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

Chapter 233: Benchu ​​entered the king’s lordship, and his son became the emperor.

Although Yuan Shu hated Yuan Shao, he was still wary of Zhou Qi after all, and immediately asked: "Zi Yi and Yuan Benchu ​​had a close relationship before, why did they go in opposite directions today?"

Zhou Qi did not answer and asked instead: "Since we have always been friends with me at the beginning, why in the name of the emperor did you order the highway and Liu Xuande to attack me?"

Zhou Qi's words immediately left Yuan Shu speechless.

He looked at Yuan Shu's face, and then deliberately sighed: "I wholeheartedly support the Han Dynasty. I originally thought that Brother Benchu ​​also had this intention, but looking at what he did, it turned out to be the opposite of me."

"Today, Yuan Benchu ​​nominally welcomes the emperor, but in fact he uses the emperor to command the princes. The civil and military officials of the court are promoted at his will by Yuan Benchu. So where should the court be placed, and where should the emperor be placed?"

Although Yuan Shu also despised the imperial court, he would not be stupid enough to say it in front of Zhou Qi. Instead, he responded and said: "When I attacked Dong Zhuo, I originally wanted to establish another emperor, and I want to kill him!"

When Zhou Qi heard this, he even said heartbrokenly: "Thanks to the late emperor's favor, I was entrusted with the important task of entrusting Tuogu before his death. These years of expeditions to the south and north to defeat the unconquered ministers are all for the purpose of reviving the Han Dynasty."

"I never thought that the imperial court would have fallen into such a situation. Every time I think about it, I feel heartbroken and deeply feel that I am unworthy of the late emperor's love."

Yuan Shu's expression moved slightly, and he suddenly said: "Since King Chenliu is in Yangzhou, Ziyi also has in Ziyi's hands the late emperor's edict that made King Chenliu the emperor."

"Now Yuan Benchu ​​despises the imperial court and uses the emperor to command the princes. Why doesn't Ziyi obey the late emperor's edict and make King Chenliu the emperor, so as to revive the Han Dynasty?"

Yuan Shu said this not because he really wanted to revive the Han Dynasty, but because he did not want to be inferior to Yuan Shao.

If Zhou Qi is really willing to establish King Chenliu as emperor, as long as Yuan Shu participates in it, he will definitely be able to support him. When the time comes, he will be promoted to a higher position, and he will not be at Yuan Shao's disposal.

Zhou Qi was secretly happy in his heart, but on the surface he remained calm and said, "There are no two days in the sky, and there are no two masters in the country. If King Chenliu is made emperor, where will the court's reputation be concerned?"

"My background is shallow, my virtue and reputation are not enough, and I have rashly established a new court. Who in the world is willing to obey?"

Speaking of this, Zhou Qi looked at Yuan Shu and his eyes widened.

He stood up in a hurry, bowed deeply to Yuan Shu, and said, "Brother is a direct descendant of the Yuan family in Runan. He is the fourth generation and the third prince. His disciples and former officials are all over the world."

"My brother is devoted to the country and is famous throughout the country. His moral conduct is praised by scholars."

"If there is anyone who can establish another imperial court, it must be Brother Jiuji."

When Yuan Shu heard this, his eyes widened. He didn't expect that he was just trying to make Yuan Shao sick, but he actually got such an unexpected surprise.

If he really supports King Chen Liu as emperor, his power in the future will definitely not be under that of Yuan Shao.

However, Yuan Shu has not lost his head yet. Knowing that he is now dependent on others, how dare he take away the fortune of the general of chariots and cavalry?

He immediately shook his head and said: "Zi Yi's words are wrong. The one who was entrusted by the late emperor to be alone is the emperor, not Yuan Shu."

"Even if a separate court is to be established, Ziyi should be in charge. How dare I take on this important task?"

Zhou Qi excitedly held Yuan Shu's hands and said, "How can Zhou Qi alone achieve such a great thing? Only with the help of my brother's reputation and the power of the Yuan family in Runan can such a great thing be achieved .”

"If brother has doubts, how about letting him preside over the matter and me assisting him to make King Chenliu the emperor together?"

Seeing that Zhou Qi was deeply affectionate and showed no signs of hypocrisy, Yuan Shu felt at ease and said, "In that case, it would be better for me to respect him than to obey him."

