The sky brightened, and the fire around Jizhou Military Camp was finally extinguished, leaving only a few wisps of black smoke swirling around.
However, the scorched smell of the burned body parts was so strong that it could not be dissipated. Whether it was Gongsun Zan or not still needed further confirmation.
Yuan Xi covered his nose and rode around to look around.
Xu Chu, who was shirtless and covered in sweat, yelled, ran over with a charred corpse, and asked in surprise, "Major General, look, is this the corpse of Gongsun Zan?"
He threw a long spear to the ground, pointed at it and said, "This spear is held tightly in the hands of the corpse."
Yuan Xi looked over and saw that the corpse was charred black and carbonized, but he could vaguely make out the exquisite armor, and the long spear with blades at both ends was undoubtedly Gongsun Zan's.
As for cheating death and letting the golden cicada escape from its shell, Gongsun Zan probably couldn't do it because he was too proud. He would rather die than live like this, just like Xiang Yu, the overlord of Chu, committed suicide in Wujiang.
"The most important person is Gongsun Zan. It's a pity that a generation of heroes who traveled in Youzhou ended up like this." Yuan Xi sighed.
"Sir, why was Gongsun Zan burned to death? No matter how bad he was, he could have run out of the camp. He would have been better off being shot with a crossbow or stabbed to death with random spears." Xu Chu next to him asked in confusion.
Yuan Xi thought of Gongsun Zan, who was at the end of history and died of self-immolation. He lamented the strength of the wheel of history. Although history has changed, the characters of those people have not changed. When faced with similar things, they still have similar choices.
Perhaps the surname that cannot afford to lose is the biggest flaw of this once arrogant "White Horse General". Thinking about how he once confronted the two heroes of Yuan and Shao, dominated the north, and made the Xianbei and Huns fearful, but now he is as panic-stricken as a lost dog. General.
Just thinking about it casually, Gongsun Zan felt boundless despair, and his desire to die was as strong as steel. This can explain why Xiang Yu would rather die than cross Jiangdong.
In terms of willpower, Gongsun Zan is really far behind his classmate and friend Liu Bei. It can be seen from this that history is fair to everyone. Without an unyielding heart, how can one achieve the cause of becoming a king? If it is too rigid, it will break easily.
Gongsun Zan did not burn himself in a high-rise building when he was at the end of his rope, but when he was surrounded at all levels and there was no hope of breaking out, he chose to commit suicide by jumping into the sea of fire without being humiliated. He can be regarded as a hero.
Yuan Xi told the people around him about this idea, and ordered: "Gongsun Zan died on our side, which is our merit. Take his head off and send it to my father to ask for credit."
Xu Chu and others quickly agreed. Several soldiers were found to carry Gongsun Zan's body to Yuan Shao. Leaving a group of subordinates to clean up the battlefield, Yuan Xi followed to Yuan Shaodi's residence in Ji County.
All military generals were sent to lead the troops to clean up the mess, leaving only a few civil servants around Yuan Shao.
"Xianyi, you did a good job! Gongsun Zan is dead after all." Yuan Shao couldn't express his happiness. After all, Gongsun Zan and the Yuan family had been fighting for several years, and it was finally settled.
"Gongsun Zan has caused resentment among the people of Youzhou. This is because God is also helping my father." Then Yuan Xi asked with concern: "I don't know what happened to the Black Mountain bandits and Lu Bu. I'm worried that Tadun is no match for them. Gongsun Zan should be killed." The news will be quickly announced to the world, so the Black Mountain bandits will collapse without a fight."
Yuan Shao chuckled and said, "I have asked Mr. Kong Zhang to write a notice and send it to all states and counties. I believe the news will spread in a few days, and the general of the Montenegrin coalition will be very upset."
"Lord, there is an urgent report from Lord Tadun." Guo Tu hurriedly walked into the lobby of the station and said seriously, "Wuhuan suddenly rode in Dai County, Dai County, and encountered a large group of Black Mountain bandits. The two sides fought twice, and Tadun ate Lose some men and horses.”
