Yuan Shao was sitting in a golden chariot and a large chariot that symbolized his status in the four states of Hebei, surrounded by his bodyguards.
"When a general ascends to the court with a weak title, his reputation will be spread throughout the country; when he is deposed, he will be loyal and righteous; when he rides alone, Dong Zhuo will be frightened; if he goes north of the river, he will be the head of the Bohai Sea. Invigorate the soldiers of a county and gather the people of Jizhou. He is powerful in Heshuo and is famous all over the world. Although the Yellow Turbans are cunning and chaotic, and the Black Mountains are domineering, if they raise their army to the east, Qingzhou can be conquered; if they return to the Black Mountains, Zhang Yan can be destroyed; if they return to the north, Gongsun will be killed; if they threaten the Rong, Di, then the Xiongnu will follow. To the north of the great river, in the land of the four states, gather heroes and talents, support millions of people, welcome the great army to Xijing, restore the ancestral temple in Luoyi, and command the world to fight against the failure. Who can compete with me?"
The strategies Jushu had planned for himself back then have all been realized today. Qingzhou surrendered, Heishan fled, Gongsun was appointed leader, and the Xiongnu and Wuhuan have followed. Who in the four states of Hebei dared to fight against him? When Emperor Guangwu was in Hebei, he probably didn't have himself. Today's power.
Hold the river in the south, block the Yan and Dai in the north, and combine the Rong and Di forces to fight for the world in the south. In the coming year, he will send his troops south and pick up one hundred thousand elite soldiers to join Cao Ah Man in hunting on the Yellow River. When the time comes to defeat Cao Ah Man, who among the heroes in the world can rival him? So what if the Fourth Generation and the Three Dukes are not ministers of the Liu family yet, if you want me, Yuan, you have to be that master. It’s time for a replacement to take over the Liu family’s four-hundred-year history.
In the second year of Jian'an (197), the final decisive battle between the two northern princes was bound to shock the world. All forces set their sights on the northern frontier of the Han Dynasty. At the same time, all forces were waiting for the opportunity to accumulate strength to deal with the enemy who occupied the four states. Yuan family.
Xuchang Cao Cao took advantage of the fact that Yuan Shao was not fully prepared at the beginning of the year and had no time to look south, and wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to control Hanoi County. Hanoi "is protected from the danger of Hulao in the south and relies on the solid power of Taihang in the north" and is a strategic location on the north bank of the Yellow River.
Cao Cao wanted to appoint Wei Zhong as the governor of Hanoi to control this choke point and plant a nail on Yuan Jun's flank for future wars. However, they were defeated by Ju Yi and Han Meng.
Koto.
After Sun Jian pacified most of Jiangdong, Zhang Zhao, the chief historian, believed that Moling was surrounded by Zhongshan Mountain in the south, controlled the Yangtze River in the north, and had the aura of a king, so he suggested that Sun Jian place his government here.
Following Zhang Zhao's suggestion, Sun Jian carried out extensive construction work in Moling, expanded the scale of the city, moved more than 100,000 people from various counties east of the Yangtze River, and thickened and raised the city walls, creating deep trenches and high fortresses.
In just over half a year, Moling County, which originally had only 30,000 people, turned into a large city with a population of 170,000 to 80,000 people and was renamed Jianye. It became the political, military, economic and cultural center of Jiangdong.
There were originally only four counties in Jiangdong, namely Danyang, Wujun, Kuaiji, and Yuzhang, with a population of 900,000.
Due to the raging war in the Central Plains, many people crossed the river to seek refuge. In just five or six years, the population of Jiangdong increased dramatically, reaching 1.3 million. This makes the land of Jiangdong full of vitality and prosperity.
Jiangdong, Jianye, Sunfu.
After hearing Dong Zhao's intention, Sun Jian nodded slightly, with a pair of thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, exuding an air of scorn for the world.
"Well, I understand what Dong Gongren said. I am very grateful to Duke Cao for his love. However, what Duke Cao said about betrothing his niece to my son and grandson Kuang needs to be discussed with my wife before I can reply. I would like to ask Gongren to come here temporarily. Stay at the post house and wait for a day or two, and I will give Duke Cao an answer!"
Dong Zhao bowed his hands and resigned: "What Marquis Wu said is absolutely true. If your wife is here to deal with important matters like marriage, you naturally need to tell her about it!"
