Chapter 243 Returning to the Master Chang'an...
The most difficult time for Liu Xie in his early years was when he was forced by Dong Zhuo to go to Chang'an and just settled in Guanzhong.
At that time, Dong Zhuo only regarded him as a cover to recruit soldiers, and never really regarded him as the emperor of the Han Dynasty.
When Dong Zhuo himself could only face the ruins of Chang'an, there was no way he would provide Liu Xie with any food or clothing.
Fortunately, only a month later, Duan Wei, who was farming in Huayin at the time, quickly provided food to the new court. Lu Zhi, Huang Wan and others came from Luoyang and supported the dignity of the Han Dynasty.
With food, Dong Zhuo did not give Liu Xie things like rotten cow bones to eat as Li Jue later did to Dong Zhuo.
But children's intuition is very sharp.
Living under Dong Zhuo's control for a long time made Liu Xie's nerves always tense, and made him lose his appetite.
On the contrary, in the current situation, even if there was only a bowl of not-so-sticky rice porridge in front of him, he felt very satisfied.
In the second month of his residence here, he had already found out his exact location, rather than just knowing that he was in Yizhou.
At this time, he was in the southeast of Hanzhong County, on the northern foot of Daba Mountain.
This place has a particularly elegant name, called Zhuxi, and the nearby river is also called this name.
This place is located between Xicheng and Shangyong. Since it is not part of the Hanzhong Plain, there are few people coming and going on weekdays.
His adoptive father did not farm, but made money by chopping wood and hunting.
In Liu Xie's opinion, he is indeed a capable man.
Even when the mountains were covered with snow last winter, he was still able to catch some game from the forest and sell it in Shangyong. He also modified some useful traps for hunting and got more prey.
His adoptive mother would do some needlework on weekdays, but according to herself, there were too many people with such skills in Yizhou, and they really didn't need her, so most of the time, she would do some work of preparing herbal medicine to supplement the family income.
In the first two months after arriving here, Liu Xie was still recovering from his injuries. He was afraid that Dong Zhuo's men would capture him, so he only dared to live in this small courtyard in the mountains and did not dare to go out at all. He learned a lot from his adoptive mother.
For Liu Xie, if it were two years ago, it would have been impossible for him to come into contact with these things.
But when he really began to master these basic life skills, he felt that this was much happier than being an emperor who had no control over his own affairs.
While thinking about the past, he picked up the spoon beside him.
Because of the climate in Yizhou, rice can be grown here, so the porridge in front of you is not the millet and wheat porridge in the north, but rice porridge.
Liu Xie helped pound the rice after he bought it.
There was a very light layer of oil floating on the rice porridge that had been cooked until it was soft. Liu Xie turned the rice porridge over and found that in addition to the egg, there was also a little minced meat added to it.
For people who make a living by hunting, meat is indeed not that rare, but it is still a luxury for them to put it in their meals and eat it themselves.
Liu Xie raised his head and asked, "Why today..."
"I saw your clothes were getting shorter the other day. I think you're growing up. You can't be completely starved." The woman said, "Tomorrow I'll use the bamboo shoots you picked to make some stewed meat so that you can grow as tall as the bamboo. Eat now, and when your father comes back, he'll tell you about interesting things happening outside."
Liu Xie pursed his lips, not knowing what to say for a moment, and just nodded heavily.
The rice and eggs in the bowl of porridge in front of him were not carefully selected, but to Liu Xie, it was far more delicious than any delicacies he had eaten in his early years.
It was almost noon when his adoptive father came back from outside.
Just as his adoptive mother said, when he went out to inquire about the news, he also bought a lot of things.
While handing two bundles of cloth to his wife, he put the basket filled with heavy items such as rice, flour, and brine on the ground. Turning around, he saw Liu Xie looking at him with a hesitant look as if he wanted to say something.
Thinking of the instructions he received from the people left by Qiao Yan today, he said to Liu Xie while packing his things, "There's no need to worry about the war outside. The Marquis of Leping was granted the title of Grand Marshal by the court, saying that he would subdue Zhang Lu together with our General of Yizhou. But before Liu Yizhou arrived, the Marquis of Leping had already conquered the entire Hanzhong Plain."
