Mi Han

Chapter 694 Mi Yang's Journey to the East, Liu Chan Weeps

Chapter 694 Mi Yang's Journey to the East, Liu Chan Weeps

When the carriage stopped outside Sifang Pavilion, Zhou Cang and Zhang Wen appeared inside the Sifang Pavilion together.

Because a riot had just occurred in Sifangguan not long ago, there were a lot more Han troops around Sifangguan.

As Zhou Qiang and Zhang Wen walked towards the Sifang Pavilion, they could smell a faint smell of blood.

The smell of blood was already there before Zhou Cang went to the Sima Mansion.

But after returning from the Sima Mansion, Zhou Qian, who smelled the bloody smell again, had a different feeling in his heart.

Looking at the pavilions and towers, and the Sifang Pavilion which had everything one could imagine, Zhou Cang seemed to remember his mansion in Jiangdong.

As a member of a prominent family in Jiangdong, Zhou Cang's mansion is not as luxurious as Sifang Pavilion, but the area it occupies is no less than that of Sifang Pavilion.

Even in Jiangdong, where people were allowed to keep private soldiers, Zhou Qian still had hundreds of trusted followers in his mansion.

But whenever Zhou Qian thought of the envoys from the Western Regions who had been captured by the Han army the day before, the chill in his heart grew stronger.

No matter how big the mansion is or how many troops are under its command, it is impossible to fight against the officials and soldiers of the imperial court.

Once something is leaked

Zhou Qian couldn't help but shudder when he thought of the fate of many envoys from the Western Regions.

Zhang Wen, who was walking in front, saw Zhou Cang's pace getting slower and slower, so he turned around and asked curiously:

"Zi Yu?"

Zhang Wen's gentle question brought Zhou Qian back to his senses in an instant.

But somehow, even if he stopped letting his thoughts run wild, looking at Zhang Wen in front of him with a caring look on his face, Zhou Qian suddenly felt that Zhang Wen's concern had other deeper meanings.

Without Zhang Wen noticing, Zhou Qian slowly clenched his fists.

"I, I'm fine"

After perfunctorily answering Zhang Wen, Zhou Cang suddenly asked Zhang Wen:

"When do you think we should return to Jiangdong? And when you return to Jiangdong, how will you report to Your Majesty?"

After hearing Zhou Qian's question, Zhang Wen thought for a moment and then said:

"The princess's coffin had long been arranged by Mi Yang to be buried in the Lantian area.

The name of the princess dying for her husband was also tampered by Mi Yang and changed into dying for her country.

In this way, Your Majesty's wish could not be realized after all, but instead the Western Dynasty won a wave of popular support.

It's time for us to consider returning to the court.

As for how to report after returning to the court, Wen believes that it is enough to report the facts. "

Today, Mi Yang summoned Zhang Wen and Zhou Cang, on the one hand to make a move in Jiangdong, and on the other hand to tell them that Sun Quan's plan would no longer be possible under his manipulation.

Under such circumstances, there was no point for Zhang Wen and Zhou Cang to stay in Chang'an.

From Zhang Wen's perspective, although his mission this time was a complete failure in terms of gaining more than he gained, as a subject, he just had to hide nothing from the monarch.

But what Zhang Wen didn't know was that his four words "report truthfully" had already touched Zhou Qian's nerves invisibly.

Looking at Zhang Wen with a frank face, Zhou Cang slowly shifted his gaze away.

You have an open mind, but what about me?

Besides, you said you would report the truth, but who knows what you will report?

When he thought of this, Zhou Qian's heart was filled with uneasiness.

However uneasy Zhou Qian was, he wouldn't be stupid enough to show it at this time.

"Everything is up to Huishu."

After saying this, Zhou Cang walked past Zhang Wen and headed towards his own courtyard.

While walking with Zhang Wen, Zhou Cang kept chewing on the word "Princess?" in his heart.

As we all know, Sun Quan never acknowledged the identity of Princess Sun Shangxiang.

However, Zhang Wen privately called Sun Shangxiang "Princess". This behavior can be said to be a sign of his sympathy for Sun Shangxiang, but can it also be said that he was secretly criticizing Sun Quan for being unkind and disloyal?

Making groundless accusations and being convicted for one's words have always been two powerful weapons that can put a gentleman in danger.

Huishu, don’t blame me.

If you want to blame someone, blame their respective masters.

Within a few days, Mi Yang received the resignation letters from Zhang Wen and Zhou Cang.

Mi Yang had expected Zhang Wen and Zhou Qian to resign.

So Mi Yang readily agreed to their resignation.

When Zhang Wen and Zhou Qian's motorcade drove out of Chang'an, an important matter was officially put on the agenda in Chang'an.

In April of the sixth year of the Zhangwu reign of the Han Dynasty, dozens of rebellious leaders from the Western Regions were beheaded in the city of Chang'an. As for other accomplices, most of them were also sentenced according to the severity of their crimes.

When the Han government dealt with the rebellion of the Western Regions envoys with efficient and swift means, it meant that the Han Dynasty had officially declared war on the countries in the Western Regions.

