Although there is no deep hatred between the two, because of Liu Chuang's intentional or unintentional instructions, the two unconsciously formed an opposing pattern.

Now, because of Zhuge Liang's identity as a chariot general, he has a good relationship with the generals under Liu Chuang.

And Sima Yi was in charge of the Yellow Pavilion and gradually diluted the influence of Chen Gong with the assistance of Elfang, and he also had his own line...... Liu Chuang also turned a blind eye to the competition between the two, allowing the two to compete. As long as he can grasp the 'degree' in it, he can stabilize the situation.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After sending Zhuge Liang and the others away, Liu Chuang only left Xun Chen.

"Zhangren, now that the Marquis of Wen is in the surrendered city, and the Xianbei people in Saibei are also fighting, when do you think we can enter the Five Plains?"

Liu Chuang had long plotted against the two counties of Wuyuan and Shuofang, especially Shuofang, which was located in the Hetao and had fertile land, which made Liu Chuang salivate.

Nashuo Fang was originally under the jurisdiction of the Han family.

At that time, the Southern Xiongnu were desperate and attached to the Han Dynasty, and the imperial court assigned the Hetao area to the Southern Xiongnu to recuperate.

Liu Chuang has always hoped to take Shuofang back, firstly, as his granary pasture, and secondly, to control the development of the Southern Xiongnu. Even if the Southern Xiongnu and Liu Chuang are allies now, Liu Chuang does not trust Hu Chuquan, and believes that Hu Chuquan also has such thoughts. The Southern Xiongnu are now experiencing a turmoil. The killing of Liu Bao, the king of Zuoxian, made Huchuquan's voice skyrocket, but at the same time, it also caused a lot of fluctuations. The Southern Xiongnu are also in recuperation now, but once they regain their vitality, they will become a disaster.

Xun Chen also knows this. I understand Liu Chuang's urgent desire to seize Shuofang.

"Meng Yan's thoughts, I know."

Xun Chen thought for a while and said softly: "But now is not the time to turn his face with Hu Chuquan."

If the persecution is too much, this guy is likely to collude with the Xianbei people. At that time, it will cause a change in the situation in the entire northern part of the country. Meng Yan now needs to be careful to maintain the situation in northern Cyprus, and try to cut off the connection between the Southern Xiongnu and the Xianbei people when the Xianbei people are constantly fighting.

So. It's too early to get into Shuofang.

However, Meng Yan can slowly infiltrate Shuofang and migrate displaced people to Shuofang in batches...... When the time is ripe, the Southern Xiongnu can be annexed in one fell swoop. ”

Xun Chen, actually had the idea of annexing the Southern Xiongnu?

This surprised Liu Chuang, but at the same time he was very happy.

He was most afraid that Xun Chen would have any ideas of 'Heavenly Empire' and 'benevolence governing the world'.

But now it seems that Xun Chen is not comparable to the kind of rotten Confucianism, and the aggressiveness he hides in his heart is probably even worse than Liu Chuang.

"This matter. Serious. It needs to be done by the right person. ”

"Meng Yan has already been selected?"

"Wen Hou is domineering. However, the means are slightly tougher.

He sits in the surrendered city, which can deter the Xianbei Huns, but when it comes to business. It's not enough. I have a few suitable candidates, please choose them for me. ”

"Tell me about it."

Liu Chuang stretched out three fingers: "Chen Gong, Xu Shu, Meng Gongwei." ”

Xun Chen frowned. He said in a deep voice: "The public station is more intelligent, but it is less than the change.

He has been with Wen Hou for the longest time, and he also understands Wen Hou's mind best, so he can cooperate properly. It's just that the temperament of the public platform is quite similar to that of Wen Hou, they are both tough people, and they don't know the changes of twists and turns, so they are not suitable candidates. The most important thing is that he is now sitting in Pinggang, maintaining the safety of Daxianbei Mountain, and taking into account the safety of Liaodong, and cannot be moved lightly. So I think that the public station is not the right person to preside over this matter. ”

"What about Yuanzhi?"

