The eighth year of Taixing.
Under the first month.
After saying goodbye to Fei Qian, Zhang Liao and his party rushed west and arrived at the Lishui River soon.
As dusk approached, Zhang Liao camped on the edge of the Fengshui River.
When he went to the Western Regions, Zhang Liao did not bring all his troops, but still brought more than 200 of his men.
Another person from Xiliang who was temporarily walking with Zhang Liao was Jia Xu.
Jia Xu was preparing to go to Jincheng, but "accidentally" met Zhang Liao, so he walked along the way.
The setting sun shines, and the water is covered with blood red.
Zhang Liao stood by the edge of the Fengshui River, with a slight trance in his expression.
Jia Xu walked over slowly, his slender eyes flashed past Zhang Liao, and then turned his gaze to Fengshui.
Not far from the river is Chencang Ancient Pass.
This is not only the battlefield where King Liu Bang of Han entered, but also the place for many subsequent battles. The most recent war was the Western Qiang Rebellion during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han.
Ten years before and after the Western Qiang Rebellion, there were three major turning points, twice related to Chen Cang. The last time the kingdom led a large army to siege Chen Cang for more than 80 days, which led to the final collapse of the Western Qiang coalition.
In this not-so-large area, you can still hear the shouts of killing, horse hooves, call for help, and swords and weapons from that time. You can still see the smoke and dust covering the sky, the dizzy sunlight, and the bright red that is splattering and flowing freely.
"In the past, somewhere there..." Jia Xu pointed his finger at the position, "In the past, the dust was pouring out, the four fields were flooded with wars, the soldiers and horses were fighting in chaos, the positions were lost, the calls shook the sky, the weapons were inspiring, and the flags covered the sun..."
『Someone has also come here...』 Zhang Liao nodded, 『Old Liangzhou Geng, summoned soldiers from six counties... I traveled around the world and was also a small school student in the army...』
Jia Xu looked at Zhang Liao with some surprise, "General Wenyuan and someone thought of going to the same place... Thinking about the time, Geng's family was a nineteen marquis... I don't know General Wenyuan, but I think what Geng's family should do at that time?"
Zhang Liao was silent, then let out a breath and slowly shook his head.
Jia Xu glanced at Zhang Liao, and saw that he was meditating and silent, so he didn't say much.
At this moment, Zhang Liao was rumbling in his heart. He understood why Jia Xu mentioned the Geng family, on the one hand, because Geng Bi, the governor of Liangzhou at that time, was the commander of the six counties at that time, and on the other hand, this Geng Bi, who was very ambitious and talented, had a villain in his confidant...
Zhang Liao still knows a little bit about Geng Bi's situation.
Geng Bi was born in the Geng family, and if he wanted to select the family of the founding member of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it would be undisputed that Geng's family would be elected.
Since Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu stepped into Hebei, the prefect of Shanggu Geng Kuang always supported Liu Xiu. Before Geng Kuang chose Liu Xiu, his eldest son Geng Yan followed Liu Xiu in the early days, and later ranked fourth among the 28 generals of the founding Yuntai of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Geng Kuang had six sons. In addition to the eldest son Geng Yan, his second son Geng Shu and his third son Geng Guo were all trusted by Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu for his military achievements.
Geng Kuang was granted the title of Marquis of Yu Mi, the second generation Geng Yan was granted the title of Marquis of Hao Wu, Geng Shu was granted the title of Marquis of Muping, and Geng Ba inherited the title of Marquis of Yu Mi. By the third generation, two more marquis were added, two sons of Geng State were granted the title of Marquis of Meiyang, and Geng Su was granted the title of Marquis of Suyi. By the third generation, one of Geng Shu's grandson inherited the fief of his mother Princess Longlu and was granted the title of Marquis of Longlu.
Since Guangwu ascended the throne, Geng's family was very glorious. A total of 19 people were granted titles to marquis, two generals and nine generals were produced. In addition, there were three sons, Princess Shang, and later a daughter married Liu Qing, the King of Qinghe, as her concubine, and was the legitimate mother of Emperor An of Han.
A family as noble as the Geng family was very rare in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Although Geng Shu's granddaughter Geng Ji was the legitimate mother of Emperor An of Han, she could not be the empress dowager because of this. Emperor An of Han was the concubine son of Liu Qing, the king of Qinghe, and his biological mother Zuo Xiaoe. He inherited the throne of his uncle Han He as a vassal king. The empress of Han He was Deng Yu's granddaughter Deng Sui. According to law, after Emperor An of Han ascended the throne, he had to respect Deng Sui as the empress dowager, and Geng Ji could only stay in the position of Princess Qinghe. This is the closest distance from the peak of the relatives of the Geng clan.
Then, there was nothing.
