The news that Yuan Xi had killed hundreds of Huns bandits had reached Yecheng.
It is said that the two factions in Yecheng who supported the eldest son Yuan Tan and the third son Yuan Shang had mixed opinions on Yuan Xi's move, but most people were still opposed to it, saying that this move would affect the relationship with the southern Xiongnu and even attack Gongsun Zan. planning.
The Chenliu Gao family, represented by senior cadres, also criticized this.
The Gao family of Chenliu is Yuan Shao's wife, and Bingzhou was originally the territory that Yuan Shao promised to the Gao family. Now that Yuan Xi has provoked the Southern Xiongnu who dominate most of Bingzhou, how will the Gao family be able to safely control Bingzhou in the future?
Not to mention this, Yuan Shao sent an urgent letter, saying that he would send someone to Beixin City to investigate the matter in the near future, and asked Yuan Xi to return to Yecheng.
As for Yuan Xi's rescue of hundreds of Han women, recruitment of Zhao Yun, and defeat of hundreds of Bai Mayi, the letter did not mention it at all.
After Yuan Xi saw the letter, his face became gloomy and he threw the silk book away.
He even doubted whether he was his biological child. Regardless of anything else, this was obviously his pick of the peaches in Beixin City. Once the city he had been running for three years was given away, it would be difficult to come back!
Wu Zhao on the side silently picked up the silk book, glanced at it a few times, and understood the clues, and said softly: "In order to save us women, the young master has been troubled."
Yuan Xi waved his hand and said, "It's not all for you."
"Sooner or later the Southern Huns will be in rebellion, and it is impossible to live peacefully with them."
Wu Zhao asked in confusion: "How do you say this?"
Yuan Xi said in a deep voice: "The Han Dynasty is weak, and the foreign tribes will be in chaos."
"Giving concessions to foreigners is tantamount to seeking skin from a tiger. If these foreigners increase in number in Bingzhou or even outside the Great Wall, they will inevitably cause chaos and bring disaster to the world."
"At that time, the entire north will be devastated, and the children of the Han family will be in a miserable situation."
The reason why Yuan Xi wants to occupy Youzhou is not only because Youzhou has great potential and extremely rich resources, which are far from being developed.
But Youzhou is not stable and is surrounded by foreigners. When it comes to farming alone, Jingzhou is much more comfortable than Youzhou.
But in the future, Youzhou will be the source of trouble for the world, the beginning of chaos in the Five Lakes, and the root of turmoil in all dynasties.
The subsequent rise of Liao, Jin, Jurchen, and Hou Jin are inseparable from Liaodong.
Strictly speaking, this situation was caused by the Cao family and the Sima family.
Cao Cao massacred Xuzhou twice, killing hundreds of thousands of people, and the Central Plains went through great wars, leaving thousands of miles uninhabited.
If you want to quickly restore production and quickly fill the population vacancy, you can only use population migration.
Later, the Wei State also did the same, migrating people from the border areas, such as Youzhou and Bingzhou to Bashu and other places, into the interior.
But it also had side effects.
During the Wei Dynasty, the Gongsun family, which ruled Liaodong for three generations and suppressed northern ethnic groups such as Goguryeo, Rangfuyu, Sanhan, and Haoqi, was destroyed by Sima Yi. Under his rule, the Han people were moved to the south, and Liaodong was slowly occupied by foreign countries.
The number of Han people in the north dropped sharply, and foreign tribes such as the Xianbei Xiongnu gradually took over and controlled the north. By the time of the Western Jin Dynasty, the number of Dongyi, Xirong, Nanman and Beidi in Youbin and other places reached millions.
You must know that during the Three Kingdoms period, the combined population of the three kingdoms was only tens of millions.
How can so many foreigners not fall into chaos once they encounter the right opportunity?
After that, the Jin Dynasty had no time to look north and indulged foreigners, which led to the subsequent Five Husties.
Yuan Xi didn't know how far he could go in this troubled world. There were heroes from the Three Kingdoms everywhere, and the one who had the last laugh might not be him.
But he also has his own ideas.
At least the less likely it is to happen, the better.
And as a person of later generations, Yuan Xi knew that Zhu Di could rise up from Youzhou and occupy the world, with the emperor guarding the country, which is enough to prove that Youzhou has the potential to serve as a barrier to the world!
So that day in the valley, when Yuan Xi learned that the person he had captured was Liu Bao, the son of the Xiongnu Chanyu, the future Xiongnu Zuoxian King, the father of Liu Yuan, one of the founders of the Sixteen Kingdoms, he did not hesitate to kill him directly.
