Chapter 328: The Hard Road to Shu

Liu Zheng's move of cutting hair in place of a head was truly something that made people slam the table in admiration.

Everyone in the Longyan Dynasty was astonished by his wit.

Humiliate you by a hand, spare you by a hand.

The measure of this control was just right.

Far away in Jinghua, Zheng Fu, upon hearing that the people of the Zheng Family had only had their hair cut and their lives were safe, nearly cried with joy. However... this cutting of hair was likewise a tremendous humiliation.

Therefore.

At this moment, she was simply both happy and angry, her mood extremely complex.

"This Prefect Liu, Prefect Liu..."

But thinking of this Prefect Liu, a dense murderous intent still flashed through her eyes as she gritted her teeth and roared in a low voice.

No matter what, publicly rebuking the Third Prince and ignoring the Empress's majesty was already a set-in-stone fact. Although a final thread of leeway had been left, the enmity between the Empress and this Liu Dahao, this Prefect Liu, had been sown.

Happy.

Of course, there were plenty of people.

Crown Prince Xie Fang had been triumphant and incomparably arrogant these past few days. Everywhere he went, he was bragging: "Did you see that? That Prefect Liu is my die-hard buddy!"

"Publicly showing no face to Xie Ling this time was him backing me!"

"No matter!"

"As long as I, Xie Fang, am here, I will surely keep Liu Zheng safe!"

This thing was completely like the stock market of later generations. At this time, those who had been wavering between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, seeing such a trend, immediately defected to the Crown Prince's side. Who could blame them when the prospects were good? This Western Regions Commissioner was now a person of high position and great power; with the situation of the husband relying on the son's status, the attitude of Prefect Liu naturally represented the trend of a major province like Liangzhou.

With such a formidable person following the Crown Prince, if they didn't bet on the Crown Prince, who would they bet on?

Bet on him!

Bound to rise!

This left the old Emperor somewhat unable to laugh or cry.

Could it be that his own Crown Prince really was blessed by heaven, a fool with a fool's luck? This muddled alliance with Prefect Liu had brought him unimaginable benefits.

At this time, Liu Zheng naturally had no time or heart to attend to those things.

Because the bloodshed in Liangzhou had already begun. Executing over three thousand corrupt officials was not a matter of a day or two. The first to be executed was Ying Rong.

He was the local bigwig who, when the Liu father and son entered Liangzhou, was the first to rebel against Chen Ping and deliver the hog-tied Chen Ping to show his allegiance.

At this moment, he was the first to be executed.

Fate is just so fickle, so sigh-inducing.

On the execution ground.

Ying Rong, with disheveled hair, angrily rebuked the heavens: "The ancestral temples and the state are destroyed in a single day!"

"Oh heavens, the sky is about to change!"

With one stroke of the blade, his roaring sound came to an abrupt end. His head fell to the ground; although he could not be counted as a hero of an era, he had influenced the landscape of Liangzhou for many years. The flesh and blood of such a figure were once again swarmed upon and divided by the commoners holding steamed buns.

Ying Rong's death truly signaled that the sky over Liangzhou was about to change.

Thus.

The land of Yongliang officially fell into the control of the Liu father and son.

Whether it was the officialdom or the military, everything was firmly under their control. The growing pains of losing over three thousand officials would exist, but fortunately, the key departments were quickly filled by people from the Zhou Family and the Powerful Clans who had previously been suppressed by Ying Rong, so the various departments and institutions were not truly left empty.

As for the others...

A few days ago, the news that Liangzhou was about to hold its first Imperial Examination had already spread throughout the entire Longyan. That's right, not just Liangzhou, but people from the entire Longyan could come to participate.

Prefect Liu's eloquent and impassioned Declaration of War for the Imperial Examination made scholars and literati across the world pack their bags, bring their dry rations, and rush to Liangzhou.

Want to become an official?

Come to Liangzhou!

Want to get ahead with a specialized skill?

Come to Liangzhou!

Want to use your martial prowess to serve the country and realize your life's value?

Come to Liangzhou!

In the past, the Imperial Examination of the Western Regions Protectorate had already made people envious. This time, the Imperial Examination in Liangzhou stirred up a frenzy throughout the entire Longyan Dynasty.

This atmosphere was just as Xie Tianyao had said.

It came alive.

The entire Longyan Dynasty seemed to have come alive.

It was revitalized.

It was revitalized by this Prefect Liu! Not just the economy, not just the military, not just commerce, but more importantly, the hearts of the people!

Xie Tianyao.

Sat alone in the Yangxin Hall.

At this moment, there was no one by his side.

He just sat there, quietly watching the chessboard before him.

He seemed to know that the Longyan Dynasty had seemingly found a correct path it should follow.