"Yuan Zhi is clever and witty, which is the most suitable.

It's just that Yuan Zhi had established his power in the battle of the surrendered city before...... His identity is too sensitive, and his every move will be followed by Hu Chuquan, so he is not very suitable. I think Meng Gongwei is the most suitable candidate. First, he is not well-known and will not be concerned by Hu Chuquan; Second, he is very talented, and he also knows how to work around, and he advances and retreats properly, even Wen Hou praises him.

Gongwei may not have the ability to strategize, but if it is said that he is presiding over the situation of Shuo Fang, he is the best candidate. ”

According to Liu Chuang's original idea, Xu Shu is the most suitable candidate, supplemented by Meng Jian.

But listening to Xun Chen's analysis, he also felt that Xu Shu's goal was too big, and it was easy to arouse Hu Chuquan's vigilance, which was indeed inappropriate. It's Meng Jian, who has talent and knowledge. And there has been some time in Shuofang, and he is indeed a suitable candidate.

"In that case, tomorrow I will send Ziyi to go and secretly order Meng Jian."

"By the way, Su Wei sent a message before, and he has already contacted Zhang Yan...... But I don't know Meng Yan, how do you plan to solve Zhang Yan's matter? ”

Liu Chuang frowned, revealing a wry smile.

Speaking of which, since Su Wei told him about Zhang Yan, Liu Chuang ordered Sima Yi to compile Zhang Yan's information.

This Zhang Yan's real name is Chu Yan, and he is a real person in Changshan, Jizhou.

During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, this person gathered teenagers into a group of thieves and fought between the mountains. Later, he gathered 10,000 people in Zhending and rebelled. Shi Boling, who is also the northern marshal of the Yellow Turban Army, personally recruited Zhang Yan, and adopted him as a righteous son, and carefully trained him. Before Zhang Niujiao died, he told his subordinates to follow Zhang Yan, and said to his subordinates: "If you want to live, you must obey Chu Yan's dispatch." ”

After Zhang Niujiao's death, Zhang Yan was grateful for Zhang Niujiao's kindness, so he changed his name to Zhang Yan.

This person is fierce and agile, so the yellow turban thieves are mostly called 'Feiyan', and some people call him 'Yan Shuai'.

According to the information compiled by Sima Yi, Zhang Yan's eyes are extremely vicious.

After the failure of the Yellow Turban, he knew that the Yellow Turban had no future, so he changed the name of the Yellow Turban, called the Black Mountain Army, and gathered millions of people. Later, he also sent people to Luoyang to ask the then Han Emperor, that is, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty. Of course, he also took the path of the Ten Standing Attendants, and Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty accepted Zhang Yan's invitation to surrender and appointed him as the general of the Zhonglang in Pingyan. At that time, Zhang Yan was no longer a bandit or bandit.

It's a pity that with Dong Zhuo's entry into the court, the world is in chaos.

When the princes of the 22nd Route raised an army to attack Dong Zhuo, Zhang Yan also led his troops there.

But because he took the road of the Ten Standing Servants back then, he was the rank of a general in the middle of the difficulty. It was not accepted by the princes, and it was extremely repulsive.

Zhang Yan had no choice but to leave the coalition army and return to Hebei.

After Yuan Shao captured Jizhou. Majestic in Hebei.

Because he was an enemy of Yu Poison and others, he was even more disgusted with the Montenegrin Army, and in the fourth year of the first peace, that is, in 193 AD. Join forces with Lu Bu and Zhang Yan to start a fierce battle in Changshan. The two sides fought hard for more than ten days, Zhang Yan was seriously killed and wounded, and Yuan Shaojun was also exhausted, so in the end both sides could only withdraw their troops. In order to avoid another conflict with Yuan Shao, Zhang Yan withdrew from Jizhou.

