family background and a high threshold of tolerance, while others have a weak family background and a low threshold.

Some people are timid and will endure it for a while even if they can't help it. Some people have a violent temper and can't help it anymore.

Some people have more patriotism and are more concerned about the debate between China and the barbarians, so they can tolerate it more. Others don't care and cannot tolerate it very much.

There are many examples like this. It is normal for everyone to have different faces.

Yu Chen quickly explained all of this and gave corresponding instructions to each person.

After listening to this, Shao Xun praised: "Captain Yu is thoughtful and has helped me a lot."

"It's just my job." Yu Chen said modestly.

How can I not do my best for my son-in-law's great cause?
The status of the Yu family in Henan has always been like that, but now it has surpassed the old-established family, the Xun family. The family's fortunes are thriving, and it is showing signs of developing into the number one family in Henan.

After he came to Hebei, he accumulated a lot of favors and received a lot of benefits. He promoted and recognized many people. These are the foundation of the family and will play a big role in the future.

He was not only helping Mr. Chen, but also working for the Yu family.

The interests of the Yu and Shao families are the same, so why should they differentiate between them?
"Meng Sun..." Shao Xun looked at Zhang Bin again, somewhat unhappy.

How come this person is like an abacus bead, moving when you move it but not moving when you don't move it?
"Please don't mind the trouble, my lord." Zhang Bin cupped his hands and said, "Summon them one by one and prescribe the right medicine for their condition."

"This is a prudent view." Shao Xun nodded slowly, and then said: "Then summon them one by one."

After that, he looked at Wang Yan and said, "I would like to ask the general to help us."

Wang Yan pondered for a while, then smiled and said, "Okay."

Yu Chen just looked at the tea bowl and said nothing.

Mr. Chen also relied on Wang Yan's reputation to persuade the scholars in Hebei to be more patient.

To put it bluntly, they are not strong enough to annex the entire Hebei Province.

The 60,000 to 70,000 troops he brought with him were divided into four locations to guard various places, and only more than 40,000 were brought to Yecheng to fight against Shi Le.

After the battle, the defense was adjusted, and now there are only 20,000 people stationed in Yecheng.

With such a small number of troops, he would definitely not be able to take over Hebei. They were not even enough to capture Anping City. He could only rely on the leaders of various factions in Hebei.

This is a typical case of the small bullying the big. He can see it, and others can see it too.

When it comes to the people of Hebei, we should focus on winning them over and not exploit them too much.

But war inevitably involves exploitation, and it is difficult to grasp the right balance.

If they were not careful, these people would defect to the Huns again. With Liu Yao's army approaching, the situation would be quite unfavorable and they might not even be able to defend Yecheng.

After all, where does your food come from? Previously, it was transported from Henan, and now it is provided by the nobles of Hebei.

Where did the troops come from? Most of the soldiers who besieged Anping were from Hebei noble families.

Where do the talents for local governance come from? They are the children of the wealthy families in Hebei. They are the local bosses, have soldiers, money and food, and are efficient in doing things.

He offended everyone and was a complete political failure. If the Huns had not intervened, it would have been fine and he could have used force to intimidate them. But now the Huns were watching them and he couldn't intimidate them at all.

This is the time when fence-sitters are at their most prosperous and most likely to raise prices.

******
After the discussion was over, everyone took action immediately without saying much.

It happened that Liu Mi of the Pingyuan Liu family came to visit, so Shao Xun summoned him first.

At this time, the most famous member of the Pingyuan Liu family should be Liu Shi, who passed away four years ago.

Liu Shi came from a "poor" family.

Of course, this is just for reference. Although he was not from the main branch of the Liu family, Liu Shi's father Liu Guang was at least a county magistrate. When Liu Shi was a little older, he was selected as a filial and honest official by the county and a scholar by the state.

In other words, both the county and state levels recommended Liu Shi to be an official, a double recommendation!

If you say that the Pingyuan Liu family did not use their clan influence to help Liu Shi, that is impossible. Liu Shi refused the double recommendation from his hometown and did not take up an official post.

But it doesn’t matter, there are other ways instead of these two.

