Li Que and Guo Si exercised power and ignored the emperor Liu Xie. There were many complaints in the civil and military affairs of the court. There was Ding Guan, the minister in front of him. In the court hall, he cursed Dong Zhuo as a thief. He threw an elephant slip at Dong Zhuo and was brutally beheaded. In troubled times, there is no control over people.
Later, Wu Fu, a Yue cavalry captain, concealed a short blade and attempted to assassinate Dong Zhuo, leaving him bloody. Ding Guan and Wu Fu were brutally killed, and later Dong Zhuo was executed, and the Xiliang army monitored the court, but this did not stop the righteous ministers in the court from resisting the Xiliang army.
Zhang Fan is such a loyal minister. Zhang Fan was killed by Li Que, which reminded Yang Biao that the Xiliang army was brutal and wary of the North Korean military. If he took action hastily, there would be no chance of success, and he would risk his own life instead. Yang Biao secretly made friends with righteous people and conspired to fight against the Xiliang army and protect the imperial court.
Yang Biao understood that if he wanted to kill Li Que and Guo Si, he must get the support of the army. Most of the Xiliang army was in the hands of Li Que and Guo Si. Yang Biao was unable to gain their support and could only secretly contact Zhang Ji, Dong Cheng, Yang Feng and others who were relatively weak. The helplessness of the ministers in the late Han Dynasty was evident. .
Several people conspired many times, but could never reach an agreement. Because Zhang Fan lost his life in this way some time ago, everyone was very cautious. They would rather not move until the time came. Yang Biao was helpless.
Chang'an, Weiyang Palace.
This palace complex is six times as large as the Forbidden City in Beijing in later generations. The place where the emperor's dragon is placed should be the place where the light shines down on the sky, and the scenery and stars celebrate the clouds. However, there is no auspicious atmosphere in Weiyang Palace today.
The palace doors are closed and the corridors are deep. It's like a prison. It's such a huge prison. Even if you transform into a bird with wings, it would be difficult to pass through this desolate place and cross the strict palace wall.
The current emperor, Liu Xie, looked at the empty square in front of the palace. On his face, which had just turned 14, the childishness that had not yet faded was mixed with the vicissitudes of years of hardship. Fu Guiren came over holding a big cloak. He called softly, "Your Majesty, the wind is blowing. It may rain today. Please put on some clothes."
Fu Guiren, the daughter of Zhongsan doctor Fu Wan, was selected into the harem more than a year ago in Luoyang, the capital of the empire at that time, and later became a noble after the capital was moved to Chang'an. Fu Guiren is one year older than Liu Xie and is more like a big sister.
In this prison-like palace, the young emperor Liu Xie could only find some comfort in Fu Guiren. Liu Xie gently touched Fu Guiren's hand, tears glistening in his eyes. Who knows the pain of being a puppet emperor?
"Your Majesty..." Fu Guiren did not dare to say anything, so he called out and quietly signaled with his eyes. Most of the personal eunuchs were minions of the Xiliang Army. Liu Xie's words and deeds would be reported to Li Que and Guo Si.
If you are not careful, it will lead to disaster! The emperor is not immune! Liu Xie's previous emperor, Liu Bian, who was several years older than him, only a hundred days after he ascended the throne, he was forced to abdicate by the Xiliang army led by Dong Zhuo and gave up the throne to Liu Xie.
However, Liu Bian, who was deposed as King Hongnong, still failed to escape the disaster and was forced to drink poisoned wine and died of poison. At that time, Liu Xie was less than ten years old and still an innocent child. In just a few years, Liu Xie has gone through the ups and downs that ordinary people have experienced for decades.
However, all this weak little emperor could do was cry behind his back. I complained in my heart that I shouldn't be born into an emperor's family. He was unable to fight against the Xiliang army, but he wanted to escape Chang'an all the time. Escape from this prison-like Weiyang Palace. Silent sigh...
Yuan Xi led everyone back to the camp. He opened the curtain of the big tent and saw Bu Lianshi sitting on the couch.