Dong Zhao had just resigned, and a handsome, elegant, and tall man walked out from behind the screen. He was the twenty-year-old Zhou Yu, who was now named Military Advisor General by Sun Jian.
In recent days, they have been stationing troops at Chaisang with Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, and confronting Liu Biao and Yuan Shu across the Yangtze River. When Sun Jian heard that Cao Cao had sent an envoy to visit, he sent someone to recall Zhou Yu at night to discuss countermeasures.
"Haha... The reason why my uncle didn't immediately agree to Cao Cao's betrothal to his niece to Ji Zuo was because he was afraid of spies spying on the information, right?" Zhou Yu had an elegant smile on his face and sat down next to Sun Jian, calm and composed. said.
Sun Jian grinned, glanced at Zhou Yu, and said with a smile: "Nephew Gong Jin, you are like a roundworm in my belly. I can't hide anything from you!"
"Cao Cao suddenly sent someone to confer officials and titles, and wanted to make peace with us in Jiangdong. It was obviously caused by Yuan Shao and Liu Bei attacking from both sides. However, we were happy to enjoy the benefits. Moreover, we originally wanted to capture Guangling, but we were defeated. Liu Bei occupied it first, and since Cao Cao is willing to cooperate with us, we will agree to his request!" Zhou Yu talked freely while drinking tea.
Sun Jian's eyes were bright: "Of course I understand this. Jiangdong has been initially decided. If we want to expand our territory, there are only three ways. One is to boast about the river and attack Jiangxia, the other is to cross Ruxukou and attack Shouchun or Lujiang, and the third is to march south to Yuzhang. .Liu Biao has been operating in Jingzhou for many years. He has hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses under his command. The people are loyal to him, and it is difficult to win for a while...
However, Liu Bei has recently taken control of Xuzhou, and the people have not yet joined him. He has recently marched towards Yanzhou. We can take the opportunity to attack Guangling. Since Cao Cao is willing to join forces with us, it is naturally the best. However, what he said about betrothing his niece to the fourth child bothered me. If I agreed, I wouldn't want to suffer the loss! "
"Cao Cao is trying to win our trust and show his sincerity in joining forces with us. If my uncle refuses this marriage, I'm afraid Cao Cao will be overly concerned!" Zhou Yu said in deep thought, with a worried look on his face.
Zhou Yu thought for a moment, then suddenly a plan came to his mind, he patted his legs and said, "Yes!"
"What's the plan? Gong Jin, tell me quickly!"
The next day, Sun Jian summoned Dong Zhao and told him what he wanted. It was okay to betroth Cao Cao's niece to his son, but in order to deepen the relationship between them, he would also betroth his niece to Cao Cao's son and asked him to go back and marry him. Convey your thoughts to Cao Cao. After all, reciprocity of courtesy is not the same as sending spies to each other.
"If Mr. Cao is willing, Mr. Dong can bring Mr. Cao's niece directly to Jianye next time. My Sun family will definitely be prepared to marry her. When you return, just take my niece back to Xuchang. In this way. Come, I am among you, you are among me, we, Sun and Cao, are one!"
Dong Zhao bowed and said: "I don't dare to make the final decision on marriage matters. Please allow me to go back and see Duke Cao, and then I will give an answer to Marquis Wu!"
In the freezing cold wind, Dong Zhao took his entourage and returned to Xuchang in seven or eight days, conveying Sun Jian's intention to Cao Cao and asking him to make a decision.
After hearing this, Cao Cao stroked his beard and laughed and said: "This Sun Wentai is really interesting. He won't take any losses! This guy actually treated others in his own way and betrothed his niece to my son. It's really Don’t give up an inch of ground!”
Cao Cao immediately made a decision and ordered Dong Zhao to prepare a carriage, bring the bride price, and send his cousin's niece to Soochow, and then marry Sun Jian's niece to Xuchang. The Sun and Cao families strengthened their relationship through marriage. .
After the marriage, Cao Cao began to conduct public relations and clean up the forces surrounding his rear area, trying his best to fight decisively for Yuan Cao and create a stable rear area.
In the same year, Cao Cao sent counselor Dong Zhao to persuade Zhang Ji to abandon Liu Biao and surrender to Cao Cao, and sent an envoy to make an alliance. If Zhang Ji sincerely surrenders, it will save Cao Cao from the threat from the south of Xudu, which will be very beneficial to his later decisive battle with Yuan Shao. However, Zhang Ji has a hesitant character and cannot make decisions, and the final result is still unknown.
