It was a letter from Lu Bu, which surprised Yuan Tan.
But after thinking about it carefully, I don’t think it’s surprising.
Why did Lu Bu ask for surrender in the first place? It's nothing more than two points. First, the Northern Kingdom has a strong army. Although he won a great victory, his military strength was in critical condition and he could no longer fight. Second, he felt that he could ascend to the throne and hoped to have a good relationship with him.
Now that it is clear that he cannot ascend to the top, many people have begun to laugh at him and add insult to injury.
Probably, he also began to regret returning those prisoners of war to him so easily.
Ah.
However, when he opened the letter and read it, Yuan Tan immediately felt that he was judging the heart of a gentleman with a villain's heart.
"It's time to meet my virtuous nephew. My brother Benchu was the pillar of the Northern Kingdom and the pillar of the great Han Dynasty. However, destiny did not allow me to ride on a crane at the right time. It's such a pity and pain. When I heard this bad news, I was heartbroken. I hope you will be worthy." My nephew should put the overall situation first and don't commit suicide in pain.
After Brother Benchu left, the Northern Kingdom should be led by the wise nephew to help protect the Han Dynasty and become stronger. However, it has been recently rumored that Yuan Shang will take over the throne and serve as a governor. He is still young and cannot dance like an elephant. Although he is a young hero, he cannot stabilize the Northern Kingdom. In the overall situation, no one but a good nephew can shoulder the heavy burden here.
Abolition of elders and establishment of younger ones has been the way to cause chaos since ancient times. Now that things are still uncertain, I hope that my nephew will take the people of the four states into consideration, discuss with your younger brother, and personally take charge of the military and political affairs of the Northern Kingdom. In this way, the Northern Kingdom will have clear seas, rivers, and rivers, leading to the four directions. Chu.
If there is any obstacle, Bu is willing to go to the place pointed by his virtuous nephew, restrain his brother's shackles, and pay homage with his own hand. "
After reading Lu Bu's letter, Yuan Tan slumped down, his hands hanging down weakly, and he didn't even care if the bamboo slips fell to the ground.
Even an outsider like Lu Bu knows that abolishing elders and establishing younger ones is the way to cause chaos. Don’t you people feel ashamed?
It's a pity that not everyone in the Northern Kingdom is as kind-hearted as you, Lu Fengxian.
Each one of them wanted to please the new master, and even went so far as to add insult to injury and kicked themselves to express their position in front of Yuan Shang.
Yuan Tan sighed, "Lu Bu is still a loyal man."
"Sir, I have a solution!" Xin Ping's eyes flashed after hearing Lu Bu's letter.
"Sir, please tell me?" Yuan Tan immediately sat upright with a glimmer of hope on his face.
"Young master, please send someone to send a message back to Yecheng, and call it an secret report. The counties in Xuzhou are preparing food, grass and weapons. Lu Bu is also arranging his troops and horses, and seems to have the intention of going north. It is rumored that Lu Bu will launch a large-scale attack after the autumn harvest. It cannot be done at this time. Leave Qingzhou without permission, otherwise there will be a rebellion!"
After Xin Ping finished speaking, Yuan Tan's eyes flashed.
Using military intelligence to counter threats is a move that can be considered a blow to the bottom of the pot. It’s beautiful!
The more Yuan Tan thought about it, the more excited he became. He rubbed his hands together, thinking that he had gotten rid of Yuan Shang's threat.
But soon, his eyes dimmed again, "However, this matter is only a temporary solution, after all, it is not a long-term solution."
"Young Master is right, so I would like to be an envoy and go to Xuzhou to meet Lu Bu in person. Isn't he willing to restrain Yuan Shang for the Young Master? Well, then, let's ask him to lead the troops north!" Xin Pi added in time.
"A strategy to drive away tigers and devour wolves."
Yuan Tan nodded slowly. At first glance, it sounded good, but when he thought about it carefully, he felt something was wrong. "Yuan Shang is a wolf, but Lu Bu is a tiger. If Yuan Shang is defeated, he will occupy the Northern Kingdom again like Dong Zhuo did." What should we do?"
