"Three years of the Northern Expedition?"

On December 8, in the west hall of the Xiangyang Palace, Liu Bei met with Zhuge Liang and Shen Chen in the side hall.

Now under the three-province system, the national government affairs are often solved in Shangshutai, Zhongshujian and Menxia Temple, and only when you can't get an idea can you find Liu Bei.

Therefore, Liu Bei is still relatively idle every day, in addition to looking at the official documents that the three provinces and Zhuge Liang have already instructed, he often pays attention to their own military situation and waits for the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains.

As the days passed, Liu Bei felt that his body was also getting worse, regardless of the emperor and general, or the talented and beautiful woman. Even if you are peerless, time will always be the only enemy.

It was Liu Bei's greatest wish to be able to dominate the world before he died, so after pacifying Jiangdong, the Northern Expedition's thoughts became more and more serious, and he often talked about it.

It's just that the strategists know that now is not the time for the Northern Expedition, so they have been trying to persuade Liu Bei not to start the Northern Expedition immediately.

However, everyone in the government and the opposition knew his thoughts, although everyone was persuading, they didn't dare to give him a date directly, so as not to be able to do it by that time and be blamed by Liu Bei, so everyone just shirked and waited for the opportunity.

And today, Shen Chen gave Liu Bei an exact period.

The three people in the side hall sat in columns, Liu Bei sat cross-legged on the main seat, although he was getting older, he was still in good spirits, and his posture was also very healthy, and he did not move because of old age.

It's just that he feels that the older he gets, the physical strength and martial arts are not like when he was young, and he can fight in all directions casually, so he realizes that his days are not long.

At this moment, when he heard Shen Chen's response to the three-year Northern Expedition given to him, he couldn't help but sigh: "Three years, will it be too long." I am now 60 years old, and in three years, no one knows if I will still be alive, and I am afraid that I will not see that day. ”

"My lord."

Zhuge Liang said with a smile: "The lord's body has always been very healthy, and there is something to be done in the battle, so why are you afraid of these short three years?" ”

When meeting in private, Liu Bei rarely called himself me, and Guan Zhang was a brother. With Zhuge Liang, they are not as solemn as the conference, and they are often allowed to continue to call their lords as before, which is much more casual than formal occasions.

"Ugh."

Liu Bei sighed, then thought for a while and asked, "Is it really going to take three years?" ”

Shen Chen replied, "My lord, it's not a good thing to be in a hurry. Although Gaozu died in Qin in three years and Chu in five years, it was because of the chaos in the world and the people's hearts. Now that the north is becoming more and more stable, Cao Wei is strong, and he needs to slow down and not rush. When following the example of the Qin State, step by step, you can swallow the world and dominate the world. ”

"Hmm."

Liu Bei pressed his hands on his knees, then looked at the table and pursed his lips and nodded slightly, and then said: "Although the Northern Expedition will take three years, these three years should not be wasted, and they should be prepared." ”

"Nature."

Shen Chen said: "So I want to be transferred to Hanzhong." ”

"To Hanzhong?"

Liu Bei was surprised: "Xiaoqing has been guarding Nanyang for more than ten years, and suddenly wants to go to Yizhou?" ”

"Yes."

Shen Chen said: "To fight with the north, cavalry must be there. Henan and Hebei are a horse and a flat river, the cavalry comes and goes like the wind and electricity, and Cao Pi has only a few thousand people in Huainan, because their cavalry can quickly rush to help. So what they have, we have to have, and we have to be better than them. ”

Liu Bei thought for a while and said, "Since that's the case, why don't you go to Liangzhou?" ”

Shen Chen smiled bitterly: "Isn't Uncle Yide in Liangzhou?" He has a fiery temperament, and likes to drink and cause trouble, and I have a temper with him, and if I want to forcibly control him, I will cause a conflict if I don't say it well. ”

"It's easy."

Liu Bei smiled: "I haven't seen Yide for several years, and he didn't even come when I ascended the throne, and my brother really should see him." I made you the governor of Yongyi Liang, and the pastor of Liangzhou, moved the envoy to hold the festival, supervised the military of Bashu, Guanzhong, and Liangzhou, and governed the civil affairs of Liangzhou, what do you think? ”

"Thank you, Lord."

