Chinese New Year

Chapter 598: Contact in the North
Shao Xun stretched out his hand, and a golden eagle fell from the sky and landed on the leather case.

The eagle kept pecking at the fresh meat with its sharp beak, devouring it with relish. After it had finished eating, it saw that there was no more fresh beef, so it flapped its wings and flew away, disappearing into the sky.

"Forget about the people of Youzhou. Can the Duan tribe of Xianbei be pacified?" Shao Xun said, "The Xianbei are like hawks. They are used when they are hungry and fly away when they are full. Is that reliable?"

"It's just a pretense." Lu Zhi said confidently, "First calm their hearts, wait until the fighting in other directions subsides, and then slowly manipulate them, and you can achieve your goal."

"How to do it?" Shao Xun asked with some interest.

"The Duan tribe had many leaders, named 'Duan Mobo', 'Duan Jilujuan', 'Duan Pidi', 'Duan Wenyang', 'Duan Shefuchen' and so on..." Lu Zhi told the story.

It turned out that after the death of the Xianbei leader, Duke of Liaoxi County Duan Wuwuchen, there was no leader who could fully command the entire tribe.

Wu Wuchen's eldest son Ji Lujuan inherited the title of Duke of Liaoxi County, but he could not make all the decisions and could only be said to be the boss in name only.

His younger brothers Duan Pidi, Duan Wenyang, his cousin Duan Mobo, and his uncle Duan Shefuchen each had their own tribes, who farmed and grazed in Youzhou, and were not necessarily of one mind.

Lu Zhi thought that perhaps he could instigate, divide and win over, fight and pull, and annex the already severely damaged Duan tribe of Xianbei - they had already lost their ancestral land, and now they were completely living on the temporarily occupied territory of Wang Jun, so it was very legitimate to target them.

"I didn't want to get involved in Youzhou's affairs." Shao Xun sighed, "Since the Duan tribe has already reached Zhangwu, we have no choice but to face them head-on. If we can divide and win them over, we can save a lot of trouble. Zidao, you take care of it."

"If we want to split and disintegrate the Duan tribe, we must first seize Youzhou," Lu Zhi reminded.

"I can't fight anymore." Shao Xun said with a wry smile.

Henan is a place where enemies are fighting on all sides, and there are enemies everywhere. How can it be that simple?
Sima Rui of Jiangdong divided his troops into three groups, but he did not dare to take the initiative to attack.

The five counties and kingdoms of Chenjun, Runan, Ruyin, Nandun, Xincai, Qiaoguo, Peiguo and Nanyang conscripted able-bodied men after the autumn harvest, but they all stayed in their local areas and did not attack. Why?

Because the costs of going on an expedition and garrisoning are very different.

As soon as the new grain was harvested, the soldiers ate it locally, and even before they assembled they ate their own grain. After they assembled, they were spared the need for long-distance transportation, so the consumption was very low.

But once you go out to fight, the expenses will be incalculable.

Just like Hanoi and Hebei, the Huns' consumption is relatively low now, but their consumption is very large, because they are the attacking party and cannot be eaten by the enemy on a large scale.

If we attack Youzhou again, will Wang Jun’s granary be able to replenish its consumption?

"Why do you have to do this, my lord?" Lu Zhi smiled and said, "If you still need to mobilize a large army to capture the counties of Youzhou, how can I claim credit for this? There are other solutions for Youzhou."

Shao Xun suddenly turned around, looked at Lu Zhi, and said, "Really?"

Lu Zhi stroked his beard lightly, smiled and said nothing.

Shao Xun didn't care about his attitude and just said, "Zi Dao, please teach me quickly."

Lu Zhi nodded and said, "Wang Pengzu's criminal justice is not good, and the people are all resentful. He seems strong, but in fact he is vulnerable. The officials in the government have their own ulterior motives, but they only seek power and bribes, and do not do any real work. Apart from praising his merits, they are almost useless. Looking at the soldiers in the counties of Youzhou, there are only more than 10,000 people who can be used. Among the officers, the only one who can be said to know military affairs is the inspector Sun Wei. All these are the opportunities for you to seize Youzhou. As the saying goes, if you don't take what God gives you, you will suffer the consequences."

Shao Xun is still weighing the pros and cons.

It's like someone selling you a factory for one dollar. The factory itself has value and liabilities, and it can make money if it is well maintained, provided that you invest a lot of money to run it and pay off the debt.

