Han family achievements

Chapter 578 Surprise
Not long after, Yuan Shao, whose face was pale, eyes were sunken and he looked haggard, sat in the main hall.

Sitting on the left are Guo Tu and Yuan Shang; on the right are Gao Gan, Feng Ji, and Yuan Huan.

Yuan Shao looked stern and said calmly, "You all saw it, tell me about it."

Guo Tu did not speak, but looked thoughtful.

Feng Ji could not help but said solemnly: "Mr. Yuan, if Shi Xie surrenders to the imperial court, the imperial court can attack Yangzhou from Jiaozhi, Jingzhou, and Xuzhou. We must be prepared!"

It was obvious that Yuan Shao did not speak, otherwise he would not have forced himself to hold a meeting despite his illness.

Yuan Huan glanced at Guo Tu and Yuan Shang and said, "Mr. Yuan, Zhou Yu's 20,000 naval forces have already returned and are stationed in Wujun. Once the imperial court sends troops to Yangzhou, Zhou Yu's naval forces can bypass the sea and appear on any coast of Yangzhou. We must be on guard."

Yuan Shao looked solemn, but still didn't say anything.

As Gao Gan was Yuan Shao's nephew, he knew him very well and bowed his head quietly.

This means that the imperial court can attack Yangzhou from all directions, making it almost impossible to defend against!

Feng Ji and Yuan Huan finished speaking and without waiting for Yuan Shao's response, they felt the cold and uneasy atmosphere and stopped talking without making any noise.

Seeing that the two men stopped talking, Yuan Shao suppressed his anger and turned to look at Guo Tu and Yuan Shang.

Guo Tu was silent, bowed and said: "Mr. Yuan, Yangzhou is a vast land with few people. In the past few years, we have been fighting with Shi Xie. After five years of collecting taxes from the common people, the aristocratic families have also reached their limit and have fled. Yangzhou does not have much money and grain to support a war."

Yuan Shao was very clear about this. Although his neck was as hard as iron, he managed to raise it and looked at Yuan Shang and asked, "Shang'er?"

Yuan Shang immediately raised his hand respectfully and said, "Father, if the court wanted to attack Yangzhou, they should have prepared food and fodder and mobilized the army long ago. Since they have not taken any action yet, it means that Shi Xie's surrender to the court was a sudden move, so the court is not ready to attack Yangzhou. Now it is autumn, and I think the court will not send troops this year."

Yuan Shao looked slightly relieved and said, "Shang'er is right. The court is waiting for my death."

Yuan Shang's mouth twitched, his face showed sadness, and he dared not say more.

Yuan Shao sat there, trying his best to maintain his dignity, but his pale and bloodless face, sunken eyes that lacked spirit, and hands that kept shaking all showed that Yuan Shao would not live long.

Feng Ji, Yuan Huan and others were silent, feeling tremendous pressure.

Once Yuan Shao dies of illness, it will certainly cause a huge impact on Yangzhou and cause a brief chaos, which will be an opportunity for the court to take advantage of!

Moreover, Yuan Shang is here today, but Yuan Xi is not.

This clearly shows that Yuan Shao was determined to "depose the eldest and establish the youngest". This move might have made the chaos after Yuan Shao's death less "short-lived".

Yuan Shao took in everyone's expressions, feeling angry and helpless. Feeling extremely exhausted, he took a deep breath, looked at Guo Tu and said, "Mr. Guo, what's your plan?"

Guo Tu was still thinking, and said thoughtfully: "Mr. Yuan, Yangzhou is now isolated. We don't need external aid. We must strengthen ourselves to resist the enemy."

Yuan Shao nodded slightly, signaling Guo Tu to continue.

Yuan Huan, Feng Ji, Gao Gan and others were all looking at Guo Tu to see if he had any "good ideas".

Guo Tu ignored everyone, lowered his head, and played the role of "contemplating" to the end, and said slowly: "I agree with what the third young master said. The court will not send troops this year. As long as Lord Yuan is alive, the court will continue to sit back and watch. Lord Yuan should take good care of himself. I will work together and have enough time to deal with internal affairs and external enemies. Although the court has been recuperating for many years, it is also a critical moment and will not be interrupted easily. I will use strategies to delay time. As long as we delay for two or three years, the situation will change and we can achieve great things!"

