Volume 4 is in the ascendant Chapter 529: Changing Situations
"Just call her Bai Ningning!" Bai Tu said, holding the baby girl and sitting at the head of Xiahou Juan's bed.
"Well, Ningning will definitely be the best playwright in the future." Xiahou Juan looked as if she wanted her daughter to "follow in her footsteps."
As for the name "Ningning", Bai Tu had thought of it a long time ago - if it was a boy, he would be called "Bai Ning" and if it was a girl, she would be called "Bai Ningning".
That’s right, it’s to commemorate... no, it should be said that it symbolizes Bai Tu’s “missing” Gan Ning. “Commemorate” is a bit unlucky.
If everything goes well, Gan Ning should be able to return this year. Of course... no one can guarantee whether he can actually come back.
This definitely does not mean to say "I am your father" to Gan Ning, but it is a normal expression of friendship, just like Sun Ce and Zhou Yu now, their sons are named Sun Yu and Zhou Ce respectively.
The birth of Lady Ning brought more peace to the court of Chu State...
Although the pirates are still rampant, the special investigation team in Xichuan is already investigating, and the navy still has the advantage overall.
The only slightly disturbing thing is that Gan Ning and his 20,000 most elite naval troops have not returned yet.
As for the enthronement of Princess Ning, Bai Tu still abided by the rules he set and only conferred the title of "Princess". For the State of Chu, there was no additional reward, nor would there be any additional funding just because of the addition of a "Princess"... All gifts were used for internal expenses of the Chu Palace.
Bai Tu was not worried because little Ningning would not be like her second brother Lu Yan in the future and she would still have the title to inherit.
Firstly, children and grandchildren have their own blessings, and there is no need to arrange everything. Secondly... the various workshops invested by the King of Chu are huge, not to mention the huge wealth and power. Xiahou Juan also has so many scripts, right?
According to the "Chu Law", after the creator's death, the copyright can be inherited by the heirs for another fifty years...Xiahou Juan's copyright was not leased to others.
Compared to having a younger sister, what Bai Qing and Lu Yan care more about is that starting this year, their "carefree" childhood has undergone "earth-shaking" changes!
The two brothers are four years old this year, which means they are five years old according to the custom of counting age in lunar calendar. They are half a year younger than Deng Ai, whom Bai Tu first met.
It’s still a little early to learn to read, but... you should be able to start with the most basic concepts of numbers and the basic sounds in "Qieyun"!
Of course, considering that they are still children, Bai Tu feels that two hours a day will be enough, and adding an extra hour will not require too much emphasis on the musical cultivation and logical identification of the teaching results.
A special tutor from the Ministry of Rites was invited - after all, the content was so basic that it couldn't be more basic, and it didn't need any important officials to teach it.
Although Bai Qing and Lu Yan are too old to be taught by first-line officials, there are probably many second-line officials and officials with honorary titles who are willing to do this.
However, Bai Tu felt that it was not only a "waste", but also that if they were only trying to enlighten the students, they might not be able to do better than the special teachers since everyone has their own expertise.
In most county and village primary schools, one teacher is responsible for teaching each subject. However, as the wealthy King of Chu could naturally hire the best teacher for each subject.
Also entering the Chu Palace elementary school at the same time as them were Wang Lang's granddaughter Wang Yuanyuan, and... Deng Ai, who occasionally accompanied her in her spare time.
Naturally, these elementary knowledges were of no use to Deng Ai. Rather than being a tutor, he was more like a "class teacher".
Compared to the past, Deng Ai had long since put away his love for Zuan . He had become much more mature and stable, and had become the "other people's child" in Jinling and even in the State of Chu.
Although Deng Ai is only eleven years old now, at his age he learns knowledge the fastest and his mental strength is still in the development stage, but if he goes to Cheng Ji, it is almost certain that he will awaken the official seal!
It’s just that Deng Ai wanted to make a splash and... wanted to get his own official seal in the imperial examination, so he had been accumulating knowledge and was preparing to officially enter the officialdom when he was eighteen years old, which was the imperial examination in the thirteenth year of the Chu calendar.
