Chapter 1128: Visiting Relatives
Chapter 1128: Visiting Relatives (Part )
"At the end of the Xinmang Dynasty, our ancestor (Shen Rong) crossed the river from Shouchun and headed south."
"In the following generations, they were appointed as provincial governors, deputy governors, prefects, chief clerks, and prime ministers. However, during the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty, the Shen family remained faithful to their principles, respected the Han Dynasty, and did not make friends with the Sun family. They refused to accept the repeated calls."
"During the Jian'an period, Sun Quan summoned Shen You and Shen Zizheng to discuss current affairs. After the discussion, Quan was respectful. However, Shen Zizheng said, 'The Lord is in Xu (Chang),' and would never be used by Quan, so he killed him. He was 29 years old at the time."
"Throughout the Wu dynasty, only one branch of the Shen family served as an official, so they were not able to become part of the aristocratic family."
The person who spoke was Shen Zhen from the Wuxing Shen family. He was of the same generation as Shen Chong, but from a different branch.
There was another person present, named Shen Yan, the son of the Minister of the Central Secretariat Shen Ling, and currently the Supervisor of the Record Office of the Jiangling Shogunate.
Shen Ling was not from the same clan as them. His grandfather Shen Xian was the commander of the new capital of the Eastern Wu, the one that Shen Zhen had just mentioned. He used his own troops to fight for the Eastern Wu in exchange for not being liquidated.
His father, Shen Jiao, was also a military commander, serving as General Jianwei and the governor of Xindu in the Eastern Wu. After the Jin Dynasty conquered Wu, Shen Jiao was summoned to serve as the governor of Yulin and Changsha, but he refused.
And it was this "not just" that really caused trouble for the Shen family.
The Eastern Wu also had a nine-rank system. Originally, the Shen family was the only one to serve in the government, and two generations in a row had served as officials. These were all positions that the Shen family members had fought against Cao Wei repeatedly, shedding countless blood. But after the fall of the Eastern Wu, you didn't want them anymore? Outsiders would have thought that the Shen family was a loyal minister of the Sun family.
Once a historical opportunity is missed, it is missed.
Originally, they were not well received in the Eastern Wu, and they were not included in the nobility. After entering the Jin Dynasty, they were not properly appointed as prefects, and they were also not included in the nobility. Therefore, the Wuxing Shen family, a powerful family with generations of generals, was in such an awkward situation, which was as aggrieved as it could be.
Shen Ling served as Sima Yue's aide, and Shen served as Wang Dun's aide. This was a sign that the Shen family had realized that if they didn't make an effort, they might really be in trouble.
Without official protection, the more deeply rooted you are in the local area and the more followers you have, the more dangerous you will be, and you will be dealt with sooner or later.
It’s a pity that Shen Chong was unlucky and had no one to rely on after Wang Dun’s death.
Shen Ling was quite lucky. After Sima Yue died, he met a family general who liked his mistress. He then changed his allegiance and became a new noble in the State of Liang.
The Shen family is in such a hurry, it is time to consider moving closer to Shen Ling's branch - becoming an official is not just about making meritorious contributions, there are also some "wild ways", such as appropriately demonstrating one's united front value and rebelling appropriately, but Shen Chong obviously failed.
After listening to Shen Zhen's words, Zhao Wang Shao Xu said, "The Shen family is a family of orphans, how can they bear such humiliation? If they rise up and return to the right path, not only can they preserve their family property, but it will also be easy to make further progress."
Shen Zhen's eyelids jumped when he heard this.
He knew that this was a public promise and should be counted, because the Princess of Zhao was the daughter of the Shen family, and this was the guarantee given by Emperor Liang. In this way, it was not difficult to make the choice.
"Your Highness, this matter..." Shen Zhen said.
"No hurry." Shao Xu waved his hand immediately.
It was the first time for him to do this kind of appeasement, so he was a little excited and a little unsteady, and his speaking speed and tone were a little hurried.
But his conditions were too tough. The Daliang Zhao Wang, whose wife was from the Shen family, was very convincing: "Be patient and wait for the opportunity. Once the royal army marches south, we will start an uprising in Baling and support the royal army across the river. This will be the first achievement."
"When will the royal army cross the river?" Shen Zhen asked.
"We have to destroy Li Cheng first." Shao Xu said, "How much land have the Shen family's descendants stationed in Baling?"
"More than a thousand hectares."
"A little less." Shao Xu said.
