In the second year of Yonghan, early March.
As winter fades away, the city of Luoyang is full of vitality again.
From the Shangshutai, Da Sima's Mansion and Yushitai in the palace to the Six Cao Cao and Tingwei's Mansion outside the palace, everyone was busy nervously.
Various government affairs are being promoted with unprecedented efficiency.
Officials.
Xun You is preparing to go out to Beijing for inspection and is stepping up his efforts to handle government affairs.
He looked at the official document in his hand and said to himself with a look of concentration on his face: "Guo Jia, Chen Qun, Xi Zhicai, Wang Lang... so many people have been promoted together, is your Majesty going to train new people?"
Both the government and the public saw clearly that His Majesty in the palace was greatly touched by Lu Zhi's death.
The current situation of the imperial court is obviously in a state of turmoil.
There are almost no people who can succeed Prime Minister Yang Biao and Grand Sima Mansion Huangfu Song!
"Shang Shu, a memorial from Beihai Xiang Kong Rong." While Xun You was deep in thought, a small official came in and said.
Xun You woke up, took the memorial, and frowned after just one glance.
In his memorial, Kong Rong summarized a series of things that happened to Cao Cao in Beihai and Donglai County. He believed that he was a "treacherous person who should not be tolerated", and he also impeached Huangfu Jianshou, the prefect of Donglai County, for being an accomplice and shielding Cao Cao. '.
"It seems that I have to go to Qingzhou."
Xun You was thoughtful.
Since Qingzhou was pacified by Cao Cao, various chaos has occurred one after another, among which the impeachment against Cao Cao has never stopped.
Beihai Prime Minister Kong Rong was the main force, even Zhu Jun, the governor of the state, had "some criticisms"; in the court, the former Wang Yun had been pursuing him closely, and the Xingcao and Yushitai were investigating one after another, and they have not stopped yet.
"What's going on over at Hu Cao?" After thinking for a long time, Xun You raised his head and asked.
The clerk quickly said: "Xun Shangshu from Hucao is ready and plans to leave the capital tomorrow and go to Bingzhou."
Xun You nodded, this was the plan that had been made long ago.
"Is there anything else?" Xun You asked when he saw that the clerk hadn't left.
The clerk hesitated and said, "Shang Shu, I don't know if this is accurate."
Xun You picked up the official document and prepared to deal with it, saying, "Where's the news?"
"From the palace." the clerk blurted out.
Xun You paused, stared at him, and said, "Say."
The clerk glanced outside the door, stepped forward and whispered: "Shang Shu, there is some news in the palace that His Majesty is preparing to inspect Jizhou."
"What!"
Xun You's expression changed immediately, and then he said solemnly: "What time?"
The clerk said: "I'm not sure. This news is also ambiguous. I don't know where it came from. It's hard to tell whether it's true or not."
Xun You understood that this news was probably true.
The palace released this news as a test and to prepare in advance.
Xun You thought for a while and said: "I understand. By the way, you pass the message to Da Sima's house and say that I have something important to discuss with Da Sima."
"Yes." The clerk responded and stepped back.
Xun You thought over and over again and decided to oppose Liu Bian's tour.
Jizhou has just been settled, and the rebellions of the Black Mountain Army and various Yellow Turban Army have not been completely eliminated, and may reappear at any time. It is too dangerous for His Majesty in the palace to go on patrol to Jizhou!
The next day, Xun Yu, the Minister of Hucao, went out of Beijing to inspect Bingzhou.
Ten days later, the official Cao Shangshu Xun You left Luoyang to inspect Yanzhou and Qingzhou.
In April, when the two men had not returned to Beijing, Sima Jun, the Minister of Punishment, went to Yuzhou and Runan County to clean up the remnants of the cases of Wang Yun, Li Ru and others.
In June, Bohai King Liu Xie was ordered to go out of Jizhou to inspect the civil affairs of Jizhou, focusing on the salt administration.