…
Perhaps it was a stimulus to the Han Dynasty and the princes who assisted the Han Dynasty after Jiaozhou was annexed by Chu.
Although the Huainan area was relatively calm, the North Sea Fleet managed by Liu Bei frequently appeared near Donglai West Port and Donglai East Port controlled by the Chu State.
Border conflicts also frequently occurred in the land part of the eastern part of Donglai County.
Liu Bei suffered a loss because Gan Ning's troops seized the two excellent port locations in the eastern part of Donglai County when he first occupied Qingzhou.
Finally, several counties in the east of Donglai County were handed over to the actual control of Chu State, and "Donglai West Port" and "Donglai East Port" were developed successively, which were the locations of Weihai Port and Yantai Port in later generations...
In the six or seven years after Liu Bei, Marquis of Qi, gradually realized the importance of sea power, but he started late, had a poor foundation, and did not have advantageous geographical conditions. He only opened a port near Beihai County... and later Weifang Port, and also built some "warships".
However, according to Bufengwei's assessment, the "warships" built independently by the Qi army were at most at the level of the Chu State six or seven years ago - much more advanced than the Jiangdong warships ten years ago. But when compared horizontally with the Chu and Wei countries, it was a bit "hurtful".
In addition, the Qi army "very likely" purchased new warships from the Wei State recently. Although the number is small, they are still quite "decent" as the main ships.
The reason why I say "very likely" is because the Wind Watch didn't find any evidence, so I chose the word carefully. In fact, there is no other possibility...
After Gan Ning left Qingzhou, the two ports, several nearby counties, and the remaining navy were handed over to Lu Meng for command.
Because it was a non-local enclave, "Chudonglai County" did not carry out the reform of the two-level system of prefectures and counties, but still maintained the autonomy of the local prefecture governor.
Although Lu Meng, the prefect of Donglai of Chu, has not made any outstanding performance in recent years, at least he has not caused the State of Chu to lose an inch of land or sea.
Not only at sea, the so-called Han North Sea Fleet was kept in the waters near the North Sea and dared not show its head too much. In addition, in the face of repeated pressure from Guan Yu, the Fleet behaved neither arrogantly nor servilely.
At the most difficult moment, the battle between the two sides on land was almost on the verge of breaking out, but Lu Meng managed to hold it back...
In other words... not very eye-catching!
That’s right, precisely because “nothing happened”, whether in the State of Chu, the Qi Marquisate, or in the eyes of other parties, in the eyes of most people, Lu Meng has a very low sense of presence.
Not even as good as Ling Tong...
Especially in the past two years, Ling Tong has repeatedly fought against pirates in Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea, and has at least some well-known achievements. But what about Lu Meng?
He could only get the credit for maintaining stability with "no war in Donglai". Even if Bai Tu had not interfered behind the scenes every year, the Ministry of Personnel's evaluation of Lu Meng would probably not even be "A-Middle", but only "A-Lower" or even "B-Upper".
It can be seen that even though there was no dissatisfaction with Lü Meng in the Chu court, there was not much praise for him either. Instead, Bai Tu often used Feng Wei to convey some concerns...
Bai Tu had no choice but to personally "set the pace" and help Lu Meng gain points every year as his Highness the King of Chu.
Firstly, others don’t know, but Bai Tu understands Lu Meng. Secondly…others don’t know enough, but Bai Tu understands Guan Yu better!
Although Bai Tu had known for a long time that Zhuge Liang, whom he had longed to meet, had agreed to only travel with him but ended up being a "permanent resident" with Liu Bei, Guan Yu was still the undisputed "No. 2" in the Qi Hou forces.
Guan Yu can be said to be the only "Governor" in the entire Chinese civilization who is not a prince but still has real power - the Governor of Qingzhou!
This was not only the brotherhood between Liu Bei and Guan Yu, but also Liu Bei's trust in Guan Yu's ability, which was why he entrusted nearly one-third of the forces under the Marquis of Qi's mansion and almost the entire military and political affairs of Qingzhou to him...
You should know that in history, when Liu Bei entered Shu, he entrusted Jingzhou south of Xiangyang and almost all of his troops to Guan Yu.
