In the twenty-second year of Jian'an, the first month.

Most of the grain and grass have been transported to Jiangdu, the Jianghuai sergeants are preparing for war, and the Jiangdong sergeants are ordered to rush to the county to govern, and the northern expedition will be carried out soon.

During the Northern Expedition in the early spring of the Winter and Han Dynasties, Zhuge Liang mostly considered the busy agricultural work in autumn. In autumn, after the rice harvest, the wheat will be planted. If the troops are dispatched at this time and the busy agricultural season is delayed, it will hurt the peasants.

At Zhuge Liang's suggestion, Liu Bei chose to set off in early spring, when the wheat had not yet been harvested, and rice did not need to be planted. and the wheat harvest in March and April, during which the rice planting can be planted later due to lack of manpower.

After spring planting, Zhuge Liang will take advantage of the slack time to recruit the people to transport grain for the army, so as not to hurt the autumn busy.

War is inevitable, and Zhuge Liang tried his best to reduce the impact of war, ensure the normal production of agriculture, and then supply the army.

The logistics dispatch was under the responsibility of Zhuge Liang, and the army expedition was led by Liu Bei. Liu Bei also had arrangements for choosing when to go on the expedition, and decided to send troops after Zhengdan.

What is Zhengdan?

That is, the first day of the first month, the first year of the king. The Spring Festival in later generations originated from the first lunar day.

Before the middle of the Qin to Han Dynasty, the first year was in October of the summer calendar, and the first day of October was the new year. However, after the middle of the Han Dynasty, it was changed to December, and the first day of the first month was the New Year's Day.

The custom of the first lunar day, family reunion, when wearing formal clothes, greeting the elder. For the imperial court, a large-scale court meeting was held, and the monarch and his courtiers congratulated together.

At such a festive time, Liu Bei naturally wanted to congratulate his ministers and announce the news of the upcoming Northern Expedition.

At night, the palace is equipped with a hundred torches, a three-foot lamp outside, and the moon shines on the stars, although the night is still day. And accompanied by the sound of ceremonial music in the hall, it is very lively.

Liu Bei sat on the couch and sat with Queen Mi, and the crown prince Liu Chan sat on the small desk on the side seat. Huo Jun, Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun and other generals sat in the east hall; Zhuge Liang, Zhang Zhao, Mi Zhu and other ministers sat in the west hall.

"Color!"

The illusionist performed a remarkable skill that dazzled the crowd and applauded him from time to time. However, with the end of the illusionist's trick show, Zhengdan officially began.

Looking at the full hall of civil and military, Liu Bei put his hand on the table and said with a smile: "After several years of recuperation, the treasury is gradually rich, the politics are clear, and the secretaries are mostly hardworking. On this New Year's Day, the lonely minister should celebrate together. According to etiquette, Zhuqing can celebrate with wine, and there is no need to be restrained. ”

As he spoke, Liu Bei pointed to the officials at the end of the banquet and said with a smile: "In the past, on the New Year's Day, more people toasted from the Venerable, and now on the New Year's Day, you can toast from the lowly, so that the lonely good life can see the Qing." ”

Zhengdan ministers drink to the king, and the subordinates drink to the officials, this habit has been around for a long time!

For example, in history, Fei Yi held a banquet on New Year's Day, and General Zuo Guo Xiu took advantage of the opportunity to drink and assassinate Fei Yi with a dagger. In the end, Fei Yi was assassinated, and Guo Xiu was also sentenced to death.

"The people of the micro end also have good talents, and the king wants to know Mingzhuer!" Huo Jun said.

"Haha!"

Liu Bei stroked his beard and smiled, and said, "Zhuqing drinks with each other, so you don't have to be restrained. ”

"No!"

"Right and respect Huo Du!"

"Drink together!"

Under Liu Bei's promise, everyone toasted each other at the bottom of the steps.

The officials at the end of the banquet were both excited and nervous when they learned that they were going to drink wine to Liu Bei. If you behave decently, you will be impressed by Liu Bei, and you will be promoted in the future.

"Minister Zhang Wen visits the king, and hopes that the king will be happy for a long time!"

But he saw Zhang Wen, who was more than eight feet tall and had outstanding appearance, holding a wine bottle, and drinking wine to Liu Bei from a distance of a few steps.

Liu Bei smiled and said, "If Gu Ruo remembers correctly, Qing should be the son of Zhang Yun of Wu County. I don't know what to do today? ”

"Exactly!"

Zhang Wen looked excited and said: "King Qiyu, Wen is now Cao Peng, and he serves under the military advisor. ”

Liu Bei bowed slightly, and said comfortingly: "Father Qing has a lot of talent and learning, and he has a lot of tools. Cherish the sky and do not fake your life, and in the future, you should be encouraged, and live up to the name of your father. ”

"No!"

With Liu Bei's encouragement, Zhang Wen grinned at the corners of his mouth, looking quite happy.

