Chapter 211 Guanzhong Arrangement
I'm afraid Yuan Shao must be regretting his role as a matchmaker between Qiao Yan and Liu Yu.
Although these two people were both trusted ministers by Emperor Ling of Han, before Liu Yu went to Liang Province, the friendship between them was very little, and at best they only knew each other's names.
When Yuan Shu thought of this, he couldn't help but want to mock Yuan Shao.
In the current situation, with powerful enemies surrounding him on all sides, it is really unknown whether he can gain a firm foothold. He can only find a little sense of superiority from Yuan Shao's defeat.
Just as he was thinking about this, he heard Yuan Huan, whom he was consulting, answer: "We want to respect Liu Youzhou as the emperor, but we will not express our attitude by writing a letter to Chang'an, but by writing a letter to Youzhou."
Seeing the confusion on Yuan Shu's face, Yuan Huan explained, "If you send the letter directly to Chang'an, it will definitely reach Qiao Bingzhou first. At that time, it is difficult to judge whether you are acknowledging the feasibility of Liu Youzhou's succession to the throne, or whether you are submitting to Qiao Bingzhou and asking for help."
"Qiao Bingzhou holds Liang and Bing in her hands, and controls the three prefectures. Once she advances eastward to Luoyang, Ruying will inevitably become a vassal. If we send a letter to her first, we will lose the initiative."
Yuan Shu nodded in agreement.
He can't do such a cowardly thing.
Yuan Huan continued, "But if the letter is sent to Youzhou, the situation will be very different."
"Whether Liu Youzhou has the idea of becoming the emperor or not, he is entrusted with the task of raising an orphan by the previous emperor. Even if the emperor's whereabouts are uncertain and the situation is critical, it would be an act of usurpation if he rashly ascends to the throne. Therefore, he needs support from multiple parties."
"This shows that we are on the same front as Qiao Bingzhou. Secondly, it also contributes to facilitating Liu Youzhou's decision. It is much wiser than writing a letter to Chang'an."
Yuan Shu's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he clapped his hands in praise: "Mr. Yao, what you said is very true."
This is another way to succeed in the dragon's quest!
The reputation of the Runan Yuan family was completely lost by Yuan Shao, so naturally they had to get it back from him.
Qiao Yan chose Liu Yu, who was known for his benevolent administration and virtue, and he followed suit, perhaps also trying to take advantage of the situation.
Once this was accomplished, even if his title of Yuzhou Mu came from the traitor Li Jue, it would not affect his becoming the orthodox when Liu Yu entered Chang'an.
However, just as he was feeling somewhat elated, he heard Yuan Huan respond to him in an exceptionally calm tone: "Also, it is better to send the letter in the direction of Bingzhou this time. If it is intercepted by Yuan Qingzhou again, it will be useless."
"..." The smile on Yuan Shu's face froze on the spot.
The last letter he wrote to Gongsun Zan was intercepted by Yuan Shao, which caused Yuan Shao to send Liu Bei to attack Yuzhou in anger. He really couldn't make the same mistake again this time.
Yuan Shu couldn't say anything about Yuan Huan's behavior of giving constructive advice while exposing his shortcomings, as the Yuan family of Runan and the Yuan family of Chenjun were originally one family.
At most, he finished writing the letter of persuasion with the help of Yan Xiang and others, and then, after his subordinates left, he reminded Yuan Huan: "Next time, just remind me quietly about this kind of thing."
Yuan Huan said yes, but as for the specific implementation, it is hard to say.
Coincidentally, at this time in Yangzhou, Zhou Yu also made this suggestion to Sun Ce.
In order to legitimately control Yangzhou, the identity of the governor of Kuaiji alone is not enough.
At this time, they were finishing up the encirclement and suppression of Yan Baihu.
Unless Yan Baihu chose to jump into the Yangtze River after retreating to Qu'a, he would have been surrounded and killed by Sun Ce.
But capturing Yan Baihu does not mean that they have completed the suppression of Wujun.
