The Nameless of the Common Clans

"Gongze, do you know what you are talking about!?" Early the next morning at the Yamen Office, Yuan Tan looked at Guo Tu with a hint of murderous intent in his eyes.

If Cao Jun is allowed to enter Pingyang and attack Yuan Shang, even if he wins in the end, what will Yuan Tan gain? No matter how stupid he was, Yuan Tan didn't think that Cao Cao would help him defeat Jizhou and then give it to him.

"Lord, there are only two roads before us now." Guo Tu sighed, knelt down and bowed to Yuan Tan. The big man didn't like to kneel down, so Guo Tu's kneeling was considered extremely pious.

"Is this the path you chose for me?" Yuan Tan stared at Guo Tu gloomily.

"Surrender to the Third Young Master, or form an alliance with Duke Cao." Guo Tu looked at Yuan Tan and said in a deep voice, "I wonder what choice the Young Master wants to make?"

There is no point in continuing to resist Yuan Shang. Even if they really gather tens of thousands of people, this kind of army will disperse as soon as they charge. Even if they defend the city, it will not have any effect. Not to mention that if they reject Cao Cao, Cao Cao's army in Qingzhou will probably We must cross the river immediately.

"Then why don't I surrender to my third brother?" Yuan Tan said coldly.

"If my lord surrendered before the Battle of Yangping, the Third Young Master would definitely treat me kindly. But now that my lord is poor and surrenders, how do you think the Third Young Master will treat my lord?" Guo Tu bowed and said, "I don't care about Yuan Gongli. Far away, my lord, don’t forget it!”

Yuan Tan got excited when he heard this. Back then, he sent Cen Bi, Liu Bei and others to Huainan to secretly welcome Yuan Shu back. He thought it was a great achievement, but Yuan Shao was not happy and sent people to take Yuan Shu back to Yecheng. , not long after, news came that Yuan Shu had died of illness in Yecheng. If he really surrendered to Yuan Shang at this time, Yuan Tan would accept it because he was destitute and alone, but he would definitely not be allowed to lead the way like now. If the county is recalled to Yecheng, Yuan Shang is worried that the Yuan Shu of yesterday may be himself today.

"There is no need for the eldest son to be angry. Now that the situation in Jizhou has reached this point, it is impossible for the eldest son to take control of Jizhou again. However, if he is willing to form an alliance with Cao Gong, when Jizhou is pacified, he may become an official in the court to pay homage to the minister, or he may serve as the governor of a county or even It is possible for him to become the governor of the state, and he will be ranked as one of the three princes in the future. The hope of continuing the Yuan family's famous family may not be much worse than that of a prince," Xu You persuaded with a smile.

Anyway, Yuan Tan's defeat is now certain. If he surrenders to Yuan Shang, there may not be a good end, but if he falls to Cao Cao's side, Cao Cao will definitely not treat him badly.

"My lord, now that Duke Cao has sent out troops, I'm afraid Chen Mo of Luoyang will not stand by and watch. The two princes have joined forces to attack. Jizhou has just experienced a civil war. What to do with the enemies of the two princes? The defeat has been determined. It is better to plan a way out early. Let the blood of the Yuan family continue!" Seeing Yuan Tan's hesitation, Guo Tu knew his intention and quickly continued to persuade him.

The current situation in Jizhou, after Yuan Tan's troubles, even if Yuan Shang successfully conquered Jizhou, it will be difficult to preserve the Yuan family's foundation in the face of the attack of the two major princes, Cao Cao and Chen Mo. It is better to take advantage of the fact that it still has some value and seek for himself. some benefits.