He's quite smart. Xin Pi's heart trembled. He originally thought that Yuan Tan was so scared that he lost his mind. He never thought that Yuan Tan could have long-term concerns. He immediately shook his head and said:
"Young Master, as long as Yuan Shang reigns for one day, his persecution of the Young Master will not stop. Therefore, the biggest enemy right now is Yuan Shang, not Lu Bu."
Xin Pi was not impatient and said calmly, "Furthermore, although Lu Bu is brave, he only has tens of thousands of soldiers. Once he enters the Northern Kingdom, he can be sent as a vanguard to deal with Yuan Shang.
If Yuan Shang wins, the young master can take advantage of the situation and gain a foothold in Xuzhou and Yangzhou; if Lü Bu wins, the young master can take advantage of Lü Bu's weak situation and conquer the Xuzhou army in one go, making him truly invincible. "
You can smell the cake painted on this cake. How could Yuan Tan not be moved?
From his perspective, there is indeed a lot of room for maneuver in this matter. In the end, whether Lu Bu or Yuan Shang wins, he has absolute dominance.
Of course, the most critical issue is that he has no better choice at the moment.
If Lu Bu is not allowed to go north, as the Xin brothers said, he will be persecuted by Yuan Shang sooner or later.
After just a short period of thinking, Yuan Tan made up his mind, slapped the table, and stood up suddenly, "Okay! Then Mr. Lao will go to Xuzhou and meet Lu Bu in person!"
"This trip will definitely live up to the expectations of the young master!" Xin Pi bowed his hands with awe-inspiring righteousness.
After the agreement, Yuan Tan immediately wrote a letter to Yuan Shang, while the Xin brothers withdrew from the political hall.
The two of them were silent until they returned to the mansion. Xin Ping immediately closed the door. When he turned to look at Xin Pi, a meaningful smile appeared on his face, "George, what do you want to do here?"
"Of course I want to convince Lu Bu to enter Qingzhou."
After saying that, his eyes turned cold and he said sadly: "At the same time, I can also express my loyalty to Lu Bu on behalf of the Xin family. What do you think, brother?"
Hearing this, Xin Ping nodded happily, "Okay, if you are quick in thinking, this will make our Xin family invincible."
In fact, what I said just now did not completely deceive Yuan Tan. Asking Lu Bu to go north will only lead to two situations. First, if Yuan Shang wins, then Yuan Tan can take Xuzhou and Huainan; second, if Lu Bu wins, then Yuan Tan can take advantage of the situation to attack.
However, no matter which outcome it is, it is equivalent to paving a way out for the Xin family.
Because no matter whether Lu Bu takes over the Northern Kingdom or Yuan Tan sits back and enjoys the victory in the end, the Xin family can choose between the two.
This is true invincibility.
Of course, one thing has not changed from beginning to end, that is, their brothers, like Yuan Tan, are incompatible with Yuan Shang.
Once you embark on the road of seizing the direct descendant, there is no way out.
It is already rare to have one more Lu Bu as a choice now.
"By the way, there is one thing you must keep in mind." Xin Ping's expression suddenly became solemn.
"Brother, please give me instructions."
"The situation in Xuzhou is different from that in the Northern Kingdom. Although Lu Bu is a slave with three surnames and a brave man, his son-in-law is not simple. The most rare thing is that he also obeys Lin Mo's advice, so..."
"Brother, do you mean to visit Lin Mo first?" Xin Pi asked with a frown.
Xin Ping paced back and forth in the room, and after thinking for a moment, he shook his head, "That's not necessary, they are a family. If we go to Lin Mo first, it will make him think that we have ulterior motives.
It's not wrong to think that Lu Bu was the first to see him, but although that boy is young, you should not underestimate him. "
Xinpi nodded and exhaled, "Don't worry, brother, I will give him enough face."
With a configuration like Xuzhou, if you look at the whole Han Dynasty, you can't find another family. It's ridiculous that a son-in-law has become the leader of the army.
Xin Pi felt a little disdain for Lin Mo and Lu Bu, but for now, he still couldn't offend them. Who knew if they would be the fallout of the Xin family.