Since the deaths of Xu Gong, Wang Sheng and others, there are still many opposition forces roaming around in Wu County. The mountainous environment of Jiangnan has made them poisonous insects that are difficult to exorcise internally for the time being.
Therefore, Sun Ce needed the title of Governor of Yangzhou so that he could carry out drastic actions to clear out the rebellion.
But whether in terms of qualifications or age, it was not easy for Sun Ce to get this position.
His only chance was to make a well-placed statement at this time of change of emperor.
However, his situation is somewhat different from that of Yuan Shu.
For example, according to Zhou Yu's suggestion, Sun Ce should send two letters.
A letter was sent to Chang'an, congratulating Qiao Yan on his successful advancement.
Zhou Yu said, "To Bofu, Qiao Bingzhou has done you a favor by recommending you, which is like the relationship between a recommender and a former official. You don't have to include a gift in this letter, but the proper etiquette must be in place."
Speaking of which, Zhou Yu was quite fond of Qiao Yan's attack on Dong Zhuo.
After all, if Dong Zhuo had not been so rampant in Luoyang, his cousin who just went to Luoyang to visit his father would not have died. Qiao Yan could be considered to have avenged his cousin.
However, the suggestion he put forward was still analyzed from Sun Ce's perspective.
As for the other letter, it was also a letter of persuasion sent to Youzhou.
Liu Yu, who was in Youzhou at this time, was trying to regain control of Youzhou with the help of the generals sent by Qiao Yan. However, when he was confronting Gongsun Zan in Yuyang County, he unexpectedly heard the news of Huang Wan's visit.
In Liu Yu's impression, Huang Wan should have been in Chang'an as a court official protecting the emperor, and should not be here.
So when Liu Yu had someone welcome him in, he thought Huang Wan was sent by Dong Zhuo as an envoy.
But he first heard the good news from Huang Wan that Dong Zhuo was defeated and Li Jue escaped, and then he heard a shocking statement that hit him on the head.
Huang Wan suddenly left the table, bowed solemnly to him, and said, "Before Li Jue fled Chang'an, he also kidnapped the emperor. We have searched everywhere for him but still can't find him. We are extremely worried, but we know one thing more: the country cannot be without a king for a day."
Liu Yu's face changed suddenly.
Although Huang Wan hadn't finished speaking, the fact that he came here and said these seven words in front of him was self-evident.
Huang Wan continued, "So the ministers in Chang'an discussed and asked Liu Youzhou to take the throne to stabilize the central government."
"Absolutely not!" Liu Yu immediately stood up and replied.
Liu Yu's words came from the bottom of his heart.
Looking at his actions when governing Youzhou, it is not difficult to see his methods of governance and education as well as his character.
This is really not a person suitable to be on the throne.
It's because he simply doesn't have that kind of enterprising spirit.
What he said must not happen, and indeed there was no joy in him, only shock.
Qiao Yan's decisive advance during the Chang'an Incident made Liu Yu deeply feel that the Han Dynasty had hope, but he never considered that this highly promising Han Dynasty would become his.
Almost all descendants of Prince Gong of Donghai adhered to the way of life of "extreme filial piety, benevolence and righteousness", and they distanced themselves from the team of candidates for the throne early on, and regarded themselves as ministers of the Han Dynasty. The same was true for Liu Yu.
He looked towards Huang Wan, his expression difficult to read: "Guanglu Dafu's words really make me wonder whether I should regard you as a bad guest or a messenger of good news."
He had temporarily left Youzhou in the past because of the rumors deliberately promoted by Yuan Shao in order to avoid the rampant public opinion of proclaiming him emperor. Now he still felt that Huang Wan's words made him feel very uneasy.
Huang Wan was not surprised at his behavior at all.
Before he was transferred back to the central government, he was appointed as the governor of Qingzhou by Emperor Ling of Han, and had worked closely with Liu Yu.