Later, the rise of Dou's family.
Because Geng's family was once arrogant, the arrogant people were naturally hated by the family, and they would definitely receive suppression and restrictions from all aspects. In addition, Geng's family later bet on the wrong treasure several times in the complex political struggle.
As time goes by, the Dou family advances in a wave-like manner, while the Geng family declines all the way. Gradually, the descendants of the Geng family have become supporting roles in the political arena. In order to make up for this flaw, they have to choose to rely on the core forces. To put it bluntly, this is similar to gambling.
The first one to make the wrong bet was Geng Bing's younger brother Geng Su. Geng Su, who was used differently from Geng Bing, had a low-income experience, put the bet on Dou Xian. After following Dou Xian twice in succession and conquering the Northern Huns to achieve military achievements, Geng Su was granted the title of Marquis of Suyi. After Emperor An of Han ascended the throne, Dou Xian was liquidated, Geng Su was implicated, and was beaten to the end, and was also seized.
The second one to suppress the wrong Bao was Geng Shu's grandson Geng Bao. Geng Bao was Geng Ji's brother. After Emperor An of Han ascended the throne, he became a general as the "Yuan uncle". He was the second general of the Geng family after Geng Yan. Geng Bao actually knew very well that his uncle was actually very empty. In order to consolidate his position, he colluded with the Central Constable Li Run, Fan Feng and others, and tried his best to join Empress Yan and his family. What Geng Bao was most despised was that he killed the Grand Marshal Yang Zhen by slandering accusation.
However, Geng Bao made the wrong bet and the wrong person. In order to dominate the government for a long time, Yan gave the court a letter to impeach Geng Bao and colluded with eunuchs, spyed on the secrets in the palace, and deposed Geng Bao on a charge of being accused of being accused of being accused of being accused of being accused of being absurd. Geng Bao, who had lost his authority, knew that he could not escape the liquidation, so he committed suicide.
Geng Bi, the governor of Xiliang, was Geng's last masterpiece.
The governor of Liangzhou was not a good job at that time. He had to face turmoil in Liangzhou as soon as he took office. From the first year of Zhongping to the fourth year of Zhongping, the governor of Liangzhou was like a lantern and replaced five people in a row.
Before Gengbi, they were Liang Hu, Zuo Chang, Song Xiao, and Yang Yong. Some of them were recalled for being greedy for huge amounts of property, while others advocated that the people of Liangzhou study the "Book of Filial Piety" were also recalled for being criticized. Anyway, there are strange things every year, especially in the feudal dynasty, and there were countless people. In fact, this was just because they had been arrogant for too long, so that these bricks... Bah, these governors were separated from the people.
In the fourth year of Zhongping, Geng Bi organized troops from six counties to attack Han Sui, and Zhang Liao also acted as a small school among the troops from six counties at this time. Although Geng Bi may have good intentions, he was eager to achieve success. Not only did he not obey Fu Xie, who was the prefect of Hanyang at the time, told him not to be too radical in dissuasion, but he didn't even listen to the suggestions that he should train the soldiers first.
In addition, the most important point is that Geng Bi trusts his subordinates very much, Liangzhou governs Chengqiu. This Chengqiu is not a good product. During his tenure, he made money hard. His greed for money caused dissatisfaction among many officials and the people. So when Geng Bi took the troops of the six counties he had hurriedly summoned to suppress the rebellion, the soldiers of Didao County mutiny occurred. They not only killed the hateful Chengqiu, but also killed Geng Bi. (Notes to this chapter)
It was also during this rebellion that Ma Teng washed a little and changed his camp.
Zhang Liao did not even get Mao’s military achievements, and Bingzhou was invaded by the Hu people, so he returned to Bingzhou...
At this point, the Eastern Han Dynasty completely lost control of Liangzhou. It was not until the kingdom surrounded Chen Cang and the three drums were exhausted that Dong Zhuo emerged.
A general is incompetent, not just exhausting the three armies!
Zhang Liao understood what Jia Xu meant, and also knew the purpose of Jia Xu following him along the way. He even knew that as long as he left Longyou, Jia Xu would definitely arrange soldiers and horses in the Longyou area...
"I saw a tile house in the past, and the beams and pillars were rotten, and the door hinge was damaged. People lived in it, and it was invaded by wind and rain, and it was like a pile of eggs. I wanted to destroy it, so I raised the fire to burn it, thinking that it could clear the rotten things of the worms..." Jia Xu said slowly, "But after meeting the lord, I realized that it was easy to destroy a house, but it was difficult to build a house. The rotten beams and pillars, and the rotten gate hinge are not the fault of bricks, tiles, soil embryos, so how can I burn it with it? Wen Yuan's trip was like living in a dangerous house, so be careful..."