"Liu Yizhou was very panicked. He not only sent food and people, but also handed Hanzhong over to the imperial court in Chang'an for control."
He didn't look at the sudden excitement on Liu Xie's face, and just continued, "But this has nothing to do with ordinary people like us. I heard from them that our area will be taken over in a while, so we don't have to fight and can live in peace. The Hanzhong Plain is raising an army to reclaim wasteland and sending those who followed Zhang Lu to clear the way, which has nothing to do with us."
Liu Xie had little contact with real farmers and did not realize that if his adoptive father was really an ordinary farmer, he should not know about this kind of battle.
At most, he knew that Hanzhong had changed its owner and Liu Yan had sent gifts to this place.
At this moment, his mind was filled with what his adoptive father had just said - Marquis Leping received the position of Grand Marshal appointed by the imperial court.
Which imperial court bestowed the title?
Why was she given the position of Grand Marshal?
Half a year has passed since August last year, and Liu Xie has never asked about the situation in Chang'an.
At the beginning, this might be because since he was pretending to have amnesia, he had to pretend it thoroughly and of course shouldn't ask about anything that could easily expose his identity.
But later on, it was hard to say whether his behavior was out of an escapist mentality.
Now, when he suddenly heard the news that Qiao Yan had taken Hanzhong, he had to ask.
He originally thought that after his disappearance, Liu Bian, who remained in Yecheng, would become the only orthodox one.
In this way, the Han Dynasty could be unified from its original divided situation.
This is undoubtedly a good thing for the common people of the world.
But if things had developed in this way, it seems that it shouldn't have been the case that Qiao Yan served as the Grand Marshal and Liu Yan served as the Grand General at the same time, or even that Qiao Yan sent troops to Hanzhong.
What a strange development!
Liu Xie considered his words and asked, "You said, Grand Marshal?"
"You don't think this is a horse-raising job, do you?" The man laughed heartily. "I heard that it is the highest position under the emperor. It is currently held by Leping Hou. Because she supported Liu Youzhou to succeed the emperor after the previous emperor disappeared, and she also contributed to the suppression of Dong Zhuo's rebellion, so naturally she deserves a high position and a big reward."
"Speaking of that old villain Dong Zhuo, he is really infuriating," he continued. "If it weren't for him, there wouldn't be so many people from Chang'an running to our Yizhou. These people don't have land, so they can only work as woodcutters and fishermen, which has taken away a lot of my business. But he is dead anyway."
Upon hearing that Dong Zhuo was dead, Liu Xie subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
But just as he was halfway relieved, he suddenly realized that something was wrong!
According to his adoptive father, Dong Zhuo in Chang'an City was gone, and Liu Xie also disappeared at the same time. Qiao Yan, who was entrusted by his father to be a minister to take care of the young emperor, did not choose to support Liu Bian, but instead supported Liu Yu to ascend the throne?
Doesn't that mean there are still two emperors in the world, and chaos will continue?
Liu Xie's expression changed again and again, and he didn't know whether his disappearance was a good thing for the world.
His adoptive father saw this change in expression clearly.
The man immediately said, "I think this is quite good. Even those of us from Yizhou have heard of Liu Youzhou's reputation. Youzhou is a bitter and cold place, but he was able to stabilize the price of grain at 30 cents per stone in Youzhou."
Liu Xie’s eyes widened when he heard this.
No one would ever tell him about this kind of thing while he was still under Dong Zhuo's control.
He only knew that the price of grain in Chang'an City was shockingly high. Even if he forced Dong Zhuo to release grain for disaster relief, the situation there would not improve much.
But Liu Yu was able to stabilize the price of grain at this level, so one can imagine what the situation was like under his rule.
It doesn't seem difficult to understand that a good reputation would spread to Yizhou despite the obstacles of mountains and rivers.
