Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1339 Threat
After hearing what Madam Xie said, Yuan Xi said, "It's best if you think this way. He has offended too many Jiangdong families. When he was the king, these families could only endure it. Now that he is down and out, anything can happen."

"So I brought him to the North, more or less with the intention of protecting him."

Madam Xie listened and said softly, "Your Majesty, you don't need to explain to me. I don't care how that person is doing."

Yuan Xi glanced at Madam Wu, who understood and said to Madam Xie, "I remember there are a few ready-made clothes in the room. Go and take Qian'er to try them out to see if they are suitable."

After Madam Xie took Yuan Qian away, Yuan Xi asked, "What did you think of letting her come to the mansion?"

"If people outside knew about this, I'm afraid they would spread rumors."

Madam Wu smiled, "Your Majesty, are you overthinking this? Could I have any other intentions?"

Yuan Xi was somewhat embarrassed by the question, "It is natural to avoid suspicion when you are in a melon field or a plum field, especially since she was once the wife of Sun Quan. If someone with bad intentions causes trouble, it will be bad for the reputation of the government and the public."

Madam Wu said helplessly, "Your Majesty was fearless a few years ago and even personally went to Wu County for me. How come such a common thing now makes Your Majesty afraid to act?"

"Madam Xie's brother was away fighting all year round and had no one to rely on in Shouchun. I felt sorry for him, and she was very attentive when she served me before, so I called her to take care of me."

"In fact, she has been with me for two months, but my husband was on a tour outside during that time, and he was often busy with military affairs when he came back, so he never came to my side, so I never had the chance to tell her."

After hearing this, Yuan Xi felt a little guilty. He held Mrs. Wu's hand and said, "I was negligent. I have no choice in my position. I have endless things to do every day, so I neglected you."

Madam Wu shook her head and said, "I know your majesty's difficulties. In comparison, I am pampered and well-off, so I can't help much."

"If people in the world saw how busy being an emperor could be, I'm afraid many would give up the idea. I hope Your Majesty takes care of himself."

Yuan Xi sighed, "I want to rest, but there are too many things waiting for me to do. If I put it off until tomorrow, they will pile up day by day."

"Besides, sitting in this position, there are countless times more things to consider, and there are also many more concerns. If it were a few years ago, Mrs. Xie's matter would not have been a big deal, but now I have to deal with it carefully."

"It's not just that I care too much about my reputation, but some things can affect the whole body. For example, if Sun Quan in the north holds a grudge and wants to surrender to the enemy and take revenge on me, the people in the north may be implicated."

Madam Wu said softly, "I heard a rumor that someone reported him for colluding with the Xianbei."

Yuan Xi said, "It's not a rumor. He did secretly correspond with Kobe."

Mrs. Wu was shocked. "What should we do then?"

Then she came to her senses and bit her lip and said, "Forget it, he and I have nothing to do with each other anymore, let him be."

"If he does something perverse, he should be punished according to the law."

Yuan Xi tapped the bamboo chair lightly. "I don't think he will take that step."

"Although he has no bottom line in his actions, he is quite proud in his heart and will not bow down to the barbarians outside the Great Wall."

"If my guess is correct, what he will do next is very dangerous."

"But I won't stop him. After all, given his personality, it's unlikely that he will stay in the North for the rest of his life."

He then laughed and said, "In comparison, the Sun Kuang you raised seems more like your biological son."

Mrs. Wu also sighed after hearing this: "The children have grown up. I can no longer control them. Let them be."

Yuan Xi hesitated for a moment and said, "I will go to Yecheng in a few days, and then return to Yecheng."

"I'm still worried about Kobe. He's a man of great vision and patience. I won't be able to sleep or eat well until he's dead."

"The Jin State now has three important strategic locations. Shouchun controls Xudu, Yecheng and Luoyang are close to Sili, and Jicheng faces the border."

"Shouchun has Boyan, Yecheng has Kongming, and although Jicheng has Gongyu, the composition of officials there is the most complicated, and he may not be able to suppress them."

"Besides, I originally made Jicheng the capital so that the nobles of Youzhou and Jizhou could unite to resist the Xianbei invasion. But I have been inspecting Jianghuai for the past two years, and with Yecheng becoming the secondary capital, there have been rumors that I want to move the capital. This is a big blow to the morale of the people in Jicheng."

"So I have to go back to Jicheng to stabilize people's hearts. You and I have the closest relationship in Shouchun, and I feel most at ease with you in charge, so I have to inconvenience you for a while."

Madam Wu shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to say that. The Queen is guarding Yecheng for Your Majesty, so I naturally cannot stay out of it."

She pursed her lips and said, "But your Majesty's harem seems to be an independent system of officials, each performing their duties for their husband."

"When I was in Jicheng with my husband, I never thought that we would have this kind of relationship today."

Yuan Xi chuckled, "Madam, you are just making trouble for yourself."

Madam Wu rolled her eyes at Yuan Xi and said, "Your Majesty, just be complacent. How can this be the behavior of a ruler ruling the country?"

Yuan Xi said lazily: "Emperor Gaozu is known as the rogue emperor, but that cannot hide the fact that he is as powerful as the Qin Emperor."

