The Three Kingdoms

Luoyang Beixiao, Taimiao.

The shrines on both sides of the hall enshrine the ancestors of the East and West Han dynasties, the Zongzhengqing Liu Zhang, Situ Kongrong and Sikong Kong Yi, held their breath and walked into the hall. Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, had just finished the incense and was praying gently in front of the portraits of the ancestors. Seeing the emperor's appearance, Liu Zhang and the other two hurriedly knelt down, bowing to the ground with their first bow and bowing to the great ceremony.

Emperor Xian of Han finished his prayer and slowly turned around, his expression on his face showed unprecedented ease.

"Three dear friends, let's be calm."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Liu Zhang and the other two paused their heads and bowed again, stood up and stood respectfully on both sides.

Emperor Xian of Han said calmly: "Taimiao is a sacred place dedicated to the ancestors of all dynasties. It can be said that the forbidden place of the country. It is not allowed to enter unless the emperor or the prince. I believe that the three beloved ministers are also confused in their hearts, why did I break this ancestral system and summon you and others to the Taimiao to see the emperor today?"

Liu Zhang bowed and said, "I respectfully ask Your Majesty to solve your doubts."

"Actually..." Emperor Xian of Han smiled faintly and said in an extremely relaxed tone, "The reason is very simple, because from today on, this Taimiao will no longer be Taimiao, and there will be this beautiful river and mountains, and there will no longer be a surname of Liu. Since even the country is no longer a surname of Liu, this Taimiao will no longer be Taimiao, and the three dear ministers can naturally enter."

"ah!?"

"for!?"

When Liu Zhang and the other two heard this, they felt as if they were hit by five thunder, and they were stunned for a moment.

After a while, Situ Kongrong came to his senses first and said in a panic: "Your Majesty, why did you say this? The old minister is very puzzled."

Emperor Xian of Han said calmly: "Today's court meeting, I will follow the will of heaven and the will of the people and abdicate to the Prime Minister."

"Your Majesty!" Zong Zhengqing Liu Zhang knelt down in front of Emperor Xian of Han, shouting loudly, "Since Emperor Gaozu brought up the three-foot sword to kill the snake and revolt, pacified Qin and destroyed Chu, and established the foundation of the Han Dynasty. His Majesty ascended the throne at the age of nine. The country's fortune is difficult. Fortunately, he depends on the life of the generals and the diligent officials. The nine provinces gradually calmed down, and the world gradually calmed down. How could His Majesty be willing to abandon the great cause of his ancestors?"

Kong Rong and Kong Yichang also knelt down and shouted: "I respectfully ask Your Majesty to take back the imperial edict."

"My intention has been decided." Emperor Xian of Han said, "The three beloved ministers don't need to persuade you anymore."

After saying that, Emperor Xian of Han immediately left and strode out of the hall. Behind him, Liu Zhang, Kong Rong and Kong Qi shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, if this great Han Dynasty ends here, how should we explain to you when you meet the previous emperors of all dynasties? Your Majesty thinks twice, Your Majesty thinks twice..."

Outside the main hall.

Just as the east sky was slightly white, Emperor Xian of Han's face was as calm as the city of Luoyang bathed in the thin morning light, quiet and peaceful. Not far behind him, Liu Zhang and the other two were still shouting loudly. Emperor Xian ignored him and walked out of the Taimiao and walked onto the imperial chariot lightly. Then he shouted loudly: "Come back to the palace."

In May of the 15th year of Jian'an (202), Emperor Xian of Han issued an edict to abdicate in Liang Wang Ma Yue.

Situ Kongrong and Sikong Kong Qizheng were the court to give advice. The emperor refused to accept it and killed the Jin rank. All officials sighed.

On the first day of the September 1st, Li Su built a Zen platform in Dongxiu of Luoyang. Emperor Xian of Han brought Liang's horse to the stage and paid homage to heaven and earth, ghosts and gods.

