Zheng Xuan, Gu Yong, and Guoyuan all watched Yuan Xi closely to see how he would deal with those Qingzhou soldiers. This matter was related to the reputation and influence of the Yuan family and Yuan Xi's own political future.
"Fengxiao, according to our military laws, how should we deal with robbing people's property?" Yuan Xi asked loudly.
"Well, back to my lord, our army does not have this law. This situation is entirely up to the commander's decision."
Yuan Xi nodded and asked again: "Then what is the crime of robbing property in our Han law?"
Guo Jia thought for a while and said word by word: "The lighter ones will be imprisoned and punished with sticks, and the severe ones will be beheaded!"
When more than a dozen Qingzhou soldiers heard this, some were angry and some were frightened. Tan Yuan and Huang Dong wanted to beg for mercy but didn't dare.
Zhang He hurriedly said: "Sir, I have failed to manage the army well and have caused harm to the people. Please punish me as well."
Yuan Xi came to a dozen Qingzhou soldiers and said sternly, "You and others were forced to join the Yellow Turbans by mistake before to make a living. Now you have joined our Jizhou Army, and you are still doing things that harm the people. You are really guilty and cannot be punished."
A tall and burly Qingzhou soldier knelt down, took two steps forward, and begged for mercy, "Young General, my family is living in poverty. My old father has no clothes to cover his body. The cold winter is coming. I just want to prevent him from getting cold. If he breaks the law, he can't." The only solution is to hope that the Major General can give the family cold clothes."
Yuan Xi moved slightly and said, "Don't worry, since you have surrendered to our Jizhou Army, it will definitely allow you and your family to survive the cold winter. However, we must not do such a thing that harms our compatriots."
After saying that, Yuan Xi took off the fish scale armor from his body and sighed, "It is my fault that I did not arrange food and clothing for the soldiers and their families. No wonder a group of soldiers invited law enforcement officials to let me suffer the punishment on their behalf."
"Young Master is the commander-in-chief of the entire army, and your body is precious, so you can't use it!" Zhang He quickly advised. Jiang Wei and other squires who followed also quickly persuaded Yuan Xi to stop.
"If orders are not strict, I cannot explain to the people of Qingzhou why our army is established in Qingzhou. Military discipline is not strict, and I, the commander, have the most faults." Yuan Xi said sternly.
More than a dozen Qingzhou soldiers were all moved. They had never encountered a commander who was so considerate to his soldiers.
"Major General, I can't help it. I'll just plead guilty."
The burly soldier also choked with sobs as he said, "Young General, please kill us. We plead guilty and are willing to be punished. We can be beaten or killed. You, General, can't injure your body for lowly people like us."
Zheng Xuan saw that his goal had been achieved and that Yuan Xi was not what he wanted to see. After all, "the punishment cannot be compared to that of a doctor", so he attributed Yuan Xi to the class of gentry and scribes.
"Second Young Master, the commander of an army should not be punished lightly. I just hope that the Young Master will restrain the sergeants in the future."
Yuan Xi's heart moved, and he knew that his goal of winning people's hearts had been achieved. He remembered what Emperor Wu of Wei Cao Cao and Emperor Wu of Qi Gao Huan did in history. So Yuan Xi followed suit.
The next moment, Yuan Xi pulled out the stainless steel sword on his waist. In a flash of cold light, a bunch of Yuan Xi's hair was cut off. Everyone around him was moved. In ancient times, it was said that the body and skin are inherited from the parents and should not be abandoned lightly. Yuan Xi Xi's actions really moved and shocked them, not to mention the second son of the Yuan family who was the fourth and third son.
"I should have been punished, but I am in an important position. Now I am following the ancient law and cutting off my hair in lieu of punishment. The secretary also issued an order: from now on, there will be no military orders. Anyone who robs or commits suicide in private will be executed without mercy!"
Jiang Wei and other squires saw that it could end well, so they all praised Yuan Xi. Qin Yuan and Huang Dong also looked at Yuan Xi gratefully. Some of the Qingzhou soldiers cried bitterly, but what Yuan Xi didn't know was that when Yuan Xi passed away later, many Qingzhou soldiers cried bitterly, cut their hair, slashed their faces, cut off their ears, etc., and blood flowed all over the ground. To commemorate the kindness of Emperor Taizong Xuanwu and Yuan Xi.
