For Yuan Shao, who is now extremely powerful, Zhang Yang's defection is just the icing on the cake. It doesn't even require an in-depth discussion. Everyone can just speak plainly.
Yuan Shao took one last look at Yijing City, which had turned into a sea of flames, and said goodbye to his former allies and old rivals before turning around and striding away.
The civil servant and military general made a way, but he stopped halfway and looked at a handsome young man in the crowd.
The young man was about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was wearing armor and carrying a sword at his waist. His features were beautiful and his eyes were as bright as stars.
Yuan Shao waved to him to signal his companions, "Come, Shang'er, come to father."
Yuan Shang nodded and followed. Yuan Shao put his arm on his shoulder, the doting in his eyes naturally showing.
"Shang'er, haven't you always said that you envy your elder brother for being the governor of a state and taking care of his father's worries? Now that Gongsun Zan is dead, what do you think? Are you willing to stay and serve as the governor of Youzhou?"
Hearing this, Yuan Shang's eyes lit up. Being the governor of a state meant that he could hold heavy troops. For him at this age, the appeal was too strong.
Just when he was about to blurt out his agreement, he saw the two people behind Yuan Shao, Pang Ji and Shen Pei, shaking their heads repeatedly, frowning, and their eyes almost flying.
It's strange. Didn't the two gentlemen always ask me to ask my father to divide the military power? Why did they refuse at this stage?
As Yuan Shao's advisor on the surface and two aristocratic families who secretly support Yuan Shang's rise to power, Yuan Shang would think that he was still unable to decipher the mystery even if he was puzzled. The two gentlemen could not be wrong.
So, he took two steps back, clasped his fists and bowed: "Of course the child is willing to share the worries for his father. However, now that the Northern Kingdom is stable, the next step for my father is to drink from the Yellow River and aspire to the Central Plains. Cao Cao and Lu Bu are extremely cunning. A child who is good at fighting and brave, is willing to follow his father south and listen to orders in front of his tent!"
After saying that, he looked at Shen Pei and Pang Ji from the corner of his eye, and when he saw the two men smiling happily, he knew that he had used this move in the right direction.
Then he suddenly understood that the governor of Youzhou was certainly a high official in the border area, but now that his father was so powerful, even if Cao Cao and Lu Bu were tied together, the force would not be half of his own. How could he defeat him?
At this time, the contribution of a Youzhou governor must be heavier than not being able to follow him into battle.
When Yuan Shao heard this, Lao Huai was delighted.
Among his several sons, he liked Yuan Shang the most. He was good-looking and filial, and he actually wanted to make him his heir apparent.
In fact, the ancients' love for beauty far exceeded the imagination of modern people. Yuan Shao's natural love for Yuan Shang was largely due to the fact that he was really good-looking and the type that everyone loved.
It's not just him. Liu Biao likes Liu Cong, which has little to do with the Cai family. It's just because he is better-looking than Liu Qi.
Even Liu Bei's initial contempt for Pang Tong was because he was really unattractive.
Therefore, when Yuan Shang said this, Yuan Shao immediately gave up the idea and turned to look at his second son, who was in his early twenties and had an ordinary appearance. , you should set an example, are you willing to serve as the governor of Youzhou?"
"Children must share their father's worries!" Yuan Xi, an ordinary man, took a step forward, clasped his fists and bowed, his voice like a bell.
"Okay! As expected of my son!"
After Yuan Shao nodded with satisfaction, he asked: "Governing a state or county here is no better than leading an army in a military camp. Facing various difficult problems, one must not only be calm and composed, but also deal with them carefully. Can you tell me how you will prepare to take office after taking office? "
Yuan Xi's face seemed to be sinking, and he rolled his eyes, "Father, after I take office, I will start from two aspects. The first is to patrol Juyongguan and Guangping County, because these two places were invaded by Xianbei, Xiongnu and even Wuhuan when they went south to plunder. The most common place to go, in addition to increasing troops, is to strengthen city defenses.