But just as Qiao Yan said in the court that day, choosing Liu Yu to succeed the throne was not her intention to imitate the Yuan brothers, but was precisely the best choice at the time.
Dong Zhuo had been removed, but the various impacts caused by Dong Zhuo's rebellion had not yet been eliminated in the Guanzhong area, or in the entire Sili Provincial Administration.
What they needed most at this time was a convincing emperor to make them believe that Sili was still the center of the Han Dynasty and still had the legitimate status of protecting the people.
The legitimacy of Liu Yu's accession to the throne was no less than that of the emperor of Yecheng, and he was not suspected of being a young ruler of a country, which was enough to match the throne.
Huang Wan couldn't help but admire that Qiao Yan, even after making such great military achievements, was still able to give up the power that was within his grasp and choose Liu Yu to take over. This was truly a manifestation of his ambition, so he had to explain the pros and cons of the matter to Liu Yu clearly.
He calmly replied, "I am not a bad guest. I am just here to lobby for the restoration of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Xiaoling re-employed me because of the recommendation of the former Grand Commandant Yang Gong. First I was the governor of Qingzhou and then the governor of Yuzhou. Both of these positions are important positions for senior officials. Therefore, Liu Youzhou must abide by the ethics and serve the former emperor loyally. How can I, Huang Wan, not be the same?"
"Please listen to my three reasons, Liu Youzhou, and then it will not be too late to reject me."
What are the three reasons?
The people of Chang'an, Liu Xie's order, and the power of the world!
The reason why Huang Wan was able to be among the Three Dukes was not just because Dong Zhuo, who was the regent in Luoyang at that time, needed to deprive him of his authority as the governor of Yuzhou. In his righteous and stern statement, Liu Yu could actually hear that he would be a sinner of the world if he did not ascend the throne.
Half a month later, two more letters were delivered to Youzhou. Upon reading the letters, one could see that every word in the letters was filled with the intention of persuading the emperor to ascend the throne.
One letter came from Yuzhou, and the other letter came from Yangzhou.
The writers of the letter were a pair of rivals who had fought fiercely last autumn.
When Liu Yu received these two letters, his first reaction was not why the two had such a tacit understanding, nor whether he should follow Huang Wan's advice and the persuasion of these two letters and go with the flow, but rather -
"Have you announced to the world the purpose of your coming here?" Liu Yu asked Huang Wan.
Huang Wan shook his head and replied: "You can tell at a glance that this was not done by me, but by Qiao Bingzhou."
Only she would make such a strong move.
But facing Liu Yu's stunned expression, Huang Wan simply replied: "We all know that you are concerned about the war in Youzhou, but we can't let the soldiers and civilians in Chang'an worry about the missing emperor until you agree."
"So, we can only kill first and report later."
This is indeed a case of acting first and reporting later.
While Yuan Shu and Sun Ce were sending letters of persuasion to Youzhou, Qiao Yan had already begun to withdraw the men who were searching for Liu Xie's whereabouts.
It is impossible for Liu Yu to decide to ascend the throne so quickly, but order in Guanzhong needs to be restored as soon as possible.
She also needs to redeploy personnel in Liangzhou, Bingzhou and Guanzhong.
Time cannot be wasted.
If some actions might not be appropriate, she would have liked to make a paper statue of Liu Yu and place it directly in the Weiyang Palace in Chang'an, and then start to act "according to the emperor's orders", rather than just telling all parties about his raft as Liu Yu asked.
Fortunately, with the assistance of Lu Zhi, Xun Shuang, Huangfu Song and others, it was not difficult for her to implement her measures.
As for her own staffing arrangements, it was nothing more than a matter of a few words.
Liangzhou is busy with the autumn harvest, which will be completed soon.
Qiao Yan then ordered Zhao Yun to lead 5,000 soldiers and horses back to Liangzhou as soon as possible, and go to the military camp in Wuwei County to supervise the storage of military grain.
This arrangement can be regarded as a complete beginning and end for the military settlement on the banks of the Lushui River.
