At the end of the Han Dynasty: a stingy husband from his hometown

Chapter 215: Gongda offers a strange strategy, Ben Chu has a different idea

Now that Yuan Shao has become the emperor, his power has greatly increased.

However, it is said that Xun Chen, his counselor, was born in the Xun family of Yingchuan and was the younger brother of Xun Yu. He had made great contributions in persuading Han Fu to make Yuan Shao the minister of Jizhou.

The Xun family of Yingchuan is a descendant of Xunzi and is a famous family. Although there are no high-ranking officials like Sangong in the family, there are many descendants of the family serving as officials in various places.

There were more than [-] descendants of the Xun family recorded in history books in later generations.

Of course, the Xun family today is not as prominent as it was during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, but they intermarried with the major noble families in Yingchuan, and even had marriage relationships with many royal nobles and royal children.

The Zhong family of Yingchuan and the Chen family of Yingchuan have been friends with the Qin and Jin Dynasties for generations. It can be said that they both prospered and suffered losses.

Today, the Xun family in Yingchuan has children all over the country, and the in-law relationships are even more complicated. Even Yuan Shao, who was born in the Yuan family in Runan, does not dare to neglect the Xun family.

Therefore, Yuan Shao also valued Xun Chen very highly.

On this day, Yuan Shao was handling the government affairs in his palace. Suddenly, someone came to report and asked Xun Chen to see him.

Yuan Shao did not dare to neglect, and hurriedly summoned Xun Chen in person, and asked kindly: "If my friend is here, why are you here?"

Xun Chen said: "The general welcomes the emperor to Yecheng, so that the world returns to his heart, and the scholars rush to attach themselves to him. I have a nephew who has traveled thousands of miles to join the general. I hope I can introduce him to him."

Yuan Shao couldn't help but be overjoyed when he heard this, and said: "Youruo's nephew must also be from the Xun family in Yingchuan."

"Since he is a descendant of the Xun family, he will naturally be of great use. If you just bring him over, I will definitely arrange an important official position for him."

It can be seen from this that Yuan Shao has blind trust in the nobles. Instead, he does not consider whether the other party has real talents and learning. Seeing someone from his subordinates recommending a noble son, he directly promised him an official position without even asking his name.

Yuan Shao's doing this may have miraculous effects on ordinary scholars and people from poor families.

However, for those children of the gentry who really came from a scholarly family, they felt that Yuan Shao was not good at using people and might not be willing to get along with him.

Xun Yu first defected to Yuan Shao and received courtesy, but he still abandoned Yuan Shao and turned to Cao Cao.

Because scholars from this kind of noble family don't worry about becoming an official at all, they only care about whether the person they vote for is a wise master.

Xun Chen frowned slightly when he heard this.

Historically, Xun Chen defected to Yuan Shao. Except for helping him capture Jizhou, he was basically a soy sauce guy from then on.

In the most critical battle of Guandu, Xun Chen even disappeared directly.

Like his younger brother Xun Yu, he originally felt that Yuan Shao had some character flaws, but he did not choose to leave because of the family's tradition of making bets separately.

Although the Xunchen people stayed in Jizhou, their hearts may not be here.

However, since Yuan Shao welcomed the emperor into Yecheng, Xun Chen's attitude has also changed greatly. He vaguely felt that Yuan Shao might really achieve great things, and he planned to do his best to assist him in the future.

He knew his nephew's ability, so he organized his words a little, and then said: "I have something to say, I don't know whether to say it or not."

Yuan Shao looked at Xun Chen's expression with doubts on his face and asked, "If you have something to say, it doesn't hurt to say it."

Xun Chen pondered for a moment, and then said: "General, does he still remember my brother Xun Wenruo?"

When Yuan Shao heard this name, his face gradually became gloomy.

Xun You was said to have the talent of a king. When he came to Jizhou, Yuan Shao treated him as an honored guest, but he never thought that he would choose Cao Cao in the end.

This incident always left a thorn in the heart of Yuan Shao, who had always been conceited.

After Xun Yu took refuge with Cao Cao, he showed his extraordinary political talents, allowing Yanzhou, the place of the Four Wars, to be self-sufficient and capable of conducting foreign conquests.

The more talented Xun Yu was, the more uncomfortable Yuan Shao felt.

When he saw Xun Chen mentioning old things again, his tone became cold and asked, "What does this matter have to do with Xun Wenruo?"

Xun Chen said sternly: "It is said that when you recommend a worthy person, you should not avoid relatives."

"The person I recommend this time is ten times more resourceful than me. When it comes to running a country, he may not be as good as my brother, but when it comes to strategizing, he is even better than me."

"If Wen Ruo has Xiao He's talent, the person I recommend has Zhang Liang's wisdom."

"If the general has the help of this person, it will be easy to conquer the north, and it will be possible to conquer all nine states."