Shen Chen bowed happily.

This is to hand over the military power of the entire Sichuan, Gansu, and Hanzhong regions, as well as the civil administration of Gansu.

Liu Bei is like this, as long as he gets 100% trust, it is really easy to get an official from him.

For example, Zhuge Liang was a fledgling and was appointed by him as the fourth person in the group.

But this is also the result of his knowledge of people and good use.

In history, Liu Bei knew that Ma Jian was useless, so he told Zhuge Liang not to reuse it.

As a result, after his death, Zhuge Liang still forgot Liu Bei's entrustment and reused Ma Yan.

Sure enough, Ma Jian was defeated by Zhang He in the first battle of Jieting.

Now Zhang Fei is going to Xiliang because Liu Bei knows that Zhang Fei himself is a rider, galloping in Xiliang, like a fish entering the sea and a bird in the sky.

But he can only go to Xiliang temporarily.

Zhang Fei is rough and heroic, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage.

On weekdays, Liu Bei and Guan Yu can discipline him.

But once released alone, this character becomes moody, arrogant, and prone to causing trouble.

Although the good news of Xiliang was frequent, Zhang Feihu stepped into Guanlong, and the rebellious Qiang people were defeated.

But it is also said that this was because Zhang Fei was too harsh, which led to repeated rebellions of the Qiang people.

So simply take this opportunity to transfer Zhang Fei back from Xiliang and let Shen Chen go over to replace him.

Shen Chen can not only fight, but also has a relatively moderate personality, he can march on the horse, and he can settle the people when he gets off the horse, which is just right to use both grace and power on the people of Xiliangqiang, and combine rigidity and softness.

In this way, the Qiang people are successfully subdued, and the Yongliang land is well governed, so that a flanking attack can be formed against Guanzhong, paving the way for the recovery of the old capital.

This is Liu Bei's insight into people.

After agreeing to Shen Chen's request to go to the northwest, Liu Bei asked, "Kong Ming, Xiaoqing, what do you think about the Northern Expedition?" ”

Zhuge Liang replied: "Xiaoqing and I both believe that we should first take Guanzhong, recover the lost territory, and then take Henan and Hebei." ”

"Why Guanzhong?"

Liu Bei asked.

Zhuge Liang took out the map from his arms, stepped forward and spread it on Liu Bei's table and said: "My lord, please see, Guanzhong and Guandong are separated by the Qinling Mountains and the Five Elements Mountains, and in the event of a war, it is difficult for Cao Wei to rush to the aid immediately, so compared to Henan and Huainan, Guanzhong is easier to obtain." ”

"Hmm."

Liu Bei nodded approvingly: "Yes, in fact, I also asked the Taiwei about this matter, and he also said that he would take Guanzhong first, and then attack Henan." ”

Shen Chen said: "Cao Pi couldn't have imagined that we would attack Chang'an first, so he arranged tens of thousands of troops in Chang'an, thinking that he was foolproof, but he didn't know that after we recuperated for three years, the army surrounded Chang'an, and it would be lost to Sanfu. ”

Zhuge Liang also smiled and said: "At that time, the lord can lead the main army north to Yecheng to confront Cao Wei's main force and contain his soldiers and horses." The general attacked Huainan from the northeast of the river, and attacked Hefei, so that the three troops marched, and the sheep attacked in two places, in fact, our last way was to go north from Wuguan, converge with Yongliang soldiers and horses, and break through Chang'an! ”

"Wonderful, wonderful."

Liu Bei said with satisfaction: "Xiaoqing often says that you must make a strategy to seek the country, and today's strategy is to close the middle first." ”

"Exactly."

Shen Chen responded: "However, there are thousands of miles of desolate people in Guanzhong, and the transportation of grain and grass is not smooth, so we need to work step by step and plan slowly." After I go to Yongliang, I will reserve grain and grass in Chencang, form a large cavalry brigade, and rush thousands of miles to attack Chang'an, and take Cao's army by surprise! ”

Liu Bei said excitedly: "Okay, what else does Xiaoqing need, just tell me, I will fully support it." ”

"It's nothing else, it's just to ask the lord for three people."

