Lord Yuan

Chapter 219: Seeing old friends again, bandits are rampant

In this era, even Yuan Shao would inevitably not be involved.

After all, his origin has been decided.

He will never be able to truly understand the life of the poor people at the bottom.

It can be said that the effect of Yuan's roots on him far exceeded his imagination. Even the vast majority of officials in the court were very repulsive to him, an outsider who had returned from Liaodong. Even when he was appointed as a guard, Many people have been impeaching Liu Hong from time to time. What they want is that foreign officials must not be allowed to serve in the DPRK.

However, when Yuan Shao's parentage was discovered, many officials who had been quarreling with each other suddenly looked ashamed.

It can be said that the Yuan family helped them from head to toe, promoting filial piety and integrity, inspecting the civil servants, teaching students, passing on scriptures, giving favors, and so on. It can be said that without the Yuan family, they would not be where they are today.

As a result, in the end, Yuan Shao, a descendant of the Yuan family and the most proud of the Yuan family, was almost blocked from the capital Luoyang by these people.

Although Yuan Shao really hoped for this result, the big guys in the clan didn't think so.

Yuan Feng and Yuan Wei both served as three princes, which brought the Yuan family's prestige to its peak again. Although they were very close to the eunuch Yuan She during the party's imprisonment, it was purely an internal decision-making within the family. Yuan She and Yuan Wei communicated with each other. Whether there is or not, the treatment of the Yuan family is increasing day by day.

Therefore, when Yuan Shao decided to leave the capital and return to his hometown in Runan, many officials from the court and central court rushed to the Weiwei Mansion without stopping after the court meeting, including many officials at the same level as Jiuqing.

Yuan Shao never refuses anyone who comes. He has no reason to refuse these benefits that come to his door. Anyway, as long as nothing unexpected happens, he will not stay in Luoyang for a long time. Under such prerequisites, even if he accepts some property, To him, it doesn't hurt.

What's more, Yuan Shao himself has no intention of taking these properties as his own. The man above his head is waiting for Yuan Shao's surrender, so he might as well take this opportunity to gain another experience in front of Liu Hong.

And when he saw his former classmate, Jing Gu, he seemed to have become a minister.

Yuan Shao's mood changed slightly when he reunited with his old friends. On the contrary, Jing Gu, whom he hadn't seen for many years, had already changed a lot. Yuan Shao took a few glances before he recognized him.

As a minister, he worked conscientiously in his duties and did not dare to slack off at all. He has completely lost the charm of the past. Even Yuan Shao's sharp tongue, which was especially remembered by Yuan Shao, became speechless at this time and did not know how to speak. .

Still vaguely remembering the scenes in the past when Jing Gu brought him to various banquets, Yuan Shao was the first to speak: "Jing Shilang's dream has come true now."

Jing Gu’s initial wish was to become a minister. For him, and for his family, being able to serve as a minister in his 30s was already a great wealth. Naturally, Jing Gu There has never been any slack in his tenure, and the consequence of this is that the young Jing Gu has begun to have some gray hair.

Jing Gu's face was a little bitter. He looked at Yuan Shao blankly, with confusion, surprise, excitement, and a variety of complex emotions in his eyes.

"Unexpectedly, after so many years, the distance between you and me has become farther and farther, so far that even if I try my best, I can only see you through some connections."

After all, Yuan Shao is a Weiwei, one of the Nine Qings, and a pillar of the Han Dynasty. Although he is not busy on weekdays, he still has a different status. Jing Gu is just a minister. As long as he is not a minister, he basically wants to see the Nine Qings. , you have to go around in circles, which consumes a lot of energy.

In order to be able to meet Yuan Shao, Jing Gu even took out all the political resources left by his father.

Yuan Shao was silent when he heard this. With his current status, he was no longer the same as before.

But Yuan Shao still expressed enough enthusiasm, even if Jing Gu was flattered.

After drinking and eating, Yuan Shao made a request to let him stay overnight. Jing Gu refused repeatedly. His face was red. I don't know if it was caused by the alcohol or other reasons. Before leaving, Jing Gu made a request. Yuan Shao felt that the request was somewhat unexpected.

When hearing this request, Yuan Shao solemnly asked again and again.

Jing Gu was very convinced.

When he saw Yuan Shao for the first time, he could tell that he was definitely not a thing in the golden scale pool. Even though he was now serving as Jiuqing, it was already out of reach for him, but to Yuan Shao, Jiuqing Maybe not the end, but most likely even the beginning of a race with others.

