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

Chapter 395 Wang Ling enters Cao’s camp

Yuan Shao was overjoyed when he heard this and hurriedly asked: "Sir, what's your clever plan?"

Ju said: "In the past, when the King of Chu and the King of Chen made an alliance to fight against His Majesty, the second son of the King of Chu and the daughter of King Chen had a marriage contract. Later, although the alliance was broken because King Chen became emperor, the marriage contract was not cancelled."

"Prince Chen unfortunately passed away from illness the year before last. His daughter has reached the age of marriage. As your Majesty is the uncle of the princess, you should arrange the marriage for her."

"If this marriage contract is fulfilled, Zhao Chu will be in good hands with Qin and Jin, and the Chu State will not sit back and watch Cao Mengde annex the state and ignore it!"

The King Chen in Jushu's mouth was Yuan Shu who had turned to Yuan Shao.

Yuan Shu proclaimed himself emperor and named the Zhong family. This Zhong family name was not a country name, but rather a year name.

As for the country's name, there is no record in history. It is most likely "Chen."

Because there is a prophecy that says: "Those who succeed the Han Dynasty should be painted high."

Yuan Shu believed that the surname Yuan came from Chen. Chen was the successor of Shun.

When Yuan Shao heard this, he said with some hesitation: "Even if I marry my niece to Zhou Tong and form a marriage with the Chu State, Zhou Ziyi may not send troops to help. Sir, please don't forget that the commander who led the troops to attack Bingzhou is Xia Houyuan. His niece married Zhou Ji, the crown prince of Chu."

At this time, marrying Yuan Shu's daughter to Zhou Qi's second son became the best choice.

Although Zhao and Chu stopped fighting this time, Zhou Qi's third son also entered into a marriage contract with Yuan Shao's daughter. However, because both parties were not old enough, it was not suitable to get married now.

If he can marry the Yuan family, it will also be of great help to ease the conflicts between Zhou Qi and the aristocratic family due to the imperial examination.

"Although Zhou Tong is also the legitimate son, compared to Zhou Ji, the eldest son, his status is still much lower."

However, after Yuan Shu became emperor, he was already arrogant and extravagant, almost emptying his body. After surrendering to Yuan Shao, he was also jealous and had almost no personal freedom, so he died of illness not long after.

Jingzhou, Xiangyang.

"It just so happens that the wedding date of Meng Qi and his little daughter is approaching, so we might as well celebrate double happiness and ask Yuan Benchu ​​to send his niece to Xiangyang as soon as possible. It would be a beautiful thing for the orphaned children to get married on the same day!"

Historically, after Yuan Shu became emperor, the first thing he did was to expedition to the north of Chen State. Unfortunately, he was defeated by Cao Cao and returned.

Since Xia Houyuan's niece married Zhou Ji, the two parties shook hands and made peace, and became in-laws.

First of all, the two parties already had a marriage contract. Before the marriage contract was annulled, it was understandable for Jushu to do this, and it was hard for Zhou Qi to refuse.

Yuan Shu surrendered to Yuan Shao and lost his imperial title, but still retained his royal title, which was "King Chen".

The smile in Zhou Qi's eyes grew stronger and he said: "We were still discussing how to stop Cao Mengde from attacking Bingzhou. Now, hasn't Yuan Benchu ​​sent this name over?"

It would even be of great benefit to Zhou Qi to rule Runan and seize Hebei in the future.

However, Jia Xu is a smart man. Although he guessed Zhou Qi's thoughts, he would not let others think that he could see through his lord's mind.

In fact, as Yuan Shu's daughter is the legitimate daughter of the Yuan family, even if her relationship with Zhao is not considered, just being able to marry Yuan Shu is a great thing for Zhou Qi.

If Zhou Tong had married Yuan Shao's niece at this time, the situation would be very different. Zhou Qi would have reason to mediate a truce between the two relatives.

If this marriage can be achieved, it will indeed greatly ease the relationship between Zhao and Chu.

It was precisely because Zhou Qi had not forgotten the engagement that he deliberately skipped Zhou Tong.