Seeing Yuan Shu agreeing, Zhou Qi was secretly happy, but he said with pretense of hesitation: "Although Yuan Benchu ​​held the emperor hostage to order the princes, he never acted arrogantly."

"If we rashly establish a separate court, I'm afraid it would be inappropriate. Instead, it will attract people all over the world to criticize us."

Yuan Shu came from a noble family and was no stranger to these battles. He frowned slightly when he heard this.

Zhou Qi deliberately thought for a long time, then suddenly clapped his hands and said: "I have a plan to see whether Yuan Benchu ​​is really loyal to the Han Dynasty."

"If he is truly loyal, we will not establish another court."

"If he really has a different intention, you will know after a test."

Yuan Shu asked with great interest: "Zi Yi, please elaborate. Do you have any good ideas?"

Zhou Qi said with a smile: "After Brother Qiao returns to Runan, he can write to the court to state Yuan Benchu's contribution and recommend that he be crowned king."

Yuan Shu's face darkened slightly when he heard this, and he said, "If this is true, wouldn't it increase Yuan Shao's reputation even more?"

Seeing Yuan Shu's sudden change of expression, Zhou Qi hurriedly explained: "Brother, don't be anxious, just listen to me carefully."

"In the past, Emperor Gaozu killed the white horse and swore an oath: Anyone who is not the Liu family but the king will be attacked by the whole world!"

"If Yuan Benchu ​​does not proclaim himself king, it means that his heart is towards the Han Dynasty. We will not be able to establish another emperor and divide the imperial court."

"If he ignores Emperor Gaozu's oath and actually proclaims himself king, it shows that he is ambitious and intends to replace the Liu family."

"At that time, we took the oath of the white horse to establish a new court, and then called on the princes of the world to attack Yuan Benchu. Naturally, we had great righteousness."

This strategy was devised by Jia Xu.

If you want to cause people to perish, you must first make them crazy. This is the strategy to kill Yuan Shao.

Now that Yuan Shao has not yet conquered the north, if he dares to claim the throne rashly, he will inevitably arouse the dissatisfaction of many people who are loyal to the Han Dynasty.

At that time, Zhou Qi introduced Yuan Shu as a shield and made King Chenliu the emperor, and others had nothing to say.

Yuan Shu was overjoyed when he heard this. He couldn't help stroking his hands and laughing: "Yuan Shao is just a commoner. Despite his appearance, he is actually very inferior in his heart and eager to prove himself."

"If I were to persuade him to become king, Yuan Shao would definitely not refuse."

Zhou Qi said: "Let's not mention this matter for now. After Yuan Benchu ​​annihilates Gongsun Zan, he will definitely be arrogant. If he tries to persuade him to become the king, his subordinates will definitely not be able to stop him."

The two discussed for a long time, and finally Yuan Shu requested to return to Runan.

Zhou Qi looked troubled and said, "Of course I wanted to let my brother leave, but before that, my brother had incited Lu Bu to attack Lujiang, resulting in the death of Huang Shao, the captain of Lujiang County, and the death of Lu Kang, the governor of Lujiang County."

"I missed my old friendship and didn't want to quarrel with my brother, so I only killed Lu Bu and didn't pursue my brother's fault."

"Last time I attacked Jingzhou, my brother was eyeing Yangzhou again, forcing me to give up the good situation in Jingzhou and lead my troops back to Yangzhou."

"This time, troops invaded Lujiang for no reason, forcing me to end the war in Yizhou and return early."

"There are only three things that can be done."

"I thought of the Yuan family's kindness in the past, so I tolerated my brother in every way. However, my brother repeatedly led troops to attack me, which made Jing and Yang full of righteous indignation."

"When my civil servants learned that Pan Zhang and Ma Zhong had captured my brother alive, they all advised me to kill my brother first and then seize Yuzhou!"

When Yuan Shu heard this, he immediately trembled with fear and hurriedly argued: "Lü Bu attacked Lujiang just on his own initiative and had nothing to do with being his brother."

"Before, my brother also wrote a letter to persuade Ziyi and Liu Jingsheng to stop their troops. He had no intention of sending troops to help Liu Jingsheng."