Liu Xie heard the man say, "Besides, the Marquis of Leping always wins every battle and pays attention to people's livelihood. He has increased the per-acre yield of Bingzhou by a lot. The cooperation between this monarch and his ministers may be a blessing to the people, right?"
Just as he said this, his wife said, "You said it yourself. This has nothing to do with our Hanzhong territory. Why do you care whether they are good kings or not?"
"That is somewhat relevant," he replied. "They said at the beginning that Hanzhong's taxation will follow Guanzhong in the future. There will definitely be no per mu tax. The fodder tax will be halved starting this year. Because Bingzhou's farming methods may not be suitable for Hanzhong, we will first conduct experiments in the military settlements. If there are results this year, we can teach here next year. If that's the case, I want to buy some land to farm."
"But fortunately, I also found out about a new job there. A dock is going to be built a little upstream of Xi County in the north. There will probably be a new town. I can walk a little further and carry game and firewood there to sell. Maybe I can make more money. By the end of the year, I can buy you two more pieces of good cloth."
Liu Xie listened to his parents' discussion in a daze.
The foster mother asked, if that was the case, why not just move closer over there? Unfortunately, they really couldn't bear to leave this living environment, so they gave up the idea.
He also heard from his adoptive father that the current Chang'an city has become a place where people from the surrounding areas gather in just half a year. In the early years, people flowed from Chang'an to Yizhou, but now people from Yizhou are going to Chang'an.
The imperial court that was re-established in Chang'an named this year's reign Jian'an, which was a correct decision.
Liu Xie had never seen the situation in Yecheng, and didn't know what kind of cooperation pattern Liu Bian and Yuan Shao there had.
But strangely enough, he had a hunch that achieving what his adoptive father had meant by "all the people gathered together" would not be an easy task at all.
The adoptive father touched his face when he said this.
The scar on Liu Xie's face remained because the folk medicine used was not effective in removing the mark.
The man said with emotion: "If your face is still good, and you look so smart, maybe after two years we can save some money and send you to Guanzhong or Bingzhou to study and learn some good skills."
"I heard someone say today that the Grand Marshal opened the Leping Academy in Bingzhou and invited several great scholars of the time. He also set up the Hongwen Academy in Guanzhong to recruit talents from all over the world. Many famous scholars from Yizhou also went there. Although it sounds like we can't expect it, we should always try it if we have the chance."
Forget it now.
Liu Xie had a wound on his face, and in most cases, he would not be able to pursue a normal career as an official.
But for Liu Xie, on the one hand he regretted that he could not see with his own eyes what the Guanzhong scene was like at that moment, and on the other hand he felt extremely fortunate.
If he really went to Chang'an, even with this scar on his face, there was no guarantee that he would be recognized by the old ministers who were familiar with him.
But at this time, why did he want to go to Chang'an, and why did he want people to find him?
If there was no emperor in Chang'an, and the Han officials were still searching for his whereabouts after eliminating Dong Zhuo, causing chaos in Guanzhong, he might have immediately confessed his identity to his adoptive father and returned to Chang'an immediately.
After eliminating the threat posed by Dong Zhuo, with the assistance of those regents, he would definitely be a good emperor.
But the situation is different now.
Liu Yu, who looked like a benevolent ruler, was in the central government. Within a few days, he seized Qiao Yan from Hanzhong and made him the Grand Marshal. The tax burden on the people suddenly decreased, and people with lofty ideals from all over the country came to serve him. Perhaps -
Compared to letting Liu Bian inherit the throne, Liu Yu's reign was a more suitable choice.
If he showed up, wouldn't Liu Yu, who had just ascended the throne for two months, be very embarrassed?
By then, there will not just be two emperors in the world, but three!
This is such a ridiculous thing to say!
So instead of letting Chang'an, which has just restored order, fall into chaos again, it is better to just keep it as it is now.
Let’s just pretend that there is no such person as Liu Xie in this world, and there is only Wang An.
"What are you standing there for?" the man suddenly shouted at Liu Xie.
Liu Xie turned around and saw that he was no longer standing in front of him, but took out a tightly wrapped object from the basket.
