Chapter 353: Thunder in the Dry Land...
But this was by no means an ordinary day for Liu Bei.
The city of Chang'an was originally unfamiliar to him. After experiencing various changes from August of the third year of Guangxi to March of the fourth year of Jian'an, it has become even more different from the one under the rule of the court in Yecheng.
The news that "March issue of Leping Monthly is on sale" became clearer as Liu Bei walked into the city "accompanied" by Dian Wei, but soon this voice was suppressed by other voices.
Liu Bei felt that he should be grateful for his good hearing, as he could hear these diffuse sounds clearly.
This area closest to the Chang'an city gate may be a group with relatively lower status in the city, only slightly more wealthy than those living in the Guo area of Chang'an.
So mixed in with this were discussions about the price reductions in the city's markets, calls for discounts at winter clothing stores in the city as the spring farming season was approaching, and announcements that the Chiyang Medical College and the Academy of Painting in the north of the city had started recruiting students.
Two children who had just passed by Liu Bei were talking about the contents of the March issue, which was about this year's cotton planting expansion plan.
"So this is what cotton looks like... I originally thought it was a bunch of clouds growing on a tree. It looks like an enlarged mushroom."
When Liu Bei heard this, he was suddenly stunned.
Wait, isn't that the case?
When he heard that clothes made of cotton had first arrived in Yecheng, Yuan Shao intended to exchange cotton seeds with Qiao Yan, but the price offered by the other party was far beyond what he could afford.
According to Yuan Shao, "Even if it's not easy for Qiao Yeshu to transplant cotton trees, since they are wood plants, it's not easy for us to grow them here. We have to exchange dozens of sheepskins for one seed, and it will take several years for the tree to grow to the point where it can bear fruit and produce cotton. If we're not careful, it will be killed. It's simply a losing business."
Yuan Shao certainly had no intention of doing this deal. After all, he didn't have much money to burn.
Liu Bei had heard of this, and he had already formed some associations with the cotton tree.
Now that I hear this, it is obviously not the case.
He asked Dian Wei, "Can you please let me buy a monthly report first?"
Although Liu Bei was a prisoner, according to what Qiao Yan said in Xuzhou, he was not that restrained as a prisoner.
Before they left, Qiao Yan even told Dian Wei that after arriving in Chang'an, he only needed to let Cheng Yu keep an eye on him and there was no need to worry too much.
If Emperor Liu Yu had pardoned Liu Bei, they would not have to impose any restrictions on him, especially on who he could interact with.
Now he just needs a copy of the Leping Monthly Report. At most, he needs to know more about this place after arriving in Chang'an. It doesn't seem to be something that needs to be stopped.
Dian Wei waved his hand and someone immediately went to buy a newspaper for Liu Bei.
Liu Bei's gaze lingered briefly on the road where travelers still stopped for curiosity. He didn't have to wait long before the March issue of Leping Monthly was delivered to him.
When he opened it, he saw that, apart from the warnings about prevention of natural disasters this year, the topic that occupied the most space was indeed cotton, which was mentioned by the two children.
On one of the pages is a picture of cotton, its history, the path of its spread and introduction, and the various challenges encountered in its cultivation.
When Liu Bei saw the appearance of the cotton plants and the scale of the cotton fields described on the side, a thought flashed through his mind: if Yuan Shao saw this newspaper, he would probably be so angry that he would vomit blood.
And what is written above is more than just cotton?
Because the cotton came from outside the country, this monthly magazine roughly mapped the routes of the Liangzhou Silk Road in the years after it was reopened. It also recorded the contributions made by Xu Rong, Ma Teng and others during that period, especially the information about obtaining cotton and harvesting horses and other crops from outside the country.
These two generals, who had been ignored by the Central Plains forces, reappeared in the Leping Monthly Report unexpectedly, making people sigh once again that there has never been a general that Qiao Yan used wrongly, and there has never been a person she dared not use.
In the past, everyone thought that because Ma Teng had once conspired with Han Sui to rebel in Liang Province, Qiao Yan would definitely be wary of Ma Teng after forcing Han Sui to death.
Re-employing Ma Chao but moving him out of Liang Province, and sending Ma Teng to such remote places as the four counties of Hexi, was also a division of power between him and his son.
Similarly, Xu Rong was once a general under Dong Zhuo. Even though Qiao Yan had persuaded him to defect and join his army before the attack on Luoyang, his Youzhou origin and his experience of serving under Dong Zhuo made it difficult for people to trust him wholeheartedly.