The king's army should comfort the people and punish the criminals.

The declaration of war was written by famous scholars in the court, and Mi Yang's task was to arrange the affairs of the Han Army and the Western Army.

In a spacious hall, the three great men of the Han Dynasty were seated.

Zhang Fei looked at the list of personnel for the Western Expedition in his hand, with some hesitation on his face.

For a major war, apart from the preparation of food and fodder, the most important thing is to finalize the list of generals for the Western Expedition.

As the saying goes, if one general is incompetent, the three armies will be exhausted.

Even though it is not difficult for the Han Dynasty to conquer the scattered countries in the Western Regions with its current military strength, the biggest variable would be if the generals for the Western Expedition are not chosen well.

As for the main general of the Han army's western expedition, Mi Yang chose Zhao Yun.

Since the purpose is to avenge the people and punish the criminals, the chief commander of the Han army's western expedition cannot be an unknown person.

As time went on, there were not many Han army generals who met this condition.

It is true that the Han army now has outstanding generals of the new generation such as Jiang Wei, Deng Ai, Zhou Tai, and Shi Bao, but their qualifications and reputation are far from enough.

If we rashly let them take charge of an army alone, there will be the risk of forcing things to grow too fast.

Among the previous generation of generals, Zhang Fei could not leave Chang'an, Ma Chao was seriously ill, Wu Yi, Huang Quan and others each had important duties, so at first glance, Zhao Yun was the best choice.

In addition to considerations of qualifications and prestige, Zhao Yun's personal ability is also a point that Mi Yang values.

Zhao Yun is not a surprise general, but a regular general.

For a general, it may be too difficult for him to play in a disadvantageous situation.

But fighting in the Western Expedition, where the wind is favorable, is exactly what he is good at.

With Zhao Yun's steady character, even if we take a step back and assume that a war genius has emerged from the ancestral tombs of the Western Regions countries, the Han army would basically not suffer a major defeat under Zhao Yun's leadership.

As long as the Han army does not suffer a major defeat, it will not be a big deal for Zhuge Liang or Mi Yang to take over the battle in the later stage.

Mi Yang's consideration was quite thoughtful, and Zhang Fei also trusted Zhao Yun's ability. What he was worried about was not Zhao Yun, but Liu Feng, who was second only to Zhao Yun on the list.

As Liu Bei's stepson, Liu Feng has an uncle-nephew relationship with Zhang Fei.

If it weren't for what happened back then, Zhang Fei would have had a good impression of Liu Feng, who also had a tough personality.

But there are no ifs in this world.

Zhang Fei looked at Mi Yang and said to him, "Liu Feng is arrogant and he is a relative of the clan. I am afraid he will not obey Zilong's orders."

Zhang Fei directly expressed his concerns to Mi Yang.

In order to relieve Zhang Fei's concerns, Mi Yang said:

“Uncle, please rest assured.

This time, the main force in the Western Expedition will be my Tiance Army.

I am confident that even if Liu Feng commits rebellious acts, the Tian Ce Army will not obey his orders.

And if there is no military support, no matter how brave Liu Feng is, would he dare to act wildly in front of Uncle Zilong?"

Mi Yang's last words made Zhang Fei chuckle.

He felt that Liu Feng was not stupid.

Mi Yang's words largely dispelled Zhang Fei's concerns.

After all, the military system of the Han Dynasty was different from that of Cao Wei and Eastern Wu. Since the time of Liu Bei, the private soldiers of the generals had been under strict control.

This point was further strengthened when Mi Yang reformed the military system.

In this situation, unless Mi Yang instigated the army to revolt, no one else could do it.

After initially allaying Zhang Fei's concerns, Mi Yang continued:

“There are three reasons why my nephew wants to use Liu Feng as Uncle Zilong’s deputy general.

First, Liu Feng was brave and well versed in military strategy. With his assistance to his uncle Zilong, the Western Expedition would have a better chance of success.

Secondly, Liu Feng had a rough personality. If he were placed in the court, he might cause a lot of trouble. It would be better to send him to the Han Dynasty to expand its territory. In this way, the late emperor would be pleased.

Third, after our army pacifies the Western Regions, in order to stabilize the situation in the Western Regions, we must eventually grant Liu Feng the title of king of the Western Regions.

This move will happen sooner or later anyway, so it is better to let Liu Feng gain military merit in this Western Expedition, accumulate reputation in the Western Regions, and get familiar with the local customs and practices of the Western Regions first."

After Mi Yang gave the above three reasons, Zhang Fei's concerns were completely dispelled.

Then Mi Yang turned his gaze to Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang noticed Mi Yang's gaze and nodded slightly to show that he agreed with Mi Yang's arrangement.

Compared with Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang actually had a worse impression of Liu Feng.

But Zhuge Liang saw it more clearly than Zhang Fei: Liu Feng was not a stupid person.

Since he can obtain the position of a prince by making meritorious contributions in an open and aboveboard manner, why should he take such a risk?

