Guo Jia was about to collapse.
For more than half a month, the team set off from Yecheng and was about to arrive at Beixin City, but he was in an extremely tired state.
It wasn't because of the walk that Yuan Xi arranged a carriage for him, but officials kept visiting him every day, so Guo Jia didn't get much rest at all.
Guo Jia was full of doubts at first, but later he discovered that Yuan Xi had forcibly given him the position of military advisor!
Guo Jia lost his temper and went to Yuan Xi and told him that he would never make any suggestions, which made him give up.
As a result, Yuan Xi said confidently: "Brother Fengxiao, you don't have an official salary, how can you support your wife and children?"
"Don't you need money for your wife's food and clothing in Yecheng Mansion?"
"Can you bear to let them freeze and starve?"
After hearing this, Guo Jia became even more angry and shouted, "Didn't you catch them here?"
Yuan Xi spread his hands, "But they were implicated by you."
"Who told you to offend my father?"
What a shame!
Guo Jia finally figured it out. How could the words he casually said to vent his anger when he left Jizhou make Yuan Shao hold such a grudge?
This is simply Yuan Xi’s excuse!
After Guo Jia was captured at Yuan Xi's house, Xin Ping and Guo Tu, who had been friends with him, also visited him and privately revealed to him the inside story of Dongwuyang's hostage exchange.
He was actually used to counteract Cao Cao's son!
Guo Jia couldn't figure it out anymore. How could he be compared with Cao Cao's sons?
However, every time he asked the hateful Yuan Xi, the other party always smiled and did not answer, which made Guo Jia hate him.
He discovered that this Yuan Xi was so shameless that his wife was still in the hands of the other party, and there was nothing he could do to take care of the other party!
Guo Jia made up his mind and kept silent. Yuan Xi only said that Guo Jia could do whatever he wanted, but he could not be dismissed from the official position and he would just receive his salary.
Guo Jia thought to himself: Is there such a good thing?
But as officials came one after another, Guo Jia gradually discovered that what Yuan Xi wanted seemed not simple.
Promote education and fields, encourage agriculture, industry and commerce?
When he heard that the free school also admitted the children of farmers and craftsmen to school to learn literacy, he became even more nervous. What did Yuan Jiazi want to do?
Not only Guo Jia, but also the accompanying officials were talking privately. Amid various doubts, the team was getting closer and closer to Beixin City.
Guo Jia looked through the car window and saw the team leaving the valley, with the outline of Beixin City vaguely visible in the distance.
Suddenly there was a faint commotion in the team, and some people started shouting in panic.
The soldiers guarding the outside of the team began to take out weapons from the baggage carts around them and ran forward quickly. The people in the center of the team became even more panicked.
Guo Jiaxin also mentioned it. He had learned about the situation in Beixin City before. Is this the Black Mountain Army from the west or the Gongsun Zan Army from the north?
Or the Southern Xiongnu in Bingzhou, or even the Wuhuan and Xianbei outside the Pass?
During the anxious waiting, the news finally came that the people in front were not the enemies, but the people of Beixin City.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. No one wanted to travel a long distance and be killed by the enemy for no apparent reason.
Guo Jia's car followed the team up the hills, and below were the vast plains and Beixin City.
On the top of the hill, the team stopped again, and there was a sound of exclamation.
Guo Jia stuck his head out and asked the coachman, "What's wrong?"
The coachman stood on the shaft and looked around, "People, so many people!"
Seeing this, Guo Jia also stood on the shaft of the car, straightened up and looked down.
What caught his eyes were people all over the mountains and plains.
Like ants in an anthill, they are densely packed from the gate of Beixin City to the bottom of the hillside. On both sides of the road for more than ten miles, there are men, women, old and young, wearing different clothes, from the octogenarians to the young and young. There are all kinds of people.
Guo Jia's first reaction was, couldn't this be a refugee?
But these people stretched their necks and looked forward to it, obviously waiting for someone.
Seeing the team on the hillside, the people began to shout: "Is the young master back?"
In front of the team, Yuan Xi stepped forward on his horse, raised his hands and shouted: "Everyone, I, Yuan Xi, am back!"
The crowd below the hillside roared and rushed over one after another. Guo Jia thought to himself that they were not here to take revenge on Yuan Xi, right?
The scene he imagined did not happen. The crowd surrounded Yuan Xi, with smiles on their faces. They waved and shouted: "The young master is back!"
Guo Jia originally thought that this was a deliberate arrangement by Yuan Xi to build momentum and reputation for himself, but he vaguely felt that it didn't look like it.
Yuan Xi jumped off the horse and said with a smile: "Why are you traveling so far? I will have to return to the city sooner or later, right?"
The people all laughed, and someone said: "General Zhao returned to the city a few days ago and said that the young master will be coming back soon. We still don't believe it."
"Young master is getting married, why can't you stay for a year and a half?"
"But the military master who was the first to enter the city yesterday said that the young master was back, so we came over to take a look, but we didn't expect it to be true!"
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Why, do you not believe that I will come back, or do you not want me to come back?"
Everyone laughed again: "Of course I did!"
Someone shouted: "Is the young master married?"
"Isn't the bride beautiful?"
Yuan Xi's face froze, "Something happened. It didn't work out this time. Let's talk about it next time."
There were sounds of regret from the crowd, and someone shouted: "Master, don't worry, there are many women from good families!"
Immediately, he was hit on the head by the person next to him, "If you don't open the pot, pick it up!"