Shen Chen said with a smile.

"Who?"

"Zhao Yun, Pang De, Yu Ban."

"Yu Ban?"

Liu Bei was confused: "Ling Ming is a native of Liangzhou and is good at cavalry. Zilong is also a brave cavalry general, I can understand them, Yu Ban a general, may not be willing to give his life, what do you want him to do? ”

After the Battle of Jingzhou, there were more than 200,000 captured soldiers in Cao Wei and Jiangdong alone.

Now that the captured soldiers in Jiangdong were destroyed with the fall of the Sun clan, Jiangdong belonged to Liu Bei, so the Jiangdong soldiers were either dismissed and returned to their hometowns to cultivate the land, or those who were willing to stay and continue to serve in the army chose their elite and trained them into an army.

Only Cao Wei's pawn is still left in the Nanyang Basin, becoming the pawn of Tuntian, marrying a wife and having children, but staying in the south to multiply.

Since the end of the Han Dynasty, with the influence of natural disasters, plagues, wars, famines and other conditions, the population has declined significantly.

Young men are often conscripted as Ding, making it more common for boys and girls to be overwhelmed. In some cases, like Europe during World War II, the ratio of men to women is not exaggerated to the extent that of Europe, but it is also seriously unbalanced.

Therefore, Cao Wei's pawns can still be placed.

Only Cao Wei's surrendered generals were a headache.

Their attitude is not bad, after all, if the attitude is not good, then just kill it, no need to trouble.

But the attitude is respectful and willing to submit, and Liu Bei does not dare to reuse.

It would be nice to be younger.

Like Wang Ping in history, he was originally a native of Badi, because Cao Cao moved the Brazilian population to Luoyang, served in Luoyang and returned to Badi to fight, and after being captured, he returned to his hometown, he was young, married and had children on the spot, and did not need to worry about loyalty.

But Yu Ban's gang are all fifty or sixty-year-old men, and their families are all in the north, not to mention their relatives, it is difficult to marry and have children again, and rebuild their families in the south.

Therefore, these Cao Wei generals will not be easy to place.

If you reuse it, you are afraid that they will defect or make trouble at a critical moment. If you don't reuse it, these are the elite generals of the north, with rich experience, and it is a pity that they can't be used even if they are obedient.

Therefore, Liu Bei had no choice but to give them some idle official positions first and help Cao Pi raise them.

It is also worth mentioning that Sun Quan is now the Marquis of Han Anle. currently lives in Xiangyang's Anle Hou Mansion, and is often invited by Liu Bei to watch singing and dancing.

At the end of the Han Dynasty, the Three Kingdoms, the Wei and Jin dynasties were still relatively lenient to the monarchs who surrendered, and they would give certain preferential treatment, until Liu Yu opened the bad head of killing the monarch of the country, and it was still a civilized period, and Liu Bei naturally couldn't do this kind of thing.

Hearing Liu Bei ask why he wanted Yu Ban, Shen Chen said with a smile: "Although Yu Ban is a general, he is familiar with the Cao Army's combat system and can train soldiers. Since I have surrendered and surrendered, if I don't use it, it is indeed a pity, not to mention that I don't need him to lead troops, as long as he goes to Xiliang with me. ”

"I'm afraid he'll take the opportunity to escape."

Liu Bei said worriedly: "If you ask me to help train my sergeant, once he escapes, won't he leak the military plane?" ”

Shen Chen thought for a while and said, "It's okay, it's a big deal that I moved his family to the south." ”

"Oh?"

Liu Bei was surprised: "Xiaoqing has a way?" ”

Shen Chen smiled: "Don't hide it from the lord, I'm on Cao Wei's side, and I still have some connections." ”

The connections he said naturally did not mean that there were any protégés over there, but that the spy network had been formed since the early years of Jian'an.

In an era of underdeveloped information, it is very difficult to organize an underground organization.

Even if there are spies, they are often not organizations, but individuals like Sun Shangxiang.

But the difficulty lies not in communication, but in how well it is organized.