He led the main army to garrison Shangdang Fajiu Mountain, and completely controlled Fajiu Mountain, Yangtou Mountain, and even the Tianjing Pass, and could effortlessly enter and exit Hanoi, Taiyuan, and Changshan counties, and his momentum was not reduced. On the contrary, the number of troops increased to more than 1.5 million.

And then later. Zhang Yan and Gongsun Chan allied again. He also sent the general Du Chang to assist Gongsun Chan against Yuan Shao.

It was precisely because of this incident that Yuan Shao was extremely angry and strengthened the suppression of the Montenegrin army. With the defeat of Gongsun Zhan. Zhang Yan also suffered heavy losses, and she was no longer as sharp as before.

But everybody knows. Zhang Yan's strength is still there.

Although he is very low-key, everyone knows that this guy has the strength to influence the entire north, and he can't be guarded against.

Liu Chuang coveted the millions of homeless people in Zhang Yan's hands, and at the same time, he admired Zhang Yan's talent even more.

Liu Chuang thinks that if he were his own, he might not be able to do better than Zhang Yan.

What's more, Zhang Yan's millions of Montenegrin troops are almost comparable to the registered population of the entire state, and even slightly exceeded.

If these millions of Montenegro can move into Bingzhou, then Liu Chuang's strength in Saibei will definitely increase greatly, and he can even be afraid of that damn Huchuquan...... But the problem is that after Zhang Yan experienced a series of things, he was quite resistant to the princes. However, Liu Chuang also knew that in history, Zhang Yan finally attached himself to Cao Cao, and attached great importance to Zhang Yan, so that he sat in the town and annexed the state, so that the Southern Xiongnu surrendered.

The reason why Zhang Yan was attached to Cao Cao was because Cao Cao captured Yecheng and unified the northern pattern.

If Liu Chuang wants to get Zhang Yan's input, he must show enough strength.

This is also the main reason why Liu Chuang feels a headache, and it is not an easy thing to get Zhang Yan to surrender......

"Father-in-law, I haven't made a decision on this matter yet, and I ask my father-in-law to tell me."

Xun Chen said with a smile: "It's not clueless to think about Meng Yan, if you want Zhang Yan to surrender, you must come up with the strength that can make him surrender."

Now Meng Yan swept through Youzhou, looking at the state, and the general trend has become ...... If Zhang Yan had no intention of surrendering, he would not have passed the word through Guò Suwei. Since he has a message, it means that he is also hesitating. The current situation depends on how bold Meng Yan you have and what kind of benefits you bring him. As long as Meng Yan can make persistent efforts and show enough strength, it will not be difficult for Zhang Yan to surrender to you.

If you don't worry, Meng Yan, I will be in charge of this matter.

I will get in touch with Zhang Yan slowly, believing that this 'Feiyan' will give me a little thin noodles. ”

In fact, it can be seen from Zhang Yan's willingness to belong to the Han family and listen to the reward of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty that he still has some closeness to the Han family and is willing to serve the Han family.

Liu Chuang, the uncle of the Han Emperor, has an innate advantage.

He now sits in Youzhou, and dominates the north, and in some ways, it is inevitable that there will be an intersection between the two.

This third point, Zhang Yan has always respected celebrities, and Xun Chen's reputation in Hebei is definitely not idle. Thinking that at the beginning, after the other leader of the Montenegrin Army, Yu Poison, was killed, Xun Chen offered advice to Yuan Shao to recruit Zhang Yan. But Yuan Shao was born in the family of the fourth and third princes, and it is good for you to let him have respect for those famous people, but if he wants to bow his head to a thief born of a yellow turban thief, it is absolutely impossible.

So, Yuan Shao took a tough stance and tried to make Zhang Yan bow his head.

But even if Yuan Shao and Lu Bu joined forces, they failed to truly defeat Zhang Yan, and Zhang Yan and Yuan Shao eventually became opponents......

Xun Chen's meaning is very clear, that is, to use Huairou means to recruit Zhang Yan.

Liu Chuang also agreed with Xun Chen's idea...... If you want to recruit Zhang Yan, it is definitely not something that can be successful in the short term.