Secondly, I ordered the prefects of each county to prepare a list of last year's harvest, taxes, acres of land, number of people, soldiers and bravery, etc. and submit it to Zhuojun. I will read it myself. If you don't comply, I will consider the situation and send someone to lobby. The power of soldiers is so powerful that as a last resort, we can only lead the army in person! "
"Well said!"
It can be said that every word of Yuan Xi's answer was in line with Yuan Shao's wishes. This second son who has been ignored by him for many years has really grown a lot.
Even Tian Feng and Ju Shou could not help but nod in appreciation.
The situation in Youzhou is different from the other three states. It can be said to be the most troublesome place among the four states in the North.
Not to mention having to face the invasion and plunder of foreigners all year round, among the ten counties of Youzhou, except for Daijun, Shanggu, Zhuojun, Yuyang and Youbeiping, the five counties east of western Liaoning all refused to obey the orders of the imperial court and the control of the governor. of.
To manage this place well would be more difficult than Bingzhou and Qingzhou counties combined, which is why Pang Ji and Shenpei firmly opposed Yuan Shang staying here.
"Xi'er, I will leave the rear to you to stabilize it. When I defeat the two thieves Cao and Lu, the country will be strong. By then, you can go anywhere in Zhongyuan Prefecture and County."
Today's Yuan Shao has long regarded the world as his own. He has no choice but to show his strength. The civil servants and generals, soldiers, horses, money, food, and weapons and equipment are all crushed by these two people.
It has been ten years since he left Luoyang. In ten years, he went from being the governor of Bohai to becoming the lord of the four northern states. He was no longer the radical young man who drew the sword from his waist and scolded Dong Zhuo in front of Lu Bu: My sword is not bad at all. .
In fact, the background of the Four Generations and Three Dukes is not a pleasant thing to say. In terms of education since childhood, they have always been instilled with the idea of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. Yuan Shao really restrained himself in this way, so he dared to face the powerful minister Dong Zhuo regardless of life and death.
Open the history books and see how many people can only share adversity but not wealth.
Is it really because these human masters don’t have enough energy? It’s really not the case, because in this process, when you have more and more things and your power becomes more and more powerful, you will lose yourself.
Just like Yuan Shao at this time, he had long lost the word loyalty to the Han Dynasty in his heart, and was focused on creating the world of the Yuan family.
It's just that he is much smarter than Yuan Shu and knows that blindly proclaiming himself emperor has no meaning at all. In this regard, he is also a pragmatic person.
Arriving in front of the carriage, Yuan Shaocai turned to look at Yuan Xi, patted his shoulder, and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry Xi'er, in one year, at most one year, my father will pacify the Central Plains and eliminate the two thieves. You can do it immediately." Choose another place."
Youzhou is just like Xiliang, a bitter cold land with yellow sand all over the sky. After all, it is my son who still feels sorry for him.
"My son, I wish my father will succeed immediately and hang the heads of the two thieves under the camp gate as soon as possible!" Yuan Xi is also looking forward to that day. This is the realization of being a son of the Yuan family.
In terms of the general situation, he actually understands that staying in Youzhou may not be the worst outcome.
Anyone with a discerning eye knows that as early as Yuan Shaoti took over the land of the three states, the battle for the inheritance between the eldest son and the youngest son has quietly started.
As the eldest son, Yuan Tan should have no resistance to taking over as the crown prince. Unfortunately, Yuan Tan has a straightforward personality, values discipline and rules, and will speak out against many things that he cannot tolerate.
Apart from anything else, I just mentioned that Pang Ji and Shen Pei had no intention of getting involved in the battle for the right to inherit the heir, but they lived a luxurious life, which inevitably led to the issue of corruption. Considering the influence of the two families, Yuan Shao insisted that as long as it was not too outrageous, he would just turn a blind eye.
But Yuan Tan didn't tolerate them and criticized the two in public many times, causing them to worry that the two families would lose their status after Yuan Tan came to power.