"I thought Mr. Wolong had something to say. It turned out that he was advising the young master to take refuge. If he needs to go to Changsha for refuge, wouldn't it be closer to go directly to Wollongong?"
"Maybe it's Mr. Wolong's lofty views that we can't see through with our naked eyes, but Guan also knows that the young master is the eldest son of Liu Zhoumu, and he should serve him before and after him. If he escapes to Changsha,"
Guan Yu snorted coldly, Danfeng glanced sideways at Zhuge Liang, and said disdainfully: "Are you giving up the position of the heir apparent to me?"
It hadn't been too long since Zhuge Liang came out of the mountain, but during this period Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were almost always together except for going to the latrine, eating and sleeping together at the same time. The two younger brothers were really unhappy to see this.
In fact, it's not just couples who can be jealous, relationships like theirs can also be full of jealousy.
After all, in the eyes of Guan and Zhang, the three brothers should be incapable of getting through each other.
As a result, as soon as Zhuge Kongming came, the eldest brother changed his mind. He used to be called Yun Changyide when he was admiring the moon, but now he is about to become Guan or Zhang.
Of course, it was also because the two had unrealistic expectations for Zhuge Liang that there was such a gap.
In their opinion, Liu Bei finally invited Zhuge Liang to come out of the mountain after seven visits to the thatched cottage. After he came out of the mountain, he was inseparable and accompanied him day and night. He must have some extraordinary means, right?
As a result, for more than a month, he had lost all his abilities. The first time he opened his mouth, he asked Liu Qi to give up his position as the heir apparent and go to Changsha to become the county magistrate. Isn't this a joke?
You must know that before Zhuge Liang came out of the mountain, the three brothers had always hoped to support Liu Qi in ascending the throne and then mobilize the entire Jingzhou to fight against Cao Lu in the Central Plains.
Not to mention the two of them, even Liu Qi expressed that he could not accept it and frowned: "Military advisor, Cai Mao and the others hope that I will stay away from Xiangyang, so that they can better prey on my father."
The implication is that you are not in the same group as Cai Mao, right?
Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan but did not intend to explain.
In fact, it's not that he doesn't want to explain, but that the matter involves too much, and they may not be able to listen to it if explained.
Letting Liu Qi go to Changsha was a plan he had made before he came out. It can be said that it is the first step to capture Jingxiang, and it is also a necessary step.
However, in front of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, his foresight could not make sense.
Because the two of them wanted to see immediate results.
At this time, Liu Bei would stand up and say, "Yun Changyide, the military advisor must have a deep meaning in this move. I am willing to listen to the military advisor elaborate on the pros and cons."
As he spoke, Liu Bei bowed his hands towards Zhuge Liang, indeed taking on the posture of a student.
I remember that I was so humble when I was under Lu Zhi's sect, and I really won Lu Zhi's favor.
After Liu Bei said this, Zhuge Liang stopped being the riddler, walked around the hall waving his feather fan, and explained slowly.
"Young Master, during the Spring and Autumn Period, Shen Sheng of the State of Jin was executed at home, but Chong'er was able to save his life in exile. At present, the military and government of Jingzhou are mostly in the hands of Cai Mao, and the Young Master is unable to compete with him. He has nothing to do but live in mediocrity here. He enters.
If you go to Changsha, you will have three benefits. "
Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan with his left hand and raised three fingers with his right hand.
This move still only attracted the cold eyes of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, but Liu Qi became a little more interested and looked at Zhuge Liang seriously.
"First, although Zhang Ji, the prefect of Changsha, comes from the same sect as Zhang Yun, he only focuses on studying medicine and has no interest in government affairs. When the young master leaves, Xu Tu can take over the power of the prefect;
Secondly, Huang Zu, the governor of Jiangxia, was the prince's supporter, and this county could be used as support. If the prince firmly established himself in Changsha, he would have two counties as his territory.