In this case, Jing Gu expressed his desire to change his job to work in the Weiwei Mansion. Of course, he also asked Yuan Shao for help. He specially brought many gifts from home, including many rare treasures. I have worked hard for today’s meeting.

Yuan Shao was very surprised. The Weiwei Mansion is, at best, the residence of Jiuqing. At worst, it is a palace similar to a military camp. Whenever there is any trouble in Luoyang, the Weiwei Mansion needs to start taking action. As a Weiwei, Yuan Shao naturally does not have to do this, but the officials below must show absolute concentration.

After all, Luoyang is at the feet of the emperor.

Compared with the relatively leisurely minister, the salary of the officials in the Weiwei Mansion was also a few grades lower. Jing Gu wanted to change jobs, which naturally attracted Yuan Shao's attention.

Jing Gu, on the other hand, acted resolutely and had a tough attitude.

"Isn't it always your dream to be a waiter?"

"My wish to see Yuan Jun is no longer important!"

After sending Jing Gu away, Yuan Shao thought about it and decided to help him.

After all, Jing Gu had helped him a lot. For this small request he made, Yuan Shao didn't even need to report it to Liu Hong. He went to meet the current minister, exchange opinions, and then jointly submit a petition to your majesty, requesting that It couldn't be easier for Jing Gu to move to Weiwei's mansion.

When Liu Hong learned the news, he even became very interested in Jing Gu, whose name he had never heard of.

Yuan Shao never made a request in front of him as the emperor at any time, nor did he ask for anyone to support. In Liu Hong's view, he could serve as a high-ranking official like Jiuqing without seizing the time to develop his own talents. If you have the foundation and enjoy the comfort brought by high-ranking officials and generous salaries, then what is the name of Jiuqing?

Yuan Shao was an exception. Since he returned to Luoyang to serve as a guard, Liu Hong had met him four times. Three of them were to excuse Huangfu Song and others, and the remaining time was to advise General He Jun. , giving away all the credit that belonged to him, as if he didn't care about it at all.

Although Liu Hong knew what He Jin's abilities were and that he was good at logistics, if he really went to the battlefield, he would simply be a target to gain experience for others, but Yuan Shao's ability forced Liu Hong to check and balance him. , if no one restrains Yuan Shao, I am afraid that within a few years, the entire military camp in Luoyang Capital will only recognize the character Yuan but not the surname Liu.

Therefore, he eagerly wanted to know any news about Yuan Shao, even if it was something insignificant.

Obviously, Jing Gu's appearance gave Liu Hong an opportunity at this time.

Yuan Shaoke had never recommended or praised anyone else, and this Jinggu was the first one.

Jing Gucheng was frightened. As a minister, he essentially had the opportunity to serve in court and meet with His Majesty to give advice.

However, it was the first time for Jing Gu to get on the sedan chair, and he was so shocked by the sudden edict that he could not speak coherently. His wife was kind to him, so don't say the wrong thing. It is a great blessing for your majesty to summon you. We must seize this opportunity and leave a good impression in front of His Majesty.

Jing Gu said this, but a thought suddenly came to his mind.

He had just returned from guard Yuan Shao a few days ago, but today he was summoned by His Majesty. If there was no connection, he would not believe it to death.

Jing Gu felt a little itchy and unbearable. When he saw His Majesty, he could only act timidly, not daring to raise his head at all. Even his speaking voice was soft and weak, whispering.

Liu Hongqiang suppressed the impatience in his heart and called him forward.

I asked carefully about the news about Yuan Shao.

Jing Gu was shocked, it was really like this.

The source of everything is because of Yuan Shao.

Facing Liu Hong, Jing Gu's heart was beating excitedly and he didn't dare to stop at all. He pretended to be calm, but his hands betrayed him.

Liu Hong put a hand on his shoulder and said casually: "Don't be so panicked. I am the emperor, not the executioner. I just want to know some news about the guard from you, that's all."

Jing Gu looked shocked when he heard this. He thought it was Yuan Shao who was doing this to make His Majesty unhappy.

He immediately explained: "I am the minister, and the guard is the nine ministers. I have not much contact with them. I hope that your majesty will not blame the guard for this. Everything is the fault of the minister."

"No connection?"

"There really isn't any contact. The guard and I haven't seen each other for more than ten years."

