Chapter 165: Ju Su's Plan

Return the food?

After Yuan Shao made a careful calculation, he realized that it was time to return the 50,000 shi of military rations.

Because of various matters such as moving the capital and suppressing bandits, Yuan Shao almost forgot that the Sour Jujube coalition's expedition against Dong Zhuo was actually last year, and the military rations borrowed from Bingzhou were indeed delivered in June last year.

It has been a whole year since then.

No, even a few more days.

If the algorithm proposed by Qiao Yan was used at the time, Yuan Shao would have to pay back dozens or hundreds of grains of wheat. And according to the debt repayment regulations at the time, Yuan Shao should have counted the hundred grains of wheat personally for Qiao Yan to see.

If someone else had made this request, Yuan Shao might have thought it was just a teasing remark. We have all reached such a high position of power, so we should not honor such ridiculous additional conditions.

But unfortunately, the person opposite was Qiao Yan.

The way she acts, she might really do that!

Yuan Shao held the letter in his hand with a gloomy expression.

Let’s take a look at what she said in this letter - I am on my way to Chang’an to rescue the emperor, please come back soon.

She was really rude...she didn't even want to write one more word!

What an arrogant tone!

Even though Yuan Shao had already seized power over Qingzhou and Jizhou in the past year, and had the merit of supporting the emperor in the east, the letter he received from Qiao Yan still sounded domineering.

It was hard for Yuan Shao not to be reminded of the scene last year when Qiao Yan scolded him on the street for being "all show and no substance", which was also very rude!

Very good!

If she succeeded in attacking Chang'an later, and if she really managed to rescue the young emperor Liu Xie, then she would turn her aggressive stance from targeting Ma Teng and Han Sui to targeting him. Wouldn't a war break out on the spot?

Yuan Shao prided himself on being a capable man, but first the grain price in Yecheng was high, and then the remaining bandits rose up again. If Qiao Yan came directly to attack him, he would really be no match for her, even with the orthodox title of Liu Xie.

Shen Pei, who was sitting below, saw Yuan Shao's expression change again and again after receiving the letter. He wanted to ask what the Marquis Qiao wrote in the letter, but suddenly he heard Yuan Shao say, "Zhengnan, we can't make the same mistake as Han Wenyue."

Why can't we follow in Han Sui's footsteps?

Han Sui was too confident in Qiao Yan and never thought that the other party could break through Jincheng in this way.

With the same 30,000 men, Zhou Shen and Sun Jian were defeated by the Western Liang army in Kuiyuan Gorge, while Han Sui was fooled by Qiao Yan and forced to the back road, where he was surrounded from both sides.

No one should forget that this young man who was granted the title of Marquis of Bingzhou originally rose to prominence on the battlefield of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

So who can be sure that when she faces Dong Zhuo, it will be a fight between two tigers and one of them will be injured, and it will not be -

Could it be that Han Sui’s situation will happen again?

There are many people in the world who can be generals, but not many who can be commanders. Qiao Yan is one of the best.

If they wanted to continue developing in Jizhou and Qingzhou, they would have to accumulate at least two more years of food and have the capital to recruit soldiers. They could not allow Qiao Yan to launch another attack on Sanfu.

Yuan Shao has finally learned his lesson. He should never underestimate his opponents, especially someone like Qiao Yan who never plays by the rules.

After Qiao Yan's debt collection letter completely aroused his sense of crisis, his emotions, which had just calmed down from the news of the war in Liangzhou, burst out again in an instant.

Press! She must be suppressed!

The only question was how to tie her hands and feet... Just as Shen Pei said, it was something that required careful decision-making.

Even if there are reasons to support Liu Bian as the orthodox, if he is too obvious in undermining others' support, it will be easy for people to criticize him.

Yuan Shao looked around at his advisers. He was proud of the situation he had developed in Ji and Qing provinces and the talents he had won over. At the same time, he pretended to be worried and asked, "If the general plan to stop their offensive has been determined, what methods do you have for me to follow?"

It is impossible to return the grain.

Although 50,000 shi of grain is not a lot, if this grain was directly used in the battle to rescue the emperor in Chang'an and became a help for Qiao Yan to welcome back the emperor Liu Xie, Yuan Shao felt that he would not be able to eat for a while.

How can one be so helpful to the enemy?

Moreover, the grain price in Jizhou did drop slightly as the harvest approached, but it was still much higher than last year, which meant that the debt he originally owed had multiplied several times this year.

This made him feel even more like he was having a heart attack.

So I won’t return it!

And since he has no intention of paying it back, he should make things more troublesome for the creditor so that she has no time to take care of other things.

The people in the hall at this moment were not just Xu You and Shen Pei, who had been sent to Jinyang before and read out the title of General of Cavalry to Qiao Yan.

Ever since Yuan Shao welcomed the emperor back to Yecheng and held the power of the governor of Qingzhou, many people in the world who were not optimistic about Dong Zhuo and Liu Xie's side defected to Yuan Shao when they saw the court was just established.

