Hanzhong? Wei Taishou?
Originally, Lu Xun wanted to take advantage of this to control He Tang, but he didn't care about that now. He said directly to He Tang: "He Tang, right? You really have made a contribution this time. Why don't you be an inspector under my command?"
Zhou Duo followed and asked, "Hetang, do you know what kind of official a supervisor is?"
"Supervisor?" He Tang shook his head.
Zhou Duo smiled and said, "You are really lucky! The position of a supervisory official with a salary of 300 dan is not something that ordinary people can do. It is only one level lower than the county magistrate!"
The supervisor and Tang did not understand, but the county magistrate and Tang did understand.
Hetang immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, Captain, for your reward! Thank you, Captain, for your reward!"
Lu Xun glanced at Hao Zhao, then dismounted and helped He Tang up: "He Tang, from now on you will be my subordinate, so you must work hard for the Wei Dynasty!"
Three hundred shi... He Tang thought to himself.
"But it's hard to say how many of the 400 cavalry you brought this time can accommodate. This afternoon, I will order people to select them." Lu Xun added.
"Captain, these people in my tribe are all top-notch fighters!" He Tang explained anxiously, fearing that Lu Xun would recruit too few.
Lu Xun nodded and said, "That's true. I'll have to take a closer look. Hetang, go and bring Qu Ying here. We'll go into the city together later."
"The captain is right. I'll go right away!" He Tang bowed, then turned around and trotted away.
After a while, Qu Ying, who was tied to a horse, was brought over along with the horse.
Qu Ying's face was pale yellow, with white patches on his face and lips. He looked like a man who was malnourished and had not eaten much.
Since Qu Ying had been brought here, Lu Xun mounted his horse and told Zhou Duo, "Jin Ning, set up camp under the city wall. Let these Qiang cavalry stay here today."
Zhou Duo bowed and agreed, then turned around and arranged for the soldiers to do their work.
Lu Xun and Hao Zhao took He Tang and Qu Ying into the government office in the city.
On the way, Hao Zhao said, "It seems that what Lu Pan said before he left, that General Zuo mentioned that there were unusual movements in Shu Han, should be true."
Lu Xun nodded, turned around and glanced at the half-dead Qu Ying, then said, "The Wei governor of Hanzhong... are you talking about Wei Yan, Wei Wenchang?"
"It is Wei Yan." Hao Zhao replied: "I remember that when we were in Wudu ten years ago, Liu Bei sent people to contact Qiang and Hu to fight. More than ten years have passed, and who would have thought that in addition to contacting Qiang and Hu, Shu Han also contacted Xiping County."
"Your arm is so long!"
Lu Xun did not speak, but fell into silence.
The so-called Wei Yan was just a governor of Hanzhong. In the past, he led his army to fight against Liu Bei, but now he has fallen to the point of fighting against Wei Yan?
What is the situation in Jiangdong now?
……
After feeding Qu Ying some food and water, Qu Ying, who was lying on the ground, finally regained some strength.
Lu Xun sat in the hall without saying a word, while Hao Zhao stood in front of Qu Ying.
Qu Ying tried hard to raise his head, but he couldn't see Hao Zhao's face clearly for a moment when he looked up from the ground.
"No need to look, I'm Hao Bodao, have you heard of me?"
Qu Ying dared to rebel, but it was only because he was instigated and harbored hatred. In terms of ability and tolerance, he did not have much.
Qu Ying said with trembling lips: "General Hao, I have heard of General Hao's great name."
"You've heard of my name, yet you dare to rebel?" Hao Zhao snorted coldly, "This is the city of Linqiang County. You will die for the crime of treason, but if you can confess honestly to the court, your clan may be able to save a few."
Tears flowed from Qu Ying's eyes. He used all his strength to get up, kneel on the ground, and kowtowed heavily.
After bowing, Qu Ying actually started crying on the ground.
"You should take responsibility for your actions! Why are you crying?" Hao Zhao frowned and kicked Qu Ying over. "Tell me quickly! This general doesn't have that much patience."
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you." Qu Ying said tremblingly, "General Hao, last October, several merchants from Hanzhong came to me."
"At that time, I was wondering why the merchants from Hanzhong wanted to come to Xiping County. According to these merchants, the four counties in Hexi were occupied by Wei, and they also wanted to pass through Xiping County and travel westward along the West Sea to Dunhuang."
"These people said they would share the profits with me, and indeed they gave me a lot of gold and pearls, so I believed them for a while. But after they stayed for a few days, one day when they were drunk, they asked me if I wanted to do a big business."
"The merchant said that the Han people in the south are going to attack Liangzhou. If I can start an uprising in Xiping County this year, I can become a prefect if I can capture one county. If I can capture all four counties of Xiping, I can become the governor of Liangzhou!"
Hao Zhao had already frowned when he heard the word "big man". When Qu Ying mentioned the governor of Liangzhou, Hao Zhao could no longer bear it and kicked him again.
"Bo Dao, spare his life first." Lu Xun stretched out his hand to stop Hao Zhao: "Which route did these merchants you mentioned take to Xiping County?"
Qu Ying tried to recall for a moment, then said: "It was roughly from Hanzhong to Lintao, then to Heguan, and finally to Xiping County." After Lu Xun matched the place names Qu Ying mentioned with the cities he remembered in his mind, he said to Hao Zhao: "Bo Dao, I have a rough idea. This man is still useful. I guess he can do more good in Your Majesty's eyes after being sent to Luoyang in a prisoner cart."
