Shuhan

On the vast plains of the Northeast, a prison van was moving slowly. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the body of the van, stretching the shadow of the iron bars into long ones.

Gongsun Yuan lowered his head, as if he had really become a prisoner.

However, this was just a big drama he carefully planned.

Around the prison van, five hundred elite soldiers in iron armor disguised as ordinary escort soldiers, with sharp eyes, ready to take sudden action at any time.

The team leader Bei Yan rode on a black warhorse. His eyes were like sharp swords, always paying attention to the movements ahead.

The outline of Xiangping City gradually appeared in sight. The ancient city gate was like a silent giant beast, waiting for the arrival of its prey.

Gongsun Gong and a group of officials were already waiting in front of the city gate, ready to welcome Gongsun Yuan.

However, they did not know that a huge change was about to take place.

As the prison van approached, Gongsun Gong and others did not notice anything unusual.

What they saw was Gongsun Yuan imprisoned in a prison cart, looking quite miserable.

Gongsun Gong couldn't help but reveal a bit of pride and relief on his face. He thought that he could finally sit firmly on the throne of power in Liaodong.

Since Gongsun Yuan was willing to "carry a thorn stick to ask for forgiveness", his uncle should also be more generous.

At this moment, Bei Yan suddenly raised the long sword in his hand and shouted loudly: "Do it!"

Five hundred elite soldiers moved like lightning and surrounded Gongsun Gong and his subordinates in an instant.

Gongsun Gong and others were surprised to find that Gongsun Yuan, who was originally thought to be a prisoner, stood up from the prison car at this moment, with cunning and sneering eyes flashing.

"What do you mean?" Gongsun Gong asked in panic, his face turning pale in an instant.

Gongsun Yuan smiled coldly and said, "Uncle, do you really think I will give in so easily? Liaodong originally belonged to my father. Before, I was still young, and the power was temporarily controlled by my uncle. Now I have grown up, and today is the day for me to take back the power of Liaodong!"

As he spoke, Gongsun Yuan walked slowly from the prison cart to Gongsun Gong.

"He who knows the current situation is a hero. Uncle, now is a time of great strife. You are too incompetent. How can you lead Liaodong to prosperity if you are so timid? Now that powerful enemies are all around, we need a wise leader, a strong man, to protect Liaodong's wealth and glory for generations! But uncle, you can't do this. Since you can't do it, let your nephew do it!"

After saying that, he waved his hand to signal Bei Yan and others to take action.

Bei Yan swung his sword and shouted, "Capture them all!"

The elite soldiers acted quickly and captured Gongsun Gong and his subordinates.

Gongsun Gong's face was filled with fear and confusion. He struggled, but was helplessly bound by the chains and had no choice but to surrender.

"Gongsun Yuan, there are more than 20,000 of my elite troops in the city, and you only have a few hundred. If you let me go now, I can forgive you for what happened. If you insist on doing what you want, don't blame me for not considering our uncle-nephew relationship."

Are you still being stubborn?

Gongsun Yuan sneered and said, "Liaodong was originally my father's legacy. These officials were all promoted by my father. Why would they rebel against me? My uncle is inhumane and has no children. He should have given up the throne to me long ago. If he had done so earlier, why would it be so embarrassing now?"

"you!"

Gongsun Gong was furious.

"I should have killed you earlier. I misjudged you. I misjudged you! I regret it so much! I regret it so much!"

Gongsun Yuan stood aside and watched all this coldly.

A smug smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, as if everything was under his control.

"Now that things have come to this, why are you still talking about this?"

Gongsun Yuan turned his gaze to the burly man beside Gongsun Gong.

"Yang Zuo, do you want to die for your uncle, or do you want to fight for the world under me?"

Yang Zuo's eyes flickered. He looked at Gongsun Gong who was tied up, and then at Gongsun Yuan who was full of vigor and heroic spirit. It seemed that all of this was a good choice.

"I am willing to serve my lord!"

There is actually no difference between following Gongsun Gong and following Gongsun Yuan.

Both parties are members of the Gongsun family, so they cannot be considered as betraying their master by joining Gongsun Yuan's sect.

What's more, Gongsun Gong was inhumane and had no offspring. A hundred years after his death, no one knew who his successor would be.

However, Gongsun Yuan was able to have children, and if he had loyal descendants, there would be more hope.

"Hahaha~"

Gongsun Yuan laughed loudly and helped Yang Zuo up.

"I got the general, Liaodong is stable!"

This sudden change caused chaos in front of the Xiangping city gate.

Gongsun Gong and his subordinates were frightened out of their wits by the sudden change.

From then on, Liaodong will once again usher in a new era - an era belonging to Gongsun Yuan.

The residence of the Liaodong governor.

Now Gongsun Yuan has taken over the magpie's nest.

With Yang Zuo's cooperation, it was very easy to control Xiangping City.

However, the five hundred people brought by Bei Yan from Liaosui were still guarding the prefectural government.

In addition, the Liaosui Army has 3,000 men and is already on the way.

Power needs checks and balances.

Gongsun Yuan could not completely trust Yang Zuo.

"Everyone, please take a seat."

