Han family achievements

Chapter 582 Sharpening the Knife
When Yuan Shang and Guo Tu arrived at the provincial government and Yuan Shao's ward, their faces changed drastically and they could not help but step back.

Yuan Shao, who had been lying on the hospital bed a few days ago, actually sat up, holding a sharp sword, staring at the two of them with a gloomy look and murderous intent.

Guo Tu knew that what he had done could not be hidden from Yuan Shao, and now he had no way to retreat, so he gritted his teeth and raised his hand and said, "Your Excellency Yuan, the second son Yuan Xi rebelled, but was discovered by the third son. He has already fled the city with Feng Ji and others overnight. Please issue an order to arrest the second son Yuan Xi!"

Yuan Shao seemed not to have heard him. His sunken eyes were bloodshot and his gaunt face was full of ferocity. He shouted angrily, "Rebellious son! Do you still remember the solemn oath you made before me?"

Yuan Shang had not expected that Yuan Shao not only knew about it, but also sat up. He could not help but panic and wanted to escape, but after listening to Guo Tu's words, he steeled himself and said, "Father, it was my second brother who rebelled, not me who broke my oath..."

"Rebel!"

Seeing that he still refused to repent, Yuan Shao became furious. He drew his sword and strode towards Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shang was terrified and retreated repeatedly.

"I'll kill you!"

Yuan Shao roared, his face flushed, his eyes wide open, he raised his sword high and slashed towards Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shang stepped back repeatedly on the ground and said anxiously, "Father, father, I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong..."

Guo Tu, who was standing by, was also frightened by this scene.

In the past, Yuan Shao always gave people an impression of being gentle, polite and approachable. Even when he was discussing matters, he was dignified and self-possessed, and never showed such a ferocious look.

puff
Suddenly, Yuan Shao's body stiffened, then he spat out a mouthful of blood and fell straight forward.

砰

Yuan Shao fell in front of Yuan Shang's feet, seemed to struggle for a moment, and then became motionless.

Yuan Shang was covered in cold sweat and his whole body was cold. He was at a loss for a moment and had no idea how to react.

Guo Tu, on the other hand, calmed down quickly, came to Yuan Shao's face, looked at him with blood still flowing from his eyes and a ferocious face, and his heart skipped a beat. But he still mustered up his courage, stretched out his finger, and slowly put it in front of Yuan Shao's nose.

After just a moment, Guo Tu felt relieved. The fear that had been lingering over his body disappeared without a trace. He turned to look at Yuan Shang and said, "Mr. Yuan, I'm going."

The corner of Yuan Shang's mouth twitched, but there was still no reaction.

He was frightened.

Guo Tu walked over and helped him up. Seeing no movement outside the door, he whispered thoughtfully, "Third Master, things have changed now."

"Changed? What changed?" Yuan Shang turned to look at Guo Tu, still with a dull look on his face, as if asking subconsciously.

Guo Tu didn't care. His expression was stern. He thought seriously and said, "Mr. Yuan is dead, but he didn't explicitly pass the throne to the third son, especially in front of all the civil and military officials. Once Mr. Yuan is dead, it's only natural for the second son to succeed. At this time, we must take advantage of the fact that Mr. Yuan is dead and pretend to be Mr. Yuan's order to completely label the second son a traitor. It would be best if we ordered him to commit suicide!"

Yuan Shang finally regained consciousness. Looking at his father's still warm body on the ground, he stammered anxiously, "Really? Should we do this?"

Guo Tu said calmly: "If the Third Young Master does not take the initiative, and the Second Young Master bites back, it means that the Third Young Master killed his father to seize power. What should we do then?"

Yuan Shang's face changed slightly, and he felt his brain stiffen and unable to think. He reluctantly said, "Then, everything, everything will be arranged by you, sir."

Guo Tu looked at Yuan Shao's body on the ground again. Countless thoughts emerged in his mind, and his eyes couldn't help but become gloomy and strange.

Under the command of Guo Tu, Yuan Shang forcibly took over the provincial government and concealed the news of Yuan Shao's death.

At the same time, Guo Tu summoned officials of all ranks in Kuaiji, announced Yuan Xi's rebellion, and issued a wanted order using Yuan Shao's seal.