Like in the Spring and Autumn Period, there was already such an extremely strict organization as the Mo family, and with an order, the children of the Mo family from all over the country could immediately gather, even if they were faced with a choice between life and death, they would die with relent, which could be described as walking in the dark and serving the light.

Shen Chen took Huangmen Township as his foundation, and at the earliest he sent villagers north to Xuchang, sneaked into the city to cover all kinds of livelihoods, and often communicated with Kong Rong and other Han Dynasty ministers to carry out underground activities.

Because of the hatred between the villagers and Cao Cao, they deeply hated Cao Cao's slaughter of Xuzhou and had a family enmity, so they did things secretly and always conscientious.

After that, they selected people, and they were often the low-level oppressed by the government, the scholars who were loyal to the Han family, and the remnants of the Yellow Turbans who were defeated in the war with Cao Cao.

For example, Wang Xing, the spy leader in Chendu, was a native of Xuzhou, and his parents and relatives were slaughtered by Cao Cao, and his enmity with Cao Jun was as deep as the sea.

There is also a trio of Xu Yin, Zhou Ai, and Li Mu lurking in Zhu Shuo's mansion in Yecheng, except for Xu Yin who is from Hejian, Zhou Ai and Li Mu are both from Xuzhou and have a grudge against Cao Wei.

Even Xu Yin had reasons to rebel against Cao Wei.

After Cao Cao settled in Hebei, he fought in the south and the north, and conquered Hebei violently, and the people of Hebei cherished the Yuan clan and rose up to resist, so that rebellions broke out, including Su Bo and Tian Yin, who were from Hejian, launched a rebellion, which shows that Cao's family is not very popular in Hebei.

Xu Yin was originally from a small family in Hebei, after the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the family was in ruins, and the two brothers finally came out in Yuan Shao, and they were about to revitalize the family.

And there are many, many more examples like theirs.

Shen Chen deliberately wrote some articles about Cao Wei's brutal rule and a summary of his views on human nature, telling them to read them from time to time to unify their thoughts and teach them that they were fighting for the people of the whole country and overthrowing the tyrannical rule.

These articles were slowly summarized and sorted out, and they became the "Treatise on Man" that Shen Chen had almost finished, which still took Confucian benevolence as the core in thought, but with a bit of Mohist meaning.

Even after 2,000 years, the Confucian idea of "fraternity, welfare, fairness, justice, honesty, trustworthiness, reform, innovation, civilization, harmony, and the rule of law" is still the right way.

It is only because the ruling class needs to use Confucianism to enslave the people that it takes its dross and distorts some of its meanings.

Therefore, it is not a bad thing to follow the path of Confucianism, but it is not a cynic who distorts his thinking or a rotten Confucianism who clings to dogma. Instead, we should respect its true ideological core and become a great Confucian with a sense of justice in our hearts.

Shen Chen removed Confucianism from its dross, took its essence, integrated some of his own philosophical views, coupled with Wang Yangming's mind and the thoughts of the great teacher of later generations, mixed his own Shen Xue, and became a sect and a generation of masters.

Under his ideological teaching, the spy organization in the north has been running for more than ten years, and there has not been a single rebellion, and Cao Wei has no idea that there is a group of people operating in the dark under his nose.

Yu Ban was not born in a big family, his old wife has died, and he has a son, Yu Qi. Cao Wei also had no intention of liquidating the families of the surrendered generals, and he didn't even care about and consider these issues, so it was easy to bring Yu Qi out of the north.

Liu Bei heard that Shen Chen had a way to bring Yu Ban's family to the south, so he didn't ask what the solution was, so he said, "Since Xiaoqing already has an idea, let's do what Xiaoqing wants." ”

"Thank you, my lord!"

Shen Chen bowed and let out a long breath.

Walking in Liangzhou is a new beginning, but whether it is the hatred of Cao Wei or the longing for a new world, it will become the driving force to push him forward.

He wants to build a relatively fair world and spread his ideas to more people to get involved.

After that, history will be truly normal.

There is no Wuhu Chaohua, and there is no cannibalistic dark Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Some.

Just a strong man, and on the path of neo-cosmopolitan change!