"Then how could the guard not forget you as a minister and ask for your transfer in front of me? This is the first time that the guard has taken the initiative to mention something like this in front of me. How can you make me believe what you say? "

Jing Gu was immediately frightened to the point of sweating profusely, and explained in a panic and incoherently: "I hope your majesty will understand clearly that Wei Wei and I only studied under Master Li, but Wei Wei has a strategy, so he is trusted by Master Li. Even being able to be accepted as a disciple, there is no other connection except this. This is all the fault of the minister. The Weiwei only granted it privately because of the friendship with the same disciple."

"When did I say that I would punish you and the guards? I have already heard about your abilities. Your father Jing Yi was always strong, dared to commit crimes, and was good at controlling his subordinates. Although he has passed away now, he is still my father. Good minister, you have an old relationship with the Weiwei, so naturally you don’t need to think too much about it.”

After Liu Hong finished speaking, he immediately called Jian Shuo over. After giving instructions in his ear, he waved the two of them away. "What kind of person are you? You were just a fellow student more than ten years ago, why do you need to help so much?" Liu Hong spread out the memorial in his hand, and Yuan Shao's name was clearly written on it.

In the memorial, Jing Gu was highly praised, saying that he was eloquent, good in character and knowledge, and well versed in scriptures. He was a rare talent. His father also served as the governor of Yizhou. At the right time, the barbarians rebelled. There were many wars, and Jing Yi led his troops to quell the rebellion. Due to the decline of public opinion, the price of rice soared, and countless families were separated. As soon as he took office, he vigorously promoted the system, regulated prices, recuperated, and reunited with the people. In a short period of time, Within a few years, Yizhou was in a good situation, from the initial price of one thousand yuan per dou of rice to eight yuan per dou of rice.

It is a loss for the country, and even more for Your Majesty, that such a talent cannot be reused. Now that he has died, he has another son. I have known him for a long time, so I naturally know his character well. If he can be reused by Your Majesty, he will definitely To regain the glory of his father is a blessing to the country and even more so to His Majesty.

Without saying a word, Liu Hong promoted him to the position of chariot commander of the Weiwei Mansion.

Although the salary of the rank has only been increased from [-] dan to [-] dan, the chariot commanders are not like the ministers. Although there are not thousands, there are still hundreds of them, each performing their duties.

The bus driver is completely different.

The commanding officer of the carriage commander has an unprecedented six hundred stones. He has a stone crown and a beam. He is in charge of the Sima Gate of the palace. In the Night Hui Palace, the affairs of the world reach down to the palace. All the officials recruited are under his command. All the officials in the world are under his command. According to the seal of the people, all contributions from the four quarters and official carriages must be presented to the Weiwei Mansion through the Sima Gate and the official carriage Sima, and then handed over to His Majesty for disposal.

When Jing Guren was doing it at home and was happy from heaven, while he was shocked by the angel's words, his wife showed unusual calmness.

After sending the angel away, Jing Gu told her all the information he knew.

After a series of analyses, a conclusion was drawn.

Being able to easily rise in rank and take up such an important official position, the main contributor is the guard Yuan Shao, whom he has not seen for more than ten years.

His wife immediately packed her belongings and asked him to come and thank her as soon as possible.

Jing Gu smiled bitterly, Yuan Shao was not such a person.

Even the belongings sent out last time were returned intact the next day, with a letter left on them.

Don't do this again next time.

It can be said that no matter which time he saw Yuan Shao, the shock to him was indescribable. After gathering his excitement, Jing Gu went out to visit Weiwei Mansion.

As a result, they were told that the Weiwei had left Luoyang the day before and went to Runan.

Could it be that he was just trying to avoid himself?Jing Gu looked guilty.

But Yuan Shao, who had already embarked on his return journey, was completely unaware of these things.

But even if you know it, I'm afraid you will only smile indifferently, and it is nothing to worry about.

The two of them see the world in completely different directions. Yuan Shao can help him once, twice or three times, but there is no way to help him all the time. To be able to do what he is now, in fact, for Jing Gu, it is already... It's a good enough treatment.

Suddenly, there was a commotion ahead.

Zhao Yun immediately reined in his horse and stopped, his eagle eyes staring at everything strange around him. But if there was even the slightest sign of trouble, he had to ensure Yuan Shao's absolute safety.

Yuan Shao didn't have much reaction.