In mid-June, the Grand Sima Mansion issued an order to appoint Zhang Liao as the general to conquer Liao and Zhao Yun as the general of the Five Gentlemen to lead an army of 20,000 to march against the invading Wuhuan. At the same time, the Huns were ordered to send five thousand troops to assist.
In August, with Huang Zhong as General Zuo Zhonglang, he led troops to attack the banditry on the border of Bingzhou and Jizhou. He defeated Yudu outside Shangdang County, beheaded 2,000 people and surrendered 8,000. Yu Du escaped with only a dozen people.
In September, Zhang Liao defeated Wuhuan, beheaded five thousand people, pursued them for three hundred miles, and returned with a great victory.
In October, Tingwei Zhong Yao entered Liangzhou again. Han Sui, a member of the Sanqiang people, surrendered and was conferred the title of Changshui Xiaowei by the imperial court.
While the situation in the north was excellent, the war in the south also entered a more intense stage.
Sun Jian came out from Wu Commandery and captured Danyang. Occupied Danyang County and half of Kuaiji County, and held a stalemate with Ju Yi in Yongning.
Yuan Shao and Ding Yuan joined forces and invaded Hefei, defeating Zhang He. The army successfully entered Lujiang and besieged Zhang He in Jiangxia.
On the other side, Liu Biao could not withstand Yuan Shu's violent attack and retreated to Changsha, holding on to the isolated city.
The good news is that the Yizhou soldiers and horses who originally entered Nanjun suddenly withdrew for unknown reasons. This territory fell into the hands of Liu Biao and others, which prevented them from being attacked from both sides and provided a huge depth space.
In Jiaozhi, especially in Nanhai County, Shixie and other large clans, including some barbarians, launched a tenacious attack on Yuan Shu, forcing Yuan Shu's plan to occupy Jiaozhi to go bankrupt.
Overall, the sphere of influence of Yuan Shu's rebels has shrunk rapidly, and their morale has been severely damaged.
Xuzhou, Guangling County, Jiangdu County.
In a seemingly ordinary teahouse, Huangfu Jian was lying on the table, his eyes shining brightly as he stared at Cheng Yu, who was looking at various documents with a thoughtful expression.
Cheng Yu read the letters one by one and deduced rapidly in his mind. After a while, he looked up at Huangfu Jianchang and said: "Second Young Master, judging from the current situation, Yuan Shu's rebels may not be able to hold on for long."
Although Huangfu Jianchang was Huangfu Song's second son, he didn't know much about military formations. He asked, "Will it be settled this year?"
Cheng Yu shook his head and said: "The Great Sima Mansion also paid a huge price for this campaign. Moreover, seeing the cold winter, we can no longer use troops and will have to postpone it until next year."
Huangfu Jianchang sat back down with some disappointment and muttered: "That shouldn't be the case. Dad always takes comprehensive measures and will not give up halfway..."
Cheng Yu looked at him and said: "Second Young Master, Grand Sima is far away in the capital. There are as many as nine troops deployed this time. No matter how good the strategy is, it must be carried out by those who can execute it. This kind of result is extraordinary. It’s not easy.”
Huangfu Jianchang smacked his lips, then put all this aside and said, "What's the news from Yuan Shu's army?"
Cheng Yu glanced at the documents on the table and said: "The army's morale is low and food and grass are low. Some aristocratic families have fled one after another. Judging from the intelligence everywhere, some staff are looking for a way out."
Huangfu Jianchang nodded. In Yuan Shu's situation, defeat is a foregone conclusion. It is human nature to find other ways to survive.
"A way out, what way out?" Suddenly, Huangfu Jian Chang grasped the key point and asked Cheng Yu.
Cheng Yu's expression moved slightly and he said: "The meticulous writer who the second master hid sent a letter saying that some people went to Yuzhou. Dong Zhuo's staff, Jia Xu and Li Ru, appeared in Yuan Shu's tent one after another."