Liu Shi soon became an official in Luoyang and served as the Henan Cheng, which was the deputy of the Henan County Governor and the Henan Yin.

Being the deputy to the mayor of the capital city, is this something that ordinary people can do? Don't be ridiculous.

After Liu Shi was promoted step by step, he began to give back to his clan. In particular, he served as an official for many years. Among them, the more famous ones were Sima Zhao's military officer, Du Yu's military commander, Prince Minhuai's teacher, Shizhong, Jizhou Dudu, Sikong, Taifu, Taiwei, etc. He even held the title of Kaifu Yitong Sansi.

In addition, he also served as Shaofu, Taichang, Guozi Jijiu, Sanqi Changshi, Da Si Nong, Taizi Taibao and other positions. He almost held all the official positions. He passed away at the age of 91, which made his power even greater.

With his overt or covert help, the Pingyuan Liu family grew bigger and stronger and became a well-deserved wealthy family in Pingyuan County. They intermarried with another large family, the Pingyuan Hua family, and together they controlled this southernmost county in Jizhou.

The descendants of Liu Shi and his brother Liu Zhi all moved south to Jianye. Now the Liu family's momentum has weakened, but their position in Pingyuan remains unshakable.

Liu Mi was the elder brother of Princess Liu of Nanyang, and was appointed the magistrate of Gaotang County by Shao Xun. To be honest, the old house of the Liu clan's ancestral hall in Pingyuan was in Gaotang County, so it would be impossible for an outsider to be the county magistrate.

Liu Mi's uncle Liu Jian was appointed as the Internal History of Pingyuan.

When troubled times came, some aristocratic families fell into ruin, while others rose rapidly, and their circumstances were different.

Liu was still very clear about how his family came to have such a high status, but he was more or less self-satisfied. After all, his family had deep roots in Pingyuan State.

"I've heard that Dunzheng is well-known in the village and his talents are highly respected. After seeing him today, I find that he is indeed extraordinary." Shao Xun said with a smile.

"Your Excellency, you are too kind." Liu Mi bowed.

Shao Xun returned the greeting and invited him to sit down.

He guessed a little about Liu Mi's purpose, which was that they were first defeated by the Huns and then plundered by Cao Qiu, so they retreated back to their hometown to protect themselves.

Maybe he felt that something was wrong after he returned, so he sent Liu Mi to speak in good words to avoid being taken out on.

"My son went to Nanyang to visit his aunt last time." Seeing that there were no other people in the field, Liu Mi said softly, "The princess is cute and naive, and she even wants to ride a horse..."

When talking about his daughter, Shao Ze, who has always been a rude person, also showed a warm smile on his face.

I miss my daughter a little. I really want to hold her in my arms to pick mulberries, ride horses with her, and then watch her fall asleep.

He began to understand Liu Mi's intention. It was a bit rash to play the family card right from the start.

If it were someone who likes to show off, he would probably be furious.

He was not so bored, and he did not hide it anymore, and asked directly: "How is Xiaohe?"

"Being pregnant, everything is not very convenient. I asked my son to stay there to help her." Liu Mi said.

Shao Xun nodded slightly.

"Dun Zheng, do you know that Liu Yao has been besieging She County for many days?" he asked.

"Have heard a little bit."

"Last night, a military report came in that the camp outside Shexian City had been breached, and the Xiongnu were able to attack the city with all their strength." Shao Xun said, "Now I am still besieging Anping. The people of the tribes are not united and are hesitant to advance. It's difficult."

Liu Mi frowned and asked tentatively: "Is there anything you want me to do?"

Shao Xun glanced at him and thought to himself, "Just bring the soldiers back, why are you talking so much?"

"The Liu family of Pingyuan must set an example," he said.

"Are you short of food, my lord?" Liu Mi said to himself, "It's not difficult..."

Shao Xun held out his hand to stop Liu Mi from saying anything else, and said, "You and I are one family, why should we differentiate between us? If the Xiongnu come, can you really let your family continue to be the Internal History of Pingyuan?"

Liu Mi was speechless.

Shi Le and Liu Cong don't know about the things between my sister and you. But - it's hard to say, so many people in Nanyang have seen Chen Gong staying overnight in the palace, it's inevitable that the news will spread to Hebei.

