Ji Han Liu Zhang

Chang'an, the residence of Yin Pu, the General of Thunder.

"Cai Bojie's daughter, the one called Cai Zhaoji, is really lucky." After drinking a glass of wine, Yin Pu sighed when talking about Cai Yan, who was newly taken into Liu Zhang's room.

Meng Da, who was drinking with Yin Pu, responded, "It's more appropriate to say 'misfortune turns to fortune'. Cai Zhaoji's father was killed by Wang Yun, her husband died of illness, and she was captured by the Southern Xiongnu. From a lady of a noble family, she fell into slavery. Her fate couldn't be worse, but it turned around overnight, and she entered the halls of the court and flew into Minggong's backyard. It can be said that misfortune brings fortune."

"Misfortunes will eventually turn into blessings. It is true that misfortunes will eventually turn into blessings." Yin Pu nodded. It was indeed very appropriate to describe Cai Zhaoji's life experience as "misfortunes will eventually turn into blessings". When one was extremely unlucky, good luck would come. And look, Cai Zhaoji's good luck had come.

Yin Pu, who had met Cai Yan once before, also gave what he thought was a reasonable explanation for Cai Yan's good luck: "It was also due to Cai Zhaoji's appearance and talent. A woman like her who is well-read and has outstanding appearance will never become a subordinate anywhere."

"Outstanding looks and great talent are just external factors, but there is an internal factor." Meng Da had a teasing smile on his face. He did not answer the question about the internal factor, but picked up the wine glass and started drinking.

"Internal reasons?" Yin Pu's eyebrows showed confusion. He asked puzzledly: "Is there anything more important than beauty and talent in Cai Yan that can attract you more?"

"Of course there is." Meng Da affirmed, and then he said jokingly: "Brother Yin seems to be unaware of Cai Yan's strengths, and also unaware of why Cai Yan is valued by you, my Lord."

"Brother Meng, stop playing dumb." Yin Pu waved his hand, signaling Meng Da to reveal the answer as soon as possible.

Meng Da laughed and said, "Cai Yan is a young woman, that's why you took her in."

"My Lord, do you like young women?" Yin Pu didn't understand what he meant, and at the same time he couldn't believe it. After all, there had never been such a saying before.

"Of course." Meng Da's words were full of confidence. He analyzed: "Except for the mistress Huang Wan, who is a virgin, the women you have taken in, such as Wu Xian and Cai Yan, are all young women. This shows your preference."

"That makes sense." Yin Pu nodded, then shook his head, and finally nodded affirmatively, believing in Meng Da's explanation.

"Of course." Meng Da added: "Cai Yan is talented and beautiful, and she is the daughter of the great scholar Cai Zhonglang. This is also very important, otherwise Cai Yan would not have been accepted by you, my lord."

"That's right." Meng Da leaned forward and said, "These words came out of my mouth and entered your ears, but you must not let a third person know, otherwise it might cause trouble."

"Brother Meng, don't worry." Yin Pu patted his chest and assured, "I am famous for my tight mouth. I won't reveal anything. I will definitely not let it out."

"That's good." Meng Da raised his glass and drank with Yin Pu. There was a look of reconciliation in their eyes that was known only to you and me, and to heaven and earth.

Putting aside the matter of Liu Zhang welcoming Cai Yan, Yin Pu brought up the battle in Taiyuan County: "Speaking of which, I haven't congratulated Brother Meng yet. Brother Meng participated in the Taiyuan campaign this time and killed many enemy troops. His contribution is not small."

"We only killed one or two Hun dogs, but did not engage in a fight with Yuan's army." Meng Da shook his head. This time during the expedition to Taiyuan County, his battle record was very limited.

Yin Pu comforted him, "No matter what, Brother Meng participated in the expedition to Taiyuan this time. He fought bravely and frightened the Yuan family. He also killed many Xiongnu, Qiang and Hu people. His achievements are real... Although his achievements are not great, the country is in turmoil and war is inevitable. After this winter, the conflict will start again next year. I am afraid that by then, Brother Meng will feel that his military achievements are too many."

"It's hard to say what will happen next year." Meng Da expressed his thoughts: "Your Excellency wants to manage Guanlong, so he probably won't mobilize troops on a large scale. However, if our army takes Hedong and invades Taiyuan, Yuan Shao will definitely be unhappy and will definitely want to get back at us. Who knows, Yuan Shao may invade Hedong next year."

"No way." Yin Pu thought about it for a while, and he refuted hesitantly: "The strategic location of Hedong is in our hands, and Puyang and Tongguan are natural barriers. From Yecheng to Xudu, the road is smooth and accessible. How could Yuan Shao give up the easy way and attack Guanzhong?"

Considering the terrain and geographical convenience, Yin Pu believed from the bottom of his heart that Yuan Shao would not invade Guanzhong, but he did not dare to be sure. After all, how could he know Yuan Shao's thoughts as he was thousands of miles away.