"Tadun was defeated in the first battle?" Yuan Shao said in surprise, "Wuhuan Tuqi is famous all over the world. Can't he escape even if he can't defeat him?"
Guo Tu shook his head and explained, "Tadun was careless and underestimated the enemy. He wanted to wipe out all the Black Mountain bandits from the beginning. He didn't expect a cavalry from the opponent's formation, which was not inferior to Wuhuan's cavalry, to come, but it was Lu Bu's fellow. He didn't know how powerful Lu Bu was, so he was careless and suffered a loss."
"This Tadun is really not enough to accomplish anything!" Yuan Shao said angrily, "It's just a lesson to him, lest he become arrogant and difficult to control."
"Lord, should we send troops to help Tadun?" Guo Tu asked next.
Yuan Shao thought for a while and ordered, "Let him fight and retreat, hold back the Black Mountain bandits, and wait until our army has completely captured them and stationed troops in Jixian County before we make further calculations."
Because there were still Gongsun Zan's remnants in the garrison city, Yuan Shao gave an order, and the Jizhou army took Gongsun Zan's head, armor, and weapons to surrender. It only took half a day. The remaining nearly 10,000 defenders in the garrison city all surrendered under the leadership of the general.
Koto.
Sun Jian's Jiangdong Army, with thunderous momentum today, occupied Danyang and Kuaiji in one fell swoop, occupying most of the country in Jiangdong, which immediately shocked the entire Jiangdong.
"It's time and destiny, the Jiangdong Tiger is unstoppable!"
When Chen Wen, the governor of Yangzhou in Yuzhang, received the news, he just said this, vomited out a mouthful of blood, and fell ill in bed.
"Sun Wentai did not respect the imperial edict of the Han Dynasty and did not obey the orders of the Han Dynasty. This is the rebellion of the Han Dynasty. Everyone will punish the rebellious ministers and traitors. A certain family will send troops to wipe out the traitors." Not long after Liu Yao took control of Jiujiang County, he received The news that the two most trusted generals were defeated in Danyang and both were beheaded did not catch their breath, and they fainted from the excitement. When they woke up, they were furious and screamed for troops.
However, he just covered his eyes with anger and just talked casually. Now he has just controlled the southern part of Jiujiang, with only tens of thousands of soldiers under his command. The influence of the former prefect Zhou Ang has not been eliminated, and Yuan Shu from the north is eyeing him.
Even if he was given a gentian, he would not dare to send troops across the river to compete with Sun Jian in Jiangdong at this time.
With Sun Jian sitting in three counties and having well-equipped troops under his command, everyone in Jiangdong knew the fact that in Jiangdong, Sun Jian, the fierce tiger, had become unstoppable.
Jiangdong has already begun to take the surname Sun.
At the same time, among the scholars in Jiangdong, Sun Jian had soldiers, territory, and reputation began to attract the attention of some scholars, scholars, and scholars. Many people began to accept the fact that Sun Jian ruled Jiangdong. Some discerning people even felt that Sun Jian They also competed for the ability of the Central Plains and came to vote one after another.
This large group of scholars came to seek refuge, which gave Sun Jian an unexpected joy, and quickly made up for the shortcomings of the lack of talents in the regime he established.
Nowadays, the situation in the world is gradually becoming clearer. The potential opponents of the Yuan family are currently the Sun family in the east of the Yangtze River, Cao Cao in the Central Plains, and the Xiliang army in the northwest. As for Liu Bei, he is not powerful enough to become the main opponent that threatens the Yuan family.
It's not that if his name is Liu Bei and he is Cao Cao, they are invincible. That's not the case. They must have a certain force, army and territory behind them before they can become the opponents of the Yuan family. Otherwise, Liu Bei would have unified the Three Kingdoms long ago.
Youzhou, Hebei Province.
A few days later, the Black Mountain Army, which received news of the fall of Jixian County, also withdrew from Dai County and merged with the state.