The ceremony was completed, and Ma Yue officially ascended the throne and became emperor. The country was named Daliang and established the capital of Luoyang. The reign was changed to Taiping. Liu Yan was appointed as the queen, and the eldest son Ma Zheng was appointed as the crown prince. The second son Ma Zhan was appointed King of Wei, Pei Yuanshao was appointed King of Pingbei, Zhou Cang was appointed King of Zhenbei, Guanqi was appointed King of Anbei, and he was posthumously awarded Ma Chao as King of Wuwei, the eldest son Ma Shao succeeded the throne, and the second son Ma Ju was appointed King of Zhangye.

Jia Xu was appointed as the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Li Su and Fa Zheng were appointed as the Minister of the Party, Fu Xie and Fa Zhen were appointed as the Minister of the Shang Dynasty, and they were appointed as the Prime Minister, commanded officials of the eight ministries, Gao Shun was appointed as the General of the Eastern Expedition, Fang Yue was appointed as the General of the Western Expedition, Xu Huang was appointed as the General of the Southern Expedition, Xu Chu was appointed as the General of the Northern Expedition, and he was in charge of the troops and horses of the world. The other old ministries each had rewards, and were exempted from taxes for three years.

When the news came out, Jing Yang was shocked.

In September of the second year of Taiping (203), King Sun Quan of Wu became emperor, established his capital in Jianye, and changed his reign to Huangwu.

In May of the third year of Taiping (204), King Cao Zhen of Chu became emperor, established the capital of Hanshou, and changed the reign of Huangchu.

At this point, the short period of the Three Kingdoms Triumphs appeared on the land of China.

In September of the fifth year of Taiping (206), the Jingzhou naval army was trained and the time for the southern expedition was finally ripe.

When the news reached Luoyang, Liang Taizu (Ma Yue's temple name was posthumously named after Ma Zheng) urgently summoned the prince Ma Zheng, the King of Wei, the General of Cavalry, Ma Dai, General of Carriage, Ma Shuang, Ma, Shuang, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Jia Xu, the Minister of the Junior General of the Junior General Li Su, the Secretary of the Junior General of the Junior Office, Lu Su, the Minister of the History Department, Kuai Yue, the Minister of the Revenue Department, Zhong Yao, the Minister of the Rites Department, Chen Qun and other close ministers came to the palace to see the emperor.

Changle Palace.

Ma Zheng, Jia Xu, Li Su and others knelt on the ground and shouted long live.

Ma Yue waved his hand impatiently and said aloud: "Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After thanking Sheng's kindness, Jia Xu and others dared to stand respectfully.

Ma Yue said, "I have summoned you into the palace this time to discuss the matter of the Southern Expedition with you."

Jia Xu said: "Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, he has been prosperous every year and has been well and has been well-off every year. At present, the national treasury is sufficient for sufficient money and food to support the three-year war effort of the 500,000 army. Luoyang Daying, Jiangling Daying (camping field soldiers), Huainan Daying (camping field soldiers), Chang'an Daying (camping field soldiers), Runan Daying (camping field soldiers) have stationed more than 700,000 troops. The southern expedition of Wu was at the right time."

Li Su, Fa Zheng and others nodded and agreed.

Ma Yue said: "Our army has many soldiers and a large number of generals and sufficient food and supplies, but if we cannot solve the problem of Wu and Chu naval forces and open up the natural trench of the Yangtze River, the southern expedition will only end in failure."

Li Su said: "Your Majesty, General Ganning has trained 70,000 naval troops in Xiangyang, and has more than 300 large tower ships, more than 5,000 fighting ships, and countless boats. Just Wu and Chu naval troops, our army can win with confidence. Even if Wu and Chu join forces, their strength will be comparable to our army."

"Oh." Ma Yue waved his hand and said, "The river surface is not as good as land. Water combat is also very different from land combat. It is not that the more warships and more naval troops, the stronger the strength. Wu and Chu naval troops were fought, and they can be called elite troops, but my naval troops were trained. They have not experienced serious water battles. When they go to the battlefield, they will inevitably be afraid. It would be good if they can exert two points in ten combat power."

Li Su hurriedly said, "Your Majesty is extremely worried, but I am wronged."

Ma Yue reached out and gently tapped the imperial case, frowned and said, "I have been thinking about the southern expedition these days. I have been thinking about a question, that is, how to install the most sharp long-range offensive weapons on the naval warships. If the large warships of the Wu and Chu naval warships can be burned or even sunk before the warships of the two armies come into the platoon battle, then the remaining small warships are not worth worrying."