"If the general treats him as an ordinary scholar, he may not be able to keep him in Jizhou."

Yuan Shao couldn't help being shocked when he heard this.

He knew the talents of the two brothers Xun Yu and Xun Chen very well, but he had never heard of anyone else in the Yingchuan Xun family who was so outstanding except for them.

Yuan Shao hurriedly stepped forward to hold Xun Chen's hands and asked, "Who is the person recommended by Youruo?"

Xun Chen spit out five words: "Xun You Xun Gongda."

Although Xun You was also born in the Xun family of Yingchuan, his status and status were completely different from those of the two brothers Xun Yu and Xun Chen.

Do you know why?

It turns out that Xun You's father, Xun Yi, died early. Before his death, he had only served as an official in Yuzhou. Without the prominence of his father's generation, Xun You could not compare with Xun Yu when he came here.

Not only that, although Xun You's grandfather Xun Tan once worshiped the governor of Guangling, he was imprisoned for life because of the party's imprisonment, and he also died when Xun You was 13 years old.

Without the foundation of two generations, Xun You's starting point was naturally much lower than that of his fellow clan members.

On the other hand, Xun Yu and Xun Chen, their father Xun Nui, was one of the "Eight Dragons of the Xun Family" and once served as the Prime Minister of Jinan.

Their grandfather was Xun Shu, and each of their eight sons had outstanding reputations and were called the "Eight Dragons of the Xun Family". Even the famous sages Li Gu and Li Ying respected him as their teacher.

Xun Shu even earned the nickname "Shenjun" and became famous among scholars.

With the foundation left by their fathers, Xun Yu and Xun Chen had a much higher starting point than ordinary people.

"Xun Gongda?"

When Yuan Shao heard this, there was doubt in his eyes.

He had naturally heard of Xun You, and even worked with Xun You when he served under General He Jin.

only.

In Yuan Shao's eyes, Xun You looked a little dull and stupid, and even a little cowardly in many cases. He didn't look like someone with Zhang Liang's plans at all.

He looked at Xun Chen and said, "I worked with Gongda before, why didn't I discover his talent?"

Xun Chen said bluntly: "Gongda is different from ordinary people. He is stupid on the outside but wise on the inside, timid on the outside and brave on the inside. He is weak on the outside and strong on the inside. He does not show wisdom because he has not found a master who can allow Gongda to display what he has learned in his life. "

"Looking at the heroes in the world, only the general can be regarded as a hero. If he is entrusted with important tasks, Gongda will definitely surprise the general."

Although Yuan Shao still had some doubts in his heart, out of his trust in Xun Chen, he finally said: "I want to meet Gongda first and then talk about other things. Is that okay?"

Xun Chen couldn't help but sigh slightly when he heard this.

He knew that the next conversation would be directly related to the future fate of the two people.

Although Yuan Shao had many advisers under his command, even Ju Shou could not assume the role of mastermind.

Even Tian Feng, who had been detained in Yangzhou by Zhou Qi before, although very resourceful, lacked the tact of a counselor and could easily offend the monarch, so it was difficult for him to achieve great things.

On the other hand, Xun You was as wise as he was foolish, and as a top counselor, he was not only able to solve the emperor's problems, he could also figure out the emperor's character, and then come up with strategies and rhetoric that were most likely to impress the emperor.

Although Tian Feng and Jushu were great talents in the world, they were far from each other in terms of understanding people's hearts and catering to the monarch.

This is why the planner can make the monarch obey his plans. Strategies like Tian Feng's strategies are obviously the best choice, but they often anger the monarch.

Xun Chen had long seen that Yuan Shao lacked a mastermind who could make him obey his plans.

As for Xun You, if he can't get Yuan Shao's respect, I'm afraid he won't stay in Jizhou. I don't know where he will invest in the future and what his future will be.

"I will bring Gongda here right now. The general might as well take the exam."

But it is said that Xun Chen left the general's house and found Xun You, and said: "The general wants to talk to Gongda. Whether he can impress him or not depends on Gongda himself."

Xun You bowed solemnly to Xun Chen and said, "Thank you uncle for the introduction."

Although Xun Chen was ten years younger than Xun You, he still patted Xun You on the shoulder in an old-fashioned way and said: "We meet today, which is not the time to hide our clumsiness. The general also likes to listen to good words. Does Gongda know how to deal with this?"

Xun You showed a slight smile on his face and said: "I know." A good planner not only plans things, but also plans people.

The General's Mansion, inside the study.

After Yuan Shao and Xun You finished reminiscing, Yuan Shao asked directly without being too polite: "What is Gongda's opinion on the current situation in the world?"

Hearing this, Xun You's eyes, which were still dull at first, suddenly became more alert, and he said directly without any hesitation: "The direction of the world's situation depends on the general, not the other princes."

