Before crossing the Yellow River, there was a checkpoint outpost set up by the Xiliang Army. Although Guanzhong is rich in products, there are also things that cannot be produced, which requires traders to sell them from Guandong, Yizhou and other places. Among them, the profits from smuggling salt and iron from Guandong are the most profitable.
From time to time, merchants from Guandong smuggled salt and iron to merchants in Guanzhong. Although the Xiliang army was brutal, they did not make it too difficult for these merchants except for imposing heavy taxes.
Because the world is not peaceful and there are many thieves and robbers along the way, caravans usually travel together and are equipped with some guards. At this time, some weapons such as ring-headed knives and long swords are not regulated. The control of weapons in the Eastern Han and Tang Dynasties was indeed not too strict, and it had something to do with their martial arts.
After crossing the Yellow River, they were very close to Chang'an. At a checkpoint, Yuan Xi and others encountered trouble. A Xiliang army of one hundred soldiers not only robbed the caravan of two large bags of salt, but also levied double the customs duty. These are troubled times, and so on, which are common in other parts of the Han Dynasty. I like this era, but I don’t yearn for this era. This is an era where people cannibalize people.
The leader of the caravan is Xu Nian, a soldier of the Xu clan who has traveled to Guanzhong twice. He is negotiating with the Xiliang Army's 100-man general, but the other party is extremely arrogant and insists on imposing double the tariff.
Xu Nian gave him a gold bar and said, "Sir, we have done this business more than once or twice. Please take care of us in the future. Small gifts are not disrespectful."
The hundred-man general took the gold bar and looked at Xu Nian with a sneer and disdain, "The superior has spoken. Don't even think about going there until you pay more customs duties."
The hundred generals were arrogant and determined but still refused to let him go. There are really no good people in troubled times, and no snowflake is innocent.
Yuan Xi saw something was wrong from behind and took Xu Chu up to check. Xu Chu had never experienced such anger. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly, but he could only endure it.
Yuan Xi was about to ask Xu Nian to go up and give him half the tariff to understand the matter, but the hundred-man general's face suddenly became more arrogant and said: "You guys who don't know how to praise me, now I don't charge you double the tariff. If you want to go over, you have to pay two gold."
Xu Chu's eyes widened in anger. Hundreds of people saw Yuan Xi and Xu Chu. He said provocatively: "Why, you dare to be so cruel to your uncle? Believe it or not, I will treat you as a spy in Guandong and collect the reward."
Yuan Xi suppressed his anger. He didn't want to fall into such a small hurdle. He was about to hand over the gold and settle the matter. At this time, two carriages drove by. The first one was richly decorated and the second one was loaded with some sundries. There were several slaves accompanying him, and it was the carriage that followed Yuan Xi and others' caravan all the way from Hedong.
A servant in his fifties walked forward and said to the hundred generals: "Sir, when I return to Chang'an, do I still need to check and accept the documents?"
When the hundred people saw the old servant, he immediately changed his attitude and said flatteringly: "Please, please, would you like to send a few brothers to escort you back to Chang'an." This ability of the former and the rear Gong opened the eyes of Yuan Xi and others. It's really a dog's eyes that look down upon others.
The servant said lukewarmly: "I dare not trouble my lord, but the owner of this caravan is my lord's same race. Look, lord."
The faces of the hundred generals changed slightly, and they said with an apologetic smile: "Of course we let them go together. The brothers were not sensible and offended just now." After saying this, he waved his hands to signal the Xiliang soldiers to disperse and let Yuan Xi and others pass.
After passing the checkpoint, Yuan Xi looked at the two carriages driving in front and a few strong men dressed as servants riding on the horses, and he was a little confused about how they were helping him. Instructing Guo Jia to take care of the caravan, he took Xu Chu and rushed forward.
Yuan Xi cupped his hands and said to the old servant riding a horse: "Thank you, my father-in-law, for your help. I will never forget it." Yuan Xi just felt that this pedestrian looked familiar, but he had no impression.
The old servant looked at Yuan Xi and then nodded and motioned for him to come forward. After the two of them rode a certain distance away from the team behind them, the old servant lowered his voice and said to him: "Young master is so bold, you dare to come to the dangerous place in Guanzhong."
Yuan Xi was shocked. He didn't know how the old servant could recognize him. This was also his omission. He originally wanted to do some modification and disguise when he arrived in Chang'an, but he was really careless.