"As for this time, my brother was also deceived by Yuan Shao. In addition, there was an edict from the emperor, so he lost his mind and led his troops to attack Lujiang. Don't be surprised if you ask Ziyi."

Zhou Qi looked at Yuan Shu expressionlessly and said, "Of course I don't blame my brother."

"However, the civil and military ministers under my command don't think so. If this matter is dismissed so easily, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain it to everyone under my command."

Yuan Shu heard the string and understood the elegant meaning, and immediately asked: "Zi Yi can make any conditions, as long as they are not too excessive, I am willing to accept them."

Only then did a smile bloom on Zhou Qi's face, and he said: "I am now in charge of Jingzhou and Yangzhou, but Nanyang County in Jingzhou is occupied by my brother. As a result, my Nanyang civil and military officials all advised me to go north."

"If my brother can return to Nanyang, then you and I will become brothers, become allies, establish the emperor together, and never do this again, okay?"

When Yuan Shu heard this, he hesitated.

As Nanyang is the number one county in the world, he is naturally unwilling to spit it out so easily.

However, Yuan Shu is now captured here alive. If he does not spit out Nanyang County, it will be difficult for him to leave safely.

As long as Ruyang can't wait for Yuan Shu to return, things will change sooner or later. I'm afraid that such a big business that I have built will also become a wedding dress for others.

Thinking of this, Yuan Shu could only grit his teeth and said: "Nanyang was originally under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou, but Liu Biao had not practiced virtue before, so I took charge of it on his behalf."

"Since Ziyi asked for it today, how can I refuse?"

Zhou Qi was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately asked Yuan Shu to sign the document, and then ordered eight hundred miles to rush back to Xiangyang, so that Huang Zhong, Wenpin, Li Yan and other people from Nanyang County could go north to take Nanyang.

However, he kept Yuan Shu for a few more days, and entertained him warmly every day. After calculating the time, Huang Zhong and others had received the documents and started to go north to take Nanyang, and then they solemnly sent Yuan Shu off.

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

But it is said that Yuan Shao listened to Xun You, ignored the fact that Jizhou was short of food, and went to great lengths to prepare food and fodder, and then led a large army to surround Gongsun Zan in Yijing, intending to take advantage of the opportunity of his previous victory and not give Gongsun Zan a chance to breathe and destroy him in one battle.

Yuan Shao adopted Xun You's strategy, first cutting off Gongsun Zan's backup, and then destroying all the fields cultivated by Gongsun Zan in the rear.

After losing the harvest from these fields, Gongsun Zan only persisted for half a year. The food and grass in the city had been exhausted, and he had to go out of the city to fight Yuan Shao.

At this time, Yuan Shao had exhausted all the power of Jizhou, Bingzhou, and Youzhou, and had numerous advisers and fierce generals under his command. Gongsun Zan had been defeated in consecutive battles and was in danger.

Gongsun Zan had no choice but to order his son to ask Zhang Yan, the Montenegrin army, for help.

Zhang Yan is well aware of the truth of the cold-blooded situation. If he sits back and watches Gongsun Zan being attacked and destroyed by Yuan Shao, the opponent's next target will definitely be him.

Zhang Yanai mobilized all his [-] Black Mountain troops and divided them into three groups to support Gongsun Zan, preparing to attack Yuan Shao from both inside and outside.

After Yuan Shao learned the news, he couldn't help but be shocked.

He besieged Gongsun Zan for half a year, and his soldiers were exhausted. If Zhang Yan and Gongsun Zan attacked from inside and outside at this time, the consequences would be disastrous.

Yuan Shao hurriedly asked Xun You for advice.

Unexpectedly, when Xun You learned that Zhang Yan had led [-] troops to rescue Gongsun Zan, he smiled and said: "Congratulations to the general, congratulations to the general!"

Yuan Shao asked a little strangely: "Zhang Yan led one hundred thousand troops to attack me. Why is Gongda not surprised but overjoyed?"