"My eldest son, this opportunity is fleeting. If I can help Duke Cao cross the river at this time, Duke Cao will be grateful for your kindness. But if you miss this opportunity now, even if you are willing to submit in the future, I am afraid that you will not have the opportunity now. I hope the young master will make a decision soon." Xu You looked at Yuan Tan's troubled face and said with a smile: "You felt that the young master was unfair in his early years. Why is the young master the eldest son, but the third young master should be treated leniently if he makes mistakes? , and the young master will be punished for even the slightest mistake? In the end, even Jizhou was passed on to the third young master, but Mr. Yu ignored it and even ceded the young master's fiefdom to Cao Gong? "

Guo Tu followed up and persuaded: "My lord, it's not that we are disloyal, but the former master and the third son have never cared about the relationship between father and son and brother!"

Before Yuan Shao died, he left the foundation of Jizhou to Yuan Shang, but Qingzhou was given to Cao Cao. This was not wrong, but he did not explain anything to Yuan Tan. Looking forward, from childhood to adulthood, Yuan Shang had the benefit. Yes, it is always Yuan Tan, the eldest son, who is at fault and punished. Who does he count?

Under the instigation of Xu You and Guo Tu, the evil thoughts in his heart gradually emerged. After a long time, Yuan Tan gritted his teeth and said, "Don't say any more. If I vote for Duke Cao, how will Duke Cao treat me?"

Anyway, his father left Jizhou to his third brother and left nothing to him, so why should he care about it.

A smile appeared on the faces of Xu You and Guo Tu. Xu You immediately said: "Before coming here, Cao Gong has explained that the title of Ruyang Marquis is hereditary. In addition, there are Qingzhou governor, Yuzhou prefect or The young master can choose at will for the position of imperial guard."

"If Cao Gong agrees to the power of guard, I will immediately withdraw the garrison along the coast!" Yuan Tan gritted his teeth and said, Ruyang Marquis is already the highest rank among marquises, and the Yuan family originally came from Ruyang, so they conferred the title of Ruyang Marquis to Yuan Tan. In addition to paying attention to Yuan Tan, it can also be regarded as rectifying Yuan Tan's name.

Xu You smiled and nodded, feeling overjoyed. This was considered a success in persuading Yuan Tan. After discussing with Yuan Tan how to cooperate with Cao's army in crossing the river, he left immediately. As long as Cao's army crossed the river and entered the plain, Cao Cao would have seized the opportunity. .

Three days later, Yuan Shang led his army to the Mingdu River and confronted Yuan Tan across the river. On the other side, Zang Ba and Lu Qian led the troops stationed in Qingzhou to cross the river and enter the plain. They did not immediately send troops to fight Yuan Shang, but They quickly occupied various cities in the plain, and the officials who had prepared in advance quickly took office to appease the people. At this point, it was useless even if Yuan Tan regretted it. Cao's army had successfully crossed the river and had a foothold.

At the same time, Cao's army stationed in Dongjun also began to attack Jiang Yiqu and Sui Yuanjin's troops on the other side under the command of Yu Jin and Li Dian.

After Yuan Shang learned about this, it was already too late.

"Bastard! Not a son of man!" When Yuan Shang arrived at the camp and learned that Yuan Tan had completely turned to Cao Cao, Yuan Shang was furious. He kicked the table in front of him fiercely and said sternly: "Pass my military order to Gao Lan and Guo Yuan." The second general immediately crossed the river, captured Gaotang, and captured Yuan Tan alive!"

Originally, the dispute between Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan was an internal matter within the Yuan family. Now that Jizhou is suffering from internal and external troubles, Yuan Shang originally wanted to integrate the entire force of Jizhou as soon as possible to fight against Chen Mo and Cao Cao. Whether he united with Chen Mo to defeat Cao Cao or united with Cao Cao to defeat Chen Mo, it didn't matter. There are ways to deal with it, but now, Yuan Tan has quietly surrendered to Cao Cao. Without the danger of the river, Jizhou will face Cao Cao's attack, and the entire situation will face collapse. Teach him how not to be angry!

Tian Feng and Jushu also looked gloomy. The thing they were most worried about had happened. They took a deeper look at this matter. This was not just as simple as Yuan Tan surrendering to Cao Cao. There must be Yingchuan scholars instigating them behind the scenes. These people saw that they could not resist. The Jizhou nobles wanted to attract strong reinforcements and use Cao Cao's help to suppress the Jizhou nobles, or even completely suppress the Jizhou nobles!

