Shu Prefecture was the smallest prefecture among the twelve prefectures of Yizhou, but it was also the prefecture with the largest population. Ba Prefecture was more than ten times the size of Shu Prefecture, but it only had a population of one million, while the population of Shu Prefecture had already reached 1.2 million. What was more important was that Yizhou's administrative office was not in Chengdu, but in Luo County. Later, because of the prosperity of Chengdu, Liu Yan moved his administrative office to Chengdu, although the two places were not far from each other.
Zhang Ren was from Chengdu, Shu Prefecture.
Since he was going to Shu Prefecture, he had to pass by Guanghan Prefecture, where Zhang Qiao was located. Ding Huai should have reported to Zhang Qiao when he first took office. However, due to the problem at the southern border, Zhang Qiao was already dizzy and did not have time to meet the newly appointed Hanzhong Prefecture. Now that the south had just settled down and Zhang Qiao had just returned to Luo County, Ding Huai had to visit Zhang Qiao in Luo County even if he did not go to Chengdu to look for Zhang Ren.
Zhang Qiao had been the governor of Yizhou for many years at the end of the Han Dynasty. He was not a very capable person. It could be said that Zhang Qiao was good at internal affairs, but he was not good at leading troops in battle. However, it was still a peaceful period. Zhang Qiao did not have any soldiers who were good at fighting. Even if he did, he was not a talent in this field. However, apart from this, Zhang Qiao had managed the economy of Yizhou quite well. In addition, during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Yizhou had not suffered much impact, leaving a powerful platform for Liu Yan. Moreover, Liu Yan and his son were also people who had more than enough to keep their promises. They did not have any great ambitions, but they could still use Zhang Qiao's foundation to make Yizhou's economy rise to a higher level, which benefited Liu Bei in the end. This was also why Liu Bei was able to recruit 700,000 soldiers in the Jingzhou war against Dongwu. With the economic foundation of Yizhou for many years, it was naturally not a problem to supply these 700,000 soldiers.
Zhang Qiao seemed to admire Ding Huai very much, because he was also a scholar who liked to recite poems and paint. After listening to Ding Huai's poem on the spot, Zhang Qiao liked Ding Huai even more. In fact, this poem was based on the second poem of Wang Changling's Seven Songs on the Army. However, for Zhang Qiao, who had just returned from the expedition, it was undoubtedly a description of himself and his homesickness. This made Zhang Qiao think that Ding Huai had tailor-made this poem for him. The border is in danger and the world is peaceful. It is always the old parting feelings of the southern barbarians. The border is in chaos, and the sorrow is endless. The high autumn moon shines on the city.
"I've long heard of Yuan Chang's talent, but I've never met him. I never thought that I would meet him today. Yuan Chang's talent is beyond my imagination. If my Great Han Dynasty could have a few more young talents like Yuan Chang, how could my Great Han Dynasty not be prosperous and peaceful?”From this sentence, it could be seen that Zhang Qiao's evaluation of Ding Huai was quite high.
Ding Huai naturally had to be humble."Milord, you flatter me. What Ding Huai has learned is only leading troops to fight, killing enemies on the battlefield, and treating the sick. Moreover, it is currently a period of peace, so there is no place for Ding Huai to display his skills. As for internal affairs and management, Ding Huai was completely clueless. All he could do was appoint talented people and grant them authority to govern Hanzhong. He hoped that he could have some achievements in the future and let the people of Hanzhong down.”
Zhang Qiao slightly stroked his beard with his right hand and nodded, as if he admired Ding Huai's modesty. For a good-for-nothing like Ding Huai, there were probably only a few people who could be so talented and humble in the thirteen provinces of the Great Han Dynasty. Zhang Qiao said,"It's rare for Yuan Chang to be so humble. It seems that Lord Ding has taught you well. "Nephew, you don't have to worry. Since you're good at leading troops in battle, it's not like you don't have a chance. The Southern Barbarians often invade the border of Yizhou and harass the residents of our border. I've fought with them several times, but I always lose more than I win. It's just that these Nanman people aren't suitable for fighting on flat ground, so they won't go too deep into our territory. They'll only harass the border and plunder before retreating automatically. Now that you've come, I can rest assured and leave the matter of pacifying the southern barbarians to you, hehe.”
Zhang Qiao was quite a character. He did not hide the fact that he had won less than others when he fought with Nanman. Ding Huai could not help but have a good impression of this provincial governor of Yizhou, who was rarely mentioned in history. Ding Huai was overjoyed by Zhang Qiao's promise. Yunnan was mostly made up of ethnic minorities. Once they were conquered, they would never rebel. At that time, it would be equivalent to planting a bomb in the southern part of Yizhou. Once he started to attack Yizhou, he could advance from the north to the south, and it would be even more convenient and fast to take Yizhou.
Ding Huai stood up and bowed to Zhang Shen.""Since Daren trusts Ding Huai so much, Ding Huai will definitely not let Daren down. As long as Ding Huai is given a year to train his soldiers, he will definitely be able to lead 20,000 soldiers and sweep through all of South Yue, making the people of South Yue submit to the might of our Great Han.”
