The Later Three Kingdoms: Slaying Deng Ai, and Reviving the Han Dynasty

How to choose? Jiang Wei remained silent, only gripping the hilt of his sword with his left hand. His hands were rough, the backs of which bore the marks of years of leading troops in the wind and rain.

After returning to Chengdu, he did a lot of work in an attempt to stabilize the court. But the effect was minimal, and most of the ministers did not trust him.

Zhuge Zhan wanted to seize his military power.

Liao Hua criticized him, saying something very profound: "An army is like fire; if it doesn't extinguish the enemy, it will perish. Currently, our strength is less than Wei's, and our intelligence is inferior. Under such circumstances, waging war would be very dangerous."

When Emperor Zhaolie founded the Han Dynasty, it was divided into three major factions due to various reasons: Jingzhou, Yizhou, and Dongzhou.

Jingzhou refers to a group of people, represented by the Prime Minister and Guan Yu, who attacked Yizhou from Jingzhou.

Yizhou needs no further explanation.

The Dongzhou forces were people who came to Yizhou from Guanzhong to seek refuge, such as the brothers Wu Yi and Wu Ban.

However, these three forces are not absolute. People's hearts are unpredictable; no force can truly unite. For example, Zhang Song was loyal to Liu Bei, while Huang Quan originally sided with Liu Zhang.

For example, Zhuge Zhan is now his enemy, and Lai Zhong is his subordinate. And they are both from Jingzhou.

As time passed, the forces of Jingzhou and Dongzhou became mediocre because they lacked a source of power.

The Jingzhou forces lost Jingzhou, and the Dongzhou forces lost Guanzhong. Without a large population base and without fresh blood to replenish their ranks, their talent pool couldn't compare to that of the Yizhou forces.

These two factions were declining and mediocre, but they ultimately supported the emperor.

The people of Yizhou were different. When Zhaolie entered Yizhou, he killed many of the local heroes.

The forces of Jingzhou and Dongzhou seized much of the land owned by the people of Yizhou.

Nowadays, people in Yizhou implicitly regard Qiao Zhou as their leader.

Jiang Wei was well aware that his enemies were most of the people in Yizhou, including Qiao Zhou.

Secondly, there's Huang Hao, and the scoundrels who rallied around him.

Political games are not about sweeping away enemies with one sword, but about winning one faction against another. Choose your allies and deal with your enemies.

Compared to Qiao Zhou's powerful force, which had both manpower and financial resources, this was a far cry from the vast influence of Qiao Zhou.

Huang Hao and his gang are a mob.

Moreover, he couldn't kill all the people of Yizhou.

His decision was to first stabilize Qiao Zhou and deal with Huang Hao, and then turn around to divide Qiao Zhou's forces among the people of Yizhou.

He sought to win over Huang Quan's son, Huang Chong, the Li Hui clan of Nanzhong, and those from Jingzhou and Dongzhou who supported him.

The ultimate goal was to stabilize the government.

"Eliminate Huang Hao first," Jiang Wei said, raising his head.

"Yes." Lai Zhong nodded slightly.

Although the two had made their decision, their hearts remained heavy. It was as if something invisible was pressing down on their chests, making it hard for them to breathe.

"I will not give up, I will not fall, I... I will definitely rebuild the Han Dynasty." Jiang Wei gripped the hilt of his sword, his fighting spirit not only not extinguished, but growing stronger.

............

On the wide but relatively deserted road.

A chariot was moving forward at a relatively fast speed, with six attendants in front and behind it: four strong men on foot and two strong men leading the horses on foot, all of whom were carrying swords and bows.

Seated in the carriage was a distinguished man, exceptionally handsome and with an outstanding demeanor. He was none other than He Sui, a student of Qiao Zhou and a renowned scholar from Sichuan.

He Sui's expression darkened slightly, and his left hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Qiao Zhou's actions were beyond his expectations.

Some things can be said in private, or publicized. But to carve such words on the main hall is going too far.

He was terrified.

"Master, we have arrived at Qiao Prefecture." The coachman brought the carriage to a steady stop and woke He Sui.