After a long while, he smiled at Lu Zhi and said, "Indeed, if you don't take what God gives you, you will suffer the consequences. I will leave this matter to you, Zidao."

Lu Zhi was overjoyed and said, "Just wait patiently, my lord."

"But..." Shao Xun changed the subject and warned, "Be steady and don't be too hasty. Now that Liu Yao has entered Changshan, there may be a major battle. If Youzhou is in chaos again, it may divide our troops and supplies."

"If you do things cleanly, you won't have to worry about the future." Lu Zhi looked into Shao Xun's eyes and said, "Ming Gong started from humble beginnings and won many battles. Just take a gamble."

"Zidao, are you such a heavy gambler?" Shao Xun asked with a smile.

"In order for you to stay in Yecheng safely, we have to do this." Lu Zhi said.

Shao Xun smiled but did not answer this question directly.

Previously, Lu Zhi proposed to renovate the Ye Palace and tidy up the gardens so that he could live more comfortably. He even proposed to select women from the Cui, Lu, Hua, Liu, Cheng, and Shi families in Hebei to enter the Ye Palace for him to enjoy during his military career...

Shao Xun declined all of these.

It was easy to know what Lu Zhi was planning. But he had already made up his mind on this matter and it was inconvenient to change it. The site of Junyi had already been selected, and he was just waiting for the laborers, money, and materials to arrive before he could start construction.

He is not the ruler of Hebei, but the co-ruler of Hebei and Henan, and he is closer to Henan, which is the foundation.

"Zidao, just go ahead and do it." Shao Xun said, "I'll take responsibility for anything that happens."

"Yes." Lu Zhi said happily.

This is the good thing about Lord Chen. He hesitates beforehand, discusses and deliberates repeatedly, but once he makes up his mind, he will take the responsibility and will not let his ministers bear the blame alone.

After Lu Zhi left, Shao Xun sat down.

The network of relationships among aristocratic families is so complicated and intertwined, especially when there is a wealthy family with three dukes and nine ministers for four generations acting as the middleman, it is even more powerful.

They could deal with Wang Jun like this, and they could also deal with...

Are you scared?
******
Lu Zhi acted very quickly and invested a lot of money. He sent his third son Lu Shen to ride at full speed with a hundred followers, first to Anping and then to Boling, to take care of them along the way.

When leaving Boling, Su Qiu, the commander of Lukou Town, heard the name of Lu Gong and was in awe of him. He selected three hundred elite cavalrymen to escort Lu Shen north to Gaoyang.

At the end of August, the group arrived at Beixin City and moved into the manor of the Gaoyang Xu family.

"Yi Zu." Lu Shi bowed. "Zi Li." Xu Shi returned the greeting.

After the ceremony, both of them sighed.

Shizhong Xu Xia was forced to go to Guanzhong, which was a dead end.

According to the information obtained in Yecheng, Liu Can conquered the north and defeated all the Jin troops several months ago.

After the main battle ended, the Huns' movements suddenly became faster.

Liu Can attacked Xinping again and defeated the remnants of the Jin army once again. Then he fought and conquered the two counties of Fufeng and Shiping.

At this time, Liu Can, who had almost rested, had set his sights on Anding and Lueyang.

It is extremely dangerous for Xu Xia to go to Guanzhong at this time.

This Xu Xia was Xu Shi's cousin. He was born in the Gaoyang Xu family and was the grandson of Xu Yun, a famous scholar of the Cao Wei Dynasty and the commander-in-chief.

"When I arrived, I saw soldiers and horses gathered in Zhuangzi, with swords and guns fully armed. Has Yi Zu made up his mind?" Lu Shen asked.

"I hope Mr. Lu can support me in the future." Xu Shi sighed.

Lu Shen nodded and said, "My father also needs the help of Gaoyang clan like Xu family."

"I will definitely follow Mr. Lu's lead." Xu Shi breathed a sigh of relief and said.

After they talked it out, the two became much closer.

Xu Shi brought up the affairs of Youzhou.

"Yan State's Liu Han is a virtuous elder; Beiping's Yang Yu is a man of ability. Wang and Peng Zu were both unable to use them. If Chen Gong comes, he will definitely capture them." Xu Shi pulled Lu Shen to the study and said on the way, "And the generals and officials of Jun's government and Peng Zu's relatives are all very wealthy. Zhu Shuo and Zao Song are the worst. They accepted bribes and disrupted the government, and the atmosphere was chaotic. Jun was unable to blame them. How could he not fail?"