"If I can achieve even half of what Gaozu achieved, I will be satisfied." Madam Wu said softly, "I will definitely do it."

"If your majesty can't do it, then it's even more impossible for anyone else in the world."

She said, "I will wait for my husband to come back, but Xiao Qiao, Da Qiao and Madam Bu are still young. It would be too cruel to leave them alone in their empty rooms for who knows how many years."

"Husband, take them away."

Yuan Xi nodded and said, "I understand."

He held Mrs. Wu's hand tightly and said, "During this time, we old couple should spend some time together."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wu blushed and couldn't help but give Yuan Xi another cold look.

Two months passed. Outside the northern pass, somewhere in the southern desert, there was a stretch of tents that stretched for dozens of miles. In the center of the tents was the king's tent where Kobinen was.

Although there were some poor and backward tribes among the nomadic peoples at that time, the tribal communities were actually strong and had a high level of civilization.

For example, the royal tent of the Xianbei people had a very high standard in some aspects, such as fur fabrics, handicrafts, and even some bronze smelting tools, all of which had their own unique technological routes.

This is because the progress of civilization depends largely on mutual communication, and the nomadic peoples outside the Great Wall have a unique advantage in this regard. They can absorb the advantages of other nations by relying on trade and conquest and plunder.

For example, the Xianbei and their predecessor tribes once communicated with many ethnic groups in the west through the Silk Road in the Western Regions. For example, the horn bows and composite bows, as well as the armor manufacturing technology learned from the Scythians, all promoted the progress of the Xianbei tribe.

The same was true for the Huns before. Initially, there was a saying that "There was a Han army fighting against the Five Barbarians", which meant that the Han cavalry used technology to suppress the Hu people. However, with the opening of the Silk Road in the Western Regions, the technology of the Huns and other tribes began to advance, and it became less easy for the Han to defeat the Hu people.

The same is true of the Xianbei today. In many places, they have technologies similar to those in the Central Plains, but due to various objective conditions, some technologies are only circulated among a small range of nobles, resulting in the phenomenon of loss and regression.

Kobineng was sitting in the tent, talking about this history with the chiefs of each tribe.

He said: "No matter how the Central Plains fights, it won't be a bad thing for us Xianbei. We have our own path, and we just need to keep going."

"But in recent years, a fierce tiger has appeared in the Central Plains. He is an extremely dangerous person, and I am really worried about him."

"This man is a man of great talent and vision. What scares me the most is that he is setting up free schools and developing crafts. This is a very dangerous sign for us Xianbei people."

"If we don't do anything to suppress him, sooner or later our Xianbei tribe will perish at his hands."

One of the clan leaders asked, "Are you worrying too much, Lord Shanyu?"

"He uses craftsmen, what does that have to do with us Xianbei?"

"As long as we take good care of the livestock and increase the population, sooner or later we will be able to send millions of troops south and completely wipe out the Han people!"

"Population and military strength are everything. No matter how many free schools the Han people run, can they be used as soldiers?"

Others also echoed and said that Kobe might be overthinking it.

Kirby said in a deep voice: "Things may not be as you think."

"Prince Jin is a man of deep thoughts. Every step he takes has a profound meaning. Over the years, I have been intentionally imitating his approach and have achieved quite good results."

"For example, I asked the middle and lower-level generals and soldiers to learn the Xianbei language, and I found that they became smarter and gradually understood the Han Chinese military tactics. They no longer just charged and attacked blindly as before."

"For example, when I was fighting with the surrounding tribes, I plundered many craftsmen and asked them to continuously improve our weapons and daily life utensils."

"Nowadays, our bow-making technology has improved a lot. Arrows can penetrate better and the range can be increased by more than ten steps. This will obviously enhance the combat effectiveness of the Xianbei cavalry."

"Not to mention the others. In the past, our tents were mostly made of linen bought from the Han people. They were expensive and easily damaged. Now, after being improved by craftsmen and added with fur seams, they are much stronger and more able to withstand the severe cold in winter."

"All these things happened while I was walking, sitting or lying down. You may not notice them, but I have indeed been moving forward over the years, even crossing the distance of the previous decades."

"The more this happens, the more I fear the eyes of that fierce tiger. If such a person continues to exist, it will be a disaster for us Xianbei."

"So if we are determined to be their enemy, we must do everything possible to kill them. Only then will we Xianbei have a future!"

The tribal leaders listened, although they still had some doubts on their faces, but Kobineng's prestige in recent years was very high, and many people almost immediately accepted Kobineng's point of view, and asked: "Master Shanyu, what do you think we should do?"

Kirby could smile and say, "The most effective and cost-effective method is assassination."

Someone said, "Not to mention that the King of Jin is running around everywhere and it's hard to find his whereabouts. Even if we can find him, he must be surrounded by a lot of guards. How can we capture him?"

Kobe didn't answer, he thought there must be a suitable candidate.

Someone wants to surrender, but I am not that easy to be fooled. If he really wants to rely on me, let him use the head of King Jin to prove it.

(End of this chapter)