When Yuan Shang ordered the capture of Gaotang, the two did not stop him. Cao Cao had already crossed the river, and the Puyang side was bound to be under pressure. There was still something they could do to drive Cao Cao's army back to Qingzhou before Cao Cao had a firm foothold, otherwise the war would spread to As for Jizhou, I am afraid that Chen Mo in Hanoi will never sit back and watch Cao Cao win Jizhou alone. Then he will be attacked from both sides and the situation will be completely out of control.

"My lord, since Cao Cao has taken action, it will not be just Qingzhou. I am afraid that the soldiers and horses of Dongjun have also crossed the river at this moment. Now that the river has frozen, it will be easier for Cao Cao's army to cross the river. Send troops immediately to support Generals Jiang and Sui." Tian Feng handed over. road.

Yuan Shang nodded and wrote down a military order: "Quickly pass the message back to Yecheng and order the senior officials to send five thousand troops to Puyang to prevent Cao's army from crossing the river!"

"Here!" One of the guards agreed, took the military order, turned around and left, and flew to Yecheng on Pegasus.

It's not that Yuan Shang doesn't want to send more troops and horses, it's just that Jizhou is surrounded by enemies on all sides and there are no more troops to send. These five thousand troops and horses are all from the defenders of Yecheng.

"Chen Mo in Luoyang must also be on guard. The Muye defenders may not be able to defeat Chen Mo's tiger and wolf troops!" Jushou sighed at the side.

Yuan Shang was silent. Chen Mo has not sent troops yet, and he has no troops to send now.

Jushou hesitated for a moment and then suggested: "You can order the second young master to gather troops and horses to stop Taishi Ci, and send General Han to go south to join forces with Zhang He to defend the enemy."

Although Han Qiong is old, he has rich combat experience. With him leading his troops and Zhang He to guard against Chen Mo, nothing will happen.

At the end, Jushu sighed. If Yuan Tan had not rebelled or surrendered to Cao Cao, he could have temporarily reconciled with Yuan Tan at this time. In this way, there would be enough troops to defend the enemies from all directions, but Yuan Tan made a move. Cao Cao, the whole of Jizhou is like a house with leaks on all sides. No matter how it is repaired, the troops are not enough. Now, we can only give up some.

"Yes!" After Yuan Shang hesitated for a moment, he closed his eyes and nodded. Although Jushou didn't say it clearly, Yuan Xi didn't have many troops to evacuate Han Qiong. With only his two generals Zhang Nan and Jiao Chu, he was almost defeated at first. Taishi Ci's entire army was wiped out. Now he has few soldiers and generals. How can he make Taishi Ci's enemies transfer Han Qiong? This would be equivalent to giving up Yuan Xi and giving up Youzhou. But now, he can only do this, keep it first. Let’s talk about other things in Jizhou.

…

Regarding the situation in Jizhou, Chen Mo has been paying close attention to the situation here since the war between Yuan Shang and Yuan Tan's two sons. The news from Qingzhou was too far away to reach here in time, but the troops from Dongjun crossed the river and Chen Mo's side I got the news in less than two days.

"The troops in Dongjun have begun to mobilize, which means that Cao Cao may have invaded from the plains. Now that the river is frozen, Jizhou's defense is at its weakest. My lord, our army can't wait any longer at this time!" Xun You read it! After the map, he bowed to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo nodded. He naturally understood the current situation. Cao Cao may have already crossed the river at this moment.

He nodded immediately and said: "Gongda and Dezu are accompanying the army as military advisors. They will accompany me on the expedition to Jizhou. Yuanzhi will stay in Chenggao and be responsible for the transportation of grain and grass."

"Here!" The three of them bowed.

"Pass my military order and order Wu Yi to be the vanguard and lead his troops to attack Yecheng. The rest of the troops will assemble in Ji County within three days to attack Jizhou!"