But this was not actually a simple commission, because those chosen for this mission were the elite troops in the attack on Chang'an.
When the troops marched across the land of Liangzhou, they intended to tell everyone in Liangzhou: Although she, Qiao Yan, had taken Guanzhong, she had not suffered any loss in troops, and had never given up her intention to control Liangzhou!
If the previous experiences of the four families in Hanyang were not enough to serve as a warning to them, then she wouldn't mind finding another place to repeat the incident!
There was another person traveling with Zhao Yun, who was Yan Xing who was "captured" by Zhao Yun.
In the eyes of outsiders, Yan Xing once abandoned Qiao Yan for Han Sui, causing her some trouble, but Qiao Yan's kindness to his parents made him turn back to the light.
How to use this person will undoubtedly become a benchmark for the outside world to judge Qiao Yan's methods.
So Qiao Yan decided to use his old trick again.
Xu Rong was the chief general and Yan Xing was the deputy general, and they were stationed in Dunhuang County, Liangzhou.
These two people were responsible for ensuring that after the wealthy families in the four counties of Hexi turned to Qiao Yan, the three counties of Dunhuang, Jiuquan and Zhangye would be brought under the control of Liangzhou, while continuing to operate the Silk Road exchanges.
Qiao Yan also stuffed some people from the Qiang and Han ethnic groups who were extremely gifted in languages into this team, including Jiang Tang.
For the time being, this team does not need to take on the role of the Protectorate of the Western Regions, but it is more likely to maintain the purpose of Suiyuan and Dingbian. However, this may also be a signal from her.
Logically speaking, the most that could be done was to be kind to the traitor Yan Xing.
In addition, Qiao Yan's second instruction to Zhao Yun was that after he completed the work of the military settlement in Wuwei County, he would distinguish between the Xiliang Army temporarily settled here and the conscripted soldiers from Chang'an, bring the soldiers from Chang'an back to Guanzhong, and establish a new military settlement in Chencang.
Before he leaves, he can just put the responsibilities of the Wuwei military settlement under Xu Rong's control.
With the assistance of the Duan, Zhang and Yan families of Wuwei, and the gradual assimilation of the Lushui Qiang people, Xu Rong was not under much pressure.
At the same time, Zhao Yun informed Cheng Yu that the responsibility of Jincheng military settlement would be handed over to Duan Wei.
He would be in charge of this place and guard Huangzhong forever to prevent it from being disturbed by the Qiang people. This was also the promise Duan Wei made to Qiao Yan after she gave Dong Zhuo and his family a decent death.
It was impossible for him to fight for Qiao Yan without any hesitation, but he could become a guardian of order in Liangzhou like his cousin Duan Xing.
But this time, Qiao Yan's method was used.
After he completes the burial of Dong Zhuo and his family in Longxi County, he can take office directly.
As for Guanzhong, the manager of the newly established Chencang military settlement was not Zhao Yun, but Guo Yuan, who originally worked with Cheng Yu in the Jincheng County military settlement.
He also came here with Zhao Yun when he returned to Guanzhong.
As Qiao Yan's military farm captain, he already had experience in military farm affairs in Liangzhou. Transferring him here would not make him too busy and it could be considered a training for him.
Zhao Yun was responsible for guarding the four important roads from Sanguan to Chang'an from the direction of Yizhou.
That is, Sanguan Road, Xiegu Road, Luogu Road and Ziwu Valley.
Since Xu Shu had been entrusted with the affairs of Yizhou by Qiao Yan earlier, he undoubtedly became the military advisor cooperating with Zhao Yun at this time. Yang Feng, as Zhao Yun's deputy general, assisted him in completing the garrison work.
This was equivalent to transferring Zhao Yun from the civil service position he had briefly held back to the military position.
The affairs concerning the people's farmland from Meiwu to Huayin around Chang'an were handed over to Cheng Yu by Qiao Yan.
Of course, when Cheng Yu arrived in Chang'an, it was already a month after Zhao Yun issued the order to return to Liangzhou.