Xun You said with a smile: "Zhang Yanxiao gathered millions of Black Mountain bandits, who were ennobled by the imperial court and entrenched in the mountains and plains of Jizhou. The general led troops to encircle and suppress them many times, but he could not wipe them out." "It's not that the general is not as talented as Zhang Yan, his subordinates The officers and soldiers are not as good as the Black Mountain bandits, because they are entrenched in the mountains and forests and occupy natural dangers. If they win, they will rush forward. If they lose, they will retreat to the mountains and forests. This is why they can be suppressed endlessly."

"Now that Zhang Yan has no idea of ​​the future, he has led hundreds of thousands of troops in an attempt to fight the general. Isn't this a sure way to die?"

Yuan Shao was naturally overjoyed when he heard this, but he still said with some worry: "After all, Zhang Yan came with a hundred thousand black mountain bandits. At that time, we were outnumbered and the enemy was outnumbered. I'm afraid the morale of the army was shaken."

Xun You smiled and said: "It is expected that the number of bandits in the Black Mountains is only one million, and there are also many old, weak, women and children among them. Even if the young and capable warriors can barely make up one hundred thousand, how many of them can really wear armor and fight?"

"As the saying goes: the troops are more sophisticated than numerous, and the general is more strategic than brave."

"With the general's brilliance and prowess, the Hebei general's bravery and skill in fighting, and the elite and fearless soldiers under his command, there are only a hundred thousand black mountain bandits, what should we fear?"

"As long as the general is not afraid, one hundred thousand Black Mountain bandits can be defeated in one battle."

"At that time, Gongsun Zan and Zhang Yan were both enthroned, and Jizhou could gain millions of people, so why worry about failing to achieve great things?"

Yuan Shao was overjoyed when he heard this, and his doubts were immediately eliminated.

But he said that Gongsun Zan's army had no food, and he had been waiting for reinforcements but could not arrive. He immediately sent a message to Gongsun Xu, ordering him to lead [-] cavalry in Beixi to hold up torches as a signal. Gongsun Zan led the battle from the city, and attacked Yuan Shao from both inside and outside. .

Yuan Shao obtained this letter and showed it to many of his advisers.

Jushou smiled and said, "Heaven wants to destroy Gongsun Zan."

Yuan Shao asked: "How do you say this?"

Ju Shou said: "Now that Gongsun Xu has not yet led his troops, the general can use his plan to pretend that Gongsun Xu is leading reinforcements, raise a fire as a signal outside the city, and set up an ambush."

"When Gongsun Zan sees the signal, he will definitely lead his troops to fight."

"At that time, when all the ambush troops were out, how could Gongsun Zan survive?"

Yuan Shao was overjoyed when he heard this, so he adopted Ju Shou's strategy. As expected, Gongsun Zan led his troops out of the city, cut off his retreat, and defeated him.

Wen Chou, a general under Yuan Shao's command, beheaded Gongsun Zan on his horse.

At this point, Gongsun Zan, a prince in the north who had been fighting with Yuan Shao for many years, fell.

Because of Xun You's help, Yuan Shao eliminated Gongsun Zan three years earlier than in history.

After Yuan Shao killed Gongsun Zan, the morale of all the civil and military forces in Jizhou was greatly boosted. They continued to fight Zhang Yan for more than three months and defeated him greatly.

Zhang Yancang fled in panic.

Yuan Shao pursued them relentlessly, beheading [-] people and capturing [-] people. Then he even went into the mountains and captured countless Black Mountain bandits.

At this point, the Black Mountain Army, which had been gathering in Hebei for many years, was gradually coming to an end.

Yuan Shao was somewhat proud of his victory in consecutive battles, but Xun You took the opportunity to admonish: "Although Gongsun Zan was destroyed, Xian Yufu, Qi Zhou, Xian Yuyin, and Yan Rou took advantage of the general's battle with Gongsun Zan to secretly collude with Xianbei and Wu Huan occupied all the counties in Youzhou."

"The general can ask the emperor to issue an edict, give them an official rank, and order them to serve in the court."

"In this way, we can rise and fall covertly, and seize the entire territory of Youzhou without a single blow."

Yuan Shao hesitated and said, "What if he doesn't obey?"

Although Yuan Shao had won consecutive battles, his soldiers were exhausted and had no energy to continue attacking Xian Yufu and others.

Xun You smiled and said: "The general defeated Gongsun Zan and Zhang Yan, and shocked Hebei. And the emperor is in Yecheng, who dares to disobey?"