Although he had changed his robes and his face had changed a bit in the past two years, people who were familiar with him could still recognize him, but he was sure that there was no such old servant in his memory at all.
Just when he was wondering how the other party knew about him, the old servant lowered his voice and said: "My lord is the Minister of Cai, and I was ordered by your lord to go to Hedong to take the young lady home."
Yuan Xi understood what he said. He didn't expect Cai Yan to be on the carriage. It made sense that the other party recognized him immediately. He suppressed his thoughts and rode ahead with the old servant. Yuan Xi asked: "Who is this old man?" I was with Mr. Cai at that time, why haven’t I seen him before?”
Yuan Xi still dealt with the old servant carefully, trying to make excuses.
"Haha, I have been in exile with you for seven or eight years. In total, it has been seven or eight years since I followed you. The last time you returned to Luoyang, I took a detour to go back to my hometown to visit relatives and did not have a chance to see you."
"How are you, teacher?" Yuan Xi said after a moment of silence.
The old servant looked back at the carriage behind and sighed: "No, I often have to deal with Grand Master Dong in the court. This time, Miss, something unfortunate like this happened again."
He was afraid that Yuan Xi would not understand and whispered: "Young Master may not know that you are far away in Jizhou. Last year, your Excellency got married to the Wei family in Hedong. Who would have thought that the young lady and the Wei family's son had just finished their visit and during the banquet, the Wei family's son coughed up blood and died in the water." "
Yuan Xi looked strange and slightly unnatural when he heard this. He grabbed the reins with both hands and remained silent.
The old servant thought he was surprised, and after calming down for a while, he continued with some annoyance: "The Young Master of the Wei family has been ill for a long time, but when the Wei family saw the strange way he died, they told Miss Kefu that they wanted to send her back to her parents' home. No, Your Excellency sent me. Hedong will take the young lady back to Chang'an."
Yuan Xi's eyes flickered, his expression moved slightly, and he rode forward silently without saying anything.
It was already dark when we crossed the Yellow River, as we still had half a day to travel before we reached Chang'an. That night everyone checked into an inn.
After learning his lesson, Yuan Xi changed his appearance slightly. With the help of a knight of the Xu family, he dyed his skin darker with herbs and put on a short beard.
Guo Jia joked: "This young master can be compared with a vicious fat man like Xu Chu." It is indeed not good-looking. If you don't look carefully, you would think he is a farmer. It is really difficult for the second young master Yuan.
Yuan Xi ignored him and said seriously: "We will bring a hundred people into the city in batches, and the remaining soldiers will stay here to coordinate with the other side of the river."
Guo Jia also put away his smile and said: "I am really not optimistic about this action, but I don't know why the young master is so decisive."
There was a hint of sadness in Yuan Xi's eyes, and he hesitated. Without answering, he asked instead: "Fengxiao, you can choose one of the two, the country or the beauty. How should you choose? Please clarify your doubts with me."
Although Guo Jia felt that his question was a bit abrupt, he thought about it and said: "There is no such choice in front of me, but a hero who has become a hegemon should not give up his career for a woman. The most distant ones are Daji, and the previous dynasty was led by Empress Zhao. Take it as a lesson.”
Yuan Xi knew that he wanted to persuade him, so he agreed with what his teacher Zhang Hong said. But there are some women he can't let go of. You say he's a good stud, you say he's possessive. In short, Yuan Xi wants to seduce them, otherwise he will act domineeringly for whomever he wants.
Yuan Xi shook his head and asked: "Is it true that all those who have become great people have no desires?" He was unwilling to give up what he loved for the sake of great cause. He was not willing to give up what he loved. Why could Emperor Taizong Li Shimin do it but Yuan Xi could not, so he hoped Guo Jia solved his doubts.
Guo Jia squinted his eyes to see what he could see from Yuan's expression, "One person is the same as the other. I am talking about heroes, but like our great ancestors and our emperors, who love the country and the beauty, they will never achieve great things. ?" Guo Jia laughed.
Yuan Xi felt as if he was enlightened and all the darkness in his heart was swept away. Yes, why should he be a hero? It is difficult for a hero to be a beauty. What's more, how can you blame women for your own success or failure? It's really unmanly.
But he wants to be a tyrant who will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals in troubled times. He will never let others know what is his. He must accumulate the power to decide the fate of all living beings in the world according to his own will. However, from an objective point of view, Yuan Xi is in charge of this era. I don't know whether it is good or bad, but it is better than the five random chaos in China in the future.
