The Nameless of the Common Clans

"Although the Shu area is vast, the only so-called land of abundance is Shu County. Liu Bei now occupies the areas of Jiangzhou, Dianjiang, and Anhan in Ba County. Although the area seems vast, the population and military strength are not enough to support his army. Now that he has lost the support of Jingzhou, unless he can capture Shu County, the only way left for him is to retreat to the Nanzhong area. Barbarians gather in these places and often surrender and rebel again, which is extremely difficult to deal with. If Liu Bei chooses this way, he may not be able to leave Nanzhong in his lifetime." In the Xiangyang government office, Xun You helped Chen Mo analyze the current situation in Shuzhong.

Although Liu Bei has conquered some territory now, by comparison, as long as he fails to take Shu County, he is not qualified to claim to occupy Shu.

"Chonggao's troops have now passed Jiameng Pass, but I don't know what the attitude of the Shu King Liu Zhang is?" Chen Mo nodded. He naturally had an estimate of the situation in Shuzhong. There are only two problems now. One is how long Liu Bei's food and grass can last, and the other is Liu Zhang's attitude.

Now that Jingzhou has been taken, Chen Mo doesn't want to waste too much time talking to Liu Zhang. Since the Wuyi army has passed Jiameng Pass, the attitude should be tougher next time.

The Yangtze River has been cut off by Chen Mo since then. Chen Mo has ordered Ma Jun to set up iron chains around Yiling to prevent Jiangdong from relying on the powerful navy to rush to Liu Bei.

"Don't worry, your Majesty. The battle report of Jingzhou has almost been sent to Shu at this moment. Liu Zhang will not dare to oppose your Majesty at this time." Xun You smiled.

"Nothing is absolute in the world. According to the worst plan, Junyi's army has already passed Yiling, and all the counties along the way will be taken into the bag. Even if there is a change, our army has a way to enter Shu." Chen Mo smiled and shook his head. Nothing in this world is absolute. It is right to make the worst plan for everything. This time, it was a pleasant surprise to be able to take Nanjun in less than half a year. If he can take Shu in one go, Chen Mo will naturally be happy, but if he can't take it, he will not be too disappointed.

The most important thing is that the roads in Shu are difficult to travel and difficult to govern. After taking it, Chen Mo is a little hesitant about who will govern Shu.

It's not that there is no one. On the contrary, there are many talents under Chen Mo who can govern a state, but they are not too confident.

Don't say that Chen Mo is suspicious. Just sitting in his current position, he knows very well how terrible this power is. No matter who it is, if you are used to being a local emperor, you will not be used to being an official in the court. The terrain of Shu is closed and it is not easy to communicate with the Central Plains. This can easily breed a state of separatism. He plans to wait until the tree species are stable, and then split the power in Shu and restrict each other. Otherwise, anyone in this position and environment will easily breed inappropriate ideas.

The biggest problem in Shu is not how to take it, but how to govern it so that it does not break away from the control of the court. After all, Chen Mo cannot go to Shu in person to take charge. In that case, who will manage the world?

This is the thing that has been bothering Chen Mo recently. He designed a set of interlocking officialdom, where officials supervise and constrain each other. However, based on human nature, this officialdom does not need a single person to be in charge. However, this officialdom is also difficult to achieve, because no matter what you want to do, there will be constraints. The final result is that it is the same whether there is a government office or not. Let the people develop freely, and at most they can only maintain public order.

Ruling by doing nothing?

Chen Mo had a headache. Such a government office seemed different from what he expected, but it was the most suitable officialdom that Chen Mo could think of for Shu at present.

Is the court not that important?

Chen Mo was a little skeptical about his life because of the officialdom he created. If so, why did he work so hard for most of his life?

But no matter what, this set of strategies is the best for Shu now. Chen Mo plans to start governing Shu in this way after Liu Zhang surrenders. The Dongzhou scholars cannot be killed, but a group of them must be won over, and the talented people in Shu must also be pulled out to Luoyang to report their work. In addition, the trade between Shu and the Central Plains will be increased.

"Gongda, take a look at this. Is it feasible for the future governance strategy of Shu?" Chen Mo handed a book he wrote to Xun You and said, "The most difficult thing about Shu is not the capture, but how to govern it."

There have been many problems in the governance of Shu for more than 400 years from the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Han Dynasty. Chen Mo now lists these problems, and then deals with them one by one, and then modifies the results. Anyway, Chen Mo has been thinking about the problems of Shu for a long time, and it is obvious that he has some experience until now when he took out this book.

"Your Majesty is going to enter Shu?" Xun You frowned as he looked at the book.

"Why do you think so?" Chen Mo said in surprise.

"Although the methods described in this book are closely linked, Your Majesty, when the court's orders are sometimes issued to the local areas, local officials often misinterpret them, either intentionally or unintentionally. If there is no suitable candidate to take charge, I am afraid..." Xun You frowned after reading for a long time.

What Chen Mo wrote was naturally constantly scrutinized, and Chen Mo himself would also consider the problem of officials conveying orders, but even so, Shu is too special. If this set of official administration wants to work in Shu, at least someone has to handle it at the beginning.