His current team can be said to be absolutely luxurious. Although it is far from what it was in Liaodong, it is protected by hundreds of white-horse righteous followers, and with His Majesty's permission, five hundred elite troops were drawn from the Weiwei Mansion. They were all handed over to Zhao Yun's command.

They are well-equipped and extremely powerful in combat. Under such circumstances, as long as they don't encounter the main force of the Yellow Turbans with tens of thousands of people, there is no great danger.

Soon, a sentinel knight came back to investigate.

I learned that there was a camp erected on the mountain ahead, and there were many obstacles blocking it.

Obviously, there is a group of bandits or bandit leaders here who are not very friendly.

The convoy continued to move forward slowly, and when they arrived in front of the camp, they saw that many people were already jumping out of the camp.

There are different costumes, but the most eye-catching one is the Yellow Turban, which has about 500 people.

Zhao Yun held the spear and rode forward.

"Who set up obstacles here to prevent my Yuan Jun from moving forward?"

A man emerged from the camp, wearing armor, with a war horse neighing under his crotch, and he looked like he was the king of the mountain.

"Oh? I didn't expect that I robbed a big person today!"

The man grinned wildly and looked at the crowd below. They were all well-equipped and fully armored masters. He was also secretly shocked. At the intersection that was about to reach the Runan boundary, some Zhanshan people began to appear very early. The King of the Mountain, who is the king, gathered together some homeless bandits, and they grew stronger day by day, causing harm to the village and running rampant.

There were troops in the county who came to clear up the enemy, but unexpectedly they returned in defeat and took advantage of the situation to make him famous.

As a result, when many common people in the county saw this situation, they rushed to join. After all, their source of income was entirely from farming one-third of an acre of land, and a large part of it had to be paid taxes. Compared with the gains brought by occupying the mountain as the king, it is completely dwarfed and not worth mentioning.

In addition, after experiencing the Battle of Luoyang before, many Yellow Turbans fled in various directions, and some of them came to this camp and became the backbone of the camp.

No one has carefully counted how many people there are, but as far as the eye can see, there is nothing but darkness.

The leader had a fierce look on his face, and he didn't care even if he was facing regular troops.

What's more, compared with the army in that county, Yuan Shao's fleet was directly less than half in number.

If this convoy can be captured, with its 700-man equipment, the entire camp can be replaced with cannons in an instant, greatly improving its combat effectiveness. It can also annex some of the surrounding thieves and bandit leaders to strengthen itself. If he could become a Yellow Turban Armyman different from Zhang Jiao, it would be enough to make him famous in history.

"If you take off all your armor and pay some tolls, I will let you pass."

"What if not?"

"If not! Then leave them all here to me. You do not know how to live or die. Do you think you can get through here safely just by relying on these hundreds of people? You are wishful thinking. I will give you one last chance. Take off all your armor. Just pay some tolls and you'll be safe. Otherwise, the knife in my hand can kill people without blood. Brothers, be prepared!"

"Ready!"

Zhao Yun smiled contemptuously, they were just petty thieves.

But in order not to disturb Yuan Shao, he just carefully called Baima Yi from Gao Gao, trying not to attract Yuan Shao's attention.

As the man said, Yuan Shao's team had a small number of people after all. No matter who looked at it, the strength comparison between the two parties was not at the same level.

There are already two to three thousand people emerging from the camp.

This is not a siege or defense. Except for some woods that can block the strong sunlight, it is a plain land with an unobstructed view. In this case, the number of people becomes a crucial point.

Obviously, these people have seen this clearly. They want to rely on their superiority to defeat the enemy without fighting, and then take advantage of the situation to collect more than 600 pieces of armor, so that they will have no worries when fighting. .

As for letting him go, don't be ridiculous. Can the person who can be escorted in this way be a simple person?
Even the magistrate of this county only had dozens of people to protect him when traveling, most of whom were ordinary government officials.

If you rob it and then let it go, it is tantamount to letting the tiger go back to the mountain.

As for human life, it couldn't be simpler.

It is not known how long the Yellow Turban Rebellion lasted. Under such circumstances, thieves and bandits all over the country began to have a second youth.

The more war breaks out, the greater their advantage.

After all, the greater the scope of the war, the greater the number of refugees it will cause. In order to survive, those refugees can only choose to join the bandits and make ends meet by robbing those who are unkind and rich. abdomen.

Zhao Yun was not used to them, and immediately ordered all the white horse Yi Cong to switch to fighting mode and prepare all the crossbows on their horses.

(End of this chapter)