Meng Da poured wine for himself. After drinking a glass, he gave an ambiguous response. He smiled and said, "After all, I am not a worm in Yuan Shao's stomach. I don't know what Yuan Shao is planning. But judging from Yuan Shao's actions, he is a man who doesn't tolerate his brothers. How can he tolerate people from all over the world? Especially since our army has fought with Yuan's army many times and repeatedly tripped up Yuan's army, it is possible that Yuan Shao will not be able to bear this anger and will give priority to invading Guanzhong."

Yin Pu looked thoughtful after hearing this. After frowning for a while, he relaxed his frown and shook his head, saying, "Who cares? If an enemy comes, we will stop him. If water comes, we will block it with earth. If Yuan Shao leads his army to invade Hedong, we will just repel him... Come on, let's finish this jar of wine first."

"Okay." Meng Da responded, raised his glass and continued drinking with Yin Pu.

Time flies like an arrow. When the time came to the last few days of the fourth year of Jian'an, and the fourth year of Jian'an was about to pass in a blink of an eye, Liu Zhang received good news.

The Black Mountain bandit Zhang Yan and Gongsun Zan's son Gongsun Xu sent their family members and children to live in Chang'an as hostages, pretending to be determined to serve Liu Zhang.

"Very decisive." Xun You smiled indifferently when he saw the news.

"It's decisive." The Chief Secretary Wang Shang responded. At a time when Yuan Shao was invincible, Zhang Yan and Gongsun Xu were able to send their families to Chang'an and devote themselves to Liu Zhang's army. Such courage is rare in the world.

Xun You bowed to Liu Zhang and asked, "Mingsir, how should we deal with this matter?"

Liu Zhang smiled faintly and said, "People from afar should be comforted. Besides, I sent Zhang Song to persuade them to surrender. What I want is for Zhang Yan and Gongsun Xu to return and serve us."

"We should do so." Wang Shangfu replied, "Although Zhang Yan has been defeated by Yuan Shao many times and lost countless troops, he is familiar with the geography and customs of Taihang Mountain. He also has some troops. He can travel between the Taihang Mountains and harass the prefectures and counties, which will be a threat to Yuan Shao. This is a good thing for us."

"Zhang Yan doesn't have many men and horses. At most, he can harass counties and towns. He cannot cause any big waves. What he can stir up can only be small waves in the ditch." Xun You gave an objective and fair evaluation of Zhang Yan's strength, and at the same time gave a specific score for the waves Zhang Yan could cause.

Liu Zhang concluded: "Although Zhang Yan and Gongsun Xu are weak, they are now sincerely serving us, which is a good thing. We can celebrate the news before the end of the year."

With the return of Zhang Yan and Gongsun Xu as New Year's gifts, Liu Zhang happily spent the last few days of the fourth year of Jian'an and stepped into the fifth year of Jian'an. Since Emperor Ling's death and Dong Zhuo's chaos, the world has been in turmoil for many years. As time went by, the weak, unwise, and only temporarily dependent princes were destroyed one after another. The big fish ate the small fish, and the small fish ate the shrimps. Now only a few big fish survive.

Looking far to the north, Yuan Shao occupied four states and was invincible. Cao Cao in the Central Plains held the emperor hostage to command the princes. South of the Yangtze River, Liu Biao of Jingzhou and Sun Ce of Jiangdong were competing with each other. The land of Guanxi was dominated by Liu Zhang alone.

The situation in the world today is like this. After enduring the chaos in the first few years, the remaining princes are no longer suitable for any benefit. They are all ferocious beasts that eat people without leaving any bones.

As time entered the fifth year of Jian'an and the cold winter of the fourth year of Jian'an gradually faded away, the princes woke up from hibernation, stretched their claws, and entered a new round of battle for hegemony over the world.

……

Yecheng.

"Tian Feng was imprisoned. Did he say anything in prison?" Yuan Shao said the name Tian Feng in a hurry, as if he disliked Tian Feng very much.

Although Yuan Shao knew that Tian Feng was indeed a loyal person, Tian Feng was a person who did not know how to advance or retreat and did not care about the occasion. He often embarrassed him in public and humiliated the general, which Yuan Shao could not tolerate.

In the past, when Yuan Shao had just entered Jizhou and wanted to recruit wise men to fight against Gongsun, he still restrained his jealous temper. But now he thinks that he doesn't need to tolerate Tian Feng anymore. Although Tian Feng is really talented and loyal, no monarch can tolerate his violation of the above rules.

When Feng Ji heard Yuan Shao's question, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he immediately responded: "My Lord, Tian Feng is in prison, and he is still talking nonsense in prison. He said that since my Lord went on a military expedition for many years, the people of Jizhou are tired and poor, there is no surplus in the treasury, and the taxes and labor service have increased. These are all worrying things. Now we should rest well and take care of the people. In a few years, the army will be strong and the food and grass will be sufficient, and then we can plan to send troops again."

