The Most Romantic of the Three Kingdoms

The economic leaders of Jiangnan are Jing and Yang.

Not to mention Yangzhou, but only to Jingzhou. The economy of Jingzhou is based on Nanyang and Changsha.

Nanyang County is next to Yingchuan County, which is actually the Central Plains. That is to say, apart from Nanyang, Changsha's economy is really thriving in Jingzhou. This can be seen from the number of household registrations in Changsha County. Jingzhou has the largest population. The most important county is Nanyang, with a population of more than two million at its peak, followed by Changsha, with a population of one million at its peak.

But even so, Jiangnan's economy is weak after all, that is, it has only begun to develop rapidly since this dynasty, so compared with the north, especially those famous counties with a long history in the Central Plains, such as Yingchuan, it is still not as good.

At its peak, Yingchuan County had a population of about 1.5 million, half that of Changsha County. Yingchuan County had seventeen cities, Changsha County had thirteen cities, and the number of county towns was also more than that of Changsha County. But it is far smaller than Changsha.

The area of ​​Changsha is several times that of Yingchuan. In fact, Changsha is still smaller now. In the early years, Changsha County was bigger. In the former Qin Dynasty, there were thirty-six counties, and Changsha County was one of them at that time. Changsha County covers an area of ​​more than 1,000 miles, and its area is almost equivalent to the entire Hunan Province in later generations. It can be imagined that it is large. However, with the development of Changsha County's economy and the increase in population, it was gradually analyzed and divided into many regions. Since the beginning of this dynasty, seven counties have been analyzed in Jiangnan for more than 100 years, and Changsha County accounts for three of them. Therefore, the area of ​​Changsha County is much smaller than in the past, but it is similar to most counties in the Central Plains. Than, but still a giant.

Therefore, although it has been said that Yiyang County is the county seat of Changsha, Linxiang, in fact, the two counties are still quite far apart, about 200 li. This should be placed in Yingchuan, 200 li, which is the longest in Yingchuan. The distance between the south and the north is almost the same as the distance between the east and west.

"Tai Shi Gong said that 'the south of the Yangtze River is low and wet', he is honestly not deceiving me, and he also said that 'the land is vast and the people are few', which is also true." Chen Yi sighed very much.

Cheng Jia sighed more than Chen Yi.

The size of Wei County is similar to that of Yingchuan. It is probably a little bigger than Yingchuan, but it is similar. The borders of Zhao State are narrow, and it is not as good as that of Wei County and Yingchuan. One Changsha is more than enough to accommodate these three commanderies and states. Chen Yi and Cheng Jia certainly sighed.

Xun You said: "At the beginning of the Zhongxing period, during the period of Jianwu Emperor Guangwu Province included more than 400 counties in the world, mostly in the Central Plains, and less in the south of the Yangtze River. From today's perspective, the reason why there are fewer provinces and counties in the south of the Yangtze River is inherent in the late Han Dynasty. Jiangnan is less affected by war than the Central Plains, but it is also because Jiangnan is vast and sparsely populated!"

If the land is narrow and the people are sparsely populated, then the provinces and counties can be combined into one county, which is easy to manage; but if the land is vast and the people are sparsely populated, then the provinces and counties will be too difficult to manage locally. . Just imagine, after Xun Zhen and the others entered Changsha, the Luo County and Yiyang County that they passed through were hundreds of miles in radius. For one county, it was already big enough. A county has a small population, but a large area, difficult roads, and many mountains, water, forests, and trees, so it is too difficult to manage.

Xun Zhen sat in the car and listened to their conversation outside the car. She lifted the curtain of the car, stuck her head out, and said with a smile, "There has been a difference between the north and the south since ancient times. Although Changsha has a large area, its household registration is still quite substantial. Compared with Wuling, it is already a Taoyuan. Now! Why are you 'complaining'?"

Tao Yuanming, a Jin native, wrote an article "The Story of the Peach Blossom Spring", which tells the story of a fisherman in Wuling who strayed into the Peach Blossom Spring in Taiyuan of the Jin Dynasty. This "Wuling" refers to Wuling County.

"The Story of the Peach Blossom Spring" is a beautifully imagined article, but the current Wuling is by no means an alien paradise like the Peach Blossom Spring. Wuling County is close to Changsha, and in the west of Changsha, its area is larger than that of Changsha County. Xun Zhen has never been there, but because of the frequent rebellions of Wuling barbarians—in October of the previous year, Wuling barbarians rebelled again, and was finally killed by the county. The soldiers were defeated, so he knew a little about Wuling. He heard people say that even if Wuling couldn’t compare to the two Changshas, ​​it was at least half larger than Changsha, but there were only twelve cities in total, and the population was even smaller. With a population of more than 100,000, it is not much different from the total population of a county in Yingyin. Not to mention compared with the Central Plains, it is also a barren land compared with Nanyang, Changsha, Lingling and Nanjun, which are also in Jingzhou.