"Xian Yufu and others were able to achieve success, but it was just under the banner of revenge for Liu Yu."

"The general has killed Gongsun Zan and avenged Liu Yu. If Gongsun Zan does not want to serve as an official in the court, the general only needs to reward the rest of Liu Yu's old troops as governors of various counties. They will inevitably attack each other."

Yuan Shao then accepted Xun You's strategy and promoted Xian Yufu and others to officials in the name of the emperor, and called them into the court as officials.

They were afraid of Yuan Shao's power, and they were greedy for the high-ranking officials given by the imperial court. As Xun You expected, they did not continue to occupy the counties and counties in Youzhou, but instead became officials in the imperial court.

Yuan Shao took the opportunity to send his confidants to Youzhou to serve in various counties.

At this point, Youzhou was settled. Unlike the Battle of Guandu in history, Youzhou was actually occupied by Xian Yufu and others. In the end, they all surrendered to Cao Cao, attacking Yuan Shao from both sides.

Yuan Shao pacified Hebei and occupied the four states. He was so satisfied that he was no longer satisfied with the position of general.

At this time, Yuan Shu wrote a letter to Yuan Shao, urging him to become a king. He also said in the letter: If you can be granted the title of king at this time, it will be the glory of the Yuan family in Runan.

Yuan Shao was overjoyed after receiving the letter, and immediately hinted to his close friends, civil and military officials, to ask them to present themselves to the emperor and grant him the title of king.

All civil and military officials met and agreed to make Yuan Shao King of Zhao.

When Xun You learned about this, he was shocked. He hurriedly met Yuan Shao and said, "Hebei has just been decided, and the general is in a hurry to make the king. I'm afraid there is something wrong."

"If you do this, it will definitely attract criticism and lose people's hearts. General, please think twice before doing anything."

Xun You is not a pedantic person, and he doesn't mind Yuan Shao being crowned king, but now that Hebei has been decided, there are still many princes in the world.

If Yuan Shao were to be crowned king now, his title would be as high as the sky, and there would be no title to be granted, and in the future he would wipe out the other princes and make great military exploits, wouldn't he have no choice but to proclaim himself emperor?
Even if you want to be promoted to a higher position, you can already be granted the title of Duke, so why bother to directly grant the title of King?

Unexpectedly, Yuan Shao had already expanded beyond measure at this time. When he saw that Xun You, who was planning to destroy Gongsun Zan and the Black Mountain Army for him, actually spoke out against him, he was immediately extremely angry.

Yuan Shao shouted: "If I don't make a king, it will be difficult for my generals and officers to be promoted. How can everyone work together to help me wipe out the traitors in the world?"

"I have made up my mind, Gongda, don't say anything more!"

After being repelled by Yuan Shao, Xun You returned to his mansion and couldn't help but look up to the sky and sigh: "Is it right or wrong for me to help him succeed?"

Cui Yan, the minister, also tried his best to dissuade him and angrily criticized the fourth and fifth princes of the Yuan Shao family. They had received favors from the emperor but did not want to repay the imperial court. Instead, they wanted to do evil things, which would definitely bring disgrace to the Yuan family.

Yuan Shao was furious and took Cui Yan to jail for questioning.

Cui Yan, with tiger eyes and beard, scolded Yuan Shao for being a traitor and a traitor.

The Tingwei told Yuan Shao that Yuan Shao ordered Cui Yan to be killed in prison. After that, even though some people did not want Yuan Shao to be crowned king, no one dared to speak out against it.

So the ministers expressed their gratitude to the emperor and praised Yuan Shao's merits. It was as high as the sky and the earth. Yi and Zhou could not reach him, so he should be promoted to the throne and become the king.

The emperor immediately ordered Zhong Yao to issue an edict and appoint Yuan Shao as King of Zhao.

Yuan Shao pretended to write three words.

The emperor ordered three reports not to be allowed, so Yuan Shaonai accepted the order of the king of Zhao, crowned him with twelve hairs, rode a gold-rooted chariot, drove six horses, used the emperor's chariot to serve Luan Yi, went out to the police and entered the palace, and built the Zhao palace in Ye County.