In addition, Yuan Shao doted on Yuan Shang very much, so many flatterers seized this opportunity and began to secretly support Yuan Shang.
Yuan Xike, who is at the center of the storm, knows these things very well. He thinks that he is not as favored as Yuan Shang, and his strength is not as good as Yuan Tan. Fighting for the position is a fool's dream. In this case, there is no need to wade into this muddy water. Honestly It's not bad to be a feudal official.
Originally, the conversation should have ended here, but Yuan Shao's words of comfort to Yuan Xi made Tian Feng deeply uneasy, and he immediately stood up and bowed:
"My lord, I listen to my lord's words, but prepare to go south to attack Cao and Lu in the near future."
Yuan Shao looked at the south with a solemn expression, "The emperor is still suffering in Xuchang, how can I ignore it as a minister."
"Rescuing a driver from fire and water is what a minister should do, but it is also necessary to assess the situation and act according to the opportunity." Tian Feng bowed his body and bowed, his posture was very low, but there was always a sense of reminder in his words, which made Yuan Shao Very unhappy.
He gave up his plan to get on the carriage immediately, turned around and looked directly at Tian Feng, raised his forehead and said: "How to assess the situation and act according to the opportunity?"
Anyone with a bit of discernment could tell that Yuan Shao's tone was unhappy at this time, and his eyes were a bit cold. Of course, Tian Feng might not know this, but this is his temperament, so he continued:
"As the young master said, Cao Cao is cunning and good at fighting, and Lu Bu is extremely brave. Although their troops and horses are not as good as the master's, if they join forces in times of crisis, the outcome is still uncertain."
Yuan Shao's eyes twitched when he said those words, but he still didn't interrupt him, "I would like to suggest that my lord must work hard for a year, allowing the soldiers to rest and recuperate, and at the same time accumulate food and grass.
To form a broad alliance with foreign countries, you can send envoys to Xiliang, Jingzhou and Jiangdong to unite Ma Teng, Liu Biao and Sun Ce to attack Cao and Lu. In this way, great things can be expected! "
"Hahaha, Tian Feng's words are misguided and harmful to the people."
Before Yuan Shao could get angry, Guo Tu stood up, looked at Tian Feng and sneered: "We are recuperating. Isn't Cao Cao and Lu Bu recuperating? It should be noted that their two families fought in Anfeng and Xiaoguan one after another. They were exhausted and exhausted. This is why God-given opportunity, but you want to persuade the lord to miss it in vain?
Furthermore, if Ma Teng, Liu Biao and Sun Ce are afraid of Cao and Lu, and they are unwilling to send troops, could it mean that the lord will never go south in this life? "
Yuan Shao looked at the wealthy and bloated Guo Tu and cast an admiring glance.
When Tian Feng was about to refute, the upright Ju Shou stood up, bowed to Yuan Shao and said: "My lord, Cao and Lu have fought successively, and they have old grudges. If we go south at this time, we will force them to form an alliance to protect themselves.
On the contrary, if the lord watches the fire from the other side, the two families will definitely start fighting again. If the lord works hard again, great things can be accomplished.
My lord, although the combined strength of the two families is less than half of my lord, they should not be underestimated. "
It was Guo Tu again. He sneered again and raised his head and said: "Does it mean that Jushou doesn't know how to fight? Sun Tzu's Art of War says, if you are ten, you are to surround an enemy, if you are five, you are to attack it, if you double it, you will divide it. If the enemy is small, you will be able to fight, and if you are small, you will be able to escape. , if not, you can avoid it.
Now my lord has an army of 500,000 men, while Cao, Lu and Cao together only have over 100,000 men. If you try to persuade my lord to delay, are you secretly communicating with Cao Cao, secretly communicating with Lu Bu, or secretly communicating with Cao Cao and Lu Bu at the same time? "
In history, Cao Cao admired both of them and praised Tian Feng: If Yuan Shao had used them, would An have suffered such a defeat?
He even bowed to Jushu and claimed that whoever gets Jushu can conquer the world.
