Chapter 16 Banquet
"The guilty minister traveled to Chu to pay homage to the prime minister!"
You Chu bowed in front of Zhuge Liang and apologized, his attitude was very sincere, and Zhuge Liang nodded slightly.
"Although you were still stubborn and stubborn when our Han army came, you can understand the truth at the last moment. It is not irrational to surrender to the Han army."
"However, I need to ask His Majesty for your instructions before making a decision. During this period, you will still be the governor of Longxi."
"Thank you, Prime Minister!" You Chu was overjoyed, which in a sense was a sign of trust.
The rumors that the Shu Han people treat others with tolerance are true, and I was not wrong in my bet.
After You Chu left, Zhuge Liang called out Ma Di and rewarded Ma Di.
This time Ma Di's performance was somewhat beyond Zhuge Liang's expectations. This proud boy actually persuaded You Chu to surrender.
It turned out that Zhuge Liang planned to persuade Ma Su to surrender and then Wu Yi would lead his troops to follow closely. When Ma Su failed to persuade him to surrender and was driven out, Wu Yi seamlessly attacked the city directly.
However, Ma Su was more useful than he imagined, and he really persuaded You Chu, a faction on the fence, to surrender.
"You Chang, you did a great job this time. You take the first place in winning Longxi County." Zhuge Liang saw Ma Di coming in with a dark face, pointed at him and said with a smile.
"I didn't expect that the boy who had been talking to me about the art of war would be so talented in sending envoys. If you can persuade this old and cunning guy like You Chu to surrender, your ability can be recognized."
The surrender of Longxi County allowed the Shu Han to finally fully control the entire Longyou. Under the natural danger of Longshan, the Shu army still needs to hold on to Longdao, and the entire Longxi will be as stable as Mount Tai.
The population of the five counties in Longyou is roughly estimated to be 500,000, and the specific household registration is still being investigated. As long as the Shu Han can digest this place and turn it into an advanced base for the Shu Han's Northern Expedition, in the future, whether it is to attack Guanzhong or to conquer Liangzhou westward, it will be much simpler than the northern expedition from Hanzhong.
The most intuitive point is that the Shu army's grain and fodder no longer need to be transported over the mountains and ridges from Hanzhong. As long as it is managed properly, the wheat produced by Longyou will be enough to support the Shu army's further northern expedition.
However, Zhuge Liang's easy-going attitude did not put Ma Su in a good mood. He was silent for a while and suddenly spoke.
"Prime Minister, do you know what kind of person You Chu is? Are you comfortable letting him continue to be the governor of Longxi?"
Zhuge Liang frowned slightly when he heard Ma Su's tone.
"Looks like what did you see?"
"Longxi County has maintained martial law and war readiness because he stood on the fence and refused to surrender. However, You Chu himself was not very capable, so he forced the people's food to go to war."
"After I arrived in Longxi County, I saw countless people on the streets who had to queue up to get porridge. Many people had starved to death." Ma Di said expressionlessly.
"Really? Then he won't have any doubts about liquidating him in the future." Zhuge Liang nodded, not showing much surprise.
"But You Chu can't be killed now, and not only can't he be killed, but he must also be given a reward to praise his knowledge."
"Prime Minister, keeping him here is a disaster for the people of Longxi and Guizhou. Even if he is not killed, he should be imprisoned!" Ma Di said.
After hearing Ma Di's words, Zhuge Liang gradually became serious. He realized that Ma Youchang was serious about this issue.
"Youchang, do you hate him very much?"
"I can't say I hate you, but I'm disgusted with people like this who live in plain sight and look like monkeys." Ma Di shook his head and replied.
"Whether you hate him or not, now is not the time to deal with him." Zhuge Liang sighed softly and flapped the feather fan in his hand slightly.
"You Chu is an example, setting an example for Cao Wei officials. I want to tell them that as long as they are willing to submit to the Han Dynasty, past sins can be forgotten."
"We have few soldiers and food. Facing the entire puppet Wei, there is no hope if we don't do everything possible to weaken them. So I hope you can understand, Youchang."
For Zhuge Liang, what he now needs to consider is not just one county, but also the overall layout. Although Longyou has been captured, the overall national strength of Shu Han is still far behind Cao Wei.
The only advantage they have is that the Shu Han people are united and have a high degree of unity in their political and ideological thinking. On the other hand, in Cao Wei, there were many gentry clans, and the gentry clans in various places had great power, but the imperial court had limited restraint on them.
If You Chu can be used as a case to provoke the gentry officials on the border to have second thoughts, then the subsequent Northern Expedition will not be so difficult.
Once you recruit the Han's ministers, it will be much easier to deal with them. Zhuge Liang has been in politics for so many years, and his methods are extremely superb. The only thing he is not afraid of is the second or fifth son who has different intentions.
If it were Wei Yan, Zhuge Liang would not explain anything, just give the order. However, Zhuge Liang still cared about Ma Su.
The secondary reason is that this boy does have some talent, and the main reason is that his brother Ma Liang and Zhuge Liang are very good friends.
"Thank you, Prime Minister, for reminding me." Ma Di bowed his hands and said, turned around and left.
"This kid Ma Su is becoming more and more like his brother." Zhuge Liang watched Ma Su leave calmly and shook his head gently.
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"Prefect You, do you have time tonight to come to his military tent for a drink and a chat?"
Ma Di left the military tent and immediately turned around to catch up with You Chu who had not yet left. You Chu saw it was Ma Di and smiled politely.
"It's Ma Junjun. We meet again. Now we are both ministers of the Han Dynasty, and we will be colleagues in the future."
"But I'm sorry, I have to go back to Didao County as soon as possible to appease the people. I'm afraid I'll have to wait until next time."
"There's no need to be so fast. With the Prime Minister here, no one will dare to resist." Ma Di shook his head, grabbed You Chu, and showed a kind smile.
"Come with me. I have some things I haven't finished telling you before. The war just so happens to be over. Let's drink and talk tonight and talk about something that comes from the bottom of our hearts."
Under normal circumstances, drinking is not allowed in the Shu Army camp. However, now that the Shu army is stationed in the west county, drinking outside the camp is still allowed.
You Chu looked at Ma Su in surprise, and his heart became lively.
He had already heard that the soldier in front of him had an unusual status. He was a direct descendant of the then Prime Minister Zhuge Liang. This time, he has made great achievements, and his promotion is a certainty.
The other party is now coming to make him a surrender, which can be regarded as giving him face. If you can get familiar with Ma Su, you will be much more comfortable in the officialdom in the future than in Cao Wei.
As for what Ma Su had scolded him in Longxi County before, You Chu didn't care at all. What's the point of scolding him? As long as it doesn't affect his future and status, there's no harm in beating him up.
You must know that his family and children are all in Luoyang, but it did not affect his surrender to the Shu Han.
"Since Ma Canjun is willing to make friends with me, it is not convenient for You to refuse. I would like to thank Canjun for his hospitality in advance." You Chugong cupped his hands and thanked him with a smile.
"No need to thank you, I will definitely entertain you well." Ma Su's smile was a little more meaningful, and he patted You Chu's shoulder gently.