While staying in Jizhou, Yuan Xi paid great attention to winning over old acquaintances. Before returning to Qingzhou, Feng Ji, Shen Pei and others held a farewell banquet for him at Heshun Restaurant.
Because they were preparing for the expedition, most of Jizhou's top civil and military officials were transferred back to Yecheng. Therefore, many people came to pay their respects. Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Han Meng, Qian Zhao and even Chunyu Qiong were all present. Shen Pei and Feng Ji were the hosts, and Yuan Shang, Xu You, Chen Lin and Cui Yan were also invited.
Yuan Xi looked at these people. Most of them were his connections in Jizhou. The future battle for the heir would largely depend on their strength and support. As for the centrist factions like Xun Chen, Gao Lan, and Gao Gan, their attitude towards the two brothers Yuan Xi and Yuan Tan has always been ambiguous.
Xu You raised the wine cup. Said, "The war is coming, and it's time for the Second Young Master and the generals to show off their power! Kill the enemy and make meritorious service, and shine the lintel. I and other literati are very envious!"
"No! No!" Chen Lin shook her head with a smile and said, "Second Young Master is a general on the battlefield, but without his armor he is a genius! Why do you say that we, the scribes, cannot perform meritorious service on the battlefield!"
Chunyu Qiong wiped the wine stains on his beard and said with a sly smile: "My second nephew raises his hand and writes quickly. He fights powerful enemies on the battlefield, but the most enviable thing is that he has three beauties in his boudoir!"
Everyone laughed loudly, saying that Yuan Xi only enjoyed the blessings of Qi people. Yuan Xi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but Chunyu Qiong had no other abilities, but he was good at drinking and having fun in public places. No wonder this old guy wants to please his father, he is indeed the pistachio of the Yuan family.
No wonder Li Yuan doted on Pei Ji and Qianlong doted on He Shen.
During the banquet, everyone enjoyed the vocal music to the fullest. Chen Lin, one of the "seven sons of Jian'an" in history, even started to compose parallel rhymes in a show off manner. He flattered Yuan Xi almost sycophantally.
Within a quarter of an hour, he wrote an article eloquently and recited it in public. Everyone couldn't help but applaud and applaud. Even Yuan Xi couldn't help but admire Chen Lin's literary talent after reading it.
Parallel Fu originated in the Pre-Qin Dynasty and developed in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It pays attention to parallelism, rhymes and is easy to read, and is decorated with allusions. Although most of the parallel poems are empty in content, they are a great test for the literati's knowledge and literary talents.
In later generations, the most famous parallel Fu was Wang Bo. Of course Yuan Xi could not memorize such a parallel prose in its entirety, but he had received the strict education of a literati at that time, so he imitated it and made one.
What Yuan Xi didn't expect was that although the terms "Seven Sons of Jian'an" and "Jian'an Character" had not been formed because he changed history, another kind of Jian'an culture with an impassioned style was formed under his influence. Its influence on later generations of Chinese culture is deeper than the "Jian'an style" in history.
Before the decisive battle between the Cao and Yuan families, Yuan Xi and others had a farewell banquet, as well as the two parallel poems written by Yuan Xi and Chen Lin, which became a legend passed down from generation to generation. It became the prelude to the southern expedition of Emperor Taizong Xuanwu of Jin Dynasty and Yuan Xi.
When winter comes and spring comes, the fields are full of green. Perhaps God also took pity on the suffering of the Han people all over the world. It started to rain continuously at the beginning of spring this year.
Qidi is the birthplace of Confucian culture. Since the Spring and Autumn Period, not only has culture flourished here, but farming and commerce have also been extremely developed. In the pre-Qin Dynasty, the State of Qi relied on this place to dominate. Guan Zhong, the famous Prime Minister of the generation, took advantage of the fish and salt and gathered troops among the people.
The people of Qingzhou not only have a tradition of running industry and commerce, but they are also brave and fierce. Therefore, Qingzhou is really a foundational place for hegemony in troubled times.
A large group of chariots and horses drove along the official road in the suburbs, and the accompanying cavalry guards were also tough and powerful, attracting the attention of the villagers working in the fields.
The curtain on the carriage opened a small part, revealing a pair of beautiful eyes full of curiosity.