Trainer Bu's pretty face was still stained with tears. She had lost the most precious thing in her life and transformed from a girl to a woman. She had been in a state of confusion for the past few days. She didn't even know that Yuan Xi had entered the tent. Maybe she could do nothing if she knew.
Yuan Xi unconsciously stretched out his hand to caress the bright cheek, but when he touched those eyes, his hand stopped midway and asked hesitantly, "How are you?"
Trainer Bu came back to her senses, trembled, and stood up immediately. She hurried out of the tent while avoiding Yuan Xi's gaze, and said, "I'm sorry, Master. I will bring water to Master to wash up."
"Wait!" Yuan Xi said hurriedly, "I have wronged you these past few days. I will treat you well in the future."
There was no expression on Trainer Bu's face. She said calmly: "This slave is just repaying the kindness of the master. Since I have committed myself as a slave, everything belongs to the master, so why ask for anything?"
After saying that, she hurriedly walked out.
Yuan Xi grabbed her arm, frowned and said, "You..." He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say when the words came to his mouth, so he just nodded and let go.
The sound of footsteps started just as Guo Jia got into the tent. He looked back at Master Bu who was walking out and said with a bad smile: "Young master has imitated the great ancestor. You are really very lucky. But don't make it public or cause criticism from below." It’s not good.”
Yuan Xi just smiled and said he didn't care much. There were some things that he understood in his heart and didn't need to be said, so he asked, "Well, Guo Fengxiao, why are you here if you don't take a rest?"
"That's it. Mr. Yuan sent people to bring food and wine. He plans to reward the army. Please come over and take charge, sir."
"Who sent it here, Feng Ji or Xu You?" Yuan Xi asked immediately after being stunned.
"Chen Lin, Chen Kongzhang!"
"The Seventh Son of Jian'an?" Yuan Xi became interested and waved, "Go and greet him!" This is the tail-wagging system that he may use in the future, which is also the so-called pen stick.
Yuan Xi brought Guo Jia, Xu Chu and other guards to the camp to greet them personally, while Chen Lin was also directing the soldiers and civilians to unload the supplies.
Yuan Xi looked around and saw that Chen Lin was about forty years old. She had a long beard and a long robe. She really had a dashing literati style, so he stepped forward and cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Chen Kongzhang?"
Chen Lin cupped her hands and smiled: "Second Young Master, we met in Luoyang back then. You were still young at that time, so maybe you don't remember."
Yuan Xi did not dare to ask for help, so he asked the soldiers to help distribute the food and wine sent by Chen Lin, and welcomed Chen Lin into the tent. Then he asked carefully, "Mr. Kong Zhang, when did you apply to be my father's staff?"
"It's hard to describe in words." Chen Linzhi sighed, "I was also a guest at the General's Mansion at that time. During the chaos in Luoyang, I followed a group of merchants to flee. In the past two years, I traveled to Hedong, Bingzhou, and Jizhou, until I came to Yecheng at the end of last year. I I have an old relationship with Mr. Yuan. When he heard that I came to Jizhou, he made me the commander of the army, Bo Wenshu."
Yuan Xi has read his poems and essays in both past and present lives. He still admired Chen Lin's literary talents, so he followed up and said, "I remember that when my husband was giving lectures in Luoyang, I also went to listen. It's a pity that I am involved in military affairs now and can't seek advice from my husband."
"Young Master is too humble." Chen Lin stroked her beard and smiled, and said humbly, "Young Master is as talented as me. The two of us can only talk about exchanging ideas. If we ask for advice, I will kill you."
Facing the prestigious second son of the Yuan family, Yuan Xi, Chen Lin did not dare to entrust him. This was not flattery, but a way of understanding current affairs.
Yuan Xi took an inkstone from the side, pointed at it and said, "Qilu is a ceremonial place where civilization flourished. If you have the opportunity, you might as well come and take a dip. This is a Lu inkstone produced in Qingzhou. It is said that Sage Confucius also highly praised it at that time. I and I Sir, we are literary friends, wouldn't it be polite to send him off like this?"