He Sui nodded slightly, stepped off the carriage on a small stool, and went directly into Qiao Mansion.

As one of Qiao Zhou's most outstanding disciples, he could freely enter and leave Qiao's residence simply because of his face.

After inquiring about Qiao Zhou's whereabouts, He Sui went to the outside of the study. He first tidied his appearance outside before entering and bowing to Qiao Zhou, who was seated in the main seat, saying, "Teacher."

"Sit down." Qiao Zhou smiled at his disciple, his face full of appreciation and satisfaction. His disciples and followers were all over Yizhou, but the person he was most satisfied with was He Sui. He Sui had contributed greatly to his current influence.

"Thank you, Teacher Xie." He Sui bowed respectfully, then sat down in his seat and pondered how to begin.

Qiao Zhou knew why he had come, and he spoke first with a smile: "Zicheng, you don't need to worry. In Yizhou, no one can kill me except the emperor. And the emperor is not brave and is easily swayed. There are plenty of people who will speak up for me and explain things to me."

"If I explain it well, even if I write it clearly on the pillar that Liu Han will definitely be destroyed by Cao Wei, Liu Shan will be deceived and will not kill me."

He Sui was still somewhat uneasy. Could a person really be so gloomy? But Qiao Zhou's composure calmed him down.

He nodded first, then lowered his head to think for a moment before standing up and sitting down next to Qiao Zhou. He asked in a low voice, "Teacher, in that case, why don't we send someone to contact Cao Wei?"

"Foolish." Qiao Zhou's expression turned serious, and he said in a low voice, "Sending someone to make contact would provide evidence. What if something goes wrong? My greatest skill is that I don't contact Cao Wei. But I am indeed working for Cao Wei to destroy Liu Han. When Cao Wei unifies the world, they will not forget my contributions."

He Sui's anger subsided instantly. Indeed, proactively contacting Cao Wei would have brought greater merit, but also greater risk. Now is good, now is good. As long as Liu Han falls, Cao Wei will unify the world.

Their merits would be rewarded accordingly. In contrast, the Cao Wei dynasty employed a nine-rank system, where powerful clans shared the empire with the emperor.

They will also become members of the gentry.

The flame that had been extinguished in He Sui's heart was reignited.

Just as Qiao Zhou had predicted.

Many people wanted to kill him, but none of them could.

Qiao Zhou carved these words on a pillar in the main hall of the palace, cursing Liu Shan right in the face.

It insulted Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang.

Not only did he escape punishment, but his reputation grew even more.

Although the political and public turmoil was intense, it eventually subsided in a strange way.

Many people were hoping that Liu Shan would do something, but they were disappointed.

The remaining support of Liu Han was finally completely shattered.

We have entered the darkest era.

............

"Our soldiers are already elite, and such a major event has occurred. Why is Your Majesty remaining motionless?"

Inside the military camp outside the Northern Royal Palace, Zhang Sheng, clad in fine armor and gripping his sword hilt in his left hand, stood atop a watchtower, gazing in the direction of the palace, a strange feeling creeping into his heart.

Inside the study of the royal palace.

Liu Chen sat on the throne, leaning against the armrest, casually looking at the bamboo slips, a bright smile on his face.

The first year of Jingyao, the second year of Jingyao.

The third year of Jingyao.

His power is expanding rapidly.

Because he managed Wangzhuang well, the corvée labor imposed by the imperial court became increasingly heavy. Many people from near and far who owned farmland were willing to donate their land to him.

His Wangzhuang estate in Chengdu now covers more than 5,500 mu (approximately 300 hectares). The population is also increasing.

At the same time, the land and population of Guangdu County, which Liu Zan, the fourth son, gave him, were also increasing rapidly.

The queen's dowry, his wife's family's prosperous county. His population and land holdings were also increasing rapidly.

Shu Commandery, Guanghan.

Outside the imperial court, his population, land, food, and property as the King of the North were already quite substantial.

Ironically, this blood came from the imperial court itself.

He's like a tumor, constantly growing.