In the sixth year of Jian'an, the world suddenly became turbulent.

As soon as the spring plowing was over, Sun Xun, the Duke of Yan who had just ascended the throne, publicly issued an ultimatum, and all the decrees were issued. Hebei and Guanxi entered the war preparation process together, as if a storm was about to come. Correspondingly, all the princes in the Central Plains did not hesitate.

He was polite and immediately gathered in Nanyang in the name of the emperor, also making a gesture of uniting and fighting hard.

Considering that both sides are no longer in the 'floating' state at the beginning of the troubled times, on the contrary, both sides have a profound foundation of rule and strategic depth at this time, plus the huge military strength of both sides that may be gathered, so this process is destined to be

Long and deliberate…

According to judgment, the two sides will initially have frictions and small-scale battles in many places during the process of gathering forces. Then the side with the best mobilization will first send out a small number of elite troops to try to seize strategic points on the border, and then trigger reinforcements and the opposite side.

Mobilization escalates, resulting in encounters and sieges... At this time, the war should be officially started.

However, it may not take more than half a year to wait for the army's total strength of hundreds of thousands to gather together to form a full-scale confrontation, and a large-scale encounter, confrontation, and decisive battle will take place. As for the large-scale confrontation between formations,

How long it will last is even more difficult to say, but it can’t be said to be three to five years!

For example, at that time, the Qin Emperor was ready to dominate the world. When he attacked Chu, he lost first and then won. It took him three years to completely destroy the enemy. During the Han-Gao period, the Chu-Han War was in a stalemate.

It took a full four years for the revolution to be settled at Gaixia thanks to Han Xin's Hebei roundabout strategy; the only exception seemed to be Emperor Guangwu. After he broke with Emperor Gengshi across the river, the Gengshi regime itself immediately became corrupted, and rebellions began in various places. Both sides

There was no decisive battle, but even after Guangwu proclaimed himself emperor and left Hebei, it still took him six years to wipe out the small warlords, and then he fought with the Long and Shu forces for five years before they were officially unified.

There is a precedent here. Later generations, even the most optimistic people in Gongsun's camp, were prepared for a protracted war when faced with this 'imminent' war. This is not because they have no confidence in Gongsun Xun, on the contrary.

It's a sign of confidence in him.

After all, it would be ridiculous to expect a quick victory after we have already reached this point.

In short, people's hearts were agitated for a while, and even the most fanatical radicals became cautious after the initial shock, and the conservatives, no matter how complex their positions were, became hesitant and vaguely expectant... In fact, faced with such a situation,

, in the late spring, even Zhao Qi, a veteran of the Han Dynasty who was nearly ninety years old and retired at home, recorded such a meaningful sentence in his "Sanfu Juelu" - the sky is dead, and the drought has not yet been established.

, at the age of Bingzi, the world will be blessed!

Cangtian means spring and Haotian means summer. The translation of this sentence is - spring has ended and summer has not yet arrived. This year is the year of Bingzi. I really hope that everything in the world will go smoothly.

All I can say is that this statement really leaves people speechless and unable to find anything wrong with it.

"Spring has passed!"

In the Shu region, in the mountains north of Mianzhu City in Guanghan County, a man stood on a horse with a bow on his back. Looking at the pile of prey gathered by servants in front of him, he could not help but shake his head with emotion. This man was none other than Liu Fan, the eldest son of Yizhou shepherd Liu Yan. "

Even the rabbit has become so fat... Ziyi, you have been in Shu for half a year. Now my father has made it clear that he will not participate in the Central Plains Alliance. He also sent gifts to Chang'an as you suggested. You

Why haven't you gone back yet? Has your Duke Yan forgotten you?"

"No." Jiang Qian, who was sitting under the shade of the bamboo forest with several young men, sneered when he heard this. "Bo Dao (characterized by Liu Fan) said this is ridiculous... In fact, when my family Yan Gong surrendered Hanzhong and went to Chang'an,

I asked the messenger to tell me that I can do my best to serve Zhang Mansion's queen and mother, and then I can return regardless of success or failure. As for the fact that the emperor ran away and Nanyang came to envoy later, I really never thought of it."

"Then...why don't you go?" Liu Fan saw that there were only rabbits, and there were no bears or tigers to show off his bravery. Feeling bored, he signaled his subordinates to skin the rabbits and roast them, and then he

He dismounted and came to the bamboo forest.

"Because I feel that since I am a messenger, I will fulfill my mission. But from my point of view, this matter can still be accomplished, we just have to wait a little longer." Jiang Ziyi continued to smile. "It's just that I never expected that this would happen.

After waiting for a spring, so many things have happened in the world...but it still does not hinder my mission!"

Liu Fan, who had just sat on a rock, could not help but frown when he heard this: "Zi Yi, this is a private meeting for us to go hunting, so there is no need to talk about those scenes... Think about it, since Zhang Lu surrendered, his mother is from Shuzhong.