"Your Highness, Jiangnan is not like the north." Shen Zhen explained, "A thousand hectares of rice fields require a lot of work. Excluding those who fight and defend, one man tilling more than 20 mu of land is already too busy to handle it. When I went to Luoyang a few years ago, I saw that one man in the north planted 70 mu of millet, which shocked me. After asking in detail, I learned that planting millet is not as labor-intensive as planting rice. 70 mu of millet can be planted widely and harvested lightly, but rice is not the same."
"So there is such a saying." Shao Xu exclaimed.
It's no wonder he didn't know these things. There weren't many places in the north that grew rice, only in Hanoi and Henan County, and he had never seen them.
"Is there any food stored in Baling?" he asked again.
"Not much." Shen Zhen said, "Most of the surplus grain last year was sent to Wuchang. I don't know how much will be left after the autumn harvest this year. Zhuge Daoming will send people to ask for it. It's common for officials to have seven and civilians to have three. Shen's troops can only make a living."
"Try to hide some of it privately and report a poor harvest." Shao Xu said, "What about the other noble families in Baling?"
"They do have food, but most of it is stored in forts and water strongholds, so it is not easy to take it away easily." Shen Zhen said.
This is the difficulty of crossing the river.
The Yangtze River is so long, why did they only attack a few key points since ancient times? No matter how strong the Southern Dynasty navy was, it couldn't block the entire river day and night, right? If the Northern Dynasty wanted to, it would definitely be able to send a group of people to the south of the Yangtze River before the Southern Dynasty navy discovered it.
But it didn't work.
For example, the southern part of Badong County is full of mountains and there are no proper roads. Even if you successfully cross the river, what can you do? The navy will come and cut off your retreat. Those who have already crossed the river will not get supplies, and they will only have a little food brought over in advance, which will be gone after they are eaten.
However, in the mountains, cavalry cannot be used, and horse-drawn carriages and ox-drawn carts cannot move. Are the soldiers allowed to march in armor?
Crossing the river to these places is bound to lead to annihilation of the entire army, so there is almost no need to defend them, just send a few people to monitor them.
If the Daliang army wanted to cross the river, the best choice would still be the Wuchang and Baling line. If hydrological and climatic factors were taken into consideration, it would be Wuchang, followed by Baling. This was also the key patrol area for the Jingzhou navy.
It is difficult to send people across the river while the enemy is napping, but there is still a chance. It's just that the enemy will correct the mistake quickly, and after missing the first wave of people, they will quickly block your second group of crossing fleets, and then the first group of people will become isolated.
At this time, if the first wave of people crossing the river did not have a strong enough fighting will and high morale, and could not get supplies in the wild, they would be doomed in a few days, and would either surrender or be starved to death.
If the defending side has a good army, it can use more troops to fight fewer, and attack by land and sea. The local nobles will know that the river has been blocked and will not easily surrender to you. Instead, they will help the government to encircle and suppress. In short, the home field has a great advantage. In history, after the Mongols formed a navy, they also crossed the river to reach the city of Ezhou. However, after the arrival of the Southern Song Dynasty’s land and sea reinforcements, due to the problem of the navy’s combat effectiveness, they faced the danger of being blocked on the river and cut off their retreat. In addition, they were not used to the local climate and there were many epidemics. The combat disadvantage was great and ultimately ended in failure.
The social situation today is different from that of the Southern Song Dynasty. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the society was relatively atomized, with many villages, and the Mongols could even plunder some food to supplement their military supplies, but it was very difficult to plunder now because there were forts everywhere.
Therefore, Shao Xu asked Shen to hide some food in order to avoid the situation where the troops who had crossed the river would be trapped without food supplies if the navy was defeated and the river was blocked. The fact that he could say this showed that he at least knew a little about military affairs and was not just gesturing at the map, but saw something beyond the map.
After hearing Shao Xu's words, Shen Zhen's evaluation of him reached a new level, and his evaluation of Liang Emperor Shao Xun also reached a new level.
Look at the children who are taught by others. They are doing things everywhere. Although they cannot be said to be proficient in everything, they do have some understanding and will not say anything that makes people laugh.
Therefore, he promised at this moment: "After I return, I will talk to my tribesmen and build some barns privately to store some food in preparation for the arrival of the king's army."
Shao Xu immediately smiled and said, "I will definitely ask for credit for the Shen family."
A smile also appeared on Shen Zhen's face.
Shao Xu added: "I am short of talents in my harem. The Shen family is my wife's family and will definitely be used in the future. The Shangdang Liu family is a Jiehu family. Liu Runzhong was able to serve as a minister. The Liu family is also a Hu family. They can be recommended and recruited. The Shen family is a descendant of the Miao people in Zhongxia. It will be easy for them to be listed in the Zhongzheng genealogy. Don't worry."