However...

He gave a miserable smile and, once again, began a violent, heart-wrenching cough.

Would he still be able to live to see that day?

Prefect Liu, oh Prefect Liu...

Why were you not born a few years earlier?

What am I to do with you?

Keep...

Or kill!

At this moment.

Qin Zhangfeng led an army of fifty thousand, riding the Yinzhou ships, breaking through the waves, heading straight down to Chuan Shu.

The Waterway began to grow increasingly narrow; unlike the width and smoothness of the Han River, after entering Chuan Shu, the difficulty of the Shu roads was not only manifested in those towering mountains and treacherous mountain paths. This Waterway was the same; the Yinzhou ships had a deep draft, and occasionally they would be unable to proceed normally, or even run aground.

Qin Zhangfeng stood at the bow, gazing into the distance, and sighed deeply: "The paths of Chuan Shu are truly easy to defend and hard to attack; if Chuan Shu is lost, Hanzhong will be as flat as a plain!"

Deputy General Liang Chen echoed from the side: "That is why the Prince of Yong in Hanzhong is indeed far-sighted."

Another deputy general sneered: "General Liang, that is not the case. Those Southern Barbarians are nothing but a group of bandits! It was sheer dumb luck that they managed to occupy the city of Jiangzhou; who would worry about them attacking Zhongyuan?"

The generals burst into laughter.

Liang Chen also scratched his head. This was true; since ancient times, these barbarians had always played the role of bandits and robbers. If they were truly given a city to govern, they could not govern it well. In other words, they were savages who drank blood and ate raw meat, and whatever they did, they had absolutely no system or rules. Otherwise, how could they, in a fertile land like Dianzhou where it is Four Seasons Like Spring, need to come out every year to plunder grain just to get enough to eat?

Qin Zhangfeng also smiled: "But to be able to occupy Jiangzhou for several months, it seems they have the talent of a commander. Where have we reached?"

A subordinate scouted and replied that they were now half a day's journey from Jian Ge.

Jian Ge.

This is a place with a resounding reputation throughout history. It is also the first stop when entering the Ancient Shu Road from the north.

As everyone knows, in ancient times, there were only two ways to enter Shu.

One was the Yangtze River Waterway, but at this time, the Yangtze River Waterway was mainly used for transportation between Chuan Shu and the east. In Liu Zheng's Grand Canal plan, this Waterway would be utilized to truly allow the Waterway into Shu to connect directly to Hanzhong.

But obviously...

At this time, the section of the Grand Canal in Chuan Shu had not yet been excavated, so if one wanted to enter Shu by Waterway, one had to detour toward Jingzhou to enter.

In that case, the journey would be long.

For example.

Back then, when Liuxiu destroyed Gongsun Shu, he sent Cen Peng to advance along the Yangtze River. Furthermore, when Liubei entered Shu from Jingzhou to fight Liu Zhang, he also took this route.

However, this was not suitable for Qin Zhangfeng, who had set out from Liangzhou.

And the other road was this Ancient Shu Road.

It was the passage between Hanzhong and Chuan Shu, mainly referring to the Golden Ox Road, which is the Jian Ge Road. The function of this road was to connect Hanzhong and Chuan Shu, so if Qin Zhangfeng wanted to enter Shu, he could only pass through this road.

"Riding a donkey into Jianmen in light rain" refers to this Jianmen Pass.

During this period, the Waterway in Hanzhong had just opened up to this Jianmen Pass, so Qin Zhangfeng could only take the route to Jian Ge, then lead his army to disembark and switch to land travel.

Qin Zhangfeng nodded and smiled: "Tell the brothers, those who are seasick can be happy now. The brothers who are not seasick will have to suffer!"

Everyone laughed heartily.

The Shu roads are difficult, more difficult than ascending to the blue sky; one can imagine how arduous the upcoming journey would be.

Who would have thought that after another few hours.

The further Qin Zhangfeng went, the more he felt something was wrong.

But...

He observed for a long time, but could not tell exactly what was wrong.

"Call Lao Mou to me!"

Qin Zhangfeng suddenly shouted.

This was his first time leading an army along a Waterway, so it was necessary to be equipped with an experienced boatman. This Old Mou was a former native of Jiangxia who had come to Liangzhou to seek a position when the Liangzhou navy was first established. Old Mou had been well-versed in waterways for decades and was highly experienced. The many dangers encountered along this journey had all been safely navigated under his advice.

"General Qin!"

Lao Mou ran over, his face already grave: "It is said that there has been much rain in Chuan Shu recently; the Waterway should not be this shallow!"

Qin Zhangfeng's heart skipped a beat, and his expression changed slightly: "Are you saying that someone deliberately opened the sluice gates to release water?"