Guo Jia and Yuan Xi looked at each other and smiled lightly.
Zheng Xuan nodded slightly, and his evaluation of Yuan Xi also improved by two points. Gu Yong and Guoyuan also silently appreciated Yuan Xi's handling of this matter.
After occupying Linzi, Yuan Xi sent an order to officially designate the Qingzhou administrative seat as Linzi. Tian Feng also began to relocate the 150,000 Qingzhou reserve troops, and there were only 10,000 "military households" remaining.
Zhang He and Zhang Liao were also sent to Le'an to assist the Jiang family and other noble families in persuading the surrender of Le'an County, and to carry out the task of expelling the remnants of the Yellow Turbans.
Early morning, Le Anli County, city tower.
Several yellow turban soldiers who were keeping vigil each wrapped themselves tightly in the linen blankets they had just snatched. They held stoneware bowls and ate wheat porridge mixed with vegetables.
Footsteps sounded, and a middle-aged man with a dark face and short beard and only one ear came to the tower with a group of soldiers.
"Guan Shuai!" Several yellow scarf soldiers stood up quickly.
Guan Hai patted a soldier on the shoulder and told them to sit down, "Everyone has enough to eat! It's my inability to bother everyone."
"What are you talking about, Guan Shuai? If Guan Shuai hadn't led us to revolt, we would have starved to death long ago, and we wouldn't be here today."
When Guan Hai heard this, he felt ashamed, and the glory of the Yellow Turban in Qingzhou was no longer there. I remember how majestic and majestic he was when he led his troops across the Qing and Yan states, and all the officers and soldiers fled in the face of the wind.
"Guan Shuai, what should we do if we are trapped in Jinan?" a yellow scarf soldier asked.
Guan Hai felt embarrassed again. His family members were also captured. However, hundreds of thousands of people could not defeat Jinan at first. Now how can more than 20,000 people fight back? Guan Hai said in shame, "It's Guan Hai who is incompetent, but everyone can't defeat Jinan." Be patient, there will be a way to save the little one."
"Report! We have discovered that a large number of Jizhou troops are coming from the direction of Qi State, twenty miles southeast of Li County." A messenger ran up the tower panting.
The Yellow Turbans were shocked. The two thousand cavalry sent by Tian Kai to encircle and suppress them had just retreated and fled, and the Jizhou army immediately followed them.
Dots of black shadows appeared in the distance, and then waves of vibrations came from the ground. Gradually, three to four thousand Jizhou cavalry appeared outside Li County. With the sound of "woo woo" horn, the Jizhou cavalry began to line up.
Seeing this scene, the Yellow Turban Army on the city wall was greatly frightened. The Jizhou Army had become a lingering nightmare for them.
Then Zhang He's army of more than 20,000 infantry gradually came up and set up camp facing the south gate of Li County.
In the afternoon, under the protection of Jizhou cavalry, more than 4,000 Qingzhou soldiers lined up and arrived at the foot of Li County. Just when the Yellow Turban Army was confused on the city wall, four thousand people began to shout in unison to surrender.
"We are soldiers from the former Gaomi Battalion." "Those who surrender will not be held accountable, and the family will be given a share of the land!" "Jizhou Military Control has two meals a day!"
Similar shouts of surrender continued, but the Yellow Turban soldiers on the city wall were startled. They were already thinking about their children, but they heard the shouts of surrender from their former companions. At this time, they had no intention of resisting.
"Jizhou bastard lied to us! Don't believe it." Guan Hai shouted with a long sword. He led his soldiers to the city wall to supervise the battle in person.
Guan Hai grabbed a young general who was leading the team to defend the city and said angrily, "Why don't you shoot them with arrows?"
"Guan Shuai, they, they are brothers from the Gaomi Camp!" the little leader said at a loss.
"Bah! A group of traitors, shoot all the bows and arrows at them hard." Guan Hai ordered at the top of his lungs.
The Yellow Turban soldiers had no choice but to take their bows, put arrows on them, and shoot them at the Qingzhou soldiers below.
"Shield up!" The Qingzhou soldiers immediately raised their shields to resist. The Jizhou cavalry also began to run, waiting for an opportunity to shoot surrender letters into the city.
Guan Hai looked at the Jizhou soldiers under the city and felt angry, but his own troops did not have the advantage, and they were completely demoralized by the opponent. There was really no chance of victory in a forced battle.