Third, Changsha is the hinterland of Jingzhou. You can look at Nanjun when you enter, and it borders Wuling, Lingling, and Guiyang. The son can use this gap to visit the three counties and win support in the name of the eldest son. If he can get the second one, he will not be afraid. Cai Mao, contend with it. "
In fact, what Zhuge Liang said was very implicit. The only real purpose revealed is the third one, which is that the geographical location of Changsha is too important. One county is surrounded by five counties: Nanjun, Jiangxia, Wuling, Lingling, and Guiyang. This It just gave Liu Qi the opportunity to have both sides.
At the same time, he can also take the opportunity to visit and win over local celebrities and talents for Liu Bei, making the most of the human resources at hand.
But these words are not easy to say on the table.
For example, in Jiangxia, Huang Zu, as the leader of the younger generation of the Huang family, supported Liu Qi, but the older generation had an attitude of not wanting to get involved with Liu Qi's claim to the throne.
But after Zhuge Liang joined this camp, Huang Chengyan had to change his past attitude and provide support. This was equivalent to receiving the full support of the Huang family among the four major families.
If this kind of talk is put forward, it will not only ruin his reputation as Zhuge Liang, but it will also be irresponsible to the Huang family.
Moreover, in Jingxiang, if you want to compete with the Cai family, the Huang family alone is not enough. You also need to rely on the name of Liu Qi's eldest son, plus the connections that Zhuge Liang has accumulated over the years, to be able to fight against each other.
Xun Yu has always been regarded as a loyal minister by Cao Cao. Later generations of readers often commented that he was excellent in internal affairs. The question is, how so? Can you still use one dollar as two dollars?
In fact, it was because of Xun Yu and the Xun family's connections that every time before Cao Cao went on an expedition, when the family had a wait-and-see attitude in terms of food, grass, ordnance, they would be shaken as soon as Xun Yu came to visit.
The truth is actually the same. Here in Jingzhou, Zhuge Liang also has a natural advantage like Xun Yu.
To take advantage of this, you must first have a base of your own, and Changsha is definitely the best choice.
Of course, Zhang Ji has no intention of entering politics. This is also true. If Liu Qi is willing to enter Changsha, it will definitely not be difficult for him and Zhuge Liang to mediate and finally get Zhang Ji to step down as the governor.
Zhuge Liang has absolute confidence in this.
The cryptic rhetoric did not convince Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, but because Liu Bei's eyes turned into revolving lanterns, he did not embarrass Zhuge Liang.
In the final analysis, the final decision on this matter rests with Liu Qi.
Liu Qi paced back and forth in the hall, unable to make a decision for a while.
Although Zhuge Liang's rhetoric was cryptic, it still made sense. It was nothing more than persuading him to give up his current idea of a head-on collision with Cai Mao and instead quietly expand his territory.
Judging from all the circumstances, staying in Xiangyang will indeed not have much effect, and Liu Biao's attitude towards him is getting worse day by day. Recently, he thinks he is always running to Xinye, which means he is not doing his job properly.
Finally, Liu Qi's eyes met Liu Bei's, and he still respected the emperor's uncle.
"Sir, I think what Kong Ming said is not unreasonable. There is a saying in the art of war: avoid the enemy in the morning and attack it when it returns in the evening. Kong Ming's move coincides with this key point."
Hearing this, Liu Qi pursed his lips and nodded slowly, "Since even the emperor's uncle has said so, I will go back to Xiangyang now and ask my father to take up the post of Changsha County Magistrate."
"Okay, I'll wait for the good news, young master."
Zhuge Liang breathed a long sigh of relief. He didn't expect that this first step would be so difficult. The three Taoyuan brothers were not easy to lead.
To explain, Han Xuan's position as prefect began in 208. There are no names of the prefects during this period in the history books. I checked all the information and finally found only one person, Zhang Ji, who was also the director of typhoid and miscellaneous diseases. The author of the theory is Zhang Zhongjing.
Zhang Zhongjing was from the Zhang family, a wealthy family in Nanyang, and Liu Biao's ability to secure Jingzhou relied heavily on the wealthy noble families in Nanyang, so it was entirely possible for Zhang Zhongjing to serve as the governor of Changsha.
(End of chapter)