Someone brought him a pillow when he was really sleepy. Zhou Qi was still worried about how to intervene in the war between the two sides, but Yuan Shao turned around and brought him a step.

Yuan Shao quickly figured out the key and immediately said: "In that case, let me leave this matter to you, sir. Is that okay?"

"Marrying His Majesty's niece to the Chu Kingdom just gives the King of Chu a legitimate excuse to intervene in this matter, nothing more!"

Although Zhou Qi defeated Yuan Shao, the fourth and third princes of the Yuan family in Runan, with disciples and former officials all over the world, are not just empty words.

If Cao Cao is really allowed to defeat and merge the states, the other party will launch an offensive against Jizhou and Youzhou, which is not in the interests of the Chu State.

Cao Cao sent Xia Houyuan to attack Bingzhou again, so Zhou Qi could not intervene rashly.

He did not believe what the King of Chu said. If he really forgot about this engagement, when he proposed the conditions to Yuan Shao, he would not have asked Yuan Shao to marry his daughter to his third son, but would have directly married his second son.

The marriage was decided like this. Zhou Qi had no idea of ​​free love for future generations, nor did he consider Zhou Tongtong's disapproval of the marriage.

When Jushou heard this, he smiled and said: "Does your Majesty really think that a mere marriage can change the strategic policy of Zhou Ziyi and others? The reason why I determined that Zhou Ziyi would send troops to help was because I concluded that he would not allow Cao Mengde to reap the benefits. Take the opportunity to strengthen your own strength.”

And he also believes that the legitimate daughter of a noble family has been carefully raised since she was a child, and she can't be any worse off.

Zhou Qi can first persuade with good words, and then use force to coerce any party if he disagrees. In this way, he can be polite first and then attack, and he can firmly occupy the moral high ground. Even if he sends troops in the end, he will still be famous.

Secondly, as the daughter of Yuan Shu, Yuan is not only the legitimate daughter of Yuan Shu in Runan, but also the biological niece of Yuan Shao. At least Zhou Tong, who is worthy of her status, also has enough weight to represent the Yuan family.

When the envoy from the State of Zhao came to see Zhou Qi and informed him of his purpose, Zhou Qi couldn't help but laugh.

Everyone thought that the engagement between Zhou Qi's second son and Yuan Shu's daughter would be terminated, but they did not expect that Ju Shou would step out to cause trouble at this time.

At this moment, Xu Shu stepped forward and said, "I think that Yuan Benchu's move may not be about marriage, but to deal with Cao Mengde in Guanzhong."

This is true.

However, everything must be done according to the teacher's reputation.

Compared with Yuan Shao, who returned from defeat and was seriously ill, Zhou Qi was obviously more wary of Cao Cao and was unwilling to let the other party annex the state.

He first settled the Zhao envoys, and then said to the ministers: "I thought this engagement had been canceled long ago, but I never thought that Yuan Benchu ​​would find it out."

Jia Xu, on the other hand, stroked his beard lightly and smiled without saying a word.

"Presumably Cao A concealed his order to command Xiahou Yuan to attack Bingzhou just to prevent Chu State from getting involved."

Jushou bowed and said, "I accept your order!"

After receiving a positive reply, the Zhao State envoy was overjoyed and hurried back to Zhao State overnight to report the matter.

Yuan Shao also acted vigorously and resolutely, and soon sent his niece to Xiangyang. After choosing a good and auspicious day, the two weddings were also held in a lively manner.

Just after the wedding banquet ended, Zhou Qi immediately wrote a letter of divorce and ordered it to be sent to Cao Cao's camp in the form of a letter of credence.

But Cao Cao was in a stalemate with Yuan Shao, and when he suddenly learned that Yuan Shao wanted to marry the Chu State, he couldn't help but feel his heart sink.

Cheng Yu hurriedly said: "Yuan Benchu ​​is marrying his daughter to the Chu State at this time. I am afraid that Xiang Zhuang's sword dance is aimed at Pei Gong, which will give the King of Chu an opportunity to intervene in the battle between us and Yuan Benchu." "Ming Gong should send elite cavalry. As long as Yuan Benchu's daughter is intercepted and the marriage is disturbed, Chu State will have no excuse to help Yuan Benchu ​​at least for a short time. "

"Once Miaocai completely captures Bingzhou, even if Zhou Ziyi wants to intervene, it will be too late!"