"Guan Shuai! The situation is not good. If this continues, many of our people will surrender before the Jizhou army attacks." A bald deputy general said worriedly.
Guan Hai tightened his grip on the handle of the knife and asked, "Xu Ming, what do you think we should do?"
"Guan Shuai, Jizhou's army is strong and we really can't defeat it. Even if we hold on to Li County, we won't be able to survive the winter with food reserves. Can we avoid the sharp edge of the Jizhou army?" The bald Xu Ming suggested cautiously.
Guan Hai hummed and said, "I want to come with you. Beihai is where we will make our fortune. It is as big as Pingyuan, Le'an, and Jinan combined. Kong Rong is no more than a scholar, and there must be no armaments there." Qiang, just retreat to Beihai and make further calculations."
"We should have gone to Beihai before, but we were forced by the Jizhou army and we just arrived in Le'an. Now it's better. Even if we can't capture the city, we can still hide in the mountains."
Guan Hai looked sad and angry with helplessness and desolation, and ordered, "Send the order, abandon the city and go to Beihai tonight!"
In November of the fourth year of Chuping (193), Linzi City Governor's Office.
Under Tian Feng's dispatch, Qingzhou's standing troops and military households that could not be accommodated began to move to Qi State and stationed near Linzi. Hao Zhao and Guo Huai also escorted batches of winter grain to Qingzhou.
After telling Tian Feng that he wanted to recruit Zheng Xuan's two disciples, Yuan Xi invited Zheng Xuan's master and disciple to the Governor's Mansion to host a banquet in order to recruit some talents from Zheng Xuan.
Tian Feng is also a famous person in the world. Although his reputation is not as good as Zheng Xuan's, Zheng Xuan's attitude has improved a lot. Yuan Xi himself was considered a scholar, so he specially treated this banquet as an exchange and discussion among scholars.
Yuan Xi invited Zheng Xuan to take the main seat with him. Tian Feng and Guo Jia sat on the left, while Gu Yong and Guoyuan sat on the right.
Yuan Xi and Guo Jia treated Zheng Xuan as disciples and asked him about Confucian classics. Zheng Xuan naturally quoted from the classics and talked eloquently. He did not stick to the classics, but cited extensive evidence and listed some knowledge he knew from his early travels to various places.
Guo Jia, Yuan Xi, and Tian Feng were all impressed by Zheng Xuan's erudition. Yuan Xi could barely cope with his questions after exhausting his knowledge for more than ten years. Zheng Xuan was indeed an expert, and Yuan Xi felt inferior.
Sure enough, experts will know if there is one as soon as they take action.
But Yuan Xi's mind was not on seeking advice from Zheng Xuan, but on his disciples, so he said, "Master Zheng, I don't know whether what I heard is true or false. It is said that in the early years, Master met the Yellow Turban Thief who invaded Beihai, but he admired Master Not only do you not do any harm, but you also promise not to invade your hometown. I wonder if this is the case?"
Zheng Xuan touched his long beard, and his memories from many years ago were touched, and he sighed, "Yes, there are some strong people among the Yellow Turbans. It's a pity that they have embarked on the path of rebellion that harms the village."
Yuan Xi nodded and said: "Xi sent troops to Qingzhou to save the people from the fire and water. The Huangjin people in Qingzhou were originally good people. It was only the treacherous eunuchs who confused the government at the beginning and forced them to rebel. Therefore, we tried our best to surrender them and return them to their fields. .”
"Young Master is very righteous and talented. He is worthy of the reputation of the Yuan family. On behalf of the people of Qingzhou Township, I would like to thank you for your great kindness." After saying this, Zheng Xuan bowed to Yuan Xi.
Yuan Xi quickly returned the courtesy. He didn't expect Zheng Xuan to be so willful.
Guo Jia understood and helped: "Master Zheng, do you know how much effort the young master has put into settling the millions of Qingzhou people? There is no need to talk about food and other matters, but it is really heavy for Mr. Yuan Hao to take charge of many government affairs alone. What does the young master mean? I want Master Zheng to help settle those Yellow Turban family members."
Zheng Xuan shook his head and said, "I will help out and do what I can, but I will not serve as an official."
