Ji Han Liu Zhang

Yecheng is currently shrouded in a hazy night.

But even at this time of night, Yuan Shao, the governor of Jizhou, did not fall asleep. He supported himself on the desk with one hand and held a bamboo slip in the other, reading a book in the bright light. He read quickly but carefully.

Although Yuan Shao was not sleepy, his body could not support him to continue reading, and his eyelids began to open and close.

In a trance, Yuan Shao found himself at the Yellow River. Looking from the north bank to the south bank, he saw a short figure on the south bank of the Yellow River. Although this figure was not tall, its posture was as straight and strong as a pine tree.

Suddenly, the short figure spoke: "Brother Benchu, I am the general and you are the lieutenant, both for the purpose of supporting the Han Dynasty, why should we care about who is higher!"

'Grand Commander.'

The word "Taiwei" was like fingernails rubbing on a blackboard, which immediately woke up Yuan Shao, who was somewhat sleepy. At the same time, a look of shame and anger appeared on his still heroic face.

"General, General..."

After waking up, Yuan Shao murmured the word "Grand Commander". This was the position that his good friend Cao Cao appointed him by sending an angel after welcoming the emperor to Xudu. Of course, to be precise, the position given to him was Grand Commandant and he was granted the title of Marquis of Ye.

The Grand Commandant was a man with a gold seal and purple ribbon, and was one of the Three Dukes. He was the highest military commander in the country, in charge of the military and political affairs of the world, and his power was very great.

Logically speaking, Yuan Shao should have been satisfied with this appointment and no longer have any other extravagant hopes. He should also be somewhat grateful to his old friend Cao Cao.

However, when Yuan Shao heard the angel convey the decree in the morning, his face was full of surprise, and his anger was evident in his heart. After nightfall, a nameless fire gathered in his chest.

There is no other reason, it is because Cao Cao's official position is general, and the position of general is above that of grand marshal.

Haha, Yuan Shao put down the bamboo slips in his hand and sneered in the study room where there was no servant.

Yuan Shao had always believed that he would get the position of one of the Three Dukes sooner or later. He had the qualifications and background. After all, he was from the Yuan family, a family of three dukes for four generations. According to his reputation and talent, it was only a matter of time for him to get the position of one of the Three Dukes. Only by getting the position of one of the Three Dukes could he prove that he was the pillar of the Yuan family and suppress Yuan Shu.

But now, the position of Grand Marshal, one of the Three Dukes, fell on his head. With Cao Cao as the general, Yuan Shao felt that the position of Grand Marshal was neither worthwhile nor a pity to him.

Cao Cao was a person Yuan Shu had always looked down upon, and it was Yuan Shu who supported him to where he is today. Cao Cao rose from being the governor of Dongjun to the governor of Yanzhou, and he attacked Tao Qian of Xuzhou and expelled the rebellious Lu Bu and Chen Gong. If he had not sent troops and food to help Cao Cao along the way, who knows how many people would have died, and he would not have survived to this day.

But today, Cao Cao has sat on the position of general without knowing how to advance or retreat.

"Cao Cao was doomed to die, but I saved him. Now he is betraying me and using the emperor to control me!"

This was Yuan Shao's opinion on Cao Cao's appointment of him as Grand Marshal and Cao Cao's appointment as General. Cao Cao had received his favors many times, but he did something disobedient and stabbed him in the back, which made Yuan Shao very unhappy.

"The general should be mine, mine. Who the hell are you, Cao Ah Man? You are just a eunuch, born in a lowly family, and you dare to steal the position of the general."

The more Yuan Shao thought about it, the angrier he became, and the angrier he became, the more he thought about it.

Cao Cao had stabbed him in the back more than once. In the imperial edict delivered by the angel, there was a sentence blaming him: "He blames him for having a large territory and many soldiers, but only building his own party, and not hearing the troops to serve the king but only attacking others." In layman's terms, it was accusing Yuan Shao of only caring about himself and not caring about the safety of the royal family.

Although it was an emperor's edict, in Yuan Shao's view, the emperor was now in Xudu, which was Cao Cao's sphere of influence. The emperor's behavior was restricted by Cao Cao. If Cao Cao had not nodded, how could the edict dare to contain such remarks? Therefore, this edict was most likely the idea of ​​Cao Cao.

'Cao Aman was ungrateful and carried away by his success, and he ended up being a traitor.'

Thinking of this, Yuan Shao felt a little regretful. He knew that Cao Cao was blaming him in the name of the emperor, but he could not speak his mind and scold Cao Cao. He could only do his duty as a subject and apologize.

The reason why Yuan Shao regretted was that he regretted not welcoming Emperor Liu Xie to Yecheng.

