Xun Yu's guess was absolutely correct. Just before Guan Hai stationed in Jujube, a team from Linzi set off by car, crossed the thawing river from Gaotang, arrived at the plain in a sheet of ice, and then followed the Qing River to the Qingyuan. Wei County crosses into a lush Hebei plain. To the east of Taihang and on the south bank of Zhangshui River is Yecheng, the current capital of Jizhou.
Although in later generations, Yecheng was known as an ancient capital, but today, it does not have such a heritage, but this does not hinder its strategic location.
"Swallowing the Starry Sky: Sign in to Become a God"
At that time, Duke Huan of Qi followed the advice of Prime Minister Guan Zhong, united the nine princes, respected the king and resisted the barbarians, and personally led the princes' army to arrive here. The terrain here is flat and the white clouds are lingering. To the west, you can see the towering Taihang Mountains in the distance. To the northeast, the sky is vast and vast. At the moment, the Changshui River is like a white ribbon shining with sunlight. When Duke Huan of Qi saw this scene, the sound of flutes and drums could be heard in his ears. He asked around him, but none of his followers replied that they had heard the sound of heaven.
So Duke Huan of Qi said to Guan Zhong: "There is a message from heaven, but I can only get it. What is this omen?"
Guan Zhong replied: "This place is the residence of Daye, the son of Nuxiu, the granddaughter of Zhuanxu, the grandson of the Yellow Emperor. Today, the Lord heard a voice from the sky. It can be seen that the ancient saint warned the Lord. This place is unusual. I think there are six rivers in the south of this place. The mountains and rivers are controlled in the west, and the land is abundant. If your Majesty builds a city here, it will surely become a blessed land for the Xia Dynasty and a barrier for Luoyi."
Duke Huan of Qi was overjoyed when he heard this, so he built Ye City here and stationed troops to protect the Xia for a long time. After repelling Rong and Di, he strictly prohibited the princes from attacking each other, and his reputation grew. The people of distant countries look to Duke Huan of Qi like their parents, and the people of nearby countries look to Duke Huan of Qi like running water.
After Duke Huan of Qi, Yecheng fell into the hands of Jin. It belonged to Wei during the Warring States Period and became the accompanying capital of Wei when Wei Wenhou. After the Qin Dynasty merged with the world, Yecheng has always been a dangerous place in Hebei. During the Xinmang period, the ancestor Liu Xiu deceived Xie Gong into leaving the city and then attacked Yecheng. Only then did he unify Hebei and then seize the world.
Today, Yecheng belongs to Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shao has designated Yecheng as a state government, intending to follow the old strategy of Shizu and become the basis for the new dynasty.
Although Yuan Shao followed Jushu's suggestion and made a truce with Gongsun Zan, he was still unwilling to do so. He also felt even more depressed when he thought of Liu Chen's capture of Guanzhong. Therefore, when he was not dealing with political affairs, he often encouraged himself by reading military books and dancing with swords, hoping that he would not fall short of his youthful ambitions and achieve great things.
When Yuan Shao received the news that an envoy was coming from Linzi, he was overjoyed, but his face remained dense and expressionless. He only commented to Cao Cao who was accompanying him: "There is an envoy coming from the south. Go and deal with it secretly." , don't let others know." His words were so hidden that Xin Ping didn't know why. He didn't know his duty until he left Yecheng and went to Wei County to greet the envoy. Xin Ping sighed because of this: "The envoy has the city in his heart. , already as high as the sky.”
Xin Ping naturally understood Yuan Shao's instructions and acted so secretly, mainly to avoid Zhao Qi and avoid being known as a traitor. Therefore, he changed his clothes and served the envoys from Linzi. They wore dark black clothes and bamboo hats and veils. They entered the city silently on a rainy night, then walked along a small road and entered the governor's mansion through the back door.
At this time, there was silence in the state capital, and only the rustling of the spring rain on the new leaves could be heard. Xin Ping led the envoys inside and walked around three small courtyards before entering Yuan Shao's study. Yuan Shao knelt down and waited here.