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Fengxiao's words have solved the big problem in my heart. Yes, I want beauty, and I want the world. I want to have both fish and bear's paws. I will solve the problem of beauty first."
"Young master decided to dominate the world?" Guo Jia asked calmly. He felt that Yuan Xi did not seem to follow Confucianism, so he asked this question.
Yuan Xi did not answer but said: "Following filial piety is my son's wife, and my teacher is my fan Zeng."
Guo Jia understood and smiled lightly.
This is a combination of kingly and domineering. The young master has great ambitions. Although Yuan Xi did not answer directly, the answer was already obvious.
Yuan Xi added, "Fengxiao, do you think my father will blame me if we come to Chang'an privately?"
Guo Jia had realized this a long time ago. He smiled and said, "Father and son have an overnight feud. Young Master, please relax your mind and embrace the beauty first, and then think about other things."
Guo Jia thought to himself, Yuan Xianyi is not afraid of assassinating Dong, but he is afraid that your father will blame him, and he is a liar.
While the two were talking, a melodious and pleasant sound of the guqin came from the courtyard. They both came outside the corridor and closed their eyes to listen carefully.
At this moment, the moon was rising, and the swans were singing sadly on the treetops. The wilderness in the distance was dark and quiet, and the sound of the piano made the two of them immersed in the scenery and sounds for a long time and could not turn back. It seems that he is expressing his resentment and resentment to his heart's content.
Halfway through the song, Guo Jiacai sighed: "I've heard for a long time that Uncle Cai is proficient in musical rhythm, but I didn't expect Miss Cai to be so elegant. It's just that Jia felt a little strange that he couldn't explain."
Yuan Xi said quietly: "There is a vague sadness in the sound of the piano, which does not match the tone of the original music, right?" Yuan Xi is probably responsible for Cai Yan's tragedy.
Guo Jia looked at him and then at the nearby courtyard and said nothing thoughtfully. It seemed that his young master was really a man.
Then Guo Jia's expression became teasing.
Cai Yan is a legendary woman. Cai Yan is also talented and well-known among scholars. Cao Cao later redeemed her, creating a good story in history, "Wen Ji returned to Han"
How could a woman full of talent not have people sighing and sympathizing with her when she had such a bumpy fate, a life full of wanderings, and a miserable beauty? Therefore, Yuan Xi is determined to welcome Cai Yan back to Hebei. I don't know if he loves her, but Yuan Xi doesn't want such a beautiful woman to end up in a foreign land and be bullied by herself.
The next morning when Yuan Xi was arranging the carriages and horses, he finally saw Cai Yan, who was dressed in plain white but even more elegant. If he really wanted to look pretty in plain clothes, he would be talking about the beauty Cai Yan.
Emei's eyebrows turned gracefully, her eyes were like a pool of gentle autumn water, her pink skin was about to burst, her bright eyes slowly turned, and a touch of sadness climbed up between her slightly frowning eyebrows, making her look infinitely pitiful.
With a delicate face and black hair, her clothes could not hide her beautiful figure. She was considered to be a peerless beauty. In addition, she exuded a bookish smell and a worldly temperament, which made her look even more noble.
Yuan Xi hid the unspeakable complexity in his eyes, and finally stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Junior sister, you are fine. Thank you very much for your help yesterday, junior sister."
Cai Yan looked for a moment and nodded after recognizing Yuan Xi. She frowned slightly and said worriedly: "Young master should not risk his life and come to this place of dragon pond and tiger's den."
She doesn't have the pretentiousness and pretentiousness of ordinary women, but she has the bossiness and arrogance of a lady. After all, she is a talented woman who even the second son of the Yuan family, Yuan Xi, despised when she was a child.
Yuan Xi knew that she was doing it for his own good, "You have no choice but to take revenge on your family and eliminate the dangers of national thieves." And for you, Yuan Xi thought in his heart.
Cai Yan looked at the resolute Yuan Xi and sighed with some emotion: "I can only bring the young master into the city. Please be cautious in everything."
"Thank you, junior sister, but I would like to tell you, Master, that Dong Zhuo is going against the grain and the world is resentful. We should stay away from him. Otherwise, he will be in great trouble if he loses power."
Cai Yan nodded and said, "I will tell my father about this."
Cai Yan's character was not like this originally. She was cheerful, generous and informal, knowledgeable, proficient in music, and her favorite poems were about spring flowers and autumn moon.