How could my father easily release the few means that can suppress Hanzhong? Instead, it is you. There is a war outside, and it may last for more than ten years. It is the time for a man of unparalleled eloquence like you to return home and display your talents.

, how can you waste your youth in Shu?"

Jiang Gan was about to speak but stopped.

"Of course." Liu Fan continued, but couldn't help but laugh. "If you can stay in Shu for a long time, I will also be happy to let you accompany me to consult on political affairs, hunt and play, and even give you the benefits of your official position... After all,

, it’s hard for me, a person who grew up in a cultural center in the hinterland of the Central Plains, to deal with Shu people whose accents I can’t even understand. Moreover, there are really not many people in Shu who are as talented as you, Ziyi...

...It’s just that, Ziyi, what you have left in the north is not just a future, but also a lovely wife! I heard from people that your newlywed wife, Wang, actually moved to Hanzhong to protect you, looking south every day... What are you doing?

Why bother?"

The few scholars who accompanied him on the hunt, such as Pang Xi and others, were mostly young people who had migrated from the Central Plains and Jingzhou. They had already become familiar with Jiang Gan in the past six months, and they laughed and joked after hearing his words.

And Jiang Qian rarely blushed in the bamboo forest: "It is precisely because I left my wife and waited in Hanzhong, but I feel more and more that I can't give up halfway, otherwise I will have no words to meet my wife!"

Everyone laughed more and more, and Liu Fan shook his head: "What are you waiting for? How could my father release Mother Zhang?"

"Actually, I have given up hope on Liu Yizhou himself for a long time." Jiang Gan looked serious and calmed down. "What I am waiting for is that Liu Bodao, the eldest son of Liu Yi, has established a firm foothold in Shu. At that time, he may be able to control the Zhang Mansion.

Your mother brought her back to Hanzhong."

Everyone's laughter stopped suddenly, and even Liu Fan was rarely startled: "You are waiting for me, do you think I will help you?"

"It's not to help me, but to help you understand yourself." Jiang Qian said sincerely.

Liu Fan laughed again when he saw this: "If I don't argue with Ziyi, I will be ridiculed in the history books..."

"Since ancient times, the reason why the so-called scholars can achieve success has never been because of their sharp words, but because the big men themselves have some ideas, and the scholars can just clarify the clues for them. And if those big men themselves are as stone-hearted and magnanimous,

, magnanimous and noble, how can he be swayed just because others say a few words?" Under the shade, maybe because there was a bonfire in the open space in front of the bamboo forest, Jiang Gan stood up and took a few steps back, leaning on

Sitting on a big bamboo pole, and still talking eloquently. "On the other hand, if you are afraid of the so-called discriminatory words and are not even willing to listen to them, it can only mean that some important people appear to have a calm temperament on the surface, but in fact they already have a vague desire in their hearts.

I have no idea, I just deliberately avoid covering it up... Bo Dao, let's go to Shu and have a good relationship, can you really hide your affairs from me?"

Liu Fan looked embarrassed, but stopped arguing. Pang Xi and others looked at each other and couldn't help but bow their heads and keep silent.

"In that case, I'm just going to show off my rhetoric!" Seeing this, Jiang Gan calmed down and handed over his hands. "First, is the security of Shu really tied to the mother of a Hanzhong prefect? ​​All of you are

People who have read poetry and books, do they still need to teach some truths here? From a general point of view, the security of Shu depends on the virtue of the rulers and the people of Shu.

Taking Qianshi's mother as a hostage is an immoral act and an act that is unpopular with people! It is inappropriate."

After saying this, Liu Fan's face tightened, but he was not angry. When Jiang Qian saw this, he couldn't help but feel calm, and continued to talk:

"From the perspective of the overall situation of the world, the peace of Shu depends on Duke Yan's thoughts and attitude of respecting father and son. If he respects father and son and remains respectful, and if Duke Yan does not attack Shu, then Shu will naturally be in peace. If the Central Plains are really settled, Duke Yan will make a decision

If you are determined to conquer Shu, will the world's plans be changed just because the mother of one of your subordinates has become a hostage? Bo Dao, others don't know what kind of person Yan Gong is. There is no reason to respect father and son, right? You hold it like this

If you don't let go of Mr. Zhang's mother, you will only harm Mr. Yan in vain!"

Liu Fan and others could only laugh for a moment.

"Ten thousand steps back," Jiang Qianfu stood up again and pointed his finger north. "We have entered Shu one after another before, and we have a sense of the difficulty of the road to Shu. If it is really necessary, wouldn't the safety of Shu be in danger?

Should it be placed at Yinping Road, Jiange, Baishui Pass, Jiameng Pass, etc.? And if we look at the situation again, in fact, if Hanzhong had not surrendered to my Duke Yan, then you would still be able to hold a hostage. Now that it has surrendered,

If the hostage is taken away, the hostage will be useless. It will only gain a bad reputation in vain, and it will also bring evil to my family, Duke Yan. And even if you really want to be on guard at this time, shouldn't you focus on the Shu Road pass? What's the point of holding a woman hostage?

thing?"