Moreover, "at that time" Liu Bei pulled all the troops on the front line of Jingzhou to Xichuan. After officially falling out with Liu Zhang, Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei led their troops all the way from Wu Gorge to Yizhou.
Liu Zhang had just surrendered, but Liu Bei was once again fighting with Cao Wei in Hanzhong...
Normally, no matter who was in Jingzhou, they would focus on defense - after all, Yizhou and Hanzhong had opened up such a large battlefield and pulled away so many troops, and it was also the main strategic goal of Liu Bei's forces at the time!
At that time, ten years had passed since Cao Cao's disastrous defeat at Red Cliff. His strength had gradually recovered, and he was preparing to march south.
The first to bear the brunt was the half of Jingzhou in Liu Bei's hands, not to mention that the important town of Xiangfan was stuck in Guan Yu's north...
However, at this time when anyone would have "hid under the tower", Guan Yu resolutely took the initiative to attack, and won battle after battle for two years. In the 24th year of Jian'an, he took advantage of heavy rain in Xiangfan and the flooding of seven armies to kill Pang De and capture Yu Jin, shocking the whole of China and terrified the Central Plains!
In addition, Cao Wei's active preparations for war in northern Jingzhou were always driven by the exploitation of the people. The people of Jingzhou were leaning towards the south. While Guan Yu was unstoppable, people from all over the country rose up in arms and joined Guan Yu in the south.
The battlefield in Jingzhou even "stole the spotlight" from the battlefield in Hanzhong at that time. Cao Cao had been granted the title of Duke of Wei and was stationed in the Wei capital Yecheng, but the Han court was still settled in Xudu...
Guan Yu's military success made Cao Cao want to bring the Han court to the north to avoid being conquered by Guan Yu.
If the situation really develops in this way, not to mention the possibility that Guan Yu can successfully conquer the Central Plains...as long as Guan Yu can capture northern Jingzhou and coupled with Liu Bei's great victory in Hanzhong, the situation of Shu Han in future generations will be no less than that of Cao Wei.
However……
Just when Guan Yu's military achievements were the most brilliant, Lu Meng led his men across the river in white clothes and stabbed Nanjun from behind. Mi Fang and Fu Shiren, who were guarding the rear for Guan Yu, surrendered without any resistance.
Moreover, Lu Meng used a strategy of winning over the hearts and minds of the generals of Jingzhou Army. He treated the families of the generals well and spent more on them than before. He also spread the news. Later, the soldiers who knew that their old nest had been destroyed but their families were safe had no will to fight. Guan Yu was also defeated and fled to Maicheng, where he was eventually captured and beheaded.
From this, we can also imagine the feelings of Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and even the officials of Shu Han at that time.
First, there was a huge surprise on the Jingzhou battlefield, which they had not expected much from. However, before they could express their joy, they received shocking news...
Of course, although this "ending" was very sudden, if you look back on it, it was not abrupt.
Guan Yu resolutely launched the Northern Expedition when his main forces were all in Yizhou, which was incompatible with the overall strategy of Liu Bei's forces at the time.
The three-way balance of power and the alliance with Wu to resist Cao in the "Longzhong Plan" were not reflected at all in Guan Yu's Northern Expedition, and were even contrary to it. It can be said that it was unquestionable in terms of tactics, but not wise at the strategic level.
Given Guan Yu's aloof and self-confident character, it is not surprising that he would send troops after being stimulated by the good news from Yizhou and Hanzhong, and seeing the opportunity in northern Jingzhou.
However...the dispatch of troops by the Eastern Wu at that time was by no means unexpected.
Even if the commander-in-chief at that time was not Lu Meng, but Lu Su, who had a certain tacit understanding with Guan Yu and insisted on maintaining an alliance with Liu Bei, he would never sit idly by and watch Guan Yu's Northern Expedition go smoothly.
After all, there had been some disagreements between Sun and Liu over the ownership of Jingzhou. No matter how much Sun Wu thought about it, it was impossible for him to watch Liu Bei make huge profits in Yizhou while changing "allying with Wu to resist Cao" to "guarding against Wu and attacking Cao".
