Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1169 Warning
When everyone present heard someone suggest that Ni Heng beat the drum, they all started to cheer and said, "Mr. Ni has extraordinary talent, and he must be very familiar with such a small matter."

At this time, a young man in the audience said, "You are a subordinate of my father, and it is not appropriate for you to be a clerk."

The speaker was Huang Zu's son Huang She, who had always been on good terms with Ni Heng. After hearing this, the crowd fell silent, but someone still said sourly: "Your Majesty has come from afar, and you should treat him with such courtesy, which shows your hospitality. The etiquette and music are all top-notch, and the one who is proficient in this art is none other than the hermit Ni. We are far behind."

Someone immediately echoed, "Your Majesty has cleared the country, defeated Cao Cao in the north, and suppressed Sun Quan in the south. Everyone in the world is convinced when they hear about it. You, the hermit, should praise your unparalleled achievements on behalf of the lord to show your majesty and virtue."

Ni Heng heard this and snorted coldly. He stood up with a sour face and was about to get the drumstick. The officials saw that Ni Heng looked unhappy, but they looked expectant. Yuan Xi saw this and said to them with a smile: "I heard that the hermit beat the drum and scolded Cao, but Cao Cao tolerated it. When he came to Liu Jingsheng, the hermit had a lot of words with him, but they were all at peace."

"My temper is not as good as Xuande Jingsheng's. If the hermit really scolds me harshly, I am afraid I will chop him to death in anger and ruin my own reputation."

"Although I am a man who can recruit talented people, I don't have much tolerance for others, so my subordinates have to follow the rules and tolerate my temper. That's why we can get along well and have come this far."

"If people are fed up with each other, I will occasionally lose my composure, just like the Xuzhou nobles did a few days ago."

"But they acted before they spoke, so I could only respond in kind. I'm afraid everyone has heard about it."

Everyone suddenly felt a chill on the back of their necks and couldn't help but shrink their necks. The news of the massacre in Xuzhou had already spread to Jiangxia, and when all the officials heard about it, they were all in chaos.

There is no other reason. When local nobles rebel, the main approach has always been to appease them. After all, their local relationships are complicated and if they are confronted with a tough attitude, the situation will only get worse.

Just like when Cao Cao entered Yanzhou, he intentionally suppressed the local scholars, which resulted in a backlash, causing the Yanzhou gentry to support Lu Bu to seize Yanzhou, which almost led to Cao Cao's demise.

Although Cao Cao later quelled the rebellion with the help of Yuan Shao and drove away Lu Bu, he was later defeated and reached a compromise with the Yanzhou gentry. He could only weaken their power secretly and made concessions on the surface.

After Liu Bei captured Xuzhou, when the Xuzhou gentry rebelled, he did not dare to use force, but instead focused on appeasement. The reason was the same.

But Yuan Xi did not play by the rules. When Jiangxia officials heard that the Xuzhou gentry were in rebellion, many people were killed and more than a dozen families were almost wiped out, the ruthlessness of his methods was unheard of in the past few decades.

Originally, no one dared to mention this matter, but when everyone suggested that Ni Heng beat the drum, Yuan Xi suddenly said this, which obviously had some deep meaning. Now that Jiangxia is a vassal of Jin, it is only a matter of time before it is incorporated into the territory. By then, the lord will become Yuan Xi, and it will be bad if he cannot figure out his thoughts!

All the Jiangxia officials were born as scholars from Jingzhou and were smart. They knew that Yuan Xi did not like internal fighting, so they took the opportunity to warn them, and the scene gradually quieted down.

Yuan Xi finally said: "I have always been a person who repays revenge when I have revenge and repays kindness when I have kindness. If others treat me well, I will return the kindness. If others treat me badly, I will use my fists. That's why people in Cao's camp say that I don't look like I come from a noble family at all."

"I will beat anyone who dares to scold me, so it's better not to let the hermit beat the drum, lest I can't help but get angry and pin him to the ground and beat him up."

Yuan Xi said this lightly, openly saying that he was too narrow-minded to tolerate Ni Heng, but he pointed out the thoughts of some people present and implicitly warned them not to do anything secretly.

Ni Heng suddenly burst into laughter and shouted, "Your Majesty, you are so straightforward!"

"It's human nature to curse when you're unhappy. Unlike those hypocrites, who, in order to gain a reputation for being magnanimous, dared not do anything when I cursed them in the face, they are just like cowards!"

"And those who are fanning the flames are worse than turtles. A turtle knows how to lie on the table, but these guys can only hide under the table and drink turtle urine!"

Everyone present had a frozen expression on their faces, thinking to themselves that Ni Heng's words were a curse to everyone present, you really don't want to live!

When Huang She saw this, he quickly pulled Ni Heng out and said, "A hermit has no moral integrity after drinking. Go out and sober up before coming back!"

Huang She was the commander of the troops and had a lot of strength. Ni Heng was dragged so hard that he couldn't stop and shouted, "How can a mere bottle of wine make you drunk?"

"You mediocre people, you are drunk and don't know it, the rolling river will bury your corpses!"

After hearing this, Huang She quickly covered Ni Heng's mouth and dragged him out.

Yuan Xi and Lu Xun looked at each other in silence. They had both noticed some signs and it seemed that Jiang Xia had a lot of problems.

Huang Zu leaned over and whispered to Yuan Xi, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Your Majesty."

"The king should have noticed something."

Yuan Xi sighed: "I can see a little bit."

"I originally thought that you, the envoy, had led the people of Jiangxia to fight against Jiangdong for ten years, and that all of your people were very courageous."

"But today, it seems that some people are against Sun but not Cao. Why is that?"