This requires a long process, on the one hand, to make Zhang Yan dispel her hostility towards Liu Chuang, and on the other hand, to make Zhang Yan feel Liu Chuang's strength. A two-pronged approach can be successful. And if you want to do this, Xun Chen is undoubtedly the best candidate.

"In that case, then please leave it to my father-in-law!"

Liu Chuang waved to Xun Chen, and it can be regarded as handing over this matter to Xun Chen to deal with.

He knew very well that it would take a long process to recruit Zhang Yan, and his top priority was how to unite with Yuan Shang.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sending Xun Chen away, it was getting late.

Liu Chuangmai walked out of the study and strolled through the garden.

A heavy snowfall made the garden of Zhuo County covered in silver, although it was noble and dignified, but it revealed a bit of loneliness.

In the distance, faint laughter could be heard from the room. Lu Jin and the others were talking and laughing, which also made Liu Chuang's mood seem to improve a lot.

Suddenly, he stopped.

In the garden, there is a graceful figure standing next to a cluster of fiery plum blossoms.

She turned her back to Liu Chuang, wearing a red dress, which complemented the cluster of red plums, adding a bit of charm in the snow......

She, as if she had something on her mind, stroked the flowers with her slender hands.

For some reason, a poem suddenly flashed in Liu Chuang's heart, and blurted out: "Zhongfang shook off Duxuanyan and occupied the small garden." The shadow is sparse and the water is shallow, and the dark fragrance floats in the dusk of the moon. ”

The elf in the snow suddenly trembled, like a frightened deer, and hurriedly lowered its head and ran away

Liu Chuang couldn't help but smile slightly, he recognized the identity of the woman, and it was the Luo Shen Zhen Mi who was known to people in later generations because of Cao Zijian's "Luo Shen Fu".

Speaking of which, the Zhen family has been attached to Liu Chuang for a year, although the Zhen family has always hoped to let Zhen Mi marry Liu Chuang, but Liu Chuang is busy with the war, and the Zhen family has no chance to discuss this matter. However, Elk did not let Zhen Mi go home, but left her in Liu's mansion.

In this way, although Zhen Mi did not marry Liu Chuang, in the eyes of everyone, Zhen Mi is a person from Liu's mansion.

Liu Chuang didn't know what Elk Ji thought, although he was very surprised by Zhen Mi before, he didn't think too much about it...... But just now, he was thrilled. Looking at Zhen Mi's departing back, Liu Chuang couldn't help but show a little appreciation, and nodded secretly......

However, his thoughts quickly shifted from Zhen Mi to another woman.

Previously, Gu Yong had entrusted him to rescue Cai Yong's daughter Cai Yan, who was also known as Cai Wenji in later generations. It was only at that time that Liu Chuang learned that Cai Wenji was in the account of Liu Bao, the king of Zuoxian, and he had always had concerns. But now, Liu Bao is dead, and it seems that it is time to ask Cai Wenji to return to Han.

Thinking of this, Liu Chuang frowned slightly.

He turned around and returned to the study and ordered Li Yifeng to bring Xu Shu over.

"Yuan Zhi, Lu Xun was entrusted by Gu Yongzhi to help me find the whereabouts of Cai Yan, Cai Yong's daughter.

At that time, I had already found out that Cai Yan was under Liu Bao's account, and he already had a son and a daughter...... At that time, my strength was not enough to make the Southern Xiongnu bow their heads, so I could only suppress this matter for the time being. Now that Liu Bao is dead, Hu Chuquan has also annexed Liu Bao's troops.

In the past, the daughter of the Cai family should no longer live in Saibei.

In a few days, it will be the New Year, and I plan to ask you to work hard and go to Nandan Yuting to visit Hu Chuquan and ask him to exchange Cai Yong's daughter. ”

Of course, Xu Shu knew who Cai Yong was, so after hearing Liu Chuang's words, he nodded and agreed without saying a word.

"Don't worry, the lord will invite Mrs. Cai to return to Han safely."