'General, your family has been loyal and righteous for generations. Now the imperial court is scattered, the ancestral temples are destroyed, and the prefectures and counties are relying on the righteous army outside, while the inside is plotting to destroy each other. No one is willing to save the ruler and care for the people. Now that the prefectures and cities are roughly settled, it is time to welcome the emperor, build a palace in Yedu, hold the emperor hostage and command the princes, raise soldiers and horses to fight against the rebellion, who can resist it! '

Yuan Shao recalled the advice given to him by the military supervisor Ju Su when he received the news that the emperor had returned to Luoyang. If he had listened to Ju Su's advice, he would be the one to blame Cao Cao in the name of the emperor today.

What was hateful was that he listened to the advice of Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong: "The Han Dynasty has been declining for a long time. It is difficult to revive it now! Moreover, the heroes now occupy the prefectures and counties, and the people are mobilized. It is said that when Qin loses its deer, the first one to get it will be king. If you welcome the emperor to get close to you, you will be reported to the emperor at every turn. If you follow him, your power will be weakened, and if you disobey him, you will refuse his orders. This is not a good plan." He thought that the Han Dynasty was hopeless and the emperor was of little use, so he ignored the emperor, and the emperor Liu Xie fell into the hands of Cao Cao.

But who would have known that after a series of turmoil such as the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Dong Zhuo's Rebellion, and the Li-Guo Rebellion, the signboard of the Han emperor would become golden and bright again once he was welcomed to Xu Du by Cao Cao.

Ever since Emperor Liu Xie was welcomed to Xu County, many people from all over the country have followed him. Yuan Shao has also recently received news from his subordinates that people in Hebei heard that the emperor was in Xu County and some of them rushed to Xu Capital. This shows that the Han Dynasty's 400-year reputation was not false and people's hearts are still thinking about the Han Dynasty.

"I regret not listening to Ju Su's advice."

Yuan Shao sighed, and his body swayed unconsciously. Under the light, his figure kept swaying.

However, Yuan Shao, who was ambitious to rule the world, had more than one thing to worry about recently. Bad news came to his desk from all over the Han Dynasty. For example, in Huainan, his cousin Yuan Shu recently sent Sun Ce, the son of the late Jiangdong tiger Sun Jian, to attack Jiangdong. Sun Ce was as brave as his father. In one or two years, all the land in Jiangdong was conquered by Sun Ce.

Yuan Shu's power did not stop there. He attacked Liu Bei in Xuzhou in the north and took the opportunity to lure Lu Bu who had defected to Liu Bei. Lu Bu seized Xia Pi from Liu Bei, the governor of Xuzhou, and abducted Liu Bei's wife. Suddenly, Xuzhou changed its master, and now Xuzhou is controlled by Lu Bu.

Now Yuan Shu's power reaches the bandits in Xuzhou and Taishan in the north and Jiangdong and Nanhai in the south. With the addition of the wealthy Huainan area, Yuan Shu's strength has greatly increased.

Yuan Shao could be said to have watched helplessly as Yuan Shu, who had been attacked by him and Cao Cao in the past one or two years and had fled here and there like a rat crossing the street, now lived a more and more prosperous life.

Another example is Liu Zhang of Guanzhong. Liu Zhang has always been known for his cowardice, but he regained his strength after Liu Yan's death. He first pacified the barbarians in the south, and then drove out the rice thief Zhang Lu. Until this year, he has even done deeds similar to those of Emperor Gao.

He sent troops to attack Chencang, conquered the three prefectures, beheaded the two thieves Li Jue and Guo Si in one fell swoop, and his reputation spread to the four barbarians, and his military achievements shook the world.

There were many rumors in the streets of Ye, comparing Liu Zhang to Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang or Emperor Guangwu of Han Liu Xiu. As Liu Zhang was a royal family member, he eliminated traitors and everyone was defeated wherever his troops went. It was possible that he would be the second Guangwu of Han who would revive the Han Dynasty.

As it was, Yuan Shao was now facing such a situation: his former henchman Cao Cao had obtained the emperor, and now was using the emperor to command the princes; his younger brother Yuan Shu, who was his enemy, had almost unified Xu and Yang; he quietly raised an army in Shu and took down Liu Zhang in Guanzhong; one after another, they jumped out and became stumbling blocks for him to unify the world.

Day two.

Yuan Shao, who had not slept well last night, looked tired, but he still gathered his advisers today to discuss military and national affairs.

First, the military supervisor Shen Pei spoke up and reported to Yuan Shao the current situation of the great enemy Gongsun Zan: "Earlier, your Excellency sent an envoy to deliver a letter to Gongsun, but Gongsun did not reply after receiving the letter, but simply expelled the envoy and returned."

"Gongsun Zan still doesn't want to surrender?" Yuan Shao looked unhappy when he heard that. Gongsun Zan suffered successive defeats in Longcou and Baoqiu, and all the counties in Youzhou killed the chief historians appointed by Gongsun Zan, echoing him from afar. Now Gongsun Zan's territory is just Yi County, and all he can rely on are the strong soldiers of Youyan under his command, who can still provide support for a while.

