I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 176 Face to face with the tauren

Outside the city, west of the city, is the big market of Luoyang.

Tian Si, in disguise, was sitting with Guo Jia in a compartment on the second floor of Wangyue Tower, looking out the window at the snowy scene and the bustling streets: "I never thought that Wang Yuanxu actually had such a talent for governing the world?"

It is said that auspicious snow means a good harvest, but every year when it snows heavily, many people will inevitably freeze to death on the streets, even in the so-called prosperous times.

Now, under Wang Jing's rule, the refugees have been well resettled, beggars have disappeared, and the country is prosperous everywhere. It is hard to tell that the current dynasty is in a precarious situation.

"My lord is a scholar of heaven and earth, with a broad mind, and is incomparable to ordinary people."

Guo Jia raised his wine cup and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Tian Si looked at Guo Jia and smiled, "It seems you have made a decision."

Then the two of them talked about some recent major events: "Fengxiao, I heard that Xun Gongda used himself as bait yesterday to catch two big fish, Han Long and Wang Zheng?"

Guo Jia put down his wine cup and nodded: "Han Long and Wang Zheng have been captured, and the influence of the Hidden Sect in Luoyang has been basically wiped out. It will be difficult for them to make any further moves in the future."

Tian Si then asked, "What do you think of the news that Gongsun Du has taken over the post of governor of Bingzhou?"

Guo Jia shook his head, his tone was quite disapproving: "Gongsun Shengji's move has more political significance than practical significance. Liaodong and Bingzhou are separated by more than 2,000 miles, and there are Youzhou and Jizhou in between. How can he control Bingzhou? This man strikes down the powerful and exerts his influence overseas. He does have some ambition, but it's a pity that there is not much. Otherwise, why doesn't he take charge of Youzhou or Jizhou?"

Tian Si laughed loudly: "You are right. Although this person is a local tyrant, he will never achieve great things."

Both of them are extremely smart people, so naturally they know the situation in Hebei very well.

Gongsun Du appointed himself as the governor of Bingzhou. He seemed extremely arrogant and even dared to stroke Wang Jing's whiskers. In fact, it was just a political act of stealing.

It is like a cunning fox who wants to steal chickens but is afraid of being beaten, so he has to "steal".

Liaodong and Bingzhou are thousands of miles apart. Even if Wang Jing is unhappy, it is impossible for him to fly to Liaodong to cause trouble for Gongsun Du.

On the contrary, Youzhou and Jizhou are both very close, and if Gongsun Du dares to act recklessly, he will really be severely beaten.

Liu Yu, Gongsun Zan, and Yuan Shao, all three of them commanded large armies, were well-known, and bordered Liaodong. Which one could Gongsun Du challenge?
Seeing that the world was about to fall into chaos, Gongsun Du naturally wanted to raise his own reputation, and raising his official position and title was the most direct way to do that.

That is why Gongsun Du chose to ignore the majesty of the imperial court, proclaimed himself Marquis of Liaodong, and appointed himself Governor of Bingzhou, and then used this to expand his influence and give his subordinates hope and official positions.

Of course, Liu Yu and Yuan Shao were probably behind this matter, and their purpose was very simple - to undermine Wang Jing's prestige.

If Gongsun Du really got angry and wanted to send troops to take Bingzhou, both Liu Yu and Yuan Shao would probably be happy to see it happen, because this move could divide the two major Gongsun clan forces in Liaoxi and Liaodong, and at the same time divert the trouble to the west, allowing Gongsun Du to go to Bingzhou to fight Zhang Liao and weaken the power of the northern army.

Wang Jing and Xun You both saw through this, so they arranged for Xu Rong to confer an official title on Gongsun Du. It was just an empty title anyway, so why not give it? The problem could be solved without spending a penny, so why not do it?

After talking about the situation in Hebei, Tian Si asked about Yuan Wei's recent movements: "Has there been any unusual movements in the Taifu Mansion recently?"

Guo Jia shook his head: "Yuan Wei is indeed a political veteran. He is very patient. Even when Wang Fu and Zhong Ji started the rebellion, he only secretly fanned the flames and did not actually participate."

Tian Si sneered upon hearing this: "An old man who refuses to die is a thief. The aristocratic families of the four counties rebelled. This must have been pushed by Yuan Wei behind the scenes. Zhong Ji and Wang Fu were just being used by him."

"Master, I did hear a piece of news."

"Tell me."

"It is rumored that when Wang Fu and Zhong Ji led their troops to attack the palace, Yuan Wei brought people into the palace in the name of serving the king. However, he neither went to suppress Wang Fu and Zhong Ji's rebellion nor assisted the Northern Army in suppressing the rebellion. Instead, he was secretly looking for something and led his people to search through the imperial city."