"The sharpest long-range offensive weapon?" Jia Xu asked, "Your Majesty is saying... a stone thrower?"

"No, it's not that kind of simple stone thrower." Ma Yue shook his head, "Although that simple stone thrower is light and easy to manufacture, it requires too many soldiers to pull with manpower. The range is difficult to control, and the accuracy is also extremely poor. If such stone thrower is placed on the warship, it will only become a burden and cannot pose any threat to Wu and Chu warships."

"Is it possible to create such a stone thrower..."

Ma Yue frowned, and he thought about the appearance and launch principle of the catapult in medieval war blockbusters such as "Dynasty" and "Joan of Arc" that he had seen before, and gestured with his hands: "This catapult is not traction by humans, but is tied with a thousand or even tens of thousands of kilograms of huge rocks at the near end of the thrower's arms, and uses the whereabouts of the boulder to replace the pull of humans. In this way, the casting force generated by the polemma will be relatively fixed every time the boulder launches, and the distance of the range can be controlled by changing the height of the boulder's falling."

Fa Zheng said: "How many people need to lift this huge rock with ten thousand kilograms?"

"No need to lift it." Ma Yue said, "With winch, hinge and bracket, only one soldier can squeeze the huge stone."

In fact, as early as when he first came to this chaotic world, Ma Yue had thought of inventing some "advanced weapons" that spanned time and space. Unfortunately, Ma Yue didn't know how to build a rifle or machine gun, nor did he know the formula of gunpowder. At that time, he knew that the relatively simple movable type printing technology among the four major inventions, but the papermaking technology at that time was extremely backward and the quality of paper was also poor. What's the use of this thing?

It was not until Ma Yue first saw the stone thrower that he wanted to watch the Hollywood blockbuster that he saw different stone thrower than the stone thrower in this troubled time. But when he came to war, Ma Yue never had a moment of leisure. Secondly, the advantage of the Western Liang Iron Cavalry is that he rarely engages in frontal attacks, so this stone thrower is not very useful, so he has been put on hold.

Until today, Ma Yue remembered again the improvement of this stone throwing machine to deal with Wu and Chu's naval warships.

"Your Majesty is saying that you should use the winch and noose on the stone throwing machine?" Chen Jun, the Minister of Works, first understood Ma Yue's idea and clapped his hands and shouted, "Oh my God, this is simply a genius idea! If you improve the stone throwing machine according to Your Majesty's method, not only will the range of the stone throwing machine be greatly increased, but it can also throw larger and heavier stones out. It's wonderful, it's simply amazing!"

Jia Xu, Fa Zheng and others immediately understood it and immediately clapped and shouted.

"And..." The scene in the movie appeared in Ma Yue's mind again. Before the trencher was projected, the soldiers would ignite the stone bomb in the basket, and then throw it out with a loud bang. The burning stone bomb hits the trees, and the city walls would explode and sparks splashed everywhere. "The stones thrown by the stone dumper should also be improved. Is there such a thing that can easily burn after soaking tinder oil and easily break. After hitting the warship, it will 'boom' and shatter. In this way, the splashing flames can ignite the warships of Wu and Chu Shui Army on a large scale."

"This..." Chen Qun said, "Why don't you put a clay pot of tinsel in the launch basket of the stone thrower? After the tinsel in the clay pot is ignited, then throw it out. After the clay pot hits the enemy warship, it will shatter. The splashed tinsel will attach to the warship and continue to burn, causing a large-scale fire, which will make it difficult for the enemy to extinguish it!"

"Well, this is a good idea." Ma Yue praised, "If you can place debris like silk in the clay pot, the effect may be better."

"The stone throwing machine after His Majesty's improvement will definitely increase its power." Jia Xu, who has always been calm, couldn't help but try it. "Once our army's warships are installed with improved stone throwing machines, the large warships of Wu and Chu Shui Army will be difficult to survive because of their large warships. The other small warships such as the rushing, fighting ships, and walking boats may be able to avoid the attacks of the stone throwing machines, but they cannot avoid the collision of our army's large warships and the impact of the rods. Your Majesty and the old minister are a little impatient."