In particular, most of the Ruyang and Ying scholars aspired to become officials to realize their ambitions, and the Hebei scholars formed a community of interests with the local people and Yuan Shao.

Although the negative impact brought by Yuan Shao's late arrival in the Sour Jujube Alliance would more or less affect him, a year later, he dared to say that the talented lineup under his command was unmatched in the world.

After he asked this question, the people below thought about his decision instead of opposing it, which calmed Yuan Shao's anger caused by Qiao Yan's demand for debt.

This is his base.

Even if Qiao Yan came with a great victory, how could he compare to his savings?

Someone in the hall stood up first, saluted to Yuan Shao and said, "Looking at the world, there are only a handful of people who can suppress the edge of Bingzhou Mu. She has no relatives to care about, so it is difficult to stop her from going to Liangzhou. Bingzhou attaches equal importance to water conservancy and agriculture. Since the locust plague in the three prefectures that year, there have been results. I heard that Shen Zhengnan and Xu Ziyuan went to Bingzhou and saw many people celebrating the harvest along the way. It is impossible to say that she is dragging down an entire state."

Yuan Shao looked at him and was delighted to see that it was Ju Su who spoke.

Ju Su was born in Hebei. After he welcomed the emperor to Yecheng, he was recruited as his subordinate because of his "great ambition and good strategy".

Yuan Shao did not dare to be too arrogant after being severely stepped on several times by Qiao Yan, so he was very courteous to the scholars in Hebei.

Shen Pei, whom he had sent to Bingzhou, was one representative, and Ju Su was another.

Even the surprise Ju Su gave him far exceeded that of others!

This is not just a simple civil official, but also a general who can command troops.

Since Yuan Shao's sweep of Qingzhou last year, Ju Su was first appointed by him as the Cavalry Commandant to assist in the war. After repeatedly making military achievements, he also demonstrated extraordinary command style during the rebellion of Mu Gu, Yu Du and others in Jizhou this year.

Yuan Shao immediately made the decision to appoint Ju Su as military supervisor, and even submitted a petition to the emperor, requesting that he be given the title of "General Fenwei".

Of course, the latter's title of general is not great, it is just a reward for his outstanding performance.

But Yuan Shao did not give Ju Shou this position just because he helped him suppress the rebellion, but also because Ju Shou said these words to him when he first joined Yuan Shao.

The words refer to Yuan Shao, who ascended the throne at a young age and was famous throughout the country for his loyalty and righteousness, and who raised an army to fight against Dong Zhuo. Now, he "has gathered the people of Jizhou, and is powerful in the north of the Yellow River, and his name is known throughout the world." "He stretches north of the Yellow River, combines the land of several states, gathers heroes, and has a million people. He has already welcomed the emperor in Ye City, and will restore the ancestral temple in Wei County, issue orders to the world, and punish those who have not yet surrendered." "In a few years, his achievement will not be difficult." 1

This is a long-term strategic talk!

This is also Yuan Shao’s own wish!

When Qiao Yan's momentum was at its peak and Yuan Shao even wanted Liu Bian to offer her the position of General of Cavalry as a way to win her over, Ju Su still had such confidence in him and said the four words "it's not difficult", which was like a reassurance to him.

Ju Su was by no means a man of empty talk, but he actually demonstrated his ability to quell rebellions, accomplish meritorious deeds, and suppress rebellions and disobedience.

Compared with Shen Pei, who has integrity but is better at defense, Xu You, who is resourceful but better at speaking, Tian Feng, who is upright but often offends his superiors, and Feng Ji, who is insightful but a little short-sighted, Ju Su is simply the most satisfactory and loyal minister in Yuan Shao's mind, and the greatest gain he has obtained after establishing himself in Hebei.

Now that he stood up first, even if he first talked about Qiao Yan's advantage at the moment, it did not affect Yuan Shao's special expectation of what he would say.

Ju Shou continued, "I have two ways to make them temporarily suspend their offensive. Given the current situation, Chang'an has to be attacked, and temporarily suspending the offensive is enough."

Yuan Shao hurriedly said, "Please tell me, sir."

He would be very happy if there was only one solution, let alone two.

Ju Su replied, "First, from the perspective of the etiquette that Qiao Yeshu respects, there are only two people who can be above her, namely Lu Gong and Liu Youzhou. Lu Gong is willing to be an insider to guard the Western Emperor, so he can't stop her actions, but Liu Youzhou can."

"Qiao Yeshu's way of governing is completely different from Liu Youzhou's. The former was rich and powerful, and attacked the Hu people on the border. The latter lived a simple life, opened up the Hu market, and won over the Wuhuan Qiao King in order to hang his head and raise Zhang Chun."