Qiao Yan had already discussed with Lu Zhi, Wang Yun and others the scope of civilian and military fields in the Guanzhong area.
At this time, this atlas compiled by officials in Chang'an City was handed directly to Cheng Yu.
Cheng Yu flipped through the atlas and said, "It seems that the Lord has not yet planned to take over the entire Sili."
The military farming area in this atlas is limited to the Sanfu area and ends at Tongguan between Chang'an and Luoyang.
Qiao Yan replied, "There is a difference between others thinking I can do this and me wanting to do it. The traitors in the three prefectures have been killed, which has expanded the territory we need to control too much. It may not be a good thing to border Yanzhou and Yuzhou now."
From this conversation, Cheng Yu could see that Qiao Yan was not carried away by the success of the battle of Chang'an, but remained calm and planned. Just like when dealing with the relationship with the neighbors at this time, she knew exactly when to be aggressive and when to take a step back.
This is a good sign.
In this case, he should keep a normal mind.
From managing Leping for her in the beginning, to becoming the deputy governor of Bingzhou, to assisting in the management of the Liangzhou military settlements, and then to being appointed to stand in the heart of the Han Dynasty today, Cheng Yu's dream of holding the sun in his arms seems to be merging with reality.
But in fact, it is far from the time yet.
This dream is still a dream now.
Just like he was in charge of supervising this matter at the moment, his title was still Bingzhou Mu Beijia, not the Minister of Agriculture of the Chang'an court.
There is an essential difference here.
Qiao Yan added: "I have two things that I need Mr. Zhongde to pay more attention to for me."
Hearing her speak, Cheng Yu quickly put aside his irrelevant thoughts and listened carefully to her words.
"First, in Gaoling, north of Chang'an, Li Jue's brothers and nephews have all been eliminated, and Zining has also arrived in Gaoping Chiyang from Shangjun to serve as a garrison connecting Sanfu and Bingzhou. There are many high mountains and dangerous passes around Sanfu, and I intend to use him and Yao Chang as your military subordinates. How to make good use of these two teams and when to expand to Henan Yin and Hongnong County, Mr. Zhongde should have a clear idea."
Zining was talking about Chu Yan.
Many of Qiao Yan's generals did not originally have courtesy names, and most of them were proud to let Qiao Yan take their courtesy names, and Chu Yan was no exception.
Qiao Yan used the word "yan" (swallow) as the same word for "yan" (banquet), and took the meaning of peace and happiness from the two words to decide on the word "ning".
For Chu Yan, who once served as a bandit, he was already "Ning" to serve under Qiao Yan, and he gladly accepted this courtesy name.
During the battle of Chang'an, while Qiao Yan sent troops from Chencang, he also came from the north and took Gaoling directly, making some military achievements.
At this time, he was the perfect general to lead Cheng Yu in building a defense line in Chang'an.
Qiao Yan continued, "Secondly, I previously ordered Guo Daxian and others to go to Shu to open up a trade route. They should be in Chengdu now. When they return, please ask Mr. Zhongde to pick them up for me."
Cheng Yu nodded: "Of course."
Building an intelligence system is a priority for Qiao Yan's future development, which will not be shown to the public but is of no less importance.
Lu Yuan and Xi Zhicai knew about this, and Cheng Yu, who was also his confidant, naturally knew about this as well, and he knew the priorities clearly.
He just asked at this time: "I wonder what your plan is now?"
The way Qiao Yan assigned the tasks clearly showed that he was planning to leave Chang'an for a while.
When Liu Yu had not yet agreed to take the throne, her choice of concession was consistent with her decision not to temporarily move into Luoyang.
Cheng Yu didn't need to ask the reason, he just wanted to know the result.
Qiao Yan smiled as he replied, "Sir, have you forgotten? It's already the end of September, and the cotton in Bingzhou is about to be harvested."
So she wanted to go and see with her own eyes the birth of this batch of winter clothes and quilts.
This is the foundation of people’s livelihood!
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