Chapter 560 Showing Power
King Xiao Qing of Yueyang did not waste his time during this period. In addition to properly solving the finishing problems after clearing out the Du family in Jingzhao, he also managed to win over Xi Gu, the prefect of Qixing County.
Whenever a person makes a choice, there are always pros and cons. King Yueyang suddenly attacked the Du family in Jingzhao, and his method could be described as decisive and cruel. No matter how hard he concealed it, it would inevitably lead to speculation. When it comes to the safety of one's own life, it is natural that no conclusive evidence is needed to convict someone.
With the demise of this Du clan, other wealthy and powerful families in Xiangyang have also restrained themselves a lot. They no longer dare to directly contradict and anger King Yueyang, and of course they will no longer cooperate with him. Many wealthy families simply stick to their garden properties in the suburbs or switch to him. In this place, important tribesmen did not even dare to settle in Xiangyang City.
However, this did not have much impact on King Yueyang. After all, these wealthy families had a proud attitude before. Before, I looked down upon you, but now you are frightened, but the result is always the same, that is, unwillingness to cooperate.
Even in such a large Xiangyang, only three or five powerful clans can have the final say. For most people in Xiangyang, the prestige of King Yueyang has been established.
In the past, we were defeated by the enemy on the north bank of the Han River, but now we have regained the two counties upstream. No matter what the process is, the result is always exciting. It seems that as long as King Yueyang is in charge, even if enemies come to disturb him, it will not be a serious problem.
Similarly, some small and medium-sized wealthy families who were suppressed by the big families in the country and could not hold their heads up, since they did not have the ability to leave their hometown and create a new situation, all attached themselves to King Yueyang one after another.
Among them was the Anding Xi clan, where Xi Gu, the governor of Qixing County, was located. With the news from the Xi clan, King Yueyang was not trying to seize the territory that Xi Gu was guarding, but was just cooperating and doing business, so Xi Gu naturally had no need to refuse.
There is already a strong business atmosphere in Nanliang. Both dignitaries and ordinary people have the hobby and tradition of selling goods for profit. Although King Yueyang was the esteemed king of the clan, Xi Gu was a high official in Xinjiang, and they hit it off when it came to cooperative trade.
Li Tai was quite happy after learning about this situation. Recently, he also had a deep understanding of the geography and power distribution of the Han River Basin, and he became more clear about what goals needed to be achieved.
For Li Tai, he needs to transport the goods from Longyou to Guanzhong, then transport them across the Qinling Mountains through Ziwu Road and other roads to the Han River, and then go straight down the Han River to Xiangyang, where he can distribute them to the vast Jianghan area.
In this way, the various personnel arrangements he made in all parties are not isolated, and they can bypass the Guanzhong area at the core of the Bafu's rule and gather in the Nanyang Basin.
To achieve this, he does not actually need to completely control the entire Han River Basin including Hanzhong. He only needs to ensure that he can control the outlet of the Ziwu Road on the south side of the Qinling Mountains.
During the Three Kingdoms period, this area had a regional concept called Dongsanjun, which refers to the three counties in the east of Han Dynasty, namely Xicheng, Shangyong, and Fangling. These three counties are the east gate of Hanzhong and the west window of Jingxiang. If you have this border, you can travel east and west smoothly.
Li Tai wanted to acquire the Han River trade route, but Shangyong and Fangling were redundant. It would be better to get them, but these two places were not related to success or failure. The most important thing was Xicheng.
Xicheng was renamed Weixing County during the Cao Wei Dynasty. Later dynasties analyzed the eastern border of Weixing County as Qixing County and the western border as Ankang County. The southern exit of Ziwu Road leads directly to Ankang County. In other words, as long as Ankang County is captured, the Longyou-Guanzhong-Hanshui-Jingxiang trade route will be opened.
But it was Li Qianzhe, the governor of Ankang, who was a rather troublesome existence.
Ankang County is affiliated to Liangzhou, and Yueyang King Xiao Jin has no jurisdiction over it. Moreover, the Li Qianzhe clan was powerful and the most powerful local force in its territory. The whole clan had been loyal to the Southern Dynasty for generations, and they might not be willing to have any interests with Li Tai, a general of the Western Dynasty.
Of course, this latter point is only a worry for King Yueyang himself. This guy is already rebellious and quite confident in the appeal of Nanliang Legal System. But Li Tai knew that Li Qianzhe not only defected to the Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties, but also worked very vigorously, and there was absolutely no way he would be unwilling to secretly communicate with the Western Dynasty.
But this is something in the future after all. At that time, Nanliang was already in chaos, and the Western Wei army entered Hanzhong. Li Qianzhe gathered a crowd to defend himself and surrendered to the Western Wei after being defeated. This is naturally not possible now.
Therefore, if you want to drag Li Qianzhe onto this pirate ship, you still have to think carefully about what to do.
Of course, force is not enough. If Xiao Jin dares to send troops up the Han River, he is afraid that before he reaches Ankang County, his retreat in Xiangyang will be captured by Xiao Yi, the king of Xiangdong in Jiangling. Moreover, the situation there is dangerous and the people's sentiments are fierce. It is by no means a place that can be easily conquered.