Cao Cao followed his words and ordered Cao Chun personally to lead the tiger and leopard cavalry to intercept and kill Yuan Shao's daughter.

Unexpectedly, Jushou had already prepared for it, and the person he sent to escort with great fanfare was just a stand-in. The real princess had been secretly sent to Xiangyang in advance.

When Cao Cao saw that his plan failed, he was immediately shocked and angry. He hurriedly sent people to Bingzhou to urge Xiahou Yuan to capture Jinyang as soon as possible.

At this time, although Xiahou Yuan had occupied most of Bingzhou, when he attacked Shangjun, Gao Gan returned in time to stabilize the situation, which also hindered the offensive of Xiahou Yuan and the Huns cavalry.

High-ranking cadres may not be as good as Xia Houyuan in commanding troops in combat.

However, Gao Gan came from a well-known family. During his previous tenure as the governor of Bingzhou, he made great achievements in the affairs of the powerful families at the top and cared for the people at the bottom. The desolate Bingzhou gradually became rich, and the heroes of Bingzhou joined Gao Gan one after another.

With the arrival of Gao Gan, those loyal to the Yuan family in Bingzhou seemed to have a backbone. Coupled with the support of aristocratic families and Gao Gan's strategy of only defending but not attacking, the situation of Yuan's army's defeat was gradually stabilized, and Cao's army gradually changed. Have to be passive.

Just when Xia Houyuan was racking his brains on how to conquer Bingzhou and Jinyang as soon as possible, he suddenly received a letter from Cao Cao, ordering him to conquer Jinyang as soon as possible.

When Xia Houyuan learned the cause and effect, he was impatient and urged his soldiers to attack Jinyang day and night.

In Jinyang City.

Feeling Xia Houyuan's fierce offensive, Gao Rou couldn't help frowning and said to Gao Gan: "Brother, Cao's army's offensive suddenly became extremely fierce, and some even ignored casualties. There must be something fishy in it."

Gao Rou is the cousin of Gao Gan, and may not be well-known in later generations, but this person should never be underestimated.

Looking at Gao Rou, he served as an official of Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and the five emperors of Cao Wei. He started as a junior official and climbed up step by step to Sikong, Jiajiexing, military general and Taiwei. He was promoted to the title of Marquis of Anguo. His two sons were both Tinghou. Sima Yi compared him to Zhou Bo, the founding general and prime minister of the Han Dynasty, who became famous for a while.

Such a resume can be called gorgeous, and he can be regarded as a winner in life.

He was able to come to Bingzhou because he was invited by his cousin, a senior official. Now his official position is not high, but he is deeply trusted by senior officials.

Hearing this, Gao Gan thought of the news from Yuan Shao not long ago, and immediately said: "Previously, His Majesty sent the daughter of King Chen to Xiangyang to marry the second son of King Chu. I wonder if it has anything to do with this?"

Gao Rou's eyes brightened, she clapped her hands and said, "It must be related to this matter!"

Seeing that Gao Gan had not yet reacted, Gao Rou immediately explained: "If the marriage is completed, the King of Chu will have an excuse to intervene in the affairs of Zhao and Qin. Xia Houyuan is so eager to attack the city, he must want to attack Jinyang before Chu intervenes. ”

"In this case, all Bingzhou will belong to Cao Mengde!"

Gao Gan was overjoyed and said: "So, as long as we persist until the Chu State intervenes, Xiahou Yuan will withdraw his troops?"

Gao Rou did not answer, but looked thoughtful. After a long time, she raised her head and said, "Isn't it a manly thing to rely on others for help? I have a strategy that can help my brother to make great achievements. I wonder if he is willing to adopt it?"

Gao Gan asked hurriedly: "Wen Hui, please speak up!"

Outside Jinyang City.