But in such a critical situation, Gongsun Zan did not accept his kindness and the way out he offered, but instead acted as if he was stubbornly defending. It showed that he was determined to fight against him and would not give up until they reached the Yellow River.

Facing Yuan Shao's inquiry, the military supervisor Shen Pei immediately responded: "Gongsun is a simple man, but he has some courage. He is not a coward. Considering the past grievances between him and you, it is reasonable that he is unwilling to surrender."

Yuan Shao nodded silently. In fact, he was not very confident that Gongsun Zan would surrender. It could be said that he had almost no confidence. After all, Gongsun Zan was a hero after all. He valued his promises more than his life. In all likelihood, he would not do such a shameful thing as begging for surrender in front of him.

However, Yuan Shao had some hopes in his heart that Gongsun Zan would bow his head and surrender early so that he could free up his hands to take care of the affairs of the world. Otherwise, the princes of the world, such as Cao Cao, Yuan Shu, and Liu Zhang, might become so powerful that they would be difficult to control.

Noticing the gloom on Yuan Shao's face, Guo Tu hurriedly said, "Don't worry, my lord. Gongsun has now built a tower in Yi County, hoping to sit back and watch the world. But this is wishful thinking. Is there any tower in the world that cannot be attacked..."

Chunyu Qiong also shouted: "Gongsun has no external help, only the land of Yi County, which is the so-called death place. Gongsun should die in Yi County."

After listening to Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong's words, Yuan Shao's expression improved a little. He would capture Yi County and behead Gongsun Zan sooner or later. It was only a matter of time. He just had to be patient for a while.

After the matter of Gongsun Zan came to an end, Yuan Shao asked the civil and military officials: "The court has appointed me as the Grand Commandant and Marquis of Ye. Do you think I should accept it or not?"

Although it was just an inquiry, Yuan Shao could not conceal the hostility in his tone. When he said the three words "unworthy", he even emphasized his tone, indicating his inclination.

Chunyu Qiong had been with Yuan Shao for a long time and was almost like a worm in Yuan Shao's stomach. He was the first to understand Yuan Shao's intentions. He stood up and said, "Recently, you have defeated Gongsun and driven away Heishan. The situation has changed. You are very glorious. If you are not a general, I will not be able to commend your merits. The position of a mere lieutenant is not satisfactory. You should report it to the court and refuse to accept the title..."

"No, General Chunyu is wrong."

Chunyu Qiong was interrupted by a sentence "Otherwise, General Chunyu is wrong" before he could finish his words. All the civil and military officials under Yuan Shao looked in the same direction tacitly. They did not follow the source of the sound, but relied on past experience.

And the place where their eyes were focused was the seat of Tian Feng, the deputy governor of Jizhou under Yuan Shao. Under Yuan Shao, only Tian Feng, who was upright by nature, would act like this - to bluntly criticize others' suggestions in front of public.

Chunyu Qiong was blocked by Tian Feng's words, and he couldn't say what was next, which made him a little annoyed. However, facing the upright and unyielding Beijia Tian Feng, he didn't dare to offend him. He just glanced at Tian Feng with a suspicious expression, and took note of the account and kept it in his heart.

"What do you think, my dear?" Yuan Shao asked when he heard Tian Feng speak.

Tian Feng stood up, his posture straight, like a pine tree. He cupped his hands and said to Yuan Shao: "General and Grand Commandant are both honorary positions nowadays. They are just titles and mean nothing. Now the court is appointing you as Grand Commandant. You should accept it with dignity to show your respect for the royal order."

"And I think this edict was not written by the emperor, but most likely by Cao Mengde... Cao Mengde first appointed himself as the general, which shows that he is arrogant. Now he has appointed you as the general, and you are inferior to him, which shows that Cao Mengde has gotten carried away. If Cao Mengde is so arrogant, it is better to let him indulge his arrogance and let him perish without attacking."

At this point, Tian Feng sighed: "If we had welcomed the emperor in Yecheng earlier, why would we have to worry about it today?"

After Tian Feng finished speaking, Guo Tu noticed that Yuan Shao's face was getting more and more gloomy. He stood up regardless and said, "What the deputy driver said is not true. You are the leader of the Guandong princes and you are from the Runan Yuan family. If you allow Cao Mengde, a eunuch, to be the general and you to be the grand marshal, wouldn't the hierarchy be reversed and not in order... This is related to the dignity of the court, so we should not act this way."

Guo Tu advised Yuan Shao, "You should submit a petition to the court, refusing to accept the title, and send a letter to Cao Mengde to ask his real intentions and frighten him. Otherwise, Cao Mengde will become too arrogant and will bully you."

Chunyu Qiong seized this opportunity and responded to Guo Tu, saying, "Mr. Guo is right. We should not indulge Cao Mengde. We should use stern words to frighten his heart and let Cao Mengde know that the position of the general can only be filled by you." (End of this chapter)