Huangfu Jian sat up straight and exclaimed: "Are they going to form an alliance? No, no, no, the Yuan family was destroyed by Dong Zhuo. It is absolutely impossible for Yuan Shu to form an alliance with Dong Zhuo!"
Cheng Yu pondered for a moment and said: "Second Young Master, under this situation, Yuan Shu may not form an alliance with Dong Zhuo. Even if they do not form an alliance, once Yuan Shu is defeated, those rebellious people will have nowhere to go. Perhaps, they can only defect to Dong Zhuo."
Huangfu Jian had a sneer on his face and said, "Wishful thinking!"
Cheng Yu was still calculating the intelligence in his mind, and said: "Second Young Master, now is the most critical time."
Huangfu Jianchang naturally understood that Yuan Shu's sphere of influence had been greatly compressed, and his defeat was a matter of time. At this time, the most important thing was one word: stability!
As long as we hold on and survive the cold winter, next year the imperial court will be able to mobilize all its forces to suppress Yuan Shu's rebellion in one fell swoop!
"What should I do?" Huangfu Jian asked. It wasn't that he had no idea, but the matter was so important that he couldn't do as he pleased before.
Shi A stood not far away, holding his sword and listening to the conversation between the two.
Cheng Yu was also deducing in his mind. For a while, he said: "Second Young Master, attacking from the outside can definitely lead to victory, but it will cost a huge amount of money. However, it is easiest and the cost is the least expensive to attack from the inside."
Huangfu Jianchang understood instantly and said, "You mean, instigating rebellion?"
Cheng Yu's expression gradually became firm and he said: "Yuan Shu's letter begging for surrender is an excellent opportunity. If used well, it may be of great use!"
Huangfu Jian's eyes were bright and eight hundred ideas flashed through his mind.
He is the best at this kind of thing!
Seeing this, Shi A interjected: "I think I can take advantage of Xu You. I heard that he is very marginalized in Yuan Shao's army, and Yuan Shu is becoming more and more dissatisfied with him."
Huangfu Jianchang nodded solemnly and said: "Old Shi is right, that thing is not a thing, and it will cause too many losses."
At this point, he suddenly looked at Cheng Yu and said, "I remember, sir just said that Jia Xu and Li Ru are in Yuan Shu's army. Can they be captured or killed on the road?"
Cheng Yu shook his head and said: "It's only when we arrive that our careful work informs us of when to leave and what route to take. We don't know anything about it. It's difficult to ambush."
Huangfu Jianchang smacked his mouth unwillingly and said, "Then, a plan to make Yuan Shu suspicious and kill Jia Xu and Li Ru?"
Cheng Yu was startled and said: "Countermeasures? It's a bit difficult. After all, we can't be sure whether Jia Xu and Li Ru are still in Yuan Shu's army."
Huangfu Jianchang felt a little uncomfortable, and said helplessly: "We still have to find a way to reconstruct the intelligence route. Now it is intermittent. The news comes too late, and it is too late to do anything."
Cheng Yu agreed with his face and said: "The second young master is right."
Because of the raging war everywhere, the channels laid by Huangfu Jianchang were damaged and the news was not delivered in time.
"Captain,"
A guard in uniform came in from outside, handed over a letter, and said: "An urgent letter from Gaoyou."
Huangfu Jianchang quickly took it and checked it carefully. When he saw that it had not been opened, he tore it open, took it out and read it carefully. He handed it to Cheng Yu and said, "Sir, Ding Yuan is going to hold a Hongmen Banquet."
Cheng Yu had already thought about it, so he took it over, read it carefully, pondered for a moment, and said solemnly: "Second Young Master, it's good that Ding Yuan succeeded. If Ding Yuan miscalculates, the consequences will be disastrous."
The content of this letter is very simple. He had just joined forces with Yuan Shao to defeat Zhang He. Ding Yuan was in great momentum, but he had no soldiers. He should have taken orders from his adopted son Lu Bu, but he refused his recruitment, and instead became ambiguous with Dong Zhuo. .