Ju Yi received good news. When Zhang Yan of Heishan heard that Gongsun Zan was dead, he quickly withdrew his troops regardless of Gongsun Xu's pleas. However, Tadun caught up from behind and suffered heavy losses, so he retreated to Heishan.
Ju Yi led the army to pursue him slowly and "escorted" him all the way to his lair. Seeing that Lu Bu could not take advantage, he slowly withdrew his troops.
After Gongsun Zan's death, Zhang Yan, the thief of the Black Mountain Army, no longer had anyone to rely on in northern Xinjiang. He was also afraid of Yuan Shao's revenge, so he adopted the strategy of breaking up the whole army into parts. He divided the tens of thousands of Black Mountain troops under his command into several groups and dispersed them to lurk in the Taihang Mountains. among.
There are scattered small groups in every state and county, and they disappear, hoping to find the opportunity to make a comeback and fight Yuan Shao again.
As for Zhang Yan himself, he and several other close confidants such as Sun Qing, Wang Dang, Zuo Xiao, Guo Daxian and other strong thieves led the most elite 20,000 soldiers to occupy the mountains around Taihang. In the meantime, he kept a low profile and avoided Yuan Shao's killing. He was not the only one who was afraid. The princes in the world were also shocked.
In Yijing, more than 30,000 Gongsun's troops outside the city were killed, more than 15,000 were killed, and more than 10,000 surrendered. Only the more than 8,000 remnants outside the city were defeated. They fled westward in panic and fled to the Taihang Mountains. Zhang Yan left, and Yi Jing was defeated!
The Jizhou Allied Forces' campaign against Gongsun Zan ended with the complete victory of the Jizhou Army. Basically, the Yuan family and the Sun family basically ended their crusade and stability in the rear area at the same time.
Therefore, the Sun family's father and son are still very capable, just like Li Keyong and his son during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. If the Yuan family and the Sun family were in the same status and background, the Yuan family and his son may not necessarily win over the Sun family. , even if Yuan Xi is a time traveler.
Yuan Shao took Feng Ji, Xu You, Ju Shou, Chen Lin and other staff into the city to calm the people, patrol the people, and strictly prohibited the army from disturbing the people. Any violation would be punished by military law.
When he heard that Yuan Shao had entered Yijing, Yuan Xi immediately came to see him and asked for a generous burial for Gongsun Zan.
"Gongsun Zan has been against me for many years. As a father, I wish I could crush his bones and spread his ashes to relieve the hatred in my heart. How can I bury him well?" After hearing his son's words, Yuan Shao did not immediately agree. He looked at Yuan Xi in confusion and asked. .
"Father, Gongsun Zan is dead. Even if you crush his bones and spread his ashes, he will not be known under the Nine Springs. It is better to bury him alive. This will not only calm the hearts of the people of Yijing, but also let the world know that my father has a broad mind. , can tolerate what the world cannot tolerate, even enemies can be buried with lavish burials, what else can't be tolerated? When the news spreads, people with lofty ideals from all over will surely come to join us like crucian carp crossing the river. Then why worry about the world being unstable?"
After listening to Yuan Xi's words, Xu You also stood up and expressed his agreement: "My lord, what the second young master said is very true, and he is actually far-sighted. Emperor Gaozu buried Xiang Yu generously, so my lord should also bury Gongsun Zan generously to win people's hearts. This is the best policy!"
After listening to the harmony between his son and Xu You, Yuan Shao thought for a moment and felt that it made sense and there was no need to compete.
Gongsun Zan is already a corpse. Even if he is burned to ashes, he doesn't know about it. He might as well use this to establish a positive image of himself. Even if he can't attract talents, it can gain him a good reputation, which is also a good result!
"My son Xianyi's words are right. I will follow your words on this matter. Let Xianyi and Ziyuan handle the matter of burying Gongsun Zan in a dignified manner!"