But today their achievements are recognized in this way, and as tens of thousands of copies of the Leping Monthly are printed and delivered to thousands of households, it is a decisive blow to all kinds of rumors and misconceptions.
Liu Bei couldn't help but secretly praise in his heart.
Even though he had not completely changed his position of being hostile to Qiao Yan, he had to admit that after this incident, Qiao Yan's appeal to the military generals would inevitably increase significantly.
Didn’t you see there’s another sentence in this…
This year, another 200 Ferghana horses were plundered from the Western Regions. Some of them were used to reward generals under his command, and some were used to breed offspring with the good horses of Liang and Bing states.
This undoubtedly created another pressure on Yuan Shao.
The strategy of advancing into Liangzhou, which seemed like the talk of a madman to everyone who heard it at the time, finally showed its terrifying influence six years later.
But what is terrifying is not just the benefits brought by the development of Liangzhou.
Liu Bei turned a page and saw that it said that because the cotton planting industry had been completely put on the right track, there were corresponding disaster-resistant channels for the prevention and control of various diseases and pests of cotton, and it was possible to enter a larger-scale cultivation stage.
The cotton spinning wheel that matches cotton has also been developed under the leadership of Huang Yueying and her team. This means that cotton cloth, which could only be supplied to the nobility in the past few years, will soon be available on a large scale under her leadership.
This revenue will be used to support the construction of the Institute of Technology in Guanzhong and the expansion of Bingzhou Leping Academy at the end of this year.
Although the influence of her wars in Xuzhou and Yangzhou was still continuing to ferment, in the Leping Monthly Report, she had already revealed all her ambitions in other areas!
This kind of comprehensive and step-by-step pace makes people feel frightened.
Is being her enemy really the right choice?
With this thought in mind, when Liu Bei was brought into the main hall of Gui Palace to meet Liu Yu, he still felt a little dazed.
As a native of Youzhou, Liu Bei knew better than most what this place was like before Liu Yu took over the position of Mu of Youzhou.
To be able to conduct trade here, to achieve a balance between the Wuhuan and Han peoples, and even to keep the price of grain on the border at a relatively low level during the turbulent years, Liu Yu must have been a very capable person.
Even Liu Bei once thought that since Liu Yu could make Qiao Yan recognize him as the monarch, he must be good at controlling his subordinates. It was just that he happened to meet Gongsun Zan, an unreasonable guy, before that.
But the moment he faced Liu Yu, Liu Bei suddenly felt a strange sense of disharmony.
After bowing his head, he looked towards Liu Yu and was surprised to see that the emperor's temples had far more gray hair than what one would expect at his age.
This is not the state that a person who lives a life of luxury and hears a lot of good news should behave.
But think about it, after all, he came from a cold and harsh place like Youzhou, and he has always been accustomed to simple clothing style, so it is not difficult to explain why he ages faster than ordinary people.
What's more, this steady and elderly attitude can make people feel the peace of mind brought by the hardships of time.
But when Liu Bei paid close attention to Liu Yu's actions, he realized that this sense of incongruity was not his illusion.
Liu Yu reached out and took the memorial that Qiao Yan had brought along with the team that arrived in Chang'an. For some reason, his movements showed a hint of fatigue.
After quickly flipping through a few pages, he put it in his hand, showing no opinion at all about the content.
The next moment, Liu Bei heard Liu Yu say, "Ye Shu suggested that I place you in the Zongzheng Department, but placing you directly in the position of Jiuqing will inevitably cause some criticism, and I think that is true. Xuande has always been known for his virtue, and the people of Xuzhou have also pleaded for you. How about starting with the position of the head of the Zongzheng Department?"
Liu Bei was silent for a moment, then replied, "It is all at your Majesty's command. I am very lucky to be forgiven, and I dare not plot for more."
"That's it," Liu Yu said, "Did Ye Shu ask anyone to tell you where to stay?"
Liu Bei replied: "We already have a place to stay, so your Majesty doesn't need to worry about it."
Liu Yu: "That's good. Xuande has come a long way and must be tired. Let him go down and rest first."
Liu Bei: “…”
If Liu Yu was a normal emperor, what he should have asked at this moment was not just where Liu Bei was staying and whether there were guards arranged by Qiao Yan to watch over him, but he should have inquired about the various situations in Xuzhou and the current situation of the court in Yecheng from Liu Bei's perspective. However, Liu Yu had no intention of mentioning either of these.
It was as if giving Liu Bei the title of "Zong Zheng Nei Guan Chang", an official position under Zong Zheng, was all Liu Yu needed to do.
This is not right. This is very wrong!