Zhang Liao sighed softly, then bowed to Jia Xu to thank him, "Liao remembers what the envoy said in his heart."
Jia Xu stared at Zhang Liao for a moment, then nodded, and said nothing more.
To be honest, it is already very good that Jia Xu can stand here and vaguely say a few words to Zhang Liao.
Perhaps it was because Jia Xu was also from Xiliang and did not want to see the people of Xiliang falling into a state of falling apart again and killing each other. Perhaps it was because Jia Xu had some feelings about Zhang Liao's behavior like a moth flying into a fire, and there was also a bit of friendship between Zhang Liao and the cavalry general Fei Qian, so he deliberately "walking" with Zhang Liao and find some opportunities to give some advice.
Otherwise, according to Jia Xu's usual habits...
As he moved forward, from a certain perspective, Zhang Liao was like Geng Bi, and he was pressed on heavy bets.
The one who bet on Zhang Liao's own life, and the other side is the "brick, tiles, soil embryo" that Jia Xu just mentioned...
The sunset was setting, reflecting on Zhang Liao's face, reflecting his body, as if stained with blood.
Zhang Liao stood beside the Shui River and reached out to touch a tip in his arms.
Although the tip was taken by Fei Qian before he left, it was not a so-called "trick plan" or Fei Qian wanted to do a thousand miles of micro-care, but just provided Zhang Liao with an idea or a small bargaining chip.
As for how to use this chip, whether it can be pressed on the scale at critical moments, it can only be up to Zhang Liao himself.
Of course, it was not only Zhang Liao, but also Lu Bu who also brought heavy bets.
Western Regions.
Xihai City.
Today's Xihai City is like a faded gilt vessel. Not only does it lose its brightness before, but it also looks particularly ugly after fading.
Even if the Qianshou inside and outside the city is slow, he can feel the difference. Although the city wall is still the same city wall and the streets in the city are still the same street, the energy in it is gone.
All the shops in Xihai City are almost closed. Because the army needs them, all the supplies are distributed on the front line. There is no commercial goods to be sold, so naturally the shops are closed.
Shops can be closed, but people cannot lose food and drink.
Especially those who used businessmen before were even more overwhelmed and very distressed.
Near the east gate of Xihai City, there is a yard that is not too big or small.
A man was sitting under the yard in a beard robe, looking dull. On the table beside him, there was a bowl of milk skin. It was obvious that he had not moved for a long time and there was no heat at all.
The surrounding servants did not dare to walk into the yard at all. They were cautious even if they did something, for fear of making any sound to make arouse the person in the yard and become the target of anger.
He was originally a big merchant in Xihai City, a fat man in peace, but now he is sitting here like an overhead dough, with a decadent atmosphere emitting from all the pores on his body.
A servant led a Semi to the hospital and did not dare to move forward. Semi was as if he had not noticed Fatty An's despair and walked straight in, "Fatty An, the merchants outside are almost crazy, why are you still dazed here?"
The fat man An raised his head slightly and snorted, "Lao De, what are you here for? Are you here to come and have a joke?"
The Seminister Lao De stepped forward and picked up the milk skin on the table, took a sip, and then vomited it out with a sip. "It's so fucking sour! Okay, it's not your fault now, don't spread it, get up and discuss some solutions! If we don't want to have some ideas, we will all be here!"
Fatty An then raised his head and roared in a low voice: "I have thought about all the ways I can think of, and I have also found the relationship I have... I have given a lot of money, but the goods are gone! They are all gone! They are taken away by those damn guys, and they just have made a bunch of IOUs for me! What I want is goods, not damn IOUs!"
Lao De sneered, "It seems that only one person received the IOU... Guess, how much goods have I snatched away by those damn guys? Do you want me to cry with you?"
Fatty An looked at Lao De with a squinted look, the fat on his face shook a few times, and snorted, "If crying is useful."
"Yes, if it's useful to sit here." Lao De put the sour milk skin on the table that night, then turned his head and shouted to the outside of the yard, "Damn it, haven't you seen your master entertaining guests? If you don't have anything to eat, you can also bring some water! Do you want me to kick your ass one by one?!"
The servant stretched his head out of the yard to look at Fatty An.
Fatty An waved his hand in a hilarious way.
Immediately, many servants came out of every corner of the yard, including those who wiped the table, placed bowls, poured water, and were like butterflies, and then they retreated in chaos.
"Do you have to eat or eat, and you have to drink or drink..." Lao Deyi said with some remarks, "Without food and drink, no matter you and me, or other people, they will be crazy..."
Fatty An was originally paralyzed, but after hearing this, he slowly sat up, then stared at Lao De, and asked for a while: "What do you mean?"