Xu You bowed and accepted the order: "Although my lord is lenient, Ziyuan will definitely live up to his trust! Help the second young master complete this matter."
After reassuring the people, Yuan Shao came out of the city to reward the three armies. After besieging the city of Yijing for more than twenty days, the army's morale was already exhausted. It was time to give the governor a good reward to calm the morale of the army. He took Xu You, Feng Ji and others out of the city, leaving some people behind to follow Yuan Xi and hold a funeral for Gongsun Zan.
Yuan Xi's move planted the potential seeds for Yuan Xi to successfully control Youzhou a few years later after Yuan Tan defected.
Next, Yuan Shao summoned a group of subordinates to discuss the future governance of Youzhou. The first discussion was about who should be the pastor of Youzhou. So he asked, "I don't have to worry about the Black Mountain bandits. Now that Youzhou is newly settled, can you guys have any good strategies to pacify Youzhou?"
Yuan Shao felt relieved after dealing with the Black Mountain bandits, so he returned to his usual elegant demeanor. The meeting returned to the central topic, how to stabilize Youzhou.
"My lord, our army currently has four states under its control. I think that my lord can ask the emperor to resign from the post of shepherd of Jizhou, but he can take the post of general of chariots and cavalry in charge of Ji, Qing, You, and the affairs of the four states, and choose another confidant. Serve as the governor of the four states and govern the four states. If so, the lord can have no worries and concentrate on managing the Central Plains, and great achievements can be expected." As Yuan Shao's most trusted planner, Jushou was the first to advocate.
"My lord, Xu You seconded the suggestion. The most important thing in governing is to win people. You deeply agree with what you said. The four young masters (three sons and one nephew) all think that they are old enough to share the worries of the master. They are the four states. Mu Bu Er has chosen the right candidate, and I would like to ask my lord to think deeply about it." As an old minister of Yuan Shao, Xu You has known each other since the time of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, and Xu You can best understand Yuan Shao's thoughts.
Yuan Shao once revealed that he wanted his three sons and one nephew to take charge of the four states in Hebei Province. Xu You naturally took it to heart and raised it at this time. Yuan Shao was very moved and looked happy. Xu Ziyuan knew my heart well.
"My lord, the eldest son is both talented and virtuous. He has made a lot of contributions in these wars. He can lead Youzhou and defend our Jizhou like the second son's Qingzhou. This is the best candidate." Guo Tu took advantage of the opportunity and said, after all, only Only by controlling a state can he be in an invincible position in the next battle with Yuan Xi for the inheritance.
"Lord, this must not be done!" Jushou urged. "Allowing an heir to license a state and lead the army outside is an act of strengthening the branches and weakening the leaders. In the long run, there may be disaster like Xiao Qiang!"
Ju Shou's views are consistent with Tian Feng's, and also the same as those of Wei Zheng and Zhang Xuansu in history.
"My lord and you, don't you hear that we are not close to each other? The four young masters are the closest relatives of the lord, and they are one body. There are four young masters in charge of the four states, and it is as if the lord is here in person. How can there be any harm? The public and you are exaggerating. , Could it be that you want to rule a state by yourself? My lord, since the second son can rule a state by himself, why can’t the eldest son, who is the legitimate eldest son?" Guo Tu sneered. Guo Tu also figured out Yuan Shao's thoughts, so he did not evade anything in his words.
"I don't have any other intentions. I'm just discussing the matter. My lord, I am loyal and have no such intention. The chaos of the seven kings in the Xiaojing period is not far away. You are bringing your own disaster by enfeoffing your children." Jushou said sincerely, "In order to avoid The disaster has caused Xiao Qiang, so please send more talented people to lead Youzhou and Qingzhou."
He was so focused on Yuan Shao's great cause that he didn't even notice that he had offended Yuan Shao's three sons and one nephew with his words.