When Liu Bei met with everyone, Zhuge Liang was chatting with Zhou Qun, the captain of Confucianism.

Zhou Qun toasted Zhuge Liang and asked, "Dare to ask the military advisor, is the king going to go on a northern expedition to Shouchun in the near future?" ”

Zhuge Liang held the wine bottle and sipped it lightly, and said, "How did Zhongzhi know about this? ”

"The boats gather in Wuhan and flow to Jianghuai, if you don't cut Shouchun today, will you not cut Liaodong?" Zhou Qun joked.

"Zhong Zhi asked about this, do you have a high opinion?" Zhuge Liang asked.

Zhou Qun shook his head and said in a low voice: "When the group is free, there are many disadvantages, and the military advisor should let the king be more careful." ”

Zhuge Liang frowned slightly, and admonished: "Zhong Zhi's words must not be nonsense! ”

"Please rest assured, the group is just a joke!"

Zhou Qun is not a reckless person, and the image of divination is only the words of his family. At the time of the New Year, talking about bad luck will inevitably cause Liu Bei's disgust.

"The group is out!"

As Zhou Qun flashed into the crowd, Zhuge Liang left this kind of thing behind, and then talked and laughed with Dong He, the commander of the army.

At this time, the person who toasted Liu Bei was Li Miao's turn.

Li Miao stood with the bottle in his hand, bowed to Liu Bei, and said, "Li Miao has seen the king. ”

Without waiting for Liu Bei to reply, Li Miao looked quite arrogant and said: "Liu Jiyu takes the king as the heart of the clan and entrusts him with Zhang Lu's life. The king invaded Hanzhong first, and then attacked Bashu. Miao Yiwang took the state, which was contrary to faith. ”

"Bold!"

Hearing this, the attendant pressed his sword and scolded Li Miao, as if he had the idea of arresting him on the spot.

Liu Bei endured his anger, waved his hand and dispersed the attendants, and asked, "Qing knows that Gu can't do this, why don't you help Liu Jiyuhu?" ”

Li Miao was not ashamed, and said: "Miao Fei doesn't dare, it's mostly because of his lack of strength!" ”

Liu Bei's face changed slightly, and now he had the idea of executing this madman.

"Grab it!"

Liu Bei can bear it, but Queen Mi can't bear it, and she is angry when she shoots the case, so she arrests Li Miao and asks him to question the crime.

Zhuge Liang in the west hall saw the chaos under the steps, and he had already come to Liu Zheng. At the same time, there were also generals such as Huo Jun and Zhao Yun, who looked at Li Miao angrily.

On the first day of the first lunar month, when the monarchs and ministers were celebrating, Li Miao dared to speak to Liu Bei!

Seeing that Liu Bei seemed to have a seizure, Zhuge Liang stepped out of the ranks and said: "King Qiyu, Li Miao lost his words after drinking, and he should be punished with a heavy sentence." However, when the day comes, we will set out again, and it is not a good opportunity to kill the Magi at this time. Liang asked the king to forgive Li Miao's capital crime, remove him from his official position, and send him back to his hometown. ”

Li Miao's brothers, Li Chao and Li Shao, squeezed out of the crowd and confessed to Liu Bei.

Li Chao looked frightened and said: "The king, the younger brother is arrogant and loses his words, I hope that the king will open the net and spare his life!" ”

"King~"

Liu Bei saw Zhuge Liang pleading, Li Chao and Li Shao were many talented people, although they wanted to kill the madman Li Miao in their hearts, but under self-soothing, they had to spare Li Miao's life.

Waving his hand, Liu Bei said coldly: "Li Miao committed the following crimes, and he should have been punished with heavy punishment. Today, Li Miao is thinking of Li Miao's first offense, and it is a festive season, so he will save his life and be removed from his official position. ”

"Thank you, King Rende!"

Second, Li kowtowed to Liu Bei, mostly thanking Liu Bei for his tolerance.

Huo Jun saw such a scene, and sighed a few times in his heart. If his memory is not bad, Zhuge Liang will leave Li Miao alive, and he will eventually be impeached by Li Miao's ruthless superiors.

Not everyone in the world can see the situation clearly, and there are often people who think they are different and tell the outside world about their unique violence.

In Huo Jun's opinion, Li Miao is purely a sensationalizing person. If you really want to be loyal to Liu Zhang, isn't it good to learn from the king? Kill yourself and become a benevolent, and do not surrender Liu Bei.

If he is a person who is loyal to official affairs, or he can learn from Huang Quan, Liu Zhang has surrendered, and he has no psychological burden, so he can do things for Liu Bei directly.

After a few years, in front of everyone, he rebuked Liu Bei with great righteousness. That is, Liu Bei is kind-hearted, and now he is replaced by Cao Cao, not only Li Miao will die, but his two elder brothers will also be implicated.