After the news of Yuan Shao's imperial title spread, the whole country was in an uproar, and those who were loyal to the Han Dynasty all criticized him verbally and writtenly.

It would be fine if he were granted the title of Duke, but the prince is too sensitive, and if he goes further, he will be the emperor.

What's more, Emperor Gaozu once said: Anyone who is not the Liu family but is a king will be attacked by the whole world!
Of the eight founding kings of the Western Han Dynasty with different surnames, seven did not end well. Empress Lu used the power to confer kingships on her own people, but was exterminated as soon as she died.

By the time of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there had never been a king with a different surname. Even arrogant and domineering kings such as Dong Zhuo, Li Jue, and Guo Si did not dare to add the title of king.

It can also be seen from this how sensitive everyone is to this matter.

But Yuan Shao didn't know it. After unifying Hebei and being granted the title of king, he became extremely powerful and planned to go south to wipe out the other princes.

At this time, Yuan Shao wanted to eliminate his younger brother Cao Cao first.

Yuan Shao has always been very afraid of Cao Cao, especially the fact that Xun Yu and Guo Jia successively abandoned him and switched to Cao Cao, which made Yuan Shao, who was extremely proud of his heart, very unhappy.

It's just that in the past, there was the Black Mountain bandit Zhang Yan in Jizhou, and there was a powerful enemy Gongsun Zan outside. Yuan Shao needed a younger brother like Cao Cao, so he tolerated him in every possible way.

Well now.

Yuan Shao's power grew unprecedentedly, so he naturally no longer needed to rely on Cao Cao. Instead, Cao Cao became a stumbling block for Yuan Shao's southward march because he occupied Yanzhou.

After much thought, Yuan Shao ordered his men to behead Gongsun Zan and give it to Cao Cao.

If Cao Cao is interested and is willing to sacrifice Yanzhou to surrender, Yuan Shao will not mind treating him favorably.

If Cao Cao is not wise, Yuan Shao will lead his army south, trample Yanzhou to the ground, and capture Cao Cao alive in his tent.

Unexpectedly, not long after Yuan Shaogang sent Gongsun Zan's head away, Yuan Shu, who originally supported his title of king, was the first to jump out and ordered someone to write a proclamation, angrily accusing Yuan Shao of violating the White Horse Alliance of Emperor Gaozu.

Yuan Shu even kicked out Yuan Shao, a man who had insulted his family tradition, as a direct descendant of the Yuan family in Runan, and called on the princes of the world to attack Yuan Shao together, as his father, Emperor Gaozu, swore that "whoever is not the Liu family and is king, the whole world will attack together."

Just as Yuan Shu spoke out, Zhou Qi and Liu Bei also denounced Yuan Shao one after another, calling him a traitor and a wolf with ambition.

The three of them even took out the late emperor's edict and jointly elected King Chenliu and Liu Xie as emperor, reestablished the imperial court in Jixian County, a place connecting the three princes, and consecrated Yuan Shu as prime minister, Zhou Qi as general, Liu Bei as hussar general, and Liu Biao. For Zongzheng.

The newly established imperial court was jointly managed by the three princes. Except for the emperor's personal guards, no princes were allowed to garrison here.

At this point, there is a Han in the north and a Han in the south. There is a strange thing that there are two masters in the sky.

Zhou Qi and others are no longer afraid of Yuan Shao coercing the emperor to order the princes.

When Yuan Shao heard the news, he was so angry that he vomited blood. He took out Yuan Shu's letter urging him to increase the title of king, and angrily accused Yuan Shu of having evil intentions.

Regarding this letter, Yuan Shu strongly denied it, and instead accused Yuan Shao of forging his own handwriting, which was extremely despicable and shameless!
Xun You took the opportunity to persuade Yuan Shao, sent envoys to appease Cao Cao, and promoted him to a higher rank, so as not to push him to the Southern Han court.

If this is the case, Yuan Shaoke will become a mere commander. The so-called holding the emperor hostage to order the princes is a complete joke.

Yuan Shao had no choice but to send an angel to see Cao Cao and make him a hussar general.

Yuan Shu also sent an envoy to meet Cao Cao in the name of the emperor Liu Xie and named him a chariot and cavalry general.

(End of this chapter)