The poems she wrote before were full of the youthful and prosperous atmosphere. They were definitely not as cynical or indifferent as when she picked up the pen now, and she was dismissive and indifferent to everyone and everything.
After the carriages and horses were prepared, everyone headed towards Chang'an.
In the Grand Master's Mansion, Dong Zhuo pressed his fat body on the soft couch and laughed wildly while looking at the information slips collected by his subordinates from Guandong.
Below, Lu Bu, Li Ru and other close aides who were invited to the banquet by Dong Zhuo looked at him for no apparent reason. "Why is the Grand Master laughing?" Fan Chou asked.
Dong Zhuo put down the slip and said with a proud look: "Where are the so-called many princes in Guandong before I laughed?"
"It's just a bunch of rebels and thieves. How can you say that the princes are powerful?" Li Su said flatteringly.
Dong Zhuo snorted, "Qiao Mao was beheaded and annexed by Liu Dai, Cao Cao was beaten by us and fled in panic. According to the news, Sun Jian was ambushed by Liu Biao and seriously injured. Han Fu's Jizhou was annexed by Yuan Benchu and fled to Zhang Chao. Gongsun Zan and Yuan Benchu started fighting again, and the rest of the people were doing nothing. I laugh at the fact that a bunch of rats are fighting in a nest, so we can rest easy."
"That's right. Who dares to point fingers at the Grand Master now? His achievements far exceed those of Huo Guang." Li Jue said with a smile. Without the Xiliang Cavalry, Li Que, Guo Si and others would really be inferior.
Li Ru frowned slightly. He didn't think he could sleep peacefully now. Instead, he felt that something big was going to happen in Chang'an, but he understood that Dong Zhuo was a man who would not touch his bad luck.
But there are still some people who are not short-sighted. "Since the Grand Master has subdued the powerful and quelled the chaos, now we should reduce the number of soldiers and let them return to their hometowns to farm, and promote scholars to serve as secretaries in the court. In this way, the Grand Master will become a comparable person." There will be no one in the world who will not speak highly of the great righteousness and virtue of Huo Guang's assistant ministers. The emperor will be grateful and commend him, and the ministers will obey him." Cai Yong wanted to take the opportunity to let Dong Zhuo implement benevolent government.
Dong Zhuo snorted, "I do, but there is still Xiao Xiao secretly causing trouble, so it's too early to stop the army."
"The grand master should regulate the soldiers' military discipline. Many people complained that soldiers violated discipline by robbing soldiers." Cai Yong said anxiously.
Below, Lu Bu, Li Jue, Fan Chou and others sneered and were angry, "Military capital should come from the people. How can we risk our lives to protect the country and fight with empty hands and an empty stomach?" Guo Si sneered.
"Yes, yes!" All the generals agreed. After all, looting is a consistent tradition of the Xiliang Army, otherwise these generals would suffer the greatest losses.
Dong Zhuo didn't take it seriously and waved his hand to stop Cai Yong who wanted to remonstrate further, "Bozhe, you are a scribe and don't understand military affairs. Raising soldiers is not easy. Soldiers don't need to know how to protect the people. Soldiers' swords and spears are not sharp. .”
"In this way, not only the common people, but also the loyal and upright ministers in the court will be dissatisfied with the virtue of the grand master, and the Xiliang army will eventually decline." After Cai Yong finished speaking, he shook his sleeves and walked out of the hall without looking back.
All the generals watched Cai Yong's departure with cold eyes. Dong Zhuo was also dissatisfied that Cai Yong always gave him advice on so-called benevolent governance. If he didn't rely on his reputation, he would have been killed with one sword.
"Although what Cai Bojie said is biased, there seems to be an undercurrent in Beijing recently, and their veterans who claim to be loyal may take action." Li Ru reminded.
Dong Zhuo slammed the table and said, "Didn't they see the fate of Wu Fu and those people? How dare you have bad intentions and see if I can't destroy their nine tribes!"
"Should we send some troops back to Chang'an to prepare for any unexpected events?" Li Su suggested.
Dong Zhuo snorted and waved his hand, "No need, the troops in the capital are sufficient. Fan Chou, Guo Si, and Li Jue will continue to station and train troops to guard against Ma Teng and other forces in the west. Zhang Ji, you will assist Xu Rong."
Several generals knelt down and took orders.
Following Guo Jia's suggestion, Yuan Xi wrote a letter to Wang Yun in the name of his father Yuan Shao, explaining King Yuan Shaoqin's determination and exaggerating his own strength. He said that he was already on the way and asked him to cooperate and so on.