Yuan Shao's expression moved slightly and he asked: "Why did Gongda say this?"

Xun You said: "There are many princes in the north, attacking each other, causing endless wars in the Central Plains and Hebei."

"The chariot and cavalry generals took advantage of this opportunity to first occupy Yangzhou, then Jingzhou, and now they are even more eyeing on Yizhou."

"Liu Yan is dead and Liu Zhang is weak and cannot hold his land."

"If there is no accident, it can take as short as three years or as long as five years, and the chariot and cavalry generals will definitely capture Yizhou."

"The land of Bashu is thousands of miles of fertile fields. It is a land of abundance. The country is rich and the people are strong. Gaozu became an emperor because of it. The world has experienced the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Dong Zhuo's Rebellion, Li Jue and Guo Si's Rebellion, resulting in a sharp decline in the Central Plains household registration, Yizhou, Jingzhou The household registrations are divided into one and two."

"Even Yangzhou, after years of governance by chariot and cavalry generals and without too many wars, the household registration is almost close to that of Jizhou."

"If after the generals of chariots and cavalry capture Yizhou, the generals still fail to unify the north, then Zhou Qi will seize Longxi to obtain elite soldiers and generals, and then map the Qinchuan River for [-] miles."

"At that time, the generals of chariots and cavalry were already in power. Even if the general wiped out the remaining princes and fought with them, the outcome would still be [-]-[-]."

When Yuan Shao heard this, he couldn't help but be horrified.

Although he had long felt that Zhou Qi's strength was expanding too fast, he was not as far-reaching as Xun You thought.

After hearing Xun You's words, Yuan Shaocai suddenly woke up. Zhou Qi, the young man from Xiangxian County who once wanted to curry favor with him and needed to be supported by others, had unknowingly reached this point.

If the situation goes as Xun You speculated, Zhou Qi will definitely become Yuan Shao's greatest enemy in the future.

Yuan Shao looked at Xun You and asked, "What did Gongda mean when he said before that the world's situation depends on me?"

Xun You said seriously: "If the general can unify the land of Hebei before Zhou Qi captures Yizhou, he can lead a great victory to the south and wipe out the princes."

"At that time, Zhou Qi only controlled two states, so what's the point?"

When Yuan Shao heard this, he sighed: "Although I am facing the emperor in the west, Gongsun Zan has occupied Youzhou and half of Qingzhou, and his power is very strong."

"I have been fighting with him for several years. Although I won more than I lost, I still couldn't do anything to defeat Gongsun Zan in a short period of time."

"Report!"

At this moment, urgent information suddenly came.

After reading the contents of the letter, Yuan Shao couldn't help but change his expression. Then he handed it to Xun You and said with a wry smile: "Gan Ning of Ba County rebelled and welcomed Zhou Qi and his army into Ba County."

"I'm afraid it's impossible to capture Hebei before Zhou Qi does!"

Xun You hurriedly took the letter, and after reading the contents, he couldn't help but gasp.

He had long known that the location of Bashu was extremely important. He had previously requested to enter Yizhou to serve as the prefect of Shu County, but due to the impassable road, he stopped in Jingzhou.

Although he expected that Liu Zhang was no match for Zhou Qi, he did not expect that he would be so vulnerable.

The loss of Bajun opened the door to Yizhou. Liu Zhang had just succeeded Yizhou as the pastoral minister, so it was not easy to block Zhou Qi's army.

Even if Liu Zhang could barely hold off for two or three years, in addition to Gongsun Zan, there were Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Yuan Shu in the north.

It is obviously impossible to wipe them all out in such a short period of time.

Xun You frowned and pondered for a long time, then suddenly raised his head and said: "For today's plan, I have a plan to prevent Zhou Qi from getting bigger."

Yuan Shao said hurriedly: "Please ask Gongda to teach me!"

Xu You said: "The general can write a letter to reconcile with Yuan Jiujiu, make him a hussar general, and also lead the herdsman of Jingzhou, and show him affection and reason, and issue an edict to order him to raise troops to attack Jingzhou."

"Yuan Jiujiu occupies Nanyang of Jingzhou and is adjacent to Zhou Qi. If Zhou Qi occupies the three southern states, how can Yuan Jiujiu feel at ease?"

When Yuan Shao heard this, he was overjoyed, but he soon hesitated and said: "Yuan Gongdao and Cao Mengde have fought many times. With Cao Mengde on his side, how can Gongdao rest assured about attacking Jingzhou?"

"Besides, with our road strength, we may not dare to start a war with Zhou Ziyi easily."

Xun You smiled and said, "Don't worry, General, I haven't finished speaking yet."