Ding Yuan had endured it for so long and finally couldn't bear it anymore.
Huangfu Jian thought for a while and said, "Let's go to Gaoyou!"
Cheng Yu immediately reminded: "Second Young Master, if we go over, Ding Yuan may not listen to us, and we can't check Lu Bu. We still need to mobilize troops to suppress him."
Huangfu Jianchang suddenly had a toothache and said: "This is not Yanzhou, let alone Ding Yuan, Lu Bu, even Sun Jian doesn't buy my account. The only one who can transfer is Guan Yu in Jiujiang, but the journey is too far. Once this happens, I’m afraid it’s a done deal.”
Cheng Yu understood, frowned, and said: "That matter should not be delayed. Let's meet Ding Yuan first and help him succeed!"
Huangfu Jian stood up and said: "Old Shi, send a message to everyone in Xuzhou to get moving and keep an eye on Lu Bu. Ding Yuan's every move and any situation must be reported as soon as possible!"
"Okay!" Shi A'a drooped his eyebrows and responded calmly.
When Huangfu Jianchang led a group of people and rushed to Gaoyou without stopping, Ding Yuan's Hongmen Banquet had already begun.
Ding Yuan stood at the door with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.
Not far away, the sound of horse hooves thundered, and Lu Bu came galloping on a tall white horse.
Lu Bu had no intention of stopping and galloped past Ding Yuan.
The cold wind suddenly blew Ding Yuan's hat off and his hair was messy, making him very embarrassed.
Ding Yuan's eyes were gloomy and his smile remained unchanged.
The servant put Ding Yuan's hat back on, and Lu Bu also jumped off his horse and walked over with a big smile.
"Father, I just got this horse from my son. I'm not yet skilled enough. Please forgive me." Lu Bu strode to Ding Yuan with a spear in hand.
Ding Yuan glanced at the long hair in his hand, smiled calmly and said: "It doesn't matter, you should congratulate my son on this great victory, and sit inside."
Lu Bu didn't care and said: "Father please!"
Ding Yuan watched him for a moment, smiled and walked inside first.
Lu Bu raised his feet and followed, holding the long hair in his hand tightly, his eyes staring at the position of Ding Yuan's heart, a fierce expression flashing across his face.
Ding Yuan seemed to feel it and looked at the guard not far in front of him.
The guard immediately walked forward, holding the hilt of the knife.
"Ding Yuan!"
Lu Bu suddenly shouted, "I am the Pinglu Colonel appointed by the imperial court. How dare you harm me!"
Ding Yuan trotted forward and said urgently: "Close the door and kill this beast!"
Lu Bu looked at the dozen guards swarming over, sneered, swept away the two guards in front of him with a wave of his long hair, strode towards Ding Yuan, and said angrily: "Ding Yuan is good at killing courtiers, and he is treasonous." , on the orders of Taiwei Dong Gong, Ding Yuan is to be killed, and those who surrender will not be punished!"
Lu Bu killed one person in one move, which made Ding Yuan's guards frightened and did not dare to rely on money.
Ding Yuan stood in front of the front hall door, with more than 20 guards in front of him. He calmed down a little and said with a sneer: "Dong Zhuo is a tiger and wolf. Who knows? You are rebelling by seeking refuge with Dong Zhuo! Everyone, kill Lu Bu and be promoted to the third level." Level, reward 10,000 yuan!"
The soldiers who had been prepared by Ding Yuan could not hold back after hearing these words, and they roared and rushed towards Lu Bu.
Lu Bu showed no fear, held a spear in his hand, pointed at Ding Yuan from a distance, and said loudly: "Old thief, if I don't kill you today, I swear that I won't be a human being!"
After Lu Bu finished speaking, the closed door was suddenly knocked open. Gao Shun and others led the troops and strode in.
"Lord! I'm here!"
Gao Shun led a hundred men and rushed in, guarding Lu Bu.
(End of chapter)