Shen Zhen believed this.
How could the King of Zhao not use his wife's family? The children of the Shen family have plenty of opportunities.
If by some stroke of luck, the King of Zhao ascends the throne and becomes the emperor, will Empress Shen's family not be given important positions? No one would believe it if I told them.
By this time, the atmosphere became much more lively.
Shao Xu took the opportunity to order wine to be served, and both the host and the guests were in great joy.
******
On Caizhou Island, Fu Bao held Shen's hand and walked beside a bamboo forest.
The two of them were chatting and laughing, and were very intimate - in fact, it was mainly Fu Bao who was talking.
"Does Wuxing produce tea?" Fu Bao asked in a low voice.
"I have never been to Wuxing, so I don't know." After saying this, Shen lowered her head and her face turned a little red.
Fu Bao looked at his brother's wife carefully, and suddenly smiled, saying, "I feel pity for you when you are like this. Nian Liu is really blessed."
The contrast between the two people standing together is really stark.
Shen was petite, with fair skin and a faint blush on her cheeks. She spoke softly and was very shy. She would often lower her head while talking, with her pretty face flushed.
Fu Bao's skin color is not so white, which may be related to her love of riding horses. Moreover, she has clear eyes, looks at people generously, and often has a slightly raised corner of her mouth with a three-point noble smile, as if there is nothing in this world that scares her.
She is a princess who has been spoiled by her parents since childhood, flattered when she grew up, and often gives orders.
They are not from the same world.
"You can't do this." Fu Bao smiled and said, "You are the wife of Prince Zhao, you have to manage the affairs of the palace. Even if there are concubines brought here, you have to make the final decision. If you are so gentle, you will be deceived by the subordinates. Nian Liu has a lot of things to do, you have to take the initiative to help him share the burden, husband and wife are one."
"Just like the Shen clan members who came today, they are not far apart in terms of kinship. After all, Minister Shen traveled to the north after he came of age, and he has many relatives in Wuxing." Fu Bao continued, "They are all our relatives, you should come out and meet them. Say some respectful words to strengthen their determination to return to the right path."
"Isn't it enough for my husband to come forward?" Shen suddenly raised her head and said with courage: "Anyway, everyone knows... everyone knows that I married the King of Zhao."
After saying that, he lowered his head again and his face turned even redder.
Fu Bao was overjoyed to see her like that, then he stopped smiling and said earnestly, "It makes a difference whether you show up or not. You and King Zhao will meet the relatives together, and others won't be able to say anything. Show some goodwill to the relatives, so that they won't feel alienated and don't have any wild thoughts. Maybe you can attract more people to come and join you."
Upon hearing this, Shen hummed softly, as thin as a mosquito.
Fu Bao said helplessly: "I really don't know what it was like on the day you and Nian Liu got married - hey, why are you in such a hurry?"
When Shen heard Fu Bao's "vicious words", she couldn't stand it and subconsciously wanted to pull her hand away.
Fu Bao quickly pulled her back and coaxed her, "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Wuxing must have tea, right? It can be sold for money."
Shen couldn't move her hands, so she kept quiet. After a moment, she said softly, "My father told me there was a copper mine from the Han Dynasty. People said there was no copper left, but in fact, it was still being mined."
After saying this, he paused and added: "Wukang once minted Shen Lang coins, which were made of copper produced in the copper mines on the mountain."
Fu Bao said "Oh", and after a while he said dejectedly: "I can't do this, Grandpa will beat me to death."
Shen found what she said funny, so she glanced at her secretly, her eyelashes fluttering.
Seeing her little look, Fu Bao said again, "Nian Liu is so lucky. I like you."
Shen quickly avoided her gaze.
"Forget it. Let's do some serious business." Fu Bao sighed, "Does your family have anyone who can grow and make tea? Yesterday, my sixth brother sent a lot of Qiang and Hu from Guanxi over. Many of them are slaves who rebelled and were demoted. They can be bought with money. I want to build a tea garden."
Shen was not interested at first, but after being taught a lesson by her aunt, she felt that she should change her temper, so she asked, "Is there another rebellion in Guanzhong?"
"Just the Di and Qiang tribes of Qiuchi." Fu Bao said, "My sixth brother is not a soft-hearted person. He has been in Guanzhong for some time. It seems that he has not been idle..."
(End of this chapter)