Although Xia Houyuan led his army to attack the city, Jinyang was the prefecture of Bingzhou. In addition, Bingzhou was inhabited by Han and Hu people, and foreign tribes from the north often went south to plunder. For the sake of safety, Jinyang was built very solidly.

Nowadays, the high officials are defending the city, and there are aristocratic families to help. Even though Xia Houyuan is in the lead, he cannot attack the city in his eagerness.

Seeing that Jinyang could not be attacked for a long time, Xiahou Yuan could not help but feel anxious.

It was night, Xia Houyuan, who had been attacking the city for a day, dragged his exhausted body back to the camp. Although he was tired, he was still not sleepy.

Just as he was tossing and turning, a personal guard suddenly came to report: "Report to the general, the brothers who inspected the camp caught a spy. This person asked to meet the general, saying that he had a plan to defeat Jinyang!"

When Xia Houyuan heard this, he didn't even bother to put on his clothes. He jumped out of bed and said, "Bring him to see me quickly!"

While the personal guards were going to take the man away, Xia Houyuan ordered his subordinates to go down and invite Le Jin to come to discuss matters, and at the same time he put on his clothes and armor again.

Xia Houyuan had just finished dressing when he saw his bodyguards walking in with a man wearing a green shirt.

When Xia Houyuan saw that this man had extraordinary appearance and magnanimity, he immediately raised his hands and said, "May I ask your name?"

The scribe replied: "My dear Wang Ling, whose pseudonym is Yanyun, has just been promoted as Xiaolian and has been appointed as the magistrate of Fagan County. I have not yet gone to take up my post."

"Wang Ling, Wang Yanyun?"

Xia Houyuan muttered a few words in a low voice, then his face suddenly changed slightly, and he lost his voice and said, "Your Excellency, is it Wang Situ Congzi?"

Hearing Xia Houyuan mention Wang Situ, Wang Ling couldn't help but look sad and said, "I'm the one."

Wang Situ was also Wang Yun who plotted to kill Dong Zhuo and was finally killed by Li Jue and Guo Si.

At that time, the city of Chang'an was destroyed, and Wang Yun and his family were all arrested and sentenced to death. Only his brother's two sons, Wang Chen and Wang Ling, escaped over the wall and returned to their hometown.

Although Wang Ling is not well-known now, just relying on Wang Yun's legacy is enough to make Xia Houyuan respect him.

Xia Houyuan hurriedly led Wang Ling to sit down, said a lot of compliments, and then asked: "Sir, you broke into our army camp at night and you don't know why?"

Wang Ling pointed in the direction of Jinyang and said, "I came here to break this city for the general."

Xia Houyuan was overjoyed in his heart, but he said calmly on the surface: "The city of Jinyang is tall and there are enough soldiers, horses, and food and grass in the city. The tens of thousands of troops under my command can't climb the city wall even though they attack day and night. Sir, do you have any good ideas that can help me break this city?" "

"Besides, since Sir has been appointed as the magistrate of Fagan County, he can naturally be regarded as a minister of Zhao. Why would you betray your master and help me instead?"

Wang Ling sighed slightly, and then asked: "General, do you think I can be a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty from my father, Prince Situ?"

Xia Houyuan said directly without any hesitation: "Wang Situ endured humiliation and eradicated thieves for the country. Naturally, he is a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty!"

Wang Ling said: "My family has lived in the Han Dynasty for generations, and we are all Han officials. Why does the general say that I am a betrayer?"

Wang Ling's words made Xia Houyuan speechless, and he could only apologize and said with a smile: "What you said is true, sir. You and I are both Han officials, and everyone can punish Yuan Benchu ​​and other national traitors!"

Wang Ling sighed: "It's a pity that the general is still late."

"If we had come a few years earlier, there would still be many people loyal to the Han Dynasty in Bingzhou. As long as Cao Gong used the banner of reviving the Han Dynasty, those who were loyal to the Han Dynasty would definitely eat pots of pulp to welcome the king."

"To this day, although there are still those who love the Han Dynasty, there are still many people whose hearts have died!"

(End of this chapter)