"Hey, during the Rebellion of the Seven Kings, the bloodlines of the rebel kings and Emperor Xiaojing had long been estranged. How could they be close to each other according to the ancient theory? The former Qin Dynasty died without enfeoffing the second generation, and Emperor Taizu Gao enfeoffed his children and the Han Dynasty was established for more than 400 years. Which one is better and which one is worse? Don't you understand that the master and the elder brother are extremely talented? Moreover, if the four sons serve as state pastors, they will be ministers of the emperor and the Han Dynasty, not the master alone. Brother Yuan Hao, please be careful what you say. ” Guo Tu argued.
If Guo Tu's strategy was to divide and weaken the Yuan family's power from the standpoint of the imperial court, it would not be said to be a good plan.
Jushou's advice made even Yuan Xi a little angry. Jushou had offended both Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi.
Xu You and Feng Ji received instructions from Yuan Xi. They turned a blind eye to the matter. In order to get Yuan Tan to Youzhou, Guo Tu fought to the death with Ju Shou, so it was not easy to be a loyal minister.
Later, Emperor Taizong Xuanwu and Emperor Yuan Xi appointed Jushu as the general marshal, in charge of the strategy of conquering Wu, and asked him to save Da Qiao's life. Who knew that Jushu had no good intentions and killed Da Qiao on the grounds that Daji had harmed the country, which almost caused Yuan Xi's death? Hold a grudge to death.
"My lord, I don't have any other intentions. We are just discussing the matter. And although the four young gentlemen are young talents, but in the four states and more than ten counties, the four young gentlemen are still a little young after all. Please think deeply, my lord." Jushou said. Yuan Shao showed signs of being angry and quickly stepped forward to remonstrate tactfully.
In fact, as early as when his second son Yuan Xi came out of Fuqing Prefecture, Yuan Shao had thought about letting his three sons take control of one prefecture each to see their capabilities after taking control of the four prefectures in Hebei. But now, all the advisers he relies on the most are against it, and it is hard for him to offend Jushou. He had no choice but to turn his exploration to other counselors.
He looked at Xun Chen, who had been staying out of the matter, and asked, "Youruo, please tell me how to handle this matter properly."
"My lord, Ganluo of the former Qin Dynasty worshiped the prime minister at the age of twelve. There was a champion in the Han Dynasty who showed his power in the vast sea at that age. As the saying goes: ambition does not lie in age. Although the four young masters are young, they have learned the true inheritance of the master. They are all rare among the Han Dynasty. If the lord is worried about the young talents, he can find some highly respected sages to assist the four young masters." Xun Chen knew that Yuan Shao had already been interested, but it was not easy to offend Ju Shou, so he said.
Xun Chen then smiled again and continued, "In fact, my lord has already made up his mind, right? Since the second young master has managed Qingzhou perfectly, there is nothing wrong with letting the eldest young master rule Youzhou."
Yuan Shao's counselors had already been divided into three factions due to the issue of heirs. In the trial match, Feng Ji was in good terms with Yuan Xi, Xin Ping, Guo Tu and Yuan Tan were in good terms with each other, and there was another faction such as Ju Sue, Tian Feng, Xun Chen, etc. who remained neutral.
At the right time, Guo Tu and others fully supported Xu You's proposal in order to take the initiative in the future struggle for succession with the prince who was friendly to him. Others, for various reasons, were noncommittal and followed the crowd.
Seeing that all the counselors agreed to send his son to be the governor of the state, Yuan Shao was secretly happy. So he said happily, "You are all my confidants. Among the few sons, only Tan, Xi, and Shangjie Guan. Although they practice literature and martial arts, they have no place to use them. Now, my Yuan family has the blessing of heaven and the help of you. There are four states in the land, so we can let them take charge of one state to see the effect. I can repay your majesty's great kindness, and I can comfort the spirits of my ancestors."
"Lord..." Jushou wanted to remonstrate again.
"Young Master, there is no need to say more, I have made up my mind!" Yuan Shao said with some displeasure, and then asked someone to summon his eldest son Yuan Tan, who was accompanying the army this time, to give him the secret.