It's just a pity that "The Story of the Peach Blossom Spring" has not yet come out, and Xun You, Cheng Jia and others could not understand the humor of "Peach Blossom Spring".

Xun You was stunned for a while, and asked, "Jun Hou, what is the meaning of the word 'Taoyuan'?"

"The source of peach blossoms is the source of peach blossoms."

"Fang this October, Qunfang is desolate, where did the peach blossoms come from?"

"Although there are no peach blossoms on the Mo, I think about seeing Wentai, but I feel like a spring breeze blowing my face, and I am in a happy mood, as if walking in a peach blossom forest."

Xun You, Cheng Jia, Liu Bei and others suddenly realized.

Liu Bei smiled and said, "Jun Hou is not only good at literary and martial arts, but also elegant and good at writing, which is not comparable to ordinary people like me."

When Liu Bei was a child, he liked flying eagles and dogs, but he didn't like reading, because he was not proficient in classics, let alone words? To be honest, in front of Xun Zhen, he often felt ashamed.

Xun Zhen's background is not comparable to that of Xun Zhen, his martial arts skills are not comparable to Xun Zhen's, his Wenzhi is not comparable to Xun Zhen's, his classics and writing skills are not comparable to Xun Zhen's, how can he not be ashamed?

Xun Zhen laughed and turned to Chen Yi and Zhao Yun who was following the car: "Uncle Xiu, Zilong, the mountains, rivers, counties and roads along the way, have you recorded them all?"

Chen Yi's riding skills were quite good. He was on a horse, but he didn't hold the bridle and rein. Instead, he held a pen in one hand and a piece of silk in the other. Hearing Xun Zhen's questioning, he kicked the mount and walked to Xun Zhen's car. Outside, he showed the brocade to Xun Zhen, and replied, "I wrote it all down."

Xun Zhen had a habit long ago. Every time he went to a place, he had to write down the local geography, mountains, cities, and roads. This was the case when Yingchuan was the postal supervisor in the north, and it was also the case in Zhao and Weijun. All the way south, of course, will not miss this rare opportunity.

In the past, most of the people who wrote about geography and cities were Xuan Kang, but this time Xuan Kang didn't come along, so the task was handed over to Chen Yi.

In Wei County, Chen Yi was Xun Zhen's chief history recorder, similar to the secretary of later generations. Now Xun Zhen has appointed him as the post, which is also in line with his position.

However, Chen Yi was a "literary scholar" and had never studied the art of war. In order to prevent him from oversight, Xun Zhen also asked Zhao Yun to write down a copy. Zhao Yun and Dian Wei, as Xun Zhen's personal guards, followed Xun Zhen's carriage, and when they heard Xun Zhen asked him, they urged Xun Zhen to come forward, and also showed Xun Zhen the brocade in their hands.

Xun Zhen glanced at it and saw that Zhao Yunzhi's paintings were not as beautiful as Chen Yi's, but they were simple and robust, but more suitable for military use.

Xun Zhen nodded, looked up to see Zhao Yun's face full of dust, and said with a smile, "Zilong, you came all the way to the south, but you have suffered."

Although Xun You, Cheng Jia, Chen Yi, Luan Gu, Wei Guang and others were also very hard, they could rest when they had a rest. Although Jiang Qin and other righteous servants also worked hard, they always had time to rest. Only Dian Wei, Zhao Yun and other relatives. The guard is tireless day and night.

Especially Dian Wei and Zhao Yun. Since they left Wei County, they haven't had much rest. Even if they did, they just took a nap. It's a good thing that both of them have been working hard since they were young. In his youth, he persisted.

Zhao Yun smiled and said, "I don't work hard, it's Dian-Jun who works hard."

Dian Wei has a big physique and is not heat-resistant, and Jiangnan is not only hot, but also humid. These two days are better. Because it is already October, the weather in Jiangnan has turned cold. He really tossed him a while ago. The nail sticks to the skin, sticky, and extremely uncomfortable.

Not only that, Dian Wei is different from Zhao Yun. Although Zhao Yun is not from a noble family, his family has a lot of wealth and land, so he had the opportunity to learn riding and archery when he was young. Dao, is a "cavalry general", but Dian Wei's family's conditions are not good. When he was young, he didn't have the opportunity to ride and shoot, so he learned "halberd". Throwing a small halberd, so he is a "step general". He fought with Xun Zhen for many years. It is not that he has never ridden a horse before, but he has never been riding a horse for as long as this time. It is said that if a short-term riding is regarded as a pleasure, a long-term riding is a torment. Not only is the pain of conservative and bumpy, but also the inner sides of his two thighs are worn and bleeding.

However, Dian Wei did not say a word, he worked hard without complaining, and devoted himself to his duties.

In fact, Dian Wei was not the only one who was not used to riding for a long time. Most of the more than 200 riders who went south from Xing Xunzhen were infantry. Some, like Dian Wei, were also unbearable for such a long drive. However, on the one hand, it was probably because these followers were all Xun Zhen’s confidants, long-dead friends, and they were loyal to Xun Zhen, and on the other hand, it was probably because they had Dian Wei's example came first, so no one complained.