The chance of sending a messenger to communicate is slim. The King of Yueyang and Li Qianzhe are not familiar with each other at all. It was a chance meeting, but suddenly they had to drag each other out to have a big dinner. No one would agree to this. It won't help to say it superficially, but it will inevitably scare the snake away if it is too profound. The scale is really difficult to grasp.
Li Tai didn't have any good ideas about this, so he asked Cai Dabao seriously about Li Qianzhe, hoping to find some controllable and exploitable situations.
At first, Cai Dabao didn't agree with King Yueyang and Li Tai's activities of cooperating with each other and trespassing, but as King Yueyang got on the road, he knew that he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. Although these bribery of important ministers in the court concealed the immediate crisis, the hidden dangers still existed, and they could only seize the time to strengthen themselves.
So when faced with Li Tai's inquiry, he did not dare to hide anything and answered seriously: "Li Qianzhe is a man who is smart, resourceful and knowledgeable. His family is rich and his character is luxurious. Because his land is rich in gold, , so they can support themselves generously. They live in no fixed place, and build large mansions along both sides of the Han River. They have concubines, children and servants, and their children are all adopted..."
The more Li Tai listened, the more uncomfortable he felt. A voice kept ringing in his mind, he must be tricked!
After hearing Cai Dabao's introduction, he remembered that Ankang in southern Shaanxi was originally a famous gold mining area, and was even named Jinzhou at one time. This Li Qianzhe is the real deal. He has a mine in his family, is rich and powerful, and yet he behaves in such a high-profile manner. It would be really unacceptable if we don't deal with him severely!
"Hearing his words and deeds, it seems that he is not a cautious person. Can Cai Shenjun think that he can send a brave man who is good at fighting to trap him, tie him to the east, and then send him back to the country after discussing the matter?"
Li Tai suppressed the resentment in his heart and thought about it carefully before saying to Cai Dabao, since he can't do it hard and he can't grasp the scale of soft, then it's better to use both soft and hard tactics and kidnap the person directly before doing anything. Intimidation and inducement.
"Is this, is this a bit reckless and dangerous? If the trap fails, we will become enemies of each other, and we are afraid that the incident will be leaked to the outside world, which will cause more troubles. What's more, if you extend it to be disrespectful, they will be full of resentment, so how can you Are you planning to work together? Even if you compromise for a moment, you will probably have second thoughts again after you return!"
Cai Dabao was startled by Li Tai's whimsical idea. After thinking for a while, he replied that he was not optimistic about Li Tai's strategy.
Li Tai also knew that this idea was a bit unreliable. Li Qianzhe's behavior was so hateful. If he had not taken any precautions about his own safety, he would have died countless times, trying to successfully kidnap people in his lair. Taking it away is easier said than done.
But apart from that, how can we get an opportunity to communicate face-to-face with the other party and convince them?
Li Tai knew what Li Qianzhe's deeds were after the Hou Jing Rebellion, and he understood that there was no possibility that such a powerful chief in the area would swear allegiance to the Southern Dynasty, and he would always put his own rights and interests first.
Therefore, as long as the two parties can meet and communicate, Li Tai is very sure that he can persuade them to join his great cause. But the biggest problem now is how to meet.
"Actually, in fact, my king also has a plan for this. If Governor Li can give another batch of the frosted sugar wonders shown before to Li Qianzhe, he will surely be able to lure him out of the nest and come east to inquire..."
Seeing Li Tai's frown, Cai Dabao spoke cautiously and tentatively.
When Li Tai heard this, he felt happy in his heart. He understood that this was because King Yueyang wanted to test his own falsehood and try to take greater initiative in cooperation. After all, this was what prompted him to embark on this path. the most critical reason.
After pondering for a while, he then said: "There is indeed some leftover sugar candy that I brought with me when I went to the town. If the king needs it, I can give it to you at any time. But if you say that you can use this to lure Li Qianzhe to come east, I'll tell you. I thought it was unnecessary.
To conspire and work with thieves and gangsters of this sect, although it is necessary to make peace with them to gain benefits, they also need to show their authority. If they still don't know how to be reverent and keep their own territory, things will not last long! If King Yueyang has concerns and is inconvenient to act, I can send someone to do it for him. "
Originally, he was planning to give up this unreliable plan, but after understanding what King Yueyang meant, he persisted. Anyway, you will be offended if you offend others. What should I be afraid of? At worst, they will break up and give up halfway to see who will suffer the greater loss and who will be more unwilling to do so? Of course it’s all me, but I can handle it!
When Cai Dabao heard Li Tai's insistence, he also looked embarrassed and only said that he needed to discuss it with the king after he returned.
As for this little homing pigeon that shuttled between two places, he was still a good friend of his father. Li Tai didn't do anything difficult and still sent the gift out of the country, along with a bucket of white sugar, proving that he was absolutely capable of supplying a steady supply. .
After Cai Dabao returned to Xiangyang, he first offered the frost sugar to the king, and then conveyed Li Tai's wishes.
After hearing this, King Yueyang pondered for a while, and after a while he sighed: "Not all of Li Boshan's plans are in accordance with etiquette and legality, but after careful consideration, they are indeed reasonable. Li Qianzhe lives in the upper reaches of the nest, often in He is invincible. If his arrogance cannot be restrained, how can he be forced to bow down? I have thousands of guests, but they cannot all be roosters and thieves. We can capture them in this situation!"
I’ll update one chapter first, there will be another one in the afternoon. . .