"Ever since Gongsun Zan killed Liu Yu, the shepherd of Youzhou, he had separated from Liu Bei. At this time, Liu Bei occupied Xuzhou and was already independent. He was also known as the Han Dynasty clan and was quite famous."

"To this day, the Xuzhou pastor he leads has not been officially canonized by the imperial court."

"The general can send an envoy to confer Liu Bei as the Mu of Xuzhou."

"If he accepts the imperial edict, it will show that he recognizes the imperial court, and he will be a stranger to Gongsun Zan from now on. The general can issue another edict, ordering him to attack Yangzhou."

"Yuan Gongli may not dare to fight Zhou Qi alone, but with Xuzhou Liu Xuande, it may not be possible."

"As for solving Yuan Jiuji's worries, it is not difficult."

"Since Cao Mengde started his army, only the general has followed him. However, after all, Cao Mengde is a prince. After the general unifies Hebei in the future, if he wants to go south, if Cao Mengde continues to occupy Yanzhou, he will inevitably have to fight with him."

"In order to avoid this situation, the general can declare Cao Mengde as the shepherd of Liangzhou and order him to send troops to destroy the bandits in Guanzhong and capture the land of Longxi."

"In this way, it can not only solve Yuan Jiu's worries, but also allow Cao Mengde to occupy Guanzhong and Longxi before Zhou Ziyi."

"After that, even if Zhou Ziyi captured Yizhou, it would be difficult to advance even with Cao Mengde there, which would buy time for the general to unify the north."

"At that time, the general first destroyed Gongsun Zan, then attacked Liu Xuande, and finally wiped out Yuan Gongdao, forming a tripartite force with Cao Mengde and Zhou Ziyi."

"At that time, the general occupied the territory of the six states, so why worry about not being able to bring peace to the troubled times and establish great achievements that will last forever?"

Xun You's strategy seemed simple, but it was interconnected. In an understatement, it restricted Zhou Qi's development and planned the future for Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shao was overjoyed when he heard this, but he quickly said with some hesitation: "I only know Cao Mengde's abilities in detail."

"Guanzhong and Longxi cover [-] miles of Qinchuan. They were the places where the Qin Dynasty first flourished. If Cao Mengde is allowed to occupy them, will it be difficult to contain them in the future?"

Xun You shook his head and said: "This moment is the same as that moment."

"The reason why Qin was able to sweep through the six kingdoms and unify the world was that, in addition to the accumulation of several generations, it also occupied Yizhou, a land of abundance, with an inexhaustible supply of grain and grass."

"In today's world, Guanzhong has experienced wars and famines many times. Warlords and thieves are running rampant and looting wantonly, leaving Guanzhong in ruins and leaving nine out of ten houses empty."

"The desolate land on the border of Liangzhou is originally vast and sparsely populated. With endless wars over the years, how many registered residences are left?"

"In troubled times, if there is no population, what will happen even if Cao Mengde takes over Yanzhou, Guanzhong and Liangzhou?"

"Besides, there are Li Jue and Guo Si in Guanzhong, and Ma Teng and Han Sui in Liangzhou. It is not easy for Cao Mengde to conquer these areas."

"If Cao Mengde can use it, use it. If it cannot be used, after the general pacifies Hebei, he can take Yanzhou himself."

Hearing this, Yuan Shao felt relieved, then took Xun You's hand and said, "Gongda, my son's wife is here!"

During this conversation in the study room, Xun You really gained Yuan Shao's attention. He was worshiped as Shangshu Ling, in charge of documents and official chapters, and was extremely powerful.

When Xun You first took charge of the high position, he issued edicts to Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, and Liu Bei in the name of the imperial court.

But Yuan Shu was a little happy after receiving the edict and learning that he had been named General of Hussars and Mu of Jingzhou.

But soon, he muttered to himself with some confusion: "Yuan Benzhu has always been at odds with me, why would he give me a promotion?"

Just when Yuan Shu was confused, a letter was sent from Yuan Shao's confidant.

The general content of the letter is: Although you and I compete for the world, we were both born in the Yuan family in Runan, and we are brothers.Now there is Zhou Qi, who is taking advantage of the fight between my two brothers to become ambitious and secretly expand his power.

If they were allowed to occupy the land of Bashu, they would already have half of the world, and it would be difficult to control them anymore.

Moreover, the highway is adjacent to it. If they occupy the three states in the south, they will inevitably go north to attack Nanyang first and then capture Yuzhou. Will there be room for the highway at that time?

I have ordered Cao Mengde to send troops to Guanzhong and Liu Xuande to send troops to Yangzhou.

If Gongdao sent troops to Jingzhou, Zhou Qi focused on one thing and lost the other, and the battle against Yizhou would inevitably fail. At that time, Gongdao and Liu Xuande formed an alliance, and they could defeat Zhou Qi and gain all the territory. Wouldn't it be wonderful?
(End of this chapter)