——Xun Zhen didn’t know that people who were not used to riding horses couldn’t stand long-distance galloping, but the reason why he still brought a lot of infantry-born righteous followers to the south with him was because there were not many cavalry under his account, and he had gathered a lot of cavalry. Up to now, there are only five or six hundred cavalry. Compared with his personal safety, he is more worried about the clan and Chen Zhi's daughters. Therefore, most of the cavalry with strong mobility were given to Xin A, and he only brought dozens of cavalry. .

Xun Zhen looked back and saw that Dian Wei was riding his horse awkwardly with his legs folded.

Although the mount assigned to Dian Wei was a rare good horse, Dian Wei was tall and imposing, and he was not very coordinated on a horse, and because of the pain in the inside of his legs, his riding posture was strange, and two strokes were added to one place. , really funny.

"Awei, come here! Get off the horse and sit in the car for a while."

The carriage was not very big, and it was already packed with Xun Zhen and Wu Concubine. If you add a majestic man like Dian Wei, it would be crowded.

Dian Wei shook his head and said, "Wei is the guard of the lord and the marquis. How dare he get into the car and sit with the lord?"

Cheng Jia smiled and said: "Awei knows he is big, so he must be afraid that once he gets into the car, he will crowd Junhou, ..., Junhou, why don't you ask him to go to another car?"

The accompanying carriages were mostly used to carry goods and goods, and there were two for people, one was for Xun Zhen and Wu’s concubine, and the other was for two servant girls.

Xun Zhen disagreed with Cheng Jia's suggestion, and said sternly, "Awei, a brave man, how could he be in the same car with his maid?"

Dian Wei was immediately moved again. He refused to get in the car at first, and after hearing Xun Zhen's words, he refused even more.

Xun Zhen called him twice, but seeing that he insisted on refusing, it was fine. She ordered Wu Dang to pour a bowl of cold syrup in the car, and called Dian Wei to come forward, took out the car window with her own hands, and handed it to him. Dian Wei caught it and drank it.

Qiantou Jiang Qin came over on horseback and reported, "We are approaching Weishui, should we cross the river today, or take a rest by the river and cross the river tomorrow?"

Changsha County is densely covered with rivers, the largest one is the Xiang River, which connects Miluoyuan and Yunmengze in the north and enters Guiyang County in the south, dividing Changsha County into two parts: east and west. Weishui is one of them, the larger one, just right in the middle of Yiyang and Linxiang.

Xun Zhen asked Xun You and the others, "Gongda, what do you think?"

Xun You replied, "Although I'm waiting for a cyclist and a lot of rides, it's still early in the sky, and when we cross the river, it will be at most in the evening. If that's the case, it's better to cross the river and find a place to rest."

"Okay, then cross the river."

Jiang Qin complied with his promise, rode his horse back to the front team, and sent people to the river to look for a boat.

Xun You pondered for a moment, and then said again: "Crossing the river, we are only a hundred miles away from Linxiang~www.wuxiaspot.com~ I will be able to arrive at Linxiang at the latest the day after tomorrow. Junhou, do you want to send an envoy first? Tell the Marquis Wucheng in advance of the news that Junhou is coming to Linxiang?"

Liu Bei, Cheng Jia, Wei Guang, Luan Gu, and Chen Yi all agreed.

Xun Zhen heard what Xun You meant, what does "notify in advance" mean? Didn't he just want to see in advance how Sun Jian would react? If Sun Jian is not welcome, or if Sun Jian expresses his intention to sell Xun Zhen, then he can change his way as soon as possible.

Although Xun Zhen trusted Sun Jian, in order to ease everyone's doubts, Cheng Jia and others expressed their doubts when he first decided to join Sun Jian, so he happily agreed to Xun You's proposal.

He smiled and said, "This envoy is none other than Fei Gongda."

Among the people who followed Xun Zhen to the south, Liu Bei, Luan Gu, Wei Guang and others had never met Sun Jian, but Dian Wei had met, but Dian Wei's identity was not suitable, after all, Xun You was the only one. He and Sun Jian knew each other, and he was Xun Zhen's nephew, so it was the most suitable.

When Xun You made this suggestion, he thought that the messenger could only be him, and he promised it immediately.

When everyone arrived at the river, the people sent by Jiang Qinxian had already found the ferry, and while it was still early in the sky, everyone crossed the river in batches.

After they all crossed to the other side, the sky will only turn into twilight.

Even in the Central Plains and the North, there are still lush forests. Besides, the development of Jiangnan is not as good as the North, and there are more dense forests. Everyone found a small forest by the river with good terrain, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Overnight here.

Xun You didn't spend the night here. He was under Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's entourage, wearing the stars and wearing the moon, and rushed to Linxiang ahead of schedule.