"There's someone selling smoked meat at the market today. The flavor is incredible. I traded it with a wild pheasant I shot. I'll give you a snack today."
He was halfway through his words when he saw his wife looking at him, and he quickly said, "Don't accuse me of wasting money! The wild pheasant jumped into my hands on its own, and I got the bacon by bartering, it didn't cost me anything."
As he unwrapped the paper package, he muttered, "They use much more salt and sauce than you do. I have to let the child taste something new."
Seeing this scene, Liu Xie couldn't help laughing.
The change of ownership of Hanzhong did not cause any setbacks in the lives of the couple from Yizhou. Instead, it seemed to be moving in a better direction.
Who can say this is not a good result?
He really couldn't bear to lose his current life.
Although ordinary and simple, it makes him feel more secure than ever before.
He also happened to go there as a commoner of Hanzhong to see what the world would look like when Liu Yu and Qiao Yan worked together.
By the time Liu Xie was eating rice with spring bamboo shoots and smoked pork, Qiao Yan had already returned to Guanzhong.
No one would think that this is a case of only half of the ten thousand people returning.
As far as the eye could see, the soldiers on the official road from Meiwu to Chang'an were escorting an astonishing number of grain carts, and the expressions on their faces were clearly one of triumph and pride.
The journey through the Qinling Mountains did not make them look tired at all. Instead, they all held their chests high and headed towards the direction of Chang'an City.
Each of them had the same idea in mind -
This was the first battle launched in the first year of Jian'an!
Not only did they win the war and capture Hanzhong, they also brought back so many spoils, which is the best interpretation of how worthy of the title of Grand Marshal you are!
If Liu Yan still had the idea of sitting back in Hanzhong before this battle, he would never dare to have that idea now.
Also, if before this battle, there were still people who dared to say that Qiao Yan was too young and should not be given the position of Grand Marshal, then they still should not be given the position now.
You know, it has only been more than 30 days since Qiao Yan sent troops to Hanzhong.
Of this, more than half is consumed in traveling to and from the Qinling Mountains.
It would take more than ten days to send the news to Chengdu, ask Liu Yan to come, and prepare food and reward the army after his return.
So the actual fighting time they had was only five or six days.
If anyone thinks he wants to replace Qiao Yan, he can go and give it a try. He will find out how many difficulties and obstacles he will face when marching into Hanzhong at this time!
But the first thought of the people who saw this team at this time was probably not that this was a powerful force, but rather -
So much food!
"How much grain do you think these grain trucks are carrying?" A man stopped by the roadside and asked his companion.
"There must be 500,000 stones..." another person said uncertainly.
These people had seen the business done with Yizhou during Dong Zhuo's reign, and the team at that time was far inferior to what they saw now.
Everyone can see clearly whether the grain cart is loaded with grain or something else.
The number here is staggering.
The man in front shook his head and replied, "I think it's more than that. There must be at least nearly a million stones."
Regardless of whether the grain was sent to the Chang'an treasury for storage or dumped into the Chang'an market to stabilize grain prices, one indisputable fact was that -
When such a large amount of grain arrived in Chang'an, the people of Chang'an's confidence in the imperial court would inevitably increase greatly.
It is only March now, and farming has just started in the Guanzhong Plain, so any outlook is still uncertain.
But even if a disaster occurs this year, they will have room to maneuver with this food in hand.
If they had come here only because of Liu Yu's accession to the throne and the pacification of the chaos in Chang'an, or if they had not fled further, then now they could temporarily follow the guidance of the court and farm with peace of mind.
But obviously that's not all they saw.
When Qiao Yan led his troops out of the Xiegu Road and arrived in Mei County, he had already sent scouts on horseback to Chang'an to report.
Liu Yu and his ministers in Chang'an had already made preparations. Qiao Yan's hunting trip would last until at least the end of April. However, what they never expected was that she would return in March, and she brought...
"One million shi of grain?"
Hearing the scout's words, even Huangfu Song, who particularly supported Qiao Yan's participation in the battle, was shocked.
He asked quickly, "Didn't she just go and chop Liu Yizhou to pieces?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