"Your family is a prominent family in Fanyang, and I don't want to say more. But if you want to succeed, you still have to bribe Zhu Shuo and Zao Song."

"My family has a history with Zhu Shuo, so we can help to make the connection. However, he alone is not enough. Zao Song is Wang Jun's son-in-law, so didn't Lord Chen arrange a few Yingchuan people to win him over? There is also the shogunate Sima You Tong, who is not as powerful as Zhu Shuo, but is very crucial because he is in charge of mobilizing troops."

"Jun's wife, Cui, is very favored. I heard that she is the niece of Madam Cui. If we can get her to help confuse Wang Pengzu, then everything will be well done."

As they were talking, the two came to the study and sat opposite each other.

Lu Shi was still slowly thinking about Xu Shi's words.

In fact, the father and son have already started doing these things.

You Sui was in Youzhou at the time, having secret discussions with Sima You Tong and Jijiu You Xi.

Zao Song also had someone in charge to contact him, but it had nothing to do with them. Lord Chen had already urgently summoned Yu Mie, the son of Yu Gun of Yingchuan - Zao Song might not dare to make up his mind to send someone of lower status.

As for Zhu Shuo, he needs the Xu family to act as a go-between - for such confidential matters, it is impossible to just send anyone to discuss it with you. There must be a middleman who is trusted by both parties.

Although Zhu Shuo was only the chief clerk of the shogunate, he was a person whom Wang Jun trusted very much and had great power. This can be seen from the folk song in Youzhou that goes "The famous Zhu Qiubo in the palace".

The Cui family is more troublesome.

She was Wang Jun's wife. What would she do after Wang Jun died? She could only return to Qinghe and then marry someone else, but her status would probably be lower than it is now. So she made a condition: money.

Moreover, he had a big appetite. He wanted to take most of Wang Jun's wealth and asked Qinghe's relatives to act as guarantors. He also heard that Mr. Chen's words were as good as gold, so he needed him to promise in person.

Mr. Chen didn't take it seriously and agreed directly.

In addition, the first sentence mentioned by Xu Shi just now is also very crucial.

Famous people like Liu Han of Yan State and Yang Yu of Beiping who have great influence in the local area and can influence many people's decisions cannot be used...

This is a big problem.

Celebrities may not be very capable in handling mundane affairs, but they have loud voices. Who can stand their slander?

Are their disciples fake? No, many local tyrants with land, forts, and troops came to learn from them, and their influence should not be underestimated.

Furthermore, Liu Han is a branch of the Liu family of Zhuo County, and he also has a family.

We need to contact them now. If these celebrities can support Mr. Chen, then things will be much easier.

Of course, the father and son of the Lu family were also contacting the wealthy families in Youzhou, and they had some results.

The Kou family of Changping is a famous family that has passed down the study of "Zuo Zhuan" from generation to generation. We would like to join in this great cause.

During the Later Han Dynasty, eight people from the Changping Kou family and their in-laws were granted the title of marquis for their military merits and married a princess. Kou's son Feng was adopted by Liu Bei - Changping was very close to Zhuo County, so Kou Feng was considered a fellow villager of Liu Bei.

The Shanggu Hou family was a small aristocratic family from a poor family. They had been engaged in a military profession that was considered lowly in the eyes of the aristocratic families. They had lived in poverty for generations, but in order to glorify their family, they were "bewitched" by the Lu family and were willing to take a chance. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, a son of the Shanggu Hou family, Hou Shu, was appointed governor of Beidi and became a new military upstart in the local area. Later, this family produced a man named Hou Junji.

The Yang family of Quanzhou was also lured over - Quanzhou County formerly belonged to Beiping County, so the Yang family was also called the Beiping Yang family.

The most famous member of this family is Yang Qiu during the Later Han Dynasty, and now there are local celebrities such as Yang Dan and Yang Yu.

The Lu family also won over the Yongnu Xianyu clan and the Wuzhong Tian clan...

He tried to win over the shogunate officials from above to paralyze and deceive Wang Jun, he tried to win over the nobles who were on good terms with the Lu family in the middle, and he used the powerful people and military strategists who were attached to the Lu family from below. He didn't believe that he couldn't deal with Wang Jun!

(End of this chapter)