What's more, with Mi Yang around, Zhuge Liang was not worried at all about the so-called mutiny in the Han Dynasty.

After seeing that Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei had no objection to the list of generals he had selected for the Western Expedition, Mi Yang presented the list to Liu Chan.

Well, Liu Chan was here today, but he just didn’t seem to have much of a presence.

As for Mi Yang presenting the list to Liu Chan, it was not because he thought Liu Chan would have any opinions on the list. He just wanted Liu Chan to stamp the emperor's seal on the list.

Liu Chan, who had been doing nothing all along, happily performed his only duty.

When Liu Chan stamped the emperor's seal on the list of generals for the Western Expedition, it meant that the planning of the Han Dynasty's Western Expedition was initially completed.

Just when Liu Chan thought he could adjourn the meeting, Mi Yang's voice suddenly rang out again:

"When our army marches west, we should not take the two sides of the rebellion against Wei and Wu lightly."

Poor Liu Chan, his butt was already some distance away from the seat, but after hearing Mi Yang's words, he still sat down obediently.

Please speak, cousin. I will stamp your speech once you finish speaking.

Mi Yang's words caught the attention of Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang, and then Mi Yang told them the intelligence he had received:

"Not long ago, Cao Rui sent Cao Xiu to Yuzhou and urgently transferred Sima Yi, the defender of Wancheng, to Yecheng.

Almost at the same time, Sun Quan appointed Lu Xun as General of Chariots and Cavalry, Governor of Jingzhou, and stationed his troops in Jiangxia.

When Zhuge Liang heard these two pieces of information, he reacted instantly.

Zhuge Liang thought: "It seems that Cao Rui wants Sima Yi to guard Luoyang and Cao Xiu to guard the Central Plains."

Then Zhuge Liang asked Mi Yang, "Zi Sheng, what do you think of Lu Xun?"

Zhuge Liang knew that Mi Yang had a Siwen Cao who could obtain some intelligence that he could not get, so he asked this question.

After hearing Zhuge Liang's question, Mi Yang told him his judgment of Lu Xun in detail:

"This person is more talented than Lü Meng and Lu Su of the past, or even comparable to Zhou Yu."

Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei were both surprised to see Mi Yang had such a high opinion of Lu Xun.

"Zhou Lang?"

Although many years have passed, the image of the handsome Zhou Lang still emerges in Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei's minds.

Unlike the later records in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Zhou Yu in history was actually a very charming person, and he had always had a good relationship with the heroes of the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Fei also served under Zhou Yu for a short period of time, and they attacked Nanjun together.

Although Zhou Yu once suggested to Sun Quan that he should corrupt Liu Bei by giving him a comfortable life, he did not take any shady actions in private.

It was Zhou Yu who made the decision to give half of the land of Nanjun to Liu Bei in exchange for the interests of the two families.

As for Zhou Yu's abilities, Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei had a clear understanding of them.

The victory in the Battle of Red Cliffs was largely due to Zhou Yu's outstanding wisdom and excellent command.

Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei had respect for such people.

That is why they were both surprised when Mi Yang compared Lu Xun with Zhou Yu.

"Lu Xun's military achievements are few and far between. He was able to win the Battle of Hefei mostly because of Zisheng's help. Can he really be on par with Gongjin?"

Mr. Zhang San, I don’t quite believe Mi Yang’s judgment.

But this is normal. In early history, Lu Xun was often looked down upon by people, such as Liu Bei and Guan Yu.

But both of them paid a heavy price for their contempt for Lu Xun.

Mi Yang would never let such a thing happen to himself.

"Cao Xiu is not something to be feared. The one I am afraid of is Lu Boyan."

Mi Yang once again gave Lu Xun a very high evaluation.

Seeing that Mi Yang showed his respect for Lu Xun twice in a row, Zhang Fei put away the suspicion and contempt on his face.

"Then, Zisheng, how do you think our dynasty should respond?"

Zhuge Liang continued to ask.

When asked by Zhuge Liang, Mi Yang expressed his thoughts:

"Considering the current situation in the world, the rebels against Wei and Wu will not rashly launch an attack on our dynasty.

But the military position is ever-changing, and water has no constant shape.

They might not dare to do so with the strength of one country alone, but if two countries collude with each other, it will surely embolden their arrogance.

At that time, how could we know that they would not covet Jingzhou?

For the sake of our dynasty's safety, I intend to lead my army to Jingzhou to test the strength of the two countries."

As soon as Mi Yang said this, before Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei could say anything, Liu Chan, who had always been the mascot, could no longer sit still.

"Da Sima!

Jingzhou is full of miasma and is not a suitable place to live. The Grand Marshal shoulders the heavy responsibility of the country, so how can he go there lightly?

Moreover, it has not been half a year since the death of the late emperor, and the people in the country are still in unrest. Now is the time for me to rely on the Grand Marshal, how can the Grand Marshal abandon me?

I hope the Grand Marshal will think twice about traveling east."

As he spoke, tears welled up in Liu Chan's eyes.

Cousin, if you leave, where should I stamp my seal in the future?

(End of this chapter)