"Forget it!" Liu Fan sighed. "Seeing how good Yan Gong and Ziyi are, I will try my best to persuade my father when I go back today."

"I haven't finished speaking yet!" Jiang Gan walked around in the bamboo forest with his hands behind his hands, shaking his head in response. "I entrusted the mission of this mission to Bo Dao, not because I hope Bo Dao will look at anyone's face.

Please help me, but I am saying that as a human son, once Bo Dao is established in Shu, from the perspective of filial piety and from the perspective of a minister, he should take the initiative to do his best to send Zhang Fujun's mother away from his respected father!

Because although Zhang Fujun has surrendered, don't you know where his family comes from and what kind of person his mother is? And Liu Yizhou is obsessed with witchcraft and prophecies. Isn't that enough? As the son of a man,

As a minister, to what extent do you have to sit back and watch him make mistakes?"

There was a moment of silence in the bamboo forest. The waiter brought the rabbit leg that was roasted to perfection and even had a pinch of pepper added. Liu Fan pushed it to Pang Xi beside him, and Pang Xi took it, but he had no appetite.

After all, Jiang Gan's words hit their mark right from the beginning. If Liu Fan and others hadn't already had some ideas, how could they have scruples about Jiang Gan's words?

In other words, Liu Yan has been in Shu for many years, but there have been constant turmoils.

When he first entered Shu as a shepherd in Yizhou, he was trying to quell the rebellion. At that time, Shu was basically in chaos, and some thieves even claimed to be the emperor. At that time, Liu Yan was able to quell Jia Long by relying on the local tycoon's background.

He rebelled, then based himself in Mianzhu and established a state in Mianzhu. Then he got in touch with Zhang Lu's mother, gained support from some local religious forces, and took advantage of the situation to move Zhang Lu into Hanzhong, cutting off the connection between Sanfu and Shu.

Road, and was able to officially dominate Shuzhong.

But soon, as Liu Yan enjoyed his wealth and wealth, he began to rely on Dongzhou scholars, that is, those who went into exile to avoid disaster, or simply came to join his third assistant, Jing Xiang, and the Central Plains exile scholar-people group.

The powerful forces of Shu took action, and Jia Long and Ren Qi, the governor of Qianwei (now Leshan, Sichuan), rebelled together. The two sides fought for a long time, but it was Liu Yanqi who was superior and the talents of Dongzhou scholars were better, so they defeated the other side.

After being suppressed, following Jia Long, Ren Qi's head fell to the ground, and the Shu area was temporarily stable.

However, Liu Yan was a bitch and couldn't stop eating shit. As soon as he was settled, he began to waste a lot of manpower and material resources to make the emperor's bicycle frame. Then he kept rubbing against his fellow sect Liu Biao at the state border, trying to infiltrate Jingzhou, but ended up fighting with Liu Biao.

In addition to almost all defeats in the contest, Liu Yan also attracted the arrival of his cousin Huang Wan. The latter came to Shu in the name of the imperial envoy, but almost played a show of severing the relationship in public, which completely made Liu Yan completely

Bad reputation!

That is to say, after Gongsun Xun destroyed Yuan Shao, the overall situation of the world gradually became stable. Under General Wei's repeated envoys to scold and urge Liu Yan, Liu Yan gradually settled down, but it was inevitable that the Dongzhou scholars and Shu locals would be in trouble.

The people were as powerful as fire and water, and they were constantly at war with Liu Biao.

But apart from that, what is most difficult for Liu Fan and others who have just entered Shu to accept is that Liu Yan himself is becoming more and more arrogant and extravagant, and he is becoming more and more addicted to things like prophecy and witchcraft!

You must know that the reason why Liu Yan himself went to Shu instead of returning to his hometown Jingzhou was because he heard Dong Fu said that Yizhou had the spirit of the emperor. How old is Zhang Lu's mother, and how old is Liu Yan? The reason why the two of them can

Put it all together, the identity of Zhang Lu’s mother, a witch, plays a big role!

Among them, what is most difficult for Pang Xi and others around Liu Fan to accept is that Liu Yan's third son, Liu Fan's third brother Liu Mao, followed his father to Shu in his early years. Because the other three sons never had any hope of coming back, there was a vague possibility that they would return.

However, after Liu Yan heard that the sister of Wu Yi, the nephew of Wu Kuang, a subordinate of He Jin who went to Shu with him, had the appearance of a noble person, he actually asked Liu Mao to marry Wu Yi's sister!

In fact, this matter is nothing, but what is embarrassing is that as soon as Liu Mao, who entered Shu first, got married, Liu Fan also entered Shu! Not only that, as Gongsun Xun divided politics into seven, and divided military into three, he annexed Liangzhou
To be continued...