Yuan Shao was very sober at this time. Guo Tu's words were more comforting than practical. He smiled and nodded, saying, "Sir, what you said makes sense. From today on, I will appoint Yuan Shang as the governor of Kuaiji and lead my personal troops to Suzhou Prefecture. I will entrust the affairs outside the prefecture to you."

Yuan Shang and Guo Tu were both shocked. Seeing Yuan Shao's haggard appearance, they burst into tears and fell to the ground, saying, "My son, I obey your command."

Yuan Shao looked at the two of them in silence for a while, then stretched out his hand. A maid came in from the side door and helped Yuan Shao leave.

Feng Ji, Yuan Huan and others wanted to say something, but seeing Yuan Shao's state, they swallowed their words back.

They couldn't help but look at each other, and both of them clearly showed anxiety and worry in their eyes.

Guo Tu was in charge of all matters in Yangzhou, and Yuan Shang was appointed as the prefect of Kuaiji. It was obvious that they wanted to depose the eldest son and enthronize the youngest son!

Big disaster!
Guo Tu glanced at the expressions of the two people and sneered in his heart.

Yuan Shang's face was full of sadness. He paused, then suddenly stood up and followed Yuan Shao into the side door.

This scene made Feng Ji, Yuan Huan and others tremble with fear.

At this time in Luoyang City, because of Shi Xie's sudden arrival, the court was erupting in unprecedented enthusiasm.

The court held a grand ceremony to welcome Shi Xie. Prime Minister Xun Yu personally greeted him and welcomed him into the palace from the south gate.

Liu Bian held a banquet in Quefei Hall, with all civil and military officials present. Such a scene had not been seen for a long time.

In the main hall, Liu Bian made a decisive decision to change Jiaozhi to Jiaozhou and appointed Shi Xie as the governor of Jiaozhou. In order to commend his achievements, he gave him great rewards.

The banquet lasted for more than three days, and court officials had "conversations" with Shi Xie and others one after another. The atmosphere was unprecedentedly warm.

But a few people at the top were plotting in secret.

The back hall of Chongde Hall.

Xun Yu, Cao Cao, Xun You, Zhong Yao, Huangfu Jianshou and others sat opposite Liu Bian with solemn expressions and sat upright like pine trees.

Shi Xie arrived and Jiaozhi surrendered. This sudden event had a crucial impact on the court's plan to quell the rebellion!
Cao Cao narrowed his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, Liu Bei has already gone south with 20,000 imperial guards. At the same time, I have ordered the navy to go south, and we will use both the water and the route to ensure any eventuality!"

Shi Xie surrendered because he had exhausted all his resources after years of fighting with Yuan Shao. In addition, Zhou Yu's navy was staying in Rinnan and Zhuyazhou, which frightened Shi Xie.

After weighing the pros and cons, surrendering to the capital was a last resort.

This kind of "last resort" remains to be tested as the imperial court wants to really "recover" Jiaozhou. Therefore, the 40,000-strong army is heading south just to be on the safe side!

Liu Bian nodded and said, "Pass the order, Liu Bei will supervise the military affairs of Jing, Xu, Yu and Jiao."

"I obey your command." Cao Cao raised his hand and responded.

Liu Bian looked at Xun Yu and asked, "Are the food and fodders adequately prepared?"

Xun Yu said: "Your Majesty, the food and grass stored in the Xiangyang granary is enough for 30,000 troops to use for three months."

"Three months?"

Liu Bian hesitated for a moment and asked, "Where is Chang'an Taicang?"

Xun Yu, Zhong Yao, Xun You and others' expressions changed slightly. Chang'an? The land of the Three Auxiliary Provinces?
Your Majesty, are you really planning to send troops on two fronts at the same time?
Xun Yu's expression was slightly serious, and he said, "It's enough for 30,000 troops to use for two months."

Liu Bian nodded, his mind swirling with thoughts.

(End of this chapter)