Zhen Mi on the carriage smiled softly and said, "Sister Princess, just lift the curtain and take a look, civilized folk customs don't have so many rules."
Princess Wannian also smiled, boldly raised the car curtain, and said, "Is this Qidi? The scenery is indeed different from Guanzhong."
Zhen Mi looked out and replied: "This is my first time coming to Qingzhou, but this is the hometown of a saint, so it must have its own unique features."
They have been in boudoir for a long time and are naturally curious about things outside. Zhen Mi was better off. He was able to travel around Hebei with his brother and had much more experience than Princess Wannian.
Yuan Xi, Tian Feng, Jia Xu, Gu Yong, and Tai Shici were riding on war horses. They were also relieved to see the villagers busy farming around them. A few years ago, Qingzhou was still a place prone to wars. It was they who personally changed the place, and the people's livelihood in the desolate area gradually returned to prosperity.
Coincidentally, in the farmland near Linzi, there were some officials and soldiers directing the villagers to farm.
Yuan Xi saw Guo Jia in a white robe and waving a feather fan from a distance. Not far away, pointing to Litian and the villagers, it was Guo Jia's rival Chen Qun. Next to Guo Jia was a scribe in Tsing Yi of similar age.
On the outskirts of Linzi, Guo Jia, who received the news, went out of the city to meet Yuan Xi and others. It just so happened that Chen Qun, who had already taken office, was also supervising "Litian" and villagers to cultivate and sow in the suburbs.
"It's the Major General and the others are back!" shouted the guard next to him.
Guo Jia and others put down their work and stepped forward to salute Yuan Xi. Under the leadership of Li Tian, the villagers also saluted Yuan Xi and others. They are either local civilians, family members of the Yellow Turbans, or people from all over the country who have fled to Qingzhou.
Yuan Xi has occupied Qingzhou for more than three years. Although he cannot be called a benevolent and benevolent government, the people in Qingzhou have not suffered from the disasters of war, and they can still be allocated a piece of unowned farmland or farmland for officials.
Their lives are not very rich, but they have been very easy to be satisfied after going through wars for a long time, so Yuan Xi, the governor, is still very prestigious in Qingzhou.
Yuan Xi signaled everyone to disperse, and then rode back to Linzi City with a group of staff.
"Young Master is newly married. You must be living very happily in Jizhou with Mrs. Gao, Princess and Miss Zhen! Otherwise, you would have thought of returning to Qingzhou at this time." Guo Jia said with a bad smile.
"Fengxiao, you have wronged my lord. It was because of Yuan Gong's efforts to persuade me to stay that we only lived in Kaichun." Gu Yong argued.
Guo Jia stretched out his head to look at the carriage behind him and said, "The legitimate daughter of the Gao family, the late emperor's only princess, is a famous beauty in Hebei, and the lord's beauty is the envy of others."
Chen Qun raised his eyebrows, slightly dissatisfied, and said: "The princess is a member of the royal family, how can you make rash comments?"
The scribe in green next to Guo Jia shook his head and said with a smile: "It's a long article. Filial piety is just a joke. Why do you care so much about it?"
The scribe in Qingyi was Liu Ye, his friend whom Guo Jia had invited when he went to Yangzhou in person. Yuan Xi happened to come to Qingzhou just before they returned to Jizhou last year to get married. Liu Ye was as talented as Sima Yi.
"What Mr. Ziyang said is that this is not a grand occasion, so everyone does not need to be so formal." Yuan Xi said to Guo Jia to relieve the situation.
Chen Qun looked serious and said: "At this time, the Han Dynasty is in decline. The etiquette system is chaotic and desolate. But for this reason, we must restore the code system and strictly enforce the law to regulate the officials and the people. In this way, the officials and people of Qingzhou will understand the law and abide by the etiquette, Mr. Why worry about succeeding in your great cause?"
Tian Feng, who was following behind, couldn't help but nod his head, showing an expression of appreciation, and said: "Chang Wen is indeed a wise man who is well versed in etiquette. In these troubled times, we must pay more attention to the laws and punishments. Master, I will leave this matter to Chang Wen." Bar."
"Okay. Let Chang Wen handle the legal and criminal matters in Qingzhou. I can rest assured." Yuan Xi ordered. Of course he knew the importance of standardizing the system. Without a complete and strict system, the war machine in Qingzhou cannot be coordinated.
As they talked, everyone returned to the Governor's Mansion in Linzi City.