When the letter arrived in Wang Yun's hands, he was very excited. He thought to himself that he was indeed right. Yuan Shao was indeed as loyal and patriotic as himself. This time the Han Dynasty can be revived, and he is the number one hero and can leave his name in history.
How could you not celebrate with a drink when you encounter something so happy? So Wang Yun invited the servant archer Sun Rui, the Sili captain Huang Wan, and the cavalry captain Li Su to come over for discussion.
On the one hand, he showed his influence and reassured them, and on the other hand, he discussed with them how Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu would respond. Wang Yun said it was time to show his abilities.
After a while, Pu Sheshi Sun Rui and Sili Colonel Huang Wan arrived at Wang Yun's mansion. They were Wang Yun's best friends.
Wang Yun was very happy when he saw the two people arriving, and asked them to sit down quickly.
"You two are here, sit down quickly, I have something big to announce."
When the two saw each other, Wang Yun looked mysterious, and the banquet had been arranged, as if it was a happy occasion. But they were still confused and didn't understand what happened.
Huang Wan was a military attache with a rather impatient temper, and was very mysterious when meeting Wang Yun. I asked hurriedly as soon as I sat down.
"Brother, what's going on? Please tell me quickly. I'm so anxious."
"Haha, I guess it must be a happy event," Shisun Rui said, pinching his beard and smiling calmly.
"Haha, it's a big happy event. But I won't tell you now. Let's talk about it together when everyone is here." Wang Yun laughed when he heard their guesses and expressed that he was very happy, but he deliberately kept it secret. Unspoken.
Seeing Wang Yun like this, Shisun Rui was not in a hurry. He calmly held the wine glass and sipped it. But Huang Wan was so anxious that he repeatedly asked Wang Yun to speak out, but there was no response. He had no choice but to drink furiously, the wine in front of him was gone, as if he wanted to vent his anger.
After a while, the cavalry captain Li Su came belatedly and saw that everyone had arrived, and he was the last one to arrive. Feeling a little ashamed, he apologized to Wang Yun.
"Forgive me, Lord Situ. Su just sent Dong Zhuo away, so I'm late. Please forgive me."
Before Wang Yun could speak, Huang Wan couldn't help but said angrily.
"Dong Zhuo, this old thief, really deserves to die. I wish I could eat him alive to get rid of this hatred."
"Okay, you don't have to say it. Everyone here is a Han Dynasty person and hates Dong Zhuo. He won't be able to dance for a few days." Wang Yun interrupted Huang Wan's complaint. He said to Li Su again.
"General Li, it doesn't have to be like this. Take a seat quickly, I have something big to announce."
Hearing what Wang Yun said, Li Su quickly sat down and waited for Wang Yun's good news. Everyone also listened attentively.
When Wang Yun saw that everyone was here and everyone's attention was attracted, he felt a little proud.
"Haha, Yuan Shao has already responded to my letter after receiving it. Now he has sent troops to Qinwang. They are already on their way to Chang'an and will arrive in a few days."
What, Yuan Shao sent troops to the capital to serve the king. After everyone heard Wang Yun's words, they were all surprised and had not yet reacted. They knew about the matter of asking Yuan Shao to send troops to help. They didn't want Yuan Shao to come so quickly. After they reacted, they were very happy.
But little did they know that this was Yuan Xi and Guo Jia's plan, to take advantage of Yuan Shao's power to reassure people and protect themselves and others. After all, without Yuan Shao as a banner, he and others would not be able to survive.
Huang Wan immediately said excitedly, "Haha, I didn't expect to be so loyal and patriotic at first. When they arrive, it will be the time when Thief Dong dies." After saying this, he laughed proudly.
Influenced by him, Li Su also said happily, "I don't want Yuan Jizhou to be so powerful and quick. In this way, the day when the Dong thief will be killed is not far away."
Originally, Li Su was worried that Wang Yun and others might not be Dong Zhuo's opponents, so he had some reservations about cooperating with them. But now he heard that Yuan Shao was so helpful.
I didn't expect these old guys to be able to hire such powerful foreign aid. It seems that I have to work with them to deal with Dong Zhuo. Li Su decided secretly in his heart and understood this in an instant.
"Hahahahahahaha", Wang Yun couldn't help laughing when he saw that everyone was very happy and that he had achieved his goal.
This is the power of momentum, taking advantage of momentum, nourishing momentum, building momentum, and using momentum.