The number of Geng Cang's envoys is not large, only five of them, and they are all young people. Yuan Shao asked their names and learned that they were Wang Lang of Donghai, Zhao Yu of Langya, Chen Ying of Xiapi, Mizhu of Donghai, and Lusu of Xiapi. When it comes to reputation, Wang Lang is the most important, but looking at his words and deeds, Lu Su, the youngest among the five, is vaguely more important, which makes him have to look at Lu Su differently.
Yuan Shao asked the reason, but Lu Su did not shy away from it, and said to Yuan Shao modestly and sincerely: "This is all because of my good friend Liu Ye. I used to live in Dongcheng, my father died when I was young, and I was raised by my grandmother. Although he has been helping the poor, he has not had a great reputation. Logically speaking, he should not hold the high position of an envoy. It was only because his friend Liu Ye was highly valued by the general that he was entrusted with the important task of making good friends. Today I can see the envoy. I am here for the sake of good relations between the two countries. I am not very talented, but I am willing to tell you how to make good relations with your envoy."
Yuan Shao was a little disappointed when he learned that he was favored because of his connections. At this time, Shen Pei, who was listening on the sidelines, laughed and said: "It would be a bit nonsense for Lord Lu to say that the two countries have good relations. Yuanjun is a leader of Qingliu and a pillar of the country. He is the most famous in the world. Now he lives in Hebei, and he has The wealth of the Nine Provinces. Although your country supports King Langya, the moth thief is known to the world. The difference between the two is like a burning fire to withered grass, or a fertile soup to frost and snow. How can they coexist with each other?"
When Lu Su heard this, his face did not show fear, but became calmer. He bowed and asked, "Is it because of what the judge said that you want to be more solemn?"
Shen Pei said: "This is the envoy's authority. Pei Shen does not dare to speak nonsense."
Lu Su asked again: "Based on what the judge said, does it mean that Emperor Ling has the right way?"
The judge looked at Yuan Shao's expression and did not dare to answer.
Lu Su immediately said: "It is public opinion that Emperor Ling was unjust. The decline of the Han Dynasty was mostly due to the disaster of his governance, so why should he keep it secret? Although my lord is following the Yellow Turban, there is a reason for the disaster, and he is welcoming it from Langya. To serve the emperor is to know how to return from the lost path. Today, the army mourns the people and is invincible. It even has the land of three states, and the person who is powerful in the world is a god, a wise man, and a hero. It is precisely knowing that we are in good terms with the envoy. The king is famous all over the world, and he is one of the few heroes in the world. The interaction between heroes and heroes is extraordinary, how can it be compared to that of Wo Tang, Shuang and Snow?"
The judge was unable to speak for a while.
After Yuan Shao heard this, he immediately changed his view of Lu Su. He waved Shen Pei to leave first and changed his name to Lu Su Zijing. He talked with him about the people in the Linzi court and the war between Qingxu and Yanyu. Lu Su answered them fluently, which made Yuan Shao appreciate him even more. , thinking that the people under his command could only be compared to Jushou. He couldn't help but want to recruit, and said to Lu Su: "How can Zijing, a talented person like him, come into my house? I will entrust him with some responsibilities in order to achieve great things."
Lu Su looked calm and replied: "The king is like a dragon on the clouds, as solemn as the water in the abyss. Although there are times when the wind and clouds meet, he is not as good as the dragon flying in the nine heavens. The water flows across the sea. Each one finds his own place."
Yuan Shao deeply regretted this, but he could only retract his preface and get to the point. He asked Lu Su: "In this case, since Zijing is the envoy of Linzi, and he has promised to make a good relationship, he should know that the friendship between the two countries is not empty talk. The only way to go is to benefit me, and Zijing can speak for me. Geng Cang mobilized the whole country to attack Yan, and the troops came to the south of the river and threatened my buttocks. What benefits can you give me?"
