northernbook Chapter 248 Jia Xu's Revenge in Progress! Besides Wei Yan, there are other gains.
Chapter 248 Jia Xu's Revenge in Progress! Besides Wei Yan, there are other gains.
Xiangyang
Jia Xu's residence
Along with Wei Yan, the five guards responsible for watching over him had long been fooled by Jia Xu into becoming complete idiots.
At this point, even if Jia Xu said the sun was square, these five people would definitely believe it without a doubt!
What? You dare to question Jia Xu?
Taste my fist, as big as a sandbag, Wei Yan!
Sure enough, Jia Xu was in a good mood today and told Wei Yan about what he had seen and heard in the Xiliang army.
"Wenchang, you must know that a wise person is one who understands the times."
"Only a fool would tie himself to a power with no future!"
Wei Yan suddenly realized:
"Mr. Jia, is this why you resolutely left Li Jue and Guo Si when you were their top strategist?"
Jia Xu nodded and said:
"exactly."
"When evaluating a power, don't just focus on its current strength; take a long-term view and look ahead!"
"For example, some local lords who are stuck in one place can only be dogs guarding the status quo, and at best they can only control one state."
"Sooner or later, this chaotic world will come to an end, and the world will be unified."
"Moreover, this process is accelerating."
"In that case, why not join a powerful and promising force that offers security?"
"Of course, the great power I am referring to does not entirely refer to his military strength, strategists, and generals."
"These alone are not enough!"
"More importantly, we need to look at the monarch's abilities and character!"
Wei Yan nodded in deep agreement.
This also drastically reduced his sense of belonging to Liu Biao's forces.
The term "conservative ruler who is trapped in one region" perfectly describes Liu Biao.
Of course, Liu Biao cannot be entirely blamed.
Such was the situation in Jingzhou; Liu Biao had to consult with powerful families like Cai Mao, Kuai Yue, and Huang Zu on everything.
In addition, Liu Biao was getting old, and his successor was not very capable.
Controlling the nine commanderies of Jingzhou and Xiangyang, and then slightly occupying a portion of Jiaozhou, was already the limit of Liu Biao's power.
(Wu Ju, the governor of Cangwu in Jiaozhou, was a man of Liu Biao and opposed Shi Xie.)
If Liu Biao were twenty years younger, he certainly wouldn't be in such a helpless situation.
But facts are facts, and assumptions cannot replace facts.
Both Liu Yan and Liu Biao were born at the wrong time.
When chaos descends and one is finally able to make a significant contribution, one is already at the age of fifty, and naturally cannot ask for more.
But Liu Biao was old, while Wei Yan was still young!
Gambling one's life and fortune on Liu Biao's power is certainly not a wise move.
Suddenly, Wei Yan knelt on one knee and bowed to Jia Xu, saying:
"I humbly request that Mr. Jia accept me as his disciple!"
"If Mr. Jia doesn't accept it, I'll stay kneeling here and won't get up!"
Jia Xu, feigning shock, patted Wei Yan's shoulder and said:
"What is Wen Chang doing?"
"I am but a prisoner of war, how could I possibly be your master?"
"Besides, I'm already quite old, and it's uncertain how much longer I can live."
Fortunately, it wasn't Su Yu who heard this, otherwise he would have definitely complained about this old poison master.
Here's a joke: This old guy only died three years before Cao Pi!
In Cao Cao's camp at the same time, only Yang Biao and Wang Lang, two veterans with exceptionally long service records, could be compared to Jia Xu.
As for Sima Yi and Jiang Ji, they were later generations.
After all, Yang Biao, Wang Lang, and Jia Xu are already around fifty years old.
Upon hearing this, Wei Yan immediately addressed Jia Xu:
"Mr. Jia, I entrust my life to you."
"If you wish to leave Xiangyang, I, Wei, will do everything in my power to take you away!"
Jia Xu quickly looked around and said to Wei Yan:
"Wenchang, you mustn't!"
How could I possibly harm you?
"Besides, walls have ears. Even if Wen Chang is willing, you are ultimately outnumbered and weak."