Lao De picked up the bowl and drank some water, "I don't mean anything... Do you remember we donated a Han official some time ago?"
Fatty An whispered, "That's to spend money to buy peace of mind!"
"No, no! My friend, it would be a pity if you really think so!" Lao De opened his arm and gestured in the air, "This is a very special identity, very special... Can you understand?"
"Stop talking nonsense, what do you want to do?" Fatty An said gritting his teeth, "I only want my money and goods! Damn it, when I think of my money and goods, my heart hurts so much!"
Lao De nodded, "I feel heartbroken too, my friend. However, you can regard those money and goods as early investments... and now, these special identities are the time for us to start to gain!"
"Harvest?" As soon as I heard about the harvest, the fat man became energetic and his little eyes were slapping, "What harvest? Tell me in detail."
Lao De said to him, "Oh, I've been running outside for a day and I'm hungry. As a result, I can only drink this cold water here, and even my milk skin is sour..."
"Hey! You want to tell me what you gain, I...I'll treat you to barbecue! Roasted lamb legs!" Fatty An said, "There is also wine! Rose wine! But first you have to make it clear!"
"No, my friend, you have to have the strength to say it first." Lao De said with a chuckle.
"Tell me first."
"Eat first."
The two of them stared at each other for a while, and the fat man said helplessly: "I'll ask someone to prepare, you tell me!"
Old De laughed and waited for Fatty An to ask his men to prepare food, he whispered: "The Han people are most escorts to fight, so he wants food, supplies, and a lot of things, but there are some things... they are not useful in war..."
『Nonsense! I know this!』 Fatty An waved his hand, obviously not satisfied with the message Lao De said, 『If the damn Han people had not wanted to fight, how could my goods be collected by the Han people? Oh, thinking of my cute goods... my heart hurts so much...』
"Now the Han people are out of stock again, but the goods from the large and small chambers of commerce stores in this city have been almost collected," Lao De shrugged, "So, it's time to find your cute little guys... The Han people want food and grass, but they don't know where to look for it, so they are almost crazy during this period! At this time, if anyone can bring food and grass to the Han people, who can get the greatest benefits! And the Han people's utensils, cloth, and tea, as long as they have nothing to do with war, will be the cheapest... Do you understand what I say? "
Fatty An's eyes shone with greed light, "I understand, find food and exchange things with these Han people! Things that are not useful in war! But... in this war, food and grass are scarce everywhere, where can I get cheap goods?"
Lao De chuckled, "This is why I came to find you... Don't your good friends just happen to be useful?"
The fat man was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand, his face changed a little, "What did you say? I don't understand."
"Fatty, don't worry, don't pretend to be stupid. What are the identities of the two of us now? If we can find food and grass, we can walk across Xihai City if we believe it or not?" Lao De waved his arm, "You can also find an identity for those good friends... This is a war, a damn war! Do you know? I just like this damn war! Otherwise, how could we have the opportunity to plunder in the name of justice? As long as we can get food and grass, these stupid Han people will provide us with it! They will not care whether these food and grass were bought or obtained by other means... How about it? Contact your good friends and let us praise this damn war together!"
『Haha, okay, praise the war! This damn war!
"The ox has suffered from many enemies and rebelled, and said to Xun: "Liangzhou is less than academics, so it has repeatedly caused violence. Now I want to write more of the "Book of Filial Piety" and let every family learn it, so that people may know the meaning." - "Book of the Later Han Dynasty·Biography of Gai Xun"
"When he arrived at Didao, if there was a rebellion, he would kill Cheng Qiu first, and then he would be despised. The thief then marched to the Hanyang" - "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of Fu Xie"
"In April of the summer, Geng Bi, the governor of Liangzhou, attacked the thief of Jincheng, and the soldiers were defeated. Sui invaded Hanyang, and the Hanyang prefect Fu Xie was defeated. Fufeng's men and Ma Teng, the Hanyang kingdom rebelled and attacked Sanfu" - "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Emperor Ling Ji"
"The prefect Li Xiangru rebelled and reunited with Sui Lian and killed Geng Bi, the governor of Liangzhou" - "Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biography of Dong Zhuo"
"In the fourth year of Zhongping, I led the troops of six counties to fight against the thief kingdom of Jincheng. Han Sui and others. Xie knew that the people were losing their powers and would be defeated. He advised him, "I will be in a state of failure and people are unknown. Confucius said, "If you don't teach others to fight, this is to abandon them." Now, I will lead the people who are not ashamed of Dalong, and will be ten times more dangerous. When the thief heard that the army was coming, they must be one mind. The border soldiers are brave, and the frontier is difficult to stand, and the newly merged people have not been harmonious. If there is a change in the internal situation, even if there is no regret.
Chapter completed!