We mentioned last time that in 263 AD, Sima Zhao, after taking control of all the forces of the State of Wei, planned to send troops to attack the two kingdoms of Wu and Shu, and after analyzing the situation in these two countries, he felt that the State of Shu had become weaker and weaker over the years and was a suitable target for attack.
Regarding the introduction of the situation of the Shu Kingdom, what we wrote earlier is that in 234 AD Zhuge Liang died of illness in Wuzhangyuan during the Fifth Northern Expedition, and then the Shu army withdrew, so what happened to the Shu Kingdom in the twenty-nine years from 234 AD to 263 AD? You have to be patient and listen to me slowly.
At that time, Zhuge Liang's garrison was in Wuzhangyuan, and the illness was more serious, and Liu Chan, the emperor of the Shu Kingdom, specially sent emissaries to comfort him, and at the same time brought some problems, one of which was, if the minister was gone one day, who could take your place? Zhuge Liang's answer was that Jiang Huan could. The messenger also asked who could inherit after Jiang Huan, and Zhuge Liang's answer was still crisp, and Fei Yi could. The Prophet was more greedy and continued to ask, after Fei Yi, who can replace whom? Zhuge Liang closed his eyes and did not answer again.
To say that Zhuge Liang's status in Liu Chan's heart is really high, when Zhuge Liang lived, he obeyed his words, and after Zhuge Liang's death, he perfectly executed according to his will, so that Jiang Huan and Fei Yi successively ascended to the high position of the Shu state and took charge of the state power. So what kind of ability did Jiang Huan and Fei Yi have that made Zhuge Liang value it so much? Let's introduce them one by one according to the order in which they came to power.
Jiang Huan, originally a native of Jingzhou, was very capable and had a small reputation in the local area when he was young. After the Battle of Chibi, Liu Bei occupied a part of Jingzhou and took Jiang Huan under his command. When Liu Bei entered the Shu land, he also took Jiang Huan with him and made him the county commander of Guangdu County.
Once, Liu Bei went out to play, and when he came back, he passed through Guangdu County, and he checked Jiang Huan's work by the way. It doesn't matter if you don't look at it, this look almost raises Liu Beiqi's blood pressure. It turned out that many things in Guangdu County had not been handled well, Jiang Wanxian Ling was still drunk, Liu Bei had not long entered Shudi at that time, and he needed his county commanders to work hard to stabilize people's hearts and minds.
At that time, the military master Zhuge Liang was very important to Jiang Huan, and he quickly interceded with Liu Bei, saying that Jiang Huan was not a simple person, he was a pillar of the country, and he was the kind that could do great things, and you let him govern a county, that was a condescending talent, he governed one side, mainly to appease the people's hearts, did not deliberately do some superficial articles to show the leaders, such a person still has to give the opportunity to re-examine.
For Zhuge Liang's suggestions, Liu Bei has always attached great importance to it, so he did not punish Jiang Huan heavily, but only dismissed him from the post of county commander. Soon after, Jiang Huan was transferred to another place to do the county order, and after Liu Bei became the king of Hanzhong, he transferred Jiang Huan to his side and became Shang Shulang.
In 223, Liu Bei died after the Battle of Yiling, Liu Chan succeeded him as emperor, and Zhuge Liang was given the title of Chancellor of the Shu Dynasty, taking full control of the military and political power of the Shu state. Zhuge Cheng opened his own mansion, that is, outside the imperial court, set up a separate team, and he recruited Jiang Huan to be the Eastern Cao Tuan, and recommended him to be Mao cai.
What is the specific position of this Maocai, we are not very clear, anyway, it should be a more important position or honor, Jiang Wan may feel that he is not qualified enough, he repeatedly resigned, and also recommended other people, saying that they are more suitable than himself. Zhuge Liang was very persistent, and also wrote a letter to encourage him, asking him to boldly accept it, try his best to display his talents in the imperial court, and live up to what he learned in his life.
A few years later, Jiang Huan was promoted to join the army because of his excellent work. In 227 AD, Zhuge Liang personally led an army stationed in Hanzhong for the northern expedition of Cao Wei, leaving the chancellor Shi Zhangyi in charge of the work of the Xiangfu, and letting Jiang Huan manage all the affairs of the Xiangfu together with the Zhang clan. Three years later, Jiang Huan succeeded Zhang Yi as the commander of the Chancellor, plus the general of fujun, officially becoming Zhuge Liang's arm.
You see, Zhuge Liang is really bold in his appointment of Jiang Huan, gradual cultivation, which is to cultivate Jiang Huan as his assistant and successor, then Jiang Huan did not disappoint Zhuge Liang, in every post, he did a very good job.
At this time, Jiang Huan's responsibilities were very heavy, and every time Zhuge Liang sent troops to the Northern Expedition, It was Jiang Huan who was responsible for collecting grain and grass, organizing the transportation of grain and grass, and continuously replenishing the source of troops to the front. To take a perhaps somewhat inappropriate example, if Zhuge Liang is Liu Bang, the ancestor of Han Gao, who charged forward, then Jiang Huan is Xiao He who constantly provided support for him to guard the rear.
Zhuge Liang was very clear in his heart about the importance of Jiang Huan, and he often told others that Jiang Huan, a person who was loyal to the country, had a mellow character, and had a broad mind, would definitely be able to restore the Han Dynasty with me. In addition, Zhuge Liang also wrote a secret letter to Emperor Liu Chan, saying that if one day I had an accident, the military power of the Shu state could be assured to be handed over to Jiang Huan.