Someone shouted: "Master, why are you in such a hurry to come back?"
"With so many military masters, are we going to fight again?"
Yuan Xi shouted: "I just want to say that the soldiers I brought this time are to camp outside Beixin City to protect us from the Huns and Black Mountain bandits!"
"In a few days, I will issue a decree so that everyone can understand it!"
"I promise that I will never let everyone suffer. On the contrary, everyone's life will get better and better!"
The common people shouted, "We believe in the young master!"
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Then let's go back to the city together so as not to delay eating!"
When Guo Jia saw the people in Beixin City laughing and laughing, they gathered around Yuan Xi and headed towards Beixin City. He thought that Yuan Xi seemed to be very popular.
The presence of so many people does not seem like a deliberate act by the nobles to gain fame. Generally speaking, nobles seeking fame and reputation would not be able to bribe so many people.
Guo Jia was a little curious. Beixin City seemed to have stories he didn't know about.
But there’s no need to make suggestions, I’ll just endure it and let’s see who can endure it first!
A few days later, Yuan Xi found Qu Yi and arranged for the deployment of troops in the three cities and new soldiers and generals. Now that he had given Qu Yi the title of captain, he could also take charge of the troops of a city.
As soon as he sent Qu Yi away, there was a loud knock on the door, and Yuan Xi said, "Come in."
Then he saw Guo Jia's smelly face.
Guo Jia said bluntly: "I heard that you killed several nobles in Beixin City before?"
Yuan Xi smiled after hearing this and said, "Brother Fengxiao, have you heard about it too?"
"These people who are collecting grain deserve to be killed. If they are killed, they will be killed."
Guo Jia hated the iron and said: "How could you do this?"
"Even if you want to suppress the nobles, you can't be so obvious!"
"As a qualified lord, when the foundation is not stable, you should first win their hearts and minds. When you have a certain foundation, you can let them fight among themselves to weaken and balance each other."
"In the end, when you have achieved the situation, you can take action with confidence. Catch what needs to be caught and kill what needs to be killed, so as not to be counterattacked."
"How can you do the last step when you are the first step?"
Yuan Xi suddenly laughed after hearing this: "Brother Fengxiao, does this count as giving me advice?"
"That's nonsense!" Guo Jia said angrily: "I have learned a little bit about the situation these days and found that Beixin City is surrounded by enemies on all sides, but you don't have any allies!"
"When you go into battle, do you really think you can fight hundreds of thousands of enemies with just a few thousand soldiers?"
Yuan Xi secretly laughed in his heart. He was indeed not very particular about some things, which made Guo Jia feel unbalanced.
He smiled and said: "At that time, the city was about to be destroyed, and there were still people collecting food. If I didn't do this, even I wouldn't be able to survive."
Guo Jia shook his head and said: "Even so, you can't take action yourself."
"Just let your subordinates do this kind of thing, and then punish them afterwards. Isn't that what subordinates are used to do such dirty work?"
Yuan Xi thought of the allusion Cao Cao used when he was short of food and said: "Since you are the master, how can your hands be clean?"
"Besides, I'm not a good person."
"Whatever my subordinates do is what I do."
Guo Jia was stunned for a while, muttered something, turned around and left.
Yuan Xi didn't take it seriously either. Everyone has their own way of living. If you want to be alone in this troubled world and don't get your hands dirty, that's not your style.
Just do it. As a descendant, he has no moral and psychological burden.
Guo Jia walked in the mansion, but a smile appeared on his lips unconsciously.
Regardless of whether Yuan Xi was pretending or not, being able to say these words showed that at least he would not openly blame his subordinates.
In the past few days since Guo Jia came to Beixin City, he said that the affairs in the city had nothing to do with him, but as officials continued to come to visit, he still had a general understanding of the situation in Beixin City and understood why Yuan Xi was so popular with the people.
Eating and sleeping together with the soldiers and the people, and taking the lead in defending the city are not something that just any lord can do.
What makes Guo Jia even more appreciative is that Yuan Xi, who can do such a thing, obviously has great ambitions.
If the lord has no great ambitions, wouldn't it be a waste of his life for him to be a counselor?
A group of young ladies came towards them. When they saw Guo Jia, they quickly stood aside and gave way.
Guo Jia saw them all lowering their heads and chuckling at himself, remembering that these were the concubines raised by Yuan Xi in the mansion.
It is said that there were dozens of concubines. Yuan Tan took away four and Xun Chen took away four. Now there are still more than twenty in the mansion.
Guo Jia also heard that Sun Li, a soldier next to Yuan Xi, revealed that Yuan Xi had said that anyone who was willing to treat them well could be taken home.
Guo Jia discovered that Yuan Xi was quite similar to his own in this regard!
Seeing the little girls talking and laughing, Guo Jia suddenly felt a little turbulent in his heart.
He smiled, pretending to be a son of a noble family, and said to his wife, "Which one of you is willing to be my concubine?"
Unexpectedly, the young ladies covered their mouths with their sleeves and laughed. One of them said: "Mr. Fengxiao, don't blame me. The young master has orders. Others can do it, but sir, you can't."
Guo Jia was angry, "Why can't I?"
The young lady smiled and said, "Because the young master said that he just takes money and doesn't do anything, so he can't do anything."
Guo Jia stared dumbfoundedly as the little girls left laughing and joking, thinking that Yuan Xi was murdering people and punishing their hearts!
(End of chapter)