"If the people of Bingzhou lived in peace, no one could blame Qiao Yeshu. However, many nobles of Liangzhou were slaughtered. The defeat of Han Sui and Bian Zhang could be considered as a war. The slaughter of Gaoping and Ayang and the covering of the ground with the bones of Qiang people showed that the people of Liangzhou were not at peace, but were frequently shed blood. You may ask Liu Youzhou to take care of this matter."

Yuan Shao hesitated and asked, "Although Liu Bo'an has not recognized the emperor of Yecheng as the legitimate emperor, he has not expressed his intention to welcome and submit to the emperor in the west. What if he is unwilling to go?"

In Yuan Shao's view, Liu Yu's conciliatory policy towards the Wuhuan was undoubtedly a true reflection of his character.

He doesn't have much ambition.

It is comfortable to have such a person by your side, but it is also a bit difficult to get him to extend his hand into other people's territory.

"This is not difficult," Xu You said before Ju Su could reply, "In May, there were many people in Youzhou who wanted to make Liu Youzhou the ruler of the world. My Lord, why don't you help him light a fire and lend a helping hand."

Liu Yu himself publicly rejected such rumors among the people.

He even replied, "Today, the country is in chaos and the emperor is in disgrace. I have been greatly favored but have not been able to avenge the national humiliation. You all should work together and be devoted to the royal family, but you are plotting rebellion and slandering each other!"2

What he meant was that he worked hard to govern Youzhou not in order to become the king of a country, but just hoped to accumulate power in the prefectures and counties so that he could return the capital to Luoyang sooner or later.

Regardless of which emperor he was supporting, it was definitely not him.

But according to Xu You's method, if such remarks became widespread, and someone happened to hope that he could go and persuade Qiao Yan not to violate the rules in the name of regaining the emperor, would Liu Yu choose to go for the sake of his own reputation?

The possibility of going is very high!

Xu You said, "Your Excellency does not need to ask the Emperor to appoint Liu Bo'an as the governor of Liang Province. You only need to let Liu Bo'an's son Liu He temporarily take over the authority of the governor of You Province."

If he was really given the position of Governor of Liang Province, Liu Yu would inevitably feel that this was inappropriate.

Only by mediating can he be allowed to go as a restraining party.

Yuan Shao praised: "Let's do as you two say."

Liu He was once Liu Xie's study companion. After Luoyang was captured last year, Dong Zhuo failed to take him with him when he fled with Liu Xie. He also came to Jizhou with the establishment of the Yecheng court and had a good relationship with the Yuan family's children.

In a sense, appointing Liu He temporarily as the governor of Youzhou also gave Yuan Shao the capital to interfere in the affairs of Youzhou.

He turned to Ju Su and said, "Please tell me about the second measure, sir."

Ju Su replied: "Please invite Zheng Kangcheng to come to Yecheng and reopen the Imperial College. At the same time -"

"Please ask all the disciples of Lu Gong in Zhuo County and the disciples of Xun Gong who fled from Hanbin to go to Liangzhou to plead for their master. The world's great scholars have lost countless people in the Party Imprisonment Disaster. If Qiao Bingzhou rashly advances to Chang'an, the lives of Lu Gong and Xun Gong will surely be in danger, which will be a great pity."

"The disciples are not trying to persuade him not to fight. They are only trying to persuade him to wait for the outcome of the battle in Jingzhou. Then they can send another army to attack Chang'an and fight again when everything is stable."

Lu Zhi and Xun Shuang must have hoped that Qiao Yan would send troops directly, but Dong Zhuo would never let their idea be spread.

This also makes this method of public opinion condemnation feasible.

Moreover, just as Ju Shou said, these young men who were invited to go to Liangzhou were not there to stop Qiao Yan from attacking Dong Zhuo and rescuing the emperor, but they hoped that she would wait a little longer to ensure that Dong Zhuo could be taken down quickly, rather than having to fight at a time when famous scholars would be sacrificed.

However, how long it will take for the winner to be decided between Liu Biao of Jingzhou and Sun Jian, Zhu Jun and others is not something that can be easily determined. Yuan Shao can even intervene and take some action.

But on the surface, he simply invited the great scholar Zheng Xuan from Qingzhou to the capital to reopen the Imperial College, which had been abandoned for more than a year, and made him the principal.

This is even a move to continue to win the hearts of scholars.

After these two measures, if Qiao Yan wanted to attack Sanfu with the momentum of the successful expedition against Han Sui, it would be impossible for him to do so within at least a year and a half.

If she really did that, her original identity as a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty would be untenable.

According to Ju Su's speculation, even if Qiao Yan was not a loyal minister of the late emperor as she appeared to be, but was actually separatist in the name of a Han minister, she would never do such a self-destructive thing at this time.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Shao clapped his hands, stood up and bowed to express his gratitude to Ju Su.

Ju Shou's two suggestions not only delayed Qiao Yan's actions, but more importantly, behind these two actions, they were further contributing to his plan to dominate Hebei.

This is the quality that a top-notch strategist should demonstrate!

With such a wise counselor as Yuan Shao, there is no need to worry about not achieving great things!