"Good, good. This old master can rest assured with these words. Hanzhong is mountainous and has few people. Its economy is the lowest in Yizhou. According to the laws of our Han Dynasty, Hanzhong County can only recruit 20,000 soldiers at most, but according to the local economy and population, it can't support it. How about this, nephew will recruit 10,000 soldiers in Hanzhong, and I will transfer 10,000 elite soldiers from all over the country. There is no need for nephew to worry about food and grass. This is not a problem for Yizhou. In half a year, if you can quell the bandits in Hanzhong County, I can also ask the Emperor to let you concurrently serve as a soldier in Yizhou. In this way, you can lead tens of thousands of troops in Yizhou to wipe out the southern barbarians.”
Ding Huai knew that Zhang Qiao still did not believe in his own abilities. He would wipe out the bandits in Hanzhong three months later to see how capable he was. Ding Huai really did not put the bandits in Hanzhong in his eyes. If he could not even deal with such a small thief, he would not be able to survive in the Three Kingdoms Era in the future. Thus, Ding Huai generously accepted the order.
After bidding farewell to Zhang Qiao, Ding Huai took out Zhang Qiao's appointment letter. This appointment letter was not Ding Huai's, but Zhang Ren's. Ding Huai had specifically asked Zhang Qiao for it. If Ding Huai felt that he could subdue Zhang Ren, this appointment certificate was naturally unnecessary. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Ding Huai still did not want to use this method to subdue Zhang Ren.
Similar to Yan Yan's situation, the Zhang family in Chengdu was also a big family.
It was also Ding Huai's coincidence that Zhang Ren had just returned from Youzhou. Zhang Ren had been learning martial arts from Tong Yuan for five years and had been taught by Tong Yuan. His martial arts skills were already extraordinary. Ding Huai was also a martial artist. At first glance, Ding Huai could feel that Zhang Ren had the temperament that only generals of a certain level had. He was a little inferior to Pang De, on the same level as Cheng Lian, and stronger than Gao Shun and Xu Rong.
Zhang Ren did not understand why this prefect, who was far away in Hanzhong, would personally come to visit him at home. He did not dare to ask rashly and only accompanied Ding Huai to chat about things. Unknowingly, under Ding Huai's deliberate guidance, the topic of their discussion turned to martial arts. Zhang Ren was a general, so he was naturally very interested in this topic. On the other hand, Ding Huai wanted to subdue Zhang Ren, so he deliberately showed off what he had learned.
Slowly, Zhang Ren was very surprised by this fourteen-year-old prefect who spoke with confidence. Previously, he had only heard that his literary talent was unparalleled in the world. He did not expect him to have such high attainments in martial arts. He was probably much higher than him. More importantly, Ding Huai was familiar with the art of war and battle formations.
Zhang Ren was a smart person. He already knew that Ding Huai did not come to him to show off his knowledge, nor did he want to make friends with him after hearing his name. Instead, he wanted to recruit him. It seemed that although this person was young, he was quite ambitious and had already begun to recruit talents for his use. Could it be that he had the same premonition as his master that the world would be in chaos in a few years?
Although Ding Huai had been speaking with assurance, he still saw the change in Zhang Ren. He knew that Zhang Ren had already guessed his purpose for coming here, so he did not say any more nonsense and said,"Brother Zhang, Ding Huai is here to ask for Brother Zhang's help to sweep South Vietnam and remove the danger at the border of my Yizhou. What do you think?”
Once he joined, he had to be loyal for life. This was his principle. However, this person was so knowledgeable at such a young age. He was proficient in martial arts and the art of war. His ability was extraordinary. What was even more rare was that this person was highly appreciated by the Emperor. His future was limitless. Just by looking at the martial arts of the two people behind Ding Huai, they were not inferior to him. Once the Great Han Dynasty was in turmoil, this person would definitely rise quickly.
Having made up his mind, Zhang Ren stood up with a whoosh and came to Ding Huai. He knelt on one knee and clasped his hands together."Zhang Ren is willing to serve my lord and die without regrets.”
Delighted, Ding Huai hurriedly helped Zhang Ren up and said,""I have Bocheng, like a fish in water.”Behind him, Cheng Lian and Pang De also congratulated Ding Huai on getting another general.
In order to prevent Liu Yan and his son from harming Zhang Ren's family when they fought with Liu Yan in Yizhou in the future, Ding Huai moved Zhang Ren's family to Yinping County, causing Zhang Ren to be even more grateful to Ding Huai. This Yinping County had long been within Ding Huai's calculations, so there was naturally nothing to do with living here. Zhang Ren saw through Ding Huai's intentions and suggested that Ding Huai set up spies in Yizhou for the future attack.
Zhang Ren's words immediately reminded Ding Huai of something he had neglected, which was intelligence work. In the late Han Dynasty, where communication was extremely backward, intelligence work was extremely important. Without timely and accurate sources of information, one would definitely be at a disadvantage in the future struggle for power. Thinking of this, Ding Huai couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.
After returning to Hanzhong, Ding Huai began to prepare for intelligence work. A year later, Ding Huai's first batch of intelligence personnel was placed in Jingzhou, Yizhou, Liangzhou, Yongzhou, and Jiaozhou. Ding Huai was prepared to temporarily not send intelligence personnel to the Central Plains. After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he would send spies to the other provinces. Otherwise, it would be a pity if the intelligence personnel they had painstakingly trained died in the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
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