Under Li Miao's sabotage, Liu Bei's interest was gone, and the atmosphere at the meeting was also a little solemn. Liu Bei held on to his spirit and met with the remaining ministers. Later, he said some encouraging words, rewarded all the money, and ended the Zhengdan court.

The next day, Huo Jun took the military strategy and entered the palace to meet Liu Bei.

In the side hall, Liu Bei was in a happy mood, obviously forgetting about Li Miao.

Seeing Huo Jun, Liu Bei asked: "Now that the soldiers and horses are ready, they will be able to go out in the near future, can Zhong Miao be presented in detail?" ”

"King Qiyu, Huaishui is thousands of miles long, and if you only go north from Hangou or Feishui to the north, it is not enough to succeed."

Huo Jun spread out the map of Jianghuai and pointed out: "Jun thinks that the army can march in two ways, and the king can lead the army from Feishui, through Shaobei, and the soldiers will go to Shouchun; Jun led a sergeant, took a boat into the ditch, took the cities along the Huaishui, and then went west, and the king met under the city of Shouchun. ”

Although Huaishui is not a moat of the Yangtze River, it is not an ordinary stream. It originates from Runan, flows through Shouchun, Yicheng, Zhongli, Huaiyin, Huaipu and other places, and is thousands of miles away.

If you take the Feishui route alone, the soldiers will arrive in Shouchun, and no one will take care of them in the Qingxu area, so it is easy to be attacked. Moreover, Feishui can only take small boats, not big boats, which undoubtedly weakens the power of the south.

If you go north through Hangou alone, and then go to Shouchun, you will have walked thousands of miles of waterways alone, and Cao Cao has already led a large army to wait for the battle.

The best strategy for entering the city is to go all the way to Feishui, all the way to Hangou, and then converge under Shouchun City. Or all the way against the people of the Central Plains, all the way to the Qing Xu soldiers and horses.

Looking at the map of Jianghuai, Liu Bei said: "Alone led the army to Chaohu Lake and took Shouchun in the north; Zhong Miao divided his troops to go through the ditch and enter the Huaishui to take the Huaishui cities. When marching like this, Cao Cao must raise troops to the south and raise heavy troops to aid Shouchun. At that time, Qingxu also made moves, either marching and fighting, or retreating to protect the people. ”

"Exactly!"

Huo Jun pointed his finger along the Huai River and said: "The whirlpool water flows into the Huai River from Yicheng, which is located more than 100 miles east of Shouchun; Surabaya flows into Huaishui from Huaiyin, and Huaiyin is three or four hundred miles away from Xiapi. Yicheng and Huaiyin are the hubs of Huaishui, and these two places are dangerous. ”

"The king of the Northern Expedition to Shouchun, Jun should respond to the king, in order to ensure that the king's flanks are not lost, and to contain the Qingxu soldiers and horses."

The Yangtze River has rivers that flow into Huaishui, and the Central Plains naturally has rivers that flow into Huaishui. It is Ru, Ying, vortex, Si and other four major tributaries, where Cao Cao used troops to the Jianghuai before, often ordered the four rivers to march together, injected into the Huaishui, and then the south to Hefei.

Now if you want to fight for longevity, you must try your best to block the four rivers and block Cao Cao's grain and water transportation. However, it is a pity that among the four waters, Ru and Yinger are in the west of Shouchun, the upstream of Huaishui. At this time, Ru and Yingershui can't block it, so they can only try to block the vortex and Si Ershui to ensure the safety of Liu Bei's flanks.

Xiangfan is not easy to fight because the terrain is narrow and easy to make a meat grinder; Shouchun is not easy to fight because there are many rivers in the north, and for Cao Cao, it is easy to mobilize troops.

Liu Bei bowed slightly, and said: "The general march can be divided into two ways from what Zhong Miao said. The lonely army went to the fat water and took the longevity of spring; Qing led the partial army out of the ditch, into the Huaishui, with the imperial Cao soldiers. ”

After a pause, Liu Bei asked, "Qing has a long way to go, when do you want to move troops?" ”

Huo Jun pondered a little and said, "If you want to set off the day after tomorrow, go to Jianghuai first." According to the king's edict, 30,000 soldiers from Xu and Yang, as well as hundreds of small and medium-sized boats, went north. ”

Liu Bei asked Huo Jun to lead 30,000 people as a partial army, and most of them were the old Jianghuai troops before Huo Jun, such as Ding Feng, Xu Sheng, Gao Xiang and other generals, who were more easily used.

"Good!"

Liu Bei stroked his scarce beard and said: "Lonely in ten days, I will raise troops, first go to Chaohu, Huizi Jingsuo, and then go north to Shouchun." ”

"The minister invites Jiujiang Taishou Jiang Ji to accompany the army!" Huo Jun arched his hand.

"Accurate!"

(End of chapter)