What's more, Guan Yu had not yet managed to "guard against Wu" - Mi Fang's surrender without a fight was indeed surprising. However, if Guan Yu was really prepared to "guard against Wu", he would never have put Mi Fang, whom he had always "disrespected" and even just punished, in such an important position in Jiangling.
It is conceivable that even if Mi Fang had a little bit of integrity and did not surrender immediately, but held out for a while, Guan Yu would have to retreat to rescue him. After that, the battlefield in Jingzhou would change from allying with Wu to resist Cao to jointly resisting Wu and Wei, and he would still be at a disadvantage...
Of course, Mi Fang's astonishing move even saved him from the "disadvantage".
As a result, Liu Bei's group also missed an opportunity for "prosperity", especially when Liu Bei, out of emotionality, ignored the dissuasion of important officials such as Zhuge Liang and resolutely launched the war against Wu, and suffered a defeat in Yiling. "Ji Han" was basically destined to be only "Shu Han".
However, even such a confident and unruly Guan Yu is now "forced" by Lu Meng to achieve nothing in the world of Cheng Ji, which is enough to show Lu Meng's ability!
If the Duke of Qi, or even just Qingzhou, was really determined to take back Donglai, the Chu State could only control the coastal areas at best relying on its navy.
The main reason why it has been preserved until now is certainly the "power of the Chu State", but Bai Tu does not think that with Guan Yu's temperament, he would be completely intimidated by the "power of the Chu State".
If Guan Yu had seen the opportunity and not given Chu time to negotiate and use diplomatic means, "Chu Donglai County" would have been gone long ago...
It can be said that Lu Meng’s achievements are so great that even Guan Yu’s achievements are not that great!
But now the situation has changed. As the Chu State becomes increasingly powerful and is increasingly distancing itself from other vassal states, "Jiaozhou's annexation to Chu" has become the last straw...
The Duke of Qi began to cooperate with the State of Wei. The North Sea Fleet of the Han Dynasty, which the Duke of Qi strongly advocated to establish, the Bohai Sea Fleet of Wei, and... the unclaimed civilian pirates, reached a certain consensus in the Bohai Sea and the East China Sea.
In addition to the "Chu Donglai County", it also has to face the pressure of increasingly tense land conflicts. Since last year, Donglai's navy has been unable to completely block the entrances and exits of the Bohai Sea and the East China Sea - this is why pirates appeared in Lianzhou Hu and Yizhou last year!
After the North Sea Fleet received new warships this year, it began to move around in the waters near Donglai, as if it was planning to cooperate with the land forces.
Without the analysis of other think tanks of Chu State, Bai Tu could see that what Donglai was facing now was not just Guan Yu, but the entire Qihou Mansion, and even the entire auxiliary Han forces behind it.
In Yongliang, Marquis Yong and Marquis Zhai, who had already recovered, or at least intimidated, the Western Regions and rebuilt the Protectorate, also began to gather their forces back to Longyou, and gradually showed signs of clenching their fists - and under the fists of Longyou was none other than Zhang Lu of Hanzhong, who said, "I am submissive in the face of Guanxi, but I strike hard in the face of Liu Zhang"!
Since the Battle of Badong, everyone knows that Hanzhong is under the protection of the Chu State...
At least it is a "weak point" that the State of Chu does not want to lose.
However, now the Chu State can no longer protect him with just its "majesty".
Shouchun, the frontier of Huainan and a former metropolis that served as a gateway to foreign countries, began to become increasingly depressed and the atmosphere became increasingly grim because of the "secret" attitude of the Marquis of Qi.
And compared to the tense atmosphere in Shouchun, the Chu State's frontier town of Wancheng in Jingzhou had already become tense at the beginning of the sixth year of the Chu calendar...
While "Jiaozhou's annexation to Chu" greatly enhanced Chu's prestige, it also seemed to have triggered some incredible switch. The year "Ningning" was born, Chu was not at peace.
Of course, nowadays, whether it is the State of Chu or the State of Wei, or other princes who assisted the Han Dynasty, the period of "going to war at every turn" has long passed. They are all princes with the burden of great power... The "switch" has just been pressed, and they are gradually starting to warm up.