Thinking of this, Liu Mi became nervous again.

When Shao Xun saw the expression on his face, he secretly sneered that Liu Shi had used up all the talent that the Liu family had accumulated over the years. What kind of people are in charge of the family now?
"There are so many counties and kingdoms in Hebei, can I manage them all?" After testing Liu Mi's ability, Shao Xun was not polite and said directly: "When the time comes, won't I have to rely on my own people to help me look after Hebei? How can you be so hesitant and hesitant? Dunzheng, tell me, if I don't use my own people, can I use outsiders?"

Liu Mi's face turned red.

Indeed, as Mr. Chen said, it is impossible for him to control all the counties and kingdoms in Hebei now. At most, he can only focus on a few, such as Wei County and Ji County under the jurisdiction of Yu Chen, the Inspector of the Imperial Capital.

Don’t the other counties and kingdoms still have to be delegated?

"Mingsir..." Liu Mi bowed and said, "I will go back and persuade my uncle."

"I heard that the Hua family is closely related to yours through marriage. They are both great families in Pingyuan, so why don't you send troops and food?" Shao Xun said, "The governor of Yangping is still missing. If you want to maintain your family business, can you not be diligent? Does the official position fall from the sky?"

"Don't say anymore, sir. I know I was wrong." Liu Mi said with a wry smile.

Shao Xun was also amused by his ugly look and said, "Sit down and have some tea."

Liu Mi sat down.

"Someone recommended Chang, the cousin of the late Minister Hua, to me." Shao Xun added, "He fled to Guangchengze to avoid the chaos. He has a high reputation. I have also heard about him. I want to make him the governor of Yangping, but he has no relationship with the Hua family, so I am hesitant."

The Pingyuan Hua family is quite magical.

Hua Yi was once the governor of Jiangzhou, but he did not obey the orders of Sima Rui, the commander-in-chief of several military provinces in the south of the Yangtze River, and was attacked and killed by Wang Dun, Gan Zhuo, Zhou Fang and others.

This is really emotional.

Hua Yi was very respectful to the Luoyang court and offered constant tributes, but was unwilling to obey Sima Rui's orders, so he died.

You know, Hua Yi was once Sima Yue's aide, and was a colleague of many people around Sima Rui. They had a special relationship. If he sided with Sima Rui, he would definitely be able to get a high position in the Jianye government.

But he didn't do so for many reasons, the most unavoidable of which was the North-South conflict.

Sima Rui first attacked Zhou Fu in Shouchun, and then attacked Hua Yi in Jiangzhou. All the people he killed were officials from Wu appointed by the northern court. Who supported them behind the scenes? Needless to say, it was just the big families in Jiangdong.

In these two matters, both sides actually have common interests.

No one from the Pingyuan Hua family has crossed the river to the south. Pei Kang recommended Hua Chang and Hua Heng to serve as officials. Shao Xun thought it was worth considering, but the Hua family themselves did not take the initiative to send money, food and soldiers. Today, he met Liu Mi and brought up the old matter again, asking him to go back and pass on a message to the Hua family.

Pulling these two families up again and tying them to his own chariot can still have a great exemplary effect. It can motivate a group of nobles to continue to work for him, Shao: Don't run away, come here!
After sending Liu Mi away, on the 26th, Shao Yi, the son of Shao Xu, the prefect of Leling, came to visit.

Also coming with him were the local tyrants from Leling and Bohai counties.

There was one person among them who left some impression on him: Shi Xi, Shi Chao's younger brother.

There was another man from Bohai named Gao, who was said to be a local tyrant and was good at archery and horse riding.

Shao Xun continued to meet the two at the old place, and this time he brought Yu Chen, Wang Yan, Hu Wu Fuzhi and others along.

At the same time, he received two pieces of news: First, "hundreds of cavalry" of the Xiongnu appeared in the area of ​​Fukou Spring; second, under the order of Liu Yao, Shi Hu led the Jie cavalry south to Ji County and plundered everywhere. Liu Runzhong, Liu Bo and others acted as vanguards. Liu Yao obviously did not trust the Liu family and deliberately consumed them.

(End of this chapter)