When Liu Bei was being led out of the palace, he turned around and looked at the palace shrouded in twilight, and finally realized where the sense of incongruity lay.
On the comparison between Qiao Yan and Liu Yu!
The Grand Marshal, who holds everything in his hands, already has an aura that is as overwhelming as that of an emperor.
However, Liu Yu... although he was still in his prime in the political arena, he was already showing signs of old age and lethargy.
Just like the palace in front of him now.
It is by no means that Liu Bei is exaggerating because of his prejudice against Qiao Yan!
Compared with Yuan Shao and Liu Bian in Yecheng, the control relationship between Qiao Yan and Liu Yu was obscure but much stronger.
At this moment, he was not thinking about the fact that he had a new starting point for his official position, but rather——
Oh no, he came to Chang'an not a place suitable for him to wait for the two courts to decide the outcome, but very likely he came to a dangerous place!
A dangerous place involving more complicated struggles!
"Are you joking, sir?" Jian Yong was almost frightened when he heard Liu Bei's guess.
Throughout the dynasties, we have only heard of cases where the emperor was controlled as a puppet by powerful officials because of his young age. We have never heard of a person like Liu Yu, who once served as the governor of Youzhou and had subordinates to support him, being used as a puppet.
But Jian Yong believed in Liu Bei's intuition.
Although this intuition did not allow him to successfully escape Qiao Yan's trap, it helped him to escape danger several times along the way.
And at this moment, since they had no extra manpower available, Liu Bei had no need to joke with Jian Yong.
"I won't joke about this kind of thing," Liu Bei responded very carefully, "I didn't expect that the former governor of Youzhou would become like this today."
"This may be related to the fact that he lost his eldest son, but it must also be related to the fact that in the past few years he no longer needs to think about how to make political decisions, deploy troops, arrange personnel, respond to disasters, etc."
Qiao Yan has taken care of everything for him!
"He himself didn't realize that he had become a symbol of the Chang'an court. People who have been in Chang'an for a long time may have already become accustomed to this subtle change, but..."
Jian Yong continued, "But we are from outside, and we know best what a person who can achieve the achievements of Liu Yu in the past looks like."
Perhaps it would not necessarily be the appearance that Liu Bei showed. Perhaps he would be a little more docile like the elderly Tao Qian, but he would definitely not be the Liu Yu that Liu Bei saw today.
Not asking about certain things does not mean that a superior is expressing his trust in his subordinates. It may also be that he is so accustomed to handing over this power that he has never realized that it is actually what he should do.
Liu Bei murmured, "Sometimes I wonder if we should separate gender from the issue of sex. If... I mean, if I were someone of my age and gender, and did the same thing that Qiao Yan did since he took over as governor of Bingzhou in the fourth year of Zhongping, what would you think my purpose was?"
He added, "Let's forget for the moment that our defeat in the Battle of Xuzhou was caused by her."
Jian Yong pondered for a long time and replied: "I don't think she only wants to be the powerful official Huo Guang, I think -"
It was difficult to express this conclusion. Even thinking of the label of savior of Han that everyone had engraved on her over the years, Jian Yong was still a little uncertain when she gave this answer.
But in the end he still said it out loud: "The person she wants to emulate may be Wang Mang."
A signal is still being reinforced in the March issue of Leping Monthly.
Military generals can only play their roles well under Qiao Yan's command.
Places for study like Leping Academy were still located in Bingzhou, with no intention of moving to Chang'an.
Under Qiao Yan's rule, the people have moved from simply having enough to eat and survive to pursuing further goals.
All the occupations represented by the last three of the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans have seen unexpected improvements in their status under her command.
In short, the soul figure in the Chang'an court has never been Liu Yu, but Qiao Yan!
But for the Han Dynasty, this kind of speculation is far more terrifying than the confrontation between the two courts!
The court was divided between the East and the West, and the East Wind always prevailed over the West Wind. When one side was stronger than the other, even if Qiao Yan had not existed, there would not have been such a fast pace of siege. There would always be problems with the inheritance of power of one side, and a chain of collapse would occur at a certain time, and in the end only one side would be left.
But if after the world is unified, the surname Liu is no longer used...how can we turn it around?
When Liu Bei and Jian Yong looked at each other, they saw the fear in each other's eyes about this matter.
They are now defeated prisoners. Even though they have discovered the haze that has quietly shrouded Chang'an, they are unable to expel it.
"Let's eat first." This was all Liu Bei could say to end the conversation.
Qiao Yan asked Cheng Yu to arrange their residence in Chang'an City.
Cheng Yu has always been flawless in his work, and this time is no exception.