Tian Si pondered for a long time, and then he suddenly realized: "So that's it."

"Master, do you know what Yuan Wei is looking for?"

"It's nothing more than wanting to find the imperial seal and start the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the heaven."

Tian Si's words shocked Guo Jia: "What does Yuan Wei mean by this? Only the true dragon emperor can hold the imperial seal to carry the country's destiny. It is useless for ordinary people to get it."

"No, the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony is not as simple as you think."

"Master, are you worried about the success of the Confucian School, the first country in the world?"

Tian Si smiled and said in a deep voice: "I roughly guessed what Yuan Wei was up to. Fortunately, my plan has been completed, and the success or failure will be revealed soon."

Guo Jia frowned, having a bad feeling in his heart.

Tian Si saw this and said to him, "Don't worry. Since I have already placed a heavy bet on Wang Yuanxu, I will not treat him as a discarded pawn. Moreover, even without my plan, he can't escape this disaster. Sooner or later, he will have to face the will of heaven. So no matter what, I am helping him."

Guo Jia could only remain silent about this. Even though he was Tiansi's direct disciple, he still knew nothing about some of the Heavenly Palace's plans.

"Master never speaks lies. I just hope Yuanxu can survive this disaster safely."

Guo Jia could not help but feel worried. After all, they were fighting against heaven. Even if Tian Si gave him repeated assurances, it was impossible that there was really no danger at all.

Yanzhou, Chenliu.

As soon as Cao Cao and Chen Gong entered the city gate, they received news from Luoyang.

Chen Gong's face was solemn. "I never thought that with just one war, Wang Jing made all the noble families and powerful clans in the four counties under his rule submit to him."

"He used both kindness and force to win the hearts of the people. Wang Jing has already achieved his goal of hegemony."

Cao Cao also felt the same emotion, feeling indescribable envy in his heart, but also unable to express jealousy.

After all, he knew his own limitations. If he had been in Wang Jing's position, let alone killing Dong Zhuo, wiping out the remnants of the Xiliang Army, and the recent feats of suppressing the four county families by force, he would probably have been crushed to pieces by the powerful Xiliang Army as early as when Dong Zhuo was in power.

But Wang Jing not only survived, but also lived a very comfortable life. Relying on his powerful military force and excellent strategy, he fought his way out of the dangerous situation and created a smooth path.

Chen Gong was unwilling to accept this, but he also understood that Wang Jing's power was already established and he could not shake it with a few strategies.

"Meng De, the noble families and powerful clans in the four counties of the capital have all sent their young people to join Wang Jing. Now his power and status are as solid as a rock. The New Party has replaced the Old Party and formed a close political alliance. If we don't do something, I'm afraid we will be defeated soon."

Chen Gong's words made Cao Cao fall into silence. After weighing his thoughts for a long time, Cao Cao finally responded: "I have no official reason to fight. Even if you secretly help me, it is impossible for me to occupy Yanzhou by force."

Chen Gong secretly wanted to gather the strength of Yuzhou and Yanzhou to use it as a base to fight against Wang Jing and the powerful Northern Army. Cao Cao was also one of the people who knew about this plan, and the two of them were pushing this matter tacitly.

Once Chen Gong's plan was truly successful, Cao Cao would be able to rely on the wealthy Yuzhou and Yanzhou to become the most powerful vassal force in the empire. This power would even be enough to gain a great advantage in the war for hegemony in the Central Plains.

However, the plan was stuck at a critical point, or rather, it was stuck by a person sitting in a critical position.

That person was the governor of Yanzhou, a relative of the Han royal family, Liu Dai, also known as Liu Gongshan.

Chen Gong had always been very contemptuous of Liu Dai, a loser: "How can a man without moral integrity and ability be qualified to occupy a high position?"

"Having said that, Liu Gongshan is, after all, a relative of the Han dynasty and the governor of Yanzhou appointed by the imperial court. It's not that he cannot die, but he must not die in our hands."

Cao Cao has not yet achieved great success. Although he has the Seven Killings Fate, he is not yet at the point where he has no taboos.

Not to mention the public execution of Liu Dai, even an inexplicable sudden death would probably lead to a lot of unnecessary suspicion.

Chen Gong was also furious: "Wang Yuanxu has seen through our plan, so I'm afraid we can't keep Liu Gongshan. Otherwise, when Wang Jing finishes recuperating and marches out of Hulao, Yanzhou and Yuzhou will be in his pocket, and we will have no place to stay. Why not take this opportunity to take Yanzhou first!"

"can."