Unexpectedly, before he could finish speaking, four other guards came over and expressed the same sentiment as Wei Yan to Jia Xu.
As long as Jia Xu is willing to escape, they will do their utmost to help him!
Wei Yan then said:
"Mr. Jia, please do not worry. Although I am but a lowly person under Kuai Yue, my voice carries little weight."
"But I have a friend who is a powerful local figure in Xiangyang!"
"He just inherited the position of family head last month and is eager to make a name for himself!"
"He had always been dissatisfied with Liu Biao, which is why he never took up an official post or joined the army."
Upon hearing that Wei Yan had such a good friend, Jia Xu also became interested.
"I wonder which family in Xiangyang this friend Wenchang is referring to?"
Wei Yan replied:
"They're from the Liao family!"
"My good friend is named Liao Hua. Although his martial arts skills are not as good as mine, he has read a lot of books since he was a child!"
Jia Xu nodded repeatedly, and his escape plan became more complete.
The influence of powerful clans is far less than that of aristocratic families.
But this does not mean that powerful families have no strength.
They are more like nouveau riche; their political status is average, but their personal power is not weak.
For example, the Li Dian family was a famous powerful family in Juye County, Yanzhou, with thousands of servants under their command!
Yes, you heard right, thousands of servants!
While the Liao family behind Liao Hua was not as perverse as the Li Dian family.
However, among the powerful families in Xiangyang, they were considered to be quite strong.
The number of servants exceeded two thousand!
Liao Hua was not the Yellow Turban general as rumored.
The answer to this question can be found by comparing Liao Hua's birth and death dates.
If Liao Hua was a Yellow Turban general, then he would have been over a hundred years old when Shu Han fell...
There are definitely septuagenarians who went to the battlefield.
But the centenarian general followed Jiang Wei into battle, fighting bravely on the front lines.
That seems highly unlikely.
Historical records clearly state that Liao Hua's family was a powerful local clan in Zhonglu County, Xiangyang.
He followed Liu Bei after Liu Bei became the ruler of Jingzhou.
Moreover, Liao Hua was not only a general who charged into battle, but also a cultured man!
He served as the chief clerk under Guan Yu and has a clear record of handling internal affairs.
They were doing the work of Xun Yu's herd of cattle and horses!
Could this kind of work be done by a Yellow Turban rebel who is illiterate and only knows how to charge into battle?
now.
After listening to Wei Yan's introduction of Liao Hua and the Liao family, Jia Xu had a plan in mind.
Two thousand servants?
That's enough, that's enough!
Damn you, Kuai Yue! I, Old Jia, have been holding back for so long, do you really think I'm a soft-shelled turtle?
Just you wait and see, I, Old Jia, will make you run for your life. From now on, I'll take your surname!
……
in a few days
As night falls
Kuai Yue hurriedly entered the mansion, preparing to make love with his newly acquired concubine.
Kuai Yue has been happy again these past two days.
As a famous land of fish and rice, Jingzhou has seen an increase in labor force as more and more people from the north, especially the Guanzhong region, have fled there.
It's not that Jingzhou lacks arable land, but rather that it doesn't have enough manpower.
If fully developed, Jingzhou's grain output could probably rival any of the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty, except for Yangzhou and Jiaozhou.
After all, Jingzhou is located at a latitude where crops can be harvested twice a year, and its water and land transportation is extremely convenient, with a large amount of arable land.
In later generations, during the reign of Zhang Juzheng of the Ming Dynasty, the Lianghu region of Jingzhou truly achieved the goal of "when Lianghu is prosperous, the whole country is prosperous".
Many northern states, especially the border states of Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Liangzhou, could only harvest once a year, and their soil was far less fertile than the paddy fields of Jingzhou.
The more grain there is, the more taxes a powerful family like Kuai Yue and Cai Mao can collect.
Kuai Yue was naturally happy that he had more money even though he hadn't done anything!
however.
Just as Kuai Yue entered the room, ready to make a big splash.
Soaring flames flickered throughout Xiangyang City!
The flames were brightest and most concentrated around Kuai Yue's residence!
……