The courtyard where Liu Bei lived was slightly larger in scale than the one he held as the Chief of the Imperial Clan, but smaller than his former position as the Governor of Xuzhou. Its expenses and furniture were comfortable and did not overstep their bounds, making him feel like a guest at home.
Cheng Yu even took into account that Liu Bei had no servants with him this time, and it was not realistic for him to have a hot meal by himself. So he asked Cui Jun, who lived next door, to prepare an extra portion of food for Liu Bei, and waited until the next day for Liu Bei to hire a servant he liked.
But Liu Bei was also very clear that this comfort must have its limitations. For example, the area around this mansion was basically full of Qiao Yan's trusted ministers, and there would be no chance for him to escape.
Well, now he has no choice but to take things as they come, unless he can wait for a turning point.
Seeing that Jian Yong also approved of his decision, Liu Bei decided to fill his stomach first. He took out the chopsticks beside him and reached for the already cold plate. However, before he could pick up the meat on the plate firmly, he suddenly heard a loud thunder in the sky in the middle of the night.
The sudden noise almost made him put down his chopsticks.
He subconsciously looked out the window, but saw that there was no moisture at all in the wind blowing in from outside, and it didn't look like it was going to rain.
"Thunder in a dry land..."
This is not a good sign.
Especially during the dry season.
In this situation of thunder without rain, Liu Bei was not the only one who was feeling upset.
At least there were quite a few people in Chang'an City who were not happy at all about Qiao Yan's victory in taking over Xuzhou and Yangzhou. Now, after hearing the thunder, they rolled up the newspapers in front of them into a ball and threw it forward.
"She said she wanted to release Lu Kang, so father released him without charge, but only removed him from his position as governor of Lujiang. She said she wanted to release Liu Bei, so father arranged for him to be the chief of the Imperial Clan, and only waited for him to make meritorious contributions before directly promoting him to the position of Nine Ministers. So, if she said one day that she wanted to sit on the throne of the Son of Heaven and experience how glorious it is, father would also give her this position?"
"Your Highness, please be careful with your words." The person sitting below reminded him.
"Be careful with your words. If even we are going to be careful with our words, then there will be no one in this world who will stop her from doing what she wants. Doctor Chunyu, you and I can see what the current situation is like."
The candlelight in the room illuminated the faces of the people who were speaking clearly. Who else could it be but Liu Yang and Chun Yu Jia?
Thinking of the official appointment Qiao Yan sent to Chang'an a few days ago, Liu Yu only asked a few questions and then let it go, Liu Yang's face was full of anger, "Could it be that even the thunderstorm in the dry land is in response to the drought she predicted in the Leping Monthly Report?"
"If there is another natural disaster, she will use her achievements in digging deep wells and underground canals to solidify her position as the savior of the people of Chang'an!"
Nearly four years have passed, and even people in Youzhou may not remember Liu Yu’s contribution so much. For the people in Guanzhong, they will most likely not give a second answer as to who is their bread and butter!
The scene of this one person's success bringing prosperity to everyone around him spread as the letter of appointment spread to more people, more young people. Liu Yang, who felt that he was the future second-in-command of the Chang'an court, wanted to tear the letter into pieces and replace it with his own people.
But in such a big city like Chang'an, how many people would choose to listen to him?
Looking around, there were only a handful of people!
Liu Yang would not attribute this problem to his own ability. He even felt that he had recommended Yuan Yao to the position of prefect of Nanyang, which showed that he had the ability to select talented people.
It was obvious that Qiao Yan had gone too far, allowing those teenagers to sit in high positions such as the governor of a state, just to prove the excellence of the education at Leping Academy. As a result, his recommendation failed to make more people know about it and join his school.
And now she has become even more arrogant. I am afraid that one day there will be no voice left in the Chang'an court except hers.
Thinking of this possibility, Liu Yang became extremely anxious.
He rushed to Chunyu Jia in two steps and asked, "Doctor Chunyu, I want to ask you a question."
"Your Highness, please speak."
Liu Yang asked, "Do you think that Liu Xuande, who was captured and brought to Chang'an, could be used by us?"
It is said that the friendship between Liu Bei and Zhang Fei is better than that between brothers. Can the hatred between brothers be easily forgotten?
He went from being a governor to a subordinate of one of the Nine Ministers overnight. The position of "Chief of Internal Affairs" was just a nice-sounding title, but it was not even as high as "Chief of the Imperial Clan". Wasn't he really unwilling at all?
So,
Is it possible that Liu Bei would be Liu Yang's best helper?
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