People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 148: Youzhou Bandit
In the military camp of Ji County, Guangyang, a tall and handsome general was drinking wine in a depressed mood. The reason for this behavior was probably because of the giant bandit Xu Chen from Youzhou.

Seeing Gongsun Zan so unhappy, Tian Kai on the side became very worried. From what he knew, Gongsun Zan was always confident and proud. How could he look so depressed?

He originally wanted to say something to persuade her, but when the words came to his lips, he just sighed.

It is hard not to worry when thinking about the current situation in Youzhou. No one would have thought that Xu Chen, who ran away from Zhuo County, has become a real bandit after a few years.

Gongsun Zan is now doing well enough to withstand the pressure from the Yellow Turbans, let alone suppress the bandits.

"It's a pity that the nobles and powerful families in Youzhou are all short-sighted. Whenever it comes to suppressing bandits, they are unwilling to give their all. Otherwise, how could this captain be defeated repeatedly at the hands of Xu Chen!" When he said this, Gongsun Zan smashed the wine cup fiercely.

In fact, the imperial court has been generous in rewarding him over the years. Not only was he promoted from the rank of Cavalry Commandant to the rank of Lu Colonel, he was also granted the title of Marquis of Duting.

The promotion was possible thanks to the help of Lu Zhi, his cheap teacher. After all, Lu Zhi and Xu Chen had a blood feud. As long as it was helpful in suppressing the bandits, Lu Zhi didn't mind working out a future for Gongsun Zan.

It's just that he spent a lot of effort, but the final result was not satisfactory.

Two years have passed since the Yellow Turbans defeated Gongsun Zan's troops in Ji County, and Gongsun Zan has never regained his position. The two sides have fought countless battles of varying sizes, and Gongsun Zan has always returned in defeat, so that the once arrogant him has become disheartened.

But can I, Gongsun Zan, be blamed for this? Is it me who is wrong? It is the Youzhou nobles and powerful families who are wrong!

A great defeat in Ji County dealt a huge blow to Gongsun Zan's reputation. Although the powerful and noble families in various counties had to support Gongsun Zan in the name of suppressing the bandits, they could only contribute a little.

"The Yellow Turbans have occupied the three counties of Yuyang, Youbeiping, and Liaoxi, and have also gained tens of thousands of Wuhuan tribesmen. In the past two years, they have trained 5,000 cavalrymen alone, and the number of infantrymen is countless. Do they think these are just some petty thieves?

In the face of such a huge bandit, many noble families only care about their own petty gains. How can they fight a good war if they work with this group of insects? "

Tian Kai was speechless for a moment. Although the support from the nobles and powerful families was not too great, the Yellow Turbans had not been defeated. It would be unreasonable to say that Gongsun Zan had no responsibility at all.

The more arrogant a person is, the more difficult it is for him to accept his own mistakes. If Gongsun Zan did not use this excuse to comfort himself, his mentality would probably collapse even more seriously.

Tian Kai naturally understood this principle and simply changed the subject.

"I heard that the court accepted the memorial of Liu Yan of Yizhou to depose the governor and establish a governor. One of the places that Your Majesty first considered was Youzhou. It was said that Liu Yu was to be appointed governor of Youzhou to investigate and quell the rebellion."

When he said this, he said carefully: "Liu Yu was once the governor of Youzhou and has great prestige in the local area. I think it would be better to unite the nobles. Then our pressure will be reduced a lot."

Gongsun Zan certainly knew about this, but he was not very happy about it.

If Liu Yu comes, Youzhou will have no business.

Who am I? I am just a bastard of Gongsun clan. Who is Liu Yu? He is a relative of the Han royal family and a famous scholar of the Han Dynasty!

The two are simply incomparable. He can even imagine that these nobles and powerful people who are now indifferent to him will turn around and show great enthusiasm to Liu Yu.

He wanted to say something sarcastic at first, but when he thought of the Yellow Turbans in the east, he immediately kept silent. After a moment of silence, he said calmly, "After all, suppressing the bandits is a big deal. If Liu Yu takes office, we should support him. We must not let Xu Chen go!"

Speaking of this, he suddenly thought of someone, Liu Xuande who left him early.

When the Yellow Turbans abandoned Zhuo County and fled, Liu Xuande urged me to gather my strength and continue the pursuit. Now, thinking about it, perhaps I should have done so.

At the time, the Yellow Turbans were just in exile, and if one was really determined to kill them, there was every chance that one could do it.

But when he thought about it again, he shook his head again. How similar was the situation back then to today? Even if he was willing to continue the hunt, who would support him?

Tian Kai nodded: "In that case, wait for the court's appointment."

The situation in the court was just as they said. Liu Hong finally adopted the suggestion of abolishing the historian and establishing the governor. He set up governors in Yizhou, Yuzhou and Youzhou to command local military and political power. The governor of Youzhou was Liu Yu.

However, before Liu Yu took office, Liu Hong held a military parade in Pingle, Luoyang.

It was also during this military parade that the Xiyuan Army, which Liu Hong had established less than two months ago in order to strengthen the central military force, was called up for drills. As the supreme general of the Xiyuan Army, Liu Hong personally rode a horse and held a sword to review his troops in the military formation.