Sitting upright in the seat that Gongsun Gong originally sat in, Gongsun Yuan felt comfortable with the feeling of holding power.

It's like drinking a sip of iced sour plum soup in the dog days of summer. Only those who have experienced it will understand the sourness.

"General Yang, are there any trusted people that Gongsun Gong has planted in the military schools in Xiangping City?"

Gongsun Yuan stared at Yang Zuo and said meaningfully.

"My Lord, there are several."

"Only a few?"

Yang Zuo's answer did not satisfy Gongsun Yuan.

"There are only a few people who can be considered Gongsun Gong's absolute confidants. If the others can also be considered confidants, then I can also be considered Gongsun Gong's confidant."

Gongsun Yuan frowned and said, "General, there is one thing I hope you can understand. If I can't even control the army, how can Liaodong be stable? If Liaodong is not stable, how can it resist the attack of Wei?"

Wei attacks?

Yang Zuo was stunned.

"My lord, where did you get this news? The envoy of Wei State came to the city to meet Gongsun Gong and said that he would make him the King of Liaodong. Wei State is trying to be gentle with Liaodong. Why would it start a war?"

Gongsun Yuan looked calm and said, "Wei's Xianbei Protector General Qian Zhao, as well as Zhang Liao and Zhang Wenyuan, have now arrived at Lulong Pass. Wei's Donglai navy is also being mobilized. Food and supplies are also being transported from Jizhou to Yuyang and Youbeiping counties. If Wei didn't want to attack Liaodong, how could this happen?"

"Ah this."

Gongsun Yuan's words were so convincing that Yang Zuo didn't know how to refute them for a moment.

"Then how will you deal with Gongsun Gong?"

For some reason, Yang Zuo felt a little worried.

"What do you want me to do with him, General?"

Yang Zuo frowned slightly, shook his head, and said, "I don't know how the lord wants to deal with it, but if there are really powerful enemies around, killing Gongsun Gong may lead to civil unrest in Liaodong."

Gongsun Gong's ability was indeed not good enough, and he had no offspring and was not humane, which led to an unstable foundation.

But no matter what, he has been the lord of Liaodong for several years, and during these years, he has promoted many people. These people are not only in the army, but also serve as officials in various places in Liaodong.

Even among the Xianbei, Xiongnu, Wuhuan, and Goguryeo, many had been favored by Gongsun Gong. If Gongsun Gong was killed, these people would immediately become enemies.

"My uncle is my closest relative, how could I kill him?"

Just as Gongsun Gong did not dare to kill him, he did not dare to kill Gongsun Gong casually.

Imprison him as if he were dead.

but
Gongsun Gong’s men may not be killed, but his influence in Liaodong must be eradicated.

Or try to eradicate it.

On the side of the couch, how can you allow others to snore?
If you can't even sleep well, how can you talk about anything else?

"To resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the internal situation. That is why I want to ask the general, how many confidants my uncle has planted in the army? Can the general give a detailed list of names?"

Make a list?

If their names were written on this list, would all these people be beheaded?

Yang Zuo was still a little hesitant.

"Humph!"

Gongsun Yuan was already feeling a little impatient.

"General, I'm afraid you don't know the situation yet. The Emperor of Han wrote to me personally, saying that the purpose of Wei's attack on Liaodong is to completely eliminate the threat from Liaodong and to control the foreign tribes controlled by Liaodong, making them the minions of Wei and conquering the world for Wei. All the noble families and officials related to the Gongsun family will have no way out but death."

Gongsun Yuan stared at Yang Zuo so deeply that it almost made Yang Zuo scared.

"General, do you think that I am cruel if I kill dozens or hundreds of people now? When Liaodong is conquered by the Wei army, the number of dead will not be hundreds, but tens of thousands, or even more. Your kindness will probably bring disaster to Liaodong! If your wives, concubines, and children were all killed by the Wei army, would you still be so merciful today?"

Speechless.

Yang Zuo was speechless.

He knew that he could not win the argument with Gongsun Yuan.

It was clearly about excluding dissidents, but he made it sound so high-sounding, as if he would be committing a crime if he did not agree.

Hey ~
Yang Zuo sighed in his heart.

It was doomed when he chose to surrender to Gongsun Yuan outside the city of Xiangping.

He has no choice.

“When it comes to confidants, they are mostly these people.” Yang Zuo chose to compromise.

One emperor and one courtier.

I hope Gongsun Yuan will not expand the scope of attack.

otherwise
Liaodong is really going to be in chaos.

June of the second year of Tianming.

After more than eighty days of marching, the Wei army finally arrived at Youbeiping.

Going further ahead is Liaoxi.

Across the Liao River from Liaoxi is the territory of Liaodong.

"General, the situation in Liaodong is not developing as you expected. Gongsun Yuan deceived Gongsun Gong into surrendering. He imprisoned Gongsun Gong in Xiangping and spent a month to completely integrate the forces in Liaodong. Now he is hoarding heavy troops in Liaosui, and it seems that he intends to guard against our Great Wei."

Qian Zhao's face did not look good.

Originally in Sima Yi's conception, attacking Liaodong was a very simple thing.