Hao Zhao nodded: "Then let's spare his life for now. Should we send him to Xiahou Fangbo first, or directly to General Zuo in Mei County?"
Lu Xun thought for a moment and said, "Since Qu Ying has been captured, Bo Dao and your two thousand soldiers should also return to Jincheng. While the army is moving out, send fast horses north to Wuwei."
"I think that before this person reaches the Left General of Mei County, Xiahou Fangbo's memorial will be able to catch up."
"That's the best." Hao Zhao nodded. "After I lead the army away, Brother Boyan will guard this place. Do you still need my help?"
"It's okay, it's okay." Lu Xun said with a smile: "I already have 200 soldiers. Hetang has also brought Qiang volunteers to help me. It's okay to deal with the situation."
"Besides, with you, Bo Dao, in charge of Jincheng, I can stay safe in Xiping County."
"Hahaha." Hao Zhao laughed, "It should be so. But, Brother Boyan, aren't you planning to go back to Lingju?"
Lu Xun shook his head and said, "I won't go back to Lingju yet. Previously, the Protector of the Qiang was in Lingju because Lingju controlled the key area and was convenient for supporting the south and north. Now that Xiping has just been stabilized, it is time for me to comfort the surrounding Qiang tribes."
"I will stay in Linqiang for now! I will discuss these matters with Xiahou Fangbo and General Zuo."
"That's great." Hao Zhao replied.
……
At night, in Chengdu, in the Prime Minister's residence.
If you were to ask where the brightest place is in Chengdu late at night, it would definitely be the Prime Minister’s Mansion.
All kinds of military affairs, government affairs, personnel matters... big and small matters were gathered in the Prime Minister's Mansion. In addition, there were preparations to go north to Hanzhong. The already busy Prime Minister's Mansion was still dealing with affairs late at night.
In the lobby of the Prime Minister's Mansion, the oil lamps were still on.
Ma Su walked lightly into the hall. Not far away, Prime Minister Zhuge was still writing something at his desk.
Ma Su said softly, "It's almost three o'clock in the morning, Prime Minister, you should take a rest."
Zhuge Liang did not raise his head. He had already recognized Ma Su's arrival from the footsteps. He said calmly, "Wait a minute, Youchang. I am almost done writing this memorial."
Ma Su knew what to do and said nothing, just stood aside with his hands behind his back.
Not long after, Zhuge Liang picked up the brush and placed it next to the inkstone, while taking a deep breath.
Ma Su asked at the right moment: "Prime Minister, are you preparing a memorial for tomorrow's court meeting?"
Zhuge Liang nodded: "That's right. The original version has been written, so you might as well take a look at it in advance."
Ma Su bowed and said, "I obey your command."
Ma Su held up the bamboo slips with both hands and read softly: "The late emperor died before he could complete his career. Today, the world is divided into three parts, and Yizhou is exhausted. This is truly a critical moment for survival..."
As soon as Ma Su finished reading the first sentence, he was immersed in it and didn't utter another word.
Only after reading the entire memorial in one breath did Ma Su take a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Then he respectfully placed the memorial back on the table in front of Zhuge Liang with both hands, took two steps back, and bowed respectfully.
"The Prime Minister's heart is evident to all heaven and earth," Ma Su said in a trembling voice.
"What's the matter, Youchang? Get up quickly." Zhuge Liang stood up from the table and stepped forward to support Ma Su.
Ma Su stood up immediately after seeing this and said, "The Prime Minister's loyalty, talent and ambition are unmatched in the world today. I was just feeling sentimental at the moment and revealed some of my true feelings."
After hearing what Ma Su said, Zhuge Liang did not feel that Ma Su was exaggerating or being pretentious at all. Instead, he nodded with a feeling of being understood.
Ma Su could only understand three-quarters of it.
Zhuge Liang wrote these hundreds of words with his sincere heart. Ma Su thought it was natural to express his feelings.
Zhuge Liang said softly: "Everything in the Prime Minister's Mansion has been prepared. After the court meeting tomorrow, we will move to Hanzhong the day after tomorrow."
Ma Su nodded, and after thinking for a while, he finally said, "It's fine for the Prime Minister to go to Hanzhong, but I'm worried that Li Yan and Li Zhengfang are in Jiangzhong, so I'm afraid this is not a good arrangement."
Zhuge Liang looked into Ma Su's eyes and said, "Li Zhengfang is willing to go to Jiangzhou, then let him go. There are people who need to handle the affairs in the east. After all, he is a minister entrusted with the care of the young emperor. What can I do to Li Zhengfang at this time?"
"Now, among all the affairs of the country and the court, the Northern Expedition comes first. Restoring the Han Dynasty and returning to the old capital is the most important thing to do now. Other things can be put aside for later."
Ma Su cupped his hands and said, "The Prime Minister's demeanor is beyond the reach of my subordinates."
Zhuge Liang said calmly, "You Chang, don't worry. We will set out from Chengdu in March and arrive in Hanzhong in April. After the Xiangfu arrives in Hanzhong, it will take nearly a year to store military rations, build military equipment, and train soldiers."
"Next year will be the time for the real Northern Expedition." (End of this chapter)