The vast and peaceful venue was now covered in dust, as armies entered the venue under the command of their respective generals, displaying a majestic and magnificent momentum through their ranks. Looking around, the soldiers were all strong men, fully equipped with weapons and armor, in orderly formation, shouting loudly, and their movements were neat and powerful, which was quite pleasing to the eye.

Although this central army was established only a short time ago, it already has some shape.

Liu Hong stood on his horse and looked from left to right. In front of the eight Xiyuan armies were the eight Xiyuan captains he had established, namely Jian Shuo, Yuan Shao, Bao Hong, Cao Cao, Zhao Rong, Feng Fang, Xia Mou, Chunyu Qiong and others.

Each of these people is an elite talent of the Han Dynasty. As long as they are allowed to train the army for another two years, they will have an absolutely strong central elite.

Watching them shout as they led their armies and became the vanguards of the king, Liu Hong felt full of energy and enthusiasm. It seemed that he could already foresee the scene in two years when he would take control of the army and pacify the world. He was full of anticipation for this.

In order to raise this Xiyuan Army, he spent no amount of money, and he wanted to rely on this army to conquer the world in one fell swoop.

The training of the many captains he selected was indeed quite effective, and his trust in entrusting them with important tasks was worthy of their trust. Especially the two armies led by Captain Yuan Shao of the Central Army and Captain Cao Cao of the Commander-in-Chief Army, which were relatively well-trained.

This also made Liu Hong couldn't help but sigh. Although he disliked the gentry very much, he had to admit that there were indeed talented people among the gentry.

As for the two men's backgrounds, it goes without saying that the Yuan family had three officials in four generations, which even Liu Hong was deeply wary of. The Cao family also completed the transformation from the eunuch camp to the aristocratic family, and now it is also a powerful force in the Han Dynasty.

In the end, I still have to rely on the power of the nobles.
Absorbing these people from the gentry naturally means making use of their resources. After all, he does not have much at hand now, and it would be too difficult to support the army by himself.

But he was just sighing. Now the situation in the world was becoming increasingly corrupt, and the struggle with the gentry could only be put aside for the time being.

After the long exercise, many court officials came forward one by one to pay their respects to Liu Hong, mostly praising and flattering him. Although he was tired of hearing such words, he was happy to see the army being formed and had a good time with the officials.

After some false pretenses, Liu Hong's expression didn't straighten up until Liu Yu came forward.

"I have high hopes for Liu Qing's appointment to Youzhou. You are a relative of the Han Dynasty, and I trust you. I will hand Youzhou over to you. You must stabilize the situation."

As he spoke, Liu Hong sighed, "I never thought that the little thief in Youzhou back then would become so powerful now. Gongsun Zan is such a disappointment to me. I have wasted my efforts in helping him get promoted many times."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yu immediately bowed, and then responded seriously: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I used to be the governor of Youzhou. I am quite familiar with the governance of Youzhou. I also have a certain reputation in the local area. I think I can quell the chaos."

Liu Hong nodded when he heard this. He was quite relieved about this.

Liu Yu's reputation in Youzhou was extremely good. Not only would the local gentry cooperate with his work, but even the Hu people had to give him some face. That was why he chose Liu Yu to be the governor of Youzhou.

Thinking of this, Liu Hong once again advised: "The Yellow Turbans in Youzhou have become a stubborn problem. As long as we can suppress the bandits, Liu Qing can persuade Su Puyan of Liaodong to surrender so that we can join forces to defeat the bandits."

Liu Yu quickly responded: "Your Majesty is wise, this is exactly what I intend to do."

Liu Hong nodded and just sighed. It has been four years since the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Not only has the situation not improved today, but it has become more and more serious. Even the small thieves in Youzhou can no longer be ignored. If they are not dealt with, they will become a serious threat to the Han Dynasty.

While the king and his subjects were talking to each other, Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, the two young friends who were on the military parade ground, began to murmur at Liu Hong in the distance.

"The world is not peaceful nowadays, forcing Your Majesty to first set up provincial governors and then form the Xiyuan Army. I don't know how effective it will be." Cao Cao was quite worried when he spoke, as if he was lamenting how difficult the world is.

Yuan Shao smiled and said, "This is our chance to make achievements. You and I should concentrate on training our troops. We will surely serve you in the future."

Cao Cao laughed and nodded, then looked in the direction of Liu Hong and said, "I have seen that your majesty and Liu Yu have given you many instructions. It seems that you are quite troubled by the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou. Does Benchu ​​know anything about the matter of the bandit chief Xu Chen?"

Yuan Shao's eyes flickered when he heard this, and his expression was somewhat solemn: "Xu Chen's natural teachings have been widely circulated in the court two years ago. How could I not know that this evil teaching has the ability to turn the world upside down and confuse all living beings. It should not be underestimated. It is reasonable for Your Majesty to pay attention to it."

Cao Cao agreed with this. Although the imperial court had listed "The Book of Nature" as a banned book, it was not difficult for children of aristocratic families like them to get access to it.

It was only after reading it that he finally understood why the imperial court viewed this natural religion as vicious and treacherous, but it would probably not be easy to exterminate this evildoer.

Cao Cao asked again, "Benchu, do you think Liu Yu can pacify the Yellow Turbans?"

Yuan Benchu ​​didn't think much about it, just shook his head: "Difficult."

(End of this chapter)