Naturally, both of them are at the ceiling level in terms of strategy alone, and any one of them can crush Guo Tu.
But if you have to watch your words and figure out your lord's thoughts, two people tied together can't compare to him and Guo Gongze.
"What Gongze said is very much in line with my wishes. You don't need to say more. I have made up my mind. After the autumn harvest, I will send my troops south. As for how to deploy the troops, I can leave it to you later." Yuan Shao waved his hand and turned around to get into the carriage.
Guo Tu smiled at the corner of his mouth, "I will go through fire and water, my lord."
Jushou shook his head with a long sigh and said nothing, but Tian Feng was a man who would rather die for admonishment than to flatter and seek glory. He actually blocked Yuan Shao's carriage and bowed down so quickly that he almost knelt down in front of Yuan Shao. , “My lord, you must not be so hasty!
Then Cao Cao and Lu Bu"
"Shut up!"
Yuan Shao, who had been suppressing his anger, finally exploded. With his beard and daggers flaring, he glared at Tian Feng and said with eyes wide open: "If you dare to cause trouble to the army again, speak out and speak out before the army!"
If most people heard the master's attitude, they would have to shut up even if they didn't beg for mercy. However, Tian Feng was very strong and gritted his teeth and said: "My lord, the four states of the North have been in war for many years, and the people's livelihood has long been ruined. Add to that the soldiers..."
"Left and right, capture Tian Feng and put him in prison!"
Before he could finish speaking, Yuan Shao roared angrily, and the two sergeants dragged Tian Feng away. No matter how much he shouted, it was of no avail.
"My lord, Tian Feng has made many meritorious deeds, and he was indispensable for the pacification of Youzhou. I hope that my lord will remember his old merits and forgive him for the crime of conflict."
"My lord, please think again!"
After Jushuo tried to persuade him, and Xu You and others also spoke, Yuan Shao turned his back and said coldly: "Forget it, let him go to Qingzhou, I don't want to see him again."
After saying that, he got on the carriage without a trace of hesitation, and Yuan Shang followed.
As the carriage kicked up dust, all the counselors could only sigh. They didn't think Yuan Shao was stupid, they just thought he was too eager for quick success.
"Shang'er, do you know why your father is in such a hurry to go south?" On the carriage, facing his favorite young son, Yuan Shao finally regained some of his smile.
"Mr. Cai Guo has explained the situation just now. My child guesses that there is one more thing, that is, the military is very fast, right?" Yuan Shang held Po Tian as an embroidered pillow, without Shen Pei and Pang Ji teaching him, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy What insights can there be?
Yuan Shao laughed loudly, but finally shook his head.
He lifted the curtain and looked outside the car, and then he sighed, "Shang'er, actually what Tian Feng and Jushu said makes sense. It's much better to recuperate than to go to war right away. According to what they said, recuperate for three to five years before heading south. , maybe it can really be fought without bloodshed."
"Then why?" Yuan Shang was shocked. Since he thought what they said was reasonable, why did he put him in jail?
"Shang'er, my father is already forty-eight years old and can't wait three to five years."
He leaned back against the carriage frame, his eyes a little cloudy, "Life is like a fleeting moment. Who knows what I will become in three to five years. I must fight while I can still do it and dominate the world."
Then, he showed a wry smile, "As for putting him in jail, it is a last resort. Only in this way, no one will dare to advocate a truce in the future. Now, the three armies must be united, so the only option is to use Tian Feng."
Yuan Shang suddenly understood and nodded, "My father is wise, and my children have benefited a lot."
Yuan Shao's eyes showed relief. He took Yuan Shang's hand and said earnestly: "My child, you have to remember that you can listen to your ministers' words, but you must have your own ideas. If you encounter many disagreements, you must consider killing the chicken to scare the monkey. Only in this way, Only then can we suppress the different voices from all directions.
You will use these in the future, so be sure to keep them in mind. "
"My child understands, father, don't worry."
(End of chapter)