Most importantly, Guo Tu used Yuan Shao's name to carry out large-scale personnel changes in Kuaiji and the five counties of Yangzhou. He promoted Zhang He and Ju Yi to higher positions and sent people to send a large amount of money and food.

Yuan Xi, who fled to Danyang, was also busy. He issued many proclamations, accusing Yuan Shang of wanting to "kill his brother and seize the throne" and calling on civil and military officials loyal to Yuan Shao to join forces to attack Yuan Shang.

As Yuan Shao's two sons, one was the 'eldest son' and the other was Yuan Shao's favorite youngest son, the two sides openly tore their faces apart and each occupied a piece of land. In a short period of time, they turned Yangzhou upside down.

The imperial court was immediately informed of this move. Liu Bei, who had already arrived in Jiaozhi, while reorganizing the troops in Jiaozhi, sent a message to Guan Yu, ordering him to be prepared and ready to advance at any time.

Zhou Yu in Nanhai County left behind a part of his troops and took Cai Mao with him to the border of Kuaiji and Yuzhang.

Xiahou Dun in Wu County was the first to receive the news. He felt that there was an opportunity, so he mobilized an army of 10,000, crossed Danyang County, and launched a surprise attack on Jiujiang County.

Unexpectedly, Zhang He in Danyang directly cut off Xiahou Dun's food supply and even set an ambush, defeating Xiahou Dun so badly that he had to retreat to Guangling County in Xuzhou.

This result was unexpected by everyone and had a huge impact on the Han court.

Because since Liu Bian ascended the throne, the imperial court had suffered many defeats, but after taking control of the seven northern states, Cao Cao won battle after battle and had almost no defeat.

Yuan Shao had been trapped and died in Yangzhou, and Xiahou Dun's unexpected defeat had a huge impact on the imperial court.

Even with Cao Cao's protection, Xiahou Dun was still dismissed from his post. The court urgently ordered Liu Bei to return to Jingzhou, and at the same time supervise the military affairs of Jiao, Jing, Xuzhou, and Wujun, and unify the dispatch of troops to conquer Yangzhou.

After such a delay, it was the end of October and the weather was getting colder.

Normally, troops should not be deployed in winter, but the development of the situation in Yangzhou caught no one by surprise.

Yuan Shao's death was not concealed after all. Yuan Xi used the reason that Yuan Shang "killed his father and seized the throne" and joined forces with Gao Gan and Zhang He to send 40,000 troops to attack.

Yuan Shang joined forces with Ju Yi and also had an army of 40,000. The two sides confronted each other at the border of Kuaiji and Danyang, and a war was about to break out.

Perhaps because they were concerned that the imperial court was already at the gates of the city, the two sides did not actually fight, but the tension reached its peak and neither side could retreat.

Jingzhou, Jiangxia, Xiling County.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Xu Shu, Zhuge Jin and others gathered together to discuss the situation.

Liu Bei sat on the main seat, full of confidence and with a warm smile, he said: "Yuan Shao is dead, and the two thieves Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang are fighting each other fiercely. This is a great advantage for us."

Guan Yu sat next to Liu Bei, stroking his beard, his phoenix eyes revealing an arrogance that looked down on everything.

Xu Shu, Zhuge Jin and others sat on both sides. They all smiled and looked at each other to express their approval of Liu Bei's words.

They also didn't expect that this would happen in Yangzhou after Yuan Shao's death.

The two brothers fought fiercely, and no matter who won or lost, the final result would be a benefit to them.

After Liu Bei finished speaking, he looked at Xu Shu and the others and asked, "What do you think, gentlemen? Do you want to continue waiting?"

Except that Xuzhou was still under reorganization and Zhou Yu was not fully prepared, Guan Yu in Jingzhou already had sufficient food and supplies, and was sharpening his sword, ready to go.

Xu Shu didn't say anything, but looked at Zhuge Jin.

Zhuge Jin originally served under Sun Ce. After Sun Ce's death, he was ostracized by the civil and military officials of Jiangdong and had to "retire". When Guan Yu was in Jingzhou, he was recommended by the gentry of Jingzhou and became Liu Bei's aide.

(End of this chapter)