"It is indeed a simple and elegant inkstone." Chen Lindao was not polite and took it and said, "Thank you for the gift, Mr. Ya."
Yuan Xi smiled and asked the soldiers to serve food and wine, and called Guo Jia and Gu Yong to accompany him. He took advantage of her and took the opportunity to talk about singing and poetry with Chen Lin. After this long conversation, through constant showing of goodwill, the distance between myself and Chen Lin became much closer.
Looking at Chen Lin who was a little drunk, Yuan Xi glanced at Guo Jia. Guo Jia understood and asked seemingly unintentionally: "Mr. Chen, I heard that there are many people who are dissatisfied with our second son, and then make trouble against Mr. Yuan. You are in charge of the document, is this possible?"
Chen Lin shook her head and pretended to sigh, "Normally, I shouldn't tell you about this confidential document. But Xianyi and I are of the same mind, so I might as well reveal a few things so that you don't plot against others. I just don't know what you are referring to. Which thing?"
Yuan Xi personally poured wine for Chen Lin and asked softly: "I heard from my father that someone wrote to him, proposing to establish an heir apparent?"
"You also know about this matter?" Chen Lin was a little surprised, "It seems that Second Young Master, you are in Qingzhou, but you still have good ears and eyes here. It was Xin Ping who took the lead in mentioning this matter, and Mr. Yuan pressed on Next, I sent a letter to all the generals and civil servants to inquire about this matter."
Yuan Xi's heart skipped a beat, and he pretended to be calm and asked, "Who are the people who approve and support my eldest brother?"
"To be honest, Young Master, Guo Tu and Xin Ping are supporting the Young Master, but these other people..." Chen Lin looked around and lowered her voice: "The Xun family hesitant, Ju Shou and Tian Feng Wei also wrote a letter saying that a tree cannot stand without a foundation. This can stabilize the morale of the army and the people. He also said that the ancient etiquette of establishing a heir should be followed and the eldest son should be elected as the heir apparent. Prince, you should be careful."
Gu Yong was secretly shocked, but with his status it was hard to say anything, so he just sat quietly. Guo Jia narrowed his eyes and smiled, as if everything was as expected.
Yuan Xi's heart was gloomy. Although he knew that Jushou and Tian Feng were Yuan Shao's upright and loyal ministers, they might not seek personal gain but only thought about Yuan Shao's great cause. In order to stabilize the interior of Jizhou and avoid causing trouble to Xiao Qiang, Tian Feng, Jushou and Tian Feng It’s not surprising that people do this.
Just like Wei Zheng persuaded Li Yuan to support the prince to divide Li Shimin's power, but when it happened to him, Yuan Xi experienced the state of mind of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin at that time.
Yuan Xi's expression remained unchanged, and then asked: "I didn't see Guo Tu at my father's place. I wonder where he is now?"
"Young master, you don't know that Guo Tu was sent to the Wuhuan area in the three counties to contact the barbarians to attack Gongsun Zan."
Guo Jia said "oh" and had a complete understanding of Yuan Shao's layout. Yuan Xi saw that it was getting very late, so he asked Gu Yong to prepare the tent and left Chen Lin to spend the night.
"Tian Feng, Tian Feng." Yuan Xi muttered: "What a loyal and upright minister! What a Wei Zheng."
"What Mr. Tian did was for the overall stability of Yuan Gong and Jizhou, and was not necessarily aimed at you, my lord." Guo Jia comforted.
"Why don't I know what kind of person Tian Feng is?" Yuan Xi said with a smile, but the next moment he threw the wine baron away and pushed him to the table, and roared angrily: "I thought we had experienced so many things together. Even if he can't be my confidant, I should remain indifferent and neutral. I can't think of him, I can't think of..."