Huang Zu sighed, "Your Majesty is truly a man of insight. Most of the scholars in Jingzhou are from the families of former ministers of Emperors Huan and Ling. Because of the Party Persecution, many families have suffered from exile."

"During this period, the eunuch Cao Teng protected many families. Although the nobles were ashamed of eunuchs forming cliques, many families actually got their start because of Cao Teng."

"So attacking Wu is fine, but attacking Wei will make many people have some thoughts in their minds."

"Jiangxia originally took in many scholars who fled from Jingbei. Some of them had already surrendered to Cao before. Some of them wanted to help but didn't find the opportunity. So now there are many mixed voices among my subordinates, and I am powerless."

Yuan Xi reacted and laughed, "Your Excellency has a good plan!"

"You value your reputation and don't want to be a bad guy. You want me to do it for you?" Huang Zu chuckled, "I'm old now. I don't have any ambitions anymore. I don't want to make any more trouble."

"I intend to give this Jiangxia to you, Lord Envoy, but there are some things that I cannot do myself, and I can only bear it as a king."

After hearing this, Lu Xun looked strange. Huang Zu had made it very clear that if Yuan Xi wanted Jiangxia, he could take it, but Jiangxia's stubborn illness would need to be cured by Yuan Xi himself.

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "I understand your idea, sir."

"But most people have this idea because they lack confidence."

"I'm afraid they think that the combined forces of Lord Xuande and me cannot defeat the combined forces of Wei Jun and Liu Cong?"

"No problem, I will shut them up with facts. As long as you stabilize the rear, Lord Xuande and I will take Jingzhou in the front!"

Huang Zu said, "Since Jiangxia has surrendered to the king, the soldiers and food will naturally follow the king's orders. I dare not refuse."

"The few people who spoke today will be sent to the front line by Zu."

Yuan Xi couldn't help laughing, "The envoy is a wonderful person."

Huang Zu smiled and raised his glass, "Your Excellency is even better. I will toast you three cups in honor of your marriage to Madam Wu!"

In the distance of the palace, Huang She said to Ni Heng, "Why is the hermit still in this state of temper?"

"That king is not a good-tempered person. He might really chop you down in anger!"

Ni Heng said cheerfully: "That's good too. If he wants to do this, at least he is a real villain, not a hypocrite."

"Besides, he keeps saying that he is a mean person, but he is really clear about what he does. This kind of person is very much to my liking. Anyway, I have offended all of them, so I will resign from Envoy Huang tomorrow and follow King Jin."

Huang She heard this and shook his head repeatedly, thinking to himself that you really are seeking death. With your temper, can you survive more than three days under the hands of King Jin?

However, the order issued by Yuan Xi and Huang Zu the next day stunned everyone.

The several officials who were sarcastic at the banquet last night were sent to various ships by Huang Zu as shipmates, and went on the expedition with Yuan Xi's fleet!
The officials who learned the news almost vomited blood. How could they not see that Huang Zu was using Yuan Xi as a warning to others? Why were they so blind to jump out yesterday?

Moreover, they had no way to refute it, because Ni Heng was also sent to Yuan Xi's ship, which highlighted the fact that he was fair and impartial.

Huang Zu escorted Yuan Xi to the dock, handed his military seal to Yuan Xi, and said, "I have sent a letter to Huang Zhong, asking him to wait for the king's orders. All the soldiers under his command will be handed over to the king."

Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Don't worry, I only need him. If we want to defeat the coalition forces of Cao Cao and Liu Cong, warships are not the most important thing."

"If I help Lord Xuande conquer Jingzhou, I will advance eastward to Yuzhou and completely cut off Cao Cao's retreat. By then, it will be too late to return to Jiangxia. Take care, Lord."

Huang Zu said quickly: "I wish the king a great victory!"

Soon, the fleet left the dock and slowly sailed westward. Only when the fleet disappeared did Huang She say to Huang Zu, "I thought the king had gathered all the troops in Jiangxia, but the result is completely different."

Huang Zu sneered, "That's normal. The king doesn't think highly of the Jiangxia Army."

Huang She asked doubtfully, "Can the king really defeat Liu Cong's coalition forces with just these warships?"

Huang Zu shook his head and said, "The king's ability cannot be taken lightly."

"When you led your troops to attack Sun Ce's army, did you ever win a battle?"

"The king is suppressing Sun's attack, so don't judge others by your own standards."

"Wouldn't it be better for you to stay here and save your life? Sun Jian and Sun Ce were hundreds of times stronger than you, but they still died in the end. How can it be so easy to fight for the world?"

"If we only have confidence but no strength, we will end up like the Wu Kingdom."

Yuan Xi and Lu Xun were standing at the bow, discussing the direction of the fleet. Their plan was to turn from Xiling to Xiakou, then go through Lukou to Baqiu, find Huang Zhong, and then go to Gong'an to join forces with Liu Bei.

Now Liu Bei is stationed in Gong'an. To the west of him is Liu Cong's navy led by Wen Pin, and to the north, across the river, is Jiangling controlled by Cao's general Hao Zhao.

When Liu Bei's army arrived here, they were blocked and could no longer advance.

The reason why the coalition forces of Cao Cao and Liu Cong deployed defenses here was that if Jiangling was lost, Liu Bei would fight from Maicheng to Yiling, and Yiling was the gateway to western Jingzhou. After Liu Bei got it, he could go south to occupy Yidu and Wuling, completely annex Liu Cong's territory, and then he could confront Cao's army across the river, occupy most of Jingzhou, and thus consolidate his foundation.

The two discussed for a long time before they sorted things out, and then they both turned their eyes to Ni Heng who was basking in the sun on the deck.

(End of this chapter)