Chen Mo nodded when he heard it. He couldn't go to Shu. Jingzhou needed him to take charge, and Luoyang would send him things to solve. If he went to Shu, the message transmission would be much slower, and Liu Bei had lost his foundation, and Liu Zhang's surrender was basically a fact. Chen Mo couldn't have this idea at this time.

"I won't go to Shu." Chen Mo shook his head.

"Your Majesty, I have a candidate who may help the lord govern Shu." Xun You smiled.

"Oh? Who?" Chen Mo was surprised.

"The prince." Xun You smiled.

"Jin'er..." Chen Mo frowned and said, "I'm afraid there is something wrong?"

Chen Mo was naturally relieved about his own son, but Chen Mo had always been strict with Chen Jin in terms of ability, so he always felt that Chen Jin's appointment as a prefect was an exception. If he was in charge of a state in his twenties, would it be a bit difficult for the child?

"Your Majesty, the prince is talented and intelligent. He has served as the magistrate of Deyang and the prefect of Jiujiang in recent years. During his tenure, the government was stable and the people were harmonious. With the ability of the prince, I think it is enough to be in charge of Shu, and the prince is also the most suitable." Xun You smiled.

It's not that Chen Jin has the highest ability, but that Chen Jin is the most suitable person to be in charge of Shu. Chen Mo can trust him, and his ability is not bad. Moreover, if he can govern Shu well, it will be of great benefit to Chen Jin, and he can be recognized by the civil and military officials of the court.

Chen Mo frowned and nodded. If Chen Jin could really govern Shu properly, then his eldest son's ability would be quite outstanding, and governing Shu would also be a great opportunity for Chen Jin to hone his skills.

After a while, Chen Mo nodded and said, "Okay, let him try, and transfer Tian Feng to be the governor of Yangzhou to replace Chen Jin in charge of Jiujiang, and order Chen Jin to come to Jingzhou first."

"Yes!"

"Your Majesty, urgent news from Jiangxia!" Just as the two were discussing this matter, Dian Wei came in quickly from outside and saluted Chen Mo.

"Jiangxia?" Chen Mo frowned. What would happen in Jiangxia? He looked at Dian Wei and said, "But what happened to Wenyuan?"

"No, the Jiangxia garrison fought with General Wenyuan several times and was repelled. Now most of Jiangxia has been occupied by our army." Dian Wei handed the letter to Chen Mo and grinned.

Chen Mo naturally knew this, but if it wasn't a failure in the battle, then Jiangdong might have made new moves.

Chen Mo and Xun You looked at each other, quickly opened the letter and scanned it.

"Sun Quan has assembled 60,000 naval forces in Chaisang. It seems that he wants to seize Jingzhou while our army is still unstable." Chen Mo handed the letter to Xun You beside him, shook his head and smiled.

"60,000 naval forces, if you add the previous infantry, Jiangdong will probably have to go all out to attack this time." Xun You frowned and said, "My lord, our navy..."

"I have ordered Yu Sheng to lead the navy to Guangling. It should be here soon, but before that, attract the Jiangdong navy here first!" Chen Mo smiled.

"Your Majesty, there is no navy in Jingzhou now. If we go to war with Jiangdong here, our army will suffer a lot." Xun You said worriedly. Jingxiang has more than the Yangtze River, and there are also a lot of waterways. Jiangdong's navy can march straight in. Chen Mo has no navy. He has lost the upper hand against Jiangdong.

Moreover, Zhang He led his troops westward to Sichuan and Shu. Chen Mo brought more than 100,000 troops at the beginning. Apart from the garrisons in Xiangfan and Jiangling, plus Zhang Liao's troops, there are only about 90,000 troops that can be mobilized now, and the manpower will also suffer a lot.

"It doesn't matter. Just defend Jingzhou. It's better for Jiangdong's main force to gather here. In this way, our navy can directly sweep Wuhui!" Chen Mo said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, if it is a land battle, our army of 90,000 troops will be enough to defeat Jiangdong, but now once the war starts, the battlefield will be between Jiangling and Jiangxia, and it will mostly be a naval battle. Our navy..." Xun You was a little distressed. It was not that he had no confidence in Chen Mo, but the Jiangdong navy had been established for many years and had been tempered by naval battles for a long time. In this regard, even Xun You felt that his navy might not be able to defeat the Jiangdong navy.

"That's why we have to fight this battle. We will tie down the Jiangdong navy here, so that Yu Sheng's navy can move forward unimpeded to Jiangdong." Chen Mo smiled. This was a good opportunity for him, and Chen Mo felt that his navy would not lose, especially after he had seen the Jiangdong navy. This feeling became even stronger. The Jiangdong ships and warships were definitely not as stable or fast as the ships of the East China Sea navy. Even if they were inferior in terms of commanders and generals, Chen Mo attracted all of the Jiangdong navy, and Yu Sheng attacked from the rear. This was his trump card against Jiangdong, and it was also the fundamental reason why Chen Mo did not use the navy even in the Sun-Liu alliance. He was going to take Jiangdong in one battle!