But now it seems
That's not the case anymore.

They are well prepared and heavily guarded.

If you want to capture it, you will probably have to pay a high price.

But if the price paid is too high, even if Liaodong is taken, there will not be much credit.

Qian Zhao was very depressed.

What happened to the promise of gaining merit?
What the hell are you brushing now?
It looks like a tough battle!

"This is within my expectations. There is no need to panic."

Sima Yi was calm and composed. After hearing the news, there was no sign of panic on his face.

As everyone watched, some people's panic gradually subsided.

"The Gongsun family in Liaodong is just a mob. We have tens of thousands of elite soldiers in Wei, advancing by land and sea. How can they be a match? Why are you afraid before the battle? Isn't it just to boost others' prestige and destroy your own ambition?"

Sima Yi snorted coldly and continued, "I have already boasted to Your Majesty: to attack Liaodong, it will take 100 days to advance, 100 days to attack, 100 days to return, and 60 days to rest. This way, a year is enough. Now that 80 days have passed, we still have 120 days to take Liaodong. There is plenty of time."

The coach's confidence naturally made his subordinates feel excited.

Seeing that the low morale had been lifted, Sima Yi continued, "The expedition to Liaodong is a long and arduous one. The distance from Luoyang to Xiangping is more than 3,000 miles. Although we can get supplies in the frontline areas of Jizhou and southern Youzhou, it is not easy to keep the food route open because of the three natural barriers of Liaoxi Corridor, Liaoze and Liaoshui.

Your Majesty is willing to send troops on a long expedition to give us the opportunity to gain fame, and we must seize it firmly."

Sima Yi looked around at everyone and continued, "In a person's life, there are not many opportunities to turn things around. As long as you can seize it, you can soar to the sky. But if you miss this opportunity, who knows when the next opportunity will come? Maybe in this life, there will be no chance to turn things around again."

"That's a reasonable thing, General."

Zhang Liao immediately stood up and agreed.

"The opportunity to make achievements is right before your eyes. Don't you want to fight and kill the enemy, and earn wealth and honor for yourselves?"

After Zhang Liao said this, the others stood up and asked to fight.

"General, I want to be the vanguard!"

"General, in my opinion, Gongsun Yuan is like a chicken or a dog! I am willing to be the vanguard!"

"The commander of Liaosui is Bei Yan, a nobody. I think Bei Yan is a man who is being sold as a token of loyalty! I am willing to lead three thousand soldiers to take Bei Yan's head for the general!"

The army's morale was high and Sima Yi began to smile.

"Gongsun Yuan imprisoned his uncle and started a massive killing spree in Liaodong. I want to use this manifesto to disrupt the morale of the Liaodong army. If anyone surrenders, they can be spared."

Attacking the city is the next step, attacking the heart is the top step.

The aftermath of Gongsun Gong's imprisonment could not be resolved by Gongsun Yuan in just one month. He had to write his own handwritten manifesto to overwhelm Gongsun Yuan in terms of momentum.

Sima Yi immediately took out the manifesto to fight the rebels and read it aloud:

"The manifesto against the bandits says:

In the past, there was the Gongsun clan, which originated in Liaodong and passed down from generation to generation. It was based on benevolence and virtue, and comforted the people to bring peace. However, now Gongsun Yuan has betrayed the teachings of his ancestors and committed rebellious acts, which is truly a shame for the world.

He dared to imprison his uncle Gongsun Gong, betrayed human ethics, disregarded moral principles, brought shame to the clan, and brought disaster to the people. In Liaodong, he killed and abused innocent people, and the people wailed everywhere, which was heartbreaking.

Gongsun Yuan committed ten crimes, which are difficult to list in full.

First, he betrayed human ethics and imprisoned his uncle; second, he harmed the people and caused great suffering; third, he abused his power and ignored the court; fourth, he amassed wealth and squeezed the people; fifth, he oppressed the good and exploited the people; sixth, he plotted rebellion and made evil plans; seventh, he excluded those who were different from him and formed a clique to attack those who were different; eighth, he despised the laws of the king and abused his power; ninth, he insulted scholars and destroyed culture; tenth, he raped and plundered, doing all kinds of evil.

These ten crimes are so obvious to all that it is difficult to list them all.

If the people of Liaodong want to survive, they must recognize the current situation, surrender and draw a clear line between themselves and Gongsun Yuan.

If the court shows favor, it will treat you well. If you stubbornly refuse to repent and help the tyrant to commit atrocities, then don’t say that we didn’t warn you.

I hope you will all think deeply, abandon the rebels together, and face the national crisis together to protect the peace of your homeland and comfort the spirits of our ancestors in heaven.

"Once the proclamation has been issued, it will be known to all the world. I hope that all the generals and soldiers will act upon the order, kill the traitors, and support the Han Dynasty. When the mission is accomplished, your name will be recorded in history. Isn't that wonderful!"

Once this manifesto is released, will it still be a problem to defeat Liao in a hundred days?

Sima Yi's eyes were gloomy, but there was a sneer on the corner of his mouth.

Gongsun Yuan, what can you do to fight me? (End of this chapter)