"Haha, don't be quit." Ma Yue smiled happily, "Can this stone thrower be made? Even if it has the expected power? How should it be installed on the warship? All these have to be tested before you know. And even if everything goes well, it will take some time to equip the improved stone thrower on the navy's warship. It will take time for the navy soldiers to learn to use this stone thrower. It will be impossible to complete these complicated locks without three or five years."

"Huh..." Jia Xu breathed a sigh of relief and said ashamed, "It's the old minister who is anxious."

Ma Yue said to Chen Jun: "Long article, you are fully responsible for improving the stone throwing machine. You must keep it confidential and not let Wu know the truth."

Chen Jun bowed and replied: "I... received the order."

Chaisang, Zhou Yu’s official residence.

Since Sun Quan became emperor and established the Wu Kingdom, he has all been granted the title of marquis, including Lu Meng, Lu Xun, Taishici and others. However, Zhou Yu, the Grand Commander of the Three Armed Forces, was not granted the title of marquis. Sun Quan seemed to have forgotten that the Wu Kingdom and Zhou Yu had also been given the title of marquis. Since Zhou Yu came to Chaisang to recuperate, he has never sent anyone to urge Zhou Yu to take charge of the troops again, nor has he sent anyone to hand over the seal and military affairs of the Grand Commander.

This delay lasted for seven years, and the situation was very subtle.

However, Lu Meng, Lu Xun, Taishici and other Wu generals still respected Zhou Yu very much and often came to Chaisang to inquire about military affairs without Sun Quan's concealment. On the one hand, Sun Quan was suspicious of Zhou Yu more and more, but on the other hand, he knew that the three armies of the Eastern Wu must not be without Zhou Yu's dispatch, so he also accused of Lu Meng and others of the actions, making Zhou Yu the generals of the three armies hidden behind the scenes.

In the side hall, Lu Meng and Lu Xun bowed to Zhou Yu and said aloud: "See the Grand Commander."

"Forget it." Zhou Yu waved his hand and said calmly, "Sit all."

"Thank you Governor."

Lu Meng and Lu Xun thanked and sat down one after another.

Zhou Yu asked, "I heard that the Chu State General Zhang Liao has led his troops to pacify Jiaozhou?"

"Yes." A hint of regret flashed across Lu Meng's face and said, "The seven counties and fifty-six counties in Jiaozhou have all been owned by the State of Chu. Alas, if we had known that Jiaozhou was so easy to pacify, our army should have taken the lead."

"It is not as easy as I imagined to pacify Jiaozhou." Zhou Yu waved his hand, "It seems that we have underestimated Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Chu. This person is not capable of commanding troops, but he is extremely powerful in governing internal affairs! Since the Chu army retreated to the four counties in Jingnan, the morale of the army was scattered and the morale was low. The people moved south and had no place to live and have no food and clothing. The gentry who fled to Jingnan were also panicked. In addition, the spies of the Liang army spread rumors everywhere, and the Cao family's rule in Jingzhou was facing an unprecedented crisis, and it was possible that the ice would disappear and collapse at any time."

"However, it was Zhuge Liang who managed the four counties in Jingnan in an orderly manner in just five years, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. The gentry people were determined. They had money and food to support Zhang Liao's army to conquer Jiaozhou in the south. It was not easy, too difficult. In contrast, you and I were both ministers of the Wu State. We could not expand the territory for the Wu State outside, and we could not manage the land for Your Majesty inside. We should be ashamed."

Lu Xun couldn't help but say, "The Grand Commander-in-Chief should not be too discouraged. Although the Wu Kingdom has not gained any land in recent years, it has also accumulated a lot of money and grain. In addition to the lack of cavalry, the infantry has been expanded to 100,000, and the navy has also expanded to 60,000. There are more than 200 large tower ships and more than 3,000 fighting ships. Compared with the Liang Kingdom Navy, although our army has a disadvantage in terms of military strength and number of warships, our army has an absolute advantage in practical experience. If we really go to the battlefield, we don't need our army to take action and the group of new recruits in the Liang army will be disorganized first."
Chapter completed!