The feeling of changing history seems to be really fulfilling!
Wu Zhao listened to Yuan Xi's words with an undoubted confidence and asked curiously: "Can the young master still foresee the future?"
Yuan Xi nodded and said, "I understand a little bit."
Wu Zhao thought Yuan Xi was joking. She pointed at the silk book and said, "Every line in this letter hints that the trip to Yecheng will not be easy. The young master needs to make plans in advance."
Yuan Xi asked Wu Zhao to teach women how to read in the past few days. He was surprised to find that Wu Zhao was not only knowledgeable, but also proficient in music. His knowledge was even more extraordinary. He could grasp the key points of the matter in just a few words.
He said: "What are your countermeasures?"
Wu Zhao thought for a while: "Young Master's power is still too weak."
"May I ask how many of Yuan Zhoumu's men support the young master?"
Yuan Xi smiled bitterly and said: "My eldest brother and third brother have all been divided up."
Wu Zhaodao: "Is there any hope of winning over a group of people?"
Yuan Xi pondered for a while: "There is not much hope."
If he could snatch people from Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, he would have stayed in Yecheng three years ago, and he would not have come to Beixin City to save his life.
Wu Zhao nodded slightly, and she understood that the second son of Yuan Shao in front of her was really not favored. Even the official position of the nominal Beixin City guard with three hundred stones was a temporary official position.
She pondered for a moment and said, "I have something to say. I don't know whether it is right or not. I listened to it recklessly. Don't blame me for saying something wrong."
Seeing that Wu Zhao was speaking solemnly, Yuan Xi sat down solemnly, lowered his head slightly and said, "Madam, please speak."
Wu Zhao said: "At that time, those who achieved great things in the world needed two things."
"The first is soldiers and horses, and the second is reputation."
"Soldiers and horses are the basis for entrenching a place, and reputation is what the nobles rely on for their refuge."
"Although the young master's soldiers and horses are strong, their numbers are far from enough."
"If the prince does not get the support of the nobles, he will have no money, food, troops and horses."
“The two complement each other and cannot exist without the other.”
Yuan Xi felt the same way, "Then how should I break the situation?"
Wu Zhao smiled; "Since the young master's family is suppressed, why not find another way?"
Yuan Xi thought for a moment, "You mean, find help from outside the family?"
It's not like he hasn't considered this issue.
He even thought about seeking refuge with Cao Cao privately.
There is no shame in joining if you can't beat him. Yuan Tan also did this kind of thing in later generations. He once defected to Cao Cao after being defeated by Yuan Shang.
But later Yuan Tan rebelled and was killed, which shows that there were many variables and he was under the protection of others. Who guarantees that he will not be liquidated later?
Even if Cao Cao can't, what about others?
Especially Cao Pi, he is a vengeful person!
Therefore, after much thought, Yuan Xi realized that if he wanted to truly control his own destiny, he must not place his hope on others.
He said: "Actually, there are not many choices. Liu Bei from Xuzhou, Lu Bu from Yanzhou, Zhang Yang from Hanoi, Liu Biao from Jingzhou, and Emperor Han?"
"But Liu Bei and Lu Bu are now unable to protect themselves. It is too far to promote Liu Biao, let alone the Han Emperor. They are still controlled by Li Jue and Guo Si. Water from afar cannot quench the thirst of the near."
Wu Zhao heard Dong Zhao tell the story of the three loyal ministers and asked curiously: "Why does the young master not mention Cao Cao alone?"
After hearing this, Yuan Xi shook his head and said, "He is the only one who can't do it."
"He has great ambitions and will become the Yuan family's formidable enemy."
Wu Zhao had long heard from Dong Zhao that Yuan Xi seemed to have an inexplicable resentment towards Cao Cao.
She thought it was a pity. According to the relationship between her father and Cao Cao, if Yuan Xi could get in touch with Cao Cao, she thought she would still be able to talk.
However, seeing Yuan Xi's insistence, she could only say: "No matter who Yecheng sends, the young master will have his private soldiers and cannot be taken away by him."
Yuan Xi nodded in agreement. These private soldiers were the foundation of his wealth. Without soldiers, he could only let the mercenaries eat their flesh.
The key this time is, who will Yecheng send?
Yuan Xi chewed on Wu Zhao's words, but couldn't find it inside, so he looked outside.
Suddenly his body shook slightly, as if he thought of something.