Cao Cao didn't want to take such a risk, but when he heard the name "Wang Jing", his eyes suddenly became stern, knowing that he had no other choice: "Without further delay, I will go back immediately to promote the plan to ensure that it is foolproof. As for how to contact the Yanzhou family, this important task can only be handed over to you, Gongtai."

"I'll do the work, Meng De, you can rest assured."

"It's natural."

At this moment, the two are still close friends, and they are working hard towards a common goal. Therefore, Cao Cao also has absolute trust in Chen Gong.

…………Luoyang, county government office.

Liu Bei, who returned to Beijing to report on his work, was in a terrible mood.

At this moment, Zhang Fei's loud voice came to his ears: "Second brother, you are back?"

Guan Yu was wearing a green brocade battle robe, and his bright armor was so bright that one could see through it. The reflection dazzled Zhang Fei, and he drooled after taking a few glances. "Oh my god, second brother, where did you get all this gear? It's almost blinding me."

After getting closer, Zhang Fei stroked Guan Yu's dragon scale blue cloud armor and the shiny armor plates. He simply couldn't let it go. His eyes almost turned red with envy, so much so that the iron armor that he had previously regarded as a treasure suddenly didn't seem to be so attractive anymore.

Without comparison, there is no harm.

Guan Yu obviously wanted to show off his new equipment in front of his elder and third brothers, so he stroked his beard and said with a proud smile: "The armor I wear is named 'Qingyun', which means 'straight up to the blue sky', and is inlaid with dragon scales, which means carp leaping over the dragon gate. Marquis Qi gave me the armor, so I was able to defeat Liu Dai and Zhang Miao's 30,000-man army with a surprise attack of 200 cavalrymen and kill General Bao Xin in battle."

In less than three or two sentences, Guan Yu began boasting about his unparalleled feat of defeating a general in the midst of an enormous enemy force.

Of course, it is not exaggerating. After all, his battle record is real. As the future Martial Saint, Guan Erye's strength is unquestionable.

Zhang Fei was so envious after hearing this that he couldn't help asking about the details: "Second brother, did the court give any reward?"

Guan Yu was even more proud when he mentioned this matter.

But in order to establish his own tall and majestic image, he still suppressed his excitement and pretended to be reserved and said: "It's normal. Marquis Qi has submitted a petition to the court to appoint me as the General of the Eastern Army."

Guan Yu then sighed: "It's a pity, because of my great reputation, Liu Dai and Zhang Miao did not continue to lead troops to make contributions, so my contribution is not great enough, and I can't expect to be granted a title for the time being."

Guan Yu stroked his beard and sighed, as if he was really full of regrets.

Such a Versailles tone really irritated Zhang Fei.

You have to know that a few months ago, he and Guan Yu were just small county lieutenants.

After working hard for a while, Zhang Fei escorted Liu Bei to various counties to clear fields and check accounts, and finally he was promoted from a county lieutenant to a cavalry captain. The official position was neither high nor low, and Zhang Fei was originally quite satisfied with it. After all, the cavalry captain was also a high-ranking official with a rank of two thousand stones.

For the Zhang family, whose ancestors were just butchers, this official position was enough to bring honor to Zhang Fei.

But now Guan Yu directly skipped the rank of colonel and climbed to the high position of General of the Household!

It’s not that you don’t know the goods, it’s that you compare the goods!
Thinking back to the three brothers, although Liu Bei sold straw sandals, he was a descendant of the royal family after all; and although Zhang Fei was born in a butcher's family, he was rich after all.

Only Guan Yu had the most humble status. He was a vagrant who had committed murder and was wanted by the imperial court.

However, he did not expect that in just one month, Guan Yu was the first among the three brothers to become famous. Zhang Fei could not be said to be jealous, but he was definitely unwilling.

Liu Bei, who had been silent for a long time, was so angry that his eyebrows were almost on fire.

My own official position has been surpassed by my second brother. What is this?
Liu Bei immediately thought that this was most likely Wang Jing's conspiracy, and the purpose was to separate the three brothers. But what could he do even if he knew about this?
Liu Bei knew very well that he had no evidence, and even if he told it to others, people would only think that he was a mean-spirited person and was judging others by his own standards.

After all, Wang Jing's behavior was extremely normal in response to Guan Yu's attempts to win him over. He never took any extreme actions, let alone came in person to win him over.

Wang Jing simply gave Guan Yu the opportunity to make merit, and then rewarded and punished him fairly.

But it was this fair reward and punishment that made Liu Bei feel cold in his heart and made him understand more clearly what the evil human heart is.

"Wang Jing, you have no moral principles!"

Liu Bei screamed wildly in his heart. The feeling of being poached right in front of him was so uncomfortable, even more uncomfortable than having his wife slept with by someone else.

