Chapter 51: The war is rising again (1)

Opening the ancient road from Shu to Yuanshen is equivalent to continuing the unfinished career of Emperor Wu of Han, which was shocking and very thought at that time. Some people thought about being a king when they were separated, and some thought about enriching the country, strengthening the people, and unifying the world. Human beings at this period never thought of going abroad like Zhang Qian and opening up a new path. This was an extraordinary achievement, enough to make a name for the world and spread throughout the ages, and Fan Jian and others couldn't help but be excited.

"I have ordered people to inquire, and there is no obstacle to the public on this road, but it is still a little troublesome to pass through the army." Liu Chan said.

Everyone naturally understood what Liu Chan meant. The Nanzhong region was pacified by Shu Kingdom for decades. Although there were occasional turmoil, it was generally relatively stable. According to the route on this map, after entering the Nanzhong region, they all reached Yongchang and belonged to the sphere of influence. Naturally, there was no obstacle in this part of the journey, but after Yongchang continued to march southwest, it was an area outside the ruling of Shu Kingdom. At that time, Emperor Wu of Han's army began to be blocked by local ethnic minorities, and ultimately failed to open up the road to poisoning.

"General Ma has visited the Western Regions countries. What do you think of this ancient poisonous path?" Liu Chan narrowed his eyes and threw the topic directly to Ma Cheng.

"Thank you, according to your opinion, this ancient poisonous path is not difficult to open up, but it requires a lot of investment." Ma Cheng knew that Liu Chan's heart belonged to him, so he replied after thinking carefully.

"If this road is opened, the country can trade with other countries outside the region. It is worth it to consider investing more in the long run." Liu Chan nodded slightly and said to himself.

Seeing that His Majesty had decided to open up this ancient poisonous road, everyone offered suggestions. According to the current national strength of Shu, if the Central Powers were not captured, it would be more than enough to deal with some ethnic minorities. Over the past few decades, Shu has formed a military and political framework for ethnic minorities, and ethnic minorities in the southern central region can serve as guides and combat power to make up for various shortcomings.

If you want to open up this ancient road of sanitary poison, force is the only choice. Of course, you must also try to resolve the conflicts with ethnic minorities in a peaceful way. The barbarians in the southern central region have accepted the Han culture over the past few decades and have become civilized. The barbarians outside the sphere of influence of Shu may still be in a state of uncivilized state. In view of this, an army proficient in fighting with minorities must be cleared out in the front, cleared all obstacles, and ensured that the merchant groups behind them can safely arrive in Daxia - later generations Myanmar, Thailand, Afghanistan, etc. Daxia is similar to Shidu, both are densely populated and relatively developed regions. You only need to explain the purpose of the visit and show the style of the Han Dynasty's etiquette country. I believe that it will be smooth sailing to reach Shidu Country. After all, these countries have heard of the reputation of the Han Dynasty, and they have had some exchanges in the past, which is easier to deal with than the barbarians between the mountains and fields.

There are quite a lot of generals familiar with barbarians, but only three or five people are qualified to lead the army alone. At present, there are suitable candidates in Chengdu. Zhang Yi, the general of Shu Han. Zhang Yi was once the general of the surrendered general in the past, but because of strict law enforcement, it aroused the disgust of barbarians and was replaced by Ma Zhong. After receiving the order to replace, everyone thought that Zhang Yi should rush back to Chengdu to report the crime. Zhang Yi said: "You can't do this. I was replaced because I was incompetent. The general who represented me has not arrived yet. I should rectify my military and transport grain to accumulate strength for the army. How can I delay the country's affairs because I was dismissed?" After Ma Zhong arrived, he relied on the foundation laid by Zhang Yi to destroy the rebellious barbarians.

However, Zhang Yi is old and it is a perfect solution to have several capable deputys. Everyone discussed and decided to lead troops to quell the Hanjia rebellion and assist Zhang Yi with his descendants. When the army arrives in Nanzhong, some generals will be drawn from the Nanzhong area as a supplement.

Before the troops moved, food and grass should go first. The Nanzhong region has always been the rear of Shu Han, but the army heading south is estimated to have more than tens of thousands of people. The consumption of food and grass alone is probably difficult to support by relying on the Nanzhong region. It is necessary to mobilize resources from Chengdu and even the southern counties to Yongchang to ensure that the army has no worries. The Shu Han people are quite confident about fighting the road, but it is difficult to estimate how long it takes to complete this great achievement. Sufficient reserve resources are naturally indispensable.

In addition to armament, materials used to trade with countries such as Daxia and Sindu should also be transported to Yongchang in advance. The current scale of Yongchang may not be able to carry a large amount of manpower and materials, and some people in the imperial court also need to go to Yongchang to take charge, responsible for commanding the construction of warehouses and paving roads. Given Zhuge Zhan's excellent performance in Wuyang, everyone recommended Zhuge Zhan to be responsible for this matter. The barbarians still admire Zhuge family, and the construction of Yongchang's large-scale construction is used by barbarians, and it will be easier to communicate with Zhuge Zhan when he goes to take charge.

Zhang Yi and Zhuge Zhan are responsible for the road opening and preparation work, and the merchant group is naturally headed by Ma Cheng. Ma Cheng traveled all over the country and the west, with rich experience. Although he has never been to the southern countries, Ma Cheng's experience and experience in this area are unparalleled. Ma Cheng is also very grateful for Liu Chan's valuation. As a general, he has never commanded the army since he was a child. If he treats Ma Cheng as a general, he will probably be unqualified in front of the charge formation, but as the leader of the merchant group, he is as good as a fish in water. It can be said that this trip to the south was tailor-made for him by Liu Chan.