"Hebei is rich and the people are prosperous. What Tian Feng said is wrong." Guo Tu saw the displeasure on Yuan Shao's face and refuted: "Besides, if we rest for a few years, Liu Zhang in Guanzhong and Cao Cao in the Central Plains will not sit idly by. Liu Zhang and Cao Cao will definitely plot to become more powerful. By then, Liu Zhang and Cao Cao will be even more difficult to get rid of than today."

After hearing what Guo Tu said, Yuan Shao's expression improved slightly. He asked again, "Does Tian Feng have anything else to say?"

"Of course there is." Feng Ji continued, "Tian Feng said that if you risk everything and fight Liu Zhang and Cao Cao, if you are frustrated, your great cause will be ruined and cannot be accomplished."

"Did Tian Feng really say that?" The veins on Yuan Shao's forehead bulged slightly, and he was a little angry.

Liu Zhang was still young, but he was lucky enough to occupy Guanzhong and became famous for a while. As for Liu Zhang's generation, he was a junior of Yuan Shao. Only Liu Zhang's father Liu Yan was of the same generation as him.

Think about Cao Cao, he was just a eunuch and was attacked by Lu Bu in the past. It was Yuan Shao who rescued him. Otherwise, Cao Cao would have died at the hands of Lu Bu long ago.

However, Tian Feng actually thought that he was no match for Liu Zhang and Cao Cao. He thought that as he was dominating four states and ruling the north of the Yellow River, he could not defeat Liu Zhang and Cao Cao and would be defeated by them instead.

"Tian Feng did say that." Feng Ji responded affirmatively, causing a storm in Yuan Shao's heart.

"How dare you, a coward, look down on me like this." Yuan Shao cursed loudly. He became famous when he was young, was well-known in Luojing when he was young, was famous throughout the world when he was middle-aged, and now he is the number one prince in the world.

With such a past, such a glorious past, and such a great reputation, Yuan Shao thought he had no rivals in the world. Although Liu Zhang and Cao Cao were little fools, they were only a handful of his hands. However, he never expected that in Tian Feng's eyes, he was so unbearable.

Feng Ji took advantage of Yuan Shao's rage and said, "Sir, should we send someone to jail and execute this old man?"

"No need." Yuan Shao, relying on his years of training, suppressed his anger and smiled: "Let's keep this old man. Let him see how I defeated Liu Zhang, eliminated Cao Cao, and accomplished my great cause."

"Yes, yes, yes." Guo Tu echoed: "Killing this old man may be a disgrace to your precious sword. Keeping this old man, after killing Cao and Liu in the future, let him swallow back his words. This is the most satisfying thing... But I can't wait to see the old man's ashamed look."

"You know what I mean." Yuan Shao responded happily, and then he asked: "Did Tian Feng tell me who is stronger between Cao and Liu, and which one should be defeated first?"

"Tian Feng still talks a lot in prison, and he mentioned the strength of Cao and Liu." Feng Ji responded: "Tian Feng said that Guanzhong is more geographically advantageous than the Central Plains. Liu Zhang has a united army of civil and military officials, while Cao Cao is worried. Dong Cheng's rebellion is a clear proof of this. In addition, Guanzhong is close to Longyou, and Liangzhou has elite soldiers and good horses. This means that Liu Zhang is better than Cao Cao."

"So it is clear that Liu is strong and Cao is weak."

"Ha." Yuan Shao sneered and said, "Liu Zhang is a young boy, not as cunning as Cao Cao. Although he is worse than Cao Cao in other aspects, he is still not as good as Cao Cao."

In order to oppose for the sake of opposing, Yuan Shao gave a different opinion on the strength of Cao and Liu than Tian Feng.

Guo Tu responded immediately, "Your Excellency is right. Although Liu Zhang has taken over Guanzhong, it was only because of the disharmony among the generals in Guanzhong that he managed to seize Guanzhong by chance. Although he is powerful, he is not as powerful as Cao Cao."

"However." Yuan Shao nodded and said, "Even if Tian Feng said that Liu was strong and Cao was weak, I would first defeat Liu Zhang and then get rid of Cao Cao... But Liu Zhang is a hateful bastard. He first seized Hedong and then invaded Taiyuan. If I don't teach him a lesson, he will bully me for being incompetent."

Yuan Shao gave the major policy guidelines for the fifth year of Jian'an. He planned to take advantage of the remaining momentum of Gao Gan and Yan Liang in repelling the Shu army's invasion of Taiyuan County and send troops to Hedong. Even if he could not enter Guanzhong, he would seize Hedong, this important place, and block the Shu army's way to the east.

After that, whether to go west or south, it all depends on Yuan Shao's intention. After all, with Hedong in his hands, he can boldly go south without having to worry too much about Liu Zhang. At the same time, with Liyang in his hands, he can go west with confidence without worrying about Cao Cao attacking Yecheng.

He advanced into Hedong and eyed Guanzhong. This was the beginning of the emperor's ambition to dominate the country. (End of this chapter)