After all, if you lose your wife, you can just find another one. A man has ambitions, so isn’t it easy to find a wife?
But a peerless and powerful general like Guan Yu is not someone you can easily meet.

What made Liu Bei even more upset was that Zhang Fei showed his eagerness to make a move after hearing Guan Yu's bragging. Seeing his eager expression to make a contribution, Liu Bei knew that he was finished.

Wang Jing doesn't even have to do anything. As long as he continues to give Zhang Fei and Guan Yu opportunities, the gap between the three brothers will only get bigger and bigger, eventually creating an unbridgeable chasm.

Liu Bei knew very well that if he continued like this, he would be the only one left behind.

"Brother, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"

When Zhang Fei looked back, he saw that Liu Bei had a gloomy expression and thought that he had an upset stomach. "Do you want me to find a famous doctor to treat you?"

Liu Bei was about to say no, but his stomach really started to hurt: "Well, third brother, please help me find a famous doctor to see..."

Guan Yu was also concerned about Liu Bei, and immediately glared at Zhang Fei: "Third brother, isn't it my second brother who is saying this? Can't you say something nice with your bad mouth?"

Every time Zhang Fei opened his mouth, he always said something bad instead of good, which left Liu Bei and Guan Yu speechless. They even suspected that he was the crow in the Chinese zodiac.

Zhang Fei felt very aggrieved about this: "It was obviously my brother who had a stomachache, how can you blame it on me?"

Liu Bei couldn't stand the pain anymore, so he quickly grabbed Zhang Fei and Guan Yu's hands and said, "Second brother, third brother, can you help me find a famous doctor first before we argue?

After saying this, Liu Bei fainted from the pain.

"Brother, are you okay?"

"Brother, you have to cheer up!"

Guan Yu stopped pretending to be cool, and Zhang Fei stopped talking nonsense. The two of them hurriedly carried Liu Bei back into the house to rest, and then hurried outside to find a doctor.

After Wang Jing heard the news, he smiled knowingly and personally brought the imperial physician to the door.

Zhang Fei opened the door and was shocked when he heard the knock: "Ah, Wang Jing?"

"Yide, don't be rude."

Hearing Zhang Fei actually addressing Wang Jing by his given name, Guan Yu's reddish-brown square face almost turned black, and he quickly stepped forward to apologize: "I'm so sorry, I didn't know General Wei was coming, and I failed to welcome you."

Wang Jing laughed heartily: "Haha, no problem, I heard that Yide is a man of character, and after seeing him today, I can see that he really has the demeanor of a hero in Yandi."

"really?"

When Zhang Fei heard Wang Jing praising him, he couldn't help but show his joy. Every time he went to the battlefield, he liked to shout "I am Zhang Yide from Yan" before starting the charge. It can be seen that he is still very proud of his birthplace.

Wang Jing knew that if he wanted to win over a loyal and valiant general like Zhang Fei, he had to play the emotional card, so he put on a heroic attitude, patted Zhang Fei on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Of course, Yide, have you forgotten that I also came from the military? Bingzhou has been the land of Yan and Zhao since ancient times. You and I can be said to be family."

"Hey, General, what you said is very true. Bingzhou, Jizhou, and Youzhou are all the former territories of Zhao State. You and I are both heroes of Yan and Zhao, so we should get to know each other better."

Zhang Fei slapped Wang Jing with his fist, obviously agreeing with his statement that Wang Jing was “one of ours”, and the relationship between them immediately became much more familiar.

"Haha, we are all from Yan and Zhao. Calling me general is too polite. There is no need to be so polite in private. If Yide doesn't mind, you can just call me Yuanxu."

"Oh? Then I won't be polite, hahahaha!"

Zhang Fei's loud voice once again filled the entire yard, and his rough and heroic laughter was everywhere.

As for Wang Jing, he did not act too deliberate or anxious when facing Zhang Fei. Just like boiling a frog in warm water, what is needed is patience and persistence.

Don't go too fast. After all, in many cases, speed is not a good thing.

After chatting for a while, Wang Jing turned the topic back to Liu Bei: "Where is Brother Xuande? I heard that he was unwell, so I immediately invited the imperial physician to treat him. I just hope he has recovered. Otherwise, how can I rest assured?"

Guan Yu was well-read and therefore more polite. He stepped forward to thank Wang Jing on behalf of Liu Bei and said, "Thank you for your concern, General. My elder brother is in the room. Please ask the imperial physician to treat him as soon as possible."

Wang Jing waved his hand and said, "Yunchang, there is no need to be so polite. Brother Xuande and I hit it off right away. I have always respected him and naturally don't want anything to happen to him."

(End of this chapter)