Yuan Xi felt betrayed, just like Li Shimin was kind to Li Jing and Li Shiji, and lived and died with them. But in the end, they remained neutral. But neutrality was betrayal, and the heir position that he thought was easily accessible became shaken.
The faster he rises, the more urgent he will be to force Yuan Tan and others, and Yuan Tan occupies the extremely advantageous position of being the heir apparent. If most of the high-level civil servants in Jizhou support Yuan Tan and force Yuan Shao to express his position, then Yuan Tan really has the possibility of ascending to the throne.
"Young Master, why do you need to be anxious? The world and Jizhou are like chess games. You cannot win with one or two moves. Besides, Young Master still has the advantage." Guo Jia advised: "Even if Yuan Tan takes over, we Even if you are at a disadvantage, as long as you grasp one thing, the young master will win in the end."
"What is it, military power?"
"Young Master is half right." Guo Jia smiled, "The hearts of the people! The hearts of Duke Yuan and the hearts of the generals in the army."
■■■
Yuan Shaozhongjun shogunate.
The civil and military personnel of Gaoyang Central Army filed in one after another, and Yuan Xi also followed them in and kept saying hello.
Ju Shou happened to be walking next to Yuan Xi. Yuan Xi nodded and said, "Mr. Ju, Mr. Yuan Hao has always entrusted me to say hello to you. I didn't want to have the chance until today."
"Second Young Master and Yuan Hao did a good job in Qingzhou. I also regret that I didn't switch positions with Yuan Hao so that I could build such a great achievement." Jushou said in an official tone.
"Sir, what do you think of Liu Yu's plot to attack Gongsun Zan?" Yuan Xi asked tentatively.
"Hey, who told you, Young Master, that we designed Liu Yu to expel Gongsun Zan?" Jushou stopped, paused and said, "No matter which side wins or loses, it's all the same to us. The key is We can defeat Gongsun Zan and return to Wei County, after all, Yecheng is the foundation of our army."
"I want to relieve my father's worries and accomplish this great feat of attacking Gongsun Zan. Can you teach me, sir?" Yuan Xi tried again. He wanted to know whether Jushu would give him random tricks and harm him in order to maintain the stability of Jizhou's top leaders.
Jushou hesitated for a moment and said, "The arrangements for the deployment of these soldiers have not yet been agreed upon. At that time, the young master will only have to fight bravely."
Yuan Xi was disappointed. Jushou seemed to be impartial, but in fact his actions were on Yuan Tan's side. Now Yuan Xi understands why Yang Guang hates Gao Ying and why Li Shimin hates Wei Zheng.
As they talked, the two came to the shogunate lobby. Feng Ji, Xu You, Chen Lin, Cui Yan, Chunyu Qiong, Gao Lan, Han Meng, Jiang Qi and others also sat on both sides.
"Everyone!" Yuan Shao said with a somewhat proud look on his face: "Mr. Feng Ji is already in Jixian County. The arrangements have been made there. Liu Bo'an will send troops in a few days to encircle Gongsun Zan's lair next to Jixian County. How should you respond?"
"Lord!" Feng Ji immediately replied: "When I went down to contact Liu Bo'an, he did not say that he would allow our army to march into Youzhou."
Everyone below was talking a lot, and Chunyu Qiong said angrily: "This Liu Yu, we are also helping him drive away Gongsun Zan, a powerful enemy who cares about his territory! He is good, and he suspects that we will take the opportunity to attack him!"
"It's okay for our army to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. We are afraid that Liu Yu will not be able to defeat Gongsun Zan." Jushou said worriedly, "Liu Yu is weak and indecisive in his dealings, and the Youzhou soldiers have not experienced battle formations, so they may suffer losses in the event of a confrontation."
Yuan Shao looked at everyone and was about to say something, but the herald who ran in interrupted him.
"Report! The spies are here to report that Liu Yu has deployed troops to besiege Tucheng where Gongsun Zan is stationed yesterday."
Everyone was shocked. They didn't expect Liu Yu to take action in advance.