In addition to trade exchanges, cultural exchanges are indispensable when dealing with countries outside the region. If there are not a few well-educated people in the caravan representing the great man, it is inevitable that people will be despised by the great man. In this era of underdeveloped business, what countries attract more culture, not economic interests.

Xu Xun and Yin Zong were both great scholars in Shu. Although their official positions were not high, the status of literati in Shu was still unmatched. Only Qiao Zhou was steadily above the two. These literati had no interest in the desolate land of Nanzhong. It was a literati who was willing to do when studying at home and spreading saints. Now that they are on missions outside the territory, the situation is different. What a achievement? Once they succeed, their fame and status are far superior to other literati, which is more than a hundred times better than studying at home and studying. Therefore, both of them asked for their orders to follow the army when they heard this.

After a long discussion, the general candidate and framework were decided initially. Liu Chan thought for a while and said, "This trip is a feat that has not been seen in a century. Wouldn't it be great if someone could record what they passed along the way?"

The ministers agreed when they heard this. Xu Xun, Yin Zong and others were great scholars in Sichuan. Such records were really hard to touch the minds of the two. Qiao Zhou was previously snatched by the two of them to join the group first, and now he hurriedly recommended: "Your Majesty, I have a disciple Chen Shou who can win this position!"

Chen Shou? Isn’t it the author of "The Three Kingdoms"? Liu Chan was shocked when he heard what Qiao Zhou said. Zhuge Zhan, who was beside him, frowned and said, “I know Chen Shou too, I don’t know much talent, I’m afraid I can’t stand the appointment.”

"What does Zhuge Siyuan mean? I don't know my disciple?" Qiao Zhou knew that Zhuge Zhan had always looked down on Chen Shou, so he was right now to argue.

"Mr. Qiao Duke filtered it. Zhan thought that this matter should be partnered by experienced ministers. Chen Shou had a low position and had low experience. If there was any mistake, it would probably affect Qiao Duke's reputation." Zhuge Zhan replied coldly.

Seeing that the two were getting worse and worse, everyone quickly persuaded them. Liu Chan smiled and said, "Since Mr. Qiao has recommended it, why not invite Gaozu to come here to talk."

Since ancient times, Jingzhou has been a place where military strategists must fight. Liu Bei established his career in Jingzhou and then occupied Xichuan to achieve the emperor's career. However, he also lost Jingzhou and the general Guan Yu. He was determined to win the Eastern Wu in Jingzhou. When Lu Su talked to Sun Quan about the general trend of the world, he pointed out that occupying Jingzhou and gaining all control of the Yangtze River was the foundation for the Eastern Wu to stand in the world. This is what later generations said.

The nine counties of Jingxiang and the Eastern Wu occupied only eight counties, and Xiangyang was always under the control of Cao Wei. If you occupy Xiangyang, you could advance to the important town of Wu in Jingzhou, Jiangling, by land. The ships and horses in the south and north were not jokes among the people, but a true portrayal of society at that time. Avoiding water, you could fight against Wu by land, and there were only places from Xiangyang to Jiangling. Therefore, not only did the Eastern Wu arrange heavy troops in Jiangling, the commanders of the Jingzhou Military Region have always been one of the top generals in the Wu Kingdom. Now the generals in charge of guarding the generals are Shi Ji.

Shi Ji was the son of Zhu Ran, a famous general of the Eastern Wu. Zhu Ran’s real name was Shi Ran, the son of Zhu Zhi’s sister’s family, and Zhu Zhi’s surrender, happened to have no descendants, so he adopted Zhu Zhi’s family and changed his name to Zhu Ran. After Zhu Zhi passed away, Zhu Ran wrote several times to hope to restore his original surname, but Sun Quan had no choice but to give up. Shi Ji wrote a letter two years ago to request the restoration of his surname again, and finally got the answer from Master Wu Sun Liang, so he changed from Zhu Ji to Shi Ji.

During Shi Ji's garrison of Jingzhou, the defense of Jingzhou was still stable. None of the Wu and Wei sides could take advantage of each other and were at peace. As Zhuge Dan raised troops in Huainan, the situation began to change. Almost all the troops in Wei State were recruited by Sima Zhao to quell the rebellion, and the Xiangyang War Zone also dispatched several roaming troops to support. Although the Wei State's defenders in Xiangyang had not changed, the Wei army that was usually used to support in nearby cities was no longer there.

Quan Yi surrendered to the Wei State with shame and even ran away the entire Quan family, which hurt the Wu people very much. Sun Chi's army began to attack the Lianghuai region and rescued Zhuge Dan trapped in Shouchun. The Wu army in Jingzhou could not be idle either. Shi Ji frequently mobilized all kinds of people to gather in Jiangling, preparing to attack Xiangyang to respond to Sun Chi's main force on the east route. However, the Wu State has been in constant civil strife for several years, and the domestic troops were all drawn by Sun Chi. In order to ensure the safety of the rear, Shi Ji had to leave some of the troops to maintain mobility just in case. In this way, the Wu army in Jiangling did not actually increase much.

The army was ready, but there were scouts coming to report that Wang Chang, the general of the cavalry of Wei, led tens of thousands of Wei troops to force the stones, with unknown intentions. Shi Ji, who was dispatching troops, was stunned when he heard the news, and the flag in his hand fell to the ground. The generals in the hall whispered, and the Wei people could not help but move too quickly.

"Have you ever explored many Wei troops?" Zhu Ran asked anxiously.

"The general has about 25,000 Wei troops." The commemorative replied.
Chapter completed!