Yuan Xi did not hope that Zheng Xuan would be conquered. He cared about Zheng Xuan's two disciples, so he said, "Xi understands your integrity, and wants to ask your two disciples to help govern Qingzhou and settle these Yellow Turbans. "
Tian Feng said at the right time: "Feng is sometimes in trouble on his own, but with the help of Mr. Kang Cheng and his two disciples, I believe Qingzhou will soon return to its former prosperity."
Zheng Xuan didn't answer, just looked at his two disciples.
Gu Yong, who had a square face and a short beard, tightened his eyebrows and was obviously thinking seriously. Guoyuan, who was in his early twenties, was somewhat moved, with a vague expression of joy.
"The governor is responsible for managing the people's livelihood in a state. Yonglian County officials have never done it before, so I may not be qualified for the job." Gu Yong declined. Although the Jizhou Army and Yuan Xi were in the limelight, Gu Yong had a calm personality and was not in a hurry to become an official.
"Mr. Yuan Tan's words are wrong. Before Xi Wei led the army, he was just a student in Luoyang. However, the world was unstable and the country was in danger. He had no choice but to use his seven-foot body to go to the national disaster with all the generals, soldiers and talents. Why? Just to give peace to our great Han people. , and bring prosperity to the Han Dynasty." Yuan Xi looked at Gu Yong and Guoyuan and said loudly.
"I also ask you two to help me, to help the country and save the people of Qingzhou." After saying that, Yuan Xi held his hands and bowed deeply to the two of them.
The young and fair-skinned Guoyuan's blood surged, and he quickly stood up to return the gift and said, "Guoyuan has long had a wish to benefit Qingzhou. Master Meng will not give up and is willing to take up a position."
"Thank you, Mr. Zini, for helping me govern Qingzhou." Yuan Xi saluted, but Guoyuan was a talented person in the state. Later, it was Guoyuan who implemented the Wei State's farmland policy, and the implementation was in an orderly manner, making it convenient for the officials and the people.
Then Yuan Xi looked at Gu Yong again. He cared more about Gu Yong. After all, Gu Yong was a talented person in the country. He asked sincerely, "What do you think, Mr. Yuan Tan?"
Gu Yong looked at Zheng Xuan in embarrassment, hoping that he could give some tips and opinions. A teacher is like a father, so he cared about Zheng Xuan's attitude.
Zheng Xuan still stroked his long gray beard and said with a smile, "Yuantan, although the second young master is young, he comes from a famous family, has great ambitions, and is very talented. If you have the intention of becoming an official, you might as well entrust him to me."
Gu Yong took a long breath, cupped his hands to Yuan Xi and said, "Yong is willing to do his best for Qingzhou."
Yuan Xi breathed a long sigh of relief, his Xiao Hezhi was finally back in his place. Later, after Tian Feng died, Gu Yong became the Minister of Household Affairs and was given the post of Chief Agriculture Officer.
Koto.
"Bo Fu, when can eldest brother return?" Wu Jing was silent for a moment and asked.
"Withdrawing troops this time is not that simple. This time we not only offend Yuan Shu, but also offend Yuan Shao. My father is afraid that the two Yuan brothers will attack and intercept us, so the march is not fast. I am afraid it will take more than ten days to return to Jiangdong." Sun Ce thought for a while and then said.
"In this case, Bo Fu, let's do something before your father returns. You will personally come forward to sort out the powerful people in Qu'a County. There must be a lot of people who are against the eldest brother. Let's fight a group and pull them together. One batch." Wu Jing said with a glint in his eyes.
There are many powerful families in Qu'a County, but they are not very powerful. However, one thing is very important. The powerful Jiangdong family can easily stick together.
His move was to test the reaction of the Jiangdong nobles before Sun Jian's army returned.
Wu Jing knew that when Sun Jian returned to Jiangdong, he would definitely be able to capture Jiangdong with his force, so he had now begun to pave the way for Sun Jian. Jiangdong was a place with many aristocratic families, and 80% of the land and population were under the control of powerful aristocratic families. If Sun Jian wants to occupy Jiangdong, he must confront these noble families.
"Uncle, what should I do?" Sun Ce's eyes lit up and he was a little moved. He was eager to prove himself to Sun Jian now, proving that he could not only fight on the battlefield, but also manage the place, and his character was no worse than Yuan Xi's.
It's not because of the struggle for power, but the mentality of a young man who refuses to admit defeat.