Lu Su smiled and said: "The envoy must have asked the question knowingly. It is already known to everyone that Liu Xuande will conquer Guandong. Although our army is strong, can we defeat him? More than 100,000 elites from the northern frontier were all wiped out by him. . As a result, the land in Guanzhong is all in the hands of the riders, and with the help of the envoy, the story of Qin's sweep of Liuhe will happen again today. Could it be that the envoy of the fourth generation and the third prince have to become a minister who sells his shoes and homes? "
Yuan Shao laughed it off, took a sip of syrup, and then said slowly: "If the emperor of Linzi wants to persuade me with this empty talk, it would be too rash. Cao Cao, the governor of Yanzhou, was my childhood friend. , so I strongly recommend it as a barrier to Henan. Don’t you think it’s too ridiculous for your army to seize Yanzhou today and still want to be on good terms with me?”
Lu Su had expected this. He took out a map from Chen Ying's hand, stood up and walked slowly to Yuan Shao. He first said: "What the envoy said is too much to worry about. Our army is about to attack Yanzhou. Liu Bei Once the army arrives, the battle for Henan will be inevitable, so how can we threaten Hebei? Being friendly with Shijun, isn't it just a barrier for Shijun? What's more, now that Guan Yu and Cao Cao have joined forces, is Cao Mengde a shield for Shijun, or a barrier for Chang'an? The barrier is still unknown.”
Speaking of this, Lu Su looked at Yuan Shao's face and saw that his face was still calm and showed no expression, but his fingers tapped on the table, which showed that he had a lot of considerations in his heart. Lu Su knew that the heat was coming, so he unfolded the map in his hand, presented it to Yuan Shao and said, "General, please look at this map."
Yuan Shao didn't know why, so he took the map and saw that it was not a map of Kyushu, nor a map of prefectures and counties. It was just a long and narrow mountain ridge, densely marked with important roads and mountain fortresses. He immediately realized that this was a map of the Taihang Mountains, and was shocked. He put down the map and asked Lu Suchi, "What does this mean?"
Lu Su said: "Since the envoy's words are beneficial, how can the court refuse to agree? Before I went on my mission, the general talked about the envoy's worries, thinking that the envoy would be disturbed by the Black Mountains in the near future, and there were no dangers in the mountains and rivers, so he was afraid of Chang'an. I dare not make good friends with the imperial court. The general’s intention is to recall the tribes of Heishan in the name of the imperial court, and exchange the jurisdiction of Heishan for the land of Yanzhou, in order to seek the friendship of the envoy!"
"How do the tribes of Montenegro enter Yan?"
"Using Junhei's road, we will leave Huguan, pass Chaoge, and pass Liyang. We will first defeat Dongjun, then cross the river and go south."
Yuan Shao closed his eyes for a moment, and then said: "Yanzhou can give it to you, but Dongjun cannot."
Hearing the implication, Lu Su knew that the mission of making good friends had been successful. He said happily: "The envoy's words are just that he wants to occupy all the dangers of Hebei, so why bother with the entire Dongjun? Instead, our army only needs Puyang The three counties of Henan, Baima and Yan counties, and the remaining counties of East County and Hebei Province, all belong to the envoy."
Yuan Shao nodded slightly and said: "Yes. In that case, I can form a close alliance with the Emperor of Linzi. I will plan for Hebei and your army will plan for Henan. We will not invade each other. Anyone who breaks the contract will be punished."
Lu Su responded with a smile. The two sides made a covenant with each other, agreeing that both sides would send hostages to each other, Yuan Shao would send his daughter, and Zhang Rao would send his son. However, this covenant was not made public at Yuan Shao's request. How effective it is is unknown.
However, Lu Su also knew that in a sense, this agreement was essentially an anti-Chang'an alliance. As long as the alliance was not broken and the Cang army could stabilize the front in Yanzhou, the two sides would definitely not break the agreement.
In the final analysis, its success or failure still depends on the next war.
On February 27, in response to the imperial edict from Linzi, the Heishan Army troops took advantage of Jizhou to invade Dongjun. Yuan Shao then sent an envoy to declare to Liu Bei that more than 600,000 troops from the Black Mountain Army had come out in full force. Jizhou was unable to stop it and the whole state was in ruins.
